By brownpau
Speaking of unhikable, unbikable paths, commenter Phil noted that Theodore Roosevelt Island trails are still a mess of snow and fallen trees and branches. I got to see that firsthand over the weekend; most of the island is still shin-deep in snow, and the boardwalk remains uncleared of branches and ankle-to-shin deep accumulation, with an unevenly packed path in the middle thanks to occasional daring joggers. Hard to walk, but pretty to look at.
More photos after the jump: Continue reading
By Tom Bridge
‘Newspapers Newspapers Newspapers’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’
Kytja Weir from the Examiner has had a look at the FY2011 WMATA budget, and get ready to bend over, because here it comes again. Look for an increase up to $2.00 for peak rail fare minimums, with the new max at $5.10. There’s also a peak-of-the-peak period during the height of rush hour (7-8:30a and 4:30-6p) which will increase the peak fare by a dime each direction. Metrobus fares face a hike of a quarter each direction. Taking the shuttle to Dulles or BWI? That’ll be $6 instead of $3.10.
The increases are draconian, and will likely affect the commuting rider to the tune of $154 a year, with an additional $110 if they add bus legs each direction. Even worse? With these increases, Metro still has another $40M to make up in shortfall. No idea where that’s going to come from, but I’m hoping it’s not the ridership’s pockets. I suspect that’s a well they’ve gone to too much.
By Cathy
Seriously. We’ve had enough of the snow. And the cold. And the snow that’s still left over because it’s so cold. We’re ready to break out of the doldrums, too. And thus, we are soooo excited to snuggle up in the warm nooks and crannies of Wisdom Cocktail Parlour tomorrow night from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Ticket prices increase at midnight tonight, so get your ticket!
Join your favorite WeLoveDC authors and Wisdom owner/bartender Erik Holzherr for a craft cocktail experience at a happy (two) hour(s) you will leave all the wiser.
Tickets, which include your first craft cocktail, are $15 ahead of time or $20 at the door. Food and happy hour specials will also be available.
‘redneck_jesus’
courtesy of ‘Steve Riley SEA’
It looks like the Nats have gone all religious on us after just one day in Florida. They’ve seen the light … and that light is Stephen Strasburg’s pitching ability.
Centerfielder Nyjer Morgan and the rest of Strasburg’s teammates have given the rookie a new nickname — Jesus. Why Jesus? “‘Cause what’s the first thing you say when you see him pitch?” Morgan told the Washington Post, “Jeee-sus!”
For now, Strasburg will be starting the season in the minors. “I wouldn’t really want to say that he’s competing for a spot in the rotation,” Riggleman told the Post. “I think we’re open-minded, but… he could pitch real well down here, but we still might feel like the development, the process is to be respected of going through the system and getting really used to the rigors of throwing every fifth day [in the minor leagues].”
All signs point toward things starting off on the right foot this season. Now we have to wait and see what happens when the rest of the team reports in a week and a half.
By Tom Bridge
If you’re a fan of good talk radio, chances are you listen in to Kojo Nnamdi on WAMU each day from noon to two. This Tuesday evening, he’ll be recording a live show at All Souls Unitarian at 1500 Harvard St NW, with topics to include an hour long discussion on education reform and an hour long discussion on commercial development in Columbia Heights/Mount Pleasant. If you like live radio (and believe me, the college DJ in me sure loves it), come out to listen.
‘the big melt’
courtesy of ‘lisa cee’
A weekend without any snowfall? I still don’t believe it myself. The city is starting to thaw. The mounds of snow resembling Mount Everest are melting into small, manageable to climb hills (even Mount St. Fenty seems to be decreasing in size). And — best of all — the sun’s chosen to peek its pretty head once more. So, enjoy the rising temperatures and lack of freak snow storms. Here are a few snapshots of DC’s thawing out process to tide you over while you wait for all that powdery white stuff to disappear from our streets and sidewalks. Continue reading
By Donna C.
Good day for a ski
Heading out to the towpath this weekend, I didn’t expect to see it plowed. But I was surprised to see it wasn’t packed down. In some areas, like near Fletcher’s Boathouse, there is plenty of loose snow not suitable for running or biking, and not all that easy for walking, either. (Hint: Snowshoes ROCK.)
The Capital Crescent Trail there doesn’t look much better. Nearer Georgetown, so many large trees are across it that people have blazed a winding path. (See recent reports.) Sure, it’s pretty for a weekend hike, but what about training for that upcoming 10K — or more importantly, biking on it to work? Especially when the roads are a mess?
The WashCycle has plenty to say about the matter. Saturday’s The Ice Storm post talks about why the trails aren’t plowed, then requests that people contact trail managers and ask The Post‘s Dr. Gridlock to address the issue in his chat today at noon.
Paul McCray of Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority says in the comments the W&OD trail staff will start clearing snow this week. The upcoming rains also may wash away a lot of it.
Did you hit the trails this weekend? If so, what did you find?
By Carl Weaver
My neighbor crapped his snow into the street
Originally uploaded by carlweaver
My neighbor decided that the snow-clearing job at his house was not good enough, so he crapped some into the street for good measure. Because that’s where it belongs or something, I guess. I don’t know why. It’s just plain annoying.
People, if you need to do a bit more shoveling to clean things up a little, throw the snow somewhere it makes sense, like into a yard or onto another snow pile. Heck – I’d even pile it by one of the many cars that still has not been extricated from its parking spot.
Don’t throw it in the street. That’s just dumb. We want it to be out of the street, remember?
By Dave Levy
‘Dave Drags the Foot 3’
courtesy of ‘tbridge’
I’ve talked a very big game all week when it comes to curling. Inspired by the perfect combination of Norwegian pants, live broadcasts online and the sheer novelty of the sport, I have tried to throw all of my perceived curling expertise around whenever I got a chance. I’ve made my puns about throwing rocks at houses and bacon curling in pans (including overusing the #CurlingRocks hashtag). I have cheered loudly and emphatically for the US teams in Vancouver, and have conversely made criticisms of John Shuster that would make Byung-Hyun Kim say, “alright, easy there.”
It’s been a wonderful hobby for the week; part of the appeal of the sport is not only how often it is on during the Olympics, but the accessibility of it. “That totally seems like something I could do.” I gave it in my first run on a modified, synthetic sheet on Friday afternoon at the Hilton Garden Inn’s weekend long expo. After a well-documented victory over DCist’s Aaron Morrissey, my confidence was at an all time high. I still believed I had a handle on the sport.
And then I took my first steps on the sheet out at Potomac Curling Club in Laurel, Md., and I finally had to admit that this whole thing is just a tinge harder than it looks. Confidence swept away, all my hopes and dreams for a birth on the Sochi 2014 team were on thin ice.
‘Liván Hernández back pitching for the Nats’
courtesy of ‘afagen’
It’s official — we’re just 11 days away from the start of Spring Training! What does that mean? Manager Jim Riggleman and his staff of pitchers and catchers are on the field at Space Coast Stadium in Viera, Florida RIGHT NOW playing “catch” for the first time as a team this season.
First-round draft pick Stephen Strasburg and the other newly acquired pitching talent including Matt Capps, Jason Marquis, Brian Bruney and Chien-Ming Wang are all in attendance and ready to go. Let’s get this season started!
By Ben H. Rome
‘Our New Years Day Capitals Tickets!’
courtesy of ‘sinksanctity’
American Pest launched a contest today for Caps fans to win two club-level seating to one of two upcoming Capitals games at the Verizon Center. The contest runs through 11:59 p.m. on March 4 and winners will be randomly chosen and announced on Facebook.
All you have to do to win is find six ‘bugs’ hidden throughout their website and be a Facebook fan of American Pest to qualify. The tickets are to either the March 12 game versus the Tampa Bay Lightning, or the March 30 game versus the Ottawa Senators.
Fans can vote after every game for the Hard Hat Player of the Game, sponsored by American Pest. So go, find some bugs, and score some hard-to-get tickets!
By Jenn Larsen
Michael Hayden as King Richard II in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of Richard II, directed by Michael Kahn. Photo by Scott Suchman.
I don’t normally write the kind of review that I’m writing today. But to be blunt, I’ve had enough. What is going on at Shakespeare Theatre Company? Inconsistent vocality, acting styles ranging all over from natural to downright hammy, condescending directorial choices, flubbed lines. With so much talent at its disposal, I can only attribute it to growing pains with the Harman Center. But even that excuse is not going to last much longer with me. I love theater and I love Shakespeare. I want everyone to succeed. But if you don’t start bringing it, STC, I’m going to lose faith.
My first hint something was not right with Richard II, now playing in repertory with Henry V as part of an exploration on leadership themes, was in reading Michael Kahn’s directorial notes. He had decided to add a prologue from an anonymously penned Elizabethean play called Thomas of Woodstock because “I’ve always been aware of how mystified the audience is for the first four scenes.” Um, what? The audience has to piece together what happens at the first scene of Hamlet too, but I don’t see anyone advocating giving the ghost’s secret away right off the bat. So this is a choice to enlighten the audience? Why, we’re too dumb to catch up on our own? The patched together prologue is interminable and unnecessary, giving us our first glimpse of Richard’s neurosis and paranoia far too soon, not to mention solidifying in my mind –
Ok, deep breaths. Let’s jump back for a minute. Continue reading
By Kirk
‘Weihenstephaner’
courtesy of ‘yto’
Welcome to the Friday Happy Hour, your single drink primer for the weekend.
I’ve been trying to come up with some sort of seasonal or circumstantial justification for recommending the Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier, but I really can’t. The best thing I can think of is that you might die tomorrow and it would be a real shame if you went to your grave without trying this beer. The Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier is a wheat beer hailing from the Weihenstephan brewery of Bavaria (supposedly the oldest in the world). It’s consistently rated as the best hefewizen in the world and packs an enormous amount of complexity and flavor. It bears notes of lemon and clove with strong overtones of banana from the acids produced by the particular style of yeast used during the fermentation process. It’s sweet and refreshing, with a medium body and lingering finish. Typically, you’d drink this style of beer during warmer weather, but it’s definitely worth having today. You can find it at Little Miss Whiskey’s Golden Dollar on H St., or at Total Wine and More.
By Katie
‘Auntie Anne’s pretzels’
courtesy of ‘roboppy’
JUST IN, FREE FOOD ALERT via the lovely and adorable Missy Frederick from the Washington Business Journal, Auntie Anne’s everywhere will be giving away free pretzels tomorrow.
“Between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. you can get a free regular or cinnamon sugar pretzel at any Auntie Anne’s location. There’s a limit of one per customer. More details here.”
I have a weak spot for Auntie Anne’s greasy delicious pretzels as my favorite shopping and airport snack. I’m going to make it a point to hunt one down tomorrow.
By Dave Levy
‘Dave Levy Curls’
courtesy of ‘tbridge’
The drama of Curling is gripping the nation, as it is wont to do during the Winter Olympics. Some clever minds over at the Hilton Garden Inn in McPherson Square saw the opportunity to tap into the adopted cult sports quadrennial success around the games and throw some support towards USA Curling. With four modified-length sheets and an array of stones, the basement ballrooms of the 14th St facility are ripe for you throw around all the fantastic curling terminology you’d like.
Tom Bridge captured the moment via some outstanding photographs, and I’m proud to say that I took a 1-0 victory over DCist in the first ever, unofficial, DC Blog Bonspiel.
This is just the start of our curling coverage this weekend, as we’ll be heading out to Potomac Curling Club tomorrow for their open house. However, if you find yourself with your family downtown this weekend, the ice here at the Hilton Garden Inn is open for the public to take their hand at an end. It will be open starting at 6 p.m. this evening until 9 p.m., as well as tomorrow and Sunday.
Need to brush up on your Curling lingo? I posted a little bit of a primer over on my own blog last weekend.
Dave Levy, among other things, is We Love DC’s Senior Curling Correspondent (yes, We Love DC now has a Senior Curling Correspondent). He usually writes about media and journalism over at State of the Fourth Estate.
By Tom Bridge
‘Det findes stadig!’
courtesy of ‘Kofoed’
Just a quick moment to thank LivingSocial.com, our sponsor for the month of February. They’re offering a single deal every day, so sign up and get the best deals that DC has to offer. Click through the ad on the right to sign up and get emails with the best deals in DC.
Interested in sponsoring We Love DC? Please check out our offerings.
courtesy of Tortoise
Indie-rock elder statesmen Tortoise played the Black Cat on Tuesday night and treated the modest-sized crowd to a set that was representative of their career modus operandi. Somehow their set managed to be simultaneously laid-back and intense in a way that was as mind-boggling as it was enjoyable. Covering the lion’s share of their latest album “Beacons Of Ancestorship” Tortoise once again displayed their utter mastery of genre collision and band member inter-play.
A lot of articles online hail Tortoise as the “godfathers of Post-Rock” and while I don’t particularly agree* I do recognize and enjoy the sea-change impact that they had on indie rock in the mid-1990’s. No one on the indie landscape does quite what Tortoise does in practice or in sound. They are the ultimate instrument playing genre colliders. Tortoise does with instruments what DJs can only dream of doing with an arsenal of samplers; Tortoise swallows difficult genres (Jazz, Krautrock, Prog-Rock, Dub, Punk, the list goes on…) and reconstitutes them into insane progressive mash-ups that evoke their influences in brilliant, discordant, and challenging ways. The fact that they can do all that and still lay down a deeply enjoyable jam is Tortoise’s own special brand of genius.
Continue reading
By Ben H. Rome
‘lunar freedom’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’
Seems there’s a new entry in Georgetown.edu’s website redesign…and that left side looks kinda familiar. Apparently, this new entry is considered “cutting edge,” “innovative,” and “aggressive.” Um, well duh. Considering we pretty much set that look when we launched almost two years ago…
So. Honest mistake? Homage to our glorious site? Or simply because we’re Just That Awesome, so everyone wants to be like us?
By Cathy
This upcoming Tuesday, February 23, from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., WeLoveDC is hosting its first event of the year at Wisdom Cocktail Parlour.
Join your favorite WeLoveDC authors and Wisdom owner/bartender Erik Holzherr for a craft cocktail experience at a happy (two) hour(s) you will leave all the wiser.
Tickets, which include your first craft cocktail, are $15 ahead of time or $20 at the door (space permitting). Food and happy hour specials will also be available.
Get your ticket and come hang with us.
By Donna C.
‘Plenty of Plants!’
courtesy of ‘mscaprikell’
Those Arlington greenies are at it again. They spent New Year’s dreaming up a community energy plan, and now they’ve been chosen as one of four local governments nationwide to receive assistance for a Green Office Challenge program.
This friendly competition will encourage property managers and office tenants to save money, energy and water in their buildings and to reduce waste.
The ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, which developed the challenge with Chicago last year, will give the county guidance and technical support. Charleston, Nashville and San Diego also will take the challenge.
Luckily, there will be no competition from Dunder Mifflin’s “As Green As We Have To Be” initiative and “one cup per day” water cooler plan.
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