By Tom Bridge
The nice folks at Daily Beast have compiled a historical collection of blizzard photography, covering the storms that have hit the US and paralyzed various cities in the US, from Boston to Seattle. I still think ours is one of the more impressive. Somehow they also left out the Knickerbocker Storm that set DC’s record back in 1922 with 28″ of snow, though, so I’m not sure how totally comprehensive the piece is. Still, worth a look, for the photos of DC in the Blizzards of ’78 & ’96.
By Donna C.
Courtesy of Farm to Family
Here’s a heartwarming video for a snowy day.
Yesterday, the BBC ran a piece on The Farm to Family Bus, a farmers market on wheels that serves neighborhoods in Richmond, often in low-income areas, that don’t have easy access to grocery stores and quality, organic food.
The piece also highlights Josh Viertel, president of Slow Food USA (and there’s a DC chapter), speaking to a group of slow food advocates in DC.
A great idea, that — to bring healthy food to those who may need it most.
By Katie
’15/365: The Line’
courtesy of ‘Amberture’
Each month for Eat Like Me I tend to write about a theme I’ve been pondering for the month. I spend a lot of time in restaurants, and tend to focus on specific aspects of the business over time. Sometimes I just wonder in awe of the whole concept of a restaurant, sometimes I spend time thinking about the concept of resting at a restaurant and what you get when you pay for a meal. Other times I worry about myself, in specific, my snob factor. This month, I’ve been pondering dish composition.
It may sound trite, but I’ve been paying special attention to plates I love, and plates I find to be too complex. First and foremost for me, a restaurant can only be as good as it’s ingredients. They are a baseline to start from, we hear this straight from the Chefs time and time again in our Capital Chefs series. But once you’ve got quality ingredients to work with, the whole plight of a chef is putting them together in a way that brings out the best in each of them. This month I’ve been subjected to a few over-kill dishes. Dishes that have too much on a plate, where a subtraction of one thing could have made a balanced composition. It’s a delicate balance for a chef to walk, you don’t want the diner to be bored, but overfussing a plate can kill an order for me as much as a bland dish with too little going on. So this month’s Eat Like Me is all about dishes that pair the elements on the plate in harmony, balancing perfectly, simply, and letting well-chosen ingredients speak for themselves.
Oh, before I launch into this – I couldn’t fit Masa 14’s brunch into the list but it is fantastic. My new favorite brunch in the city. Consider yourself informed. Continue reading
By shannon
‘More than ankle deep’
courtesy of ‘moonrat42’
No matter what, my feet are always cold or wet walking around in this snow. Sure, Uggs are nice and toasty, but they’re not waterproof and the slushy snow soaks right through. Rain boots, or wellies, are great because they are a little taller (helping in those 3-foot-deep snow drifts) and waterproof, but they’re not insulated so your feet can get cold.
Has anyone out there found the perfect boots that will keep your feet dry and warm in the snow drifts? Clearly this snow isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so I think it might be time to invest in a new pair.
By Samer Farha
‘Snow Dude Shovels It’
courtesy of ‘Anthroscribe’
When this storm is finished and it’s time to dig out, you find that your car is stuck in a plow-created three foot snow dam. You’ve got no shovel, and don’t have the slightest idea where to start. What if you could use technology to ask for help? Or, even better, to offer your own help?
Ryan Ozimek and a friend pulled together to create snowmageddoncleanup.com, a site to help connect people with snow problems to people who have snow solutions. This is a good way to get the word out about what you can do to help your fellow neighbors.
Wired has the write up about why they did it, and how they did it in a hurry. After reading that, go and volunteer some solutions.
By Don
Take a break from all the snow talk and enjoy this video, recorded live at the Black Cat last night.
That’s Daimion Suomi performing “Burn the Pain.” There’s another video from last night on the linked Suomi tumblr,, but it includes some footage of what Suomi had to go through to get to last night’s performance. And we’re not talking about that for a few minutes, are we now?
By John Athayde
‘The garden, fully planted’
courtesy of ‘Boboroshi’
Outside is a view of the grip of winter, fitting more for Boston, Montreal, or Calgary than a typical Washington winter. The snow flies sideways and the cold is enough to make anyone think twice about joining a snowball fight. In light of this, you might think me crazy to state, emphatically, that winter is for gardening.
The trickle began a few weeks ago with a catalog from gardeners.com, followed by Lee Valley and Baker Creek. Suddenly it’s an explosion of the promise of summer: “ORDER YOUR SEEDS NOW!” “GET YOUR GARDEN READY!” they shout. The snow is up to my waist in parts of the yard. The garlic planted in the fall hibernating under straw and three feet of snow and ice. The roof was also full of stuff that shouldn’t be there I have to remove them before this the conditions worsen. Luckily, the telescopic ladder I got online from a review on Best of Tools came last week. Just in time for the next few days where I do not have much to do. Winter is a difficult time to do a lot of chores.
But this is exactly the time for gardening. If you want to start your own seeds and get your beds ready, this is the optimum time to be working your garden. Some of the things that I am going to talk about may be a bit late, but for future planning purposes, I will include them in this brain dump. Continue reading
By Donna C.
‘SnOMG #2’
courtesy of ‘[F]oxymoron’
Today, Time took on a question that might be on many people’s minds. Where is global warming, anyway?
The issue is still out there, but “global warming” doesn’t tell the whole picture. While worldwide temperature averages are rising, “global climate change” and “weather weirding” more accurately describe what will happen.
The global part is spot on. Temperature rises affect air and sea currents throughout the world. They also affect the amount of moisture the air can hold; warmer air locks in more, bringing heavier precipitation.
And if the temperature hovers around freezing, as the Time article explains, here in DC we could get more snow.
Sound complex? It is. That’s why scientists the world over are studying changes in the climate, which is a long-term thing, and another point that confuses folks about the term “global warming.”
As the article so aptly states, “Weather is what will happen next weekend; climate is what will happen over the next decades and centuries.” Kudos to Time for shedding some light.
By Rebecca
‘Lotus #49’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’
The shops lining M Street and Wisconsin Avenue have had a turbulent year. We’ve lost American Eagle, Commander Salamander, Up Against The Wall, FYE, Smith and Hawken, Nathan’s, etc. However, we have gained North Face, True Religion Jeans, Arisu, etc. A full survey from late January of the closings and openings can be found at Georgetownmetropolitan.com.
Now comes word from Georgetown blogger Carol Joynt that more stores are closed or in peril. According the Joynt, Benneton has already shuttered, Sisley is soon to follow and the Aldo’s “remodeling” is suspect.
Want to commemorate surviving SNOW-MG 2010 or brag to your friends back at home about how you watched DC become something reminiscent of a ghost down during a zombie apocalypse during “snowmaggedon”? Thrillist DC is giving you that chance.
You can rep the District all year long with their new “I Survived…Snowmageedon” T-Shirt.
Sick of snow all together? You can also show your DC pride by sporting these trendy new sealed and water resistant dog tags are made from real maps of DC. You might get lost if you ever want to use them to find your way around, but it’s a nice alternative from being constantly reminded about all this snow that just doesn’t seem to want to go away.
By Tom Bridge
‘Cyclists and DC Fire in the Snowmageddon’
courtesy of ‘theqspeaks’
You might remember the name Alex Capece from our He Loves DC series; he’s a DC EMS rookie working with DCFD in the midst of all this crazy snow. He’s updated his fire blog to include thoughts from working inside a blizzard, and it’s sure not glamorous:
I lost count of how many times we had to dig the ambulance out. The engine became stuck a few times, too—and without fail, as soon as we dig ourselves out, here comes a shout from down the street: “Hey, can you guys come give us a hand?”
Read the rest, it’s worth it, and buy any firefighter, policeman, or EM tech some beer if you get the chance. They’ve earned it.
By Don
‘Art & Architecture’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’
If you’re an Arlington resident and have some books that are due to go back this week – keep em. Anything that was due on the 5th on through the 15th is now auto-magically not due back till the 16th. If you’ve got something you checked out in 1993 and were finally going to bring it back today, don’t sweat that either – no late fees will be incremented for the days the library is closed.
So if it was good, crack it back open and give it another pass-through. You’re not going anywhere.
By Katie
Oh, what you’re not sick of time lapses? ME NEITHER. Good. Here’s another, this one by Andrew Cutaro. I like this one for it’s longevity, and daily life action (clearing the car, walking the dog, sidewalk shoveling, etc.).
If you’re itching to venture out today and can do so safely, there’s another snowball fight being planned for Dupont Circle today at 2PM.
And then once you’ve gone and worked off your cabin fever, you can buy the t-shirt. Edited to add: Or you can get the “official” t-shirt, if it’s important to you to be “official” about an unlicensed event taking place in a public park.
By Rebecca
‘so bored’
courtesy of ‘sunnyfunnyyellow’
Yeah, I feel you. There’s only so many days you can surf the interwebz, watch movies, catch up on your DVR recordings, read, twiddle your thumbs, pace around your apartment, etc.
So let’s get crazy and kick ourselves into snowaction. The Washington Post’s Jenna Johnson has already compiled a fantastic list of snomageddon activities geared towards the college aged set, and I’ve brainstormed the following activities to stave off the boredom and enjoy the winter wonderland that is DC for the next few days. Continue reading
By Karl Johnson
Snow Fort from Craigslist.org
Ok, this is just hilarious. I know we’ve been covering a LOT of snow related “news” lately, but sometimes you just find something that demands postage. Half the interwebz have seen our post on the Big DC Condom Shortage of 2010 from earlier and this just fits right in with the lighter side of this #snowdiculous winter.
Want to live on the Hill? Tired of living in a tiny studio apartment in DC because you can’t afford a full 1 bedroom? Always wanted your own doorman to get the door for you when your hands are full of groceries from the local ‘Teeter? Tired of paying extra for wifi? Oh wow have we found the place for you.
$140 1BR Affordable Snow Fort Sublet In Capitol Hill
Take advantage of the never ending blizzard! This move-in ready apartment is as cool as it gets. (What? There were no puns.) By the way, this would be so much more hip than living in Columbia Heights these days.
By Tom Bridge
‘Nidify #7’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’
Just a reminder: we’re back in Snow Emergency land, so if you live on any of the Snow Emergency routes, move your car or face a $250 fine and towing/impound costs. It sucks if it happens to you, do not be That Guy.
‘crystal palace’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’
And there it is. OPM has announced that the federal government will be closed again tomorrow. Not that I don’t love me some long weekends, but this is getting #snowdiculous. Spring, come quick!!
‘2010:30’
courtesy of ‘::FiZ::’
You knew it couldn’t last long. Metro is back to underground-only service and no bus or MetroAccess for Wednesday the 10th. And yet, the feds haven’t announced their closure yet… Any bets on how long that will take?
By Don
Adam Gallagher of Food&Friends reached out to us saying that these storms and subsequent transportation ugliness has made it hard for them to deliver meals. Here’s their plea, verbatim.
On Thursday, February 11th, Food & Friends needs 20 volunteers to deliver meals, especially those with 4-wheel-drive vehicles. Those without cars would be very much appreciated in the kitchen, and it would be great if they could come between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Volunteers may sign up to chenderson@foodandfriends.org. This information is also available on our website at www.foodandfriends.org/winterstorm2010. Without Food & Friends, our clients likely will not eat, so the help of the community is vital. Meals may be picked up from Food & Friends (219 Riggs Road, NE/Washington, DC) between 10 a.m. and 12 a.m., we will provide detailed delivery directions, and routes should take no more than 3 hours. For more information, prospective volunteers may call 202.841.5347.
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