Yearly Archives: 2010

The Features, Tourism
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Gone Hunting (for Photos)

IMG_69269Students at work in Adams Morgan by Corinne Whiting

When you think DC, you don’t typically think “safari.” (Heck, with Tai Shan leaving us yesterday, now even the National Zoo seems far less exotic to explore.) But thanks to local photographer-entrepreneur E. David Luria, locals and visitors alike get the chance to go on a different type of hunt: the pursuit for the perfect photo.

I’ve been lucky enough to tag along on two of David’s tours with Washington Photo Safari. One was on a very sticky day that attracted a lot of map-wielding tourists to must-see spots like the White House, Vietnam Memorial and Lincoln Reflecting Pool. The second, on a morning so cold that a few wayward students kept disappearing inside for long coffee breaks, drew visitors and locals to the lively Adams Morgan zone. I enjoyed both safaris for the spontaneous chats with curious city newcomers as well as longtime residents who gladly shared their shutterbug expertise. I also appreciated David’s kind encouragement, grandfatherly jokes and the way in which he made every member of our slightly ragtag, eclectic photography team feel included.

But my favorite part? The license these tours gave me to screech to a snail’s pace for a few hours, studying the details of my city as if seeing it all for the first time. I pointed my lens at monuments, memorials, doorknobs, tattered murals, cracking sidewalks, shiny car hoods and intricate African weavings, finding beauty in places normally eclipsed by my rushed daily routine. As a pro tip, I recommend you to carry one of these Hiking backpacks, which you can get from weather proof hunting backpack sales shop, to help you take everything you need.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Chart Madness

Screen shot 2010-02-05 at 10.44.47 AM

When you think Too Much Information and associate it with your boss telling you about his weekend getaway, well, you clearly haven’t been to the NOAA site.

The hourly weather forecast, which is buried in the bottom right of the screen when you’re viewing the 7 day forecast? THAT is too much information.

Wind chill, temp and dewpoint every hour on the hour for the next 48 hours? Yep.

Relative humidity, sky cover, chance of precipitation? That too. Thunder, rain, snow, sleet, freezing rain? Well of course!

The predictions are very localized – just key in your area name here and then pick the hourly weather graph down in the bottom right.

Screen shot 2010-02-05 at 10.51.36 AM

One of the most useful things on this is the wind predictions. If you’re planning on tromping around today you want to be safely inside for the night by 10p when winds hit 20+mph.

The Daily Feed
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Haven’t Gone Shopping Yet? You’re Kinda Screwed.


This is a mad house!
Originally uploaded by carlweaver

This was the scene last night in the produce department at the Safeway on Lee Hwy. Lots of thing were still available, but probably not the things you would care to eat if you had a choice. Beets, radishes, papayas and kale were still there. On the shelves were pig knuckles, potted meat, mustard, clam juice and laxatives. That was about it.

Since the snow has been delayed a bit from its predicted early morning start, what last-minute items are you heading out for?

News, The Daily Feed
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NTSB Plans Hearing on June Metro Crash

Photo courtesy of
‘Metro crash aftermath 2’
courtesy of ‘futureatlas.com’

The National Transportation Safety Board is planning a hearing at their offices in Southwest DC on February 23rd through 25th to question witnesses concerning the accident last June that claimed the lives of nine men and women. The hearing will be streamed to the internet, and you bet that we’ll be watching as the NTSB questions Metro about their safety track record, and the Tri-state Oversight Committee about Metro’s oversight roles.

Essential DC, Food and Drink, The District, The Features
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What Snow? Restaurants & Bars To Stay Open in DC Blizzard

Photo courtesy of
‘Metaphorical lesson’
courtesy of ‘c00lmarie’

[Update 2/8, 11AM] Hey there – if you’re reading this now that the blizzard is over (for now…) maybe you’d like some more topical information, like Katie’s updates on lunch specials available on Monday, Feb 8th.

If you’re like me, the thought of spending an entire 24 hours in your apartment makes you a little batty. In the snowstorms of recent past, my lovely roomie and I have zipped up our boots, slung on our hats and trudged out into the great beyond in the name of burgers and beer, searching for the only place along Wilson and Clarendon to be open. I love the neighborhood-y feel DC gets in the snow; everyone emerging from warm apartments and the air filled with a little buzz of excitement and “we’re all in this together”-ness. So where can you find your neighbors? Here’s a great list to get you started. Some of my favorites are hosting snow specials, so I’ve got an entire section on that, just for you, because I love you. Plus, omg, A MAP! Tom made a map, places with specials are in red, places that are open are blue. Cheers to the snow. Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Ovechkin Racks up 500th Point

Alex Ovechkin is really, really good at Hockey. He’s probably the best skating the ice in the NHL right now, and very possibly the world. Check out his 500th point, scored last night in the waning seconds of the 2nd period at MSG. Ovi flicks the puck, one hand on his stick, right over the goalie’s shoulder and into the Net. Ridiculous. Simply ridiculous.

The Caps picked up their 12th straight win, and head into Sunday’s grudge match hotter than the core of the sun. They go for 13 against the Thrashers tonight, and then 14 against the filthy Penguins on Sunday.

The Daily Feed
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National Geographic Cancels Weekend Festival

Photo courtesy of
‘National Geographic Terra Cotta Warriors – Face of a Warrior – 11-18-09’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

As the closings come in, we’ll be posting them here. If you had tickets to go see the Terra Cotta warriors exhibit at National Geographic this weekend, you may want to give them a call as they’re closing for the weekend, and will be canceling their Chinese New Year festival due to the storm.

Due to the anticipated weather moving into the area, the National Geographic Museum will be closed Saturday and has cancelled the planned Chinese New Year Festival. Information for how Saturday’s ticketholders can redeem their tickets will be announced at a later date

News, The Daily Feed
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OPM Announces 4-hr Early Dismissal (and other closings)

Photo courtesy of
‘squeeze’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

OPM has announced a 4-hr early dismissal, and isn’t ruling out that they may move that further up if the storm starts to move faster. They aren’t alone.

DCPS is closing at noon
MoCo Schools are closing 2.5 hrs early
PG County Schools are closing 3 hrs early
American University closing at noon
Howard University closing at noon
Trinity University closing at noon

The Daily Feed
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DC Snow Emergency in Effect after 9:30a

Photo courtesy of
‘Tow Truck Hydraulics In The North Capitol Street Sleet (Washington, DC)’
courtesy of ‘takomabibelot’

The word has been given: as of 9:30am tomorrow, we’re in a Snow Emergency. That means no parking on the Snow Emergency routes, or else you’ll be ticketed and towed (the fine is $250 + towing. Don’t forget to move your car.), and that’s no good. According to DDOT: “Residents can park for free at DC USA throughout the weekend. Cars must be moved by noon on Monday to avoid charges.” Parking at DC USA will open at 10pm tomorrow night.

Another thing to recognize, starting at 9:30am tomorrow, cab fares in the District go up by 25% to deal with the snow emergency.

The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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Homeless Shelter to Be Warmer Now

Making it better - photo courtesy of Green DMV

Making it better - photo courtesy of Green DMV

Yesterday, about 20 people gathered downtown to make a homeless shelter cozier — good news for those who will spend Snowpocalypse II there.

Participants weatherized the doors at Gospel Rescue Ministries to block drafts and keep the inside warmer, which will save the shelter precious money on heating, too. They also brightened rooms with a new coat of paint.

Members of the first graduating class of Green DMV’s Greater Washington Green Jobs Corps led the project, guiding volunteers from DC and federal agencies and the Latin American Youth Center. The corps is DC’s only program that trains people from disadvantaged backgrounds to join the green economy.

In addition to snugging up the shelter, this project introduced shelter residents to the possibilities of entry-level green jobs.

The Daily Feed
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Fight the Snow. Build a sled.

Photo courtesy of
‘Crazy Sledding’
courtesy of ‘terren in Virginia’

Sure, you may have seen the earlier post about where to sled in the District, but with less than 24 hours to go before an epic snow, it’s too late to order your very own version of Rosebud from Amazon, and all the local Targets, WalMarts, and hardware stores are sold out. Luckily, the folks at HacDC are coming to the rescue, with a late night impromptu sled-building workshop tonight at the Columbia Heights Hackerspace at 1525 Newton Street NW.

Sled building will commence once tonight’s Dorkbot DC meeting finishes up, sometime between 9 and 10 PM. But come early at 7 for the Dorkbot presentations!

Penn Quarter, The Daily Feed
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SAY IT AIN’T SO… Wagamama’s Backed Out???

Photo courtesy of
‘Wagamama Streatham Street’
courtesy of ‘renaissancechambara’

I interrupt the snow coverage to bring you some HIGHLY DISTURBING NEWS that MAY OR MAY NOT BE TRUE BUT IF IT IS I WILL CRY AND IT WILL BE BAD AND YOU DON’T WANT ME TO CRY DO YOU? NO YOU DO NOT.

Wagamama’s may not be opening. Says this thread at Don Rockwell.

YOU GUYS. THIS IS NOT OKAY. I REPEAT. NOT OKAY. I WAS SO EXCITED.

I’ll be in the bathroom with tissues if you need me.

The Daily Feed
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Snowball Fights! (No Guns, Please.)

Photo courtesy of
‘Aim’
courtesy of ‘M.V. Jantzen’

We’re tracking reports of a couple different snowball fights prepared for Saturday in the wake of what will be a second historic storm in a year! We’ve seen a Facebook invite for a Snowball Event on the Ellipse. Maybe the President will come out and throw the first snowball? Yeah, I didn’t think so either. There’s another snowball event put on by the NAKID Kickball league scheduled for 3pm by the Smithsonian Metro station, which I think is a great place to have a snowball fight (Metro accessible? Brilliant!)

Amongst our Twitterati, folks are also calling for a second snowball fight at 14th and U Street, this time without the gun-toting off-duty detective (Stay home, Baylor!) as well as a fight on Logan Circle. Watch this space for additional snowball fights, and add others as you hear about them in the comments!

Fun & Games, The Daily Feed, The Great Outdoors, The Hill
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The Hills

Photo courtesy of
‘sledding fun’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

We worked damn hard during the last snowpocalypse to make sure that you were well informed as to the snow related goings on in the DC area.  In fact, I’d say we covered the bases pretty well.  You know what that means for this time around? Recycled content!!

One of our readers, Shaun from Arlington, asked us about sledding hills in the DC area.  Fortunately, Cathy came up with a pretty sweet list in December.  For your information, here it is again:

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Activation 2719: Support Local Artists

Photo courtesy of
‘What’s that say?’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’

If you are someone who can’t fathom staying indoors just because of a ‘little’ snow, then perhaps adventuring over to the pop-up gallery called Activation 2719 might just be your perfect excuse to break-out. Activation 2719 is presented by Ready Set DC and No Kings Collective, a DC artist collective that promotes the relationship between area artists and their city, and will be kicking off a two week exhibition on Saturday at 6 p.m. with food from CommonWealth Gastropub and music via DJ Fleg and DJ Tom Lim – with vocals by Sheena Alexis and Bullfight Academy.

The exhibit will continue through February 20th and features the following local artists: Anieken Udofia, Bryan Rojsuontikul, Brandon Hill, Francisco Esteban, Batool Al-Shomrani, Peter Chang, Emily Greene Liddle, Tim “CON” Conlon, DECOY, and James Walker.

To attend, RSVP here by 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Activation 2719 is located at 2719 13th Street NW, Washington DC.

Food and Drink, Interviews, People, The Features, We Love Drinks
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We Love Drinks: Ivan Iricanin

Photo courtesy of
‘Masa 14 – 7’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

We Love Drinks continues our series where we look behind the bar, profiling the many people – from mixologists to bartenders, sommeliers to publicans – who make your drinks experience happen.

When Ivan Iricanin first tells me his favorite drink is tequila, I don’t quite believe him. After all, as beverage manager for Masa 14 with its 100+ tequila collection, doesn’t he have to say that? But the care is evident as he lines up a flight showcasing some exquisite ultra-aged tequila. And once I sample his simple margarita, I definitely believe him.

Ivan’s originally from Serbia, spending the past five years in DC and previously working with Richard Sandoval at Zengo. When I ask how a Serbian came to love a Mexican liquor, he mentions rakija, a fruit brandy usually made with plums. The best varieties are homemade and difficult to get. Traveling to Mexico as part of his stint with Washington Wholesale, he was reminded of his national liquor when trying the micro-tequilas – and of course Sandoval’s Mexican heritage was a huge influence as well.

Most Americans never get past mixto tequila, artificially colored and only 50% or so of it actual agave – the remainder coming from other sugar sources. “You’ll get a headache if it’s mixto,” Ivan says strongly, “all our tequilas served here are 100% agave.” This is serious stuff, with a regulatory council and bottle identifiers similiar to wine regulation. Ivan suggests starting your exploration with a flight – and what better way to completely wipe all memory of previous bad tequila choices than to go with a micro-tequila flight. Masa has six on the menu, and you won’t find them anywhere else.

As he lines up the gorgeous bottles with a card explaining each one, I’m thinking this could be dangerous, even though Ivan says the quality is flawless. I’m still relieved that fellow WLDC author Max is also along for the ride to help me with the tasting! Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Line at Trader Joe’s pretty freaking crazy


Trader Joe’s line too damned long
Originally uploaded by carlweaver

Were you in line at Trader Joe’s on 25th and L Street today? When I realized what was going on I turned tail and left. Those folks on the left in the photo are in line for the register. The folks on the right are waiting in a line that wrapped around the entire inside of the store. No foolin’.

I normally like working near this store but not today. I am curious, though, why it was so busy today and why people chose to wait in that long ass line. Were you there? Can you shed some light for me?

Downtown, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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RWDC Art!

Photo courtesy of
‘MTV’s “Real World” House in DC for 2010’
courtesy of ‘dbking’

Are you an art collector searching for a few “as seen on realty TV” pieces? Do you love MTV’s sense of interior design so much that you wish to emulate it in your own home? Well, you’re in luck, because Gallery Plan B is hosting a two day event during which you can purchase some of the artwork displayed in the Real World DC house! Starting Staurday, the pieces are on sale at Plan B’s 14th St. location.  They’re even hosting a reception with the artists on the 6th.  So, if anything jumped out at you during your religious watching on the RWDC, get yourself to Plan B to lay your hands on it.

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Win Tickets to the Georgetown/’Nova Game Saturday!

Photo courtesy of
‘Marquette at Georgetown’
courtesy of ‘bhenak’

Not afraid of a little snow? Love yourself some Hoyas Basketball? Us too! We’ve got a great contest to give away five pairs of awesome tickets to Saturday’s game courtesy of DC Lottery (Hey, Powerball’s up to $140M! That buys a LOT of snow removal!) and all you have to do is leave a comment to enter! We’ll pick five lucky winners tomorrow morning at 10am and coordinate tickets with DC Lottery.

See you at the game! Thanks DC Lottery!

DCLottery.jpg