Yearly Archives: 2010

Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music, We Love Music
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The Winning Ticket: Black Mountain w/ The Black Angels

As a way to say thanks to our loyal readers, We Love DC will be giving away a pair of tickets to a 9:30 Club concert to one lucky reader each week. Check back here every Wednesday morning at 9am to find out what tickets we’re giving away and leave a comment for your chance to be the lucky winner!

This week we are giving away a pair of tickets to see a pair of modern psychedelic rockers. Enter to win a pair of tickets to see The Black Angels and Black Mountain perform at 9:30 Club on Sunday November 7th!

I have seen The Black Angels in concert a couple of times (most recently at All Tomorrow’s Parties NY 2010) and I can vouch for their all-encompassing, heavy, psych-rock sound. They can be absolutely mesmerizing when witnessed live. Their music is a drug in itself. Having never seen them, Black Mountain are the unknown element of this double-bill for me. I hear great things about their live shows, including tales of epic-length extensions of their album tracks when played in concert. It sounds to me like this is a double-bill of kindred spirits; throw-back psych rockers who will stack up to provide one far-out night of tunes, man.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 4pm today. One entry per email address, please. Tickets for this show are also available through Ticketfly If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts.

For the rules of this giveaway…
Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Wall Goes Double-Double, Leads Wiz To First Victory In Home Opener

A view of the Verizon Center prior to the game. (photo by Patrick Pho)

The Wizards fans arrived to the Verizon Center for their home opener eager for a win. After starting the season with losses to Orlando and Atlanta, the crowd was ready for 2010’s first overall pick John Wall to go toe-to-toe with the second overall pick Evan Turner.

That didn’t exactly happen.

While The Wizards finally earned their first W in the home opener, they did so in a nail biting overtime thriller that tested the team’s depth and will to succeed. The evening’s storyline of Wall vs. Turner was soon replaced with Nick Young’s 23 points off the bench, Wall’s double-double that was one steal short of a triple-double, and Cartier Martin’s game tying buzzer-beater to send the game in overtime and allow the Wizards to close out a strong performance that suffered a fourth quarter meltdown.

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The Daily Feed
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DC Area Local Election Results

Photo courtesy of
‘LeisureW-ElecDay_0443 Gov + Quest A Supporters’
courtesy of ‘mdfriendofhillary’

This is one of the most contested and followed mid-terms in recent memory. But as much as people around the country might be glued to their TV’s to see what’s going to happen in the House (goes Republican) and Senate (most likely stays Dems), we don’t really have all that many contested major races in our area. And of course, what with DC’s 600,000+ residents being continually treated as second class citizens and denied their right to voting representation despite the requirement that we pay federal income taxes, DC certainly has no big contested races in the House or Senate (hahahahahaha. DC having a Senator. That’s a good one).

What we do have though are two local races which garnered more attention than others. Not just because they were both supposed to be contested, but also because they have resulted in an absolute onslaught of non-stop negative campaign advertisements. But let’s get on with it.

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Food and Drink, News, The Daily Feed
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Breaking News: Morty’s is Now Closed

Photo courtesy of
‘MortyKrupinDec2006’
courtesy of ‘runneralan2004’

It’s probably the saddest news I’ve gotten since moving to the District — Morty’s Delicatessen in Tenleytown is now closed.

Just moments ago, I received word from a gentleman over the phone at Morty’s that they are in the process of shutting down shop. No further details were available at this time, but more on this story is sure to come on Wednesday once the table-tops, pickle jars, and hanging salamis are left to their own devices.

Owner Morty Krupin, 71, had retired this past March but assured his clientele that his retirement would have no bearing on keeping the New York style Delicatessen open.

While the details are not available at this time, I find it pertinent to say: “Thank you, Morty Krupin, for providing hundreds of hungry stomachs with the New York style comfort food that we who showed up at your restaurant craved so badly.”

The Daily Feed
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Apartment Fire on Rhode Island, Injuries Reported

Photographs for We Love DC.

A fire has occurred on the upper floors of a 10-story building on the 1400 block of Rhode Island Avenue in Northwest (Update as of 5:30 p.m. – the apartment is the Windsor House at 1444 Rhode Island Ave. NW).  As of 5:15 p.m., 10-plus fire trucks have gathered in the area, in addition to numerous police cars and ambulances.  People were seen on stretchers, but the extent of injuries is unclear at this time.

Traffic is impacted in the area. Rhode Island is closed between 14th and 15th NW and 15th is closed from Massachusetts to Rhode Island.  It is also noted that 14th Street NW is open going north, but closed off headed south.

Watch this post and our twitter feed for updates.

Update as 0f 10:23 p.m. – @dcfireems reports via twitter at 9:55 p.m., 21 residents displaced, EMS transported 6 — three civilians and three firefighters. Incident is under investigation but appears to be accidental.

Update as of 8:30 p.m. – 15th street NW remains closed from Massachusetts to Rhode Island, and Rhode Island between 14th and 15th NW.  Fewer fire and EMS vehicles on-site.

Update as of 7:23 p.m. – @dcfireems reports via twitter at 7:14 p.m., EMS transported 5 — including three civilians and two firefighters.

Update as of 7:03 p.m. – Area still blocked.  Traffic continues to be disrupted.

Update as of 6:04 p.m. – According to fire spokesman Pete Piringer to NBC Washington, several dozen people needed to be evacuated or needed assistance exiting the building. Several people were injured — two seriously — but none of the injuries is believed to be life-threatening.

Photograph of 15th and Rhode Island NW.

Photograph of visible damage.

See more photographs and eyewitness accounts here.

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Robert Randolph and The Family Band @ 9:30 Club 10/29/10

IMG_7637.jpg

Photos and words by guest reviewer Andrew Markowitz.

I’ll never forget the first time I heard about Robert Randolph and the Family Band: I was at my grandmother’s retirement home reading a People Magazine while waiting to take her out for brunch. The magazine had a section dedicated to up and coming music stars and Robert Randolph was one of those listed. I can’t find the specific quote from the magazine but someone had asked Randolph -who had been trained on the pedal steel guitar as a member of a Pentecostal church- what it felt like to have the Lord in one hand and the Devil in the other when playing his instrument. Definitely intrigued, I went back to my dorm later that day and hopped on my computer to see what I could find.

I came away with a few live songs, some of which were featured on Randolph’s first CD “Live at the Wetlands” and an instrumental version of Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile” that absolutely blew my mind. Jimi Hendrix still remains my favorite musical artist of all time, however Randolph definitely inspired a sense of awe that I felt when I first heard Hendrix. Randolph leads “The Family Band” and together they play a powerful combination of funk, blues, soul, and gospel music. I couldn’t stop listening to that Voodoo Chile mp3 for weeks and the other songs remained in my rotation for a long, long time.

I’ve never been able to see him in concert, however. Every time he’s been through the DC area, I’ve always had something else going on and been unable to see him. The thing that bothers me the most is that I don’t remember what else I had to do, but I definitely would have remembered seeing Robert Randolph in concert. So when I was offered photo pass and a chance to write a concert review of Robert Randolph’s October 29th show at the 9:30 Club, I jumped at the chance to go.

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Dupont Circle, Food and Drink, The Features, We Love Food
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We Love Food: Agora

Photo Credit: Kim Maxwell Vu

A very good friend (and frequent dinner date) lived on 17th St. and P St. for a long time before moving to New York earlier this year. At least once a month we would meet at her house with no real dinner plan, walk out the front door and…stand. There were plenty of restaurants on 17th St., but none of them ever really struck us as compelling. It was all very poetic – restaurants, restaurants everywhere but not a bite to eat. There was Komi (too expensive), Sushi Taro (too long of a wait), and the slew of restaurant slash bar establishments that I could never really tell apart. Enter Agora to solve all my problems.

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Adventures, Entertainment, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District
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Best/Worst Halloween 2010 Costumes Part 3: Zombies

Photo courtesy of
‘Baby zombie!!!’
courtesy of ‘erin m’

Zombies invaded DC last week and remained in town through the Halloween festivities. It seemed like everywhere I looked there was some sort of zombied out crew stumbling down the street or up to the bar for a drink.

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The Daily Feed
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Do Your Civic Duty and Get Free Food

Photo courtesy of
‘I Voted’
courtesy of ‘Don Solo’
Not that you should need another reason to go out and rock the vote today, but just in case, there are a few foodie rewards out there for the civic-minded. Wear your “I Voted” sticker today when you show up to the El Floridano truck (it’s in Foggy Bottom today) and you’ll get $2 off your order. At any California Tortilla, you’ll get a free taco when you wear your sticker or just yell “I Love Election Day!” No word on if you get two tacos when you do both. At Chicken Out locations, wear your sticker and get a free cookie.

They may not be voter-specific, but if you need a cupcake after your hard work dodging exit pollers, both Georgetown Cupcake and Curbside Cupcakes can help you out. Head to Georgetown Cupcake and be one of the first 100 people to say the secret flavor (“D.C. Cupcakes Banana Split”) and you’ll get it for free. At either of the Curbside Cupcake trucks today (check for locations here), be one of the first 24 people to say the secret password (“Election Day”) and you’ll get a free cupcake of your choice.

Update: Sticky Rice is also offering 25% off your meal or tab when you wear your sticker.

Any more food rewards for voters out there? Put ’em in the comments!

All Politics is Local, Life in the Capital, News, Special Events, The District, The Features, The Hill
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Get Your Vote On 2010

Photo courtesy of
‘VOTE’
courtesy of ‘nevermindtheend’

Unless you’ve been hiding in a hole for the last few weeks, then you’re well aware that today is Election Day 2010!!! If you’ve indeed been in a cave of darkness, then you can find your polling place courtesy of this DCBOEE map. The DCBOEE also has complete lists of the candidates in Ballot Order and ANC candidates.

In addition to casting your vote for specific candidates, DC is also voting on Charter Amendment IV (aka “The Elected Attorney General Charter Amendment”). Continue reading →

Adventures, All Politics is Local, Entertainment, Essential DC, Life in the Capital, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District
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Best/Worst Halloween 2010 Costumes Part 2: Politics

Photo courtesy of
‘Be Excellent to Each Other’
courtesy of ‘Collin David Anderson’

As we’re in DC, there’s no surprise that political costumes figure heavily into Halloween 2010 festivities and with the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear in town politics-related costumes were in FULL effect. Continue reading →

Adventures, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, People, The Daily Feed, The District
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Best/Worst Halloween 2010 Costumes Part 1: Clowns

Photo courtesy of
‘Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear’
courtesy of ‘MudflapDC’

After a few days of rest and recovery, it’s finally time to reflect (and judge) the 2010 Halloween costumes. As Halloween approaches, there are always the somewhat predictable pop culture or current event costumes. Prior to Halloween night this list included: Chilean Miners, The Cast of Jersey Shore, BP oil spill-related get ups, and as this is DC, any sort of political costumes.

Oddly enough, as I culled the WeLoveDC Flickr pool, the traditional creepy clown was in major effect this year. Continue reading →

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of
Enlightened by pablo.raw

With FotoWeek quickly approaching, photography lovers should be bracing themselves for an inundation of gallery shows, slideshows, artist talks, and all-around geekery (not to mention plenty of spam in your inbox).  When you look at hundreds of photos in a short period of time it’s easy to overload your brain.  Before you know it, all photos will begin to either look “good” or you just won’t know what you’re looking at anymore.  When you reach that point, try to keep in mind some of the basic rules that make up a “good” photograph: composition, content, and lighting.

This photo has them all, but the lighting is what makes the shot.  The sunlight streaming in from the top corner naturally leads the viewer’s eye to the subject at the center of the frame.  The contrast between the lion’s glowing face and his bleak surroundings lead you to believe that he has found a ray of hope from above.  Is he simply looking for some warmth from the sun or has he found respite from his existence as a caged zoo animal?

The Daily Feed
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So You Think You Can Shoot?


P021809PS-0069 by The White House

Have you ever had anyone other than your friends and family look at your photos?  If you’re an aspiring photographer, you probably should.  When your mom introduces you to her friends by saying, “This is my daughter – she’s an amazing photographer,” it just doesn’t hold that much weight in the real world.  With FotoWeek coming up, you’ll have a few chances to show your work to professionals, including this great opportunity brought to you by Civilian Art Projects:

“Submit 3 images for $25 by email before Nov. 10th. Images will be projected for the panel and the audience in the order received on Nov. 13th starting at 3pm. The panel will dialogue about each image offering pointers, advice and edits. All work will be projected anonymously but you can ‘out’ yourself if you feel like it. The best 3 photographers will have work published on Washingtonian.com!”

The panel consists of Mary Cahill (Deputy Photo Editor, Martha Stewart Omnimedia), Avi Gupta (Photo Editor, U.S. News & World Report), David Hicks (Senior Photo Editor, Washingtonian), and Dee Swann (Senior Photo Editor, Washingtonpost.com). The deadline to submit your images is at 11PM on Wednesday November 10th, so start looking for your top three photos tonight (after you help your mom with the dishes).

The Daily Feed
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Andy Haynes to headline 3 Chord Comedy

After months of neglect due to Eli Sairs’ departure to NYC (land of unicorn-dusted, vomit-soaked dreams for young comedians everywhere), the 3 Chord Comedy showcase at Velvet Lounge returns this month, booked by the able Hillary Buckholtz. Which means, OMGZ, that there is a female-managed comedy show in town that is neither gyno-focused NOR at the Improv (not that there is anything wrong with either).

The November 19th show will be headlined by Andy Haynes, whose recent Jimmy Fallon appearance is viewable above. The show will also feature the aforementioned Buckholtz, Scott Moran, Courtney Fearrington, and Mike James (the artist formerly known as Mike Eltringham, of “opening for Screech” fame).

The show starts at 7PM and costs a mere 5 bucks.

News, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Conflicting stories and new revelations at DC9’s ABRA hearing

Photo courtesy of
‘DC9 Memorial Ali, The Morning After’
courtesy of ‘Chris DiGiamo’

The death of Ali Ahmed Mohammed two weeks ago at Howard University Hospital unleashed a chain of events that have shuttered rock club DC 9, caused protests from the Amharic-speaking community on U Street, and lead to a lot of hang-wringing concerning bar security personnel throughout the city.  The death of Mohammed, thought by police to be a murder, though the medical examiner’s report has not returned, resulted in the arrest of five employees at DC 9 on charges of aggravated assault.

Today, in front of a fairly full hearing room at the DC Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Admninistration, DC9 owner Joe Englert testified before the board concerning the safety of his club, the policies of the club, the training of the staff and future plans.  TBD’s Sommer Mathis and Washington City Paper’s Rend Smith have filed their initial reports from the hearing room, and report high emotions, and testimony that conflicts with the charging documents and public statements from MPD.  Chief among the new revelations is that DC9 has parted ways with part-owner Bill Spieler, who resigned, and has let go the other four accused, Darryl Carter, Evan Preller, Arthur Zaloga, and Reginald Phillips.  Englert defended his employees, but acknowledged the reality of having to part ways with them while the case was on-going.

The Office of the Attorney General made the argument today that DC 9 was too careless with their security policy, and that their license to serve alcohol served as a danger to the public and ought to be suspended.

At the end of the day, the board agreed with the Office of the Attorney General enough to issue a continued suspension of their license until December 1st, when the Board will hear a status review for DC 9.  The ABRA board would like to have a copy of the Medical Examiner’s report, as would, I’m sure, everyone else.

Eat Like Me, Food and Drink, The Features
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Eat Like Me: October’s Best Dishes

Photo courtesy of
‘at vace in northwest d.c.’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’

October wasn’t exactly a regular eating month for me. I was in China for two weeks (where I dined on delicious, delicious things that I won’t even try to identify), I spent a few days eating every random thing in my fridge to clean it out before my trip, and the rest of the month was spent mostly dedicated to Vegan Week. By all accounts it shouldn’t have been a hallmark eating month, at least not in any D.C. locations, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well I did eat.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Celebrate World Vegan Day Tonight at Busboys & Poets

Photo courtesy of
‘Washington’
courtesy of ‘Michel Banabila’

Happy Vegan Day! Excited for today’s meat-free holiday but don’t know to celebrate? Well the veggie lovers at Busboys & Poets have got you covered. At the 14th St. & V St. 5th & K St. location tonight at 6:30pm, they will be hosting a Vegan Day event featuring speakers who know their stuff when it comes to veganism. The first half of the program will be focused on stories of how their panelists have lived meat free, while the second half will be a Q&A designed to answer all the questions you may have about going vegan, staying vegan and enjoying being vegan.

As a bit more incentive, the first 75 people in the door will get a free goodie bag filled with all the snacks and information your vegan heart desires, includng treats from Stickey Fingers and Divine Chocolates. And come hungry, Busboys & Poets has an extensive vegan menu for you to munch on while you discuss the age-old seitan vs. tofu debate. (I’m a tofu girl myself.)