‘the lobstah line’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’
Are you actually jealous of these people waiting in line? Do you work in one of those no man’s land areas around town that want, nay need, a visit from a food truck? Well your friends here at We Love DC have teamed up with a wonderful and delicious truck in town to answer your prayers. Vote your little heart out here for the area of town you would like to see a truck visit and on Wednesday, September 29th we’ll make it happen. Tell your friends, tell you mom, and get out the vote. Here comes the poll… Continue reading →

‘Eat Wonky’
courtesy of ‘tbridge’
Go out, get a snack from a food truck and check back here at noon…big things are coming…

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‘Pennsylvania Avenue-Henge’
courtesy of ‘Ken Lund’

Tonight at 11:09pm, Summer clicks to a close, and we start my favoritest of seasons: Fall.  But, before that happens, there’s a unique phenomenon that happens in many cities with a downtown grid that conforms to the compass rose, the Stonehenge Phenomenon.  Today, the sun will set right down the lettered streets, which means that golden hour should be a real delight for photographers.  Here are a couple suggestions as to where you should be with your camera this evening.

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courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Yesterday afternoon, Washington Post executive editor Marcus Brauchli fielded questions in a live “Letters to the Editor” moment on WaPo‘s website. Among the questions asked and answered, one was noted among some journalism circles for an odd balance of coverage when it comes to two important District establishments: the Office of the President of the United States and the Washington Redskins. As the reader, identified by no more than their home of Kensington, Md., posits:

Yesterday the Post assigned seven reporters to cover one Redskins game, and that’s not counting Wilbon, who I’m sure will chime in later. It also had reporters traveling to New York to cover the Jets, to Cincinnati to cover the Ravens, and to Dallas to see what the Cowboys were up to….This is a “national” paper that doesn’t even bother to maintain a New York or Los Angeles bureau any more, and yet for about five months a year you still manage to give more coverage to a perennially losing football team than you do to the President of the United States.

What’s potentially more interesting is that Brauchli didn’t exactly refute the claim, instead dodging the assessment about the President to defend the fact that the Post covers lots of local teams since that’s what drives readers and pageviews.

Let’s try to at least look at this in a quasi-scientific way. There are approximately 1,668 results on the Post’s website in the last 60 days that include the exact phrase “President Obama”; only 1,375 results mention “Redskins” at all. No, this is not the end-of-all-be-all of scientific experiments, and this is either “closer than it should be” or “based on technicalities” depending on your pre-existing opinions. Either way, it’s an interesting discussion that hits at the nerve of something bigger in the media world: Is the Washington Post a national paper or local one?

‘TACOS!!!’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

In an attempt to stay ahead of the social media curve, District Taco today released their own iPhone app, joining Sauca in the ranks of the iPhone-literate food truck world. Food truck apps are already a hit in truck heavy areas like New York and Los Angeles, and with so many new trucks on the horizon here in town, we may need all the help we can get to stay organized.

Right now the (free) app seems to just re-post their Twitter feed, letting you know their location and specials for the day. But according to the District Taco Twitter (and iPhone app, I guess), future versions of the app will include remote ordering capabilities for the cart, trucks and future brick-and-mortar shop.

Lady Gaga doesn’t like Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. She traded tweets about its repeal with Harry Reid. Yesterday, she tore it to pieces at a rally in Portland, Maine (see video above).  But here’s the real question: WHY DOESN’T SHE COME TO DC AND SPEAK ABOUT IT? After all, this is where the fate of the controversial ban against gays in the military will be decided. With a seemingly doomed Senate vote on the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell expected to take place today, I’d like to put in a formal request that Miss Gaga come to the capital to show Congress what equality is all about. Not only does she make a great case against the ban, but as one Capitol Hill staffer put it, she’d make a much more interesting witness than “Marlo Thomas and all the other B-listers we usually get.” And if she can get a few senators to switch up their suits for meat dresses, then all the better.

‘Box Lunch!’
courtesy of ‘Howdy, I’m H. Michael Karshis’

Brown bagging it might not be the city’s hottest lunch trend. But sometimes you have to sacrifice culinary chic for the greater good.  Tomorrow, the Capital Area Food Bank is asking that you donate your lunch money to their Skip Lunch, Feed a Bunch campaign, which aims to raise funds for the 640,000 locals at risk of going hungry. According to the Food Bank, $5 can provide 15 meals to those in need, which translates to 45 meals in $15 lobster roll land. Of course, you can still eat out and donate too. I’m sure the Food Bank won’t mind.

‘my lobstah roll’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Is it a lobster roll kind of day? Or pizza? You folks at Union Station will have some very serious decisions to make today.

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‘100%pcw, Made Carbon Neutral Postcards Ban The Bag 1’
courtesy of ‘Plan It Green Printing’

For the last nine months, getting a plastic bag to carry home your groceries, lunch or liquor store purchase has run you an extra nickel on your final bill. As a report from the Wall Street Journal indicates this morning, that small tax seems to have reduced the amount of times people are answering, “Plastic,” (subscription required) while in the checkout line:

A staff member for the councilman who sponsored the bill, Democrat Tommy Wells, said an informal survey of corporate headquarters for grocery stores and pharmacies with dozens of locations in the city estimated a reduction of 60% or more in the number of bags handed out.

The five-cent levy goes to a fund to clean up Washington’s Anacostia River. Through the end of July, the city collected more than $1.1 million from the bag fee and small donations. At that rate, receipts are likely to fall short of the expected $3.6 million in the first year. Some city officials say that suggests more people than expected are bringing their own bags to stores.

There are some places you don’t mind falling short on reaching a tax budget, if the number is related to an increased use of reusable bags, fantastic.

(h/t DCist)