Yearly Archives: 2010

Entertainment, The Daily Feed
By

We Love DC Does Top Chef DC: Episode 12

Photo from Bravo TV

As Top Chef DC winds down, dedicated viewers and fans continue to watch as Top Chef DC will eventually turn into Top Chef Singapore. Will DC continue to watch once Padma and crew fly on out of the Nation’s capital?

We’ll find out, but first we will see if Bravo can pull out an episode that does Washington DC justice after a series of mediocre hits and complete misses.

This week: a trip to NASA but first we start back at the apartment…

10:02: Kevin tries not to knick himself shaving while Kelly misses her husband. We learn that Angelo not only has a kid but is freshly divorced. Good to see he’s rebounding with that Russian Mail Order Bride.

10:03: Dana Cowin from Food & Wine Magazine is a guest judge and Ed feels that he has an edge since he’s Facebook friends with her. Do you follow her on Twitter as well? The quickfire challenge: create a meal that pairs with a chosen wine. The prize? A trip to London.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
By

An Open Letter to Mr. Metro Music Lover

Photo courtesy of
‘Day 309, Project 365 – 8.29.10’
courtesy of ‘@thewtb’

At first I can only hear a faint scratchy sound, while I’m perusing my morning Express, peacefully on my way to work. Then it becomes a louder sound. One that registers… it sounds vaguely familiar…is that…no…it can’t be… Miley Cyrus? I look around, expecting to see a tourist teenage girl, and see you, Mr. Metro Music Lover, blasting your “Party in the USA” through your headphones so loud that the entire train can sing along to your dream and cardigan. Folks on the train look up, glancing at you, hoping that you’ll notice that the ENTIRE CAR is now unwillingly subjected to your pre-8 a.m. dance party.

And after a fade out, I hear glorious silence. I don’t really care that you don’t value your eardrums while you punish it with $50 quality headphones, this is your own choice, but I do value my sound space on a silent metro car in the morning. Surely a little bit more time of calm helps as we combat the stressful hours of the day. As I relax into the white noise of a typical metro trip, it happens again. The song switches, this time to some rhythm-based electronic. More folks get off the car. You’re bopping along now, oblivious to the evil eyes of strangers. And while you, Mr. Music Lover, may need some Jersey-Shore style house music to get you pumped for a long day of coffee sipping and Excel spreadsheets, I prefer the calming lull of the trains and the inane tourist babble.

So my note to you, sir, is this: TURN IT DOWN.

PLEASE.

FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS GOOD AND RIGHT IN THE WORLD.

TURN IT DOWN.

Respectfully yours,

Katie

The Daily Feed
By

Palladio Exhibit Opens At NBM

Photo courtesy of

‘Capitol – Cloud City’s Cousin – 07-09-10’ courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

The Italian Renaissance master Andrea Palladio was, and remains to be, incredibly influential for many architects and designers.  Although he is best known for his publications, and was highly coveted in the Architecture scene throughout Europe, Palladio did manage to make a strong impression on a certain famous American.  Thomas Jefferson loved Palladianism and found his inspiration there for Monticello, the Virginia State Capitol.  Our beautiful U.S. Capitol building is also an example of a Palladian format.

Palladio and His Legacy:  A Transatlantic Journey opens today at the National Building Museum and will share “31 rare drawings” from the collection of the Royal Institute of British Architects Trust.

The National Building Museum is located at 401 F Street NW.

Fashionable DC
By

Washington Wardrobe: Lisa Rowan

Photo Courtesy of Lisa Rowan

On Lisa Rowan’s blog Quarter Life: The Beltway’s Best Vintage and Thrift, she focuses on showing readers how to clothe themselves frugally and without filling landfills with cast-off fast fashions. Judging by some of her posts, buying vintage and thrifted leaves plenty of money in the budget for a busy schedule of cocktail parties and events around town.

This month, Lisa is teaming with Sisarina and Jobsessed to present an event they are calling Fancy Little Things. In the back-to-school and work spirit of September, this fall fashion swap encourages women to prune their professional wardrobes and exchange their garments for someone else’s. Likely to be a particular boon to recent graduates with their first office that requires dressing up, anyone can benefit from emptying their closet of good garments they just do not wear and replacing them with something they might.

You might look for Lisa’s help if you find yourself overwhelmed at the swap or on your next thrifting mission – she has a knack for pulling the clothes that fit her style from a variety of sources. “Whether I’m shopping new or vintage, I’m drawn to clean lines, subtle details, and crisp fabrics.”
Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
By

Chuck Close Extended

Photo courtesy of
‘Chuck Close 01’
courtesy of ‘Max Cook’

When a great exhibit is in town, I am always sad to see it go.  So finding out that Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration at The Corcoran Gallery of Art has been extended till September 26  makes me all giddy and happy inside.

And if that wasn’t exciting enough, Corcoran’s Free Summer Saturdays will run through Labor Day weekend.  What a fantastic and FREE way to spend your lovely holiday here in D.C.!

The Corcoran Gallery of Art is located 500 Seventeenth St NW.

The Daily Feed
By

Rob Dibble parts ways with MASN

Photo courtesy of
‘MASN Blogger Day’
courtesy of ‘MissChatter’

It was announced this afternoon, and reported by beat writers Mark Zuckerman and Adam Kilgore, that embattled broadcaster Rob Dibble will no longer be calling Nationals games on the cable sports network. It is expected that Ray Knight will continue as the color commentator for the network, but no plans have been announced.

Dibble has been in the spotlight recently for some sexist comments made about female fans, and some controversial remarks concerning Stephen Strasburg, and his relationship with the franchise has been a bit strained of late.

The Daily Feed
By

Discovery HQ hostage situation concludes with suspect shot

Photo courtesy of
‘Happy Shark Week 2010!’
courtesy of ‘~Daniel The Animal Lover Techie.TaiShan4Ever~’

According to Montgomery County Police, the suspect in this afternoon’s hostage crisis at the Discovery Channel HQ building in Silver Spring, has been shot, and then detained. All hostages have been freed, according to Chief Manger of the Montgomery County Police. The condition of the suspect is not currently known. The hostages are not reported to be injured at this time. This happened at 4:48pm today.

There are devices still in the Discovery Channel building that are being investigated by the Police and Fire/EMS teams. They are suspected to be potentially dangerous and related to the device that was on the suspect’s body.

Chief Manger spoke for approximately five minutes just after 5pm today to announce the conclusion of the hostage situation, and announce the continued operations at Discovery. The hostage-taker was shot by the police when it was concluded that the suspect, reported by many sources to be James J. Lee, was further endangering the hostages to the point where they needed to act. More as this unfolds.

Update: MoCo police radio indicates that they’ve cleared the building of individuals from the roof down to the 2nd floor but the sweep did not include search for devices, so that will have to be done. The active scene is in the lobby where presumably the gunman and hostages are gathered.

Update: As of 5:22p the entire building is continuing to be treated as an active event; Police just refused entry to building engineers who wanted to start resetting the uninvolved section of the building.

Update: TBD states that the gunman is dead.

Update: MoCo police radio indicates that the hostages have been transported to the police station.

Update 5:50pm: Chief Manger and David Levy of Discovery Communications (no relation to our Dave Levy) are speaking now outside the building. They are reporting four potential devices are still in the building, two boxes and two backpacks, that are suspected to be explosives. During the situation, the Montgomery County police were able to observe Lee with a camera, and moved in when he began to threaten a hostage with a firearm.

Update 6:00pm: Discovery intends to open up tomorrow for business and get back to work.

Update: 6:05pm: Montgomery County Bomb Squad, along with the Capitol Police Bomb Squad, will now be sweeping the building.

Entertainment, Music, Night Life, The Features, We Love Music
By

We Love Music: September Music Preview

Justin Jones live at the 9:30 Club's 30th Anniversary Show / Photo by Rachel Levitin

Fall has a distinct smell. It’s crisp and brisk, bitter but gentle, and refreshing. It’s not here yet, but sweater weather will be in full-swing in a matter of weeks. Sandals and shades go back in the closet while boots and cute little penny-loafers make their triumphant return.

No matter your personal preferences, fall is the end of care-free summer days, which leaves quite a few folks down in the dumps. Don’t fret! Fall isn’t that bad.

Pretty soon, you’ll be able to cozy up with your favorite blanket, rent a movie, make some hot apple cider (with hint of caramel), and relax. The steam from your mug will cling to each pore on your face while you catch a whiff of apple and cinnamon. That’s fall at its finest.

If you’re not the indoorsy type, I urge you to make the best of this season transition by taking advantage of the wonderfully talented local singer-songwriter and acoustic acts in town. There’s a nice spread of home-grown performers who are slated at spots all around the District in September. Here are some of the top pickin’s: Continue reading →

News
By

Is this the gunman’s website?

Both WUSA9 and NBC have identified the Discovery gunman as James J Lee; NBC cites their source as the police, presumably MoCo.

Earlier today WUSA9 tied this James Lee to the one behind SaveThePlanetProtest.com. The site seems to be down now, whether because it is simply over-limit or due to other actions is unclear. I saved the contents earlier today; they’re currently below the fold.

COPY OF SAVETHEPLANETPROTEST.COM FROM THIS AFTERNOON, 9/1/2010 @ 2:02p FOLLOWS

The Discovery Channel MUST broadcast to the world their commitment to save the planet and to do the following IMMEDIATELY:

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
By

Reported standoff at Discovery Channel building in Silver Spring

Photo courtesy of
‘Happy Shark Week 2010!’
courtesy of ‘~Daniel The Animal Lover Techie.TaiShan4Ever~’

Multiple news sources are now reporting that there’s a hostage situation unfolding at the Discovery building. There’s multiple reports of hearing gunfire and speculation that the gunman has explosives. WaPo reports that the building is being evacuated but police have not confirmed that the man is armed or carrying explosives.

More as it unfolds.

Update: the Washingtonian’s twitter feed reports having a tipster inside Discovery HQ who says employees are stuck on their floor.

Update: DCist quotes Corporal Dan Friz describing the individual as a “hostage taker.”

Update: TBD reports that a Discovery employee stated they heard “pops” – presumably gunfire – at aprox 1:20. This doesn’t jibe with WaPo Breaking News blog’s report that the MoCo police were responding to a 1pm call. Uncertain if this means the individual was spotted and reported before he fired any shots or if this is a witness error.

Update: WUSA reports that the demands at savetheplanteprotest.com belong to the gunman. Domain details for savetheplanetprotest.com indicate James Lee as the owner. DCist wrote about an individual named James Lee involved in a dispute with Discovery several years ago.

Update: TBD indicates that police scanner traffic hints at a former employee, unconnected to James Lee. Wonder if WUSA is going to be the first organization to defend against a twitter-based libel suit?

Update: MoCo police radio indicates that the children who were in Discovery daycare have been moved from the McDonalds to 1203 Fiddler Lane.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
By

Kele Concert Canceled!

This just in – Kele (of Bloc Party) has canceled his show at the 9:30 Club tomorrow night. Judging from a quick Google search, it looks like the rest of his US tour has been canceled as well. This comes just a few months after Kele abruptly post-poned his tour. Much like that postponement, today’s cancellation has come sans explanation. The 9:30 Club hasn’t received a press release or a reason and neither have we. Is it now safe to say that Kele is a little bit on the flaky side?

Perhaps the greatest casualty of Kele’s canceling is the DC area is deprived the chance to party down with excellent openers Does It Offend You, Yeah?. Sorry to all of you fans of Bloc Party and/or “The Boxer” who were looking forward to this one.

According to the 9:30 Club website: refunds are available at your point of purchase until 9/16/10.

Talkin' Transit, The Features, WMATA, WTF?!
By

Talkin’ Transit: On the Tube

I’ll wait while you watch that video, possibly for the second (or third time).

After seeing yesterday’s video for Metro’s new Train Arrivals by Phone service, I figured I’d go look through some of the video that Metro has posted over the last few years to YouTube.

Below the fold, my favorites, including gems made for the inauguration, “Littering Rabbit”, and some behind the scenes at Metro videos.
Continue reading →

Food and Drink, Special Events
By

Labor Day in All Its Edible Glory

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’
Labor Day in Washington is not for the faint of heart. The heat index/humidity matrix hits critical mass, the tourists descend and all your friends flee the mean streets of D.C. for greener pastures. Things may look dire now, but there is a way to deal with it all – food. I really never thought of Labor Day much as an eating holiday. Yes, it’s a classic barbecue weekend but it doesn’t have that hopeful three-months-until-school-starts feeling like Memorial Day. I’m apparently in the minority though since there are plenty of foodie events around town this weekend to get you ready for the cooler (hopefully) season to come.

Continue reading →

Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music, We Love Music
By

The Winning Ticket: Marina and the Diamonds

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’re raffling off two tickets to catch rising star Marina and the Diamonds at the 9:30 Club on Monday, September 6th.

Marina and the Diamonds is for the most part the pop vocalist persona of singer-songwriter Marina Diamandis. Or as her Myspace page suggests, “I am Marina. You are the Diamonds.” Under this guise, Marina covers a inventive range of dance-pop that solicits comparisons to an equally wide-range of peers. Marina takes on the comparisons to big girls like Christina and Britney by frequently singing cover versions of their tunes in concert. It’s this kind of gutsy move combined with her musical inventiveness (she writes all of her own lyrics and music) that gets her compared to the more inventive, indie-friendly, pop-divas like Robyn or Dragonette. Marina and the Diamonds have been around for awhile, but 2010 seems poised to be her break-out year as her long-anticipated debut album receives rave reviews and her recent tour dates have been raising eyebrows and quickening pulses here and in the UK. This show is going to be a really good time and probably your best chance to see Marina and the Diamonds before her name is on the tip of everyone’s tongues.

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 →

The Daily Feed
By

WMATA Having SmartBenefits Issues System Wide

Photo courtesy of
‘Emily Adding $$…’
courtesy of ‘pthread1981’

It’s the first day of September, and for WMATA riders who set up the cost-saving SmartBenefits, it’s the day you refill your card now that the new month’s funds have been processed. That isn’t such a breeze this morning, as the system is having some serious issues connecting to the server. Wave your SmartTrip card at the machine, press SmartBenefits…and watch as it processes your transaction for a couple dozen seconds before finally saying the request can’t be fulfilled.  I experienced it in Rosslyn this morning as well as at Farragut West when I hopped off the train, and a quick scan of Tweeting commuters indicates things aren’t much better throughout the system (that’s right, by the way, I’m turning to Twitter users as a source for potential news).

Yes, it’s frustrating to get the rejection message, but this is interesting fodder for the debate that raged last week when Metro announced it would not allow SmartTrip users to go negative on balances. For long-time commuters, the amount on the SmartBenefits is precisely enough to get you through a month of trips. Not being able to add new funds (that the user pre-paid) is a new nightmare that is impossible to plan. Will this likely be resolved sometime today, with commuters taking care of things on the way home? Sure. But it may have made the morning a little bit less fun than usual.

The Daily Feed
By

Making It Easier to Get There

Photo courtesy of
‘new DDOT bike racks’
courtesy of ‘talkingdc’

The District Department of Transportation recently launched a new and improved goDCgo.com to make it easier than ever to get around the District.  There are lots of cool features to check out, like a carbon calculator and an interactive map, as well as good resources on how to walk, bike, and take transit around DC.  And of course the Service Alerts page is a good one to have bookmarked, as it includes transportation disruptions from all over the DC area.

The Daily Feed
By

Capital Bikeshare Coming Soon!

Photo courtesy of
‘so smart.’
courtesy of ‘m hoek’

Capital Bikeshare has been slated to start up in September, and with September starting tomorrow they’re showing that they’re right on track.  ARLnow reports that construction has begun on Arlington’s first Capital Bikeshare station in Crystal City, and NBC 4 got a tour of the warehouse where all the bikes are getting ready for service.  The bikes are looking spiffy, and the station signs and maps look great too.  The goal is to have everything up and running by mid-September, so get excited to see how the whole system comes together over the next couple of weeks.

Update: Thanks to Dan from BeyondDC for letting us know about their fantastic photo set that shows the installation of the first station from start to finish!

News, The Daily Feed
By

The Stalking of Peter Nickles

It’s an open secret that the Attorney General lives in Great Falls, VA and not in the downtown apartment that he rents to maintain his residency in DC that is required by the DC Code, and this isn’t the first time it’s been talked about in this fashion. However, a new video on YouTube (shown above) takes the stalking of Peter Nickles to a whole new level, as the maker of the video tracked Nickles’ evening movements with a video camera to his home in Great Falls on a number of summer nights.

Would it be nice if Nickles had the desire to live in the District? Yes, definitely. But stalking him seems like a creepy way to accomplish what we’re looking at, here.