Yearly Archives: 2010

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Christmas in July Toy Drive at Nationals Park All Weekend

Photo courtesy of
‘Nationals vs Orioles 04’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

The Washington Nationals are hosting their annual Christmas in July Toy Drive benefiting the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program all weekend.

Fans are encouraged to donate new, unwrapped toys for kids of all ages that will be collected and distributed to non-profit organizations and hospital pediatric wards throughout the D.C. Metropolitan Area. Last year, the Christmas in July Toy Drive brought in 23 bags of toys and more than $16,000 in cash donations. This year, the Nationals look to do that again and then some.

Toys will be accepted starting with Friday night’s series opener against the San Francisco Giants when the center field gates open at 4:30 p.m.

Fans can continue dropping off all toy donations through the end of the fourth inning on Saturday and Sunday as well. Gates open at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and 11:00 a.m. on Sunday.

The Daily Feed
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Mat Latos Dominates A Quiet Nats Lineup


Photo by Cheryl Nichols/Nationals News Network

The brooms were kept tucked away Thursday night at Nationals Park when San Diego right-hander Mat Latos dominated the Washington Nationals over seven innings preventing a series sweep.

“He threw a good ball game or two against us before tonight,” Nationals Manager Jim Riggleman said about Latos after the game. “We saw him out there at their place and he was every bit the same tonight. He was tough.” Continue reading →

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Need last minute (funny) plans?

Photo courtesy of
courtesy of ‘christopher.poole’

The monthly comedy showcase at Eleventh Street Lounge is tonight, and this month it’s Night of the Newbies, featuring newer local comics who have been workin’ it at open mics but haven’t started getting into a lot of these pre-booked shows yet. Comics featured will be: Emily Ruskowski, Brandon Wardell, John Robbins, Jessica Brodkin, Josh Scott, and Reggie Melbrough. Chris Barylick of the Geek Comedy Tour will host, and Courtney Fearrington (of general hilarity) will also appear. I recommend you check it out.

The Daily Feed
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José Andrés Thanks Psychic Octopus For Predicting Spain’s World Cup Victory

Photo courtesy of
‘Polipetti alla Griglia’
courtesy of ‘LaTur’

The World Cup is just about to conclude with a final match this Sunday that features Spain and the Netherlands (Not Germany, as originally was here, my bad! -DL), two countries who have never won the championship in its illustrious history. There were two fantastic side stories during this year’s really entertaining tournament: the first was the Vuvuzela, and all the annoyance it brought. The second was the story about a German octopus (his name is Paul) who was tasked with predicting every game that featured his home country’s national team. for more accurate psychic readings, check outhttps://www.peninsuladailynews.com/marketplace/best-psychic-reading-online-100-accurate-psychics-with-answers-to-all-your-doubts-and-questions/.

Here’s how it worked. Paul’s keeper, Oliver Walenciak, would arrange two glass boxes displaying the flags of Germany and its opponents in the aquarium, each with a bit of food. The box that Paul selected would represent the winner – and the eight-legged soothsayer managed to go a perfect six for six in all of Germany’s matches. This unfortunately, upset some of those at the wrong end of the prediction, which included the Germans in yesterday’s semifinal game against Spain.

For Spanish fans, though, the prediction of Paul is to be honored, having come true. Among those fans is local chef, José Andrés, who has pledged to remove octopus from his menu for the weekend as a gesture of gratitude to the creature. Think it would have been two-for-one calamari night if Paul was wrong?

Food and Drink, Special Events, The Features, We Love Drinks
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We Love Drinks: Rickey Month

July is Rickey Month in DC

Close your eyes and imagine life in our fair city over one hundred years ago. Imagine it was a week like we’ve had, a scorching heat wave, in your restrictive starched collar or corset – and there is no relief in sight, no air conditioned buildings to dart in. Sweat is dripping down the back of your neck, the small of your back. You need something refreshing. Now.

Enter the Rickey – “an air conditioner in a glass,” as Derek Brown termed it last night at a Columbia Room seminar on the history and making of our very own native cocktail. Wait, DC has its own cocktail? Indeed. July is Rickey Month, in its third year designated by the DC Craft Bartenders Guild to celebrate and spread the word on a very simple yet heat wave essential drink. All month long bartenders around the city are debuting their unique versions of the classic Rickey, culminating in a competition at The Passenger on Monday, August 2 at 6:30pm. The event is $10 at the door (including a free Rickey), and you can pick up a “Passport” at any of the competing bars and restaurants this month to try as many of the versions as you can before the contest (get ten stamps on your Passport and you get in free). As Guild President Owen Thomson says, “The Rickey is our native cocktail and designed to combat hot, muggy DC summers. We hope to pay tribute to both our history and future as a great cocktail city, as well as helping everyone stay cool.”

I think we can all get excited about that this month! So let’s explore the background of DC’s historical cooler, find out who the contestants are, and learn what makes a classic Rickey so special. Continue reading →

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Alice Swanson ghost bike replaced in Dupont Circle


‘Ghost Bike’
courtesy of @victorzapanta

Today marks two years since 22-year-old cyclist Alice Swanson was struck and killed by a trash truck at the corner of Connecticut Avenue and R Street in Dupont Circle. Shortly after Swanson’s death, a memorial “ghost bike” appeared at the corner. The memorial remained in place, often adorned with flowers or notes, until last August. At the behest of the Dupont Circle Merchants and Professionals Association the memorial was removed by the city.

This morning, Swanson’s friends and family placed mementos at the site of the accident, and chalked messages on the sidewalk. This afternoon, the ghost bike memorial was replaced. Twitter user @victorzapanta sent along a photo of the new memorial.

The previous bike was removed by the Department of Public Works following a request by the Mayor’s office. The original request came from Ed Grandis of DC MAP, who characterized the well-kept memorial as an eye sore. Most street memorials in the District are left in place for 30 days before removal by DPW. These are generally memorials of photographs, flowers and/or stuffed animals. The District Department of Transportation has a policy of removing abandoned bicycles, but only after leaving a notice on the bicycle first.

In any event, a ghost bike is a solemn reminder to motorists, cyclists and pedestrians that all must share the road.  Last year the District debated constructing a memorial tree box at the location, but eventually declined to pursue that course of action. It will be interesting to see how the city reacts to the replacement of the ghost bike.

The Daily Feed
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Last Chance: Vote Zimmerman

Photo courtesy of
‘Nationals vs Mets 15’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

The Final Vote fan ballot closes TODAY at 4. That’s just under an hour and a half from now.

Want to see Nationals third baseman Ryan “Mr. Walk-off” Zimmerman join reliever Matt Capps at the All-Star Game in Anaheim? Place those votes ASAP.

Don’t know why to vote for Zimm? Well — he was a 2009 All-Star, a 2009 Golden Glove winner at third base, a and 2009 Silver Slugger winner. We could go into more detail, but do you really need more at this point?

***Vote here***

The Daily Feed
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VA Capital Bikeshare Locations Announced

Photo courtesy of
‘CIC’s New Bikes’
courtesy of ‘rmburnes’

Via BeyondDC, we have word that the first bike-sharing locations for the Capital Bikeshare system have been announced.  These first 14 stations of the proposed 114 throughout DC and Arlington are located in Pentagon City and Crystal City.  Check out the map of the recently-announced stations— they’re all in pretty high-traffic areas close to restaurants, offices, apartment buildings.

Capital Bikeshare is expected to start up in September, and there’s still time to vote for where you’d like to pick up and drop off bikes.

We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends, July 10-11

Photo courtesy of
‘Sparkler!’
courtesy of ‘Daniel.Techie{TaiShan~4Ever} @ 127.0.0.1’

Kirk: I’m off to Mann’s Choice, PA this weekend, where the air is cooler, but if I were in town, I’d probably go to the Strasburg game tomorrow night,  Red Derby for their brunch (good sammiches and $2 drinks!) on Saturday morning and then find some pool to spend the rest of the weekend in.  Screw heat.

Rachel: Stephen Strasburg takes the mound Friday night at Nationals Park, so I’ll be watching that either at the park or elsewhere. Haven’t made a final decision just yet. Then it’s on to a two-day two-games softball “double header” with the Glover Park League at Guy Mason Field Saturday and Sunday. Will be doing my best to get some quality relaxation time in while I’m at it too. It’s been a busy week.   Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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National Public Radio Reduced To Just An Acronym

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Since 1971, National Public Radio has fallen back on the acronym “NPR” as a shorthand for its lengthy, official name. As of today, the truncated version will be the only thing left, as the District-based organization is ditching the long moniker.

All things considered, this isn’t that much of a change beyond nomenclature, but there is some rationale in the decision. NPR has jumped head first into several digital channels, dominating the podcast landscape and trying its best to build as many useful smart phone apps as possible – translation, it’s about a lot more than just radio these days. Paraphrasing from NPR’s CEO, this change is meant to mirror the efforts and help NPR become more streamlined and more in touch with the speed of media.

For the NPR fans out there, here’s one more treat from the “trying to be more in touch with the digital generation” that NPR did earlier this summer. Enjoy as All Things D and NPR’s personalities embrace several Internet memes from the last few months:

YouTube Preview Image
The Daily Feed
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Broken A/C Means Free Iced Coffee


Starbucks by  Jomo

I think it’s safe to say that none of us are enjoying this lovely heat wave, and that includes the employees at Starbucks on Dupont Circle.  Their air conditioning has been broken since yesterday, forcing them to close up shop and to deprive many people of caffeine and free wireless.  However much to my delight, when I stopped by about an hour ago they were serving free iced coffee and iced tea on the back patio.  So if you’re in need of some free caffeine, hurry over and get yours while supplies last.

The Daily Feed
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Don’t Let Phillie Fans Invade NatsTown … Again

Photo courtesy of
‘Swing batter batter!’
courtesy of ‘m hoek’

Nats fans — don’t let the Phillies pull a fast one on this city again.

As of right now Phillies Nation is soliciting the baseball faithful of Philadelphia to jump on a bus and turn Nationals Park into Citizens Bank Park South.

You didn’t like it the first time back on Opening Day when they stood around booing not only the Nationals, D.C. and the National Anthem but causing a drunken ruckus on the Nats home turf.

The Phillies return to Washington for a three game series starting Friday July 30. There’s plenty of time to ensure that the Opening Day Phillie fan frenzy doesn’t happen a second time this season.

So if you have any shred of pride for this District and for Nationals baseball, prove it over the weekend of July 30 – August 1.

Mythbusting DC, The Features
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DC Mythbusting: Parks

Photo courtesy of
‘Rock Creek Foliage’
courtesy of ‘Rukasu1’

Welcome to another edition of DC Mythbusting! One of the greatest things about living in the District is the access to parks: the National Mall, several triangle and square parks, the fort system of parks, and the enormous Rock Creek Park.   But even with these parks, it seems like DC can’t compete with the scale of other urban parks like Central Park in New York City, right? But would you believe that Rock Creek Park is larger than Central Park? How does DC compare to other comparable cities in terms of parkland? These questions and more are answered in this week’s Mythbusting!

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Pig Out at the Four Seasons Georgetown

Photo courtesy of
‘Grant now my boon’
courtesy of ‘Loozrboy’

To celebrate Executive Chef David Varley’s big win at this year’s Grand Cochon competition, Bourbon Steak in the Four Seasons Georgetown is putting on an all-you-can-eat pig roast on Sunday, August 1st from 3pm-6pm. For $25 per person (or $40 if you want to include drinks, and I think you do) you’ll get your share of a 400-pound roast pig. As if we couldn’t easily eat $25 worth of roast pig itself, you’ll also get tons of traditional sides like baked beans, ham and cheddar biscuits, mac and cheese and potato salad. And if you’re daring, you’ll be able to try the chef’s winning dessert from the competition–Porkeos. Trust me, you probably don’t want to know what is in them before you chow down. Bourbon Steak will also be partnering up with local (and personal) favorite Dogfish Head to dish out pork-friendly brews for the evening.

To purchase tickets for the event, call 202-944-2026.

The Daily Feed
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Fort Stevens Day this Saturday

Photo courtesy of
‘Fort Stevens’
courtesy of ‘Rob Shenk’

This Saturday is Fort Stevens Day, a celebration of the 146th anniversary of the only Civil War battle to occur in DC.  Always needed an excuse to check out the Civil War Defenses of Washington?  Now’s your chance!

Saturday’s event includes a kids’ activity tent, various historical presentations, and a Civil War heavy artillery demonstration.  Check out the full schedule and directions to the park, and keep in mind that rain cancels the event.

All Politics is Local, The Daily Feed
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Final list of candidates for September primary released

Photo courtesy of
‘Ballot’
courtesy of ‘Berto Garcia’

The filing deadline for the District’s September primary has passed, and the Board of Elections and Ethics has released the final candidate list. You can download the entire list as a PDF from the DC BOEE web site. For the Mayoral race, both Vincent Gray and incumbent Adrian Fenty submitted their petitions back in June. Leo Alexander and Sulaimon Brown also had their petitions in before the deadline, rounding out the first and second tiers. Assorted others, including White House party crasher Carlos Allen turned in enough signatures to appear on the September ballot. In total, there will be seven Democratic candidates for Mayor: Adrian Fenty, Vincent Gray, Leo Alexander, Sulaimon Brown, Carlos Allen, Michael Green, and Ernest Johnson.

There aren’t any big surprises here. For Chairman of the Council, four Democratic candidates turned in their petitions before the deadline. Kwame Brown, Vincent Orange, Dorothy Douglas, and Calvin Gurley. For the At-Large Council seat there are also four candidates including incumbent Phil Mendelson, Clark Ray, Will Ross and another Michael Brown. Not to be confused with Michael A. Brown, a current At-Large member of the Council. No, this is Michael D. Brown, the Democratic Shadow Senator for the District. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Faith No More @ Mann Music Center 7/3/10

Faith No More @ Mann Music Center 2
courtesy of Marcus Darpino.

As much as I would like it to be, Washington DC is not the live-music center of the universe. Sometimes to see that special show I have to hop on a jet, castaway on a boat, or hit the road as I did this past weekend to catch one of the limited East Coast reunion shows by Faith No More. These shows were limited enough (only 3) and special enough (a hell-froze-over reunion) that we thought some of our DC readers might be interested in reading about the one I attended at the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia last Saturday.

When considering Faith No More and the quality of concert they put on, it is the little details that make the difference. The little details like: Mike Patton riding a fan like a horse while singing Michael Jackson’s ‘Ben’; an unexpected cover of Vangelis’ ‘Chariots of Fire’ theme; song verses done entirely in flawless Portuguese on a whim; and a singing, daredevil, strip-tease atop a 30-foot rope-ladder. In other words, when Faith No More perform live there really are no such things as little details; everything about a Faith No More concert is as huge and in-your-face as it can possibly get. From Mike Patton’s epic vocal range and deranged persona; to Roddy Bottum’s impenetrable, wall of synth-keyboards; to Billy Gould and Mike Bordin’s spastic funk; and Jon Hudson’s heroic guitar riffs Faith No More’s live sound is so gigantic it is almost absurd. And it would be absurd if they weren’t such a tight and overly-talented group of individuals. Saturday night’s concert in Philadelphia was a success on every level that treated a few thousand fans to the stellar, albeit brief, return of an old favorite and left us all longing for more from these SF Bay-area originals.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Asia After Dark – Bhangra Night

Photo courtesy of
‘Freer Gallery Chandelier’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

If you didn’t get the chance to catch the last Asia After Dark event at the Freer Gallery of Art, now is your chance to make it up by attending Bhangra Night on Thursday, July 15.

Spice up your summer and listen to “Bhangra’s Ambassador”, the internationally renowned DJ Rekha, and sample some delicious speciality cocktails – all the while also exploring the current exhibition, Arts of the Indian Subcontinent and the Himalayas.   All you have to do is follow the suggested attire (style, colors, and accessories of India) and purchase a ticket (available online or at the door).

You must be 21 years old and with a valid ID to attend.

The Freer Gallery of Art is located at 1050 Independence Avenue, SW.  For more information call 202-633-1000.

The Daily Feed
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Adam Dunn’s Bat Makes Nats Park History, J.D. Martin For The Win

Photo courtesy of
‘IMG_0485’
courtesy of ‘dbking’

Washington experienced another scorcher Wednesday night at Nationals Park recording the second hottest starting temperature in the park’s history only second to Tuesday night’s game. But the 13,762 who stuck it out saw J.D. Martin get his first win of the season.

Martin secured a one-run win over the top team in the National League so far this season, beating the San Diego Padres 7-6.

One of the Nationals weaknesses this season, and particularly in the past month, has been an inability to score runs behind their starters and play solid defense to support their entire pitching staff. Tonight they did both. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Be Exhibited At Arlington Arts Center

Image Credit:  Sara Yousefnejad, Arlington Arts Center

For all local artists out there, tomorrow is your last chance to enter for a spot to be featured in a solo exhibit at the Arlington Arts Center.

Artists who “produce cutting edge contemporary art in any/all media, and who live or work in Virginia; Washington, DC; Maryland; West Virginia; Delaware; or Pennsylvania” are eligible to submit exhibition proposals.  Furthermore, all work must have been completed within the last 3 years in order to be considered.

For more information contact the Arlington Arts Center at 703-248.6800.