The Arlington County Police Department will close Crystal Drive, from South 20th Street to South 23rd Street, on May 5, 2007, from 3:30 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. for the Crystal Rocks Concert.

If you are going to the Crystal Rocks concert, hop on the Metro. The Crystal City stop is only two blocks away from the concert location. It’s either ride the train or wait in hellishly long lines in your car.

Tomorrow’s high temperature is only forecasted to be in the upper 60’s but we are getting to that time of year when the sun beating through the windshield makes folks extra pissy on the roads. So if you have a car, leave it at home and take public transportation. Avoid the nut jobs on the streets and walk by all the honking horns. Trust me – you will be glad you did.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Twice on the same commute, I witnessed the same curious behavior.

When a double seat opened up completely, someone already sharing a seat with someone else would jump up, and without checking to see if any of the standing people were moving toward the seat (and in one case nearly running someone over in the process), scurry over and sit in the empty double seat as fast as they could.

I can understand the appeal of not having to share a seat, of course, but the hurry to do so while there are still people standing in the car inspires a moderately evil impulse… I always want to slide into the seat with them and spread out a little, just to see the looks on their faces.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

It’s been a few days since the electrical fire at Eastern Market closed the historic edifice for 18 to 24 months while it is rebuilt. The ashes are settled and the loss is nearly total. Hope, however, is not gone from the scene, and folks everywhere are working on relief for those businesses who were affected by the fire:

The Capitol Hill Community Foundation is seeking donations (tax-deductible, natch) for the market staff that were affected by the fire: The devastating April 30th fire destroyed the roof and shut down operations in the South Hall. The bricks and mortar can be fixed and the building preserved. What we must also preserve are the lives and businesses of the people who make up the Eastern Market community.

Eastern Market Rescue is tracking a happy hour benefit for next Tuesday, complete with a sweet Google Maps mashup letting you know where and when and how much will be going to the relief effort.

Of course, if you want a tangible good, there’s always this sweet Rebuild Eastern Market T-shirt. $20, but $14 goes to charity: The t-shirts are available for sale at Dawn Price Baby, Groovy D.C., Marvelous Market on Capitol Hill and Maggie and Lola boutique. Shirts will also be available this Sunday, May 7, 2007 outside the now devastated Eastern Market.

Do something to help this week. While the repair of the building may take close to two years, the relief we provide to those who lost their livelihoods in the fire is crucial to keeping the future of Eastern Market alive.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by DC Metroblogger

It is dark. It is chill. It is a Temperance Hall Thursday in Petworth.

The food is good, the drink better, and in spite of the Internet jukebox, the music is great. Hendrix and Kravitz paired with Hooker and Brown.

I only wish the mysterious Prince of Petworth was here to join the scene. May I be blessed with his presence soon.

Until then you, I, we can enjoy the lack of temperance in this hall.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Image from Three panel soul

If you’re a boingboing reader you likely saw this story. Matt’s a local, and apparently was working as an SAP contractor in the area when he got canned because someone heard him talking about target shooting and it made them uncomfortable.

The really funny thing, to the extent that getting fired for thoughtcrime can be funny, is that he’s a contractor for THE NAVY. I don’t think my experience working for a government contractor is unique in that more than 1 in 10 of my cow orkers are former members of the armed forces. Plus a few who were in the Air Force. I kid, I kid!

Seriously, you work for an organization that is involved in the business of war and you’re freaked out by someone talking about target shooting? Worse – you ARE that organization and you kowtow to that?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Nick & Leigha

Nick and his wife Leigha are walking together to support the fight against breast cancer and they need your help to hit their goals. Our previous two spotlighted walkers has hit their goals and surpassed them, but Nick and Leigha are lagging a bit.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Avon Walk you might not be aware of the extent of the commitment these people make to the cause. We know from the name of the event that they’ll be out walking to raise visible awareness of the cause. You know from my harping on it for several days now that they’re committed to asking others to contribute to the cause. Are you aware that every walker has made a personal commitment to hit that $1,800 goal even if it means taking it out of their own pocket?

Here’s what Nick has to say.

Help fight breast cancer by supporting Nick here and his wife Leigha here. You can contribute any amount you like and every cent counts. When you click the “click here to support me” button on each walker’s page you can opt to do any amount on a one time basis, or make a commitment to donate $25 a month for the next 3 or 5 months.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

The other morning, like many mornings here in Northern Virginia, I drove from my house to the coffee shop that’s become my home base. On my drive, I always pass this one little house in the Lyon Park neighborhood of Arlington. It’s cute, and it’s small, probably 2000 square feet or less, and painted white. It’s a 1920s-era bungalow, complete with cute porch and an add-on off to the side done by one of the previous owners. It’s not ostentatious like many houses in the area, it’s just cute. And, like every morning for the past few months, there’s a For Sale sign on it. Find a great Cottage in Wasaga Beach for your family.

Today, they’d added the “New Low Price” sign to it, so I pulled a U-turn, grabbed the flyer, returned to my car and read it.

My guess was right, built in 1924. Gas heat, gas kitchen. Just under 1900 sqft, and there’s a back deck. .21 acre lot.

$819,000.

I nearly cried.

When a small single family home is more than I make in 10 years…the world’s all kinds of topsy. Anyone have a line on some good lotto numbers?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by DC Metroblogger

Check out this little devil I found on Vermont Avenue in Shaw.

The stump of a street sign, its raw metal edges awiting an exposed toe or unobservant walker, is primed to cause a yelp, a twist, and a fall.

How many of these booby traps litter our sidewalks? Why do they not seem to garner pothole-level attention?
A street pothole may ruin your tire, but a sidewalk booby trap will ruin your person.

Mayor Fenty, how about a little attention on transport hazards for pedestrians, walkers, runners, those who face city-left booby traps across Washington DC? Save our soles, grind down these spikes.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

If there were a course on concert photography, Kyle Gustafson (aka leafblower) would be a likely candidate to teach it. His photos, mostly taken at our beloved 9:30 Club and Black Cat, are awesome examples of this unique breed of photography. It’s one thing to setup a tripod in front of the White House, but once you get inside a dark concert venue you’d better put that tripod away and hope you’ve got a fast lens and a good set of earplugs. A camera that has low noise levels at high ISO settings is key too. In other words, no, that camera phone isn’t going to cut it so just put it away right now.

I met Kyle a few months ago and was immediately jealous of the access he has to these clubs as well as to any Wizards or United game he wants to go to. Being a senior editor at DCist really pays off! Evidently he contacted the Wizards’ front office, said he wrote for a prominent blog, and they gave him a press pass. How sweet is that? As my dad always say, “You never know until you ask.”

Be sure to check out Kyle’s Flickr portfolio. He’s covered bands and musicians ranging from Snow Patrol to Pete Townsend to Scissor Sisters to Gnarls Barkley. I can’t think of a better gig! Well, unless you’ve got Hugh Hefner’s job. That’s pretty hard to beat.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

It looks like its going to be another 16th Street Parking Lot during today’s rush hour. Alert DC has issued this Transportation Alert:

2400 Block of 16th St. NW will remain closed into & throughout rush hour. Avoid 16th St. NW if possible, use alternate routes.

Now while I don’t know why 16th is closed at Meridian Hill Park, I do think you should spend a minute to familiarize yourself with the Alert DC system.

This impressive emergency communication system is used by The DC Emergency Management Agency (DCEMA) to send emergency alerts, notifications and updates to all manner of electronic devices and email accounts.

While many alerts are of the transport and power-outage variety, they do help you decide between a traffic jam commute or communing at a patio bar

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by DC Metroblogger

Did you see the earnest college students making cardboard homes on the National Mall last weekend? Did you wonder why?

Apparently, the Invisible Children campaign will end the enslavement of child soldiers in Northern Uganda by Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army through awareness and aggressive campaigning of the US government.

Aggressive campaigning that requires much use of pink by kids who didn’t know basic facts about Uganda or the LRA.

Questions like “What the capitol of Uganda?” or “Who is the leader of the LRA?” were greeted with mumbles before an answer was found. “Aboke abductions” “Night Commuters” or “Yoweri Museveni” just brought on blank stares.

Before carpeting the Mall with cardboard & kids, maybe the Invisible Children campaign should start with its own, internal, awareness campaign. Making the LRA entry of Wikipedia required reading would be a decent start.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Molly

Molly was the first person to take me up on the offer to promote her walk and she may be a hard act to follow! Here’s her donation link. Her story is below.

Help fight breast cancer and support Molly and her team here. Like Molly said, any amount is great. When you click the “click here to support me” button on that page you can opt to do any amount on a one time basis.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

photo courtesy of JoCo

As the resident Coulton–obsessed metblogger I would be remiss if I let Tom wish you a happy Loyalty Day but did not wish you a happy First of May.

You probably want to wear your headphones if you’re in mixed company…

update my darling girlfriend says the above caching link doesn’t work for her, so if it’s an issue for you there’s First of May here too.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

So, here in the land of the free and the home of the brave, it’s Loyalty Day, as so declared by the Congress of these United States and the President:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 1, 2007, as Loyalty Day. I call upon the people of the United States to participate in this national observance and to display the flag of the United States on Loyalty Day as a symbol of pride in our Nation.

Swear your loyalty to the King Nation.

I swear to God, I couldn’t make this more Orwellian if I dug up George Orwell’s spinning corpse and had him write the proclamation. Along with Depart of Homeland Security, God help us if we can’t pick the ironically awful names.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Really, not one of our readers is going to do the Avon walk and interested in taking me up on my offer to pimp your donation link? Given the number of walkers in the event I’m amazed.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by DC Metroblogger

Now this is a whole different Washingtonian commute, the Delta Shuttle.

Headed to NYC for the day, I joined the suits for the 8:30 am flight to LaGuardia. Suits who complained of all the time they spend flying the East Coast corridor.

I was too jet lagged from Egypt to check their empty complaints. These kids get hot coffee, bagels, and leather seats for a 40 minute flight.

A sweet commute I would love after 24 hours in coach.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

The second floor of the Georgetown Public Library is a complete loss, and with it goes much of the archive of the Library, some of which predates the founding of our nation. According to Firehouse.com, several of the area fire hydrants were not in working order, due to an issue with water pressure. According to WTOP, this is a frequent problem in Georgetown and other elevated areas of town.

Wait. Hold on a second. You’re telling me that these fire hydrants are purely decorative? That’s got to be cold comfort to all of Georgetown all of a sudden as they realize the fire hydrant that’s just up the street may be as useful as your neighbor’s garden hose when it comes to putting out a serious fire. Seriously, how does a city like DC not be able to push the pressure it needs to fire hydrants. That seems like a basic service…

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs