In This Temple
Originally uploaded by stuckincustoms

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! As per custom with many today, we here at WeLoveDC want to take a moment and share what we’re thankful for with regards to the DC Metro area, our home.

We all wish you a great and bountiful day today, many leftovers for tomorrow, and good shopping deals over the weekend. But most of all, we wish every one of our readers well and toast at our tables to your health, your happiness, and your prosperity.

Our personal “What we’re thankful for about DC” after the jump.

Rebecca:
1) DC National Parks
2) Miriam’s Kitchen, which serves the homeless via a breakfast program, case management, transitional housing and after-breakfast programs.
3) Baked & Wired; specifically their carrot cake cupcakes and espresso.
4) Dumbarton Bridge. I love the Buffalos. As I take the bus by them everyday, I watch them oxidize from bronze to green.
5) Kramerbooks & Afterwords. A delightful combination of low key book shop and awesome cafe. Non-pretentious and non-commercial = I could hang out there all day.
6) Metered cabs – amazing!

Max:

• I’m thankful for the diverse population that DC has to offer. In any given day you can have a conversation with a political junkie, a nonprofit foot soldier, an avid art admirer, a lawyer who hates their job, a government contractor who has no interest in politics, and a cab driver from Nairobi who loves listening to NPR.
• I’m thankful for the buzz that constantly reminds me that I’m living in the hub of the political world.
• I’m thankful that we have beautiful architecture and tree lined streets, not cloned rectangles erected in a concrete jungle.
• I’m thankful for our Metro system, our monuments, Rock Creek Park, our beautiful bridges, our wide array of restaurants and bars, the E Street theater, and our local music and art scene.
• Last but not least, I’m thankful that we will soon have someone new living in the White House.

bstanfield:
The Electronic Frontier Foundation
The American Civil Liberties Union (even when I disagree with them)
The National Rifle Association (even when I disagree with them)

Carl Weaver:
I am thankful for my health and that of my family, the many friends and other blessings I have. I am also thankful for living a charmed life and being able to be in the company of so many great people on this blog and in my life. Also for living in the DC area with its majestic beauty, where things are always somewhere on the continuum from interesting to exciting and where national news is local news.

Capital Building and Traffic Circle (HDR)
Originally uploaded by iceninejon

David:
Rock Creek Park (Beach Drive): It’s not only a commute, but my communal moment each day with nature. I’ve seen rain, snow, wind, sun, hail and the plethora of joggers, bicyclists, drivers and other motorcyclists. The speed limit isn’t what causes you to slow down, but the chance of catching something different and new every time you pass through the amazing tranquil space in the middle of the hub-bub that is D.C.

The 9:30 Club: While I’ve had a love hate relationship with this bastion of concert-going within D.C. over the years, it’s undeniably the best live music venue in D.C. and in the top 10 in the United States.

The Brickskeller: You’ll find all manner of people there, from out-of-towner businesspeople and vacationers, young Hill staffers, non-profit employees (read: volunteers!), beer snobs and beer neophytes. It’s one of the few places in town that is there to educate you about the fine art of beer and the brewing process and they do their part to make sure you savor it in the right manner (including the proper glassware).

brownpau:
1. Walking home along the National Mall.
2. Free classical concerts at the National Gallery.
3. Eleanor Holmes Norton.
4. Estimated arrival times on Metro displays.

KatieT:
1. The view from Key Bridge… looking either direction, towards Georgetown or Rosslyn, in any weather, any time.
2. Catching the least-crowded Metro car
3. The Mount Vernon Trail
4. Farragut Square at 5:30 p.m. in the snow on a Friday
5. Cheap Sam Adam’s Summer Ale on the patio at Washington Sailing Marina at dusk in the Summer

Jonathan:
1. The beautiful view of the Washington Monument across the lawn from the Iwo Jima memorial park
2. The great restaurants, theater, and museums – even though I rarely get to visit them
3. The diversity of culture that joins together in DC
4. Friends who are just as politically wonky as I am
5. The weather. I come from up north, and the longer summer and fall here really make it worth while

Jenn Larsen:
I’m lucky to live in a city that I love, even with all of its differences and flaws, and I’m thankful to the following…
…for the morning mocha lovingly made at Sip of Seattle, keeping me alert
…for the consignment at Current Boutique, keeping me stylish
…for the National Capital YMCA and Pure Joe Pilates Studio, keeping my body sound (so that my mind stays sane)
…but especially, for my friends, who nourish my soul, and make me happy above all things.

Kennedy Center at Night
Originally uploaded by Scott Ableman

Don:

• Roosevelt Island, which provided a beautiful location to get engaged to my darling fiancée
• Glimpses of the Washington Monument in the distance, which always makes me smile
• Blue crabs
• and a variation in weather than still comes as a surprise to this Miami boy

Tiffany Bridge:
I am thankful for:

1. cherry blossoms – I’m a sucker for ’em every year
2. the GW parkway in the fall
3. the Capitol Dome- I have no sense of direction so I always orient myself to it
4. farmer’s markets all over town

Tom Bridge:
Peregrine Espresso and all who work there. My DC “office” is at Peregrine Espresso over on 7th Street, where the coffee is amazing, the people are great, and there always seems to be street parking nearby. You guys are wonderful.

Boulevard Woodgrill & Overwood. Over the past six years, I’ve become a “regular” at Boulevard, and now over at Overwood as well. Everyone’s always happy to see you, the food is always amazing, and the Diet Coke taps flow without cease. Thank you Joe, Stacey, Ryan, Jeff and Andy at the Bar at Boulevard, Zach and Lily at the Bar at Overwood, and of course, Antonio.

Independence Ave, west of 14th Street. It’s my favorite piece of commute in DC. The pastoral feel, the hidden views of the monuments, and the glorious scene over the Tidal Basin.

Nationals Park. It may have cost $690 Million, and contains only empty promises right now, but I see it as a hopeful place for the future. We’ll see how it turns out this year.

Ben H. Rome:
I’m thankful for:
…my wife, for taking the plunge and moving with me from Western PA to the center of American power…
…the International Spy Museum and its employees, for introducing me to life in the nation’s capital…
…the Washington Capitals, who are finally good enough to make the Penguins-Caps rivalry worth looking forward to again…
…the openness and friendliness of downtown DC, where beauty and aesthetics merge with unsung power and grace…
…the WeLoveDC family of authors, readers and commenters, who have made this grand vision a happy reality.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all! If you feel inclined, share your thankfulness ‘list’ in comments below. Gobble-gobble!