Category Archives: Adventures

Adventures, All Politics is Local, Downtown, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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D.C. Parking Injustice – If It’s Broke… Don’t Fix It


hello parking meter!
Originally uploaded by Nahh

The brew-ha-ha from last weeks parking meter hike around the city, and how it affected various commuters, visitors and others has taken an odd turn after some research and interviewing. In the apparent rush to receive those funds from the increased rate, it seems the D.C. DPW (whose responsibility it is to maintain them) were sloppily quick… either not being uniform in their application, or just wanting to make it interesting for those who choose to park downtown.

The meters originally under contention last week, actually play 3 different rates to parkers. One, the old rate ($1.50 for 8+ hours), two the projected 50% bump ($1.50 to $2.00 for 8 hours), or the crazy $0.25 for seven (7) minutes. I ask you, dear readership, and those who are regular street parking folks, have you come across similar issues? With the meters under three (yes three) different agencies to maintain, enforce and adjudicate, who’s going to be at the other end of that e-mail or phone call to hear you complain about the issue. Several of my parking buddies on two wheels have either moved to new locations (not yet changed), found a garage that will accept them, or stopped coming in via their former mode of transportation. One gentleman is still awaiting an e-mail back from Mayor Fenty’s office. I doubt this makes good policy, let alone much sense to the community.

Adventures, Downtown, Entertainment, Fun & Games, Night Life, The District, The Features
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Review: Spy at Night

Photo courtesy of Ghost_Bear
Spy, courtesy of Ghost_Bear

If you’re interested in changing up your happy hour plans, then heading over to the International Spy Museum’s “Spy At Night” is for you.

Every Friday and Saturday from 6pm-10pm, the museum stays open to offer guests (read: spies in training) a late night glimpse into the lives of spy operatives.  According to the Executive Director of the International Spy Museum, Peter Earnest, Operation Spy combines real-life details and mission deliverables from past spy operations, and he should know: he’s former CIA.  I can’t give too much away–it’s confidential, and would ruin the mystery behind the experience–but what I can tell you is that Operation Spy is completely different from the museum. Continue reading →

Adventures, Night Life, The Features
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Spy At Night

Photo courtesy of M.V. Jantzen
I Spy a Museum, courtesy of M.V. Jantzen

Beginning this Friday, Jan 9th, you can taste the life of a spy for an evening. No, really! Intrigue, deception, daring escapes, delicious drinks and five-star treats – it’s all yours for a night at the International Spy Museum.

It’s a weekly special operations event for adults only. License to Kill card not required.

Every Friday and Saturday night starting at 6 p.m., enjoy a visit to the museum’s interactive experience, Operation Spy. After the hour-long mission, toast your success (or drink away your failure) and your team from the Zola Kitchen bar menu.

Continue reading →

Adventures, Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 12/5 – 12/8

Photo courtesy of william couch
A Charlie Brown Holiday, courtesy of william couch

So this weekend was the true first holiday weekend – that is, if you count the holiday from the time the National Tree is lit through New Year’s Eve. I figure it’s from Turkeypocalypse Day through Hangover Day, but that’s just me.

Regardless, you were all out in force this past weekend, taking advantage of, well, pretty much everything going on. From holiday decor to Matchbox’s new location to new babies to Santarchy, it was a pretty full weekend. (I’ll politely ignore Maryland’s epic FAIL on Saturday night on I-270 since I was caught in it – and have the car damage to prove it.)

I’m also going to take the opportunity to remind everyone of our Holiday Photo Contest. Simply upload your photo to Flickr, drop it in the WeLoveDC group, tag it with “WLDC holiday 2008″ and look for our results in the new year. We’ve got some seriously awesome prizes and entry is FREE! So go, do it! You know you totally want to.

A sampling of what you guys did this weekend after the jump. Continue reading →

Adventures, Downtown, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Special Events
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DC Loves the Holidays

Photo courtesy of FredoAlvarez
Union Station Wreaths, courtesy of FredoAlvarez

Ok, I confess.

My initial intent with doing a “Holiday Happenings” article was to hit the majority of the cool stuff happening in the area. But as I did more and more research, the more amazed (and flummoxed) I became with the sheer volume of cool holiday stuff to do around here.

This’ll be my third Christmas in the area and my first real foray into finding out what all is going on to sate my holiday appetite. Normally we just hit the area neighborhood to ‘oooh’ and ‘aaah’ over light displays but this year? We wanted to really take advantage of the season.

Hence wanting to take this project on. Boy, am I ashamed to say I was utterly ignorant on the goings-on around here during December.

Continue reading →

Adventures, Entertainment, Essential DC, Food and Drink, Special Events
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Extended Weekend: What to Do?

Photo courtesy of F1RSTBORN
Jive Turkey, courtesy of F1RSTBORN

In town for the holidays and not a cook? Looking for some dining options other than wrestling with a big ol’ Butterball and your mom yammering in your ear? Hosting relatives and looking for things to get them out of the house? Or are you an international visitor and don’t celebrate with us Yanks?

We’ve got you covered.

Behold, a quick-and-dirty WeLoveDC look at dining and fun options for the upcoming four-day weekend.

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Adventures, Downtown, Entertainment, Essential DC, Life in the Capital, Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 11/21 – 11/23

Photo courtesy of M.V. Jantzen
Back from the Past, courtesy of M.V. Jantzen

From new theater openings to the reopening of the NMAH, from yard work to group fun, you guys really made the most of this past weekend. Sooooo many good photos, I couldn’t stop!

Keep up the great work capturing life in our area. With the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, I know I’ll find some great stuff from everyone for next week.

And watch this space next Monday: we’re going to have a photo contest, and you’re all invited!

Continue reading →

Adventures, Tourism
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Tourism: Fells Point

Fells Point, photo by rjohnson

Fells Point, photo by rjohnson

If you take a 42 mile northeast jaunt up the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, you’ll find yourself walking through the historic Baltimore neighborhood of Fells Point. A home to Frederick Douglass and drinking spot for Edgar Allen Poe, the area was established in 1730 by William Fell, and bore the names “Fell’s Prospect,” “Long Island Point,” and “Copus Harbor,” before finally settling on Fells Point in 1763.

Home to the Fells Point Ship Yard, area shipbuilders produced world renowned schooners (aka Baltimore Clippers) whose easy handling and quick speed helped U.S. Privateers plunder British shipping vessels during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.During this era the shipyard also produced the USS Constellation, a 38-gun frigate that was the first US Navy warship to engage with, defeat and capture an enemy. However, make no mistake; this vessel is not to be confused with the same named 1854 sloop-of-war that now resides in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
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Adventures, Life in the Capital, Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 11/7 – 11/9

Photo courtesy of jaime_montemayor
together, courtesy of jaime_montemayor

You guys certainly took advantage of this fabulous past weekend! I had a hard time deciding on the multitude of photos people took across our area; many were monument-centered, as the sky and lighting was near-perfect for photography.

After the jump, a cross-cut of what area folks enjoyed during this glorious weather weekend. Sadly, it’s not sticking around, as we’ve got colder temps coming. Hey, at least it’s not snowing…

Continue reading →

Adventures, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 10/31 – 11/2

Photo courtesy of marslog
Blick vom Marriott, courtesy of marslog

I’ve had a few readers comment to me on the fly last week that they loved the “Flashback” I posted this past Monday. So I think we’ll make this a regular thing, mmkay?

You guys certainly lived it up this past weekend; beautiful weather on Saturday made it hard to choose what photos to pick. And I’m continually amazed at what you guys love to do on a fall weekend – maybe we should have the end of DST more often, yes?

After the jump, a smattering of snapshots on your DC metro weekend, all courtesy of Flickr.

Continue reading →

Adventures, Getaways
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Getaways: Charlottesville, Virginia

enoteca and charlottesville mall

A month or so ago, Matt and I went on a weekend getaway to Charlottesville, Virginia. I was looking to shake DC for the weekend, and Charlottesville is about 4 hours away (round trip), a perfect weekend trip. Matt got his masters degree at UVA, and so he was thrilled to get to show me around his Alma mater.

We “named our own price” for a hotel on Priceline – something I encourage everyone to do, always. If you’re not familiar with it, you should be, you can save some SERIOUS money using it. We usually go for a four star hotel when we bid on travel, and I think we wound up getting the Holiday Inn for $60, over half off the $147 face price. If you’re willing to let go of a little control, or have a very well thought out strategy, you’re bound to wind up with at least half off the retail price wherever you go. We learned how to do Priceline through Bidding for Travel, it’s an easy way to educate yourself on good bidding strategy. It might be a little bit intar-webs ghetto, and the admin is a touch grumpy, but the site itself is a goldmine of bidding how-to and what you can expect to pay. But I digress. Continue reading →

Adventures, Essential DC, Interviews, People
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Tourists Love DC: Ryan from Seattle

Photo courtesy of Ryan
National Air and Space Museum, courtesy of Ryan

Tell us a little about you.

Right now, I live in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle and spend my days working in aerospace procurement. My nights and weekends are spent attending live shows and being outside trying to enjoy any good weather Seattle has to offer.

Why did you choose to visit DC?

Simple: I’d never been to DC before. I’m 32 years old and while DC has been in the forefront of my mind because of its historical importance and the constant references to it on the news and in pop culture, I didn’t have a real sense of what it was like. In many ways, it’s America’s most important city and I really wanted to experience it.

Was this your first visit to the area?

Yep.

Continue reading →

Adventures, Downtown, Fun & Games, Special Events, The Mall
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Mallwatching: National Book Festival

Photo courtesy of caryn74
Book World, courtesy of caryn74

I have to admit, this one snuck up on me.

To be fair, it seems to do that to me every year; you’d think a writer like me would be a bit more cognizant of the National Book Festival, especially since it’s right across the Potomac every September.

This year, though, I have an excuse. (We won’t talk about previous years…)

BUT! Just because I’m lame doesn’t mean you should be! The National Book Festival will go on, rain or shine, as scheduled tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Located on the National Mall between 3rd and 7th streets, the festival is free and open to the public. Continue reading →

Adventures, Alexandria, Business and Money, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Ice Cream (Anti) Social

DSC_0444
courtesy of Ben

So Tom points me to an announcement on Cold Stone Creamery’s website, regarding their promotion of two new flavors and their partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation during the month of September. And apparently, tonight is also the 7th Annual World’s Largest Ice Cream Social at all CSC locations from 5-8 p.m, where they’re giving out free ice cream. (Icecreampocalypse, anyone?)

I totally don’t have anything against M-A-W; my sister was a recipient of theirs a year before she passed away. I do, however, continue my lingering grumpiness with the Alexandria CSC location. (They’ve still not sent coupons or called to apologize!) If I could have a wish resolved from M-A-W, it’d be “I wish this CSC would have a faster line!“

Adventures, Entertainment, Technology, The Daily Feed, The District, The Hill
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Sneak Peek: The Sant Ocean Hall at NMNH

Sant Ocean Hall

Wow, what a morning. I spent the morning walking through the new Sant Ocean Hall at the National Museum of Natural History on the Mall. We got an introduction from the direct of the museum, and a great tour through the 23,000 square-foot space. We’ll have a full review up on Friday as part of our Tourism column.

However, there was one bit that was way too cool to wait for Friday to share: Science on a Sphere®. The Smithsonian’s new exhibit features this cool technology from NOAA which involves multiple projectors and a suspended gray sphere. It’s based on four desktop computers running Linux and some multiple projectors. It’s just amazing. Click on for the full size video.

Continue reading →

Adventures, Essential DC, Food and Drink, The District
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DC Omnivore 100: 82 & 99

Photo courtesy of zephyrbunny
Best Eggs Benedict Ever, courtesy of zephyrbunny

Welcome to the first review of the 100 foods an omnivore in DC should partake of. We posted the full list already; here’s my take on two of them.

#82 Eggs Benedict. Ok, this isn’t a ‘new’ dish for me – I’m a connoisseur of this classic egg dish. It’s usually the one I order when we have a rare breakfast out and I’m not feeling fat. Because any dish that combines half an English muffin, poached eggs, ham and hollandaise sauce just gives you that feeling of hardening arteries. My particular dish for this review was consumed at the nearby Silver Diner over in Springfield, VA.

Continue reading →

Adventures, Alexandria, Entertainment
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Tourism: The Potomac Riverboat Company

Photo courtesy of Me
Out on the Potomac
courtesy of Me

I’ve thought about taking one of the Potomac boat trips for almost the full seven years I’ve lived in the DC area and have always passed on it. When I proposed writing this feature Jenn L chimed in that she’d always wanted to go but never had, so apparently I wasn’t the only one. In retrospect I don’t know why I balked at the price. If you take the poorly named – but very enjoyable – “mounments cruise” you can expect to pay about $25 for a round trip, which isn’t the most I’ve ever paid for two hours of entertainment. You can start in Georgetown or Alexandria and in fact you’re under no obligation to purchase a round trip. Continue reading →

Adventures, Essential DC, History, The District, The Mall
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Archival Lovin’

archives_arch

One of my favorite museum sites to visit in DC is the National Archives. Housing the original documents from our country’s founding, the National Archives Experience (as it is officially called) always evokes a sense of awe and history in me and many other visitors. And it’s missed by thousands of tourists every year.

People are surprised to find out that there’s more to the Archives than the popular Rotunda. In fact, the entire mission of the Archives is to serve American democracy by safeguarding and preserving the records of our Government, ensuring that the people can discover, use, and learn from this documentary heritage. As such, the National Archives and Record Administration (NARA) was designed to safeguard and preserve the most important documents to American history and our heritage as a country. Thus, NARA serves both the public and the federal government through a network of facilities across the U.S. Continue reading →

Adventures, Getaways
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Getaways: Gettysburg

Photo courtesy of Cavalier92
IMG_4238, courtesy of Cavalier92

Located only two hours from downtown DC, Gettysburg is probably the most well-known Civil War battlefield in the nation. Originally begun as a memorial in 1864, the battlefield was established as a National Military Park in 1895 and transferred to the Department of the Interior’s National Park Service in 1933.

The quite Pennsylvania countryside around Gettysburg became the turning point of the Civil War during three days in July 1863. When the smoke settled and the clash of arms subsided, over 20,000 soldiers were injured and close to 50,000 were casualties of the brutal fighting. In the end, Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia was a broken force; the South would never recover from the defeat. Continue reading →

Adventures, Fun & Games, Travel
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Beyond the Beltway: Natural Bridge

Photo courtesy of tsmyther
Natural Bridge, courtesy of tsmyther

We’re starting a new series that we’ll post twice a month, looking at various locations, attractions and other fun spots to hit that exist within a half-day’s drive from the Beltway. It’s a way to give you ideas for some fun outside our little circle of asphalt here on the East Coast, without costing you any more than a tank (or less) of gas. Well, aside from tickets, food and the inevitable souvenir, that is.

I figured I’d kick off our first entry with a place that involved good ol’ George; you can never go wrong with our first President. So where in Virginia did George leave his mark early in his multi-faceted career?

Natural Bridge, Virginia. Continue reading →