Category Archives: Life in the Capital

Downtown, Entertainment, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed
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Olives Closing for Renovations

Photo courtesy of
‘DC’
courtesy of ‘dsix’

While dining at Olives Friday, my waiter informed me that they’d be closing their doors  for renovations after the evening’s service.  Staff have been told that renovations, the restaurant’s first in 12 years, will last until at least the end of August, if not into early September.  Hopefully these “renovations” are not a signal that the renowned dining establishment is not coming back, an unconfirmed DC restaurant community rumor, but rather that the restaurant is getting a much needed face lift.

Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed
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Reefer Madness

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘Nessa Land’
In a recent survey the District of Columbia ranks 6 out of 51 in Marijuana Usage by State, with 13.81% of D.C. residents using the drug in the past year.  Northeastern states (Vermont, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Massachusettes) round off the top 2-5, with Alaska taking the top spot with 15.83%.  Surprisingly, Maryjane seems to be somewhat more acceptable in the Land of the Midnight Sun than cigarette smoking and heavy alcohol usage.

All Politics is Local, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed
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DC Goes a Little Gayer

Photo courtesy of
‘I DO support GAY marriage!’
courtesy of ‘galifa85’

Despite referendums and protests, today DC became the 10th jurisdiction in the US to recognize gay marriage.  In May, the City Council passed legislation amending DC code to recognize legal same-sex marriages performed outside of the District.  This legislation passed the requisite 30 day review by Congress and today, officially became law.  This marks a major victory for gay-rights advocates and sets the city well on the path to full same sex marriage legalization .

Downtown, Entertainment, Food and Drink, Life in the Capital, Night Life, Penn Quarter, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Only The Best

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘Hoffmann’

Where and when are you going to be able to get Sweetgreen’s Sweet Flow, wine from Asia Nine, sushi from Kaz, a dish from The Source and Pete’s Apizza all in the same room? Duh, at Washingtonian’s Best Of Washington Party, of course!

Washington’s top restaurants (as voted by readers and editors of Washingtonian) and wine and beer purveyors will be serving up their best at the National Building Museum on July 15. See the list of participating restaurants and purveyors here. Editor- and reader-favorites including Central Michel Richard, Citronelle, Blacksalt, Hook, Charlie Parker Steak and the Oval Room will participate in the annual event which attracts more than 1,200 people and shares a portion of the profits with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Dessert lovers will find cool treats from Dolcezza Gelato, sweets from Georgetown Cupcake and Baked & Wired, and delicious offerings from other top-rated bakeries and creameries.

Tickets, $95 to $125, are available on washingtonian.com.

Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed
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Faded Fourth

 

"Smashed Egg" by nicasaurusrex, on Flickr

"Smashed Egg" by nicasaurusrex, on Flickr

It had been a while since I walked down the stretch of R Street between 15th and 14th. But on a leisurely stroll home last night with some friends, we really weren’t thinking about watching our backs. I mean, it was the Fourth of July! Everyone’s in a good mood, right? No need for anyone to be jerks, let alone hostile and violent jerks. 

In hindsight, it shouldn’t have surprised us when the first egg hit the sidewalk in front of us. I’ve avoided that block for years at night precisely because of incidents like that. There were probably some thirty people hanging out on the opposite side of the street, all just glaring at us like a gauntlet. The fact that we had a dog didn’t deter them from throwing about four eggs at us. At least they weren’t rocks.

The glow of “we’re all Washingtonians together in a new beginning” has obviously faded, or they never felt it to begin with. 

It breaks my heart.

Adams Morgan, Dupont Circle, Entertainment, Life in the Capital, Media, Night Life, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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What They Look Like: Real World DC Cast

Photo courtesy of
‘Workers’
courtesy of ‘squidpants’
So I’ve been avoiding the Real World beat for as long as possible  (our authorship tends to trade off reporting duties, so none of us actually has to “own” the beat) so I’m going to take my turn and fill you in on the latest. Kirk told you that they’re here, and now I’m going to show you what they look like.

First off, we have a pair DCist commenters dubbed Angela and Ricky (God, I loved that show!) – a “redhead” and a guy with curly black hair. Check them out here and here.  The Anti-Real World DC has a shot of the required blonde girl here (cute shoes, though!). A group shot shows more cast: the obligatory black guy, what some are calling “the hottie” and some blonde dude I’m going to personally dub the douchebag. This shot shows what I’m guessing is the 7th cast member, a girl with long brown hair.

Reports from RealWorldDCNEWZ on Twitter had them shopping at the Super Secret Safeway, grilling (scroll down for pics), mandatory hot tubbing, and then heading to Bucca Di Beppo for dinner. Other reports have DC residents shouting “GO HOME!” at them. (Tee hee hee.) (I’m mean.) False rumors spotted them at Town, the latest have them coming out of Chi Cha Lounge, and I suppose we’ll just have to wait for confirmation and pictures. Welcome to DC, kids. Try not to throw up on my shoes.

Life in the Capital, The District, The Features, WMATA
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Why I Love DC

Photo courtesy of
‘All quiet on the western front…’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’

I first moved to the United States from a suburb of Toronto, Ontario, Canada in the summer of 1997. My first foray into the country brought me to Los Angeles/Beverly Hills, which was a culture shock and half. After only a year, I moved to Boston, where I, Liam Michael Patrick Darmody, fit in quite nicely for 3 years. In 2001, upon graduating high school, I was deciding between UMass Amherst and American University and decided to go with the latter almost entirely BECAUSE of the DC location. To me, going to school in a world class city, even one with a crime rate higher than any other place I’d ever lived, appealed to me. And so in August 2001, I made my way to the District and have called it “home” ever since. Continue reading →

Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed, The District
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Love DC? Prove it.

Photo courtesy of
‘arm with obscured dc flag tattoo, dupont circle’
courtesy of ‘JamesCalder’

While some of us partied last night in honor of our fair city (and this here blogz), others of us get a little,uh,more permanent with our love.

DC Concierge, Shana Glickfield, unveils her collection of DC tattoo photographs on the tumblr site District Love. While you’re pretending to be productive at work today, take a gander at all the folks who love on this city as much as we do, yet choose to express it not by writing a blog, but with two bands and three stars inked into their skin.

Dupont Circle, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed
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Post’s New Scene-In Feature

Photo courtesy of
‘Fountain Feet’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

The Post, always trying something new, has started a series called Scene-In, trying to capture the city’s essential character and characters through interviews and footage in its neighborhoods. The first takes place in Dupont, and is filmed all by the fountain. Is it essentially DC? Perhaps, I’m not sure. I didn’t come away saying, “Oh that was exactly it!” But I did love watching the video, production values and great shots out the wazoo. Sunset over the park? Yes, please. They’ll be doing them bi-weekly.

Life in the Capital, People, The District, The Features
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Why I Love DC: Kirk

Photo courtesy of
‘Pointy Houses in a Row’
courtesy of ‘Bill Jones Jr’

“Creative people have LA and stylish people have NYC,” said a person that I met at the bar. “Nerds like you and I, we’ve got Washington. It’s our city, man.” Flippant, yes, but philosophical at the same time.  This stranger that sat down next to me on a Friday evening hit at what, to me, makes DC a great place: community. It’s part Mecca for CLA geeks, like myself, and part city of unseen potential.  Since getting to know Washington, DC, I realized that its a place that most Americans visit, but never actually see.  The true beauty of this city is known only to residents and this provides a strata of a commonality that binds them together.  Why do I love DC?  Community, plain and simple.

I’ll admit that I lived in the area for a solid 4 years before I began to discover that DC actually had a personality. Cracking the marble facade of the city takes time and effort. To most, Washington, DC is a giant, historical landmark. It holds our nation’s great monuments and provides beds for its leaders. It’s an effective, yet insular bastion of power that lacks the cultural panache of other, major cities.

Continue reading →

Life in the Capital, Music, News, The Daily Feed
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Virgin Mobile Fest Moves to Merriweather, Drops Ticket Charge

VMF.png

Yes, that’s right, the Virgin Mobile Festival is now a free ticket. The event will be a one-day gig, instead of two, and now has moved to Merriweather Post Pavilion, down from Pimlico in Baltimore. The headliners of this year’s fest, dated August 30th, are Weezer and Blink-182, with Franz Ferdinand, Jet, The National, The Bravery, Girl Talk, The Hold Steady, Taking Back Sunday and Wale warming them up.

Why free? Virgin’s saying because the economy is down, we all deserve a free show. Hot damn. Thanks guys. Public tickets go up for grabs on Saturday morning, and they’re free except for Ticketbastard’s pesky service charges, unless you hit the box office at Merriweather or 9:30 club. If you’ve gone in the past, watch for an email this morning or tomorrow, for an early free-sale opportunity.

Life in the Capital, News, The District, WMATA, WTF?!
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Metro Derailment, Collision at Fort Totten, 6 Dead

Train Derail
Courtesy of WUSA-9 via Twitter & Flickr

trainderail2
Courtesy of NBC Washington via Twitter & Flickr

Shortly after 5pm today, two Metro Red Line trains collided just outside the Fort Totten Metro station. Systemwide delays in the middle of rush hour are now to be expected. It’s not clear at this time if there were any injuries in the trains that have collided. Metro is slicing the Red Line in half for the rest of the day with a full service interruption between Fort Totten and Brookland, and power has been cut to those tracks.

We’ll be updating this story with news.

Update 42 [8:55pm] ABC is going to be halting their coverage at 9pm this evening. Currently, they’re talking with GWU Hospital, which received 26 patients from today’s crash, most of which were “green tag” patients in need of treatment, two were red tag patients in critical condition. They’re being looked at now.

Update 41 [8:42pm] The Washington Post now has a Gallery of Photos from the Scene of today’s accident.

Update 40 [8:30pm]Mayor Fenty is starting now. There’s going to be an 8am briefing tomorrow. We’ve just visited the scene of the collision. The scene is as horrific as you can imagine. Our deepest condolences to the families of all the victims. 70+ transported off the trains to the hospital. Chief Rubin will give more information shortly. There are six fatalities confirmed on the scene right now. It will take a few hours to get through the whole scene to make sure there aren’t any other casualties.

Chief Rubin: 76 transported. 50 walking wounded (green tag), 14 yellow tag and 6 red tags and 6 fatalities. We’re continuing to staff all our stations, plus we’re relying on support from surrounding communities and we thank them. We’ve been working 3.5 hrs, 200-250 firefighters at the scene. They’re down to the two cars that are smashed together. Two responder injuries, both have been transported and are seeking treatment now at area hospitals.

Chief Lanier: Do not come to the site. New Hampshire Ave is closed from North Capitol to Eastern.

GM Catoe: Our condolences to the families who’ve lost loved ones. We’re still in investigation mode to determine the cause. We will not operate this segment until at least tomorrow. Manual mode is in effect, with reduced speeds. (this would indicate that the automatic system may be part of the problem here). Thank you to MPD and DC Fire/EMS. This is a tragic event. We will get to the bottom and find out what happened. The NTSB is involved, and we have a federal responsibility to find out what occured here today.

NTSB Examiner Kirshman: My condolences from NTSB, We know there are fatalities, and local groups will handle the announcements regarding this. There are 9 investigators and additional personnel from NTSB involved. We are working closely with local responders and the Mayor. Train 214 and Train 112 were involved in today’s crash. We will begin once they’re finished with the accident response.

Chief Rubin: The primary search is still underway. One of the train is compressed 75-80% at this point. Jaws of Life are being used. We will make sure the train is cleared, living or dead, before the investigation begins.

NTSB: We’re looking at maintenance, the tracks, and working with Metro to do initial documentation, but NOT until the accident response is complete.

FBI Agent: The FBI Evidence Response team will be participating with NTSB. We will meticulously review this scene. I caution also against assumptions about what happened and how it happened.

Chairman Graham: The board will convene at 2pm tomorrow to discuss

GM Catoe: I will not comment further until we have more detailed information. We’re in the mode of recovery. Once the investigation is complete, we’ll release information. GM Catoe looks very tired.

Update 39 [8:20pm] MPD is now requesting you call 311 to inquire about loved ones potentially injured or killed today. Do NOT call the SOC. If you’re out of the District, please call 202.737.4404 which is the Metro Accident Information Line. Continue reading →

Alexandria, Entertainment, Food and Drink, Inaugupocalypse, Life in the Capital, News, People, The Daily Feed
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Obama at Dairy Godmother!

Photo courtesy of
‘Fresh & Frozen’
courtesy of ‘M.V. Jantzen’
Obama hit the Del Ray creamery (well, custard-er-ry, or whatever you call it) Dairy Godmother this afternoon. Good thing I snuck in last weekend for the Bordeaux Cherry,  ’cause after seeing what happened to Ray’s Hell Burgers, lord knows Dairy Godmother will be a packed house for the rest of the summer.

Dairy Godmother tweets “President Obama and his daughters just left. Pres. had a hot fudge sundae and daughters had vanilla cone and brownie sundae with sprinkles.” and “Malia had a brownie sundae with a housemade brownie, van.custard, hot fudge, whipped cream and cherry. Then she gave her whipped cream to dad.”

Happy Father’s Day, Mr. President.

Essential DC, Food and Drink, Life in the Capital, The Features
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Restaurants For Any Stage of Your Relationship

Photo courtesy of
‘Hand in hand’
courtesy of ‘Pianoman75’
Dining out, especially in a city like DC, can be a daunting task. More so when you’re trying to impress someone, like maybe someone you’re trying to get your kiss on with. Or maybe you’ve nailed down the right person for you, and you’re just looking for some creative food to keep you on your toes. Or maybe you’re ready to pop the big marriage question but are unsure of where to do it.

Well, lucky for you, I’ve got a round-up of perfect restaurants for any point in your relationship. From first dates, to a late night married take-out place, I have you covered. Read on, romancer, and let me guide you. Continue reading →

Essential DC, Life in the Capital, Talkin' Transit, The Features
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Drive in Traffic, Get Paid

Photo courtesy of
‘Stuck in Traffic.. 218 3rd St SE, Capitol Hill’ courtesy of ‘KrS-NrY’

In case you haven’t noticed, gas prices continue to rise. Which means commuting costs are going up again for those who choose (or have no choice) to drive to work each day.

Which of course, leads to Beltway congestion. And then the inevitable “who’s got the worst drivers” discussion, often yelled between cars with exclamatory sign language.

Who needs that?

Starting this fall, the Commuter Connections Work Program will begin paying people to carpool. That’s right. PAY YOU MONEY. Specifically, $2 a day.

Continue reading →

Foodie Roundup, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Foodie Round-Up (June 15th-19th)

Photo courtesy of
‘Artomatic 2009 Kerrin’s Appetizers’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Good Friday Morning, Washington! How are you out there? Is that, actual, like, sun? WHAT? Here I was thinking we had turned into the Amazon. I had bought a mosquito net and everything. But just in time for a *hopefully* sunny weekend, here’s all the news fit to eat in the District this week. We’ve got the Washingtonian Best Of Washington Party, Galileo III, a Mondavi wine dinner, where to celebrate Bastille Day, and um, Asian picnics on 4th of July (what?). Read on, dear readers. Continue reading →

Life in the Capital, The District, The Features, Where We Live
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Where We Live: Mount Pleasant

Photo courtesy of
‘Shrine of the Sacred Heart’
courtesy of ‘NCinDC’

The diverse and eclectic Mount Pleasant neighborhood is the topic of this week’s Where We Live.  It was once a streetcar suburb and is now a mix of housing types  with a main street of its own.  It has great access to downtown and is right in between Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights, two very developed areas, but it has retained a quieter residential character.  Read on to hear the very cool history of Mount Pleasant and what to check out next time you’re there.

History: The neighborhood dates back to 1727, when a large area of what is now Columbia Heights/Adams Morgan/Mount Pleasant was granted to James Holmead.  The area was named Pleasant Plains in 1750, and then became part of the District when it was established in 1791.  During the Civil War, the area was home to a hospital, and after the war the neighborhood became known as Mount Pleasant Village.  The area was separated from the rest of the District by rural land, as DC hadn’t grown into its 10-mile square yet, which is why Mount Pleasant doesn’t quite line up with DC’s orderly grid of streets.  In the 1870s, the area became the District’s first streetcar suburb, and many middle class residents moved in to take advantage of the quick commute to Washington City.

The area has changed a lot since then.  In the 1950s, the neighborhood became racially segregated, with many white residents leaving the city altogether.  The 1968 riots only made things worse, and the area entered a period of decline.  However, throughout the 1960s Spanish-speaking immigrants began moving to Mount Pleasant, establishing vibrant communities of El Salvadorean and Dominican Republic immigrants.  In the 1980s and 1990s, affluent professionals began moving into the area for its access to jobs downtown and its historic residential housing stock.  And today, the population is a mix of all those eras: approximately one third of residents are white, one third are African-American, and one third are Hispanic.

Neighborhood Character: Mount Pleasant has a strong historic residential character throughout the neighborhood and a pedestrian-friendly commercial strip along Mount Pleasant Street.  Rowhouses and smaller apartment buildings make up the neighborhood, and many historic structures from the early 1900s remain.  The area is very walkable, with strong transit access and a variety of neighborhood destinations.  In recent years, Mount Pleasant has been changing due to the nearby development of Columbia Heights.  Tim, author of the neighborhood blog The 42 and Mount Pleasant resident of six years, had this to say:  ” There obviously have been hundreds of changes, some from within and many from without.  We’ve been greatly affected by the development of Columbia Heights.  Most of that has probably been good for Mount Pleasant in terms of access to amenities.  On the other hand, we’ve seen stagnant development of out own commercial strip at the same time.”

Continue reading →

Life in the Capital, News, The Daily Feed
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Swine Flu at AU

Photo courtesy of
‘Travelling with Swine Flu’
courtesy of ‘Diego Cupolo’

Caitlin, one of our readers, alerted us to a case of H1N1 at America University.  I will now pause briefly to allow you to panic.

Good? Ok! Media relations at AU sent out this press release detailing the situation.  Apparently, an employee is at home sick with the swine flu. Students, faculty and staff that were in contact with the infected individual have been notified and advised of steps that they can take to avoid contracting the illness.  I would like to remind our readers that despite what CNN, MSNBC and FOX News would like you to believe, H1N1 is not, in fact, the harbinger of doom for our civilization.  Symptoms are similar to the seasonal flu and people generally recover from it within a few days.

Life in the Capital, People, The District, The Features
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Why I Love DC: Shannon

Photo courtesy of
‘dupont circle-6’
courtesy of ‘dr_kim_veis [”o ]’

Ever since I joined We Love DC a few months back, I have been looking forward to writing this post.  I’m pretty much a DC fanatic and absolutely love living here, so this list could go on and on.  Lucky for you, I’ve narrowed it down to my five favorite things about this city:

It’s an urban planner’s dream.  Vibrant public spaces, sidewalks filled with pedestrians, revitalization, mixed use development close to transit, beautiful architecture, and downtown attractions that keep people here after the 9-5 workday are what makes this city a prime example of excellent urbanism.   There are only a handful of American cities that are even in the same league.  Sure, it’s got its problems, but the District is doing a lot of things right and is creating  great places to live, work, or play.

Also, DC lets this urban planner live her dream.  I live three blocks from my office, I don’t own a car because I can walk to four Metro stations, I’m within a few blocks of great restaurants and shopping, I’m a quick jog from Rock Creek Park, and I have a breathtaking view of the city from my rooftop patio.  I don’t know another American city where I could have all of that.

DC is full of history, myths, and legends.  Sure, half the legends about the city are not true, and probably 95% of what you hear on a Capitol tour is probably made up, but they make for great stories.  It’s pretty cool to live in a city full of historical significance, and to be able to show out-of-town friends our city (even if we avoid the national monuments and memorials at all other times).  It’s also a great feeling to be a part of DC’s ongoing history– I know I will someday tell my grandkids about what it was like to be in Washington during Barack Obama’s inauguration.

Continue reading →

Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Features
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Go Daddy: Fathers’ Day Activity Round-Up

Photo courtesy of
‘Father and son’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

I’m a lucky girl to have a Dad like mine. He’s generally hilarious, he is very easy to talk to, and likes to do fun things. Can a girl ask for anything more? And lucky for me, he’ll be in town on Father’s Day, this year! So I started researching all kinds of good things to do in the city with my Dad and figured I’d share, just in case you all were looking for fun things to do with your Dad for Father’s Day (or whenever he in town next).

We’ve got sporting events, places for the history buff, outdoor activities, manly museums and more. So in no particular order, here are some fun suggestions of things around DC to do with the man who loved you first.

Continue reading →