Category Archives: Life in the Capital

Food and Drink, Life in the Capital, Penn Quarter, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Taste of Eleven

Photo courtesy of
‘Caps Game Pretzel and Coke’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Work in Chinatown/Penn Quarter or even just somewhere Metro accessible? Good for you, cause there is deliciousness to be had on Wednesday, May 20th, when Wizards Care host the Taste of Eleven luncheon. This year’s Taste of Eleven will feature over 30 restaurants each featuring a signature lunch item. Each ticket to the luncheon will allow for up to six lunch items per person. Attendees can enter through the main entrance on F Street NW at Verizon Center and then walk the entire concourse to select their food items.

The list of eat places with items is huge, so here is my short list, keeping in mind both deliciousness and price so your $11 goes that much farther. I’d stop by Brasserie Beck, Cafe Atlantico, Indebleu, La Tasca, Oyamel, Rosa Mexicano, The Source, and Zola.

Thanks to twitter foodie @arasmus for the tip!

Essential DC, Life in the Capital, News, The Daily Feed
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Eastern Market to Re-Open June 26th

Photo courtesy of
‘Eastern Market!!’
courtesy of ‘erin m’

The fire at Eastern Market two years ago was a horrifying event. It took from us one of DC’s best places. Renovations at the Eastern Market building are almost complete and a re-opening date has been set for June 26th. Vendors will start to move back into the beautiful brick South Hall on June 14th getting ready for the Friday opening on the 26th.

This is absolutely marvelous news, and just 10 weeks away! Many thanks to Claudia from Brunch and the City for passing on the awesome news! Read on for the full email from the Mayor: Continue reading →

Life in the Capital, Media, News, The Daily Feed
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Scary Landings At National Airport

Photo courtesy of
‘Gravelly Point – Competing Transportation – 12-29-08’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

Travel + Leisure Magazine recently named the runway at Regan National Airport the third scariest in the world. Calling our airspace “fraught with peril” and taking-off “a white-knuckle event”, Travel + Leisure apparently shudders at flying into and out of DC. I too have heard people express fright at our airport, I’ve even heard a pilot call the landing at DCA one of the toughest, “makes sure you’re awake” he said.

But the third scariest? I was terrified flying into Charleston, West Virginia in heavy winds on a prop plane earlier this year, and would call that much more scary than the decent into NoVa.  I’ve also had a crazy landing on a dirt runway at the airport in the Bahamas, and my boss tells a story about an airport in the South Pacific that had a wrecked plane wing as the rain shelter, with a cow pasture serving as the runway.

So, what do you think? Is DC really the third scariest runway in the world, or is Travel + Leisure just being a drama queen?

Life in the Capital, Penn Quarter, Petworth, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Spotted in DC: Jen Lancaster

Photo courtesy of
‘Jen Lancaster NYC 5/7/09’
courtesy of ‘Rooskygirl’

I was killing time last night before a dinner in Penn Quarter and decided to take the hike to Barnes and Noble on E st. I walked in, and the security guard turned to me and said, “Are you here for the book signing with Jen Lancaster?”

My world stopped – not being over dramatic. WHAT? JEN LANCASTER IS GOING TO BE IN THE SAME BUILDING AS I AM RIGHT NOW? Jen Lancaster, as in my author-idol? As in, Jen? The biggest influence on my narrative voice as a blogger? As in the woman who invented the well-placed question mark and who taught me how to squee? Jen Lancaster, as in the author of the books that I read and re-read that can get me through even my darkest hours by making my cry laughing? WHAT? Continue reading →

Essential DC, Foggy Bottom, Life in the Capital, The District, The Features, Where We Live
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Where We Live: West End

Photo courtesy of
‘Schneider Triangle’
courtesy of ‘NCinDC’

Welcome to another installation of Where We Live. This time we’re focusing on the area between Dupont and Georgetown. Some call it Foggy Bottom, others call it GW, but the neighborhood most recently has been calling itself West End.  Read on to hear why this area is among the city’s oldest, but also one of the most rapidly changing, neighborhoods.

History: The area is known as West End because it literally was the west end of Pierre L’Enfant’s original plan for Washington.  It was also known as Foggy Bottom because of the marshy, humid conditions and the concentration of smoke-emitting businesses in the area along the waterfront (so really, it’s more like Smoggy Bottom).  The rowhouses in the neighborhood housed these industrial workers, so the area was home to many Irish and German immigrants back in the 1850s, along with their breweries.

Then the area started changing rapidly.  Columbian College (what we now know as George Washington University) was established near Meridian Hill in 1821, moved to the Foggy Bottom area in 1912, and expanded significantly in the 1920s and 1930s.  The decline of river-oriented industries led to the closing of many waterfront employers, and the area lost a lot of ethnic diversity as industrial workers left the neighborhood.   By the mid-twentieth century, rowhouses were being torn down in favor of high-density apartment buildings, and much of the character of the neighborhood was lost.  We can thank the Foggy Bottom Restoration Association and the DC Restoration Office for preserving the rowhouses that still exist in the area today.  (If you’re interested in more history of the neighborhood, check out this PDF brochure put out by the DC Office of Planning.)

Continue reading →

Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District, WMATA
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Celebrate National Train Day at Union Station

Photo courtesy of
‘Locomotive’
courtesy of ‘wfyurasko’

Calling all trainiacs!  This Saturday is National Train Day, and lucky you– DC is home to one of the biggest events to celebrate it!  From 10 AM to 3 PM, head over to Union Station to meet American Idol’s Randy Jackson (not sure how he’s related to trains, but that’s cool), listen to some live music, or check out some train equipment, including the train car that President Obama rode in to the inauguration.  There will also be exhibits all day that explore how trains are related to economic development, the green aspects of rail travel, and photos showing the connection between the national landscape and trains.  Think Joe Biden will stop by?

Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed, The District
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Scootergate 4

Scootergate 4 by Spoffy

I recently became the father of a 1979 Vespa P200E, a toy I’ve had my eye on for a long time now.  But to some it’s more than a toy and a mode of transportation, it’s a way of life.  These scooter people make their way across the country for rallies all year long, and in June they’re coming to DC for Scootergate 4.

The festivities kick off Friday evening at the Pug which includes registration and basically a “Hey!  Good to see you, mutherf#*@$r!” type of gathering, complete with a DJ, Stupid Human Tricks, and a late night ride.  Assuming you survive that night, Saturday brings you breakfast, rally rides, Scooter Jackassery awards, dinner, and a concert at the Rock and Roll Hotel.  Still alive?  Then ride to brunch on Sunday at Airborne’s and say your tearful goodbyes until next year.  For a full itinerary that is subject to change, click here.

Continue reading →

Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Dear IMF/World Bank Protestors

Photo courtesy of
‘Old MPD Cruiser: Anyone Know What Year??’
courtesy of ‘marciadc’

Two things for the jerks who decided that breaking windows and spray-painting cars was a good idea:

1. PNC Bank isn’t the problem. Seriously guys. PNC is a medium-sized local-ish bank that avoided the risky investments that have caused the credit crunch.

2. Breaking windows and vandalizing people’s stuff is about as likely to make your message popular with the people as hitting them in the face. Seriously, nobody likes a jackass. I’m down with free speech, but that’s not a freedom to break other people’s stuff, mmkay?

Oh, and by the way, if you want to stop the delegates from leaving your hotel, that means you have to be there before they leave, okay? So maybe tomorrow don’t stop for Starbucks, and don’t sleep past 9. Or, maybe let the adults go to work, and you kids can stay home? That’d be just fine with us, too.

Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed
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National Childrens’ Museum Opens Demo Space This Weekend

Photo courtesy of
‘Gaylord at Night’
courtesy of ‘rgb48’
The National Childrens’ Museum (due to open at National Harbor in 2013) is opening up a 2,700 square-foot Launch Zone at National Harbor this weekend. They’re doing some big events this weekend, running from 11 to 4 both days this weekend. Saturday will feature a recycling-related theme, with performances of Willy the Water Bottle, and Sunday will feature the Washington Revels in a special performance of Sea Revels. All events are free and open to the public!

Downtown, Life in the Capital, Monumental, News, The Daily Feed, The Mall
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$78M for Mall Monument Renewal

Photo courtesy of
‘DC WWI Memorial Inscription’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

The Post has the news this morning that the Department of the Interior will be spending almost $80M on DC-area monuments and memorials to bring them back to their former glory. I’m most pleased to see that the DC War Memorial will be picking up $7.6M for a badly-needed rejuvenation project. The last one was back in the 1980’s, so it’s about due.

Also on the list is the Seawall at the Jefferson Memorial, and Rock Creek Park’s infrastructure, as well as a bunch of money for the C&O Canal in Georgetown.

Life in the Capital, News, The Features, The Hill, The Mall
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A Conversation with Eleanor Holmes Norton

IMG_2874Eleanor Holmes Norton, courtesy of Tom Bridge

This weekend, DC bloggers from DCist, Greater Greater Washington and We Love DC, amongst others, got a chance to sit down with DC’s Delegate to the Congress Eleanor Holmes Norton this past weekend and talk about DC Voting Rights, the recent support for Gay Marriage among the DC Council, and the sorry state of Park Service Parks in the District of Columbia, and about federal funding for transit in the city. Read on for the notes from our conversation with the Congresswoman1 Continue reading →

Essential DC, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed
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Social Safeway Gutted

Photo courtesy of
‘The Choice is Yours’
courtesy of ‘Zabowski’

I’ve had a report that the Social Safeway at 1855 Wisconsin Avenue, NW has been throughly gutted of groceries.  My friend went there this past Sunday to purchase some Yellowtail, and found the wine/beer aisle completely ransacked.  She did mention there were heavy discounts on the remaining items, which boiled down to a sparse produce section.  Continue reading →

Downtown, Essential DC, Life in the Capital, The District, The Features, Where We Live
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Where We Live: Logan Circle

Photo courtesy of
‘Logan rowhomes’
courtesy of ‘NCinDC’

This week: Logan Circle! With a great mix of housing and retail, good connections to the city’s transportation network, and proximity to downtown, Logan Circle is one of DC’s most sought-after neighborhoods. What makes it so great? Well…

History: Logan Circle was part of Pierre L’Enfant’s original plan for DC, and was called Iowa Circle until 1930, when Congress renamed it to honor Civil War hero John Logan. After the Civil War, the area became home to DC’s wealthy and powerful, and by the turn of the century it was home to many black leaders, including Mary McLeod Bethune. Logan Circle, along with nearby Shaw, became the epicenter of Black Washington in the early- to mid-1900s. Continue reading →

Essential DC, History, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed
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DC Public Library Joins Flickr Commons

3421670338_df6ff02e07_m

White House by flickr user DC Public Library Commons

This just in – the D.C. Public Library has joined the Flickr revolution and entered the Commons on Flickr. The Commons on Flickr is basically a place to share public photo archives and gives the public the opportunity to tag things and share personal knowledge.

Flickr says, “The District of Columbia Public Library is a center of activity in the U.S. capital and this 7 set, 145 photo sampling from its collection features historic images of D.C.’s buildings and federal memorials, the Arlington National Cemetery, historic houses, and street scenes. Also featured are portraits of past presidents and other prominent Americans.”

Start browsing, you might be able to find a shot of your street with horse and buggy!

Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, News, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Livestreaming the Egg Roll

Photo courtesy of
‘White House Easter Egg Roll’
courtesy of ‘dbking’

The White House is livestreaming everything from the Easter Egg Roll… including the chef’s cooking lessons from Top Chef Spike Mendelsohn, Art Smith of Art and Soul and Jose Andres of Zaytinya, et al. You can also catch other adorable things like DC United soccer players reading to kids (swoon) and Ziggy Marley on the music stage.

If you’ve got a specific star or act you’re following, you can check out the PDF schedule to see when you can catch the stream from your desk. It’ll be like you were really there. Except not.  Hello, Web 2.0 at the White House, we missed you…

Essential DC, Food and Drink, Life in the Capital, Night Life, The Features
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Happy Hour Food: Fried Deliciousness

Photo courtesy of
‘Fried Pickle Chips’
courtesy of ‘SauceSupreme’

IT’S FRIDAY! Aaaaaaayyy! And you know what Friday says to me? It says HAPPY HOUR! This week has had some gorgeous weather in it and I think I’ve got a full-out case of some serious spring fever. It’s time we get out there, DC, put on your game face and start practicing for summertime. I’ve planned and been invited to more happy hours in the past couple of weeks than I had been all winter long!

One of the first things I consider at my happy hours is the availability of food. Cheap food, preferably, but also delicious food. And food that goes with beer. You know what food goes best with beer? Fried food!! So click on through for a sampling of my favorite fried happy hour food and where to find it.  Continue reading →

Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, The Features, Tourism
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Tourism: National Zoo

Pandamania!

Pandamania! by flickr user needlessspaces

The National Zoo was the second major DC tourism spot that I hit after I moved here. The first was the Washington Monument. Our Zoo is great – it’s my second favorite zoo I’ve ever been to (second only to the zoo in Omaha, Nebraska. No I’m not joking, that zoo is phenomenal.) so when my parents came into town to visit, we decided to make the journey.

It sort of feels wrong, you know? Just walking right in without paying. Put aside the guilt and it’s actually a fabulous feeling. It allows people to come back and back again, and it seems like there are people who truly take advantage. As we were walking in a runner in full workout garb jogged past – what a great run! Aside from dodging all the bumbling people and strollers, you’d have incredibly entertaining scenery and quite a steep hill workout. Envious.

As you enter the zoo you’re faced with starting your zoo tour by heading down towards the pandas on the the Asia walk, or going down the entire hill and doing everything on the way back up. I don’t have an opinion either way. But I do recommend that you print out a map before you go – available on the zoo web site, you can save yourself money by printing it out on your own. Otherwise they charge for a take-with-you map. Fair, I think, since entry is free. So off you go to meet and greet all the animals. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Music, Special Events, The District, We Love Arts, WMATA
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We Love Arts: Cherry Blast

I think we can all agree that one of the reasons “we love DC” is the arrival of spring each year when our city is transformed from a bleak, gray land of zombies into a cheery land of fresh-faced partiers.  The harsh winter weather is behind us, the cherry blossoms are beginning to bloom, girls swap their jeans for skirts, and it’s time to start planning how you’ll enjoy every waking minute before the sweltering heat invades our city.

What better way to celebrate the disappearance of winter than checking out the National Cherry Blossom Festival?  While it officially started on March 28th, it runs until April 12th and is packed full of fun things to do, ranging from blossom tours to photo safaris to wicked awesome Japanese-themed art fashion anime parties.  Say what?  That’s right, on Friday the Pink Line Project kicks into gear again to throw a party that is sure to be the highlight of this year’s festival.  Enter stage left: Cherry Blast.

Continue reading →