Category Archives: Life in the Capital

Business and Money, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed, The District
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The Dandelion Patch Opens In DC

Photo courtesy of
‘(120/365)’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’

This Thursday night from 7-9pm, swing by the Shops of Georgetown Park where The Dandelion Patch will be hosting a ribbon-cutting party/opening event with champagne, desserts and discount shopping.

The Dandelion Patch’s first shop sprouted in the heart of downtown Vienna, Virginia and since 1994 has been a premier retailer for stationery, wedding invitations, letterpress printing, birth announcements and party invitations. Additionally, the shop has a wide selection of gifts suitable for any occasion.

The event will be a fantastic time to pick up some personalized stationary for the upcoming “thank you” card filled holidays.

Adventures, Entertainment, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District
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Best/Worst Halloween 2010 Costumes Part 3: Zombies

Photo courtesy of
‘Baby zombie!!!’
courtesy of ‘erin m’

Zombies invaded DC last week and remained in town through the Halloween festivities. It seemed like everywhere I looked there was some sort of zombied out crew stumbling down the street or up to the bar for a drink.

Continue reading →

All Politics is Local, Life in the Capital, News, Special Events, The District, The Features, The Hill
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Get Your Vote On 2010

Photo courtesy of
‘VOTE’
courtesy of ‘nevermindtheend’

Unless you’ve been hiding in a hole for the last few weeks, then you’re well aware that today is Election Day 2010!!! If you’ve indeed been in a cave of darkness, then you can find your polling place courtesy of this DCBOEE map. The DCBOEE also has complete lists of the candidates in Ballot Order and ANC candidates.

In addition to casting your vote for specific candidates, DC is also voting on Charter Amendment IV (aka “The Elected Attorney General Charter Amendment”). Continue reading →

Adventures, All Politics is Local, Entertainment, Essential DC, Life in the Capital, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District
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Best/Worst Halloween 2010 Costumes Part 2: Politics

Photo courtesy of
‘Be Excellent to Each Other’
courtesy of ‘Collin David Anderson’

As we’re in DC, there’s no surprise that political costumes figure heavily into Halloween 2010 festivities and with the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear in town politics-related costumes were in FULL effect. Continue reading →

Adventures, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, People, The Daily Feed, The District
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Best/Worst Halloween 2010 Costumes Part 1: Clowns

Photo courtesy of
‘Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear’
courtesy of ‘MudflapDC’

After a few days of rest and recovery, it’s finally time to reflect (and judge) the 2010 Halloween costumes. As Halloween approaches, there are always the somewhat predictable pop culture or current event costumes. Prior to Halloween night this list included: Chilean Miners, The Cast of Jersey Shore, BP oil spill-related get ups, and as this is DC, any sort of political costumes.

Oddly enough, as I culled the WeLoveDC Flickr pool, the traditional creepy clown was in major effect this year. Continue reading →

Essential DC, Featured Photo, Life in the Capital, The Features
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Fright Night at the National Zoo


Krusty the Clown (and all other photos) by Max Cook

Usually the scariest things at the National Zoo are the lions, tigers, and screaming little kids, but as the animals slept in their cages Friday night, a different type of terror infiltrated the wooded hillside.  Clowns, zombies, skeletons, and other nightmarish creatures mingled together at the annual “Night of the Living Zoo”, a spectacle I felt compelled to document.  With live bands, freak shows, and loads of beer, it was a great way for hundreds of lunatics to let loose and kick off DC’s epic Halloween weekend.  As with most costume events that I’ve attended, people were more than willing to pose for my camera, the results which I share with you in hopes that you have a good laugh or better yet, a good nightmare.

Continue reading →

All Politics is Local, Business and Money, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, History, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District
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Commander Salamander to Close. This Time For Realz

CS finally closing

We’ve been covering the Commander Salamander store closing situation since January 20, 2010. At first it appeared the historic and nostalgic shop was closing, yet the “going out of business” remained in the windows and the doors remained opened. Then about a month ago, the signs disappeared leaving the fate of the shop unknown. Now, according to City Paper, and as confirmed by the above storefront signs, Commander Salamander is indeed shuttering.

Merchandise is being HEAVILY  discounted. So if you’re in town for the “Rally To Restore Sanity” or if you’re just a fan of a store’s punk/hipster/preppy/raver gear, the shop (located at 1420 Wisconsin Ave NW–between N P St & N O St, is definitely worth a stop in.

Adventures, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District
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DC Drag Queen Race Tomorrow

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘erin m’

If Halloween is this weekend, then that means only one thing. The 2010 DC Drag Queen Race is this Tuesday.  The race starts at 9pm, but crowds begin to form along 17th Street around 6pm and the show/parade/pageantry starts around 7pm. Definitely an event a must-go-to DC event.

Adventures, Downtown, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, History, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The Great Outdoors
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Washington Walks: Haunted House Tour

Photo courtesy of
‘Spooky’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’

Running every night through October 31st, Washington Walks is hosting spooktacular tours of the haunted pasts surrounding Lafayette Park.  Hear tales about the eerie navy hero Stephen Decatur, the foreboding pasts of Henry Adams and his troubled wife Clover, and relive the night of April 14, 1865 when the grim reaper stalked Abraham Lincoln. The tour ends at the most haunted home in the city, the Octagon Museum. That is…if you make it through the entire tour…MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Cue Vincent Price.

Be at the 17th Street exit of the Farragut West Metro station at 7:30pm, and for $15 you’ll get a two hour long, insiders look into the ghosts and spirits that haunt downtown DC.

Adventures, All Politics is Local, Business and Money, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Daily Feed, We Green DC
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It’s Easy Being at the Green Festival

Photo courtesy of
‘Kermit :)’
courtesy of ‘Dan Dan The Binary Man’

Weekend plans still up in the air? Then add the Green Festival, taking place Saturday and Sunday at the Washington Convention Center, to your calendar.

This is the nation’s premier sustainability event, where individuals, businesses and community leaders come together to discuss critical issues that impact us at home and abroad.

The event features renowned authors, leaders, educators, great how-to workshops, cutting-edge films, activities for kids; organic beer and wine, vegetarian cuisine, live music and the latest and greatest in green innovation.

It’s also a great place to pick up some holiday gifts with more than 350 eco-friendly businesses selling everything from all-natural body care products  to beautiful kitchen tiles made from renewable resources.

Life in the Capital, People, The District
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Museum of Unnatural History, Where Wacky Meets Wonderful

Museum of Unnatural History / Photo by author

Entering the new Museum of Unnatural History is like stepping into a hybrid realm of Harry Potter and the Old Curiosity Shop. An “homage to fictional scientists,” the small space is crammed with whimsical, highly entertaining “artifacts,” including Saber Tooth Dental Floss, Unicorn Burps and a plaque of the World’s Best Noses. If Darwin had explored Narnia and not the Galapagos, this is what his treasure-stuffed study might have looked like.

The Museum is the wacky retail storefront of 826DC, the local chapter of the national writing center founded by bestselling author Dave Eggers. 826DC began its life in 2008 as Capitol Letters Writing Center, and officially joined with 826 in February 2010. The new space, located on Columbia Heights Plaza, provides a permanent home for the non-profit, which aims to enhance the creative and expository writing skills of District students. Until now, the organization has operated out of coffee shops, libraries, schools, and wherever else volunteers could scrounge up space. Although the majority of 826’s writing workshops will continue to take place in classrooms, the Columbia Heights location — which officially opens tomorrow — offers a fixed spot for after-school tutoring, field trips and evening and weekend writing workshops.

Continue reading →

Adventures, Entertainment, Essential DC, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Music, Night Life, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District
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Local Band Scythian Takes Over The 9:30 Club

Photo courtesy of
‘Group Shot’
courtesy of ‘DDFic’

Washington DC’s very own Celtic punk-rock band Scythian, pronounced (sith-ee-yin), which usually haunts Fado’s in Chinatown, will take their high-energy, adrenaline-peddling, interactive brand of music to the 9:30 Club on December 4th. The $15 general admission show will also feature Canadian world Celtic rock band, Enter The Haggis (I love the name and I love me some haggis).

The Washington Post says, “Scythian’s enthusiasm is contagious, and shows seem to end with everyone dancing, jumping around, or hoisting glasses.” And with the 9:30 Club’s draft list which includes Bass, Guiness, Newcastle and Smithwick’s, this sounds like a ripe ‘ol good time to me. Cheers!

Essential DC, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District
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Mites On Ice Create New Goal Celebration. Ovechkin to Follow?

This past Tuesday night at the Verizon Center, the Reston Raiders (from none other than Reston, VA) took park in the “Mites on Ice” inter-squad scrimmage during a Caps game intermission. While “Mites on Ice” is regular entertainment at Caps and other NHL games, the Raiders’ goal celebration was completely new.

Apparently, in trying to psyche the kiddies up for the game, Caps staffers suggested the players do never-before-seen celebrations, like a snow angel. Then someone mentioned a game puck and the kids magically inferred that whoever was first to do an snow angel after a goal would get the puck. So every kid was hyper-focused on being the first to flop to the ice and flap their arms and legs after the goal. One kid was so aggressive he even did a face down snow angel. Fortunately, the Caps rock and each player received a puck for their celebration efforts.

Now the only question left is whether Ovechkin will pull out the snow angel after his next goal. I’d love to see that.

Essential DC, Life in the Capital, People, The Daily Feed, The District, WMATA, WTF?!
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Move That Gigantic Handbag!

Ladies, ladies, ladies. I realize we have a lot of necessary things we need to take with us to work. Makeup, laptops, mobile devices, gym clothes, chapstick, tampons, pens, epically large wallets filled with receipts and old college IDs…but just because society has leadened us with this burden, doesn’t mean  our ridiculously large handbags are entitled to their very own seat on the bus or metro.

We (or rather you) may have paid Balenciaga or Hermes $3,000+ for your non-water proof, leather handbag, but WMATA didn’t get a dime for that, so either put it on your lap or suck it up and put it on the floor.

Adventures, Business and Money, Essential DC, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, People, The Daily Feed, The District
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Who’s Standing Next To Me In Line?

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Vox Populi has conducted an unofficial survey of those sad, sad people waiting in line at Georgetown Cupcake through hail, sleet, humidity, blazing heat, etc. The poll gives us an inside peak into the GC shopper political affiliations, average wait times, where GC shoppers are from, are they repeat visitors and how did they hear from GC. Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of GC visitors were first timers and they had not heard of Baked & Wired :(

Adventures, Arlington, Business and Money, Food and Drink, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed
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Curious Case of the Chesapeake Cookie

chesapeake cookie

I’m all about dark chocolate. I’m all about pecans. I’m all about putting them together with cookie dough.  Therefore, I’m all about Pepperidge Farm’s Chesapeake Dark Chocolate Pecan cookies. However, I’m confused about why this cookie carries the “Chesapeake” name.

According to the National Pecan Shellers Association, most pecans are grown and shelled in the southeastern and southwestern United States, with Alabama leading the way as the state with the largest amount of pecan production; the closest the DC area gets on this list is the #12 spot occupied by North Carolina.

OK, so maybe the Chesapeake region isn’t the epicenter for pecans. What about dark chocolate? Maybe, unbeknownst to me,  the Chesapeake area is known for its dark chocolate. The answer is no. Approximately 70% of the world’s cacao, the nut that is used to make chocolate, comes from West Africa with Oceania, Asia, and Central and South America rounding out the pack. And when it comes to turning the cacao beans into chocolate, the Chesapeake region comes up pretty much empty handed, unless you’re talking about the chocolate coloring of the Chesapeake Bay Retriever.

So, I’m still pretty stumped as to why Pepperidge Farm gave this cookie its name. Perhaps there’s some secret dark chocolate, pecan Freemasons society sending secret messages through these seemingly innocuous and delicious cookies? Or perhaps maybe I’m just missing the connection? Anyone got the answer?

Business and Money, Dupont Circle, Entertainment, Essential DC, Life in the Capital, News, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District
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Proper Topper Sale: Consolidating Shops

Photo courtesy of
‘PEYTON- Infinity Cowl Olive Green Brass Buttons’
courtesy of ‘smittenkittenorig’

After close to a decade of business on P Street, the Proper Topper’s Georgetown shop will be closing its doors on October 31st. Fear not, the billowy blouses, floral dresses and chic hats will still be available at Proper’s Dupont shop. To lighten their consolidating shop load, the store is hosting a “Wrap-It-Up” sale starting this Saturday with discounts going up as the closing time approaches. Additionally, this Sunday the shop will host the (rescheduled) Proper Swapper, where attendees can swap clothes, eat treats and help raise funds for Martha’s Table.

Adventures, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Night Life, Special Events, The District
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Preview: VelocityDC Dance Festival

Alright, so when Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings roll around, maybe going to a dance performance isn’t the first activity that pops into our heads. However, this weekend with the 2nd annual VelocityDC Dance Festival at the Shakespeare Theater, it should be.

The premise of the festival is simple: showcase the amazing, often unknown, talents within the local DC dance community and make the performance accessible to everyone in DC by pricing tickets at an affordable price ($18). Peter DiMuro of Dance/MetroDC and festival organizer credits Fall for Dance as the inspiration for the festival and hopes that “by showing several companies at once, we show the local area community how great the Dance scene in DC is and hopefully get them out to other performances.”

VelocityDC isn’t your typical, Kennedy Center dance performance with two acts, an intermission and a gray haired, crushed velvet clad, dozing off audience. Continue reading →