By Rebecca
‘The Cupcakes For The Humans ~ Yummy’
courtesy of ‘Dan Dan The Binary Man’
Georgetown Cupcake has unveiled the world’s largest cupcake for the Guinness Book of World Records at the Washington Harbour. Post record keeping/awarding administration, the 1000 lb cupcake will be sliced up, so head on down there for a taste of the world’s largest cupcake while it lasts.
By Rebecca
This year’s latest addition to the Georgetown shopping scene is New York based Brooks Brothers which takes over the former Pottery Barn and Smith Hawken spaces on the corner of M & 31st Street NW. When I attended their grand opening party last week, I had completely underestimated how large this combined location would be. The new store offers three floors of retail space filled with ready-to wear suits, sports jackets, wool sweaters, shirts, etc.
Unlike other two DC Brooks Brother stores I’ve been to (Chevy Chase and Dupont), which have a prim, proper and country club-esque sterility to them, the Georgetown Brooks Brothers is a complete departure; the shop plays heavily on a hunting lodge or Adirondack cabin vibe with dark wood paneling, heavy uses of flannel and tweed fabrics in the drapery, carpeting and upholstery. On the lower level, you’ll find a pool table and bar lounging area that companion shoppers can relax in while tailoring takes place. Continue reading
By Rebecca
If you walk by the Georgetown Apple Store, you’ll find that to left of the store’s entrance, DC Apple lovers have created an impromptu memorial to Steve Jobs filled with posters, letters, flowers and many apples. Personally, I found these tributes to be the purest and most genuine expressions of how Mr. Jobs and his company have inspired so many people and how the DC community is mourning the loss, and solidarity with the Apple community and Jobs’ family and friends. Continue reading
By Tom Bridge
‘Room & Board View Tilt-Shift’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’
Starting today, the Circulator bus will now have a line that starts east of the Anacostia, running between the Skyland shopping mall at 30th & Alabama Ave SE in Hillcrest to the Potomac Ave SE Metro station in Hill East, by way of the Anacostia Public Library, the Anacostia Metro, and Barracks Row. The bus line will replace the Waterfront/Convention Center route that has seen decreased ridership. The line will cost $1 and allow for free transfers throughout the Circulator bus lines for those using SmarTrip cards to pay.
The buses will run every ten minutes from 6am to 7pm, Monday through Friday. This is the first of the city’s new Circulator lines to run East of the River.
The full map of the route is available after the break.
courtesy of ‘amreese13’
Since Occupy Wall Street has already inspired an Occupy Omaha and Occupy Ljlubljana, Slovenia, it should come as no surprise that a similar protest has arrived at the nation’s capital.
On Saturday, Occupy DC began its (potentially never-ending) takeover of McPherson Square.
Members hail from the District and, up until this past weekend, met mainly on the internet. Now they’re armed with a cross-street, social media and pizza slices.
By Tom Bridge
‘Police lights’
courtesy of ‘BrianMKA’
When Chief Cathy Lanier declared a “crime emergency” state late last week in response to the rumored threat against the DC and NYC areas, which allowed her to move officers to 12-hour shifts if necessary, as well as cancel existing leave. That can certainly be frustrating to a department’s employees, and that may why the Fraternal Order of Police’s Kris Baumann has been making some noise considering the declaration. It’s the first crime emergency declaration since 2006, and could affect the overtime pay of the officers in relation to long shifts around 9/11, according to Baumann, who blames Lanier for not scheduling better ahead of the anniversary.
Chief Lanier fired back on the MPD-3D listserv last night against Baumann, citing a long involvement in the Homeland Security community and the specificity and credibility of the threat that necessitated the change to the schedules, as well as identifying a clearly-applicable funding source for covering the costs of the overtime. Her whole statement is after the cut.
Animosity between the Chief and FOP’s Baumann has been an undercurrent of Lanier’s tenure as MPD’s top brass, with significant rows between them over the police escort of Charlie Sheen and other celebrities, and residency requirements for MPD Officers. It’s been a difficult year for MPD, with 23 officers accused of, or convicted of, crimes.
By Tom Bridge
‘Duke Ellington Memorial Bridge’
courtesy of ‘dbking’
The Duke Ellington Bridge on Calvert Street between Woodley Park and Adams Morgan is currently closed while the Bomb Squad handles a suspicious package. In light of the outstanding threat, the overwhelming response from MPD and the Federal Protective Service bomb squads is mostly precautionary. The L2 bus, amongst others, has had its route split in half, and traffic through the area isn’t moving at all. I would avoid Connecticut Avenue up through Woodley Park for the time being, and likely the Rock Creek Parkway beneath the bridge.
Update: As of 10:00am the Bridge is again open.
By Tom Bridge
‘Capital Bikeshare on the Mall’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’
Good news, DC! It looks like the Park Service and Capital Bikeshare have struck a deal to add stations to the Mall. While there are several big questions outstanding still, including location and who will pickup the $23,000 annual maintenance on a bikeshare dock. It looks like the District may pickup the $50,000 in costs per dock, though.
The addition of new Bikeshare stations down on the Mall, a frequent destination of tourists and locals alike, would be a welcome development in a fight that had the District and the Park Service at odds.
By Tom Bridge
As we get into the stronger part of the storm, news gets more and more important about what’s closed and what’s not, what’s been damaged and what’s fine, and the state of things. We’re working with some friends who are using crowd sourcing reports to build maps of the DC area outages.
If you want to make a report, you can tweet it with #dcirene2011 or emailing dcirene2011@gmail.com, or by submitting a form with the report. They’re also using Ushahidi in the App Store and Android Market to work with your mobile phone, as well as the crowd map.
While Metro’s doing better than expected, there are still quite a lot of power outages in the area. Let us know how you’re faring! We’ve got a few more instructions for mobile participation below the cut.
By Patrick Pho
As you all know, an Earthquake has hit the East Coast. When the quake happened I was in the middle of a video shoot with my co-worker Danny when all of a sudden our 14th floor office in Rosslyn started to shake. Watch the video to see Danny’s reaction.
By Tom Bridge
Photo by Gordon Withers, special to We Love DC
About 10:30 last night, as I was getting ready for bed, the heavens were rent asunder, and the entirety of a swimming pool was dumped on my back yard. For the next 30 minutes or so, the storm was without pause. Across town on Twitter, the storm was met with universal awe.
Somehow, WMATA didn’t notice.
This morning, the tunnels between Braddock Road Metro and National Airport were still flooded with the results of last night’s deluge, and as of 8:45am this morning, the pumps were still in action, struggling to deal with the load. Service between the two stations was interrupted, and only at 6:20am was shuttle service listed as being “requested” by Metro.
The situation at Braddock Road, as crowds waited for the shuttle buses, is a commuting disaster, where hundreds are waiting for shuttles to bridge the gap.
Metro’s going to take a beating today if they can’t get ahead of the frustration with today’s situation. The storms were mostly east of I-95 by 11pm last night, but the 2-3″ that that strong cell brought with it seem to have been missed by all of Metro’s staff, leaving the delays to be found the next day when trains approached the tunnels. How that was missed, well, I just don’t know.
By Tom Bridge
‘PRE_1226’
courtesy of ‘MissChatter’
Late Friday, the story broke that Councilman Harry Thomas had agreed to repay $300,000 to the city as part of a settlement with Attorney General Irv Nathan regarding monies spent by Team Thomas. The repayment, made without interest or penalties, will be made in six payments of $50,000 over the next two years, with the first payment made on Friday.
Not included in the statement is any admission of guilt in spending those monies inappropriately, and Thomas has come out to strongly defend himself in spite of the payments. It’s not clear if the Council has decided that’s enough. Councilmembers Catania and Cheh have called publicly for his resignation, and at least one other councilmember has doubts about Thomas’ purported innocence, saying “Personally, I would never agree to repay money if I did not wrongfully spend it.”
The matter is still under investigation by the US Attorney’s Office, and they have yet to make a decision concerning prosecution.
By Rebecca
‘Dolcezza 6156’
courtesy of ‘yospyn’
Huzzah! DC’s very own Dolcezza will be on ABC’s “The View” today at 11am and we’ll get to see owners Robb and Violeta Duncan chumming it up with Whoopi, Sherri, Joy, Elizabeth and Babs. I can only assume they’ll be talking about: 1) Gelato–in particular their seasonal summer flavors (Peach, Pineapple Cilantro, Mojito…) and 2) Dolcezza’s focus on locally produce ingredients and their collaboration with local area farmers.
If you’re not familiar with Dolcezza, you can read about how They Make DC or visit them at their three area shops in Georgetown, Dupont Circle and Bethesda.
‘170/365’
courtesy of ‘Danilo.Lewis|Fotography’
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is hosting the Bobby Mitchell Autotrader.com Hall of Fame Golf Classic this weekend at Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, Va. from July 8 through the 10. Over $7 million have been raised in support of this annual event since 1988. Now, 21 years into the effort, its purpose remains strong — find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families.
This year’s tournament honors two young locals affected by blood cancer. 11-year-old Taylor Law of Olney, Md. is now cancer free after two and a half years of chemotherapy and will enter middle school this fall where her goal is to stay active as a member of the dance team. 20-year-old Alex Nieves of Centreville, Va. is a Salisbury University lacrosse player who was recently diagnosed with leukemia and is currently undergoing treatment.
Their courage serves as an example for others who are affected. District area residents are encouraged to attend the weekend’s activities not only to support these two young, spirited individuals but to also raise funds for the countless others still seeking a cure. Continue reading
By Rebecca
Horrible news this morning of a woman falling from the 10 story W Hotel POV rooftop bar last night to her death. Eyewitnesses report that the not yet identified woman had been drinking at the bar and that she climbed over the rooftop patio’s fence.
Secret Service was on hand last night and all lanes of 15th St. NW were shut down from New York Avenue south to Pennsylvania Avenue. These roads have since reopened.
Just awful news.
By Rebecca
Travel + Leisure readers have spoken and our nation’s capital is not one of the top ten dirtiest cities in America. In the publication’s annual America’s Favorite Cities survey, participants gauged “dirty” in a variety of ways: litter, air pollution, even the taste of local tap water and the publication found New Orleans, Philadelphia, Memphis, New York City, and our neighbor to the north Baltimore, wanting for cleanliness. That’s not to say that DC didn’t appear on the more comprehensive list; in fact, it was ranked 15th on the list.
The America’s Dirtiest Cities list is only one of the many compiled from reader’s responses about 35 U.S. urban destinations. The publication breaks down responses by those according to visitors and those according to residents. DC ranked well in the historical sites/monuments (duh!), museums/galleries (duh again!), business hotels, public transportation/pedestrian friendliness, etc. We didn’t do so well when it comes to all-in-one retreats, affordable hotels and relaxing retreats.
What I find most insightful and funny about the survey’s results is where visitor and resident opinions align. For instance, both groups give DC high marks when it comes to culture, but pan the city on local food specialities (coffee, barbecue, micro brews, etc.) and new year’s eve celebrations. Things get funny when it comes to ranking DC inhabitants; while we get high marks for intelligence and diversity, both groups ranked us below 25 when it comes to stylishness, friendliness and attractiveness.
By Tom Bridge
‘Washington Nationals manager Jim Riggleman (5) and Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter (26)’
courtesy of ‘Keith Allison’
Shortly after today’s dramatic 9th inning 1-0 win over the Seattle Mariners, the team’s 11th in 12 games, and 16th in 21 games, Manager Jim Riggleman quit his job over a contract dispute with the Washington Nationals.
The world is pretty much stunned by the news, both that the Nationals were uninterested in talking with Riggleman about an extension on his contract, and that Riggleman would make that sort of ultimatum in the middle of a winning streak, and while the team’s record was just barely over .500.
One person that I spoke with about the issue, said “There’s having a winning average and actually, you know, winning something or even making the playoffs. Before you start making demands like “I’m not getting on the bus until you pick up my option” you should really learn the difference.”
It’s not clear who will manage the Nationals tomorrow in Chicago, or what the longterm plans are. There’s a lot of uncertainty right now, we’ll have more thoughts in the morning
By Tom Bridge
News is coming from Capitol Hill this morning that Hill-favorite The Tune Inn has suffered a kitchen fire that sparked massive response from DC Fire & EMS this morning on Pennsylvania Avenue. Reports from some outlets are just coming in, and I suspect The Hill Is Home will have the best coverage as we work through the day.
The Tune Inn has been DC’s representative on the Best Bars in America for a number of years running.
Update: 9:45 I just got back from The Tune Inn, where the fire engines have all departed, and the cleanup has begun. According to the staff I spoke with, the damage is confined to the kitchen and the second level. The whole kitchen will need to be replaced after a grease fire destroyed much of the kitchen. The bar area remained untouched thanks in part to the quick reflexes of the morning staff, who slammed the door shut when the fire broke out. According to staff, the night spot should open again “in a few weeks”.
By Tom Bridge
‘MicroLink Modem 56K’
courtesy of ‘Markusram’
Late yesterday, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) approved the concept of the generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) which will open up a fairly wide landscape of domain suffixes like .com and .org to new members. While the number of Top Level Domains have expanded in recent years, the .dc suffix is still entirely unclaimed.
It could be a boon for the District to pickup the .dc gTLD to use for area businesses to highlight their work in the District, either to DC residents, or as proof they are a locally operating business. I know that we would happily pay for welove.dc, and I suspect that the various tour companies that operate tours to the area would make the investment if it was tied to some sort of competitive advantage.
It would be incredibly important for the DC OCTO to move quickly, though, as I suspect that they won’t be the only ones looking to be the registrar for that gTLD, and to lose control of that resource would be a pretty significant failure. Let’s get on it, OCTO, we’ll help you if we can.
By Tom Bridge
‘Cop Car in Georgetown’
courtesy of ‘Hoosiers United’
Earlier this week, MPD Captain Robert Atcheson and Lieutenant Stuart Emerman were moved within the police department to new assignments, allegedly for coordinating the police escort of Charlie Sheen and others. The two were reassigned from the Department’s Special Operations Division to unknown parts, which I’m guessing might be walking foot patrol in Langston-Carver. Rend Smith has a piece on the City Paper site that suggests that others were moved at the same time in an attempt to make this move look a little more “normal.”
Kris Baumann, head of the Fraternal Order of Police in the District, is disputing the Chief’s claim that these moves are not punitive in nature.
Should the cops who handled these escort operations get the shaft in these circmstances?
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