Category Archives: The District

Alexandria, Talkin' Transit, The Daily Feed, The District, WMATA, WTF?!
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Metro Closing Three Stations for Labor Day Weekend

Photo courtesy of
‘middle track’
courtesy of ‘katmere’

Metro’s closing three stations this weekend starting Friday night at 9:30 and won’t be re-opening them until Tuesday morning at 5am. Those three stations are National Airport, Pentagon City and Crystal City, which means that a significant branch of the Metro will be traded for buses this weekend while WMATA refurbishes them. They’ll be stripping out 2,000 feet of Rail, 735 ties, and will be working on the concrete platform structures at National amongst other places. It’s a pretty big deal, so service is going to be drastically affected. The line between Pentagon and Braddock Road will not be operated at all. Metro has detailed the shuttle service via their website, and the appropriate section is below, for those who’ll need to transfer around the problems. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, The District
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Boundless Enthusiasm

Dupont Town Houses

You’ve got to admire a blog that’s dedicated to boundless enthusiasm for the District. Meet Fuck Yeah, DC! a Tumblr-based blog about the District of Columbia. It’s not high maintenance, it’s not deep, it’s not anything but love and adoration for the District, the things that make you say “Fuck Yeah, DC!” Like today, for example, what with the perfect weather and light, and the crispness of Fall coming to town after a toasty August.

Fuck Yeah, DC!

Crime & Punishment, News, People, The Daily Feed, The District, WTF?!
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Return of the Georgetown Cuddler!

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_0065’
courtesy of ‘Jessa B.C.’

It seems that the Georgetown Cuddler has struck again. On Sunday, a young woman awoke to find a strange man sitting next to her. “She said she was laying on the couch and all of a sudden someone walked in and sat down next to her and she jumped up and told him to leave and he did right after but it’s been happening a little too often,” recounted a friend of the young woman, who apparently speaks in run-on sentences. The Cuddler, whose modus operandi is to enter unlocked houses and spoon with sleeping women, has been the bane of District police.  No one seems to know who he is, or what he looks like and he has been able to avoid law enforcement, thus far. Georgetown University, in an effort to protect its female students, has ramped up the search for the Cuddler and is keeping the campus informed of any developments.

All Politics is Local, The Daily Feed, The District
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Focus on River East on Kojo Today

Photo courtesy of
‘Frederick Douglass Bridge @ night’
courtesy of ‘Tony DeFilippo’

Today’s Kojo Nnamdi Show spent its first hour talking with three great local blogs on Southeast DC (River East), and they’re all worth reading. If you get the chance, listen to the whole hour on Kojo with guest host Marc Fisher, and with bloggers David Garber (of And Now Anacostia), Susan Kennedy (of Barry Farm (Re)Mixed) and Nikki Peele (of Congress Heights on the Rise) as they talk about their neighborhood, its development, its politics, and life in the part of the city often left off the list. Very worth listening to, in no small part because of the efforts of these excellent DC bloggers.

Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed, The District
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The Bridges Over The Canal C&O

Photo courtesy of
‘New Year’s Day Sunshine’
courtesy of ‘Karon’
This past Monday, August 24, marked the beginning of Operation: Remove, Restore and Replace Georgetown’s C&O Canal Bridges.  The project’s three targets, the 29th Street, 30th Street and Thomas Jefferson Street development bridges will be undergoing some serious work over the next 36 months.  Yup. That’s right. According to the DDOT, each bridge will take one full year to complete and DDOT is conducting the work on one bridge at a time.

The first on the docket is the 30th Street bridge, which as of Monday, will be closed to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic until July 2010.  Thomas Jefferson Street and 29th Street are the designated detour routes, the “open” part of 30th Street has two-way traffic, and the closure does not limit access to the business and residences located along 30th Street. Continue reading →

Dupont Circle, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed, The District
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Mayor Fenty: King of Parks


Dog Park Turf by Max Cook

It seems as though Mayor Fenty is making a name for himself in this town by sprucing up or completely rebuilding some of our parks, and not without controversy.  These parks aren’t just getting some new grass and a drinking fountain.  They’re getting new landscaping done by the gold coast landscaper team, artificial turf, benches, fencing, ornate stone walkways, and additional lighting.  Oh, and drinking fountains.  Dog drinking fountains.

Continue reading →

Essential DC, Life in the Capital, The District, We Green DC
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Revamp: Stoddert Elementary & Recreation Center

EEK schematic of proposed Stoddert entrance

EEK schematic of proposed Stoddert Elementary School

As WeLoveDC’s Georgetown/Glover Park resident reporter, I considered myself fairly well informed on the general neighborhood on-goings. However, I was completely stumped about a month ago when on my daily commute a passed the Stoddert Recreation Center fields to see them completely fenced off. I was even more confused when the only construction sign announced a “Geothermal Renewable Energy Project.” What the heck did that mean? And how would this project affect the adjacent elementary school and the playing fields that were now fenced in?

It turns out that both Stoddert Elementary School, built in 1932, and Stoddert Recreation Center are getting a much needed overhaul. The existing 18,000 square foot school, which provides pre-K to 5th grade education to approximately 300 DC children, will grow by about 46,000 square feet. The addition will include classrooms, a publicly accessible gym and multiple purpose rooms to service the neighborhood community. Grounds work will affect both the school and the accompanying recreation center with a new entry plaza, new trees, a 40-car parking lot; reconstruction of the existing softball and soccer fields (from a personal point-of-view, this is HUGE as the existing fields were a twisted ankle/busted knee waiting to happen), a refurbished playground and a new tot lot. While the construction is still ongoing, you can check out Ravenscroft’s offering to enroll your child the upcoming school year. Continue reading →

Life in the Capital, The District, The Features
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Why I Love DC: Karl Johnson

Photo courtesy of
‘August Blue Hour over Potomac and DC’
courtesy of ‘ianseanlivingston’

Now that I’ve joined the ranks as an author here at WeLoveDC, it’s time for me to prove that I do, in fact, love DC. No more just talking the talk, it’s time for me to walk the walk (er, write the write?).

It’s a bit of a rarity in this area, but I actually grew up in the DC metro region; though not what you may think of as DC. I hail originally from the quaint little towns of Shepherdstown and Harpers Ferry. That’s West Virginia. And while 70 miles out of the District, it’s still technically part of the DC metro. Full of natural beauty and more American history than you can shake a stick at, I grew up loving the outdoors and the history that surrounded me.

DC is so full of history it hurts – in a good way! History that didn’t even take place here is still on display 24/7 and around every corner. When I go up on my building’s roof in Ballston and overlook the District and the national mall at night, I fall back in love with this city every time. The Monument, the Capitol building, the Lincoln, the Jefferson – this is why I love DC. And we’re just getting started. Continue reading →

People, The District
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Washington: A Culture of Single-ism

Photo courtesy of Karl Johnson
courtesy of Karl Johnson

A culture of single-ism. That’s what we’ve developed. A culture where being single is the preferred lifestyle. A culture where working your ass off, obtaining as many college degrees as possible, constantly striving to get ahead and catching up at a daily happy hour all at the same time is much preferred to finding that one person to invest your time in for a happy life together. Our priorities are different in D.C. This is not small town America where finding a mate and settling down to start a family is your primary focus as you enter your late twenties. This is a town where being single at 30 means you are doing just fine. But why? I refuse to believe it’s because Washingtonians are selfish and only think of themselves. We have huge social networks and work for causes we truly believe in, often times dedicating our lives to helping others. So why, and how, have we developed a culture of single-ism?

Continue reading →

Life in the Capital, Media, The District, WTF?!
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Editorial: Linking, Weblogs and The Health of the Newspaper Industry

Photo courtesy of
‘Film! – Canon A-1 – Headlines – 11-5-08’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

Yesterday, the Washington Post published an editorial by Ian Shapira concerning some touchy subjects for those of us who operate blogs. Mr. Shapira penned a piece for the Post last week about a Generation Y consultant, which was then the subject of a Gawker.com story by Hamilton Nolan that made frequent use of the blockquote tag. If you’d like to take a second to read the articles linked herein, that would be fine, but allow me to sum this up in just a few sentences. Continue reading →

Adventures, Essential DC, Fun & Games, History, The Daily Feed, The District
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A Movie Location Tour Of DC

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

DC’s become a hot spot for filming these days! Real World, Real Housewives of Orange County, Blonde Charity Mafia, as well as Reese Witherspoon, Night at the Museum and so many more. It’s a wonder that we didn’t get a DC movie site bus tour any earlier. But it’s here now, better late than never.

Screen Tours has arrived to take you and other interested parties around DC to all our hot film spots. Shop in the mall where No Way Out and True Lies were filmed; stand on the steps where Father Damian fell to his death in The Exorcist; visit the bar used in St. Elmo’s Fire; go to the park used in The Sentinel and see locations from Wedding Crashers, Thank You For Smoking, Election, X Files, Independence Day, Forrest Gump, and many others. From classic films of the seventies such as The Godfather II, All the Presidents Men, and Being There to the recent Transformers, Mission Impossible III, West Wing, 24, and The Visiting, the tour of Washington DC TV and movie sites takes tour guests on a journey of the timeline of filming in DC.

Tours run Saturdays at 10 am and depart from Union Station. Detailed information on all tours can be found at www.screentours.com. Advance purchase is required, as tours normally sell out. To purchase tickets call Zerve at 800-979-3370 or visit them online.

Entertainment, Life in the Capital, The District
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SynchroSwim @ Capitol Skyline Pool


DC Synchromasters by Max Cook

One of DC’s hottest scenes this summer has been the Capitol Skyline Hotel pool.  Like spring break on steroids, you’ll find all of the cool kids drinking, smoking, drinking and splashing around in the warm summer sun.  A DJ spins tunes, inflatable pool toys fly through the air, and six packs flex in hopes of a post pool hookup.  This is where real people hang out.  Real cool people.  This is the real world, or at least the real DC.

Despite not having a six pack, when I heard that the Washington Project for the Arts was holding a synchronized swimming contest at the pool in addition to experimental video projections by Connor Contemporary Art, I knew it was something I couldn’t pass up.  The contest, SynchroSwim, featured five teams competing in an unorthodox display of aquatic acrobatics.  Prizes were awarded for best performance, best visual spectacle, and crowd favorite.

Continue reading →

All Politics is Local, The District, The Features
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Project Nur – “In Solidarity With Iran”

Project Nur

Project Nur Flashmobber

We got the alert about the roving Iran flashmob yesterday mostly from our various day job employers. Property management companies were sounding the alarm with their tenants- oh noes! Flash mobs have turned violent in other cities!

Their concern was, shall we say, overstated. I had to look hard for the Project Nur group at the Lincoln memorial- it was about 6 people; a few twenty-somethings, and one person who appeared to be a bit older. At a signal, the flashmobbers ran to positions on lower staircase in front of the Memorial, and stood silently, holding up their printed handbills so that people could both see and take them, but not engaging in any interaction with the assortment of sightseers who walked by. Which was kind of unfortunate, because they were largely ignored that way, and what’s happening in Iran is important not only to Iran, but the whole Middle East as well as the world.

The whole thing was a little anticlimactic, honestly, after the talk of an “agitprop” demonstration in solidarity with Iranians. That said, it’s hard to come up with a noticeable group activity with 5 (I hear there were about a dozen at Federal Triangle), and I did appreciate their respect for people who were just there to check out the memorial.

At the end of their prescribed silent demonstration time, the protesters walked around, quietly offering leaflets to passerby. Speaking of the leaflets- I have to say I’m impressed- I wish I could get a good photo to show you. The text was well-written, and cogently lays out the basic facts about what’s happening in Iran and how interested people can get involved. Which include, in addition to writing to your Member of Congress (for those who actually have representation, hmm…), pressuring Nokia to stop providing and supporting the surveillance technology the Iranian regime is using to crack down on the protesters, which surprised me. I learned something I didn’t know today through the protest, so it was effective in that regard.

Click through for more photos of the protest. Continue reading →

Essential DC, Food and Drink, Life in the Capital, The District, The Features
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Frozen Treats: DC’s Best Creameries

Photo courtesy of
‘Saturday Road trip’
courtesy of ‘gregoirevdb’

They tell me the first step is admitting you have a problem. So here it goes: I am shamelessly, hopelessly, horribly in love with ice cream. Now, I say ice cream, but in actuality, ice cream is a pretty generic term for what I really mean – frozen treats. I don’t care if it is gelato, custard, actual heavy-cream ice cream, or even italian ice. As long as it is sweet, and frozen, it qualifies. My partner in crime for ice cream loving is my friend Melissa, who has the genius idea to host an ice cream bar at her wedding. She’s the only one who truly understands my love. We’ll talk about going to a Nat’s game, and the first thing out of our mouths will be “OOOOH DIPPIN DOTS!” It’s a passion, not just a hobby, people.

So when I was informed that July is National Ice Cream Month, well, then, fine. That sealed it. I had to share with you, my dear We Love DC reader, my favorite ice cream (loose term) eateries in the city.
Continue reading →

Essential DC, Mythbusting DC, The District, The Features
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DC Mythbusting: Built on a Swamp?

Photo courtesy of
‘Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens – Egret Among the Reeds – 7-20-08’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

Welcome to another edition of DC Mythbusting.  I’m sure you’ve heard that the muggy mosquito-filled summers in DC are due to its location on a swamp.  The Chicago Tribune named their DC bureau’s blog “The Swamp” and it is oh-so-clever to call sleazy politicians “swamp creatures“.  And yes, we all know that summers in the city are humid and gross and miserable… but was DC really built on a swamp?

Not really– today it’d be called more of a tidal plain.  When Pierre L’Enfant set out with a team to survey the city, there was a lot of variety in what he found: fields of tobacco and corn, small forests, and some waterside bluffs and wetlands.  Most of the marshy areas were along the rivers and were susceptible to tidal fluctuations and intermittent flooding, but most of the core of the Federal City wasn’t marshy.  That being said, DC was and still is a water-rich city, with the Rock Creek, the Tiber Creek (which was enclosed in the 1870s), the Potomac River, and the Anacostia River and countless creeks.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, The District
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Photo Contest: Fireworks

Photo courtesy of
‘Fireworks over the Mall – 2nd Edition’
courtesy of ‘tbridge’

There are a TON of amazing fireworks photographs in the We Love DC Flickr Pool this morning, so we’ve decided to fire up a contest for all our photographers. Add your best fireworks-in-DC photo to the pool, slap this tag on it: WLDCFireworks, and you’ll be entered to win a pair of passes to the Corcoran’s screening of William Eggleston in the Real World, a documentary about the invention of color photography, showing this Thursday at 7pm. Enter up to three photos per person by noon on Tuesday, and we’ll announce the winner Wednesday at noon!

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 →

The Daily Feed, The District
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DCRA Maps Out Legal Fireworks Stands


View Approved DC Fireworks Stands 2009 in a larger map

DCRA has put together a useful map of all the city’s legal fireworks locations, so that if you’re looking for a few fun pyrotechnics to make your weekend a little more awesome, you can find the legal stuff. Fireworks are pretty carefully regulated in DC and the surrounding area, so be sure to check with your locality if you don’t plan to set these off in the District. Always have a fire extinguisher handy, and always play safe, okay?

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.

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed, The District
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Obama Ate Here


View Obama Ate Here in a larger map
Alex Nicholson at Brightest Young Things has put together a Google Map of where President Obama has eaten, so that if you want to get your eat on in the presence of where greatness stood once, you can do so. While I think the whole “No really, he’s just like another guy, you know?” thing is going to get old, it is nice to see the head of the country out and about and on the town.