Category Archives: The District

The District, The Features, WTF?!
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Baby, It’s Cold Outside. And In.

Photo courtesy of


‘6th St Row in Snow’
courtesy of ‘daveinshaw’

Last week’s Thrifty District story was eerily familiar to me. My good friend Rebecca, over at Inspiration DC, has gone through almost the exact same Pepco disaster that Tiff featured in her post. She’s got a 700-square foot apartment, top floor of a building in eastern market, with two small bedrooms, one bathroom and a kitchen you can barely fit into. And she comes home to a $500 electricity bill.

With Pepco recently foraying into social media (welcome, welcome!) we thought we’d put the system to the test. We tweeted Rebecca’s story and Andre Francis, the Twitter dude (aka the Social Media Lead)  over at Pepco, got on the case.  Read on to hear the story from Rebecca’s point of view, and to hear what @PepcoConnect has done to resolve her case. Maybe you’ll learn some tips on how to deal with your own massivly large Pepco bill…


“When we got our first heating bill from Pepco at our new apartment I thought for sure it was an obvious mistake and would be cleared up quickly.  No one in their right mind would pay $491.70 for a month of electricity and heat in a small 700 sq feet apartment.  Now it has been a month, several angry phone calls later and we apparently owe them almost $900 for two months of heating and electricity.

Make sure that you heating and air conditioning are working correctly, with the help of air conditioning repair Escondido you can do it, this will save you a lot of money every year.

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Adventures, Downtown, Entertainment, Fun & Games, Night Life, The District, The Features
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Review: Spy at Night

Photo courtesy of Ghost_Bear
Spy, courtesy of Ghost_Bear

If you’re interested in changing up your happy hour plans, then heading over to the International Spy Museum’s “Spy At Night” is for you.

Every Friday and Saturday from 6pm-10pm, the museum stays open to offer guests (read: spies in training) a late night glimpse into the lives of spy operatives.  According to the Executive Director of the International Spy Museum, Peter Earnest, Operation Spy combines real-life details and mission deliverables from past spy operations, and he should know: he’s former CIA.  I can’t give too much away–it’s confidential, and would ruin the mystery behind the experience–but what I can tell you is that Operation Spy is completely different from the museum. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, The District, WMATA
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Inauguration Information from WMATA

Dupont Circle Metro in Washington, D.C. by NDinDC

If you are going to be in the area for inauguration, and (gasp!) you might venture from your home that day, you might want to head over to Metro’s Inauguration website and sign up for Metro’s inauguration updates service.  They are planning on sending out messages regarding delays or other problems on Metro.

No idea if the information will be current (or if your phone will be able to receive messages) but it might help.

Technology, The Daily Feed, The District, WTF?!
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EnviroTaxi is only a Twitter Away!

dctaxi.jpg

A DC Taxi Day (though not an Envirotaxi) by Wayan

Apparently, getting a cab in DC is as easy as Twittering to @taxinow (aka EnviroRide.net taxis) your start and finish destinations, and they’ll route you a cab. For those of us who absolutely hate using the phone to talk to cab companies, this seems like a really straightforward way to get from point A to point B without having to call ahead.

Sure you might want to give it a little bit of time to get there, but this sounds vastly preferable to calling the call center, to me.

Downtown, The District, We Love Food
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We Love Food: Little Fountain Cafe

little fountain cafe

I believe I’ve already shared with everyone that I’m a regular reader of the local dc foodie blog Metrocurean. Matt and I were looking for a good date spot to celebrate Christmas together before I head home for the holidays, so I turned to Metrocurean’s “date spot” recommendations. Metrocurean author Amanda suggested a bunch of places I’ve been before, but one I’d never even heard of, Little Fountain Cafe. It’s getting pretty hard to stump me when it comes to good eats in this city. Between writing for WLDC and spending lots of time researching this town, most of the time I’ve at least HEARD of a place if it’s worth anything. But this one was new. A little googling, and an online reservation later, Matt and I were booked, and I was super excited. Everything I had read about said we were in for a treat.

Little Fountain Cafe is located on 18th street, right in the bustle of Adam’s Morgan. In the english basement below Angles Bar, Little Fountain is a hidden gem.

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Talkin' Transit, The Daily Feed, The District
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WMATA’s balancing act

Photo courtesy of nantekoto
Crowded Subway
courtesy of nantekoto

Tom seems to think it’s a new announcement; I’m not sure. However WMATA’s inauguration website does indicate that in addition to running rush hour schedules all day they’ll be charging peak rates all day.  Parking will be $4 at all locations.

It’s tough to know what the right thing is for WMATA to do. If they’re running the rush hour schedules does that immediately mean they should charge rush rates? Are they charging those rates to reflect their costs or in an effort to encourage people who can to walk? If the latter, is it right for public transport to try – even in a limited way – to discourage the public from using it?

As someone who has in the past wondered if public transport should all be completely free I’m not sure how I feel about WMATA basing price on scarcity and demand. On the other hand it’s clear there’s a limit to how many people they can accommodate, so perhaps this is the most effective – if not the most fair – way to try to limit demand.

Share your thoughts in the comments.

Business and Money, Technology, The Daily Feed, The District
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Camera Adventures in DC

Light-up Reindeer

Light-up Reindeer

I’ve been in the market for a new camera for about 3 months. I’m a Canon guy (sorry Ben Rome, I know your love of Nikon is holy and chaste), and I’d been vacillating between an XSi and a 40D or a 50D. That is, until I came to hold a 5D Mark II. See, this isn’t just a camera, it’s an extension of God’s own eyes. Anyhow, enough hyperbole.

The problem with new cameras is that, chances are, for everyone who’s come to a decision about one, there are a dozen more who are rabidly awaiting the new body like some people wait for Christmas, or concert tickets or the second coming of Christ. When I’d made up my mind, I was behind each and every one of them. When I called Penn Camera to ask about availability, the guy did his very best not to laugh at me. He also failed. He told me it would be February or March before they’d have one for me. While chortling, just a little.

Fortunately, though, I found Dominion Camera in Falls Church. They had one last 5D that was unclaimed, as the person who’d asked for it hadn’t ever showed, and hadn’t left a deposit. After a quick drive over, their staff was amazing. They were actually busy, with several people in the shop asking all kinds of camera questions, from inexpensive point-and-shoot to expensive-DSLR, they were very knowledgeable. So, thanks Dominion, both for not laughing, and also for selling me my sweet new camera. Click on that photo above, then click Original resolution and you can see just how sweet this is going to be.

Life in the Capital, Technology, The Daily Feed, The District
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Should I Switch to Verizon?

Fountain Feet by me

I’ve been a loyal AT&T/Cingular customer for many, many years now and I have no major complaints really.  Sure, sometimes my calls get dropped when I drive under certain bridges in town, but overall I’ve been a happy customer and I love the idea of rollover minutes (even though I never seem to use them).

I’m also a gadget junky.  I’ve been reading about the Samsung Omnia for months now which was rumored to be released by AT&T in the US market.  Unfortunately it was not and Verizon is the only carrier offering the phone.  I suppose I could buy it unlocked on eBay and continue to use AT&T, but the easier thing to do might be to switch to Verizon.

Continue reading →

Downtown, Talkin' Transit, The District, WMATA
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Talkin’ Transit: Woolen Wonderland

Photo courtesy of Saff anna
How much does a segway?, courtesy of Saff anna

Metro musings, charter bus parking, meter rates rising…five goooooold rings!

*ahem* ‘Scuse me.

So Jim Graham’s pushing to pop downtown meter rates to $2 an hour. Additionally, the DC Council is considering ditching the District’s long-standing practice of free meter parking on the weekends in the downtown core.

The rate increase isn’t for additional revenue, however. Graham noted that it’s “about finding more money for a specific compelling need in the city,” specifically a funding resource for the affordable housing projects in the District. Such projects include programs for first-time home buyers and permanent supportive housing for the homeless.

Other thinking is that the higher rates would discourage commuters from the ‘cheaper’ parking alternative to the expensive garages and open up more spaces for shoppers. Current meter rates in the District are a lot cheaper than other downtown cores, such as New York, Philadelphia and Chicago.

Hey, if the revenue is used as suggested, I’m all for it.

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Entertainment, Life in the Capital, The District
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Downtown Holiday Market Opens

Russian Egg Christmas Ornaments
Russian Egg Ornaments by Tom Bridge

The Downtown Holiday Market on F Street in Penn Quarter started at noon today, and features dozens of market stalls of some of the coolest locally-made stuff that I’ve seen. There are homemade cutting boards, made with beautifully-grained Shenandoah trees, amazing decoupage boxes in just about every shape and size, with just about every different pattern you can imagine.

The pedestrian market is right across the street from the Verizon Center, so if you’re out to get lunch at Gordon Biersch, or Rosa Mexicano, or maybe Jaleo, stop on by the market. It’s open every day between now and the 23rd, from noon until 8pm. There’s fair-trade coffee and tea vendors, with sample pourers, so you won’t freeze despite the chill. There’s all manner of unique crafts and gift opportunities. Read on for more photos from the Market.
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Music, The District
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Whistling In The Dark: They Might Be Giants @ 9:30 Club 11/28/08

They Might Be Giants by La Tête Krançien

In my younger years I spent a lot of time listening to cassettes in my room, on my walkman or in the car. If you’re like me, They Might Be Giants 1990 release Flood was among the most played and beloved albums in my collection. I learned all the words and the trumpet parts, which have stuck with me from childhood through adulthood. This past Friday, I was able to show off these skills (sans trumpet) when They Might Be Giants headlined the 9:30 Club to perform the album in its entirety.

This show, along with a handful of other dates this fall, features the band opening for themselves with full-album performances, most notably Flood and Apollo 18 (the following night they performed Apollo 18 back in New York). This comes right in time with the increasing trend of artists who have long-standing tenure in the music business to perform some of their greatest albums. This fall, Built To Spill and the Meat Puppets toured together doing much the same concept, and London-based All Tomorrow’s Parties has been hosting the Don’t Look Back concert series since 2005. On this cold Friday night however, Washington, DC was host to a special night of music. Not generally done outside of their hometown of New York City, They Might Be Giants are looking back and paying homage to their most successful record to date. Continue reading →

All Politics is Local, Talkin' Transit, The District, WMATA
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WMATA Talks Inauguration

Photo courtesy of afagen
Working better to serve YOU, courtesy of afagen

Metro dropped a press release today outlining tentative plans for Inauguration Day.

That’s right, “tentative plans.” Since we still don’t have any official word on expectations (ranging from the FBI’s 800,000 to Mayor Fenty’s 4 million), it’s kinda useless to plan anything at this point. But I’ll give Catoe and Co. credit – at least they’re trying to do something about it.

I mean, it’s more important than escalator repair, right?

Continue reading →

The District, The Mall
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National Museum of American History Reopens Tomorrow

Star Spangled Sculpture 2
Star Spangled Sculpture by tbridge

It was sad to me, back in 2006, when the National Museum of American History (NMAH) closed its doors. My wife and I, when first we met, had a very delightful time wandering its halls when she had first come down from Pittsburgh. It’s a special place, for us. I knew that they were working to make it a brighter, more modern place, having not undergone significant renewal since its opening in 1964. It was due for a renovation. Tomorrow morning, at 9am, the ribbon will be cut, and the NMAH will again be open to the public, a combination of new and old, of historic talismans and of high technology.

Yesterday, at the re-dedication of the museum, there was no shortage of fanfare and pomp. The Army District of Washington’s fife and drum corps was present, a brass quintet from the Army Band played, and one of their vocalists sang the national anthem. The President gave a short speech on the importance of the Smithsonian, and what their collection represents in terms of national ideals. President Bush and the First Lady have arranged for the handwritten White House copy of the Gettysburg Address to be on display with the Museum until early January, and you can stand just inches from the famous text, handwritten by President Lincoln. Around the corner is the book in which that speech appeared, as it was part of a fundraising effort in 1864 for the Union Army. Also included was the original copy of the Star Spangled Banner, in Francis Scott Key’s own hand. Continue reading →

Essential DC, Life in the Capital, Night Life, Special Events, The District
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Friday Night’s Fixation @ Fight Club

This is it, folks.  FotoWeek DC is kicking off in style!  With so many events to choose from over the course of the week, I highly recommend you start things off by paying a visit to the underbelly of DC, aka “Fight Club”.  Brought to you by Ten Miles Square and The Pink Line Project, Fixation is sure to be a photography show (and night) to remember.

If you’ve never heard of Fight Club before, you’re definitely not alone.  If you have heard of Fight Club, you’re incredibly hip to the underground scene and are probably annoyed that a bunch of fancy artists are invading your space.  This exclusive skate park is home to DC’s local skater scene and is sure to be a place you’ll tell your grandkids about.

But enough about the venue, this show is about photography!  Nine amazing local DC photographers will be featuring their work (all of it for sale) Friday night, some familiar names you are sure to recognize.

“These nine photographers each create a narrative with a short series of images, building the viewer a bridge between the image of our Nation’s Capital and the people actually living inside it. Their photographs inspect our city’s subculture and the people who thrive in it, whether it is the pure ecstasy of a public baptism or the discovery of an elusive quiet moment as 18th Street rages nearby. Some create their own scenes, driven by the absurdity or crucial absences in our cityscapes. Others sneak in the backdoor of highly defined alternative lifestyles, finding characters dolled up for primetime, squeezed in the underbelly of the D.C. club scene. What they all have in common is a fixation on the individual in the hands of a much bigger picture.”

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The District, The Hill
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The New Capitol Visitors Center

CRW_0739
CRW_0739 by tbridge

The new Capitol Visitors Center is due to open in another three weeks or so, but we got a sneak peek yesterday at the brand new CVC and Emancipation Hall. The new Visitors Center began its project life as an extended above-ground addition to the Capitol, but over its design process, changed into a subterranean addition to the Eastern side of the Capitol. The 580,000 square foot addition to the Capitol is quite a site to behold. The interior construction is mostly sandstone, to match the rest of the Capitol, but it hasn’t yet been imbued with the same sense of character and gravitas as the rest of the building. I suspect that with another 50 or so years, it may begin to feel like the Capitol, instead of a shiny new convention center.

Set your calendars for Friday. That’s when the new Visit the Capitol website goes live. Once it’s up, you’ll be able to schedule your own tour of the Capitol, either through your member’s office (and yes, I understand this also includes Delegate Norton) or just on your own. While the site wasn’t previewed for us yesterday, we’re assured in a lovely glossy flyer that it’s going to rock. So, plan on visiting their site once Friday hits, and schedule yourself a tour of the new space.

The CVC will be the new point of entry for all tourism-related visitors to the Capitol, containing a full security screening area, and staging for the tours. The screening area opens upon the football-field-sized Emancipation Hall. The beautiful view from the skylights that you’ve seen everywhere is from the north and south sides of Emancipation Hall. I think we may get to see some incredible weather shots once it opens this Winter. Can you imagine the shot of a guy shoveling snow from there? Or hailstones piling up? Or the video of a downpour? Yeah, expect to see this one everywhere. Continue reading →

Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Night Life, People, The Daily Feed, The District
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Photo Story: High Heel Race 2008

 avon cosmetics

Last week I warned everyonethat my favorite fall event was upcoming… the HIGH HEEL RACE! And last night, with a good dose of determination, and four layers of clothing, I staked out a front row spot at the race. I was able to get fantastic view of all the fabulosity, so I give you, dear reader: The High Heel Race 2008 in photos. Click on through to view them… Continue reading →

Alexandria, All Politics is Local, Arlington, Life in the Capital, Sports Fix, The District
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Absentee Voting Attracts Crowds

Polling Place Sign

Voting Place Sign, by Jonathan

As we close in on the election next Tuesday, the press has been having a field day with the “early voting” going on across the country.  Not to be left out, and having to file an absentee ballot myself, I decided to see just what was happening in Arlington.

First, all the registrars wanted me to point out that no one in the area has “Early Voting”.   Maryland, Virginia, and the District all provide for Absentee Ballots, which means you can only vote early if you have a valid reason.   Both the District and Virginia provide for absentee voting in person or by mail.  In Maryland, you can only vote Absentee by mail.  And that deadline has already passed, so if you missed the absentee ballot in Maryland your only chance is Tuesday.  (Don did a great job of covering all the details in his previous post, so I won’t belabor the point.)

So, if you want to vote in person, when should you go?

Continue reading →

Entertainment, Night Life, The District, The Great Outdoors
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Tourism: Halloween in DC

Pumpkin Close Up
Pumpkin Close Up by RSchley

It’s the week before Halloween, and from the looks of the weather forecast, we might see a few creepy thunderstorms before the big day. So, get ready for some Haunted House action here in town as we come close to the big Trick or Treat day. Here are a few ideas for the next week or so to get your Halloweeen on.

Boo at the Zoo

October 23-26 at the National Zoo

Take your kids and trick or treat at the zoo! They’ll have special stations setup for pictures with the various exhibits, and 40 treat stations. Tickets are $15 for FONZ members and $25 otherwise. Saturday’s sold out, so get on tickets for tonight or Sunday or Monday before too much longer, or you might find yourself stuck outside.

Ghost Tour of Lafayette Park

October 27-31 in Lafayette Park

Who’d have thought that the middle of DC was haunted, especially just a block from the White House! There’s a great tour of Lafayette Park’s ghost stories being lead on weeknights through square. Who knew that Lafayette Park was such a neat place? Tickets are $10. Tonight’s tour is sold out, but there’s space left on each of the weekdays next week, including Halloween.

Continue reading →

Life in the Capital, Petworth, The District
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We Love: DC’s Public Charter Schools

What would an all Public Charter School system look like?

What would an all Public Charter School system look like?

While I’ve heard the moaning about the DC Public School System since my first days in DC, I never really cared about it. I was a swinging single and my whole goal was to keep away from anything kid-related, though many would say I acted child-like.

But now that I’m soon to be a parent, I am thinking more about my child’s future education, and as a District resident, the schooling options. Looking around, I see a lot of promises broken and lives wasted in the DC Public School system, yet hope with Public Charter Schools.

So I propose a radical change: Let’s ditch the failing public schools for a fully Public Charter School System.

Here we have one of the highest-cost, lowest performing public education systems in the United States, and our city government is expending untold millions of dollars and political capital to fix. The problems are myriad, and all of them, from lack of parental involvement to aimless youth, to an entrenched & bloated bureaucracy, seemingly intractable.

Faced with this boondoggle, parents are desperate for options and have already created a parallel system to educate their children. Over 40% of parents send their children to Public Charter Schools, and I would argue that they are the 40% that care about their child’s education. In addition, Public Charter Schools are doing a better job of educating at less cost. And almost all require greater parental involvement, student motivation, and teacher engagement than public schools.

I know that when my child gets to be school age, they’ll be headed off to a cool bilingual charter elementary school – we now have several schools to choose from in Petworth, some more convenient than others.

So why not take all taxpayer & Gates Foundation money that’s currently going down the public school rathole, and put it towards an all-charter school system? We could save the the DC government a few billion a year and give a better education to the city’s children.

Or look at it another way: could a fully Public Charter School system really be worse than what we have now?

Life in the Capital, The District
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We Love College: 529 Plan Choices

I hope my Ziggy will be tossing a hat in 2023

I hope my Ziggy will be tossing a graduation hat in 2023, student loan free

With a Ziggy on the way, I’m now thinking long term. Like 2023, when Ziggy will be tossing a graduation cap into the air. To get there, I’m wondering which 529 College Savings Plan I should be routing all the baby shower festivities towards. Yes, I’m going to be that guy who asks for college tuition in lieu of diapers or daddy gear.

Looking around at the tri-state area, I’m surprised to see that both Virginia and Maryland have well-regarded plans, and Washington offers a sweet financial incentive to invest with the District. The question is – which should I (or you) choose?

Continue reading →