Category Archives: The District

All Politics is Local, The Daily Feed, The District, WMATA, WTF?!
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Metro Says No to Bloggers

metrofail.png

I hate reading stories like these about out local agencies. It just pisses me off when arms of public entities, like Metro & WMATA, clam up in the face of blogger requests. Here’s the details:

“But WMATA’s lawyers think blogs definitely aren’t news media, even blogs like Greater Greater Washington. Why? Because they claim we don’t “publish or broadcast news to the public.” To WMATA’s lawyers, “publish” means “disseminate the information, not merely make it available,” citing Judicial Watch, Inc. v. United States Department of Justice, 185 F.Supp. 2d 54, 59 (D.D.C. 2002), and “disseminate” requires more than simply posting information on a Web site where many people go to read about newsworthy information.”

Essentially, bloggers from Greater Greater Washington sent over PARP requests (think FOIA Request, but for Metro), and Metro told them to get bent because they’re not “media.”

Metro should open doors, not shut them. It only looks worse when you turn people away.

Arlington, Downtown, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, The District
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Why I Love DC: Katie

tidal basin during cherry blossoms

All the authors here at We Love DC have written essays on why they love DC. As one of the newbie authors, I was asked to follow in the same tradition. So here it is, why I love DC.

Post-college all my art school and college friends headed for New York. I, instead, decided on DC. People always asked, “Why DC, what is it about DC?” and I always would respond “Well, because it’s not New York.” Which, still, to this day, works as a great reason to love DC. I would argue that we have as many fabulous museums here, as many great free cultural things to do, yet DC is decidedly NOT New York.

New York makes me claustrophobic. The streets are so busy, the sky so crowded with buildings, the hustle and bustle more hustle than bustle. I get overwhelmed there, sensory overload, too much, too fast. I like New York in small doses, but never in long, extended stays. It hits you hard, and doesn’t stop. That is fine for my college friends, but not for me.

DC, on the other hand, is far more manageable. It has sky; you are never without seeing the sky. Blue, expansive, gorgeous sky. I never feel walled in here; you can always see up, out, and over. The streets are always crowded, but I can usually reach my arms out and spin in a circle without hitting someone. I can maintain my personal space bubble at almost all times, Metro excluded. I also love reminders that big things are happening here, every day, all day. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed, The District, WTF?!
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Penang Burns Again

Penang at 19th & M caught fire on Saturday afternoon, damaging the Chipotle downstairs, and Porters and Starbucks right next door. As I drove by this afternoon, Several of the upstairs windows had been knocked out and covered by plywood.

The fire started in the kitchen, and spread through the ventilation ducts, causing over 100 firefighters to rush to the scene.

Both Chipotle & Penang are closed, and will be for a bit, but Starbucks had people outside this afternoon, and the doors were open at Porters.

Media, The District
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Len Downie Loves DC, Too

nova
nova by PhillieFan99

Been a rough week on the Hill, and for those who live there. The rescue/bailout/whatever-it’s-called has left America wondering what good could possibly remain in her Capitol. The pandering & the pork, the self-congratulation over the oversight of the demise of commercial lending, it leaves America with a bitter taste in her mouth.

But then comes Len Downie Jr, former editor of the Post, with an editorial to prop us back up again, despite what all the media says. A taste:

For all its partisanship and jockeying for power and influence, Washington’s culture — with roots in the New Deal, World War II, Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society and the Reagan Revolution — is receptive to new ideas and new people. It is steadily refreshed by idealistic young professionals who come here to work and learn for low wages in the backrooms of power. And it readily assimilates waves of older hands who arrive with each new administration and member of Congress, and then stay in the public arena here.

“The truth is that many newcomers stay forever, secretly at home in the city everyone loves to hate,” [Marjorie] Williams has written. “As each administration departs, it leaves behind a layer of flotsam on the shore — lobbyists, lawyers, public relations people — all too smitten or too connected to ever move away. The city happily absorbs its quadrennial infusions of new blood. But Washington always does more to change its newcomers than the newcomers do to change it.”

Thank you, Mr. Downie. We needed that.

Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed, The District
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Verdict: Jury Duty Not So Bad

George Gordon Meade by NCinDC

Last week, for the first time in my life, I was summoned for jury duty.  Imagine the horrified look on my face when I received notice in the mail that sure enough, my time had come, the time to sit all day in a waiting room full of complete strangers and hope that I didn’t get picked as a juror.  My friends had all told me how terrible it was and provided me with many excuses to get out of being picked.  “Tell them that your uncle is a cop.  Tell them that you could never judge another person for what they may or may not have done.  Tell them that you’re a racist pig.  Tell them you have an uncontrollable bladder.”  But somehow, deep down inside, I had a morbid curiosity of seeing our legal system in action and actually did want to be picked.  I wanted to be on a jury of peers, to listen to a case, hear the judge bang on his desk with a gavel, hear an attorney yell, “Objection!”, deliberate for hours, and finally deliver a verdict which would decide the fate of the defendant.  I wanted Law & Order, only this wasn’t TV.

Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The District
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Sports Fix Light: Take Heart, Redskins Fans

romosucks
Appropriate for Dallas Week by dharmabumx

I know, Sports Fix doesn’t usually air until Monday, but I’ve made a snap decision to run with it today because it’s Dallas Week. That’s right, it’s time for the Redskins, as they have several times over the last few years, to frustrate the Cowboys in new and unusual ways. As Skins’ Blogger Jamie Mottram wrote,

“But out of the ashes the feathered arrow flies. Starting with the Skins’ 14-13 midnight double-strike win on Monday Night in Big D three years ago, Washington has reversed and reheated the once-great rivalry by winning four out of six.”

Continue reading →

News, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed, The District
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DC Rollergirls Take On Charm City All-Stars

rollergirls.png

Since it looks like rain tomorrow, you might want to eschew the various outdoor Oktoberfests and head instead to Sterling to check out the DC Rollergirls as they take on the Charm City All-stars in a pre-season match. DC-based matches at the DC Armory start up on the 4th of October.

Good luck Rollergirls, give those Bal’mer girls something to say “hon” about.

Talkin' Transit, Technology, The Daily Feed, The District, WMATA
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Four Line Announcements


Four Line Announcements
Originally uploaded by brownpau

Paulo captured this shot of the new Metro sign format for announcements. The old side-scrolling versions are thankfully history as they were nearly impossible to read. Thankfully, Metro’s embracing some good IA these days and going for something that’s a bit more passenger friendly than the crawl, which tended to cause crowds of gawkers while the waited for the message to finish displaying.

Entertainment, The District, The Mall
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Tourism: The New Sant Ocean Hall

Phoenix, the Right Whale

Five years ago, the Museum of Natural History got together a group of people with the goal of expanding the Museum’s reach beyond just the land. The incredible wealth of life below the water’s surface, and the great span of the ocean, was a missing spot in the museum’s coverage. Thus, they began the most extensive renovation in the Museum’s History. Tomorrow, the NMNH opens the brand new Sant Ocean Hall. The ceremonies kick off at 11am out front of the Museum, where the Aloha Boys & Halau O’Aulani Dancers, as well as the Tlingit community, who will be performing a drum ceremony to bless the exhibit.

Once inside, the centerpiece is Phoenix, the Right Whale, suspended in the dead center of the exhibit about 10 feet off the ground. Phoenix is a model built off a living Right Whale living in the North Atlantic that scientists from the New England Aquarium have tracked for the last 21 years. Right whales represent one of the North Atlantic’s most endangered species, though their population is on the rebound with some of the more recent preservation efforts.

The Ocean Hall is 23,000 square feet, the largest single exhibit space in the Museum. It features a central corridor that features exhibits on coastal ocean life, and leads back toward the Open Ocean exhibit, featuring a couple of specially displayed giant squid. See, the fire marshall just about had a conniption when he found out the Smithsonian wanted to put a bunch of jars of flammable, toxic alcohol in the middle of a bunch of children. So, they went to the 3M corporation and they came back with their Novec 7100 Engineered Fluid, by the tankful. See, it still allows for neutral buoyancy, and the preservation of the specimen, it just doesn’t catch fire easily, or poison people.

Continue reading →

All Politics is Local, The Daily Feed, The District
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The opposite of reassuring

Photo courtesy of maxedaperture

Immigration March III, courtesy of maxedaperture

If you don’t make it past the first few pages of the Metro section you’d miss it – WaPo reported today that the D.C. Board of Elections still hasn’t managed to certify the primary election results. To some extent it doesn’t matter – we’re assured the announced results won’t change and this is just a legal formality.  However the fact that it’s two weeks on and they still haven’t managed to complete this task certainly raises certain questions about how well they’re going to handle the upcoming Presidental election.

DCBE’s own statistics show this primary had a turnout of less that 13% of the registred voters. The 2004 certified results [pdf] listed a 59% turnout – more than four times as many ballots cast. That doesn’t even address the higher interest in this election or the 12,000 additional voters on the rolls now – a 4% increase with another week and a half left for D.C. residents to register to vote.

Here’s hoping they get their act together by November.

Adventures, Entertainment, Technology, The Daily Feed, The District, The Hill
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Sneak Peek: The Sant Ocean Hall at NMNH

Sant Ocean Hall

Wow, what a morning. I spent the morning walking through the new Sant Ocean Hall at the National Museum of Natural History on the Mall. We got an introduction from the direct of the museum, and a great tour through the 23,000 square-foot space. We’ll have a full review up on Friday as part of our Tourism column.

However, there was one bit that was way too cool to wait for Friday to share: Science on a Sphere®. The Smithsonian’s new exhibit features this cool technology from NOAA which involves multiple projectors and a suspended gray sphere. It’s based on four desktop computers running Linux and some multiple projectors. It’s just amazing. Click on for the full size video.

Continue reading →

Featured Photo, Life in the Capital, Sports Fix, The District
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Featured Photo

Nation’s Triathlon by Noah Devereaux

Last week our fine city hosted the annual Nation’s Triathlon where competitors are challenged to swim 1.5K through the murky Potomac, bike 40K, and run 10K.  It’s a feat so easy that even our very own Mayor Fenty can do it.  I’m kidding of course.  The only way I could compete in this race is if it were a 51.5K bike ride.

This amazing shot by Noah Devereaux takes the sweaty, strenuous, and sometimes painful event and strips away the grit, replacing it with grace and beauty.  The perfect lane lines and tree-lined street capture your eye and lead it toward the majestic Capitol at the end of Pennsylvania Avenue.  The warm morning sun glimmers off the newly paved road and creates a shadow for the runner to compete against.  It takes months of dedicated preparation to compete in a race like this, but this photo makes it look like a mere jog through the park.

Adventures, Essential DC, Food and Drink, The District
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DC Omnivore 100: 82 & 99

Photo courtesy of zephyrbunny
Best Eggs Benedict Ever, courtesy of zephyrbunny

Welcome to the first review of the 100 foods an omnivore in DC should partake of. We posted the full list already; here’s my take on two of them.

#82 Eggs Benedict. Ok, this isn’t a ‘new’ dish for me – I’m a connoisseur of this classic egg dish. It’s usually the one I order when we have a rare breakfast out and I’m not feeling fat. Because any dish that combines half an English muffin, poached eggs, ham and hollandaise sauce just gives you that feeling of hardening arteries. My particular dish for this review was consumed at the nearby Silver Diner over in Springfield, VA.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, The District
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Not So Car-Free Today


12th Street Corridor
Originally uploaded by maxedaperture

One of the big drawbacks of my job is that I can’t rely on Metro or the Bus to handle every place I need to go. So, for me, despite my desire to be car-free, I just can’t make it happen. And, judging by the traffic reports this morning, I’m far from alone. Hopefully, though, many were able to take public transit this morning, or carpool with friends to make it all work out.

For those who did make an effort to leave their wheels at home today, check out the Car-Free Festival on F St NW between 7th and 9th streets over by the National Gallery. You can’t miss the big balloon arches, and you can check out the new rent-shared bicycles that we love to hate so much.

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed, The District
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Deadbeat Lerners Still Haven’t Paid the Rent

Foul Ball

Okay. See. If you or I did this? We’d be on the street a long time ago. But we’re now six months after the start of the baseball season at brand new Nationals Park, and the Lerner Family still hasn’t paid the team’s rent.

Folks, this is ri-goddamned-diculous.

They owe the city $3.5M for the occupation of the ballpark and they haven’t paid a red cent anywhere. They haven’t even done the courteous thing and put the rent in escrow, near as I can find. Chance are, it’s over something monumentally stupid like Ted Lerner’s chair rocking ever so slightly in his multi-million dollar owner’s suite.

Pay up, Ted. Pay up. You owe this city its due.

Life in the Capital, The District
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Football or Wealthy Residences?

Photo of Kalorama Heights by furcafe

This Sunday you will be faced with a very difficult question: Shall I watch football or go on the Kalorama House Tour instead?  Well for the devout football fans out there this is probably a no brainer.  But if your team isn’t the Redskins (or any other east coast team for that matter) and you can’t watch your team because you don’t have DirecTV (go Broncos!), well then your decision just got a much easier.

Washington has many neighborhood house tours throughout the year that give you the opportunity to sneak through other people’s houses without being arrested.  Oh, and these aren’t usually your typical houses either, they’re more like your rich uncle’s house.  You know, the one who drives the Bentley?  The exception to this rule was last year’s Dupont Circle House Tour which was a huge let down.  If I wanted to walk through a messy house that’s for sale, I’ll just walk through my own.

Continue reading →

History, The Daily Feed, The District, The Mall
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Flickr Find: Bartholdi Fountain


Bartholdi Fountain
Originally uploaded by NCinDC

It’s just about lunchtime here today, and I’ve taken a jaunt over to Capitol Hill to just stop and stare at the Capitol in awe. I’m also hard at work on the Monumental feature for Friday. This photo by NC in DC of Bartholdi Fountain near the Botanical Gardens is a great inspiration. We’re starting to see the beautiful Fall weather that makes DC something truly special, so get a walk in this afternoon on these beautiful streets. See something unique and special. Better yet, click the photo above to read the historical information about the Bartholdi Fountain.

Featured Photo, Life in the Capital, The District
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FotoWeek DC: Deadline Is Near!

Attention all photographers!  If you haven’t entered your photos in the FotoWeek DC Photography Competition, you’re running out of time.  The deadline for submissions is next Monday, September 22nd but you can submit your photos until September 29th for an additional fee (no one likes additional fees).

For those of you out of the loop, FotoWeek DC is a brand new photography showcase event for professionals, ameteurs, and students alike.  And now even the little (K-12) kiddies can participate!  For more about this event, allow me to quote from their website:

The week of November 15-22, 2008 will mark the launch of FotoWeek DC, the first annual gathering of a diverse and wide-ranging photography community in the nation’s capital, including photographers, museums, universities and all those involved in the profession across the metro D.C. area, including Virginia and Maryland. Unique among American cities, Washington, D.C. is a nexus of artistic, business, political and public sector energy, in which photography plays an integral role. FotoWeek DC seeks to bring together all photographers and imaging professionals from every discipline to join with the public in celebration of the medium.

Continue reading →

Foggy Bottom, The Daily Feed, The District
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And GWU is Going Deeper Still

washington dc by wayan
Photo by Wayan

Remember the construction-related blasting of July that shook the Foggy Bottom area? It seems the contractors digging the foundation for the new GWU building are still going deeper.

While a shortcut to China is still far off, there drill rigs say more china will rattle in the near future.

Here is thanks to the contractors for letting us see the show. And no thanks to the busy-body cop who threatened jaywalking when I went to take this photo.

Essential DC, Featured Photo, History, Life in the Capital, The District
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Richard Avedon: Portraits of Power

The Generals of the Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Convention,
Mayflower Hotel, Washington, D.C., October 15, 1963,
© 2008 The Richard Avedon Foundation

There really isn’t a just way to describe how incredible and important Richard Avedon’s photographs are, at least in words that haven’t already been written or spoken.  He’s been called “America’s pre-eminent editorial portrait and fashion photographer” which is accurate, but he, like all master photographers, is also a great historian.  Richard Avedon: Portraits of Power, a new exhibit set to open this Saturday at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, has brought together more than 200 of his photos that cover over 50 years of his career and of American history, some of them having never been on exhibit or published.

Continue reading →