Category Archives: The District

Special Events, The District
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Happy World AIDS Day

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

Today marks the 22nd anniversary of World AIDS Day, and Washington’s statistics are as grim as ever: over 15,000 Washingtonians are known to have HIV, and tens of thousands more are thought to be unknowingly infected. However, this year’s commemoration brings with it a bit of hope. A study released last week showed that a daily dose of the drug Truvada reduced the risk of contracting HIV by at least 40 percent for gay men. This preventative could herald a new chapter in the AIDS epidemic, and at the very least, is a positive reminder of how far we’ve come on a day when we remember those we’ve lost.

There are events taking place around the city to mark World AIDS Day, ranging from the sober to the decidedly not sober. Whether you’re in the mood for remembrance or celebration, make sure to be safe and get tested.

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Adventures, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The District, The Features
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Gingertown 2010

courtesy of Timothy So

Last night, I had the extreme pleasure of participating in Gingertown, one of DC’s best kept holiday events. Begun in 2006, Gingertown is the brainchild of locally based David M. Schwarz Architects (DMSA) and brings together leading DC architects, designers, and architectural firms with other building enthusiasts (aka: the non-professionals) to create a town made of completely of gingerbread and candy goodness.

Gingertown is an entirely free event with DMSA and other event sponsors providing all the building materials, food and beverages. Teams sign up beforehand and are assigned town plots with free reign to design and construct their portion of Gingertown during the 3 hour event.

Each year, a new master plan and theme is created; this year, builders tackled the North Pole, transforming the layout into a magical town of gingerbread, jelly beans, Twizzlers, Nerds, candy canes, buttercream frosting, etc. Like previous years, the 2010 town map included communal and civic-minded centers, green spaces, city hall, a concert hall, a library, a toy store and a strong pedestrian culture. Continue reading →

Adventures, Business and Money, Entertainment, Essential DC, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Night Life, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District, The Hill
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Love The Hill This Friday

I don’t love the “Hill” in the way some people do – I’m not so political and certainly am not involved in all the Congressional happenings, but I do adore the neighborhoods that make Capitol Hill fabulous. Eastern Market has such charm, and I’ve found myself spending weekends on Barrack’s Row. What better excuse than to celebrate a part of the city that I love than by heading to The Hilly’s on Friday night?

Awards will be given to some of the Hill’s best eats and drinks – favorites like Granville Moores, SOVA, Ted’s Bulletin are all up to win. Plus local businesses like Frager’s and Bikram Yoga are up for awards, too. Ticket prices are $65 for CHAMPS members, $75 for Buy Local members and $80 for the general public.Price includes open bar and food, with guest bartenders from Wisdom, Tunnicliff’s, Argonaut and Matchbox.

Adventures, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, The District, The Features, The Great Outdoors
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DC Letterboxing

Letterboxing

photo courtesy of flickr user Wendy Copley

Hidden around DC, secretly placed in strategic, calculated locales are small, weatherproof boxes containing logbooks and stamps; only the dedicated group know of their existence and they are constantly trying to follow a trail of secret clues to uncover them. While this may sound like the latest Spy Museum game or a CIA operation, it’s actually hobby called letterboxing and its covertly going on right under our noses in our beloved city.

Here’s how it works. Originating, across the pond,  in Dartmoor, England, letterboxing, like its hi-tech sibling geocaching, is a combination of hiking, puzzle solving, treasure hunting and thrill seeking. In this game, “placers” hide small waterproof containers in interesting locales, e.g. along the Capital Crescent Trail, near the Jefferson Memorial, behind a loose Eastern Market brick, etc., and then leave small clues to its whereabouts on websites, or in letterboxing newsletters or through word of mouth.  Continue reading →

Business and Money, Entertainment, Essential DC, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed, The District
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Madewell Opens Today

Madewell opens

Today at 10am, DC’s first Madewell opens its Georgetown doors. The clothing shop offers wears that meet hobo, hipster and preppyster fashion needs alike and is sure to be a big hit with Georgetown college and young professionals scene. Originally found in 1937, Madewell started out as a true-blue American denim company. Now the label is owned by J.Crew and has been reinvented to target women ages 18 to 40.   Madewell debuted in 2006 with a flagship store in New York City and up until the Summer 2010 launch of its ecommerce site, was only sold through its 18 nationwide stores.

Featured Photo, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The District
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The 2010 Tweed Ride in Photos


The Starting Line (and all other photos) by Max Cook

Sunday was a perfect fall day for another perfect Tweed Ride.  Five hundred lovers of vintage clothing and bicycles gathered for the second annual ride that was magical to say the least.  Organized by Dandies and Quantrelles, the pre-ride festivities began in the morning at The Fridge where people were treated to music by Maureen Andary as they mingled and admired each other’s clothing and rides.  At noon the entire group gathered at the starting line in Lincoln Park where the ride commenced in packs of twenty five.  It was a true delight to ride along the golden tree-lined streets of Capital Hill, past the Supreme Court, the Capitol, and the White House, ending in Adams Morgan.  The post-ride social at Stroga featured bottomless Hendrick’s gin drinks, food by Coppi’s, a tweed fashion show, dance performances, and lots of love between riders. As easy as it would have been to leave my camera at home, it’s basically impossible for me not to document days like these.

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Business and Money, Essential DC, Food and Drink, Life in the Capital, The District, The Features, They Make DC
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They Make DC: Dolcezza

Dolcezza Robb and Violeta

This They Make DC marks the first entry in a series that will profile the various small businesses manufacturing their products in the DC Metro area. In these features, we’ll tour the facilities and shops where these goods are made and sold, with the ultimate goal to gain a deeper understanding of what it’s like to own, run and operate a business in our beloved capital city. So without further adieu, let’s kick this bad boy off.

Robb Duncan and his Argentinian wife Violeta met by chance in 2000 at a conference in Brazil. Two weeks later Robb flew back to Portland, Oregon, sold everything he had and moved down to Buenos Aires and they were married. While living in Buenos Aires, Robb fell in love with gelaterias. Having toured Italy, Duncan was very familiar with Italian gelato, and while he liked it, he was never blown away by it. So he was surprised when he discovered that Argentinian gelato, made by Italian immigrants and their descendants, tasted a lot better to him.  When Argentina’s economy crashed in the early 2000s, Robb and Violeta moved to DC, where he could get a job as a software engineer for the federal government and where Violeta could finish up her degree at American University. Continue reading →

Adventures, Business and Money, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District, The Hill
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The Pearl Lady Arrives

Photo courtesy of
‘All dressed up’
courtesy of ‘Blinkofanaye’

Capitol Hill staffers have been keeping a very appealing, little secret from the rest of DCers and her name is “The Pearl Lady”. Apparently every year around the holidays, The Pearl Lady who owns a pearl shop in Beijing, visits DC to sell her pearls at ridiculous low prices. According to a WLDC author, The Pearl Lady usually operates out of a townhouse and the scene is a total madhouse with Congressional staffers waiting in line for hours and departing with strands and strands of beautiful, opulent pearls.

According to The Pearl Lady’s website (www.pearl-lady.com) she’s got some serious VIP clientele including Laura Bush, Madeleine Albright, Condolezza Rice, and Bill Clinton (cue pearl necklace jokes.)

The Pearl Lady opens shop today at 446 New Jersey Ave, SE from 10am to 6pm and will be opened everyday until November 16.

Adventures, All Politics is Local, Business and Money, Entertainment, Essential DC, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, History, Life in the Capital, News, Penn Quarter, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District
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TEAISM to be Carrotmobbed

Photo courtesy of
‘Every Food Fits: “What’s Up, Doc?”‘
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’

This Saturday, November 13th starting at 10am at TEAISM’s Penn Quarter location,  the Restaurant Opportunities Center of DC (ROCDC) is organizing DC’s first ever Carrotmob to promote paid sick days for DC restaurant workers.

You might say: “But Rebecca, what the heck is a carrotmob?” And up until 15 minutes ago, I would have responded “I have no clue. Perhaps a pack of redheads angrily waving orange vegetables?”  And, unsurprisingly, I’d be dead wrong.

In reality the term “Carrotmob” comes from the phase “use the carrot, not the stick,” and is a method of activism in which consumers use their buying power to reward businesses that take socially responsible actions.

The TEAISM mobbing is in response to the Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act, which passed two years ago and provides 3-7 days of paid sick/safe leave to many District workers. However, the law left out your server, waitress, waiter, and bartender, so they’ve been working (aka serving you) while they’re sick. Despite this TEAISM has gone above and beyond the call of duty and provides all their workers 5-7 sick days; They are indeed truly worthy of a good old fashioned carrotmobbing.

You can join the mobbing by visiting the Penn Quarter TEAISM this Saturday and by RSVPing at the event’s Facebook page.

Business and Money, Essential DC, Life in the Capital, News, The Daily Feed, The District, We Green DC
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Capital Bikeshare Opens In Glover Park

Photo courtesy of
‘Do my nails clash with the red?’
courtesy of ‘fromcaliw/love’

After a lengthy community discussion about where to place the new Capital Bikeshare station, the latest addition to the operation has opened in the Northwest neighborhood of Glover Park in the parking lot of the Guy Mason Recreation Center.

According the Glover Park resident listserv, residents are hopeful that bikesharing will get a lot of use as an alternative to pokey buses and single-occupant car trips.

Adventures, All Politics is Local, Business and Money, Entertainment, Essential DC, Life in the Capital, News, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District
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Slurpee Me!

Photo courtesy of
‘frozen treat’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Thanks to President Obama’s shout out last week, the 7-Eleven Slurpee truck brigade is en route from Dallas, TX to Washington, DC in what’s being billed as the “Slurpee Unity Tour 2010.” The trucks are making pit stops to hand out free samples of the newly launched, bi-partisan beverage “Purple for the People” flavor. The half red, half blue flavor will allow Americans to reach across the aisle and cast a vote for taste bud reform. Something we all know is much, much needed.

Today the trucks stop in Florissant, MO and Springfield IL. Tomorrow they’re headed to Chicago. You can track the trucks as they make their way here for the Slurpee Summit via the Slurpee Facebook page or on Twitter @slurpee #slurpeeunity.

All Politics is Local, The District, The Features
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DCision 2010: The New ANCs

Photo courtesy of
‘11.2.10’
courtesy of ‘Paige Weaver’

While Tuesday’s general election was devoid of city-wide news of any note, it did mark the changing of the guard for the District’s Advisory Neighborhood Commissions.  The 286 seats split across the 8 wards work as an advisory council for various city programs and city agencies, as we explained in our ABCs of ANCs guide from earlier this year.  Various stories out of the ANCs, including some controversy about local liquor licensing, lead to a lot of discussions online about running for ANC. Something sure happened, because in Tuesday’s election 114 of the 286 seats changed hands, a 40% turnover rate.

More interesting than just the turnover, is that the number of seats in which there were 3 candidates or more doubled, and the number of seats that were uncontested went down by 5%.  In addition, there are 9 fewer empty seats on the Commissions than there were after the 2008 election. Take into account controversial ANCs like ANC 5C saw 50% turnover, and you’ve got a recipe for some interesting action over the next two years a bunch of new commissioners get their feet wet.

Good luck, new Commissioners, you’ve got a big load on your shoulders.  Click through for some of the interesting breakdowns from the DCBOEE results.

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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.

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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 →

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.