Tag Archives: snOMG

The Daily Feed
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Chain Bridge To Close Friday Evening Until Monday Morning

Photo courtesy of
‘Chain Bridge’
courtesy of ‘NCinDC’

Starting Friday, March 26 at 8pm and weather permitting, Chain Bridge will be closed to all traffic (this includes pedestrians and bikes, and traffic from both the DC and Arlington side) until Monday, March 29 at 5am.  The weekend work hopes to continue the reconstruction work already begun on the bridge deck, approaches and structural steel beams. Crews will be pouring new approach slabs, replacing expansion joints, installing a catcher beam system and upgrading streetlights on the bridge.

Canal Road traffic will not be affected, but motorists will not be able to turn onto Chain Bridge. DDOT advises motorists to use alternate routes and river crossings including the American Legion, Key, Roosevelt , Memorial and 14th Street Bridges.

The proposed 8 month long repair work started in June 2009 and was supposed to be completed this past January.  Unfortunately, the Snowpocalypse, SnOMG, Snoverkill, etc. are to blame for a derailed schedule and, therefore, the weekend work. DDOT now anticipates all of the lanes on the bridge will reopen by May 31.  Additional work beneath the bridge is scheduled to continue through August 2010.

Talkin' Transit
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Talkin’ Transit

Snow covers trains at Metro's Brentwood Yard (courtesy of WMATA)

Snow covers trains at Metro's Brentwood Yard (courtesy of WMATA)

Snow. You remember it, surely? Anywhere between two and four feet over the last week. It crippled our roads and sidewalks, and it’s left several small mountains in most of our neighborhoods. I’m sure you aren’t surprised that it also crippled Metro.

The bus system has to rely on local municipalities to clear snow from the roads. Many snow emergency routes were cleared fairly quickly, but the conditions on secondary streets varied wildly, leaving many buses running on altered routes, even today.

The subway system was also hard hit. Above ground service had to be shut down, and only fully came back online on Friday afternoon. By that point, the Federal government had reopened to one of the worst commutes (by car or by rail) that I’ve seen in 22 years here. So what happened and why, and what should Metro be doing differently in a storm?
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Adventures, Entertainment, Fun & Games
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Bored Out Of Your Gourd Solutions

Photo courtesy of
‘so bored’
courtesy of ‘sunnyfunnyyellow’

Yeah, I feel you. There’s only so many days you can surf the interwebz, watch movies, catch up on your DVR recordings, read, twiddle your thumbs, pace around your apartment, etc.

So let’s get crazy and kick ourselves into snowaction. The Washington Post’s Jenna Johnson has already compiled a fantastic list of snomageddon activities geared towards the college aged set, and I’ve brainstormed the following activities to stave off the boredom and enjoy the winter wonderland that is DC for the next few days. Continue reading →

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo


fling by mennyj

As I write this, the mild winter sun illuminates the pale blue Phoenix sky and warms the earth to a perfect 74 degrees.  Retired people wearing athletic gear and sun visors pass by my window in their electric golf carts, either on their way to the 1st hole or on their way home from the 19th hole.  With nary a breeze in the air, the statuesque palm trees stand tall and perfectly still.  Yet what you may be most envious of are the copious amounts of bread, eggs, and milk within a five minute drive.  Despite the circumstances that brought me here to the desert, life is good.

As you read this, your electricity may be out, your car may be stuck in a snow drift, and you may be out of milk and bread.  As you “work from home”, city workers are doing their best to clear the roads, restore your power, and keep things in order.  The city’s budget goes further into the red as more of the white stuff comes down, but what I’m most jealous of is all of the fun that I’m missing out on.  As a native Coloradan, I grew up in a blizzard and wish I could be there with you building igloos, throwing snowballs, and launching your kid into a snow bank.

The snow is always whiter on the other side of the fence, isn’t it?

The Features, Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 2/5 – 2/7/2010

Photo courtesy of
‘The Day After Tomorrow………….’
courtesy of ‘LaTur’

SNOW! Snowmageddon, snowpocalypse, snOMG, snogasm, snobama, Tai Shan’s last dump – whatever you want to call it, the frozen white stuff dominated our weekend. (And like unwanted houseguests, will linger for many more days to come.) Even with the nearly three feet of snow dropped in the DC area, many of our area photographers ventured out into the blizzard and its aftermath.

So while you enjoy your snow day, here’s some photos from the “Blizzard of 2010” for you to enjoy. Probably best if you had some warm tea/coffee/hot chocolate, a roaring fire, and a blanket while you check them out…

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The Daily Feed
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This Game is Most Definitely ON!

Photo courtesy of
‘Verizon Center’
courtesy of ‘brianmka’

Just like every other hockey fan in the area, I’ve been wondering with baited breath whether today’s noontime matchup between the Washington Capitals and the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins was actually going to happen.

It is.

Now before you get up and rush out the door, some things to consider. First, Metro’s running underground-only, so if you’re beyond the downtown core, you have to drive in because Metrobus is out as well. BUT! Pretty much every city and county official inside and outside the Beltway are begging us to stay home if we can. Crews are working hard to clear streets and trying to restore power to affected areas; you’ll only get in the way (especially if you think you can drive in the snow; chances are, you really, really can’t).

Caps owner Ted Leonsis feels for you – he’s snowed in, too. And, according to his latest blog post, he can’t offer refunds or ticket exchanges for the game today if you can’t make it.

“I have the exact same issues as you do in getting to the game. It is important to realize that weather plays a role in many cities for many games and that as long as the teams, the officials and the building support staffs are in place and the networks can broadcast – it is game on.”

So, do as I am doing today – settle into your living room and watch the game on NBC. Ovechkin and crew may not hear you at the Verizon Center, but they know you’re behind them all the way. Let the epic struggle begin!

The Daily Feed
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The Second #snOMG Cometh – DC’s Best Snowtags

Photo courtesy of
‘snow ‘stache’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

#snOMG. #snowpocalyse. #snowmageddon.

#snOMGasm. #snogasm. #snoWTF. #snowlyshit

The only thing more ridiculous than the amount of snow we’ve been getting this year are the snow hashtags flying around the interwebz. And by ridiculous, I mean RIDICULOUSLY funny. In a good way. LAUGH. Let us also recognize that we must pay homage to the fact that this is indeed the second coming of the #snowpocalypse this year. Therefore, #snOMG2pointO is pretty appropriate.

#snovechkin #snohedidnt #precipaggedon #snowpocalypseNOW #snowbliteration

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The Daily Feed
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Fight the Snow. Build a sled.

Photo courtesy of
‘Crazy Sledding’
courtesy of ‘terren in Virginia’

Sure, you may have seen the earlier post about where to sled in the District, but with less than 24 hours to go before an epic snow, it’s too late to order your very own version of Rosebud from Amazon, and all the local Targets, WalMarts, and hardware stores are sold out. Luckily, the folks at HacDC are coming to the rescue, with a late night impromptu sled-building workshop tonight at the Columbia Heights Hackerspace at 1525 Newton Street NW.

Sled building will commence once tonight’s Dorkbot DC meeting finishes up, sometime between 9 and 10 PM. But come early at 7 for the Dorkbot presentations!

News, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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SNOMG, damnit!

Photo courtesy of
‘damn the snow — full speed ahead!’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

After a second snowpocalypse, do we stop getting excited about them? This question is not abstract; I really mean it.  It looks like we’re in for yet another snow storm, perhaps larger than any we’ve had so far this year. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch, calling for up to 20 inches for the DC area.  Who’s ready to be snowed in for yet another weekend? Not this guy.  Still, it seems inevitable.  So, make a run on milk and bread and find some sweet board games, or something.  I don’t think you’ll be going anywhere this weekend. And stick with WLDC for all of your Snowpocalypse 2.0 coverage.

The Features, Weekend Flashback
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Snowpocalypse Flashback: 12/18 – 12/20/2009

Photo courtesy of
‘Great Blizzard of ’09’
courtesy of ‘pixelmasseuse’

Snowpocalypse! Amazingly, several of our intrepid area photogs got out and about over the weekend and captured some fantastic shots of our area under nearly two feet of snow. (Yes, I’m jealous. A little.) So while most of us lounge around on our ‘enforced’ day off today, reminisce of our winter wonderland ‘event’ while sipping hot cocoa and listening to holiday music.

You don’t even have to go outside!

And if you have any snow photos from the weekend you want to share, make sure you drop them in our WeLoveDC Flickr pool!

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The Daily Feed
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10 Ways to Avoid Eating Your Family

3:05 angry minute

What? You aren’t getting stir crazy? Cabin fever isn’t setting in yet? You must either be one of my friends in Bangkok keeping tabs on me or else you own a four-wheel drive. Me, I am just glad I have not yet been cooked and eaten by my Lovely Wife. We are starting to feel locked down, like the end may be near, and have openly admitted to kind of understanding the Donner Party a little better.

Here are 10 ways to keep the cabin fever from setting in:

  1. Turn the TV back on and watch an eighth hour of Law & Order.
  2. Juice? Yeast? Hook it up and make some old-skool wine.
  3. Pretend your roommate/spouse/stranded friend from out of town doesn’t look like a giant strip of bacon.
  4. Come shovel out my car. Seriously – this will keep you busy, and it’s fun!
  5. Do a little dance, make a little love, get down tonight.
  6. That movie you picked up from the Red Box on the way home last night isn’t going to watch itself.
  7. Too dark to go sledding and too dark for a snowball fight, so try running through the snow like Rocky did in Rocky IV.
  8. Read a book. Or maybe enjoy some porn you picked up after church last Sunday.
  9. Call the ASPCA about the camel your neighbor George has billeted down in Mount Vernon.
  10. Youtube. It solves all boredom problems.

What are you doing to distract yourself from cabin fever and thus cannibalism?

Food and Drink, Life in the Capital, News, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Why Milk and Bread?

Photo courtesy of
‘Harris Teeter bread isle’
courtesy of ‘wfyurasko’

We’ve been reporting since yesterday that, in light of the storm, stores have been running out of “essentials” like milk and bread. Now, I’m not from DC originally, I’m from Maine, but I’ve lived in the south for most of my life. It’s always perplexed me that citizens of non-snow prone states, at the first whispers of a substantial storm, immediately flock to their local grocery and buy up all the milk and bread. Why milk and bread? Why would you need more milk and challah buns during a snow storm than you would on any other day? Up north, people stock up on salt and snow shovels, and make sure they’ve got enough of the food they’d normally eat to last for a day or two. Can a southern reader please explain to me to logic behind the milk and bread craze?

The Daily Feed
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MPD Cop Brings Gun to Snowball Fight

Photo courtesy of
‘mischief – it’s how i roll’
courtesy of ‘NCinDC’

The City Paper’s City Desk blog is reporting that during today’s snowball fight at 14th & U, some of the snowballers decided to target a maroon Hummer making its way down the street, only to have the driver get out, lose his shit, and start waving a gun around. Turns out, it’s a Metropolitan Police Department officer, possibly a detective. He didn’t identify himself  before drawing his weapon, but did after additional police arrived, apparently summoned by a 911 call to report a man with a gun.

I can’t imagine why it is that police have such a problem with community relations, can you?

[Update from Don @ 5:45p] There’s some video of the crowd and the officers – the plainclothes who started the incident and the uni who showed up subsequently – here on WJLA’s website. Someone in the scene also has a video camera running so I’m sure this isn’t the last angle we’ll see on this. No coverage here of the initial alleged gun-waving but the way the plainclothes keeps walking up to get into the face of his accusers says something to me about his demeanor, and it’s not flattering.

Wonder if Chief Lanier will make a public statement condemning this behavior?

The Daily Feed
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Bolt Bus Cancels DC Service for Tomorrow

Photo courtesy of
‘Bolt Buses’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Via the Bolt Bus site, we’re seeing that bus service is drastically affected for tomorrow:

“Due to the approaching winter storm, we have decided to cancel the following services on Saturday, December 19, 2009:
Between New York & Washington all schedules are cancelled.
All service for December 20, 2009 has been cancelled.
Please continue to check our website for information concerning service on December 21, 2009.

We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause you.”

News, The District, The Features, WMATA, WTF?!
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Metro Closes Above Ground Service at 1pm

alertmap_w_legend.gif

Metro has just announced that they will discontinue above-ground rail service at 1pm today, until the snow has stopped. That will close 39 stations until the snowfall has been managed.

In addition: Metrobus and Metro Access will stop running at 1:30pm.

The reason for the closures at 8″ of snow is that if the third-rail is covered, it can no longer transmit the necessary running power for the trains, meaning you could get stranded by the snow. Once they’ve cleared up the snow, they’ll return to normal service, but I’d expect that to be tomorrow at the very earliest. You can read more about Metro’s snow policies on their site.

Steven Taubenkibel of Metro has just said that road conditions are far too treacherous to continue service. For the remainder of the day, they’ll run empty deicer trains on the above-ground tracks, so you may still see trains on the tracks, but there will be no service there. They are emphasizing safety, asking people to stay off the roads so they can be cleared for service.

Adventures, Fun & Games, News, The Features
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Snow Details, Snow Fun

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

Update 11:52: THUNDERSNOW HAS BEEN REPORTED AT QUANTICO! You hear me?? THUNDERSNOW I SAY!

Update 11:38AM: (From NWS Senior Meteorologist Logan Johnson): This will now easily be the biggest December snowstorm on record in DC. It is very important that people stay OFF the roads and also that people report their snow totals to the National Weather Service at lwx-report@noaa.gov. Heaviest bands of snow arriving right now in Arlington/DC area so snowfall totals will pick up quickly.

On a side note, DCA is closed until at least 1pm.

UPDATE 9:25AM: We are now in a blizzard warning until 6pm this evening! This means winds over 35mph in addition to our substantial snowfall (up to 22″), as well as very reduced visibility.

Quick snow recap of the latest:

  • We could see 9″ by morning and UP TO 2 feet of snow by Sunday morning. That is kah-ray-zee.
  • Blizzard warnings have been issued for areas east of the city, including La Plata and Annapolis, MD.
  • We are all in a winter storm warning through Sunday morning. 30 HOURS LEFT!
  • There is no milk left in the DC metro area. At all. Like for real.
  • DC has issued a snow emergency starting at 7am, so MOVE YOUR CARS.
  • Nancy Pelosi had to leave Copenhagen early to make sure she could get back to the Hill before DC is swallowed up by fluffy white stuff.
  • It’s very possible that Metro may be an underground ONLY system starting tomorrow. Map and details here.
  • Virginia is already in a state of emergency.
  • DC area news stations will have up to the minute coverage starting at 2am and will give you updated reports every minute on the minute. Team coverage expected at every area grocery store and intersection.

    • By now, you know all there is to know about this #snowpocalypse #snOMG storm. You’ve read our post from earlier today with a description of what thundersnow is and how it could happen tomorrow, making this megastorm even more entertaining. And above you have all of the latest details you could EVAR want! So let’s have some fun with this snow thing. Everyone in our area is going crazy right now and it will only get worse tomorrow. Play along.

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