Category Archives: People

Entertainment, Fun & Games, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Meet The Belle Behind The Blog

Photo courtesy of
‘mannequins’
courtesy of ‘doyoubleedlikeme’

Are you a fashionista looking for something to do tonight? DC’s own Capitol Hill Style has partnered with London-chic brand Karen Millen to have a champagne and shopping night with a 15-percent-off discount at the Georgetown location.  Along with the discount, and drinks, you’ll also be able to get some coveted live fashion advice from Belle. I love it when the real world and the blogosphere intersect and you can meet and see the people behind the blog. (Just wait until WLDC throws an event. We’ve got some hotties on staff, that’s for sure.) If I weren’t already booked tonight, I’d be there in a heartbeat.

Interviews, People, The Features
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I Love DC: An Ode

Frame 10

As is the task of all the We Love DC bloggers, I set down to put what I love about this place into words. However, as I’m the upteenth member of the team, I had a feeling that much of what I could contribute would have been well-tred soil. So, instead, I have composed an Ode in three parts.

Continue reading →

24 in DC, Interviews, People, The Features
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He Loves DC: Jack Bauer

Photo courtesy of tbridge
Jack and the Capitol 2, courtesy of tbridge

Got this in the email inbox late last night. Thought I should share it with everyone – seems Jack Bauer reads WLDC! Leave him your comments; he said he’ll be watching… -BHR

After innumerable years as a government employee trotting the globe, I’m finally back in the center of it all, beautiful Washington, DC. And I love it here.

There are lots of reasons why; I thought, since everyone’s been ragging on me this week, why not ‘fess up and tell you? Continue reading →

People, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Terps Tearful on Exit

Photo courtesy of
‘toliver’
courtesy of ‘caciadoodl’

As the other Maryland players lined up to shake hands with Louisville, senior star duo Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman sat on the bench, overcome by tears. Their college careers and quest for a second NCAA title in their tenure had just come to an end at the hands of the Cardinals, 77-60 defeat. 

Louisville’s Angel McCoughtry, who calls Baltimore home, posted 21 points and 13 boards in the contest and claimed the outstanding player award for the region. For their efforts, Louisville receives the dubious award of being matched up (most likely, game is tonight at 7 p.m.) with far-and-away-favorite UConn in Final Four play on April 5. Good luck with that one…

Life in the Capital, People, The Features
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Why I Love DC


‘Cherry Blossoms at Tidal Pool’
courtesy of ‘mtngirl9999’

Some people have affairs when they want something new and exciting. I moved to DC instead.

I’d lived most of my life in Richmond, the land of generations-old traditions and flowery dresses. But eventually I felt smothered there, and I wanted out. So I fled north, 100 miles yet worlds away, to live among what a friend’s mother called “those Virginia Yankees.”

In DC, I found room to breathe. Continue reading →

All Politics is Local, Business and Money, Life in the Capital, People, The Daily Feed
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Econopocalypse – WaPo’s Help for the Employment Forlorn

Photo courtesy of
‘Fannie Mae Stole My Job!’
courtesy of ‘sinksanctity’

The Washington Post’s employment website just launched a new feature to help those recently displaced from gainful employment with a feature “How to Survive a Layoff“. I’ve personally been reading this feature due to my recent separation from my employer. It’s a handy To-Do style list of things folks should take into account once they’ve found themselves missing the daily enriching (in both definitions of the term) routine of going to work. The chief one, and one that I had to use every day due to my job as an computer incident response professional was “Don’t Panic!”. But the other useful proverb is also “use your network”. Continue reading →

Life in the Capital, People, The Daily Feed
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Here they come…

Photo courtesy of
‘sidewalk hazards’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Love them, hate them, want to plow over them in the Metro, whatever your feeling is about tourists, I know one thing: HERE THEY COME! It’s about spring break time, and the cherry blossoms are about to burst into color, and we all know what happens to the city’s floodgates in spring. I hate to be the one to report it, but the influx of bumbley-directionally-challenged-overly-friendly-standing-on-the-left-side masses into our dear city has begun.

Metro Center has been noticeably more crowded, especially with the dreaded high school tour group clogging the platform and escalators.  I hate accidentally walking straight into someone holding a map just because they randomly came to a halt in the middle of the sidewalk. I loathe trying to navigate around middle school students holding hands three across on the Metro platform. Don’t get me wrong, I love my city, and I’m happy to share it, but at this rate, we’re in for a long summer.

So I ask you – what are your tourist pet peeves, and where have you spotted the greatest number of them?

Interviews, Music, People, The Features
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He Loves DC: Stephen Kilroy

 

Middle Distance Runner loves Ben's Chili Bowl.

Middle Distance Runner loves Ben's Chili Bowl. Photo by Susan Pleiman

I’m personally a big fan of local band Middle Distance Runner–their shows are fun, the songs are catchy, and they seem to have a pretty good sense of humor about it all. They’re on tour right now, and they will be coming to Iota Saturday, March 28. I got a chance to ask lead singer Stephen Kilroy a few questions about DC, the new album, and their Celebrity Deathmatch-style video.

How long have you lived in DC?

I’ve lived in the DC area for about 16 years.

What are your favorite things about the area?

I like the feeling of being at the center of what’s going on in the world. Not just by being in the nation’s capitol, but being on the east coast, close to so many other big cities. I also like chili smokes. Continue reading →

Fun & Games, People
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He Loves DC: Crickett The Clown

Photo courtesy of
‘Just hanging out’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

As many of us are aware after the parade yesterday, the circus is in town! I had a chance to catch up with one of the clowns in the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Crickett. Crickett hails from the DC area, and I was able to  talk to him all about what it’s like to be a clown, what he misses about DC, and even about that mysterious bearded lady…

Katie: Tell us how you and DC intersect, how long you lived here, what your early memories are?

Crickett: I moved to the DC metro area when I was in 10th grade from New York and simply fell in love with it since I got here. Over more than a decade, I have lived here off and on while working and studying. Many of my early memories consist of taking the metro into the city and riding the trains with friends and just hanging out and seeing all the free sites.

Any favorite places you miss?

Of course! After I have lived/ played/ entertained (I hesitate, for obvious reasons, to call what I do work) in large arenas, such as Verizon, I enjoy being entertained as opposed to doing it myself. The Palace of Wonders is my favorite place to go in DC. It’s a tiny little club that hosts regular nightly entertainment, both amateur and professional in vaudeville, burlesque, comedy, variety and such. One of my favorite groups, the Lucky Daredevil Thrill Show performs there regularly. It’s a great place to meet up and coming performers, relax, or see weird sideshow ephemera such as Fiji mermaids, swords, and other oddities. Other than that, I love the Smithsonian and the masses of other free museums DC has to offer, especially the Air and Space Museum or the Zoo

Name the best part of DC, in your opinion?

The cherry blossom trees when they’re out. On a sunny spring day, there is no better place to be or better company to have than the cherry blossoms.

How did you wind up a clown?

While I was attending University in Newport News, VA, I happened upon a now-defunct traveling sideshow. It was then I realized I could act outrageous, tour, color my hair, wear makeup, and have fun touring without being a rock star (or a drag queen for that matter). This appealed to me because I can’t keep a beat to save my life!

More on Crickett’s career as a clown, and where you’ll be able to find him while he’s in town after the jump. Continue reading →

Arlington, Fun & Games, People, Special Events, The Features
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Crystal Couture In Review

Workday Wednesday Fashion Show

The Gossip on 23rd Runway Show at Crystal City Couture

On Wednesday, I headed over to Crystal City for dinner with friends and then a stop at the Crystal Couture Work Wear Wednesday event. Housed inside loft-like industrial space, the large room was set up with vendors selling work wear outfits, a runway, a cash bar, and complimentary mini-cupcakes from Red Velvet Cupcakery. Techno music echoed through the space, and the Sex and The City Movie played in the background. It was girlie to the hilt. After reading Don’s review of Tattoo Tuesday, I was expecting tons of photographers, but mostly there were twenty-somethings stopping by after work to shop the wares.

Although Crystal Couture isn’t quite over yet (there are still events happening through the weekend) I was able to chat with Angela Fox, the President/CEO of the Crystal City Business Improvement District, all about what she loved, what went wrong, and what the event meant for Crystal City. Continue reading →

Life in the Capital, People, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Capitol Hill Style Exposes ChickDownTown Site

Photo courtesy of
‘Dress’
courtesy of ‘farrelley’

One of my all-time favorite local blogs, Capitol Hill Style, has a post today about an internet scam that had me glued to my computer monitor. The lovably snarky CHS author Belle tells a sordid tale of buying from a scam Web site ChickDownTown – and how the “company” is a tangle of deceit, lies, fraud and credit card scams. I felt it my blogging responsibility to share her horror story, and save others from ChickDownTown’s sketchy behavior . Plus, she’s one of the people behind DC’s fashion uprising, and we can all appreciate efforts to make our fine city better looking.

She’s not all florals, dainty jewlery and lingere advice, she’s rock solid and I appreciate the fighting fashionista in Belle!

Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, People, The Daily Feed
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Better than voting for American Idol…

Photo courtesy of
‘marry’
courtesy of ‘anthrovik’

Our beloved morning Metro read, The Express is running the “Express Wedding Giveaway Contest“, the winner of which will win $35,000 in prizes. Readers are to choose from five couples and vote for who they believe deserves the prize (coughJessicaandAnthonycough) – whichever couple receives the most votes, wins! (Duh.)

The contest debuted in the Express last week, and I was thoroughly enthralled. So much so, actually, that I almost missed my Metro stop. So if you’re in the mood for love, or you like voting, stop on by and help a lucky couple get free stuff.

People, Special Events, The Features
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We Love Resolutions

Fortune Cookie.jpg
fortune cookie: look within by coolmel

Happy 2009, everyone! While I usually don’t get down with the Resolutions for every new year, 2008 was such a spectacular disaster in many ways, I’m glad to try to right the boat from the very beginning. Resolutions work best if you have people to help keep you honest, so we decided as a group to post some of ours here, below the cut. Got a good resolution? Post it in the comments! Continue reading →

Essential DC, History, Interviews, People
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He Loves DC: Peter Earnest (Part 2)

Photo courtesy of Me
Peter Earnest, courtesy of Me

Last week, we introduced you to the Executive Director of the International Spy Museum, Peter Earnest. He sat down with me back before Thanksgiving; we talked for quite a while covering both his personal observations and his professional opinions on the Washington DC area.

Before we continue with the rest of the interview, I need to point out that Peter can be an extremely funny guy. If you doubt, witness the two-part episode that aired about a month ago on Stephen Colbert’s show, specifically the “Fallback Position” segment he does periodically. He did two segments with Peter, an interview and a look at some items in the museum proper. If you’ve not seen them, you must. (Each segment is about six minutes long.) Don’t worry, we’ll still be here when you get back.

Ok, on with our conversation! We cover everything from public perception on espionage to cabbies to people; find out what Peter had to say after the jump. Continue reading →

People, Sports Fix, WTF?!
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Minding the Net

Photo courtesy of ivanomak
Jose Theodore, courtesy of Ivan Makarov

I watch hockey. A lot. So when stuff happens that seems unusual, I’m not entirely phased. Tonight, however? Yeah, totally amusingly unusual and worth posting here.

My friends and I were engrossed in Boston’s ugly beat down of Atlanta tonight before we switched to Chicago’s eventual win over Colorado when we got wind of the ‘unusual’ over at the Caps game.

We’d heard that Theodore went down with a hip injury (or is that a “mid-body injury,” to use the NHL’s new method of reporting boo-boos?) earlier in the day and that Brent Johnson – he of the hot glove hand lately – would be in the net against the Senators. The NHL Network had been reporting Sergei Varlamov’s call-up to back up Johnson, so what was all the buzz about?

Lo and behold, Varlamov was going to be running late flying in from Houston where his other team – the Hershey Bears – was on the road and wouldn’t make the start of the game. Yeah, I know, it doesn’t sound unusual. Yet. Continue reading →

Interviews, Life in the Capital, People
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Why I Love DC: Jasmine

Photo courtesy of maxedaperture
Washington Monument, courtesy of maxedaperture

All the authors here at We Love DC have written essays on why they love DC. Since I’m the newest addition, it has fallen to me to explain just why it is that I love DC.

I love DC for a lot of reasons, but primarily because DC has character. Name a state that has as vitriolic a slogan as “Taxation Without Representation” on their license plates. The people of DC are pissed, and they want everyone to know about it. How can you not love that? I dig a city with passion.

DC is its own city–it will never turn into NYC, or be confused with LA. The architecture is fantastic, and as a fan of little bronze plaques, I love that it seems like a historic event happened on every corner. My personal favorite is the Wok n Roll in Chinatown, which is the current occupant of the Surratt Boarding House (allegedly where the conspiring to assassinate Lincoln went down).

I don’t know if you know this, but DC is kind of a big deal. Important people do important things here every day. Stuff like, oh I don’t know, running the country. I love people-watching during rush hour and wondering what exactly those guys and girls in the serious suits got up to today. DC is also kind of a must-see for pretty much every American. Just check out people’s reactions when they hear that you’ve never been: “Whaaat?? Not even on a school trip?!” Yeah. I live there. And yeah, I can tell you exactly how to get to that museum/monument/restaurant. (OK, maybe not because directions aren’t my thing, but I can fake it.)

Continue reading →

Interviews, Life in the Capital, People
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He Loves DC: Peter Earnest (Part 1)

DSC_1784

As many are aware (and many more not), my first job in the DC area – what brought me here in the first place – was a full-time position in management with the International Spy Museum. At that time, I made the acquaintance of the Executive Director, Peter Earnest. As founding director, Peter brings to the museum over 35 years of experience with the Central Intelligence Agency, including two decades in the CIA’s Clandestine Service. He’s also served in the Office of the Director of Central Intelligence as liaison officer to the Senate and as an investigator / inspector with the Inspector General. He was a member of the CIA’s Senior Management Service and awarded the Agency’s Intelligence Medal of Merit for “superior performance” throughout his career.

A fascinating man who’s led a most interesting career with the CIA, Peter was gracious enough to sit down and talk about Washington, his career and espionage within DC with me. We had such a great time and shared so much info, I’ve had to break the interview up into two segments. We’ll publish Part 2 next week.

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Entertainment, Interviews, People
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She Loves DC: Carrie Milbank

Photo courtesy of Carrie Milbank

Photo courtesy of Carrie Milbank

I’m an avid viewer of nhl.com’s The Hockey Show, co-hosted by Steven Lee and Carrie Milbank. I was surprised to find out Carrie had some roots in the DC area – specifically, during her initial foray into the broadcasting field – and on a whim, contacted her and asked if she’d like to do an interview for WeLoveDC.

I mean, we love finding out what others have to say about our city, right? So why not ask some of those in the spotlight? It doesn’t hurt that Carrie’s a big Ovechkin fan and did a few interviews for THS on coach Bruce Boudreau and Ovie.

Carrie was very gracious in accepting my request, so what follows is the Q&A session I had with her. We covered quite a bit, from her impressions and memories of DC to the Capitals and her career as a female sportscaster.

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Essential DC, Interviews, Life in the Capital, People
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We Thank DC


In This Temple
Originally uploaded by stuckincustoms

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! As per custom with many today, we here at WeLoveDC want to take a moment and share what we’re thankful for with regards to the DC Metro area, our home.

We all wish you a great and bountiful day today, many leftovers for tomorrow, and good shopping deals over the weekend. But most of all, we wish every one of our readers well and toast at our tables to your health, your happiness, and your prosperity.

Our personal “What we’re thankful for about DC” after the jump.

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People, We Love Arts
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We Love Art: Mark Eisendrath

Sculpture by Mark Eisendrath, image courtesy of the artist

I find writing about art difficult. Music as well. Both disciplines hit me on a profoundly visceral level, a wild and wordless place that for a writer is disconcerting.

So to encourage you to attend a local artist’s opening (and full disclosure, he’s a friend as well), I think it best to stay clear of attempts to put into words what should be experienced on a tactile emotional plain.

I’ll just say – Mark Eisendrath’s sculptures are fascinating forms, riffs on glyphs, and well worth a drive out to Towson this Saturday.

 (More images and gallery info after the break)

Continue reading →