Category Archives: People

Alexandria, Entertainment, Interviews, People, Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts
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Dance Preview: Bellydance Superstars

The Bellydance Superstars in Bombay Bellywood. Photo courtesy of Bellydance Superstars.

The Bellydance Superstars will be at The Birchmere this month for two shows – October 27 and 28 – with a new production called Bombay Bellywood. I last saw BDSS perform at the Lisner in March 2009, and it was an infectiously fun performance that had the audience shimmying in their seats. For those of us studying dance, it’s always fascinating to watch and learn from professional touring companies. I’m looking forward to seeing what they’ve come up with this time around, in a production that’s mixing Bollywood and Bhangra into the usual line-up of Egyptian Cabaret and Tribal Fusion styles.

One of the highlights for me last year was the whirling veil work of Petite Jamilla, and I was thrilled to get a chance to talk with her about the new production and what DC area audiences can expect later this month.

“We are really leaving our hearts on the stage,” she said. Continue reading →

Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, News, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District, The Great Outdoors, We Green DC
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Walk Your Child to School Day

Zozo: International Walk to School Day! from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

Perhaps on your commute today you noticed an increase in the level of munchkins and parents walking around the city. That’s because today is  National & International Walk Your Child to School Day.

Beginning in 1997, the Partnership for a Walkable America sponsored the first National Walk Our Children to School Day in Chicago, modeled after the United Kingdom’s lead. The event’s mission was simply a day to bring community leaders and children together to create awareness of the need for communities to be walkable.

In 2010, the event has gone completely global and it’s goals have slightly expanded: To Create Safe Routes, To Engage Kids of All Abilities, To Enhance the Health of Kids and To Improve The Environment.

Adventures, capitals hockey, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, People, The Daily Feed
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Ryan Zimmerman Plays The Jazz Kazoo

Ryan Zimmerman (aka Zimmersapien) loves baseball. He apparently also loves kazoos, berets and jazz.

The Zimm also spends his weekends dancing with Caps coach Bruce Boudreau. No word on if Zimmerman will be teaming up with Ron Burgundy and his “yazz” flute.

Food and Drink, News, People, The Daily Feed
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Help John Murphy Win Money for the Homeless

Photo courtesy of
‘John Murphy Full Shot’
courtesy of ‘rabid_c’

Hello, DC.  I’m in Africa right now, so I don’t know much of what’s happening in DC.  Still, some news does trickle in to me and I received a particularly disturbing notification, today.  John Murphy, all around cool guy and evening chef at Miriam’s Kitchen (one of WLDC’s favorite charities) needs your help.  John is currently competing in the Sears Chef challenge.  He’s the only non-profit chef in the running and, until last night, he was winning.  But for some reason (nefarious, no doubt) votes poured in for other contestants and now John is 500 back from the leader. What I need you to do go and vote for John.  It doesn’t matter if you don’t know him. I doesn’t matter if you’ve never tried his food.  If he wins this round, Miriam’s Kitchen gets $5,000.  That means 5,000 meals for DC’s homeless.  Plus, if he goes on to win the competition, overall, Miriam’s gets an additional $20,000.  So please, take the time to make a few clicks and feed some homeless people.

Adventures, All Politics is Local, Business and Money, Entertainment, Essential DC, History, Life in the Capital, News, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District, We Green DC
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Here Comes The Bag Monster

Photo courtesy of
‘an entity’
courtesy of ‘romana klee’

Andy Keller, known to many as the “Bag Monster” is bringing his 500 – 700 plastic bag suit and plastic bag display to DC today.  If you caught Andy when he visited DC on September 6th, then you already know that Keller’s suit represents the amount of plastic bags the average American uses in a year and the rest of his display, 45,000 plastic bags, a single person’s lifetime consumption of bags. Keller’s goal is to educate communities about the harms of single-use bags, and while DC’s bag tax has helped diminish bag consumption, we’ve still got a ways to go.

If you spot the bag monster, send us a tweet @welovedc with his location.

People, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Laurel Hausler

Laurel Hausler. Photo credit: Tory Pugliese

The ghosts of the past are always with us, brushing past in layers of time, like veils in a dance being pulled away. They haunt us with both pain and humor, and to reveal their presence takes honesty and sensitivity as an artist. Not to mention, a bit of detective work.

Every so often an artist’s work hits me with a visceral force, and I knew when I saw a few pieces by Laurel Hausler at the Small Works on Paper exhibit at Morton Fine Art that I needed to see more. Luckily, you can too. Hausler has a full exhibit at MFA showing now through October 14, and I highly recommend a visit to view these wickedly beautiful oil paintings. Heavily layered both by paint and meaning, alternately revealing and concealing, the exhibit is titled Debutantes & Feral Children.

Aren’t we all a bit of both?

Hausler, a native of the DC area now based here as well, paints with a subtractive process – in other words, she begins by covering canvas or paper with many layers of paint which she then removes to reveal the subject. Actually, she first begins with research. Let’s take a closer look. Continue reading →

Adventures, Entertainment, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District
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10/02: DC Rollergirls 2010 Season Kick Off

Photo courtesy of
‘Roller Girls’
courtesy of ‘Edward Hoover’

On Saturday, October 2nd, the DC Rollergirls kick off their 2010 season with the Cherry Blossom Bombshells taking on the DC Demoncats at 4pm. For those of you who haven’t yet experienced some girl-on-girl rollerderby action, what the heck are you waiting for?!!

There’s campy player names (Miso Knotty, Ridin Dirty, Ovary Action, Marion Barracuda, etc.,) full-contact rules, high levels of athleticism, intense amounts of strategic action, the possibility of being tackled by a rollergirl if you stand near the sidelines and, the kicker, no beer lines (FYI: it’s cash only). Oh, the matches are kid friendly as well, so bring the little tikes with you!

Interviews, People, The Features
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Nats Fans Are People Too: Laura Murphy

Photo Compliments of Laura Murphy

There’s one thought that never crossed Jennifer Coffey’s mind as a mother raising her family in West Chester, Pa. — that her daughter would grow up to be a Nats fan.

“The whole family is perplexed because we’re a family that enjoys sports but especially enjoys the local sports teams,” Jennifer said of her daughter Laura Murphy.

Murphy grew up in West Chester, about 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia, and fondly remembers her family attending Phillies games during the ’93 season when “the team was awesome.”

Then Major League Baseball went on strike. Continue reading →

Adventures, Entertainment, Fun & Games, News, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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HamBieber Born At Maryland State Fair

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC06201’
courtesy of ‘rebeccaejohnson’

This past Sunday at the Maryland State Fair in Timonium, fair goers witnessed the miracle of birth, when a cow gave birth to a calf. The little fella was named “Justin” in honor of Justin Bieber, who was performing at the fair later on that day. Not surprisingly, the audience (consisting of screaming 11 year olds) chose the name.

Interviews, Life in the Capital, People, The Features
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Living in DC: The Nationals’ Perspective


Nationals Park / Photo by Max Cook

If you’re an outsider looking in then it’s easy to paint each resident of the greater D.C. metropolitan area with a political brush. People living in Maryland, Virginia or D.C. know the District is widely regarded as being the epicenter of the American political spectrum.

In anticipation of Glen Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally at the end of August, We Love DC author Ben H. Rome emphasized that Washington’s culture remains as diverse as its people. The interests of people who live here go beyond day jobs and politics. Living in D.C. is a catalyst for an active and intellectually stimulating lifestyle. Not only do the Washington Nationals know this, but they embrace it.

When they’re not at Nationals Park or on the road, Nationals players take advantage of their new home.

“It’s definitely a fun place to be. There’s always a lot going on in this place whether it’s professional teams or politically. There’s always something you can pay attention to in the news. It’s kind of the center of a lot of things so you always feel like you’re in an important place,” Nationals pitcher Craig Stammen said. Continue reading →

All Politics is Local, Downtown, Fun & Games, Media, People, The Daily Feed, The Mall
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Restoring Truthiness

Photo courtesy of
‘Stephen’
courtesy of ‘BrianMKA’

There is a movement afoot to bring a demonstration to DC that will actually be awesome. A movement determined to bring Stephen Colbert to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to call America back to it’s core values, namely truthiness. This movement is gaining traction but is still in its infancy. But I’m spreading the word.  I want this vision to become a reality. Join your voices with the literally dozens of other patriots calling for Stephen Colbert to call us back to our roots.  Maybe if you tweet something awesome, it will end up on the Report.

PS: Colbert Nation, if this rally actually happens, pick up your trash.

Food and Drink, People, The Features, We Love Drinks
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The Last of the Summer Wine

Photo courtesy of
‘la terrasse’
courtesy of ‘jenny downing’

It may be September, but we denizens of DC know that doesn’t mean an automatic reprieve from hot weather. Though autumn’s official start will arrive in a few weeks, we still have plenty of swelter left. So, what to drink in this transitional time, this ‘tween season not quite summer and not quite fall?

Luckily for us, we’ve got a lot of brilliant local sommeliers to help us over the hump. I asked a quintet to recommend some current favorites to drink now and as the seasons change, and they’ve responded most generously. There’s an embarrassment of riches here – wine recommendations, vinology knowledge to inspire you to learn more, and some tempting food pairings to whet your appetite! So join me as we explore a beautiful array of wines to sip while enjoying the last of the summer heat, as the hazy lazy afternoons slowly give way to the crisp bounty of autumn color.
Continue reading →

Adventures, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, People, The District, The Features, The Great Outdoors
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Soccer Playing Opportunities: WAWSL & WISL

Photo courtesy of


‘Ft Slocum Soccer Ball’
courtesy of ‘Wayan Vota’

As the summer months draw to a close, so begins the Fall soccer season. And for those of us who have played practically all our lives, soccer is in the air. We’re hypersensitive to the lowering of sun’s trajectory, the crisper air, and the smell of freshly cut grass. It all evokes memories of the morning practices and games, when the dawn’s mist slowly lifted from the field.

Fortunately the DC area offers plenty of soccer playing opportunities for any and all levels, and for those who wish to play on coed, men’s or women’s teams. Should your preference be a single sex team, there are two leagues in particular that I believe offer the best soccer playing experiences in the DC area, and they’re recruiting players of all levels for the fall season.

Next November 2022 do not miss out all the details of the Qatar World Cup at ESPN that will have all the details of the matches.

Continue reading →
All Politics is Local, Downtown, Essential DC, Life in the Capital, News, People, The District, The Features, WTF?!
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And For Mayor, We Endorse…

Photo courtesy of
‘Mayoralty elections (LOC)’
courtesy of ‘The Library of Congress’

As the countdown to voting day continues, many have asked us here at WeLoveDC just who we’re going to endorse for Mayor of the District. We’ve had a long and exhausting debate on our author email list, and quite frankly, we couldn’t come up with a unanimous choice, much less a majority decision. So instead, we decided to offer up our own endorsements for mayor, in our own words.

You may be surprised at who we picked. Continue reading →

Downtown, Essential DC, Life in the Capital, News, People, Special Events, The District, The Features, The Mall
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DC: We Are More Than What Others Say We Are

Fire and Ice
‘Fire and Ice’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

To the Tea Party tourists visiting this weekend:

We’d like to welcome you to the nation’s capital.

Please note that despite some serious misunderstanding and outrageous assumptions made beyond the Beltway, DC really is a safe city to visit. We do recommend, however, that you just avoid Baltimore completely. Think of it as our certifiably insane sibling to the north, with delusions of class. (And yes, I am kidding. We DCites do have a sense of humor, especially at Baltimore’s expense. And Philadelphia’s.)

Despite some ramblings of various cantankerous individuals, the District does have a lot to offer you on your visit. We bust a lot of myths about our fair city here on this site; please take a moment to see if we’ve answered any of the ones you’ve heard. We also showcase a lot of amazing arts, theater, restaurants, individuals, and other great things about the DC area here; I invite you to check out what else lies beyond the Mall and maybe sample some of our wares. Continue reading →

People, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Our DC has superheroes too.

YouTube Preview Image

I know what you’re thinking. You want to volunteer in your community, to be a good citizen, but you ALSO want to dress up in perhaps a mask or tights without your fellow volunteers judging your or edging slowly away to the other end of the senior center community room. Fortunately, there is a solution to these conflicting desires: The Capital City Super Squad.

According to the Super Squad’s FAQ, the Squad is, “is a volunteer organization of civic minded DC area citizens who perform public service in the guise of their own original superhero identities.” Is the superhero identity required? Oh yes. No mild-mannered newspaper reporters allowed. But fear not, if you earnestly desire to be a superhero but are stumped for a gimmick and a costume, that’s something the Squad can help you to formulate.

The Squad participates in such community outreach activities as passing out water during our recent heat wave (see video above) and cooperating with MPD to post  fliers to ask for leads in catching suspects or locating missing persons. So if your kung fu isn’t top-notch, you’ll still find plenty of heroic feats to accomplish.

Adventures, Entertainment, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, People, The Daily Feed, The District, The Great Outdoors
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Run in the Rain with Michael Wardian

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

Tonight at 6:30pm, The Georgetown North Face’s weekly run features ultra-marathoner Michael Wardian.  Wardian has competed a races all over the world, including four wins in DC’s National Marathon, and is  a fantastic resource for those interested in marathon running. So despite this dreary wet weather, get your running shoes on and enjoy a run in today’s slightly less humid and hot summer evening.

Entertainment, Interviews, People, The Features, We Love Arts
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Theater Spotlight: Eleanor Holdridge

Eleanor Holdridge, director of Theater J's "Something You Did" by Willy Holtzman. Photo courtesy of Eleanor Holdridge.

First in a series of interviews with the many theater professionals who call DC their artistic home.

Eleanor Holdridge had been freelancing as a director for twenty years. It can be a grueling profession, on the road sometimes for eight months at a time to make a living. She was ready for a home.

“Welcome to DC! Now, direct a play that’s political,” she jokes.

Having recently moved here to head the directing program at The Catholic University of America, Holdridge is out of the gate directing Theater J’s season opener, Something You Did. Playwright Willy Holtzman has updated the piece from its 2008 incarnation to reflect the current polarized political climate. Replacing the controversial Imagining Madoff with a play about 1960’s idealist turned imprisoned radical facing off against a neo-conservative media pundit prone to conspiracy theories may seem a bit out of the frying pan, but that kind of daring choice is what makes me admire Theater J.

With warm enthusiasm and infectious humor, Holdridge graciously shared a rehearsal coffee break with me to talk about her move to DC, her impressions of theater here, and what’s in store for audiences when Something You Did opens with previews beginning August 28.

As a Baltimore area native, Holdridge grew up coming to DC to see plays at Arena Stage. So perhaps it was inevitable that one day DC theater would call her back. Continue reading →

Adventures, Entertainment, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, News, People, The Daily Feed, The District
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Sign Her Up! Redskins Latest Recruit

Photo courtesy of
‘New Washington NFL Uniform’
courtesy of ‘Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com’

Today Albert Haynesworth for the third day in a row chose not to take the Redskins conditioning test, which consists of two timed 25 yard shuttle runs with a 3 1/2 minute rest in between each set. So local Fox 5 reporter, Lindsay Murphy, took it for him and came pretty darn close to passing.

Given how useless, lazy and overpaid Haynesworth has been during his time at the Redskins, I say “Sign Her Up!”

Fun & Games, History, People, The Daily Feed
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Baby-pocalypse

Photo courtesy of
‘Sunny Morning’
courtesy of ‘spectreman’

Snow days can be boring, especially when the drag on beyond just one or two. The novelty of the storm starts to wear off, books get read, TV’s shows get old, board games get overplayed and you start to wonder what you’re going to do with your life until work starts again. For couples trapped at home together, certain… activities present themselves as more opportune than at other times during the year. Aaand, that’s what happened during Snowpocalypse 1.0. and that now, 9 months after the storm, lots of babies are soon to be born. WaPo reports that are hospitals are staffing up to deal with the spate of births scheduled for August. Not everyone buys into  “disaster” induced conception, but the theory seems sound to me. It’s amusing, at the very least.