Tag Archives: Dupont Circle

Dupont Circle, The Daily Feed
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Dupont Benches Get Facelift

In 1993, the National Park Service took over maintenance of Dupont Circle which is news to me.  As I strolled through the circle this morning I noticed that they were replacing a section of the circular benches that are often the subject of local area photographers.  I stopped to talk to the workers for a while who were at first skeptical when I asked them to take some pictures, but by the end of our talk they said, “Feel free to come back and take more pictures if you want.”

After a few years of exposure to the elements, the wood begins to rot which is when the NPS springs into action.  I often wondered how they got the wooden slats to bend into their arched form.  As you can see they start with one end of the board, anchor it to the concrete bench, and keep working their way down to the end, clamping it as they go.  They use fir wood due to its durability, which is key when a bunch of people are going to be sitting on it every day.

Thank you, National Park Service, for keeping Dupont Circle in tip top shape!

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘julianne’s’

There’s nothing like a nice day in the park to get your photographer creativity flowing, and Dupont Circle is one of those recurring themes in our pool. And Dupont isn’t short of characters or things that make for good pictures.

But every now and then you have to take a new perspective on the ordinary. User julianne’s got down low to get this angle of people playing chess. It’s not an angle we see often, and I like it a lot.

The Daily Feed
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Red Line Delays Due to Track Fire

Delays.jpg

An “arcing insulator” has caused a fire on the Red Line tracks (Shady Grove direction), outside Dupont Circle. At the same time, a track circuit issue is giving Metro problems at Farragut North. Single-tracking is currently in effect between Dupont and Van Ness. Expect major delays in both directions this afternoon. Official WMATA release here.

Update: “Normal” service has been restored.

Business and Money, Food and Drink, Life in the Capital, News, The Daily Feed
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Get Your Greek/Turkish On

Photo courtesy of
‘Greek Salad’
courtesy of ‘christaki’

Starting April 30th, Dupont Circle will be getting a new Greek and Turkish restaurant. Agora will feature small plates prepared on the wood-fired oven and charcoal fired BBQ grill, and overseen by Turkish born Chef Rasit Gulsen, formerly of Nizam’s Restaurant in Vienna, VA.

The restaurants menu will feature Turkish and Greek fare reflecting owner, Latif Guler’s, heritage growing up in the small town of Foca, Turkey.  The restaurant will highlight wines and beer from the Mediterranean regions of Turkey and Greece, and will serve a nice selection of Ouzo, an anise-flavored spirit widely consumed in Greece.

The two-story, 170-seat restaurant located at 1527 17th Street, NW, (aka the “doomed” spot that was formerly Jack’s, Le Pigalle, Peppersm, etc.) has been transformed to a Mediterranean oasis by Brie Husted Architecture and features a collection photos that capture the everyday life of picturesque Foca. Other features an upstairs expansion complete with 48 seats that can be used for private dining and a sidewalk café that can accommodate 34 guests for both the lunch and dinner service.

The Daily Feed
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A Dolcezza Summer for Dupont

Have no fear, your dessert prayers have been answered.  Dolcezza Artisanal Gelato will be opening a brand-spanking-new location in Dupont Circle, perfect for those hot and humid days ahead.  The gelateria will not only have a gelato bar, but also an exclusive V60 Pour-over Coffee Bar.  Slated to open on April 15th, this location will feature all of the signature flavors you love like Pistachio Siciliano & Strawberry Tarragon. 

If that’s still not enough to reel you in, the gelateria (gotta love that word) will be furnished with antiques directly from Argentina.  In addition, artwork by local artists will hang throughout the space.  Every month the artwork will rotate out for other pieces, and you’ll even be able to purchase them. 

Shortly after the opening on the 15th, there will be a Grand Opening Party open to the public on Sunday April 25th from 12 noon-6pm.  Complete with live bluegrass music, a whole-smoked hog and of course, FREE gelato, you might want to mark this one on your calendar.  The new location in Dupont Circle is located at 1704 Connecticut Ave. NW.  For more information on Dolcezza or store locations you can visit their website.

The Daily Feed
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Don’t Be Late For This Very Important Date — Madhatter Re-Opens Tonight

Photo courtesy of
‘queen of hearts’
courtesy of ‘m hoek’

The Madhatter in Dupont re-opens tonight at its new location just south of the circle, located at 1321 Connecticut Ave NW. And — if you bring your Alice in Wonderland movie ticket stub with you this weekend — you’ll get half-off an appetizer (only one ticket per group though).

Madhatter opens to the public at 8.

The Daily Feed, We Love Arts
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DC Seeks Vision for Dupont Underground


Old Entrance by M.V. Jantzen

Decades after the trolley system was shut down at Dupont Circle, the city is still looking for a viable use for the abandoned underground space.  The last attempt was a food court, creatively named “Dupont Down Under”, however it failed miserably and was only open for a year.  In 2007 a proposal to create some adult strip clubs was circulated but not surprisingly it was shot down.

The Post is reporting that the city will be putting out a request for proposals next month to solicit possible uses for the 100,000 square foot space.  Council Member Jack Evans  (D-Ward 2) says, “It needs to be a destination place that people will come to.”  What a novel idea.

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Alexandria, Dupont Circle, Food and Drink, We Love Food
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We Love Food: The Burger Joint


‘DSCF3611.jpg’ courtesy of ‘joelogon’

The Burger Joint (BGR) is the latest in a line of local hamburger shops trying to muscle in on DC-area institution Five Guys by offering a gourmet twist on this American staple. I went to their new Old Town Alexandria location to put these burger peddlers’ wares to the test.

There is no better food than a hamburger. A good steak comes close but really hamburgers take the title with their myriad of configurations. Easily a sit-down meal or a perfect eat-on-the-go, with a few toppings tweaks the hamburger offers all things to all comers (except maybe vegetarians). I have long been a fan of DC hamburger establishments and have been putting new offerings to the test for many years. I guess it all began back when I was accepted to George Washington University back in 1993. While quite happy to have got in, I was secretly celebrating the fact that I would soon be living less than a block from burger heaven, Lindy’s the Bone. Back in those days DC was a tale of two burger shops; Lindy’s Bon Appetit and Five Guys pretty much had you covered. For specialty burger creations it was Lindy’s and for the purist burger experience there was none better than (the now overly-franchised) Five Guys.

In the time I have lived here there have been many new burger contenders. Most notably Hamburger Mary’s (now defunct), ZBurger (not bad), Elevation Burger (yuck), and Ray’s Hell Burger (omfg!). Of those four, really only Hamburger Mary’s and Ray’s Hell Burger stand out and for good reason; Hamburger Mary’s offered truly excellent specialty burgers in a fun and funky sit-down dinner environment; while Ray’s continues to serve-up over-the-top, gourmet burgers in a real, walk-up-order, ‘burger joint’ setting.

The Burger Joint now enters into a field beginning to feel a tad cluttered. After all, Five Guys has expanded all over the city like a fungus, Lindy’s is still quietly rocking the Red Lion basement, and Ray’s is all the rage after the Obama/William’s visit. So how does a new burger shop stand-out amongst such stiff and varied competition? By offering the best pure burger in town, that’s how.
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The Daily Feed
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The Mysterious W Express

A few nights ago I was stumbling home from Lauriol Plaza when I noticed that my neighborhood gas station at 18th & S magically transformed itself from a BP to a W Express.  I’m sure we have all seen a BP (short for British Petroleum) station and maybe even seen one of their commercials on TV.  They’re a huge global energy corporation right?  Right.  I’m guessing however that you probably know little to nothing about W Express.  In fact, I tend to think of myself as a pretty good master of using the Google and the Bing, but I can’t find any information on W Express.  None.

So I have to wonder how a gas station changes hands from a global energy giant to what appears to be a local rinky dink company, who I might add has one of the worst logo designs I’ve ever seen.  What does the “W” in W Express even stand for?  Where does their gas come from and how good is the quality?  Now I’m sure most people don’t have a preference of which gas company they use, but what if your local grocery store was a Safeway one day and then a “Q Speedy” the next?  Would you still buy food from a store you knew absolutely nothing about?

If you have any information about W Express or are better at Googling than I am, please share in the comments.

The Daily Feed
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More Ghost Bikes Appear in Dupont

In what appears to be an overreaction to the removal of the Alice Swanson Ghost Bike Memorial at 20th and R Streets NW, sixteen twenty-two new ghost bikes have been placed around the intersection this morning.  We haven’t seen a formal statement from the Washington Area Bicyclist Associate so it’s hard to say who’s responsible for this demonstration.  There are many different types and sizes of bikes scattered around, but none of them are locked down except for the bike that is located where the original memorial was.  We’d love to hear from you if you know who’s responsible and what their message may be, but it’s safe to say that these bikes won’t be around for long.  More awesome camera phone photos after the jump.

Update: According to this “quickly done” blog, the project is the work of “DC native, cyclist, and anarchist Legba Carrefour”.  The site claims that if the bike is removed by the city again, “We’ll put it back again.  And Again.  And again.”

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We Love Food
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We Love Food: Firefly

Photo courtesy of Me

Firefly, courtesy of Me

Firefly‘s gotten a lot of mention around here but we’ve never done a comprehensive review. When I had to pick a place to meet an out-of-town friend who was staying off Scott Circle, Firefly seemed like a no-brainer selection. My darling wife and I met her and another dining companion on a Thursday night expecting a highly enjoyable experience.

We did not get exactly what we expected.

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Dupont Circle, History, Mythbusting DC, The Features
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DC Mythbusting: The DC Streetcar System

Photo courtesy of
‘Washington, DC View east down F Street NW no date’
courtesy of ‘army.arch’

Welcome to another edition of DC Mythbusting.  In order to avoid thinking about the terrible accident on Metro yesterday, I’m going to transport you back in time to when DC had another transit system.  That’s right, our fair city was served by a streetcar system beginning in 1862, and the last of the trains ran a hundred years later in 1962.  Then, as was the trend at the time, the transit system was forced to switch to buses, and the streetcars were no more.  There are many legends about the streetcar– it’s hard to imagine a transit system just leaving town with no marks, but you look around the city today and it’s hard to imagine the thriving streetcar system that existed just a few generations ago.  However, we’re lucky enough to have some very cool remnants of the old streetcar system.

Have you ever walked around Dupont Circle and seen those things that look just like New York City subway entrances?  Well, those are old streetcar entrances.  They were not all fancy like our Metro entrances (no one is standing to the right on escalators here), they’re just simple stairwells down to the streetcar platforms.  Passengers would descend into the station, where the streetcar would run in half-circles.  The Mount Pleasant Line of the streetcar system shut down in 1961, and by 1964 the station entrances were paved over.  But that’s not the end of the story for Dupont’s old streetcar station– in 1995, the station opened as a food court called Dupont Down Under, but apparently people don’t like eating in windowless underground lairs when they could be eating outside in one of DC’s great urban parks.  The project failed within a year, and the area was once again abandoned.  A couple years back, Jim Graham suggested that the space be used for adult clubs; however, neighborhood residents weren’t too excited about that and the space has remained vacant.

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Dupont Circle, The Daily Feed
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Dupont Staycation


suite bett by loop oh

We all need vacations.  I could go for a three month (or permanent) vacation right about now.  However when times are tough and your wallet is a bit thinner than usual, you might think about skipping your trip to Paris and instead having a DC staycation.  Instead of researching French bistros and quaint places to eat baguettes and cheese, why not stay right here in our fabulous city?

The key to a successful staycation is to get out of your house and into a hotel.  Might I suggest the new and improved Dupont Hotel?  They recently did a $50 million renovation and all rooms feature either a king or two double beds, complimentary wireless Internet, flat-screen TVs, heated bath floor tiles, Frette bath robes and Kiehl’s bath amenities.  The best part is that they’re offering their rooms at $100 off their regular nightly rate, a deal that’s hard to pass up.

So ditch the kids, pack your fancy lingerie, and slip into a world of luxury.  If you’re still longing for baguettes, cheese, and an overall rude French experience, might I suggest Bistro du Coin?

Entertainment, Fun & Games, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Pillow Fight Saturday

courtesy of flickr user Nivad

courtesy of flickr user Nivad

Left wondering what to do with those old, deflated pillows?

Problem solved: At 2PM on the National Mall in front of the Smithsonian Castle or at 3PM in Dupont Circle, show up with a CONCEALED SOFT pillow – in a bag, backpack or something similar and act completely nonchalant.  Wait for the crowd to gather and when you hear the signal it’s on!

Hooray! It’s International Pillow Fight Day, part of The Urban Playground Movement, whose goal is to organize free, fun, all age appropriate, non-commercial public events all over the world. DC’s pillow fights are being “organized” by DC Defenestrators.

Pillow fighting etiquette dictates:

-Soft pillows only! I don’t like to use a simple pillow, my favorite to play are Beckham Hotel Collection Pillows.

-Swing lightly, many people will be swinging at once.

-Do not swing at people without pillows or with cameras.

-Remove glasses beforehand!

-The event is free and appropriate for all ages.

-Wait until the signal to begin.

-The event is more fun with feathers. I logged onto the DC Defenestrators facebook page for the event and they’ve updated their last pillow fight rule: + *CHANGE* you are responsible for your own feathers! – California had a pillow fight that required $10,000 to clean up from the city. If you leak any feathers, you are responsible for cleaning them up. We want this to be fun for everyone, don’t be d**ks that make a mess and leave.

Food and Drink, We Love Food
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We Love Food: Brunch @ Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe

Photo courtesy of
‘Kramerbooks Glass House’
courtesy of ‘Wahig’

There are days in DC that I forget we are in a recession. Last Sunday’s brunch at Kramerbooks & Afterwords was one of them. The book shop was stuffed full with people, and every table was filled, the air abuzz with excitement for spring. I was worried that the wait for two would be at least an hour when we walked in, but we actually only waited for 15 minutes! Afterwords Cafe has lots of little parts, the glass house, the outdoor patio, the upstairs – they take advantage of not a lot of space, and stuff it full with people.

Kramerbooks is definitely a DC institution, ranking up there with Ben’s Chili Bowl and the Brickskeller as a place everyone has been at some point while living in the city.  I actually had not, but was eagerly awaiting checking out both the bookstore and the cafe – I had heard mixed reviews, from horrible to mediocre, to a favorite.  I was ready to decide for myself. So… the food? Well… you’ll find out after the break.

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The Daily Feed
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A Long Overdue Facelift

Congo Embassy by maxedaperture

The Democratic Republic of Congo has finally decided to do some repairs on their dilapidated embassy.  Located on the corner of New Hampshire Avenue and S Street NW, it has been a bit of an eyesore in the Dupont Circle neighborhood.  Because the city has very little control over what a country can and cannot do with their embassy, this particular one has sat in neglect and abandonment for many years, becoming a home to squatters and rats.

According to Rob Halligan (who used to hold the position of ANC Commissioner) and his sources, the work permits “call for window replacement, stucco repair, roof replacement, including revising existing terra cotta tiles, and driveway replacing.”  There is no word about whether the embassy will remain vacant after the repairs are complete.

With these improvements and a new dog park in the works, the neighborhood is really shaping up for the better.

Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed
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Oh Dog Park, Where Art Thou?

photo courtesy of Max

I moved to Dupont Circle in late 2003 which seems like an eternity ago.  Not much has changed in the neighborhood since then.  Some new restaurants have opened up on 17th street, property prices went way up and then slid back down again, and the “S street dog park” has turned into a barren, dusty, dirt bowl.

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Food and Drink, We Love Food
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We Love Food: I Ricchi / Sesto Senso

Photo courtesy of daquellamanera
Vela, courtesy of daquella manera

Back during Restaurant Week, my lovely wife hit two dining spots in Dupont Circle. Due to me first losing her review, then forgetting about it, it’s only now just appearing for your reviewing pleasure. I suspect I’ll be taking her out again this weekend to make up for my faux pas…

So, here it is – better late than never!

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Media
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DC Print Media: Alive and Well

Newspaper boxes stretching from Dupont Circle to the Balitmore Sun

Newspaper boxes stretching from Dupont Circle to the Balitmore Sun

I’m sitting here in Dupont Circle looking at the newspaper stand and I’m amazed at the plethora of print available to the interested reader. Just on this side of the block alone, we have 15 different periodicals to choose from. Everything from the Wall Street Journal, to the Falls Church News-Press, to The Creek (a fiercely independent newspaper), to Bash Magazine (a monthly comic alternative).

All these paper-media options tells me that while we at WeLoveDC embrace the Internets, there’s still much offline reading going on.

It also indicates that there is strong competition to the Washington City Paper’s dominance of local alternative news. With Politico, The Examiner, and the Express, WCP no longer rules the free weekly roost like it did in the 90’s.

But it does make me wonder: what’s your free newspaper paper choice?