Kevin is an amazing person whose brilliance is only overshadowed (if only ever-so-slightly) by his selflessness, integrity, and modesty. His relentless humor and up-for-anything attitude are really just icing on the cake. This dashing lad is single, but be advised that he has exceptionally high standards (though he habitually ignores them). He loves rocking out and local business. He’s also left-handed and very uncomfortable with the term “tween.”
Should you find yourself in Adams Morgan this weekend and looking for something that's not jumbo slice (or want something to add to your boozy buffet), you're in luck. Two of the best falafel places in the city is there. Read More »
Yesterday marked the official (albeit soft) opening of Columbia Heights newest eatery: CommonWealth. The premise is upscale English pub far (think English food, but not gross).
In case you didn't know, this is where local restaurants offer up a prix fixe menu at $20.08 for lunch and $35.08 for dinner. While that may sound uncheap, consider that many of the restaurants participating are the best in the city.
Beware, though, as not everyone offers a good menu. Here's how you choose a restaurant:
So you may have noticed that there's fewer people around. This is an annual occurance known as the August Slowdown (aka the August Exodus). Congress is out of session, and it's hot as all hell, so many take this opportunity to leave town (I'm planning to be out of town 14 of the remaining 26 days of the month).
Basically, in August you're left with a third of the population. One third goes on a real vacation. Another third goes to Ocean City/Rehobeth (and sometimes Virginia Beach). The rest stay and sweat among the tourists.
Take this opportunity to hit up places you've been meaning to, but have otherwise been too busy. The typical tourist hot spots will still be crowded, but anything outside of monumental earshot should be entertaining reduced audiences.
Tomorrow night at the 9:30 Club should be a dance-y good time (provided that people actually dance, but that's a discussion for another day) for those who enjoy Garage/Rockabilly/R&B/Surf music.
The opening act is none other than DC's own The Hall Monitors. I saw them earlier this year at DC9 opening for The Woggles, and they were super fun. We bought them some beers after the show and hung out with them for a little bit. Ginger (the chick) kicks ass.
The headliner is Southern Culture on the Skids, a group out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. From what I've heard of them, they throw in some humor in their performances and can get a bit raunchy ... which I always appreciate.
So go and dance (seriously, if you go and don't dance, you are worthless).
If you haven't heard, every year The Hill puts out it's list of the 50 most beautiful people on Capitol Hill. Like everything else on the Hill, the selection is highly political, requires a good deal of behind-the-scenes organizing and bargaining, and the results aren't always what they should be (Sen. John "my-wrinkles-have-wrinkles" Warner and Rep. Vito "combover" Fossella made the list).
I really wanted to degrade all these folks and mock The Hill's lack of basic literary skills, but The DCeiver beat me to the punch.
So I know this is a DC-centric blog, but I just got back from a trip to New Orleans and feel it my civic duty to tell everyone that they should go.
Why? Because the city is still not the same and they (1) need your tourist dollaz and (2) need people to know that.
3 Rules for going
1) Be safe. New Orleans can be a rough city and there's plenty of dark alleys. Stay on main, well-lit streets and be aware of your surroundings.
2) Get off Bourbon. Bourbon St. is fun and all, but that's not all there is to the city. I had a great time on Frenchman St., but there's plenty of other areas around.
3) Visit the 9th Ward. This is where you will really see that all is not right. Ask the hotel (or the concierge at a nicer one nearby) about tours. I know some people that got a cabbie to take them around.
"My parents are coming to town. Sweet! Free food! Shopping! Wait. What am I going to do with them?"
For one weekend, you need to not only pretend that you don't cry yourself to sleep on a regular basis, but also that you're out in DC loving life and the city.
Whether you've noticed or not, the air ain't the only thing getting hot around town. There is a battle raging. One whose competitors are fierce and will take no prisoners. One whose competitors will stop at nothing to stamp out the competition. Know that blood will flood the streets and screams will be heard throughout the day and long into the night. Well ... maybe not, but the froyo wars are heating up.
We're not talking about TCBY here (though I could totally go for a Reese's Pieces Shiver). We are talking about a frozen dessert that's more yogurty than an ice cream substitute (you kind of have to taste it to get it). If you've been to LA or NYC in the past few years, you'll likely have noticed people going nuts for Pinkberry. While they may be "the original," they have yet to set up shop in DC (though word on the street is there are plans). For now, the ruthless dealers of dairy are Tangysweet, Mr. Yogato, and Sweet Green. And while the battle is just getting under way, and only time will tell who the ultimate victor is, I am (prematurely) prepared to declare a winner.
But before that, let's take a look at the contestants: Read More »
Being originally from New York (OK, upstate, but I have discerning tastes with roots in NYC), I'm a perpetual complainer about two things: bagels and pizza (I would complain about cheesecake, but have accepted the fact that nowhere can come close to Junior's). Having all but given up on a finding a good bagel in this town (there are edible bagels; there are even halway decent ones; there are no good bagels). I'm in the same predicament with pizza. It's not that there aren't delicious pizza options out there, it's that none of them are my ideation of what pizza should be.
However, I've managed to quell my inner rage by adopting every Washingtonian's guilty pleasure as a proxy: jumbo slice.
It's been a heck of a week for food around these parts. Last night, I FINALLY got to one of the new hot spots in town, Good Stuff Eatery. I say "FINALLY" because this is my third attempt to eat there. The first time, they were closed for filming of stupid Top Chef (OK, it's not stupid, but I had a hangover that only some good greasiness could cure). The second time, they were closed for two hours in the afternoon for some stupid other reason (I believe the sign said something about "spite" and "you."). Last night, a friend and I really want to get something hot and juicy in our mouths and decided the third time's a charm. Having put far too much effort (and schelps to the House side of the Hill) into just being able to eat there, my expectations were set high. Read More »
I know I've mentioned it before, but seriously people, if you are on a crowded train, move to the center of the car.
This morning, there was some issue on the Green line, and I had to wait 9 minutes after just missing a train. After that 9 minutes, I had to wait an additional 4. You want to know why? Because the stupid and selfish people on the train DID NOT MOVE TO THE CENTER OF THE CAR. Blame also goes to the train operator who decided to close the doors instead of waiting until I (along with some other kind folks) tried to find a place to squeeze in. Let this be a warning to the DC metropolitan area: If you do not move to the center of the car, you WILL incur my wrath.
So will all this hubbub about the Free Food-a-thon, my appetite has been whetted. But I crave not free food, I crave absolute deliciousness. Luckily, some of my favorites around town ain't hard on the wallet.
So one of the best things about DC is how easy it is to travel up and down the East Coast. It can be cheap, too. You just have to take the bus. Sometimes it can be a hassle, but let's be honest Amtrak's no charm (and as expensive as flying) and air travel is in shambles right now.
It used to be that your only options were between a Chinatown bus and Greyhound, neither particularly appealing. But, with the introduction of competition, all buses to NY (and Philly) have noticeably improved.
This weekend, there's going to be scheduled track maintenance on the Blue and Yellow lines from 7 a.m. Saturday until 7 p.m. Sunday resulting in single-tracking between Pentagon City and Braddock Road.
Metro advises you add 35 minutes to your travel plans:
"To alleviate train congestion through the single track location, every other Yellow Line train traveling in the direction of Huntington and every other Blue Line train traveling in the direction of Franconia-Springfield will terminate at Pentagon City Metrorail station and return to Fort Totten and Largo Town Center Metrorail stations respectively. All other Blue and Yellow Line trains traveling between Pentagon City and Huntington/Franconia Springfield Metrorail stations will operate every 36 minutes. " [emphasis added]
So it's time for the Capital Fringe Festival. Before proceeding with what, when, and where, I'm going to pass along a recommendation by Svetlana at BYT: TAKE DEEP BREATHS. HYDRATE. TRY NOT TO OVERWHELM YOURSELF. REPEAT.
For real, kids. This series can be overwhelming (trust me, it took a bottle of Xanax to write this post), so take it slow and let it flow.
Getting back to the task at hand, Capital Fringe Festival is happening this year from today until July 27. It's goal is to "connect exploratory artists with adventurous audiences by creating outlets and spaces for creative, cutting-edge, and contemporary performance in the District." Basically, to create some cool stuff that's in one way or another outside the "mainstream." The festival features over 600 individual performances involving over 200 companies in 30 venues all over town (hence, the Xanax).
No one can do it all. So, your best bet is to pick a few things and hit them up. To make things even easier for you, I've provided you with some that caught my eye. Read More »
So, in case you haven't noticed, it's summer. And while it's starting to get oppressive during the day, the nights generally manage to cool down a little. This means that instead of sweating profusely from being, you only sweat if you move. What better way to enjoy the weather and not move than an outdoor movie?
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