happy birthday, metro!

on this date in 1976 the dc metro opened it's first 4.6 miles of track.

interior design

i visited my friend john's house the other day after lunch at ted's bulletin...his place is fantastic! this remodeled church on capitol hill is a multi-unit multi-level condominium building with 14 foot ceilings and fantastic light through the large windows, perfect for displaying his trophy heads (he's from texas) and lovely artwork.

he also has a nice hat collection.

most dangerous neighborhood?

wow...i was shocked to see the navy yard area in southeast dc named as the ninth most dangerous neighborhood in the country! really? i dont think so, but they have the stats to prove it. this neighborhood is near capitol hill, and i have lot of friends who live there, including mann of mannmade designs...and hello cupcake is opening their second branch there...do i even need to mention the marines (hot, but dont ask and dont tell)? this hood is filled with great shops, great restaurants and great people. i have never felt threatened or frightened when visiting, and most everyone on the street says 'hello!', which is typical of most places in dc and its surrounding burbs...so, all i am saying is, its worth the risk to go and hang out there, but watch your back, i guess!

weekend stuff to do

arts on foot is so great and just one of a myriad of weekend shizz to do...and you should get out cuz the weather has not been finer in a while!

•dc shorts is a film festival featuring 97 movies 24 minutes or less (hence: 'shorts'): its the perfect prescription for the add/adhd crowd! the grand bash is tonight at the navy memorial plaza: get over there and party hard...oh, yeah: and watch some films! thru next thursday...
•celebrate yet another new project over there near the nationals' stadium: the yards park is now officially open and they are having a festival to prove it! it is supposedly "the centerpiece" of the newly renovated waterfront: guess i will have to check that out...there will be pies...
•page to stage is a free event at the kennedy center sunday and monday featuring a lot of theatrics and possibly some jazz hands.
•happy architecture week! there will be many events celebrating the nation's capital and its multitude of foreign embassies...get your a.i.a. on, but dont forget your passport.

arts on foot

arts on foot started today: immerse yourself in art while the weather is fantastic here in the nation's capitol! buy stuff at the fine art marketplace...attend one of the many activities like crafts, theatre and dance demos...watch a film...eat some food and drink argentinian wines...sounds like a good thursday to me!

dog days in dc sale

it is predicted to be only in the upper 80's on saturday-not 100°-so go enjoy the city...after i buy raviolis at eastern market, i might pick up a birthday present for myself, then head over to the dog days sale in midcity: used to be the red light district and stop-and-cop when i worked on some presidential campaign back in the day...

i think i can put the snow boots away!

it is so nice not to have to wear insulated boots anymore on my dog walks!

days 49-55: design something every day

i am behind on my daily postings of my design something every day challenge, but i have not stopped the design process. i have been working on some competitions, and today i submitted my designs for a creative bike rack competition for the golden triangle business district in downtown dc. i came up with a lot of different ideas, but these are the six i entered. that covers days 49-55, so i still have the other 8 (good) designs i didnt use to go.

thievery corporation at the 9:30 club

yet another stellar eclectic event from thievery corporation. the 9:30 club always puts on a great show: it wasnt too crowded (though sold out), the sound system rocked, and everybody was in a good mood. nice.

marine corps marathon street closures

today is the the 34th annual marine corps marathon! its too late to enter the people's marathon (ahhh!) but you could cheer these hardcore athletes on...or watch it on tv...or just avoid the traffic jams due to street closures in the area. i heard a spa is trying to set the guinness book of world record for foot massage by rubbing 400+ feet (200 people) of the runners. super stinky!

strange comfort from Brian Jungen

today an amazing exhibit of intensely crazy work from Brian Jungen opens at the national museum of the american indian. jungen combines iconic american stuff (nike shoes, plastic chairs) into traditional native american imagery: looks so fantastic, i cant wait to see it!

president obama wins top honors again!

first the nobel peace prize and now the nyc burger bash? president obama cant be stopped! top chef contestant chef spike cooked up this dreamy dish (like the prez) and took top honors at the competition held at the 2009 nyc wine & food festival and hosted by rachel ray. i gotta say, chef spike really makes awesome burgers. good stuff!

liberty farmer's market

penn quarter in dc is one of my favorite neighborhoods. i have been clubbing there since the 80's (?)...the national portrait gallery and museum of american art are there, as are hundreds of great restaurants and bars...i love basketball and the verizon center is on the corner. i do a great art show, the downtown holiday market there in december. the cowgirl creamery cheese shop rocks! the one thing they don't have there is a raw food source: a grocery store. welcome, liberty market! liberty market is a new farmer's market open tuesdays from 2:30-6:30 at the corner of 7th & k streets on the grounds of the historic society of washington, dc at mt. vernon square. help promote community sustainability by supporting your local farmers, musicians and artists!

dc rollergirls

my friend dawn wanted to be a rollergirl, but then she decided she liked her teeth a lot. the dc rollergirls are super tough and they are headed to the regionals in north carolina! the battle, also called "wicked wheels of the east", begins friday september 11-13.

a day in the city: lunch at lola's

wow... the weather dropped to the mid-70's here in washington dc..wtf? that is 10 degrees below normal!!! anywho, it provided a great opportunity to take oto downtown to meet peanut...and have lunch! we ate at lola's: so great!!! the food was super delicious and they let the dogs hang out on the back patio with a huge bowl of icewater: sooo delicious and dog-tastic!

dial-a-screamer

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national goat cheese month

did i just read that august is national goat cheese month? i am going to honor this celebration of yummy-ness by eating goat cheese everyday...oops: i already do that...i guess i should eat twice as much so i can feel the festivity of it all! local cheesemakers include firefly farms, cherry glen goat cheese company, south mountain creamery and apple tree goat dairy. visit cowgirl creamery, whole foods or the new bethesda central farm market for more options. delicious! cool photo from alexanderromero's photo stream on flickr.

cityzen dc

hats off to cityzen for being in the top 10 for wine destinations in this month's food and wine tasting & testing feature. pretty sweet on the heels of chef eric ziebold's 2008 james beard award for best chef in the mid-atlantic.

molly stolen from whole foods

i just read on channel four's website that some jerk stole molly from in front of the p street, nw whole foods market last night! i would freak out if my gorgeous baby went missing! Molly is about 60 lbs, with short, red/rust hair. She is very friendly and responds to her name. She has a scar inside her right hind leg and wears a pink nylon collar with cupcakes on it. more photos of molly here. if you have any information about molly's disappearance, please email the owners: findmollydog@gmail.com

eastern market grand reopening!

eastern market has been alive and kicking since the fire destroyed the old building in april 2007: it never really missed a beat, with food vendors housed in a temporary structure and everyone else in the street and on the sidewalks. but the old building has been completely restored to it's original beauty and will officially re-opened by mayor fenty today @ 10:00 am! go buy some fresh raviolis: i know i will!