Friday Fun Post: Backdoor at Backbar

Start August off with a dance party. This event is not on the 42 bus line, but is fully endorsed by the 42 Bus. A slew of local DJs, including a few with Mt Pleasant roots are hosting the first ever Backdoor dance party at the 9:30 Club's Backbar.

From the Backdoor folks:

"On our maiden voyage, take a musical summer vacation with us, with booty jams that transcend time and space:

Transcontinental African pop rifts, timewarps of funk and disco, islands of reggaeton and dancehall, tropical epochs of cumbia, and new seasonal intersections of anything and everything that makes you want to dance.

With:
DJ Natty Boom
DJ Mothersheister
DJ Trash
DJ rAt
DJ bent
+ Visiting Professor DJ Kofi

Saturday Aug 1st 11pm-3am $5
9:30 Club Backbar, 815 V St (9th St Entrance)
Pop Quizzes and Beverage Giveaways!!
Surprise Drink Specials!

BACKDOOR is a reminder of how marginalized folks have been denied front door access to social spaces and how people have always resisted that by creating their own spaces. We want this party to be a mix of all kinds of communities. A contrast between being forced to use the backdoor and meet clandestinely, and our choice now to meet together that way."

Dancehall! I've just started to get into dancehall after a friend in NY, NY introduced me to some good dancehall a few months ago. Not sure if they'll play anything like this at the party, but I've been jamming to Serani and similar artists recently. So, if you're reading this DJs....

Do You Zissou

After Rushmore, I figured Wes Anderson couldn't direct a better film. As far as I know, I'm right. The Royal Tenenbaums was fantastic, but couldn't best Max. I have yet to see The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou or The Darjeeling Limited. I didn't want to be disappointed.

Tonight may change that. Asylum Rock and Roll Lounge will show Life Aquatic, the fourth of five Anderson films, free at the upstairs bar. Last week there were some technical issues (the movie began more than 30 minutes late), but I've been assured that all has been corrected. Rumor is there will even be free popcorn tonight as well. It was PACKED last week. I had to knock an elderly lady out of her bar seat in order to get some food. No, I'm kidding. It was an AU summer student.

The movie begins at 8:00 (for real this time). There may even be a drinking game, for those so inclined. And that's water. A water drinking game. This is a family blog.

Post-Theatre Theatre

Here's the Tivoli Theatre building looking rather alive and elegant last night. Inside is a small theatre for performing arts (Gala), but I had just come back from Screen on the Green, a slightly different type of "theatre." Outside and all. Anyway, a nice streetscape shaping up in Columbia Heights via 14th Street NW.

Smoothie King Coming to Gallery Place Arcade

Gallery Place arcade, the narrow space between Gallery Place building and the Verizon Center, is getting a new tenant. In a revelation my coworker called "super-sensational smoothie news," Smoothie King will soon Join Clyde's on the Walk, Sushi-Go-Round and Häagen-Dazs. The Smootie King will be located in a stand alone rental space on the south side of the arcade. The stand alone spaces are adjacent to a Chipotle and have been sparsely occupied over the years. I remember a small gift shop occupying one and a flowershop another. There hasn't been a business in either of the spaces for quite a while.

The Smoothie King (actual address 703 7th Street NW) will likely be a franchise, but all the establishments have an identical menu. A few dozen smoothies, smothie "enchacers," and health bars make up the offerings. Any luck and it'll open before summer is over.

I had been getting smoothies at Camille's. Anyone know of other smoothie options in Gallery Place or Penn Quarter?

Corcoran Free on Saturdays This Summer

The Corcoran Gallery of Art will open its doors at no cost on Saturdays for the remainder of July and August. Free Summer Saturdays began in late June. The remaining Saturdays from July 25 until August 29 encompass the rest of the promotion.

There will be multiple activities including docent tours of the building, interpretive discussions of artwork, art workshops and more. Admission is usually $10.00. A very nice gesture by the Gallery. It is located at 500 17th Street NW, not far from the White House. About 5 blocks from the nearest 42 bus stop.

"Scene In" Features Dupont Fashion

The Washington Post has started a new, online-only video series it calls "Scene In." It documents one thing and one thing only: what the residents of any particular DC locale are wearing. The first episode, if you can call it that, was filmed in Dupont Circle. I thought it captured the styles that could be seen on any given visit to the Circle.

I always think of DC as a little stodgy, compared to say, my hometown of Richmond. However, there are so many more people living in DC, finding variety isn't really that hard. That's variety of the creatively good and interestingly bad types. You can even check to see where the subjects purchased thier wares, if you are so inclined. Cool feature.

Nice series so far. Capitol Hill is the other neighborhood featured at this point. Not sure if its a weekly feature, or if there is even a schedule. The accompanying photo is a screen capture form the Dupont video.

Photos: Georgetown Waterfront Park

The Park is about 1/3 finished. Looking great for being a former parking lot less than three years ago. I'm sure workers an residents alike can't wait until this project is completed. So far, so good.

DC is the New

The first half of 2009 has been good to DC. We're dealing slightly better with the recession than the rest of the country. Violent crime and murders are down, relatively. The new Presidential administration has breathed fresh life into and world wide attention onto DC. Even Hollywood is shining a light on the District with no less than three reality shows and an Owen Wilson flick being filmed here this year. Some observations:

14th and U is the new 18th and Columbia
Want to emulate 18th and Columbia on the weekend? Add a little street harassment, one fight, gridlocked traffic, bunch o' jumbo slice, pinch of lost Virginians and a nightly dose of mass bar hopping. U Street isn't quite all the way there, but its certainly giving Adams Morgan a run for the money as most annoying nightlife neighborhood.

Coffee shop is the new coffee shop
Nothing says you are are a bonafide, made-it, DC neighborhood than a locally owned coffee shop. These indie establishments give a sense of place to an area, some ownership to the residents-customers and provide a gathering place where neighbors can at least look at, if not interact with each other. Mt Pleasant has one in Dos Gringos. Now a couple of other neighborhoods are gearing up for their own versions. Chinatown Coffee in, well, Chinatown and Big Chair in Anacostia.

Yoga studio is the new coffee shop
Quiet Mind, Boundless, Yoga District, Studio Serenity, Past Tense and the list goes on. Yoga studios are popping up all over. Many of the midtown neighborhoods, including Adams Morgan, Mt Pleasant, Columbia Heights and U Street each has their own. Some neighborhoods have more than one. Close to home, familiar and relaxing. Like a coffee shop, but healthier.

Natinal is the new Nationals
Thankfully and mercifully my ticket plan for the Washington Nationals has expired. I won't likely be giving any more money to this team in 2009. I support them, but will be watching from home for the rest of the season. The odd jersey-gate episode was funny, but the team's actual performance is almost literally sickening. They represent Washington in such a nonchalant manner, you might forget that we built a 3/4 billion dollar stadium for the team only a year ago. Hockey season can't return soon enough.

Barry '09 is the new Barry '90
For a civil rights worker, the mayor who initiated a teen summer work program and helped jump start U Street's revival, Marion Barry has seemingly thrown away second chance after second chance. He trumped critics by winning the mayorship and then a council seat after being declared politically dead, but Barry has come into some more trouble as of late. In 2009 he's been maligned for his anti gay marriage views, public sex life episodes and job hiring oddities. In the eye of his supporters, he still on top. Considering that, I think should quit while he's ahead; i.e. retire after his current term is over.

Real Word DC is the new Real World Phila
Locals hate on the new Real World before, during and after they show up. Real World house located is a renovated historic building in a happening neighborhood. Reality treated as a relative term for the duration of the show. Check, check and check. Same show, different day, 135 miles south.

NextBus is the new on-time bus
All my friends, and many readers of this blog tell me that NextBus is great. I agree. Wholeheartedly. However, as a commenter pointed out on an earlier post, there is a potentially icky consequence of having this system. Will knowing when the next bus is approaching replace caring that that bus is actually on time? I hope not. There are still bus schedules WMATA! Just because we know the next 42 bus is arriving in 15 minutes doesn't mean we don't realize that it's scheduled to be arriving in 5 minutes.

Any I forgot, let me know...

Chinatown Coffee Company

Coming soon to 475 H Street NW. Can't wait! Related to Wrecking Ball Coffee.

City Room Repost: Defending a Child

You see a parent physically disciplining a child on a crowded subway. You and other passengers stare, but no one says a word. The child is crying and the parent appears to get even angrier. They hit the child again. And again. You speak up.... What next?

This was the scenario written about in a recent City Room post (New York Times). I posed the question to some friends. The replies were diverse, insightful, enlightening and made for more questions than answers. Personally, I have thought about this issue so much since reading this article and discussing it with colleagues and friends. I continue to debate what the correct course of action would be. I'm sure this has happened on DC, Virginia and Maryland buses, trains, at stores, on sidewalks, and in other public places. What would I do if I came upon this? What would you do? And why?

Sic transit gloria. Glory fades. I'm Max Fischer.

"My top schools where I want to apply to are Oxford and the Sorbonne. My safety's Harvard."

The second in a series of Wes Anderson movies, Rushmore, will be shown tonight at Asylum. Bottle Rocket was great, but Rushmore is the movie that put Anderson the map. My map anyway. In 1998 I identified with Max Fisher so much it was scary. Now, I think he's sort of a jerk. And really, who could resist falling for Olivia Williams. No one, that's who. She really is irresistible.

What's your favorite quote from the movie? And no, you can't use "O.R. they?," although that is pretty much the best line in the flick. 8:00pm sharp at 2471 18th Street NW.

Thaiphoon Makes for Good Real World Watching

Look, I swear this was an accident. I was (literally) running an errand in Dupont when I got hungry. I've been on a Thai kick lately (see Absolute Thai post), so I ducked into Thaiphoon for an affordable, delicious dinner.

Oh, wow, hmm. I didn't even realize that it was right across the street from the Real World house. Jeez, what a coincidence. Oh, you want to seat me in direct line of sight of the house? If you must, go right ahead.

Haha, I have to admit, I've wanted to see some filming in action, but don't want to hang outside the house, stalk the residents, or otherwise appear to care. But, I do. Low and behold, about half way through the meal, the camera crew came out, did some stock roll of the house in the setting sunlight (pretty) and set up for another shoot. A few minutes later the cast came out, did a half bro-down on the front porch and went on their way, waking down S Street and disappearing onto Connecticut Ave NW. Pretty routine stuff, but now I can say I saw the cast of the Real World. Check.

So, if you want to be a Real World geek, but don't want anyone to know, just pretend to want to eat a meal at Thaiphoon and sit at the very front of the restaurant. I'm sure they will be happy to accommodate you. Veggie spring rolls are killer too.

Thaiphoon and the Real World house are located on S Street NW between 20th St and Connecticut Ave. Literally 50 yards from the nearsest 42 bus stop.

File Under: Why Yes, That is Correct

Scene: Yesterday; walking to lunch, hot, on F Street NW.

Me: [walking to lunch, being very hot]

Person 1: [looking at sign that reads "Verizon Center F Street Entrance"] Hey, is this the Verizon Center?

Person 2: [appears to be Person 1's daughter; also looking at sign that reads "Verizon Center F Street Entrance"] Yeah, this is it.

Person 1: [now looking at me] This can't be it? The Verizon Center?

Me: Yes, this is the Verizon Center.

Person 1: Oh.

First I thought they were tourists, but since the Jonas Brothers were playing last night, they must have been from the DC area, maybe picking up tickets. Anyway, pretty fun exchange. I usually don't share little funny incidents like this, but this was one of the better recent ones. Sorry if you clicked on the Jonas Brother link. Yeah, sorry 'bout that

New Yoga Studio Opens on Mount Pleasant Street

Past Tense yoga studio opens today on Mount Pleasant Street. I squeezed in a visit to their open house on Saturday and was very impressed. The space looked great! I had been in the former offices of Habitat Real Estate once or twice and the renovated space is literally a breath of fresh air in comparison. "Open" is the word that comes to mind to mind. The owner and other staff, including instructors were on hand to greet visitors as well as explain membership options and reassure novice-yoga people (like me) that it's not as daunting as I had perceived. I'm still debating if or how I'll embark on a new yoga adventure. Either way, this is a great addition to the neighborhood commercial strip and I wish Past Tense well. The studio is located at 3252 Mount Pleasant Street, NW. Cool photo courtesy of the studio.

Photo: Columbia Road After Dark

Could This Work in DC? Car Free Streets

Here is a nice look at a pedestrian plaza on what used to be a taxi, bus and car filled Broadway in New York City. The NYC Council closed parts of the busy thoroughfare and turned the streets over to pedestrians, loungers, musicians and tourists. This is the area in and around Times Square. The jury is still out on whether it was a good move or not, but it can not be denied that the newly created spaces are being used by, well, all types of people. Traffic seems to be no worse for the wear.

Imagine a car-less 18th Street NW in Adams Morgan, or Connecticut Ave NW on both sides of Dupont Circle, or Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House. Well, Bill Clinton gave us the last one. But could DC do more to emulate New York by giving parts of our street grid to pedestrians? Yes, Council could. Will they? Probably not, but just for ha-has, where would those places be?

Capital Fringe Fest '09, With Mount Pleasant Links

The Capital Fringe Festival starts today! The annual headfirst dive into DC's thriving DIY theatre, music and arts scenes comes at the perfect time. Muggy summer days, slow news cycle, vacation time abound, plenty of unseen but accomplished talent; all motivation to get yourself inside one of the venues over the next two weeks. The Capital Fringe Festival runs from July 9 until July 26. Most of the venues are in Mt Vernon Triangle, and one is in Penn Quarter. All easy walks from the 42 bus.

One of the more intriguing looking offerings actually has a Mount Pleasant link. Cover Me In Humanness is a 60 minute dramatic production by The Zoo Project. Neighborhood resident Meghan Nesmith is part of the company and acts in the production. Cover Me... was written by Jake Jeppson and directed by Caitlin Dennis, who also took the accompanying photo of Meghan (as Beth).

A teaser for Cover Me... from The Zoo Project: In the National Gallery, a statue stirs. Everything changes when this ancient voice begs to be freed and a quiet girl stops being quiet. Four hearts murmur through air thick with technological chirps and Footloose in this mysterious new one-act.

Cover Me... will be performed at REDRUM at Fort Fringe (aka 612 L Street NW). I believe there are 5 shows, beginning tonight:

Thursday, July 9 at 5:00pm
Friday, July 10 at 5:45pm

Sunday, July 12 at 12:00pm

Wednesday, July 15 at 7:30pm

Saturday, July 25 at 2:30pm

We all knew that us Mount Pleasant types tend to be motivated, talented and a little forward. Present company excluded! Or maybe I mean included. Anyway, there are a lot of offerings form the Fringe Festival this year, so why not support some of the artists by having your first Cap Fringe Fest event be one featuring a truly local one. Here are some of my other picks for the festival, all part of the FAST music series:

July 11: DYNAMITE/LAZERBEAM: AN EVENING OF DC DJ CULTURE

July 12: RADAR JAMMING: AN EVENING WITH SOCKETS RECORDS

July 24: GHOST LIGHTNING: AN EVENING OF AMBIENT/NOISE

July 25: GRIM & GRIT: AN EVENING OF GRITTY ROCK & METAL

Full Cap Fringe Fest available here. Enjoy.

Wes Anderson Film Series Starts Tonight @ Asylum

Asylum Rock and Roll Lounge in Adams Morgan has come up with a neat way pass the summer nights. Watching one of Wes Anderson's hilarious films. There is no cover and each movie will be shown on a big screen at the upstairs bar beginning at 8:00 PM. I'm a Wednesday regular, so perhaps see you there. Just don't bother me during the movie, ESPECIALLY during Rushmore. I will cut you. Just kidding. Tonight, Anderson's first full length, Bottle Rocket. A cult, if not a mainstream, classic. The full schedule:

July 8: Bottle Rocket (1996)
July 15: Rushmore (1998)
July 22: The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
July 29: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
August 5: The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

Absolutely, Another Thai Choice

Thai Chili, Royal Thai, Kanlaya, and now Absolute Thai Restaurant. The Thai offerings in Chinatown-Gallery Place just increased by one. Absolute occupies the seemingly cursed corner (ex-Lee Loo Lounge location, near ex-Rock and Roll Lounge and ex-ex-Cowboy Ugly location) at 6th and G Streets NW. The only business that have been on this block for some time are a multinational (Burger King) and an esoteric, nondescript, but popular "diner" (Family Dinette).

Absolute still had the new restaurant smell and look last week when I made a visit, but that's a good thing. Someone spent a few dollars sprucing this place up, and made some darn good decisions along the way. Just go to the bathroom. Even if you don't get a meal, at least go to see where most of the renovation $$$$ probably went. I mean, the rest of the space is nice as well, but yeah. Just go. (OK, looks like someone else paid for the restroom "enhancements;" see comments below)

Anyway, yes, that is all well and good, the place looks fantastic. Food was great as well. What actually drew me in was the menu posted in the doorway. I will almost always try out a restaurant which offers the dinner menu at special lunch-time prices. A great way to lure in new customers and build up a lunch crowd. I chose rather safe dishes, Pad Thai Jae (vegetarian) and the vegetarian spring rolls. Nothing over the top, run home and tell the parents about, but very well done. They have a decent sized vegetarian section of the menu, so I was pleased about that as much as any of the other factors. The servers were knowledgeable and anticipated my concerns about veggie eating as well. Sweet.

In short, service = A, ambiance = A, and food = B+. I'll have to go again to see if the quality remains good all around, but for now Absolute Thai gets added to the list of decent lunch options in downtown. Absolute Thai is located at 521 G Street NW, four blocks from the nearest 42 bus stop.

NextBus and Circulator Systems a Blast

A double dose of transit good news occurred last week. Circulator, the limited stop DDOT buses, and Metrobus both instituted GPS based bus locators. Each system (they are operated separately) now has an internet ready system which allows riders to check the arrival status of nearby buses. I have tested both systems over the last week and both have worked nearly flawlessly.

NextBus is best reached by internet browser from your mobile phone. The mobile site is www.wmata.com/mobile/. If you do not have internet access, each Metrobus stop displays a unique identifying number. For example, the first southbound stop of th 42, (Lamont and Mt Pleasant Sts NW) is numbered 1002070. Call 202-637-7000 and use that number to activate the automated system. NextBus errs toward an early estimate by about one minute. So, if the bus is just arriving at your stop, the NextBus system will direct you to the bus arriving after that one. This way, unless you are really close to the stop, you will not be disappointed by missing a bus the system said was going to be available. I have tried the mobile internet site about 12 times since its inception and have never been given incorrect information. A+ for implementation so far.

The Ciculator mobile site (circulator.dc.gov/) is the only way to access it's buses locations. No voice access yet. Not as exact as NextBus, the Circulator site only gives the approximate location of the closest buses (i.e. " Bus #1137 is near 24TH ST AND CONNECTICUT AVE, NW 1 mi. away). From there, you have to determine whether or not to keep waiting or look for another form of transport. You won't get a report of how many minutes away the bus is, only distance. I tested the Circulator site several times iver the last week and twice was mislead about the location of a bus. Once, a bus was supposed to be at a location, but I gathered it had just passed. The second time, a bus that was supposed to be about a mile away showed up at my stop, early. Perhaps there is a lag in reporting the GPS coordinates over the web. I'll keep checking and report back if things improve. B+ for Circulator implementation.

What are your experiences? What grade would you give DDOT and Metro for their efforts?

As Seen in Gallery Place

This was a powerful advertisement/public statement I came across in the Gallery Place movie lobby (inside atrium at 7th and G NW). The wall contains nearly 5,000 sets of keys, representing the number of teens killed yearly in automobile crashes. Pretty powerful visual, even if it ultimately was an ad for an insurance agency.

Fabrics Out, Pre Paid Mobile In

Vina Fabrics in Adams Mogan closed months ago. The storefront sat empty for a while, but is now active again, with the addition of Cricket Wireless. It's a mobile phone company trying to get a foothold in the Washington, DC market. They mostly offer pre-paid wireless phone services, similar to Boost Mobile or Virgin Mobile. That is, there are no long term contracts and many of the features are available a la carte, an attempt to keep prices. down. Cricket is open 1652 Columbia Road NW.

Real World Filming Spotted in Mount Pleasant

Well, according to a trusted source we'll call "Tommy." He's a good friend from my hometown who lives in Mount Pleasant. He says they were on Mt Pleasant Street at about 3:00pm yesterday. I asked what they were doing and his only reply was "They look lost." So, there. That's all I have for you. Take it for what it's worth. Maybe they were going to Pica Taco. Or looking for me. That would be cool. But I am usually at work during those hours.

Pica Taco Open at Argonne

A tiny taco and burrito restaurant has opened on the first floor of the Argonne apartment building in Adams Morgan. Pica Taco recently took up residence next to Park Plaza Beer and Wine. (The Argonne was previously named Park Plaza Apartments.) The Street address for Pica Taco Cafe is 1629 Columbia Rd NW, but its actually on Harvard Street directly across from Rat Park. The menu is pretty basic, with tacos, tortas, burritos, and a few sandwiches. Peanut butter and banana is one of the sandwich offerings. Pica also offers some really basic breakfast meals as well; egg and cheese, etc. If you've had a chance to stop by, let me know in the comments.