I was diggin’ the modern minimalism in Matt’s photo of the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art, and that’s why I posted it today. It was designed by I.M. Pei in the mid 1970’s and conforms to the triangular site at 4th St. and Pennsylvania Ave.
A gratuitous Judiciary Square metro photo for your Wednesday! Not sure what happened to the panels that are supposed to be inside the coffers here. I guess they are in the middle of replacing them, otherwise they are just missing. 
Ahhhh, kids shooting hoops in Kalorama Park. I keep meaning to go over there myself and shoot around sometime (not with a camera, but with a basketball) and relive my old HoCo Rec League days, but I just haven’t done it yet. The courts are always pretty crowded with pick-up games and tournaments. So do you think this kid is about to make his shot?
Totally unrelated to this bizarre-o picture that Matt took, but I did set a new land-speed world record today in the category of my bike-to-work commute from Woodley Park to Silver Bling–first time on the new bike– at 33 minutes and 17 seconds. Usually takes me 38-42 minutes depending on how many cars/dump trucks/homeless people/squirrels get in my way up 16th Street. Thank you very much to my new bike!
On Tuesday night we checked out the Washington Kastles game at CityCenterDC (the old convention center site) at 11th and H St. It’s a pretty cool venue — tucked down in what feels like a cavern (in DC terms, it’s all relative) of office buildings. The Kastles took on the Delaware Smash, and though they started really strong, the match ended in defeat for DC… no one likes to lose to Delaware.
Also a highlight was our winning of free burritos from Chipotle. This was thanks to a halftime Wii tennis match in which our “east side of the stands” player was victorious.
I think I read somewhere that they are going to fill in the site sometime next year with a mixed retail/office project, which seems like a real shame. If this is true, I wonder where they will move the games?
While I do not believe that gorillas are a species indigenous the the great District of Columbia wilderness otherwise known as Rock Creek Park that is what the view from the Taft Bridge this morning at circa 6:45a reminded me of. Very weird remnants from the intense storms that we had last night (which incidentally downed a large portion of a tree on the southwest side of the bridge).
On a separate Rock Creek wilderness point, last night while I was waiting outside our apartment building for Lori to come back from her test ride on her new bike (!) I saw a small raccoon fall from about 45′ up in a tree all the way down to the ground taking a fair bit of tree branch with it. I have to give it to the raccoon though, he/she/it shook it off and scurried right back up the same tree. There must be some good eats up in those limbs somewhere.
As promised earlier, a picture from Jim Henson’s Fantastic World at the Smithsonian’s International Gallery. (Even though you are not supposed to take photos… here’s some blurry camera-phone for you) If you are a kid you will love this exhibit. If you are a grown-up, you will love this exhibit because it will remind you of being a kid. From Fraggle Rock to my personal favorite King Goshposh and his sidekick Featherstone, there are tons of things on display that will make you smile. The life-size puppets are the best part, and people enjoyed peering into the cases to look at the construction and detailing.
I thought Henson’s simple lines sketches were the most interesting. In many cases, a few pencil strokes was all it took for an idea to be born and described. You could see the personality of his character puppets long before they became 3-dimensional. It was also interesting to learn about all of Henson’s “failures” – ideas that were deemed too ridiculous at the time and never picked up.
And of course there was the always-adorable Kermit, innovative at the time for his soft structure which would allow the puppeteers to create tons of different facial expressions with just small changes in their hands and fingers.
Go go go! to the exhibit – you have to see it for yourself.
Welcome, welcome, welcome! You are going to love it here. As quoted on WTOP.com: “We have not talked about anything besides football,” Taylor said of his discussions with the Redskins. “There’s no dancing, unless we’re celebrating a big play.” We won’t hold that Dancing With the Stars thing against you, we thought you looked light on your feet.
Watch your back, Donovan!
I’ll admit that yesterday was the first time we tried the Eastern Market crab-cake sandwiches (for only $8.95)… and I convinced Matt to be adventurous and get the soft-shelled crab because he had never had one before, but I stuck with the normal cake patty type. I’m not sure he was convinced once he saw the mustard and inside crab parts. Either way, they go best with a giant lemonade and extra Old Bay on top.
Hooray for getting birthday flowers from my parents!! I love surprises that are pretty and smell good too. I had to put them in a plastic drink pitcher, usually reserved for Crystal Light, because they are the biggest flowers I’ve ever gotten!!! …they wouldn’t fit in the glass vase that I have without tipping over. Now the apartment is heady with the smell of them– I think it’s the white lily that is so aromatic.
I’ll go ahead and wax reflective here about turning 25 years old, or a quarter of a century as everyone likes to say. I guess its not so bad when it comes with a bouquet of flowers, the day off (not working on your birthday is pretty nice) spent leisurely in DC doing whatever I wanted, with the person I love the most, all followed by an awesome dinner out, which involved a cheese fondue pot!! Everything that makes me happy, all rolled into one day.
We’ll post some photos this week of everything we did this today… Eastern Market crab-cake sandwiches, the Jim Henson exhibit at the Smithsonian International Gallery, artsy movies at the Hirshhorn Museum, dinner at Firefly…. stay tuned.
Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday and/or sang to me!
Instead of going for a run as part of our training regiment, Lori and I ventured over to the somewhat recently opened Mr. Yogato’s in Dupont Circle for some tasty “fro-yo” (a new term to me, apparently its what all the cool kids are calling frozen yogurt). There are many fro-yo options in and around the Dupont Circle neighborhood but we were searching for the infamous Mr. Yogato.
A small shop, nestled down in an English basement along 17th St, Mr. Yogato offers 4 flavors (original soft, original tangy, mojito, and peach). What they may lack in variety for flavors they make up for in available toppings. I went with a small original tangy and topped it with raspberries and blueberries. The tartness of the raspberry played very well against the sweet frozen blueberries. Lori went with a daring combination of peanut butter cups and strawberries on a small original soft.
The staff is very enthusiastic and clearly enjoy what they are doing. As you wait inline they will bring you sample cups to try, and will offer you quiz trivia questions (get it right -10%, get it wrong +10% to your bill…are you feeling lucky?). Other quirks include discounts that are available for ordering with the voice of Stewey from Family Guy or a Scottish accent (any accent would probably work though). Additionally, if you sing along when Mr. Roboto comes on you get a discount, if you initiate a
song you get a discount, heck if you just ask they will probably give you one.
In the end very tasty treat, perfect for a temperate summer evening.
Best metro exit in DC!
… in all its glory! Everyone in DC knows that the best part about Dupont Circe is the people watching that you can do there. And the overhearing. Any time of day is good for sitting and watching the world walk, saunter, scurry, or pedal on by — the young, trendy, old, gay, straight, homeless, hipster, healthy (see above), hearty, professional, and.. i’m running out of adjectives now… sometimes combinations of them all.
Being the archy-nerds that we are, Matt and I always discuss what it is about Dupont Circle that makes it such a successful park and public gathering space. Successful here being defined as a place that is always crowded and full of activity (maybe not so successful in terms of clean, free of rodents, and other such barometers…)
My answer is that Dupont Circle offers something for everyone. It provides tiers, or levels, of separate-yet-conjoined areas for activity to take place. Working from the center out, you have:
the fountain. – The center and most important area, highly visible, and it creates sound and visual interest when the water is flowing. The people who go here are the ones who want to be seen. They are the flaunters, the A-types. This applies to people on the immediate fountain ledge but most especially to those I’ve seen in the actual fountain water. Dogs too.
the fountain steps. – Slightly lower than the fountain area, still a prominent place to be, this is usually where the couples or dog owners are sitting.
the paved area. – Mostly a component of circulation. You have all types here. Bikers pass through quickly, but the walkers usually take their time. These are the people who want to be seen too, but not in the spotlight and not for an extended period of time. (Unless, however, you are a street performer, then you stay here because this is the best place for you to entertain.)
benches, row 1. – The best place to do the looking. This is where people eat and watch and rest.
grass strip. – The place for loungers and loafers, mellow people, and people with blankets. You rarely ever see business professionals sitting in the grass, but you do see first-date picnickers and hippies, and resting bikers.
benches, row 2. – Hmmm, are you really in Dupont Circle anymore? Yes… but this is the outside looking in. The majority of the homeless people congregate here. Some of these benches are currently in a state of disrepair… but it’s still a great place to sit if you don’t want to be in the middle of it all… more of an area for overall observation.
So that’s what makes it a success- all those areas and where they overlap. It’s got a comfort zone for anyone and everyone. And that is your partial Dupont Circle analysis for your Wednesday!
Last night we took a little PB&J and wine picnic out to Screen on the Green on the National Mall. The first free movie of the summer was Dr. No… It’s definitely a very enjoyable way to spend an evening lounging on a blanket with the Capitol Building in the background. As you can tell from the picture, there was little unoccupied ground space with all the people and blankets and chairs spread out. Next time we’ll get there a little earlier so we can get closer to the screen!
Mama Ayesha’s is one of those places we had been meaning to try forever — we walk by it all the time and it always looks *warm* Last night was the night we finally went, and it was good. We sat out on the patio, since it was unusually cool for a July night, and started with hummus and some drinks. The hummus was lemony with not too much garlic, which is always good in my book of hummus’s. I ordered the Koo’ sa Mahshi – yellow squash stuffed full of rice and lamb and “special spices” (the reason I choose it) and it was tasty but very filling. Shish Taouk– chicken with grilled veggies and rice– was Matt’s choice for dinner. The bite that I tried was spiced just right.
The two best parts of the meal, however, were 1) our very attentive and pleasant waiter and 2) the foot traffic going by on the way to the Adams Morgan bars. Not to take anything away from the delicious meal, but part of the appeal was watching all the bar-goers parade by us on their way out for the night. Lot’s of mini-skirts and 21st birthday tiaras… though next time we go, we’ll likely sit inside to experience what looked to be a very sumptuous interior space.
It’s also worth the time to read the front cover of the menu for the history of the restaurant. I won’t give it all away here, but it does involve foreign dignitaries.
Two days ago, a cyclist was killed by a dump truck near Dupont Circle. There is now a WABA sponsored ghost bike and memorial at 20th and R St where she was struck.
As a new member of the DC biking community as part of my triathlon training, this incident really shook me. How many times I have been right by that spot?
There is a lot of talk now on the news and in the blogs about cyclists vs. drivers, and traffic rights and rules for both groups, and who was at fault in this situation. The only thing I can think is it’s not fair . She was 22.
I used extra caution yesterday, both on my drive home and my evening bike ride. I think we should all slow down a bit.
Well, it looks like someone in the men’s room at Chadwick’s on Wisconsin Ave. was none to happy about their economic stimulus check. Perhaps blowing the $600 at the bar just wasn’t as much fun as they had hoped or maybe they have a high last two digits of their Social Security number and only yesterday received the letter that is letting them know that it would be coming…eventually…maybe. Regardless of the petty vandals inspiration or ire it is nice to see someone really sticking it to the man…never mind that this was over a urinal…in the basement…of a grimy bar…in upper northwest, it is the thought that counts.
You go Mr. “IRS IS SUCK”.
I took this photo from our rooftop at about 8:30 tonight. I think the cloud looks like Paul Revere canoeing over the National Cathedral (hence the title of the posting…) What do you see?
Lori spent a fair bit of time this morning searching online for the perfect 4th of July treat. She came away from this pursuit sadly disillusioned with the available online offerings for America related food. Everything was too boring….strawberries…whipped cream…blueberries…..whipped cream….strawberries…repeat. She then came to me looking for my thoughts the matter and the answer was simple and obvious: Meat and Cheese Flag.
In case you too find yourself wanting to express your patriotism by way of an appetizer I have included a handy recipe:
Ingredient List:
3 parts Hormel Pepperoni
3 parts Busseto Cracked Pepper Hard Salami
2 parts Lucerne Sharp Cheddar (Yellow)
1 part Cabot Vermont Cheddar (White)
Ritz Crackers (enough to line the bottom of the tray)
50 parts America
Directions
1. find a tray with approximate flag dimensions (you get extra God Bless America patriot points for hitting the 1:1.9 ratio dead on)
2. line the bottom of the tray neatly with rectangular crackers (double GBA patriot points if these also follow the flag proportions). I chose to use a 1/3 running bond pattern for the layout of the crackers. Under no circumstance should you consider using the English bond patterns when making a Meat and Cheese Flag. Use of the English (also known as the “Oppressor”) Bond will result in -232 GBA patriot points and a good tar and feathering.
3. create alternating lines of Pepperoni and Salami up to the mid line of your tray.
4. using the two cheeses, layout an abstracted flag (if tray is large enough include 50 cheese stars)
5. continue laying out the alternating meat lines
6. bask in your American glory.
Someone made donuts in this parking lot. I bet it was fun.
