Archive: March 2005
Miriam's Kitchen
A few weeks back, our Janet took some heat for the $200 jeans she blogged about. Somebody called Woof said this: "Use the money you save to buy a homeless person a sandwich every day for 2 months straight." Well,...
By washingtonpost.com | March 31, 2005; 10:23 AM ET | Comments (2)
Out Like a Lamb
Knitting addicts should plan now for an event with more yarn and supplies than all the burgeoning knitting boutiques around town combined. At the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, there are easily miles of stands selling yarn and its incarnations...
By washingtonpost.com | March 30, 2005; 06:03 PM ET | Comments (1)
Attention, Sinners ...
In "Frank Miller's Sin City," all the women wear next-to-nothing and the men talk like they've just knocked back six shots of gravel. The look is stylish. The plotlines are lurid and as violent as "Kill Bill, Vols. 1 and...
By washingtonpost.com | March 30, 2005; 03:41 PM ET | Email a Comment
'Saturday' This Thursday
Last week I rushed out to buy a copy of Ian McEwan's latest novel, but I shamefully admit that I have yet to crack his much-anticipated "Saturday." Now there's reason to step up my reading: The author of the Booker...
By washingtonpost.com | March 29, 2005; 06:34 PM ET | Email a Comment
What's In a Name?
When I heard Barneys New York had made plans to arrive in Chevy Chase this fall, I practically swooned with pleasure. But it was a quick swoon, made much less pleasurable by the fact that instead of a clone of...
By washingtonpost.com | March 29, 2005; 03:57 PM ET | Comments (2)
Playing to Win at Stetson's
When I hear about "seasonal" events at bars, I usually think of drink specials on the patio, or football-themed happy hours, not weekly pub quizzes. But trivia night at Stetson's made its welcome return earlier this month after taking a...
By washingtonpost.com | March 29, 2005; 12:47 PM ET | Comments (1)
First Friday
Dupont Circle art galleries have been hosting First Fridays for decades, staying open late the first Friday of each month, boasting their latest talent or collection and sometimes offering refreshments. It's a great time for infrequent gallery-goers and regular visitors...
By washingtonpost.com | March 28, 2005; 07:40 PM ET | Email a Comment
A Signature Season
Signature Theatre's lineup for the 2005-06 season has just been announced, and I'm happy to report that the opener is "Urinetown." For those of you not immediately excited about a musical named after a bodily function, let me assure you...
By washingtonpost.com | March 25, 2005; 04:08 PM ET | Comments (2)
What's On Tap at the Brickskeller
Last night, I took a trip to the Brickskeller to check out the new draft beer selection. Yes, the Brickskeller, where the enormous selection of 1,000 different bottled beers (give or take) earned the Dupont Circle saloon a listing in...
By washingtonpost.com | March 25, 2005; 02:35 PM ET | Comments (6)
Take Back the Pike
If you've ever had a meltdown over Rockville Pike gridlock, you'll appreciate this event. Pike's Peek 10K lets foot traffic take over the road on the morning of April 24. So empowering. The race also promotes public transportation: You start...
By washingtonpost.com | March 23, 2005; 08:15 PM ET | Comments (1)
Won't Be Disappointed
When it comes to much-talked-about authors, there is certainly no shortage of Jonathans these days. There's hotshot wunderkind Jonathan Safran Foer, who tackles the heaviest of subjects (the Holocaust, 9/11) through the use of somewhat (or, some may say, extremely)...
By washingtonpost.com | March 23, 2005; 03:54 PM ET | Email a Comment
Of Unknown Origin
The lack of a regular flow of successful hip-hop acts to come out of D.C. remains a long-standing mystery. Most large cities (Philly, New York, Atlanta, New Orleans, L.A., Detroit, Oakland, etc.) have fostered an impressive roster of rappers and...
By washingtonpost.com | March 23, 2005; 12:38 PM ET | Email a Comment
Tea and Blossoms
In my life it's always tea time, but sitting down to formal afternoon tea is one of life's lovelier pleasures. The historic Willard InterContinental Hotel is now offering afternoon tea in its Peacock Alley, Wednesdays through Sundays from 2:30 to...
By washingtonpost.com | March 22, 2005; 05:36 PM ET | Comments (7)
Mount Vernon, Square No Longer
If you're looking for the next big nightlife neighborhood, head for Penn Quarter -- and keep going north. The area around Mount Vernon Square and the Washington Convention Center is already home to the neo-soul spot Juste Lounge and the...
By washingtonpost.com | March 22, 2005; 04:31 PM ET | Comments (3)
The Other Basketball Tournament
If you're hungry for more college basketball and can't wait until Thursday's Sweet 16 games begin, consider heading to College Park on Wednesday night. The Maryland Terps (yes, they're still playing despite missing the Big Dance) are scheduled to take...
By washingtonpost.com | March 21, 2005; 05:17 PM ET | Comments (6)
See No Evil?
Very few movies have been made about Adolf Hitler, the traditional reasoning being that to do so would be to humanize him. Then along comes this year's "Downfall," a controversial German film that recounts the last days of the Third...
By washingtonpost.com | March 21, 2005; 04:52 PM ET | Comments (4)
Summer's Taking Shape
The summer concert season is starting to take shape, as the two biggest surviving festival stalwarts - Ozzfest and Warped Tour - have announced their dates and lineups. The 10th anniversary edition of Ozzfest - the summer festival of choice...
By washingtonpost.com | March 18, 2005; 12:45 PM ET | Comments (17)
Elephants on Parade
If you're planning to drive in downtown D.C. on March 21, listen up. You could be interrupted by pachyderms walking down the middle of the street. When the circus comes to town, the elephants are offloaded from the train early...
By washingtonpost.com | March 16, 2005; 06:32 PM ET | Comments (2)
Erin Go Bragh Humbug
After New Year's Eve, readers always write to us to grumble about the parties they went to at bars and clubs. Common complaints: Lines were too long; the bar was too packed to get a drink; there was nowhere to...
By washingtonpost.com | March 16, 2005; 12:10 PM ET | Comments (8)
Madness
March Madness is finally upon us. For hoop heads and amateur bracketologists, this is a great time of year. If for no other reason than that it gives people three weeks to pretend that there aren't really any company rules...
By washingtonpost.com | March 16, 2005; 12:08 PM ET | Comments (6)
Brushstroke
In a world that is often a dog-eat-dog boy's club, one of our favorite promoters for hip-hop events in D.C. is a lady. Laura Westley-Williams, who with her partner Abby was the heavy lifter beyond H.E.R., the key event in...
By washingtonpost.com | March 15, 2005; 05:00 PM ET | Comments (1)
Academy 'Anatomies'
View Enlarged Photo and CaptionWashington has its share of museums on the Mall and gallery districts, but it's also full of great works of art in unexpected places. The National Academy of Sciences pursues lofty goals of research and stewardship,...
By washingtonpost.com | March 15, 2005; 01:33 PM ET | Email a Comment
Phoenixes Rising
The aftermath of a fire is never easy to deal with, so it's nice when the local community comes together to help. Kingpin, which caught fire on Christmas Day, remains closed while its owners deal with insurance issues. In the...
By washingtonpost.com | March 14, 2005; 01:47 PM ET | Comments (7)
Positive Force
Fugazi hasn't officially broken up, but by all accounts the band has no plans to record or tour anytime in the foreseeable future. All of the band members have been working on different projects, including frontman Ian MacKaye, who formed...
By washingtonpost.com | March 11, 2005; 11:14 AM ET | Comments (1)
Bathroom Sounds
Have you ever visited the bathroom during a concert just to escape the band for a few minutes? Well that ploy will never work for you anymore at the Birchmere where the club has installed a pretty fabulous speaker system...
By washingtonpost.com | March 10, 2005; 12:56 PM ET | Email a Comment
Dancing Till Dawn
You know the feeling of meeting someone for the first time and developing such an intense connection that you stay up all night talking, a la Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy in "Before Sunrise"? That's what tango dancing embodies, a...
By washingtonpost.com | March 9, 2005; 05:26 PM ET | Comments (2)
A Very, Very Mad World
It's not easy to get in the mood for a play about the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School. But if you can manage it, head to the Round House Theatre in Silver Spring to check out "columbinus." I saw...
By washingtonpost.com | March 9, 2005; 04:15 PM ET | Comments (1)
All You Can Eat
We will be cheering on big eaters tomorrow, March 10, when D.C. area restaurants will contribute at least 25 percent of all sales to Food & Friends, the organization that prepares and delivers meals to people with HIV/AIDS and other...
By washingtonpost.com | March 9, 2005; 02:38 PM ET | Email a Comment
Am I Buggin' You?
I don't mean to bug 'ya. But I thought you'd want to know that tickets for U2's MCI Center dates go on sale this Saturday at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster. Bono and co. bring the Vertigo tour to D.C. for...
By washingtonpost.com | March 8, 2005; 06:11 PM ET | Comments (6)
Guess Who's Coming to Chevy Chase
Who would have thought that uptight, East Coast Washington could ever give Rodeo Drive or Madison Avenue a run for its money? Well, hold onto your Data Watch cards, there still won't be much competition for the fashion/shopping capital of...
By washingtonpost.com | March 8, 2005; 03:10 PM ET | Comments (5)
You're Getting Sleepy...
You have every right to be skeptical of someone like Flip Orley, who is billed as The Nation's Premier Comic Hypnotist. Besides having a title that's about as inspiring as The New Jersey Turnpike's Most Happenin' Rest Area, comic hypnosis...
By washingtonpost.com | March 7, 2005; 02:58 PM ET | Email a Comment
A Really Big Beer
Oktoberfest is six months away, and when you're a fan of German beers, that seems like forever. To help tide me over, I often head to Cafe Mozart, a German deli/European pantry/bar/restaurant tucked into a nondescript office building near the...
By washingtonpost.com | March 7, 2005; 09:00 AM ET | Comments (1)
Pam Bricker Memorial
Musicians that played with Pam Bricker and those that simply loved to hear her sing gathered informally last week at U-topia to share music and remembrances. A second memorial event to celebrate her life and art will be taking place...
By washingtonpost.com | March 4, 2005; 04:44 PM ET | Comments (4)
Back for More
In the latest installment of a band that apparently didn't get the message the first time, the Backstreet Boys have decided that they will grace us with a reunion tour. Tickets go on sale Saturday at noon on tickets.com for...
By washingtonpost.com | March 4, 2005; 09:00 AM ET | Comments (4)
Saturday Night's All Right
Three newly opened bars in Adams Morgan. One Saturday night. The first stop was T.S. Muttley's, an appallingly named pub that opened on February 16, replacing Chez Antoine. My friends and I were greeted at the door by a woman...
By washingtonpost.com | March 3, 2005; 10:00 AM ET | Comments (9)
Spy Lounge Closes After Fire
Offices above the Spy Lounge caught fire early this morning, causing extensive damage to trendy Adams Morgan nightspot. Owner Alan Popovsky says the most serious damage occured at the front of the building, where part of the ceiling collapsed. "I...
By washingtonpost.com | March 2, 2005; 03:34 PM ET | Comments (9)
So Uncool
I saw "Be Cool" last night, and I'm sorry to report that it's most decidedly uncool. In the words of Fred Willard in "A Mighty Wind": "Wha' happened?" There are so many fantastic people in this movie: John Travolta, Uma...
By washingtonpost.com | March 2, 2005; 02:57 PM ET | Comments (2)
It's All in the Jeans
Just when you thought it was safe to wear your old Sevens or James jeans at least another season, along comes another must-have brand. True Religion is apparently so beloved by celebs like Kate Hudson, J. Lo, Gwyneth Paltrow and...
By washingtonpost.com | March 1, 2005; 05:55 PM ET | Comments (24)
Lyricist's Lounge
If you're overly excited about the nascent beef between 50 Cent and The Game, then you should close your browser window now because I have officially declared that Asheru's "Imnomia" mixtape is leading the pack for essential hip-hop recording of...
By washingtonpost.com | March 1, 2005; 02:55 PM ET | Comments (3)
It's Raining Men
You can still get seats in the mid-orchestra for this year's musical by the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington. This is important because the costumes and the set design are the most mind-blowing part of the production, so you really...
By washingtonpost.com | March 1, 2005; 10:29 AM ET | Comments (2)
