DC in Color

This unusual color scheme is from my neighborhood, and, while it's pretty garish, I have to admire its boldness.

Urban Garden

It's a very rainy day in DC, so I thought it would be nice to share a sunny day at a corner flower shop in Old Town Alexandria.

Kogan Plaza Fountain

I'm going to be pulling from the archived for a little while... Since my camera was recently stolen. Until its replaced, I'll be posting iPhone Photos of the Day. Here's one from Kogan Plaza on the GW campus, taken while I enjoyed one of the last al fresco lunches of the year.

A Few Days Away

From inside Reagan National Airport, I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving! I'll be back next week!

It's Friday! Have some pie!

This is the Baltimore Bomb pie from the Dangerously Delicious pie truck.  Yes, that's right, we have a truck that sells pies, both sweet and savory.  The Baltimore Bomb is a base of egg custard-like topped with crumbled Berger cookies, a Baltimore specialty.  

Finally! Affordable Space Capabilities!

File this one under "DC, Only in."

Throughout DC's Metro system (also called WMATA or, more familiarly WM@#!%F€!£), you find a unique brand of advertising. Some of these ads may be familiar to you because they're always on your TV; they're in the poorly punctuated "Tell Congress Don't Tax Air" genre. While these ads may be a little different here because they specifically target lobbyists and Hill staffers, our most uniquely DC ads are aimed at the military. To non-military personnel like myself, these are often amusing signs for "the most battle-ready tank of its class" or "durable carrier platform surfacing." We're one step away from "But wait! Call within the next 5 minutes and we'll throw in this entire carrier fleet for free! That's one carrier platform, plus a free fleet, and bonus surface-to-air strike capabilities! All for 3 easy payments of 31Billion!! (+s&h)" That's perfectly priced if you've just come into a little money and want to stage your own military coup of a small island nation. But the most over the top example of what I like to call the "Billy Mays genre" is the one shown here. Finally! Affordable space capabilities to fit any budget. I'm pretty sure it's just a lease though.

So I hope you don't mind that in lieu of monuments or action shots of my coffee I give you this little glimpse into the bizarre world of DC living. Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to go test drive the new 2012 Black Hawk.

Tiny Waterfalls

I should have posted this shot of the water feature at the Navy Memorial on Veteran's Day, but I didn't get a chance. In the background, you can see the National Archives. Long time readers will know that this is one of my favorite places in DC.

Crossing the Potomac

Taken from the Metro bridge on the way to Alexandria, VA.

The Smithsonian Carousel

The Smithsonian Carousel is a wooden carousel from the 1940s. The sign on the carousel states that it's been on the present site, on the National Mall right outside of the Smithsonian Castle, since 1967, but he sign is actually from its old location in Baltimore. The carousel was actually installed here in the mid 70s, giving the National Mall a little bit more French flavor, as a nod to the Tuileries.

Withering Pumpkins

From a distance, it looks like an ideal autumn afternoon, but these Jack-o'lanterns have seen better days.

Happy Election Day!

These sculptures are in the lobby of the Media and Public Affairs Building at The George Washington University.

Occupying, Marching, Singing

I went out a few nights ago to get Wonky Fries. (That's poutine to you guys in Canada, disco fries if you're from Philly.) If you don't know--Wonky Fries are French fries covered in gravy and cheese and sold from with Wonky Truck, one of the most popular food trucks in DC.  I saw via Twitter that they were in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd run out for a snack.  They didn't say why they were in the neighborhood.... And I found myself in the middle of an Occupy DC Rally.

The picture on the left shows the crowd watching videos projected on the side of the Washington Convention Center.  If you want a better idea of what it was like down on the street, I took a short video (NSFW language).

Autumn in Old Town Alexandria

Rachael Yamagata at America's Legendary Music Hall

If you've been reading a while, you've seen me mention The Birchmere.  From the outside it could be any suburban nightclub, perhaps a little more garishly painted than most.  The inside features a bar and small bandstand area for intimate shows.  The main concert hall seats at long tables where concert goers can tap along to their favorite artists while enjoying southern specialties like red beans and rice, catfish, or chicken fried steak.  

I was at the Birchmere for Rachael Yamagata, a local girl that made it big.  It's her third concert I've been to, the second at the Birchmere.  It's always charming because her proud family, friends, and even high school teachers come out for the shows.  It was undoubtedly her best performance I've seen--a mixture of tracks from her new record, Chesapeake, and years of favorites like "Worn Me Down," "Elephants," and "The Reason Why."

You can find more of Rachael here, and the Birchmere's calendar here.