St. Mary's on a Sunny Day (5th St.)

This Way

Adams Marilyn

You may have noticed from previous posts that DC loves murals.  The Marylin wall in Adams Morgan is one of the most iconic images of the city.

Landscape from a Balcony

Last week I helped a friend pack before moving back home to the other side of the world. I took a moment's rest to capture the view of the Kennedy Center and Watergate from the balcony where I've spent many hours of wine and conversation.

When the Wind Blows

Here's some of the damage from last Friday's monster storm, which left millions (including me for a few hours) without power.

Rep. Pelosi

It's a bit blurry, but that's Representative and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi at the Sewall-Belmont House and Museum.  The event was an intimate conversation with Rachel Maddow in celebration of Pelosi's 25 years of service. There are much better pictures on Sewall-Belmont's Flickr stream (The shoes are my favorite. I was wearing those in brown.), and here's a short piece from the Post. 

Pride 2012

DC's Pride Parade and Festival is one of the nicest times of the year. It's a celebration of diversity and cooperation, acceptance, of yourself and of others.  Also, look at all the pretty colors.

The PFLAG organization for Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, is pretty much the most heart warming thing that you'll ever see, and a good reminder that nobody gets to define what a family is except that family.

The DC Public Schools has a commitment to providing a safe place for all kids--every single one.  Sure there are still problems that need to be addressed in the system, but there are a lot of people here saying "You have the right to be just who you are," and that's something that, sadly, doesn't hold true for all school kids in this country.

In Case You Keep a Horse in Your DC Apartment

Early Morning Run

Yes, That's Tilda Swinton

Song 1, artist Doug Aiken's multimedia exhibit based on a single song, recently closed at the Hirshhorn Museum on the Mall.  Aiken made use of the museum's round architecture to project his film in 360 degrees on the exterior walls, surrounding the building with speakers playing "I Only Have Eyes For You."  The film itself is non-linear and non-narrative, but, in a way, it tells the story of how music moves through our lives, whether we're singing along to the radio, keeping time with our footsteps, or beating out rhythms with the jangle of keys and the clang of spatulas. We're all connected through the music we listen to.  For the few weeks that the film ran, the Mall, which becomes a dark, empty expanse at night, had flickers of light, strains of music, and small signs of community, as most of the viewers were DC residents gathering in night-time picnics. The pictures I've included don't do it justice, but you can see more of the exhibit, as well as hear Aiken's own description of the project, in the film below. 

Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra Plays Ella

The American Museum of Art recently hosted a special "Ella at 95" concert series, featuring DC's own Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra.

Maddow

This weekend, author and MSNBC host Rachel Maddow took the podium to discuss her new book Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power. To begin the night, Maddow read a short excerpt proving that her published prose is every bit as witty, informative, and accessible as her prime time anchoring of The Rachel Maddow Show. Though she's arguably one of the most left-leaning journalists in American media, Maddow describes her book as bipartisan--not about Republican issues or Democratic issues--but about American issues; that is, how America moved from being a country hesitant to go to war to waging multiple wars, and how we evolved from a nation in which everyone contributed their part to the war effort to an era when war carries on indefinitely with little or no bearing on the every day lives of civilian families, while the brunt of the cost is on military families.

The rest of the evening, Maddow engaged in a lengthy Q&A session with the audience, before signing books and talking to fans. She was as she appears on screen, brilliant, funny, self-deprecating, and always very gracious. The event was sponsored by Politics and Prose Bookstore and the 6th and I Synagogue, a partnership that regularly brings writers, journalists, and political leaders to engage with the public in intellectual discourse.

Georgetown Sidestreets

Georgetown's just prettier than the rest of DC. There. I said it.

Compelling Street Art

Inquisitive Street Art

The Clinton Global Initiative

This past weekend, President Clinton, along with a host of other luminaries and leaders (pictures to follow) were on the campus of The George Washington University for the Clinton Global Initiative, an organization aimed at promoting leadership, social consciousness, community service, sustainability, and global thinking among young people.

Mocha and Motorcade

When you live in DC, you have to learn to deal with the traffic, which is almost always backed up because of the Presidential motorcade.  Even if you're not on the street, but tucked away working in a charming, funky coffee shop, the buzz of six motorcycle cops followed by 12 black vehicles, an ambulance, and at least two police cars is enough to distract you from your book. You know you've lived here for a while if you know who's in the cars by the number of motorcycles riding out front. People in DC like to be nonchalant about it, or even perpetually grumpy--both dispositions are cool in DC.  But the truth is, living in a city where the President of the United States buzzes on a regular basis, is more of a rush than a double espresso.

The shot is a bit blurry because it's a still from the video below.  fyi, the President usually travels in the second car. 

 
                                        

To Spring!

It's the weekend! And, even better, it's spring break! I only have a couple of days off so I'm heading down south to visit my family.  I'll be gone for a few days, but until then, a toast to spring! This is a cajun themed Jean Daley from Bayou on Pennsylvania Ave. in Foggy Bottom.  It's sweet tea vodka, lemonade, and Razzmatazz. Cheers!

Little Wooden Church in the City

Since 1854, this small, wooden chapel has set in this little corner of DC as the city has grown all around it.  The other buildings in the neighborhood are brick and brownstone rowhouses from the late nineteenth century or new, shiny condo complexes looming above. Yet, somehow, in one incarnation or another, the church has survived.  When it was first constructed, it was Fletcher Chapel, a Methodist church that was believed to be one of the stops on the Underground Railroad. It's also been the Church of God and the Saints of Christ Church. In the 1960s when New York Ave. was being expanded and modernized, it was nearly demolished until the presiding church leaders, congregation, and community rallied around to save one of the oldest houses of worship in DC.  In 1997 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, preserving it, and its history as part of the DC Civil Rights Walk, for generations. 

Same view, different look