Walls of Washington

“Security concerns have transformed Washington, taking a city envisioned as the physical embodiment of the openness of American democracy and turning it into a garrison town that is increasingly inaccessible to the general public.”

Peter Bug Way

The 400 block of 13th Street SE in the Nation’s Capital became “Peterbug Matthews Way” last Saturday. It’s named after the community leader who founded and runs the Peter Bug Shoe and Leather Repair Academy in a small building on the corner of 13th and E Streets, SE.

John “Peter Bug” Matthews, a fifth-generation Washingtonian, has been training young men as cobblers since 1977. He became known as “Peter Bug” because of an old VW he fixed up and drove years ago. Members of his Academy, some as young as 8 years old, commit to learning a trade, keeping up their grades, and performing public service. Leather repairs and other part-time jobs help them earn money without getting into trouble. Some of the shoes young apprentices learn to fix are donated, and well-repaired shoes are given to families unable to afford new footwear.

Fish Rustlers Go to the Hoosegow

A Washington, DC fish wholesaler has been found guilty of buying rockfish from a gang of rustlers. A co-owner and a fish buyer will go to the pokey, and the company has been fined $875,000. The DC bass bandits were collared last December. The rockfish (Morone saxatilis or Roccus saxatilis), also known as the striped bass, is the state fish of Maryland. It was overfished for decades, and harvesting is tightly controlled.

A posse has been roundin’ up rockfish rustlers for some time. Convictions were based on investigations by a special task force of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Maryland Natural Resources Police, and the Virginia Marine Police between 2003 through 2007.

Just Another DC Weekend

 

The IMF/World Bank Annual Meeting paralyzes the streets of Washington again this weekend as police defend our economic overlords from scruffy college kids and hippies playing drums.

The Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk begins at Nationals Park, travels into Maryland and back to Union Station, 60 miles in all.

Saturday pits the Festival of the Building Arts against the Taste of Georgetown.

Bikeshare Begins

Capital Bikeshare began rolling out its fleet of red rental bicycles Monday in Washington DC and Arlington Virginia. By late October 1,100 cycles will be available at 114 bike stations across DC and Arlington (see the full map here). The annual membership rate is $50 (reduced from $75) and rides 30 minutes or less are free (see the rates here).

While the program is aimed at serving daily commuters, there are daily rates for tourists.  

The $4 million project, chiefly funded through federal grants, takes advantage of DC’s new bike lanes and bike signals and connects with Metro stations and Circulator bus routes. Alta Bicycle Share operates the system.

Spectrum of DC Art

See the variety of DC’s visual art at the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery at Smith Farm Center today through Wednesday, August 25, 2010. The free exhibit features work by Washington artists applying for DC Arts Commission fellowships. This is a chance to see the latest painting, prints, photos and drawings by some of our favorites (Rex Weil, Rik Freeman, Roderick Turner, Elaine Langerman, Alec Simpson) as well as emerging artists. Sample works are on view here.

DC Fourth of July Travel Advisory

The Fourth of July will be celebrated in the District of Columbia with the traditional street closings and detours. Travel into and around Washington DC will be slow tomorrow as tourists jam the District to watch fireworks on the National Mall. Be careful who you cut off on the Wilson and Memorial bridges on your way in, though, because no one likes pyrotechnics more than the pistol-packing patrons of Champps sports bars in Northern Virginia.

Virginia’s new law permitting concealed weapons in saloons went into effect Thursday, and patrons of Champps celebrated with Glocks and iced tea. There are good reasons to pack heat in Virginia’s sports bars. You certainly need a semiautomatic firearm at Champps to defend your family against those dangerous Loaded Chips appetizers (cheddar, pepperjack, mozzarella, Asiago cream sauce, bacon, green onions, sour cream).

Have a safe and sane Independence Day.

 

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

Fort Reno Concert Series

Get high in DC this summer – go to Fort Reno. The park is 429 feet above sea level, the highest point in the District. This season you can get high on music, too. Fort Reno Summer Concerts are on Mondays and Thursdays at 7PM to 9:30PM, starting June 28th with The Public Good, American Hearts, and Tiny Bombs. The outdoor concerts are free. Bring a blanket, balloons, picnics, glass bottles, soft drinks, alcohol, the family, drugs and friends.

Fort Reno was built in 1861 as part of Washington’s Civil War defenses. It guarded the Tenleytown Whole Foods or something like that — ask the kids from Wilson High School down the street; it was probably on the final exam. The Fort Reno Summer Concert Series has been a Tenleytown tradition for four decades, starting right after the Civil War, showcasing whatever they called loud, fast music back then (“Indy Rock” or “Reconstruction-Core,” maybe).

Fort Reno Concert Series
Mondays and Thursdays (weather permitting)
June 28 – August 12, 2010 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM
Fort Reno Park, Chesapeake Street and Nebraska Avenue, NW

Schedule  – Map

 

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

DC Blogger Meetup Wednesday, June 9th

This month’s Washington, DC Blogger Meetup is Wednesday, June 9, 2010 at 7 PM at a Dupont Circle watering hole (near Metro). RSVP by 4 PM Wednesday (requires free Meetup registration).

Founded in 2002, this Meetup provides opportunities for Metro DC area blog writers to share experiences and tips, drink beer, socialize, drink beer, and plan collaborative projects and other events. Thinking of starting a blog? Come on by. Did we mention that beer is available?

Spend a couple of hours with other DC bloggers this Wednesday.  You can blog about the primary elections afterwards.

Interested in “push button blogging” using the Blogger platform? Get tips and tricks from Phil Shapiro at the DC Bloggers workshop at 1:00 PM this Saturday, June 12th at the Cleveland Park Library (3310 Connecticut Ave NW, Red line Metro). Information and RSVP here (requires free Meetup registration).

 

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

DC Food Blogger Happy Hour Wednesday, June 2nd

DC Food Blogger Happy Hour
Wednesday June 2, 2010 – 6 to 8 pm
ZENTAN
Donvan House Hotel
1155 14th street NW
Washington, D.C 20005

RSVP on Facebook.

More at: Capital Spice, Dining in DC, Girl Meets Food, Gradually Greener, Johnna Knows Good Food, Modern Domestic, Thrifty DC Cook, and elsewhere in the DC foodie Blogosphere.

 

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine