Locolate is located at 18th and Florida Ave.
Back in January we spoke about Biagio Chocolate located a bit further south on 18th Street. A friend of mine says this place makes the best hot chocolate. You can check out their menu here. Any fans out there?
Remember the discussion we had about the signage for the bar True Story? It looks like that debate has become moot. I thought I was losing my mind for a second, when I couldn’t find the storefront. Alas, the spot was painted over and given a new name. Anyone check out the new spot yet?
Ed. Note: Here is a little background on faults from Wikipedia.
The only visible part of the most famous overthrust fault in DC (Darton’s fault) has an amazing view of the national zoo from its perch just above where Adams Mill Rd peaks on its rise from Rock Creek Park. It sat up there as little Butterstick the Panda was born and must really enjoy the view of the creek bottom when the leaves turn in the fall. Zoo Lights evenings in December must be cool too, romantic even. If the “Fault Seeking Fault” section of Craigslist.org hadn’t been overtaken by scammers and weirdos years ago, he might have a snowball’s chance in hell of sharing those evenings with a special lady fault (Don’t hate. Faults can’t just go out and cruise happy hour looking for love like the rest of us.)
But perhaps the biggest issue for the fault since the 1920s is that it has been housed in an “exhibit”, clearly not designed by the flappers of that time, who rained reigned cool. I’ve never been at the mouth of a sealed mine, but that’s what the concrete walls and black chain link hemming in that little fault look like to me. I hope that any self-respecting flapper would have smacked whatever person or agency representatives responsible for designing that exhibit in the mouth with a beaded purse and a string of pearls on opening day.
If that agency or anyone from that design team is still kicking, they should be fitted with an ankle bracelet set to tase whenever it is within 50 yards of a drafting table. I say this because if the design sensibility encapsulated in that exhibit ever catches on I am sure that we will be opening our arms to Communism and, as much as I love a long line for bread, I’d rather not. Continues after the jump. (more…)
2412 18th Street, NW
I’ve recently been wondering about Bardia’s New Orleans Cafe located at 2412 18th Street in Adams Morgan. Do they have a good po boy? Apparently they also have live music. So how’s the food, music and atmosphere?
Ed. Note: Robyn’s post on the defense of Ruby Tuesday’s Salad Bar and Adams Morgan nightlife got a really interesting debate going and it has sparked a new series. You know in DC sometimes we tend to be reflexively negative about certain things. I find myself doing it too from time to time. Like I hate Georgetown. And in reality the last few times I’ve went to Georgetown, I’ve loved it. I love the old homes, the waterfront, etc. But I feel like I said “I hate Georgetown” so often it just became automatic. And not at all true. So with that in mind Robyn has come up with the idea to debunk some of the automatic negative stereotypes about certain things in DC. This is the third in a series.
One of my gigs is photographing events and parties for a local newspaper. It’s fun and easy and it packs my calendar with social endeavors – some pretty cool (House of Sweden), and some bizarre (Hair + SUV fashion show, don’t ask).
A while ago my editor sent me to Adams Morgan’s Grand Central Station to take some pictures of a kickball event. A kickball event?!? I couldn’t have rolled my eyes harder. I was not a fan of these people (even though I didn’t know any). To me, kickballers were just a roving band of meatheads that take over a bar and turn it into a scene out of Animal House. They’re an easy target to hate. They play a game reserved for 8-year-old boys. They are most likely drunk when you encounter them, hence not exactly capable of coherent conversation. And what’s worse – they always look like they are having more fun than you, cheering on their college drinking games, wearing their matching shirts advertising lite beers, and their general sociable comradery. So I ran in, grabbed a couple photos, and ran out before anyone could force me into a “chug this pitcher” contest. Continues after the jump. (more…)
I’m going to let you all in on a little secret. A couple of months ago I joined the ranks of the unemployed. I won’t lie, some days are a little touch and go, but on the whole I am happy with my new status and am relishing in my newfound abundance of time to focus my energy on volunteering, finishing my graduate school applications (wish me luck!), taking up new hobbies like cooking and painting (not at the same time though), catching up on my reading, finishing the scarf that’s been sitting in the knitting bag since last winter, and finally getting to visit the museums during the quiet hours. For a person without a job I’ve managed to keep myself pretty busy. However, I do still have a good amount of downtime, and if it were warm I would spend much of it outdoors. But in these freezing temperatures, bike rides, leisurely strolls, and sunbathing in the park don’t sound like such great ideas. So, I’ve taken to toting my laptop or a good book over to one of the many neighborhood coffee shops.
Most of the time, because it’s so close to home, I end up at Tryst. I like it alright, the couches are comfy (though their cleanliness is dubious), no one bothers me if I order a cup of coffee and sit for two hours, and they have a good selection of treats for when I get a little hungry. But, it’s always so crowded, the service is slow, and more often than not I feel like the guy next to me is more interested in a pick up than his laptop. But anyway, this post is not about Tryst, it’s about another spot just down the road, Jolt N Bolt. I used to find myself wandering down here when Tryst was too crowded but lately, despite the freezing temperatures, I have been bypassing Tryst all together and setting up shop in the little converted row house at 1918 18th Street (just south of U Street.) Continues after the jump. (more…)
When I’ve posted in the past about atrocious pop ups people have often advocated for historic districts to prevent horrendous additions. So what is the counter argument against Historic Districts? Can historic districts be too restrictive? I spotted this sign in the Adams Morgan neighborhood.
And it’s pretty sweet! This is located on Columbia Road on the side of Mama Ayesha’s right after you cross the Ellington bridge heading from Woodley Park to Adams Morgan.
You’ll see all the Presidents from Eisenhower to Obama with Mama Ayesha in the middle. And there is even space for one more future president. I think it came out really well. What do you guys think – thumbs up or down? It was done by Karla Rodas who is President of Karlisima Murals & Design. More photos after the jump. (more…)
Well, this was pretty cool. I attended an MLK Day/Call to Service at Oyster-Adams Bilingual Elementary School this morning. I can see why so many folks want to send their children here. We probably waited an hour and a half (some folks even longer) for the main attraction to arrive and the children were incredibly well behaved and patient sitting in the auditorium.
There were many songs (of course in English and Spanish) and everybody genuinely seemed to be having a good time. There were also student presentations about what it means to be an American (in English and Spanish) that was also quite nice. And then, try to imagine 100+ elementary school students screaming at Shakira’s arrival. Quite a scene, man. I nearly fainted. Of course that may have more to do with the bars being open until 4am and not eating enough… Anyway, the unbelievably good looking Shakira said a few words and then read a children’s story. The event had another nice touch:
“Shakira, Oyster Principal Monica Liang-Aguirre and the students will also announce a sister-school relationship with a Colombian elementary school, Escuela Gabriel García Márquez, located outside of Bogota. Shakira’s Barefoot Foundation works with the school, which is largely attended by children who have been displaced by Colombian civil war.
For a little background, Shakira founded the Barefoot Foundation in 1995 at age 18 and is devoted to universal education and early childhood development around the world. Shakira is the Chair of the Global Campaign for Education and a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.”
Thanks to a reader for sending. Though, I’m sensing a trend here. The Festivus Kiosk was super popular. Now you can post a message to Obama. My guess is that if you hold out for a few more weeks you’ll be able to send a message to God or maybe Jimi Hendrix? Who would you like to send a message to? I think it would be a far more interesting read if they solicited messages to President Bush…
