Clarendon Metro Current Schedule Widget

This is a useful little widget from Metro that shows the live status of Clarendon station arrivals and departures. Other stations can be found here.

Happy Hour Finder

A nice little resource I recently found is Washingtonian's Happy Hour Finder. It's a good little tool to find spots quickly to enjoy a cheap drink:

Find A Happy Hour

1. Home, Restaurant, etc... Restaurant Where & When / Event Happy Hour Spa Home Hotel


2. Search by Name
   
   


3. Neighborhood
   All Neighborhoods DC Adams Morgan Brookland Capitol Hill Capitol Hill, National Mall Capitol Hill, Northeast Capitol Hill, Southeast Capitol Hill, Southwest/Waterfront Cleveland Park Downtown Dupont Circle Foggy Bottom/West End Georgetown Georgia Ave./Petworth/Takoma DC Glover Park H Street NE Logan Circle Mt. Pleasant/Columbia Heights Palisades Penn Quarter/Chinatown Petworth Southeast Tenleytown/Friendship Heights Upper Northwest U Street/Shaw Woodley Park MD Annapolis Baltimore Beltsville Bethesda/Glen Echo Bladensburg Bowie Brookeville Bryan's Road Burtonsville Carroll County Chevy Chase Clinton College Park Columbia Crownsville Damascus Easton Ellicott City Fort Washington Frederick Gaithersburg Germantown Glen Burnie Grasonville Greenbelt Hagerstown Hyattsville Kensington/Garrett Park Landover Langley Park La Plata Largo Laurel Maple Lawn Mitchellville National Harbor Northern Montgomery County Olney Potomac/Cabin John Rockville Seabrook Silver Spring/Takoma Park Southern PG County Stevensville Tenleytown/Friendship Heights Waldorf Wheaton VA Alexandria Alexandria, Del Ray Alexandria, Old Town Annandale Arlington Arlington, Ballston Arlington, Clarendon/Courthouse Arlington, Crystal City/Pentagon City Arlington, Rosslyn Arlington, Shirlington Arlington, South Ashburn Baileys Crossroads Barboursville Bristow Chantilly/Centreville/Clifton Culpeper Fairfax Falls Church Flint Hill Fredericksburg Front Royal Great Falls Leesburg Leon Little Washington Lovettsville Manassas Mclean McLean/Tysons Corner Middleburg Reston/Herndon Round Hill Shenandoah Valley Springfield Sterling The Plains Vienna Warrenton Winchester-Frederick Woodbridge
   


4. Scene
   All Scenes Billiards Food Specials Low-key Outdoor Seating Sportsbar Upscale
   


5. Day of the Week
   All Days Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
   


6. Sort By
   AlphabeticalNeighborhoodEditor's Picks
   


7. 
   

Red Line Metro Train Collision

A horrific accident on the Metro happened today at 5pm on the Red Line. Apparently two trains collided head-on between the Fort Totten and Takoma stations. Some news agencies are reporting that one train actually ended up on top of the other train.

WJLA is currently reporting 1 fatality and 9 injuries. Washington Post doesn't have any more details either.

I received this text message alert from AlertDC at 5:45:

Metro reports that 2 train collided and one train is on top of the other train.
Metro reports massive injuries at this time. The green line and the red line are
affected. Further information to follow.

As someone who rides Metro regularly, I didn't think this type of accident was possible. Very scary.

Update 6/23/2009:

The casualty count is now 9 deaths and 76 injuries. The trains did not collide head-on, but instead one train ran into the rear of the first stopped train.

Seaton Smith @ Arlington Cinema Drafthouse

Every Thursday night Arlington Cinema Drafthouse hosts a stand up event with local comedic talent. The $5 show lasts from 7 to 8pm and features four different comics every week in a small, intimate setting.

This week's show was made worthwhile by the always funny Seaton Smith. Seaton has performed at many local venues, including the DC Improv and RiRa.

Seaton has a great comedic style, and I was very impressed that he did not reuse any of his previous jokes from when I saw him last at RiRa three weeks ago.

I love his flip-flops routine, never gets old!

Dolce Vita in Fairfax

A great little Italian restaurant named Dolce Vita is hidden away in Fairfax. This Zagat rated "best Italian food in 2006" venue also owns the neighboring Cantina, a smaller bar with the same menu.

The appetizers are spectacular - I would recommend the Tasca and probably the best Bruschetta I've had. The pasta also does not disappoint, and I was very happy with the filling and tasty Fettuccine Botticelli. Full menu here.

They also have live music with a violinist who walks through the establishment and serenades dinners with his great voice.

Josephine in McPhereson Square

Josephine is a upscale dance lounge featuring two DJ's playing house mixes. Located in McPherson Square on Vermont Ave, it is an easy commute from the Orange Line. The decor is very ornate and has plenty of staff tidying the place up constantly through the night.

You need your name on the list to get in, which means either signing up online ahead of time or knowing someone working there. $20 cover unless you are a lady before midnight.

If you want to sit down, a table reservation will set you back $500. So unless you have a large group wanting to stay the entire night, its best just to stay standing or try to squeeze in on the one free couch by the main stairs.

The locale is great for DC people watching, as this venue attracts a diverse and very well dressed crowd. This included a 50-something man buying a table by the bar and stereotypically surrounding himself with nine scantily clad females. My hero.

Arlington: The Rap

This is hilarious. Thanks GoRemy!

Le Pain Quotidien sucks

I found out tonight that eating dinner at the recently opened Le Pain Quotidien on Clarendon Blvd is definitely not worth it. Very overpriced, slow service, and unsatisfying dishes.

I chose the Roasted Turkey Tartine open faced sandwich, it was ok but not worth $10 and I was still very hungry. The lemonade is so super highly concentrated its hard to drink. Plus the food is served on cutting boards instead of plates, which always results in a messy table as it can't contain the loose bits.

Unless you are going there for their bread or breakfast pastries, stay away.

Boccato Gelato & Espresso

A great place for a quick and casual desert is Boccato Gelatos on Wilson Blvd across from Iota and Whole Foods. The small shop offers an impressive variety of refreshing gelatos. The young staff is always friendly and willing to hand out tiny samples of the ice cream.

Unfortunately for me, the power failues on Edgewood Street due to the storm caused them to close shop for tonight.

I also love the outdoor beanches of different heights. The place has gotten outstanding reviews and has a very appealing atmosphere.

Jenny Lewis tonight at 9:30 tonight

Jenny Lewis is once again gracing us with her talent at the 9:30 Club.

The sold out show is opened by Deer Tick and Farmer Dave.

Wish I could be there!