Will Rast of Funk Art
@ Fort Reno
Q:What's your song for summer?
A:"'I Ain't Nobody's Baby' by Sharon Jones."
WEDNESDAY: It's weird to imagine acoustic punk, but Chris Johnston and Hannah Jones of Ghost Mice have done more: They play it.
The duo — whose music includes a healthy dose of folk — sounds a lot like, say the Moldy Peaches or the Mountain Goats, but rawer. Their songs aren't as lyrically intellectual or sophisticated, but they retain a scratchy punk edge and a childish simplicity that's appealing in its own way. Catch them tonight at La Casa.
» La Casa, 3166 Mount Pleasant St. NW; Wed., June 10, 8 p.m., $5. (Columbia Heights)
LOGAN CIRCLE
Condo: Citta 50
1450 Church St. NW, #504
» $425,000: This 711-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom condo is in a new 27-unit building tucked just behind brisk 14th and P streets on a (relatively) calm street lined with warehouses-turned-condos. The kitchen comes stocked with granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances and a breakfast bar, but serious cooks need not apply, due to limited counter space. Nearly floor-to-ceiling windows in both the bedroom and main room invite natural light and views of Church Street — not to mention the terrace of the neighbors a level below. The main room lends itself to separate-but-snug living and dining spaces; the bedroom offers a walk-in closet. (Listed through RE/MAX Realty Services.)
COLUMBIA HEIGHTS
Condo: The Magdaline
1354 Elucid St. NW, #203A
» $438,500: Wedged between the main drags of Columbia Heights and U Street, this 885-square-foot two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo begs for small get-togethers, with a wide-open living room that merges into an L-shaped kitchen complete with wine fridge. Recessed lighting, stone counter tops and solid cherry floors and cabinets richen the aesthetic; garish gray-and-white-striped marble bathrooms cheapen it a notch. Both bathrooms feature Jacuzzi tubs and windows. The large master bedroom has floor-to-ceiling windows — which jut a little uncomfortably close to the sidewalk out front — as well as a small side balcony and a closet. (Listed through Long & Foster Real Estate Inc.)
Written by Express contributor Katie Knorovsky
Photos courtesy Citta 50, The Magdaline
WE STOOD AT the Home Depot paint-mixing counter in an exasperated stalemate, paper samples of "Village Square" and "Toffee Crunch" shades clenched in our fists.
Then she said it. "I ... hate ... you." Her voice was flat and even, as frustration culminated in those three words. Then, to the horror of the salesman helping us, Tracey burst into tears.
Uh-oh. Maybe living with my sister wasn't such an inspired idea.
It was May 2008 and we were two weeks away from moving into the two-bedroom condo we'd bought together in Clarendon. How was I going to survive living with my younger sibling of three and a half years if we couldn't agree on how many gallons of paint we needed for our pad? But the contracts were signed, the mortgage loan ratified — I looked at Tracey and knew there was no turning back.
Of course, if I'd consulted roommate and sibling relationship experts before signing the lease, they would've predicted potential disaster.
"Our relationships with our siblings are very passionate ones," says Dorothy Rowe, a psychologist whose book, "My Dearest Enemy, My Dangerous Friend" ($18, Routledge), focuses on the dynamics of sibling relationships. "We care enormously about what our siblings think of us: their praise, their approval," Rowe says. "At the same time, we're scared of their criticism. If you've grown up together, your sibling knows just what to say to upset you, tease you or really hurt you. It's a very complicated relationship that doesn't get simpler as you get older."
Continue Reading "Roomies? Oh, Brother: Why Some Siblings Are Opting to Live Together" »
INSIDE THE BELTWAY, lobbying can be an art form.
Inside District condominiums, the lobbies can be artwork.
Without a front yard to make a first impression, condo lobbies become the landscaping and signal the value of what's inside to potential buyers.
A swanky lobby can be a status symbol and a selling point. It can add to a pad's property value — and its price tag. In the same way your wardrobe can reflect your personality, a grand entrance can make a fashion statement for your home.
"When you put on a nice suit versus a pair of jeans, does it change the way you feel?" asks Eric Inman of Hickok Cole Architects (1023 31st St. NW; Hickokcole.com), which has designed dozens of housing developments in the District, including the Kenyon Square condos in Columbia Heights. "Design is the same way."
We scoped out four winning entries in Washington condos.
Continue Reading "Lobbying for Attention: Luxurious Condo Lobbies" »
IF YOU HAPPENED upon 35-year-old Ricardo Evans stomping on the floor, you might think he's a grown man throwing a tantrum. The scene becomes even more peculiar if you spot Nora Spellane, 15, looking on and taking notes.
But this is no maturity mix-up. Evans was just loosening imaginary jammed doors in Spellane's play, "The Elevator."
Spellane, a Woodrow Wilson Senior High School freshman, is one of eight writers, ranging from elementary school students to teenagers, participating in the Young Playwrights' Theater's New Play Festival (April 6-8, 7 p.m.). The free two-hour show at the GALA Hispanic Theatre (3333 14th St. NW, 202-387-9173) includes plays such as Spellane's, in which two men with diverging worldviews get stuck in the confined space between floors, and "A Dedicated Gardner," a whimsical tale written by Israel Nunez — a ninth-grader — in which a tulip-loving bag lady is pushed to frightening limits.
Continue Reading "Change of Direction: Young Playwrights' Theater" »
THEY'RE HEEEEE-ERE. THE National Cherry Blossom Festival has begun, and so has the tourist season. Everyone from Buddhist monks to Midwestern vacationers has come to look at the pretty flowers, and all you want to do is be alone.
They're standing on your escalators (on the left, of course), they're taking your table at Capitol Lounge and they're clogging up your streets. Want to get away? Here are a few places the herds won't think to visit, where you can sit in a corner and snarl at anyone who comes near.
Your best bet is to go somewhere that isn't Metro accessible, but since you probably don't have a car either, that isn't really an option. Instead, stick to Metro stops the tourists won't be familiar with, like Columbia Heights.
Continue Reading "Flee From The Flowers: Spots Away From The Crowd" »
AS ST. PATRICK'S DAY approaches, the words "pub" and "grub" are becoming inescapable. Getting indigestion just thinking about all that greasy bar fare seeping into your belly? Not to worry, lads and lasses, as it happens that not all is lost in the world of D.C. pub dining. You just need to know where to look.
Columbia Heights' CommonWealth (1400 Irving St. NW; 202-265-1400) is one of D.C.'s first "gastropubs" (i.e. a pub specializing in high-quality food and drink), and chef and owner Jamie Leeds delivers a solid menu of imaginative English classics.
Standouts such as house-made headcheese ($8), Scotch eggs ($7) and crispy pigs' trotters ($9) round out her porcine-heavy menu. To wash it all down, there's a wide range of cask ales on tap, including the pleasantly bitter Wells Bombardier Premium or the smoother Newcastle Brown ($6-8). Perhaps you're looking for that hard-to-find Harvey & Son Imperial Extra Double Stout ($12). They have it here, in addition to a vast selection of imports.
Continue Reading "Pub-Food Feast: Pub Grub Going High End" »
TUESDAY: Celebrate Mardi Gras with the cool kids. Yes, there will be king cake and beads, but there will also certainly be PBR and skinny jeans. That's called cultural integration, and it's a beautiful thing. The Red Derby is one of the most excellent bars in Columbia Heights, and this is sure to be the most hipster-filled Mardi Gras party you'll see Tuesday night.
We're questioning the taste level of offering Hurricane drink specials, but probably on Tuesday everyone will be too drunk and enthusiastic to care.
» Red Derby, 3718 14th St. NW; Tues., Feb. 24, 8 p.m, free; 202-291-5000. (Columbia Heights)
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images
TO D.C. NATIVE Paul D. Miller, everything is a remix. To New York City-based DJ Spooky, everything is a remix. To the person editing this story, that second sentence was a remix of the first.
Paul D. Miller is DJ Spooky, and his work is the grandson of the manual cut-up techniques of Brion Gysin in the mid-20th century, the son of hip-hop-steeped art at the end of it, and one of the forefathers of 21st century remixology.
With his live, multimedia reinterpretation of D.W. Griffith's pioneering 1915 movie, the pro-Ku Klux Klan "Birth of a Nation," Miller extended the possibilities of "versioning" into film. But as the DVD release of "Rebirth of a Nation" shows, versioning images to tell whatever story needs to be conveyed is a normal part of today's media cycle, and it was an integral part of Griffith's propaganda-steeped methodology. As a voiceover near the end of "Rebirth" states, "As these powerful images unfold, realize how D.W. Griffith embraced the power of media to be a political tool, and how easily a revisionist history can be introduced into the mainstream."
Continue Reading "Versioning History: 'Rebirth of a Nation'" »
IF U STREET is Little Ethiopia and the Northern Virginia suburbs are Little Asia, then Adams Morgan is now Little Mideast.
Brief history: First, there was 18th Street's Amsterdam Falafel, wafting in intoxicated bar-hoppers with the smell of double-fried fries and bundles of breaded chickpeas.
Around the corner on Columbia Road, a former chef at Amsterdam opened up Old City Cafe, which offers a wider menu (breakfast all day!) plus the standby toppings to crown your falafel-filled pita.
Then back at 18th, the crew from Amsterdam opened up Shawarma Spot, padding the menu with shawarma sandwiches, rice side dishes and Mediterranean-themed salads.
But now Amsterdam Falafel and co. has a threat to its monopoly on Mideast treats in Adams Morgan. Enter Shawarma King.
Continue Reading "Shawarma Wars: An Eatery Serves Falafel for All" »
Addison Road