Teka Thomas
@ Tattoo
Q:How do you keep your life clean?
A:"Low alcohol intake. I never smoke and I've never done drugs."
IT'S BEEN 24 HOURS since Remy Munasifi uploaded his latest video on YouTube. And if you've got a Twitter feed or a Facebook page or a Gmail account, you've probably already seen it: It's a rap lauding the 28-year-old's Starbucks-laden, Whole Foods-hoppin' 'hood: Arlington, Virginia.
"Arlington: The Rap," which sings the praises of Crate & Barrel and notes the ubiquity of brown flip-flops, has jumped from 300 to 30,000 YouTube views in less than a day. We caught up with Munasifi to quiz him on his, uh, Clarendon street cred.
» EXPRESS: What makes Arlington so hardcore?
» MUNASIFI: It's populated by straight-up thugs. Really, seersucker is a fabric, but it's really a fabric that holds the town together. I was on the Metro and I saw a guy with brown flip-flops and seersucker shorts and I said, 'Yes! This is a video that needs to be made.'
It's a unique place — that's why I moved here. I like it a lot. There are a lot of individuals, unique personalities, creative people. It's kinda artsy. Everybody's real nice, too. It's not something that happens completely up and down the East Coast.
» EXPRESS: The video has gotten a lot of traffic in just 24 hours. Has response been crazy?
» MUNASIFI: That's cool. Now I'm just worried that folks are going to get sick of it; it's only been a day. I'm just happy that folks liked it. I put other videos out there — about something general. But this [song] was about a two-mile radius, so I didn't think it was really going to do [well].
» EXPRESS: Where did the idea come from?
» MUNASIFI: I live in Clarendon now, just a couple blocks from the Metro. I just moved here a few weeks ago and I thought that would be kinda cool to introduce everybody to my new 'hood. I really like Clarendon; I didn't land here by accident. It was like a celebration. I got a couple e-mails yesterday that folks liked it, and I was content with that. So far today it's been more of the same.
EVERYTHING IN THIS town is political. So many people work for (or writes about, or contract for) the government, everyone talks about politics after work and everyone will be out in force for the giant election party that will take over the city on Tuesday night. But before that happens, you can chow down on political-themed food at local eateries that are using election fever as a chance to get creative with their menus.
THE ECONOMY IS NOT WORKING OUT so well these days, but you might be, considering the number of gyms sprouting up (two — a new Vida and Results — opened just last week). Top-of-the-line equipment should help take your mind off financial crises. And if you invest your membership money wisely, you're sure to get a solid return no matter what happens on Wall Street.
» Vida Fitness Metropole
"It's not just a gym," clarifies David von Storch, owner of Vida, indicating Bang Salon and Aura Spa. Located on the entrance level of the 28,000-square-foot space in Logan Circle, that's where folks can get blown out and body-wrapped before descending into the three floors of fitness downstairs. Sound cavernous? An open design means huge windows on the street level are visible from two floors (and 50 feet) below. "It feels urban and sexy without feeling sexual," von Storch says.
It starts with a cardio area, featuring a D.C. exclusive: Real Ryder stationary bikes that shift from side to side to create more of a core workout. TVs are mounted on virtually every piece of equipment, but the real show may be downstairs, where the weights and machines are; they're divided by body part rather than grouped into circuits. Locker rooms lead to the Zen Spa, with two endless pools and a steam room.
1515 15th St. NW, 202-588-5559, Vidafitness.com.
» Results Gym Mount Vernon
There isn't a pool here, but there is pool. It's just the kind with an eight ball. A pingpong table completes the quirky game room that greets all visitors to Results' digs at City Vista, which were designed to maximize natural light. Think wraparound, floor-to-ceiling, southern exposure windows -- providing quite a view of the developing neighborhood.
But there's plenty to see inside, too. The abs area has TVs loaded with class content, so you can be guided through a core workout. Peek through an aquarium to spy on the co-ed Jacuzzi. A disco ball winks from the ceiling of the cycling studio. And there's a low-tech but clever innovation: "express" lockers on the fitness floor for people who want to lock something up quickly but have no need to change or shower. Owner Doug Jeffries seems almost giddy about the new Hoist line of weight equipment, which makes you move your own body in addition to the traditional weights. "It's more fun because the body rocks. Anyone who does this has a smile on their face," he says.
445 K St. NW, 202-234-5678, Resultsthegym.com.
Continue Reading "You Can Find Me in the Club: D.C.'s Newest Gyms" »
THERE WAS A TIME — say, around 6:45 p.m. or so last night — when I thought I might never leave the Rosslyn Metrorail station.
I thought I had found a clever way to avoid dealing with the aftermath of the Metro derailment that snarled traffic on the Orange Line for the evening. After my workday came to an end, instead of using the Court House station as I typically do, I hoofed it to the Rosslyn station to catch the Blue Line. Problem solved, right?
Wrong. Although plenty of fellow Orange Liners seemed to have the same idea — the sidewalks on Wilson Boulevard in Arlington were more crowded than usual — I realized when I made it down into the belly of Rosslyn that single-tracking on the Orange Line meant that Vienna-bound trains were using the upper level of the station instead of the lower level as usual. Which meant that my bullet Blue Line train had to cool its heels — in record heat, of course — at Arlington Cemetery while discombobulated Orange Line trains cycled through the station.
I was bored. So like any nerdy reporter, I whipped out my notebook. Here's how the trip went down:
» 6:15 p.m.: Left the office.
» 6:37 p.m.: Made it to Rosslyn's upper platform a sweaty mess. The place is packed, but nowhere near as crowded as the lower platform.
» 6:42 p.m.: The first train arrives: An Orange Liner bound for Vienna. It's not terribly crowded.
» 6:44 p.m.: A Blue Line train to Franconia-Springfield chugs up to the lower platform. It's a mob scene, with passengers packing through every open door.
Continue Reading "Derailment Makes for a Hot, Slow Ride on Metro" »
THE SCENE ABOVEGROUND at the Court House Metrorail station appeared calm, but underground, Metro officials and Arlington County emergency crews were working to free 200 passengers trapped on a derailed train lodged in a tunnel.
Videographer Michael McPhate of washingtonpost.com took the video above from the scene at about 4:45 p.m. The video was edited by Francine Uenuma.
» GET MORE on the derailment from our earlier post here.
IT'S NOT THAT UNUSUAL to see a completely darkened Metrorail train enter a station — that usually means the train is out of service and — ha ha — won't be taking you anywhere.
Except for this morning. At around 8:30, a train packed with rush-hour commuters — all shrouded in darkness — entered the Court House station, apparently bound for the District. The train was emblazoned "No Passengers" and the lights blinked repeatedly, which led me to believe the throngs of commuters inside would soon have to tromp off and wait for a replacement train. I slowed down to watch the resulting anger-fueled chaos, since that would have been far more interesting than working.
But, uh, no. People streamed aboard, and then off the train went to its next stop and, I would suppose, to its eventual mysterious destination. Possibly with its lights off.
Photo of riders at L'Enfant Plaza on Monday evening by Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post
IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE the big test for Metro: the first baseball game at the new Nationals stadium that started at 7:10 p.m. on a weeknight — which meant fans would be traveling at the same time as evening rush hour riders.
I decided to dive in to the prospective craziness to sample it firsthand. But from this rider's vantage point, the big test ended up feeling more like a quiz. One that the teacher didn't collect or grade.
Maybe it was because the weather dipped into the upper 40s by evening — a bit chilly to sit in an uncovered ballpark. Maybe it was because the NCAA college basketball championship game was scheduled for the same night. Whatever the cause, the trip to the stadium on Metro wasn't that crowded. And, due in large part to the transit agency's efficiency, it was easy as pie.
JUST AS TAXIS in the District are upgrading to time-and-distance meters, a move that many say is way behind the times, a new company in Arlington County called enviroCAB is taking a step toward the future: unveiling the region's first all-hybrid taxi fleet.
Arlington County Board Chairman Walter Tejada, who joined other officials at a launch event at Courthouse Plaza on Monday, said enviroCAB is a perfect fit for the Arlington Initiative to Reduce Emissions, a program aimed at making the county more green.
While county leaders can help shape public policy to be more environmentally friendly, Tejada said it's critical to help draw green businesses to the county to promote sustainability in the private sector. "We need to act locally and this is a great way to do that."
EnviroCAB says its hybrid Ford Escapes and Toyota Priuses, Camrys and Highlanders will emit 2.3 million fewer pounds of carbon dioxide emissions than similarly sized taxis. But it also plans another environmentally friendly step: purchasing carbon-negative offset credits that will save an additional 1.5 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.
Continue Reading "Area's 1st All-Hybrid Cab Fleet Launches in Arlington" »
BY THE TIME THEY REACHED riders' ears, announcements made over the public address system at the Court House station on the Orange Line used to be little more than guttural fuzz, distorted by a poorly placed speaker system and a jarring echo off of the station's soaring coffered ceilings.
But late last fall, that changed. Now, word of delays, elevator outages and other important commuter information has been crisp and understandable.
Like 18 other stations, Court House's speaker systems got a makeover — and placement was the key. According to Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel, public address speakers inside the rail system had been positioned adjacent to mezzanines or in other spots that haven't been the most ideal for distributing sound. Now, workers are installing speakers on brown platform pylons at underground stations, bringing the announcements closer to the passengers waiting on platforms.
The upgrades are part of a two-year contract covering 38 stations. Taubenkibel said he expected the full slate to be completed by the end of the fall.
Here's a list of stations that have seen improvements thus far:
Continue Reading "Upgrades Make Metro Announcements Clearer" »
LOOMING IN THE DISTANCE above Lyon Park's low-slug bungalows are the towers of Arlington County's Ballston-Rosslyn corridor. The neighborhood, which sits just to the south of bustling Clarendon, has been hot in recent years because of its low-density detached housing, all within walking distance of Clarendon's popular commercial center.
But the one-story Lee Gardens Shopping Center, built in the 1940s at the intersection of Pershing Drive and Route 50, will soon be a thing of the past, the Sun Gazette reports. Over the weekend, the County Council approved plans for a five-story mixed-use development that would replace the aging strip mall, which some activists contend is historic.
Some officials also had reservations about the plan because of the precedent the approval of the development sets. According to the Sun Gazette, County Board member Chris Zimmerman, who voted against the project, said plan could be a "Trojan horse of sprawl."
» "C. Board OK's Redevelopment of Lyon Park-Area Shopping Center" [Sun Gazette]
Addison Road