Eric Fergus McKinzie Erickson
@ Dupont Circle
Q:If your dog was a celebrity, who would it be?
A:"Lindsay Lohan. My dog is popular for no good reason. "
PEOPLE PEEKING INSIDE Rockville's Transform Fitness (6001 Montrose Road; 240-383-8402; Transformfit.net) often aren't sure what to make of the studio. "Are you open? You don't have any machines," they keep telling owner Anne Johns, who explains to them that her arsenal of functional fitness tools — including tubing, balls, sandbags and kettlebells — is all anyone really needs.
Well, that and a room that's empty except for a couple chairs.
They're not props for balance exercises or triceps dips. The seats are simply for sitting and talking, which Johns hopes to make as integral a part of her clients' experience at Transform as sweating.
"As a trainer, I found the biggest hang-up wasn't knowing you need to exercise or how to eat well. It's how to get around the mental barriers," Johns says. "Coaching is the missing link in making these lifelong changes."
The idea is to pair workouts with check-in discussions, either for individuals or groups with similar struggles. Think new parents, chronic pain sufferers — or people looking to lose significant amounts of weight, such as Mannie Pallia, 40, and Geneva Hoey, 54.
WEDNESDAY: Although the demise of Screen on the Green is sad — another iconic D.C. activity bites the dust — there are still plenty of free movies to sustain us.
Tonight (and every Wednesday this summer), you can see a free screening in Rockville Town Square while local restaurants offer picnic dinner specials. Tonight's film is tear-jerking dog-flick "Marley and Me."
» Rockville Town Square, between Maryland Ave. and Gibbs St., Rockville; Wed., June 3, 8:45 p.m., free. (Rockville)
Photo courtesy Barry Wetcher
WHATEVER THE OUTCOME of Tuesday's election, the winner is bound to emphasize he'll bring change to Washington. Perhaps the candidates don't realize it's already here. But instead of taxes or rebates or regulations, Hyun Martin has her own techniques. "I came to Washington to change the world, and I'm doing it in a spa," says the owner of Bethesda's Be You Bi You Wellness Center and Spa (5602 Shields Drive, 301-493-4911, Beyouspa.com).
Her bipartisan suggestion: Get a jaw massage.
Whether you've been gabbing incessantly on cable news — or at the dinner table — or gritting your teeth as you listened with a forced smile, your jaws have taken a beating over the past few months. And that, my friends, could wear out the muscles that support your temporomandibular joint (TMJ). So, Martin, who hatched the idea to target beleaguered jaws after dating a dentist, designed a 30-minute massage ($80) that targets trigger points on your cranium, neck and mouth. She slips on gloves and dives into your oral cavity, fatiguing the jaw muscles with pressure. "I ask them to clench, and after awhile, they can't clench anymore, so the muscle has to release," she says.
Continue Reading "Take a Break, Talking Heads: Loosen Up Jaws" »
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.
AFTER NINE YEARS of Halloween infamy, Nightmare on M Street still hasn't been disbanded. Because, really, who wouldn't want to see and hear big drunk kids clamoring down their street from sundown to 2 a.m.?
More than 6,000 people are expected to attend, starting at Front Page in Dupont Circle and crawling between the 15 participating bars.
Be sure to get a wristband, or you'll have to cough up a $10 cover at every bar. Don't want to wait in line, or pay $20 at the door? Buy your ticket in advance at lindypromo.com. Or, when you're picking out a costume — be it clever, cliche, or downright slutty (hey, Halloween only comes one night a year; we don't judge you) — head to Party City in Rockville and get a free ticket with a $25 purchase.
» Front Page, 1333 New Hampshire Ave. NW; Fri., Oct. 31, 6 p.m., $12-$20; 202-296-6500. (Dupont Circle)
Photo by Andrea Bruce Woodall/The Washington Post
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" »
BOB'S NOODLE 66 is worth the inevitable wait for a seat. Open for breakfast and lunch, the restaurant features delicious hot pots, a communal bowl of broth that's accompanied by meat, seafood, vegetables and an array of condiments.
Hot pots are ideal for staving off the winter chill, and gathering friends around a steaming bowl is also a nice way to welcome in the Chinese New Year's Year of the Rat.
» Bob's Noodle 66, 305 N. Washington St., Rockville; 301-315-6668.
ON CAPITOL HILL, it is sometimes said that observing legislators at work is kind of like watching sausage being made. On Rockville Pike, however, the new Kielbasa Factory lets its patrons focus more on eating sausages — a far more appetizing prospect.
As The Post's Walter Nicholls reports, the sausages at the Kielbasa Factory aren't actually made on-site, although in-house production is a long-term goal. Right now, the meat is prepared by a top butcher in Chicago. But local sausage lovers should still rejoice — we've been without a reputable Polish deli for years.
The eatery, owned by Polish native Krystyna Ahrens boasts more than just sausages. Expect pierogies, bread, brined Polish pickles and the Pope Kremowka, the late Pope John Paul II's favorite puff cake. And if you're looking for that ultimate of Fat Tuesday treats, the Polish jelly-filled paczki, Ahrens and her crew will have you covered for any gluttony before Lent.
» Kielbasa Factory, 1073 Rockville Pike, Rockville; 240-453-9090
Photo by Katherine Frey/The Washington Post
Transit Is Central to New MoCo Planning Guidelines
Map It:
Bethesda Grosvenor
Rockville Twinbrook
Silver Spring Wheaton
White Flint
EXPECT MONTGOMERY COUNTY'S transit corridors to get a lot more crowded in the coming years: The county council last week approved new planning rules to encourage development in places already served by public transportation.
That means Bethesda, Silver Spring, Wheaton and Metrorail stations in the Rockville Pike corridor will likely see more dense development as the decades wear on.
Reports The Post's Miranda S. Spivack:
In the next 20 years, Montgomery faces several challenges as it tries to absorb the expected arrival of thousands of new residents and jobs already approved and plans for the proposed expansion of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda. And the open land available for development is almost used up.Taxes on new construction in the county will increase from 70 percent to 125 percent, depending on the location and type of development.
» "New Montgomery Growth Policy Formalizes Focus on Public Transit" [WaPo]
TWO PENZEYS SPICES outlets are up and running in the Washington area; a Falls Church location is the newest fragrant outpost. Spice fans like the chili power blends, made with ground chili peppers, cumin and Mexican oregano. In mild, medium and hot, and at prices between $2.39 and $13.50, that's crowd-pleasing flavor for a steal.
» 1048 Rockville Pike, Rockville; 301-738-8707.
» 513 West Broad St., Falls Church; 703-534-7770.
» TASTE OF BETHESDA: Oct. 6 marks this year's Taste of Bethesda from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Woodmont Triangle. Participating restaurants include Passage to India, Ri Ra Irish Pub, Rock Bottom Brewery, Divino Lounge and Restaurant and Jaleo, whose tapas is pictured at right. Ticket bundles are $5 for four. Don't feel like driving? Take the Metro to Bethesda and catch the Circulator.
» OCTOBERFEST AT THE OMNI: Celebrate Octoberfest outdoors at the Garden Cafe at the Omni Shoreham's "Your Stein or Mine" event. This German-themed happy hour costs $15 for mini-bratwurst, soft pretzels with mustard and a selection of European fall lagers. A band playing German music will lend atmosphere.
» Omni Shoreham, 2500 Calvert St. NW; 4-8 p.m. nightly, 202-234-0700. (Woodley Park-Zoo)
» POOCH CAFE: Looking for a place to watch the game? The Lost Dog Cafe in Arlington has the goods to go with your game. From the Redskin sandwich — barbecue, bacon and coleslaw on a roll ($6.25) — to the Democrat — roast beef, ham, bacon and Swiss cheese ($6.25) — chances are there's a sandwich named for your favorite team. Though hundreds of bottled microbrews are offered, Octoberfest and Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale on tap may be the choicest way to go. And as the doggie decor and the name suggest, the restaurant and deli is committed to rescuing pets, too.
» Lost Dog Cafe, 5876 Washington Blvd., Arlington; 703-237-1552.
Photo by Susan Biddle/The Washington Post
Addison Road