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U Street Movie Series Kick off at Harrison Field

"Movie"

The U Street Movie Series at Harrison Recreation Center (Luis Gomez Photos).

Star Wars Uncut will be playing at the Harrison Recreation Center (between 13th and 14th Streets on V Street NW) to kick off the U Street Movie Series. Harrison field is under renovations right now but the field is open for the movie series. The gates open at 7 pm, and a DJ will play until sundown when the movie starts.

Three years ago, a group of Star Wars fans decided to remake Star Wars: A New Hope out of fan-generated scenes. Now, the Star Wars Uncut project has come to fruition.  The Director’s Cut, a two-hour+ YouTube video created entirely by crowdsourcing. It will play at the U Street Movie Series Kick off Wednesday evening, June 19.

When fans were encouraged by organizer and fan Casey Pugh to recreate the Star Wars movie in 15-second segments, they were given free reign to do whatever they wanted. Out of the thousands of wildly creative scenes, video editor Aaron Valdez and sound designer and mixer Bryan Pugh picked the best of the bunch, putting together this whimsical Director’s Cut, a rip-roaring re-creation of the George Lucas film.

Upcoming Movies

  • July 17 – The Nine Lives of Marion Barry
  • August 21 – Summer Wars (anime)
  • September 18 – The Legend of Cool “Disco” Dan

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Posted in Arts & Entertainment, Featured, News1 Comment

Urban Etiquette: Southern Gentility in a Southern Yet Northern City

From Fox Deatry. Email him at fox[AT]borderstan.com.

"Southern"

DC is to the south of the North, but in reality is a Northern city. (Luis Gomez Photos)

Now that DC Pride is over and the studs of Nellie’s could finally revert back to eating solid food without worrying about flabs on the parade float, I couldn’t help but wonder about the fascinating crowd that this town attracts.

As it seems, Southern ‘Homo’ Sapiens look at DC as though it is the Emerald City — a promised land of sorts with less prejudice and no Piggly Wigglies.

Now you would think that these cornbread-fed studs would bring their Southern gentility into this city. But after sheer observation, their transformation from a Fiddle-Dee-Dee to a Yankee Doodle Gal seems to have taken a bad turn in the spirit of fitting in.

Now, in my continuing public service, it is my duty to point out proper urban-DC etiquette that will certainly make our new residents fit in while not sticking out… in a bad way.

  1. The humidity levels might be the same, Robert E. Lee might be occasionally mentioned, but DC is more Northern than Southern whatever the Mason-Dixon Line says. This certainly brings more diversity, so my best advice is exposure — not indecent, the cultural kind. Check out the ethnic restaurants along 14th Street. Expanding your food palette makes you look more sophisticated. Besides, knowing these places makes you a sudden cultural attaché and it would impress certain dates.
  2. Carrie Bradshaw might have said love and labels, but I have to disagree with the latter. Wearing labels is fine if you’re earning dough from it. So boys, please tuck away those Abercrombie shirts with ‘Abercrombie’ on them. It doesn’t make you look fashionable, it makes you fashion road kill — opossum style.
  3. I know you want to be Metro Weekly’s cover boy — after all, that attracts more tail — but, sweetie darling, please don’t be on every photo-op for every DC event. It makes you an attention wh*** (bleep). Now, there are exceptions: if it is good for tourism, shores up the economy and lowers the unemployment rate then it’s acceptable.
  4. Washingtonians love to drink, as evidence of the many bars that line U and 14th Streets. We even have a place of worship dedicated to such (check Church Key). But when you get invited to a party, my advice is to leave that bottle of Moonshine at home. Go to Whole Foods or Trader Joes and check out a nice bottle of white wine. Vines from Napa and Southern America attract positive attention.
  5. This is no longer that massive Tara Plantation you are used to inhabitating. Space is a luxury. This brings me to bikes. Urban etiquette calls for biking on to those narrow, taxpayer-funded lanes. And it ‘ain’t fittin’ if you are not wearing those helmets. In the subway, remember to stay on the right side of the escalator if you will be idled to let those busy, oh-so-late folks rush to their K Street jobs (eye-roll). For driving, keep away from Dupont Circle. It’s more confusing than the first time you started liking boys. It is best to drive there early, early morning when only rodents are present – that way you can familiarize yourself with those one-way streets. Remember, a wrong turn in this city will make you end up in Virginia.

These are only a few rules. But my best advice to Southern boys is to never lose that gentility — maybe the parasol and the ivory mittens, which you can save for the annual Halloween Drag Queen Race. Regardless, this town needs politeness, and if that isn’t the case today then maybe tomorrow.

After all, tomorrow is another day.

This column first ran June 12, 2012.

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Posted in Lifestyle5 Comments

June 15: Thanks to This Week’s Borderstan Advertisers

"borderstan advertisers"

Borderstan: News from Dupont-Logan-U Street.

Borderstan thanks this weeks advertisers for their support. Remember to Think Local First and support local businesses in DC and the Dupont-Logan-U Street neighborhood.

The Bike Rack: The Bike Rack is a full service independent bike shop. We’re a community of people who care about cycling, and we strive to improve the cycling experience of every customer. We pride ourselves on building a strong cycling community with weekend rides, clinics, local partnerships, clubs, teams, and active involvement in local cycling advocacy.” At 1412 Q Street NW.

Mike Brown/McEnearney Associates: ”Reality. Only better. Try our new Mobile App.”

Glen’s Garden Market: “At Glen’s Garden Market, shoppers will select from the Chesapeake Bay Watershed’s finest produce, meats, poultry, dairy products and specialty foods in a space designed to celebrate seasonality and offer unprecedented access to environmentally sustainable, locally grown foods. The store will showcase foods grown or created by farmers and artisans in DC, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New York.” At 2001 S Street NW.

Hemphill Fine Arts: ’Artist Citizen, Washington DC’ runs through July 27. “There are persistent romantic notions that the artist is a tortured soul, standing apart from social conventions and ordinary concerns. Popular media frequently depicts the artist as possessed by reckless freedom and lacking accountability. These generalizations are narrow and misguided. The contemporary artist is just as likely to be a good citizen as anyone else.” At 1515 14th Street NW, Suite 300, just north of P Street.

Java House: ”A neighborhood cafe where the coffee is roasted in the store. Happy Hour all day Monday through Friday with $4 beers.” Located at 1645 Q Street NW with indoor and outdoor seating.

Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe: ”Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe is DC’s only full-service restaurant and complete bar combined with an independent bookstore.” Just north of Dupont Circle at 1517 Connecticut Avenue NW.

Pizza No. 17Dinner Special, Monday through Friday (Dine-in only)… any bottle of wine and two personal 8″ Pizzas for $39.95.” At 1523 17th Street NW, south of Q Street NW.

Rice/DC Noodles: ”The Rice menu that both traditional and contemporary Thai cuisine in a very simple setting with minimal decor in the Logan Circle neighborhood. In addition, you can now order the DC Noodles menu at Rice during most of the week.” At 1608 14th Street NW, north of Q Street.

Jo Ricks/City Houses: ”Serving downtown buyers and sellers since 1979. This Realtor Is Not Your Average Jo.”

The Rutstein Group: A Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. “In today’s market it’s important that your agent has the latest technology working for you! Drop us an email and tell us what you are looking for.” Office at 1606 17th Street NW.

Urban Igloo: ”Over 65,000 renters use Urban Igloo each year to take the stress out of DC apartment hunting. We connect them with hundreds of condo owners and large building landlords… Rent out your DC area condo, house, townhome or basement apartment. Fast… Property manager? Apartment building owner? Let us help you find tenants.”

VIDA Fitness: ”Start a new fitness plan or continue in your fitness journey with VIDA Fitness at any of our 5 downtown urban chic fitness clubs. Change the way you look, feel and think about fitness.” In the Borderstan area, VIDA is at 1612 U Street NW and at the Metropole, 1517 15th Street NW.

Chen Wen/Fairfax Realty: ”Chen Wen has been a long time Dupont-Logan resident, having lived here since before Whole Foods was a reality. With more than 20 years of real estate experience, Wen takes pride in the fact that his clients keep coming back to him for their real estate needs.”

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Posted in Business0 Comments

9 PM Assault, 1800 Block of 16th Street NW

"gun robbery"

Crime news from Dupont-Logan-U Street.

DC Police reported an assault with the intent to rob around 9 pm, Monday, June 10. The crime took place on the 1800 block of 16th Street NW, between S and T Streets. The lookout is for one man; details are below.

From the Police Alert: ”Assault w/ intent to Rob. UNIT 3011 CONFIRMED A assault w/ intent to rob in the 1800 blk of 16th St NW. LOF a H/M, 30-35 yoa, 5’6″, 150-180lbs, blk shirt with gray pants. DO NOT TAKE ACTION CALL 911 W/EVENT #I20130283308. Sent on: 06/10 21:04.”

From the DC Police Twitter feed: “Assault w/ intent to rob in the 1800blk of 16th St NW. LOF a H/M, 30-35 yoa, 5’6″, 150-180lbs, blk shirt with gray pants.”

Police Alerts, More Information

  • You can sign up for alerts through Alert DC and get alerts  by e-mail, cell phone, pager or wireless PDA. When signing up, you can select alerts on crime, transportation, utility outages/issues, government closings, breaking news, DC-sponsored events and Amber Alerts.
  • You can follow the DC Police on Twitter @DCPoliceDept.
  • You can get more information about crime in the Borderstan area through the MPD listservs for the Second and Third Districts on Yahoo! Groups.

Get an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories or subscribe to Borderstan’s daily email newsletter.

Posted in Crime0 Comments

Wednesday: DC Bike Party Undercover

"Bike"

DC BikeParty Undercover. (Courtesy DC BikeParty)

Ready for your monthly DC Bike party? This time the theme is “Undercover“, a celebration of all things clandestine. What can be more appropriate for a city like DC and its endless tales of spies.

The playlist that will accompany the ride includes Booker T. & The MG’s, Reverend Horton Heat, Johnny Cash and tunes of the like. Participants are encouraged to embrace the spirit of The Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” video and Spy vs. Spy when dressing for the event — think black and white, sunglasses at night and fedoras.

The ride will depart from Dupont Circle for a 10-mile route visiting major landmarks and will end up with a celebration at Hawk n’ Dove on Capitol Hill. With plenty of happy hour specials for the DC Bike Party participants.

The Details

  • What: DC Bike Party: “Undercover.”
  • Where: Departs from the middle of Dupont Circle.
  • When: Wednesday, June 12.
  • Time: Meet at 7:30 pm and depart promptly at 8 pm.

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Posted in Arts & Entertainment, Lifestyle0 Comments

June 8: Thanks to This Week’s Borderstan Advertisers

"borderstan advertisers"

Borderstan: News from Dupont-Logan-U Street.

Borderstan thanks this weeks advertisers for their support. Remember to Think Local First and support local businesses in DC and the Dupont-Logan-U Street neighborhood.

The Bike Rack: The Bike Rack is a full service independent bike shop. We’re a community of people who care about cycling, and we strive to improve the cycling experience of every customer. We pride ourselves on building a strong cycling community with weekend rides, clinics, local partnerships, clubs, teams, and active involvement in local cycling advocacy.” At 1412 Q Street NW.

Mike Brown/McEnearney Associates: ”Reality. Only better. Try our new Mobile App.”

Glen’s Garden Market: “At Glen’s Garden Market, shoppers will select from the Chesapeake Bay Watershed’s finest produce, meats, poultry, dairy products and specialty foods in a space designed to celebrate seasonality and offer unprecedented access to environmentally sustainable, locally grown foods. The store will showcase foods grown or created by farmers and artisans in DC, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New York.” At 2001 S Street NW.

Hemphill Fine Arts: ’Artist Citizen, Washington DC’ runs June 5 through July 27 with an opening reception June 5. “There are persistent romantic notions that the artist is a tortured soul, standing apart from social conventions and ordinary concerns. Popular media frequently depicts the artist as possessed by reckless freedom and lacking accountability. These generalizations are narrow and misguided. The contemporary artist is just as likely to be a good citizen as anyone else.” At 1515 14th Street NW, Suite 300, just north of P Street.

Java House: ”A neighborhood cafe where the coffee is roasted in the store. Happy Hour all day Monday through Friday with $4 beers.” Located at 1645 Q Street NW with indoor and outdoor seating.

Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe: ”Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe is DC’s only full-service restaurant and complete bar combined with an independent bookstore.” Just north of Dupont Circle at 1517 Connecticut Avenue NW.

Pizza No. 17Dinner Special, Monday through Friday (Dine-in only)… any bottle of wine and two personal 8″ Pizzas for $39.95.” At 1523 17th Street NW, south of Q Street NW.

Rice/DC Noodles: ”The Rice menu that both traditional and contemporary Thai cuisine in a very simple setting with minimal decor in the Logan Circle neighborhood. In addition, you can now order the DC Noodles menu at Rice during most of the week.” At 1608 14th Street NW, north of Q Street.

Jo Ricks/City Houses: ”Serving downtown buyers and sellers since 1979. This Realtor Is Not Your Average Jo.”

The Rutstein Group: A Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. “In today’s market it’s important that your agent has the latest technology working for you! Drop us an email and tell us what you are looking for.” Office at 1606 17th Street NW.

Urban Igloo: ”Over 65,000 renters use Urban Igloo each year to take the stress out of DC apartment hunting. We connect them with hundreds of condo owners and large building landlords… Rent out your DC area condo, house, townhome or basement apartment. Fast… Property manager? Apartment building owner? Let us help you find tenants.”

VIDA Fitness: ”Start a new fitness plan or continue in your fitness journey with VIDA Fitness at any of our 5 downtown urban chic fitness clubs. Change the way you look, feel and think about fitness.” In the Borderstan area, VIDA is at 1612 U Street NW and at the Metropole, 1517 15th Street NW.

Chen Wen/Fairfax Realty: ”Chen Wen has been a long time Dupont-Logan resident, having lived here since before Whole Foods was a reality. With more than 20 years of real estate experience, Wen takes pride in the fact that his clients keep coming back to him for their real estate needs.”

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Posted in Business0 Comments

Early Morning Gun Robbery, 10th and U NW

"gun robbery"

Crime news from Dupont-Logan-U Street.

DC Police reported a gun robbery at 1:30 am, Saturday, June 8, at 10th and U Streets NW. The lookout is for one man who was riding a bike; details are below.

From the Police Alert: “ROBBERY GUN 0130 HOURS 10TH & U STREET NW LOOKOUT FOR A B/M, DARK COMPLEXION, WEARING A LONG SLEEVE BLUE SHIRT WITH BLACK PANTS, LAST SEEN ON A BIKE DO NOT TAKE ACTION CALL 911 W/EVENT I20130277923. Sent on: 06/08 02:11.

From the DC Police Twitter feed: “Robbery Gun //10th & U St NW //LOF B/M, dark complexion, wearing black pants w/ a white stripe, and a blue hoodie last seen on a bike //6559.”

Police Alerts, More Information

  • You can sign up for alerts through Alert DC and get alerts  by e-mail, cell phone, pager or wireless PDA. When signing up, you can select alerts on crime, transportation, utility outages/issues, government closings, breaking news, DC-sponsored events and Amber Alerts.
  • You can follow the DC Police on Twitter @DCPoliceDept.
  • You can get more information about crime in the Borderstan area through the MPD listservs for the Second and Third Districts on Yahoo! Groups.

Get an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories or subscribe to Borderstan’s daily email newsletter.

Posted in Crime0 Comments

DC’s Gay Neighborhood? Readers Pick Logan Circle Again

Last week we asked Borderstan readers, “Where’s the Gay Neighborhood in DC,” and for the fourth consecutive year Logan Circle was the winner. Once again, it was not even close, with 42% saying Logan Circle, followed by Dupont Circle with 9% and 7% for Shaw. U Street fell from 9% last year to 4% this year.

Logan Circle, General John A. Logan

Logan Circle wins again.

While Dupont Circle was once considered DC’s official gay neighborhood, the percentage of readers declined from 13% last year.

The choice of “Everywhere and Nowhere” actually finished second again this year with 22% of survey respondents. ”This is such a 1970s question” got 8% of the votes — you have to figure there is a tie-in to the “Everywhere and Nowhere” attitude of an increasing number of both DC’s gay and non-gay community.

The number of readers selecting Other jumped to 6% this year. A variety of neighborhoods were listed, with Capitol Hill being the most popular write-in choice.

The number of readers who chose those two options this year, 30%, was up from 26% in 2012.
Dupont Circle, once the center of DC’s LGBT community, has gotten almost exactly the same results in the last three years — 13% in 2012, 12% in 2011 and 14% in 2010.

Here’s how Borderstan voters responded, with results for earlier years shown for comparison.

 
Where is DC’s Gay Neighborhood?
 Neighborhood 2013
Reader Poll
2012
Reader Poll
2011
Reader Poll
2010
Reader Poll
Logan Circle 42% 38% 34% 38%
Everywhere and Nowhere 22% 18% 22%  21%
Dupont Circle 9% 13% 12% 14%
Shaw 7%  9%  4%  2%
U Street 4%  9%  8% 6%
This is such a 1970s question 8%  8%  17% 18%
Columbia Heights 2% 3% Not asked Not asked
Other  6%  2%   3% 1%


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Posted in News1 Comment

Robbery with Force and Violence at Florida and V NW

"gun robbery"

Crime news from Dupont-Logan-U Street.

DC Police reported a robbery with force and violence at 3:52 am today, June 6, at Florida Avenue and V Street NW. The lookout is for two men, one carrying a baseball bat; details are below.

From the Police Alert: ”ROBBERY FORCE & VIOLENCE 0352 HOURS FLORIDA AVENUE & V STREET NW LOOKOUT FOR (2) B/M’S 18-22 YEARS OF AGE, 5’11″, DARK COMPLEXION WITH FACIAL HAIR (1) CARRYING A BASEBALL BAT DO NOT TAKE ACTION CALL 911 W/EVENT  I20130274405. Sent on: 06/06 04:45.”

From the DC Police Twitter feed: “Robbery F&V //Florida Ave & V ST NW //LOF (2) B/M’S 18-22 YOA, dark complexion, with facial hair (1) carrying a bat //6559.”

Police Alerts, More Information

  • You can sign up for alerts through Alert DC and get alerts  by e-mail, cell phone, pager or wireless PDA. When signing up, you can select alerts on crime, transportation, utility outages/issues, government closings, breaking news, DC-sponsored events and Amber Alerts.
  • You can follow the DC Police on Twitter @DCPoliceDept.
  • You can get more information about crime in the Borderstan area through the MPD listservs for the Second and Third Districts on Yahoo! Groups.

Get an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories or subscribe to Borderstan’s daily email newsletter.

Posted in Crime0 Comments

Tuesday Afternoon Knife Robbery, 14th and W NW

"robbery"

Crime news from Dupont-Logan-U Street.

DC Police reported a robbery with the use of a knife around 3 pm on Tuesday, June 4, at 14th and W Streets NW. The lookout is for two men; more details are below.

From DC Police Alerts: “A Robbery Knife at 14th & W Street, NW LOF 2B/M’s 5′-6′tall, 20-23 yrs, wearing blue jeans and dark shirt tattoos on neck DO NOT TAKE ACTION CALL 911 W/EVENT #075-583. Sent on: 06/04 15:20.”

From the DC Police Twitter feed: ”Robbery Knife at 14th & W Street, NW LOF 2B/M’s 5′-6′tall, 20-23yrs, wearing blue jeans and dark shirt tattoos on neck #6381.”

Police Alerts, More Information

You can sign up for alerts through Alert DC and get alerts  by e-mail, cell phone, pager or wireless PDA. When signing up, you can select alerts on crime, transportation, utility outages/issues, government closings, breaking news, DC-sponsored events and Amber Alerts. You can follow the DC Police on Twitter @DCPoliceDept.

You can get more information about crime in the Borderstan area through the MPD listservs for the Second and Third Districts on Yahoo! Groups.

Get an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories or subscribe to Borderstan’s daily email newsletter.

Posted in Crime0 Comments