Filed under: mp3s, music | Tags: Allen Ginsberg, Jay Reatard, Mudhoney, N.W.A., The Black Lips, The Louvin Brothers
Well, my health insurance from the old job runs out soon, and I haven’t bought any new insurance yet. Here’s to hoping I don’t have any sickness headed my way.
Allen Ginsberg — “Sickness Blues”
Mudhoney — “Here Comes Sickness”
Jay Reatard — “Death Is Forming”
The Louvin Brothers — “Are You Afraid To Die?”
The Black Lips — “How Do You Tell A Child That Someone Has Died?”
N.W.A. — “Real Niggaz Don’t Die”
Another reason to love The Wire. But where’s Bunk and Senator Davis?
Can’t you just imagine Clay Davis coming in at the end with a nice long, “SHEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTT. You better vote Obama.”
Thanks AmyW for the tip!
Filed under: rest & relaxation, things at home, travel | Tags: Washington D.C.
My flight last night was delayed to the point where I had to stay in D.C. for another night, which meant a 30-minute metro ride and 20-minute walk back to Chris’ apartment from the airport. Meanwhile, my suitcase carried on without me. Luckily, it was here at the Savoy airport when I arrived this afternoon.
Today I will not walk three miles, I will play with my cat and sleep in my bed, and I will return to the boredom that is unemployment in Champaign. But more importantly, I will get to hang with M.
Still, I will miss D.C. Seven days is the longest I’ve spent in any one city that I didn’t live in in a really long time, and I had a blast. Much thanks to Chris (especially), Mason, and their friends, plus Zac, for making my time in the nation’s capital a lot of fun.
Filed under: food, rest & relaxation, travel | Tags: Library of Congress, U.S. Capitol, U.S. Supreme Court, Washington D.C.
Phew. I had a long day yesterday. It began at the Library of Congress and ended at 3 a.m. at a bar called the Wonderland in Columbia Heights.Today is going to be a lazy day. It’s raining outside, and I’m meeting up with Zac (from American Minor) for lunch. He’s driving in from Virginia. Then Chris and I are going to watch the World Series at a bar in Georgetown. We will not be closing that bar down.
Since I’ve been submitting ISBNs to the Library of Congress for 5+ years, I was anxious to see the place in person. While you can’t go inside the actual library portion without a card, just the lobby itself is a spectacular sight.
One of the odder murals on the walls and ceiling.
The grounds of the U.S. Capitol, which is right across the street from the Library of Congress, were a huge mess due to construction. There were long lines to tour the House of Reps, so I skipped it.
The Supreme Court building is not worth going into, as all you can see is the building’s relatively small and bland lobby (at least in comparison to the Library of Congress).
The pro-lifers were out as usual with red tape over their mouths. (The tape reads: LIFE.) The guy in the background in the red shirt was blaring biblical nonsense from a megaphone. The guy was tapped into God’s politics, though.
Later in the night we went bar hopping. We began at Madam Organ’s, a self-described blues and soul food joint in Adams Morgan. I had meatloaf with a side of cole slaw and fried okra. It was pretty good, but not great. We sat in the rooftop deck, which was largely enclosed, and enjoyed our $18 pitchers of Bass. The bar’s second and third levels had a distinct Mike & Molly’s vibe. The gang …
Then we headed to The Raven, a neighborhood hole in the wall in Mt. Pleasant that Tim recommended. The tiny bar had a great jukebox and more affordable beer. We finished off the night at The Wonderland, where I got my dance on. Good times!
Filed under: art, rest & relaxation, travel | Tags: Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
Today I headed back to the D.C. Mall for some more art. I completed the National Gallery of Art’s modern wing, then headed to the Hirshhorn Museum of modern and contemporary art, and finally ended up at the Air & Space Museum with an hour-plus to kill.
I wish I could do a slideshow of the art I saw today, but instead you’ll need to scroll down the page. First, some detail from French painter André Derain’s “Mountains at Collioure” (1905).
One of my favorites from today: This massive 1971 acrylic from Chuck Close.
While I wasn’t so into the rest of this large, fractured canvas, I loved this portion of David Salle’s “Coming and Going” (1987).
I also loved German-born Anselm Kiefer’s “Zin Zum” (1990). Here’s some detail.
Another German painter, Sigmar Polke’s “Hope is: Wanting to Pull Clouds” (1992).
Alberto Giacometti’s “Walking Man”.
How cool is it that these museums allow photography? The Hirshhorn was no exception. My two favorite pieces there were a 30-minute film by Peter Fischli and David Weiss, “The Way Things Go,” which you can view a sampling of here, and Doug Wheeler’s “Environmental Light Installation” (1969), which was, to put it mildly, really fucking cool. It’s in a deep white room, which I’m not sure comes through clearly from these pics. Note, the dude in the first one is a visitor, and not part of the installation.
I couldn’t resist. I need a new Facebook photo.
Here’s some more highlights from the Hirshhorn. I really dug Kent Henricksen’s “Absence of Myth (White)” (2007), which features embroidery.
John Jurayj’s “Untitled (U.S. Embassy, 1983, #1)”, from 2005-06.
Check this funky one out. The canvas is wood paneling, and the 2006 piece is by Iona Rozeal Brown. Check out the detail.
A little (big) Lichtenstein …
I found this small sculpture by Klaus Ihlenfeld quite cool.
As was this dangling sculpture from 1966 by Eva Hesse.
Finally, doesn’t this Barry Flanagan sculpture from the Hirshhorn’s sculpture garden remind you of the rabbit mask in Donnie Darko?
After all the art, I took in a short IMAX flick about the sun at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.
The museum closed at 5:30, so I didn’t get to spend much time there. I wish I would have walked around the Natural History museum instead. Maybe tomorrow.
Filed under: food, rest & relaxation, travel | Tags: 2Amys, Ben's Chili Bowl, Georgetown, U Street, Washington D.C.
I kicked off today’s theme, “the best food in D.C.,” with a trip to Ben’s Chili Bowl on U Street. Everyone and their mother recommended I try this joint out, which was opened in 1958 and is known as the “home of the famous Chili Half-Smoke.” That translates into a thick hot dog topped with mustard, onions, and chili. I ordered one with a heaping side of fries and a Coke for $10 and change.
It was good, but not great. Certainly filling, but I’m not sure that I concur with Bill Cosby that this is an absolute necessity. For starters, the chili wasn’t very spicy, as it’s advertised. The vibe of the joint, however, is all vintage and a lot of fun. Music plays in the main room over a pair of ancient speakers. The restaurant has been owned by African-Americans since its opening, and the walls are adorned with newspaper clippings and what not that speak to U Street’s renowned black culture. (The restaurant is situated next door to the Lincoln Theater, where Duke Ellington got his start.) The decor doesn’t look like it’s been touched since the place’s opening.
After lunch, I walked around U Street, a neighborhood in transition (read: gentrification) after a Metro stop was added. It has a lovely, lived-in feel. Nearby is the Black Cat and a couple other venues. But I was checking out the neighborhood and its architecture. I love olden city housing. Check the repetition…
A block away, however, some diversity is showcased.
I hopped the Metro to Foggy Bottom, walked to the Potomac, then up the hill into Georgetown. First, I should mention that the subway platforms in D.C. that I’ve been to are these massive, futuristic, concrete tunnels. Quite cool to look at.
In Georgetown, I walked along the C&O Canal, “one of the most intact and impressive survivals of the American canal-building era. The C&O Canal is unique in that it remains virtually unbroken and without substantial modification affecting its original character for its entire length of 185 miles.” It was constructed in 1825, and today you can take a boat tour (while being pulled along by horseys).
After checking out the canal, I headed up the hill to Georgetown. I happened upon this building—probably not the most popular one on the block.
Then I walked along the M Street shopping district. But again, I was anxious to see some of the historical, beautiful homes that make the Georgetown area an interesting neighborhood to walk through. More repetition …
This house is, surprisingly, fairly typical for the area.
Student housing in G’Town is a far cry from the UI. Most of it looks like this.
This Japanese mural of a Katsushika Hokusai print was a pleasant surprise.
The breathtaking massiveness of Healy Hall drew my eye from a mile away.
After another long day of walking, Chris and I tried 2Amys pizza, which thankfully was just a block from Chris’ pad.
This was, quite probably, the best pizza I’ve ever had. Widely regarded as the best pizza plenty of DCers have ever had, 2Amys specializes in Neapolitan pizza, cooked in a wood-burning oven and featuring dough made from only soft-grain flour, fresh yeast, water, and sea salt, and Italian plum tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala, extra-virgin olive oil, and fresh basil or dried oregano for toppings. Chris tried this style and loved it. Meanwhile, I ordered the Norcia, featuring tomato, salami, grilled peppers, fresh mozzarella, and grana. The sauce is minimal, but they use a lot of olive oil. YUM!
Tomorrow I’m heading back to The Mall to go to the Air & Space Museum and then the Hirshhorn modern art museum.
Filed under: food, rest & relaxation, travel | Tags: Black Cat, Ethiopian food, Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Washington D.C.
In more ways than I’d care to admit, I’m a lot like a 13 year-old. So it’s odd that over the past 20 years I’ve only once gone to a big old zoo, because animals make me happy. Today I made it twice by going to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, walking around for five hours, and generally smiling, a lot. (Like in the photo above.)
There were a slew of moms/nannies with kids in strollers, maybe even more of them than animals. When not dodging strollers, I attempted to make sense of the zoo’s map, a losing proposition, and enjoyed the mix my recently stocked iPod produced for me on shuffle. (I’m a BIG fan of my new iPod Classic, especially now that I’ve got more than 35 gigs of music on it.) Here a video (with music), followed by some pics.
At the zoo with …
Lemurs!
Orangutans!
Anacondas!
Great Big Pandas posing for the centerfold (or playing dead, you choose)!
Porcupines!
Pythons!
Lions!
Do NOT get into a staring contest with a gator. You will lose. This dude on the right kept his mouth open for minutes, appearing statuesque.
After the zoo, it was time to eat Ethiopian food.
Food!
Chris and his friends and me!
Then pool at the Black Cat!
More pool at the Black Cat! (Now with less hair!)
Speaking of Black Cats … Sophie, I’ve been untrue. Sorry, but Lilah kind of has a thing for me, and my black bag.
Filed under: art, rest & relaxation, travel | Tags: Lincoln Memorial, Smithsonian National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., Washington Monument
So technically today was Day 2 in D.C., as I arrived yesterday around 1. But I didn’t do anything touristy yesterday. Chris and I went to a Steelers bar to watch the game, and all three levels of it were jam-packed with Pittsburgh fans. Then we went to another bar to watch the Rays eliminate the Red Sox.
Today I went to the National Mall. This being my first time in D.C., it was also my first time seeing the sights that some of you have probably tired of by now. Anyway, humor me. First, the psychedelic lobby in Chris’ apartment building.
And the humongous church outside his apartment buiding. This is the Washington National Cathedral, which despite its classical gothic architecture wasn’t completed until 1990, 83 years after construction began on the behemoth. Since it’s nearby, I may take a tour of it while I’m here.
I’m supposed to be on the lookout for a good place to get East Coast pizza. Of course, the joint just down the road from Chris serves…
I wandered out of my subway stop into the middle of a mass of buildings. I had no clue where I was, but I quickly found The Mall thanks to this sure sign.
Standing in the Washington Monument’s shadow.
Then it was on to the WW2 Memorial …
… which had some interesting, overwhelmingly forceful verbiage.
Why don’t our current generals have a way with words like this passage from Gen. MacArthur?
On to the reflection pool, and my own attempt at an amateur postcard.
The animals in D.C. are entertaining.
Ever since I’ve been a wee lad I’ve had a fascination with the Lincoln Memorial. It did not disappoint in person.
In my humble opinion, our ode to Lincoln slays our ode to Washington. Maybe it’s just that I’ve grown accustomed to the Gateway Arch in St. Louis (and hence the Washington Monument doesn’t blow me away), but the Lincoln Memorial seems more majestic and certainly more awe-inspiring. Check out the ceiling above the statue.
Some wise words from Honest Abe.
On my way down the steps of the memorial, I paused to take a snap shot of the reflection pool with the Washington Monument in the distance. Some old lady bumped my elbow and my camera went flying down the steps, boucning a couple times before coming to a rest 10 steps below me. Luckily the camera survived with just three dents. The old woman didn’t bother to say she was sorry.
Of all the Smithsonian museums, I was most excited to go to the Museum of American History … which was closed for renovation. So I headed to Plan B, the National Gallery of Art. The entrance is a bit daunting.
Once inside, I found more jaw-dropping sites …
… not to mention the art.
Edouard Manet’s “The Dead Toreador,” circa 1864.
Toulouse-Lautrec’s oil-on-cardboard masterpiece “Alfred la Guigne,” circa 1894.
I love this portrait, and not just because the subject is throwing the Westside gang sign. Sandro Botticelli’s “Portrait of a Youth,” circa 1485.
And this sculpture is pretty cool. It’s Giovanni Della Robbia’s “Pieta,” circa 1520. Who knew that Christ wore stylish, striped track shorts?
I didn’t make it through the modernist wing, so I’ll have to try that later in the week.
Tomorrow, the zoo!
I just can’t believe that any newspaper editorial board can look at this presidential election and come out thinking that McCain is its man. I mean, seriously, what the fuck?
Obama is up 112-39 in newspaper endorsements, and here is a smattering of the papers backing McCain: San Diego Union-Tribune, San Francisco Examiner, Tampa Tribune, Boston Herald, New York Post, Columbus Dispatch, and Dallas Morning News. Of the papers backing McCain, only the Newport News (Va.) Daily Press and Jackson (Tenn.) Sun backed Kerry in 2004. There are at least 25 papers backing Obama that supported Bush last time around, including notables like the Chicago Tribune (maybe not a big surprise), the Denver Post, New York Daily News, Austin American-Statesman, Houston Chronicle, Salt Lake Tribune, The Charleston (WV) Gazette, and Wisconsin State Journal.
