Morning Walk

After a stop at Chinatown Coffee Company this morning (which was TOTALLY empty ... holiday weekend, I guess), we walked to Union Station and back, and this SunTrust Bank building really caught my eye.

The façade appears to be made of a very corrosion-prone sandstone, because it is quite literally wearing away.  You can't see the backside very well from this angle, but it doesn't connect to anything.  I suspect when they built the very modern building behind it they wanted to maximize ground-level window space, so they left the buildings unconnected.  The SunTrust building itself is almost all windows, which makes it very appealing.

We also saw this guy for the first time.

 The Victims of Communism Memorial at the intersections of New Jersey Avenue, Massachusetts Avenue, and G Street NW.  Who knew this thing existed?  We've got a memorial for everything here.  From the website of the memorial foundation, which touts a Glenn Beck [spit] documentary, I don't think this is a non-partisan affair.  To me, having lived through the 80's, this organization seems a bit quaint for its objective of keeping alive the fight against communism.

Here's my chance to play off a quote of Ferris Bueller, quoting John Lennon:

"Not that I condone [commun]ism, or any -ism for that matter. -Ism's in my opinion are not good. A person should not believe in an -ism, he should believe in himself. I quote John Lennon, 'I don't believe in Beatles, I just believe in me.' Good point there. After all, he was the walrus. I could be the walrus. I'd still have to bum rides off people. "

Screen on the Green

Got so wrapped up in yesterday's loves-me-loves-me-not streetcar drama that I missed the day's other fantastic news for lovers of District culture: Screen on the Green has been saved! So are HBO and Comcast going to go through this whole teasing exercise every year?

Update: A schedule might be helpful.  See after the jump.

Death of the Streetcar

Bad news being reported at Greater Greater Washington: All funding for the streetcar program has been cut.  Guess that means H Street real estate just got more affordable.

The culprit?  Mayoral candidate and fence-bylaw-flouter Vincent Gray and his Deputy Director for Capital Projects, Sarah Campbell.  GGW notes that Campbell is friends with the anti-overhead-wire lobby, which, in turn, is no good friend of the streetcar project. According to GGW, "There's no way to know for sure how much of her opposition came from professional opinions or personal loyalties."  But more than anything, I think Gray wanted to make a splash in his campaign for mayor and prove that he can make "tough" budget decisions.

I know he made a splash with ctrl+alt+dc.  It's looking like some FENTY 2010 banners may be popping up around these parts.  The primaries will be held September 14, 2010.

Update: Officially dead.

Update 2: Signs of life?

Councilmember Tommy Wells has responded to my email of support as follows:

I’m arguing against these cuts to the streetcar system and just voted against the budget because of it. There is a final vote later this afternoon and I have an amendment ready to introduce to restore some of the funds.

Please keep calls and emails to my colleagues coming.

Tommy

Update 3: Success!

The funding has been restored.  

From Nikita Stewart at the Washington Post's Breaking News Blog:

“The decision to restore funding came just hours after the council said they would pull money from the streetcars to fund other services. But within moments of the decision, the council was inundated with calls.”

Nice work everybody!

Overheard in Penn Quarter

Pedestrian #1: "I thought she was a singer."

Pedestrian #2: "Oh no, honey, she's a Pussycat Doll."

Walk On

Rebecca at We Love DC reports that fair Washington has been named America's fittest city.  Again.  And again. That's three years in a row.  As Rebecca notes, the methodology is a little bit suspect, and is based mostly on the potential for fitness, rather than actual fitness.  But at least Peter King at SI thinks that Washington is "the best walking city in America."  And the Daily Beast thinks we're the hottest state.  So choke on it, Philly.

Kidding.

Week Preview

Overcast skies greet the District this morning.  A light week ahead for the ctrl+alt+dc gang.

On Tuesday, cooking class at CulinAerie just off Thomas Circle.

Wednesday opens softball season on Monument Field.

With any luck, Friday should find us at the first installment of this year's Jazz in the Garden series at the National Sculpture Garden.  

There's a Day for Everything

Happy Law Day!  Or as we call it in the District, May 1st.

In honor of the happy occasion, a rundown of some of our favorite law-oriented t-shirts after the jump.