Photo of the Day: November 27, 2009
Car Pushed Into Anacostia River By Train
Morning Roundup: Black Friday Edition
Devendra Banhart @ 9:30 Club
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By now you've seen the front page Washington Post photo, but here's a few other images of President-elect Barack Obama's visit Saturday to Ben's Chili Bowl with D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty. None of us was lucky enough to happen to be inside when the two men showed up at the venerable U Street eatery, but Flickr contributor goldmember was strolling by and caught the crowd gathered outside and the secret service vehicles block traffic.
Amy Argetsinger has the juicy details: Obama ordered a chili half-smoke and sweet tea, while Fenty had cheese fries and water (the print edition says Fenty had a turkey dog—either way, we'd tease the mayor a little about his order, but the man is a health nut, so frankly we're just happy he ordered any food at all). Also crucial: Obama didn't take the Ali family on their offer to not charge him. The president-elect gave over $20 for what added up to a $12 order, establishing for the record that Obama knows how things work at Ben's—make sure to overtip so you can establish a relationship with one of the employees and skip the long, late-night lines.
And here's the best tidbit from the Post:
Asked by a member of the traveling press pool about the significance of his visit, Obama said, "It means I'm going to get a hot dog."It's a half-smoke, Mr. President-elect, but yeah, we hear you.
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Too bad he wasn't having lunch with someone other than our dipshit mayor. I hear Cosby's in town, that would've been a much better photo-op.
On Meet The Press Cosby said Barack hadn't earned his place on the free list. He was cool with Michelle and her mom though.
I'm waiting for his photo-op at Annie's.
Dammit! Wish I was there.
amen on getting a good relationship with the servers.
If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there, it still makes a sound.
if Obama eats at Ben's Chili Bowl, it still tastes like crap.
The guy on the left appears to be admiring Barry's lap...or something.
I was actually nervously watching his hand. He told me he would haul off and smack me if I mouthed off to him again.
It didn't take him long to venture out into the city. Huzzah!
Ben's is one big stage prop. The food is overpriced and just ok. Florida Avenue Grill might have been a more interesting visit, seeing the Secret Police squeeze into one of those odd-shaped booths.
This is the equivalent of a presidential candidate having a hotdog at Pink's in LA. Yeah, the "food's overpriced and just okay," but a candidate HAS to do it to convey that he's just a simple blucollar guy with simple bluecollar tastes who gets violent bluecollar diarrhea just like the rest of the electorate.
Uh, for most outsiders, which includes most current residents, the entire city is 1 big stage prop.
I hope you are referring to the theatrical falseness of most outsiders, and not saying that the corner of Florida and 11th seems like a stage prop to you, or Bladensburg RD, the stoop of my house, or for that matter any random inch of the city? Because then I would have to ask what sad stage props have you been seeing lately?
Did the secret service agent take the hit of diarrhea for the pres-elect? Those guys are tough!
You shoulda seen the agent dive across the table, swipe the chili halfsmoke, and have his pants explode in one fell swoop. Or one swell poop, in this case.
I believe our president elect is quite correct in his assertion: all half-smokes are hot dogs, but not all hot dogs are necessarily half-smokes. Of course all hot dogs contain trace amount pig spincter but that isn't really table talk now is it?