A couple weeks ago we linked to a post on popular Clarendon bar Galaxy Hut's MySpace blog announcing that owner Lary Hoffman had decided to stop accepting credit cards. The announcement sparked a number of agitated and sarcastic comments accusing Hoffman of passing on unnecessary extra costs, like ATM fees, to his customers. Thanks to the negative reaction, over the weekend Hoffman emailed us and posted a comment on the same thread saying he'd changed......

There are several layers to D.C.'s jazz scene, and each boasts its own set of musicians and strengths. National acts generally play at the larger halls, such as the Kennedy Center, or Blues Alley, if they choose to play a club date. As far as the local scene, the older musicians tend to play the same rooms, or places where the crowd is generally older as well, such as Jazz Night in Southwest. The most......

You're right, Mr. Pink. Food blogging can be tiring, especially when you're holding a hunk of chevre in one paw and a glass of Riesling with the other -- all while surreptitiously taking notes and snapping pictures. So, while Mr. Pink takes his food coma nap, the DCist Food and Drink team is looking to pick up his slack with a few new enthusiastic Food and Drink writers. But we won't be satisfied with just......

Last week Ward 1 Council member Jim Graham announced he had secured $1 million to subsidize the hiring of off-duty MPD officers outside District bars and clubs. Businesses that sell alcohol are not allowed to directly hire off-duty officers, and must hire them through the police department at a rate of approximately $56 an hour. The new subsidy means the ABC Board can now provide up to a 50 percent discount on the price of......

Which stories did DCist readers think merited the most attention this year? Top 10 Most Commented Posts of 2007 10) D.C. Judge Seeks $67 Million for Lost Pants (105 comments) 9) Columbia Heights Listserve vs. Ross (107 comments) 8) Saving the Single Beer (108 comments) 7) This City Doth Protest Too Much (109 comments) 6) Solo Marines Often Refused Entry to Some D.C. Bars (113 comments) 5) Bars Claim Loss of Business Over Smoking......

Fans of Petworth bar Temperance Hall better get up there for their Sazerac cocktails as soon as possible—the bar is on its way out. Don't throw out your arms in plaintive questions to the heavens yet, though. While the bar will go, a bar will stay; the property has been sold to the folks behind Columbia Heights' The Wonderland Ballroom. Following a tip from Prince of Petworth, we caught the Wonderland owners, Matthew McGovern......

We've reached another Friday, D.C., but if those light flurries that accompanied you on your way into work this morning gave you visions of a leisurely Saturday snowball fight, you'll likely end up disappointed. Very little accumulation is expected from these flakes, and the weekend will see temperatures back in the upper 40s, with a possibility of some light rain on Saturday morning, according to CapitalWeather.com. If this update doesn't satisfy your weather nerd urges,......

"Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That the following article is hereby proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by conventions of three-fourths of the several States: "Article – Section 1. The eighteenth article of amendment to the......

MONDAY >> Those looking to kick the month off with a bang might be out of luck, as it looks like there's not a whole lot going down tonight. Still, it's not a total wash, as all the usual suspects — the Black Cat, DC9, the Velvet Lounge and the Rock and Roll Hotel — will have their bars open and waiting for the District's disillusioned masses. >> DJ Jahsonic has a new Monday night......

After a fire gutted Eastern Market last April, the stretch of 7th Street SE adjacent to the market building was closed off on weekends to accommodate vendors, construction of the temporary East Hall and reconstruction of the South Hall. In an interview on WTOP (link to audiostream) last week, Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells said he wants to keep 7th Street that way. The Hill picked up the story on Wednesday, and the Hilleast......

Written by DCist Contributor Eric Denman As the commercialization of Chinatown persists, the number of restaurants and bars continues to increase. For every existing grungy Chinese takeout place, there is a new sports bar, burger joint, or wine bar. Proof, which opened in July, is the newest entry in the Chinatown wine bar field, and it opened a mere block from the established José Andrés outpost Zaytinya (which has been open since 2002). Both places......

>> The Black Cat's backstage is going to be pumping out the punk noise tonight as Antelope stops by, with Thank You and The Andalusians. $8, 9 p.m. >> DC Scores, a local nonprofit that provides innovative after-school programming to Washington kids, is hosting its 10th Annual Poetry Slam tonight. The event will feature 300 of the District's public elementary and middle school students competing for the coveted Golden Mic trophy -- obviously it......

>> The biggest D.C. government corruption scandal ever? [WaPo, updated from earlier story] >> Will there finally be enough places to lock up our bicycles? [WJLA] >> An Emerging Columbia Hts.-Petworth Food Split? [Free Ride] >> Bloomingdale Farmers Market not a given for next year? [In Shaw] >> Could H Street NE put a cap on the number of bars that can open there? [City Desk] Photo by sally henny penny......

No one who loves the piano would have missed Murray Perahia's sold-out recital on Sunday afternoon in the Music Center at Strathmore, sponsored by Washington Performing Arts Society. Perahia had to cancel his 2006 WPAS recital because of renewed pain from a thumb injury in the 1990s that nearly ended his career. Indeed, there were worries that we might never hear him play again. Happily, there he was, modest and unassuming, bowing politely and then......

If you're a smoker still smarting over the ban on lighting up in District bars, fear not -- a Cleveland Park watering hole is now your refuge. According to the AP via WJLA, the District has granted its first exemption to the 10-month-old smoking ban, with the prize going to Aroma in Cleveland Park. The bar, which sells cigars and claimed a loss of 20 percent in the six months after the ban was imposed,......

>> We would have liked to have read about "The Best Bars in DC For Ensuring That You Will Not Run Into a Single Person Even Vaguely Connected With Politics or Media (crossposted to Gridskipper)." Good luck to you, Pareene. [Wonkette] >> A fire will be set Saturday morning on Metrorail's bridge over the Potomac River as part of an emergency-response drill involving 100 firefighters from seven area jurisdictions. The Yellow line will be shut......

Ragged Glory plays tonight at the Velvet Lounge. Can’t afford to pay $100 for a cheap seat at Neil Young’s upcoming DAR stop in November? You’re in luck. During our last chat with Ryan Walker from The Beanstalk Library, we found out he also put together a Neil Young cover band a few years back. They call themselves Ragged Glory, and the lineup plays something like a who’s who of up-and-coming local bands: Brian Kent......

To cut through all the verbal foreplay and just get right to it, last night, Kings of Leon put on the best concert I've seen all year. Maybe even longer. Not since The Strokes at DAR have I seen a band so well-rehearsed and completely together. And the boys from Tennessee blew Mr. Casablancas and company out of the water. The set heavily favored older material, mainly bringing in songs from their most recent,......

Written by DCist Contributor Laura Logerfo For the central cathedral in a major city, St. Matthew’s somehow blends in. The Cathedral is surrounded by offices that stand nearly as high as the church, and its brick façade resembles that of adjacent buildings. It is situated near one of the busiest and trickiest intersections in DC, where Connecticut Ave., Rhode Island Ave., 18th and M Streets all meet. On weekends, city dwellers pass by the church......

Just one night after the Season Opening Night Gala hosted by Washington National Opera, another set of patrons (and the critics of the Baltimore Sun and Washington Post) came together to fill the Kennedy Center Concert Hall to open the National Symphony Orchestra's season on Sunday night. In terms of funds raised, it was the most successful opening ball in the NSO's history, according to Stephen Schwarzman, Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Blackstone......

Via the DCist tipline, we heard there may have been a fire at year-old Mt. Vernon Square-area coffee shop Breakwell's, on the corner of 9th and M Streets NW. Sure enough, the windows at the front and along the side of the shop have been boarded up, and there is visible fire damage to the exterior of the building. While checking out the extent of the damage, DCist chatted with the proprietors of WIDE......

Are wine bars the next bistro? Following closely on the heels of Proof and Sonoma, Veritas Wine Bar will be opening next Monday, September 17. The list is largely composed of Euro-style California wines, with over 50 available by the glass starting at $8 and going up to $28. Also available are various red and white flights, chosen by varietal, region or cutesy names like "m&m&m" and "Mick's picks". Three deadly zins, anyone? The web......

It's back to school time, and that means we're once again recruiting new writers to become part of our growing team of city bloggers. As you know, we aren't able to pay our contributors -- so please don't apply unless you're ready to do it for the love of exploring D.C., engaging in important debates about the direction of the city, or are just the kind of person who's happy enough to see your name......

For the last eight years, Conner Contemporary Art has been one of the creative hubs of Dupont Circle with its focus on emerging and experimental artists. Located on the north end, it has served as a entryway to the neighborhood, leading into the plethora of neighborhood galleries, bookstores, and craft shops. But the gallery announced today that it will soon be shifting homes to Trinidad, in the large, 12,000 sq. ft. former auto body shop......

Hudson to Replace David Greggory We mentioned Hudson back in May, when the first news of the transition in store for David Greggory's Restau Lounge at 21st and M St. NW broke. We get a little more info about this change this week. In the TomChat, we learn that the change will take place sometime next month, and that—contrary to what we've heard before—Chef Greggory Hill will be heading elsewhere. Hill will be replaced by......

Written by DCist contributor Eric Denman The strip of 18th Street between Kalorama and Columbia is notorious for bars serving cheap beer, takeout joints serving huge slices of pizza, and the resulting explosion of drunken sloppy pizza inhalation. A few places on this strip break the mold, though, and Bourbon is one of them. An outpost of the popular spot in Glover Park, Bourbon is a haven for those seeking to escape the monotony that......

We kid. Kind of. According to the Washington Business Journal, the Uline Ice Arena and the surrounding area may be the next frontier in development in the District. The arena, which is just north of Union Station and hosted the first Beatles concert in the U.S. in 1964, is being looked at by developer Douglas Jemal as the anchor for a new entertainment district along the lines of the popular East End/Verizon Center area. While......

Coming in on the closing days for the Nats at RFK, everyone seems to be bracing for what the new stadium in Southeast and the surrounding area will have to offer. As the Post detailed earlier this week, huge chunks of land in Southeast and Southwest are slated for development, creating the potential of a new and vibrant Anacostia River waterfront in the coming years -- much of it centered around the $611 million stadium.......

Written by DCist contributor Eric Denman As summer lingers on, the average D.C. resident may be tempted to stay indoors, limit excursions, and camp out in front of the A/C unit with a tongue-numbingly cold, mass-produced lager. There is a better option! A nice Belgian beer can quench your thirst while also satisfying your palate. Although some Belgian styles may be a bit heavy for summer, many of them fit the bill perfectly (Witbier and......

Londonist are starting to think their city is getting just a little bit too expensive, when even Christian Slater can't afford to go out there. And there's no escaping, as local singer Lily Allen discovered when she was barred entry to the US. The British mapping agency caused further bad karma, by blocking a 3-D representation of London in Google Earth. But the smiles returned to Londonist's faces as they interviewed Baroness von Reichardt,......