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,......

Down here at DCist HQ, you know what really gets us going? Well, yeah, Dismemberment Plan reunion shows, sure. And voting rights. What's really got us worked up lately, though, is the response we've gotten to a little idea we had to put a team together for Greater Washington Servathon 2007. We just hoped to raise a little money and spend May 5th doing a little work for a good cause. With the help of......

We know that despite the grumbling, despite the lack of voting rights, despite the indie rock neighborhood battles to the death, even despite the fashion sense or lack thereof, you guys love this town just as much as we do. That's why this year we're starting our own team for the Greater Washington Servathon 2007, the massive, annual volunteer event presented by Greater DC Cares and AOL. In addition to volunteering our time on either......

The Washington Business Journal reported this morning Monday that Carpool on Fairfax Drive will be torn down in favor of building something the Arlington area clearly needs more of — condos. D.C.-based Donohoe is behind the plans to replace the billiards hall with a 232,500-square-foot mixed-use development of condominiums and retail outlets. Over at Pygmalion in a Blanket, the Nabob sums up our feelings about the news far better than we could: Where does one......

With a piece that illustrates the unique beauty and historical significance of the Heurich House, the Post has published an article on Washington's very own piece of the Victorian Era. From the article, docent Mary Anne Hoffman observes, "This is the last grand splash of high Victoriana," also noting that Heurich House is "a time capsule." The Post goes on to describe the intricate details and furnishings of the house, transporting the reader back to......

With all our posts as of late regarding Heurich House you can tell that we're fans of trying to save it from being sold (and very possibly gutted) for private use. Interest expense on the house has risen over $150,000 in the past two years, thus exceeding the budget of the Heurich House Foundation, the not-for-profit 501(c)(3) that holds the house in the public interest. Due to having defaulted on the rising interest payments, the......

Happy Friday, everybody. The weather today will be more of what we've seen this week: partly cloudy, highs in the 40s. The photo above shows promotional materials for the Washington Nationals in a display case at Buffalo Billiards, where baseball supporters held a pep rally last week. We've posted a few photos from our happy hour last night. Yeah, More Baseball: The Post reports today that Baseball President Robert A. DuPuy has rejected a......

Don't know what to do this weekend? DCist has some suggestions! Check it out: FRIDAY: Seen the re-release of Donnie Darko but still not filled your cult classic quota? Fear not, Landmark's Bethesda Row Cinema is hosting midnight screenings of such cultural signposts as The Breakfast Club (this week) and Office Space (Labor Day weekend). A quick five minute walk from the Bethesda Metro, all showings are at midnight on Friday and Saturday nights, and......

From DCist contributor Rebecca Walters: D.C. is mostly a pet-friendly city, specifically a dog-friendly city. In 2003, Purina ranked Washington, D.C., sixth in the Top 50 Pet Healthiest Cities. The city and its suburbs eek out space for dog parks in the midst of burgeoning development to attract pet-lovers looking for a home that offers space for Fido to run. Area residents and their canine friends can be found in the parks, the circles, the......