FRIDAY: >>Today is Bastille Day, which commemorates the Fête de la Fédération of 1790, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille July 14th, 1789 — basically it's all about sticking it to the man and rising up as a French nation. But as all noble foreign holidays seem to be celebrated in America, we've turned it into an excuse to eat and drink too much. Last year we put together a... more ›

Last year we once again perused, dumbfounded, the Post's Best Bets lists, lamenting the way in which they painted our town with the beige brushstrokes of national chain blandness. We fumed a bit, and then we listened to our commenters, who reminded us that the entries were nominated and voted on by Post readers, who tend to be old, suburban, and clueless. This made us feel better, but we still resolved not to forget when... more ›

In November 2004, Marshall Thompson was struck with an idea while watching a Chelsea soccer match on TV in his hotel room on a business trip to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. His vision was to open a British clothing store in the District, stocking all the brands that he knew from his own shopping experience looking for English clothing labels were nearly impossible to find anywhere in the U.S. between New York and L.A. "It hit me across the head," he recalls. "I thought it would be perfect for D.C. There was no store like it." Upon his return stateside, Thompson immediately contacted several sales reps and found a warm reception for his concept to market their products in D.C. Eight months and a few credit cards later, Thompson took a leap of faith and became his own boss, opening The District Line in June of 2005. more ›