WMATA has put out a release to remind everyone that the first in a series of six planned public hearings on the proposed Metro fare hike is tonight. All six hearings start at 7 p.m., with open-houses beginning at 6:30 p.m. before each one. Tonight's hearing is in Reston, at the Bechtel Conference Center, which is at 1801 Alexander Bell Drive. To get there, take the Orange line to the West Falls Church station, and... more ›

Mark your calendars: WMATA put out a release earlier today announcing the dates of a series of six public meetings at which you can voice your opinions about the proposed Metro fare hikes, which would go into effect in January. The full set of proposed increases is here, but the basics include raising the base fare of Metrorail from $1.35 to $1.65, keep bus fares the same as long as you use SmarTrip cards (add... more ›

It's no surprise to this Hill resident, but it might be to those of you who live in relative cesspools like Logan Circle, Clarendon, Silver Spring, or "North" Cleveland Park: Eastern Market has been named one of the Nation's ten best neighborhoods. Thank you, American Planning Association, for giving credit where it's due. In its first annual "Best Places" awards, the APA heralds the Eastern Market neighborhood for "its continued success in balancing the demands... more ›

FRIDAY: >> Octogenarian fiddler Joe Thompson (at right), said to be the last black traditional string band player, plays a free show at The Kennedy Center's The Millennium Stage with fellow folk musicians Wayne Martin on fiddle and Bob Carlin, a clawhammer style banjoist. 6 p.m. >> Space rockers The Gulf sold out their D.C. show in April, and are coming back to play at the Red and the Black with the Joonies, Twin Earth,... more ›

Good morning, Washington. If you haven't already, make sure to take the time to read one of the stories that ran over the weekend about one of the important legacies Lady Bird Johnson left behind for our city: the work of her Committee for a More Beautiful Capital, which created more park space and added D.C.'s signature tulips, daffodils and cherry trees to existing triangles throughout the city. The Post has an excellent overview... more ›

Is D.C. Councilman Phil Mendelson attempting to change his image with a need for speed? Will Virginia EVER do anything about transportation? Can Metro finally convince Maryland to set aside dedicated funding? The answers to these question and more in this week's edition of Transit on Thursday Friday. Photo by ccperkdog... more ›

What would D.C. look like if Congress took away the restrictions on building height? We’ve pondered this question before, and so have a lot of others. It’s one of the favorite parlor games of D.C.’s professional (and amateur) urban planners. The subject arose again in yesterday’s Post, when business columnist Dana Hedgpeth noted the recent comments of a land use expert questioning the wisdom and necessity of D.C.'s height limit. The expert cautioned that the... more ›

Thanks to the hard work of voting rights activists, a few Congressional allies, and the wisdom of the American people in November, the District is coming closer and closer to finally gaining some voting representation. Legislation to grant the District a voting seat in the House looks like it's moving forward, D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton can once again vote on amendments on the House floor, and D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty has started asking aides... more ›

Last weekend I was riding my bike down 2nd Street NE towards East Capitol Street when a particularly aggressive driver decided that I had no right to be on the road. A shout, a flicked finger, and a week later, the District Department of Transportation has announced that it's going to start reminding drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians to relax a little -- the road belongs to us all. According to a press release, DDOT... more ›

If you follow the comments on this site at all, you've probably noticed that one of the topics that stirs up much digital debate is Metro. Be they lovers or haters, DCist readers love to complain about it, compare it to systems in other cities (especially New York), suggest ways to improve it, etc., etc. Well, here's your chance to take your comments offline and address them to someone who can actually do something about... more ›

On our way to a Nats game at RFK on Saturday, we spied a yellow-shirted cyclist heading down East Capitol Street towards the stadium. But beyond being a normal bike rider heading to a game on a pleasant night, he was on his first assignment as a driver for D.C. Pedicab, a new bicycle cab service that recently kicked off in the District. Their website states: Taking a cue from similar human-powered transportation that has... more ›

To date, much of the talk of the District mayoral race has been guesses and assumptions. While no one has the numbers to back it, the common wisdom is that Adrian Fenty and Linda Cropp are leading the charge, with third place a toss-up between Vincent Orange and Marie Johns (even though Orange claims the race is between him and Cropp). Today that may change. The Ward 6 Democrats are hosting a mayoral forum and... more ›

A quick glance at the picture at right and the unknowing cynic would think that Congressional Republicans took the day to rub the District's second-class status in the face of its residents. Thankfully, the parade of elephants down East Capitol Street yesterday afternoon was much more innocent than that -- the circus is back in town. The "Pachyderm Parade" signals a five-day stint by the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus at the D.C.... more ›

All this month, the Kennedy Center is hosting the Festival of China, with a full schedule of concerts, exhibits, and other events. Although many do not really fall under the rubric of our Classical Music Agenda, we are leading off our suggestions for you with Chinese concerts. FESTIVAL OF CHINA: >> There are some interesting dance companies performing at the Kennedy Center this week, beginning with the National Ballet of China, in the Kennedy Center's... more ›

If any DCist readers happen to see someone like the character at right running around the Lincoln Park area of Capitol Hill, they'd be advised to get on the horn and inform police as quickly as possible. DCist sources are reporting that an unknown number of inmates housed at the Oak Hill youth detention facility escaped today while on route to court appearances, most in the vicinity of Lincoln Park. WJLA is reporting that while... more ›

WMATA is set to implement some new schedules on a select number of bus lines starting Sunday. While the complete information can be found here, we'll highlight some changes on the D.C. routes affected. D2/Glover Park-Dupont Circle Weekdays, buses will run every 10 minutes during the morning and afternoon peak hours. On Friday nights after 1 a.m., buses will run every 37-38 minutes. And for the last-departing drunk buses from Connecticut Avenue and Q Street... more ›

It was a mere three weeks ago that Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) introduced the District of Columbia Personal Protection Act, a law which if passed would dismantle the District's three-decades old strict prohibition on the ownership of handguns and limit the ability of the City Council to pass laws regulating the ownership or sale of guns. To date, the law has attracted 31 co-sponsors in the Senate, while its counterpart in the House, introduced... more ›

(Flickr photo of No. 54 metrobus at the Archives-Navy Mem'l-Penn Quarter station by FurCafe via DCist Photos) >> In case you've been living under a rock, today is opening day for the city's new baseball team, the Washington Nationals. And WMATA says it's ready to handle the crowds on metrorail. Rush-hour service will start at 3 p.m. and will run until the first pitch a little after 7 p.m. Expect the Blue and Orange... more ›

Stadium Naming Deal Close to Complete: The Post reported on Saturday that a deal to sell the naming rights to RFK for the next three years may be completed before the Nats home-opener this Thursday. The possible winner? Not the dedicated democracy activists looking to tag RFK the "Taxation Without Representation Field at RFK Stadium," who to date have raised $36,549 in pledges, but rather the National Guard. The Guard, with over 300,000 members nationwide,... more ›

Sad News at the Zoo. No, we don't have any word about the status of possible panda babies at the National Zoo, but you can check for pregnancy watch updates here. Sadly, we must turn to camels. The Post reports that the zoo's only camel died. It was an 18-year-old Bactrian camel, an endangered animal native to northwestern China and Mongolia that typically lives 35-50 years. Just to be clear, we don't know if... more ›

The circus is coming to town (the MCI Center to be exact), and that means it's time for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey animals to parade across Capitol Hill. On Monday, March 21, at approximately 1:30 p.m., the elephants (and, for the first time, a donkey -- "in order to celebrate the non-partisan event of the circus and the spirit of the Nation's Capital") will make the trek from 32nd and D Streets,... more ›

At the eastern end of Lincoln Park along East Capitol Street, there are bronze statues of a large woman and two large children (well, the statues are large). They are frozen in mid-dance, facing toward the city’s first statue of Abraham Lincoln and the Capitol in the distance. The figures are rough-hewn, like tree bark, and elevated on a massive stone platform itself about five feet high. The woman is Mary McLeod Bethune, and the... more ›