The Golden Triangle Business Improvement District has been circulating an email warning Metro passengers of notice they received from Metro Transit Police regarding increased pickpocket activity at the Farragut North Metro station. We're publishing it here for the benefit of our readers who use that station, though really, these tips are commonsense for anyone traveling on Metro. Subject: Note from Metro Transit Police - Beware of Pickpockets at Farragut North Metro Transit Police have......

Though maybe not the prettiest subject in town, we have to admit liking this shot of a beat-up crosswalk signal by rsplatpc, with the detail of the spiderweb, the abuse of random stickers, and probably a sideswipe from a large vehicle. We've been noticing another slew of damaged and crooked crosswalk signs, like we did this spring, including a particularly dangerous damaged signal at Connecticut and K Street outside the Farragut North metro this......

Thanks to a tipster for forwarding us an invite to a seemingly bizarre press conference to be held this Friday by Jeffrey S. Abramson, part of the Abramson clan who runs The Tower Companies, a relatively major local developer that was responsible for such projects as Washington Square at Farragut North and the Millennium Building at 19th and K. Abramson, it seems, would like to build a new monument. A monument to "Invincibility." From the......

Today tens of thousands of District children return to school, leaving behind the late-morning starts, extended curfews and breaks at the public swimming pool that summer afforded them. And though the year will proceed as it usually does, they will be part of a school system that has seen drastic changes over the last few months. Now under mayoral control and led by new chancellor Michelle Rhee, the District's public schools have entered a new......

UPDATE #2 WMATA reports that all three stations have re-opened, though some delays may linger in order to get everything back on schedule. Enjoy your evening, Washington. According to an alert from Metro, the Dupont Circle, Woodley Park, and Cleveland Park stations have been closed due to a suspicious package aboard a train. Metro will be running shuttle buses between Van Ness and Farragut North to connect to the stations. We hope the package turns......

Veg D.C. Names Best Veggie Restaurant VegDC.com has tallied the votes for the area's best vegetarian restaurant, and the award goes to Java Green, the downtown eatery that serves a wide range of vegetarian and vegan cuisine (and really great coffee drinks) in the Farragut North area of downtown. Even an avowed meat-lover like me can find something to enjoy at the busy restaurant; the fake meats they use taste and feel nearly like the......

The author of this post is Rawn James, Jr. It was posted earlier, but inadvertently removed from the site. Our apologies to the commenters who had already chimed in! The first line of The Godfather is spoken by the broken undertaker whose daughter's attackers have escaped justice. "I believe in America," Buonasera tells the camera and the Godfather. In one of the most well-acted single takes in American cinema, the proud middle-aged immigrant sobs impotent......

Dear Vapiano Head Honchos, I've been working as a tray here for a few weeks now. It's a great gig. I could have ended up doing the whole wet, smelly cafeteria tray thing. Here hot girls pick me up and press me against their bodies while they wait for food. Unfortunately, the whole experience isn't as good for them as it is for me, so I'm writing to bring some issues to your attention. Honestly,......

With notorious heat and humidity, Washington D.C. has never been the most pleasant place in the summer. Worst of all is getting stuck in some god-forsaken space that is crowded, poorly ventilated, and lacking in air conditioning. Bad news for all you Red Liners out there. These are just the conditions you should expect for the next few days in the Dupont and Farragut North stations. According to the Post, a broken pipe under Connecticut......

In her book, Cooking for Mr. Latte, Amanda Hesser describes meeting Julia Child in France and having to take her out for a meal. However, all the restaurants that Ms. Hesser had wanted to take Julia to were not open, and they ended up at a small cafe. With smirking teenagers looking on, Julia Child ordered fried eggs with mayonnaise, and proceeded to ensure that she consumed every bit of the mayonnaise with her eggs......

This post from DCist contributor Matt Cordell Although BLT Steak just moved into town ("BLT" is not bacon, lettuce, and tomato, but Bistro Laurent Tourondel as in New York City's BLT Steak, BLT Prime, BLT Fish, and BLT Burger), it has already masterfully affected one of D.C.'s core stereotypes: the clubby lobbyist haunt. Here, in a scene of dark wood and suede, pricey food comes heavy, dull, and fast, but without any serious missteps. As......

As of yesterday, Metro was placed among the many city agencies with pricey downtown digs currently being considered for more a affordable address. Mayor Fenty approached Metro yesterday with the idea of selling its eight-story headquarters at 600 5th St. in Northwest and relocating to a new, state-of-the-art facility at the Anacostia Metro station. Fenty and city officials say that such a move would provide an economic boon to both the downtown and Southeast areas,......

This post from DCist contributor Jamie R. Liu You can't help but want to root for Chef Jamie Stachowski and Restaurant Kolumbia. How can you not love a man who, when asked on the Today Show, “What if you don't have a larding needle?”, responded with a jovial, machismo-filled, “Well you better get one!” You love the great team he forms with his wife and general manager, Carolyn, who has applied her artist's eye to......

Everyone has that one friend. You know the one. The one who steadfastly maintains, Rain Man-style, that he is an excellent driver. Yet you know that the simple act of taking the passenger seat with him behind the wheel tends to be an exercise in faith that today is not your day to die. Then there's that other friend. The borderline racist/misogynist/homophobe/pick your offensive personality type, whose attitudes usually hover just below your tolerance line.......

Sad news, Washington. Fox 5 brings us a heartbreaking story from a Maryland farm. Apparently someone broke into a barn in Yellow Springs, Md. and cut off a sheep's head. As Shawn Yancy lamented, this left "an adorable lamb... motherless". Just think! What kind of monster would harm a helpless farm animal? Fortunately, Brian Bolter was on the case, outlining the possibilities: it seems to either be a "sick joke" or — far more likely......

MONDAY >> Remember the days when you couldn't turn on the radio without hearing the Goo Goo Dolls' hit single "Name"? Yeah, we drink heavily to forget it, too. Well, it turns out the boys named Goo are headlining the 9:30 Club two nights in a row with Augustana. Maybe we shouldn’t be so hard on them; both nights are sold out. >> Steven Tyler of Aerosmith fame is going to be rocking the George......

Is it just us, or are political campaigns a little like the Christmas season? They seem to start earlier and earlier each year. The hats are flying into the ring fast and furious right now, and one candidate may have managed to kill his chances with an ill-fated public statement already. That's gotta be some kind of landspeed record, not to mention it would have made a great Overheard had he not, well, been speaking......

Happy Thursday, Washington. Thursdays, as we all well know, are the day of the week when the working weary of D.C. first begin to cast their wistful eyes on the coming weekend, perchance even to plan an evening of alcohol consumption on lo this very night -- because waiting for tomorrow seems so far away, and even if we stumble into work on Friday a little hung over, eh, it's only one day before we......

No, really, Farragut North is on fire. At least the tracks are, according to a WMATA service advisory. This is the third fire at the station in the last week and the second in as many days, once again delaying the commutes of many area workers and raising safety concerns over the troubled transit agency. New Metro General Manager John B. Catoe must be wondering if his $300,000 salary is worth all these headaches this......

Good morning, Washington. February's almost upon us, and the D.C. Board of Education is still here. But for how much longer? Yesterday we mentioned the board's attempt at self-preservation. Today the Post brings word that their counter-proposal may be a tougher sell than they had anticipated: an audit of the city's finances returned generally positive results... except in the school system. Within it auditors found resistance and sloppiness that, if not corrected, could ultimately......

You know a place must have something going for it if there are people lined up outside in freezing weather waiting to order their food. That something might be the fact that the place is tiny, but when it comes to the Greek Deli, that is only part of the equation. The other is that the food is top notch. Those of you who work in the vicinity of 19th and L, NW probably already......

What's going on at the Farragut North Metro station? Last Friday there was a small fire that, while dealt with quickly, caused delays for many commuters on the coldest day of the year. And now, just five days later, there's report of more smoke coming out of the same station, and a WMATA service alert (that looks to have just been taken down) of more delays on the Glenmont-bound Red Line due to "an emergency......

Brrrrrrrrrr. We hope you've got some layers on this morning, D.C. It's the coldest day so far this winter, with a predicted high of only 29 degrees. Sure, we were wishing for some proper winter weather for a while, but frankly this may be going just a bit too far. The bitter temperatures won't last too long, though — Saturday's high will be back up toward 50. Small Fire in Metro: We're hearing there was......

Are you victimized by your lunchmates' insistence on standing in line at Potbelly? Are you overcome with the yeasty smell of Subway when you lie in bed at night because you eat there so often? Take some initiative and get your coworkers away from that meatball sub and into something truly delicious: Naan & Beyond. When we think Indian for lunch, we picture $12.99 lunch buffets and picked-over chafing dishes. But Naan & Beyond changes......

We had no idea the can of worms we were opening when we suggested that Metro might want to consider introducing some sort or weekly or monthly pass. We got a flurry of responses in the comments section pointing out that Metro offers several different passes. Since then, however, the issue, and its relation to Metro's new SmarTrip-only lanes, has been the subject of even more discussion in the online media-verse. After mulling over the......

An alert tipster brings us news that WMATA officials are poised to consider whether some of the Metro systems shorter escalators should be converted into stairs. The proposal on the table would call for the decommissioning of 23 escalators in order to save approximately $1.2 million in maintenance costs. According to WTOP, none of the escalators in question exceed thirty feet in height and are all units that provide redundant service at their individual stations.......

It was a great week to be outside, and one happy side effect of all that mixing and mingling was a great collection of quotes flowing into the Overheard inbox. In addition to the usual tourist confusion, we have a few locals who seem to lack the self-awareness gene as well. And that? Makes our cold hearts happy. Let us know what you've overheard at overheardindc (at) gmail (dot) com. Quote of the Week Exiting......

DCist's regular Overheard editor is too busy enjoying her kid-free Paris vacation to amuse readers today, so I've had to pick up the slack. Call us cynical if you want, but we're filing this week's Quote of the Week under the "Ain't it the Truth" category of humor. As always, if you happen to overhear something amusing, for god sake's, don't keep it to yourself! Send it in to overheardindc (at) gmail (dot) com. Quote......

As a Red Line commuter, I'm used to the frequent mid-station stops and brake-riding drivers that characterize the one-train-a-minute rush hour between Brookland and Farragut North. What I only get to hear about from others is the Orange Line experience, a daily dance in which each rider is alloted one platform tile on which to stand, and everyone tries to avoid crushing, asphyxiation, shoving and subsequent incidents on the track. The tales may be embellished......

After a much-needed one week vacation from the world of transit, this column makes its triumphant return to all things car, bus, train, bike, and feet. If you get around with it, we cover it.......