Ben's Big Blog -- the blog covering all things Ben's Chili Bowl -- announced yesterday that the venerable D.C. institution now offers a veggie dog on its menu. That makes sense, considering that the eatery has offered veggie chili and veggie burgers for a long time time now -- according to the blog, the reason for the dog delay was that ownership hadn't located a veg-dog "that lives up to the quality and reputation of Ben's." more ›

>> Starting in January, the so-called Humpback Bridge on the George Washington Parkway will be revamped to be hump free and more pedestrian friendly. [WTOP] >> Mayor Fenty's administration tripled the number of employees making $175,000 or more from this time last year. Five of those employees, including the mayor himself, make over $200,000. [Examiner] >> Last night's fatal shooting of a man in the Barnaby Terrace neighborhood brings D.C.'s 2007 homicide total for... more ›

Though opening day is still a whole winter away, looking at Scott Ableman's photos of the Nats' stadium near completion makes our mouths water for peanuts, hot dogs, and beer. If all goes as planned, come late March we'll be enjoying dogs and beer in what Thomas Boswell called "A Thing of Beauty." more ›

Welcome to Friday, Washington ... and the last day of August, and the beginning of your holiday weekend, and more or less the end of the summer? This particular date, as you prepare for your weekend barbecues and last-minute getaways, is always a bit of a depressing occasion. It may not be the de jure end of the summer, but it's certainly the de facto one. To cheer you up about the imminent demise... more ›

>> For those of you who prefer your music pantomimed, tonight's Air Guitar Competition at the 9:30 Club. should be right up your alley. Just because the guitars are made of air, doesn't mean they don't rock! And who knows? The winner of tonight's competition may very well end up in the winner's circle at the Air Guitar World Championship in Finland. You can say you saw them before they sold out to the... more ›

Seattlest has a talk with the photographer from last week's "Segway Mom" and then experiences some dissension in the ranks over the question of wine vs. beer. It's not West Side Story, but about as close as they'll get. They're also still waiting on some inbox relief after a spammer is arrested. As Chicagoist counts down the days to its third anniversary party, they found all-organic pizza to be underwhelming amidst the hoopla, tried... more ›

>> Kicking off unofficial "Actors with Books" day in D.C., Don Cheadle and John Prendergast, a senior advisor to the International Crisis Group and co-founder of the ENOUGH Campaign, visit Borders to discuss their collaboration Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond. [1801 K St, NW Free, 6 p.m.] more ›

Fans had plenty of great things to say about the Nationals season opener at RFK last week: the hats, the weather, the midday beer-drinking. They also had some gripes. In addition to the unfortunate loss, one key complaint was, naturally, traffic. The Post noted that, "In the stands, Nationals fans complained. About parking-lot traffic, snack booths and long lines for just about everything, including hot dogs and ATMs." When the Nats move into their new,... more ›

>> Aramark, the ballpark concessionaire at RFK and other stadiums, is eliminating trans fat from its menu, and adding a number of "healthy" options such as veggie hot dogs, pasta salad and fruit cups. In related news, Baseball has been officially declared the least fun sport in America. [Baltimore Business Journal] >> Reigning MLS Defender of the Year and D.C. United backline stalwart Bobby Boswell is holding a launch party for his blog tonight... more ›

We don't know about you, but it's friggin cold out there. Well, not for some of you. It seems as though places that are supposed to be cold are warm and places that are supposed to be warm are cold. Or maybe that's just us. Either way, we're freezing. more ›

A faithful reader writes in: Last year, the men's basketball team at GMU made the final four. This year, the team should see a lot more interest from alumni like me. Any idea if people tailgate before basketball games outside the Patriot Center? Pro and college football are usually the premier tailgate sports, but we don't see any reason why people can't brave the chilly weather and tailgate at college basketball games. Basketball arenas are... more ›

Torontoist visits the site of a new Frank Gehry structure, stalks "the elusive Bahamas streetcar", and watches Tom Green get surgery. Phillyist rejoices in the Phillies' wild card chances, mourns the injuries sustained by Eagles defensive end Jevon Kearse, and goes pirate on our asses. SFist notes that Guns and Roses were in town, that San Franciscans are taking over reality TV, and that the San Francisco Chronicle's skills of original nomenclature could use some... more ›

Standing at the center of the courtyard of the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia is a modest little hot dog stand affectionately known as Cafe Ground Zero. It has tendered its fare to hungry Pentagon officials for decades, but is perhaps most noteworthy for being the only known hot dog stand to come under satellite surveillance or to have at least two nuclear warheads targeting it at all times. At least, according to Cold War legend.... more ›

Almost a month into the District's crime emergency, a stricter curfew is in place, surveillance cameras are being installed, and more police are working longer hours on city streets. But is the additional show of force being efficiently applied? Maybe not. One resident explained their grief with the beefed up police presence in today's edition of D.C. Watch's online newsletter, The Mail. Describing a recent experience on U Street, she wrote: By now, if you... more ›

Outrageous prices for not-so great food -- the issue of stadium concessions is pretty interesting. So interesting that Slate's Daniel Engber wondered and found out what it's like to be a beer vendor. Aside from in airports and on airplanes, where else can you be subjected to a limited number of relatively unappetizing, uncreative, unhealthy concoctions that are sold at unbelievably high prices? Even the July 2006 revamping of RFK Stadium and the new food... more ›

The music department took a bit of a siesta to watch fireworks, eat hot dogs, and catch Panacea -- the excellent hip hop outfit that rose from the ashes of RPM. As always, if you've got any other suggestions for this week, let us know in the comments. more ›

May 4 may well be remembered as the happiest day in D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams' political career. It is today, at 10 a.m., that Williams and new Nationals owner Ted Lerner will come together to break ground on the new $611 million stadium in Southeast. The Nats may have come back to Washington in September 2004, but their longevity in the city was consistently tested by bruising battles over stadium financing and team ownership,... more ›

Although the advent of the real-time Gawker Stalker map has freaked out certain celebrities who would prefer that their Us Weekly-devouring public not know that they're dining at New York's Tao or taking their fruit-monikered babies out for walks on Fifth Avenue, DCist has no qualms about letting its readers know where local celebs hang out. And there's no area celeb more freshly minted than George Mason University basketball coach Jim Larranaga, who just yesterday... more ›

News today has it that the U.S. Capitol Police seemed to have forgotten about the First Amendment on Tuesday night, when they arrested anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan and Beverly Young, the wife of a Republican representative, at the State of the Union address for wearing "expressive t-shirts." Ironically, Young's shirt was pro-military: "Support the Troops -- Defending Our Freedom." Capitol Police Terrance Gainer issued an apology and dropped the charges against the two. District Claims... more ›

Episode III: In a burger joint far far away….. more ›

FRIDAY >> Start the night off right at the DCist Happy Hour at 51st State. We'll all be there to celebrate our nation's veterans in the traditional manner: by drinking heavily. >> Who doesn't love a DJ who posts iPod playlists on the Internet so you can recreate a great night of dancing anytime, anywhere (especially when those playlists include choice selections like Kaiser Chiefs, The Rapture and James White and the Blacks)? Come celebrate... more ›

The New York Times Magazine featured, this past Sunday, the work of former Expos and current Mets General Manager Omar Minaya, whose work in Flushing has concentrated on attracting Latinos, both to the stands and the playing fields of Shea. Mentioned in the piece is the stellar work Minaya did with Les Expos, bringing in Latino talents such as current Nationals All-Star pitcher Livan Hernandez and second baseman Jose Vidro, in keeping the troubled... more ›

Greetings Washington, we hope you had a good weekend. Sunday afternoon, we snapped this photo of the Uline Arena near Second and M streets in Northeast, adjacent to the Union Station railyards. For those who don't know, Uline -- fka the Washington Coliseum -- was the site of the Beatles first live concert appearance in the United States, has seen better days. Now a trash transfer station, the arena is one of the most engdangered... more ›