At a press conference today, Mayor Vince Gray announced that the District is filing a lawsuit against a surprising target -- the Travelocity gnome. more ›

The historic Randall School property in Southwest D.C. -- which art collectors Don and Mera Rubell purchased for $6.5 million from the Corcoran Gallery of Art back in February -- will get a new look, courtesy of three designers. more ›

It's been just under a year since PB Capital Corp. picked up the aging Watergate Hotel at foreclosure auction for $25 million, and now it looks like that price was indeed right. This week, PB Capital finalized the sale of the 251-room property to New York-based Euro Capital Properties Inc. for a cool $45 million, Melissa Castro reports in the Washington Business Journal. more ›

D.C. police and emergency crews racked up nearly 52,000 hours of overtime during April's Nuclear Security Summit, which adds up to $4.4 million, Bill Myers reports in the Examiner. The White House has already promised to reimburse the District for the costs, as well it should. more ›

Everyone knows to steer clear of the Washington Convention Center today and tomorrow; the Nuclear Security Summit and its 47 visiting delegations have prompted road closures and parking restrictions around Mt. Vernon Square. But there are also other places you might want to avoid getting too close to -- hotels. more ›

DCmud is an indispensable and relentless cataloger of local real estate news, so we've got no reason to doubt the veracity of this report, which tells of hopes on the part of the elegant, historic Hay-Adams Hotel to build an additional floor to make room for a rooftop restaurant.

If plans are approved, the Hay Adams will offer what would easily be the best dining views over the White House, giving neighboring W a run for its money. The hotel already boasts an impressive view over the White House and onto the Mall from its position on the northern end of Lafayette Park.

The hugely delayed Washington Convention Center Hotel deal, which in July appeared to be back on track thanks to a city-brokered public financing deal with developers, is once again in trouble. Developer JBG Cos. is suing to stall the start of construction, claiming that the contracting process that gave a 99-year lease to Marriott was not up to snuff, the Washington Business Journal is reporting. The lawsuit could very well mean that the sale of bonds for the project could be delayed, which would in turn push back ground breaking on the project. The city's only hope to keep things on track will be if a judge agrees to toss out the case in short order, as construction has been slated to begin this fall. more ›

It was late summer of 2007 when the old Watergate Hotel sold off all its contents amid a massive renovation effort, with plans to reopen as something fancier, newer, or at least less shabby. But then, of course, the bottom fell out of the financial markets, and it seems the long-delayed plans for construction are finally abandoned. The hotel is going on the auction block on Tuesday, the Post reports. The hotel's owner, Monument Realty, was financed mainly be Lehman Brothers, so you can guess what happened. Alex Cooper Auctioneers will start the bidding at $1 million at their Wisconsin Ave. offices. more ›

Ten hours in to the 24-hour D.C. taxi strike, it's looking like a large percentage of drivers in fact stayed home. As people make their way out of offices to head home and tend to children anxious to begin trick or treating, what will they find? Based on streets we've seen around town virtually devoid of D.C. cabs, we'd say that if you have your own car, your drive will most likely be a lot... more ›

Former Editor-in-Chief Ryan Avent writes a weekly column about neighborhood and development issues. Not too long ago this site, along with the D.C. Council and much of the rest of the Washington area, was actively debating the incentive package for the new Washington Nationals stadium. At the time I was well aware of the questions about costs and benefits and was familiar with research on the subject suggesting that new stadia did not boost metropolitan... more ›

>> We tragically forgot to mention in About Tonight that all left-wing, communist, Jewish, homosexual pornographers will gather on the Mall for Screen on the Green's first showing of the summer, Annie Hall. The movie starts just after sunset on the screen between 4th and 7th, NW. Bring an umbrella and/or a Faraday cage, as the thunderstorm watch goes until 9 p.m., but the screening is more or less rain or shine, unless lightning... more ›

Memorial Day is this Monday, meaning a lot of Washingtonians have a three day weekend. With the extra day comes extra opportunity to take a day trip (or two) around the area. We polled our staffer for some good destinations in the area to share, so pump up the bike tires, get out the hiking boots or start the car (Zip, Flex, or your own). And if you have any other good suggestions, let us... more ›

On Friday, Deborah Jeane Palfrey made her much-hyped prime time television debut on 20/20, chatting with Brian Ross about her D.C. escort business but saying her "gals" didn't engage in illegal activities. Ross was a bit incredulous that she actually believed no sex was taking place, but Palfrey quickly confirmed that said face was indeed straight, pointing to a contract her escorts signed saying they would be fired if any criminal activity took place. While... more ›

Food and Wine has released their list of best new chefs for 2007, and Komi's chef Johnny Monis has made the cut. Focusing on "modest, low-key restaurants" and chefs who are "obsessed with ingredients," Food and Wine selected ten chefs from across the country who are steadily climbing the vertical food tower of greatness. Well, ten chefs other than Rachael Ray and Sandra Lee, who they somehow managed not to name five times each. more ›

Danièle Thompson's Avenue Montaigne (released in France as Fauteuils d'Orchestre, or Orchestra Seats) is a charming, slightly sugary movie. Thompson got her start writing screenplays, most famously a shared credit for the excellent, disturbing history film La Reine Margot, perhaps the truest look ever at the troubled French monarchy. In the last several years, she has been directing her own comic screenplays, beginning with La Bûche in 1999, with the same incisive approach to character established through dialogue. For Avenue Montaigne, she worked with her son, Christopher Thompson, on the screenplay, and he plays the lead romantic role in the movie as well. more ›

Well D.C., if you're reading this it means you're not one of the 3000 or so people in our area currently without power. NBC4 reported the outage in Foggy Bottom last night, although they focused on the problems for four ritzy hotels, rather than the 790 other folks left in the dark. D.C. Superior Court and the D.C. Court of Appeals are also closed today due to the lack of power. Then, there's the massive... more ›

Good morning to those of you who are working today, on a day that many set aside to honor American Presidents with HUGE SAVINGS! and ONEOFAKIND DEALS! We trust that you made the best of your unjustly short weekend, and managed to stay on your feet on the skating rink sidewalks of our fair city. We applaud our neighbors who did their best to keep their portion of sidewalks clear and dry. Unfortunately, we... more ›

Good morning, Washington. How was your State of the Union viewing experience? We hope that "enjoyable" is the answer — although not so enjoyable that you now have a State of the Union hangover experience (don't you love living in a city where such a thing is a possibility?). Whatever your experience, this morning it seems like some of the week's frantic political energy is draining out of the city, as the shot to the... more ›

As 2006 ends and 2007 begins, the -ists look back not at the past week, but at the past year. So here it is, your Best of 2006 Spectacular. And from all of us at the -ists, happy New Year! Austinist was all about controversy as new construction to increase urban density ran rampant in 2006, as did threats to the city's image from gigantic corporations looking to set up shop in town, leading... more ›

We know you're itching to get your perfect New Year's Eve plans in place, and we'll have a few suggestions for those of you still unsure what to do for the big night later in the day. But first a few of friendly reminders: Just like on Christmas Eve, D.C. liquor stores will in fact be open on Dec. 31 thanks to an amendment put in place by the D.C. Council to make exceptions when Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve fall on Sundays. Plus! Metro will run until 2 a.m. on Sunday night, and get this, last call isn't until 4 a.m. for one night only. For real. So don't fret: You will be able to purchase and consume insane amounts of alcohol with little interference from the pesky D.C. Government on New Year's Eve. Unless of course you choose to get behind the wheel -- and no DCist reader would do that, would they? Because you all already know about SoberRide. As a reminder, just call 800-200-8294 (TAXI) from a D.C., Maryland or Virigina phone number, and you can arrange for a free taxi of a fare up to $50 (though of course, it might take a while on New Year's Eve). more ›

It feels like it's been a while since anyone truly famous has graced our fair city with their presence, but it looks like that drought comes to an end today. According to an email we received yesterday, Matt Damon and Robert DeNiro are in town (actually in Fairfax, Virginia) today taping a special episode of Chris Matthews' Hardball. Before you berate us for not passing this tip on earlier, tickets were only available to Mason... more ›

If you're anything like this writer, the last big election returns "party" you went to turned into a vast pit of sorrow and despair you'd like not to repeat. Or maybe you joyously tossed balloons and toasted champagne at your party's continuing reign. Either way, the fate of the next two years of our country is being decided and you need a place to go tonight to watch, with trepidation and a beer, as the results come in. This is D.C., so you've got a few options: more ›

If you work near 16th and L, you might have noticed that going to work this morning was a little worse than usual. And not just because the of the miniature existential crisis that every long weekend brings — in addition to that Labor Day malaise, the traffic situation was and continues to be pretty godawful. Sixteenth Street is blocked off by police cars, and somebody seems to have constructed a tent across two lanes... more ›

In a summer of high-profile restaurant openings, the handlers of Urbana -- the new restaurant inside the new Hotel Palomar just west of Dupont Circle on P Street -- don't want their charge to get lost in the crowd. And so, last night, they hosted a flashy preview of their eatery to get the word out about the restaurant that replaces the old Gabriel restaurant in the former Radisson-Barceló. more ›

Located in a sort-of no man’s land of office buildings and hotels, the Maine Avenue Fish Market is tucked away in a bizarre little pocket of waterfront activity in Southwest. We were there to grab a few fish steaks before the evening rush hour for a Friday night grillfest. And we were hungry. more ›

It was around this time last year that we collectively mourned the fact that the District just doesn't have very many good bagel shops. Spare the few options most of us could name off the tops of our heads, we realized that within the confines of the city, there seemed to be a relative paucity of bagel providers. And now, a year later, we add one more bagelry to the list, and it's in an... more ›

The little mustachioed Monopoly guy (Alfonso?) didn't get where he is today by making one little board game and selling it until folks got tired of seedy Atlantic City landmarks and quaint anachronisms (railroads!). No, the little robber baron knows people are suckers for the new, so he's made and sold version after version of the classic pasttime, from the celebrated original to GenericStateUniversityopoly, to the perennial chick magnet Lord of the Rings Trilogy Monopoly, which is a DCist favorite. more ›

The owners of Fran O'Brien's Stadium Steakhouse in the downtown Capital Hilton recently learned what Lorelai and Rory Gilmore have known all along: regularly scheduled Friday night dinners are contentious affairs. more ›

The National Harbor, a perplexing development scheme rising from the Prince George's County river flats just outside the Capital Beltway, has attracted additional hotel investments, giving the complex a planned total of 3,000 available rooms. more ›

Once mainly a dumping ground for hotels in easy striking distance of both Georgetown and downtown, the District's West End neighborhood has lately experienced a building boom that may bring more residents than ever into the quiet area east of Rock Creek Parkway, north of Foggy Bottom, and west of Dupont Circle. more ›