Hey, DCist, I like fireworks and celebrating the birth of our country. Where should I go, what should I do, help a sister out. -DCist reader Sarah The best (and entirely serious) tip we have for you is of course to avoid the National Mall like it's going to give you cancer. It's a sea of tourists and transit trauma every year down there, but this year it's shaping up to be even worse, with... more ›

Good morning, Washington. Did you stay up late arguing the finer points of last night's Democratic presidential debate at Howard University? Or were you just hoping to get a table at Busboys and Poets but unable to shove your way through the crowd? Shaw and the U Street corridor were overrun with Democratic political operatives last night ... which really probably isn't any different than any other night. But forget about the substance of the... more ›

FRIDAY: >> This weekend is filled to the brim with events surrounding the 2007 Urban Film Series tour just in time for Black History Month. Dozens of short and feature-length films addressing the black experience are being screened at Regal Cinema Gallery Place, many with panel discussions following. There's a bevy of established and rising talent to see, but our pick for Friday has to be a conversation and book-signing with the Wizard's own center... more ›

Don’t let the threat of Polonium poisoning crush your dreams of becoming a spy or the inevitable prison sentence keep you from robbing a bank. We understand your desire to solve ancient religious conspiracies shrouded in mystery and international intrigue, but perhaps you don’t want to get your hands dirty. Joshua Czarda, the brains behind Ravenchase Adventures, has a solution. He and his crack team of writers and actors want you to step inside a... more ›

Local blogger and Condoleezza Rice devotee Princess Sparkle Pony is wondering: Why on earth has the water at the U.S. Navy Memorial turned blue? Indeed, her majesty has turned up photographic evidence of the unnatural hue of the water in the Memorial's fountains. As always, the Pink Pony asks the tough questions: Is it intentional? A prank? One thing is for sure, it now resembles the Ty-D-Bol™ Memorial more than anything. Honey, listen, next time... more ›

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This DCist went to listen to some of the Rostropovich Cello Competition qualifying round this past week, which we recommended to you in our last Classical Music Agenda. Although that was good listening, it's still August, and there is not that much to hear as far as classical music in Washington, but we have drummed up a few things you might want to consider. more ›

(Editor's Note: Earlier reports of this DCist's loss of an arm are unfounded. It was actually our big toe.) DCist loves Fun Street. You ask: "Where might that be?" In what seems to be an aborted late 1990s marketing rebranding attempt, F Street near the MCI Center was given a Botox injection in the form of "Fun" Street to place emphasis on the strip's funness quotient. It never caught on, but the signs remain.... more ›

If you think this photo of the Navy Memorial and the Old Post Office Tower looks a little grainy, there's nothing wrong with your computer. It turns out part of Legoland California is an attraction called Miniland USA where the good people at Lego have built Lego versions of parts of New England, New York City, Florida, California, and Washington, D.C. (We discovered Miniland after reading on Gothamist they were planning on building a Lego Freedom Tower) We are shocked nobody tipped us off to the remarkably detailed Lego version of the National Mall and downtown D.C. (we'll forgive some apparent liberties in scale) as we have a lifelong passion for the interlocking blocks. See many more photos of Legoland Washington by Bill Ward or in this online gallery. A larger view of the monuments is after the jump. more ›

Inaugural Security to Be Very Tight: While it has been widely broadcast that inaugural security will be the tightest ever, the Post provides us with some more details as two what that means. Roadblocks and screening points will go up three blocks from the Pennsylvania Avenue parade route. Windows facing the parade route will be sealed, parked cars removed and snipers will be on rooftops. more ›

Don't get yourselves down about the gloomy weather, fellow DC-ites. Capital Weather suggests that it'll get sunny by tomorrow afternoon, and there are plenty of goodies to keep you occupied this weekend. more ›

So we assume that sneaking into inaugural balls, which has become a sport in some political gawking circles, will be severely looked down upon. Will this mean that protesters will have a more difficult time hoisting the anarchist flag atop the Navy Memorial like in 2000? more ›

The Washington Post Magazine piece this weekend on the Moscow subway got DCist thinking. Where is all the public art in WMATA's metrorail system? In Moscow, the system has chandeliers, mosaics, stained glass and marble-clad platforms. Of course many of these pieces glorify the height of Soviet communism, but if Stalin could have created such an artistic system, couldn't Lyndon Johnson have mandated some sort of artistic glorification of American democracy in "America's Subway?" more ›

We finally found one. After nine months of searching, DCist spied someone wearing a WMATA metrorail shirt this weekend on a Connecticut Avenue sidewalk. (It was a Metro Center shirt, like the the one at left). Since we love to talk about transit issues, DCist has a few thoughts on D.C.’s attempts to enter the world of transit chic. London promotes “Mind the Gap.” Paris glorifies its Art Nouveau Metropolitan signage. And New York has... more ›