Your D.C. Rollergirls All-Stars took a little trip to Philly last weekend to participate in the East Coast Derby Extravaganza. With D.C. on the rankings bubble for upcoming regionals, their first bout was a must-win. more ›

Zagat Buzz pointed us to their interview with Philadelphia Inquirer food columnist Rick Nichols, where he is asked if Philadelphia is an international food destination. more ›

According to a report in the Washington Post, intercity bus company Megabus will be upping the number of trips it offers between Washington and Philadelphia at the end of March. Megabus will begin offering 13 daily trips between the two cities between Thursday and Monday starting on March 31; currently, Megabus has eight daily trips on those days. Consider it great news for the 45 percent of you who prefer to take the bus instead of the train. more ›

We were let down by a recent failed attempt to start up a new D.C. to Philly & Wilmington discount bus line, but for regular Philadelphia travelers, some much better news this week. Via the tip line, we find that MegaBus has announced it will begin direct service between D.C. and Philly on March 21. Posted schedules indicate the company will begin by offering four different departure times in both cities, including an early morning bus. more ›

Earlier this month, we told you about a new discount bus service that planned to start offering non-stop service from D.C. to Wilmington, Philadelphia and Boston. Originally, TransportAzumah planned to launch all of its new D.C. lines by today, but an ominous message has since appeared on the company's web site reporting that all trips from D.C. have been canceled until further notice. That's bad news for folks who had been hoping to take advantage of the new service for the holiday weekend. more ›

New York businessman Joel Azumah wrote to DCist today to let us know that his discount bus line, modestly dubbed TransportAzumah, will be launching several new routes servicing D.C. this month. Refreshingly, these routes will not be servicing New York. Instead, Azumah plans to offer non-stop bus service from D.C. to Wilmington, Philadelphia and Boston. more ›

I don't know about you, but I enjoyed a Sunday devoid of heartbreak, frustration, incomprehension, incompetence, and the ungodly combination of the four. It was a restful day, one which got my week off to a nice start. Of course, that will all change tonight -- when the Redskins new play-calling system proves to be the glorious failure we all knew it would be in a 24-9 loss to the visiting Eagles -- but at least we're one day closer to the following weekend after it does. more ›

Charles Ramsey can't be too jealous of his former protégé and now D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier. After all, he's got good numbers; she doesn't. In his first year as Philadelphia's Police Commissioner, the District's former top cop saw a 15 percent decline in homicides, handing Mayor Michael Nutter a substantial victory in his pledge to reduce citywide crime. Lanier, on the other hand, had to deal with a second straight year of increases in the District's homicide tally, the first back-to-back jump since 1990-91. Lanier and Ramsey did rely on similarly controversial police tactics to clamp down on crime though, with Lanier resorting to police checkpoints outside of Trindad and Ramsey allowing officers to more aggressively stop, question and frisk Philadelphia residents. more ›

It is a great time to be a Caps Fan. We've seen media coverage of the guy who brings his trumpet to the games and the rock bands who have sung the team's praises. more ›

• SFist saw Christmas Day turn tragic after a Siberian tiger escaped from her pen at the San Francisco Zoo, killing a visitor and mauling two others.
• Phillyist counted down the top ten items on Philadelphia's New Year's wish list.
• Gothamist looked at the wooden bikes being offered for NYC's first bike share program on Governors Island.

>> The 1930s-era Hecht's building in Northeast has been bought by a Philadelphia developer who plans to incorporate the historic structure into a new retail hub off New York Avenue. [WaPo] more ›

Ticket holders for Saturday's Wizards v. Raptors match up probably made their purchases with visions of Gilbert Arenas and Chris Bosh dancing in their head. With both stars injured for the game, instead it turned into the Roger Mason Jr. v. Jason Kapono show. It turns out this wasn't a bad thing at all. After not playing at all in Thursday's loss in Philadelphia, Mason Jr. came off the bench to score 15 big... more ›

Given that this is bound to be a slow day at work, what better time for Gilbert Arenas and adidas to launch GilTV, undoubtedly the next phase of The Takeover. Included are four new commercials -- The Black President (above), Cooking With Gil, Agent Zero and Gilbert's Island -- all seemingly ripped right out of the pages of The Wizznutzz. Let's hope those guys are at least getting some royalty checks from this. On... more ›

America by Air, the newest permanent gallery opened by The National Air and Space Museum, encompasses the entire history of flight and air travel in the United States, starting in 1914 and leading up to today. We know what you're thinking, "Isn't that what the whole museum is about?" And yes...it is. So Air and Space has managed to create an exhibit that is, in fact, a microcosm of itself, which is so damn postmodern... more ›

Former D.C. Police Chief Charles Ramsey has been named police commissioner of Philadelphia by Mayor-elect Michael Nutter, reports the Associated Press. Ramsey came to D.C. in 1998 after serving for 31 years in his hometown of Chicago, and became Washington's longest-serving police chief in more than three decades, serving as top cop in the District until the end of 2006, when he was replaced by incoming Mayor Adrian Fenty. Since we've had a little bit... more ›

The Germans have a lot of long words that encompass very difficult concepts. Words like "schadenfreude," "Hubschrauberlandeplatz," and "Verantwortungszuständigkeiten." I don't know if they have word for the frustration you feel when you've thought that your team had already managed to overcome the mistake you thought was going to cost them the game -- like a fourth-quarter Ladell Betts fumble -- only to discover that the relief-shattering error that was going to lead to a... more ›

Southeast Jerome. Sheriff Gonna Getcha. Coach Janky Spanky. The Ghost of Southeast Jerome. Most of the 2005 season, and a few times last year, Clinton Portis showed that he wasn't only electric on the field by holding press conferences dressed up as ridiculous characters, who he named and gave purposes. The get ups were such a hit that they even made a t-shirt about them (hey, we all knew that Snyder wouldn't let a chance... more ›

>> No Reservations star Anthony Bourdain was reportedly at Ben's Chili Bowl last night, so if you're heading to his reading at GW's Lisner Auditorium tonight, be sure to try to ask him what he thinks of the chili half-smoke. For more information & to check on ticket availability (it's nearly sold-out), call Smithsonian Associates at 202-633-3030. $28, $14 for GW students at the Lisner box office. 7 p.m. >> Philadelphia quintet Dr. Dog... more ›

We knew it was just a matter of time, but sure enough, there in our inbox this morning was the first announcement of an online petition begging D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty to change his mind about the $4 taxicab flag drop fee. A group calling themselves D.C. Residents for Reasonable Taxi Fares claim that the fares proposed by Mayor Fenty will mean that taxi fares in D.C. will be the highest in the country--higher than... more ›

Katharine Hepburn, one of the most iconic actresses of the 20th century, is the latest person to be featured in the National Portrait Gallery’s “One Life” gallery. Kate: A Centennial Celebration, which opened today, presents a multi-media approach to Hepburn’s life — photographs, video clips, her four Best Actress Oscar statuettes, a Brooks Brothers red turtleneck sweater, and a studio contract are all on display. The four statuettes, which Hepburn won for Morning Glory, Guess... more ›

D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty announced this afternoon that new time and distance meters for D.C. taxis must be installed no later than April 1, 2008. The announcement came about nine hours after the end of a 24-hour taxicab driver strike in response to the Mayor's decision to abandon the zone system. Fenty and D.C. Taxicab Commission Chairman Leon Swain Jr. also announced the pricing structure for the new meters: a $4 flag drop charge, then... more ›

>> We interviewed former Grandaddy member Jim Fairchild earlier today, so be sure to check out his show tonight at Black Cat under the moniker All Smiles. Fairchild opens for David Bazan, formerly the driving force behind Pedro the Lion, will open along with Lavender Diamond. 8 p.m., $12. >> Palace of Wonders is hosting a special Day of the Dead performance of Philadelphia's The Squidling Brothers' Clown Centrick Sideshow, a vaudeville and burlesque... more ›

The Red Sox has permeated nearly every facet of Bostonist's lives. When they're not live-blogging the games, waxing poetic about the games, thanking Curt Schilling for his splendid work, or telling Dane Cook to watch his hair, they're watching certain presidential candidates hop on the Red Sox bandwagon (sorry, Gothamist). The Sox are so branded on the local brain that people are using the Series to spice up their sex lives. Speaking of spice, Bostonist... more ›

Written by DCist Contributor Stephanie Taylor Travel + Leisure magazine has released their 2007 list of "America’s Favorite Cities", which ranks D.C. as sub-par in most categories when compared to 24 other U.S. cities. Evaluated by our own residents, we came in a lowly No. 23 on the hotness meter, and No. 22 on the stylish (that’s out of a 1-25 ranking, 25 = bad, not good.) Visitors ranked Washington No. 24 on the people-I-like-to-look-at... more ›

>> Art Whino, the new 22,000 square foot exhibition and studio space at 717 N. Asaph St. in Old Town Alexandria, holds its grand opening tonight. The gallery's debut event will be soundtracked by DJ Stylo, and marks the start of two new exhibits: a solo show by artist Derrick Wolbaum and a group show of Pop-Surrealism work in the Permanent Gallery. The opening reception is tonight from 6 to 11 p.m, admission is free.... more ›

Any D.C. resident with a laptop who regularly makes a trip to New York or Philadelphia on Amtrak has probably longed for wireless internet access on their journeys. On Monday, Amtrak announced it has installed wireless internet, but just in their stations. Sadly it's not awesome, free internet, but regular old T-Mobile Hot Spots, which costs money. The hot spots will be available at Union Station, Baltimore Penn Station, Wilmington Station in Delaware, Philadelphia... more ›

>> D.C. United star striker Luciano Emilio is neck and neck with the Chicago Fire's Cuauhtemoc Blanco for MLS Goal of the Week. Emilio scored his 20th goal of the season with an sensational left-footed volley. Be sure to vote. It's your civic duty. >> It's been exactly five years since the sniper shootings perpetrated by John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo began. [WTOP] >> "D.C. Council leaders will not hold up the... more ›

With one week left until the start of the regular season, the hockey world has been divided into two camps along the question of whether the Capitals will make the playoffs this year. The first camp consists of every Caps fan with a blog, up to and including team owner Ted Leonsis. All agree that the team can do it. The second camp contains every other fan and writer in the hockey universe, who agree... more ›

In beating the Eagles in their nest last night, there were a number of plays you could point to as being critical--not the least of which was Laron Landry's game-ending decapitation of Philly wideout Kevin Curtis to seal the deal. But if you were a fan looking for something a little defining or divining, the Skins offensive series to end the first half was probably the stretch of play that gave you that first tingle... more ›

YouTube user northeastcentral edited together this little music video ode to the Chinatown bus to Sufjan Stevens' song "Chicago," writing: more ›