Yesterday the New York Times published a review of new District hotspot Marvin, the Belgian-themed bar and restaurant sitting just north of the intersection of 14th and U streets NW: Named for the “Sexual Healing” crooner, Marvin is a new Belgian bistro and lounge in the Shaw neighborhood where Gaye was born. Those taking an evening off from the darts-and-Dockers bar scenes in Georgetown or Adams Morgan say it feels more than a few Metro......

Two men robbed the Maggie Moo's ice cream parlor on U Street at gunpoint yesterday -- and they did it at 12:15 p.m., right in the middle of the day. DCist's Lynne Venart snapped the photo above of some of the aftermath of the crime scene. According to WJLA, the armed suspects wore masks and physically attacked a 23-year-old employee of the store when she had trouble opening the safe. The gunmen only made......

This review is long past due. DCist began its jazz coverage over six months ago and only now are we covering a performance at the venerable Twins Jazz. A mainstay of the D.C. jazz scene, first with its Colorado Ave. location and now with new digs on U Street, the club, especially on weekends, hosts respected musicians who draw national attention, but who are also a bit too experimental for venues such as Blues Alley......

‘Tis the season for D.C.’s galleries to hold their annual group shows, hoping to entice holiday shoppers with a variety of artwork at affordable prices. Until December 30, U Street’s Nevin Kelly Gallery is hosting its third annual Attainable Art exhibit, with all work priced under $1500, and many pieces in the $200-600 range. Even if you don’t have many art lovers in your shopping queue this year, group exhibits like this one give visitors......

One need not dig too deep into our city’s jazz scene before coming across the name Thad Wilson. Since coming to D.C. in 1997, Wilson has become a mainstay in the jazz clubs of U Street and beyond by consistently performing with passion, intensity, and consummate artistry in a variety of settings. In addition to his own considerable abilities, his groups feature some of the finest players in the D.C. area. A native of......

As we mentioned in the Morning Roundup, the murder count in D.C. for 2007 stands at 169 as of today, which is the same number of total murders the city saw in 2006. The Post is reporting further that the 169th murder occurred over the weekend, and its victim was 25 year-old Timothy Spicer, a short-order cook at legendary U Street eatery Ben's Chili Bowl. Spicer's murder looks to be the result of a carjacking......

The overwhelming consensus so far at today's D.C. Council hearing on the recent theft of what looks to be $30 million-plus from the District's tax coffers? The scandal has damaged the reputation of the city government, and the council members are pissed. While most statements have clung to the nasty tidbits of information we already know (the enormity of the crime, that an auditor's warnings may have been ignored) and palliative cliches, council members provided......

The folks over at Dulles Metro extension are breaking out the construction tools … and the credit cards. $900 million of the $2.83 billion price tag of the initial 11.6-mile leg is in that Transportation Department spending bill tied up in Congress and under threat of veto by President Bush. But with or without the money, officials plan to start work, reports The Examiner. Is it just us, or does this violate everything you ever......

>> Tonight is the annual 17th Street High Heel Race. The classic D.C. drag event kicks off officially at 9 p.m., but you'll want to take your position on 17th St. NW between Church and R well before that (we'd recommend 7 at the latest). If you're looking to make a queer night of it, don't forget about the Hug-In planned at the U Street Rite Aid at 7 p.m., and the pre-Hug-In Happy Hour......

The Mancuso-Suzda Project, an adventurous local avant-garde jazz duo, is currently serving as artist-in-residence at Strathmore. The program selects a different local performer each month and provides educational and performance opportunities in order to cultivate local talent in the fine arts. Previous artists-in-residence include Laura Burhenn of Georgie James, jazz harmonicist Frédéric Yonnet, jazz percussionist Kush Abadey, singer/songwriter LEA, and Celtic harp player Lily Neill. Like so many groups these days, the Mancuso-Suzda Project came......

As usual, you said a lot of funny and thought-provoking stuff last week. But like LeVar Burton, don't take our word for it, and read on for Georgetown protests, monkeyrotica running a museum, and GMU fraternities, among other things. ------ monkeyrotica would be an awesome director of the National Museum of Health and Medicine: The disorganized state of the Army Medical Museum is an example of vicious circle funding: hardly anybody visits the place because......

>> Rachelle Farell, one of the few vocalists who successfully straddles the line between jazz, R&B and pop, will be playing at Blues Alley tonight, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Sets are at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. The rather outrageously priced tickets are available here. $60 + $10 food/drink minimum. >> Two local ladies of jazz come to Twins Jazz tonight for our first must see. Trombonist Jen Krupa, a member of the Navy Commodores......

Written by DCist Contributor Eric Denman On U street NW between 13th and 14th, nestled between Polly's and a nail salon, Axis is settling into a rhythm and starting to be a very solid contender in an increasingly crowded strip. The wine list, which averages $12 $8 by the glass, is respectable, but the real reason to come here is for the tap list. Although it doesn't boast a huge variety of obscure seasonals, the......

This post from DCist Contributor Liz Lawson Mahogany Restaurant presents itself as a place representing the smooth side of the U Street revitalization; one that requires a certain attire for its patrons, like another that was the source of a bit of controversy when it emerged a few years ago. Recently reopened after renovations, Mahogany sits on the street-level floor of Bohemian Caverns, which hosts local jazz nearly every night of the week in a......

The Smithsonian announced yesterday that they've officially formed the committee to find the replacement for Olga Viso as the new Director of the Hirshhorn. The group of eight includes local art collectors and Hirshhorn trustees, a couple Smithsonian officers, and the Director of SFMoMA, though we can think of at least one more loud voice that might want in on the decision. We'll be interested to hear who they come up with before Viso leaves......

Today is National Coming Out Day, a day when gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are encouraged to be open about who they are. The annual observance began on October 11, 1988, exactly one year after the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. (The first one was held October 14, 1979.) While there aren't usually major events to commemorate the day, there are a couple of local events that coincide with......

>> Tonight, check out bassist/composer Howard Britz as he brings his repertoire of original post-bop compositions to Twins Jazz. Call (202) 234-0072 for set times and cover information. >> This week's first of many must see shows takes place at GW's Lisner Auditorium on Thursday as The Global Drum Project (pictured) takes the stage. Comprised of four percussionists hailing from very different musical traditions, the ensemble features Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead, tabla master......

Several people have sent us their photos after spotting municipal trash cans around town with signs affixed to them that read: "DC BALLOT BOX: Your vote goes here." We don't know who was responsible for this guerrilla marketing campaign, but obviously, we approve of the message. Thankfully, they appear to have been affixed with easy to remove masking tape, so as not to spark the flames of indignation that go along with wheat paste.......

On Monday morning at a little after 11 a.m., we noticed a pair of beat cops walking along U Street NW near 12th Street. In many other cities, this would certainly be nothing to take note of, but in D.C., the cries from neighborhood associations and individual residents for more officers to patrol on foot have been heard for years. Police Chief Cathy Lanier thus rightly made a big deal out of increasing the number......

Like ravenous dogs preying on fresh meat, local bloggers have pounced on the news that local organic grocer Yes! Organic Market will be coming to the Union Row building project, located at 14th and V streets NW. In a press release from Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham, the 5,000 square foot market is scheduled to open in Spring of 2008, offering residents, “natural foods as part of a unique shopping experience.” Despite the ominous approach......

A little patience resulted in this great photo by Flickr user epmd. He says the first night he shot this colorful playground in the evening, nothing was to his satisfaction, so, undeterred, he went out again a few nights later and came back with this wonderfully exposed shot. EXIF. This is your last reminder to join us at the DCist Photographer's Meet Up this Sunday. Epmd, moderator of the Washington DC/Metro Area Flickr pool,......

>> The Smithsonian American Art Museum honors the winners of the Lucelia Artist Award over the past six years with its new exhibition opening tomorrow. The highly prestigious award gives $25,000 to an artist under 50 who has "consistently demonstrated exceptional creativity." See the six winners every day from from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. The 2007 winner will be revealed tomorrow when the exhibit opens. >> If you haven't had the chance yet......

>> Are you ready for Papal Invasion '08? There won't be a Popemobile, but there will plenty of groveling for everyone to forget about all that molestation stuff. [WashTimes] >> Welcome to the blogosphere, WTOP. >> Wonkette blogger Alex Pareene and his girlfriend Ally Kearny laugh in the face of fake danger! [City Desk] >> Two D.C. police officers said a teenager driving a stolen Jaguar tried to run them down in Petworth last......

Nicknamed "Waves and Gulls," the Navy-Marine Memorial on Columbia Island is probably among the least photographed monuments in D.C. Flickr user Leica Mark makes up for it with this technically and artistically fantastic shot of it with his, of course, Leica M7. In fact, he has a whole series of amazing monument shots that seriously put to shame what's out there displaying our city to the rest of the world. Don't forget, we're hosting......

Take a look at this map -- if you live inside the boundaries of the newly-named Police Service Area 208 (formerly PSA 306), you're now being policed by the 2nd Police District instead of the 3rd. The change actually took effect on Sunday, September 2, according to a Metropolitan Police Department announcement. The move was designed to resolve a workload imbalance between the 2nd District, which handles just 4.5 percent of emergency calls in the......

At Nevin Kelly Gallery until October 7th is Peer Pressure, a group exhibition guest curated by D.C. artist Thom Flynn. Of the four artists featured, Sue Huang and Pasqual Sisto hail from UCLA’s Media Arts program, while Carrie Mallory and Baby Martinez reside in D.C. Flynn claims that the impetus for his selection of work was simply to “assemble a group of his peers to size-up contemporary trends in art,” however the show itself seems......

As we noted yesterday, today is Patriot Day; so conceived to commemorate the 9-11 attacks—even though we Americans aren't the greatest at "commemorating," see: Veterans' Day, Memorial Day, etc. Just six years on, though, feelings are still raw and memories vibrant. Resiliency is a virtue of our citizenry however, and if nothing else, we can get a hearty laugh out of OBL's radical beard transformation, his decidedly porno 'stache, and threats of attack via the......

We like our animal photos with a gallon of 'cute' and just a dash of 'omg ew.' Flickr user static-photo's perfectly timed capture of this cow's enormous schnozz as it tries to snack on his camera up in Frederick, Md. fits the bill. The wee beady eyes just peeking out from behind make the photo. Now someone go get a napkin already. EXIF. Get your cameras ready, folks, because it's time for another DCist......

>> The Washington Irish R.F.C. had some early success with their attempt to bring a more laidback pub trivia night to Solly's on U Street, so they're back with another four weeks of trivia on Wednesdays starting promptly at 8:30 p.m. -- get there early, as even though they've only done two of these before, it's been packed every time. Prizes range from $25 gift cards to fancy bottles of wine, and between rounds......

Once again, the country is in a tizzy over a conservative Republican senator doing naughty things. According to a Post report, Sen. Larry Craig (R-Id.) was arrested earlier this month in an airport bathroom in Minnesota after he became a little touchy with an undercover police officer. (Similar allegations were made against him here, though they allegedly occurred in a Union Station bathroom.) Our favorite part? That during an interview with police after the......