The weeknight dinner rotation of Van Ness-ers (Ness-ians?) just got a little shorter, with the closure of the Indian restaurant Delhi Dhaba. The restaurant shut its doors Sept. 30, and is already completely gutted, as seen here. The owners are supposedly eying a location on Wisconsin Ave., but no one was around the the restaurant to confirm that today. That leaves just a few sit-down restaurants in the neighborhood -- two Chinese (Shanghai Garden and Charlie Chiang's), one Indian (Indian Ocean), Tesoro (Italian on the main floor of the Days Inn), Italian Pizza Kitchen, and the new wine bar/small plates spot Acacia Wellness Bistro. And don't get your hopes up for some new and different eats in that location. Word is the building is hoping to fill that space with a retail establishment, and not a restaurant. more ›

UPDATE #2 WMATA reports that all three stations have re-opened, though some delays may linger in order to get everything back on schedule. Enjoy your evening, Washington. According to an alert from Metro, the Dupont Circle, Woodley Park, and Cleveland Park stations have been closed due to a suspicious package aboard a train. Metro will be running shuttle buses between Van Ness and Farragut North to connect to the stations. We hope the package turns... more ›

>> SiteProjects DC, which we reviewed last month, is ongoing throughout the 14th Street NW stretch, with special events sporadically showing during its run. Since Tuesday, Kathryn Cornelius has been performing her Art Services (Waste) at venues along the corridor. Tonight find her at Hemphill Fine Art from 4:30 to 5 p.m., then at Gallery Plan B from 5 to 5:30 p.m. Tomorrow see the act at Adamson Gallery from 4:30 to 5 p.m., then squeeze into the 2nd floor bathroom in the same building to see her between 5 and 5:30 p.m., and finally in the almost similarly sized micro-gallery, Curator's Office, from 5:30 to 6 p.m. Check out the web site for the SiteProject DC artworks and other upcoming events. more ›

>> Along with their still awaited Local Blogger Directory, washingtonpost.com is set to roll out a social networking function this spring. How long will we have to wait before Hank Stuever starts updating his profile every hour with cryptic messages in an elaborate attempt at online performance art? [Fishbowl DC] >> A woman was struck by a Green line train on Sunday night at the Suitland station, after falling onto the tracks. Amazingly enough,... more ›

It's the Ides of March and there's not much to fear, D.C. As long as we don't step on any cracks (and therefore break mothers' backs) or allow black cats free reign, we might not jinx our chances for voting rights. Stay tuned for full DCist coverage on the debate/vote today. On a more personal note, for all those who succumbed to the irrational exuberance of sartorial selection this week, temperance is due; it's back... more ›

Flickr user billadler took this pristine photograph near a playground on Van Ness Street, NW. According to his description, this is inside fenced off federal land, and all you can see from the street is this unusual hydrant. Anyone have an idea what's going on over there? The EXIF data is here. more ›

So suddenly it's chilly? Yesterday we were all sweaty messes, but today, with highs predicted to stay in the 60s, we're wearing sweaters. All this temperature-related confusion has led us to look longingly at the Southwest Airlines web site, since the airline finally began service from Dulles this morning. Cheap flights to Vegas are looking pretty sweet. And while we're of course very sad to be reminded of the demise of our hometown airline, we take some comfort knowing that the airline that replaced it actually trains its flight attendants be snarky. Who needs an assigned seat when you've got that much sass on your hands? more ›

Another local record store is closing, hopefully temporarily, as Revolution Records in Van Ness (or North Cleveland Park) will shut its doors on September 3rd. A nice little spot with good selection and neat listening rooms, we're sad to see it go. However, the plan is that the store will not join DCCD in being gone forever, as co-owner Nayan Bhula said they're looking for a new location in or near the District. more ›

Just as I'm about to declare this shot the photo of the day and grant Flickr user the horrible symbolism with the "Best. Flickr. Username. Ever." award, along comes the above photo by the equally well named poopface productions. There is no camera info or EXIF data for the shot. Do you think you'd get kicked out of a cab if you asked to be taken to Van Ness Steert? more ›

Relationships, as anyone can tell you, are hard. Even after you find that special someone, you have to communicate and sacrifice. You have to understand the other's wants and needs, and you often have to put them first. And sometimes you have to transfer. Or go to Virginia. Hey, love is a battlefield. more ›

According to the Post, D.C. Schools Superintendent Clifford Janey has recommended closing six schools by August and having seven others lease underused space to charter schools. The school board is planning on holding hearings on the closures -- euphemistically referred to a "rightsizing" -- before a final vote on June 28. School officials, facing under-enrollment in 70 of 147 schools, are planning on shedding some one million square feet of space by this fall and an additional two million by Fall 2008. more ›

We didn't mean to, but it seems that we set off an interesting discussion about new names for the city's neighborhoods. As we mentioned this morning, real estate prices in NoMa are fast rising. For those of you unaware of a neighborhood called "NoMa" within the District, it's a large swath of land north of Massachusetts Avenue and east of North Capitol Street, fanning out from Union Station and encompassing a once industrial wasteland that... more ›

DCist cannot tell a lie. We were more than a little disappointed (although somewhat elated as we had yet to purchase tickets) to hear that Andre Agassi has withdrawn from this year's Legg Mason Tennis Classic to better focus on the upcoming US Open. Agassi, a five time champion of the event, won his first tournament of the year last weekend in Los Angeles and opted to take this week off, lest his back problems flare up again. This will mark the first time since 1990 that Agassi has not played the event. more ›

Dupont Escalators to Close on Sunday. Because of escalator canopy construction at Dupont Circle, the 19th Street metrorail portal at the south end of the circle will be shut for most of Sunday. Weekend commuters should use the Q Street escalators, pictured in this photo posted by FurCafe in DCist Photos, instead. In 2005, escalators at the following stations will get escalator canopies: White Flint, Stadium Armory, Capitol Heights, Benning Road, Dupont Circle South, Woodley... more ›

In his budget delivered to Congress, President Bush has given an important endorsement of WMATA's plan to build an extention through Tyson's Corner. The agency that oversees such matters has given the rail line from the West Falls Church station to Wiehle Avenue in Fairfax County a "recommended" rating. Considering ridership projections and cost-effectiveness, as the Post reports, the rating makes the project "eligible for 50 percent federal funding." But drivers of the Dulles Toll... more ›

Two trains on Metro's Red Line bumped into each other this afternoon at the Woodley Park-National Zoo station. The AP reports: Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said the accident occured at 12:49 p.m., when a train servicing the Woodley Park station, headed in the direction of Shady Grove and was bumped from behind by an empty train. D.C. Fire Department spokesman Alan Etter said emergency crews are headed to the scene. Due to the mishap, the... more ›

When the Red Line was having trouble earlier this year and thousands of commuters were forced to walk downtown from the Van Ness-UDC station, WMATA said that public transit riders should have had an alternate plan to get from point A to point B. Then through a new communications strategy, it began stressing that fact more and more. As Washington is not only a terrorist target and particularly vulnerable to weather-related delays, WMATA has developed... more ›

Last Sunday's Post profiled local site CapitalWeather.com, the first D.C. weather blog:

While an earlier generation of "weather weenies" will be stuck in front of the TV, Samenow will not be idle. No, a storm hits and he drives toward it, from his apartment in Van Ness to the maelstrom in Virginia, to collect evidence for his weather blog. He checks out Doppler radar, dew points, jet stream winds, satellite images, vorticity maps and convective parameters, and creates his own forecast, which he details under such subject headings as "Amazing Alex" or "Flood Redux" or "Thunder in the blogosphere." Come the apocalypse, you begin to think, he would probably be outside with a thermometer and a tape measure preparing an entry: "End of the World???"

In bizarre commuting news, a Red Line metrorail train operator abandoned her train last night during rush hour at the Van Ness station, crossed the platform and caught a train heading downtown. The action left her passengers baffled and frustrated as the train sat there for 12 minutes. more ›