Good morning, Washington. After such a long, hot week, that was some beautiful weekend, wasn't it? And apparently, the beauty of the weekend is spilling out on to Monday morning: Karl Rove, President Bush's controversial deputy chief of staff and senior political adviser, will resign at the end of August. After he packs up his Palisades home and heads back to the Texas Hill Country, Rove will reportedly leave politics and plans to write... more ›

Happy Friday the 13th, Washington. We do hope none of you are suffering too much from paraskavedekatriaphobia or had bad dreams last night about a psychopathic killer in a hockey mask. We're sure there's nothing to worry about, but just in case we're wrong, why don't we all leave early for the weekend today? Surely having some extra time to make our way to the beach will ward off any potential bad luck heading... more ›

Good morning, Washington. International politics watchers will no doubt spend their day today assigning meaning to the resignation of British Prime Minister Tony Blair. They'll speculate about the future of the Labour party, and draw conclusions regarding the possible consequences to the war in Iraq. Here at DCist, we toil with no such weighty topics. Nay, we'll spend our day fantasizing about what it must be like to live in a country where a massively... more ›

Good morning, D.C. We're all still recovering from yesterday's lively debate on the House floor on the D.C. Voting Rights Act, which as you already know was successfully stalled by Republicans when they attempted to attach language repealing the District's handgun ban to the bill. This morning tireless WaPo voting rights correspondent Mary Beth Sheridan brings us a full account, with word that "The bill's supporters said they hope to return the D.C. vote legislation... more ›

Pull out the seersucker suits and floral frocks, D.C:. Spring is almost on. Today's weather will be more pleasant than yesterday's, but we're keeping our eyes on the prize. Tomorrow the equinox marks the official start of Spring and here at DCist headquarters we're already preparing for a season sans boots, scarves and Snowpocalypses... Oh my! Metro Sued Over Pedestrian Deaths: The husband of one of the women killed by a Metro bus on Feb.... more ›

Last June we reported that the Georgetown waterfront, which has never been much of a gem, was finally starting to take shape. Specifically, the Georgetown Waterfront Park, three decades in the making, had finally jumped through the last of its bureaucratic hoops and would soon see a parking lot coverted to green space. But for what was left of 2006, nothing much happened. The parking lot remained. Late last week we saw that the parking... more ›

Yesterday, the Post declared support for 1960s-style urbanism dead. No longer, they say, are we to be held hostage by soaring freeways, concrete office blocks, and the utter deadness of the streets and neighborhoods ushered in by the age of the car. Finally, we've learned how vital it is to encourage pedestrian traffic and to take advantage of our waterfront resources; We understand that you cannot design cities around automobile use. Except where the Whitehurst... more ›

Discussion of recent crime activity continues today, but not in an encouraging way. The Post focuses on Chief Ramsey's comments yesterday, which noted that criminals are increasingly leaving their own neighborhoods and coming to wealthier places in the city, including areas of the National Mall. Ramsey says this is new and striking behavior, but it's hard to imagine that no one saw this coming. Luckily for Ramsey, the mayor is back and ready to begin... more ›

Over the weekend the British tabloid The Sun listed the world's top 10 iconic car journeys, with U.S. roads taking five of the slots: 1. Boston to New York 2. Las Vegas to Grand Canyon; 3. Great Ocean Road, Australia; 4. Miami to Key West, Florida; 5. Amalfi Coast, Italy; 6. Pacific Coast Highway; 7. Monaco to Nice; 8. Route 66; 9. London Embankment; 10. The Rockies, Canada.And while we're somewhat miffed at how the... more ›

We've seen this coming for some time, but it seems that Dan Tangherlini is finally going to get serious about getting rid of Metro's cushions and carpet. The Post notes, this morning, that vinyl floors will be tested this summer, but only in one pair of cars. Lots of interesting asides in the piece; I was not aware that the cushion and carpet "luxuries" were added to draw suburbanites out of their cars (thank goodness... more ›

While there is plenty to discuss in the world of Metrorail and Metrobus, today's installment of Transit on Thursday will focus on the always controversial Whitehurst Freeway. As you may recall, the Whitehurst -- built in the 1940s and named after Herbert Whitehurst -- has been on the chopping block for some time now, eyed by Council-member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) for demolition. He and his Georgetown constituents have never much liked the elevated roadway, and if it weren't for the democratic process, they may well have gone at it themselves years ago. City officials have claimed that the freeway could well be gone by 2007, but before they call in the wrecking balls, they actually need proposals on where to direct the 42,000 cars that daily use the roadway to bypass Georgetown. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Today will be mild again -- with highs in the 60s -- but there is a 70 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon, so pack an umbrella. The photo above of the Gallup office door with a reflection of the National Portrait Gallery was taken by Flickr user Katmere. We couldn't check the headlines over at the Washington Examiner because it appears their website is down. more ›

A few months back, DCist readers had the chance to go back and forth on an issue that has since quieted down -- whether the city should knock down the Whitehurst Freeway or not. Opinions differed, with some readers arguing that the freeway -- which parallels the Potomac River above K Street in Georgetown -- is an eye sore that limits development and others noting that it helps direct 42,000 cars a day away from the traffic crush that is M Street in Georgetown. more ›

In "What's the Worst that Could Happen," Donald E. Westlake has an out-of-town character ask who the Whitehurst Freeway was named for, and lets the local guide answer simply, "President after Grover." But that raises the question, who *was* the Whitehurst Freeway named for? An engineer? An officeholder? Who? Who knew this answer would be so difficult to track down? DCist thought eh, we are good at internet research, 20 minutes. Or maybe we could... more ›

Today will be partly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon and highs in the upper 80s. This photo is from the photo album on the website of Jack's Boathouse in Georgetown. Post Focuses on Metro Safety: The Post's four-part investigative series on WMATA continues today with a story focusing on safety issues, which concludes "Time and again, records show, the public transit agency has disregarded the advice of... more ›

We've written a lot about the proposal to tear down the Whitehurst Freeway and among planning posts we've done, the Whitehurst posts seem to attract a boatload of comments, ranging from the standard "it's ugly, tear it down" response, to the more class warfare rallying call "Georgetowners just want to boost their already-inflated land values" to the Virginian-Foxhallian-Palisadesian retort "just think of the traffic!" to the forward-looking "just think of what the waterfront could be"... more ›

The District Department of Transportation is sponsoring a second design workshop tomorrow to present alternative design ideas for the Whitehurst Freeway. Part of a series of five public meetings meant to discuss the feasibility of tearing down the elevated roadway that sits uncomfortably between the Potomac River and M Street in Georgetown, tomorrow's meeting will allow members of the community to review and comment on a variety of alternatives being proposed. more ›

Moving into the weekend -- which is set to be beautiful, according to Capital Weather -- today's news is particularly heavy on the transportation front. (This photo is from Melissa, who posted this photo on DCist's Flickr page of a sunrise over the campus of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Northeast.) First, DCist anxiously awaits the results of a meeting held late last night concerning whether Georgetown's Whitehurst Freeway will be torn down... more ›

We hope you had a good weekend and a happy Easter (if you were celebrating). It was sort of a glum, cloudy weekend, and now it’s raining. Check Capital Weather for the latest on the dreary forecast. more ›

A few months ago, we were told a story about a couple that had just bought a condo on the Georgetown waterfront with a prime view of the ... Whitehurst Freeway. (Ooops, you didn't see the highway during the open house? The curtains must have been closed.) more ›

A long time ago, before the Beltway and the Interstate highway system, a web of U.S. highway routes crisscrossed the nation, connecting cities, towns and villages. These U.S. highways still exist, but now only form the backbone of the nation's secondary federal highway system. Route 1, which passes through D.C. via Rhode Island Avenue and the 14th Street Bridge, links Maine and Florida. Route 50, coming straight down Consitution Avenue, links Ocean City, Md., with... more ›

If you don't know the rules of the DCist pre-happy hour trivia challenge, please refer to Part I from Monday, where the first clue is detailed as well. Thursday, we'll post a final question that puts together the clues from Monday, Tuesday and today. The first one to find Mike at the DCist happy hour with the correct answer gets a free drink, with the possibility to get a second. more ›

This DCist hasn't been to the new Regal Cinema 14 multiplex in Gallery Place yet. But from what we've seen of its location (adjacent to the MCI Arena and the new Clyde's), the theater complex is sure to bring in a lot of traffic because of its metrorail accessibility and the retail, dining and entertainment options immediately surrounding it. (The Washington Business Journal reported back on Nov. 12 that Lucky Strike Entertainment will lease a nearby space in the Gallery Place retail and entertainment complex for a bowling alley.) more ›

Our third DCist photoblogger is Drew McDermott, who was born in D.C. and now lives in Falls Church, Va. more ›