By now it is Chamber of Commerce cliché to write of “U Street’s revitalization.” Most residents have read the historical postings along U Street NW and know, by way of slogan at least, that “before Harlem, there was U Street.” At the height of Washington’s segregated past, a few decades after segregation was imposed by Congress against the will of a vocal many white and black District residents, U Street NW was the city’s celebrated…

We know what you’re thinking. It’s the week of Valentine’s Day. You’re either coupled-up, buying the flowers, and getting ready for your $250 dinner at the Tabard Inn with your sweetie; or you’re single, planning on spending Wednesday watching “Lost” with your roommate, and secretly signing up for the next speed-dating session at Chi-Cha Lounge. So what better way to prepare for either event than standing in front of a packed room, re-hashing the hell…

Good morning, D.C. That wasn’t too bad, was it? We got our projected inch of snow (more or less), but for the most part civilization continues. You can find a list of closings and delays here — the most notable is probably the two hour delay announced by District schools. But the snow isn’t the only problem they’re facing: yesterday more than three dozen D.C. schools experienced heat problems, and this morning three are…

Whether you welcome or oppose the velvet-gloved hand of gentrification, a potentially off-putting effect of urban renewal is the rise in attitude that often accompanies a rise in property value. The local bloggers at Hollywood for Ugly People recently recounted an unpleasant run-in with the doorman at the Chi-Cha Lounge, a U Street bar: “Sorry man. I can’t let you in wearing those sneakers,” the scrawny “bouncer” said to us. “What? Are you kidding me?”…

If there was any silver lining to the cloud of cigarette smoke District residents nervously enjoyed in area restaurants and bars last night, it’s that hookah bars may be granted a blanket exemption from the smoking ban that the City Council endorsed yesterday on a 12-1 vote. Council-member Jim Graham, whose Ward 1 enclave includes a number of the Middle Eastern-themed establishments, has announced that he will introduce an amendment to the smoke-free legislation to…