Mark your calendars: WMATA put out a release earlier today announcing the dates of a series of six public meetings at which you can voice your opinions about the proposed Metro fare hikes, which would go into effect in January. The full set of proposed increases is here, but the basics include raising the base fare of Metrorail from $1.35 to $1.65, keep bus fares the same as long as you use SmarTrip cards (add…

It’s no surprise to this Hill resident, but it might be to those of you who live in relative cesspools like Logan Circle, Clarendon, Silver Spring, or “North” Cleveland Park: Eastern Market has been named one of the Nation’s ten best neighborhoods. Thank you, American Planning Association, for giving credit where it’s due. In its first annual “Best Places” awards, the APA heralds the Eastern Market neighborhood for “its continued success in balancing the demands…

FRIDAY: >> Octogenarian fiddler Joe Thompson (at right), said to be the last black traditional string band player, plays a free show at The Kennedy Center’s The Millennium Stage with fellow folk musicians Wayne Martin on fiddle and Bob Carlin, a clawhammer style banjoist. 6 p.m. >> Space rockers The Gulf sold out their D.C. show in April, and are coming back to play at the Red and the Black with the Joonies, Twin Earth,…

Good morning, Washington. If you haven’t already, make sure to take the time to read one of the stories that ran over the weekend about one of the important legacies Lady Bird Johnson left behind for our city: the work of her Committee for a More Beautiful Capital, which created more park space and added D.C.’s signature tulips, daffodils and cherry trees to existing triangles throughout the city. The Post has an excellent overview…

Is D.C. Councilman Phil Mendelson attempting to change his image with a need for speed? Will Virginia EVER do anything about transportation? Can Metro finally convince Maryland to set aside dedicated funding? The answers to these question and more in this week’s edition of Transit on Thursday Friday. Photo by ccperkdog…

What would D.C. look like if Congress took away the restrictions on building height? We’ve pondered this question before, and so have a lot of others. It’s one of the favorite parlor games of D.C.’s professional (and amateur) urban planners. The subject arose again in yesterday’s Post, when business columnist Dana Hedgpeth noted the recent comments of a land use expert questioning the wisdom and necessity of D.C.’s height limit. The expert cautioned that the…

Thanks to the hard work of voting rights activists, a few Congressional allies, and the wisdom of the American people in November, the District is coming closer and closer to finally gaining some voting representation. Legislation to grant the District a voting seat in the House looks like it’s moving forward, D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton can once again vote on amendments on the House floor, and D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty has started asking aides…

Last weekend I was riding my bike down 2nd Street NE towards East Capitol Street when a particularly aggressive driver decided that I had no right to be on the road. A shout, a flicked finger, and a week later, the District Department of Transportation has announced that it’s going to start reminding drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians to relax a little — the road belongs to us all. According to a press release, DDOT…

If you follow the comments on this site at all, you’ve probably noticed that one of the topics that stirs up much digital debate is Metro. Be they lovers or haters, DCist readers love to complain about it, compare it to systems in other cities (especially New York), suggest ways to improve it, etc., etc. Well, here’s your chance to take your comments offline and address them to someone who can actually do something about…

On our way to a Nats game at RFK on Saturday, we spied a yellow-shirted cyclist heading down East Capitol Street towards the stadium. But beyond being a normal bike rider heading to a game on a pleasant night, he was on his first assignment as a driver for D.C. Pedicab, a new bicycle cab service that recently kicked off in the District. Their website states: Taking a cue from similar human-powered transportation that has…