>> The D.C. Fire Department and WASA have finally agreed to play nice and share their toys and fix the city’s terrible fire hydrant mess. We promise to provide the warm cookies and cold milk should they succeed. [WaPo] >> The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch to remain in effect through Saturday morning for much of the D.C. area. [NBC4] >> The sidewalk of 7th St. NW in front of the…

When the alarm clock goes off in one short week, the sleepy little galleries around the city will yawn and stretch and, after dressing in their finest contemporary gowns, open their doors for the 2006-2007 season. But while they’re busy hitting the snooze for a few more days, we still have plenty of shows to keep us occupied. >>The National Gallery of Art just opened a new exhibit last Thursday, with 37 artworks from the…

If you haven’t made your way down to Gallery Place today, you’re missing quite the celebration. The Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery opened their doors today after a six year renovation. Dancers, puppet-masters, Andy Warhol impersonators and live bands are ushering in the new era for the former Patent Office Building. Oh, and the free ice cream is nice, too. After the ribbon cutting ceremony this morning, residents and tourists…

FRIDAY: >> While Argentinian actress and singer-songwriter Juana Molina put out her first album in 1996, most of us in the U.S. probably didn’t get hooked on her until 2004, when her sophomore effort, Segundo, was finally released. Despite such a long lag time between her debut and follow-up, since then she’s been recording like a woman on fire — this tour is support of a fourth outing, Son. She’ll be bringing her unique Latin/French/Electronica/Folk…

We’ll admit that the mayor’s blog hasn’t quite lived up to our expectations. But we still believe that blogs are a great way for institutions to make themselves accessible to their customers, patrons or constituents. The Smithsonian American Art Museum seems to agree with us: today they’ve launched Eye Level, a new blog helmed by veteran art-blogger and friend-of-DCist Kriston Capps. The idea seems to be that posts will feature items from the museum’s collection…