As its name suggests, Sugarloaf Mountain in Maryland’s western Montgomery County is not much larger than a loaf of sugar. Even the condemned Sisyphus wouldn’t have minded rolling his boulder up Sugarloaf’s measly 1,282 feet over and over again. But the hill’s easy hikes are no longer the only draw that brings people out to the vicinity of Comus, Md. These days, a recently renovated restaurant and a new winery are attracting city dwellers to…

Written by DCist contributor Alex Hogan and Martin Austermuhle D.C. Mayor, City Council: Ok, so the September Democratic primary kinda took the air out of the District’s official mayoral election, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go vote. Look for a crushing Democratic sweep, but give a little time and check out what the Statehood Green and Republican candidates, Chris Otten and David Kranich, respectively, have to offer. We’d like to think that someday their…

Happy Halloween, Washington! We love this holiday. It’s an excellent excuse to gorge on candy, dress up like an idiot and generally have a spookily good time. Besides, it’s the last celebration before the holidays begin to feel like thinly-veiled attempts to pretend that it isn’t actually cold and awful outside. Steele Gets Some Democrats’ Endorsement: It appears that some African-American Democrats in Maryland are unhappy with their party’s nominee for Senate — and have…

In recent years, Virginia has aggressively billed itself as an East Coast alternative to the wine country destinations of California and the Pacific Northwest. And unsurprisingly, Virginia wineries have sprung up like magazine articles apologizing for Kanye West’s self-confidence. But with very few exceptions, the wines coming out of the Old Dominion generally either cost far more than they should (Chrysalis Vineyards’ passable viognier runs a hefty $29 per bottle, while Alban Vineyards’ excellent Central…