Good morning, Washington. We’ve just been catching up on the rather scary looking but thankfully not terror-related explosion in Manhattan yesterday. Naturally, our parent site Gothamist has complete coverage of the steam explosion that occurred on East 41st and Lexington Avenue (41st between Lex and Third) just before 6 p.m. yesterday. Unsurprisingly, the explosion, which killed one person and injured 30, had New Yorkers worried for a while, but Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said…

Well, it’s officially one week until the big day, but it seems that law-enforcement’s biggest fan isn’t feeling the holiday spirit. The continuing toasty weather may also make it hard to believe you’ve only got five more days to purchase all the tacky reindeer sweaters you can find. Call us crazy, we’re still crossing our fingers for the tiniest amount of snow by next Monday. Councilman, Sue Thy Self: Earlier this year, we made the…

It’s been a tradition since time immemorial (or at least since pagan days): the Christmas tree. A reader getting into the holiday spirit wondered where to get their piney living room centerpiece in the city, since it’s probably frowned upon to take a saw to some trees in Rock Creek Park. Thankfully, at least for those among us with the Christmas spirit, trees are available all over the city. Here’s a few of our…

Thanks DCist readers, we now have over 11,000 photos tagged for us on Flickr. Browse through them and you’ll find that this city is home to some seriously talented photographers. We encourage everyone to submit their work; sometimes the nicest part of our job is scrolling through all your pretty pictures to select images for our posts. Our photo of the day is brought to you by Flickr user Peter F. Martin. After a…

Today is a good day. The sun is shining; the air is dry. For many, it is the Friday of a short work week. For others, it is a day to call in sick and sleep off that tenth Pabst at last night’s Butterstick birthday bash. But some people have their own idea of what constitutes a good day — and they’re not afraid to let other people know. Quote of the Week Fair Lakes…

Tonight. 7 p.m. Chief Ike’s in Adams Morgan. Butterstick Bash. We’re still waiting for responses to our little Butterstick quiz. If you answer the three questions and email them to butterstickcontest (at) gmail (dot) com, you’ll walk away with a panda prize-pack. Either way, stop on by tonight and see us. Butterstick would want it that way. Back-Slapping by District Officials for July 4 Evacuation: Though last week’s rains proved that the District evacuation…

From ambassadors of China’s goodwill to international webcam sensations, the pandas at the National Zoo are used to the white-hot spotlight of celebrity. But now, some in D.C. want to take that fame a step further and elevate them to the lofty heights of becoming the city’s official symbol. Today’s Christian Science Monitor reports (echoing very closely a March 15 article in the Washington Times that we somehow missed) that members of the D.C. City…

Our inbox runneth over here at Overheard in D.C. headquarters. Nice weather, busloads of tourists, and a plethora of outdoor events have all come together to give us some amusement for a Friday afternoon. Keep ’em coming to overheardindc (at) gmail (dot) com. Quote of the Week Museum of Natural History information desk: Two women: “Where here can we find the baby Panda?” Information Clerk: “You have to go to the zoo to see the…

Butterstick’s little world may suddenly have gotten a little more complicated — he’s discovered his father. WJLA is reporting that ‘stick, who often scales a tree along the fence that divides his pen from that of his father, Tian Tian, has become somewhat curious as to the presence next door, staring longingly across the fence-line and pawing at the neighboring enclosure. We knew Butterstick couldn’t remain fatherless for long. As much as a deadbeat as…

Mayor Returns Smoking Ban Unsigned: An unsigned-by-Mayor-Williams smoking ban now heads to the U.S. Congress, which has 30 days to review the legislation. Read: he didn’t veto it, but he’s allowing it to be enacted sans his signature. Williams stated in a Post article that he fears the ban would go “too far in restricting the freedom for individuals to dine and work where they please.” Actually, we think it’s smoking that does that, not…