Tagged with U Street …

Mar 29 2012
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By Kyle Short City

Thursday Night D.C.

We’re past hump day and its not Friday yet, but you still want to go out. Thirds isn’t what it used to be. Your friends have 8 a.m. Friday labs. So what do you do?

This Thursday, I initially would have suggested seeing Nero, who I missed at Ultra earlier this year, at the 9:30 Club. Unfortunately, like most 9:30 performances recently, the show sold out relatively quickly. For those of you are heartbroken as I am, there are still other great things to do in the city tonight. While it may not be on a crowded dance floor, dancing to music that when the drop comes, you can’t help grinning from ear-to-ear at the options in the District this week.

District Underground doesn’t have a listed event, but you can bet that some of those people that join me in missing the Nero concert will be dancing to some pretty heavy electronic/dub on the crowded dance floor downstairs. The District is in Adams Morgan, so after you’ve worked up an appetite from fist pumps and crazy dance floor antics, there are a lot of great late night options, check out my other post on Adams Morgan.

If you’re in the mood to make music, or want to attempt to perform renditions of your favorite songs, there is always Karaoke. While my knowledge of D.C. Karaoke is limited, I have been to Peyote Café in Adams Morgan and Café Japone, which I’ve mention before in a post about the Dupont Circle area. If you can get past how dingy Peyote Café is, and how expensive their beer is, it really is a great place to hangout on a Thursday night. If you’re looking for cheap drinks though, you really can’t beat Café Japone. Also, what is up with every karaoke establishment calling themselves a cafe?

Black Cat, 1811 14th St Nw, a couple blocks Down from U St, is having what they call, “Drink and a Movie.” If you still want to go out, but don’t feel like dancing or shouting over a crowded bar, this may be a cool change of pace, and with drink specials, it’s totally acceptable to be drunk at a movie.

Hopefully it continues to stay warm outside so you have more incentive to get off campus. There are so many great things happening in D.C. tonight, so these suggestions are by no means the only great things going down. But go forth and experience the city because you’ll regret it if you don’t.

Photo: http://soundlogik.com/nero-welcome-reality-lp/

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Mar 01 2012
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By Kyle Short City

D.C. Ramblings: U Street

In my year off from school, while I was working in the city, I spent a lot of my nights on U Street, and if you’re willing to make the trip it’s well worth it. U Street is farther away from Dupont Circle than Adams Morgan, but if you take the GUTS bus to Dupont, it’s probably faster to just walk instead of taking the metro to Gallery Place, and having to change to the Yellow Line. No matter how you decide to get there, you need to at least check out U Street at least once before you graduate.

Since coming back to Georgetown, I like to think that I’ve become a little more classy in my drinking habits. Of course this is a matter that I question every time I write these posts seeing has how all my anecdotes relate to drinking in some manner, but The Gibson (on 14th St, right up from U St and next to Marvin’s), may be my saving grace. It can be a little tricky to find because the unmarked door looks like it may be locked, but if you dare to venture in you will be greeted by a hostess at the far end of a narrow and dark corridor. It’s a little intimidating at first, but it leads to a dark, smoky speakeasy — one of the last vestiges of prohibition left in the city. Great for intimate dates or small groups of close friends, the dim lighting is perfect for stimulating conversation. If you start to get claustrophobic, there’s also a patio in the back. The drinks tend to be a little on the pricey side, but you’re paying for the experience.

If you’re not feeling that classy, or you woke up on the side of your bed where you keep you non-prescription wayfarers, head up 14th Street from The Gibson, and you’ll find Busboys and Poets. Its a great spot to grab a few drinks, a bite to eat, or check out some eclectic reading material before checking out other places on U St. It’s also a great place to hang out – there are a lot of tables in the front of the bookstore, it has a full bar and of course the occasional poetry reading.

This next place on U Street is one of the best late night nosh spots in the city. Before I explain about this place, I want it put on the record that my mother’s chili is amazing. But, sorry mom, Ben’s Chili Bowl may give your steaming ambrosia of meat and beans a run for its drachmas (and seriously, they have a Chili Burger, what more can you ask for?). It’s also open until four in the morning on Friday and Saturday.

Other worthy mentions: U Street Music Hall and 9:30 Club for dancing and live performances, and Lost Society.

Photo: http://thecityfix.com/blog/tip-of-the-helmet-bird-names-for-bike-crossings-and-capital-bikeshare-swag/

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Feb 03 2012
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By Kyle Short City

Best Bets: Improv and Indie

by Kyle Short

FRIDAY

DC Improv (1140 Connecticut Ave NW, near DuPont Circle) is hosting Bert Kreisher, who has been featured on Comedy Central’s Last Comic Standing 2 and has his own show on the Travel Channel called Bert the Conqueror. If that doesn’t impress you, Kreisher has admitted that the movie Van Wilder is loosely based on his college career at Florida Sate. Rolling Stone, in an article entitled The Undergraduate, named him the top partier at the University, which was ranked the number one party school in the nation in 1997. He’s performing both Friday and Saturday Nights.

SATURDAY

If stand up comedy isn’t your speed, go check out the Classixx’s at U Street Music Hall (1115 U St NW), accessible off the yellow line.  This L.A. based indie band has a cool edgy sound and I’ve never had a bad night on U Street, so it should be a good time and give you a break from Georgetown. It’s a really cool spot, but don’t let the long, ominous stairs fool you, it’s quite spacious with a great dance floor, and is a great opportunity to mingle with other D.C. students. I wouldn’t be surprised if you rubbed shoulders with students from American, GW, or even Howard. It’s 18 and up, with a $10 cover at the door.

SUNDAY

Even if you don’t like football, don’t know the difference between a tight end and a quarterback or don’t care about fully grown men hashing it out on a field of battle, you should still watch the Super Bowl (this is America after all).  For upperclassmen who are 21+ I would suggest Rhino, which is a New England bar (that’s you Patriots fans) or the 51st State, which last time I checked was a New York bar (Giants). For those of you who aren’t 21, I’d suggest cozying up to some of your upperclassmen friends for a super bowl party, or seeing if your floor is having a party in the common room. Either way, football is the word of the day.

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Jan 23 2012
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By Rita Pearson City, Music

Old Punk, New Scene – Text Message

Photo: Rita Pearson/The Hoya

by Rita Pearson

Text Message, an indie rock band made up of Georgetown students Joe Romano (COL ’12), John Romano (COL ’14) and Mike Jaroski (COL ’12) kicked off Saturday night’s show at the Rock N Roll Hotel. They opened for local bands the Electric 11′s and Blue Pintowith songs from their upcoming sophomore album, called Lake Opposite. They’re influenced primarily by alternative rock bands, such as Sonic Youth and the D.C.-based Fugazi.

“We’re trying to hit the right spots,” John Romano said. “There are a handful of music venues in D.C., like the Rock N Roll Hotel, that we try to play in. Unfortunately there aren’t many places around campus.”

“The D.C. music scene is nothing like the late 80’s or early 90’s, but I wouldn’t say it’s dead,” Joe said. “However, D.C. is transient – a lot of the bands are on tour, so people are always coming in and out.”

In the 1980’s and 90’s, D.C. was home to a thriving and influential punk scene. Venues like the 9:30 Club, Madam’s Organ, and The Bayou (a Georgetown nightclub that has since been replaced by the Loews Cinema on K Street) were central to the punk community. The U Street/Shaw neighborhood in particular played an important role in the burgeoning D.C. music scene. The Black Cat, a U Street club co-founded by Dave Grohl in 1993, has hosted bands like Arcade Fire, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists and Death Cab for Cutie. Text Message will be taking the stage at The Black Cat this Sunday.

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