The silliest thing I ever did in Washington

If a vampire had a bar, it would look just like Little Miss Whiskey's Golden Dollar.

And that's probably the last thing he would ever name it.

Inside Little Miss Whiskey's Golden Dollar

I've never been to a bar quite like Little Miss Whiskey's Golden Dollar. It's a wonderfully strange place. My friends and I wound up here one Wednesday night, in search of a place to sing karaoke to celebrate a friend's last night in town. It was a pain to find. Located on H St. NE between 11th and 12th, it's inside a little white row house that is not clearly marked, and we were a little hesitant going in. When we got in, we may have become even more hesitant. It looked like a townie bar that had gotten bit by a vampire. With purple-ish wallpaper, it was dark and dingy, and had a clientele not too far off from that description. Nervously, we asked the bartender where the karaoke was. This didn't come off as a karaoke type of place. He said upstairs, and we made our way up a little staircase and emerged into a bigger room, still covered in the creepy purple wallpaper, random, odd art and knick-knacks all around.

Little Miss Whiskey's is the
white row house on the right

We all immediately ordered Long Islands.

"Careful," the bartender warned us. "We're famous here at Little Miss Whiskey's for our very strong Long Islands."

I think we all took that as a good thing. Then we noticed something along the wall near the karaoke stage that was bizarre, even for this place - costumes. This wasn't just your regular karaoke night - it was costume karaoke night.

Soon, the regulars starting filing in, the Long Islands coursed through our veins, and we found ourselves taking turns with the microphone on stage, donning bright orange feather boas and lime green afro wigs. Little Miss Whiskey's had taken a quick turn from eerie awkwardness to electric ecstasy. It didn't take long for the whole crowd to get in to each and every song. The night ended with a rousing, drunken rendition of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing."

the crowded dance floor at Little Miss Whiskey's

the upstairs bar at Little Miss Whiskey's

If you are in Washington, DC - go to Little Miss Whiskey's Golden Dollar. It started off a little freaky, yes, but my friends and I had so much fun once we settled in. This is not your typical bar - it's a wacky, carefree change of pace that you will not regret. Once the karaoke got going, you'll find every brand of person here - young and old, men and women, tattooed and preppy. And by the end of the night, each one is best friends with the next, throwing their arms around each others' shoulders in carefree harmony.

One problem - it's a bit of a trek from any metro. The closest stops are Union Station and New York Avenue.

But it's worth the walk, without a doubt.

D.C. - not exactly a sports town

I'm a Chicago girl. And as any good Chicagoan, I am a major fan of all Chicago sports teams - da Bears, da Bulls, da Hawks and da Cubs (there is no other baseball team here...). So when a friend of mine in D.C. offered me free tickets to see the Bulls play the Washington Wizards back in February, I was naturally thrilled. Then I came to realize - the experience of watching a game in D.C. is entirely different than in Chicago.

empty Wizards stadium

I got to the Wizards stadium a little early, so when the majority of the seats weren't filled, I wasn't too shocked. Then tip-off time came. Still, majority of the stadium not filled. And that's how it stayed, the entire  game. Well, not quite... the stadium started to empty even further at half-time. The Bulls were, naturally, crushing the crap out of the Wizards. Cheers from Bulls fans drowned out those of the the Wizards fans by far, but the experience was nothing in comparison to the mad house United Center in Chicago. Another difference - the attire. In Chicago, everyone supports the team by wearing their colors, or jerseys. In D.C., there was a much higher proportion of people wearing suits. As I've said before, I've never seen a city so filled with people wearing suits. The game came off as more of an alternative to happy hour than a game.

Andrew, me and Kate at the Nats game

I had a similar experience with a Washington Nationals game in April. I was excited to see the game, as the Nationals were playing the dreaded Mets. But I felt like I was the only one there to actually watch the game. It cost just $5 to get into the stadium, but once my friends and I were in, we never actually made it to our nosebleed seats. Why bother when there is a large bar located in the outfield, with plenty of standing room and an even better view of the field than what I assume we would have had from our seats. And even better - on the floor below the bar was a restaurant, with outdoor seating, a wide variety of beer options, waiters bringing you yummy fried goodness, and a completely uninhibited view of the field. The view we had would have cost me about $50 at Wrigley field, I would've had two beer choices - Bud and Old Style, and the waiters would have been replaced by cranky men screaming "HOT DOGS! GET YOUR HOT DOGS!" at the top of their lungs. Nationals stadium was a completely different experience than what baseball should be. I had a great time, don't get me wrong, but it felt more like going to dinner and drinks with friends, and there just happened to be a baseball game being played next to us. Most people there were more interested in their conversations than the game. The whole experience was very clean and fun, and I would definitely do it again if given the chance, but I would never trade Wrigley for it. Wrigley, where peanut shells decorate the floors, sticky from beer; where bleacher bums drunkenly yell at the opposing teams' outfielders until they are kicked out; where fans actually know the stats, AND the names, of the players; and where everyone in the stadium joins together for a rousing chorus of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" in the middle of the 7th and "Go Cubs Go" if we actually win at the end of the 9th. Where the passion of the fans and the love of the game are contagious.

That's something you just won't find in Washington, D.C. Everyone there is from somewhere else. No one has that pride to be from D.C. that you see in Chicago, New York, or Boston. I loved D.C., but the sports teams really made me miss Sweet Home Chicago.

If you are in D.C. and are suffering from Chicago withdrawal, fear not! There's a place to call home during football season. Union Pub on Massachusetts Ave. shows all Bears games, and even has an outdoor patio if you miss the authenticity of freezing your ass off at Soldier Field. You can also find the Chicago-brewed 312, my all-time favorite beer, on tap here. Make sure to get in early! Due to that wonderful loyalty of Chicago fans, this place crowds up quick.

I was even lucky enough to get a Hawks sighting while in D.C. I got to cover the Hawks being honored by the president on the White House south lawn, and a clinic they held afterwards with the first lady to teach D.C. youth to play hockey. Just inches away from Patrick Kane's face. Outstanding experience.

Tune Inn tuned out!

FIRE!

Last week I was really sad to read that the Tune Inn kitchen caught on fire. It's a well-known dive bar on Pennsylvania Ave., just a few blocks from where I lived in Washington, DC, southeast of the Capitol. Nobody was hurt, but the entire kitchen has to be gutted. Looks like it's going to be a while until one of Capitol Hill's favorite dives is back up and running. The bar, once featured on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, is amping up support on Facebook, trying to raise funds to support employees while the fixing's being done.

In light of this event, I would like to take some time to explore the Capitol Hill bar scene, particularly the block of Pennsylvania Ave. between 3rd and 4th Streets SE (where the Tune Inn is located)...

First things first... the Tune Inn:

It's a little place. Narrow, long bar in the front, wood-paneled, booths in the back. What caught my eye the first time I walked in was the decor. There's local kitsch, plaques boasting pictures of little league teams the bar had sponsored, but most strikingly - animal heads. (Butts too, if you happen to wander towards the bathrooms...) You get a wide range of people here. Old men sitting at the bar. Capitol Hill staffers. The occasional family (during the day). They serve up your traditional bar food - fried, greasy goodness. I got the chicken strips and tater tots there once, quite tasty. The place has a lot of history. The same family has owned and run the bar since 1947. This bar has character, no doubt. It is distinctly American. Friends from Columbia, Mo. - it reminds me a lot of Booches. If taxidermy doesn't bother you, this place will make you feel right at home.


The Hawk n' Dove:

Oh dear... this was one of the first bars I went to in DC and I will certainly never forget it. The Hawk n' Dove (located right next to the Tune Inn) is an intern bar. It's dark inside, very sketchy looking. The first floor is not too far off from the Tune Inn... small, long bar towards the front, various taxidermy decorations. But it's much darker in here, a good place for Hill interns to run off too after a long, hard day of ingratiating work for which they are not paid. From 5-9, you see a younger crowd grabbing beers and cheap wings. My personal favorite was the deep fried "Capitol" onion - think bloomin' onion from Outback. Then after 10p.m., the party starts. The second floor of the Hawk n' Dove is home to a dance floor and DJ spinning top 40 hits and hip hop. The crowd is 18-early 20s (you can get in at 18, but all under 21s get wrist bands). It gets VERY loud. There will be no hope of a conversation. Late at night, there will be a line to get in. Not because the Hawk n' Dove is some fancy, pretentious, hyper-exclusive club - it's just small and can only hold so many drunken interns. As a 21-year old intern who loves to dance but is not totally into the club scene, I had fun here.

Pour House:

The Pour House seems to me like the definition of your standard bar. I didn't spend much time here, but when I did, it was just to sit with some friends, share a pitcher and chat. Everyone else was doing the same. There are a whole bunch of TVs if you want to watch a game, some arcade games and darts. There's music but it's not loud or distracting like the second floor of the Hawk n' Dove. No awkward animals popping out of walls like the Tune Inn. Just your standard pub to chill with friends. There is, however, a second floor here. I unfortunately missed this, but some of my friends got into a political fundraiser being held upstairs at Pour House - complete with free beer. All I heard about this night were raves - likely free-beer-induced, but nonetheless, keep an eye out for open bar fundraisers here.

These three bars are a pretty good representation of the Capitol Hill bar scene. It's nothing fancy. Not pretentious. Not classy. And it doesn't pretend to be anything it's not. If all you're looking for is a no-frills beer with some buddies after work, and you don't care if you are in the company of very old men or very young interns, head to Penn Ave.

Also on this block are some DC hot spots I've mentioned earlier in this blog... Good Stuff Eatery, We The Pizza and my favorite Starbucks in DC.

Eastern Market

I glossed over shopping at Eastern Market in one of my first posts, but that visit had been in the winter time. Shopping at Eastern Market in the spring and summer is a completely different, and much more enjoyable experience. There are a HUGE number of vendors to choose from during these seasons. While all that's available in the winter are the indoor food vendors, spring and summer shopping include a little bit - no, a LOT - of everything. Jewelry, art, furniture, clothing, food... and sooooo much more. I'll tell you about some of my favorite things I've found at Eastern Market...

Eastern Market (well... part of it)

First, I have to talk about jewelry. You can find any and every style here, pretty much. Smaller, delicate pieces, to large, chunky, tribal-inspired pieces. It can get pretty pricey. I bought one necklace - a turquoise stone surrounded by a gold and rhinestone frame on a gold chain. It was $10, by far the cheapest thing I found there. My roommate bough a very cool, African-inspired silver necklace. We're wearing them here:

Heading to Georgetown for the day, wearing our lovely Eastern Market necklaces

Next, the art. Like with jewelry, you can find a little of everything - painting, photography, even some sculpting. One of my favorite artists built giraffes, frogs and lizards out of soda and beer cans. They were a little pricey though, so I never bought one (though I really wanted to). I did buy two paintings - one a was a painting of the national mall made to look like Van Gogh's Starry Night. The other was a painting of the Jefferson Memorial and cherry blossoms.

Eastern Market paintings

Beer can giraffes

A slightly random, but neat little innovation I found at the Market was a little old lady selling nail files made from glass. They were very pretty, worked well and, according to her, last forever. Again, too pricey for me (I was definitely doing DC on a budget...), but very cool.

Not the exact ones I saw at the Market, but similar

Last, but certainly not least, are the delicious foods the Market vendors serve up in the spring and summer. My roommate came home once with amazing smoked ribs. Another popular item are Migue's Magnificent Mini Donuts.

Migue's donuts

Eastern Market is open Tuesday - Friday, 7a.m. - 7 p.m., Saturday 7a.m. - 6 p.m., and Sunday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. It is closed Monday. The closest metro is the Eastern Market metro.

I'm back! Well, for a bit at least...

Oops! It seems that I have been neglecting my blog... sorry about that folks. On May 5, my internship with the Daily Herald ended, and I moved out of DC and back to my hometown of Palatine, IL (that's a suburb of Chicago... excellent!).

So I've been here, settling back in and working as a communications intern for the Western Golf Association and Evans Scholars Foundation (same place I worked at last summer, and a wonderful organization). Here, I do a variety of things, but my biggest project is working on the Evans Scholars Alumni magazine, the Mac Report. You can check out a story I wrote last summer here, about an outstanding Evans Scholar Alum who took a year off from working at one of the nation's top consulting firms to volunteer in India.

*A bit of background, Evans Scholars are golf caddies with excellent academics, financial need and outstanding character who are awarded full tuition and housing scholarships to college by the Evans Scholars Foundation, which is administered by the Western Golf Association.

Anywho... even though I am no longer in DC, I still have some great blogging material! So stayed tuned for a little while longer for more on life in our nation's capitol :)

Last night's celebration, bin Laden & 9/11 - looking back

As I've been writing about last night's celebration of Osama bin Laden's death, one theme kept popping up - the crowd was mostly college kids. That got me thinking... why college kids?

My first thought was, duh, college kids will take any opportunity available to party. And I'm sure that was partly true. But there was more to last night than drunken revelry. While the crowd did smell like booze a bit, it appeared to be less drunken Greeks and more students, like my friends and myself, who had just rolled out of bed, stone cold sober, but totally high on the euphoria of the situation.

Then a memory hit me. I was at the Newseum a few weeks ago with my friend, Jaime, and we visited the 9/11 exhibit there. The exhibit is home to a very poignant video about the disaster that left us both tearing up and walking away silent, and shaken up.

When we finally spoke, we talked about where we were when we found out planes had hit the twin towers. I was walking up the steps at Frank C. Whiteley Elementary School to Mrs. Hogan's sixth grade classroom with my friend Brittany, who told me that planes had crashed into the twin towers. I was 11 years old, and I honestly had no idea what the twin towers were, much less that our entire world had changed forever that morning.

And then, after Jaime and I finished our stories, Jaime said this - I'm trying to remember a time before 9/11, but I can't. I tried, and realized I couldn't really remember either. I can't remember what it was like to go to an airport without a little apprehension, and of course without removing my shoes and tossing out my water bottle. I don't remember a world without the fear of terrorism.

At that's when I realized why it was students who were celebrating outside the gates of the White House that night. They didn't remember either. And when we were told the symbol of the terror that cast a dark shadow over our world for most of our memorable lives was dead, we couldn't help but gather.

I was watching John King on CNN when I heard it. It was surreal, and hard to believe. King kept repeating the phrase "Osama bin Laden is dead, Osama bin Laden is dead," over and over, trying to get it to sink in. This is for real.

I read somewhere that it was silly for us to celebrate, because bin Laden was likely hardly even effective any more. They're missing the point. More than anything, he was a symbol. A symbol of thousands of our people dead, a symbol of evil, a symbol of fear. Yes, we know the fight against terrorism is not over, not even close. But this is undeniably a step. We killed fear.

Videos: Celebration of Bin Laden's Death Outside White House

Here are some videos I took on my iPhone at the celebration outside the White House late Sunday night, after President Obama announced Osama Bin Laden is dead.

The crowd chants "Obama!"

You can catch the end of the National Anthem here as a young man hangs a flag on a light post and a beach ball flies over the crowd

Not sure why... but these next two came out sideways... ate the beginning of this one you can catch they end of "na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye," at the end you can hear a group of students chanting "I believe that we will win" as they jump up and down in the crowd.

Here the whole crowd sings the National Anthem... it gets a bit messy by the end, but that's what happens when you have this many people try to sing

Osama Bin Laden Is Dead

I just returned to my Capitol Hill apartment from the White House, where a mob of people gathered to celebrate the defeat of Osama Bin Laden. Tonight was an epic moment in our country's history and I feel incredibly lucky to have been in our nation's capitol to celebrate it.

crowd outside the White House

I was sitting in my room watching The West Wing when I got a breaking news update on my iPhone from Huffington Post that the president was going to make a speech at 10:30 p.m. EST. I turned to CNN, where I learned first from Wolf Blitzer that the speech would be concerning national security, but not to do with Libya. He said he had his ideas of what was to be said, but didn't want to steal the president's thunder. Then John King let it loose: Osama Bin Laden is dead.

men scaling a light post to hang a flag

It didn't take long for the other students living in my building to bang down on my door. We took off in a full on sprint towards the White House. The walk outside the White House gates was filled with people when we arrived around midnight, and the crowds only continued to grow in the hour or so my friends and I were there.

The crowd was largely comprised of college students. It reminded me a lot of the mob that rushed the field when Mizzou beat Oklahoma at Homecoming last fall. There was non-stop chanting, cheering and singing... everything from a repeated chant of "USA! USA!" and singing of the National Anthem to singing "na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye," chanting "fuck Osama, go Obama," singing "Olé," and chanting "4 more years!" (in reference to Obama's presidency).

the crowd watches men hang a flag on a light post

American flags were EVERYWHERE. People wore them draped over their shoulders, American flag t-shirts, hats, even an American flag bikini. Men scaled light posts to hang flags. When one struggled, the crowd cheered "YES YOU CAN!" People hung flags from the White House fence, and strung them on sticks, tree branches and lacrosse sticks. People climbed trees and carried signs... from Obama/Biden and Bush/Cheney campaign posters to hand-made posters thrown together reading things like "America, Fuck Ya!"

young boy cheers on his dad's shoulders

Inflatable beach balls bounced around the crowd, people crowd-surfed, and the whole placed smell of beer and liquor. I saw one girl lift a bottle of chardonnay.

I saw small children, older adults, but mostly college-aged people. Many races and ethnicities too. A lot of fraternity and sorority letters floating around. Many students shouting "I have a final tomorrow!" or "I have class tomorrow!" I went with a friend who had to be up at 5:30 a.m. to get to work at the State Department.

Overall, this was an incredible experience. The atmosphere was pure jubilation and patriotism.

When I left, more people were coming than going. Drivers on the streets were honking horns, cheering, chanting, hanging out of cars and waving flags. Everyone cheered together, high-fived each other, hugged, jumped, cheered together. Just incredible.

Here are some more pictures from the celebration outside the White House:

One of many wearing a flag draped across their shoulders

Flag on a stick! People were hanging flags on anything they could find.

Every tree in sight was filled with people holding flags.

Camera crew were all over, shooting footage of the scene.

The Newseum - coolest museum in DC

outside the Newseum

Washington, D.C. is full of amazing museums, but the coolest one by far is the Newseum. Now, the reason I love this museum may very well have a lot to do with the fact that it is an entire museum based on the career I am pursuing - news. However, I'm pretty sure it goes beyond that. The Newseum is unique in that it host exhibits on subjects that many of us can actually remember, as opposed to ancient history that we can't really relate to. Also, almost every exhibit incorporates some sort of video or interactive feature that draws in today's audience, who's too lazy to actually stop and read.

The only downside to the Newseum is the price. Yes, there is a price. Unlike most DC museums, the Newseum is NOT free. Adults (age 19-64) pay $21.95; seniors (age 65+), military and students with a valid ID pay $17.95; youth (age 7-18) pay $12.95; and children (6 and younger) are free (though I do not see a reason to bring anyone under the age of 6 to this museum...). The tickets are good for two days though, and you'll probably need both days to thoroughly explore the whole museum. I've gone twice and have used both days both times. It's open daily, 9a.m.-5p.m.

Keep reading, and I'll tell you about my favorite exhibits...

Berlin Wall, west side

Start your visit in the basement. Here you'll find something I didn't even know still existed - a real section of the Berlin Wall. They've also somehow managed to get an actual guard tower from the east side in the museum as well. It's very striking to see the difference between the colorful, graffitied west side of the wall and the barren, desolate east side.

Also in the basement is a gallery of sports photography. Beautiful images here (especially the ones of Michael Jordan!). Just beyond the sports photos is an exhibit on the FBI. Here you'll find the actual wood cabin the unabomber lived in and the car used in the DC sniper attacks, along with exhibits on many other FBI cases, from John Dillinger to Oklahoma City.

After you've finished up with the basement, take the gigantic glass elevator all the way up to the top floor. Here, you'll find my favorite exhibit - Covering Hurricane Katrina. A long hallway depicts the chronology of events through front pages of newspapers from around the world (including one from my own Daily Herald! (see right)). Be sure to step out onto the deck outside this gallery. Some of the best views of DC can be seen here. Back inside, you'll find a very compelling video of news coverage of Katrina. It's made me cry twice. Also, you'll find lots of little things saved from the event, such as a battered camera and doll.

The next exhibit contains historical newspapers, from the very first newspaper to modern day. There's also a fun little exhibit in here about "making fun of the news," which includes a video with clips of Weekend Update from Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Stephen Colbert's "threatdown" is there too (see left)! Here, you can also find the door to the room in the Watergate Hotel that was broken into during the Watergate scandal.

Next is a giant video screen showing a reel about presidential photography. They've got some pretty cool images in there.

Next is the 9/11 exhibit. It is very simple. The broadcast antenna from the first tower to be hit sits in the center of the exhibit, preserved, but completely mangled and devastated (see right). Surrounding the tower is a timeline of AP alerts that were released throughout the day. A two-story wall displays front pages from the next day from around the wold. A video tells the story of a photographer who lost his life covering the collapse of the two towers. Then in a room off to the side is a video about covering 9/11. Nearly everyone I've seen walk out of this room has tears trickling down their cheeks. This exhibit is very emotional, moving, and well-done.

Next is Tim Russert's office (see left), relocated to the Newseum.

After that is an exhibit on the first amendment... interesting, but not my favorite in the museum.

Following is a video that is updated weekly, maybe daily... frequently, with footage making light of the news. The lighting in here is bad, so it's kind of hard to see, but it's very funny. There are usually clips of shows like The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Conan, Jimmy Fallon and Jay Leno.

Keep going down and there is a little something for the kids. They can pretend to be broadcast reporters at a station on the second floor. Also, the Newseum shows a "4-D" movie about three important historical journalists - Isaiah Thomas, Nellie Bly and Edward R. Murrow. It's incredibly cheesy, but entertaining. The "4-D" means, in addition to wearing silly 3-D glasses, the seats rock back and forth, air is blown in your face... they try to make you actually feel like you're there.

The last thing you HAVE to see is the Pulitzer Prize-winning photography gallery. The images are outstanding.

Also, the Newseum has a great gift shop. I got a black mug that says "trust me, I'm a reporter" on it, and a wine glass painted with little pink cherry blossoms. There are a lot of good books here too. There is a cafeteria in the basement, but it's pretty expensive.

Being Touristy - the Smithsonian National Zoo

This week, my roommate and I spent an afternoon feeling like little kids again by venturing out to the Smithsonian National Zoo. It was such a fun afternoon. We were probably the only ones there without small children, but even if you don't have kids, visiting the zoo is something I'd definitely recommend to do in DC.

One nice thing about the Smithsonian National Zoo was that it was not overcrowded, like zoos often are. We weren't blocked by crowds or large groups of obnoxious school children when trying to see the animals. It was great. Granted, our visit may have been an exception. It was a weekday afternoon. Also, a teen was stabbed in a fight at the zoo the day before. Don't worry though! Stabbings aren't a frequent occurrence at the National Zoo. My visit was very pleasant and peaceful.

A visit to the National Zoo is not something you'll need to plan a whole day for. The zoo is on the smaller side. My roommate and I spent about 3 hours there and saw everything we wanted to see, which was almost the entire zoo.

The best part of the zoo, though: it's free. I would suggest bringing with you a bottle of water though. Water is $3 a bottle inside the zoo.

The National Zoo has some great exhibits that you won't find everywhere else. The most famous, of course, are the giant pandas. It took a while for us to find Mei Xiang and Tian Tian. They weren't in their large outdoor exhibit and we were very worried we wouldn't get to see the zoo's main attraction. Fortunately we found them in their indoor rooms, both fast asleep. They were snoozing away the whole time we were there, but it was still cool to see one in person.

While the giant pandas are the National Zoo's claim to fame, I found the red pandas to be much cooler. They were out and about, running around all over their exhibit. They kind of look like raccoons, but much cuter. I could've just taken one of these guys home with me as a pet! But I don't think the zoo would've liked that...

My other favorite part of the zoo was the great cats exhibit. Here, you'll find a beautiful Sumatran tiger. He lives by himself and was out walking around, stalking his cage like he owned the place. In the exhibit next door is an entire family of African lions, including a whole bunch of cubs! I felt like I was watching the real-life lion king, except instead of being trampled by wildebeests, the dad just kinda hangs out at the top of the exhibit watching over the lionesses and their cubs. The cubs were so much fun to watch. A bunch of them were running around, playing and wrestling with each other. When they'd start to get a little rough, momma lion would come in and scold them with a little roar. Very cool exhibit unlike anything I've ever seen at a zoo before.

Last but not least, towards the zoo entrance you will find two cheetahs. I've never seen a cheetah in a zoo before. They are beautiful animals. Each has their own separate exhibit, and both simply walked back and forth along its perimeter, so much that they had carved a path in the ground. One cheetah's exhibit bordered the zebra exhibit. He seemed pretty angry he couldn't get to them on the other side of the fence.

Overall, the Smithsonian National Zoo is a great place to visit in Washington DC. It won't take up your entire day, if you have limited time, and it's free, so you don't have much of an excuse not to go. It's open every day, 10a.m.-6p.m. April-October, and 10a.m.-4:30p.m. November-March. It's located at 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW and within walking distance of the Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan metro station and Cleveland Park metro station (both on the red line).

Restaurant Review: DC-3

Anyone who knows me can tell you that I have a bit of an obsession with the city of Chicago. The sports teams, the shops, the architecture, everything. And, especially, the food. So that is why I can't believe what I'm about to say: I just ate what may be the best Chicago-style hot dog I've ever had, and it was made in Washington, DC.

Inside DC-3

DC-3 is a little hot dog shop located in the Eastern Market area of DC, southeast of the Capitol. They sell hot dogs in just about every way with every topping you can imagine. And they're delicious.

The shop calls itself a "vintage hot dog joint," and gets its inspiration from the 1940s and the commercial flight revolution that took place then, when the Douglas Commercial 3, or DC-3, airplane made it possible for normal people to fly anywhere in the country they wanted. Each hot dog on the menu is inspired by a different place in the U.S. (the Chicago 7, DC Hot Half Smoke, Cincinnati Coney, NYC Street Vendor Dog... just to name a few). There are even some dogs from around the world, like Q's Seoul Bulgogi & Kimchi.

I chose to eat the Chicago 7 - a Vienna all beef dog on a poppy seed bun, loaded with the traditional toppings - tomato, pickle spear, bright green relish, onions, sport peppers, yellow mustard and celery salt. My friends opted for the Cincinnati Coney - a Nathan's all-beef hot dog with chili, cheese, onions and yellow mustard. We also ordered crinkle-cut fries and fried pickles. Everything was very tasty. I can't wait to go back!

The Facts:

• Menu - hot dogs from around the nation (and world). They also serve throwback soda pops, freshly made cotton candy, soft serve ice cream, fried pickles, chili cheese fries, Italian beef, mini hot dogs, footlongs, corndogs, rope sausage, and vegetarian chili. Here are the hot dogs:



DC-3 Chicago 7



Ahtie's Philly Cheesesteak-Style Whiz Wit'

• Chicago 7
• DC Hot Half-Smoke
• NY Coney
• Jersey Bacon-Wrapped Ripper
• West Virginia Sauce and Slaw Dog
• Cincinnati Coney
• Arkansas Razorback Red
• Rochester White Snappy Griller
• NYC Street Vendor Dog
• Maine Red Snapper
• Tucson Sonoran
• Seattle Pike Place Ultimate Fish Dog
• Ahtie's Philly Cheesesteak-Style Whiz Wit'
• Q's Seoul Bulgogi & Kimchi
• Lancaster Dutch Pretzel Dog
• Bay Bridge Pretzel Dog
• California Left Winger
• Price - dogs are $3.99-$6.99, sides are $2.59-$3.99, fountain drink is $1.79. Pretty cheap for DC.
• Location - 423 8th Street SE, closest metro is Eastern Market
• Hours - Sun.-Thurs. 11a.m.-9p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11a.m.-10p.m.
• My rating -*****

DC-3 hot dog map

Restaurant Reviews - Capitol Hill Mexican

One great thing about working on Capitol Hill is that you're never short of somewhere to grab an after-work margarita and bottomless chips and salsa to cure the stress of the day. Here are my reviews of three Mexican restaurants on Capitol Hill.

Best after-work margarita - La Loma

La Loma patio

On a warm, sunny day in Washington, DC, the place to be after work is La Loma. Located on Massachusetts Ave. between 3rd and 4th St. NE, northeast of the Capitol, La Loma has a great outdoor patio, perfect for sipping tasty strawberry margaritas (the best I've found on the Hill), and munching on bottomless chips and salsa. The food's great too. Also the best Mexican food I've found on the Hill. I've never eaten inside, the patio is where it's at. They don't take reservations for the patio, so you usually have to wait, especially if it's the first nice day in a while. But the waiters will bring you drinks while you wait, so it's ok! It's the furthest Mexican restaurant (of the three I'm reviewing here) from the Hill, but definitely worth the walk to get outside on a sunny day. Would highly recommend it.
The Facts:

• Menu - all the usual Mexican dishes. Roommate and I have had the fajitas al carbon, chicken flautas and beef and cheese enchiladas, all very tasty. The amount of guacamole is a little skimpy, but it's good. The chips are very hard, but the salsa is delicious.
• Price - $8.95-$17.95 for dinner, about a dollar cheaper for lunch. I think margaritas were about $7.
• Location - 316 Massachusetts Ave. NE (closest metro is Union Station)
• Hours - Mon.-Fri. 11a.m.-11p.m., Sat. 11a.m.-midnight, Sun. noon-10p.m.
• Rating - *****

Best location - Tortilla Coast

outside Tortilla Coast

I'm not sure how it happened, but this restaurant may have landed the best location in Washington, DC. Tortilla Coast sits on the corner of 1st St. SE and D St. SE, only a block south of the Capitol South Metro, and may be the closest restaurant to any of the House office buildings. Thanks to this location, it is always jammed packed during lunch and after work, often with congressmen and hill staffers.
Don't let the crowds fool you though. This is not an indication of how delicious Tortilla Coast is. The food here is very average. So are the margaritas. The service is below average. Slow when it's busy and lazy when it's not. The best thing there is the chips. Salsa's not bad, but the chips are perfectly crispy, thin and yummy. The tortillas are good too. They're homemade, crispy, and greasy (in a good way). I usually get the quesadillas. They're not bad. Not great, but do the job if you're hungry and in need of some Mexican. They serve brunch on Sundays. I haven't been, but I've heard good things about the huevos rancheros. And, as all DC restaurants seem to, they serve a patriotic menu-item - a "stars and stripes" margarita, swirled with blue curacao.
Overall, only go here if your first priority is location. If not, go elsewhere.
The facts:

• Menu - "Tex-Mex." Good tortillas and chips, average everything else. They also serve burgers, if you realize once you're there that you don't want Mexican. Margaritas, also served in pitchers.
• Price - entrees are $8.95 - $14.95
• Location - 400 1st St. SE, across the street from the Capitol South metro. 
• Hours - Mon.-Wed. 11:30am-10:00pm, Thur.-Fri. 11:30am-11:00pm, Sat. 11:30 am-10:00pm, Sun. 11:00am-9:00pm
• Rating: *****

Best hole-in-the-wall - La Lomita Dos

outside La Lomita Dos

The first time I ate here was with the chief of staff of a congressman I cover, on his recommendation. He told me everyone on the Hill always lunches at Tortilla Coast, but La Lomita Dos has much better food. He's absolutely right. This place is the definition of a hole-in-the-wall. It's very tiny and it doesn't have great curb appeal, not unlike most of the restaurants on Pennsylvania Ave. Outside it is marked by a little green and white striped awning, and inside it has a more authentic feel than Tortilla Coast. Good chips and salsa. One of the best taco salads I've ever had. And, while I didn't drink this myself, I noticed a patron next to me drinking a margarita the size of his head. In my opinion, this is some of the best Mexican food on the Hill. Go here on your lunch break instead of Tortilla Coast.
The Facts:

• Menu: This menu is HUGE! They have just about every Mexican entree you could think of. Several salads, tortilla soup, seafood, meat, fajitas, all the usual favorites and lots of different combinations. Even vegetarian and kids' meals. Margaritas (of course), beers (lots of imported ones too), house wines and homemade sangria.
• Price: $9.95-$17.95 for entrees. Margaritas are $5.95-$9.95, pitchers are $29.95-$47.95. Domestic beers are $3.95, imported are $4.50.
• Location: 308 Pennsylvania Ave. SE (between 3rd and 4th St. SE), nearest metro is Capitol South
• Hours: Daily 11:00am-3:00pm, 5:00pm-10:00pm
• Rating: *****

Shutdown Showdown - through the eyes of a 21-year-old intern

Friday was the closest the government has ever come to shutting down in my memory, and I had a front row seat as an intern in DC. I wasn't covering the "shutdown showdown." That task was given to the Daily Herald's fabulous politics and projects reporter, Kerry Lester, who wrote two great stories - As shutdown looms, suburban members look to debt ceiling, and Hultgren: "Cautiously optimistic" deal will be made.

Still, as a 21-year-old, a student, a politics writer and a DC-first-timer, I had an interesting day.

I spent a lot of my time that stormy Friday on Twitter. I followed the feeds of my favorite political news outlets covering the day's events and the politicians pulling the strings. Some fun hashtags popped up. For example, #govtshutdownpickuplines. Huffington Post compiled some of the best government shutdown pickup lines. Another interesting tag was #uterusshutdown, used by some tweeters upset over the Republican attempt to defund Planned Parenthood. (John Stewart and Steven Colbert on Monday each ripped Senator John Kyl a new one over his false claim on the Senate floor that 90% of what Planned Parenthood does is abortions. Watch those clips of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.)

Twitter led me to another interesting discovery that day, that made government shutdown look a bit less bleak - deals at Capitol Hill bars for government employees if the government shuts down. One bar, Union Pub, was offering patrons with a valid government ID penny drafts from 5-6 p.m. starting Monday. Lounge 201 was offering half-priced martinis all night long Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I live in an apartment building entirely comprised of interns, many government employees working at the House, Senate or White House. After I shared this with them, they were a little sad the government didn't shut down.

One last little social media tidbit here... a fellow reporting intern in my building alerted to me on this movement on Facebook earlier last week, while it was still small. A Facebook group entitled "If Boehner shuts down the government I am taking my trash to his house" emerged on the social media scene, in protest of DC trash services being stopped in the event of a government shutdown. When I checked today at 5:44 p.m., 8,553 people had RSVP'd to attend. The event received a lot of media coverage.

After a long day of pent-up frustration with our government, my intern apartment-mates and I hit up Hill Mexican restaurant Tortilla Coast for margaritas. It was PACKED with suited up Hill workers and reporters doing the same, even a table of congressmen. There, I got into a heated argument with a Senate intern about the political game our government parties were playing.

I also discovered a little website "Isthegovernmentshutdown.com". In large, uppercase letters, the website simply read "NO". Throughout the night, my friends asked me to check whether it had changed to "YES".

And as you know, it did not.

The Wonder of DC Cupcakes

There's this trend on the east coast that I was absolutely and tragically unaware of while I was living in the midwest - cupcake shops. Little stores dedicated entirely to the creation and sale of cupcakes! These cupcakes are marketed as something special. Branded as "designer" cupcakes, you buy them in boutiques and they are displayed on tiered trays. Flavors go beyond simple chocolate an vanilla, and the desserts look as adorable as they are tasty. So far, I have visited three cupcake shops in DC:

Hello Cupcake
My experience

inside Hello Cupcake

This was my first cupcake shop, and remains my favorite. Located in Dupont Circle, it is definitely the cutest of the boutiques I've visited. Pretty pink and white chandeliers hang from the ceiling and the walls are painted with little pink and white flowers. It's not overly crowded, or at least wasn't when I visited, and they serve coffee and other beverages and have some seating too. The cupcakes are amazing. Lots of flavor options ready to go, made fresh. The cupcake I had, unfortunately, appears to be a special cupcake that was only available when I went in February - a strawberry cake cupcake with cream cheese frosting and a white and milk chocolate drizzled, juicy strawberry on top. Mmm, mmm good.
The facts

• Location - 1361 Connecticut Ave., just south of the Dupont Circle metro
• Price - $3/each, $33/dozen
• Hours - Mon.-Thurs. 10am-7pm, Fri.-Sat. 10am-9pm, Sun. 11am-6pm
• Menu - it changes, but traditional flavors are: 



the strawberry cupcake I ate

• originals (chocolate or vanilla cake, chocolate or vanilla buttercream frosting, colorful confetti sprinkles)
• you tart! (lemon cake, lemon cream cheese frosting, yellow sugar sprinkles)
• 24 carrot (carrot cake, cream cheese frosting)
• peanut butter blossom (chocolate cake, peanut butter frosting, chocolate kiss on top)
• Special flavors for Sunday, April 10 were:
• pink lemonade (lemon cake, strawberry buttercream frosting)
• dulce de leche (caramel cake, dulce de leche frosting)
• heart of darkness (devil's food cake, chocolate ganache-based frosting, chocolate chip sprinkles)
• princess (vanilla cake, pink strawberry buttercream frosting, pink sugar sprinkles)
• raspberry beret (chocolate cake, raspberry buttercream frosting, chocolate sprinkles)
• vanilla gorilla (banana cake, vanilla cream cheese frosting)
• Vegan and gluten-free flavors are available

Georgetown Cupcake

My experience

inside Georgetown Cupcake

This is the famous one. TLC's TV show, DC Cupcakes is filmed here. As cool as that it, is has had the unfortunate effect of making the boutique INSANELY crowded. The line to get a cupcake wraps all the way around the block. When I visited in April, I heard the wait was an hour and a half. There's a way around it though! You just need to place your cupcake order online the day before. That's what my friends and I did, and we were able to bypass the line and walk right in. Even then though, the shop is very crowded, hectic, frustrating, confusing and, while there are tables, there is no where to sit. We got our cupcakes, which were prepared for us in a cute pink box, and got  the heck out of there (but not without snapping some quick pictures of the now famous spot!). The decor is very simple - white walls with some pink boxes strewn about. The cupcakes sit neatly on tiered trays in the front, and in the back there is a window into the kitchen where you can see the cupcakes being made. The cupcakes made here are delicious though. My friends and I all went for the same one - lava fudge. It was a chocolate cupcake with rich, melty fudge in the center, vanilla frosting and a fudge star drizzled on top. It was pretty messy, we got fudge EVERYWHERE, but it was so worth it.

The facts

• Location - 3301 M St. (Georgetown, closest metro is Foggy Bottom); there's also a location in Bethesda, MD - 4834 Bethesda Ave.
• Price - $2.75/each, $15/half dozen, $29/dozen
• Hours - Mon.-Sat. 10am-9pm, Sun. 10am-7pm
• Menu - it changes, but traditional flavors are:



lava fudge cupcake

• chocolate2 (chocolate cake, whipped chocolate frosting, fondant flower)
• chocolate3 (chocolate cake, rich chocolate ganache icing, french chocolate sprinkles)
• chocolate birthday (chocolate cake, vanilla buttercream frosting, rainbow sprinkles)
• chocolate ganache (chocolate cake, chocolate ganache icing, fondant flower)
• chocolate & vanilla (chocolate cake, chocolate cream cheese frosting, french chocolate sprinkles)
• milk chocolate birthday (yellow cake, milk chocolate buttercream frosting, rainbow sprinkles)
• red velvet (vanilla cream cheese frosting)
• vanilla2 (vanilla cake, vanilla cream cheese frosting, fondant flower)
• vanilla birthday (vanilla cake, vanilla buttercream frosting, rainbow sprinkles)
• vanilla & chocolate (vanilla cake, whipped chocolate frosting, fondant heart)
• baby pink (vanilla or chocolate cake, baby pink tinted vanilla buttercream frosting, fondant flower)
• baby blue (baby blue tinted frosting)
• bubblegum pink (bubblegum pink tinted frosting)
• sunshine (yellow tinted frosting)
• gluten-free lava fudge
• Susan G. Komen (chocolate cake, vanilla buttercream frosting, fondant pink ribbon)
• Special flavors for Sunday, April 10 - 
• carrot (cinnamon apple carrot cake, vanilla cream cheese frosting, fondant carrot)
• chocolate coconut (chocolate cake, vanilla cream cheese frosting, covered in shredded coconut)
• lava fudge (chocolate cake, fudge core, vanilla icing, fudge star drizzle)
• PB fudge (chocolate cake, fudge core, peanut butter frosting, fudge star drizzle)
• strawberry (vanilla cake baked with strawberries, strawberry frosting, fondant heart)
• cherry blossom (vanilla cake baked with cherries, vanilla cream cheese frosting, fondant cherry blossom)
• hummingbird (banana, pineapple & pecan cake, vanilla cream cheese frosting, topped with pecans and a blue fondant hummingbird)
• Easter cupcakes (vanilla2, chocolate2, chocolate & vanilla, or vanilla & chocolate cupcakes topped with seasonal fondant decorations, like fondant grass and bunny)

Crumbs

My experience

outside Crumbs

Crumbs is more of a chain than the others, with locations in not just DC, but New York, Chicago, New Jersey, Connecticut, Virginia and California. This is the most conveniently located cupcake shop for me, as there is one right by the Metro Center metro stop, where my office is. The cupcakes here are HUGE! It's not as cutesy or classy as Hello Cupcake or Georgetown Cupcake. They proudly serve their big ass cupcakes in a fun and friendly atmosphere and a variety of flavors. I went here with my friend Jaime, who ordered a green tea cupcake and loved it. I had a blackbottom cheesecake brownie cupcake. It was one of the richest, most chocolatey, delicious things I've ever eaten.

The Facts

• Location - In DC, 604 11th St. NW (Metro Center) and the train concourse at Union Station
• Price - about $4 if I recall correctly. The website said $4.50, but I remember paying $4.
• Hours - Mon.-Thur. 7am-9pm, Fri. 7am-11pm, Sat. 9am-11pm, Sun. 9am-9pm
• Menu - their website doesn't list for each specific location, but here is what's listed under "favorites," and I recall these being at the Metro Center location:



Blackbottom cheesecake brownie

• Artie Large (vanilla cupcake filled with chocolate cream cheese frosting, vanilla cream cheese frosting dipped in chocolate fondant, edged with chocolate and vanilla sprinkles)
• Baba Booey (chocolate cake filled with peanut butter frosting, peanut butter and chocolate cream cheese frosting, rimmed with peanut butter chips)
• Blackout (chocolate cake filled with fudge mixed with vanilla custard, chocolate cream cheese frosting topped with chocolate crumbs and drizzled with chocolate)
• Brownie (chocolate cake filled and frosted with fudge, topped with chocolate drizzle and walnut brownie bites)
• Carrot cake (carrot cake, vanilla cream cheese frosting, edged with crushed walnuts, topped with a frosting carrot)
• Cookie dough (vanilla cake filled with fudge, vanilla cream cheese frosting mixed with soft chocolate chip cookie pieces, topped with a chocolate chip cookie)
• Cookies and cream (chocolate cake, vanilla cream cheese frosting mixed with crushed oreos, with two oreos on top)
• Devil's food (chocolate cake filled and frosted with vanilla buttercream frosting, topped with chocolate sprinkles and chocolate chips)
• Peanut butter cup (chocolate cake filled and frosted with peanut butter cream cheese frosting, topped with peanut butter cup wedges and edged with crushed peanuts and chocolate chips)
• Red velvet (red velvet cake, vanilla cream cheese frosting, topped with red velvet crumbs and edged with white sprinkles)
• Squiggle (chocolate cake filled with vanilla buttercream frosting, topped with chocolate ganache icing and a white icing squiggle)
• You can also "create you own 6-pack"
• They do sell smaller cupcakes, but the big ones are their signature

Overall, America, you need to catch on to this DC/east coast trend. It's delicious.