Blog-iversary Month!

Independence Day 2010

So I can’t believe how quickly a year has passed. Since Mark set me up with this sweet blog url and website (he also customized the theme and layout), I’ve been trying to do it justice by writing as much as I can. Although I had a rocky start, I think I’ve kind of found a rhythm to keep up the regular posts. Being it is a blog-iversary, I wanted to look back at the inaugural year of this blog.

- I got really involved with photography as a serious hobby and shot my first wedding
- I went skydiving for the first time
- helped my friend with a wedding proposal setup
- went to the Dew Tour in Chicago and went to Taste of Chicago
- snowboarded Tahoe
- survived the Snowpocalyse of 2010
- tried my hand at baking bread
- made an epic chili dinner
- built a gutter garden and a potrack
- traveled to San Diego

Whew! What a year!

I think I’m going to try to continue this blog as it seems to be a nice way for people to keep up with what’s going on. Hopefully you don’t mind the occasional rant, but I try to keep things here pretty open-minded. Please feel free to make comments all you like – I do read them all.

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Travel: Red Rock Canyon

Red Rock Panoramic

Having the opportunity to travel recently has opened up for the possibility of doing some desert hiking in the Red Rock canyon just outside Las Vegas, NV. This conservation area is the closest national park to Vegas, only a short 15-20 min drive away from the strip. The park is set up so that you can drive through the whole park in a one-way loop and stop at various parking areas along the way to take pictures or hike into the canyon more.

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Signature Foods – What About DC?

NYC 2009!

New York has hot dogs, apples, and pizza

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Boston has baked beans, sam adams, and clam chowdah

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Chicago has deep dish pizza, steak, and mixed caramel/cheese popcorn

Philadelphia has cheesesteak sandwiches, water ice, and pretzels
San Francisco has sourdough bread, seafood stew and rice-a-roni (I know, its a faux pas to say that)
Seattle has Starbucks/Seattle’s Best, the birthplace of grunge music, an enormous amount of microbrews, and seafood
LA has Spago’s, high-end hot dogs (Pink’s), and streetside tacquerias (sp?)
Baltimore and Blue crabs are always synonymous
The Carolinas and Kansas city have signature takes on barbecue.

grilling some steak

Smaller cities even have a way of making themselves shine amongst the larger cities:
Amarillo, TX, is home of the 72 oz steak
Buffalo, NY, is home to the buffalo wing, credited to the Anchor Bar for its invention

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So what is DC’s signature dish? What food showcases the nation’s capital?

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Photo Rights (Repost from Petapixel)

Canon 40D with f/2.8 L 24-70mm Lens and bg-e2n grip

Knowing your photo rights is incredibly important. although I have yet to be stopped for taking photos, I want to be prepared in case it happens. Websites like Carlos Miller’s documents inappropriate law enforcement activity and the huge misconceptions about photography in public. The biggest misconception: photographing federal buildings is illegal. Think about it this way, if google streetview can take a picture of it, why can’t you? This fear of terrorism appears to prompt many in law enforcement to stop photographers from taking perfectly legal photos. anyway. read up and keep in mind the following:

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PSA: White Bicycle Memorials

white bicycle memorial

Ok, so DC is trying to become more bike friendly – thankfully! unfortunately, there have been some casualties of people getting killed by cars in the district. When possible, a white bicycle is locked to something near the location of the incident. This is just a reminder not only for cyclists but also drivers that they need to watch out for bikers on the road. Read More »

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DC as an Emerging Food Destination?

Embassy Row - Cherry Blossom Festival

I just came across this article where WaPo reports DC is being looked at by NY restaurateurs as a good area to expand, citing the stable economy and cheaper leases.  I and definitely a fan of this, as it should make our 2-3 year food trend gap a little shorter as restaurants look to DC for expansion.  Areas like Penn Quarter, Georgetown, and Downtown (and probably the Verizon center area) are the areas of focus for their high traffic and established businesses/attractions.  Areas like U St and 14th St. are not on the radar yet – probably because these are the up and coming places not yet established.

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Review: Bites at Guy Savoy

Las Vegas 2010 - Restaurant Guy Savoy

While in Las Vegas recently, I got to eat at Restaurant Guy Savoy in Caesar’s Palace. This renowned French chef gained international attention with his Michelin-starred restaurants as well as Bravo TV’s Top Chef notoriety. His two premiere restaurants are in Paris, France, and Las Vegas. The Las Vegas location has earned 2 stars from Michelin.

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Review: BGR (and a little of BRGR)

*** Update (from eater.com): Washington, DC-area burger restaurant chain BGR The Burger Joint thought their burgers needed to be a little more Jersey, and thus are introducing the Snooki Burger next month. After calling for suggestions online, responses included “stuffed with an Italian sausage” and “marinated in tequila and desperation.”

BGR - Dupont

BGR reminds me a LOT of BRGR in NYC. These slightly more high-end burgers are a noticeable step up from the ubiquitous Five Guys. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Five Guys – with all the toppings, the deliciously seasoned burger, it’s a great place to pig out. But BGR and BRGR have (not only similar names) a slightly elevated set of burgers – even their menus are a little similar.

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Review: Todd English’s Olives (Las Vegas)

From Boston, MA, Todd English‘s Olives restaurants are described as “rustic Mediterranean” with locations in Massachusetts, Las Vegas, NYC, as well as here in DC.

The two things I kept reading about the Vegas Olives was (1) get the beef carpaccio and (2) get a seat on the patio or near the windows so you can see the Bellagio fountain show.

Las Vegas 2010 - Bellagio fountain

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Review: Volt

Business has been booming and reservation books have been maxed out at Volt, Chef Bryan Voltaggio’s Frederick, MD restaurant located right in the middle of downtown. His restaurant’s notoriety exploded as the chef climbed Bravo TV’s Top Chef Season 6 ladder, only losing in the end to his brother, Michael.

Sol's Birthday 2010

After making reservations 2 months in advance, our group was excited to eat Sunday lunch at Volt. Read More »

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