Informed Traveling: DC Notes

Whoa, that was intense! I just experienced a long and intense earthquake here in DC!

The USGS reports the following:

Magnitude   5.8 (Preliminary magnitude -- update expected within 15 minutes)
Date-Time   

    Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at 17:51:03 UTC
    Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at 01:51:03 PM at epicenter 

Location    37.875°N, 77.908°W
Depth   6 km (3.7 miles) set by location program
Region  VIRGINIA
Distances   

    15 km (9 miles) S (179°) from Mineral, VA
    18 km (12 miles) SSE (154°) from Louisa, VA
    26 km (16 miles) ENE (58°) from Columbia, VA
    54 km (34 miles) NW (314°) from Richmond, VA
    139 km (87 miles) SW (214°) from Washington, DC

Location Uncertainty    Error estimate not available
Parameters  NST= 17, Nph= 17, Dmin=59.5 km, Rmss=0.33 sec, Gp=173°,
M-type="moment" magnitude from initial P wave (tsuboi method) (Mi/Mwp), Version=1
Source  

    West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center/NOAA/NWS

Event ID    at00lqe6x3

It was the second earthquake I’d felt, but the first earthquake, though closer to Bethesda, was much smaller.

UPDATE: There’s been a couple aftershocks, too - one was small but the second one was strong enough to feel in Bethesda @ 4.2.

UPDATE 2: There was another smaller aftershock last night. The dampening pattern suggests to me, though I am no seismologist, that things are settling down. Good!

Thankfully the building I work at in Washington, D.C. has been inspected and is safe to return to. The problem with even a small quake on the east coast is that the buildings are older and not at all designed to withstand substantial tremors. Apparently, brick buildings are especially vulnerable because they can crumble and topple to the ground. Gulp! The buildings I work and live in are both made of brick…

I’ve been working near DuPont Circle for about a month now and I’ve been able to get our to a couple of local restaurants for lunch, as well as Hello Cupcake to buy… you guessed it: cupcakes! Here are my reviews of the restaurants I’ve visited, as well as some notes to myself about the other places I want to try out.

Lunch Spots I’ve Visited

Spice Express

Spice Express offers North Indian dishes. They serve masalas, vindaloo, and curries, for example. I went for lunch one day and ordered lamb vindaloo, chicken tikka masala, and chana masala. A large portion of rice was included, and the total for that “three curry lunch deal” was $7.99.

It was all very good, but the lamb vindaloo was excellent.

I don’t like to eat a lot at lunch time (otherwise I want a siesta), so next time I’ll order my lunch to go, and then save the left overs.

New Dynasty

This place is awesome. It is on P Street in a little basement style hole in the wall. They have a wide variety of dishes, and thanks to a friend’s penchant for noodles, I too have been on a noodle kick as of late. Hence, I ordered the Vietnamese noodle lunch special with chicken for $7.99. Again - more food than I wanted for lunch, so I saved the leftovers.

I will definitely go to New Dynasty again.

Japone Downstairs

I actually went to Japone for dinner, and it is an interesting place. I enjoyed my meal, but I thought the resulting price of my meal was much too expensive for the level of quality, service, and cleanliness of the restaurant. Its not that the place was dirty, the servers rude, or the food low quality, it just didn’t match with the prices.

I do regret ordering the toro, it just wasn’t worth $8!

I’m not sure if I will go back. I’d prefer Simply Ayzen or Siu’s Asian Bistro, though those are not within walking distance of my office. I’m sure there is a sushi restaurant in DuPont Circle that will satisfy my needs.

Hello Cupcake

Yes, I know cupcakes are the fad of the millennium, but they sure do taste good! I bought some for my girlfriend as a treat after a rough week and thankfully we enjoyed the goodies. We’ve tried many, but the tiramisu and the vanilla gorilla were the most memorable to me.

Planned Visits

I’ve heard good things about the following restaurants, so I’m planning to give them a try in the coming weeks, funds pending:

• Bowl and Brew
• Shake Shack

I’ll be able to write more about DC soon - I just accepted a job right near DuPont Circle. I’m so excited to be back in the thick of it!

I’ve previously worked in DC in the Georgetown area, and I really liked the neighborhood. However, the commute was tough - its not very feasible to take public transportation to Georgetown.

DuPont Circle will be much easier - its right off the red line.

UPDATE: So far, the commute has been excellent. The only issue I’ve run into so far is when the escalators at DuPont Circle go out of order. Not that I mind climbing up the three or four stories of stairs, its that I am not dressed for exercise when I’m on my way to work.

I had brunch at Kramer’s Book Shop in DC today - right near DuPont Circle.

We had a thirty minute wait, which was fine because it gave us plenty of time to wander around the store and get in the way of other shoppers.

The place is definitely interesting and well worth a visit, but I’m not sure if I’ll return - at least not to eat. The food was good, but I feel it was more expensive than I’d expect, and the wait, while fine in this place, was longer than I’d usually want to wait.

My daughter and I ventured to the National Museum of Natural History today to take a tour of a really terrific museum.

We didn’t have enough time to experience the entire museum, but we did see the mammals exhibit, and the dinosaur exhibit too - amazing!

We went with some friends - my friend from my home town in Massachusetts who now also lives in the Metropolitan DC area, and his two sons.

The kids got hungry quick, so we went out on the National Mall and had lunch then played around for quite a bit.

All in all, it was a great day!

Thanks to the Father's United For Equal Rights mailing list, I just heard about this terrific new park which was designed for children of all abilities called CLEMY JONTRI park.

It is located in McLean, Virginia, and it even has a carousel!

CLEMY JONTRI

After living in Boston for many years and spending ample time in New York City, I have had many positive experiences with public transportation, more specifically, the “T” and the NYC subway.

My experience with the WMATA / Metro has not been positive at all. In my experience it is:

• Too expensive, often more expensive for me than if I drive and pay for parking
• Way too slow, again, its more advantageous for me to drive
• Unreliable, though the traffic in DC is wildly unpredictable as well
• Inconvenient, the subway is so far underground at most stops it takes forever to get to and from the trains

Some might even consider the Metro more dangerous than driving. It wasn’t too long ago there was a serious accident on the Red line not far from where I live where numerous people died and many more suffered serious injuries.

When the Metro came up in conversation recently, I was stupefied to learn that the Metro operates at a significant loss. How can that be? Are the same people who run PEPCO running the Metro??

Now the news is reporting that the Metro is adding another rate fare increase for the “peak of the peak”. Ridiculous. Is anyone else outraged?

UPDATE: I’m now riding the Metro on a daily basis as I work in DuPont Circle. Now that I’ve riden the subway many times, I can say it can actually be faily speedy. The main factor regarding the Metro these days is how infrequently the escalators are operable - I’d give them 10 - 25% operability. Pathetic!

Here is a small list of employment and staffing agencies in the DC area:

• http://www.srg.net/default.asp - Looks especially good for tech
• http://www.ford-agency.com/default.html
• http://www.esgisearch.com/index.html
• http://www.jonesnet.com/ - Looks especially good for tech
• http://www.atr.com/index.html - Looks good for tech in Maryland

National Public Radio, NPR, has been buzzing with news and conversations about the recent teacher effectiveness evaluations and the subsequent firings not far up the road.

In learning about this situation, I've heard people state the the public school system in DC has been abysmal not for a few years, but for several decades! Its really appalling!!

How can there be any public outcry for politicians who are currently cleaning house? While I don't live in DC, I live close enough to hear what's going on there, and I applaud the politicians who are doing this, and I would gladly vote for them.

It seems to me that the only people who could be upset by this are the ineffective and unqualified teachers who are getting let go because they aren't doing their jobs and are letting everyone, including themselves and more specifically the students. I have no sympathy for you. My advice to you: accept that you are a failure as a teacher and find a new vocation.

In tandem with these news stories, I've experienced first hand the offensive ineptitude of Pepco. Their inability to keep the lights on is shocking, and I for one would find the complete firing of the current management team completely reasonable. Get lost you jokers!

If you live in DC, I'd love to hear your thought on the current events of the public school system there. What do you think of the firings? Are they fair, appropriate, or a political campaign in disguise? Sound off through the comment form below.

My mother, my two-year old daughter and I visited the National Aquarium yesterday. While my daughter loved it, I was a little disappointed. Its a tiny exhibition compared to the aquarium I'm used to: The New England Aquarium - though that one is more expensive. Still, the entire National Aquarium seems like it could fit within the main tank at the New England Aquarium!

Unlike the other "National" museums, the National Aquarium is not free - its $9 for adults, $8 for military and seniors (60+), with additional discounts for children, though I forget what those prices were (my daughter got free entry).

The exhibits are well done, but they are few and small in size. Perhaps the steep price is due to efforts to raise money for expansion?