Thursday, April 1, 2010
Spring is in the Air...
Monday, February 22, 2010
This is Why I Love SE, DC and Now Call it Home
Southeast is the 'Heart and Soul' of Washington
By Ernest-Earl Wood, Washington Post
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Sometimes, it amazes me how many people proudly tell me that they have never been to Southeast Washington. They seem to discount that the D.C. Armory, RFK Stadium and Capitol Hill are all in Southeast. It seems that a lot of people who live in the Washington area think that Southeast is all carjackings, drug-infested streets and drug deals gone wrong.
Most people who live here do not realize that Southeast is the heart and soul of the city.
More than 200 years ago, Frederick Douglass decided he was going to move to the nation's capital to further his abolitionist goals. He searched the city and found a property on a commanding hill that had the most beautiful panoramic view. At night there, he could enjoy the lights and fires of the federal city. Douglass said he had found the "pulse of the city": Southeast Washington
Ever wonder why D.C. Council member Marion Barry continues to live in Southeast? Oh, the skeptics will say he lives there because the people of Ward 8 are the only voters who would elect him. But "Hizz Honor" lived in Southeast when he was mayor of the entire city. Could he have shared the view of Frederick Douglass?
Now, people from Northwest are smiling, thinking their part of town is the heart of the city. Northwest is the heart of the "federal city." It has the stone and marble monuments, the seats of the federal bureaucracy, the museums -- all cold and heartless. It has the high rent areas, including Foxhall, Georgetown, the "Gold Coast" and Embassy Row, all out of the price range of most who live here.
The newer, overpriced downtown areas are the playgrounds of the rich, the transients and the ruling political party. But there are not any real neighborhoods there. Please don't mention Adams Morgan. That was a beautiful neighborhood 20 years ago -- before the drugs, drunks and gangs. And parking there? Forget it.
Southwest, where I live now, is the wharf, condos and projects. Trust me, no real neighboring happens there. Good seafood, though.
And Northeast, well, there must be something good I could mention. Oh yes, there is Catholic University, the National Arboretum and Brookland, all past their prime.
For a real neighborhood, nothing compares to Capitol Hill. It has an unmatched mixture of gays and straights, young and old, rich and poor and a good racial balance that reflects the best of the city. The crowns of Capitol Hill are Lincoln Park and Eastern Market.
Lincoln Park is a safe recreational area, particularly for dog-walking. Thanks to the dogs, the park has the most nutritional soil in the city. Five times around, and it's a mile track for running or walking.
Eastern Market is the meeting place, the hub and the best marketplace in the city. Its meat markets cannot be matched: Canales Quality Meats and the Union Meat Co., to name just two. There's Market Poultry, which has fresh chicken waiting to be fried or baked, as well as duck, turkey wings, capon and range chicken. At Bowers Fancy Dairy Products, the cheese sells itself on taste alone. You even get to sample before you buy. And all of these stands are self-owned, not a part of any chain.
For a hot meal, you can get an all-meat hot dog plus all the trimmings for just 90 cents at Union Meat. On weekends, Market Lunch has hot breakfasts that are inexpensive, tasty and filling. The long lines that form must say something about the quality. There is also a farmers market that offers farm-grown fruit and vegetables and a flea market stocked with a greater variety of furniture, antiques, books, tapes, CDs, paintings, jewelry and flowers than you will find in any place of this kind. You have not enjoyed a warm weekend in the District if you have never been to Eastern Market.
Getting back to Capitol Hill, the boundary stops around Lincoln Park, not over to the Anacostia River or Benning Road. My sister, Ronnie, and I, third-generation Washingtonians, grew up at 16th and C streets SE, which was never considered part of the Hill. Now, the areas up to 19th or 20th streets are included. I heard recently that the Trinidad area is now being rezoned as Capitol Hill. That is totally preposterous.
If I want to be suave and sophisticated at cocktail parties, I can always proclaim that I grew up on the Hill. The expansion of the area is a scheme of crafty land speculators. By the time my children are my age, the area called Capitol Hill will include Prince George's County. Watch out, Annapolis!
The best-kept secret of Southeast and all of Washington is Hillcrest. It has quiet, tree-lined streets, no crime or drug dealing, real middle-America life inside the city. Its majestic homes are still pretty much affordable for the upper-middle class. It's the perfect place to raise children, grill a rib or read the Sunday paper on your patio. The areas around Alabama and Branch avenues, Pennsylvania Avenue and Fairfax Village have some of the best residential values in the city. The hidden jewel of this area is Westover Drive and 31st Street, which is a circular drive high on a hill that has the best unobstructed views of the city. If God were to move to the District, he would surely build on Westover Drive.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Respect Your Elders
I had to share this video. This young guy is talking real slick on a bus and pushes this older dude to violence. He catches a real beat down on video. Hilarious!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
zSHARE - DEEJAY CASPER 2010 ALLSTAR WEEKEND MIXTAPE.MP3
As we get ready for the All Star Weekend in Dallas, I feel compelled to share our free mixtape from Deejay Casper with all our peeps. Casper get's his man on this. Straight vicious.
Check out link below...
zSHARE - DEEJAY CASPER 2010 ALLSTAR WEEKEND MIXTAPE.MP3
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
2010 Glamour Lounge After Hours NBA All Star Weekend Dallas, TX
Can't believe All Star Weekend is right around the corner. Dallas will be an incredible host city, and the new Cowboys Stadium is an incredible venue. Even though those bama Cowgirls are wack. LLS. In any event, I digress. Just a little bitter because my Steelers and Redskins are both sitting on the sidelines watching the playoffs. Well at least my Hawkeyes represented Big Ten Football and beat down those dirty GA Tech bamas.
Back to All Star. Get your rest now. We are doing a three night stand in the heart of Dallas @Third Space downtown next to the original glamorous icon, Neiman Marcus. Tickets available now...
2010 GLAMOUR LOUNGE NBA All Star Weekend After Hours
@Third Space 1608-C Main Street, Dallas, TX 75201
http://www.thirdspaceevent.com/
Midnight to Sunrise, 12-6am each night, Friday, Saturday & Sunday February 12-15th, Dallas, TX
Sponsored by MillerCoors...
Follow us on Twitter @glamourlife... Sphere: Related Content
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Happy New Year Beautiful Peeps!
2009 was not an ordinary year. Seems like most years that end in 9 have been remarkable. I keenly remember 1989, 1999, and no doubt will remember 2009. President Barack Obama won the Presidency. Making history with an inaugaration event in DC that was bigger than the Million March. It was cold as ever that day, but hundreds of thousands of people endured the elements with elation. Me and my family walked from Southeast through Capitol Hill and on to the Mall with so much spirit, hope, optimism, and surprise realizing we were living through the dawn of a new age for our world.
2009 was a very good year, but even more complex. Steelers won the Superbowl, Yankees won the World Series, SE Titans won the #DMV 65 pound title, and the Penguins hoisted the cup. My teams truly helped make the year memorable! 2009 also had its lows. We lost Michael Jackson. My Godsister Erika Harper and her two young sons were brutally murdered by her deranged husband. My wife's grandmother got diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. The recession deepened and turned the optimism of the nation that saw no flaws in our President into amnesiacs that blamed the worsening job losses, Wall Street corruption, failed banks, bankrupt corporations, and economic devastation, and almost every other societal ill on our newly elected royal family. In spite of all these trials and tribulations, 2009 was phenomenal.
Every year is fleeting. Every year is complex. Every year should be cherished. God has blessed us all with more than we deserve, and we must repay by living each day as if it were our last. The Gaskins and Glamourlife will remain committed to excellence. Continuous improvement is how we have lived, and will continue to live every day of our lives. Happy New Year to everyone. We wish you nothing but the best in 2010.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Blizzard of 2009, Happy Holidays from the Nation's Capital
I am an eternal optimist; except when it comes to DC area weather reports. DC is notorious for hyperbole in the Winter forecast. So much so, that retail stores become bazaars where customers fight over gallons of milk, loaves of bread, and other essentials at the mere mention of snow. Usually this is played out when we get a Winter storm warning of 2 or more inches, and ultimately end up with a light dusting, or just cold rain. So imagine the scenes when the weather forecasts for the #DMV area predicted 2 plus feet of snow?! Chaos & Disorder for real.
I was extremely skeptical, and borderline angry. It was the height of the Holiday shopping season, and all these frantic people were clogging up roads, cleaning out store shelves, and creating pandemonium. Having lived in Iowa, Chicago, Detroit, and Minneapolis, snow is something I have become accustomed to. DC has always managed to wow with exceptional storms though. I can harken back to the great storms of my youth. Blizzards of '76, '87, '94' etc. All seemed like fantastic surprises, and not an annual right of passage like so many hardened Midwest regions that handle snow adroitly. But even still, DC always gets hit with the strong NorEaster that runs up the coast every 5 or so years, and pummels DC, Baltimore, Philly, NYC, Boston, and the whole corridor.
Unlike the Midwest though, when that storm hits, it takes days and weeks for the Washington region to recover. I remember my years at University of Iowa, we would get incredible snowfall. What was more impressive was that everything continued like business as usual. Buses ran on time, classes continued, and businesses almost never shut down. Trucks had roads pre-salted before the first flakes touched the ground, and hours after a storm ended, even sideroads were plowed completely clean.
The Nation's Capital is notorious for snow storm ineptitude. Our snow trucks still laughably use sand. I know its environmentally better, and given the historical nature of our region, more eco-friendly and sustainable preserves the roads, but salt flat out gets the job done when sand cannot. Not to mention, that DC does not have enough trucks to plow its 1,100 miles of roads, and has a policy to not plow alleys at all. That means when we do get our big snow storms, you better truly be ready to disconnect from the grid for days on end. Because the city and all businesses, roads, transit, Metro, etc. will shut down completely leaving you to fend for yourself. There is actually something quite pure and true about that though. A sort of pioneer mentality that forces neighbors to help each other. You see kids shoveling elderly neighbors steps and walkways out of necessity and community. Those same kids are quick to throw a snowball your way too for great spontaneous snowball fights. Usually, guns are not involved, but that is another story about the arrogant officer who let his pride get the best of him on the corner of 14th & U Streets in NW, DC. We will save that for another day, as this is our story of the blizzard.
In any event, the weatherman FINALLY nailed it. In SE, DC, we were blessed with 25+ inches of beautiful, powdery snow. It snowed for 20 straight hours with relentless yet beautiful grace. My kids were euphoric. Me and the Mrs. were even caught up in the fun too. 4 days after the great blizzard of '09, DC has yet to completely dig out. Kids are still sledding, schools are still closed, and the entire #DMV region is on an extended Christmas Holiday break. Happy Holidays to all. Enjoy some of our photos from the midst of the most recent storm of the century. We can't wait for the next one...
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