Can't You Smell That Smell?

The Washington Post can.  That explains the unpleasant smells on the walk from the Law Center to Judiciary Square.  

Spreading the Wealth, and the Chili

Courtesy of Jill, Bill Cosby's got company on Ben's Chili Bowl's list of those who dine for free: the Obama family.

What I would give to have a meal at Ben's with the Obama family.  Especially considering that, by all accounts, Obama doesn't like junk food.  More chili cheese fries for me.

Woo!

First Safeway, now Busboys and Poets is open around the corner, too.  Sweet.

Alumni Event at Indebleu

Anybody going to this shindig?

Indebleu
707 G Street NW
Washington, DC 20001

6:30 p.m.

As the title of the blog alludes to oh-so-cleverly, all things Georgetown also capture my interest. Kudos to the alumni powers-that-be for putting together a multi-city event for alums, but between the time (dinnertime), the day of the week (Thursday may be the new Friday, but they're not Friday) , and the swanky location, I'm a little intimidated and not too likely to go.

Also, for an event that was heavily marketed toward young alums, why isn't it at a more young-alum-friendly location (Rocket Bar, etc.)? Indebleu's website promotes bottle service for late nights Thurs-Sat.  Even if the event is pre-$200/$500 minimum time, something tells me it's still going to be $9 beer night.  

New Course Restaurant

Highly Recommended. At 3rd and E Streets, NW, this place serves breakfast and lunch for bare-bones prices M-F. I had a great club sandwich there on Wednesday--any place that carves turkey, ham, and roast beef per order is doing things well.  Looking to try it out for breakfast later this week.

Beyond that, it has a great mission: "Our goal is to provide the highest quality food and service to our customers while operating a successful catering business. Our mission is to train homeless and chronically unemployed men and women for a future in the food service industry by providing hands-on culinary arts training." 

More on their website here: http://www.newcoursecatering.com/

Levi's Port Cafe

1102 8th St. SE, Washington, DC

Highly recommended.  Jill and I went there for lunch on my birthday, and aside from incredibly friendly service (and a free slice of birthday cake, complete with candle and singing), the food is fantastic.  On Barracks Row (between Eastern Market and Nationals Park), it has fantastic soul food and North Carolina-style BBQ.  Great fried chicken and chopped pork, in particular, as well as macaroni and cheese.  Affordable, too--2 large lunches, plus sodas, plus tax, came out to around $22.  

There's also sweet tea, which as a New Yorker, I don't see as a selling point, but Jill gave it her Texas seal of approval, so who am I to judge?

The Lifestyle

It's a strange blend of a monastic existence of focusing on texts for a good period of time, living in an "apartment-style dorm" (got my own bedroom, share the common space/kitchen/bathroom) on the law center campus near my classes/the gym. Mix that with a young adult life in DC (new restaurants, meeting with friends, sporting events, etc.), and you have a fair approximation. On Saturdays, I'm hoping to get out to Northern Virginia to do some canvassing for Barack (more on the first outing later).  Living in "downtown" as opposed to Georgetown definitely has its benefits, too: I'm 4 minutes from the Judiciary Sq. metro, 8 minutes from Chinatown, 5 minutes from Union Station, and 15 minutes from Eastern Market (all times walking), plus, my arteries have cleared up due to the distance between me and Philly Pizza (although it did just get a few blocks closer: http://www.thehoya.com/node/16225) .