It’s that time of the year again. Plans for Park(ing) Day DC is currently underway! The global event to occupy “metered” public spaces and turn them into temporary public places known as Park(ing) Day will be held on September 17, 2010.
In 2009, we had the opportunity to work with organizers from Park(ing) Day DC to plot a space along Garden District by 14th and S in Northwest. We’re also glad to be on board for the second time this year. Organizers are looking into several locations as we plan to reach out to more participants for the September 17th date. The short video below was filmed during Park(ing) Day 2009 in several cities, including DC and NYC. Will you join us this year?
For more information about Park(ing) Day DC,registration or general inquiries, please direct all correspondence to info@parkingdaydc.org.
I spotted a new mural created by Kelly Towles at the intersection of 12th + W streets (NW) in June. This has been one of Kelly’s biggest murals (that I have seen) to date.
Description of Scout provided by the artist:
“A new mural by street artist Kelly Towles in his hometown of Washington DC. The mural and short film explore a DC neighborhood with a child like sense of exploration. A quick take on what most people should do in their own area of the city.”
Check out a video of Kelly’s installation by Sebastien Tobler.
The District Ranks is a series of blog entries about DC rankings and statistics found in articles, research study and reports.
The Daily Beast compiled a list of the most caffeinated cities across the country. The following categories were used during their research:
1) The availability of coffee
2) The average monthly outlay for coffee
3) Total caffeine consumption from all sources, including tea, sweets, energy drinks and pills
The District landed on the 11th spot among a list of twenty cities. (more…)
The 2010 Virgin Mobile FreeFest lineup was announced on July 20th. The music festival will be returning to Merriweather Post Pavilion. “Free-sale” tickets will be available on Friday, July 23rd at 10 AM for previous Virgin Mobile Festival ticket holders and Virgin Mobile customers who will receive a special code via text or email this week. General “free” tickets will be released to the public on www.ticketfly.com on Saturday, July 24th at 10 a.m. on a first come, first serve basis. (more…)
Shot from the Hip by Brandon Bloch
The hip-hop theater festival kicked off on Monday, July 6th with a live showcase of Turntablism at the Kennedy Center. The week long festival is presented by the DC Commission of Arts and Humanities (DCCAH). This was also the first time that turntablism was highlighted during the festival’s 9th year [...]
The DC Office of Planning (OP), Washington DC Economic Partnership (WDCEP) along with a team of consultants and individuals from DC’s creative community published the Creative DC Action Agenda, Retail Action Strategy, and Green Collar Jobs Demand Analysis to highlight the District’s emerging economy in creativity, green, technology, non-profit and education initiatives. As stated by Ally, actionomics[dc], addresses strengths and opportunities across different aspects of Washington’s thriving community.
How can we become involved in revitalizing our beloved city?
Innovate, Activate + Collaborate
“actionomics[dc] builds on the District’s emerging strengths. Findings from recent research efforts have helped increase understanding about these strengths and the multi-faceted nature of DC’s economy.” (more…)
It was only a matter of time that a third Vietnamese noodle soup restaurant will find it’s way into another busy intersection of NW (in Gallery Place/Chinatown) to serve the classic dish of Phở. As reported by fellow bloggers, Dan of PoP and Paul of MVT, Pho DC will be opening soon.
The new restaurant will be located at 608 H Street, NW.
What makes this pho restaurant unique in comparison to their counterparts in Columbia Heights (Pho Viet and Pho 14) is their application for a license with ABRA.
DC’s premiere creative and musical outlets–ReadysetDC and The Couch Sessions–are partnering up to offer area producers and musicians an exclusive opportunity to have their music featured during the innovative TEDxPennQuarter Conference this summer. The collaboration, in the interest of cross-promotion and cultivating and supporting the innovative music community in the DC creative community, will select 14 tracks to be used as a part of the TEDxPennQuarter festivities.
The TEDxPennQuarter Conference takes place on July 11th at the Newseum and will bring together some of the world’s best thinkers and influencers to the Nation’s Capital for an innovative day long conference. Selected artists will have their tracks featured in speaker introductions and video credits as well as have their work featured on The Couch Sessions and ReadysetDC.
Participants will upload their entries for review via SoundCloud.com. The deadline for submissions is July 3rd, 2010. Entries will be judged by members of all participating organizations, and winners will be announced on July 7th, 2010. (more…)
Music
♬♬♬
Holy Ghost, Bird Peterson, Willy Joy, Reed Rothchild + Deep Sang
U Street Music Hall
1115 U Street NW
Washington, DC
June 19, 2010 at 7pm
Admission: $10
Geoffrey Chang, also known as Toyz aRe Us, is a local bboy and instructor at DC Dance Collective and Words, Beats and Life, Inc. Following our last conversation back in August 2009, Toyz and I sat down to discuss his last tour and upcoming schedule this summer. From local and international dance competitions to his involvement in the local community, Chang continues to focus on the art of bboyin’ by applying three principles to advance in the acrobatic hip-hop dance style.
Atek: What have you been up to since we last spoke?
Toyz: I have been dancing, just doing what I’ve always done. Although, I had a knee injury and took off some time to recuperate. I also went to the Philippines for the first time early June.
Atek: Were you on tour?
Toyz: Yes, I was part of the Unity Tour in the Philippines. I was traveling alongside L.T. (Lionz Of Zion), KevRock (FLOROX crew) and Justice (House Of Reps crew). I had a great time while I was there. It’s a beautiful country. Their beaches are amazing and all the women were beautiful (laughs)!
Atek: What was your greatest experience abroad?
Toyz: My greatest experience abroad would be my recent Philippines trip! I was there for about two and a half weeks. We explored so much of Baguio City, it’s a surreal experience.
Toyz: I teach nearly everyday and try to get help when I am on tour. It can become hectic based on my attendance at local international gigs, which are scheduled during my schedule. In the event that I have to be away from home for a long period of time, I find a suitable substitute to teach for me. Usually, it’s one of my crew members or someone who is skilled and patient enough to teach my students.
Atek: If you can battle anyone in the world, who would they be and why?
Toyz: I would like to battle everyone! Battling makes you stronger and better as a b-boy! I don’t really think about “WHO” to battle. Instead, I focus on practicing to become a better dancer. Also, I don’t seek out targets to destroy.
Atek: Is that part of your philosophy?
Toyz: My philosophy in b-boyin is to expand and apply more to the dance, to elevate it even further and take it as far as I can go in terms of difficulty, style and technique. I want to take this dance to the next level while preserving the history, culture and its foundation. Without those three, it wouldn’t be anything.
Atek: Nice! Aside from instructing classes this summer, what else do you have lined up on your schedule? Are you going to any jams in the area?
Toyz: I have a few dates locked in right now. I’ll be in the next Freshest Of All Time (Part III) in DC next month.The next international jam that I’ll be attending is in Austria, the motherland of the Governator (laughs)!
Atek: What about Crafty Bastards? Are you going to register for the battle?
Toyz: If I’m not busy during that time, I will likely enter!
Atek: Lastly, any thoughts about your competition on Saturday night at DCWEEK’s closing techArts party (located at the 9:30 Club)?
Toyz: I’m not worried about it. I’m just going to do my best and dance my butt off! I just hope the music will be really hyped and the crowd will be supportive! I predict that it will be one hell of a show!
Atek: Fantastic! I can’t wait to see you on Saturday Toyz!
All photos by Justin Young
“I hope people will invest in DC art and help its growth. We have it, the concept is there but the city needs to nurture it.”
Aniekan Udofia‘s work will be presented at Activation 440: The Artist Bazaar. The intricate details presented in his images causes us to see the world through [...]
All thanks to YOUR emails, phone calls and tweets, an amendment was made yesterday for the funding of DC Streetcars. Late Tuesday evening, we sent out a late tweet about the City Council’s fiscal year 2011 budget. We urged DC tweeples to email their council members to support funding for streetcars.
Dan Zak of the Washington Post wrote an article about 2011′s Screen On the Green and ackowledged that Jesse and his group of volunteers had successfully brought back Screen on the Green through the use of social media. By the end of the day, DC citizens proved that social media is powerful and that it can make an impact for social change.
Red Bull’s Manny Mania skateboarding contest will be hosted in 25 countries worldwide to find the best in manual tricks. The competition will make a stop in the District on June 19th at the Washington Kastles Stadium before going to New York for the World Final. The event will also be held a day before “Go Skateboarding Day” to celebrate skateboarding around the globe.
Last year’s Palace to Pulaski II for “Go Skateboarding Day” had 500-600 kids shredding down 14th Street, from local skateshop Palace 5ive to the heart of DC skateboarding, Pulaski Park (also known as Freedom Plaza). (more…)
Miss Whiskeys
June 2, 2010 at 5 PM “We are the DC Brau guys, and we’re definitely trying to ferment our own American Dream.”
Beer lovers, we have learned from DC Beer that DC Brau (a new brewing company based in the District) will be teaching a homebrewing tutorial at Miss Whiskey’s on June 2, 2010. Owners of DC Brau, Jeff Hancock and Brandon Skall, will launch their new venture soon. The company will be the first brewery located in the District since 1956. (more…)
Please join us on the last evening of the 10 day festival focused on technology, innovation, creativity and all things digital in the District. The evening will feature local DJs, bands and artists selected by you, the residents of DC. This is also an opportunity for up and coming artists in DC to be showcased at one of the best live-music venues. Fans will be able to VOTE and SUBMIT favorite musicians, DeeJays and bands HERE. Voting will end on June 1st, and artists will be selected on June 2nd for techARTS at DC’s legendary 9:30 Club. Come out to support the local music scene and have a drink with Digital DC!
“Few rules exist” to the game, as one of the organizers stated during a conversation with ReadysetDC. Formerly known as “Journey into the Night”, Survive DC is back for it’s third installment on Saturday, May 15, 2010.
Teams liks, “Bros For The Win” and “The Lisa Frank Banditos”, will face stiff competition as they compete against each [...]
For the current viewing of “In the Realm of the Buddha“, the Sackler Gallery hosted Asia After Dark: Tibetan Twilight on Thursday, April 28th. It was an evening full of music, performances, food, drinks and activities for young Washingtonians.
Colors of blue, red, white, green and yellow were chosen for the evening’s theme to honor significant colors of the Tibetan Buddhist culture. Representing space, air, fire, water and earth, each represents a specific mantra that has been scribed on to the “dar cho” (prayer flag). Prayer flags were placed neatly around the railings of the staircase that lead participants to the reception area.
We were able to locate one of the main exhibits, “The Tibetan Shrine from the Alice S. Kandell Collection”, after getting through the crowd upon entrance to the second level.
Bronze sculptures were on display in a room that resembles a sanctuary located within a small Buddhist temple. The rare collection (presented to the public for the first time) has hundreds of buddha and bodhisattva figures.
Image Source: Sackler Gallery
My favorite sculptures was one of the bodhisattva Tara (from the 17th century) and a figure of the (Hindu and Buddhist) monkey deity, Hunuman. (more…)
All thanks to the fluttering responses showcased on Twitter, Facebook groups and the local blogosphere, HBO partnered up with Comcast to resume the summer favorite, ‘Screen on the Green’, in 2009. Last summer also marked the tenth year of the outdoor film series around the grounds of the Washington Monument, an activity that many residents have enjoyed for years after sunset.
Will SOTG return to the National Mall in Summer 2010?
This year, HBO has yet to provide confirmation of the eleventh edition of SOTG, causing the same predicament last summer. Although the answer remains indefinite, the details to a new campaign is currently being finalized by a local group (sponsored by the D.C. Film Alliance).
![At Home w/ Aniekan Udofia [Activation 440]](http://readysetdc.com/wp-content/files_flutter/1277222644_15_1_1_7_rsdc_postThumbImage.jpg)
All thanks to the fluttering responses showcased on Twitter, Facebook groups and the local blogosphere, HBO partnered up with Comcast to resume the summer favorite, ‘Screen on the Green’, in 2009. Last summer also marked the tenth year of the outdoor film series around the grounds of the Washington Monument, an activity that many residents have enjoyed for years after sunset.
