Sum Random Knowledge

More Hurricane Irene damage in Bethesda

2011-08-29T18:17:00.000-04:00

My last post talked about how Irene took it easy on us and Pepco did a better job than usual keeping the lights on. I think I was a bit hasty on both counts. I lost power this afternoon for almost an hour, yeah, during the sunny, calm part of the day. Also, I've seen a bit more damage, I'll start with the most visually impressive.

This house on the corner of Greentree Road and Old Georgetown Road near NIH really got clobbered. A tree fell right across the center of it, totally ripping through the attic. The tree is now gone and there is just a gaping hole in the roof. I see there is the red sticker saying this house isn't suitable for occupation on the front door. Next to this house there is a large, white SUV that I always see and wonder how they get such a big vehicle in such a little parallel parking space, a tree fell on it too, partially crushing the roof (Bethesda Patch has some photos of it, and other storm damage).

Last post one of the commenters noted that a tree had fallen across the Capital Crescent Trail at the country club. I took a walk there over lunch and it had been partially cleared. You could walk or bike through without slowing down, but there were still some largish bits of tree on the trail.

Twitter user @kangkanglanlan posted this image of another car hit by a tree in Bethesda.

Hurricane Irene takes it easy on Bethesda

2011-08-28T22:28:00.000-04:00

After all the news leading up to Hurricane Irene's arrival in Bethesda, MD, it turned out not to be so bad. There was rain, but not too much. There was also wind, but again, not too much. Pepco's tree trimming campaign must have had some effect because there weren't even too many power outages.

I drove around this morning and lots of streets had extra leaves and small branches on them, the picture at the top is a pretty typical example.

There was a bit of damage though, this house had a pine tree fall on it, that tree then broke off and the top also fell on the back of the house.

Getting used to earthquakes

2011-08-25T07:41:00.000-04:00

I didn't think it would happen this fast, but I am actually getting used to the earthquakes. Last night at just after 1am there was another earthquake. It was fairly large for the area at 4.5. I woke up, felt the bed rumble, heard all the pictures rattle and thought to myself, hey, an aftershock. I then went back to sleep. I didn't think of getting up and checking on the house at all. A year ago I would have been awake with adrenaline pumping for hours.

Earthquake, rattle, and roll

2011-08-23T22:06:00.001-04:00

Today, at 1:51pm we had an earthquake. As east-coast earthquakes go, this was big, a 5.8, and it lasted a long time too, it seemed to be about 45 seconds. Fortunately, there wasn't much damage, but over-reaction mode was in full effect, lots of office buildings closed, all the DC monuments closed, Metro ran at 15 miles an hour (until 10pm when it went up to 30 mph).

I was at home when it happened and after about 10 seconds it started getting stronger and I decided to exit the house. But then I went back in, its hard to decide which place is safest. Earthquakes are rare around here, but they do happen. There was a 3.4 quake in Gaithersburg last year, and there are quite a few that are too small to feel.

Damage was very light, I hunted around the house and the worst thing I found was this:

Yeah, not much. There was also stuff knocked of shelves but no damage.

A few hours after the quake I found another bit of damage, a water main break in the neighborhood. Again, nothing big.

Happy fourth of July

2011-07-04T12:28:00.000-04:00

Happy fourth everyone I hope you have a good one. There are lots of places to see fireworks this evening. If you don't want to go to the national mall you van go to Einstein high school or the fireworks in Rockville.

Local neighborhoods are getting into the spirit too,this morning I went to the bicycle parade at Wildwood.

Matuba Sushi Restaurant

2011-06-20T10:26:00.000-04:00

I've been by Matuba many times, but hidden in the back of this unassuming restaurant is a all you can eat sushi bar with a sushi conveyor!

At the sushi bar a continuously refreshed stream of sushi comes trundling by. The sushi is made right in front of you. Occasionally they bring out non-sushi food like chicken teriyaki, and edamame.

It's all you can eat so take as much as you want. I piled up a couple of stacks of plates

I've never eaten at a sushi bar with a conveyor so, but I was pleased and want to go back. Matuba is located at 4918 Cordell Avenue Bethesda, MD

Coming Soon to Bethesda!

2011-06-17T08:57:00.000-04:00

There are a few new stores coming to Bethesda, MD in the coming weeks and months. Here are some that I have noticed.

Irons Fitness is coming directly above the Safeway. This will be super convenient for people living in the apartment building there or across the skywalk. They claim to be "Bethesda's Premier Personal Training Studio" but since there not open yet I don't see how that can be true. Sounds like a typical marketing lie to me.

Jettie's is opening a location in Bethesda right at Veteran's park next to BGR. Some of those sandwiches look really good, I'll have to try it.

Parva Latin Fusion Restaurant & Lounge is coming to the spot where Anseethi was on Woodmont Avenue, right around the corner from Jettie's.

Recent additions to Bethesda, MD

2011-06-16T08:47:00.001-04:00

In the past month or two there have been a number of new stores that have opened in Bethesda, MD. Here are a sampling of some of them.

First, we have Pizzaria Da Marco on Woodmont Avenue. It's claim to fame is wood-fired pizzas and the oven is so hot that it only takes 90 seconds to cook them. (I timed one, it actually took less than 90 seconds.)

In the same building but facing Cordell Avenue is LA Boxing.

Cordell Avenue is also home to Freddy's Lobster + Clams.

I'm not sure if this is a new restaurant or just a name change (I suspect the latter). What was Brooklyn's Pizzaria is now Red Tomato Pizzaria. It is on Old Georgetown Road near the big 5 way intersection.

Fountain at Veteran's park shoots it high

2011-06-03T14:37:00.000-04:00

I was walking to lunch today and noticed that the fountain at Veteran's Park in Bethesda (corner of Woodmont Ave and Norfolk Ave) was shooting water 20+ feet high instead of the more usual 4 feet. It was thoroughly soaking the plaza surrounding it. By the time I got back from lunch the fountain had been turned off.

Emergency Responce at Fitness First

2011-04-04T12:22:00.000-04:00

The fire department was out in force at the Fitness First in Bethesda, MD today shortly before noon. A large number of fire trucks, as well as several ambulances were called and the two right lanes of southbound Wisconsin Ave (MD-355) were closed. When I went by they had the building evacuated and were ventilating it. According to a Fitness First employee there had been a freon leak.

The Bethesda Mattress District

2011-03-21T08:53:00.002-04:00

Did you know that Bethesda has a Mattress District? Yup, it's true, lots of places to buy mattresses all conveniently close to each other. We have a Mattress Discounters, then 3 or 4 stores down is a Mattress Warehouse, then, 2 stores after that, they are putting in a Sleepy's. Directly across the street is a Healthy Back Store. Wow, the selection.

I think a Mattress district is more useful than a Hammock district.

Construction starting on Old Georgetown Rd

2011-03-18T06:27:00.000-04:00

Over the past couple of days they have been preparing to start the road resurfacing project on Old Georgetown Road near the downtown area of Bethesda, MD.

You may recall that last year they resurfaced a stretch of the road but stopped short of the downtown area. Now they are going to resurface it from where they left off through the end of the road. If the last project is any indication, there is a lot to do, replace the storm drains, replace the curbs, put in concrete pads where the bus stops are then, finally, grind down and resurface the road itself.

In the mornings they have been closing one lane southbound (toward Bethesda) starting a bit before 9:00 am. I'd wish they would wait until after 9 because this does cause traffic to back up quickly.

Taking a trip to the National Museum of Natural History

2011-03-17T10:17:00.000-04:00

Every once in a while I venture out of Bethesda, MD and into the wilds of Washington DC. Last week I went to the National Museum of Natural History (aka, the Dead Animal Museum). I took the red line to Metro Center and walked south for a few blocks (Federal triangle is closer but it isn't worth switching lines). Admission to the museum is free.

There are a few non-american, non-natural artifacts in the museum, such as this Maoi from Easter Island. It wasn't actually as tall as I thought it would be, probably about 15 feet. I always imagined they would tower over you.

The main attraction, however, is the dead animals. There's a giant elephant in the main rotunda and lions, tigers, giraffes, squid, whale bones, etc. You might how this is different than going to the zoo, there are a couple of ways it is. At the zoo, the animals are a ways a way, they may not be out, or they may be lying down in the shade (and obviously, they move). At this museum, the animals are right there, just a couple of feet in front of you, posed so you can get a good look at them. You get a much better idea of the size of the animals when you are standing right next to them.

In the basement are cabinets of birds, all birds that either live in or migrate through the D.C. area. I had no idea that there were so many (over 500 species).

If dead animals aren't your bag, they do have a small selection of living ones, mostly small. There is a colony of bees, some four inch long cockroaches, various shrimp, and of course, the butterfly exhibit. Unlike most museums and exhibits in DC, the butterfly exhibit costs money, $6 for adults and $5 for children (it is free for everyone on Tuesdays). There are over 20 species of butterflies at any given time, fluttering around, sipping nectar and occasionally landing on people. It is neat to see them and worth the price of admission.

There is really too much to see in one visit, you can see their website for a full list of exhibits. I also saw the Ocean exhibit, the insect zoo, and the hall of human origins. Some that I didn't get a chance to see included Gems and minerals (including the Hope diamond), the dinosaur exhibit, and the discovery room (hands on exhibits).

New traffic lights at Woodmont Ave and Edgemoor Ln in Bethesda

2011-03-15T08:44:00.000-04:00

They are in the early stages of putting new traffic lights in on the corner of Woodmont Avenue and Edgemoor Lane near Bethesda Metro station. Yesterday the right and left lanes were blocked with work trucks.

The existing poles for the lights and walk signals are very rusty, new ones are needed.

The foundations for the new posts have been poured, This big one and smaller ones at the other corners. Presumably, this large one will be fore the pole that holds the lights and the smaller ones will be for walk signals.

Here's the same intersection from a different angle.

Signs of Spring in Bethesda

2011-03-03T11:10:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was a pretty nice day, lots of sun and a little warm (but too windy). As I was walking around Bethesda I noticed they were putting in some spring flowers (pansies) at Bethesda Metro Plaza. It's nice to see some signs that spring is finally on its way.

Lunching at Geste in Bethesda

2011-02-25T09:29:00.001-05:00

Not quite two weeks ago, Geste Wine & Food opened on 4801 Edgemoor Ln in Bethesda, MD right next to the Chipotle. I'd been looking forward to it since their menu seems perfect for lunch. Just enough variety that they aren't a one trick pony but not so much that they can't do anything well.

I've been there twice so far. The first time I got the Chicken Pummaro Panini, it was very good and filling. Sliced chicken, fresh mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, and pesto sauce. I think it could have stood another minute on the panini grill, but I had to get it to go so it could have cooled off a bit before I ate it.

The next time I got the 10 inch Caprese pizza. It is a white pizza with fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, tomatoes, and basil. The mozzarella and basil are added after it comes out of the oven and the coldness of that goes with the warmth of the pizza. This pizza was really, really good I'm looking forward to getting it again. 10 inches of pizza is a lot and I had a bit of trouble finishing it all, I could easily have saved the last quarter of it for another meal.

They also have a limited selection of wine by the glass and have bottles of wine and beer. It looks like they are still filling out their wine selection.

There isn't alot of seating there, I counted 7 tables but some of them were pushed next to each other. When the weather gets warmer the outside tables that are shared with Chipotle will be a welcome option.

The Purple Line functional plan

2011-02-08T20:57:00.000-05:00

I see today that the approved and adopted Purple Line Functional Plan is available. A 61 page pdf file with lots of aerial views with the exact route of the purple line overlaid. If you are curious about what the current plan is and how close the purple line is going to be to places you like to go, you can pretty quickly scroll through it and see.

The purple line has been in the planning stage for a long time and it will affect Bethesda, MD pretty significantly since the final station is here.

Mid-day in Bethesda, After the snow

2011-01-27T12:48:00.004-05:00

Last night I went to bed to the sound of snapping limbs and flashes from transformers arcing. Surprisingly, I woke up with power, but with no internet/cable TV. I think I got off pretty lucky. I headed out around lunch time and saw someone else who was lucky, a very large branch had snapped part way off and was hanging about two feet above their car. That's close.

The roads now are good, the sun, warmer temperatures, and plowing have really cleaned up the major roads, if you can get out of your neighborhood you can probably get to where you are going.

The sidewalks in downtown Bethesda, MD are spotty, there are lots of them that haven't been shoveled yet, but many have been.

There is lots of snow still stuck to the branches of trees but it is steadily falling off, so look up before going under a tree to make sure you aren't going to be hit by a chunk of snow.

The snow is coming down hard in Bethesda

2011-01-26T18:03:00.003-05:00

After a day of rain (and jokes about schools closing on account of light drizzle) the snow finally arrived. Wet snow coming down at a rapid rate, just like the weather people promised. Traffic, which was moving steadily at 4pm was barely crawling by 5pm It took me 45 minutes to go about 3 miles leaving downtown Bethesda, MD. The plows that I had seen earlier in the day were strangely absent. I'm not sure if they were on higher priority roads or just stuck in traffic like the rest of us.
There has also been some thunder and lightning, the first flash I saw I thought was a transformer blowing up, but the streetlights remained on. Hopefully the power will remain on, this heavy, wet snow is perfect for bringing down trees so we will get to see if all the tree trimming Pepco has been doing has the desired effect. (Minutes after posting this I saw reports on twitter of people in Bethesda loosing power.)

We should get around 5 inches and most of it will be done by midnight. Hopefully the road crews will have enough time to clear out the roads for the morning but I wouldn't be surprised to see Montgomery county schools closed for a second day.

What "Track Problems" look like

2011-01-26T10:37:00.003-05:00

Metro is famous for using vague wording. Currently the are reporting "Track Problems" at Bethesda Metro Station. There are probably a dozen emergency vehicles around the station and they aren't letting people down the escalator. A co-worker of mine reported being smelling smoke in the station. The fire department tends to overreact when things involve metro so it could be minor.

Snow, Ice, Rain, Snow

2011-01-26T09:21:00.003-05:00

I woke up early this morning to the sounds of ice pellets hitting my window. That always gets my attention. Overnight we got a little snow, followed by some ice pellets, then it warmed up a bit and it changed to rain. As I write this we are back to ice. Montgomery County Schools are closed today but that seems to be more fear about what could happen later today than current conditions.

The forecast is for rain/ice this morning then this afternoon getting some snow. It looks like Bethesda, MD will get 4-6 inches with more to the north. It could get messy this evening with the rain/slush turning to ice. For those of you new to the area that means everyone should go to the food store over lunch and buy all the milk, toilet paper, bread, and chips. Then, leave work 15 minutes early to "beat the rush" and get stuck in traffic until around 8pm.
Montgomery County plow trucks are out, there isn't a whole lot for them to do at the moment but I did see one waiting on a side street and the one pictured was pushing the slush off the road on Cordell Avenue.

Coming Soon: Geste Food and Wine

2011-01-24T08:30:00.000-05:00

Another Food and Wine place is about to open in Bethesda, MD. Geste' Food and Wine will be offering Beer & Wine to go, with a Cafe offering Pizza, Salads and Sandwiches. This looks like it will be a neat little place to have lunch, the menu includes Pizzas (white, Chicken Al Pesto, Margherita, Caprese and others), Salads (Calamaportebello, Arugola, Greek, etc) and Paninis (Chicken Pummaro, Prosciutto & Mozzarella, Calabria Turkey, etc). This looks interesting and I can't wait till it opens so I can try it.

4801 Edgemoor Ln
Bethesda, MD 20814
telephone: 301-718-1675
(Next to Chipotle, where the Crossfire Grill used to be.)

They do have to decide on how they will present their name. The sign says "Geste Food and Wine", their Craigslist posting (for manager/cashier) says "Geste, Foods & Wines" and their website says "Geste Wine & Food".

Alert Montgomery

2011-01-17T21:08:00.002-05:00

Montgomery County, MD has a great service that notifies you about school closings, severe weather, and other emergencies. It is called Alert Montgomery and it can send the alert to you through email, text message, or pager (I can't recall the last time I saw someone with a pager). It is very customizable too, there are around a dozen categories of alerts with many options within them. For instance, I have signed up to receive alerts for severe weather, rush hour traffic, police alerts for my district and school closings. If you have kids in a public school you can sign up for alerts for that specific school as well.

If you are not into email they are active on twitter and facebook too.

WooHoo, Snow in Bethesda!

2010-12-16T17:45:00.002-05:00

Today we got our first real, accumulating snow of the season. It looks like the total will be around 1.5 inches. Since it has been cold the past few days the snow started sticking immediately.

Roads around Bethesda are generally good. Primary and secondary roads are wet and neighborhood streets have been treated with a sand/salt mix.

Montgomery County public schools stayed open all day but canceled evening activities.

This year's Winter Wonderland

2010-11-29T09:15:00.001-05:00

This year Bethesda will again have it's Winter Wonderland weekend. It starts on Friday December 3rd at 8pm at Imagination stage (4908 Auburn Avenue) with a free Choral Concert featuring American University Gospel Choir, BlueLine, Euphonism, and Georgetown University Phantoms.

On Saturday from 1-4pm it continues in Veteran's Park on the corner of Norfolk Avenue and Woodmont Avenue. There will be live Ice Sculpting from 1-2pm (see the picture below from last year's Wonderland). From 2-4pm there will be Santa Claus and singing by some local schools (Garrett Park Elementary School, Our Lady of Lourdes, Seneca Valley High School, St. Jane de Chantal, Watkins Mill High School, Winston Churchill High School).

Fixing the drains at Montgomery and MD-355

2010-11-24T11:46:00.003-05:00

The past few rainstorms have resulted in a huge puddle in the middle of the road on the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and Montgomery Avenue in Bethesda, MD. I wrote about it (and took pictures) back in September. The cause of the problem was a clogged storm drain right at the corner.

The good news is they have started replacing that drain. Yesterday they were pulling out the old pipe and putting in a shiny new pipe. You can see from the picture below that the old one was in really bad shape. It had corroded through in many places and had lots of dirt built up in the bottom.

They only replaced the dozen or so feet closest to the drain, I don't know if they will be back after the holidays to do some more or if they are done.

New Restaurant Kabob Bazaar opened today

2010-11-23T13:07:00.003-05:00

As I was out and about today I noticed that Kabob Bazaar is now opened. I spoke with one of the people who works there and it turns out that they just opened today. It is where Javian used to be and before that was Mongolian Grill. There is also a Kabob Bazaar on Wilson Blvd in Arlington.

7710 Wisconsin Ave, Bethesda, MD

A fancy little fence

2010-11-22T21:43:00.003-05:00

I noticed these cute little fences around the trees on Old Georgetown Rd near Wisconsin Avenue. Hopefully this is just the start of things and they will put some plants around the base of the trees too.

I'm not sure if this is a Bethesda wide thing or not, but it looks like it is at least around the Clark Building.

The perfect Halloween treat

2010-10-29T20:48:00.002-04:00

I saw these at Hinata Sushi Carryout and Grocery on St Elmo Ave in Bethesda, MD and, given the proximity to Halloween, couldn't resist getting some. They are single serving, snack size dried sardines. Each sardine is about 1.5 to 2 inches long. In addition to the fish, there is a bit of corn syrup and sesame seeds.

Since I got them, I felt obligated to try some. They are crunchy and taste a little bit fishy. If you can get over the fact that you are eating whole fish whose dried out eyes look like they are pleading with you to spare them, they are perfectly edible. I ate about half a package before deciding I had enough. My cat quite enjoyed them and has been asking for more.

According to the nutrition label (The only part of the package that is in english) they have no fat, 3g of sugar, 3g of protein, and 24 calories per serving. A serving is three packages.

Hinata has more than dried fish snacks, they also have fresh sushi and a plethora of other Japanese snacks. If you want something a little out of the ordinary, this is a good place to go.

Not such a bad storm

2010-10-27T10:44:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I got a Montgomery County severe weather alert and expected a pretty bad storm overnight. when you read "WIND FIELDS WILL SUPPORT ORGANIZED LINEAR STORMS CAPABLE OF DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND NOCTURNAL TORNADOES." that is serious. So this morning I was glad that the wind hadn't woken me up and we still had power. It doesn't look like there was much damage here in Bethesda, though I did find a tree on these two cars.

There are lots of things you tend not to think of until something happens and you need to. Finding a body shop is one of those things. Can anyone recomend a good auto-body shop in Montgomery County, MD?

La Madeleine gets a new sign

2010-10-25T20:36:00.005-04:00

Normally I wouldn't post an entry just for a new sign on a restaurant, but today I was walking down Old Georgetown Rd here in Bethesda, MD and I'm like, whoa, what happened. Gone was La Madeleine's calm, beige and brown sign and in its place is a bright yellow and maroon one that really, really stands out.

For comparison, here is the old sign.

Kolmen 3-day makes its way through Bethesda.

2010-10-08T13:17:00.006-04:00

The Susan G. Komen 3-day walk for the cure came through Bethesda, MD this afternoon. It started as a trickle, a few people set up by the Bethesda Metro station, an occasional person or two wearing a pink shirt mixed in with the normal lunch time crowd, making their way up the sidewalk towards Gaithersburg (their stop for the night). Later, it turned into a frequent, larger groups walking along the sidewalk and bunching up as they waited for traffic lights.

There was a good sized cheering section by the Metro who cheered and shouted encouragement to walkers as they went by.

According to the website for this event:
How does Susan G. Komen for the Cure utilize the contributions?
Net proceeds from the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure fund innovative global breast cancer research and local community programs supporting education, screening and treatment. Every major advance in the fight against breast cancer in the last 28 years has been impacted by a Susan G. Komen for the Cure grant.

According to Charity Navigator, for fiscal year 2009,the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization spends 84.4% of its budget on program expenses, 10.5% on administrative expenses, and 6% on fundraising expenses. The president of the charity, Hala G. Moddelmog made $531,924.

Update 4:45pm:
As the afternoon has progressed, the flow of people has really increased. Earlier in the day you'd see groups of 5-10 people waiting to cross streets, now it is more like 15-20. Here are a couple pictures from around 4:30.

Armored Car robbery in Bethesda

2010-10-07T15:17:00.007-04:00

Shortly after noon, two people held up an armored car outside this Wachovia bank on the 7900 block of Wisconsin Ave (MD-355) in Bethesda, MD. The suspects reportedly fled in a black jeep, going northbound on MD-355. There have been other armored car robberies in the DC area in the past week that are possibly related.

The top photo was taken this afternoon and shows the armored car involved in the incident. Police tape had surrounded this vehicle but it was removed prior to the picture.

More information at Patch and TBD.

Taste of Bethesda wrapup

2010-10-02T17:03:00.004-04:00

Taste of Bethesda couldn't have happened on a better day. The sun was shining and it wasn't too hot. The streets were packed, lots of people came out to try the food. I tried a bunch of it myself, the Pad Thai from Bangkok Garden was great, I also tried Lamb Stew from Ri-Ra, some crispy pork dumplings from Hanaro, and Gazpacho from Daily Grill.

It wasn't just food either, I watched The Players Band on the Fairmont Avenue stage for about 20 minutes.

Taste of Bethesda is today

2010-10-02T08:43:00.002-04:00

Today from 11am to 4pm is the 21st annual Taste of Bethesda. This is one of the biggest events in Bethesda, MD each year. There are going to be more than 50 different restaurants participating this year as well as entertainment on 4 stages.

Taste of Bethesda will take over the Woodmont Triangle area of downtown Bethesda closing parts of Norfolk, Fairmont, St. Elmo, Cordell and Del Ray Avenues. It is also a short walk from Bethesda Metro Station. Going on at the same time (and within walking distance) is the Bethesda Chevy Chase Rescue Squad's Rescue Day, giving you an opportunity to see the equipment, get a tour of the station, and see live demonstrations. Also going on is the Come Back to Bethesda classic Car show

More rain, more high water

2010-09-30T10:02:00.001-04:00

The corner of Wisconsin Avenue (MD-355) and Montgomery Ave has been taking a beating the past few rainstorms. Water really pools up in the rightmost northbound lane of MD-355 and you have to drive through it if you are in that lane or if you are crossing on Montgomery Avenue.

This is not the first storm that this has happened, there is a storm drain right on the corner that is clearly clogged. They have put up a "High Water" sign but haven't yet cleared the drain. I saw someone with a large video camera taking video of this corner so it will probably show up on the news at some point.

So far, I've been a bit disappointed in this storm. They promised torrential rain and so far we have only seen heavy rain. The good news is that Bethesda hasn't been hammered with falling trees and power outages.

Welcome to Bethesda, Patch.

2010-09-29T22:46:00.003-04:00

AOL recently started a network of local news sites called patch. At the beginning of the week there Bethesda news site BethesdaPatch started posting articles. It isn't a blog, the articles are longer, newspaper style articles (hopefully with newspaper style fact checking). This is a great addition to the area and I look forward to reading its articles. Welcome.

Don't even ask... Go Away

2010-09-16T10:19:00.000-04:00

You gotta love a sign which says "Don't Even Ask... Go Away". This one is on the Barking Dog's delivery entrance on Elm Street in Bethesda, MD. The full sign reads: No Deliveries between 11:AM - 2:00 PM Monday - Friday "Don't even ask... Go Away"

Bethesda comings and goings

2010-09-14T08:41:00.002-04:00

A number of new restaurants and stores have opened in Bethesda, MD in the past couple of months. Some I have written about but others I haven't. I was sorry to see Austin Grill, a long time resident of Bethesda Row leave us. I will also miss Organic To Go, it only lasted six months or so.

New to the area is Taylor Gourmet and Vapiano which I just wrote about and across the street from them, American Tap Room.

Food Wine & Co just opened last week on Wisconsin Avenue where there used to be a Pizzeria Uno.

Fresh Grill I already wrote about, but across the street, the former Costa Del sol is now Valparaiso Eterno, both of these have free WiFi and are on Fairmont Avenue.

La Zeez Mediterranean Grill snuck in while I wasn't looking, I'm not sure when it opened.

In the past few weeks Yamas Mediterranean Grill also opened near the corner of Woodmont Ave and Rugby Ave. I hear they make their own gyro meat so I have to try them out.

It isn't just restaurants, Henry & Y Couture just opened late last week at the former location of D. Gilpin Jewelers on St. Elmo Avenue.

Not everything is open yet, Uptown Deli is still coming soon. Also coming soon is Cava, where Organic To Go was on Bethesda Ave and Annies Bistro Francais on St. Elmo where Cafe Gelato was.

The Waygoose isn't leaving us, it is just moving from Bethesda Avenue to 4926 Hampden Lane.

Taylor Gourmet and Vapiano are here

2010-09-13T08:24:00.000-04:00

I have been following the progress of this building on Woodmont Avenue between Hampden Lane and Elm Street ever since they started tearing down the old one. Although Equinox Fitness hasn't opened yet, two of the tenants have. Taylor Gourmet serves really good, huge sandwiches on crusty, chewy bread. I had one last week and really liked it.

I haven't been to Vapiano yet but it is a world-wide chain of Italian restaurants serving made-to-order hand tossed pizzas, fresh, house-made pasta and hand tossed gourmet salads.

There has always been a bit of a dead zone on Woodmont Ave between Elm St and Old Georgetown Rd, in that multi-block stretch there was a single restaurant and no other retail. This new building shrinks that dead zone by a block. Two new restaurants and some great-looking landscaping along the street really make the area look nice.

Payphones in Bethesda

2010-09-09T09:52:00.002-04:00

I was reading a set of "where are they now" posts at the payphone project, going back to where payphones existed in the past and seeing if they remain (most don't) It is interesting to see how rapidly pay phones have gone from being critical to being in the way. It got me wondering about the status of pay phones in Bethesda, MD. I've run across a couple, such as this one on Bethesda Avenue:

And another that hasn't faired so well at the Tastee Diner:

If you know of any others that still exist in Bethesda, let me know in the comments, I'll try and get pictures of them before they are gone. Feel free to share any Bethesda payphone related stories you have too. The payphone project has a sure to be outdated list of phones, I may try to track some of them down.

Update Sept 18:
Here are some ones that I have found so far. First, the one Ken pointed out on the 7900 block of Norfolk Avenue.

There is still one by the front door of the police station on Montgomery Avenue.

This one is at a gas station on Highland Avenue near Wisconsin Avenue.

Update September 27:
Here's three more I have found.

On Fairmont Avenue near Old Georgetown Rd at the BP gas station.

At Bethesda Library, right next to the book return.

In the bus bays at Bethesda Metro Station. There are actually five phones in this bank, three on the front and two on the back.

That's all I've been able to find, if you know of any more, let me know in the comments and I will try and get a picture.

Review: Fresh Grill

2010-09-08T09:34:00.000-04:00

Fresh Grill has been open for a couple of months but I just noticed it this week. It's specialty is Angus burgers and it has gotten very good reviews on both yelp and chowhound so maybe their website's claim that they are "the most talked about burger bistro in Bethesda" has some truth to it.

The interior is open, you walk up to the counter to order and you can watch them cook your meal while you wait. There are also a couple of TVs so you can watch while you wait or eat. Food is cooked to order so you will have a bit of a wait for your burgers. There is outdoor seating for when the weather is nice.

The menu is burgers, burgers, more burgers, and a couple of other things. Three quarters of the first page of it is dedicated to "Build Your Own Angus Burger", then they have 10 additional signature angus burgers. Filling out the selection is the "Sandwich of the month" (pork loin right now), a chicken sandwich, a fish sandwich, two salads (grilled chicken and shrimp) and fish and chips. They also have beer, wine, and soda. All the sandwiches are served with seasoned, freshly made potato chips.

Just to be different, I got the WGC (World's greated chicken sandwich): grilled, marinated chicken over house slaw on a bistro bun with lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo. The house slaw is marinated and just a little tangy, it isn't a creamy, mayonnaise based coleslaw. It was delicious, the slaw really perked up the chicken. The chips were both a strength and a weakness, it is nice to see something besides fries, the seasoning was great, most of the chips were just the right crispness, but a few of them were a bit less than fully crisp.

Other reviews I have read drool over their burgers so I went back a second time to try the Mushroom Madness burger. Swiss cheese, portabella mushrooms and saute button mushrooms. As promised, it was tasty, juicy, and tender. The mushrooms had a flavor of their own and whatever sauce they were cooked in didn't overwhelm the burger at all. It is a very good burger indeed.

For a burger place, it isn't cheap, running around $10 each. These aren't your regular burgers though, they are half pound angus beef burgers cooked to perfection and very tasty. However they are prepared, they are still hamburgers, don't expect a life changing experience from them.

An interesting No Parking sign in Bethesda

2010-09-06T22:11:00.003-04:00

I was walking down Elm Street today and saw this interesting handmade no parking sign. It says "No Parking, the Police are ticketing! No Parking" I'm not sure what the root cause of this is. Did someone get annoyed that people were parking where they shouldn't? Did someone's client's car get ticketed? who knows. Right above this sign is the real no parking sign.

[where: Elm St, Bethesda, MD]

New Subway at Georgetown Square.

2010-08-30T07:03:00.003-04:00

In the past month a new Subway sandwiches opened in the Georgetown Square shopping center on the corner of Old Georgetown Rd and Democracy Blvd in Bethesda, MD. A new karate place (Kicks Karate) also opened, both of these are where the Blockbuster Video used to be. The Subway joins Flippin' Pizza, Chipotle, Bradley's Ice Cream, and Giant as lunch time options for students of Walter Johnson High School, right next door.

Today is the first day of school in Montgomery County so watch out for kids. Walter Johnson has an open lunch policy so right around lunch time masses of kids stream out and head for one of the above restaurants for a quick bite to eat. I have been in the Giant a few times right at lunch and it is interesting to see the volume of kids that suddenly appear.

Bethesda's Hampden Lane getting a new building

2010-08-16T17:42:00.001-04:00

Last week I was walking along Hampden Lane between Arlington Road and Woodmont Avenue and I noticed they were tearing a house down. Today, it was totally gone. Intrigued, I went looking for information on what is going in there.

Initially, I thought it was related to plan #820070100, which is to build 60 condos (or apartments, I couldn't tell which) along the road, however, only one building was being demolished. I believe I have pieced together the story now.

There are 5 lots along Hampden lane that are connected. Lot 1 being on the corner of Hampden Ln and Arlington Rd. Originally, Lot 3 was transfered to the county for them to build Moderately Priced Dwelling Units on (this was to fulfill a the MPDU requirements for another project.) The owner of the rest of the lots said it will be much better to swap lot 3 for lot 5 so they could build a single building (this was in the 2005-2006 time frame). It looks like that was approved so lots 1-5 will have the 60 condos but construction hasn't started yet. Lot 5 will now have Transitional Housing, a single three-story building with six one-bedroom and six studio apartments, owned and operated by the Housing Opportunities commission (although they view the housing as "supportive" not "transitional", I don't know what the distinction is).

Looking on a Montgomery County Website I see Supportive Housing is defined as

for homeless adults who have experienced prolonged episodes of homelessness, have at least one disabling condition and possess other challenges that can contribute to difficulty housing them. Tenants of Home First are placed into a permanent home – through one-bedroom apartments or four-bedroom homes – and provided with wraparound services to ensure that they remain housed.

So, if you are one of the many working people who who would like to live within walking distance of Bethesda Metro Station but can't afford it, your best bet is to quit your job and become homeless!

It's time for the fair

2010-08-12T17:37:00.003-04:00

The Montgomery County Fair starts Tomorrow, August 13th and runs through Saturday, August 21st. This Friday and Saturday are mostly about the amusement rides, the animals and the other exhibits open on Sunday.

There is tons of stuff for kids of all ages to do. There are rides that suit kids from 3 through teenagers, there;s the animals, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, rabbits, ducks, chickens, plus Old MacDonald's Barn with a few more for the kids. At night there are outdoor movies. There is also the pig races, if you have never seen them they are worth a look. If you are interested in crafts, or photography, lots of people enter what they have done and prizes are awarded in many categories.

Each day they have special events too, for instance, Wednesday and Thursday there is a monster truck show, and Friday and Saturday there is a demolition derby (these events cost extra).

Movies (8pm each night, no extra cost):

Friday: Where the Wild Things Are
Saturday: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Sunday: Blind Side
Monday: Up
Tuesday: Planet 51
Wednesday: Astro Boy
Thursday: Alice in Wonderland
Friday: The Princess and the Frog
Saturday: Twilight Saga: New Moon

Sunday hours coming to Bethesda library

2010-08-10T08:24:00.001-04:00

Starting August 15th, Bethesda Library (7400 Arlington Rd, Bethesda, MD) will be open on Sundays from 1-4pm. Not long ago I wrote about parking no longer being free, so this is an improvement.

It is part of a larger initiative to keep some libraries open on Sunday year round. Bethesda, Germantown, Marilyn J. Praisner, Rockville Memorial, Silver Spring and Wheaton will now have year round Sunday hours. I seem to recall that all library used to be closed on Sundays in the Summer but open on Sundays during the school year. I didn't see any mention of opening the rest of the libraries in the system on Sundays this fall so it isn't as much of an improvement as it seems.

Bethesda Fountains Part 11 (potd)

2010-08-09T09:14:00.000-04:00

This fountain at the Bethesda Metro Plaza was dry all last year. This year, however, they got it going again. It is a simple round fountain and the edge is wide enough to sit on all the way around.

I did all but a couple of the fountains in Bethesda, MD last year, if you want to catch up you can read all of the Bethesda fountains series.

But I get up again

2010-07-29T16:07:00.005-04:00

A commenter on a previous story mentioned how impressive the tree roots of the fallen tree on Fernwood Road in Bethesda, MD were. Here's a closer-up picture of them. You can see the pulled up ground was significantly taller than the woman standing on the other side.

Yesterday, they trimmed that tree and put it back up-right. It made a song run through my head "I get knocked down, but I get up again". I can't imagine that it will survive, but hey, it is standing up. You can see the jagged outline on the ground where the dirt had pulled up.

After finally getting back to normal from Sunday's storm and extended power outage, this afternoon I heard the familiar rumble of thunder. I still like thunderstorms, but I was thinking to myself, "oh no, here we go again". The lights flickered a few times but fortunately, power stayed on. I know there are still some people in Montgomery County without power from the last storm, hopefully no more outages occur for a while.

Update August 7: The tree has been removed. It seemed unlikely that it would survive anyway and the risk of it falling again seemed high, so I am both unsurprised and glad.

Power coming back on

2010-07-27T22:31:00.004-04:00

Today Pepco finally started to get a handle on the power problems in Montgomery County Maryland. Around noon I drove down Old Georgetown Road and almost all the lights were still out. At least today they had people directing traffic at Old Georgetown and Arlington Rd. By 3:30 I noticed the that light was working again. On the drive home I saw power crews working by the side of the road (see the exceptionally blurry photo).

I noticed a bit of damage I hadn't seen before, the top of this tree is hanging from a power line!

I'm actually writing this on my on computer and posting using my own internet connection. After over 50 hours the power came back on in my house. There was much celebrating and dancing. I waited 5 minutes or so to make sure it was going to stay on before I turned the generator off and began rolling up the extension cords. I know there are still a lot of people out there without power and pepco estimates several more days before everyone has power.

This was not a fun experience, Pepco totally failed to realize the magnitude of the problem and waited too long before calling in out of state crews. The problem was compounded by the lack of police directing traffic at busy intersections along Old Georgetown Road, Wisconsin Avenue, and Conneticut Avenue on Monday. Power delivery is still a monopoly around here, they get there cost + profit and it doesn't encourage them to be effective. There should be penalties for them whenever large number of people lose power. That would really encourage them to get power lines underground, especially those that serve a lot of houses.

Now that's a storm

2010-07-26T09:07:00.005-04:00

Yesterday's storm was super impressive. I was up in Gaithersburg and watched it out a store window. There were times I couldn't see the cars in the parking lot it was raining so hard. I heard last night that wind gusts were above 60 mph. Lots of trees were knocked down across area roads and this morning Pepco was still reporting 180,000 people without power. Power was out at the Potomac water pumping station forcing mandatory water restrictions this morning.

This morning, most of the lights on Old Georgetown Road were dark. Traffic was lighter than normal so things were still moving, just slowly. The core of Downtown Bethesda, MD does have power, traffic lights working, buildings open, etc. Going to work might be a good way to cool off during the heat of the day. One of my co-workers reports that some of the houses on the east side of MD-355 don't have power so if you work in that area you might want to check before coming in.

The first two pictures are from Fernwood Road near Democracy Blvd. A large tree by the side of the road uprooted, taking the grass with it. It fell away from the road and broke another large tree.

Two trees at Davis Library fell down. It doesn't look like they were in great shape to begin with.

Trees mean it is almost done

2010-07-24T08:37:00.003-04:00

I was walking on Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda, MD where the new Equinox Fitness building is being built. Progress has been pretty steady and for a while they have been working on the inside. Yesterday I noticed that they had planted new trees and bushes along Woodmont Ave there. You know it is almost done when they start putting in the landscaping.

You can see the full coverage about this construction project.

Earthquake!

2010-07-16T05:28:00.001-04:00

I never thought there would be an earthquake strong enough for me to feel in Bethesda, MD, but this morning there was. at 5:05 I woke up to the rumbling sound of the quake, a little rattling and some mild shaking, it lasted 5 or 10 seconds. No damage here the power didn't even go out. USGS gives a preliminary estimate of it's magnitude of 3.7, centered near Gaithersburg, MD.

This is the third earthquake I have ever felt, the other two were in California. Earthquakes do happen around here but the are usually too small to feel. This is so rare I'm not even sure what keywords to put with this post.

Old Georgetown Road resurfacing

2010-07-07T10:05:00.000-04:00

It looks like they are finished the resurfacing project on Old Georgetown Rd in Bethesda, MD. There may still be barrels and signs, but the work itself is done. They didn't just resurface the road, they did work on the storm drains, bus stops, and corners too. Oddly, the resurfacing project ended just short of downtown so there is still a stretch of road in poor shape. The part they didn't do was probably the part that was in the worst shape.

Many of the bus stops got concrete pads for the bus to stop on. Concrete is stronger than asphalt and buses are heavy, this will hopefully make the road last longer.

The storm drains got concrete around them. I'm not positive the reason but I think it is because the drain/asphalt junction doesn't hold up well and the asphalt tends to crack in that area making it tough on bicyclists.

There are two different types of storm drains, the top one has a grate but no curb opening, the bottom one has both a grate and a curb opening. I didn't notice anything about the surroundings that would have them prefer one over the other.

Here's a storm drain that didn't get fixed, you can see patches, chunks of asphalt missing, cracked asphalt and grass growing in the cracks. Not too pretty and a bit dangerous for bikes.

Caroline Freeland Park Playground Closed

2010-07-06T10:20:00.000-04:00

Caroline Freeland Park is on Arlington Road between Bethesda Library and the Giant Foods. There are lots of tables and benches there and it is a good place to eat lunch. Up until very recently there was a kids playground too. They have torn it up and I bet they are going to re-do it and put new equipment in.

In search of the elusive 20 cent coin

2010-07-02T12:31:00.000-04:00

I was using the self-checkout at the Giant Food store on Arlington Road and noticed the example coins were the 5 cent, 10 cent, and 20 cent. I wonder who came up with that graphic. I know these machines also take dollar coins (and quarters) and won't accept half-dollars.

Fourth of July fireworks in Montgomery County

2010-07-02T06:42:00.004-04:00

The National Mall in DC is a great place to go see the fireworks, but if you don't want to deal with the crowds and waiting forever to catch a metro back, there are some closer fireworks you should consider. Here are some fireworks shows going on in Montgomery County on July Fourth.

Annual Independence Day. Montgomery College-Rockville Campus, 51 Mannakee St., Rockville, MD. A concert at 7pm, fireworks start at 9:30.

Mid-County Sparkles Fireworks Show. Einstein High School, 11135 Newport Road, Kensington, MD. A concert at 7:30, fireworks start at 9:15.

Gaithersburg Independence Day Celebration. Montgomery County Fairgrounds, 16 Chestnut Street, Gaithersburg, MD. Fairgrounds open at 5pm, a concert at 7pm and fireworks at 9:25.

Germantown Glory Fireworks Show and Washington Freedom Soccer Game. SoccerPlex at South Germantown Recreational Park, 18041 Central Park Circle, Boyds. A soccer game at 5pm, a concert at 7pm and fireworks at 9:30. You need to buy tickets for the Washington Freedom vs. Chicago Red Stars soccer game.

I haven't decided which one I will be going to, but it will the Montgomery College and Einstein ones are closest to Bethesda.

Pay for parking at Bethesda Library

2010-06-30T09:23:00.000-04:00

Monday, July 5th the Bethesda Library will be closed for the Fourth of July holiday.

Starting July 6th, the parking at Bethesda Library will no longer be free. Parking meters are being installed and it will cost Seventy Five cents per hour.

Also on July 6th the hours are changing. The new hours are Monday-Thursday from 10am to 8pm (it used to close at 9pm) and Friday and Saturday from 10am to 6pm (giving you an extra hour Fri and Sat nights and taking away an hour Sat morning). Again this summer the library will be closed on Sunday. Sunday hours will resume late summer.

The library is located at 7400 Arlington Rd, Bethesda, MD.

Update on the Monty

2010-06-29T08:47:00.005-04:00

Just a quick update on the "Monty" project, a new mixed use 17 story apartment building with up to 200 units and 7,700 square feet of ground-floor retail south of Woodmont Avenue facing both Fairmont Ave and St. Elmo Ave. The planning board hasn't had it on the agenda for the past year but it looks like things are slowly progressing. Based on a comment on another post, I walked by there and both PrepMatters and Dansez! Dansez! have moved. I think they were the last occupants of the buildings that are scheduled to be torn down.

According to PrepMatters: While our new office is under construction, we will be holding all summer sessions in a temporary space located at 8120 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 850, Bethesda.

Dansez! Dansez! move on June 16th to 4909 Fairmont Ave, Bethesda, MD.

Update 7/1: What a difference a couple of days makes. DCMud reports that the sale of 4918 St. Elmo Avenue (pictured) to Bainbridge Companies is now complete. Demolition and excavation are supposed to begin this fall and the entire project be done sometime in October 2012.

Uptown Deli on its way

2010-06-28T11:30:00.003-04:00

On Norfolk Avenue between the corner slice and Limon's Jewelers we are getting a new deli, "Uptown Deli". Back in April they were planning on putting in "Capital Beer and Wine" but apparently plans have changed.

Bethesda Circulator hours changing

2010-06-25T22:22:00.003-04:00

Bethesda Circulator, the free bus that goes around downtown Bethesda, MD every 10 minutes or so is changing its hours. Starting July 1st the hours will be:

Monday through Thursday: 7 am - 11 pm
Friday: 7 am - 12 midnight
Saturday: 10 am - 12 midnight
Sunday: No service

It used to run (and actually still does through June 30) until midnight Mon-Thurs and until 2am on Fri and Sat. We are getting earlier service on Saturday, it used to start at 6pm on Sat. You can see the route here.

Have you every taken the circulator? Was your experience good or bad?

Like a twig

2010-06-19T14:40:00.004-04:00

This was the scene at the beginning of the week on Greentree Road in Bethesda, MD. There clearly had been an accident where a car (yes I am comforable saying it was a car, not a bicycle) knocked down and broke this telephone pole and the fire hydrant next to it. You can see good sized gouges in the ground where the telephone pole hit. Someone must have been going well above the speed limit to do this amount of damage.

UPS at the USPS

2010-05-27T22:24:00.003-04:00

I was leaving the post office (the one by Montgomery Mall) this morning and I see a UPS truck out front. I'm thinking the UPS guy needed to mail a letter which seems humorous to me. I've always heard the UPS doesn't ship to post office boxes so I was surprised to see the UPS driver unloading a whole hand truck full of small packages. How very odd.

Mystery Food

2010-05-18T16:16:00.002-04:00

I was at the Safeway on Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda, MD yesterday. They had apparently done inventory because there were a bunch of shelves which had paper signs saying "overstock" on them. Not all the food on these shelves had prices. On rack of shelves, however, was more enigmatic, it's sign had the single word "Mystery" scrawled across it.

Housing market still going

2010-05-14T06:50:00.003-04:00

The housing market around the country has been pretty week for the past couple of years. Bethesda, MD has held up much better than the rest of the country, even so, it has been impacted. Pre-2008 I saw lots of houses either being torn down and replaced or expanded to such an extent the original house was unrecognizable. The pace of teardowns significantly slowed with the economy. This week however, I was driving down the road and said to myself "There was a house there last week, where did it go?" It is hard to tell yet if this is an anomaly or a resumption of the trend.

More construction on Wisconsin Avenue

2010-05-10T14:20:00.006-04:00

I saw today they were doing more cable laying in Bethesda. One lane of north bound MD-355 at Montgomery lane was closed and causing a bit of a traffic backup. They are cleaning up now and it should be fine by rush hour

Beer and Wine in downtown Bethesda

2010-04-28T15:16:00.002-04:00

Sometimes your wrong and sometimes your WRONG. Recently I posted about Capitol Beer and Wine and said that "there isn't a lot of options for getting packaged beer and wine in downtown Bethesda, MD". Well, that brought on the comments. There may not be as many beer and wine stores as there are banks, but there are still a lot of them, even if you don't include places like Philadelphia Mikes which also sells beer to go. Here is a rundown of the ones I know of.

The first three are very close to each other, all were pointed out by an anonymous commenter.

Bethesda Beer and wine, 8015 Wisconsin Avenue. Located on MD-355 across from the green-roofed Golden House Chinese takeout. Parking in the rear (what could be better?)

Scarcely a block away is the charming Dunmor's Beer & Wine. An old building that really stands out, looks like a throwback to the 30's, complete with a gravel parking lot and a porch. 8013 Woodmont Avenue.

Moving two blocks north you find Woodmont Market, 8227 Woodmont Avenue. One of the newer contenders, I blogged about it before it opened.

Reader waxwing (who also follows me on twitter) pointed out that Lilit Cafe has a large selection of beer and wine. 7921 Old Georgetown Road near the Auburn Avenue Exxon station. There is a parking lot behind it.

Another anonymous commenter mentioned Cork 57 (though not by name). When this first opened I thought it was a lounge for people at the Mercedes-Benz dealer since it is totally surrounded by it. 4910 Bethesda Ave, across from the Giant Food. Looks to me like there are two parking spaces.

There are still more that no one pointed out.

The county liquor store on Hampden Lane sells beer and wine. It has a gate-controlled lot, but I think it is free too.

Bradley Food and Beverage sells the type of beverages that are the subject of this post. And, it is near Bruce Variety and Strosniders Hardware too. 6904 Arlington Road. Parking in the front for the whole strip mall.

Cork and Fork only sells wine but we will include it here too. 7110 Bethesda Lane.

Bethesda Chevy Chase Beer & Wine, right next to Vace's Italian Deli and the Sandy Spring Bank ends this roundup. 4701 Miller Avenue, a couple of parking spots in the front.

Then there is the previously mentioned, coming soon, Capitol Beer and Wine.

Did I miss any? I sure hope not, but if I did, let me know about them. Do you have a favorite?

Everybody needs a place to park.

2010-04-26T08:41:00.003-04:00

This morning I saw something vaguely unusual, there were four police cars parked in front of the fountain at Bethesda Metro Station. There didn't seem to be a burning emergency as they didn't have their lights on, there weren't any ambulances or fire trucks, and I could see three of the cops conversing near the top of the escalator. Twitter and the WMATA alerts are also quiet so I guess nothing big is going on. I wonder how long they will stay.

Capitol Beer and Wine coming to Bethesda

2010-04-19T11:45:00.004-04:00

Norfolk Avenue is getting a beer and wine store. I never really noticed, but there isn't a lot of options for getting packaged beer and wine in downtown Bethesda, MD. This will soon change with the coming of Capitol Beer and Wine. It will be located were Limon's Jewelers used to be, right next to the Corner Slice. I saw them busy fixing up the outside of the place last week.

Flushing the fire hydrants

2010-04-01T13:10:00.003-04:00

I was walking up Elm Street and saw a lot of water running down the gutter. As I got further along I see they are flushing a fire hydrant out by Mama Lucia's. It is a pretty good stream of water coming through it. It makes me want to put on a bathing suit and splash in the water.

[where: Bethesda, MD]

Taylor Gourmet coming to Bethesda

2010-03-30T13:06:00.004-04:00

Taylor Gourmet is a sandwich shop that currently has two locations, both in DC. By mid-July they should have a new location open at 7820 Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda, MD. This is right on the corner of Woodmont Ave and Elm St in the new Equinox Fitness building. I have never been to Taylor Gourmet but judging by the comments I have read it seems like a good place and I am looking forward to trying it.

(via Prince of Petworth)

You can see the full coverage about this construction project.

Laying New Fiber?

2010-03-25T08:33:00.002-04:00

For most of the day people were out digging holes in the road at Wisconsin Avenue and East-West Highway in Bethesda, MD. They had a lane of traffic blocked of on each of those roads during the middle of the day. It looks to me like they still have work to do so I expect they will be back today.

The question is "What are they doing?" I think I know. There are lots of orange lines painted on the road and alongside the road and many of them have a little flag that says "AboveNet, Caution, Fiber Optic Cable Buried Below" I think they are putting in some new fiber.

I also saw the flags on Montgomery Lane near Arlington Road so they may be in the area for a few days with this project.

2010-03-24T10:07:00.003-04:00

D. Gilpin jewelers on the corner of St. Elmo Avenue and Woodmont Avenue is closing at the end of the month. The owners, Denny and Dalia Gilpin are retiring after almost 30 years in the business. Until March 31st, everything is 50% off so if you are in Bethesda, MD in the next week or so, drop by and take a look.

Norky's gone, King Kabob coming

2010-03-19T09:10:00.003-04:00

Right along Old Georgetown Road near Arlington Rd here in Bethesda, MD there was a chicken place called Norky's. I noticed this morning that it is gone but that there is already another restaurant lined up. King Kabob & Pizza with Kabobs, Pizza, Calzones, subs, sandwiches, salads, and wings will be opening soon.

It's a crab!

2010-03-16T09:51:00.000-04:00

I occasionally here people ask about what that huge neon sign on the building at the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and East-West highway in Bethesda, MD is. Well, the building is the Crescent Building and the neon sculpture is a crab! No really it is, I'm serious. It is a little bit abstract but you can kinda see the circle being the body and the squiggly lines being the legs. It isn't something I would put on any of my office buildings (if I had any) but at least it is distinctive.

Snow still melting a month later

2010-03-10T09:01:00.005-05:00

The snowpacalypse was on February 6 then we had another big snow then exactly one month ago on the 10th we had another one. It seems like it has been longer than a month, but I am still cleaning up from it. The warm temperatures over the past few days have really made the snow melt. There are still lots of little piles scattered around, mostly in areas that are always in shadows. A week and a half ago I posted a story about large piles of snow in a parking lot that I saw here in Bethesda, MD. Well, I thought I would check back in on them and see how they are doing.

This snow has been melting constantly for weeks now. The low temperatures have been above freezing the past few nights and the highs have been in the 50's or 60's. Even with all that, there are still some good sized piles of snow left. It is melting quickly though, I came by on Monday and that orange and white construction barrel on the left was still lying on snow then. This lot is on St Elmo Avenue if you want to go by and see for yourself.

For comparison, here is how it looked on February 26th, just a week and a half ago. If you look closely you can see the top of the construction barrel on the left.

Anyone want to make a bet on when the last of the snow is gone?

Update 3/24: I went by there this morning and it is really, truly, totally gone. The only reminder it was there are small piles of light colored sand.

First flowers of Spring

2010-03-06T15:04:00.004-05:00

Could it be? Is Spring really coming to Bethesda, MD? I still haven't finished cleaning up from all the snow damage. I saw several bunches of snowdrops pushing through the mulch, it makes me feel better knowing that spring is really almost here.

This weekend is supposed to be relatively nice, sunny and in the fifties both days so enjoy it if you can.

Staying warm when the electricity is out

2010-03-02T08:30:00.000-05:00

About 200,000 people in the DC Metro area got a crash course in staying warm when the power goes out in the middle of the winter. Montgomery County MD was particularly hard hit, residents were without power for several days. I was without power for 35 hours and thought I would share with you some of the lessons learned.

Evaluate the risks.
I've lived in this area my whole life and this is the first time I have had an extended winter power outage. Every major snow or ice storm brings at least scattered outages but your chances of being affected aren't that high. Older areas with above bound power lines and mature trees are most at risk.

Evaluate the consequences.
So the power goes out, so what? How is it going to impact you? How much are you willing to spend to ameliorate it? Maybe all you really need to do is throw on some more clothes or snuggle in bed with someone. Here are some things to evaluate:

Cooking: If you have a gas stove stove you can probably still cook. Don't count on the oven working and you may need matches to start the burners (If you have a pilot light you don't, if when you turn the burner on you hear a 'click, click, click' then you have an electric start and will need matches). You can also buy a camping stove to have for emergencies or use your gas grill.
Hot water: and water in general. Around here almost everyone is on county water and it works fine when the power is out. If you had a well you would have to worry about that. If you have a natural gas hot water heater it will probably work, check to see if there are any electric wires going to it, no electric, it works when the power is out.
Kids: If you have an infant or young kids you need to prepare a bit better, as they get older they get better at adjusting
Medical needs: Do you have any special medical needs that require electricity? Do you have any medical conditions that will be made worse by prolonged exposure to cold?
Pipes freezing: After a couple of days without heat you have to start worrying about your pipes freezing. You can reduce the risk by leaving the faucets open a tiny bit. It costs water, but that is cheaper than replacing pipes.
Comfort: Hey, some people like being warm and watching DVDs, maybe you are one of them.

Plan appropriately.
Winter power outages are a bit different from summer ones. Because of snow and ice, it can take them longer to get to and fix power problems than it does in the summer. It is also more likely that you will not be able to get out of your neighborhood and get to someplace that does have power. There were several of my neighbors who had places they could go but couldn't get their cars out to the main road.

Know your options.

Dress warm: As everyone says, dress in layers, it really helps. Here are some specific dress warm ideas: Slippers and wool socks will keep your toes warm. A hat keeps your head warm, if the only hat you have is the hood of your jacket, go out and grab a cheap knit hat. Thermal underwear are cheap and really warms you up, especially your legs.
Portable heater: A few years ago I got a portable propane heater. For the most part it has languished in my basement but it came in handy for this. You want one that is indoor safe and those cost a bit more. Indoor safe ones turn off if the flame goes out, if it tips over, or if oxygen levels get to low. You can get ones that operate off of disposable one pound propane cylinders. I have the Mr Heater "Portable Buddy" heater (see picture below) New versions look slightly different but operate the same. It is a bit hotter than the portable electric heaters and on high will warm up a bedroom (slowly). A propane cylinder lasts about 3 hours so be sure you have enough spares. You can also get adapters to refill them from a 20lb propane tank like a gas grill uses (not sure about the safety implications of that). If I were to do it over, I would buy the Mr Heater "Big Buddy" which puts out twice the heat (and uses propane twice as fast), and, importantly, has a battery operated fan to distribute the heat better.
Gas fireplace insert: I don't have one of these but many of my neighbors do. One neighbor has gas fireplace logs and they didn't help much at all, but several with inserts say it did keep one room warm. I am going to look into getting one.
Kerosene heater: Kerosene heaters are great if you use them regularly, people use them to keep one or two rooms warm then lower the heat in the rest of the house. However, they do take maintenance and you have to keep the fuel fresh. I wouldn't get one of these just for emergency use.
Generator: Wonderful things, they let you keep the refrigerator, tv, and lights on. If you have a natural gas furnace they can power the blower and you can have sweet heat. I have one of these and will go into more detail below.

Above: the Mr Heater "Portable Buddy" indoor-safe propane heater runs off of disposable one pound propane cylinders.
Generators
I have a generator I got after Hurricane Isabel a number of years ago. I got a medium sized one, two circuits, 3,500 watts. I had a vague idea that if there were a winter power outage I could wire it in to the furnace but didn't go beyond that. This past winter when we were without power I turned the circuit breaker off and un-wired the switch on the side of the furnace. I then connected the wires to a power cord I had. (Use a heavy duty one, I used one from an old computer, one of my neighbors used one from a surge supressor) If you are considering getting a generator, please keep the following in mind:

Generators require maintance. Twice a year I run mine for a while to make sure it keeps working. I also put fuel stabilizer in the gas I keep for it. Every year I replace the stored gas (putting the old gas in my car). If you don't do this then it may not start when you need it. One of my neighbors had a friend bring a generator over and they couldn't get it going.
Generators are noisy. Honda make some small (1500 watt) ones that are very quiet and very expensive (around $2,000) cheaper ones are noisier and the bigger they are the noisier they are. The least expensive ones for a given wattage are the noisiest. Mine is about as loud as a lawnmower, I don't run it overnight because the only thing worse than being without power is being without power and having someone elses generator keep you awake.
Size appropriately. They start around 1500 watts. These are enough to run a single circuit, like the furnace or the fridge but not both (you should be able to run some lights too). 3,000 watt generators can run two ciruits which is great but that means they are bigger, louder and use more fuel. For most people, a small generator will be sufficient. I have a 3,500 watt one but could easily work with a smaller one.
Get the right extension cords (and enough of them). The more power you draw, the thicker the cord needs to be. The longer the cord the thicker it needs to be too. Lightweight cords are fine for running the weedwacker but I would hesitate to use one to run the fridge all day. I use 12 gauge cords, they also make 10 gauge ones if you want to be safe. Keep in mind where you will be running the generator and make sure the cord is long enough, when there is two feet of snow you won't want to drag the generator so it is close enough to the house. If you have multiple circuits, make sure you have multiple extension cords. I only had one heavy duty one so couldn't even use the second circuit until I borrowed a cord from a neighbor.
Don't run the generator inside. I feel like I am insulting your intelligence by even mentioning this, but people sometimes do. That means don't run them in the garage or by an open window too.

Hopefully this helps you plan for next winter. These observations hold for Maryland and surrounding areas, as you go further north it gets colder and probably has different requirements (being without power when it is zero degrees is different that being without power when it is 30 degrees). As you go south it becomes less of an issue.

Signature

2010-02-26T20:37:00.004-05:00

Here's someone's name and work affiliation, but without the context you would expect it to have. Can you imagine what the larger image looks like? Here's some hints. It is a photograph I took in Bethesda, MD and the name is painted on the outside of the building. Any idea where it is?

Don't look at this link until you know the answer.

Where snow goes to melt.

2010-02-26T09:22:00.002-05:00

I was walking down St. Elmo Avenue in Bethesda, MD and noticed this disused parking lot had been filled with truckloads of snow, presumably removed from other parts of Bethesda. I took this picture this morning, more than two weeks after our big snow, there is still a lot to melt. I'll keep an eye on it and see how long until it melts completely.

Watch for Potholes

2010-02-23T15:27:00.003-05:00

The last set of snowstorms has left behind potholes, especially along Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda, MD. I saw one Northbound at the Caribou Coffee and another Northbound at Arlington Road. The picture is of a car driving through the latter. There was also one southbound at Del Ray Avenue. Wisconsin Avenue looked better, I didn't see any on the short stretch I walked along.

Both the county and the state have web sites where you can submit pothole sightings. For state roads (like Old Georgetown Road, MD-187 and Wisconsin Ave, MD-355) you can use this form. Use the topic "Potholes / Holes / Sinkholes" You can remain anonymous if you wish, or fill in your contact info if you want them to contact you. For county roads, use this form. It is specific to potholes and you must provide contact info (boo).

Ice Dam Ice

2010-02-16T08:17:00.001-05:00

You may have noticed ice dams on many of the houses, perhaps even yours. Ever wonder if they, and the icicles that go with them can cause real damage to your house?

What Causes Ice Dams: Ice dams form when snow on your roof melts, then the water runs down into the gutter an re-freezes. There are generally two ways the snow melts, either the sun shining on the roof melts it or heat escaping from your house into the attic melts the snow from underneath. The latter is usually the cause, most of the houses here in Bethesda are old and poorly insulated.

What type of damage can occur: There are two primary types of damage ice dams cause. The gutter can pull away from the roof and fall. In the top picture you can see that the the bottom of the gutter isn't flat, it is leaning down. This is because the gutter, and the board it is attached to is pulling away from the side of the house. I could actually look into the attic from the outside.

The ice dams in the gutter can cause melting water to back up behind them and go under the shingles and make it into your attic. The water then can drip down through the ceiling into the rest of the house. I had this occur after the last snow, a steady drip of water coming in near one of my windows.

Short term fixes: If you actually have water leaking into your house, the first thing you want to do is stop it. I have run across three actions you can take to stop it quickly and you may want to do all three.

Put a fan in the attic blowing towards the leak. This is probably going to be your quickest and easiest solution. Generally it isn't the whole attic that is too warm, just a few spots where the insulation is thin or air is leaking up through the walls. The fan blows cold air under the leaking water that re-freezes, causing the leak to stop. This is a very short-term solution, as soon as you turn the fan off, the ice will start melting.
Shovel off the roof. If there isn't any snow to melt, there won't be any water to get in the house. You likely will just have to shovel off the area above the hot spot. This can be dangerous, see below for more tips.
Fill a stocking full of rock salt and put it over the gutter. Take a look at the picture below, you can see that I put the stocking vertically down the roof and over the ice dam in the gutter. The salt keeps melts the ice forming a channel through the ice dam that water can go through. It took about 2 days to melt the channel you see in the picture. You can use any solid snow-melting compound, it doesn't have to be salt.

Long term fixes: Fixing the problem for good will cost a bit of money and can't be done while the ice dam is there, you'll likely need to wait until spring. Here are a few things you can do:

Install gutter heating cables. These are electric heaters you plug in, they will keep a channel in the gutter clear for water to flow through, you also put the along the edge of the roof so water doesn't freeze there
Insulate your attic better. If the problem is caused by heat escaping from the house through the roof, insulating the attic can fix the problem and save you a bit on your heating bill.
Put an impervious barrier under the shingles. This of course means removing all the existing shingles and putting new ones on. This can be a large added expense but if you were planning on replacing your roof, it may make sense. This doesn't actually prevent ice dams, it just prevents water from leaking into the house, you could still have problems with the gutters pulling away from the house.
Rent. This doesn't really prevent the problem, it just makes it someone else's problem.

Shoveling the roof: The recommendation that I hear is to let a professional do it, and for good reason, it can be very slippery on the roof, you could easily fall and hurt yourself. You can also damage the roof with your shovel. If you choose to try it yourself, here are a couple of things I noticed: Stand in the snow. Usually you stand in the area you have already shoveled but on your roof that isn't a good idea, the snow provides more support than the cleared roof. Shovel from the top down, particularly if you are clearing the whole roof. I found it was easier to stay standing in the snow, and I didn't have to worry if I didn't through the snow far enough and it landed lower on the roof, I'd get to it later. Shovel from the outside in. You can push the snow off the edge of the roof. I had good luck starting at the top of the roof at the edge and working my way down, then going back up to the top and clearing another row down. Once I was far enough in that I couldn't get the snow off the edge, I'd toss it to the bottom. Don't do it alone. If you do fall, you want someone to notice and get help, you could be hurt badly. Call a professional. Even if you are being careful, it is still a risky activity. Pros have a lot more experience. I started to slip several times while on the roof.

The snow cleanup restarts

2010-02-11T15:33:00.003-05:00

For those of you playing along at home, here is what has been going on in Bethesda, MD today. This morning, the one-way stretch of Old Georgetown Road was again a total mess. This picture was from 10am. Now the road is much better with two lanes that are pretty much down to wet pavement.

Look at all the snow in the bus bay at Bethesda Metro station. Lots of snow had blown in and it was about 4 inches deep. It also covered much of the kiss and ride area. (picture from 9:00)

Woodmont Avenue was pretty good by 10:00, you can see people shoveling out a parking garage, the snow piles are as tall as they are.

The plaza above Bethesda Metro Station is criss-crossed with trails you don't have a direct route anywhere.

The sun has been out all day and by lunch time so were the people. Bethesda Avenue was crowded. Lots of parents with school-aged kids, maybe they just needed to get out of the house for a while.

Today's Weather

2010-02-10T22:52:00.004-05:00

I think there might have been snow today. It is hard to tell how much, somewhere between a quarter of an inch and twelve inches, depending on how the wind was blowing. It was super windy and I had trouble telling how much of the snow was new and how much was just getting blown around and around. This was a win for the weather, the whole area pretty much gave up today, no metrobus, no Ride-On bus, no trash pickup, schools closed for the rest of the week. The upshot of this was the roads were pretty empty and the plows could get some real work done. It will still be messy in the morning but there shouldn't be deep snow on the roads.

Here are some pictures from a walk I took around 4:30-5:30 today in Bethesda, MD.

Old Georgetown Road near Democracy Blvd 5:10pm. Not much traffic on this snow covered road.

Intersection of Old Georgetown Road and Democracy Blvd 5:10pm. It has been plowed several times but there is still lots of loose snow around.

It will take a while to dig out this bus shelter near Davis Library in Bethesda 5:15pm.

Sometimes you really have to bring out the heavy equipment to clear the snow. This front end loader has had it's bucket replaced with a plow 5:25pm.

Bethesda warm springs 5:30pm. A water main break bubbles water up through the ground.

A walk down a quiet road 5:35pm

More snow pictures

2010-02-09T21:39:00.004-05:00

I was going through the pictures I took in Bethesda, MD over the past couple of days and found a few more to share with you.

This was just after noon on February 8th. Two days after the snow ended. Wisconsin Avenue is still very slushy and messy. Old Georgetown Road (on the right) is just as bad if not worse.

Another one from the 8th, just after noon. Two lanes getting through the slush on southbound Wisconsin Ave. This is a heavily traveled stretch of road in Bethesda.

This bus was stuck for a couple of hours before the firefighters showed up. They were unable to free it and so it stayed there for a couple more hours before breaking free. Feb 8, East-West Highway at Wisconsin Ave.

The sidewalk used to keep going. Now there is a huge pile of snow at the corner of Woodmont Avenue and Elm Street. Feb 9, 3:30pm.

They might have trouble keeping the streets and sidewalks plowed but the Capital Crescent Trail has been cleared of snow. Feb 9, 3:30pm This was only about 5 minutes before the next snow storm started.

Bethesda, Actually

2010-02-09T16:15:00.002-05:00

I just ran across another blog about Bethesda, MD called Bethesda Actually. They have had a lot of updates about the recent snow, so check them out.

I have had spotty power and internet access so who knows what will happen with this storm.

The cleanup continues

2010-02-09T09:08:00.002-05:00

This morning they were finally working on some of the really bad roads in downtown Bethesda, MD. Montgomery Lane between Woodmont Ave and MD-355 was temporarily closed while the plowed, sanded, and salted it.

Old Georgetown Road between MD-355 and Woodmont Ave was also getting some love. This time by the Bethesda Urban Partnership plow. There were also half a dozen Bethesda UP people shoveling the sidewalks at that intersection. Local businesses fund BUP and I think their money is well spent. The past couple of snow storms I have seen a lot of their crews working on the sidewalks near intersections.

Other areas still need attention. Southbound Old Georgetown Rd between Arlington Road and Woodmont Ave is still only a single lane and Wisconsin Ave is still a mess of snow and slush.

Another Snowpacalypse.

2010-02-08T10:01:00.004-05:00

Another day, another major snowstorm. This one was even bigger than the last, about 2.5 feet here in Bethesda, MD. In my mind, this tops the snow of 1979, in part because the quantity is similar and in part because I lost power for 35 hours.

At 5:15am on Saturday morning I was working on the computer and I see a bright flash of light out the windows. With that, the power goes out. There were two more flashes in the next minute or so. The snow kept coming and the power stayed out all day.

Late on Saturday, when the snow stopped I pulled out the generator and wired it into the furnace so we had a little bit of heat. I didn't run it overnight so it was 50 degrees when we woke up. I also had a tree fall across my driveway and I only have an electric chainsaw. Again, the generator came in handy and I cleared it Sunday morning. We finally got plowed and power back on around 4pm Sunday. Some people in the neighborhood have gas fireplace inserts and although they didn't really keep the house warm, they did keep it from getting too cold. People totally without heat woke up Sunday morning to indoor temperatures in the low 40s and it kept cooling down throughout the day.

Monday Morning around 9am Woodmont Avenue and Old Georgetown Road: I took a walk to Caribou Coffee but it wasn't opening until 9:30. The bus on the left was stuck and had been for a while. You can see a brown UPS truck in the distance trying to make a left turn. It took him a couple minutes and lots of wheel spinning to make it.

Streets in Bethesda, MD are a mixed bag. Most of Old Georgetown Road was good except between MD-355 and Arlington Road. That is the snow-covered mess you see here. Wisconsin Ave has snow and slush on it but is drivable. Some sidewalks are cleared but many are not.

I also went to the Safeway to see what they had. It was surprisingly well stocked. Brand selection was limited for some popular items but they didn't seem to be out of much. There was plenty of milk, bread, and meat (but not much chicken). They were busy re-stocking shelves while I was there.

Here's a story that Channel 9 did on one Bethesda neighborhood. They were plowed and had the power back on a few hours later, I don't think it was a coincidence.

The perfect snow?

2010-02-03T13:03:00.004-05:00

We got around 4 inches here in Bethesda, MD and I think this might have been a perfect snow. It was right around freezing so it was easy to keep the roads clear, it stuck to the tree branches and made the morning beautiful.

By late morning the sun came out, the sky turned blue and it warmed up.

This weekend we are going to get another storm, and it has the potential to be a big one, perhaps a foot or more. As the week progresses we will know more. Don't wait until Friday to do your grocery shopping, clean out the stores now!

Another incident at Bethesda Metro Station

2010-02-03T10:07:00.003-05:00

Metro rail incidents are happening with alarming regularity. This morning something happened at Bethesda Metro station and they closed it and called in the fire department. Their alerts were somewhat unhelpful "Red Line - Disruption at Bethesda in both directions. Trains sharing same track btwn Medical Center & Friendship Hts. Due to a track problem outside Bethesda. Delays in both directions." According to a fireman at the scene, there was some problem on the tracks between Bethesda and one of the other stations. He wasn't sure what the issue was.

Apparently, it wasn't too serious because the equipment has already cleared the scene.

Cordell Ave and Woodmont Ave For Lease

2010-02-01T11:15:00.000-05:00

A little over a year ago, there was a bank standing here, they tore it down, dug a new foundation and put up this building. It has retail and office space for lease now, It doesn't look like they have tenants lined up yet though. Originally this was planned to be finished last Fall, they missed that date by a couple of months, but still, they made pretty quick work of the job. This is how the building looks on the Cordell Avenue side, you can see the yellow awning of the "Harp and Fiddle" in the background.

On Woodmont Avenue they have painted an interesting mural along the side. I'd prefer that it were actually at street level instead of raised up 5 feet but I suspect they couldn't have street level entrances on both Woodmont and Cordell.

have posted about this site several times, you can follow along.

A little bit of snow

2010-02-01T08:39:00.000-05:00

I wasn't expecting much from this snow, originally, they forecast 1 or 2 inches here in Bethesda, MD, nothing big. On Friday night, they raised the forecast a bit. Saturday was great, it snowed all day. I was out driving in the morning and it was a little bit slick but not too bad. In the end, we got 4 or 5 inches, just the right amount.

Since it was so cold leading up to the snow (and during it) the snow was very dry. On Sunday a bit of sun made it almost packable. I was able to make a very small snowman with sticks for arms, but no matter how much I rolled, the snowballs didn't get any bigger.

Possible Ride-On service reductions and fare increases

2010-01-30T15:00:00.004-05:00

To help close a 680 million dollar budget shortfall Montgomery County, MD is considering reducing service on or totally eliminating some bus routes with the fewest riders or where alternative service is available. They also are considering raising fares by up to 20 cents.

There will be a public forum on Monday, February 1st at 6:30pm to get comments from the public on the service reductions only. This meeting will be at the Executive Office Building Cafeteria, Terrace Level, located at 101 Monroe Street, Rockville, MD.

There is also a public hearing on the proposed Ride On bus fare increase on Tuesday, February 4 at 7:30 pm in the 3rd Floor Hearing Room of the Council Office Building, 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, MD. You can also email comments on the fare changes to county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov

Pennies and Nickels

2010-01-27T11:03:00.001-05:00

Pennies used to be made out of 95% copper and 5% zinc. Until 1982 that is. After that, they were made with 97.5% zinc and a copper coating. Why the change? cost cutting. Inflation made copper too expensive and zinc is much cheaper. Today, a pre-1982 penny has over 2 cents worth of copper in it. It is currently illegal to melt them down so there isn't much you can do with it. Some people do collect them and you can find them for sale on E-Bay as well as other places on the web. There have been times in the past where they have, for short periods, changed the composition, like in WWII when they made them out of steel. Zinc pennies only have about two thirds of a cent worth of metal in them.

There has been off and on talk about either making the penny out of a different, cheaper metal (like steel), or eliminating it altogether. How likely is it? I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them change the composition. I expect them to make pennies for a long time to come though. Probably people will stop using them by choice long before the mint stops making them, similar to what happened to the half-dollar. I have been to a number of stores that didn't give pennies as change, they just round up the amount the give back to the nearest nickel.

The U.S. nickel has never been pure nickel, it has always been 75% copper and 25% nickel, an alloy called cupro-nickel. For a few years in WWII there (1942-1945) they made some nickels with 35% silver. They currently have right around five cents worth of metal in them. A nickel weighs 5 grams and been has ever since it was first made in 1866. The introduction of the 5 gram nickel was shortly before the Metric Act of 1866 made the metric system legal in the United States. Canadian nickels used to be pure nickel, then they changed them to cupro-nickel, and now, they are plated steel.

The building is taking shape

2010-01-22T08:46:00.000-05:00

There has been a construction project going on Woodmont Ave between Hampden Lane and Elm Street in Bethesda, MD for most of last year. They tore down the old Ritz Camera building (Ritz Camera moved half a block down Woodmont Ave), dug a big hole, and now have put in the steel structure of the new building. I heard it would be four stories but it is three right now and doesn't look like they are adding another, I guess we will know soon enough.

Also of note, they have a long-term lane closure on Woodmont Avenue so they have more space to work on the site.

You can see the full coverage about this construction project.

Why dimes are so small

2010-01-20T10:53:00.001-05:00

Ever wonder why dimes are so small and half-dollars are so big? The United States used to be on a silver standard (and some of the time a gold and silver dual metal standard). Most coins were made out of 90% silver (pure silver is too soft and wears down quickly) and dollars were backed by silver. You could turn them in and get silver back. Since a quarter has 2.5 times the value of a dime, it had to contain 2.5 times as much silver. A 50 cent piece had 5 times the silver of a dime and a dollar coin (the old, big ones) had 10 times as much. Pennies and nickels didn't have any silver in them so weren't constrained the same way (well, the nickel did for a few years in WWII) I'll cover them in a later post.

Since money was based on silver and gold, the government couldn't print money whenever it wanted, it first had to get silver or gold to back it. This was both good and bad. It was good in that you didn't have much inflation, the money supply couldn't increase faster than gold and silver were mined. During times of war, the government did go off the gold/silver standard and print extra money and there was inflation then, and a couple of times the government re-valued the dollar to be worth less gold or silver which caused inflation. It was bad in some ways too. As the country grew, more money was needed for day to day transactions. When the need for money was growing faster than gold and silver were being mined, there was a shortage of money which resulted in deflation (the cost of things going down). Also, in times of recession or depression, the government couldn't prop up the economy by printing money like it is doing today (some people see this as a good thing, others think it is a bad thing, time will tell who is right).

Suburban Hospital gets a new logo

2010-01-19T08:15:00.002-05:00

If you have gone down Old Georgetown Road recently, you may have looked up as you went by Suburban Hospital. And if you did look up, you may have noticed something was different. And, about the only thing that has changed recently is the logo, so that is probably what you noticed. If, however, you travels in Bethesda, MD don't take you down Old Georgetown Rd, then you probably don't know the logo has changed, or what the new logo looks like. In either case, the old logo is probably growing dim in your mind.

This logo is the same as the logo of Johns Hopkins medicine, which isn't a coincidence, Suburban Hospital is run by Hopkins medicine.

I searched my vast personal archive of photos and the best old-logo shot I had was a somewhat washed out camera phone picture taken in April of last year. Fixing the washed-outed-ness gave the bricks an darker than reality color, but made the logo look nice. As a backup, I searched for suburban hospital in the fickr bethesda pool, but it just said:

We couldn't find anything matching your search. Would you like to try a search about abandoned, baby, decay, asylum or urban instead?

Disturbing, isn't it.

Major Red Line disruption this weekend.

2010-01-15T08:26:00.002-05:00

This weekend there will be major havoc on portions of the Red Line. The fun starts at 10pm tonight and goes through closing on Monday. (MLK day). WMATA is doing track work at Grosvenor metro station and no trains will go through there. Buses will run between Medical Center and White Flint metro rail stations. Expect to add an additional 40 minutes to your ride. The reason for this:

During the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday weekend, Metro will rebuild the trackbed, which means workers will install 1,400 feet of new rail, 310 new ties, 200 new tons of ballast, 300 new track fasteners, 600 new anchor bolts, repair 200 feet of grout pads on the aerial structure, and make track circuit upgrades between the Grosvenor-Strathmore and Medical Center Metrorail stations. In addition, workers will repair 60 to 80 water leaks in the tunnels and stations and install 300 new tunnel lights.

According to metro, "From Friday, Jan. 15, to Monday, Jan. 18, the last Red Line train departing the Shady Grove Metrorail station for the White Flint Metrorail station will leave 30 minutes earlier than usual." Of course, that isn't really true, the last trains won't leave earlier, they just won't run. This is metro's spin way of saying they are closing early.

50 cents, a half dollar

2010-01-13T10:52:00.000-05:00

Last month I picked up a few at the bank and decided to spend them around town. So far, I have spent them at a number of places in Montgomery County. One person commented she hadn't seen them in a long time, another person swapped them out for money in his wallet, the most amusing one was the person at Giant who looked at them hard for about 20 seconds then put them in the cash drawer, then, took them out again and looked some more. Everyone else has just taken them without comment.

You can join in too. Next time you go to your bank, ask if they have any. I'd love to see the half-dollar be a little less obsolete, at least in Bethesda. Post your experiences in the comments.

It doesn't have to be just a Bethesda, MD thing though, other Bethesdas can join. So can Rockville and Silver Spring if they want. In fact, lets open it up to the whole country. Hey everyone in the U.S., go get some 50 cent pieces and spend them!