Capital Crescent Trail rest area in Bethesda, MD now open

For the past few months they have been totally re-doing the rest area on the Capital Crescent Trail near Bethesda Avenue in Bethesda, MD. It took longer than expected but it is now open and it looks really nice. The area has granite pavers, 5 benches and a raised circular area for landscape plantings. The map case and water fountain (including the dog water fountain) are still there but are in new spots.

The rest area is dedicated to Linda Weiner who died of leukemia in 2004. Most of the cost was covered by private donations. The dedication ceremony was Saturday, June 6th (it would have been Linda's 51st birthday). I'm not sure where the post notices about ceremonies such as these but I didn't hear about it until I read it in the gazette.

Seeking out places to eat

I sometimes go to a restaurant just because I have never been there and want to see what it is like. I especially like it when it is a one-of-a-kind, hole-in-the-wall place that is unique to an area (or only has a few locations) Restaurants like these give an area a real local flavor and make it unique. Face it, there are a lot of places with an Austin Grill and a Baja Fresh, you can go to one of them anywhere and get exactly the same food served exactly the same way.

Sometimes I will see a place and decide to go there, or hear about it and search it out, but other times I will just wander around until I see something that strikes my fancy. I head about Delicas Carryout and sought it out. Several of my co-workers decided to go along, but one got accidentaly left behind. We called him up to tell him where to go but I couldn't remember the name of the place. Then, I didn't know what street it was on. The instructions to him ended up being "Walk North on Wisconsin Ave, we'll call you when we get there with more detailed directions"

When I go on one of these adventures, it is helpful to have the proper set of expectations. Generally, the restaurants I go to are pretty quick and fairly cheap so 5 star food isn't really an option, but, it is great to try different food and go different places, not be stuck in the rut of the same 5 restuarants (It's Wednesday, that means Chipotle).

Downtown Bethesda, MD is the perfect place to have these expeditions, generally, the Woodmont Triangle area is better then Bethesda Row since Bethesda Row has more chains and pricier places. (Silver Spring is pretty good too).

If you have a restaurant that fits this description, post a comment about it.

Enough rain for ya?

It seems like it has been raining at least half the days for a month now. January through March 2009 were below average, but in April we got 4.22 inches instead of the normal 2.77 inches (all rainfall totals are for Regan National Airport in DC, not Bethesda). May was more than double the average rainfall, 8.05 inches and 3.82 for the average. June is shaping up to be more of the same. The average monthly rainfall for June is 3.13 inches So far we have gotten 4.65 inches.

I don't know the average number of days it rains but so far in June it has rained 6 of 9 days with a chance of showers today too. In May it rained 15 of 31 days. Thats a lot of rain on a lot of days.

Delicas Carryout: Super Beef Burrito

Delicas is a stand-alone carry out at 4708 Highland Ave, half a block off Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda, MD. It is smaller than it looks from the outside, I was the third person there and it was cramped. There is no seating inside, but two rustic picnic tables on the outside.

I got the Super beef burrito, seasoned ground beef with lettuce and tomatoes. It was tasty and exactly what I expected. The only negative was that by the time I got to the end, some grease was dripping out of the burrito. They have a selection of sodas in cans and bottles too.

I enjoy going to out-of-the-way places that really give you a flavor for the town. This is certainly one of those spots I can't believe I have never found it before and plan on going back to try the pupusas soon.

I read that this restaurant was robbed last December, too bad.

Today's Imagination Bethesda

I went to the Imagination Bethesda festival today to see how it was. They had closed off part of Woodmont Ave and Elm St in Bethesda, MD. There were lots of booths for kid-oriented stores and services like Tea with Mrs. B, and Imagination Stage, pretty much every booth had some sort of activity for the kids, lots of coloring and gluing going on there. There was also a stage and I watched "The Funny Guy" (Paul Hadfield) do his comedy/juggling/unicycle bit. He did a great job involving the kids, everyone seemed to be having fun.

If you have a young kid and you missed it this year, look out for it next year, it is well worth going to.

Ride On's "Give and Ride" Food Drive results

At the beginning of May, Ride-on had their "Give and Ride" food donation drive, you gave food, diapers and stuff instead of paying to ride the bus. The results are in. Over 5,700 pounds of food were sent to the Manna Food Center, a Rockville-based non-profit organization that distributes food to the County’s neediest residents.

[where: Montgomery County, MD]

Davis Library Community Day this Saturday

Another thing to add to the list of things to do this weekend. Davis Library (on Democracy Blvd, across from Walter Johnson High School) is having their Sixth Annual Community Day. There will be fire trucks, magic, stories, a book sale, Oh Susannah! (children's entertainment) and more. For more information call Davis Library at 240-777-0922. Find the schedule here. You can also see the official event information, but it is basically useless.

[where: Bethesda, MD]

Free Electronics Recycling Saturday at B-CC HS

You can recycle your old electronics and computers this weekend for free, more info at the county's website.

What: Electronics Recycling - Bethesda Chevy-Chase High School
When: Sun Jun 7 12pm – Sun Jun 7 4pm
Where: 4301 East-West Highway, Bethesda 20814 (map)

Accepted items include:

• small electronic appliances
• calculators
• camcorders
• CDs and floppy disks
• CD players
• cell phones
• computers and computer-related products
• consumer electronics
• copiers
• cords and cables (including chargers)
• digital cameras
• electronic typewriters
• fax machines
• microwave ovens
• personal digital assistant equipment
• printers
• projection equipment
• scanners
• telephones
• small electronic toys
• televisions
• VCRs

This Saturday: Imagination Bethesda

On Saturday from 11am to 4pm is Imagination Bethesda, a children's street festival. It will be on Woodmont Avenue between Bethesda Avenue and Elm Street. There will be live entertainment, hands-on activities, face painting, balloons, and more.

Odd and out of place

Every once in a while you see something that is so out of place that it defies explanation. I was walking along the Capital Crescent Trail near Little Falls Parkway and saw a side trail. I followed it a bit and came to this Pack and Play sitting there. Aside from a bit of water and mildew, it was in good condition so it isn't like someone just tossed a broken one out. If you aren't familiar with them, the are like the playpens of old but they fold up, the bent side in the one in the picture isn't broken, it is supposed to fold there. Another odd thing was that the trail was well defined but it didn't seem to go anywhere, it just petered out after a while. On an unrelated trail, Cycle Jerk, ran across A toaster and percolator from the 50's.

[where: Bethesda, MD]