Matuba Sushi Restaurant

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!

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

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

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

 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

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

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

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

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

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.