No Pains No Gaines » DC in General
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November 6, 2007
DC’s Economy One Of Country’s Strongest
  Category: DC in General   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 10:23 pm  

Where better than to be in Washington, DC, as a recruiter? The Brookings Institute released the results of a study “as part of its “Blueprint for American Prosperity,” an initiative aimed at keeping America competitive by encouraging the federal government to empower individual metropolitan economies instead of maintaining a blanket focus on states and cities.”

Washington DC’s economy ranked 4th out of 363 metro areas in its number and quantity of jobs. The area contributes 2.8 percent of the country’s GDP. The three other metro areas that ranked head of DC are New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

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October 3, 2007
One of America’s Great Neighborhoods: Eastern Market
  Category: DC in General   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 7:56 pm  

When I first moved to Washington, DC, I found a quiet little corner in SE next to Marion Park in Capitol Hill. Just a few blocks away was Barracks Row and just north across Pennsylvania Avenue was Eastern Market. Little did I know then that today that area is considered one of the Top 10 Great Neighborhoods in America according to American Planning Association.

February 5, 2007
Taking a Walk Through Downtown Getting Even Better
  Category: DC in General   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 6:48 pm  

One of the great things about Washington, DC, is the ability to hop onto the Metro, get off at one of the downtown stations and walk around as much as you want and never get too far off the beaten path. Granted, there are blocks you want to avoid, but for the most part, once you’re downtown, you are invited to walk around the city and get to where you need to go without feeling like you’re lost.

The wide sidewalks, the foot traffic, the counters for the pedestrian lights, the sidewalk-level retail weven in commercial districts and so forth make walking DC enjoyable and convenient. And someone wants to make sure it gets better.

The DC Pedestrian Plan is being designed to make walking the city more walkable. There’s even a survey good until February 9 to get our opinions about walking in the city. I’ve taken the survey, actually thinking it could be more in-depth, but it’ll do.

With all the construction going on downtown and as many sidewalks are closed off, maybe when they reopen they will be more walkable, however they can make that happen.

January 7, 2007
WashingtonPost.com Hooking Up With Local Bloggers
  Category: DC in General   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 12:17 am  

No Pains, No Gaines on slideshow at local bloggers forum with WashingtonPost.comI recently attended an event hosted by WashingtonPost.com with the topic of local blogs. The three-hour forum with a panel of Washington Post writers and attended by area bloggers who write about events pertaining to Washington, DC, was pretty insightful. WashingtonPost.com has some ideas they are developing to bring local blogging to their site and this was a chance for us to learn more about those plans and learn more about the blogging world.

One of the more interesting subjects was the legal aspect of blogging, as far as how protected we are for posting information that can incite legal action. But I’m not going to get into the details as far as how far the law can protect bloggers.

I was glad to finally meet Jaime of stop, blog and roll, who sent me the announcement/invitation to the event. I have to thank her for the heads up.

Soon, the Washington Post will introduce a new section on its site where visitors can search through blogs written specifically about local events such as the DCist, MetroBloggingDC, Washington Nationals’ blogs, gardening in DC, eating in DC, life in Anacostia, the events scene and so forth.

Either-or, keep an eye on the site and thank the Washington Post for getting the local bloggers more involved in what’s being said about our city.

December 31, 2006
DC Helping Some With 2007 Resolutions
  Category: DC in General   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 2:06 pm  

No Smoking in DCThe new year is here!

It always seems just like yesterday we were just saying that, but 2006 is coming to an end, and I hope you accomplished last year’s resolutions as you prepare the new list (for some, the same list) for the new year.

And if one of your resolutions is to quit smoking, well, DC is about to make it a little easier. Beginning next Tuesday, smoking is banned in all bars, restaurants and clubs in the District.

Let’s see if the government is more affective in enforcing this ban than they are at enforcing the no firearms ban.

November 16, 2006
Contemplating Karma While Stuck in an Elevator
  Category: DC in General, METRO   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 11:26 pm  

I’ll admit, I’ve been warned before, but I didn’t heed to the advice. Stay out of the Metro elevators. Especially if you’re in a rush. At first I thought it was because some of them smell like human urine. But after this morning, I realize it’s because sometimes, getting out will take a while.

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October 15, 2006
New Digs, Finally!
  Category: DC in General, Crime/Public Safety   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 5:43 pm  

It took a minute, but I finally got out of Carver-Langston, moved to the Waterfront area in SW DC, and finally got my Internet back up and running. The six months I spent in the NE neighborhood has been one wild ride. When people told me DC can be a violent city, I didn’t mean to move right down the street from it!

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September 7, 2006
Professional Lacrosse May Be Coming to DC
  Category: DC in General, Washington Nationals   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 10:19 pm  

National Lacrosse LeagueIt looks like DC United may have to stay in RFK Stadium an extra year while their stadium takes a back seat to the $611 million home of the Nationals. The United are expected to be in their new home in 2009. By then the Washington Nationals should have completed a season in their new stadium off the Anacostia River. So what’s the point of going to RFK after Freddy and friends move across the river and the Nationals have moved on to greener pastures?

Well, there have been early talks about bringing a professional lacrosse team to the nation’s capital. Did you even know there was a such thing as the National Lacrosse League? If it wasn’t for Duke University, lacrosse would still be a foreign concept to most households. I wonder if there is a such thing as a lacrosse Hall of Fame? I see they have fantasy lacrosse off the league’s website. Interesting.

Anyway, as far as the progress of the National’s new future home, there are reports that everything seems to be on schedule (other than the parking decks). I’m curious to see what happens when Adrian Fenty becomes mayor and the project begins to fall behind schedule.

April 16, 2006
Peregrine Falcons Making DC Region Their New Home
  Category: DC in General   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 12:15 am  

There’s an interesting article on the Washington Post website about falcons choosing to live in urban areas, such as the Woodrow Wilson Bridge as opposed to the countryside. Apparently the bridge has quite an active ecosystem just below the rumble of the thousands of vehicles traveling the bridge everyday.

The photo above is from Paula Sullivan’s website where she has a bunch of good photos of the falcons. A couple of weeks ago the falcons laid three eggs. If the raccoons don’t get to them first, we may be looking forward to seeing more falcons in the area.

April 12, 2006
Got Solutions?
  Category: DC in General   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 3:16 pm  

DC Appleseed

Ok, we all know Washington, DC, isn’t perfect. As much as we love the city, we all have a few ideas of how to make it better. Well, now is the time to share those ideas, and you just may receive $5,000 for it.

DC Appleseed has a project called “Solving DC Problems” which is giving rewards for the best solutions to DC’s biggest problems. The project is sponsored by the June and Jon Hechinger Family Trusts and donors to the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region.

The problems and solutions will be voted on by online readers (so get all your friends to vote for your idea) and the winners get to present their ideas to the mayoral candidates in a forum in June. Send as many as you want, but you only have until May 5.

January 25, 2006
Look Ma, No Wires!
  Category: DC in General   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 6:13 pm  

One of the things I love most about Washington, DC, is the fact that it’s becoming more and more of a wireless city. When I first got my laptop, I was amazed at the fact that I could sit outside of the Supreme Court and get the Internet. Of course, sitting outside the Supreme Court on a laptop every time I want to check my email isn’t the brightest idea. But sure enough, DC is becoming more and more wireless everyday.

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