DC launches a bike-sharing program

by Iva Skoch on

I am a big ZipCar fan. I can guarantee that I would like a similar service using bicycles instead of cars, as well.

DC is launching a first extensive bike-sharing initiative in the US. Registered participants can access 120 “smart bikes” at 10 different locations in the downtown area. Retrieving the bike is easy.

  • Go to any bike station (see photo)
  • Wave your SmartBike DC user card in front of the card reader
  • Follow instructions on screen
  • Retrieve assigned bike from rack

Bike-sharing has been popular throughout Europe, with cities like Paris, Barcelona or Stockholm using them. Will it work in car-infatuated America? That’s a good question.

There are problems with the idea translating into this market. The US is a litigious society. People will sue if something happens to them. Helmets are not provided, yet they are required in many states. There are other liability issues. If they bike gets stolen, the customer pays.

I sincerely hope they can figure out how to make it work. It’s a great idea.

BoltBus adds Boston to schedule

by Martha Edwards on

Remember last week when I told you about the awesome $1 fare for bus service between NYC and DC aboard BoltBus? Well, the good news just got even better — they’ve added Boston as another one of their cheap-o destinations, starting in April. You won’t find seats for $1, but once they go on sale, they’ll cost you around $7 for a one-way trip. But, like I mentioned before, be sure to book far in advance and expect to see a booking fee on top of that.

Tickets aren’t on sale yet, but once they are available, book quickly as their sure to go fast at that price. As an added incentive, Bolt Buses offer free WiFi and power outlets on their coaches.

(via Cheapskate Travel)

Hopper’s Americana, on Display in DC

by Iva Skoch on

I have a thing for Edward Hopper.

Aside from being one of the most talented painters ever (I think), he has an amazing ability to chronicle life. He is like a photo-journalist of painters…great composition, images frozen in time, yet capturing the essence of a moment perfectly.

His images feature ordinary American life, like in this picture “Chop Suey” from 1929: two fashionably dressed women waiting for a check at a restaurant. You see parts of other people’s lives too, like the couple sitting behind them, but you don’t ever really feel like you understand what goes on with either of them. It reminds me of life in New York City: you always feel like you are missing on something else by being right here.

Needless to say, I was pleased to find out there is an Edward Hopper exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in DC, where I happen to be this weekend. (I hope nobody has tried to retrace my steps in the last 30 days because I have really been to all those places: London, Crete, New York, San Francisco, Adirondacks, Brussels, Prague, DC…Let’s not talk about my carbon footprint. Ouch!)

Anyway, if you have a chance, see the exhibit. It ends January 21, 2008. It is possibly the most complete collection of his work. Afterwords, you will want to hang out at a diner all day.

Dupont Circle: Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe

by Kelly Amabile on

While I’ve got D.C. on my mind, it’s best I mention one of the coolest bookstores in town: Kramerbooks and Afterwords Cafe is probably the first indy bookstore I’ve been to where the cafe is bigger than the bookstore. Actually, the first time I visited this Dupont Circle landmark, it was a dark summer evening and we sat outside and had dinner on the restaurant side. I didn’t even know there was a bookstore on the other side.

This could mean that some folks who enter from the bookstore side are so immersed in their browsing that they don’t notice the cafe in the back…doubtful, but I guess still a possibility?! The point is, my dear readers, that regardless of which side you enter from, be sure to partake in both halves of this wonderful bookstore cafe, which recently celebrated 30 years in the biz.

Besides the bookshop and cafe, there is an adjoining bar and live music performances. I’ve heard great things about their Sunday brunch, and I can report that the generous serving of cinnamon ice cream is worth the trip alone. Do you need any more reasons to visit?

Art & Architecture at D.C.’s Charles Sumner School

by Kelly Amabile on

Directly across the street from the headquarters of National Geographic at the corner of 17th and M Streets in downtown D.C. is a historic museum and art space worth checking out if you happen to be in that part of town. I’m guessing it may get overlooked a lot — at first glance, I thought it was a church, and almost walked by without stopping.

Named for the abolitionist senator from Massachusetts, The Charles Sumner School was designed by influential German architect and education advocate Adolf Cluss, who immigrated to the US in 1848. The building, one of Cluss’ famous model schools, was originally opened in 1872 and served as the first permanent school for African American children in Washington, D.C. It was restored in the mid-1980’s and currently houses the official Archives of the D.C. Public Schools.

It’s definitely possible to walk by this place and miss it. But a colorful banner displayed outside caught my eye, so I stepped inside for a look:

There are currently two globally-focused art exhibits on display at the museum. The first is Friends Forever Zimbabwe, a collection of stone pieces by master sculptors from the African nation. This sales exhibition features and promotes the work of 17 artists, including 1st generation artist Edward Chiwawa and 3rd generation sculptor Ennica Mukomberanwa.

This traveling show has been reproduced several times in cities across the globe over the past few years. Each time a group of selected sculptures are ready for shipment, they are first put up as an outdoor exhibition at Friends Forever’s headquarter in Ruwa, east of Harare, Zimbabwe. This current exhibit runs through June 30.

The second exhibit is a sprawling collection of work by Nilo M. Santiago, a former Air Force illustrator and Philippine native who immigrated to the US in 1964. Santiago’s work fills two rooms and a wide hallway on the second floor of the museum. As the official artist of the United States Air Force, Nilo painted aviation arts, murals, portraits and anything else Air Force related. He is a member of the American Society of Aviation Artists (who knew such a thing existed?)

Santiago earned a fine arts degree from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila and eventually found work in the US as a designer. In 1976 he began work for the Air Force, and stayed with them until his retirement in 2003 (except for an 8-year stint at the Navy.) Over 200 of his paintings are in the Air Force Art Collection, on display at the Pentagon and military bases around the world.

Several of Santiago’s collections are influenced by Japanese and Chinese art forms, and there is also a series called “My Philippines” inspired by a return trip he took to Manila after 37 years in the US. The Sumner Museum’s colorful retrospective of oils, watercolors and pen-and-ink drawings by this award winning artist is sponsored by the Philippine Embassy and will be on display through July 23.

A third exhibit on display until the end of June is titled “Center of Attention”, and features the photography of Eduardo Gyles.

The Charles Sumner Museum is open to the public free of charge Monday-Saturday, 10:00am to 5:00pm; the archives are open by appointment only to researchers, scholars and students from Tuesday through Saturday 9:00am to 3:30pm (202-442-6046). The closest Metro stop is Farragut North and Dupont Circle is also only a short walk away.