Restaurant Review: The Italian Store

Last night, I left the office early to bike all the way over to the Hill and meet Charlie. From there, we biked (mostly uphill, mind you) through Georgetown and into Arlington. The reason for this quasi-monumental feat? The Italian Store. Was it worth it? Most definitely. Part grocery store, part pizza parlor, part sub shop, The Italian Store is one of those great little neighborhood dives that gives credibility to the argument that parts of northern Virginia feel more "authentic-city-like" than the District. Cheap (but really good!) food, genuine atmosphere, nice people--throw in a post-bike-ride-high and a surprisingly cool August afternoon and you have a pretty solid Tuesday night.

When you go, my recommendation is a Milano sub, a bag of chips, a Dr. Brown's root beer in a can and a "fantasy bar" (basically a blondie with chocolate chips). Live it up.

Ryan Adams vs. Oasis

Kind of a weird first post, I know, but I came across this great article from Seattle's The Stranger. ::for those in DC, The Stranger is a bigger, cooler, more interesting version of City Paper:: I have always been fascinated by Oasis's brotherly love/desire to punch each other in the face; this piece does an excellent job pairing them (via their drug use, on-stage antics and vices) with Ryan Adams.

A New Project

Maybe it is the lull of Washington in August, maybe it’s Amber’s “Jackie Ross, I think you need a blog” email, maybe it's inspiration from great bloggers of past--Audrey, Carrie, Suzanne--but something has made me think that I have the capability/time/interest to create a blog. I hope to use this space to share some of my favorite designs, recipes, furnishings, clothes, music and films—and to get some terrific ideas in return. At the very least, I will at least try to use as many pictures as possible to keep it interesting. Hope you enjoy!