Yesterday, I went to Science Club right near Dupont Circle. I went with a friend of mine from Bucknell. I was running a little late, but luckily I heard the bus when I was walking up to the bus stop, so I started running. The bus driver saw me and stopped, so I was able to board the bus. I wish I caught the bus driver's name because I definitely know some people would drive right on by after seeing you running.

I got off and walked really quickly to the bar. By the time I got there, I was really thirsty. Great thing about Science Club is their great Happy Hour Specials. I ordered a Yeungling which was $3! And it was so refreshing!

We were able to get a table inside, even though I would've love to eat outside since the weather was awesome, but there were no tables available. We decided to have some food after looking at the menu. We split the Platter of Lebanese Style Hummus, Babaganoush and Grilled Goat Cheese w/ Potato in Basil Sauce. Both were amazing, I really enjoyed the potatoes with Goat Cheese. The food also came with warm pitas. The plates were the perfect size for the two of us to share.

Science Club is most definitely a bar with a restaurant quality menu, definitely not a typical bar menu. One thing I wish they had were larger tables upstairs. But there space is pretty narrow. I didn't get a chance to check out their back room, so there are probably bigger tables there. They have a downstairs as well with a full size bar. The locations is great, few doors down from Rumors. Easy to get to via metro, either Dupont stop or Farragut North stop.

I definitely recommend the Science Club and encourage everyone to try it out.

Stupid License Plate Watch
AAH JAY

On Wednesday, I went to the Mets/Nationals game at RFK. We were lucky to see Pedro Martinez pitch for the Mets.



Before this particular game, I watched Pedro pitch against the Nationals on TV. This was when he his Jose Guillen twice. I was really astonished how little control he had. I learned from the announcers that Pedro didn't pitch much during spring training, which obviously had a major impact on him.

I really thought the Nationals had a good chance to beat Pedro. Unfortunately, Pedro got a lot better from his last outing. He managed to control the location of his pitches and was able to outsmart the Nationals. What was really amazing was how he was able to get out of a bases loaded situation by getting the Nationals to pop up. The final score 3-1, Mets.

The Nationals really need to look into their outfield situation. There were a lot of fly balls that the center fielder should have caught. I don't know if the whole situation with Alfonso Soriano messed up the team chemistry or whatever goes on in the locker room, but the Nationals are not playing up to their potential.

After the game, predictably there was a huge crowd of people by the metro station. We decided to take the bus, D6 to Dupont, figuring it might be quicker than trying to get on the train. For a little while, it seemed to be the case, but then we got stuck waiting at Dupont for the D2. We did have some entertainement, there were 2 guys, one was obviously very drunk and the other was trying to keep him in check. It was quite depressing to watch. I decided to play with my camera a little to see if I could figure out how to take a picture without the flash. This is the result:




Stupid License Plate Watch
EZDUZIT (an old guy driving an oldsmobile)

On Tuesday night I saw The Cribs, Franz Ferdinand and Death Cab For Cutie. At first glance, one would think, what an incredible lineup. After seeing the show, I am inclined to agree but I feel the show had some problems.

The Cribs and Franz Ferdinand have a decidedly much more upbeat sound than Death Cab For Cutie. While listening to Franz Ferdinand, you really want to dance around. Constitution Hall isn't really designed for dancing, which was disappointing.

After Franz Ferdinand finished their set, I was all excited. And then the lights dimmed for Death Cab for Cutie and immediately got more excited (if it was even possible). But, they started their set with a slow song, which didn't ruin my mood but I really wish they would've started with a more upbeat song. Credit Death Cab for trying to make it more upbeat, they definitly tried by bringing out a smaller set of drums for lead singer, Ben Gibbard played on. But, after he played the drums, he went back to the slower songs.

Death Cab for Cutie has been touring with Franz Ferdinand for awhile, so I can't believe that seeing the crowd lose energy is much of a shock for them. I feel they can change their set list to start with some of their more upbeat songs and then go into their slower stuff and then end with the upbeat stuff. I feel that would make the show that much better.

It was also curious that folks going to the concert were seeing or only knew about one band. So, folks who knew Franz Ferdinand did not know much of Death Cab For Cutie music and vice versa. It was also curious, that these same folks, found the other bands music to all sound the same. One of my friends who had known Death Cab for Cutie music pretty well remarked after watching Franz Ferdinand, that Franz Ferdinand kept him interested for the first 4-5 songs but then they all started sounding the same. And then my roomate, who knows Franz Ferdinand stuff well thought Death Cab for Cutie sounded the same.

I originally felt the same way after listening to both their albums for the first time. But over time I started to notice differences between songs and started appreciating both bands equally.

In the end, I feel both Franz Ferdinand and Death Cab for Cutie should be headliners for their own shows and not tour together. It just does not work. Where Franz Ferdinand makes you upbeat and happy, Death Cab for Cutie tugs at your heart and makes you feel very emotional.

Stupid License Plate Watch
HAHVAD
ILVBMW (this plate was on a BMW, i don't know if this makes it better or worse)

Last weekend was quite the weekend. Besides going to the DC Regional Games at the Verizon Center (The Phone Book) and trying out a new Indian restaurant, Rasika, I saw the baby panda at the zoo. Yes, that's right, I saw Tai Shan or Butterstick, whichever name you like. I even took some pictures.




I have to say, the panda is pretty cute even though I was definitely tired of hearing about it. We also got to see one of Tai Shan's parents. This panda was happily chewing on some food. It was quite fun to watch.



Stupid License Plate Watch
MAKARENA