This is, above all else, a blog about DC. More specifically, it's about a DC that the residents - you know, the people who actually have to live and function in this town - would like to see. Nightlife. Food-life. Transit-life. Politics-life. Life in DC, how it should be.
About our name:
As all you DCers know, and as most of you non-DCers don't know, there is neither a West Capitol Street nor a J Street in the District. There's no West Capitol Street because that's where the National Mall is. It's part of the design.
But why no J Street? When I moved to town in 2000, one of my friends explained that the theory he heard (which, to be fair, he presented as an urban legend) was that Pierre L'Enfant had a grudge against John Jay supposedly due to some malfeasance with a woman. Out of spite, when L'Enfant named the streets, he skipped over J.
Other theories suggest other forms of animosity between the two, mostly over some treaty or some other slight L'Enfant felt America had done upon France.
The most likely story, according to both The Straight Dope and Snopes, is much more mundane. Back in the day, the letters I and J were used somewhat interchangeably. It would be somewhat akin to us having a C Street for the "s" sound C can produce, and another C Street one block away for the "k" sound. Having I and J together would just be confusing. Hence the newer letter, J, was omitted.
West Capitol and J is an intersection that doesn't exist. This blog is about a DC that does not exist, but one we'd like to see.
About the authors:
Jambro is a semi-retired director in the theatre, and was co-Artistic Director of The Theatre Conspiracy until 2000. She is currently occupationally slumming it for a think tank in Dupont. She currently enjoys Buffy the Vampire Slayer on DVD (TV series), and really All Things Whedon, in addition to Lingo (and really, All Things Woolery). She's hot, taken, and has her own blog.
Checkypantz is the other writer here. He's underemployed and looking. He currently enjoys All Things Cybertronian and All Things Constitutional. He's somewhat less hot than Jambro, and also has his own blog.
A sidenote: If there were a "West Capitol Street" and a "J Street", and they followed the conventional taxonomy of the rest of DC (i.e., they go where you would expect them to go), they would never intersect. It's the one failing of the name, really. This is all stuff that we'd want to see in DC, stuff that's possible, and even likely. "West Capitol and J" just has the benefit of being clever.
About our name:
As all you DCers know, and as most of you non-DCers don't know, there is neither a West Capitol Street nor a J Street in the District. There's no West Capitol Street because that's where the National Mall is. It's part of the design.
But why no J Street? When I moved to town in 2000, one of my friends explained that the theory he heard (which, to be fair, he presented as an urban legend) was that Pierre L'Enfant had a grudge against John Jay supposedly due to some malfeasance with a woman. Out of spite, when L'Enfant named the streets, he skipped over J.
Other theories suggest other forms of animosity between the two, mostly over some treaty or some other slight L'Enfant felt America had done upon France.
The most likely story, according to both The Straight Dope and Snopes, is much more mundane. Back in the day, the letters I and J were used somewhat interchangeably. It would be somewhat akin to us having a C Street for the "s" sound C can produce, and another C Street one block away for the "k" sound. Having I and J together would just be confusing. Hence the newer letter, J, was omitted.
West Capitol and J is an intersection that doesn't exist. This blog is about a DC that does not exist, but one we'd like to see.
About the authors:
Jambro is a semi-retired director in the theatre, and was co-Artistic Director of The Theatre Conspiracy until 2000. She is currently occupationally slumming it for a think tank in Dupont. She currently enjoys Buffy the Vampire Slayer on DVD (TV series), and really All Things Whedon, in addition to Lingo (and really, All Things Woolery). She's hot, taken, and has her own blog.
Checkypantz is the other writer here. He's underemployed and looking. He currently enjoys All Things Cybertronian and All Things Constitutional. He's somewhat less hot than Jambro, and also has his own blog.
A sidenote: If there were a "West Capitol Street" and a "J Street", and they followed the conventional taxonomy of the rest of DC (i.e., they go where you would expect them to go), they would never intersect. It's the one failing of the name, really. This is all stuff that we'd want to see in DC, stuff that's possible, and even likely. "West Capitol and J" just has the benefit of being clever.
How dare you start another blog and not tell me about it. I am SO jilted.
Being an expatriate but frequent home comer, I would like to see greater cultural integration and independence for DC. I.E. when I show up on the scene, I still am quite jarred by the somewhat bold race line there is (i.e. NE or SE).
And, by cultural independence, DC has a lot of envy. This one can be summed up by the tumor that is the Kennedy Center. It is a roadhouse for national acts. They "occasionally" get some local artists to hawk their performing wares there, but not nearly often enough. It is the largest arts space in town and the town has no visible colloquial footprint. That is whack to say the least.
Also, I would like DC to collectively say "Fuck the car culture!" The roads are perpetually bad and a city should be walkable, which it is largely not.
I am vented. Thank you for playing.