The D.C. bubble

June 8, 2007 by Leave a Comment

Washington, D.C.

There’s been a lot of talk as of late about the U.S. housing bubble. Nationwide, the trends don’t look all that great. According to the Times, “existing and new home sales declined sharply in the first quarter of this year and permits for future construction in April were down 28 percent from their year-ago levels.”

It’s a bleak picture — but one whose brunt force is being felt in recently overbuilt areas, like Las Vegas, Florida and Kazakstan (blame Borat!). But, as the Times points out in an op-ed, there are other regions, like the NY-metro area, where the “boom of the last few years will simply fizzle out into an extended period of flat or slowly rising home prices and sales.”

But what about here in the nation’s capital?

May’s condo housing report is out. And it shows inventory down 12.8% and contracts up 15.7%. The median price is essentially holding steady, down less than $5,000 to $350k.

Does this make it a seller’s or buyer’s market? It seems that currently the area’s housing market is in something of a holding pattern — and only time will really tell how things pan out here.

Filed Under: dc, real estate

EXCLUSIVE: The official Party DC response

June 6, 2007 by 1 Comment

Washington, D.C.

So, unless you’re new here, you know that recently I’ve been harping on Party DC.

I’ve never been completely thrilled with the level of service and professionalism that they’ve exhibited at their events – and this weekend’s Wine Festival trip was a prime example, when buses didn’t leave until an hour after their scheduled departure and a complete lack of organization left hundreds of paying customers aimlessly wandering Arlington.

Responding to that specific issue, Patrick Barton, Party DC’s president, e-mailed me last night. In part, he said, “It takes a while to load several hundred people on buses trying to load coolers, making sure they get on the same bus w/ all their friends, making sure all buses are completely full, people running on/off the bus after they have already sat down because they forgot something or rather use the restroom at the restaurant (even though they are restrooms on the bus), etc.”

He also responded to my concern that the company’s chaperones are allowed to drink during events, often leading to confusing and conflicting directions at day’s end. “Though our staff members are allowed to partake in the social aspects of our events, they know they are to maintain and keep up certain professionalism,” he said.

Barton says these aren’t “excuses” but “issues that we run in to on our end that exacerbate the situation.”

I’m appreciative of the time Barton took to get in touch with me directly – although I’m still not sure he adequately addressed some of the bigger issues raised (like, for example, oversold trips). But his taking the time to reach out to me is certainly a step in the right direction.

What’d you think?

Read his complete (and long) e-mail after the jump. [Read more…]

Filed Under: dc, events

In pursuit of the $21 hotdog

June 5, 2007 by 1 Comment

Washington, D.C.

When it comes to late night eats in Adams Morgan, I’ve been a fan of M’Dawg Haute Dogs on 18th Street since it opened a couple of months ago. Sure, it’s a part of the “Starbucking” of the hot dog and its prices can give you sticker shock, but the gourmet toppings bar is sick and the delicious spicy cheese & chili is self-serve. Plus, I’m soon going to get one of their infamous $20 (plus $1 for toppings) Kobe beef dogs — “the Bentley of Dawgs” — for free!

Wait, how you ask?

Simple, I’ve been using one of M’Dwag’s frequent buyer Kibble Cards (“Collect 8 GET 1 FREE”). After dragging many friends and co-workers there, I’m finally eligible for my free dog — and, thankfully, the Kibble Card doesn’t list any restrictions. So, next time I’m feeling a hot dog, I’ll head over to 18th, order my Kobe beef, load it up with some delicious toppings, like their harissa remoulade, and then hand over my card to pay.

We’ll see what they say.

Filed Under: dc, grub

Boycott Party DC

June 4, 2007 by 5 Comments

Washington, D.C.

We couldn’t have asked for better weather at this weekend’s Vintage Virginia Wine Festival. And between the 85 degree temperature, live music, free food samples and mediocre (yet copious) amount of vino, Saturday was pretty great.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said of Party DC, the event planning company that organized our bus transportation to and from Bull Run. If you’re a young professional here in the nation’s capital, chances are good that you’ve been on one of Party DC’s trips – or at least heard of them.

I’ve been on several, to fall and spring Gold Cup and the Wine Festival (twice). But to be honest, I’ve never been happy (or even remotely satisfied) with Party DC’s level of service or professionalism – in fact, no one I’ve spoken to has.

Here are Five Reasons That Party DC is Awful:

  • Terrible website. It’s slow, crashes browsers and is impossible to navigate. Worst of all, it makes purchasing tickets a pain. Forget about trying to find or view event photos.
  • Scaled pricing. Yeah, it’s common with other event tickets, but Party DC doesn’t tell you the exact dates of when prices will increase – or what they will increase to. What ensues? An unnecessary guessing game intended solely to pad their bottom line.
  • Oversold trips. A completely unacceptable practice. At spring Gold Cup this year, many full-paying customers were forced to stand on the hour trip out to the Plains, Virginia.
  • No pre-trip orientation or organization. Time and time again (this past weekend being a prime example), Party DC employees have offered no direction to the hundreds of customers arriving at the Front Page. This inevitably results in a huge backlog and massive confusion when attempting to load buses. And Party DC buses leaving on time? Laughable.
  • Drunk chaperones. Party DC “hires” people to staff buses, but these same people are allowed to drink and do what they want at the event. You can imagine what kind of leadership and organization this inspires — especially at the end of the day.

It’s no surprise then: Party DC events are consistently a screwy mess. So, from this point on, I’ll be boycotting their equally screwy trips.
Who’s with me?

Filed Under: dc, events, rants

Who’s more obscene?

June 4, 2007 by Leave a Comment

Washington, D.C.

Dave Attell put on a hilarious show Friday night. But I left wondering a perplexing question: Who’s more obscene – the notoriously offending comedian … or the foul-mouthed HBO employees running his tour?

When we got to the Lincoln Theater around a half hour before the doors open, my buddy and I marched to the end of a line already stretching down the block. Ushers assured us though that there would be enough seats for all of us. They were right and soon we were filing inside, where there was the typical buzz that accompanies taped events like these (i.e., sound guys checking mics, camera cranes getting in position, etc.). Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary.

But no one could’ve prepared me for the army of headset wearing producers, running up and down the aisles, barking orders at anyone in sight. A group sitting next to us was told by one particularly pleasant lady that since they were sitting in front of the cameras, they would not be allowed to stand during the show. When they objected and asked to be moved, the producer asked them where they thought they were going.

Another real loon was just uttering every possible obscenity into thin air (or, her little headset), while most of the audience looked on in bewilderment. We thought she might be part of the opening act. Alas, none of it really mattered once Dave got on stage. He was a truly class(less) act and brought the house down.

For those not there, hopefully, the HBO special will be out soon. Unfortunately, for those watching at home, it’ll only include the obscenities from the comedian — and not his traveling sideshow.

Filed Under: dc, events, thoughts

Insomniac in the city

May 29, 2007 by 1 Comment

The comedian Dave Attell (named one of the “25 Funniest People in America” by Entertainment Weekly) will be taping an HBO special this Friday at the Lincoln Theater on U Street.

Attell is probably best known for his Comedy Central show Insomniac, where he traveled around the country, got liquored up, stayed out all night and documented it all with a crummy disposable camera. In my humble opinion, his experience at the Wiener’s Circle in Chicago should forever be immortalized in television history. It was priceless.

To get free tickets to one of his two shows (7:15 or 9:45 p.m.), you need to e-mail the following information to daveattell@broadwayvideo.com:

  1. Your full name
  2. Your e-mail address
  3. Your phone number
  4. Your preference for show 1 or 2. (I’ll be at show 1.)
  5. The number of tickets you want, 2 max.

Move fast. I’m sure tickets will be gone soon — and the Jaeger commercials are priceless.

Filed Under: dc, events

Living in a modernist world (then & now)

May 22, 2007 by Leave a Comment

Washington, D.C.

4-28-08southwestern1

I’m writing this post, appropriately enough, from my Wassily Chair.

Over the weekend, we had a chance to go to “Modernism: Designing a New World 1914 – 1939,” a new traveling exhibit from London currently on display at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. It was a really interesting look at a movement that continues to play a tremendous role in design today.

Looking at Bauhaus teapots, futurist “Frankfurt Kitchens” that were designed to increase efficiency and models of Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoy, it was hard not to also think of Ikea furniture, Snaidero kitchens or the Hurshhorn Museum here in D.C.

Modernism was about revolutionizing the way we live – it was thought that we could view buildings as “machines for living in.” With its emphasis on simplicity, clean lines and open plans, it was about the universal idea of freeing your mind and life of clutter and the extraneous — and instead focusing on the things that really mattered.

Perhaps this is why, at 90 years old, it’s just as relevant now as it was then.

Filed Under: architecture, dc, design

I’m back!

May 15, 2007 by 3 Comments

Washington, D.C.

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So, it’s been a while. For the last couple of months, I’ve been looking for someone to redesign this site — improving its navigation, integrating a blog and just giving it a general face lift. Frustrated last week that I’d not yet been able to find a taker, I decided to take on the project myself. Welcome to the new & improved, third version of marczawel.com.

Everything from my old site is here: the freelance listings, reviews of my book and all that jazz. But I’ve also incorporated some new features and personalization. As for the blog, it’s something I’ll update (hopefully) on a semi-frequent basis, with thoughts on life in the District. So, be sure to check back often, and, in the meantime, took a look around and let me know what you think.

Cheers!

Filed Under: dc, thoughts
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