eat at pete's

down-the-hill apizza at pete's new haven style apizza
Originally uploaded by david&alina

pete's new haven style apizza, on irving street in columbia heights, is good. the dough is perfect, making chewy and crispy pizza crust. so are the ingredients, house made italian sausage, meatballs, roasted red peppers and caramelized onions, along with wild mushrooms made up our 'down-the-hill' on a recent visit. on the heels of numerous recent awards and magazine articles, pete's packs in a crowd. the atmosphere is fun - lots of draft and bottled beers along with a reasonable wine list keeps the patrons happy. i must say that pete's now ranks on my list with impellizzeri's in louisville, geno's east in chicago and bleecker street pizza in new york city... next time your in the district, check it out.

at the game

at the game
Originally uploaded by david&alina

as most of you know, chelsea fc is with out a doubt my favorite sports team. of course, as a kentucky wildcat, my blood bleeds blue - for the cats and now-a-days, the pensioners... last night, the world football challenge brought chelsea fc and ac milan together at m&t bank stadium in baltimore md. we had awesome seats - club level and mid field. it made for a great night, watching the blues take ac milan 2-1. the night was made even better seeing didier drogba, chelsea's ivorian powerhouse - blast a laser beam from about 45 yards out for chelsea's first goal in the 7th minute. ronaldinho ripped a pk off the crossbar late int he second half, but milan fell short after yuri zhirkov clinched the match with chelsea's second in the 69th minute. awesome match and a major highlight for alina and i this summer.

alina sampling the 'experimental' gingerpop from fojol bros of merlindia at eastern market

alina sampling the 'experimental' gingerpop from fojol bros of merlindia at eastern market
Originally uploaded by david&alina

the fojol bros of merlindia are cool. four friends in a shiny silver wagon, dressed in character and serving good indian curries with basmati rice and tasty frozen treats. i think that they're developing a cult following - fans regularly follow them on twitter - the only way to find out where they are serving it up around the district... plus they're starting to get reviews in a few local dc magazines - a pretty impressive accomplishment, considering their business is a traveling curry wagon (all be it, one with lots of bells and whistles). they're known for their mango lassi pops, but after hanging out in front of the wagon for a while, one of the guys offered us a ginger pop. it's not on the menu yet, but maybe after our vote of approval they'll make it available to the masses...

travelphotography.net

travelphotography.net
Originally uploaded by david&alina

what cool little shop in dupont circle. a really great collection of photos from around the world - documenting everyday life and making the ordinary interesting. admittedly, i'm a little jealous of this guy... maybe my new canon will help me get a little closer to being able to open my own shop one day...

http://www.travelphotography.net/

a view from the seville rooftop pool

a view from the seville rooftop pool
Originally uploaded by david&alina

after 51 weeks in our apartment, i finally made it higher than our first floor studio to hang out at the pool. not a lot of frills, but it's a pretty cool spot to take a dip and catch a few rays.

five things you should know about the smithsonian national zoo

smithsonian national zoo
Originally uploaded by david&alina

1. just like all of the smithsonian museums and galleries, it's free. a pretty impressive display of our tax dollars at work - i guess they set aside a few bucks before cutting the checks to the defense department...
2. you don't have to fly to chengdu to see giant pandas. however, these guys sleep more than cats, don't expect to see them in action - especially if you are there in the middle of the day.
3. pack a lunch - bottles of water are $4 and ice cream sandwiches $3 (i guess they are trying to make up for that free admission...).
4. the gorillas rule. they always seem to be having the most fun in the animal kingdom. above is a picture of a mother chillin with her new baby.
5. a day at the zoo is a good way to get some exercise. like it or not, it's set on the side of a hill and calls for a good deal of walking. maybe a way to make a few unknowing tourists burn some excess calories?

Happy Fourth of July

In Congress, July 4, 1776.
A Declaration
By the Representatives of the
United states of America,
In general Congress assembled.

When in the course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation.

We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness—-That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all Experience hath shewn, that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security. Such has been the patient Sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the Necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The History of the Present King of Great-Britain is a History of repeated Injuries and Usurpations, all having in direct Object the Establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid World.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public Good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing Importance, unless suspended in their Operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the Accommodation of large Districts of People; unless those People would relinquish the Right of Representation in the Legislature, a Right inestimable to them, and formidable to Tyrants only.

He has called together Legislative Bodies at Places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the Depository of their public Records, for the sole Purpose of fatiguing them into Compliance with his Measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly Firmness his Invasions on the Rights of the People.

He has refused for a long Time, after such Dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the Dangers of Invasion from without, and Convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the Population of these States; for that Purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their Migrations hither, and raising the Conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the Tenure of their Offices, and Amount and Payment of their Salaries.

He has erected a Multitude of new Offices, and sent hither Swarms of Officers to harass our People, and eat out their Substance.

He has kept among us, in Times of Peace, Standing Armies, without the consent of our Legislature.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a Jurisdiction foreign to our Constitution, and unacknowledged by our Laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large Bodies of Armed Troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from Punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all Parts of the World:

For imposing taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us, in many Cases, of the Benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended Offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an arbitrary Government, and enlarging its Boundaries, so as to render it at once an Example and fit Instrument for introducing the same absolute Rule in these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with Powers to legislate for us in all Cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our Seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our Towns, and destroyed the Lives of our People.

He is, at this Time, transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the Works of Death, Desolation, and Tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and Perfidy, scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous Ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized Nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the Executioners of their Friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic Insurrections among us, and has endeavoured to bring on the Inhabitants of our Frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known Rule of Warfare, is an undistinguished Destruction, of all Ages, Sexes and Conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions we have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble Terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated Injury. A Prince, whose Character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the Ruler of a free People.

Nor have we been wanting in Attentions to our British Brethren. We have warned them from Time to Time of Attempts by their Legislature to extend an unwarrantable Jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the Circumstances of our Emigration and Settlement here. We have appealed to their native Justice and Magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the Ties of our common Kindred to disavow these Usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our Connections and Correspondence. They too have been deaf to the Voice of Justice and of Consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the Necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of Mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace, Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the Rectitude of our Intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly Publish and Declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be, Free and Independent States; that they are absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political Connection between them and the State of Great-Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of the divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

Signed by Order and in Behalf of the Congress,
John Hancock, President.

Attest.
Charles Thomson, Secretary.