It's no surprise to this Hill resident, but it might be to those of you who live in relative cesspools like Logan Circle, Clarendon, Silver Spring, or "North" Cleveland Park: Eastern Market has been named one of the Nation's ten best neighborhoods. Thank you, American Planning Association, for giving credit where it's due. In its first annual "Best Places" awards, the APA heralds the Eastern Market neighborhood for "its continued success in balancing the demands......

It's back to school time, and that means we're once again recruiting new writers to become part of our growing team of city bloggers. As you know, we aren't able to pay our contributors -- so please don't apply unless you're ready to do it for the love of exploring D.C., engaging in important debates about the direction of the city, or are just the kind of person who's happy enough to see your name......

>> OK, Joyce Carol Oates really IS going to be at Politics and Prose tonight, where she'll read from and sign copies of her latest novel, The Gravedigger's Daughter. Get there well before the 7 p.m. start time to stake out a seat. >> The Smithsonian Latino center presents From Mambo to Hip Hop: A Bronx Tale, a 55 minute documentary about how the South Bronx' Boricua community makes its own brand of music......

Written by Adam Bailey Hey Washington, it's Pride Weekend! Following the warm up of Memorial Day's Black Pride, LGBT Washington and thousands of visitors will gather this weekend for celebrations like tomorrow's parade (through the Dupont and Logan Circle neighborhoods) and Sunday's street festival (between the Archives and the Capitol). Swing by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network's booth while you're down there; they should be jubilant given today's news that Peter "Gays are Immoral" Pace......

Vapiano: Hopefully Better than the Name Sounds DCist swung by the opening dinner last night at Vapiano, now open at 1800 M Street NW. It's a European-based pizza, pasta, and salad bar that claims to be leading a new trend in the restaurant industry deemed “Fresh Casual" (which was strange, given the greeters at the dinner were dressed to the nines). What does that mean? Vapiano explains it as “somewhere between the nicest of fast......

Summer is right around the corner and most farmer’s markets are out in full swing. There are enough of them out there to visit one everyday, but why not add a few more to your list? Bloomingdale’s Farmer’s Market is set to open on June 17th (Father’s Day) and run every Sunday through November 18th, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., rain or shine. It will be located in the heart of the Bloomingdale neighborhood, on......

FRIDAY: >> The Millennium Stage Conservatory Project concludes this weekend at the Kennedy Center. Promising young musicians from the nation's best conservatories will be giving free concerts in the Terrace Theater: Eastman School of Music (tonight), Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University (Saturday), and Shepherd School of Music, Rice University (Sunday). All concerts begin at 6 p.m. and can also be experienced by live simulcast through the Millennium Stage Web site. >> Garrison Keillor brings......

>> As we mentioned earlier in Reader, Meet Author, Vanity Fair editor Cullen Murphy will be at Politics and Prose tonight to read from and sign copies of Are We Rome? As long as we can ruled by Simon Woods, I'm all for saying, yes, please, let's be Rome. 7 p.m. >> Tickets are still available for tonight's performance of Leoš Janáček's Jenůfa at Washington National Opera. Our critic called this production WNO's "best......

We hope everyone brought his or her umbrella to work today, and we hope that it's one of those doesn't-turn-inside-out-in-the-wind ones, because we're about to receive a severe lashing from thunderstorms this afternoon. If this radar shot, and the National Weather Services' severe thunderstorm warning (on until 8 p.m. tonight) are any indicator—which they are—we'll be in for a dazzling lightshow starting anywhere from now until 7 p.m. Since the warm weather we've been......

>> Well, we know who Diane Rehm won't be supporting for President in 2008: Newt Gingrich. The former Speaker of the House was on her WAMU-produced NPR show this morning, but ducked out 20 minutes short of his hour-long segment; Ms. Rehm was not pleased. "I think he just came on the show to sell his book," a caller said, to which Diane replied, "I think so too, and I'm FURIOUS about it." Another......

This Saturday, DC 101 is once again hosting its annual Chili Cook-Off, that popular concert, food and drink festival of gong show proportions that benefits the National Kidney Foundation. Tickets are sold-out, but for those of you who already got yours or are willing to brave the wilds of craigslist to score some, be sure to stop by the judging area and say hello to myself and DCist Food Editor Adam Bailey. Adam will be......

Although the DCist Food and Drink team would prefer to associate the word "turnover" exclusively with "apple," we also recognize that staff "turnover" is an inevitable fact of the blogging world. Two writers recently left us for print publications, and three others retired from service. In short, we've run low on qualified Food and Drink writers. When we need to restock, it's not as simple as heading to the local Whole Foods for wild-caught salmon......

From DCist food contributor Adam Bailey Having It Out on the Wednesday Food Pages Wands raised! Food-world wizards David Hagedorn (most recently of David Greggory) and Phyllis Richman (revered Washington Post food critic from 1967 to 2000) ignited the pages of the Post's food section yesterday with a healthy debate about running a restaurant, diner expectations and stolen napkin rings. Expelliarmus! DCist thinks both should put their pens down and take a couple breaths. Mr.......

From DCist Food contributor Adam Bailey As you know, the many tentacles of DCist pay no heed to political boundaries. Even Western Ave. at the fair District's northwest edge can't contain us. That's why we're looking forward to the 16th annual Taste of Bethesda. ToB is Saturday, October 1 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Woodmont Triangle in conjunction with the annual Best of Bethesda Day (or, as DCist prefers, Besthesday), so mark your......

Please welcome the newest DCist food contributor, Adam Bailey DCist has fond memories of chalkboards, small tables, and walls covered with primary colors from our kindergarten days decades ago. What would conjure those feelings again, so many years later? A classroom? Maybe a carton of milk and a midday nap? No; Pesce, one of D.C.'s best deals for great fish. While the ingredients for the food here may be elementary, the final results are definitely......