Written by DCist contributor Morgan Hargrave It is entirely possible that the only people who visit the National Building Museum are intrepid tourists who have strayed from the Mall, or perhaps those only there to count the ridiculous number of columns in the Great Hall. It would be a shame if this were actually true, since the NBM has plenty to offer. Of particular note for tourists and locals alike is an exhibit, Washington: Symbol......

David Macaulay, the self proclaimed “explainer of things,” has been drawing and illustrating architecture for the past 30 years. In The Art of Drawing Architecture, the National Building Museum showcases Macaulay’s knack for deconstructing buildings and showing their many layers from various perspectives. Preferring simple materials, such as pen and ink, Macaulay recreates vast spaces on single sheets of paper. Spanning his career, the exhibit starts by documenting his most recent work, Mosque, a book......

Go home. Tell your boss it's for your own safety. Maybe it's the heat or people who are waiting to go on summer vacation, but it seems that there's madness in the city. I should have known it was getting bad when I spotted this tree with a ring of cheese curls around it. The madness certainly seems to have infected Todd Kliman of Washingtonian. If you didn't catch his chog this week, you......

By now you must know how much DCist loves our photographers who contribute through Flickr. You're probably sick of hearing us talk about them really, like your co-worker with the fabulous new millionaire boyfriend she keeps gabbing on about. But we can't help it -- we just adore these folks for offering up such great work to share with us. So you can understand why we've been so upset after reading the following discussion from......

>> Looks like this morning's hellish Red Line delays were caused by an electrical malfunction involving the much-storied third rail. Sparks and smoke were first reported on the tracks between Dupont Circle and Woodley Park Stations at 7:15 a.m., forcing both north and southbound trains to share one track for two hours. Delays continued after the issue was resolved, as backed-up passengers filtered onto inbound trains. [Washington Post] >> One blogger tells the harrowing tale......

I don’t spend much time listening to the radio anymore. What with WHFS having gone Latin and DC101 moving further and further towards an “All Nirvana, All the Time” format, I’ve had to turn to 94.7 The Arrow for anything approaching rock. Problem is, I’ve never much been a fan of classic rock, much less classic rock stations that promote themselves via TV ads starring a guy with a "radio in his finger." Yeah, you......

In their first feature film, Unknown (which opened at the E Street Cinema on Friday), director Simon Brand and screenwriter Matthew Waynee demonstrate that they have absorbed the lessons of thrillers like Reservoir Dogs, True Romance, Memento, Pi, Sixth Sense, and The Usual Suspects. That is, a thriller's thrill comes from delaying the audience's understanding of the real circumstances and motivations of the characters as long as possible. If the screenplay can keep the characters......

Wednesday’s unseasonable warmth called for sunny day music. A happy coincidence then, that Ben Kweller, a purveyor of cheerful college rock, was headlining the 9:30 club that evening. Looking at the small crowd of underage early arrivals jostling for position, a question came to mind: is Kweller an artist or a phase? To paraphrase a famous film quote, it seems that he gets older but his fans stay the same age. The answer came......

Are you ready for some football? I hope these tough guys weren't using the Redskins as role models last night, lest their dreams of championship games be dashed like so many wide last-minute field goals. Flickr user michael starghill caught these Coolidge High School players putting on their game faces for the second half. The EXIF data is here.......

If the fiery hell holes of silent elevator shafts and devilishly high heat indexes have D.C. repenting with sweaty Hail Marys, there is an escape: find Alabama's finest photographer and sculptor William Christenberry at any of four art relief stations around the city. Cool A/C, (photographed) ice-cold Coca-Cola, and - Hallelujah - none of those famous Tuscaloosan chitlins! Get on up, lil' doggies, and drag yourself along on a Christenberry tour that's as Southern as......

What happens when a prep couture line tries its hand at grub? Food and waifish models side by side? Only in Georgetown. The month-old Rugby is the first of Ralph Lauren's six hip international stores (no, they don't sell their wares online) to open a bistro next door—the oh so creatively named Rugby Café. Like the clothing, the prices are slightly steep for what's actually presented—a scrap of tank top here, a bowl of spinach......

If you haven't made your way down to Gallery Place today, you're missing quite the celebration. The Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery opened their doors today after a six year renovation. Dancers, puppet-masters, Andy Warhol impersonators and live bands are ushering in the new era for the former Patent Office Building. Oh, and the free ice cream is nice, too. After the ribbon cutting ceremony this morning, residents and tourists......

Yesterday morning at Mount Vernon, the cornerstone for a new George Washington museum was laid. The Post takes us through the Masonic rituals involved in the process:At yesterday's consecration, members of the Alexandria-Washington Masonic Lodge No. 22, dressed in tuxedos and white aprons, poured corn kernels and cruets of canola oil and red wine over the cornerstone. An architect and other officials inspected the rock. Then prayers were read aloud. Number 22 was the first......

In the same gallery with string art and postmodern bric-a-brac, a visit to the Hirshhorn's third floor will now reveal the intricacy of contemporary drawing when it meets all-out boring honest to goodness work. From the same art student friends you've heard wax endlessly on about Art School Confidential and how "Drawing dude, that's the new painting," comes blabbing praise for the uncool, unneurotic, even chubby Marco Maggi. But this time they are dead......

If businesses seem a little slower than usual today, there's a good explanation -- today is the day that millions of immigrants across the United States will boycott work, part of a protest the demonstrate their economic weight and push for sensible immigration reform. The boycott has sparked divisions within the immigrant rights movement, though, with some groups and advocates in the area arguing that the action could turn public opinion against them. Locally,......

SFist commeters pose for before and aftershocks when the mayor commemorates a 1906 earthquake...at 4:30 in the morning. A hot tip on the Chronicle vending machines comes in and the SFist war correspondent risks life and limb to post this dispatch from the frontlines. Houstonist announces their new Cops spinoff "World's Funniest Tazer Videos" and the possible cancellation of their pervs' "World's Grossest Bathroom Videos" and PBS trains cams on cows at, uhg, Mootube. Also,......

There's no shortage of problems for today's print media. From business models that appear fundamentally flawed to allegations of bias (from all sides, no less), an editor can invoke plenty of demons to keep him up nights. But of all the troublesome pests hiding under print journalists' beds, it seems the biggest, ugliest, and sleep-deprivingest is the aesthetic appeal of one's internet page. Pity the poor newsmen sitting bolt upright in cold sweats, fretting over......

If you've ever suspected dollhouses of evils more sinister than mini Easybake cakes and faux brick wallpaper, Corrine May Botz will confirm your woe. Horror and beauty come in convincing 1/25th scale in her dark and crafty photographs at Hemphill Fine Art's backroom. Take a walk around the small space, taking in the noirish interiors, and you won't notice the even darker subject matter. Botz has photographed a series of models made by deceased......

The Agenda's a little late this week, and we're awfully sorry to leave you hangin'. We've been expanding our regular visual arts coverage (hope you noticed), but in so doing got behind on our long-standing duties. Luckily, there's a slew of events this weekend to point out, so hopefully you'll forgive our tardiness and not throw any drinks in our faces when we see you at openings over the next few days. White wine may......

Even when the ground is broken on the new stadium for the Washington Nationals, District pols, analysts, and residents will look back and ask, "Now why was that so hard?" Beyond the debate that is to be expected with any large, publicly-funded construction project, the year-long political conflict over the South Capitol Street stadium has been particularly intense. Why's that? Because in selling the stadium to the City Council and the District's residents, D.C. Mayor......

Of. course. And on the very day that we don't ride the bus. Yesterday some lucky commuters received undated bus transfers when Metrobus ran out of their standard transfers due to an equipment problem at the company that prints them. The passes can theoretically be used over and over again, so expect a black market in these "emergency transfers" to emerge on craigslist.org in approximately 5 seconds. Warner Grants Clemency to Death Row Inmate: Virginia......

In NYC, Bumble and Bumble salons offer free hair cuts and color for willing 'models' for their training classes. Are there any salons that do this in DC? Thanks. After a disastrous hair experience last year, Ask DCist is a little too scissor shy to venture into the unknown (we now stick very tightly to our prefferred stylist), but we know many souls with willing spirits (and willing hair) who really love these opportunities. Turns......

Aprilia, Motoguzzi, Ducati, Cagiva…..Italian Motorcycle manufacturers right? Well maybe if you’re in Italy, but if you venture to Mt. Pleasant’s new slice of New York you’ll find them to be the names of just a few new pies to grace this neighborhoods main drag. Red Bean is distant memory whose relics now grace Wonderland's décor like a fading ghost. In its place is Radius, a New York style pizzeria that is certain to get more......

Duck Watch Begins at Treasury: Remember the expectant duck nesting outside the Treasury Department that captured the heart of all America? Well, those eggs may be hatching this week, the AP, via WJLA, reports. We can already hear the ooohs and ahhhs coming from the area, but unfortunately, the view from the nearest DDOT camera, seen here at 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, is turned away from the duck's security perimeter. If the world can......

Looking for a last minute stocking stuffer for your conservative friends, or dartboard fodder for those on the left? Online magazine Salon yesterday pointed us to a great option -- the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute's 2005 Great American Conservative Women calendar. On the heels of last year's Babes Against Bush calendar comes this new entry into the glutted calendar market, featuring prominent conservative women like Dr. Laura, a machine-gun packing Shemane Nugent, Secretary of......

A major permanent exhibit on the history, geography, and architecture of Washington D.C. will open at the National Building Museum this Saturday. The exhibit, titled Washington: Symbol and City, will explore the tension between the desires of government and the "hopes and needs of a thriving city." The exhibit includes a variety of historical materials, large "touchable" architectural models of the White House, the Capitol, the capstone of the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln and......

If you thought you couldn't get enough of Frank Gehry by staring at models and renderings of the proposed wing at the Corcoran Museum of Art, head on over to 17th Street, as the museum opened today a new exhibition on the furniture of the Los Angeles architect. "The Furniture of Frank Gehry" runs through Nov. 15. The exhibition features work Gehry has done for three designers, Knoll, Heller and Vitra. Does any of this......

DCist's sibling site in San Francisco, SFist, alerts us to the danger certain bike riders are facing. Certain models of Kryptonite bike locks can be easily picked with a Bic pen. D.C. photoblogger Ambivilent Images has a photo of a replacement On Guard lock but says while it can still be picked, it can't be unlocked with a Bic pen. The warning all got started on a biking message board, and has been picked up......

DCist has discovered that, against all logic, Mayor Anthony Williams proclaimed Sept. 10-19 dcFashionWeek. Sponsored by Corjor International, dcFashionWeek is a partnership of independent fashion designers, producers and models showcasing ready-to-wear, urbanwear and couture from an eclectic group of local and international designers. (This image shows the work of dcFashionWeek design participant Troy Artis.) The week kicked off Monday with a ready-to-wear showcase and appears to offer more to the D.C. community than the latest......

If you were worried about being swept out to sea during your Outer Banks beach three-day weekend, it seems that for the time being, you're safe. Hurricane Frances seems to be dead-set on striking between Miami and Cape Canaveral. Forecast models differ, but Capital Weather seems to think that data for one model that takes the storm up into the Carolinas is flawed. So unless you're going to Fort Lauderdale this weekend, things should be......