it is no secret that BYT

LOVES DC

. The art, the architecture, the music, the trees, the ....the EVERYTHING.
And because we love love and we love holidays too, we decided to use the unique, once a year Valentine's opportunity, and declare our love for the city as loudly and proudly as possible.

So we did what had to be done: we got in touch with our favorite reason why we love DC (THE PEOPLE, THE PEOPLE) and asked them to write to us about 5 reasons why THEY love dc.

What is to follow is a week of installments of DC love from local musicians, djs, designers, actors, writers, bartenders, photographers, kids about town and all in all local heros.

TODAY WE BEGIN with....

5. location location location. d.c. is the meeting point between the south and the north in this eastern seaboard and many great cities and scenes are within driving distance: richmond, baltimore, philadelphia, new york city, and boston are all within driving distance and one can see some unbelievable things in these cities and ours!!!!

4. cosmopolitan: d.c. has a great international population and one can find just about any kind of cuisine and culture that is found on this great earth and try it. being the capital of the "free" world, and i use that term increasingly more lightly( smoking bans are nothing more than fascism), d.c. has a wonderful mix of cultures and residents that really open one's eyes to the bigger picture.

3. the arts: with the smithsonian complexes and the other art museums and galleries around town, one is never bereft of seeing some world class art and exibitions. and for the most part... it's free. not to mention the bevy of embassies from around the world that showcase their own cultures' and art for those who choose to partake.

2. the women: d.c. has some of the most beautiful, smart, strong, and motivated women that i have ever met, who define the world on their own terms and don't ever allow themselves to be taken for granted. even though they always end up breaking my heart... i love the women of d.c.

1. the music: d.c. is and has always has been, in my opinion, one of the greatest cities in america for music. all national and international bands will play here for the wonderful citizens, and the home-grown scene is one of the most influential scenes in america, alongside new york city and los angelos. the history of this town's music scene is well documented, and i'm just happy that i've been able to, as an adopted son, to become a part of it(see dance of days book). besides the historic harDCore scene, even the modern music, with bands such as owls and crows, wooly mammoth, city goats, bellman the barker, death by sexy, (sounds of) kalediscope, the scare, len bias, the whips, clutch, the points, weird war, trans am, shortstack, the childe ballads, revival, john bustine and the wolves, olympia, and more than a dozen more that i could go on and on about... d.c. has one of the most vibrant, if not underappreciated, music scenes in the country. it's basically the whole reason i moved here, and i've never regretted it since. d.c. music is not about trying to sell out, it's about expression and a deep understanding of the catharsis that music can bring the individual. and for that... im am forever grateful that i live in d.c., because to quote one of the original "emo" bands (like or not, the genre started here) embrace, " i don't give a fuck about your money". thank you d.c. for being my eternal valentine, and i couldn't have chosen a better city to move to, and to stay in. hard as you are, you never let me down.
matt burger

1.Brunch @ Wonderland
Finally a place I can walk to down the street and get hooked up with some greasy grinds and intellectual
stimulation in the form of the bottomless baskets of bacon and free crossword puzzles.

2. Red Onion Records and Books (18th & T)
Yet another place I can rely upon to score decently priced disco 12"s and other delicious vinyl
treats. Josh, the owner, is making an awesome, defiant and noble stand against the current trend
of record shops closing in the city. They also have a decent selection of used books too.

3. Rock N Roll Hotel.
A great addition to DC nightlife that is keeping their platform and direction fresh and diverse.
Run by people who can successfully balance business interests with a love for music.
This is by far the best place Disco City has played at yet.

4. Arthur's Grocery (11th St., Columbia Heights)
As the city becomes whitewashed and scrubbed for gentrification, this little corner store still offers a
great taste of non-homogenized D.C. culture. Asides from being a block from my house, you
can still roll up and quench your thirst for street-tough alcolholic beverages like Cisco wine, Thunderbird, or
one of the many offerings of 40 oz malt liquors. They also sell all kinds of wierd pamphlets about interpretting
your dreams, picking lottery numbers, and general fortune telling. I try to do what little shopping I can at this place in order to
support real local business in the neighborhood.

5. 18th Street, Adams Morgan, Friday and Saturday Nights @ 3AM
Because "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players," I will often cruise by when I get a
chance just to watch the drama unfold as the bars let out their weekend warrior scum.
While most people detest thisscene, I take it for what it is, get a falafel, and watch emotions on the street
EXPLODE

UN-JADED LOVE

three and a half years ago, i never would or could have guessed that i would have a hard time narrowing-down the reasons why i <3 dc. a lifelong new yorker at best and a snob at worst, i once claimed my move to this city was a “momentary lapse of judgment.” maybe it was, but it turns out that this city is like a lover i just can’t quit: i know i might make sense somewhere else, but i can’t stop doing it with the district.

as your jaded palate, i’m offering my five favorite foodie reasons to <3 DC. in some sort of order, although i don’t know what.

coppi’s organic restaurant

coppi’s is my favorite little gem on u-street. the food is amazing. they buy all organic and local, and find the best suppliers – last time i started with a smoked salmon app and it was undoubtedly the best smoked salmon i had ever tasted in dc – and they got it from a guy in maryland (further research could not uncover his whereabouts.) you can eat a full coppi’s pizza by yourself and not feel like you have just eaten half of italy. and i almost always have room for dessert. even when i don’t, i make room, because their calzone di nutella cannot.be.missed. they cook everything in a huge, gorgeous, manually-maintained, wood-burning stove, visible from any part of the restaurant thanks to their teeny tiny open kitchen which is staffed by two talented pizza-making cooks in starched white hats and coats. ‘gracious’ is an inadequate description for the staff. they are endlessly warm and solicitous – it’s like you’re with your family, but better. and the antique bicycle décor is cool and entirely lacking in pretension. i <3 dc because i <3 coppi’s. site: http://www.coppisorganic.com

the dupont farmer’s market

even after a late, drunken evening at whatever dance party was happening the previous evening, my sunday mornings are for the dupont circle farmer’s market. i hardly miss a weekend to pick up fresh fruit, veggies, cheese, breads, flowers, and the most delicious yogurt i have ever eaten – honey yofresh yogurt by the blue ridge dairy co. (try it). it’s only too bad that the market doesn’t last longer, and only exists on sundays. i <3 dc because i <3 the market.
site: http://www.freshfarmmarket.org/markets.html

sushi taro

sushi taro is the perfect sushi establishment. it’s not too expensive. but it’s also not dollar-sushi, which always makes me wonder whether I’m eating sushi-grade fish or something found in the whole foods dumpster… you can go there for sake bombs, or take your visiting aunt out to dine on the japanese-style straw floor mats. the sushi chefs will make a dazzling tray for you (if you ask them nicely) and the sake list is dangerously, deliciously long. there’s often a short wait, which the 3-4 hostesses/greeters/managers usually quote is at least 40 minutes, but it’s generally no longer than 10-20 and they are more than happy to serve you kirins, ichibans, or sake at their bar. the only disappointing thing is that it is closed randomly on unexpected evenings – usually the nights i’m craving it most, of course. but it doesn’t matter because i’ll just go back the next night. i <3 dc because I <3 sushi taro.
site: www.sushitaro.com

2amys

so it’s probably a faux pas to list two pizza places, but whatever. i think my favorite meals in dc have been at 2amys. yes, there’s always a wait. but yes, it’s always worth it. the pizza is among the best i’ve sampled (and i’ve sampled a lot, as you may be able to tell) and their croquettes are must-haves. the environment is fun and friendly, if a little crowded. and it’s never rushed, despite the consistent and long waiting list for tables. i <3 their fizzy pizza wine, which may or may not be a glass of red with some soda water in it, but who cares?, it’s delicious. i <3 dc because I <3 2amys.
site: www.2amyspizza.com

saint-ex

ok ok, so this is one is not at all objective. it’s more like a shout out to my own love affair. i came to dc very alone, knowing almost no one here but one dear friend, emface, who lived on the other side of the world (van ness). i moved to dc on a tuesday and would start my internship the following monday. i wanted a part-time job to supplement my measly intern wages. that friday i was wandering around my new u street neighborhood and walked by saint ex. for reasons i still don’t know, i wandered in and up to the bar and asked the two managers, who were very busy lounging, if they happened to be looking for a hostess. they looked at each other, looked at me and said ‘we were just talking about how badly we need one. can you start tomorrow?’ ‘sure,’ I said. they said to be there at 5. i left. didn’t ask how much it paid, and somehow didn’t care. something told me i had found a home. and I did. three and a half years later i’m still there, still sitting at the same hostess stand, still getting paid to read the new yorker, and periodically greeting people with mildly genuine smiles. the staff there has changed a lot, but i feel at ease when i’m there. it’s one of the most familiar, warm, and welcoming places, even among the graduated frat boys and plain janes. i <3 dc because i <3 saint ex.

site: http://saint-ex.com/home.html

barring the obvious (family! friends! boyfriend! dog!) and the obscure (the 'hungerford printers' sign in blagden alley; that time my sister and i saw a lady get tackled by the police for stealing from a street vendor), here are five things i love about DC:

1. nilay lawson.
for my money she's the most talented girl in the city. see her stuff at the next civilian show.
http://civilianartprojects.com/artists/lawson/twinsmale.html

2. walking past muleh
on the way to the black cat, peering in the windows, coveting everything, never actually going in.
http://www.muleh.com

3. styleistics! crafty bastards! any event
that brings out the style-aware and celebrates DC's much-deserving designers!

4. the janet annenberg hooker hall of geology, gems & minerals at the natural history museum
- it's all dark in there and everything is so sparkly and pretty. my absolute favorite thing is this huge huge quartz that shares the room with the hope diamond; i guess i always look at it INSTEAD of the hope diamond - i've had this totally irrational fear of it since i was young and my dad told me that people thought it was cursed.

5. BRUNCH and/or the sunday post.

1. It's not New York
2. It's not New York
3. It's not New York
4. It's not New York
5. It's not Los Angeles
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to be continued: this is only the beginnng....watch for part 2 tomorrow

Previously in I Heart DC:

• 2/10: DC News You Can (Maybe) Use
• 2/9: DC News You Can (Maybe) Use
• 2/8: DC News You Can (Maybe) Use
• 2/8: Perfect Date Outfits + Outings
• 2/7: DC News You Can (Maybe) Use
• 2/6: DC News You Can Maybe Use:
• 2/2: DC News You Can (Maybe) Use:
• 2/1: DC News You Can (Maybe) Use:
• 1/31: DC News You Can (Maybe) Use
• 1/30: DC News You Can (Maybe) Use