Hannah "Empress of The Universe" C.'s Profile

Incredibly nice, helpful, and engaging staff to include our waitress and the manager who came by to chit chat with us about drinks that might not have been perfect at first and such... And they replaced the drinks with other really great drinks.  So 5 stars for great staff, service, and drinks.

Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed by the crowd. Maybe it's me.  I'm not a fan of coked up gentlemen or gold-digging ladies, and I really don't care if the guy from Lost is here.  Although to be fair, he was very cool while giddy school-girls blinked stars at him.  But the place gave me a very look-at-me-and-how-important-I-am kind of feeling that I get when I'm in LA.  I hate that feeling.  That's why when given the option of living in LA this year, I turned it down. This name-dropping, drug-using, self-important and self-indulgent vibe is unsavory at best.

Anywho, I thought I'd give the place a 1 star review, as I never plan on coming back, but most of the downside was stuff that management couldn't really change and probably doesn't want to change as long as the coffers keep getting filled every night.  Just because I'm more of a speakeasy kind of girl and this place isn't that kind of place, I shouldn't hold it against them. Plus, maybe I just ran into the wrong people that night.

One thing they could change... The place was a little too packed.  Although the broad-shouldered Brazilian at the door did a good job of limiting the number of people going in, to include simply rolling his eyes at the arrogant tipsy bottle-blondes incessantly whining and huffing at him to let them upstairs, once I got upstairs and had to wait in the line for the one-seater bathroom, I started to wonder about fire codes.

No matter where you were, you were running into people.  The bathroom line curled into the main walk-thru to and from the bocce ball area, and you couldn't stand there waiting without getting constantly run over by people.  Said differently, you couldn't get from one room to the next without running into people waiting for the bathroom. The bathroom was thankfully quite spacious once you were inside it, though.  I sadly treasured that quiet moment.

This is a really small church (200 people) in a really big space (seats 2000). The sermon today was amazing. Pastor Kasey Jones was inspired and inspiring. With such a small congregation you wouldn't expect the very high caliber of music that was provided.

Although this is a very old African-American church, they welcome all comers. Parishioners come from all walks of life - young and old from all ethnic origins can hear great advice about how to best get along in life. The message applies to us all... But again, did I mention how phenomenal the music and the pastor are here?? This might be the best show in town, and you come out of it a better person having participated in it.

Whatever led me here today, I'm glad it did. I'll be back.

PS: Keeping it real, what led me was the fact that I realized I was walking by a lot of churches to go to church. So I decided to keep my walk short. Church #1 had it's gates closed and I couldn't figure out how to get in. Church #2 was Unitarian. Mom's Unitarian. That's not a Christian church. This was church #3, and their door was open. Now I usually go to a 5pm service downtown as I hate mornings, but today Ray Lewis is in a playoff game at 3, so schedules needed to be adjusted. The point is that this is a great church that just might get me up in the mornings on Sundays. Bible study's at 9:45 in Werner Hall, and the service starts at 11.

Who knew I'd love chicken and waffles? Revive Catering knew.
And red velvet waffles?? It's like they probed my brain for what best titillates, and then served it to me!  Amazing "above and beyond" points go to them also because when they noticed that the line for food was starting to wrap around the room thanks to a blockage at the felafel and hummus table (which was scrumptious), they identified the problem and addressed it by actually bringing their dish to those who were stuck in line!  That's good service!  So Revive - you get an A+++ for a job well done.

I don't remember ever having Moscato at a Yelp event before.  I was thrilled.  I love the sweet stuff, right on down to Vicks 44D. If it's sweet, I'm swiggin'.  Thanks Harry's!

And Smith Commons really pulled it out with those delicious salmon bites!  And extra bonus drinks at their place after?  Who needs friends when you have Smith Commons?

SpeakeasyDC's performances were very good.  I actually had a changing room flashback during the performance, feeling myself trying to pull off a Spanx contraption. Is it getting hot in here? Breathe.  Breathe. You're safe, Hannah.  You're in a safe place.  You're not wearing Spanx, you're not in a Locked Up Abroad episode, you're not attacking a rude drunk woman, you're not gonna pay a lot for that muffler, and you may never meet Mr. Right and that's ok... Breathe.  breathe...

Atlas Performing Arts Center, I love you if only for the fact that you had stall upon glorious stall in your bathroom after the show and there was NOT a line out the door.  Also, I liked your little geometric tables and chairs that decorated your foyer. The space allowed every seat an unobstructed view, and that was nice, too.  It reminded me a little bit of The Arena Stage.

Kristin, Tara, et al at YelpDC... Good job!

Oh! I almost forgot - big ups to Brian B for making me his +1 when some horribly unlucky person had to bail on his invite leaving room for me!

You can get a divine hot chocolate the size of a small child's head here.

The crowd could be having a very boisterous intense argument about middle eastern politics right next to you and you wouldn't hear a thing because the whole conversation is in American Sign Language.

There's a copper-topped bar, and booze.

There's free wifi.

Why are you still reading this?  Get up and go to SOVA.

Still reading this? Ok - here's more to read in case Wikipedia throws another temper tantrum:

Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC. The majority of the Mesoamerican people made chocolate beverages, including the Aztecs, who made it into a beverage known as xocoltl, a Nahuatl word meaning "bitter water". The seeds of the cacao tree have an intense bitter taste, and must be fermented to develop the flavor.
After fermentation, the beans are dried, then cleaned, and then roasted, and the shell is removed to produce cacao nibs. The nibs are then ground to cocoa mass, pure chocolate in rough form. Because this cocoa mass usually is liquefied then molded with or without other ingredients, it is called chocolate liquor. The liquor also may be processed into two components: cocoa solids and cocoa butter. Unsweetened baking chocolate (bitter chocolate) contains primarily cocoa solids and cocoa butter in varying proportions. Much of the chocolate consumed today is in the form of sweet chocolate, combining cocoa solids, cocoa butter or other fat, and sugar. Milk chocolate is sweet chocolate that additionally contains milk powder or condensed milk. White chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar, and milk but no cocoa solids.
Cocoa solids contain alkaloids such as theobromine and phenethylamine, which have physiological effects on the body. It has been linked to serotonin levels in the brain. Some research found that chocolate, eaten in moderation, can lower blood pressure. The presence of theobromine renders chocolate toxic to some animals, especially dogs and cats.

GraceDC's services are at 5pm on Sunday afternoon, and they're held at Calvary Baptist Church on the corner of 8th St NW and H St NW just a block from the Chinatown metro stop.  There is child-care provided during the service.
The sermons are well delivered and well prepared.
The congregation leans young, needs some more older grayer members in my humble opinion, but is overall a really great group of people who are eager to get involved in helping out in the community.
When, in any given week, I miss coming here for services, I feel like I didn't take my vitamins for the rest of the week.  This service is a nice lift-me-up.  There are plenty of opportunities to hang out with others, including study groups, and volunteer opportunities.  GraceDC just recently planted a church in Meridian Hill and there are community groups all over the city that get together for dinner or local volunteering occasionally.

So I'm back.  And this stint has been a little longer than my last.  I  hope to make it stick.  The fun largely inoffensive peeps have been booted (or left) leaving negative nellies who berate, insult, and pick at each other.  Congrats.  It's officially too awful to participate.
Rehab is a freaking dream compared to the talk threads now.
They say it takes  4-5 attempts at rehab on average to make it stick.  Pray for me.

Prices: Highly affordable!

Merchandise: Wide variety of styles.  MUCH more than turquoise jewelry here - silver, gold, stones of all colors of the rainbow, lots of sparkly stuff, all tastefully displayed... You could easily pass most of these pieces off as much more expensive than what you actually pay for them here.

Staff: Phenomenal.  When they noticed us sniffing around outside right after closing time, and just before Christmas, they unlocked and opened the door so that we could have our own little private shopping event!

Summary: I freaking love this place.

This is a big store with lots of cheesy stuff and fun baubles... like jingle bell rings! I got two so that I could play Wonder Twins with my friend.  It went over well. :)
The staff was very nice and helpful.  The prices here are on the low end.
Party City down the street has higher end accoutrements but just barely...
Finish off your party decor with Michaels in Seven Corners http://www.yelp.com/bi... and the party's started!

I found a great little cafe with free wifi and great service and I had to leave Vermont in under 1.5 hours! :( boo. I was gonna move in. Also, some nice on the eyes clientele, and great muffins.  This was one of a handful of high points on my last visit to the area.

How did I become a regular at a Sports Bar? Mom would not be proud.
Sorry, Mom, but I don't have a TV, it's close, and the staff here is really, really nice.

They make a point of trying to remember your name.  I found that to be off-putting at first, but then I felt like I was special... My cold New England heart was melted by warm Southern charm... Ironic that that charm is managed by an Eagles fan.

Anywho, my first time ever meeting a yelper was here at the Ventnor when Mike T invited me to Trivia night years ago.  I was easily won over by the free popcorn.  After succumbing to their disarming friendliness, I eventually had more food here - the best of which is the breakfast burger - but let's not kid ourselves - you don't come here for the food, which is decent but not mind-blowing... and I recently discovered that they carry Duck Rabbit Milk Stout, which I love.  There's always a short list of good brews on tap including local stuff.

If your sport of choice is playing anywhere, it's playing here.  And if it's not playing here, just ask and they'll dedicate a TV to you.  Man, I miss my TV.  But the Ventnor makes me socialize, and for that I'm grateful that they get me out of my hermitage to lust after Ray Lewis once a week. God and Mom, forgive me.