CAP LOUNGE IS DEAD! LONG LIVE CAP LOUNGE!

Capitol Lounge, a watering hole beloved of Hill rats and those who don't mind consorting with Hill rats, was gutted by fire last night. Some say it was started by a carelessly disposed-of cigarette, others (like the bartender) say it was faulty wiring, and until proved otherwise, some will probably suspect insurance-driven arson. I was most recently there in July to hang out with Jonathan Singer* from Basie! and inhale the better part of a gallon of Sierra Nevada. If only I'd known it would be my last. The picture below comes from DCist, which had the first report about it this morning:


The place was popular enough and in such a desirable location that it will surely return. Or at least something calling itself the Capitol Lounge. The walls of Cap Lounge, as everyone refers to it, were plastered with campaign memorabilia going back half a century at least. While it's far from the only restaurant/bar in town to play up its DC location — after all, it is only a block from the nearly-identical Hawk & Dove — but it did have one of my favorite pieces of propaganda ever: a weathered sign above the stairs down to the basement saluting Marion Barry as DC's "MAYOR FOR LIFE." To be sure, Barry isn't actually mayor today, but who knew his political career would outlast the Cap Lounge?

UPDATE — Have you seen the Wonkette post about this? Go check it out. See that picture? That is not Cap Lounge. Obviously Ms. Cox never darkened the door at 231 Pennsylvania Ave., because she apparently grabbed the photo from the first page of results at Google's image search. And that www.capitollounge.com website she links to? Not the Cap Lounge website. That's the "Capitol Lounge and Grill" in Nova Scotia. Advantage: Canard!

UPDATED AGAIN — Thanks to a reader, or someone, Washington Canard gets results!

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*For my fellow Wilsonites, that's Anna and Benji's younger brother.

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posted by WWB at 6:17 PM |