CapSec DC August Bar Crawl August 25, 2010

A monthly happy hour for DC Area InfoSec types.

You can also follow us on Twitter at @CapSecDC, to find exactly where we are on a CapSec night.

The end of summer is upon us. Now, realistically, for most of us that
just means traffic's going to start sucking more starting a little
before labor day, but we can pretend it means more. We can celebrate
the fact that I've moved, that school is starting, that fall is
coming . . . and that it's DC Beer Week!

So, in honor of these, and because we haven't really done it in a
while, I'm calling you all out for a pub crawl. It can be a civilized,
have only a few, go home at a reasonable hour pub crawl, but the plan
will be to hit a few neighboring bars and drink and snack along the
way in my new 'hood. If this really sucks, we'll go back to the normal
"plan" next month.

We will start at the Star and Shamrock on H Street around 6-ish,
because they have an interesting selection of not too expensive bar
snacks and good pints, and then roll out if we feel like it as the
evening wears on. I'll likely end up at Little Miss Whiskey's as my
end point, as a friend is dj-ing there later that night.

Some points of interest:

Star & Shamrock -- 1341 H Street NE -- Jewish Deli
collides w/ Irish Pub. DC bar prices, good grub, good pints, fairly
quick friendly service at the bar at least.
Biergarten Haus -- 1355 H Street NE -- Real German beer
garden w/ real German Beer. good grub but too much $$ for the food,
amazing beer
The Pug -- 1234 H Street NE -- the "local bar" on H
Street. Haven't been here yet.
Little Miss Whiskey's -- 1104 H St NE -- Great dive bar w/
amazing bottle/can beer selection for a hole in the wall.

A word about H Street: It's really not as far out or inaccessible as
it sounds. Read on for tips and tricks about getting there:

If you are going to Metro: Go to Gallery Place. Yes, Gallery Place, as
odd as that seems. Find the 7th and H street exit (The one by the
Chinatown Arch) of the metro, and wait on the south side of H Street
(right next to the metro) for either the X2 Metrobus or the H Street
Shuttle to come by. Believe it or not, they run fairly frequently. Hop
on, and get off around 13th and H NE. There, wasn't that easy? It
really is not as hard as the bus-phobic would think. Sure, you may run
into some "interesting characters," but isn't that true of anywhere on
the metro these days?

If you are driving: From points NE of the city -- Take 295 down to Rte
50 West/New York Avenue. When you see the first traffic light off in
the distance, get to the left, and turn left on Bladensburg Road.
Drive through NE for a while and wonder what the hell you have gotten
yourself into. Bladensburg eventually hits this "Star Shaped"
intersection with H, Maryland, and 14th. It's currently under
construction, and the one part of the trip that likely will suck. Take
the "soft right" through the intersection onto Maryland. Go at least
past 14th Street (one block, and look for parking along Maryland
somewhere. The further you go down Maryland (lower numbers), the
further you are from H street in terms of walking across to it. Walk
back to 13th & H. Do observe "city parking rules" with your car --
don't leave stuff of value lying out, don't park in a metro bus spot,
etc.

From points NW of the city -- do you trust your GPS? it's worked for
some. There are too many routes to go over from the NW part of the
city. Or you could drive around the beltway (ugh) and follow the
directions from the NE.

From VA: I leave it to you to figure out how to get to DC. You can
take 395 across the bottom of the city to 6th Street SE, and head
north. You just stay on it (for quite a while) until you are in NE,
and then you hit a park and take a right on Maryland. Go down to 13th
and Maryland, hang a U turn and park somewhere on the other side of
the street (Westbound).

Some general notes about parking:

- Do NOT try to park on H, unless you are one of those people who
always lucks out and finds parking. It's under construction. I avoid
the actual "H Street" at all costs when in a car.
- Do NOT park really any distance more than a block north of H. It's
a much less safe area as you go north, though the hipsters will argue
with you about that. Same goes w/ South of Maryland Ave. The sweet
spot is in the pie wedge between them, unless you get closer to
capitol hill, and then everywhere is "nice."
- The are on the street around here is all zoned parking that expires
at 8:30, so if you park any time after 6:30 you are good until the
next morning.

Official Website: http://capsecdc.org/blog/