With the Sunday Source Staff Monday, August 04, 2003; 1:00 p.m ET
The Sunday Source is a new section of the Washington Post designed to help you make more of your leisure time -- to find you great deals, suggest easy home projects, give you the scoop on upcoming events, point out national and local trends, and inspire you to check out new places and activities. The Post Sunday Source Staff, headed by editor Sandy Fernandez, was online Monday, Aug. 4 at 1 p.m. ET, to take your questions, comments and suggestions for the Sunday Source. Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
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Sunday Source Staff: Hi, all. Thanks for tuning in to the Sunday Source chat. I'm Sandy Fernandez, editor of the section. Also sitting in are JoDee Stringham, our art director; Nicole Arthur, our interim deputy editor; copy editor Jennifer Balderama; Nicki Miller, our editorial aide in charge of listings for "The Week"; Yawandale Birchett, the editorial aide in charge of local listings; and the one, the only, Answer Man! (John F. Kelly.)
We'll try to answer as many questions as we can. If we don't know the answers to some, we'll throw those out to the discussion group to see if any of our readers have suggestions.
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washingtonpost.com: Sandy and crew, thanks so much for joining us today Live Online. How long has The Sunday Source been in business now and what kind of response are you getting from readers?
Sunday Source Staff: The Source has been around since April 27. So far, response has been mostly positive, though readers definitely let us know when we've gone astray.
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Germantown, Md.: I love your section, its awesome. I always read it. I don't really have a question. Thats all. (You don't have to actually answer this)
Sunday Source Staff: Thanks!
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Tysons Corner, but just for work: Answer Man -
Were you really trudging along the bridge searching for the locked doors, sweating your toosh off?
What extent will you NOT go to in the search for answers? Is there a limit? Just curious.
Sunday Source Staff: This is Answer Man: Yes that was me and I've only now got my electrolytes back up to the proper level. The dilemma, I've discovered, is that people sometimes have information wrong in their questions. "There's a giant horse sculpture at 15th and K NW," they'll say. "What's up with that?" It will turn out to be a giant duck at 13th and U. So every query has to be painstakingly researched. Someone has asked about a stone tower he sees by the side of I-66. I guess I'll be trudging along there with a machete and a can of bug spray soon. Please ask easy questions. Isn't anyone curious about why the U.S. flag has 50 stars?
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Silver Spring, Md.: How do you do those "person on the street" fashion story/photo things? Does your photographer set out to find one specific thing -- paisley blouses, pincord trousers -- and approach people wearing it? Or does he shoot all sorts of things and then write them up when he has enough of one thing?
Sunday Source Staff: We compile a list of trends inspired by fashion shows and the like, and we try to track them down on Washington streets. But if we notice a trend on the street that's not on our list, we also take pictures of that.
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Washington, D.C.: Soccer jerseys? Cargo pants? I hate to be disrespectful, but your fashion "trends" seem to be years old. Or is that just Washington's fault?
Sunday Source Staff: We reflect what we see. For example, we set out to find silk Joie cargo pants for a long, long time before we finally spotted them (even though they'd been on the streets of New York for months).
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Arlington, Va.: First of all, kudos to you all on putting out such a great section! The Sunday Source has quickly become one of my favorites.
Secondly, how will this chat differ from the Going Out chat on Thursday? Will we be able to ask questions about this's weeks events? Or more often make suggestions about things we'd love to see you cover?
P.S. If you are answering questions about this week's events -- any idea if Screen on the Green is on tonight?
Sunday Source Staff: Thanks for the compliments!
Screen on the Green is scheduled for tonight ("Jailhouse Rock"), but to see if it's still on, call 877-262-5866.
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Potomac, Md.: What is your relationship with the radio station DC 101? I often hear the Sunday Source refered to on the morning show, Elliot in the Morning.
Sunday Source Staff: We have no relationship with DC 101, but we appreciate the mentions!
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Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.:
I love the Sunday Source, it's contains everything you need to rouse yourself from the couch on Sunday morning. Articles about geocaching AND a recipe for spring rolls?! Perfection. I have one beef, however. The Style profile section almost always focuses on women exclusively. We need more boys on those pages! It will help those guys out that we gay men just can't reach.
Sunday Source Staff: The women's fashion market has more variety and more obvious trends than the men's market. That said, we *do* want to do more pictures of men, so dress up!
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Washington, D.C.: Are you worried about running out of road trips? Have you thought of expanding the range to maybe include overnight stays? There are just so many places to go that would make great overnight or weekend trips.
Sunday Source Staff: It's crossed our collective mind, but for now, we'd like to keep the trips more local. There are a lot of great things to do close to the District that not a lot of people know about. We're also doing city-focused trips, such as one coming up in a few weeks about D.C. sites of notorious political interest (think Gary Hart and Donna Rice).
For trips further afield, check out the Escapes column, which runs Wednesdays in Style.
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Oakton, Va.: First: Blame the fashion on Washington, I have never seen so many khaki pants in my life!
I love the section, you guys do a great job form layout to content.
Can I write a DC dating section? What is the process to accomplish this?
Sunday Source Staff: Re: khaki pants--we hear you!
Re: dating column--do you date a lot? Are you hot? Call us!
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Arlington, Va.: Just went tubing on Saturday, and must say, it's odd that you failed to mention Butts Tubes in your story -- considering they are the lowest priced in Harpers Ferry. It is especially strange since the picture you ran on the front were Butts inner tubes. You can even see the name written on one of them. What happened?
Sunday Source Staff: We try to mention as many outfitters as space permits, but sometimes we have to leave out a few. We love reader feedback on places of interest, though, so keep it coming.
We mentioned three companies in the story; the omission of Butts was an oversight on our part. For more info on them, check out http://www.buttstubes.com/.
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I'm hot! I'm hot!: I'm hot and I'm willing to date a lot! That might be a fun weekly feature... "Dating in Washington"
Sunday Source Staff: LOVE it! Now we'll call you.
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Potomac, Md.: It took me a couple minutes to find your section on washingtonpost.com. Any attempts to make a more prominent link on washingtonpost.com?
Sunday Source Staff: We're working on it, so stay tuned. There should be something better in a couple of weeks.
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Beautiful Silver Spring, Md.: Why is your section so aggressively fluffy? I get the same kind of headache after I read it that I do after eating too much sugar. I like the driving trip suggestions though.
Sunday Source Staff: We're really glad you're a fan of Road Trip. We hope that within the section, there's a little something for everyone, but we don't expect every reader to like every single feature.
If aggressively fluffy isn't your cup of tea, there are many other sections of the Sunday paper to keep you busy.
Thanks for joining us in the chat, though.
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Vienna, Va.: When you first started were you worried that you wouldn't get much interesting info or worried that you would get too much submissions? Do you ever ask writers for a specific topic or just pick and choose what you think is interesting?
Sunday Source Staff: As a team, we're constantly assessing whether the Sunday Source is as interesting and fun as possible. We ask writers for specific topics and take submissions.
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College Park, Md.: Do you all believe that the launch of "Express" is a complement, or a counterpoint, to the existence of the Source?
Ms. Jennifer --- see you tonight at the CCB?
Sunday Source Staff: "Express" is very different from the Sunday Source; they're just both published by The Washington Post.
As for swing dancing tonight--maybe.
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Confusing Listings:
Hi,
Why is there a section for D.C.-specific listings? Its really confusing, as there's not consistent crossover and I end up feeling only as if both are incomplete. If you're going to do it, make sure both lists are comprehensive, otherwise its too much work to check the "arts" section on both lists. Its a waste of time and I give up.
Sunday Source Staff: Our goal isn't to be comprehensive; we're just trying to highlight a variety of events that we think are cool. If you want something more complete, you can check out the Weekend section, which comes out Fridays.
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Falls Church, Va.: I have to know -- how did you find the burlesque dancer? Or did she find you?
Sunday Source Staff: A freelancer pitched the story to us, and we were immediately taken by Trixie. Our favorite comment so far: "How often do you read about 'magical spanking powers' in the Sunday Post?"
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Washington, D.C.: More an organizational or common sense question: It seems as if The Sunday Source overlaps more than a little bit -- especially in the case of raison d'etre -- with the Weekend section. Why wasn't Weekend just re-engineered to be more useful? And do you think people are really thinking about leisure on Sundays? I'm thinking about the work week.
Sunday Source Staff: Re: Sundays--leisure is ALL we think about! Mondays come soon enough.
There are overlaps between the Sunday Source and other sections of the paper, Weekend included, but we like to bring it together into one attractive package. What especially differentiates us is our presentation.
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A new favorite!: A comment: Your section adds a light touch to what can sometimes be a very heavy Washington Post. My roomates and I fight over who gets to read it first!
Sunday Source Staff: Awesome! Thanks.
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Glenmont, Md.: I'm curious, how many of the staff grew up in the D.C. area or have lived here a while? I love the Sunday Source, but was surprised when the feature on places to picnic had only five or so really obvious spots.
Sunday Source Staff: Sandy, our editor, grew up here. The rest of the staff has been here anywhere from four months to 15 years, so there's a wide range of experience.
Re: the picnic piece--a lot of people who read the section are new to the District, so they don't necessarily know the places locals do. When we went to photograph the picnic spots, we ran into a lot of people who were recent immigrants to the area. That said, we do try to throw in lesser-known tidbits for locals, so this is the kind of feedback we need to hear. Thanks!
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Arlington Re: The fashion issue: In your defense, I like that we have a section that at least tries to talk about fashion in a way that doesn't cater to the typical D.C.-power-suit or ladies-who-lunch-in-pearls set.
But I do have to agree that the fashion issues that are addressed are, well, a bit stale (given what you have to work with here, it's not so much your fault). I mean Blahnik Timberland boots and -- worse -- knockoffs of that style (first of all, ew... second of all, last year)? Juicy sweats? For those of us here who really do our best to stay on top of style (you know, all 50 of us), it's not so helpful. I already see the people on the street, and it's not pretty -- I don't needd to see it in the paper.
MAYBE what you guys should do is to HELP D.C. people stay in the loop by talking about the upcoming season's trends (say, top 10 Must Haves), rather than photographing people wearing last year's stuff. That is what D.C. needs: up-to-date advice... and fashion police. We have some great little boutiques and some places to get great designer goodies both regular and off-priced. The tools are there -- people just need a nudge in the right direction!
They can also start with subscriptions to Brit and U.S. Vogue, maybe Lucky.
Sunday Source Staff: That's a fine suggestion. We have been looking at ways to spice up that page, so we'll keep it in mind. One of the things we're trying to do with The Look, though, is to portray everyday Washingtonians. So we'll keep working on it.
Oh, and *Sandy* says: I LIKE my Timberland boots--and they're knockoffs!
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Washington, DC: Just wanted to comment on a few things. I appreciate the effort you're making, but I don't think you've quite hit the groove yet. Aim a little higher. Most of us in D.C. are intelligent and on top of what's going on, the styles and features you're doing seem a bit too dumbed down.
That said, I love the features that tell you where to do things locally like kayaking or karate! Thanks!
Sunday Source Staff: We're glad you like the Get Out feature. That's what we mean when we say we're trying to provide a little something for everyone.
But let us ask you this: When you say "dumbed down," do you mean the topics? The story length? The presentation? What *would* you like to see?
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Falls Church, Va.: Lay off the khaki pants! I must own nine or ten pairs, in varying degress of wornoutedness. Jeans are too damn hot, shorts too casual, and black wool pants out of the question. Exactly what would all those fashionistas have me wear? I am still proud of myself for having diversified my button-down shirt color palette beyond blue. I'm dead serious!
Sunday Source Staff: We salute you! Congratulations on expanding beyond blue! There's nothing wrong with khaki pants, per se--we're just trying to inspire people to get a little more creative.
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Arlington, Va.: Re: Magical spanking powers: I bet if you covered more stories about the folks on Capitol Hill, you'd find that term used a lot more often! (meow!)
Seriously, though, I really enjoy little features like that one, as well as the entire section. More pet stuff -- cover doggie happy hour in Alexandria!
Sunday Source Staff: Woohoo! (We bet you're right.)
Re: doggies--on May 11, we did cover two places in Alexandria where you can take your dog to happy hour (Old Town Holiday Inn Select and Pat Troy's), but there has been a lot of interest in the topic, so we may revisit it.
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Washington, D.C.: I like the layout and visuals of the Sunday Source. Will you be adding new sections to the Source? Maybe a section for readers or writers to follow up on something in the previous week's Source?
Sunday Source Staff: Thanks!
We're always thinking about ways to improve. This is one of the things we've discussed.
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Washington, D.C.: With the addition of Sunday Source -- which is great -- and the newborn "Express" daily, is The Washington Post's old guard admitting defeat? Is the future of newspapers' survival not dependent on hard-hitting reporting, but on lifestyle features? What does Woodward think of these new ventures?
Sunday Source Staff: The Sunday Source and the Express are additions to the paper rather than substitutions. There is still plenty of hard-hitting reporting in the paper. These sections are simply a complement to that.
As for Bob...we'll shoot him a note and let you know when he gets back to us.
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Another dog happy hour place:
just an fyi
Del Ray Yappy Hour -— Every Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. (April through September) at St. Elmo's Coffee Pub, 2300 Mt. Vernon Avenue. For more info, call (703) 684-5421 or visit on the web.
Sunday Source Staff: Thanks for the suggestion!
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Washington, D.C.: Hi -
I really like the new section and look at it first thing Sunday mornings.
I have a suggestion for something to put in a future edition: how to do things like clean an old decorative more than functional apartment balcony when pigeons have used it to raise their babies and left a whole lot of sh$% behind. Apartment dwellers don't exactly have hoses and sprayers around and we don't think our neighbors would like bleach and stuff to drip off of our balcony onto their sutff. I can't be the only city dweller who has this problem and doesn't want to offend my neighbors.
Thanks.
Sunday Source Staff: We don't have an answer right now (anyone else?). But this is something we may look into. Thanks for the suggestion.
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Sunday Source Staff: It's time for us to sign off, all. Thanks so much for participating in today's discussion. If you have more feedback or suggestions, we want to hear them! So send e-mail to sundaysource@washpost.com.
Peace out.
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Tysons Corner, but just for work (again): Thanks, Answer Man! I'll try to keep the questions coming along (not too difficult questions, mind you).
I'd like to say that no matter what styles you're featuring, what picninc areas you're covering, no matter what local celeb is giving their faves in print - the section rocks. It's new and fun. What's wrong with fun? Fun is good, people. Fun is what Sundays are about - not getting ready for the work week. I think some of us need new jobs. Maybe all the people who can't relax on Sunday should get together and that can be your new feature - Dating in DC. See? It all comes full circle....
Sunday Source Staff: This just in: THANKS!
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