Roadtrip Woo-Hoo! ‘The Simpsons’ in Springfield

C M Y K

M8 SOURCE 07-22-07 DC EE M8 CMYK

M8 Sunday, July 22, 2007 DC x The Washington Post

RoadTrip Woo-Hoo! ‘The Simpsons’ in Springfield

WHERE: Springfield. 270 WHY: Kwik-E-Mart treats, Radioactive Man and mmm . . . doughnuts. MARYLAND 95 HOW FAR: About eight miles from start to finish, or 26 minutes by car. VIRGINIA FAIRFAX 495 or 18 seasons, “The Simpsons” has teased fans with conflicting hints about the location of the car- COUNTY D.C. B A 495 toon family’s fictional town, Springfield. Devoted watchers wondered: Illinois, Oregon, Mas- C KL 66 I sachusetts . . . Virginia? Promoters of “The Simpsons Movie,” which opens Friday (including at C K R the AMC Springfield Mall), further goosed the gag by holding a contest among 14 of America’s O Springfield A Springfields for the honor of hosting the film’s “hometown premiere.” The winner was underdog D Vermont, whose video submission featured a Homer look-alike chasing a giant pink doughnut. Virginia’s F 95 Springfield, however, wasn’t even invited to compete. D’oh! Nonetheless, Old Dominion Springfielders shouldn’t have a cow, man, about being excluded. Sure, the city lacks a nuclear power plant, which defines the “Simpsons” landscape. And its former 1850s railroad de- pot reportedly was named after a spring, not a bear-wrestler. Yet the two Springfields have a lot more in common than just a name. “Springfield is definitely your average Joe, blue-collar worker town,” says native Ken Christensen, a 33- year-old financial planner who has a sister named Lisa and grew up next to a Flanders-like family. “And everybody is usually up in everybody else’s business.” In addition, the town in Fairfax County (population . And, yes, they 30,417) also has doughnuts, heavy metal shows, Squishees and a cast of characters who could play Simp- Demand is high for the monthly “Simpsons” comicck. sons & Co. in a live-action version of the show. Need further proof? Just drop in on the bar crowd at Moe’s. books at Nova Comics and Games do have a copy of Radioactive Man No. 1 in the ba — Scott Elder 495

In Home Road Trip maps are available at www.washingtonpost.com/roadtrip, as are addresses and r’s honor, gorge on mmm ... hours of operation (be sure to check before you go). Have an idea for a trip? E-mail roadtrip@ Fast Eddie’s pool hall bears doughnuts from Dunkin’ Donuts

some resemblance to Moe’s B . washpost.com. E A Tavern: near-zero natural light, CK

ENU LIC V

cheap draft beer and a local crowd. A K

WEDNESDAY IN STYLE Escapes rides the waves in New Jersey. ST R

A E

D H

A R M

V A

E N A construction project at the

C N D

AR U O

E Springfield Interchange Kirkwood Presbyterian Church shares Protestantism N , a.k.a.

I and modern architecture with the Simpsons’ First Church the Mixing Bowl, made it easier

H R of Springfield, though no Virginia congregation yet CE for Springfielders to get from one O ER L EET L represents the family’s denomination, Presbylutheranism. M STR side of Interstate 95 to the other, IN P M G K O Turtles, toads, spiders and snakes live at the WY C BLAND ST. so thankfully there’s no need for Hidden Pond Nature Center. (The place, BAUER DRIVE TRAFORD LN. . another Springfield Monorail. Start here StartStart hhereere however, is off-limits on Whacking Day.) SPRINGFIELD PLAZA OAD ONIA R FRANC

R O SPRINGFIELD A D Springfield Golf BOULEVARD G R D E & Country Club A Driver’s route E E RO L L V L I E I

M R AD Y ENE SYDENST O KE ROAD D ILL R B OLD NE M L Springfield R EE V E OLD K D I RICK . Mall T ROAD N

LOISDALE ER AVENUE

ER R F ELD

R No Scotsman named Willie

I roams the grounds of Forestdale

L K Elementary, but a certificate of

AC B merit for “best grounds maintenance” hangs inside the entrance. Do your best impression of heavy metal school bus driver Otto at the 95 Jaxx Concert Hall and Night Club. Upcoming Krusty Burgers aren’t on the menu at Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries, , which carries acts include Daggermouth, Symphony X and Kix. isn’t dank but it does serve kosher hot dogs, which Pohick Regional Library Moe’s Peyton Place Herschel Krustofski might appreciate. the “Big Bratty Book of Bart Simpson” and Stock up on such Kwik-E-Mart products as like TV Moe’s, but otherwise “The Comic Book Guy’s Book of Pop Culture,” Krusty-O’s cereal, Buzz Cola and “it’s exactly like ‘The Simpsons,’ ” is holding a summer reading drive. Kids Hoo! Vanilla Squishees, available Blueat Woo says Moe Traish, who’s run the he required books receive, 7-Elev 1970. There’s even a who finish all of t ens through July. joint since mer. 0 1 among other things, a doughnut. regular who looks like Ho MILE

MAP BY JEROME COOKSON FOR THE WASHINGTON POST; PHOTOS BY SCOTT ELDER FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

Editor DEBRA LEITHAUSER Where quality and service come ﬁ rst WHEN Over 100 Doors on Display Deputy Editor SUZANNE D’AMATO We Can “2BR APT. TO Assistant Editor JOE HEIM Staff Writer Build SHARE DAN ZAK to

Acting Art Director LILIANE V. DUNCAN Design WITH 4 MEN Assistant Art Director 4000 Wheeler Avenue PRIYA PHADKE Alexandria, VA 22304 VHIC #010813 Editorial Aides AND AKEYA DICKSON and 703-751-9000 JUSTIN RUDE Installation Available

Contributing Writers Showroom Hours 9:00-5:00 Daily CHRISTINA BREDA ANTONIADES 9:00-1:00 Saturday PET PYTHON” and JULIA FELDMEIER Now open ‘til 7pm on

Published weekly by The Washington Post Thursdays www.washingtonpost.com/source 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071 202-334-4646 [email protected] Visit our Website at: LOSES ITS Advertising information: www.HouseofDoors.com Brian Gilman, 202-334-7632. CHARM.

Your skills needed

Looking for an apartment? Seeing ads that make you wonder if you’re experiencing déjà vu from a frat party? Perhaps it’s time to search somewhere @ Emil de Cou, NSO Wolf Trap Festival Conductor you already rely on – The Washington Post Classifieds. In print and online, we Fantastic Planet have 9,000 apartments and houses to rent every day, so your chances of finding A Symphonic Video Spectacular a place that suits you are pretty fantastic. So goodbye python. Hello patio. Emil de Cou, conductor. Journey from under- water volcanoes to the Grand Canyon and beyond For with NASA high-definition images and the music Rent of Beethoven, Debussy, Stravinsky, and more. Thursday, August 2 at 8:30 p.m. Get the job you want. Bugs Bunny on Broadway EMIL DE COU George Daugherty, conductor. That “wascally wabbit” returns for two nights of hilarious cartoons scored to live music accompaniment GHI by the NSO. Friday, August 3 & Saturday, August 4 washingtonpost.com at 8:30 p.m.

The local expert Tickets from $18 on local jobs. BUGS BUNNY C123

FOR TICKETS AND MORE INFORMATION ON ALL NSO@WOLF TRAP CONCERTS,

CALL TOLL FREE 1(877)-WOLFTRAP OR VISIT WWW.WOLFTRAP.ORG Wake up to home delivery. 1-800-753-POST

J108e 1x5.5 SF

C M Y K M8