Category Archives: Adventures

Adventures, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The District, The Features
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Gingertown 2010

courtesy of Timothy So

Last night, I had the extreme pleasure of participating in Gingertown, one of DC’s best kept holiday events. Begun in 2006, Gingertown is the brainchild of locally based David M. Schwarz Architects (DMSA) and brings together leading DC architects, designers, and architectural firms with other building enthusiasts (aka: the non-professionals) to create a town made of completely of gingerbread and candy goodness.

Gingertown is an entirely free event with DMSA and other event sponsors providing all the building materials, food and beverages. Teams sign up beforehand and are assigned town plots with free reign to design and construct their portion of Gingertown during the 3 hour event.

Each year, a new master plan and theme is created; this year, builders tackled the North Pole, transforming the layout into a magical town of gingerbread, jelly beans, Twizzlers, Nerds, candy canes, buttercream frosting, etc. Like previous years, the 2010 town map included communal and civic-minded centers, green spaces, city hall, a concert hall, a library, a toy store and a strong pedestrian culture. Continue reading →

Adventures, Business and Money, Entertainment, Essential DC, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Night Life, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District, The Hill
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Love The Hill This Friday

I don’t love the “Hill” in the way some people do – I’m not so political and certainly am not involved in all the Congressional happenings, but I do adore the neighborhoods that make Capitol Hill fabulous. Eastern Market has such charm, and I’ve found myself spending weekends on Barrack’s Row. What better excuse than to celebrate a part of the city that I love than by heading to The Hilly’s on Friday night?

Awards will be given to some of the Hill’s best eats and drinks – favorites like Granville Moores, SOVA, Ted’s Bulletin are all up to win. Plus local businesses like Frager’s and Bikram Yoga are up for awards, too. Ticket prices are $65 for CHAMPS members, $75 for Buy Local members and $80 for the general public.Price includes open bar and food, with guest bartenders from Wisdom, Tunnicliff’s, Argonaut and Matchbox.

Adventures, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, The District, The Features, The Great Outdoors
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DC Letterboxing

Letterboxing

photo courtesy of flickr user Wendy Copley

Hidden around DC, secretly placed in strategic, calculated locales are small, weatherproof boxes containing logbooks and stamps; only the dedicated group know of their existence and they are constantly trying to follow a trail of secret clues to uncover them. While this may sound like the latest Spy Museum game or a CIA operation, it’s actually hobby called letterboxing and its covertly going on right under our noses in our beloved city.

Here’s how it works. Originating, across the pond,  in Dartmoor, England, letterboxing, like its hi-tech sibling geocaching, is a combination of hiking, puzzle solving, treasure hunting and thrill seeking. In this game, “placers” hide small waterproof containers in interesting locales, e.g. along the Capital Crescent Trail, near the Jefferson Memorial, behind a loose Eastern Market brick, etc., and then leave small clues to its whereabouts on websites, or in letterboxing newsletters or through word of mouth.  Continue reading →

Adventures, Business and Money, Essential DC, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed
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Unleashed By PETCO Opens

Photo courtesy of
‘How to Braid Three Leashes’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

Over the weekend, the Glover Park/Burleith/Georgetown neighborhoods got a new addition to pet-owner mania with the opening of Unleashed by PETCO at 1855 Wisconsin Ave NW. The shop is a smaller version of the pet supply mega store and sells the natural, organic, and higher-end pet products. The store also offers pet training courses, pet grooming, vaccination and preventative services, a treat bar and adoption events.

A lot of the people have been asking to get a branch here in the neighborhood and they heard! As there is a park nearby, pets and their owners can stop by anytime to get treats, a quick visit to the groomers, and even adopt a pet. The store is all-around and perfect for animal lovers.

Adventures, Business and Money, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District, The Hill
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The Pearl Lady Arrives

Photo courtesy of
‘All dressed up’
courtesy of ‘Blinkofanaye’

Capitol Hill staffers have been keeping a very appealing, little secret from the rest of DCers and her name is “The Pearl Lady”. Apparently every year around the holidays, The Pearl Lady who owns a pearl shop in Beijing, visits DC to sell her pearls at ridiculous low prices. According to a WLDC author, The Pearl Lady usually operates out of a townhouse and the scene is a total madhouse with Congressional staffers waiting in line for hours and departing with strands and strands of beautiful, opulent pearls.

According to The Pearl Lady’s website (www.pearl-lady.com) she’s got some serious VIP clientele including Laura Bush, Madeleine Albright, Condolezza Rice, and Bill Clinton (cue pearl necklace jokes.)

The Pearl Lady opens shop today at 446 New Jersey Ave, SE from 10am to 6pm and will be opened everyday until November 16.

Adventures, Essential DC, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, The Daily Feed
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Ben & Jerry’s Giving Away Ice Cream in Support of Dreamgirls

Photo courtesy of
‘ice cream sandwiches!’
courtesy of ‘urban farmgirl’

Get your buttocks out of your seat and run over to the  Ben & Jerry’s of Georgetown (3135 M St, NW) so you can test out their new handmade ice cream sandwiches, “Dreamwiches,” in honor of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts’ December production of Broadway’s Dreamgirls.

Pose for a picture with “The Dreams,” post it to any social network with information about the Duke Ellington School of the Arts’ December production of Broadway’s Dreamgirls and get free ice cream. This is one of several appearances that students from the school are making around DC during November to promote the show.

Adventures, All Politics is Local, Business and Money, Food and Drink, Life in the Capital, News, The Daily Feed
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MoCo To Serve Booze On Sundays

Photo courtesy of
‘LIQUOR at Kenny’s and Kovak’s…’
courtesy of ‘ellievanhoutte’

Before today, if you were looking to buy booze on a Sunday, then Montgomery County was not your friend as it tightly controlled the 24 county-owned liquor stores and prohibited the sale of alcohol on Sundays.

Now in an executive order from County Executive Ike Leggett, that  should pass today and will be in place by the end of November, county-owned liquor stores will be able to open for business on Sundays. This six-month trial has some estimating that the county will pull in an additional $2 million a year . Skol!

Adventures, All Politics is Local, Business and Money, Entertainment, Essential DC, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, History, Life in the Capital, News, Penn Quarter, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District
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TEAISM to be Carrotmobbed

Photo courtesy of
‘Every Food Fits: “What’s Up, Doc?”‘
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’

This Saturday, November 13th starting at 10am at TEAISM’s Penn Quarter location,  the Restaurant Opportunities Center of DC (ROCDC) is organizing DC’s first ever Carrotmob to promote paid sick days for DC restaurant workers.

You might say: “But Rebecca, what the heck is a carrotmob?” And up until 15 minutes ago, I would have responded “I have no clue. Perhaps a pack of redheads angrily waving orange vegetables?”  And, unsurprisingly, I’d be dead wrong.

In reality the term “Carrotmob” comes from the phase “use the carrot, not the stick,” and is a method of activism in which consumers use their buying power to reward businesses that take socially responsible actions.

The TEAISM mobbing is in response to the Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act, which passed two years ago and provides 3-7 days of paid sick/safe leave to many District workers. However, the law left out your server, waitress, waiter, and bartender, so they’ve been working (aka serving you) while they’re sick. Despite this TEAISM has gone above and beyond the call of duty and provides all their workers 5-7 sick days; They are indeed truly worthy of a good old fashioned carrotmobbing.

You can join the mobbing by visiting the Penn Quarter TEAISM this Saturday and by RSVPing at the event’s Facebook page.

Adventures, All Politics is Local, Business and Money, Entertainment, Essential DC, Life in the Capital, News, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District
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Slurpee Me!

Photo courtesy of
‘frozen treat’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Thanks to President Obama’s shout out last week, the 7-Eleven Slurpee truck brigade is en route from Dallas, TX to Washington, DC in what’s being billed as the “Slurpee Unity Tour 2010.” The trucks are making pit stops to hand out free samples of the newly launched, bi-partisan beverage “Purple for the People” flavor. The half red, half blue flavor will allow Americans to reach across the aisle and cast a vote for taste bud reform. Something we all know is much, much needed.

Today the trucks stop in Florissant, MO and Springfield IL. Tomorrow they’re headed to Chicago. You can track the trucks as they make their way here for the Slurpee Summit via the Slurpee Facebook page or on Twitter @slurpee #slurpeeunity.

Adventures, Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: MoogFest 2010 (Night Three)

IMG_5744
All photos by the author.

Also check out my MoogFest 2010 (Night One) coverage.
Also check out my MoogFest 2010 (Night Two) coverage.

Night three of MoogFest 2010 quickly flew by in a festival fatigue blur of Halloween costumes and great preformances. I slept right through the Sunday afternoon panels and slowly made my way downtown intending to let the festival take me where it may rather than over thinking the schedule as I normally would. My one constant was that I would be closing out MoogFest at The Orange Peel with El-P. A good judge of a festival line-up is that it should offer you a good time no matter what sets you end up at. Schedule conflicts are par for the course with big festivals, a stress free way to avoid them is to float from stage to stage taking in whatever performance presents itself. After two nights of attacking the festival with the precision planning of a bank heist, I enjoyed a care-free closing night that presented some real surprises that I might have otherwise missed.
Continue reading →

Adventures, Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: MoogFest 2010 (Night Two)

IMG_5532
All photos by the author.

Also check out my MoogFest 2010 (Night One) coverage.
Also check out my MoogFest 2010 (Night Three) coverage.

My second day of MoogFest began with an afternoon trip to the Moogaplex, to fiddle around with some Moog instruments first-hand and to attend one of the many afternoon discussion panels about the history of Moog instruments. I finally fulfilled a life-long dream of playing a Theremin. I played three different Moog Theremins actually, as well as a few different models of Moog synthesizers. I was not the only one in attendance having fun with the instrument petting zoo. There were about 30 or 40 people anxiously waiting in line to get their paws on a Moog. I can not think of another music festival where the fans get a chance to play with high-tech gear such as this. A very special treat provided by Moog Music.

The panel I attended was a narrated, power-point presentation about the treasure trove of Moog artifacts discovered in Moog’s country workshop and garage after he passed away. Thanks to a Grammy Foundation grant and countless hours of volunteer effort hundreds of documents, artifacts, and recordings have been cataloged and preserved. The panel made it very clear that this is an ongoing preservation effort and that donations would be helpful in saving all of this music history. Within this mountain of Moog documents all sorts of tidbits and trivia are being discovered. One example is that Moog’s first synthesizer prototypes were capable of polyphonic sound.* This was unknown to Moog historians until just a few years ago. The panel was the first time this information was made public; in a most spectacular way. By playing a recording of it.

For about ten minutes, Moog’s sound archivist played selections from rare recordings discovered in Moog’s workshop. These were some of the earliest synth recordings and proved fascinating listens. Two notable recordings were a riotous synth solo by Sun Ra and the earliest known recording by master synthesist Wendy Carlos. I’ll admit it was pretty mind-blowing to hear a recording of Wendy Carlos noodling around with a synthesizer for the very first time!** Hearing some of the earliest synthesizer demo recordings ever made was the perfect way to get psyched up for the performances ahead.

Continue reading →

Adventures, Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: MoogFest 2010 (Night One)

IMG_4941
all photos by the author except where noted.

Also check out my MoogFest 2010 (Night Two) coverage.
Also check out my MoogFest 2010 (Night Three) coverage.

Last weekend, in scenic Asheville North Carolina, AC Entertainment and Moog Music teamed up to present a revamped and relocated version of the annual MoogFest; a festival celebrating inventor Robert Moog’s massive influence on the world of music. The festival spanned Halloween weekend offering three spectacular nights of music and two days of informative panel discussions and Moog instrument demonstrations. The music schedule offered a perfect blend of sonic innovators, high-energy dance DJs, and envelope pushing Pop acts that showcased the wide-ranging world of electronic music.

The festival took over five music venues in downtown Asheville ranging from a makeshift nightclub in a gallery space, to a dive bar, to the Orange Peel (Asheville’s 9:30 Club equivalent), to the classy Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, all the way up to the cavernous Asheville Civic Center. At times MoogFest felt like two festivals in one; the first, a large-scale non-stop dance party for the party hearty; the second, an equally entertaining but more cerebral music geek nirvana of Moog instrument-fueled performances. The beauty of MoogFest 2010 was watching and listening to these two different worlds of performers and audiences cross-pollinate all weekend long.

Continue reading →

Adventures, Entertainment, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District
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Best/Worst Halloween 2010 Costumes Part 3: Zombies

Photo courtesy of
‘Baby zombie!!!’
courtesy of ‘erin m’

Zombies invaded DC last week and remained in town through the Halloween festivities. It seemed like everywhere I looked there was some sort of zombied out crew stumbling down the street or up to the bar for a drink.

Continue reading →

Adventures, All Politics is Local, Entertainment, Essential DC, Life in the Capital, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District
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Best/Worst Halloween 2010 Costumes Part 2: Politics

Photo courtesy of
‘Be Excellent to Each Other’
courtesy of ‘Collin David Anderson’

As we’re in DC, there’s no surprise that political costumes figure heavily into Halloween 2010 festivities and with the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear in town politics-related costumes were in FULL effect. Continue reading →

Adventures, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, People, The Daily Feed, The District
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Best/Worst Halloween 2010 Costumes Part 1: Clowns

Photo courtesy of
‘Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear’
courtesy of ‘MudflapDC’

After a few days of rest and recovery, it’s finally time to reflect (and judge) the 2010 Halloween costumes. As Halloween approaches, there are always the somewhat predictable pop culture or current event costumes. Prior to Halloween night this list included: Chilean Miners, The Cast of Jersey Shore, BP oil spill-related get ups, and as this is DC, any sort of political costumes.

Oddly enough, as I culled the WeLoveDC Flickr pool, the traditional creepy clown was in major effect this year. Continue reading →

Adventures, Entertainment, Getaways, Music, We Love Music
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Getaways: MoogFest 2010, Asheville North Carolina

If you are looking to get out of town this Halloween weekend to avoid the crush of Colbert/Stewart fans, Marine Corp Marathon runners, and trick-or-treaters (have I left anything out?) then might I suggest that you hop on a bus, train, or plane down to scenic Asheville, North Carolina for MoogFest 2010. Trade the Comedy Central rallies’ rumble for the large-scale trip-hop of Massive Attack. Leave those marathon runners behind for an evening with Thievery Corporation. Pull a trick this year instead of giving out treats and head to North Carolina to witness the large-scale weirdness of MGMT.

MoogFest 2010 is a three-day music festival taking place in multiple indoor venues in downtown Asheville on October 29, 30, 31. This unique festival is designed to celebrate the life, inventions, and influence of sonic innovator Robert Moog by inviting over 20 world-renowned, electronic music acts to perform over the course of this weekend. Robert Moog was the inventor of the Moog keyboards and synthesizers, a true music pioneer whose inventions have enabled thousands of musicians to push the boundaries of sound for decades. Asheville, NC is where Moog based his business and his home for the last 30 years of his life.

Every year, there are many Moog Fests around the world dedicated to Moog and his instruments. These specialized events are usually smaller and intended for die-hard Moog enthusiasts. This year the Moog Institute in partnership with AC Entertainment (the organizers of the Bonnaroo Music Festival) have decided to combine all of these smaller Moog festivals into one gigantic celebration of electronic music and sonic exploration. MoogFest 2010 is a high-profile gathering of electronic artists and musically innovative Pop acts that is going to prove to be one of the most interesting, large-scale festivals of the year.

Continue reading →

Adventures, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District
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DC Drag Queen Race Tomorrow

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘erin m’

If Halloween is this weekend, then that means only one thing. The 2010 DC Drag Queen Race is this Tuesday.  The race starts at 9pm, but crowds begin to form along 17th Street around 6pm and the show/parade/pageantry starts around 7pm. Definitely an event a must-go-to DC event.