Category Archives: Fun & Games

Essential DC, Fun & Games, History, Special Events, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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BREAKING: Strasburg may Start June 4

Photo courtesy of
‘4TH’
courtesy of ‘MissChatter’

The rumor mill has it that the second comi…. I mean Steven Strasburgs’ major league debut will be on the June 4 game against the Cincinnati Reds. For those of you living in caves, Steven Strasburg is one of the hottest prospects in the history of major league baseball, and certainly the top for 2010.  The Nats picked him up with their first round draft pick last year and sent him to the minors for some conditioning. In the minors he’s pitched just over a 1 ERA with around 1 strike out per inning.  That’s scary.  His start promises to be one of the biggest events in Nats history. The game will sell out, so buy those tickets quick.  At this point, the cheap seats are already sold.

Food and Drink, Fun & Games, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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It’s About To Be A Cupcake Catfight

Photo courtesy of
‘WHAM!’
courtesy of ‘Cats in trees’

If there’s one thing this town knows, it’s cupcakes. In vain of that, a couple of DC’s top cupcakeries are teaming up for a Cupcake Catfight in anticipation of the Sex and the City 2.

Red Velvet and Buzz Bakery are going head-to-head in this SATC themed challenge of who can create the best movie-themed window display. You can check out the photos and place your vote on Metromix Washington or in person at their respective stores.

The winner will be announced at the film’s screening on Tuesday.

You  can check out the window displays after the page jump. Continue reading →

Adventures, Entertainment, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed, The Great Outdoors
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Dueling Birds: A Nats v. Os Weekend

Photo courtesy of
‘_MG_4239’
courtesy of ‘dbking’

We’ve got a beautiful weekend, save some scattered t-storms, shaping up for us and we’ve got a “Battle of the Beltways” series kicking off Friday night between the visiting Baltimore Orioles and our hometown Nationals. You’ve got three opportunities to catch the match up this weekend, and it’s sure to be great time with the stadium pack with fans from both sides.

While neither team is at the top of their divisions, both come packed with longtime crowd favorites like Nick Markakis, B-Rob, Zimmer-sapien and Christian Guz-sapien, who are sure to make the game competitive and entertaining.

What I’m really looking forward to is Screech and the Bird strolling around the stadium and taunting each other Phillie Phanatic style. Obviously, sans taser.  I’m assuming both birds will join the Presidents in the 4th inning race, where of course some antics will ensue between the two avians to prevent Teddy from winning. Alas poor Teddy, I wanted him to win.

Adventures, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The Great Outdoors
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Beach Bumming Bus

Photo courtesy of
‘Day 229: Lavallette, NJ’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

The amazing weather this weekend reminded me of the local summer fun to be had at local area beaches.  The Good: Sandy waterfronts. Cooling, salty waves. Luscious, vitamin D rays. Fun with family and friends. Dogfish beer. Crab.  The Bad: Hours of battling through weekend traffic congestion.

However, bus company DC2NY has come to beachgoers’ rescue with a summer bus service to both Rehoboth and Dewey Beach starting Memorial Day weekend. Riders will enjoy wi-fi, electrical outlets at every seat, a frequent riders reward program and a bottle of water for the journey. There’s not a less stressful way to start your beach weekend then by letting the bus driver tackle the traffic while you facebook with your friends or catch up on your Hulu watching.

Adventures, All Politics is Local, Essential DC, Fun & Games, History, Life in the Capital, Technology, The Daily Feed, The Great Outdoors, We Green DC
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“Smart” Buoy Deployed

Photo courtesy of
‘Buoy Red ‘6’ took a pounding’
courtesy of ‘Tony DeFilippo’

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) deployed a “smart” buoy just south of the Wilson Bridge on Friday, May 4.  The new device will provide scientists and local area boaters/educators with real-time information about the Chesapeake Bay.

The buoy is part of the the CBIBS (Chesapeake Bay Interpretative Buoy System) program and will collect weather, oceanographic and water-quality observations along the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail.  The program hopes to not only provide relevant data for restoration efforts, but also provide insights about the waterways’ history and encourage stewardship and protection of the Chesapeake Bay.

All of the eight buoys’ measurements, along with historical information, can be accessed at www.buoybay.org (www.buoybay.org/m for mobile devices) and by phone at 877-BUOY-BAY (877-286-9229).

Entertainment, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, Night Life, The Features, The Great Outdoors, The Hill, The Mall
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Katie’s Guide to Summer

Photo courtesy of
‘Every Food Fits: Don’t Bother Us, We’re Crabby!’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’

Summer is my favorite season, I’ve made no secret of that on this here blog over the years. DC comes alive in the summer, with events galore. And if you’re new to DC, or new to We Love DC, or even an old faithful reader (and we love you for that, truly) I just wanted to take some time to point out that we’ve got you covered for summer.

So here is my short list of things I love about summer in DC and links to articles that we’ve written in the past to help you get the most out of it. (We call this unabashedly re-purposing content.)

So without futher ado:   Continue reading →

Adventures, Essential DC, Fun & Games, The Daily Feed
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My DC Baby Is Cuter Than Your DC Baby

Photo courtesy of
‘Two Teeth’
courtesy of ‘Amberture’

Not sure why but the Washington Post is building a library/photo slide show of the cutest babies in town. To submit a photo you need to have a WaPo login and as always be sure to read the Terms & Conditions for photo submission. There doesn’t seem to be any photo date restrictions, so if you want to submit an uber cute baby photo of your great grandmother, go for it.

Entertainment, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, The Daily Feed
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Betty White SNL Party At Duplex Diner This Weekend

Photo courtesy of
‘Betty White’
courtesy of ‘tgkohn’

Remember how hilarious Betty White was in the Super Bowl Snickers commercial?

The answer should be: of course I do! But in case you don’t, here’s a refresher:

After her funny stint playing football on TV, the former Golden Girls star received an increased interest by American’s possessed by pop culture antics to host Saturday Night Live.

Those hungry for pop culture had their prayers answered and Betty’s scheduled to host this Saturday (aka tomorrow) and DC’s Duplex Diner in Adams Morgan is celebrating the occasion with Betty White-themed drink specials, prizes, a Betty White costume competition, and more.

Party starts at 10.

Fun & Games, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Barnes Dance in Chinatown

Photo courtesy of
‘in the crosswalk’
courtesy of ‘Jonathan Thorpe’

DDOT’s taking dancing in the street to a whole new level starting next Wednesday when they debut a new pilot program at the intersection of 7th and H streets in NW DC near the Verizon Center.

A “barnes dance” style intersection is being set up by DDOT in an attempt to reduce the number of conflicts between pedestrians and cars, DDOT spokes person John Lisle told WTOP.

While the details are still a little fuzzy, the intersection will work as such:

Traffic continues to cycle through the intersection as usual, but when all vehicular traffic is halted pedestrians will then be able to cross the street in any direction they want.

Up, down, left, right, sideways, longways, diagonally – they’re all options for your next crosswalk adventure – get creative.

WTOP reports that the ‘pedestrians-only’ cycle will be 29 seconds long with 26 seconds to cross and a solid three second don’t walk for stragglers to clear the intersection.

The question to ask here is: How creative will people get and how soon will we be able to watch it on YouTube?

Get those cameras. The antics start Wednesday.

Adventures, Essential DC, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed
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Glover Park-Burleith Farmers Market Debuts Tomorrow

Photo courtesy of
‘_MG_0683’
courtesy of ‘logan.brown’

Even though I won’t be around to witness its opening weekend, I’m super pumped that the Glover Park-Burleith Farmers’ Market debuts this Saturday from 9am-1pm.

This producer-only farmers market features local fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese, bread, eggs, plants, cut flowers, handmade soap, pasta, gelato and more. A different bluegrass band will be there every week to provide live music to the dog-friendly market. In 2010, the market hopes to offer additional features, such as bike clinics, live-chef demonstrations and garden/composting workshops.

The market is located in the parking lot of the Hardy Middle School, just across the street from the newly opened Social Safeway.  The market will run every Saturday, rain or shine, until October 30th.

Adventures, Fun & Games, People, The Daily Feed, The Great Outdoors, The Mall
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Volunteer at DC Triathlon

Photo courtesy of
‘Triathlon Bike Transition Area’
courtesy of ‘Dru Bloomfield – At Home in Scottsdale’

The 2010 Washington DC Triathlon is looking for a few good men and women to sign up for a variety of volunteer positions, Thursday, June 17 through Race Day, Sunday, June 20th.

This is a great way to get first hand experience with Sprint and Olympic distance triathlons and feel the pulse and spirit that these events bring with them. Did I mention that volunteers get a free t-shirt? Woot!

Fun & Games, The Features
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Screech’s Birthday Celebration Rounds Up The Kiddies

DSC01722

Yesterday’s main event at Nationals Park, besides the game, was being a kid again. Everyone was in on it – the Nationals in-house staff, press, the NatPack, all adults, and children themselves – everyone. Let us not forget the teaching’s of one, Mr. Billy Heywood: “Hall of Famer Bob Lemon once said, ‘Baseball was made for kids. Grown ups only screw it up.’” On Sunday, baseball was all for the kids and no one, not even a grown up, could have screwed it up this time.

Sunday was more than a ball game (that the Nationals won, by the way, making the team 10-9/1.5 games behind the Phillies). The beloved feathered mascot, Screech, turned five years old. Nationals Entertainment Coordinator Tom Davis took a moment to share his favorite eagle’s life story with We Love DC.

According to Davis, Screech hatched back in 2005 and was found in the rafters of RFK Stadium. Little baby Screech was so excited by the team hosting its inaugural season of the National Past-Time in the Nation’s Capital that the darn bird wouldn’t stop screeching – and hence, he was given a name and home with his new family – the Washington Nationals. Continue reading →

Adventures, Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music, People, The Daily Feed
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Bethesda DJ School Opens Wicka Wicka

Photo courtesy of
‘Hirshhorn After Hours #60’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Just when you thought Bethesda couldn’t get any cooler, Beat Refinery, a DJ school modeled after NYC’s famed Scratch DJ Academy, opens its doors to teach students how to drop the beats and trip the light fantastic DJ style.

Classes take place in an all-new, tricked out room in Bethesda’s Bach to Rock music school, and classes have been designed by famous DJs who jetset around the globe dropping killa beats. Class size is small, 8-10 students, and are a manageable 90-minutes and the course runs for 6 weeks. Beginner class start with the basics: an overview of DJ theory, usage of DJ software, equipment set-up, basic beat counting/matching, etc. You can learn more details about the classes at Thrillist.com

So now it’s time to think up you’re stellar DJ pseudonym. I call DJ We<3DC. If you’re having trouble thinking of a moniker, Rum & Monkey offers a sweet DJ Name Generator. I also call “DJ ThunderCat”

Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, News, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Panda on Preggers Watch

Photo courtesy of
‘Panda sign’
courtesy of ‘brianmka’

Starting at 4pm, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s female giant panda, Mei Xiang (may-SHONG), will be a 24-hour pregnancy watch.  FONZ volunteers and animal care staff will closely monitor the panda for maternal behaviors (nest building and cradling of small objects) through keeper interactions and a series of 38 cameras set up throughout the giant panda habitat.

You can check on Mei Xiang through the National Zoo’s pandacam and view a birth should it occur. FYI: Because of increased traffic levels, pandacam visits will be limited to five minutes per session. You can refresh the page to continue viewing, unless there’s just way too much site traffic.

Zoo scientists instated the 24 hour watch as tests of Mei Xiang’s hormone levels approached baseline and indicated that the end of either her pseudo or real pregnancy is near.  If the pregnancy was legit, we should see a new cub within 24 hours.

Adventures, Entertainment, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Georgetown’s French Market Kicks Off Today

image courtesy of www.georgetowndc.com

image courtesy of www.georgetowndc.com

Today and tomorrow, the Book Hill neighborhood of Georgetown (Wisconsin Avenue: P Street to Reservoir Road) is hosting the 7th Annual French Market from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

This quaint section of Wisconsin Avenue offers fantastic window shopping and perusing opportunities for the art galleries, boutiques, antique shops and cafes. Additionally, there will be discounts of up to 70% at over 30 Georgetown merchants, and features live entertainment, French food, and children’s activities.

Should you work/live in the area, the French Market is the perfect lunch/coffee break activity and should you live further away the market is the perfect reason to check out these cute, locally owned shops.

Fun & Games, The Daily Feed
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DC Bloggers Skeeball Tournament TONIGHT, Stop By H Street Country Club

Photo courtesy of
‘Skeeball at H Street Country Club’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

The We Love DC authors collective will do their best to relive the glory days of youth by going up against other local bloggers in tonight’s Blogger Skeeball Tournament at H Street Country Club.

The Hill is Home, And Now Anacostia, New Columbia Heights, The Heights Life, The Totten Life,  Greater Greater Washington, The District Curmudgeon, Penn Quarter Living, and The Triangle will also be trying their luck in this DC blogger showdown.

You can get in on the fun too if you like! Admission for the evening is $5 and includes drink specials, a free round of mini golf, and a chance to win a bunch of prizes.

Hope to see you there!

Adventures, Entertainment, Fun & Games, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Robot Fest This Saturday

Photo courtesy of
‘Gort Robot Model’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Do you have a strong, nerdy passion for technology? Did you cry when the little runt in Batteries Not Included came out non-functional?  Does the thought of gears, cogs, WD 40 and miniscule wrenches really light up your motherboard?

Well then Robot Fest and Mid-Atlantic Mini-Maker Faire in Linthicum, MD and you have a date with destiny this Saturday, April 24. This one day event will satisfy your urge to create new, previously unseen forms from lifeless electronics and mechanical parts of metal and plastic.

For the 10th anniversary of this festival, the tech-geek offerings have expanded  into realms where technology is used in any creative fashion. There will be a Wearable Tech Fashion Show featuring electronic embedded smart fabrics, regional student teams will present their robots built to compete in state and national competitions, the LEGO store will give Flight Simulator demonstrations, visitors can experiment with RoboDog and Gregor the Gorilla, full-size R2D2s will wander the halls, the University of Baltimore Game Design will showcase its experimental games and
controllers, and the Art Institute of Washington is bringing their Dead Animatronics and Beatbots to demonstrate Keepon, a socially interactive robotic character for entertainment, research, and therapy.

Starting this year the suggested admission donation is $6 for
adults, and $3 for middle and high-school students. Children elementary
school and younger are free!

Fun & Games, The Daily Feed
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Going to the Nats game tonight? Fancy that, so are we!

Teddy Makes Kids Smile

Photo by Rachel Levitin

A few of your favorite We Love DC authors will be taking the trip to Nationals Park tonight to watch as John Lannan (1-1, 5.74) and our boys face Jason Hammel (0-1, 11.42) and the Colorado Rockies.

We’ll be sitting in section 237 (pending whether or not the rain holds out on us) with some of your fellow We Love DC readers, rooting for the Nats and eagerly awaiting the President’s Race.

Feel free to swing by and say “hi!” We’d love to see ya! Game starts at 7:05, so keep those fingers crossed and say a little prayer that we get baseball instead of silly April showers.

Fun & Games, The Daily Feed
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Capitol Hemp Turns Two, Celebrates The Chinatown Shop Grand Opening

Photo courtesy of
‘Luige CRM #2, Hemp Fest ’09’
courtesy of ‘dreamsjung’

In case you didn’t read your calendar today, it’s 4/20.

For those participating, here’s an option sure to bring some added adventure to the day — Capitol Hemp is celebrating the second anniversary of their store’s opening and the grand opening of the new Chintatown location.

The party starts at 9 p.m. and will take place at the Rock & Roll Hotel. For $10 you can catch some live music featuring SEE-I w/ members of Thievery Corporation, FORT KNOX FIVE with a 5 piece band, and NAPPY RIDDEM. Party lasts until 12:30 a.m.

Capitol Hemp’s new Chinatown location is located at 519 H St NW and is in the newly renovated row house next door to the Chinatown Market corner store on the NE side of H street at 6th, according to pqliving.com.

capitals hockey, Downtown, Fun & Games, History, The Daily Feed
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WDGASFGAR CAPS!!! Game 2

Photo courtesy of
‘Caps/Habs (April 15, 2010) – 17’
courtesy of ‘Garyisajoke’

Game of the season?  If not it was pretty close.  The Caps came in to game two of their playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens 0-1 and in desperate need of a win.  Game one was marked by poor luck, lackluster play and minimal energy. From the horn, it was obvious that the Caps knew they hadn’t been playing up to snuff. Ovechkin went for blood, with two big hits in the opening minutes, but Washington was, perhaps, too aggressive, allowing Montreal to score on their first shot in the first minute. The Canadiens widened their lead in the 7th minute when Kostitsyn scored his first of what would be three goals. At this point, the Caps management pulled starting goalie Jose Theodore, replacing him with Semyon Varmolov. Eric Fehr finally managed to answer in the 10th minute when he scored on a breakaway off of a deflected pass. The period ended with the Caps bruised but still contending.  Speaking of bruising, Ovi had 7 hits in the first period.  As a point of reference, that’s more than anyone else had in the entire game. Continue reading →