Category Archives: Fun & Games

24 in DC, Fun & Games, Technology, The Features, WTF?!
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Amateur Spies (Like Us)

Photo courtesy of Don Whiteside
WLDC Stealth, courtesy of Don Whiteside

Unless this is your first time here you’re well aware that we’ve become a little obsessive over Jack Bauer’s tour through our city. We’ve got 15 17 hours worth of 24 recaps under our belt and fully intend to laugh (in order to fight off the tears) through the remaining 9 7 hours of Hollywood’s molestation of our geography. (Yes, Tiff, I suck at math.) So really, about the last thing we needed was to be further encouraged.

Enter the International Spy Museum.

The folks over at the museum’s retail store sent us some toys to play with, after having been entertained by our 24 recaps. So early in March, three items arrived in plain brown boxes by an unmarked panel truck. In the middle of the night.

After some email haggling, jovial threats and bickering, the WLDC staff managed to split up the loot gifts and proceeded to play with them: a micro-cam recorder, a ninja sword umbrella and night vision goggles. And now, we’re going to tell you all about it.

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Adventures, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, The Daily Feed
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Cupcake Ramble

Photo courtesy of
‘Cupcake bike’
courtesy of ‘traviscrawford’

City Bikes is at it again with their group rides, except this time it’s pairing two of my favorite things… my gorgeous bike with CUPCAKES! Food + Bikes = yay! The bicycle-enthusiast and pastry chef for Tryst, Open City and The Diner, Sol, is partnering with City Bikes to create the Cupcake Ramble, a relaxed easy/moderate paced group ride.

The ride starts at City Bikes Adams Morgan, through the car-restricted Rock Creek Park, to City Bikes Chevy Chase. “Once there, we’ll enjoy pastries baked by Sol, before heading back to City Bikes Adams Morgan,” says the ride description.

To sign up for your guilt-free cupcake intake, head on over to the City Bikes Web site.

Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Music, Special Events, The District, We Love Arts, WMATA
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We Love Arts: Cherry Blast

I think we can all agree that one of the reasons “we love DC” is the arrival of spring each year when our city is transformed from a bleak, gray land of zombies into a cheery land of fresh-faced partiers.  The harsh winter weather is behind us, the cherry blossoms are beginning to bloom, girls swap their jeans for skirts, and it’s time to start planning how you’ll enjoy every waking minute before the sweltering heat invades our city.

What better way to celebrate the disappearance of winter than checking out the National Cherry Blossom Festival?  While it officially started on March 28th, it runs until April 12th and is packed full of fun things to do, ranging from blossom tours to photo safaris to wicked awesome Japanese-themed art fashion anime parties.  Say what?  That’s right, on Friday the Pink Line Project kicks into gear again to throw a party that is sure to be the highlight of this year’s festival.  Enter stage left: Cherry Blast.

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Adventures, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, Night Life, The DC 100
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DC Omnivore 100: #78 Snails

Photo courtesy of
‘Brasserie Beck’
courtesy of ‘webjedi’
Originally, this Omnivore update was for another topic, which was “Beer above 8%” (and will show up soon), but after taking a look at the menu at Brasserie Beck, the Belgian-styled gastropub downtown, I figured I’d better shift focus.

So you ask, “snails?”, what is the most joked about cuisine when you’re trying to gross-out friends doing as a willing entry here rather than on a dare. I have to honestly admit, if it weren’t for my wife, there would be a lot of things, cuisine-wise, I’d never have tried, and snails (not to be confused with their brethren, “escargot”) would not have been the highest on my list. But, figuring this is a top notch establishment, and an unlimited supply of good beer to wash everything down, I said “what the heck!”. For goodness sake, the meal and establishment share most of name (Gastropod vs. Gastropub).

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Fun & Games, The Daily Feed
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Baltimore: A Heartbeat Away from Being As Awesome As DC

Photo courtesy of
‘Opening Day Tickets’
courtesy of ‘charmcitygavin’

One of the cool things about DC is that it’s relatively easy to get the President of the United States to swing by and throw out the first pitch of your team’s baseball season. I happen to think it’s cool no matter what I think of the person occupying the office at the time. 

And it’s one of the things that gives me a little case of DC-superiority; the Nationals will have President Obama throwing out their first pitch a week from today at their home opener. The Baltimore Orioles’ home opener today, and they’ll be settling for Vice President Biden. So the guy in this picture will go through just as much security today as I will next week, but he’ll see the person whose Constitutional role consists of little more than, “That Other Guy on the Ticket.”  But it’s still a big deal- VP Biden will be the first sitting vice president to throw out a ceremonial first pitch (edited to add) at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. (Thanks for catching that one, mysterious anonymous commenter.)

Entertainment, Fun & Games, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Pillow Fight Saturday

courtesy of flickr user Nivad

courtesy of flickr user Nivad

Left wondering what to do with those old, deflated pillows?

Problem solved: At 2PM on the National Mall in front of the Smithsonian Castle or at 3PM in Dupont Circle, show up with a CONCEALED SOFT pillow – in a bag, backpack or something similar and act completely nonchalant.  Wait for the crowd to gather and when you hear the signal it’s on!

Hooray! It’s International Pillow Fight Day, part of The Urban Playground Movement, whose goal is to organize free, fun, all age appropriate, non-commercial public events all over the world. DC’s pillow fights are being “organized” by DC Defenestrators.

Pillow fighting etiquette dictates:

-Soft pillows only! I don’t like to use a simple pillow, my favorite to play are Beckham Hotel Collection Pillows.

-Swing lightly, many people will be swinging at once.

-Do not swing at people without pillows or with cameras.

-Remove glasses beforehand!

-The event is free and appropriate for all ages.

-Wait until the signal to begin.

-The event is more fun with feathers. I logged onto the DC Defenestrators facebook page for the event and they’ve updated their last pillow fight rule: + *CHANGE* you are responsible for your own feathers! – California had a pillow fight that required $10,000 to clean up from the city. If you leak any feathers, you are responsible for cleaning them up. We want this to be fun for everyone, don’t be d**ks that make a mess and leave.

Fun & Games, The Daily Feed
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A Vacation… To Where???

Photo courtesy of
‘crane-bird-in-the-creek’
courtesy of ‘forestgladesiwander’

Squee! I love vacations. LOVE. In fact, I should totally be on one right now, but alas, I am not. But you know what is better than just a plain vacation? A FREE one!

Virginia Tourism Corporation at Mount Vernon is offering 20 lucky winners + a guest a free vacation. The catch? You have no idea where you’re going! Once the winners are drawn, they will get ready, get packed, and get whisked off for an overnight vacation to one of four “secret” destinations. The winners and their guests must show up – suitcase in hand – at Mount Vernon on April 28, where the Virginia Tourism Corporation will launch the state’s newest travel deals program.

Then the “40 Off” will jump on buses destined for fun and adventure with a bit of mystery. Each winner will find out where they are going only when they arrive at Mount Vernon. The prize destinations are four areas in Virginia, each providing the hotel stay, an experience that can only be found in Virginia, one pampering experience and meals.  I’m digging all this love from the Virginia Tourism peeps. if you plan to take some time off to plan your vacations, click on the next link with some of the best McCall Idaho vacations tips and locations.

I kind of adore the Metro Center ads (better than Fallout, for sure!) and although I don’t appreciate my Express being hijacked this morning, at least it’s not ads with gross toe fungus or fat rolls. And a free vacay to boot? Alrighty.

Food and Drink, Fun & Games, The Daily Feed
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Final Four Parties!

Photo courtesy of
‘Final Four cup’
courtesy of ‘camflan’

I know everyone is gearing up to watch the Tar Heels PWN the Final Four this weekend, but where oh where are you going to watch this domination?

Luckily, I love you, WLDC reader, (almost as much as I love my Heels)  and I’ve prepared a list of places in the area holding Final Four viewing parties. (Which work even if you’re not a Carolina fan!)  Continue reading →

All Politics is Local, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Kite Festival In Pictures

Photo courtesy of
‘Flying a Kite’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

It may have been a gray and drizzly Saturday, but that didn’t stop Inspiration DC‘s Rebecca and I from heading out to take pictures of the Smithsonian Kite Festival on the Mall.

Packed with kids of all ages, flying kites of every variety, the turn out was more than I expected. Even with the grey sky, the kites dotting the air made the mall festive and full of life. To live vicariously through us (and the WLDC flickerattzi), click on through. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Penn Quarter, Special Events, The Features
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Cherry Blossom Festival Opening Day

cherry-blossom-festival-2009

The Cherry Blossom Festival kicked off this past Saturday with a family day and the opening ceremony at the National Building Museum. The interior space of the National Building Museum is always pretty overwhelming, but you could see the stimulus overload on people’s faces the minute they stepped into the great hall. The fountain in the middle of the hall is drained and giant pink (and I mean pink, as you can see above) inflatable cherry blossoms are suspended above it, and all around are booths with activities and crafts for kids and people offering information and selling Cherry Blossom Festival-related wares. Continue reading →

Fun & Games, News, The Daily Feed
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I dub thee…

kibibi1

Photo credit: Mehgan Murphy/Smithsonian’s National Zoo

Well, the voting public has spoken (all 10,000 of you, apparently) and the National Zoo has dubbed the two-month old baby female gorilla Kibibi (kee-BEE-bee).

The public was invited to vote on three names for the gorilla, including Kipenzi (kee-PEHN-zee) “loved one” and Keyah (KAY-yah) “good health,” over the course of several weeks. Kibibi was born at the Zoo Jan. 10 to 26-year-old female Mandara and 16-year-old Baraka.

According to the National Zoo, “Kibibi already has four teeth, has been riding increasingly on Mandara’s back and shows an interest in her environment, especially in food given to Mandara. In the coming weeks, she is expected to begin exploring her surroundings and manipulating objects.” I went to the zoo last weekend to check her out while my parents were in town visiting, and she’s pretty cute. She was basically doing what she’s doing in the above picture, just chillin’ with her Mom. Ahh, the good life.

Fun & Games, The Daily Feed
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Six Flags: One Last Time?

Photo courtesy of
‘Twisted Metal’, courtesy of ‘Anthroscribe’

Enjoy Six Flags America in Maryland this summer. It may be the last one they’re open.

Despite concerns the amusement park chain may drop into Chapter 11, the park over in Largo is still planning on opening on April 4. The company’s still struggling with a $300M debt-load from its former owners. However, PR Manager Julia Filz contacted me in order to make it clear to our readers that “the restructuring, while serious business, in no way affects our daily operations. Six Flags America is planning for an exciting season, with more concerts than ever, a new family train ride, a bigger daily show package than ever before, a new Johnny Rockets, a new Cold Stone Creamery, and a new three-point basketball challenge game.”

According to park officials, Six Flags will be hiring hundreds more people than in previous years, which is good news to many teens and college students looking for “fun summer work” in this tough economy.

ABC 7 News has a breakdown of the park’s debt problems, and there’s a piece in the New York Times to help put the whole situation in context. But for those of you who don’t care, better make your plans to enjoy the park this year. It may not be around after August.

Fun & Games, People
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He Loves DC: Crickett The Clown

Photo courtesy of
‘Just hanging out’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

As many of us are aware after the parade yesterday, the circus is in town! I had a chance to catch up with one of the clowns in the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Crickett. Crickett hails from the DC area, and I was able to  talk to him all about what it’s like to be a clown, what he misses about DC, and even about that mysterious bearded lady…

Katie: Tell us how you and DC intersect, how long you lived here, what your early memories are?

Crickett: I moved to the DC metro area when I was in 10th grade from New York and simply fell in love with it since I got here. Over more than a decade, I have lived here off and on while working and studying. Many of my early memories consist of taking the metro into the city and riding the trains with friends and just hanging out and seeing all the free sites.

Any favorite places you miss?

Of course! After I have lived/ played/ entertained (I hesitate, for obvious reasons, to call what I do work) in large arenas, such as Verizon, I enjoy being entertained as opposed to doing it myself. The Palace of Wonders is my favorite place to go in DC. It’s a tiny little club that hosts regular nightly entertainment, both amateur and professional in vaudeville, burlesque, comedy, variety and such. One of my favorite groups, the Lucky Daredevil Thrill Show performs there regularly. It’s a great place to meet up and coming performers, relax, or see weird sideshow ephemera such as Fiji mermaids, swords, and other oddities. Other than that, I love the Smithsonian and the masses of other free museums DC has to offer, especially the Air and Space Museum or the Zoo

Name the best part of DC, in your opinion?

The cherry blossom trees when they’re out. On a sunny spring day, there is no better place to be or better company to have than the cherry blossoms.

How did you wind up a clown?

While I was attending University in Newport News, VA, I happened upon a now-defunct traveling sideshow. It was then I realized I could act outrageous, tour, color my hair, wear makeup, and have fun touring without being a rock star (or a drag queen for that matter). This appealed to me because I can’t keep a beat to save my life!

More on Crickett’s career as a clown, and where you’ll be able to find him while he’s in town after the jump. Continue reading →

Arlington, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, Special Events, The Features
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Knife Skills Class at Arlington Adult Education

Photo courtesy of

‘SNC11054’
courtesy of ‘bradleypjohnson’

I’ve been out of school for a few years now, and have honestly enjoyed the freedom of having no homework. It is glorious, and although work sometimes turns into homework (especially when I have to go in on weekends), at least I’m getting paid (in theory). I don’t miss the homework, but what I do miss are the classes. I had wonderful classes in college. (Sometimes I daydream about sneaking into a GW or Georgetown lecture and reliving my glory days.)

So when Arlington put out the current class offerings for Spring, I poured through the catalog like a kid in a candy store. The classes are affordable, fun, and actually relevant to my life (unlike some classes I took at UNC). The one I chose to take this go-round was Knife Skills. My mother always said she wished she had taken a knife skills class, if only to know the easiest and quickest way to chop something, so I decided to learn from her longings and actually take one.

So last week, I packed up my best knife, and headed over to the Clarendon education center for a class on how to chop. Continue reading →

All Politics is Local, Fun & Games, History, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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VDOT YouTube – Your Tax Dollars At Work

YouTube Preview Image

Okay, I know it’s apocryphal for us to be linking to another blog <cough>BoingBoing</cough>, but while the video is cool and somewhat local (we had a shot of our own Wilson Bridge), I wonder if our tax dollars, besides going to the banks, insurance companies, and other misanthropes in another metro area <cough>New York</cough>, are now funding somebody’s quick fingers with Final Cut Pro? While I’m glad to see the Dulles Metro extension finally get moving (2013 to ride to Herndon), was this a real “shovel ready” project Tim Kaine approved? (The opera, however, is a nice touch… I think it was inserted for the NoVA constituents)

Comedy in DC, Fun & Games, The Features, WTF?!
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What That Job REALLY Is…

DSC_0220

(Comedy in DC will be back in two weeks. Tiff‘s out west, so I’m stepping in with something a little different…)

Let’s face it: we’ve all perused the various online job postings recently, looking for that ‘perfect’ position we all secretly crave. But sometimes, when you go to interview or after you land that dream job, it’s not what you expect. Looking back, you wonder how the position you’re in could even possibly match the posted description that initially caught your eye.

Wonder no more. I have compiled a list that describes what those common terms you see in most want ads really mean. And I’m sharing them with all of you today, because job seekers need all the help they can get deciphering such descriptions like:

An up-and-coming software company with an innovative profit-sharing plan has an immediate opening for a [insert technobabble IT title here]. We offer great benefits to a self-motivated individual in this exciting and professional work environment.

Qualified applicants will be deadline-oriented with an eye for detail and good communication skills and the ability to handle a heavy workload. Problem-solving skills a must. Some overtime required. Send resumes to noaddress@notarealsite.com. No phone calls please.

Continue reading →

Arlington, Fun & Games, The Daily Feed
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Show Me Your Poker Face

Photo courtesy of
‘Hustla Poker’
courtesy of ‘Funkman’

I’m pretty bad at poker. But then again, I’m not super good at card games in general, I’m better at say, oh, Apples to Apples or Balderdash. That said, I can respect a girl who can get down with poker.

If you are a woman with card skillz, or know of one, tell them to head on over to Restaurant 3 on March 22nd for ‘Chicks with Chips,’ a charitable women’s poker tournament and cocktail competition. The part that intrigues me? Local female mixologists from the likes of Tabard Inn, PS7’s and Ardour will be on hand to craft the perfect complement to your game. I can always get down with fearless female cocktail creators (how’d you like that alliteration!?).

Restaurant 3 is located in Clarendon and the tourney will take place from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.  The play price is a bit steep, at  $65 per player, but proceeds from the tournament will benefit New Endeavors by Women, a charity that helps women take control of their lives and move out of homelessness, so you can feel good about that.

Food and Drink, Fun & Games, Night Life, The Features, The Great Outdoors, Thrifty District
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Thrifty District: Cheap Dates

Photo courtesy of
‘kisses’
courtesy of ‘needlessspaces’

I love DC, but I really love dating in DC. Yes, dating can be expensive (especially if you’re a guy–sorry, but them’s the facts), but you really can find tons of fun, creative things to do on the cheap in and around DC.

Date idea #1: Go outside

Doing things outdoors is reliably one of my favorite ways to have a great time for very little money. You don’t have to be a star athlete to enjoy a good outdoor date, but it helps if your date is a little adventurous. There are a couple of weeks left to go ice skating in the National Gallery of Art’s sculpture garden, and then you can warm up with a hot chocolate in their pavilion cafe afterwards and still stay under $30 for the two of you. Continue reading →

Arlington, Fun & Games, People, Special Events, The Features
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Crystal Couture In Review

Workday Wednesday Fashion Show

The Gossip on 23rd Runway Show at Crystal City Couture

On Wednesday, I headed over to Crystal City for dinner with friends and then a stop at the Crystal Couture Work Wear Wednesday event. Housed inside loft-like industrial space, the large room was set up with vendors selling work wear outfits, a runway, a cash bar, and complimentary mini-cupcakes from Red Velvet Cupcakery. Techno music echoed through the space, and the Sex and The City Movie played in the background. It was girlie to the hilt. After reading Don’s review of Tattoo Tuesday, I was expecting tons of photographers, but mostly there were twenty-somethings stopping by after work to shop the wares.

Although Crystal Couture isn’t quite over yet (there are still events happening through the weekend) I was able to chat with Angela Fox, the President/CEO of the Crystal City Business Improvement District, all about what she loved, what went wrong, and what the event meant for Crystal City. Continue reading →