Category Archives: Fun & Games

Adventures, All Politics is Local, Entertainment, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, News, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Michelle Obama To Throw Out First Pitch At Tonight’s O’s Game

Photo courtesy of
‘It’s Michelle!’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

If you’ve got tickets to tonight’s Baltimore Orioles game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Camden yards, be sure to get their on time because Michelle Obama will not only be bringing the heat as she fires out the first pitch, but also increased levels of security.

Mrs. Obama will be escorted to the mound by kids from the RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) program and the Boys and Girls Club. The RBI program started John Young, a former Major League Baseball player and scout, provides disadvantaged youth with the opportunity to learn and enjoy the game of baseball. Originally a local program for boys in South Central Los Angeles, the program, now in its 21st year, has grow to more than 200 cities and as many as 120,000 male and female participants a year.

Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music, We Love Music
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The Winning Ticket: Chromeo

Chromeo @ 9:30 Club

As a way to say thanks to our loyal readers, We Love DC will be giving away a pair of tickets to a 9:30 Club concert to one lucky reader each week. Check back here every Wednesday morning at 9am to find out what tickets we’re giving away and leave a comment for your chance to be the lucky winner!

This week we are giving away a pair of tickets to see Chromeo perform at the 9:30 Club on Monday, July 26th.

You wouldn’t think a couple of guys called P-Thugg and Dave 1 would be Hall & Oates reincarnate, but that is exactly how the men who are Chromeo have been described in the press. To embrace this comparison, Chromeo went so far as to do a full set with Daryl Hall at Bonaroo recently! These electro-funk Lotharios hail from the sexy Great White North and are spreading their unique brand of synth seduction across America with fellow electrolytes Holy Ghost and Telephoned in tow.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 4pm today. One entry per email address, please. Tickets for this show are also available through Ticketfly. If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts.

For the rules of this giveaway…
Continue reading →

Downtown, Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music, Night Life, Special Events, The Features, We Love Music
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We Love Music: July Music Preview

Photo courtesy of
‘American Flags in Bensonhurst’
courtesy of ’emilydickinsonridesabmx’

Besides birthday’s in general, the Fourth of July is pretty much my favorite holiday. It’s a much needed mid-summer mini mental vaycay that recharges those brain batteries over a long weekend. Then, it’s on to the long awaited arrival of the dog days of summer.

We’ve got a simmering slew of fun shows you might not have necessarily found on the front page of Ticketmaster for the month of July. They’re guaranteed to give you some solid summer memories should you choose to partake, so check ’em out! Continue reading →

Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Music, The Daily Feed
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A WLDC Author + Columbia Heights Farmers Market = Win!

Photo courtesy of
‘CH Farmer’s Market Gelato’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

A new farmers market in Columbia Heights opened its grounds to the public June 5th at 14th and Park, across from Giant, Target, and Tivoli Theater.

Fellow WLDC author Donna C. filled us in on the delicious details including the market’s spread of  fresh veggies, fruits, meats, breads, cheeses, flowers and “beat-the-heat” gelato all grown and raised within 150 miles of DC.

If there’s anything I’ve learned since moving to the District it’s that we love to celebrate inaugural events — presidents, baseball teams, and in this case farmer’s markets.

What do I mean?

This is the inaugural season of the Columbia Heights Market Place and in honor of trying to get people out for the produce and neighborhood comradery, the market place group have grabbed local entertainment from around town to put on a show for you while you shop.

The entertainment on tap for Saturday features: Cherae Mabry from Yoga on the Plaza (10 a.m.), Salsa dance group Conga Beat in between acts, Monty Wells (11 a.m.), the DoS Jazz Ensemble (12:15 p.m.), and then myself (1 p.m.) to close out the day!

Look forward to seeing you all there!

Note: If you’d like to support a worthwhile cause while visiting the market this Saturday, I will have two albums on sale. Proceeds from all albums sales will be donated to the National Kidney Foundation and Donate Life campaign to raise organ donation awareness in honor of my late father Steven Levitin who was a heart transplant recipient in 1999.

Fun & Games, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Quick Survey: World Cup

Photo courtesy of
‘American and English fans react as they watch World Cup match at Ireland’s Four Courts Pub’
courtesy of ‘TDLphoto’

Today is do or die for the US World Cup team.  If we can beat Algeria, we move on to the next group and get one step closer to the finals.  I’m guessing that work places are finding themselves slightly under staffed today and so I thought I’d do a quick poll.  Who took off or is taking off to watch the match today? Me, I’ve got my ESPN3 steaming as we speak and I’m definitely taking an early lunch to watch the second half.

Fun & Games, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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mmm…brainzzzz

Photo courtesy of
‘This Is Gonna Kill Me (Again)’
courtesy of ‘M.V. Jantzen’

Update: Citing the need for more brains, the Zombies have postponed to next weekend.

The undead wars are upon us, folks. “True Blood” brought vampires back to your teevee last week, and the latest “Twilight” mind-killer is scheduled to attack you on the theater front at the end of the month. Not to be outdone by those blood-suckers, the zombies are planning to fight back en masse on the National Mall on Saturday.

Continue reading →

Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed, The District, The Great Outdoors, The Mall
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DC Crafts: Find Of The Day

Photo courtesy of
’10-4-4 – Cherry Blossoms – Warm Blossoms’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

Last night’s premiere of TopChefDC, filmed in April, has me thinking back to the cooler days of spring when the city was infiltrated with tourists on their yearly pilgrimages to see the cherry blossom.  While I long for the chillier weather and the beautiful, cotton candy cherry blossoms, I’m good with our present normal levels of tourists.

Today’s DC Craft lets you add a little bit of cherry blossom to your abode with this reinterpreted cherry blossom vinyl wall decal. The wall decoration comes in 17 potential colors, and features a series of 4 birds perched on blooming branches.  Chose pink for the branches, and you’ve got a DC-centric piece of wall art.

Adventures, All Politics is Local, Entertainment, Fun & Games, History, Life in the Capital, News, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District, The Hill
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Recap: 2nd Annual Congressional Women’s Softball Game

2nd Annual Congressional Softball Game

Yesterday at Guy Mason Park in Glover Park, female members of the media took on female members of Congress in the 2nd annual Congressional Women’s Softball Game to benefit Young Survival Coalition.

Both teams were stacked with a who’s who list of Washington pols and reporters, including Captains Dana Bash of CNN and Shailagh Murray of the WaPo, and Captains Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a principal organizer of the event, who was diagnosed with breast cancer two years at the age of 41. MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell and Sen. Amy Klobuchar announced the game and kept the friendly banter going.Very entertaining.

Off the field, it was a politico convention. DC’s First Lady Michelle Fenty kicked off the game was the first pitch. Supreme Court Justice, and Yankee’s fan, Sonia Sotomayor hungout in the Congressional dugout and Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in the second inning. Also spotted at the event were Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Minority Leader John Boehner, Majority Whip Eric Cantor, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, etc. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music, Night Life, The Daily Feed
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psst, wanna see a free show?

Photo courtesy of
‘Amanda Palmer in State Theatre, Falls Church’
courtesy of ‘spiggycat’

Performer Amanda Palmer, formerly of the Dresden Dolls, is scheduled to play the 9:30 Club on Thursday with Jason Webley as their Siamese twin performance art duo Evelyn Evelyn. But Palmer’s special brand of punk cabaret cannot be contained to just one night, so she’s put the word out via Twitter that she’ll be holding court tonight (for free!) at the old Bethesda Theater. Palmer’s got the space for two hours starting at 6 sharp, and she’s urging fans (and curious bystanders) to “expect MADNESS, tell EVERYBODY, bring LOVE.” And really, whose Wednesday night couldn’t use a little more madness and love?

Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music, We Love Music
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The Winning Ticket: Blitzen Trapper

Blitzen Trapper

As a way to say thanks to our loyal readers, We Love DC will be giving away a pair of tickets to a 9:30 Club concert to one lucky reader each week. Check back here every Wednesday morning at 9am to find out what tickets we’re giving away and leave a comment for your chance to be the lucky winner!

For our first giveaway, we have a pair of tickets to Blitzen Trapper at the 9:30 Club. These experimental folk rockers will be playing the 9:30 Club on Monday, June 14th.

Blitzen Trapper are touring in support of their latest album “Destroyer of the Void”; a sprawling, electric-folk album that plays like the perfect soundtrack to an imagined Super-8, vacation film shot by a bored, sixteen year-old on a family road-trip across Kansas. It is an album that sonically hearkens back to late 60’s folk-rock while evoking classic mid-western imagery with an undercurrent of uneasy tension. It makes me think of grainy film images shot from the backseat of a moving station-wagon: leaning barns, tilted telephone poles, rows of corn, gravel roads, and weather-worn faces. Blitzen Trapper are currently a sextet of very serious looking men who I am sure will employ all manner of inventive instrumentation to recreate their imagination-inspiring music when they play the best sounding club in town next week.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 4pm today. Tickets for this show are also available through Ticketfly. If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts.

For the rules of this giveaway…
Continue reading →

Adventures, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, History, Life in the Capital, Music, Night Life, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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2010 Ibero-American Guitar Festival

Photo courtesy of
‘2010:53’
courtesy of ‘::FiZ::’

This evening the 2010 Ibero-American Guitar Festival kicks off at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian. The festival showcases classical guitarists from the Iberia peninsula, Latin America and South America. You can grab a little taste of what’s in store with the beautiful strumming of Berta Rojas.

Shopping for your first instrument should be the initial step in a lifelong journey of learning and inspiration. It can also be confusing because all musical instruments come in so many different makes and models. If you’re buying your first guitar, you’ll face choices like what size guitar to buy, deciding between an acoustic or electric, or whether to invest in a new or used instrument. While there are many variables that might affect your decision, the most important thing is to find a guitar that sounds good, looks good, and feels good to play, check the next online website, they did a great review of Yamaha c40.

This year’s festival is dedicated to Manuel M. Ponce, the Mexican composer who passed away in 1948, but whose guitar compositions continue to inspire the world of international guitar. Tonight, the Manuel M. Ponce Quartet will give a talk/performance illustrating the influence Ponce has had over three centuries of music and the artist’s relationship with the great Andalusian guitarist Andres Segovia. Saturday at 2pm Leonora Saavedora talks about Ponce’s effect on Mexican traditional song.

If you can’t make it out to the festival, there’s also a live webcast of the events/performance that’s definitely worth tuning into.

Adventures, Business and Money, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, History, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Lax Bros/Gurls Are Taking Over

Photo courtesy of
‘Lax.com’
courtesy of ‘teamstickergiant’

This past weekend Maryland hosted both the Men’s and Women’s NCAA lacrosse semifinals and championships. The women’s Division I championship game at Towson University, saw Maryland take home the national title against Northwestern and, according to the Baltimore Sun, the match drew 9,782 people — the most ever to see a women’s lacrosse game in the US.

The mens’ games started on Saturday at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium, continued through Sunday and culminated with the DI Championship game between Notre Dame and Duke on a scorching Memorial Day. Although attendance for the final game was low, a mere 37,126, the entire weekend’s turnout was 116,289, up from last year’s 102,601 turnout at Foxborough, MA. The games stay in Baltimore for 2011, go to Foxborough for 2012, and 2013 and 2014 are up for grabs.

While the increases in attendance are good reasons to keep both championships in the MD area, in recent years lacrosse has begun to grow beyond its traditional East Coast/Prep School roots. The game’s popularity on the West Coast, Colorado and the South has  been growing like gangbusters, with many footballers taking up sport in the off-season for fitness maintenance. The same is true for female athletes who need to stay in shape for fall season sports like soccer and field hockey.

The sport is also seeing a growth in popularity among the non-prep schoolers, as demonstrated in “City Lax” playing Thursday at Silver Spring’s AFI Silver. This documentary follows a sixth grade, inner-city Colorado lax team as they learn how to play the Native American team sport and take on the prep school crowd.

Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Music, Night Life, People, The Features, We Love Music
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We Love Music: June Music Preview

Photo courtesy of
‘Earth Day Concert Dancers’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Memorial Day is over, we’re on to June, and that means outdoor concerts and music festivals galore! The District’s got them all this month: Jazz, Folk, Blues, Rock, Pop, Acoustic — even crafts, dance, and all the culture you can stomach in one day (or over the course of many).

Here’s a look at June’s top “tickets” to get your butt outside and reap the benefits of living in a city where the world’s cultures collide with a wide-variety of  well-established American traditions. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music, The Daily Feed
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Live Jazz All Weekend!

Photo courtesy of
‘Live Jazz’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

I make it no secret that I believe Jazz is an underappreciated portion of American music history by the millennial generation. With that said, I shared with you one man’s love for the trombone and how he brought it to the forefront of band leadership. Now, I ask you to give something a try (if you’ve never done so before) … go see some live Jazz.

I leave you with two options for the weekend if you’ll be sticking around the District:

1) Doc Scantlin and the Imperial Palms Orchestra – Doc means business. His band is considered a Jazz institution in the area, having been around for a decade now. Their specialties include anything from the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s. Their final performance at the Carlyle Club (where they play live every Friday unless their on break or on tour) until June 18 is tonight at 8 pm. Tickets are required but the Carlyle Club is a dinner club as well, so come and make an evening of it. I’ll be there! Ticket information is available on the Carlyle Club’s website.

2) The Kaleidoscope Orchestra – The Orchestra is just one of many acts performing at this year’s 33rd Annual City of Alexandria Memorial Day Jazz Festival on Monday. The entire event is from 1 to 7 and features some of the top Jazz acts in and around the area. They include: The Jazz Ambassadors Dixieland Band, the Joe Baione Trio, WAMMIE Award winner Al Williams, straight ahead jazz group and the Washington Area Music Association’s Best Jazz Group for 2009, the Larry Brown Quintet. Continue reading →

Adventures, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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DC’s Best Highschool Baseball Players Hit Nationals Park

Photo courtesy of
‘Take me out to the Ballgame.’
courtesy of ‘Paul Frederiksen’

This Saturday’s Congressional Bank Classic brings out D.C.’s premier highschool baseball players and team in a day long celebration of America’s game at Nationals ballpark. Featured events include a St. Albans v. Maret School match up, the District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association (DCIAA) Championship game between Wilson v. McKinley Tech, a citywide all-star game and the main Championship game between the two earlier game winners.

The event starts at 9:30am and goes until 8:30pm.  Admission and parking are free.

Fun & Games, The Daily Feed
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And now, more cute baby animals

Photo courtesy of
‘Rare White-Naped Crane Hatches National Zoo Conservation and Research Center’
courtesy of ‘Smithsonian’s National Zoo’

This morning on We Love DC it’s been all about SRS BIZNESS: Metro fares, soda taxes, streetcars, I-395 traffic patterns, etc. Which is all very important and informative, but if you need a little break, let me just point out that the National Zoo has just had some rare white-naped crane chicks hatch at their conservation center which means more cute baby animal photos for your brain break.

Adventures, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, History, Life in the Capital, Night Life, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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An Evening with Samurai: No Ninjas Allowed

Photo courtesy of
‘ã��Edo Wonderlandã�� Bad Ass Samurai’
courtesy of ‘-ratamahatta-‘

Tonight, courtesy of the Japanese Embassy, you can catch some Bushi-Do, a mix of traditional swordplay, beautiful choreography, comedy and drama. Simply put it’s sword fighting with a contemporary twist. The event titled “An Evening With Samurai” starts at 6:30pm at the Japan Information & Culture Center, Embassy of Japan 1155 21st Street NW, Lafayette Centre III. Admission is free.

The show is part of  Samurai Week which celebrates the first Japanese diplomatic mission to the U.S. 150 years ago, in which seventy-seven samurai crossed the ocean to secure the ratification of the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation. During their visit, the samurai captivated the American people with their traditional clothing, top‐knot hairstyle, and prominent samurai swords. Oh yeah, they also developed the beginnings of a strong relationship between Japan and the U.S. No biggie.

The celebration continues through the end of the week with the Samurai Film Fest showing famous Japanese films by Akira Kurosawa, Yoji Yamada and Hatsuki Tsuji. The showings take place at the Japan Information & Culture Center and are free, however reservations are required.

Adventures, Entertainment, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, News, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Local Hottie Husbands

Photo courtesy of
‘House O’ Weenies’
courtesy of ‘Karon’

Two local hotties made Redbook’s “America’s Hottest Husbands” contest finals, but unfortunately did not secure the top honor. Michael Kennedy of Frederick, MD and John McGaha of New Market, MD were selected to the 20 finalists and although they didn’t win the coveted title, they did make the top 5 runners up.

More than 15,000 people voted in the online contest with Ray Sorensen of Greenfield, Iowa winning the title of “America’s Hottest Husband.”

I’m not gonna lie, I definitely spent some time ogling the finalists this AM. Personally speaking, McGaha’s picture is smoking. He’s my winner. I know hands off, hands off.

Fun & Games, The Daily Feed
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Pac-Man Turns 30, Google Offers Game On Homepage

Photo courtesy of
‘671 – Scared Ghost & Pac-Man – Pattern’
courtesy of ‘Patrick Hoesly’

While it’s not necessarily DC-related, today is Friday and everyone’s brain deserves a short break from reality. Today’s break is compliments of Google celebrating Pac-Man’s 30th birthday by running the game on their homepage.

Who would have thought that a Japanese company called Namco Bandai releasing Puck-Man on May 22, 1980 would become the inspiration for many of the best-known modern game designers.

So take a minute to goof off today. When you do, make sure to celebrate Pac-Man turning the big 3-0.