Category Archives: Special Events

Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Love Your Sweetheart the Spy Way

Photo courtesy of
‘Spy in the House of Love’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

This February, take your love undercover at the International Spy Museum, where they’ve developed a month-long set of activities to spice up the romance at your next rendezvous. From Whoopie Pies to Love a Spy, guests will experience how spies turn up the heat.

Starting February 4th, ISM offers the chance to “Love a Spy” every Friday and Saturday at Spy at Night throughout February. Guests who reserve a Love a Spy package for $100 will receive two Double Agent tickets allowing guests to visit the permanent exhibit and Operation Spy or Spy at Night.

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Special Events, The Daily Feed, We Love Arts
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February Events at SAAM

Photo courtesy Smithsonian American Art Museum

Tired of being cooped up in the house as winter rolls along? Now’s the best time to visit several of the area museums we’re fortunate to have here in DC. The Smithsonian American Art Museum has some great events lined up for winter visitors. All events are at the SAAM, located in Penn Quarter adjacent to the National Portrait Gallery.

Rockman Film Series: Silent Running
Feb. 3, 6 p.m.
The second of three classic but rarely screened sci-fi films shown in conjunction with “Alexis Rockman: A Fable for Tomorrow,” Silent Running tells the story of a scientist trapped on Saturn with two robots as his only companions after a mission to protect the last Earthly botanical specimens goes awry. Starring Bruce Dern, directed by Douglas Trumbull.

Body and Soul with the Thad Wilson Orchestra
Feb. 5, 3 p.m.
Oscar Micheaux’s 1925 silent film, accompanied live by the Thad Wilson Orchestra. Body and Soul features the legendary Paul Robeson in his screen debut, playing an escaped prisoner pretending to be a minister in a small Georgia Town. Limited seating available; free tickets are required and available in the museum’s G Street Lobby beginning at 2:30 p.m. Presented in collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery.

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Special Events, The Daily Feed
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The Race to Donate Life: Registration is Now Open!


Photo by Rachel Levitin

As the daughter of a heart transplant recipient, I feel it’s my duty as a human being to spread the word regarding the cause. As luck would have it, the Washington Regional Transplant Community has announced that registration is now open for the second annual “Race to Donate Life,” where all proceeds directly benefit the Washington Regional Transplant Community’s awareness programs for organ, eye and tissue donation.

This family-friendly event is a timed 5K run/walk festival with festivities taking place at Rock Creek Park (Picnic Grove 24) on Saturday, May 7, over Mother’s Day weekend.

Runners/Walkers can register online. Registration closes at 6 p.m. on May 6 and there is no option for race day registration. The entry fee is $20 until April 11 and $25 thereafter.

For more information, visit their Facebook event page.

Food and Drink, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Hot Drinks Cure All Blues

Flaming cafe brulot. Photo by author.

If you’re like me (and half the city, it seems) you may be struggling with a hacking cough caught just in time for the winter blues. It almost prevented me from attending the Hot Drinks event last night at Tabard Inn, but I rallied to see what Chantal Tseng and Adam Bernbach came up with to showcase warming cocktails. Three rounds of soothing hot liquid later and I felt much, much better. My camera, on the other hand, has met its maker, so forgive the foggy photos! But it was just the night to lift my battered spirits and I definitely recommend future events.

In the beautiful private room upstairs at Tabard with its preppily colored walls of pink and green, guests enjoyed two courses by chef Paul Pelt including perfectly prepared duck breast, ending the evening with pastry chef Huw Griffiths’ famous doughnuts. Though the food was delicious, it was the drinks that I needed! So, fellow sufferers of the winter cold blues, I give you Adam and Chantal’s remedies. I guarantee they will cure you (at least temporarily). Let’s start with Adam’s Genever Punch, whose amazing ginger and lemon scent led me up the stairs. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Life in the Capital, Music, Special Events, The District, We Love Music
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We Love Music: The Dismemberment Plan @ Black Cat, 1/21/11

photo courtesy of Drew McDermott via Flickr



If you interviewed for a job at the Twitter corporate headquarters some time in 2008, you were likely asked to name your “theme song” – the song that should play in the background as you walked on screen or into a room. The question was not just one of taste or tip-of-the-tongue recall, though it was those, but they also wanted to know how you wanted to project yourself and make people feel when you arrived. I had been in San Francisco for two weeks when I was asked the question a few beers in at a drafty Western Addition bar.

About ten seconds of consideration and I responded. “Dismemberment Plan. Face of the Earth.”
Continue reading →

Dupont Circle, Entertainment, Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Return to Haifa

Raida Adon and Rozina Kambos in The Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv's "Return to Haifa" at Theater J. Photo credit: Stan Barouh.

Two women are arguing about their son. One gave birth to him, the other raised him. The adoptive mother makes a cutting comment about the son being more likely to listen to her than his birth mother. Many in the audience laugh. It’s a grim laugh, low and knowing.

A women next to me says out loud in frustration and disbelief, “Why is that funny?”

It was a strange preview night at Theater J, watching the production of Return to Haifa performed by the Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv in Hebrew and Arabic. Uncomfortable for some, painful for others, odd for me in my role as critic – as the talkback session afterwards becomes a bit of theater unto itself, worth investigating just as much as reviewing the play. I didn’t know what to make of the whole thing when I left. I still don’t.

Two mothers. One Jewish, one Muslim. One Israeli, one Palestinian. And their son, all of the above, or none of any of it. Questions arose at the talkback with Anton Goodman, Jewish Agency Shaliach, and Ari Roth, artistic director of Theater J, that still whirl in my head: Is it a play appropriating a beloved piece of Palestinian literature, as one member of the talkback accused? Is it a play attempting to own a dual narrative, to both celebrate and mourn at the same time, as Goodman believed? A play that makes soldiers unable to be strong for their country, as a mother in the audience feared?

What I can tell you about Return to Haifa… is that you will leave with many questions. Continue reading →

Dupont Circle, Food and Drink, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Tabard Warms You Up

Photo courtesy of
‘Magnified’
courtesy of ‘Samer Farha’

There are warm winter drinks, and then there are hot drinks. As in flaming hot! Next Tuesday’s tasting at Tabard Inn will feature one I recently tried in New Orleans, Cafe Brulot, a combination of coffee, brandy and spices. Chantal Tseng will demonstrate how to prepare it in the classic style, as the brandy is set on fire while cascading down a long spiraling orange peel (“Wish me luck!” she says). Though the pyrotechnics are a lot of fun, they aren’t just for show – the flaming preparation gives the drink a spicy hot citrus taste. There’s a distinct thick richness that comes from the alchemy as the flaming liquid is poured down the orange peel repeatedly. I loved it in New Orleans and can’t wait to warm up with it again.

There’s lots more to the evening, with Adam Bernbach of Proof and Estadio joining Chantal to focus on other hot drinks branching out from the classics. Talented Tabard chef Paul Pelt will provide pairings for the winter warmers with three tasting-size courses, ending with dessert by Huw Griffiths. All for $50 inclusive, from 7pm-9pm on January 25. To RSVP, email wheron@gmail.com.

Entertainment, Essential DC, Food and Drink, Life in the Capital, News, Night Life, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Matchbox Rockville

IMAG0185

If you enjoy the dining experience at Matchbox’s Capitol Hill and Chinatown locales, then the newly opened Rockville location will be to your liking as well. Situated a 5 minute walk from the Twinbrook Metro Station on the Red Line, along Rockville Pike, this latest addition to the Matchbox franchise is vast.

Despite a seating capacity of about 300 seats inside and an additional 130 outside, the restaurant stays close to its architectural roots with open fire pits on the patios, straw textured walls, brushed metal, brick facades and wooden beams from two old barn doors. Matchbox also features two hand-built pizza ovens from master artisan, Pat Manly, that greet diners at the reception area and two full bars with counter tops carved from an old tree to previously stood on the property.  The layout, design components and varied lighting provide both group/family friendly settings and intimate spots for couples. Continue reading →

Entertainment, People, Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Let Me Down Easy

Anna Deavere Smith in Second Stage's production of Let Me Down Easy, directed by Leonard Foglia. Photo by Joan Marcus.

Twenty voices culled from three hundred interviews over three continents, all brought to life by one woman.

Baltimore native, MacArthur Award recipient, and something of a brilliant medium – Anna Deavere Smith has launched the national tour of Second Stage’s production Let Me Down Easy. Playing now through February 13 at Arena Stage, it’s a powerful exploration of the difficulties American culture has with death and disease, how we define strength, and the current inequality of our healthcare system. Its power doesn’t come from a slap, however. As a friend who came with me to press night aptly commented, “sometimes a gentle nudge to wake you up is more appreciated than a harsh shake.”

That doesn’t mean the piece doesn’t pack a punch. Embodying twenty individuals whose words are directly taken from their interviews, Smith weaves both the sadness and the hilarity of the human condition into a tone poem on what it means to face the end of life. From Eve Ensler’s uproarious theory of “who’s in their vagina?” to Joel Siegel’s dropping his clown mask as he faces cancer, it’s an experience of fascinating observations and appalling truths. Smith doesn’t hit the audience over the head with strident political activism or calls to action – it’s simply the stories that weave the message, and it’s for you to hear and be affected as you will. I find that to be very brave, and left with a feeling of being both uplifted and released at the same time.

Let me down easy? Yes. That’s how I’d like to go. Continue reading →

Fashionable DC, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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TheFashionMagpie: Miss DC Send-Off Tonight

Photo courtesy of
‘Miss Teen America’
courtesy of ‘MudflapDC’

Does anyone watch the Miss America pageant anymore?  Some consider the annual competition an offensive vestige of not-so-progressive [read: chauvinistic] yesteryear, but I must confess to a strange interest in the spectacle.  Perhaps this curiosity has been fueled by the addictive, deliciously edited, and highly disturbing “Toddlers and Tiaras” series on TLC; perhaps I find the pageantry a throwback to my Barbie-obsessed youth.  Regardless, those that share my passing bemusement (or any more enthused variation on that theme) may be interested in attending  the Miss District of Columbia send-off to the Miss America Pageant, which will be held at The Institute of World Politics (1521 16th St, NW) at 6:30 p.m tonight.  The event is open to the public, but a $25 “donation” is “suggested.”  Tickets can be purchased via the Miss DC website.

I’ve heard through the blogosophere that some of the pageant clothing that Miss DC, med student Stephanie Williams, will be wearing at the 2011 Pageant (to be held in Vegas and aired on ABC on Saturday, January 15th at 9 pm) will be on display this evening.  The thought of “pageant clothing” leaves something to be desired, but I like that Miss DC–or her stylists–make a point of purchasing her wardrobe locally (including at my favorite accessories boutique, Sassanova).  Check out some of her latest looks and their purchase points here.  For those seriously interested in seeing a District gal win the nation-wide pageant, cast your vote on Miss Williams’ behalf at the Miss America website after watching her contestant video.  Believe me, it’s not half as painful as some of the other gems available for viewing on the site, which present an excellent, cringe-filled way to pass a slow afternoon.  I hesitate to put anyone to shame, but this song and dance from Miss Connecticut made me want to crawl under a rug.  Cute girl, solid effort, but man.oh.man, the shoulder shrug midway through the performance make me want to cry.  Will you be tuning in this year?

xoxo

TheFashionMagpie

Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Art + Athletes = Everybody Wins

This Wednesday night you can start the new year off doing good for others by attending a benefit for Bread for the City at one of our favorite galleries here at We Love DC – Morton Fine Art. Amy Morton calls the evening a mixture of “art and good people from the neighborhood,” a night of “fun and positivity.”

Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door, running from 7-10pm. The event is hosted by DC United’s Ben Olsen – did you know he’s a Shaw resident and art collector who’s also a painter himself? Also on board is the Redskins’ Chris Cooley, artist Rosemary Feit Covey, and photographer Susan Burnstine.

Bread for the City has been providing social services to DC’s low-income residents since the mid-1970’s. The organization helps with such necessities as groceries and clothing, while also running medical and legal clinics. Continue reading →

Adventures, capitals hockey, History, Special Events, Sports Fix, The Features
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Road to the Winter Classic (Part I)

Goin' to the Winter Classic!
‘Goin’ to the Winter Classic!’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

“Hey, you interested in tickets to the Winter Classic?”

It was a question I never actually thought I’d hear. Sure, the answer was a no-brainer – of course my wife and I wanted to go to this year’s outdoor matchup between our favored Penguins and our hometown Capitals. Need more be said?

Since that simple back-and-forth flurry of emails with my friend back in August, I’ve been on pins and needles in anticipation for the game coming up this Saturday at Heinz Field in our old stomping grounds of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Long-time readers here obviously know of my acute love of hockey in general and the Penguins in particular. Through the last few years, I’ve developed a grudgingly healthy respect of the Washington Capitals as well and it hasn’t hurt being able to cover the team for this site over the last year, either. Attending the 2011 Winter Classic, however, goes beyond a simple hockey game or even the intense rivalry between the two teams. It’s a chance to enjoy hockey in its nearly purest form – outside on ice – and the fact it includes the two teams of my adult sports fan life is simply a bonus.

Continue reading →

Adventures, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, History, Life in the Capital, News, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The Great Outdoors
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Missed The Lunar Eclipse?

Photo courtesy of
‘Just a Hint of Red’
courtesy of ‘Samer Farha’

If you were pleasantly asleep last night from 1:30 to 4:30am then you missed the lunar eclipse. No worries because WeLoveDC’s Flickr photo pool,  NASA and Huffington Post have you covered with a robust recaps, videos and photos of the celestial event.

The total lunar eclipse coincided with the 2010 winter solstice, an combination of events that had not happened for 400 years and will not happen again until 2094.

Adventures, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District, The Great Outdoors
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Christmas Lights Car and Bike Parade

Photo courtesy of
‘Hoggie’s Entry’
courtesy of ‘GollyGforce – on a new quest’

This Saturday, Brightest Young Things hosts a holiday lights bike and car parade where participants  decorate their vehicle with bulbs, wreaths, tinsel, antlers, etc. and parade around town from 7-9:30pm.

The parade route starts at Jack’s Boathouse at the Georgetown waterfront at 7pm, heads to Politics and Prose for a celebrity reading of How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and then moves over to Chevy Chase’s Comet Ping Pong. The free event is co-sponsored by Flying Dog Brewery.

My biggest question was how do you convert wall plug in lights to run on your bike or car. Thankfully, a Google search easily answered my question.


Entertainment, Food and Drink, Night Life, People, Special Events, The Features, We Love Drinks
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We Love Drinks: Repeal Day Ball

The 1980's Room of the 2010 Repeal Day Ball. Photo credit: Elba Giron. Courtesy of the DC Craft Bartenders Guild.

400 people. 1,000 limes. 2,400 glasses.

Earlier this month, the Repeal Day Ball truly came into its own with an absolutely smashing party on December 4th. Or do I mean smashed? Maybe that’s why it’s taken me this long to wrap it up for you. No, no, we’re here to encourage intelligent drinking! Thrown by the DC Craft Bartenders Guild, this party celebrating the end of Prohibition is in its third year. Here are some highlights to get you excited about our local bartending talent – and get in line now for next year. DC’s drinks scene is becoming more nationally known by the minute, and its in no small part due to the Guild and its amazing members.

Am I gushing? I don’t think so, honestly. Let’s take a look. Continue reading →

Adventures, Business and Money, Downtown, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District
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Freeze Your Nuts Off With Capital Bikeshare

Photo courtesy of
‘Ready, set, go?’
courtesy of ‘fromcaliw/love’

In an effort to keep ridership up during the frigid winter months, Capital Bikeshare is holding a two-month long biking competition starting January 1, 2011. The crux of the competition is to crown the area’s Winter Weather Warrior (aka: the participating member who makes the most trips by February 28,) and then handsomely rewarded he/she with the below prizes:

  • A free, three year extension of their membership
  • Two free annual memberships to give out to friends or family
  • A $100 gift card to Hudson Trail
  • A $25 gift card to Starbucks

In addition to the Winter Weather Warrior, Capital Bikeshare will award the  Long Haul Rider (member taking the most trips on Capital Bikeshare over 3 miles) and the Most Saddle Time (member with the most time spent on Capital Bikeshare) awards in both January and February.

To sign up for the contest you 1) have to be bloody nuts, it’s cold out there, 2) have to be a Capital Bikeshare member and 3) have to sign up to participate.

Downtown, Entertainment, Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: The Nutcracker

Students of The Washington School of Ballet in Septime Webre's The Nutcracker. Photo by Stephen Baranovics (2009).

I’ve always thought of The Nutcracker as the gateway drug for ballet. It hooks you when you’re young, all candy confection and delicacy, with just enough undercurrent of budding sensuality and danger to appeal. Once smitten by the Sugar Plum Fairy and her tasty treats, it’s only a matter of time before The Red Shoes are dancing you unwillingly to the train tracks, or the Black Swan is bewitching you to your doom.

Okay, that’s a bit much! But I was reared on the filmed version of Baryshnikov’s magical American Ballet Theatre production, before I knew the sad backstory of Gelsey Kirkland, before my beloved ballet teacher damned my dreams of being a baby ballerina with the exasperated sigh, “She simply has no turnout.” I can still hum Tchaikovsky’s score almost in entirety. So yes, even a lovely children’s dream ballet like The Nutcracker can bring me to tears.

Septime Webre’s version for the Washington Ballet and its school, playing at the Warner Theater now through December 26, is a local holiday tradition that I experienced for the first time this year. The audience was a mix of nostalgic adults like me, and children brought to experience that heady gateway drug. The visual aspect of the production is perfect – the traditional story of Clara and her Nutcracker Prince, their battle against the wicked Rat King and their trip to the fairy kingdom, lovingly portrayed against the backdrop of Victorian Washington with relatively uncomplicated choreography well executed by a multigenerational cast of talented dancers. It’s a great introduction to the joys of ballet.

Except for one flaw. A flaw that breaks my heart, for what is says about the future of live performance and an art form that struggles to survive in economic distress.

Taped music. Continue reading →

Adventures, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, People, Special Events, The Features
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Holiday Decorations At The Four Seasons

Flights of Fancy, courtesy of kevin allen

If you’re looking to get into the holiday spirit and be inspired by gingerbread amazement, you’ll find no better place to go then the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown.

On display until December 12, the hotel’s lobby is festooned with 10 holiday-theme trees and vignettes, created by Washington’s best interior designers and children/teenagers living with cancer, that celebrate the fashions of the holiday season. There’s also an amazing gingerbread replica of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception that took Executive Pastry Chef, Charles Froke 70 hours to design, create and decorate.

According to Painting and decorating London, all of the display’s decorations have their own unique theme that has been executed to perfection. No expense has been spared for the ornaments, lights, tinsel, etc., and the result is a rich collection that explores out-of-the-box ideas for decorating and celebrating the holiday season. May I suggest that when you head over, you grab a holiday drink (alcoholic or non) at the hotel’s bar to take with you as you enjoy these holiday delights. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, Special Events, The Features, We Love Drinks
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Liquid Lessons

Photo courtesy of
‘Every Food Fits – Master Mixology’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’

The “silly season” is upon us, as a friend likes to call the December holiday rush. Suddenly everyone wants to get together and social opportunities are crammed into every evening in a frenzy before year’s end. You definitely need some relief mixed into that crazy cocktail of fun and stress!

Wait, did I say cocktail?

Luckily the city is full of cocktail classes and other libation tastings to help you connect with friends in a lively way, so you can relax and learn useful something in the process. Even our local madhouse of Type A’s can see the cost benefit in that. So here’s a sampler of upcoming events to both imbibe and educate! Enjoy, and feel free to add your favorites in the comments. Continue reading →

Special Events, The District
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Happy World AIDS Day

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Today marks the 22nd anniversary of World AIDS Day, and Washington’s statistics are as grim as ever: over 15,000 Washingtonians are known to have HIV, and tens of thousands more are thought to be unknowingly infected. However, this year’s commemoration brings with it a bit of hope. A study released last week showed that a daily dose of the drug Truvada reduced the risk of contracting HIV by at least 40 percent for gay men. This preventative could herald a new chapter in the AIDS epidemic, and at the very least, is a positive reminder of how far we’ve come on a day when we remember those we’ve lost.

There are events taking place around the city to mark World AIDS Day, ranging from the sober to the decidedly not sober. Whether you’re in the mood for remembrance or celebration, make sure to be safe and get tested.

Continue reading →