‘Fall is here’
courtesy of ‘afagen’
Paulo: We’re still unpacking from our recent move to NoVA, but all Saturday I’m going to be at First Baptist DC’s Fall Book and Bake Sale, giving out free cupcakes — and later donating blood. Hopefully I won’t keel over right then and there because we’ll be visiting Old Town that evening for a friend’s housewarming, and en route I want to check out the Washington Masonic Memorial.
Kirk: This will be my first weekend in the city for the past few weeks, so I’ve got to pack in all the DCness that I can. On Friday I’ll be catching up with an old buddy from Texas at the Vienna Inn, in VA. The Vienna Inn is one of the last, true sports dives in the DC area and is a quintessential part of life in Vienna. On Saturday I’ll be having a guys’ night out with some old roommates. To facilitate responsible drinking (probably taking place at the likes of Gibson and Wisdom) a friend has used some expiring hotel points to book us a room at the Willard, something I’m terribly excited about. Sunday will be spent recovering from said guys’ night.
Katie: A good chunk of my weekend will be spent at the Ritz on M street getting to know Westend Bistro’s Chef de Cuisine Joe Palma. Cathy and I will be researching another one of our Capital Chef features by heading to the Alexandria farmers market with Chef Palma and cooking up a storm in Westend’s kitchen. I also plan to visit the Russian Bazaar at some point and maybe spend more time in Old Town hanging out at Art on the Avenue street festival. I can’t turn down a good pie baking contest.
Cathy: Friday, I’m participating in some “white trash” themed bowling with friends. I haven’t determined my outfit yet. Please send photos to inspire me. And I’ll probably use the handy-dandy bowling competition bracket maker I found online. Saturday, Katie and I will be working on our second edition ofCapital Chefs, including a visit to the Alexandria Farmers Market. If there’s still time, I will definitely be spending my third consecutive year outside in Shirlington for their Octoberfest celebration. While I miss the unlimited beer tasting of yore, last year, I just enjoyed walking through the festival, listening to the german music and people watching – for free. And while I’m there, I’ll try to pick up a cupcake from one of my favorites places for them – Best Buns.
BenR: This weekend is designated hockey weekend in the Rome household, starting with our Second Annual Hockey Night Fridays where we’ll cheer the Stanley Cup banner-raising in Pittsburgh before the Rangers-Penguins game. We’ll settle in with the Washington Capitals’ first home game on Saturday as they welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs. Sometime this weekend, we’ll get out and about to do some fall photography, probably heading out to either Great Falls for some hiking or up to Huntley Meadows to walk the marshes. And as always, there shall be Cooking With Fire.
Jenn: For the first time in ages, I have absolutely nothing planned for the weekend. This gives me a weird sense of freedom and panic. Which is the perfect way to spend an afternoon at the new location of G Street Fabrics catching up on all my costuming projects. Time to get those fall patterns and make the ultimate brocade jacket and plummy velvet skirt. To pre-detox from my trip to the Rockville hinterlands, I’ll need to get my groove on at Moneytown at Dahlak Friday night – a special edition pulling in most of the other soul/funk dj’s in town. Apart from that, I’m going to wing it. For a control freak, that’s, um, pretty unsettling.
‘Brooklyn’
courtesy of ‘volcanojw’
Carl: I hope to finish cutting the grass if the rain holds out. I guess we old guys have simple aspirations. Oktoberfest in Shirlington sounds like a winner as well if I have time. Most of the weekend will be spent continuing my photography of candy – a most pleasant and tasty subject to shoot. If I get a really wild hair going I just might go play some more with my 50mm f1.4 lens. I love that thing. If all else fails, I will be going to the zoo to see how they are treating the llamas. Poor little critters.
Don: Thank goodness I’m strong inside and confident that, gosh darn, people like me. Otherwise I might be hurt none of my fellow authors have indicated any intention of coming to see me and my darling wife at Art on the Avenue this Saturday. We’ll be shilling our mirrors and “enjoying” what Capital Weather says might be a slightly rainy day, though they are reassuringly vague about it. There’s a remote chance we’ll go check out the Bowie Baysox haunted stadium on Friday evening but odds are we’ll opt for a good night’s sleep, sans scares, before our art festival. Sunday will likely just be recuperating from the previous day’s heavy lifting and evening obligations. Sounds like a perfect excuse for some picnicking and plane-watching over on Haines Point.
Jasmine: I’ll be in Michigan this weekend, but if I were around, I would probably seek shelter indoors and check out In the Loop at E Street Cinema. It’s supposed to be pretty good, and what better place than DC to see a mockumentary/satire about war? Rainy weekends are also excellent opportunities for museum visits, so I would check out either the National Museum of American History (I haven’t been since the revamp) or some sweet photos of rough and tumble frontier folk at the National Portrait Gallery.
‘Every Food Fits – Pile o’ Peaches’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’
Shannon: Last weekend I saw No Impact Man and, in the spirit of the film, have resolved to make some eco-lifestyle changes. This weekend I’ll head toEastern Market on Saturday and the Dupont Farmers’ Market on Sunday to check out the local food selection, and I’ll be biking, rather than Zipcar-ing, toOktoberfest in Shirlington. If the weather stays as pleasantly fall-ish as it has been, I’m planning on spending Sunday people-watching in Dupont Circle with a good book and a pumpkin spice latte. That’s really all I need for a perfect fall weekend.
Rebecca: Having just moved into my own pad in Glover Park, I’ll likely be spending most of my weekend unpacking and sorting the place out. There will undoubtably be trips to Target, my local Glover Park hardware store, Giant/Safeway/Bloom (whichever I’m closer to when I decide to stock my pantry,) Michael’s for some decorating supplies, and in an effort to avoid IKEA on the weekend, I’ll be checking out some local estate sales and stopping at every tag sale I pass in an effort to find a sofa. If anyone has any tips on how to cheaply outfit a new apartment, please send them my way!
Corinne: Missing the surf, sand and sun of southern Cali, I’ll try my best to readapt to the faster pace of DC this weekend. I’ll watch some improv Friday night at the DC Arts Center, perhaps finally make it to Eden Center for Saturday’s Moon Festival (http://www.edencenter.com/in_the_news.php), catch up with some visiting college friends and then we’ll do a little rain dance in order to properly celebrate Oktoberfest Saturday afternoon in Shirlington (mmm Spaten). But the most exciting event on tap? Sunday evening I’ll check out Jersey Boys at National Theatre. And then…. I will SLEEP (and dream of being back beachside!).
‘feathered friend’
courtesy of ‘NCinDC’
Donna: On Saturday, I in some way will be completing the new Freedom’s Run in national parks near Shepherdstown, WV, including Antietam Battlefield and the C&O Canal. As I signed up for the half marathon distance a few months ago, and then didn’t fully train for it, I’ll be running, walking and/or crawling a long 13.1 miles. On the way home, I’ll be joining my friend who signed up and also didn’t train for the 10K at the In the Street festival in Frederick, assuming this isn’t also in the rain, where I hope we won’t be dragging ourselves along on our elbows. If I’ve energy left by evening, I’d love to catch the Velocity DC Dance Festival. Sunday will be a day for snoozing, perhaps in warm sun on my deck.
Max: Last night I was privileged to preview the Edward Burtynsky exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery of Art and it would be an understatement to say that I was blown away. I’ll be going back on Saturday when the exhibit opens to the public to admire his work again, and also to attend a discussion at 4pmby Burtynsky and Dr. William Rees about humanity’s impact on the earth (free for members, $10 for the public). Aside from that I’ll be enjoying the fall weather and riding my scooter as much as possible before it’s time to put it into storage for the winter. I’ll also be rooting for my undefeated Broncos and laughing at the pathetic Redskins.
I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.
Rebecca, patience is your biggest friend when it comes to furnishings in DC. People are always moving in & out & decorating here so you can get everything: I got a practically-new couch, 6 chairs, 2 tables, & shelving for less than $50 thanks to CL and lots of sidewalks over 10 weeks.
Also got FREE microwave, bookcase, entertainment center, knife set & kitchen island by hitting garage sales at the end of the day where moving folks are desperate to get rid of stuff they can’t take! DC’s transitory population is bad for relationship-building but fabulous for empty apartments. Happy Hunting :)
akaRuthie: Thanks SO much for the tips. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for garage sales and cl postings. The move went well. Now it’s all about settling in.