‘Free air guitars!’
courtesy of ‘technochick’

Kirk: The highlight of my weekend (and possibly my month) will be the Air Guitar Championships at the 930 Club on Friday. I attended the regional competition in May and have been looking forward to this weekend ever since. The plan is to pregame with some friends at the Saloon on U St., grab a healthy dinner at Ben’s and then head over to 930.

Paulo: The National Gallery is chock full of awesome for the summer. I’m especially glad to see they have an exhibit on Judith Leyster, a stand-out female artist of the Dutch Baroque who trained under Frans Hals; and the Royal Armor and Portraits from Imperial Spain is an excellent survey of Spanish marshal art and artifacts. Also visiting from the earthquake-stricken Abruzzo Museum in Italy: the Beffi
Triptych.

‘bellydance’
courtesy of ‘JaeYong, BAE’

Jenn: Friday night you could flashback to the 80’s with “Pretty in Pink” at Rosslyn Gateway Park – oh poor Ducky! oh bad boy James Spader with those bedroom eyes! Follow-up at Continental for 80’s dance madness and shoot some pool. My fellow students at Saffron Dance are performing this Saturday at 7pm in “Salla Saffron” – enjoy some drinks and nosh while cheering on student soloists in both Oriental and Tribal styles. Afterwards you could continue the theme with dinner at Taste of Morocco down the block, or go lushly decadent at Eventide. Gosh, this city girl just gave you a weekend in Arlington! So spend Sunday gorging on pastries and coffee at Chez Hareg in Shaw.

Carl: The daytime this weekend will be abuzz with activity as my lovely wife and I visit some galleries to take in culture, including the Corcoran, which I hear is free this summer on Saturdays. In addition, I hope to have the final drafts of my first two book chapters done by the end of the weekend. The evenings will be quiet, as I sit on the veranda with a pitcher of mint juleps, a couple Cuban cigars and the bug light to keep me company, shaking my fist each time the neighbor kids start to play too close to my car.

‘Donald Young’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

Max: If I can get over this flu-like illness that started yesterday, I’ll be at the Legg Mason tourney with Paula all weekend long. Will Roddick be able to build upon his recent success at Wimbledon? Will Lleyton Hewwit surprise us with a win despite his recent hip surgery? Or will a lesser known player like Alejandro Falla pull things off this year? It’s all up in the air and we’ll be sure to keep you updated on the results.

Catherine: After joining in with Max and Paula at Legg Mason on Friday night, I am finally going to indulge in the blueberry pancakes at Eastern Market‘s Saturday-only breakfast at Market Lunch. At the market, I’m hoping to pick up a smattering of fresh poultry and produce for a Sunday dinner feast honoring Julia Child’s birthday. Saturday night, I’m really excited to see Second City’s Barack Stars, and I can only hope there will be time my weekend to catch a showing of “Julie & Julia”.

‘IMG_4968’
courtesy of ‘Rob Speed’

Katie: I’m with Jenn on Pretty in Pink at Rosslyn – i love it! I’d suggest you gather up a picnic from the Whole Foods, Chopt or Ray’s Hell Burgers to eat on the lawn beforehand. Saturday I’m thinking about heading out on a run I’ve never done before, so maybe I’ll try out parts of the Mount Vernon trail that I’ve never explored and jog along the Potomac. Saturday night I might head out p some restaurants that are already starting up their Restaurant Week specials, like SEI or PS7’s. Sunday is also known as brunch day, so to continue my fatty weekend, I could Metro over to Belga Cafe in Eastern Market or go for some lovely lunch at my new favorite spot, Westend Bistro.

Tom: This weekend we’re off to Pittsburgh for a pilgrimage to Primanti’s, DeLuca’s and the Strip and to see some family. But, were we here, I was pondering a trip to Del Ray for dinner, probably at my favorite Los Tios (have the queso. And a margarita.) for some fajitas or enchiladas, and probably a trip out to the We Love DC Dirt Lab for some farming, as well as some cooking with fire. I’d give some thought to hitting Wonderland’s Fifth Anniversary on Sunday afternoon, but I’m told that Columbia Heights just isn’t cool anymore.

”
courtesy of ‘max8319’

Ben R: We have friends flying in from Germany this weekend to begin their honeymoon with a three-week jaunt in the USA, beginning with five days here in DC. So we’re doing all the local sites, including Old Town Alexandria, the Mall, Archives, Smithsonian Air and Space and whatever else isn’t crawling with tourists. Aside from cooking meat over roaring charcoal, we’ll probably hit Ray’s Hell Burger or maybe the Good Stuff Eatery for some all-American food before zipping around to the more popular memorials and monuments at night, when the crowds are gone and things are at their photographic best.

Don: My darling wife and I are looking forward to a low-key weekend after last week’s jaunt to work a less-than-great Virginia Beach art show. There will still be some outings, however, because if nothing else I’m going to go see Living Dead in Denmark. We’ve also been invited to join some friends at the Bluemont Winery on Saturday. While they may not be among the 10 Virginia wineries that won Best Of awards in the Atlantic Seabord Wine Competition [MS Word], they have a personal connection for us. If you’re a prize snob, however, judge Dave McIntyre has an article in the Washington Post about the competition and he explicitly names several area wineries that took home awards this year. Beyond that our only possible plans are to catch a late-night showing of Drag Me To Hell over at the financially troubled but still fun Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse.

Acacia: Kicking off this weekend with class, I’ll be attending Wolf Trap Opera Company’s one-night only performance of Puccini’s La Boheme Friday night at 8:15. You can get lawn seats for $10! Now that’s a price for the people. Saturday I will be supporting my roommate and visiting friend in their quest for fried deliciousness, making homemadecroquettes, followed by a night of fiddle at SOVA wine and espresso. West Virginia Fiddle Champion Chance McCoy will be bluegrassin (that’s right, verb-ed that up) the night away.

Rebecca: Friday kick off the weekend at Perry’s rooftop deck in Adams Morgan. Yeh, sure it’s a hike up to the top floor, but the view and happy hour specials on tapas, beer and wine are well worth it. As I’m going on vacation soon, I’m getting my base tan on at the Georgetown/Volta Park Pool opened Saturday from 12-6pm. Another less crowded option, with a slide big enough for adults is the Bethesda Pool. Be sure to bring a towel, flip flops and some sunblock. You’ll also need some cash (~$10) for the entry fee. Sunday at 3pm, DC United takes on “Los Glacticos” AKA Real Madrid, and while you won’t find me at RFK, you will find me at Breadsoda watching the game, drinking some ice cold Peroni and playing some shuffleboard during half time. Tickets are still available for $50-$110.

Shannon: I’m heading out of town tomorrow on a much-needed vacation, but I’m sorry to be missing Dupont’s First Fridays gallery events tomorrow because wine + snacks + art = fun!  I also can’t wait to try out some of the extended restaurant week options that Katie mentioned– when I get back in town I’ll definitely be stopping by Dino, which is one of my favorite restaurants in the city.  And there’s only one more week to check out the “Architecture of Authority” exhibit over at the National Building Museum (best museum ever!), so head over there if, like me, you love architectural photography.

Tom Bridge

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.