‘flea_circus’
courtesy of ‘easement’

It’s a holiday weekend, and you may very well be heading out of town (I’m in Hawaii, myself). But if you’re around, here’s what we’re finding to occupy ourselves over the long weekend while everyone else is away.

Max: I’ll be heading out to West Virginia to practice my banjo and to have Thanksgiving dinner with a small group of friends.  I’ll be eager to get back to DC though as it will no doubt be a ghost town like it always is around the holidays.  Parking is abundant and tourists are at home instead of clogging up our escalators.  My plan is to go to some museums, take in a concert, get caught up on some reading, and see as many movies as possible.

Rebecca: I’ll be up in Charm City (aka Baltimore) for the holiday feast and hope to taste some pulled beers at the Wharf Rat. The weekend will find me back in DC and hoping to take advantage of a less populated Capital for a viewing of the Terra Cota Warriors exhibit and a jaunt around the Mall.  Should you be a football fan, like me, there are plenty of quality professional and college games to be had and watching them at the ESPN Zone would be an interesting venue for you and any visiting family. Sunday, I think I’ll recover from the 4 day festivities by drinking a nice glass of Le Beaujolais Noveau that just arrived at Whole Foods.

Rachel: I’m headed to the Twin Cities for Thanksgiving. This one will be spent on the Irish side of my Jewish-Irish heritage. The actual feast will take place at my dad’s best friend’s house — we’ve been having dinners there since I was a kid, so it only feels right seeing as this is our first thanksgiving without the old man. Then there’s family festivities at the respective Hurley homesteads. I’ll tell you, there’s nothing quite like a country sunset during a Minnesota winter. I can only assume there will be a visit to the Mall of America. I’m totally game if that means I get to ride the roller coaster.

‘Turkey Vulture #17’
courtesy of ‘andertho’

Jenn: Ah, a relaxing four day weekend in DC! The city empties out of the cats and we mice can play. Wait a minute, I’ve got a design deadline next week. Curses. This means I will most likely spend the weekend muttering to myself over a mocha at MidCity Caffe or ACKC while I search for the perfect images to inspire me. But I’m sure there will be time for mischief. Thanksgiving night will gather up any other Thanksgiving Orphans for mayhem and celebration. There are some interesting concerts and dance nights too – like jazz electronica Zero 7 at 9:30 Club or Sol Power‘s funk at Dahlak. As long as I finish those sketches…

Katie: I’ll be in North Carolina, back with the Tar Heels where I belong. But were I here, I’d probably stop by the Corcoran to see Edward Burtynsky’s photography exhibition, Oil, which depicts gas rigs, spills, drills and more. I’d also try and take advantage of the relatively empty city and stop by some of my favorite bars that are ususally packed, like Rocket Bar or Local 16. I’d probably do some black Friday shopping at some of the freestanding Ann Taylor’s (the one on Connecticut tends to be less picked over, and is right near Filene’s Basement!) or go vintage and visit Treasury. To keep true to my style, I’d round out the weekend by eating at some of the area’s hard-to-reserve restaurants like Tabard Inn or Zaytinya.

Shannon: I’m looking forward to having a long weekend here in DC!  I’ll be doing a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning and having a huge feast with 30 of my friends and their families that evening.  I’ll also definitely be taking out-of-town guests to a show at the Washington Improv Theater, where I saw an awesome iMusical show last weekend and would like to check out their newSeasonal Disorder show.  I’ll also be hitting up the standard spots I take visitors: Founding Farmers for local food and the best red velvet cake in the city, the Newseum, Eastern Market, and of course a bike tour of the monuments and memorials.

‘Congress is coming back soon’
courtesy of ‘erin m’

Donna: A friend and I will kick off the long weekend with wine at Sonoma, and on Thanksgiving I’ll head to the Northern Neck to have dinner with some highly entertaining relatives. The rest of the weekend involves more friend visitin’ with details TBD. I do like the idea of two-hour yoga specials at Yoga District, and while it’s far from sexy, I also plan to pick up some items from Greater Goods to block those chilly drafts seeping into my place.

Jasmine: I’m looking forward to a long, relaxing Thanksgiving weekend with friends and family. Since I’m staying in the area, I’m going to try to make it over to The 9:30 Club for the Final Fantasy and (North Carolina’s own) Mountain Goats show. I’m not sure if I’m brave enough to make it out to the Pentagon City mall, but I might wander over to Old Town Alexandria this weekend and see if I can get a little holiday shopping done down there instead.

Corinne: This weekend I am thankful for many things, but especially for having my brother and his girlfriend here from Seattle as well as my cousin’s family in town from Chicago! After the Thursday feast, we’ll roll ourselves out of the Virginia burbs to explore some downtown hangouts I’ve discovered since my brother headed to the west coast. We’ll likely visit H Street NE for some music at Rock and Roll Hotel and some non-turkey grub at Sticky Rice or Granville Moore’s. My brother has always wanted to ride a Segway, so perhaps we’ll check out one of those tours too. It could also be an ideal time to get in the spirit with the Holidays exhibit at American History or the Christmas tree lighting in Alexandria Friday evening.