By Rebecca
‘National Kite Festival’
courtesy of ‘soulfotography’
Due to pending inclement weather, the Blossom Kite Festival, originally scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 27, has been postponed. Stay tuned to the festival’s website for further updates; the kite festival’s new date will be announced on Monday, March 28.
By Ben H. Rome
The National Cherry Blossom Festival kicks off tomorrow, commemorating Japan’s gift of 3,000 Yoshino cherry trees to the city 99 years ago. The Festival is a grand two-week affair that draws over a million people annually, with a diverse range of events all across the District.
Key to the success of this yearly event for the last decade has been NCBF President Diana Mayhew, who took over the helm in 2000 as Executive Director and then in 2007 as President. When she arrived, the Festival was an all-volunteer organization (begun in 1927) and its vision was to ensure that there was year-round, consistent staffing to ensure the growth, quality, and consistency of events. “We also help show the world that Washington, DC is synonymous with spring,” Mayhew told me. “There was a need to provide consistent services to residents and visitors interested in attending Festival events and there was no central communication.” The Downtown DC Business Improvement District (BID) donated the salary of an Executive Director for three years until the Festival got up on its feet, implementing fundraising and sponsorships to support itself and the cost of programming, which is offered free to the public.
By Rebecca
‘Taft Bridge’
courtesy of ‘mgrass’
One of my first, distinct memories of DC is the long drive down Connecticut Avenue, after exiting 495 and headed to Dupont Circle. I was completely DC naive, had very little navigational or directional DC knowledge and for all I knew I could have been headed north or west or east. As I hesitantly meandered my way down Connecticut Avenue through the tree line Chevy Chase, past the sign to the National Zoo, little did I know that my first DC welcome would come from the majestic, patriotic, stone lion guardians of the Taft Bridge.
Constructed from 1897 to 1907, the arched bridge is the work of architect Edward Pearce Casey and engineer George S. Morrison, known for his steel truss bridges. The bridge, dedicated to U.S. President Howard Taft in 1931, is the largest unreinforced concrete structure in the world and in 2003 was named to the National Register of Historical Places. Continue reading
By Rebecca
The run-up to Father’s Day should be about more than ties, golf balls, and deciding what to grill on Sunday. Health should also be on the agenda.
Men’s Health Week was created by the U.S. Congress in 1994 to boost awareness of men’s health and ways to improve it. It’s a good time for men to contemplate their vigor, fitness, and overall health—and then do something about it.
Think you’re too old for that? It’s never too late to improve your health, no matter how old you are or what your current health status is. Here are five things you can you do to improve your health.
Get moving. Can you walk at a brisk pace for 2 miles? If so, you have a level of fitness sufficient to lower your chances of having a heart attack or dying from heart disease. If not, you can get there by putting one foot in front of the other, and going a bit further each day, try using cbd oils from northwellness, they carry the best products in the market. Every increase in endurance translates to better health, including decreased risk of diabetes and possible protection from certain cancers. Plus you will feel better.
Photo by Rachel Levitin
My first physical encounter with the ivory American tower that is the Lincoln Memorial was at the age of 12. When I graduated from my four-year stint at American University at age 22, I maintained and continued to proclaim that the Lincoln Memorial is my favorite place to “sit and do nothing” in D.C.
Its hallowed marble grounds and view of the Reflecting Pool is a unique visual shot only available in D.C. Thousands of visitors flood the site daily. It’s a nice stop for a group photo and the corner stone of an essential plot point in Wedding Crashers but at the age of 23 I have no idea why I still call the Lincoln Memorial my favorite place to “sit and do nothing” in D.C.
When you live in Washington for long enough, the tourist appeal loses its initial flare. Often times, those of us who announce residency for longer than a Presidential term are left to visit historical sites, memorials, landmarks, and museums when family or friends are here from out of town … or we’ve guilt tripped ourselves into venturing out into the District’s finest attraction – the National Mall. Continue reading
By Rebecca
‘Cats Eating Pasta’
courtesy of ‘Lee Coursey’
Spaghetti Dinner? Yum! Bingo? Well, Bingo! Raising money for in need kittens and puppies? Snorgle-rific! Combining them all? Epic interspecies snorgling and noming, which is exactly what the Washington Animal Rescue League has planned for its annual Pasta for Pets event to be held Saturday, March 19 from 6:00 – 8:30pm at Eastern Market’s North Hall.
The night features delicious pasta from local restaurants, an assortment of homemade desserts and, most importantly, fundraising for WARL’s Project Rescue, which provides support for local families and individuals who are finding it difficult to provide for their pets in this challenging economic climate. Continue reading
By Rebecca
There is a new edition to the saturated DC cupcake scene and it comes to M Street in Georgetown in the form of a pink and brown row house. Sprinkles Cupcakes, started in 2002 by Candace Nelson and her husband Charles, opened in 2002 in Beverly Hills, is the Magnolia Bakery of the West Coast and has been featured on Oprah, Entourage and The Today Show.
With the proximity of so many other cupcake options (Baked & Wired, Georgetown Cupcake, Scoops, etc.,) offering high quality cupcakes and all priced relatively equally at $2.50 – $4 per cupcake, the principal question is: what makes Sprinkles’ sugary treats different? Continue reading
By Rebecca
‘National Building Museum’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’
What’s an engineer? He’s that guy who wears overalls, that cute stripped hat and shovels coals into the trains engine, right? As Auntie Shrew would say “Wrrrrrrrong!” Engineers are much, much, much more than that. And to find out how engineers and engineering impacts our everyday lives, visit the National Building Museum this Saturday from 10am-4:30pm and celebrate National Engineers Week.
Watch PBS’ Design Squad Nation catapult beach balls across the Great Hall, discover the principles of aerodynamics, operate Lego Robots on the FIRST Lego League playing field. The event features other hands-on activities like building a “flinker,” an object that neither floats or sinks, design your own parachute drop, test/build handmade watercrafts, and expore a tsunami wave tank.
By Rebecca
‘i fear school lunch’
courtesy of ‘amarino17’
Although I’m not THAT far out of high school, my memories of cafeteria lunches are fairly limited, which leads me to believe that the food served was…well…unmemorable. That is, it wasn’t good enough to be noteworthy and it wasn’t bad enough to be permanently seared into my mind. I have foggy images of square pizza, sloppy joes, grilled cheese, lasagna, and a salad bar which in the 1990s (and I’m dating myself) was a groundbreaking, yet sadly disappointing and unappetizing, addition.
Given my, and I’m supposing most people’s, middling school lunch experience, I was extremely inspired when I learned about the DC Farm to School Network, a coalition of advocates working to connect Washington, DC schools to local farmers to get more healthy, local foods into school cafeterias. With the ultimate goal to improve child health, reconnect students with where food comes from, provide health, food, and environmental education opportunities and support the local food economy. Continue reading
By Rebecca
‘Fojol Bros. of Merlindia’
courtesy of ‘Dave Kleinschmidt’
Ahhhh…Fojol Brothers. You make lunch in DC so strange, wonderful and delicious. You are well worthy of your newly bestowed spot on Eater’s “List of Top Twenty Food Trucks in America.” Represent DC baby! Represent!
If you have yet to experience the cuisine and showmanship of this food truck, you are clearly living an unfulfilled DC life. Staffed by mustachioed, Sgt. Pepper costumed order takers and cooks, this clown car-esque truck roams DC streets serving up Indian fare (both veggie and non-veggie) to the office bound, weary masses.
Congratulations Fojol Brothers. We salute you!
By Rebecca
I stumbled across this video on YouTube of tickman1’s commute home last night. It took him 8.5 hours to travel 23 miles from DC to the VA suburbs. Fortunately, the pilgrimage has been sped up and condensed for our viewing pleasure.
Warning: For those of you who braved the roads last night, this video may cause panic attacks, claustrophobia or heart attacks.
By Rebecca
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
By Rebecca
‘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.
By Rebecca
‘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.
By Rebecca
‘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:
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.
By Rebecca
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
By Rebecca
courtesy of Timothy So
Last night, I had the extreme pleasure of participating in Gingertown, one of DC’s best kept holiday events. Begun in 2006, Gingertown is the brainchild of locally based David M. Schwarz Architects (DMSA) and brings together leading DC architects, designers, and architectural firms with other building enthusiasts (aka: the non-professionals) to create a town made of completely of gingerbread and candy goodness.
Gingertown is an entirely free event with DMSA and other event sponsors providing all the building materials, food and beverages. Teams sign up beforehand and are assigned town plots with free reign to design and construct their portion of Gingertown during the 3 hour event.
Each year, a new master plan and theme is created; this year, builders tackled the North Pole, transforming the layout into a magical town of gingerbread, jelly beans, Twizzlers, Nerds, candy canes, buttercream frosting, etc. Like previous years, the 2010 town map included communal and civic-minded centers, green spaces, city hall, a concert hall, a library, a toy store and a strong pedestrian culture. Continue reading
By Rebecca
I don’t love the “Hill” in the way some people do – I’m not so political and certainly am not involved in all the Congressional happenings, but I do adore the neighborhoods that make Capitol Hill fabulous. Eastern Market has such charm, and I’ve found myself spending weekends on Barrack’s Row. What better excuse than to celebrate a part of the city that I love than by heading to The Hilly’s on Friday night?
Awards will be given to some of the Hill’s best eats and drinks – favorites like Granville Moores, SOVA, Ted’s Bulletin are all up to win. Plus local businesses like Frager’s and Bikram Yoga are up for awards, too. Ticket prices are $65 for CHAMPS members, $75 for Buy Local members and $80 for the general public.Price includes open bar and food, with guest bartenders from Wisdom, Tunnicliff’s, Argonaut and Matchbox.
By Rebecca
photo courtesy of flickr user Wendy Copley
Hidden around DC, secretly placed in strategic, calculated locales are small, weatherproof boxes containing logbooks and stamps; only the dedicated group know of their existence and they are constantly trying to follow a trail of secret clues to uncover them. While this may sound like the latest Spy Museum game or a CIA operation, it’s actually hobby called letterboxing and its covertly going on right under our noses in our beloved city.
Here’s how it works. Originating, across the pond, in Dartmoor, England, letterboxing, like its hi-tech sibling geocaching, is a combination of hiking, puzzle solving, treasure hunting and thrill seeking. In this game, “placers” hide small waterproof containers in interesting locales, e.g. along the Capital Crescent Trail, near the Jefferson Memorial, behind a loose Eastern Market brick, etc., and then leave small clues to its whereabouts on websites, or in letterboxing newsletters or through word of mouth. Continue reading
By Rebecca
Today at 10am, DC’s first Madewell opens its Georgetown doors. The clothing shop offers wears that meet hobo, hipster and preppyster fashion needs alike and is sure to be a big hit with Georgetown college and young professionals scene. Originally found in 1937, Madewell started out as a true-blue American denim company. Now the label is owned by J.Crew and has been reinvented to target women ages 18 to 40. Madewell debuted in 2006 with a flagship store in New York City and up until the Summer 2010 launch of its ecommerce site, was only sold through its 18 nationwide stores.
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