Part of our tradition of giving thanks here at WLDC is to tell you what we’re thankful for about DC this year. How about you? Leave your DC thanks in the comments, and enjoy your festive food coma.

Tiffany: Since late January, 2013 has been all about preparation for and the arrival of this guy. So I’ve clearly got something special to be thankful for this year. But our little DC Native has broadened my appreciation for DC as well. I’m more thankful than ever for DC’s diversity and the breadth of perspectives it will bring him as he grows up. I’m grateful to live in a city with not only local but national cultural amenities, so we can go from story time at our neighborhood DC Public Library branch and head out to the Air & Space museum after lunch. I’m thankful for the tree-lined streets and parks in Brookland, as well as our neighbors who are also putting down roots and starting their families there. And finally, I’m thankful for organizations like Neighbors United for DC Statehood who work to ensure Charlie will be able to vote for a senator when he’s 18 like his peers across the country. Happy Thanksgiving, DC. When I’m counting my blessings this year, you are definitely on the list.

Rachel: As of this month, it’s been two years since I started working on my first full band EP (due out in 2014) with Dave Mallen of Innovation Station Music in Arlington, VA. Since then, I’ve worked to embed myself in the DC music community and can proudly say that I call many of the hard-working names in local music dear friends. I still remember what it felt like to play my first show with The 9 Songwriter Series in February 2012. Fast-forward to November 2013 and I feel like the majority of the friends I’ve made in the past year were all from playing concerts and attending live shows throughout the DC metropolitan area. What I’m most grateful for in 2013 is the fact that music really does bring people together. The DC scene’s got a wealth of talent whether it’s vocalists, songwriters, musicians, producers, sound engineers, videographers, etc. but the scene can only exist if there are fans to support it. And let me tell you, there are lot of great people in this town supporting that talent. To all of the folks who support those of us who love making music and performing it live I say, “THANK YOU!” We couldn’t keep taking the stage in these parts if it were not for your continual support.

Esther:  A full decade of living in DC without killing anyone from road rage or ending up homeless because of the astronomical cost of living is enough to be thankful for this season.  But there are many other things that ten years in DC has made me grateful for, too.  First, the awesome people from a million walks of life who I have been blessed to meet.  Second, the tourist sites and museums.  Yes, I generally loathe the tourists, but they are a constant reminder that many people spend millions of dollars each year to see the things we have in our backyard and should appreciate. Third, my dog.  I know he’s not “DC” but he’s awesome and has pretty much marked the entire city, so I think that counts.  Fourth, the wonderful community of local actors, musicians, dancers and artists.  They have been my bread and butter and my continuous inspiration.  Fifth, congress…… okay, I couldn’t even type that without bursting out laughing from how ridiculous that sounds and what a huge fat lie it is.  Last, but not least, I am grateful to live in a place that matters. Where what happens in our little hamlet affects the country and the entire planet.  We’re living in a place of historical importance and I love it.  Having been raised in Idaho (which people consistently mix up with Iowa), the chance to be in a place people have actually heard of and know generally where it is is really cool.  Oh, and pie.  Wherever you live,  pie is worth giving thanks for.   Continue reading →

Rachel: It’s a music-filled weekend for me! We’ll start things off at Ebenezers Coffeehouse on Friday night while Tiffany Thompson and Amanda Lee serenade the room. These two ladies are spectacular entertainers and well worth hearing live. I encourage you to stop by and hang with us. Then, Saturday’s a big day. Fellow singer-songwriter Louisa Hall and I are going to THREE shows … or at least we’re trying to. We’ll start with a Ben Folds “Master Session” at the Kennedy Center in the afternoon followed by dinner on H Street before popping into Rock & Roll Hotel for The Circus Life Podcast LIVE show featuring The Cowards Choir, The Sweater Set, The Justin Trawick Group, M.H. & His Orchestra, and Black Masala. And then, we’ll round out the night in Adams Morgan to watch one of my favorite people — Don Kim — perform as part of The Capital City Showcase. All in all, a busy and crazy fun weekend of music!

Rebecca: It’s a jam packed weekend for me starting with some QT with WeLoveDC editor and fellow whiskey lover Jenn. We’ll be grabbing drinks and food at Drafting Table before hitting the modern disco-dance party Escort will be laying down at the Blackcat. Saturday it’s brunch with the WeLoveDC gang to organize and get some new initiatives going – more to come on that in the coming months, so keep tuned. Then I’m FINALLY catching a DC Rollergirls bout at the DC Armory at 4pm. I’m super pumped to learn the rules and watch the ladies battle. Sunday will mostly be dedicated to resting up from my Friday and Saturday, but I will hit the 930 club to catch Lissie and bond with my inner girl rocker.

Tom: If it’s the last weekend before Thanksgiving, that means it’s cranberry relish weekend. You get two bags of cranberries, an apple and a good orange, and an old-fashioned hand-crank meat grinder. Wash the produce, core the apple, and then slice the orange and apple like you remember from soccer games. Put the produce, peels and all, through the meat grinder on a coarse grind. Add some sugar to taste, and you’ve got the best cranberry sauce out there. It also has enough Vitamin C to brutalize colds all winter long.

Fedward:  Woo! Nine-day weekend!  Next week I’m taking comp days earned working through the Labor Day weekend in honor of, well, everything, so I won’t go back to work until December.  Friday’s my birthday, Monday is the anniversary of my first date with the Social Chair, and then there’s Thanksgiving.  It won’t all be fun and games as we do have to finish unpacking so there’s room for my family to stay over Christmas, but I plan to enjoy my time off as much as possible.  This weekend there’s not a whole lot on the calendar.  Friday night we’re hosting a party at home.  Saturday we might treat ourselves to dinner out somewhere (maybe so-hot-right-now Rose’s Luxury, maybe runner-up Doi Moi) but we have no set plans.  We may also try to squeeze in Mies Julie on either Saturday or Sunday before it closes. Sunday we’ll close with our usual Passenger brunch, and Monday you might find the Social Chair and me at Bedrock Billiards in honor of our first date.

Jenn: I’m loading up on the coconut water now, in extreme hydration preparation for this weekend. An old theater friend I haven’t seen in some fourteen years is hitting DC after a long absence, and it’s about time. Back in the day we were part of a tribe that rivaled the exploits of O’Toole, Harris, Burton and Reed, so…it’s going to be quite the reunion. As he completely missed the 14th Street revitalization, I’ll be sure to take him on a crawl up the strip: champagne and steak tartare at Le Diplomate (“wasn’t this a dry cleaners?”), pizza at Ghibellina, punch at 2 Birds 1 Stone, and a return to Bar Pilar just to prove the oldies still rock (new cocktail menu, Papa Hemingway!). Then we’ll waltz up U Street to show off sexy Tropicalia, down some beers at Dodge City, and breeze by a birthday party at Brixton. After that he’ll be completely shocked by the development on 7th Street, my new digs, enjoying sherry and ham at Mockingbird Hill before slurping oyster shooters (and probably everything else on the amazing food menu) at Eat the Rich. That’s just the appetizer portion of the evening! Plenty more to hit. There are new cocktails at Daikaya, and tiki nuevo at Hogo, and my god, what about H Street? Good grief, I better take him to Baby Wale for dinner first. It’s going to be a long night. I take my role as a DC ambassador very seriously, and I vow that my San Franciscan comrade is going to leave singing our praises. Or die in the attempt.

Paul: Okay I wish I could clone myself this weekend, or at least semi-retire, because there are just too many things to do! I’m planning to shirk a bunch of professional obligations in order to see Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles at The Dumbarton House. Then it’s off from a night at the theatre to get dirty and sweaty at Jimmy Valentine’s Tropic of Bass because alcohol-fueled dance parties are the only form of exercise I can fit into my schedule. Saturday means Movember Pride on H Street, where I’m finally going to cash in on this lip warmer with deals at Dangerously Delicious and the Queen Vic. After a night of slinging drinks followed by a long seat warming session at The Pug Saturday, I’m going to revive my groggy, bleary-eyed self at The Grill Room’s Sausage and Rye Brunch. Here’s hoping drinking rye whiskey in sunglasses doesn’t violate the dress code. Then any free time I have between now and Sunday evening will be spent under my covers with many mugs o’ gløgg, celebrating my favorite winter tradition: hygge.

Don: It’s the last free weekend of November for me, what with Thanksgiving coming up and family things consuming the days after the turkey gorging. So that means a little pre-family relaxation and home improvement. Friday is a little combined birthday celebration and that’s about all the baby-free time we get. Saturday, if the rain holds out, we may take the sprog on a stroll – either go-tos Roosevelt Island or the National Zoo or maybe just the path along Rock Creek. Sunday will be reserved for preparing for the onslaught holiday.