Welcome to DC, sir.



Georgetown Public Library



Georgetown Library North Facade, Circa 1935, via dclibrary.org

The Georgetown Public Library re-opened earlier this week and will have its Grand Opening Party this Saturday, October 23.  Located at 3260 R Street NW, the library has been restored following the 2007 fire and includes several upgrades, such as a new third floor with a larger space for the Peabody Collection and an outdoor reading terrace overlooking Book Hill Park. I cannot wait to check it out - I have a feeling I will be spending many winter hours here, seeing as I'm obsessed with books and libraries and live right down the street!

 

Seaton Smith, I kind of heart you.

You are funny.

Curbside Cookoff: October 7-8

Do you know what starts today? The first annual Curbside Cookoff at the Old Washington Convention Center (H & 11th). The event starts today at 11:30am and ends tomorrow night at 8pm.  Enjoy food from more than 20 food vendors and great music. Check out their facebook page for more information including participating vendors and a schedule of events - they have included a few after-work happy hours and dance parties in the festivities.  Who can resist delicious food that comes out of the back of a vehicle?

Taste of Georgetown: Saturday, October 9th

This Saturday is the annual Taste of Georgetown event at Wisconsin and M. During the hours of 11am - 4pm, attendees will be able to sample dishes from nearly thirty of DC's restaurants, sip wine pairings and enjoy jazz talents of Blues Alley. Check out their website to for ticket information and to see a full list of participating restaurants.

DC9 now has a rooftop!

I enjoy DC9. And I enjoy rooftops.  So this is fabulous. Their official grand opening DJ party is tonight at 9pm.

via DCist

The Metro Song.

It's Friday! Check this stuff out.

Lion feeling not so rompy with this silly hat Elise is making him wear.

The Washington Animal Rescue League launched their new blog this morning, Out of Harm's Reach. Check it out and read some amazing stories about animal welfare.

In honor of NY Fashion week, Georgetown is hosting Fashion's Night Out tonight from 6pm - 11pm. Over 80 Georgetown stores, restaurants, and salons are participating, offering promotions, sales and keeping their doors open for extended hours. Performers from Cirque du Soleil's Bug Dance Squad will be dancing around the streets, teaching and performing The Bug Dance. They will also be "planting" 10 sets of OVO tickets throughout participating stores. There will be a Fashion’s Night Out Lounge sponsored by vitaminwater at Dean & Deluca, complete with a DJ and vitaminwaters to keep up your shopping energy!

Cirque du Soleil's OVO is now playing at the National Harbor through October 24.  The show is "an immersion into the teeming and energetic world of insects" and is the first performance directed by a woman.
 
The 7th annual DC Shorts Film Festival started yesterday, running through September 16.

10 reasons it would rule to date a unicorn.

Learn how to dance like a real man.

Arts on Foot Festival

Yesterday was the start of the Washington Examiner's Arts on Foot fall festival, sponsored by Wines of Argentina.  The free festival debuts the upcoming performing and visual arts season and includes an arts market, performances, exhibits, crafts, food and wine. Arts on Foot takes place September 8-10 in Penn Quarter at 7th and F Streets. I'm hoping to pop by sometime this week during my lunch break.

Cleveland Park mural whitewashed.

Rumor has it that the mural on the corner of Porter and Connecticut in Cleveland Park has been removed.  I can't say I'm too disappointed.  When I lived in CP and would walk by it late at night I would get nervous trying to gauge which people were real and sitting on the ledge and which people were part of the mural. All without staring too hard, as I didn't want the real people to interpret my stare as a reason to follow and murder me before I got to my house.  As I mentioned previously, I'm a little afraid of the dark and irrational in such situations.

Well hello there.

Don't forget that it is DC Beer Week!

Get a free cupcake today from Hello Cupcake in Dupont Circle to celebrate its second birthday!

Weezer is talking about doing a Blue Album/Pinkerton Tour.  Each city will have two shows - the first night spotlighting the Blue Album and the second Pinkerton. I am so there.

Pitchfork staff created a compilation of the top 50 music videos of the 90s.

How do you define hipster?

Check out this spoon train.

via daily wh.at

DC Beer Week: August 20-28

Next week is DC Beer Week, starting Friday, August 20th and running through the following Saturday, August 28th.  Events include kick-off parties (an evening event at the Rock and Roll Hotel presented by Washington City Paper & Nerd Nite DC and a kick-off brunch at Pizzeria Paradisio), a Craft Beer Cruise and tastings.  Find an almost complete list of events at the official website (almost complete because some things are still being added). 

Events Around DC

Last night I attended the Capitol File cover party for John Legend with some friends. The event, sponsored by Grey Goose and held at Café Dupont at The Dupont Hotel, was really fun.  Summery cocktails and Allen Brothers steaks were served while attendees could wander around the bar area or the patio outside. We met some really fun and interesting people and had a great time :)

A few more events that I am adding to my calendar:

August 20-28: DC Beer Week

August 26: the Family Hemerlein Variety Show

September 23: Grapes with Apes at the National Zoo

Seen in DC: Murdered out Mini.

Big Weeks in DC: Restaurant Week and Spa Week

Restaurant Week started yesterday with participating restaurants offering three-course meals at $20.10 for lunch and $35.10 for dinner.  See a full list of participating restaurants here.  Some restaurants have extended their specials through next week, as well. I went with some friends to The Bombay Club last night for dinner which was really delicious. Though I wish the pianist providing the background tunes would have been wearing shoes. Or at least socks.

Also coming soon is National Spa Week. During the week of October 11-17 numerous spas in the D.C. area will be offering their services for only $50 each. Spas will be offering exclusive services that range from $80 to $450 at the discounted price. Participants and services are listed on the National Spa Week website.

photo from dcist.com

Some DC news clarification.

This morning my bus hit a bit of traffic on K Street due to Franklin Park (13th and New York Ave.) being completely blocked off.  I de-bussed and walked the rest of the way to my office, slightly concerned by all of the police surrounding the empty, caution-taped park.  Turns out it was a suspicious package - but no worries....it was just a package of clothes chained to a tree.  Obviously.  I mean I always keep a chain handy to ditch those extra clothes that I happen to be carrying around in the middle of the night by chaining them to a tree...


Also, at dinner on Sunday my friends and I were discussing the NPR intern that was stabbed in Chinatown last Wednesday.  We obviously had all heard various rumors because none of our stories lined up. So here are some research facts:  The intern was stabbed four times on the corner of 7th and I at 9:30 a.m. last Wednesday. A 24-year-old woman has been charged with assault with intent to kill and aggravated assault while armed for the attack that was apparently "totally unprovoked." The attacker has a history of mental illness and apparently stopped taking her medication about a month ago.  Thankfully the intern is alive (despite what one of my friends heard).  Though I'm sure she isn't to enthusiastic about returning to D.C. in the future. 

Craigs List Missed Connection: DC version

I was going to officially begin posting again on Monday but this was too good not to share.  Washingtonian shared some of this week's best Craigs List Missed Connections postings. Here is my favorite:

Hannah–m4w–28 (columbia heights)
Date: 2010-07-05, 5:18PM EDT

You: the girl in the flannel onesie with pink flowers on it
Me: the guy turned on by civil war generals
lets hang out.

This post raises quite a few questions. For starters, who on earth was wearing a flannel onesie on Monday? I spent most of the day in a bathing suit and still could barely handle the sun.  And I don't even know where to start with the Civil War Generals fetish.  Too much, sir. Too much.

some DC news.

The Apple Store will hold its grand opening in Georgetown on Friday evening.  While the company bought the location three years ago, it has taken some time to negotiate the store front design with the Old Georgetown Board so that it will fit in with the area's historic image.  The company will be handing out t-shirts to the first 1000 visitors.

Top Chef D.C. premieres tonight on Bravo at 9pm.  Check out Washingtonian's Bios Beyond What Bravo Tells You.

Dupont's Hello Cupcake held a "Design Your D.C. Cupcake" challenge, resulting in some creative designs. Ben's Chili Bowl appeared to be a popular theme!

its time for the World Cup!

Today marks the start of the 2010 World Cup. Between now and July 11, games will take place between 6am and 6pm EST.  Many bars will be opening at 7am and are allowed to begin serving alcohol at 8am (incase you were wondering).  Viewing events will be taking place all over the city, including Soccer in the Circle in Dupont, games on the big screen at Arlington Drafthouse and flatscreens being set-up in the outdoor beer garden at the new Biergarten Haus.  Check out the schedule here.

photos from BYT

Beat Memories: The Photographs of Allen Ginsberg

Today during my lunch break I walked over to the National Gallery of Art to check out the Beat Memories: The Photographs of Allen Ginsberg exhibit.  It is set up in three of the gallery's smaller rooms so I could easily walk through in less than an hour. Most are portraits; the earlier ones are taken in New York City while the later ones follow him after his relocation to San Francisco. Many of his photos include Beat Generation writers Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs and include captions documenting the dates and what they were doing at the time the pictures were taken. I really enjoyed it and would encourage you to check it out.

photos from allenginsberg.org