Taste of the Nation Discounted Tickets on Sale

by KimFromTheK

Still looking for the perfect holiday gift? Why not get that special someone tickets to Share our Strength's Taste of the Nation?

The event will take place on Monday April 12, 2010 right in our neighborhood at the National Building Museum and will feature over 60 of the DC area's top restaurants, wine bars, and mixologists.

For a limited time (until December 31), you can save 10% off VIP tickets (normally $125) and General Admission (normally $85). Just visit here and follow the instructions for the DC event and enter JINGLE in the promotional code field.

Downtown Holiday Market Opens Today

by KimFromTheK

Today is the first day of the Downtown Holiday Market, featuring more than 180 local artisans and crafters exhibiting over the next 20 days. The market is located on the sidewalk on F Street between 7th and 9th Streets, NW and will be open daily from 12 noon - 8 pm through December 23.

The online schedule and map features a listing of vendors and their locations.

Opening day features the following entertainment:

12:00 – 2:00pm Dave Chappell duo (swing & blues)
3:30 – 5:30pm Denny Buck (resophonic blues)
6:00 – 8:00pm Bad Hair Day duo (classic rock)

Live performers will be at the market daily; the entertainment schedule is available here.


In years past I've enjoyed perusing artwork, sampling food, and shopping for decorative items for my home, as well as a variety of gifts.

The market is produced by the Downtown DC Business Improvement District (BID)and Diverse Markets Management (DMM), which also manages the Liberty Market on Tuesday evenings.

Image Credit: M.V. Jantzen

Second Annual Repeal Day Ball

by KimFromTheK

The DC Craft Bartender’s Guild (DCCBG) is holding the Second Annual Repeal Day Ball on December 5th from 9 P.M. to midnight for general admission (8 P.M. to midnight for VIP ticket holders) celebrating the 76th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition. Attendees will enjoy craft cocktails from the city and country’s best mixologists and food from renowned chef Peter Smith while dancing along to the Prohibition-era sounds of the Red Hot Rhythm Chiefs. The ball is black tie and will be held at PS7's restaurant at 777 Eye Street, NW.

Come celebrate too with cocktail creations from local favorites Gina Chersevani, Derek Brown and Todd Thrasher, to name a few, along with special guests--bartending legend Dale DeGroff, nationally-renowned bartender Tad Carducci, and toastmaster Jeffrey Morgenthaler. We will also feature top spirit brands and a special rum and cigar lounge. VIP guests will gain entry early and enjoy exclusive access to the bartenders, special demonstrations, heavy hor d’ouevres and the first release copy of The Lush Life: Portraits from the Bar by author and illustrator Jill DeGroff, along with access to VIP after-parties at the city's top cocktail bars.

Tickets are $100 for general admission and $150 for VIP, and can be purchased here, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Museum of the American Cocktail in New Orleans.

ADL in Concert Against Hate

by KimFromTheK

On Monday night (11/16), participate in a moving evening at the Kennedy Center where the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) honors four individuals who have helped combat hate. The evening is hosted by actors Gabriel Byrne and Liev Schreiber and features a performance by the National Symphony Orchestra. A preview video for the event is below.


Tickets start at just $25 for young professionals and can be purchased on the concert website. Ticket purchases benefit the ADL, which was founded to stop the defamation of Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all. Learn more about the ADL here.

Berlin Wall Family Day at the Newseum

Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall at the Newseum with fun-filled activities and events for the entire family.

What: Berlin Wall Family Day
When: Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009
Time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Washington artist Tim Conlon will be on hand for a talk-and-draw demonstration of graffiti styles and techniques and discuss how graffiti has been used as a form of protest. Conlon — whose work has been featured in museums and galleries across the country — will also discuss the artists who risked their lives to paint the Berlin Wall during the Cold War.


Exercise your freedom of expression by painting your own message on the Newseum's re-creation of the Berlin Wall.

Other Family Day activities include a Gallery Talk, Front Page Frenzy Game, NewsMania™ trivia and News Hound scavenger hunt all related back to the Berlin Wall. For more information, visit newseum.org.

22nd Annual Washington Craft Show this weekend

by KimFromTheK

Information Courtesy of Jo Ann Neuhaus at the Penn Quarter Neighborhood Association

This weekend Crafts America presents the 22nd Annual Washington Craft Show. The event takes place at the Washington Convention Center and showcases 190 Juried, Contemporary Craft Artists from 34 states and DC.

Top: Nancy Kubale; Bottom (left to right): Hideaki Miyamura; Ben Johnson; Robert & Barbara Matthews

Original pieces will be presented and available for sale in the following media: Basketry, Ceramics, Fiber, Furniture, Glass, Jewelry, Leather, Metal, Mixed-Media, Paper, Wearable Art, Wood

Hours:
Friday, November 6, 10:00am - 8:00pm
Saturday, November 7, 10:00am - 6:00pm
Sunday, November 8, 11:00am - 5:00pm

General admission $15, but discounted coupons are available here; No charge for children under 12

Saturday, 3:30pm

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and David McFadden, Chief Curator of New York's Museum of Arts and Design, discuss Ms. Albright's personal jewelry worn to communicate a message or a mood during her diplomatic tenure. Following the discussion, Ms. Albright will sign her book, Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box

For more information, visit the event website

American Century Theater presents

The American Century Theater is bringing A Piece of My Heart, a celebration of women who served and sacrificed in the Vietnam War, to Washington D.C. this November 6th - 21st. They are performing at the historic theater space of the Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, 900 Massachusetts Avenue, NW.


A Piece of My Heart is the story of six women-- before, during and after the Vietnam War. Based on Keith Walker’s book of the same name, the play is a collage of sound and imagery pinpointing the significant moments in each woman’s journey. The reality of the play occurs at the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Wall in Washington, DC. At the moment of dedication, memories come flooding back, transporting the audience to the beginning. We see six young women make the choice to serve and the consequences of those decisions on the course and direction of their lives. They return different people who must reconcile their need to serve humanity with the horrors they experienced during war. It is a piece about transcendence that deals with the themes of service, heroism, life, death, trauma, forgiveness, sacrifice, despair, depression, rejection, friendship and rebirth. A Piece of My Heart features the unsung heroes often overlooked in history until now.

Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes, with one intermission.

Mr. (& Mrs.) Gates Goes To Washington

by Laetitia; cross posted at FrenchTwistDC

"If you came for the hockey game, you need to go across the street. If you came for Shakespeare, you need to come another night." But we were at the right place, at the right time. Last night, I joined some 250 diplomats, hill staffers, administration officials and other guests at Harman Hall to hear Bill & Melinda Gates present The Living Proof Project.

The Gates went to Washington to urge lawmakers to continue spending money on global health initiatives despite the economic crisis and the soaring deficit. Describing themselves as "Impatient Optimists" they shared with us success stories of people whose lives have been changed thanks to U.S. investments in global health initiatives. They drew on history to illustrate that diseases - smallpox for example - can be eradicated and spoke of the terrific progress made in the fight against malaria. A picture speaks a thousand words and the presentation was interspersed with beautiful footage of "living proofs:" a father in Nicaragua whose child was saved by having access to the Rotavirus vaccine or an orphan in South Africa whose life was prolonged when she got access to AIDS medicine.


While they touted the success stories, they also highlighted how far we still need to go and how slow progress can be at time. Millions of lives have been saved, improved and empowered because of the investments in global health made by the U.S. and its partners around the world. But there are millions more "living proofs" yet to come and the pace of progress is often slower than it should be...

We were treated to an acapela performance by Vocal Motion 6, a PEPFAR funded Namibian group that educates it audience about HIV through music. It also ended with an appeal by Bill & Melinda gates to share these Living Proofs with others. So I am taking a quick break from D.C. food and culture to ask you to view this compelling presentation in its entirety one the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation website.

Heart of DC Picnic on Sept 19th

The Community Picnic I previously issued a Save the Date for is now being branded the Heart of DC Picnic.


The following is from MVSNA First Vice President Si Kailian:

Dear friends & neighbors,

Please mark your calendars for the Heart of DC Picnic at Mount Vernon Square on Saturday, September 19th from 11am-5pm. The event will be held on the grounds of the Carnegie Library, home of the Historic Society, at 801 K Street NW also know as Mount Vernon Square. We will be having many fabulous offerings besides food such as games, walking tours, music, raffle & kids activities all in an afternoon of neighborhood fun! Come on out and celebrate the downtown neighborhoods from Shaw through Mount Vernon Square & Triangle through Chinatown & Penn Quarter. And don't forget to bring the pups, we will be having a dog show!

Hope to see you all there!

Si has created a facebook event page for the Picnic.

Credits: The Heart of DC Picnic is being brought to you and everyone in the community by: the Historical Society of Washington DC, Mount Vernon Square Neighborhood Association (MVSNA), Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District (MVTCID), Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA, and Convention Center Community Association (CCCA).

Car Free Day is Sept 22nd

Car Free Day is an international event celebrated every September 22nd in which people are encouraged to get around without their car - highlighting transit, bicycling, walking and all alternative modes of transportation. By taking a fair number of cars off the roads people who live and work there are given a chance to consider how their neighborhood might look and work with a lot fewer cars.


Washington celebrated Car Free Day for the first time in 2007 with about 1,000 District residents committing to be car free for the day. Last year, Car Free Day expanded to the entire Washington Metropolitan Area, and 5,445 residents throughout the region pledged to be car free. This year the hope is even more drivers throughout the region will leave their cars at home or go “car lite” by sharing a ride to work. By taking the Car Free Challenge, participants not only help to improve air quality, save money, and reduce their carbon footprint, but also get a chance to win great prizes at the Car Free Day Celebration Event (7th & F Street, NW).

Click here to view photos from last year’s Car Free Day Celebration.

September Calendar

Wednesday, September 2nd
ANC 6C Planning, Zoning and the Environment Committee
7PM at the NPR Building (635 Mass Ave NW)
Several ANC wide items on agenda including 705-707 6th Street NW seeking several zoning variances [BZA #17983] to allow construction of a two story commercial building with office and ground floor retail uses.

Tuesday, September 8th
Downtown Neighborhood Association
6:30PM at the Calvary Baptist Church (733 8th St NW)
PSA101W update plus MPD Chief Cathy Lanier and discussion on the Family Amenity Project

Wednesday, September 9th
ANC6C Full Commission
7PM at the Heritage Foundation (214 Mass Ave NE)

Thursday September 10th
Arts Market for Arts on Foot
The Arts Market runs for 3 days
Spans four blocks on F Street with epicenter at 7th & F Street NW

Saturday September 12th
Arts Festival for Arts on Foot.
Spans four blocks on F Street with epicenter at 7th & F Street NW

September 12th is also the last date for the Shakespeare Free for All

Saturday, September 19th
Community Picnic at Mount Vernon Square; 11am-6pm

WalkingtownDC: Mount Vernon Triangle Development Tour
Meet at noon on Carnegie Library steps (8th & K Streets NW)
MVT CID executive director Bill McLeod leads the tour and outlines history and development plans for the Triangle

September 19th also marks the one-year anniversary of the 5th & Eye RFP award to Donohoe/Holland.

Tuesday, September 22th
Car Free Day DC
Submit your pledge

Mount Vernon Square Neighborhood Association
7:30PM at Yale Steam Laundry (437 New York Ave NW)

Save the Date: Community Picnic on Sept 19

Join your neighbors from Mount Vernon Triangle, Mount Vernon Square, Penn Quarter, and Shaw for a community-wide picnic on Mount Vernon Square on Saturday, September 19th from 11:00-5:00. There will be a WalkingtownDC tour of Mount Vernon Triangle beginning at noon. Also, a dog show, yoga demonstration, games for kids, and a tour of the Historical Society will be going on throughout the day. Bring a blanket and your favorite food to share!


The event is being brought to you and everyone in the community by: the Historical Society of Washington DC, Mount Vernon Square Neighborhood Association (MVSNA), Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District (MVTCID), Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA, and Convention Center Community Association (CCCA).

Image credit: trvlr

Arts on Foot - Sep 10th thru 12th

The 2009 Edition of Arts on Foot will take place in less than two weeks. The event begins with the Art Market on Thursday September 10th which highlights local, regional and national artists. The event concludes on Saturday with a Festival that supplements the Arts Market with entertainment and sampling areas from participating restaurants and wineries.



You may follow Arts on Foot on facebook under the name The Washington Examiner's ARTS ON FOOT sponsored by Wines of Argentina.

Shakespeare Free for All

Tim from The 42 Bus brought my attention to the Free for All event by the Shakespeare Theatre Company at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW).


There are 21 shows of Taming of the Shrew running between now and September 12th. An accompanying Family Fun Fair will be sponsored by Target on Saturday August 29th.

Restaurant Week is Here!

by KimFromTheK

Summer 2009 Restaurant Week (RW) has arrived! For those who are unaware, RW typically takes place twice a year--in January and August (usually coincides with Congressional Recess) and offers diners a 3 course prix fixe meal--$20.09 for lunch and $35.09 for dinner. Menus, and the value that comes along with them, vary widely. Some restaurants allow diners to choose any 3 course meal with minimal limitations and few up-charges, whereas others provide more limited menu options.

I typically try to check out a few RW favorites. This year I'm going to Charlie Palmer and Siroc for dinners, and Cafe Atlantico and Zola with some coworkers for lunch.

A copious number of restaurants are in walking distance to our neighborhood, with an overabundance in the Gallery Place/Penn Quarter area, including PS7, Rosa Mexicano, Zaytinya, Poste, and Zengo. The full listing of restaurants participating at available Washington.org while the Capital Spice blog has created a Google Maps Mashup.

A neighborhood zoom of the Capital Spice map; click to visit interactive version

There are many other posts out there tauting which restaurants to avoid and which are must-visits (as well as whether to take advantage at all!), so no need to rehash those conversations. Instead here are links to a few of them:

DC Foodies listing of menus and any restaurants that are extending beyond the standard week.

• The Washingtonian's RW Dining Guide plus critic Todd Kliman's recommends.
  
• Chowhounders' crowdsource their opinions

What are you waiting for? Make your RW reservations on Open Table now and bon appetite!

Photo from the MPD Bike Ride

Photo from the Mount Vernon Triangle MPD Bike Ride on August 20th, 2009.


On the MVSNA blog Si Kailian has recapped the outing and shared 8 additional photos.

DC United trophy tour

The DC United's We Win Trophies Tour will be stopping at pubs nearby over the next few days. To launch the tour last night the trophy appeared at The Pug on H Street NE.

• Tues, Aug. 18 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM @ Fado (808 7th St NW)
  
• Fri, Aug. 21 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM @ The Irish Channel (500 H St NW)
  
• Tue, Sept. 1 from 5:30 - 7:30 PM @ The Green Turtle (601 F St NW)

At the event you may:

• Take your picture with the 2008 U.S. Open Cup Trophy.
  
• Enter to win merchandise, memorabilia and four sideline seats to the 2009 Open Cup Final

Visit DCUnited.com for the full list of DC metro area wide tour stops.

MVT Community Bike Ride with Police this Thursday

The Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District (MVTCID) has organized the second edition of the annual neighborhood MPD bike ride. The ride will take place on Thursday August 20th beginning at 6pm at 555 Mass, wind its way through the neighborhood, and end at Golden Rule Plaza.


While I'm certain MPD is fully aware of the prostitute congregation at the 5th & Mass pocket park those participating in the ride should use this opportunity to express concern directly to the officers.

Humanitini night at 5th & K Busboys

The Humanities Council of Washington is hosting an author event to discuss dating today at the 5th & K Busboys and Poets at 6PM this Thursday.

Humanitini: The Death of the Date
What's a date? Is a date when a man takes a woman out and buys her flowers? When the two parties go "Dutch," agreeing to split all costs? Or is the date now just a prelude to a "hook-up?" Join the Humanities Council of Washington for Humanitini night to discuss and debate the rules of contemporary dating. Invited guests include Janks Morton (What Black Men Think), Omarosa (The Bitch Switch) and Dr. Dana Treistman (District Psychotherapy Associates).

Omarosa? Isn't she just one of those people famous for being famous? From what I hear she wasn't effective at the business tasks on The Apprentice - just drama prone. Her wikipedia page says she has gone on to appear on 20 reality TV shows.

Walker Jones School Ribbon Cutting

This upcoming Tuesday the office of the Deputy Mayor of Economic Development (DMPED) is holding a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Walker Jones School.

The new facility, located at New Jersey Ave and L Street NW, is the first new school built by the Fenty Administration. It will serve as the education (K-8) and recreation anchor for Northwest One, one of the District's four New Communities projects.


While Walker Jones sits just across the street from the Mount Vernon Triangle's official boundaries it does serve as the voting precinct for residents of several Triangle buildings including City Vista.