Category Archives: Out and about

It’s 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup Time !

7 June 2019

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Allez les Bleues (avec un E)!!! The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off today, Friday, June 7th at Paris’ Parc des Princes (home of the PSG soccer team) with France facing South Korea. The United States Women National Soccer Team are the defending champions, of course, and one of the best team in the world but France, England and Germany are hoping to give them a run for their money over the next month. 

The Women’s World Cup kicks off in Paris, but the main hub for the action is actually Lyon which will host both semi-finals (July 2-3) and the final (July 7). Other host cities include Nice, Montpellier, Grenoble, Rennes, Reims (will they be serving champagne at the stadium?), Le Havre and Valenciennes. 24 teams are competing, divided into six groups of four teams for group stage, which lasts from June 7 to June 20. France is facing off South Korea (June 7), Norway (June 12) and Nigeria (June 17). The US is facing Thailand (June 11), Chile (June 16) and Sweden (June 20). 

You’ll basically be able to catch the US games everywhere… other games might be a little trickier but I pulled together a mini-guide of places where you catch matches, especially the French matches, and a list of Women World Cup events, which I will update throughout the month. 

FIRST THING FIRST: OPENING CEREMONY AND FRANCE-SOUTH KOREA MATCH

Can’t make it across the Atlantic for the opening match? Well, you can at least be on France soil since the French Embassy is hosting a viewing party. The event is free (though you have to register here) and there will be a cash bar. The Embassy is also promising donuts because, well, it’s also National Doughnut Day in the US 😉 Doors open at 2PM and the game starts at 3PM. I’m stoked for Jain’s performance, I *loved* her concert here at the Rock’n’Roll Hotel last year. Dont know who Jain is? Check out this profile of her in Hollywood Life and check out the super fun video for one of her biggest hit Makeba.

Don’t want to slug all the way to Reservoir Road? I don’t blame ya. If you’restill looking for that French ambiance head to Opaline at the Sofitel. Executive chef Kevin Lalli has designed a fun menu featuring stadium fare representing the countries participating in the World Cup. For the opeing match that means a lamb merguez hot dog ($10) and Jambon Beurre sandwich ($11) for France (YUM!!!) versus bibimbap ($15) and Korean BBQ Lamb Ribs ($14) for South Korea. Man, can I just put kimchi on my jambon-beurre and call it a day? Opaline will also show all the France and USA matches. USA vs. Thailand on June 11 promises to be a tasty match-up!!  

Honorable mention: I have never heard of The Airdale but thanks to some pretty good facebook targeted marketing I know they are throwing a Team USA Party Friday at 2:30PM (I hope they know team USA is not in fact playing that day… because FRANCE is!!) and they will have Kronenbourg (so at least they know France is the host!) and most importantly half-priced Aperol Spritz. OK, you’ve got my attention Airdale …. 

WHERE TO WATCH ALL THE OTHER MATCHES

When it comes to football, you can never go wrong with Lucky Bar. The Dupont Circle bar will show all of the matches AND on many days you’ll be able to catch some Eurocup and Copa America qualifiers as well. For example tomorrow (Saturday June 8th) you can catch Spain-South Africa (Women World Cup) at noon and then catch France-Turkey (men Eurocup qualifier) at 2:45PM (and Italy-Greece too… you can basically spend your entire saturday at Lucky Bar and watch soccer from 9AM — Women World Cup Germany vs China — to 5PM.) You can check out their website for a full schedule of the matches they show (which is a lot of matches!) Fado Irish Pub in Chinatown is also always a solid bet for sports and they will show all games with sound. 

Not nearly as expected as Lucky Bar or Fado, The Fairmont Hotel is going all out on the 2019 FIFA Women World Cup. The West End hotel is screening all matches live in its lobby bar, and then showing replays later in the evening. Like Sofitel, they are designed a menu of $9 snacks from World Cup countries including French Duck Confit, Brie & Fig Chutney Spread Flatbread (yum!). And there will be foosball tournaments!!  The dress code for the bar is “smart casual” so I’m already plotting ways to dress up my **TWO STARS** French Jersey (sorry ladies, I own like 8 men team jerseys at this point and as much as i loooooove the polka dot jersey, i just can’t buy one more $90 jersey…) You can find more details on their facebook page here.

Franklin Hall is doing a pretty cool celebration of the US Women’s National Team. The beer tavern is  collaborating with District Sports, Pink Boots Society and Girls Who Pint Out for a woman owned/operated TAP TAKEOVER. I dig it! Starting June 11, they will have a rotating list 8-10 breweries highlighting beer made by some kick-ass women in the craft beer scene. They’ll show every US Women game with full sound (I watched a pretty low sound game at Dacha last year and trust me, I know seek out whether sound will or will not be on! It makes a HUGE difference) and proceeds from sales will be donated to Pink Boots Society and Girls Pint Out. 

And then for some country specific events… Last summer, I ended up watching a lot of World Cup matches at Wunder Garten and the NoMa beer garden is once again teaming up with the British Embassy to host a viewing party for the England and Scotland game on Sunday June 9 (doors open at 11:30AM, kick off is at noon). The World Cup watch parties last year were a ton of fun last year, but having Scotland and England face each other off basically take it to the next level….  

I’ll update this post as the tournament progresses. Are you excited about the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup? Rooting for a particular team/country? After reading this New York Times article about the Jamaican team, I’m rooting hard for the Reggae Girlz. Well, at least as long as they don’t face Les Bleues 😉 

 

 

 

 

 

Brooklyn Half Marathon Training Recap – One Week Out!

13 May 2018

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It’s perhaps not the best timing, but I needed a break from running. I’ve decided to approach the Popular Brooklyn Half Marathon the way I approached the Rock’n’Roll Half. No goals. No expectations. I ‘s just gonna try and run a lot of miles and have fun along the way. Last week, running just didn’t seem to make me happy but a lot of other things did…

MONDAY

I’m normally pretty religious about attending Pacers’ Monday fun runs, but this time around I decided having a few cocktails at the Royal Wedding pop-up bar preview would be more fun. This particular pop-up is a lot smaller than previous ones (it only occupies one room, the former Mockingbird Hill space) but it packs in a lot! I also loved the cocktails. The G-d Save the Queen is basically a martini that comes with a crown and the throne, plush-corgis and cut-outs of the royals made for awesome photo opps.

The pop-up is open until May 20th so you definitely should go if you have a  chance! 

TUESDAY

Now that it’s finally warm(ish) outside, there are tons of opportunities to practice yoga, pilates and other group fitness classes for free. This particular Tuesday was Shack Track & Field (where runners make their ways from one of the Pacers store to the Shake Shack at Logan Circle) and that starts a little bit later than regular runs, at 7PM. So I decided to double up that evening and squeezed in one of the Golden Triangle BID’s TriFit yoga class, offered by Corepower Yoga. Yoga went much better than the run afterwards…

I opted for the 5 miles track this time and right out of the gate, I could hardly keep up with the group who was running closer to an 8 miles pace than the 10-11 I’m comfortable with. I know they always say all pace are welcome in running group, but if you’re on the slower side, you’re mainly welcomed to run by yourself which is what I ended up doing for two thirds of the course. Womp womp. But I least I got a grab a tasty glass of glass at Shake Shack afterwards.

WEDNESDAY

Cyclebar! I normally take Valerie’s evening class but Haley is teaching at 7AM now so I thought I’d take that instead and free up my evening. My friend Calla had just gotten back from Sweden so I had her over for quiche, wine and travel stories!

THURSDAY

The return of Body Pump! I never felt healthier and stronger than when I took body pump classes regularly last year.  I gave up my gym membership when I signed up for the unlimited monthly pass at Cyclebar NoMa, thinking I could do weight training on my own in my building’s fitness room. Of course, I haven’t 😉 I had gone the week before at Vida Navy Yard as a guest of my friend Cecile and realized how much I had missed it so I used some ClassPass credits to sign up for a session at Gold’s Gym on 19th street. It felt much better than it had the week before and I’m definitely going to try to sign up for a class here and there. I also bought a set of 7lbs dumbbells so I can do a few exercises on my own. In the evening, I toyed with the idea of *finally* doing track but opted for one of Tammy’s TW Training & Wellness fun run instead. It started and ended at Ivy & Coney in Shaw, pretty close to me so it was more convenient than going to Pacers’ and Banneker.

I know eventually I *have* to integrate track work into my weekly routine but I’m not sure Pacers will be the group for me to do it with. I might need to find a group more geared towards beginners like myself.

FRIDAY

My usual Friday evening class with Haley. 

SATURDAY

I know I should have done one last long run before Brooklyn, either Saturday or Sunday, but honestly, I didn’t want to. It felt so good to do other exercise besides running, like hiking Sugarloaf Mountain. We did the Blue Trail and bits of the White Trail and covered closed to 10K. I loved it. I didn’t loved Sugarloaf Winery afterwards. The space doesn’t have a ton of charm, the  staff was pretty rude and the wine barely drinkable (the Viogner was ok, so I ended up getting a bottle to share. We had earned a treat!)  But it was fun to relax and have some snacks after the hike. 

SUNDAY

I took Valerie’s 10AM class at Cyclebar NoMa and ROCKED it. Some days you’re more into it than others I guess and I made it into the top 3 on the leaderboard for all of the sprints, which never happens to me! I definitely needed that little boost of confidence after feeling so inadequate at Shack Track & Field Tuesday. In the afternoon, I took a leisurely walk around NoMa with my friend Ekaterina to check out the new murals from the 2018 edition of the Pow Wow DC street art festival. I wrapped up the weekend with cocktails at Cotton and Reed near Union Market.

One Last Hello at Cotton and Reed

All in all, I had a very active week, squeezing in a double workout on two occasions. But I know I should have ran more than 12.5K (my goal for the week was 30K). But it’s ok. I think I needed a bit of a break, it’s just unfortunate it had to happen the week before the Brooklyn half marathon… I’m hoping that after this small reset I can get back to enjoying my runs. And eventually too I’ll get better at finding that right balance of running/me time/social life/other workouts. I almost had it this week… minus the running 😉 

Washington, D.C. To-Do List for Thanksgiving Weekend

8 November 2017

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Guess who’s stuck in Washington, D.C. for Thanksgiving? 

Not Taylor Swift, me 😉 If you’re raising your hand too, I’ve got a few ideas of things you can do to still have a fabulous weekend in the city.

VOLUNTEER

So you have no family here or you’re stuck having to work on Friday… guess what, there are people who have it worse than you. So why not give back and help those less fortunate. The D.C. Jewish Community Center hosts a number of “everything but the turkey” volunteer events between Sunday November 19th and Tuesday November 21st (including one that is family friendly.) All of the shifts to assist with thanksgiving food preparation the week of Thanksgiving are already full at Food & Friends but you can still buy one of the Thanksgiving Pies they are selling to benefit their Slice of Life initiative (that one’s a win-win for everyone involved!). The Holiday Helpings opportunities at Bread for the City are also mostly all filled up (we’re obviously a city that loves to volunteer!) but you can still find some openings by looking through their volunteer opportunity calendar here. You can also participate in one of the region’s many Turkey Trots like the one benefiting SOME at Freedom Plaza on Thursday, November 23, 2017.

SOME is also accepting Thanksgiving donation baskets at 71 O Street on Friday, November 17 (8AM-4PM), Saturday November 18 (10AM-1PM) and Monday November 20 (8AM-4PM). You can learn more about this opportunity and what they need <here>. 

SEE A SHOW/PLAY/CONCERT/GAME

There’s always something happening at the newly re-branded Capitol One Arena in Chinatown. During Thanksgiving week, we’re looking at Lady gaga on Sunday, November 19th, hockey games on Saturday (Capitals vs Minnesota), Monday (vs. Calgary), Wednesday (vs. Ottawa) and Friday (vs. Tampa Bay) or basketball (Wizards vs. Portland on Saturday November 25. Other concerts include St. Vincent, performing at D.C.’s newest venue The Anthem on November 27 or Diplo at Echostage November 25th. On the more classical side, the National Symphony Orchestra will perform the score from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets while audiences relive the magic of the film on giant screens (November 24-25 and 26.)

Picture courtesy of the Kennedy Center

And of course, the Nutcracker starts at the Kennedy Center too… because Christmas. That means yep, A Christmas Carol is back at Ford’s Theater too. Less Christmas-y, you can catch performances of Twelfth Night by the Shakespeare Theater Company at Sidney Harman Hall (November 14-December 20th, tickets here), Nina Simone: Four Women at Arena Stage (November 10-December 24, tickets here) or The Second City Presents ‘Nothing to Lose (But Our Chains)’ (November 11 – December 31) at Woolly Mammoth Theater.  

CHECK OUT AN EXHIBIT OR A NEW MUSEUM

The University of Iowa Museum of Art was kind enough to loan us Jackson Pollock’s ‘Mural’, the artist’s largest work which will be on display at the National Gallery of Art’s East Building starting November 19th. While you’re there, you can still catch the Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting exhibit which opened on the West Building a few weeks ago.  And since the Freer Gallery of Art just reopened after nearly two years of renovations, why not check out its Divine Felines: Cats of Ancient Egypt exhibit (Miaou! open through January 15, 2018 at the Sackler Galleries), Encountering the Buddha: Art and Practice across Asia (open through November 2020) or instagram your way through Subodh Gupta: ‘Terminal a new large-scale installation made from towers of brass containers that are connected by thread.

Image courtesy of the Hauser & Wirth Gallery

You can also catch the last few days of Kingdom of Colors at Artechouse. The  immersive visual experience, designed by French filmmaker Thomas Blanchard and artist Oilhack (with a soundtrack by Lyon-based composer Leonardo Villiger), closes November 26th. And there will be 5 augmented reality cocktails at this one! Finally, if that’s your thing, you can also visit D.C.’s newest museum, the Museum of the Bible, which will open November 17 (tickets are free.)

START CELEBRATING THE HOLIDAY SEASON

It might be Thanksgiving weekend, but as soon I’ve you’ve digested that Turkey the city is all about the holidays. Thanksgiving weekend is really Christmas season’s first weekend and you can get into the holiday spirits at one of those events:

  • Season’s Greenings, the United States Botanical Garden annual holiday show, opens Friday, November 23 (and runs through January 1, 2018.) Tickets are free but you might want to wait until a little later in December when the crowds die down a little. There will be a number of special evenings as well throughout the month with live music… and less children! You can read my recap of the 2015 edition right here.

  • Get a head start on buying those Christmas presents at the Downtown Holiday Market, whose tents will start appearing by the National Portrait Gallery as early as Saturday November 24.  
  • If the weather is nice, you can head to the National Zoo for ZooLights, a fun display of LED Christmas lights. (Free admission; 5-9 PM daily; November 24 – January 1, 2018)
  • CityCenterDC will light its impressive 75 feet tall holiday tree on Saturday, November 25 (6 PM) Also making an appearance, the 25-foot reindeer (I love those!)  
  • Donald Trump and his family will also be lighting the National Christmas Tree that Saturday. You had to enter a lottery to go to the actual ceremony but you can also just go check it out on Sunday instead. In addition to the National Christmas Tree, each state and US Territory has a smaller tree on display in President’s Park. 

 

A First Look at the Shop Made in DC

3 November 2017

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I’ve been writing a lot about running lately, so I thought it was time for a non-jogging related post. Meet the Shop Made in D.C., a newly opened shop-café combo at 1333 19th street NW. As you may have guessed by the name, the 2,500-square-foot space only stocks products that are made in the District, from the coffee (which comes from Small Plane, Ryan Jensen’s new roasting company) to a rotating selection of goods by local small business owners. All of them belong to the Department of Small and Local Business Development’s Made in D.C. program, which provided $100,000 in funding for the project, through a grant to the Golden Triangle BID. Other financial backers include Boston Properties, People Make Place and the Neighborhood Restaurant Group. 

Two things caught my eyes right away when I came in last Saturday. First, big black letters at the back of the store with the words EAT and DRINK. I guess I was hungry 😉

It was a little too early for tacos (from Tortilladora) or momos (from Dorjee momo), so I just grabbed an everything bagel from Bullfrog Bagels and a coffee. The shop carries oat-milk which is my new favourite so I was excited about that!

I’ll have to come back to try more of the food offerings, including the beers which Greg Engert, director of the beverage program, selected from 6 local breweries. 

Next, I couldn’t help but be drawn to a long brick wall on the side of the store, with bold and  bright posters from 18 of DC’s landmark neighbourhoods, created by Anthony Dihle of Victory Dance Creative.

Alongside all the products featured in the shop, you can find little cards detailing the name of the artisan that made it (24 currently), alongside their makerhood, how many years they have been a maker, how many years they have been in DC and of course, their social media handles so you can look them up.

 

Food products and prints are most prominent in the shop, but you can also find beautiful leather goods from Stitch and Rivet , shirts by District of Clothing or pottery from Hollow Work Ceramics. For now, all of the local entrepreneurs featured have to be DC based businesses registered with the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development though that might change soon since that partnership is only slated to last 6 months as it stands right now.

I foresee the Shop Made in DC being a great event space too, and they are already organizing a Meet the Makers evenings as well as participating in Dupont’s First Friday art walks. I’m sure there’ll be a lot more different events planned soon, especially with the holidays coming up, and I can’t wait! 

Shop Made in DC. 1330 19th Street, Northwest. Open Monday though Friday, 7 AM to 8 PM; Saturday and Sunday, 11 AM to 6 PM. 

Drink all the French Bubbles at DC’s First Champagne Week

3 November 2016

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DC Champagne WeekIf you missed Champagne Day on October 21, don’t worry! Champagne shouldn’t be celebrated in a day anyway, it clearly deserves its own week! At least that’s what my friends Jess and Alison thought. These two wine pros are throwing DC’s first ever Champagne Week, from Sunday November 6 to Thursday November 12.

The idea for DC Champagne Week started off small. Jess runs Young Winos of DC, a group that connects people in the District with wine tastings and events. She reached out to Alison, who runs her own wine consulting business Bon Vivant DC, to partner up on a champagne focused event. Jess jokes that Alison took a small idea and blew it up, but Alison retorts that Jess never would’ve reached out to her if she wanted something low key 😉 Before long, Alison was in Champagne attending le Printemps des Champagnes, the weeklong industry festival (you can read more about her trip to Paris and Champagne here). While there, she was able to meet producers, other champagne event producers and came back with a better understanding of what a champagne week might look like in DC. Right away, Alison had a vision of a grand tasting like the ones she just experienced at the Printemps des Champagnes and everything grew from there…

Champagne Week DCSo what can you expect from DC Champagne Week? Here’s a run-down of the events:

The event will feature an elite lineup of champagne houses including Pol Roger, Gosset, Pierre Paillard, Charles Heidsieck, A.R. Lenoble, Canard-Duchêne, J de Telmont, Heucq Pere & Fils, and selections from the Terry Theise champagne portfolio. Select cuvées will be available for purchase throughout DC Champagne Week at Calvert Woodley, a fabulous wine shop and the event retail partner. You can find out more about DC Champagne Week right here and I definitely hope I’ll be seeing you at some of the events!!

Santé!! 

Celebrating DC’s First Michelin Guide at the French Ambassador’s Residence

14 October 2016

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Bibendum at the release party for DC's first Michelin Guide

Being invited to the French Ambassador’s Residence is always a treat… I’ve only been there a few times in my 13 years in Washington and I’m always elated when I have the chance to attend an event there. Last night was no exception, if anything it was more special than ever as Washington’s top toques gathered to celebrate the release of the District’s very first Michelin Guide. So. Many. Chefs. 

In addition to the 11 chefs who were awarded coveted stars in the red guide, representatives from the restaurants who were awarded Bib Gourmand last week as well as from those who were listed in the book were present. Who was left in DC’s kitchens last night? A lot of sous-chefs in charge 😉

DC's Michelin Starred Chefs

There are 107 restaurants listed in the Michelin Guide, including 19 Bib Gourmand, 9 one-star restaurants and 3 two-stars restaurants. The big winners from this first edition are Jose Andres and Aaron Silverman. At 34, the chef who made D.C. fall in love with a litchi and pork sausage dish is one of very people in the world to have both a one star (Rose’s Luxury) and a two stars (Pineapple & Pearl) restaurant. And he’s just getting started! Jose Andres also had a very good week, receiving two stars for his Minibar and a Bib Gourmand for pretty much all of his other establishments (Oyamel, China Chilcano, Zaytinya and Jaleo).

My favourite moment from last night’s event, other than sipping champagne among the who’s who of the Washington culinary scene — and getting my picture taken with Bibendum — was when Patrick O’Connor, the chef and proprietor of the two-star Inn at Little Washington said a few words as he accepted his recognition. At 71, he is twice Aaron Silverman’s age and had long lobbied Michelin’s to cover the city. “I am living proof” he said “that if you wait long enough your prayers will be answered.” Despite their insistence that they would only include restaurants from DC proper in the guide, I am so glad that the Michelin inspecteurs ventured out to Washington, VA. I’m hoping to make a trip out there soon, but until then, I’ll be combing through the guide (which shouldn’t take long, the D.C. edition is a mere 96 pages long, of which maybe 15 are ads for Michelin and maps) and picking out some new spots to try!

DC Michelin Guide

The first on my lists are all around where I live, and I can’t believe I eaten there yet: Ottoman Taverna (Bib Gourmand), Kinship (one star) and Chercher, a Bib Gourmand Ethiopian restaurant I hadn’t even heard of until the guide came out. Do you think the release of the guide will influence where you’re going to eat in the near future?

Getting my Coffee Fix at Qualia Luke’s Diner

5 October 2016

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Luke's Diner pop up at Qualia

Where you a fan of Gilmore Girls? I watched it religiously when I was in college and I can’t wait until Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, the four-episode revival of the series, comes out on Netflix November 25! To celebrate the 16th gilmoreversary of the series’ original pilot air date (this is making me feel old!!) and of course promote the new season, Netflix had the brilliant idea of bringing a little bit of Stars Hollow to life by turning some 200 coffee shops across the U.S. and Canada into Luke’s Diner pop-ups. And to serve free coffee, which we know Rory and Lorelai would have totally be fans of!!  

Luke's diner pop up

There were five coffee shops that got the Luke’s Diner treatment in the D.C. area: Bump ‘n Grind in Silver Spring; Grounded Coffee Shop in Alexandria; Flying Fish Coffee & Tea in Mt Pleasant; Three Fifty Bakery and Coffee Bar on 17th Street and Qualia Coffee on Georgia Avenue which is where I headed for my coffee fix this morning. Of course, the lines were pretty long at all of these, but it was definitely worth it! Loved seeing the staff all dressed up like Luke, wearing flannel shirts and (Netflix-branded) baseball caps turned backwards.

Qualia turned into Luke's Diner for the day

Cell phones were only in their infancy back when the show first aired and we all remember that Luke Danes was not a fan, with a NO CELL PHONES sign prominently placed in his diner. Well, that was there today of course….

Luke's Diner no cell phone sign

Some pop-up Luke’s Diner around the country even got a life size Luke’s cutout displaying the updated no cell phone rule… looks like 2016 Luke is still as grumpy as ever 😉 The new sign reads: “No texting while ordering. No MAN BUNS! No taking pictures of food. No headphones. If I can hear your music through your headphones, WHY ARE YOU WEARING HEADPHONES?”

New no cell phone rules at Luke's diner

No taking pictures of my food!?! Why doesn’t he just write no millennials allowed in 😉 Can’t wait to see play out in the show’s revival!! 

 

New Mural at 801 N Street NW

1 October 2016

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It’s been pretty gloomy in Washington, DC lately so I was pretty excited to stumble upon a new pop of colour in Shaw. Kuddos to Jessie and Katey, an artistic duo from Baltimore, for working in the rain to turn a dull wall above a parking lot into a vibrant public mural.

Jessie and Katey mural at 801 N Street NW in Washington, DC

The mural is part of the District Wall project sponsored by Blind Whino and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Between September 19th and September 30th, abstract muralists like Jason Woodside (1380 H st NE), Remi Rough (649 Kenyon St NW), Tavar Zawacki (1012 7th St SE) or Waone Interesni Kazki (829 Rock Creek Church Rd. NW) have been painting new pieces of street art around the city. I’m always eager to see more graffiti cover the city’s empty walls. And even though the project was supposed to end September 30, some of the murals are still works in progress. James Reka (Rekaone) just got started on his for example, so there’s still more to come… yeah! 

 

Weekend Highlights: Garnacha, Hello Kitty, a Pique Nique & a Sneak Peek at NMAAHC

19 September 2016

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I can’t believe it’s already Monday! I packed a lot in three short days, and the weekend definitely flew by! Now let’s just hope the week goes just as fast too 😉 

MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY AT GRAND CATA

Have you been to Grand Cata yet? It’s one of my favourite wine store in the city… and since it doesn’t carry many French bottles, that’s saying something about the rest of their selection! My first instinct when picking vino is usually to go straight for what I know, French wines but Julio and Pedro who co-own the Latin-centric shop are always spot with their recommendations. Whether it’s a Spanish garnacha, a Portuguese rose or a bottle from South America, they’ve definitely helped me step out of my wine-comfort box and explore different wine producing regions. On Friday, they held a bit of a party at their 7th street store to celebrate Mexico’s Día de la Independencia. There was Mezcal (Grand Cata sells more than just wine) and tasty maizopes courtesy of Manos de Maiz. 

Manos de Maiz

Grand Cata Wine Store in Washington DCCelebrating #Garnachaday

Since Snooth, an online community for wine drinkers was hosting a virtual tasting party with Wines of Garnacha for #GarnachaDay I picked up a 2014 Gardacho from Alzania vineyards in Navarra, a 100% garnacha wine that they recommended and joined the twitter fun while watching St Vincent on Netflix 😉 I definitely needed a night in after a busy week, though I’m not gonna lie, I thought the movie was going to be a bit funnier… I was quite depressed after watching it… 

HELLO KITTY CAFE TRUCK PARKS IN BETHESDA

Hello Kitty Cafe Truck

I also needed a good nice rest since I had to get up super early to head to Bethesda for the scheduled appearance of the Hello Kitty Cafe truck. Yes, I pretty much dedicated all of my Saturday to waiting in line, outside a pink truck, to grab one box of $15 Hello Kitty themed macarons.

Nicole and the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck

Hello Kitty Cafe Truck

The wait was a bit ridiculous (Hello Kitty sure has some dedicated fans!) and the line could certainly have been managed better but it was all worth it! Besides, I got to swing by Fresh Baguette while I was there and tried their pumpkin croissant too! ps: speaking of Fresh Baguette, they’re in the running to have their bread named DC’s best baguette. Will I see you at the best baguette finale at the French Embassy on September 29th? 

 

END OF SUMMER FRENCH PIQUE NIQUE

Sunday, some of my Frenchies and I had planned a get-together with friends and other members of the french expat meet-up at Peirce Mill and Barn in Rock Creek Park for a low key picnic. The ratio of baguettes to attendees was excellent, which I guess is to be expected when French people get together… 

Peirce Mill and Barn Frenchie pique nique

Peirce Mill & Barn

 

 

 

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY & CULTURE PREVIEW

National Museum of African American History and CultureA huge merci to Ninette who let me tag along with her during the friends and family preview of much anticipated NMAAHC, which will officially open this Saturday. I *cannot* wait to go back! Three hours was barely enough time to skim the surface of this fantastic new Smithsonian museum, which takes visitors on a journey through the lens of the African American experience, from slavery in Africa at the lowest underground level of the museum to the brighter upper floors to segregation to the third and uppermost history level, called “1968 to Today.” There, the mood lightens, with sections celebrating achievements and contributions to pop culture, music, sports and the arts.

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Oprah Winfrey at the National Museum of African American History and Culture

On my next visit to the museum (I have timed free-tickets for September 22) I’ll actually start at the upper levels and make my way down since I spent most of my time Sunday at the lower levels. I also will absolutely visit Sweet Home Cafe, the museum’s dining hall for which chef Carla Hall was a culinary ambassador. Like Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe at the National Museum of American Indians, the 400 seats-restaurant is split into 4 food sections that tell the culinary story of African Americans: the North States, Agricultural South, Creole Coast, and Western Range. I was only able to peek at the menu for the Creole Coast, with candied yams, house pickled vegetables, catfish po’boy and duck, andouille and crawfish gumbo among other. My husband is from Louisiana and I definitely want to eat my way through that menu — and discover the rest too! 

So that was my weekend… next week is the National Book Festival and Art All Night (two September events I’ve been looking forward to) so I have another busy weekend ahead. Hopefully, the week will go by quickly!! How was your weekend? How’s your week shaping up?

Weekend Highlights ~ Low Key Labour Day

6 September 2016

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The first Monday of September is always Labor Day in the United States. It honors American workers and their contributions to the strength of the country. It’s also considered the unofficial end of summer… le sigh.

DRINKS AT THE WATERGATE HOTEL

We kicked off the weekend with happy hour at the Next Whisky Bar in the newly opened Watergate Hotel. Of course, everyone knows of the Watergate from the history books and the role it played in the demise of president Richard Nixon. But today, it’s a complex of 5 buildings right by the Kennedy Center. One of those building is now a landmark hotel overlooking the Potomac River and I hadn’t been yet since it reopened in June (it was closed for renovations since 2007.) The drinks are pretty pricey, so it’s not a spot where I’m going to become a regular at, but I loved the bar’s splashy atmosphere, with its lush red seats and the soft amber glow from the curved illuminated wall of 2,500 whisky bottles. 

The Bar at the Watergate Hotel

 

LABOUR DAY CAPITOL CONCERT

After that, my weekend was rather low key. Saturday, I went for a quick jog to the U.S. Capitol. I really want to get back into running now and jogging to and from the Capitol is a nice and easy 3 miles, the perfect distance when you havn’t been running for a while. Plus it’s such a pretty route, especially now that the scaffholding is almost all down. 

Concert on the West Lawn of the US Capitol

Sunday evening, I went back to the Capitol, to the West Lawn to be exact, to catch the free concert by the National Symphony Orchestra. It was a very only-in-DC concert. The musicians, led by Steven Reineke, kicked off the program with the star spangled banner. Featured singer Storm Large and her band Le Bonheur then launched into some American classic, including America the beautiful. My favourite moments were when she dedicated her performance of The Lady is a Tramp to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (her “spirit animal”) before serenading Bernie Sanders with a special version of My Funny Valentine, which she turned into My Bernie Valentine. Yep, politics is everywhere, always (but especially in an election year!) Washington, DC 😉 

Labor day concert at the US Captiol

 

STUNNING SUNSETS

Was it because of Hermine? I’m not sure, but we were treated to some pretty magical, unforgettable sunsets Friday and Saturday nights. According to my instagram feed, that was the case all along the East Coast, all the way to New York City. I wish my pictures could do justice to just how breath taking the red sky was… 

Sunset

Stunning sunset in Washington, DC

 

SUP-ING ON THE POTOMAC

I try to go kayaking on the Potomac at least once every summer, though I waited until the very end this year (let’s be real, it was too hot before that!) The weather was so perfect on Monday, we definitely weren’t the only ones who had that idea. We opted to do the Stand Up Paddleboards this time, which was a great workout on top of being a fun way to see the city from a different angle, including the Watergate where I had kicked off the weekend. 

Boating in DC
SUP-ing on the PotomacSUP-ing to the WatergateWe wrapped up the weekend with a little grilling, of course. That’s kinda synonymous with Labour Day right? In addition to running again, I’m trying to eat less meat so rather than cook steaks or burgers, I tried something different: grilled artichokes. 

Grilled artichoke with rose

It was actually really good and super easy to do. The trick is to boil the artichokes first. Once they’ve cooled down a bit, cut them in half and brush them with a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. You’ll grill them for 5-10 minutes (until the tips are a little charred) and enjoy with a little more of the olive oil mixture. It’s actually quite perfect if you ever have vegetarian friends over for BBQ!

How was your labour day weekend? Did you go anywhere fun or stayed behind and enjoyed an emptier city? Let me know in the comments and have a great (short) week!