The DC Traveler

If you follow The DC Traveler, you know I enjoy watching bellydancing (and what red-blooded man wouldn’t) and have written in the past on another bellydance performance along with a brief overview of the various dance style. But I also love the music that accompanies it, and the dancer’s graceful rhythm and body control.  
A full-time, professional bellydance troupe that travels the U.S. and abroad performing and hosting workshops, the Bellydance Superstars will be performing at The Birchmere on November 5th.

This should be one of the best bellydance performances in DC this year, so if you want a good introduction, or are like me, …read more

Comments Off

Latin and salsa dancing has hit DC in a big way over the past few years. I got into it a couple years ago, and started taking lessons off and on. Clubs all over DC cater to both beginner and serious salsa dancers.  To broaden their patron base, many clubs and restaurants offer beginner and intermediate salsa lessons, before a night of Latin dancing. Some places charge a small fee ($5-$10) for the lesson while others are free.  I’ve listed only a small portion of the area places that offer lessons, but attempted to list places that have a Latin dance party …read more

7 Comments

…no, the Old Executive Office Building, or is it the Eisenhower Executive Office Building?
Regardless what you call it, people either love it or hate it; due to its very unique and as some people think, totally out of place architectural style. 
The exterior, with its 900 columns, and 1,500+ windows is Second Empire Style, an architectural style popular during the Victorian era.  The 7 floors cover over 660,000 square feet and originally had 151 fireplaces, but only 83 remain today.
Probably the most notable aspect of the building is its exterior cast iron used for window frames, sculpture, chimneys, cornices and roof trim.  …read more

1 Comment

The Washington Wizard’s season home opener is November 3rd against the Orlando Magic.  The Wizards are coming off a 41-41 2006-07 season.  
Washington Wizards – Season Home OpenerVerizon Center601 F Street, NW, between 6th and 7th Streets, NEWashington, DC 20004 (map it)
Date and Time – Saturday, Nov. 3rd, 7:00 p.m.
Tickets – available online – Special Upper Level tickets at $10.00, all others $45.00 – $2500.00

Nearest Metro subway station – Gallery Place / Chinatown (the Metro station is part of the Verizon Center) – Red, Yellow and Green lines.
Parking – limited street parking in the area, but various paid lots and …read more

1 Comment

Still wondering how to have some scary Halloween fun?
Besides some of the Halloween ideas I’ve already mentioned:

The Halloween Monster Bash 
Haunted Halloween Forest
The MAiZE in Leesburg,
Boo at the Zoo

Here’s a few more.
                                   ____________________
Halloween Graveyard Jam at the Hard Rock Café
Party includes a costume contest. Prizes and raffles include a weekend trip to Iceland, an Ovation Guitar plus more.
Salsa Dancing from 9:30 – 11:00 then Mummy’s Music with DJ Kurtis Cross who will be resurrecting some classic retro tunes mixed with modern high energy, hip hop and top 40 party hits.
Hard Rock Café 999 E. Street, N.W.Washington, D.C. (map it)
Date …read more

1 Comment

The first paid police officials were hired to protect the citizens of Boston in 1712.   
In 1789, President George Washington appointed the first 13 U.S. Marshals, after Congress approved the first Federal law enforcement positions.
The year 1792 brought the first record of a law enforcement officer getting killed in the line of duty.  New York Deputy Sheriff Isaac Smith, was killed by John Ryer after responding to a report of a disturbance in a tavern, in what is now the the South Bronx.
Ryer, a member of a prominent local farming and cattle-raising family, while drunk, shot the deputy using a …read more

7 Comments

Into your witch’s cauldron add a good dose of fun guys, a generous helping of exciting girls, making sure everyone is wearing their favorite alter-ego costumes.  Then add a couple great DJs (Pat Premier and Mr. Greengenes), throw in an abundance of spooky cocktails and stir in DC’s biggest Halloween costume contest. Top it off with a huge helping of DCs 20-something crowd until you fill the dance floor. And what do you get?
The Halloween Monster Bash Clarendon Ballroom3185 Wilson Boulevard Arlington, VA 22201 (map it)
Note – Costumes are required.
Dates and Times -  Saturday, Oct. 27th. Doors open at 5:00 …read more

1 Comment

I have horrible penmanship, really horrible. So bad, I doubt there’s a doctor in America with worse handwriting.  But just a few generations ago, it was not uncommon for the wealthily or educated to have beautiful penmanship.  Just check out the signatures on the Declaration of Independence. 
If you want to learn how to write beautifully, improve your calligraphy skills, or find a top calligrapher to address your holiday party invites, Holiday Calligrafest is for you.

With demonstrations, 90-minute mini-workshops, books on calligraphy, auctions, raffles, and lots of vendors offering supplies, you too can turn into a serious calligrapher.
Holiday Calligrafest West Springfield High …read more

Comments Off

As a kid, I often wondered what happened when animal researchers decided to track an animal in the wild.  They shot it with a tranquilizer, strapped a radio transmitter to it’s back, tagged its ear, painted a huge number 59 on its back and then released it to go live a “normal” life with the herd.   
Well, here’s your chance to find out what really happens when a tagged animal returns to the wild. 
At the new National Geographic Society Crittercam exhibit, animal researchers strapped a portable, battery-powered video camera on the back of wild animals and released them back into their natural habitat.  They …read more

1 Comment

Tango, the dramatic and romantic tango style of dance, originated in Argentina and Uruguay in the late 1800s. By combining multiple dances from European immigrants with ancient African dance forms, tango was an instant hit in South America and quickly caused a tango craze in several major European cities.
America was introduced in part by dance instructor turned actor, Rudolph Valentino, who introduced the sensual tango to film audiences.
As one of Argentina’s cultural exports, Tango Buenos Aires is probably one of the most authentic tango troupes dancing today with a rich 20 year history of dancing tango. 

Tango Buenos AiresThe Music Center at Strathmore5301 …read more

Comments Off