Interpreting classic jazz standards or singing her own bluesy jazz pieces is her sound today, but her background is varied, from playing in marching bands as a child to a back up singer with Joni Mitchell and  singer in funk bands.

In the 1980 she explored into the New York jazz scene and has since recorded over 20 albums, won a Grammy and was named the female Jazz Vocalist of the Year by Down Beat magazine, three years in a row.

Cassandra Wilson
Warner Theatre
513 13th Street, NW, between E & F St.
Washington, D.C., 20004 (map it)

Date and Time – Saturday, November 8, 2008.  8:00 p.m.

Tickets – $40.00 – $80.00 and are available online.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Metro Center – Red, Orange and Blue lines, then a one-block walk or use the DC Circulator.

Parking – Paid garage parking and very limited metered street parking is available.

Image – Flickr – Cassandra Wilson in NYC

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Post from: The DC Traveler

Police cordoned off streets and sidewalks for several blocks around the IMF and World Bank buildings just blocks from the White House, expecting hundreds of protestors, if not thousands.

Surprisingly, when I walked by the bank yesterday around noon, the streets were empty of protestors, even with the current financial meltdown.

I asked one of the many police officers manning a pedestrian barricade if there were any protestors. He replied sarcastically, “Yes, there were eight on Saturday.”

During previous summits, protestor turnout was much larger.  Last year, a small group of about 100 protestors turned violent in Georgetown and near the World Bank when they clashed with police.

This year, other than the heavy police presence, you couldn’t tell there was a major economic meeting in progress. The only exception this weekend was a small reported group of a few clean energy protestors.

Images – from personal collection – ©2008, Jon Rochetti __________________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler

In 1983, he was a finalist on Ed McMahon’s “Star Search” and his stand-up comedy career tool off.  Since then he’s appeared in a number of major movies including “Jingle All the Way,”  “Houseguest”  and “Necessary Roughness”.

Sinbad
Warner Theatre
513 13th Street, NW, between E & F St.
Washington, D.C., 20004 (map it)

Dates and Times -  Saturday, October 18, 2008, 8:00 p.m.

Tickets – $46.50 and are available online at Ticketmaster.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Metro Center – Red, Orange and Blue lines, then a one-block walk or use the DC Circulator.

Parking – Paid garage parking and very limited metered street parking is available.

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Post from: The DC Traveler

As part of the Festival of Building Arts, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange along with BMD (Bowen McCauley Dance), bring their high energy dance style to the National Building Museum in Washington, DC for three free performances on Saturday.

The dance performances express the relationship between movement, architecture, and the machinery used to build our community.

This revolutionary concept, dancing on and around earth movers should be a unique and fun experience.

And between performances, check out the National Building Museum.

National Building Museum
401 F Street, NW
Washington , DC (map it)

Performance will be at G Street between 4th & 5th Streets, NW.

Dates and Times – Saturday, October 11, 2008 – 11:00, 12:30, and 2:00 p.m. Each performance is approximately 15 minutes.

Tickets – Free

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Judiciary Square – Red line, then a 1-block walk or use the DC Circulator.

Parking – Metered street and garage parking is available in the area.

Images – courtesy of BMD – Pas de Dirt – Photographer: John McCauley

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Post from: The DC Traveler

Pronounced ah-NEE-may, it’s a popular form of art used in television shows, video games, movies, and on countless Internet sites.

Animation was popular in both the U.S. and Japan after WW-II, but in Japan, anime and magna (animation and comics characters) accounted for over 40% of all of Japan’s domestic films. While in the U.S., animation was mostly targeted at young children, in Japan, it had appeal with all age groups.

A couple Japanese anime programs, Astro Boy and Speed Racer, were modified for American audiences and became popular in the 1960s on television.

Here’s a sample of some 1960s Anime…

The art form uses a specific style or look, which is generally instantly recognizable.  Some characters is highly sexualized and racy.

It’s also about those Japanese animated characters and super heroes that some people are totally enamored with.

Events and activities include:

• Art Show and Gallery
• Anime Music Videos
• Art Show and Auction
• Autograph Sessions
• Kabuki Ball (semi-formal dress code, Cosplay costumes welcome) with dance instructions
• Cosplay contest and skits

• Saturday night dance
• Anime vendors room
• Game Shows with prizes
• Karaoke
• LARP (Live-Action Role Playing)
• Panels and Workshops – from cel-painting to story plots
• High-tech Video Game Room and Tournaments with prizes
• Video Rooms – four anime video rooms and a live-action Japanese video room
• Bands, celebrities and more

And here’s samples of current Anime…

Anime USA
Hyatt Regency Crystal City
2799 Jefferson Davis Highway
Arlington, Virginia 22202 (map it)

Dates and Times – Friday-Sunday, October 10-12, 2008, hours vary by day.

Tickets – Three-day Pass – $50, Friday – $35, Saturday – $40 and Sunday – $30 and are available at the door. Children 7 & under – free, kids 8-12 – half-price with an adult (limit 2 kids per adult).

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Crystal City – Blue add Yellow line.  The Hyatt’s shuttle stop at the station every 20 minutes.  Look for the White\Red Shuttle or call the hotel at 703-418-1234 for pick-up.

Parking – Valet only at the hotel. Or try the two paid parking garages behind the hotel.

Weapons Policy – There is a strict weapons policy, not sure why it  needs to be stated, but  here’s the link to  it.

Images – Flickr – green woman drawing, cosplay group, Anime in LA

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Post from: The DC Traveler

But my favorite place in the old neighborhood was Meyer Delicatessen. It was an old world German deli filled with countless types of German sausages, cold cuts and food products. After I moved from Chicago, every trip back would require a stop at Meyer’s to fill a cooler to bring home.  Just walking in the door and smelling the rich flavors that permeated the walls over the years, reminded me of my regular visits as a young child and walking in while holding my grandfather’s hand.  Sadly, it closed a couple years a go.

But recently, I may have found a replacement. It’s the German Gourmet, in suburban Falls Church, Virginia.

Walking in is like taking a quick trip to Germany. Not only is it a German gourmet and food store, but it sells a variety of German products that you don’t normally see outside of Germany. 

The deli counter offers a nice variety of meats, cheese, wieners, brats, and sausages.  So you can pick up some pickled herring salad, beet salad, double-smoked speck (ham), a few knackwursts, a pound of veal and pork Gelbwurst, and don’t forget a bit Head Cheese (which is not actually cheese, but made from pork snouts – yum!!).  Grab a loaf of old world brot (bread) and you’re ready for a German feast.

A hearty selection of German beers and wines are also available to complement your meal.

And to end things off, try something from their bakery counter, such as an elegant German cake (anything with chocolate should work) or one of the daily made fresh strudel. The poppy seed is my personal favorite.

Have a sweet tooth?  Bags of German candies, marzipan or liquor-filled chocolates can’t miss.

They even offer the traditional Christmas wine, Gluehwein, a spiced mulled wine.

German language music CDs and magazines, as well as many German gift items line the shelves as well.  So if you need a German doll, a unique toy, or even a small cuckoo clock, German Gourmet is the place to go. 

Want to host your own authentic Octoberfest? Check out their wide selection of German beer steins, mugs and glasses.

The family-run original store, located in suburban Falls Church for over 45 years, is a small but friendly place.  The new larger store, about 5 miles away, which opened last August, is considerably larger, has a wider range (1,500+) of products and offers much more free parking.

Add they have hot brats to go available, all the time, so when you have a hankering for Bratwurst sandwich with German potato salad, and a slice of strudel, the German Gourmet should be at the top of your list.

Click here for a slide show of some of the store’s products.

German Gourmet (original location)
7185 Lee Highway
Falls Church, VA 22046
703-534-1908   (map it)

5838 Columbia Pike (new larger location, near Baileys Crossroads)
Falls Church, VA 22041
703-379-8080   (map it)

Dates and Times – Monday & Saturday 9-6, Tuesday – Friday  9-7, closed on Sunday

Nearest Metro Subway Station – line, then a  block walk or use the

Parking – free parking

Images – Original location exterior, from personal collection © 2008 – Jon Rochetti, bread rack, cheese counter, sweets,     ___________________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler

He’s released a couple funny Grammy-nominated CDs, an autobiography entitled “Why You Crying?”, which hit the NY Times Bestseller top 20 list, and has also appeared in a dozen movies.  

He’s also had a couple rather public controversies with Jay Leno and Carlos Mencia.

George Lopez
Warner Theatre
513 13th Street, NW, between E & F St.
Washington, D.C., 20004 (map it)

Dates and Times – Friday – Sunday, October 3-5 , 8:00 p.m.

Tickets – $55.00 and are available online.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Metro Center – Red, Orange and Blue lines, then a one-block walk or use the DC Circulator.

Parking – Metered street and garage parking is available in the area.

Image – Flickr

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Post from: The DC Traveler

As the best-selling author of million plus sellers such as “Me Talk Pretty One Day” and “Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim,” he’s what some call the literary equivalence of a rock star.

His show should be an evening of wit and satire as he examines the human condition from his unique vision coming from a middle-class, North Carolina background.

His published books, stories and collections include:

• Me Talk Pretty One Day
• Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
• Barrel Fever
• Naked
• I Was Told There’s Be Cake
• Holidays on Ice
• When You Are Engulfed in Flames

David Sedaris
Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University
730 21st Street, NW (21st & H Streets, NW)
Washington, DC   (map it)

Dates and Times – Saturday, October 4, 2008, 8:00 p.m.

Tickets – $45.00 and $40.00 and are available by phone at 202-397-SEAT or online.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Foggy Bottom/GWU – Blue and Orange line, then a 2-block walk.

Parking – Metered street parking is available as well as a paid garage parking.

 Images – Flickr – Bookstore

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Post from: The DC Traveler

The inside of the building holds in rather unique museum with very eclectic pieces of freemason history from presidents to actors, G-men to generals.

The museum includes:

• 36 original still life oil paintings of the various Rite elements by Robert H. White.
• The official collection of memorabilia from FBI Director, J. Edgar Hoover.
• A letter from former President Harry S. Truman.
• A life mask of President Abraham Lincoln.
• A large collection of memorabilia from the actor Burl Ives, known for his roles in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Big Country and his narration of the Christmas movie Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
• Painting of several famous members, including Gen. Jimmy Doolittle, Gene Autry, and Senator Sam J. Ervin. 
• Collection of fine porcelains from around the world.
• A large collection of histories, documents and information about the Rite.

Scottish Rite of Freemasonry – Museum and Library
1733 16th Street, at S Street, NW
Washington DC 20009   (map it)

Dates and Times – Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. and the first Saturday of each month from 10:00 – 2:30. Tours are available stating at 9:00 a.m. weekdays and 11:00 on first Saturdays.

Tickets – Admission is FREE.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Dupont Circle – Red line, then a 7-block walk.

Parking – Limited free parking in the rear of the building, as well as 2-hour limit street parking.

Images – from personal collection

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Post from: The DC Traveler

But you might just be approached by a scam artist offering you anything from tickets to “designer” products. 

So when visiting Washington, DC, you know you are getting ripped off if…

1. Anyone offers you discounted tickets to the National Zoo (it’s free).
2. You get approached to buy a Smithsonian Museum Pass, good at all of the Smithsonian museums, (entrance to all of the Smithsonian museums are also free).
3. The “designer” purse that normally retails for $300 at the mall, you happen to find on sale from a tabletop vendor at a festival or from a street vendor in Georgetown.  Yes, it’s a knock-off and worth about 10% of the retail price. But if you really want a $600 Louis Vuitton bag, but can’t justify the price, spending $45 on a knock-off might make you feel better.
4. A cab driver mentions that from downtown to National Airport, he’ll be taking the Beltway…because it’s the fastest route this time of day (talk about the long and expen$ive route). Best to ask at your hotel for the approximate fair before grabbing a cab.
5. You are paying full price for speciality tours.  Sure, it’s common to pay full price when the tour is in high demand. But often, you can negotiate a discount (sometimes a big one), but only if you ask.  I was talking to one speciality tour operator last week about prices and he made it clear that “he would work with me” on a tour, within just a couple minutes, he ended up offering me a 70% discount.
6. Someone offers to sell you White House tour tickets (also free, but limited).
7. You see a Georgetown street vendor selling Rolexs, Gucci and Tag-Heuer watches or designer sunglasses by Oakley or D&G for under $25. Yes, they are fake.  And if you must, always try to bargain them down. Start your offer at nothing higher than 50% of the initial price.*
8. Tickets to events (plays, The Kennedy Center, theaters) are so inexpensive that it seems too good to be true. Don’t fall for a seller on the street that simply used a good scanner and color printer to part you from your vacation cash. Buy from the theater’s box office or let your hotel’s Concierge arrange for tickets.
9. Someone offers you Metro fare cards at a discount. They might be fakes or expired, so go ahead and pay full price for a real Metro card a the station.  The Metro is not that expensive.
10. Vendors, dealers or shops offer “real and authentic” Revolutionary War era, Civil War era,  George Washington slept here artifacts, or other "historical” treasures.  Best to buy from reputable dealers only, ones with a return policy.

* About ten years ago, I did buy a $15 fake “Tag” watch from a Georgetown street vendor. It kept perfect time for over four years. So yes, you might get lucky with a cheap, but well functioning watch.  But my buddy who was visiting DC also bought a diamond “Rolex” (or was it a “Rollex”?). The logo on the face fell off during his flight home and the watch stopped a week later. So buyer beware!

Images – Rolex, purses, Metro SmarTrip card,

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Post from: The DC Traveler