With multiple city/national themes, including London, Austria, Mexico City, Rio, San Juan, and even Amsterdam’s Red Light District (no, not what you might be thinking… actually it’s an R-rated comedy show), this New Year’s Eve party, complete with with 3,000 guests, features all kinds of fun music and activities, including:

• Open Bar and Buffet
• Nine Themed Party Areas
• Multiple Dance Floors , including DC’s Largest Ballroom
• Midnight Balloon Drop
• Live Orchestra, Swing Band, Salsa Band and Mariachis, plus DJs
• Salsa, Meringue, Ballroom and Swing Dance Lessons
• Late Night Comedy Show
• Caricaturists
• Karaoke

And if you are attending the party without a date, there’s also four minute dating sessions for singles. Plus, and here’s a great idea — to identify your relationship status, guests wear different colored bracelets, one color for single people, a different color for couples. 

I wonder how many people will start the night wearing a “couples” colored bracelet and ring in the New Year wearing a “single” bracelet, and visa versa.

Passport to the World Gala – Cities of Virtue and Vice
The Hilton Washington
Dupont Circle
1919 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington DC, 20009  (map it)

Date and Time – December 31, 2008, 9:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m.

Tickets – Prices started at $99.00 but go up as the date gets closer.  Tickets are available online or by phone at 202-686-5990.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Dupont Circle – Red line, then a 5-block walk.

Parking – $15.00

Image – Flickr – champagne  _________________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler

This year, more than 50 power and sail boats should participate in annual Parade of Lights in suburban Alexandria, Virginia. Watch the floating parade along the Potomac River at the city’s historic waterfront.

Festivities also include pictures with Santa for small children. 

Holiday Boat Parade of Lights
Alexandria’s Historic Waterfront at the foot of Cameron Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314 (map it)
703-838-5005 

Dates and Times – Saturday, December 6, 2008. Festivities start at 4:00 p.m. , the parade of boats at 6:00 p.m..

Tickets – This event is FREE.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – King Street – Yellow and Blue lines. then a 20-minute walk or take the free King Street Trolley form the Metro station.

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

Images – Flickr – sailboat, 
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Post from: The DC Traveler

This year kids will enjoy the 12 themed Christmas trees, one for each day of Christmas. Each professionally decorated with themes relating to George Washington, life at Mount Vernon, and the time when the Washington’s lived there.

And look for the live Christmas camel, just like George Washington had at Mt. Vernon during the Christmas season of 1787, two years before he became America’s first President.

Besides a gingerbread recreation of the Mount Vernon Estate created by a former White House pastry chef; watch historical chocolate-making demonstrations, and 18th-century period dancing.

Tour the rarely-seen third floor of the Washington’s mansion and if you’re lucky, meet the always charming "Mrs. Washington" along the way.

Christmas at Mount Vernon 
George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate
3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy.
Mount Vernon, Virginia 22121  (map it)
703-780-2000

Dates and Times – November 28, 2008 through January 6, 2009, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. daily

Tickets – Adults – $13.00, Seniors – $12.00, children 6-11 – $6.00 with adult,  Kids under 6 with an adult are free.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Huntington – Yellow line, then catch the Fairfax Connector bus to Mount Vernon or take a 6 mile cab ride.

Parking – Free parking is available.

Image – Flick _________________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler

Washington, DC has a reputation of having a great Halloween party atmosphere, especially in Georgetown. But if you prefer to avoid the crazy street scene. Here’s a few ideas for Halloween night activities.

• Synetic Theater is hosting presenting it’s Vampire’s Ball in Arlington, Virginia. The evening starts with a performance of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher.
• The annual Halloween Monster Bash at the popular Clarendon Ballroom brings the 20-something crowd together for dancing, cocktails and costume contests.
• Prefer to visit not one, but multiple drinking establishments on Halloween? Then check out Nightmare on M Street, a 6-hour pub crawl taking people though a series of DC bars.
• Dress as your favorite Pirate of the Caribbean at the Halloween Dance party at the Hollywood Ballroom in Silver Spring, Maryland. Come early to take a dance lesson early, then dance the night away.

Date and Times – Friday, October 31, 2008, times vary.

Tickets – Most tickets are available at the door, but check the party’s website for specifics.

Images – Flickr – Nightmare before Christmas,  Men in Black

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Post from: The DC Traveler

Check back tomorrow for a list of some of the fun adult activities.

There are several great places for the kids. But be careful, some may not be appropriate for the very young. Check the links for address, directions, admission prices, and days and hours, which vary by venue.

• First is the always popular and usually sold out Boo at the Zoo at the National Zoo in Washington, DC. Trick-or-treat along haunted trails, learn about bats spiders and other creepy and spooky animals and reptiles, while stocking up on sweet treats at over 40 stations.
• Field of Screams in Olney, Maryland, offers visitors a haunted forest with ghosts, goblins and other scary creatures just for kids. Or get lost in their large ten-acre corn maze, but watch out for what might be hiding inside….
• I’ve written about Markoff’s Haunted Forest, a top-rated Halloween destination in Dickerson, Maryland before, where not only are the scary employees, but a good number of the visitors get dressed in elaborate costumes for a frightful walk through the dark haunted forest.
• Another local favorite is Bennett’s Curse — House of the Vampires in Hanover, Maryland.
• And one more haunted woods walk is the popular Spooky Hollow and Haunted Trail. This scary place in Germantown, Maryland also offers entertainment, carnival games, food, give-away and contests.

Note: While some of these are definitely for small children, many are spooky and scary for older kids.

Images – Flickr, Fuzzy blue, witch

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Post from: The DC Traveler

Now in it’s 31st season, the Big Apple Circus, when not in New York, travels around delighting children of all ages.

The two-hour show includes all the classic circus acts — high wire, jugglers, clowns, trapeze, horse riding acts,  a fun dog act and more. 

Two of the circus high wire performers set records in 2003 in the Guinness Book of World Records when one skipped a rope over 1300 times on the high wire while another performer spun 99 hula hoops at the same time.

And since this is a smaller, one ring circus, all the seats are within 50 feet of the stage so you can feel on top of the action.

Big Apple Circus   
45630 Dulles Town Center Blvd.
Sterling, VA 20166  (map it)

Dates and Times – Through Monday, October  13, 2008, two show most days.

Tickets – $18.00 – $52.00 and are available online.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Vienna/Fairfax-GMU, Orange line- then a 25 minute cab ride.

Parking – Free

Images – Flickr – acrobat, Ringmaster 

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Post from: The DC Traveler

As the longest running street festival in DC (30 years), it brings a full day of live music and exciting dance performances, artisans selling their original and hand-crafted goods, interactive performance workshops, and food from around the world.

With two main stages feature live music from a wide range of genres from Rock, Latin, jazz to Americana, bluegrass and funk, and more. Plus dance performances from Bolivia to Africa , Cuba to Spain.

Located on a tree-lined street, Arts on Belmont brings artists and artisans and their paintings, jewelry, photographs, glassware, metalwork and sculptures to sell to the public.

So check out all that the festival has to offer, and enjoy such fun as:

• The Columbia Road and Florida Ave. main stages, with two different live music performances starting ever hour.
• Arts on Belmont – Belmont Rd., between Columbia and 18th St., NW
• The Dance Plaza – at the Marie Reed School – 2200 Champlain St., NW 
• The Kid’s Fair – on the field at Marie Reed School (California Ave. from Champlain to 18th)
• The Cultural Stage - at Columbia Road and Euclid Street) presents a collection of variety, theater, poetry, dance and music for all ages.

And keep your eyes open for a visit by Washington, DC’s Mayor Adrian Fenty.   

Adams Morgan Day Festival
18th Street NW, between Columbia Rd and Florida Ave. NW.
Washington, DC (map it)

Dates and Times – Sunday – September 14, 2008, 11:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Admission – Free

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Woodley Park – Red line, then a 3/4 mile walk.

Parking – Parking may be tough in the area, as the Adams Morgan garage on 18th Street will fill early.  Street parking will also be in high demand so expect to walk a bit or try using Metro.  You can also park at the garage at T St. & Connecticut Ave. 

Images – group shot, painter, food

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Post from: The DC Traveler

The Eden Center is DC’s Vietnamese-centric shopping mall and community gathering place.  Located in suburban Falls Church, Virginia, about 20 minutes from downtown Washington, DC, it seems to caters almost exclusively to the Vietnamese community.

Close to 30 Vietnamese restaurants and phở soup shops, along with another 17 bakeries, delis and cafes, with not a Burger Kings or Subway in site, draw many people to come Eden Center for authentic Vietnamese food.  I like the bánh mì sandwiches at Song Que. But don’t be afraid if all of the menu boards are in Vietnamese; most servers will be more than happy to help you find what you want.

Another 90 shops draw heavy crowds 7 days-a-week.  The 20+ jewelry stores are the main draw for shoppers, especially for gold and jade items.  Other speciality stores include Vietnam music and video stores, a couple food markets, a few clothing stores and more.

I also found an interesting herb shop, where I couldn’t identify a single item in any of the large glass jars.

At one restaurant, there was a whole roasted lamb in hanging in the window.

Some of the “lounges” seemed to be the exclusive haven of exclusive men and over loud Vietnamese music.

The mall’s clock tower is a replica of a famous French-era Binh Tay market in downtown Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City).

The Eden Center makes for a great cultural tour and the perfect place to discover a new place to enjoy the fabulous fusion cuisine of Vietnam.

If you visit New Your City and are looking for a great bánh mì sandwich check out Heather’s recommendation at The New York City Traveler.

Eden Center
7663 Wilson Blvd. just off Seven Corners
Falls Church, VA 22044 (map it)

Hours – Stores hours vary, but most open by 11:00 a.m. and close no earlier than 7:00 p.m.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – West Falls Church – Orange line, then a 1 mile walk.

Parking – Free parking is available.

Images – from personal collection   © 2008 – Jon Rochetti 

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Post from: The DC Traveler

All the the annual Maryland Renaissance Festival just out side of Annapolis, Maryland.  

Enjoy over 35 groups of musicians and dancers, or cheer for your favorite mounted knight during the exciting jousting match.  But don’t miss some of the faire’s classic Renaissance food – like the hot apple dumplings, steak-on-a-stake or a classic smoked turkey leg, fit for a king.

Rent a costume or come dressed as your favorite knight, friar, wench or lady in waiting for even more fun. 

Maryland Renaissance Festival  
1820 Crownsville Road
Crownsville, MD, just outside of Annapolis, MD (map it)

Dates and Times – Saturdays and Sundays, through October 19, 2008. 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Tickets – Adults – $18.00, Seniors – $15.00, kids 7-15 – $8.00, under 7 are free.  Two-day pass $28.00.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – New Carrollton – Orange line, then a 30 minute cab ride.

Parking – Free

Images – dandy, knight, jester, 

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Post from: The DC Traveler

There are so many things to do at the Fair, so here’s the short list:

• Pig races
• Rodeo complete with bull riding
• Watch a chainsaw sculptor in action
• Travis Tritt in concert (Aug. 29),
• Walk around the animal pens and see thousands of animals from alpacas to dairy cattle, chickens to baby lambs
• Decadent chocolate contest
• Horse and dog shows
• Hundreds of traditional food and produce competitions

And don’t forget to check out some of the 40 carnival rides.  And if you get hungry, the Maryland Food Pavilion offers all kinds of fair favorites form local producers including corn on cob, fresh home-grown fruit, all kids of beef and lamb dishes, the highly recommended  catfish and of course, Maryland crab.

Maryland State Fair
2200 York Road
Timonium, MD  (map it) (north of Baltimore)

Dates and Times – Through Monday, Sept. 1, 2008.  Midway hours noon a.m. on weekends, noon on weekdays, until 10:00 p.m. Livestock and horse shows open at 9:00 daily.

Tickets – Adult – $8:00, Seniors and kids 6-11 – $3.00, under 6 free. Rides not included. ride prices range from $1-$6. Discounted ride tickets available 50 tickets for $45.

Parking – Limited paid parking is available. Free parking is available at the Park & Ride on Deereco Road west of the Fairgrounds.

Public Transportation: You can travel from DC’s Union Station to the Fair grounds, using MARC trains, but it’s a 2-3 commute requiring multiple bus transfers.  Visit Maryland’s MTA website for details. .

Images – at night, cow

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Post from: The DC Traveler