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

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

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

Finishing in last place in the National League East, the Nats had the worst record in baseball. 

Last season, the Nationals ended with a 73 win, 89 loss season, finishing in 4th place in the East division.

But if you can’t bare another five months without watching a Nat’s game, your final chance to see the National play at home is Thursday, September 25th.

Washington Nationals Baseball
Nationals Park
1500 South Capitol Street, SE
Washington, DC 20003 (map it)

Date and Time – Thursday, September 25, 2008, 7:10 p.m.

Tickets – $10.00 – $67.00 and are available online or by phone at 202-675-NATS.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Navy Yard – Green line , then a 2-block walk.

Parking – Parking and free shuttle bus is offered from RFK Stadium.

Images – Teddy – Scott Ableman, ballpark,

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Post from: The DC Traveler

But even if you don’t own your own vineyard or winery in the South of France, Tuscany or the Napa Valley, you can still serve friends a personally created wine from the micro-winery, Carafe Wine Makers in suburban Alexandria, VA.

The concept of a boutique micro-winery or “brew on premise” winery is big in Canada, where over 600 micro-wineries are operating. Carafe Wine Makers, a franchise company with 16 locations in the U.S. and Canada (4 in Virginia), lets customers create their own wines at their micro-winery and store on S. Alfred Street.  Open since late 2007, Carafe shows people how to make wine as well as sells wines it makes and blends.

Juice from grapes grown in California and Washington state as well as places such as Chile, Australia and Italy, make up the 28 varieties of wine you can create.

Store manager Rhett Orem explained the simple process to me. After selecting your style of wine, grape juice and skins, water, yeast and other chemicals used in the fermentation process is added to the on-site mini-fermenter. Oak shavings or flavorings may be added to replace the flavoring traditionally absorbed during the fermenting and aging process. The initial wine making process takes only a half an hour.

Around 4-6 weeks later, the fermenting process is completed, your wine is filtered and it’s time for you to return to the store to bottle, cork and label your wine.

What’s great about the process, is that you won’t have to spend hours cutting and pressing grapes, or fermenting your wine in century old wood casks or expensive charred French white oak barrels, as everything is handled on the premises.  

Of the 28 wines you can create, red wines include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz and a couple Italian favorites, Amarone and the “wine of kings” Borolo. Whites include Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and Gewurtztraminer, among others.

If you are not sure which a style of wine you want to make, start off with a visit to Carafe’s wine bar, to sample a flight of your personal favorites. 

Top it off with a personalized label, and you’ve got your own personal wine ready to impress your friends.

Wines should be allowed to rest for a minimum of two to four months before drinking, to help mature the flavors. And while the wines you create may never rival a Château Rothschild, you will have the satisfaction of having created a special wine with your personalized label to share with friends.

Here’s a video of the process from the Hampton Roads, Virginia store.

The cost for creating 30 bottles is surprisingly inexpensive, coming in at under $10.00 per bottle (includes wine, bottles, corks). 

If you want to design your own label, just create it using your favorite software program and send it to the shop a couple weeks before bottling.

Don’t want the time and bother of making your own wine, Carafe can custom design a label and private label a wine just for you.

Carafe Wine Makers
111 S. Alfred Street
Alexandria, VA (map it)
703-739-5850

Dates and Times – Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday, noon-5 p.m.

Cost – Starting at $255, plus tax for 30 bottles.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – King Street – Blue and Yellow lines, then take the FREE King Street Trolley or walk the 8 blocks.

Parking – Free and metered street parking is available. 

Images – from personal collection   © 2008 – Jon Rochetti 

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Post from: The DC Traveler

With over 5,200 surveillance cameras operational in the District, not including the ones in and around private and public schools, cameras run by news organizations, hotels, tourist attractions and even the public, you can assume you will at some point, be under someone’s watchful eye.

There’s even a live National Park Service Cherry Blossom cam and a dozen or so at the National Zoo, spying on the pandas and tigers, 24 hours-a-day.

But the most notable cameras are the 5,200 controlled by various Federal and District government departments, that were recently tried together to be centrally monitored by the DC Police, to improve crime monitoring in the city.

Last year, District police cameras captured three homicides on video and saw a 19% reduction in violent crime in areas covered by surveillance cameras.  And while some groups, including the ACLU, criticize cameras as a violation of civil rights and privacy, they seem to forget that every time you walk in to just about any retail establishment, restaurant, hotel, mall, or commercial or government building, you are probably being caught on video.

Only one city in the world has more surveillance camera – London, with over 10,000 cameras deployed.  And the two next closest U.S. cities, New York (3,000 cameras) and Chicago (2,000), lag way behind DC’s 5,200.

You can also watch some of the area’s 100 DC traffic cameras, and others observing area traffic around Maryland and Virginia. 

The District Police has also been deploying deployed a network of ShotSpotter gunfire sensors, that by this Fall, will cover almost 25% of the District’s area, especially in high-crime area.  The coffee can sized sensors can quickly pinpoint the location of gunfire and notify police.  To date, police have been able to quickly locate 13 homicide victims and close to 50 victims of assault where firearms were used.

Images – 7th and Jefferson, large camera – from personal collection – ©2008, Jon Rochetti 

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Post from: The DC Traveler

George Washington laid the Capitol’s cornerstone in 1793 and since it opened in 1800, it’s been the center of American power and government. 

The building needed to be partially rebuild after the British burned parts of Washington, DC in 1814.  In the 1850s, the Capitol building was expanded, with the massive dome top statue, Freedom being put in place in 1863, after he dome rebuilding was complete.  Finally, the front of the Capitol (east end) was rebuilt in 1904 to balance the two sides. 

The most recent construction project, started in 2001, involved the same east end of the building, for the addition of the new underground visitors complex.  It’s due to open December 2, 2008, 145 years to the day after the Freedom statue was placed on the top of the  Capitol Building. 

The U.S. Capitol Historical Society offers 2-hour walking tours of the exterior of the building every Monday morning, through November.

Spectacular Tour to Remember – US Capitol Exterior Walk
U.S. Capitol Historical Society
200 Maryland Avenue, NE
Washington, DC

Meet point – Union Station, at the top of the Massachusetts Avenue exit escalator.  (map it)

Dates and Times – Mondays only, May 19, – November 24, 2008 10:00 a.m.

Tickets – No reservations required, $10.00 (cash only) collected by the tour guide. Contact tours@uschs.org or 202-543-8919, ext. 17, for additional information or to arrange a private walk.

Meet-up point is at Union Station, at the top of the Massachusetts Avenue exit escalator.  (map it)

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Union Station – Red line, meeting point is outside the station or use the DC Circulator.

Parking – Paid parking is available at Union Station, as well as limited and time-restricted street parking in the area.

Images – from personal collection   ©2008, Jon Rochetti  ___________________________________________________

Post from: The DC Traveler

Using technology first developed by Charles F. Richter, a professor at the California Institute of Technology in 1935, scientists track and record every earthquake and seismic event that occurs around  the world.

And volcanic eruptions, major earthquakes and deadly tsunamis have dominated the recent news.

While they can’t predict earthquakes, they do build models that estimate the probability of an earthquake occurring in specific regions of the world. 

Besides measuring earthquakes, the U.S. Geological Survey is the governmental science organization responsible for providing reliable scientific information to help the government, businesses and the public understand the earth; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage natural resources water such as biological, energy and mineral resources; as well as enhance and protect our quality of life. 

This type of research and study requires scientists that specialize in biology, geography, geology, and geospatial sciences, as well as other earth, life and water sciences.

Daily self-guided and guided tours of the USGS headquarters in suburban Reston, Virginia are offered to the public and school groups.

Guided tours, available by appointment only during non-summer months, begin with a brief slide or video presentation on subjects such as disaster preparedness, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, or water issues (floods or pollution) are also available. Then the tour moves to the hands-on room with computers, microscopes and other hands-on activities.  Your tour may visit the map printing plant or perhaps an active laboratory (upon advanced request).

The self-guided tour (available year-round) of this small visitor’s area (plan on no more than 15-30 minutes in total) allows visitors to tour the first floor of the USGS National Center which has several showcases, including: 

• Dinosaur footprints and biology exhibits
• Earth science in the news and a seismograph
• Weather station
• Water monitoring resources
• Land measurement
• Emerging biology issues, as well as others.

Additionally, you can take a self-guided rock garden walk (about 30-45 minutes), which includes samples of over a dozen types of rocks and minerals.

U.S. Geological Survey
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
Reston, VA 20192 (map it)
703-648-4000 – ext. 4748 (visitor’s center)

Dates and Times – Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Guided Tour Times – Non-summer months only, and by appointment only. Mondays – 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays – 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. To schedule a guided tour, call 703-64-VISIT.

Admission – Admission and tours are free.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Vienna/Fairfax-GMU – Orange Line, then a 20-minute cab ride.

Parking – Free parking is available.

Images – Paso Robles,

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Post from: The DC Traveler

The building’s style with its twin tall towers is considered similar to Berlin’s famous New Synagogue, build in 1866.

Originally on the site of a Methodist Episcopal church, the building was initially the home of Washington, DC’s oldest Jewish congregation, until 1954, when New Hope Baptist moved in.

The lower floors hold a large meeting room and cafeteria, while the top two floors house the church and galley.

When it was a Synagogue, women sat in the two side balconies, while men sat on the main floor.

The interior is a bit run down, but the large pipe organ in the back of the church and red cushioned seating make it an interesting place for a walk through.

Before Sunday services, the organist plays a short inspirational recital.

A cafeteria style “down home” lunch is served Wednesdays through Fridays for around $7.00, but try to arrive before noon. The large portions and fried-to-order fish gets the best ratings.

Greater New Hope Baptist Church
816 8th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001 (map it)
202-842-1036

Sunday Service - 11:00 a.m., open at other times, including  Wed. – Fri. during the lunch hour.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Gallery Place-Chinatown – Red, Green and Yellow lines, then a 2-block walk or use the DC Circulator.

Parking – Metered street parking is available in the area.

Images – from personal collection   ©2008, Jon Rochetti 

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Post from: The DC Traveler