The DC Traveler

There are time when you just want to do something a bit different. How about dancing outside to live music at on the Kennedy Center terrace? You get romance, the stars and the chance to hold your lover close.
Enjoy free live Swing, Country, Latin and Gypsy Fusion music and outdoor dancing under the moonlight overlooking the Potomac River while you dance the night away.

Friday, Aug. 31st — Country swing and line dancing with Redd Volkaert & Elana James.
Saturday, Sept. 1st — Swing with one of DC’s best big band and swing orchestras that regularly plays at the Spanish Ballroom …read more

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When I ask people to name as many famous fine art painters who were women, the list is usually fairly short. I’m not sure why so few names are front of mind. The list usually stalls after just a few names. Grandma Moses. Mary Cassett. Georgia O’Keeffe. And perhaps… Frida Kahlo.
Frida Kahlo was probably best known for her expressive and symbolic self-portraits and as the wife of Mexican muralist and Cubist painter Diego Rivera.
Born outside of Mexico City in 1907, Frida she survived a bout of polio as a child, and while studying medicine, she was involved in a terrible auto accident which broke her …read more

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I hate rollercoasters. Hate them with a passion. It all goes back to being 3 years old on my first coaster ride and being scared to death. 
But for the people who love them….There’s just a couple weeks left to experience some of the mind-blowing thrill rides at Six Flags America in Upper Marlboro, MD.
I’ll let the video and photos speak for themselves.
Superman: Man of Steel - “Fly” 20 stories up at speeds up to 75 mph followed by a 200-foot plunge back to the ground on this mile long thrill ride. 
    

The Wild One - A classic style wooden rollercoaster with …read more

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I recall my father occasionally talking about some of the “blue” comedians and comics he worked with in the 1950s and 60s.  When he mentioned “blue”, I knew that meant “not for kids”.  While the standards of what is “blue” may have changed in the last 50 years, there’s still lots of materials that’s not for kids, but still damn funny.
Take a fast-paced improve team, a rambunctious audience that’s encouraged to yell out suggestions and create a rambling story, songs and skits, complete with audience voting and a referee to keep things moving along and you get…

The Blue …read more

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It’s time for another Carnival of Cites hosted this time by Doc’s Place, so let’s see some of the places we get to visit…

Leave it to the Lynn, at The Paris Traveler, to find some great sources for gourmet cooking lessons in France.  I love the idea of a 5-day emersion cooking class. Sign me up!
Speaking of food, MJ at the The Seattle Traveler gives us the scoop on Pike Place Market turning 100, making it about 35 years younger than our own Eastern Market.
And while DC has a very extensive and moving holocaust museum, over at Everyone Needs …read more

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With music from the Boss, Bruce Springsteen, CityDance Ensemble presents it’s world premiere of it’s latest tribute to youth, adventure, and growing up in America — Born to Run.

The performance also includes several other pieces, including:  

I Can Hear You. Can You See Me? — This “technology turns the dancer into the composer” piece uses sounds recorded at Rock Creek Park turned “inside out” on a PC.  Using these sounds, the dancers compose new sounds as an overhead video camera tracks the dancer as it creates new sounds based on their position.  This piece sounds VERY cool and high-tech.
Harmonica Breakdown — …read more

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On the anniversary of Orville Wright’s birthday in 1939, the U.S. first officially celebrated the development of human flight
Perhaps “recognized” is a better word, because I’ve never heard of an “Aviation Day party. But I am thinking about starting a new tradition and hosting one. I did a quick search for aviation-themed cocktails and I never knew there were so many. If you decide to celebrate Aviation Day, check out the list of cocktail recipes at the end of this post.Established by President Roosevelt in 1939, August 19th was designated National Aviation Day.
With two great Air and Space Museums in the area, …read more

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I never really enjoyed much of the Impressionist art movement until a trip back to Chicago a few years ago.  While there, a buddy’s ex-girlfriend, who’s an art dealer and was in town for an art show, took me on a tour of one of the biggest French Impressionist’s shows to be held at the Art Institute of Chicago.  Once I understood what I was looking at, my opinion totally changed. Now, I’m a big fan.
So the basic history is… In Paris, during the Spring of 1874, a group of painters organized an exhibit of their new art and the …read more

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A couple weeks ago I walked through the National Zoo and while it’s a great place to visit, in the daytime summer heat, it can be a bit like strolling the Sahara in the mid-day sun.
But here’s an idea that puts a twist on keeping cool…icy beer and visiting late in the afternoon. Join the Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ) young professionals for the 3rd annual Brew at the Zoo.
You can sample beers from over 20 area microbreweries, plus hors d’oeuvres from local restaurants and live music by DC’s own Welbilt.
Tickets include beer samples, food, music and a free commemorative …read more

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Every week at six DC area locations, farmers and producers (no resellers are allowed) sell farm fresh produce, meats and products that they grow, raise or make on their own farms.

The range of products varies from produce and flowers, to jams and sauces. You’ll find meats, fish, eggs, cheeses, breads and prepared foods, most coming from within 150 miles of DC.

The times and days vary, so check the links below for each specific locations.

Dupont Circle - Sundays, 1500 block of 20th St., between Massachusetts Ave. and Q Street
Foggy Bottom - Wednesdays - I Street between New Hampshire and 24th Street, NW
Penn Quarter - Thursdays - …read more

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