The DC Traveler

The Willard Hotel has been probably the most famous unofficial center of power in U.S. history.
President Ulysses S. Grant, a frequent visitor to the Willard Hotel, allegedly coined the term “lobbyist”, when describing running a gauntlet of political wheelers and dealers he preferred to avoid hanging out in the lobby of The Willard Hotel. All he wanted to do was to enjoy a brandy and cigar in peace.
In reality, the term”lobbyist” had already been around for over 40 years before Grant used it, yet he usually gets credit for it.
Another story goes that the phrase “What this country needs is a …read more

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The Examiner reported yesterday that the District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles planning to eliminate allowing drivers to fight DC parking tickets in-person.
Last year, over 54,000 (4%) of the 1.5 million tickets issued were contested in-person. Tickets will only be able to be fought by mail or e-mail.
The DMV also plans to implement a “street-sweeper” camera program in 2008, by installing high-resolution cameras on the city’s fleet of street sweepers.
The concept mounts forward-facing cameras, on transit vehicles and street sweepers, to take photos of an illegally parked car’s license plate. A citation is then mailed to the vehicle’s …read more

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While it may seem strange with the mild Fall weather we’ve been having, sometime during the middle of this month (hopefully the 17th)…weather permitting applies, the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden will be transformed from this…

To this…

The ice skating rink at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden opens for it’s 9th year of winter family fun.  The ice rink accommodates a couple hundred skaters and is surrounded by sculptures created by many of the world’s greatest 20th-century artists such as Joan Miró, Ellsworth Kelly, Alexander Calder and Roy Lichtenstein.
The rink is illuminated at night, which …read more

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Following the recent high energy performance from the Drums of Japan, The Conga Kings bring their Latin-flavored rhythms of the Afro-Cuban sound to Listner Auditorium.
The 11-piece Rumba band is led Candido Camero, Carlos “Patato” Valdes and Giovanni Hidalg, three of the best-known Latin conga drum percussionists in the world. Candido and Patato have both been playing since the 1930s, with Hidalg, the ”youngster” of the group, in his mid-30s. The band’s sound has been described as “Dizzy Gillespie meets Tito Puente“.
And after the concert, hit a local club for some salsa dancing.
The Conga Kings - Camero, Valdes, Hidalgo
George Washington University - Lisner Auditorium
730 21st …read more

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While it seems a live presidential debate had been happening more often than reruns of this season’s Top Chef, the first-ever televised U.S. Presidential candidate debates were held in 1960.
The first debate, between Sen. John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard M. Nixon was held in the Democratic stronghold of Mayor Richard J. Daley’s Chicago.
The second debate was moved here to Washington, DC and held 47 years ago today, at the NBC-affiliate, WRC-TV studios. It scored an audience of just under 62 million viewers. Then, the third debate had the candidates spilt with Nixon speaking from Los …read more

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Last night at the Birchmere, Bellydance Superstars put on a crowd-pleasing performance. The show included 16 energetic pieces that covered a wide range of the many styles of Bellydance, as well as stepping outside of traditions at times.
From slower, more melodic body popping tribal pieces to intense solo drum dances, the dancer’s background in other forms of dance was notable in the choreography yet resulted an eye-pleasing fusion of dance styles. Of note was one piece that was strongly classic ballet-influenced, while another was a Polynesian-themed Hula style dance called Bellynisian.

Many of the troupe of 14 dancers, aged 22 to 38, have a …read more

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In a traditional inter-service rivalry since 1890, the Army-Navy football game is one of the nations oldest football games. Usually played in Philadelphia; but this year, the classic will be played in nearby Baltimore.
And you may still be able to find tickets for the game. 

The hometown favorites are the Navy Midshipmen based in suburban Annapolis, MD.
And they hold the bragging rights, with 51 Navy wins, yet Army is only a couple historical wins behind with 49. The two teams have also tied 7 times. In recent match-ups, the Midshipmen have a strong lead, winning 8 of the last 10 games and …read more

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 …Or was that ???
Albert Einstein not only didn’t complete high school, he tried to enter college before even competing his high school requirements. He then slyly left his boarding school in Munich to join his family who had recently moved to northern Italy, using a fake doctor’s note. 
He later applied to ETH Zurich, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology but actually failed his entrance exam. After finally graduating from college, and for two years afterward, he was like many college grads, unable to find a job in his field, teaching physics.  So he took a job as a clerk in a Berlin Berne, …read more

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This week’s Carnival Of Cities is hosted by The Digerati Life and takes us on an around-the-globe tour of cities.

Some of the posts include:

From the fire capital of the U.S. - Southern California and how we can help people impacted.
From the Upper West side of Manhattan, the story that made the national news, a piece of million dollar art found in the trash.
Some cost-savings travel tips on London and Stockholm
Now that World Series is over, travel ideas for visiting Beacon Hill in Boston.
Leaving Las Vegas and taking some great photos in The Valley of Fire.
Other cities include Lisbon, Orlando, Seattle, Cyprus and more.

And if you missed …read more

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When the weather turns cold and snow is in the air, there’s a bunch of places to ski and snowboard, all within a just a few hours drive of Washington, DC. 
And while area ski resorts may be showing some glorious Fall colors today, in just a couple short months, and a good dose of cold weather, the view will change and they will probably look more like….
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In Virginia, you can ski and snowboard at Bryce Mountain and Massanutten Resorts, both in Shenandoah Valley.
In Pennsylvania there’s Ski Liberty (the closest ski resort to DC), Whitetail Mountain, Ski Roundtop and a few more. 
The …read more

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