Go Skiing or Ice Skating

One of the good things about DC is that it is close to a lot of other cities/stuff. This includes (and will be future posts) Annapolis, Baltimore, Philadelphia, NYC, and...

Skiing!

Well, I am no ski buff.  I did try snowboarding once, and if I could give any advice it is this: when deciding between snowboarding or skiing for the first time, choose skiing.  Looking down the hill you'll always see snowboarders sitting, but you'll hardly see any skiers.  I henceforth conclude that skiing is much easier.

(Whitetail Ski Resort)

Anyway, here are some ski resorts within driving distance from DC.

~1.5 hours: Ski Liberty, Whitetail

2 hours: Ski Roundtop, Bryce Mountain Resort

3.5 hours: Canaan Valley Resort, Seven Springs, Wintergreen Resort

Not into skiing? How about ice skating?

There are a couple indoor ice rinks in the area, but several outdoor ones as well!

• During the summer it's Jazz in the Garden, but during the winter the pond in the sculpture garden is transformed into an ice rink.  Skate just a few blocks from the Capitol!
• In Northern Virginia? Go ice skating outside at Pentagon Row (by the mall).  Looking for classes, year round skating or just a bigger rink?  The Capitals (DC's hockey team) practice at Kettler Ice Plex, but there are public skating sessions too.
• In MD? Try Silver Spring Outdoor Ice Skating, Herbert Wells Ice Rink in College Park, Wheaton Ice Rink,  or outdoor skating in Rockville Town Square.

{Sculpture Garden}                          {Silver Spring}

Free Movies

Like movies?

Like seeing movies for free?

Like seeing movies for free before they've been released to theaters?

Then I'd suggest you follow Buzzbo on their website, facebook or twitter.

The advance screenings that they post are usually last minute (maybe a day or two's notice).  You'll have to print out a pass and then it's first come first served until the theater fills up (minus the seats that have been reserved for media).  Usually if you go 30-45 minutes early you should be fine.  Being your smartphone to pass the time, or a... what is it called again, the thing with stuff written on pieces of paper, oh yeah, a book or something.  

Be careful to note which theater it's playing in, especially since there are some Baltimore theaters mixed in.  Common theaters include Regal Gallery Place in Chinatown, E St Cinema downtown, AMC Loews in Georgetown, Regal in Bethesda, MD, AMC Mazza Gallerie in Friendship Heights, and Regal Majestic in Silver Spring.

So keep an eye out and I hope you get in!

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Old Town

This post falls squarely in the "V" category of the DMV- Old Town Alexandria.

Old Town is mainly along King Street.  Started from the metro stop and going until the river, the street is lined with lots and lots of shops and restaurants. Lots. These shops can range from fairly expensive to "eh, I can afford that". There are jewelry/accessory shops like Today's Cargo, a running shop, and some clothing stores (Gap Outlet, Banana Republic, Ross Dress for Less).

(There is also a free trolley that runs up and down King St.)

As far as where to eat, there are a number of sit down restaurants as well as informal places.  Red Mei is pretty good for some Asian fusion, and Chiptole is on the corner of St Asaph and King.  

I would, however, recommend Bread and Chocolate for two reasons.  One is that the lunch I had was really good.  I had initially bought a groupon for it, thinking I would use it for lunch, only to find out the groupon was only good towards baked goods.  However, this must have been a common mistake (misleading title for the groupon I think), and they honored it anyway. So that is the second reason.  I remember them being on Groupon Now! deals a lot, so look out for that.

Anyway, take a stroll down King St, browse the stores and maybe stop for some ice cream.  You can stop in Pop's Ice Cream, Scoop Grill and Homemade Ice, or Ben and Jerry's.  Or get some out of the freezer from the Walgreen's down the street.  On Saturdays there is a farmer's market in the market square.

Oh yeah, and stop by Trader Joe's on the way home.  Good stuff in there.

Run!

[Even if you don't run, keep reading! There's something here for you too!]

There is a great running environment and community here in DC.  Not only will you find great places to run (around the National Mall, anyone?), there are great running groups and races.

For example, DC Capital Striders is a great running group that has weekly runs in DC and VA.  Probably the most popular are the Monday and Thursday evening runs around the Mall area.  You can also look for running groups (as well as any other possible type of group) on www.meetup.com.

In my opinion, the best motivation to run is to sign up for a race.  There are a lot of great races in the area.  Some of my recommendations:

National Marathon (26.2 miles- because 26.3 would be crazy): The only marathon entirely in DC proper.  A great course too.

Marine Corps Marathon (26.2 miles): Through Virginia and DC.  Ends at Iwo Jima.

National Half Marathon (13.1 miles): my recommendation for a great distance and a great course.  Still a challenge but not as consuming as a marathon.

Baltimore Marathon and Half Marathon (26.2 and 13.1 miles): Make sure to incorporate hills in your training.

Cherry Blossom 10-miler:  This race is so popular the entire registration process is now done by lottery.  BUT if you volunteer one year you get a registration code for the next year.

Army 10-miler: Hoo-ah!

Annapolis 10-miler: This one is usually in August, so it might be a tad hot.

There are also usually shorter races that go along with the longer ones, such as the Marine Corps Marathon 10K.  Almost all of these races sell out very quickly, so be sure to mark the date for when registration opens! Otherwise most races will have a transfer process for people who bought one but cannot make the race.  Of course there are shorter races too, as well as holiday themed ones, such as St Patrick's Day, Turkey Trot and Jingle All The Way.

And all you non-runners, I haven't forgotten about you! Volunteer for a race! Yes, you have to get up at the crack of dawn, yes it might be cold, but volunteering is extremely rewarding.  But you do get a free t-shirt.  Or make an inspiring and memorable sign and stand on the sidelines; you never know the effect you'll have on a random runner.

Dance!

While the first snowfall of the season is melting away, it's the perfect time to strap on your dance shoes and hit the floor! (Yep, that sounds as corny in type as it did in my head.)

ANYWAY, even if you know nothing about dance, there are places that can teach you.  I don't know a ton about dancing, so I'll give a couple suggestions here that I've actually done, but I'm sure you could find a wealth of other information using the Googles.

If you want to take a dance course in a studio I suggest checking out Joy of Motion.  They have locations on H St NE, Friendship Heights, and Bethesda (sadly the Dupont Circle location has closed).  They not only have classes where you can drop in, but class series' (6 weeks, 1 hr a week). 

These classes can be a bit expensive, especially the drop in ones, but every once in a while I see the 6 week courses on a coupon website, so be on the lookout for that.

If you don't want a formal program, places that have salsa dancing will usually have some sort of instructional session earlier in the night.  For example, Clarendon Grill (right off of the metro stop) has Salsa Mondays.  Starting at 7:15pm there is basic salsa instruction, at 8pm is intermediate/advanced where they will teach a sequence of moves, and 9pm the DJ comes on and everyone dances!

Especially with salsa, don't worry if you don't have a partner!  Especially if you're a girl :)  At least when I've been to Clarendon Grill the guys have far outnumbered the girls, so there will most likely be someone asking you to dance.  Partners usually change every song too, so if you come with someone you may end up dancing with others anyway.

It's a great way to exercise and meet new people!  Have fun!

 

Where to eat from the National Mall

"@Welcome, I just finished my tour of the Captiol and I'm hungry.  However I don't want to pay $5 for a hot dog, and I want to sit down at a table.  Where do I go?"

Thanks for the question, hypothetical reader.  Just from spending time at the Mall, I'd say this is the single most question I get asked.  (I usually have a dog with me, so I guess people just assume that I'm a local).

There are kiosks on the mall that sell food, as well as food carts, but you want to sit down.  Here are some different options, depending on where on the mall you are.

1. (from the Capitol, south) Pennsylvania Avenue SE to/and Eastern Market

As you walk down Penn Ave, you will find a bevy of restaurants; mostly pubs.  There is also Good Stuff Eatery and We The Pizza, Firehook, and Quiznos.  Beyond that if you take a right on 8th st there are a ton more restaurants down that way (Eastern Market).

2. (from the Capitol, north) Union Station

As mentioned in a previous post, there's a lot of stuff at Union Station.  This includes both sit down places (Uno's, Thunder Grill, etc.) as well as a food court.

3. (7th St, south) L'enfant plaza

The area around L'enfant plaza to me is the most confusing geographical area in DC. I get lost around there every time I walk.  However, if you can make it to the plaza there is a food court with many options.

4. (7th st, north) Chinatown

DC's Chinatown, while it does have an above average number of Chinese restaurants, is more like... American restaurants and stores with Chinese letters on their signs.  Clearly you can eat Chinese food here, but there are also a LOT of other places, from chains like Ruby Tuesdays to Nando's Peri Peri (<-- highly recommend, though it is on the spicy side!).

5. (12th St, south) Not much.

6. (12th St, north) Aria

As you walk north on 12th St NW, you will enter the business district of DC.  There are a ton of people that come into DC on a regular weekday, and all of them need lunch.  Because of this there are a ton of delis/lunch spots.  However, most of them will be closed on weekends or after hours.  One restaurant that I've always had luck with (and is pretty cheap) is Aria.  It's pretty basic with pizza, paninis, and a few pasta dishes.  But it's pretty good, cheap and open during weekends/off hours.

There is also a food court near Metro Center (around F and 13th NW). (Limited hours Saturday, closed Sunday).

7. (17th to 23rd st, north) Foggy Bottom

As you get above E st NW you get into Foggy Bottom/George Washington University territory.  There's a TGI Fridays at 21st and Penn if you're looking for something familiar, otherwise walk around and eat what the college students eat.

That's about all the advice I have on that.  Just remember that cost of living in DC is pretty high, so expect to spend at least $8-10 on lunch, even if you just go to a food court.

Mansion on O St

Looking for somewhere to warm up during the chilly DC winter?

Looking for an extremely unique experience?

Try the Mansion on O St. 

Activities here can run from very, very high end to relatively affordable.

To start, it is a hotel with an extremely strict privacy policy.  Literally, your guests will have to know the "password" to get through to you.  Otherwise they will be told "there is no one here by that name".  This is one reason (I think I heard) that some celebrities choose to stay here should they be in town.  Rooms start at $350 a night.

Next, you can have tea here.  There are different levels of tea service, from Sunday High Tea ($75) to Sunday Dessert Tea ($30) to Monday happy hour tea ($10).  Tea service is usually accompanied with lots and lots of finger food and desserts.

Finally, the Mansion on O St is a museum.  Now, when I say museum you should think of it like this: imagine walking through rooms of a house and in and on every possible empty space is a painting.  Or a bobblehead.  Or a decorative serving platter.  Or an antique mini coke dispenser.  Or a wooden mockingbird.  In short, a minimalist's nightmare.  Also, everything is for sale, so everything has a price sticker on it.

But if you're looking for visual stimulation and love to look at nick-knacks and such, this is the place for you.  You can take a self guided tour for $5, and the prices go up from there.  You can also do a "hunt", in which they basically give you clues on a check list and you walk around trying to find everything.

The Mansion on O St is located just off of Dupont Circle in Northwest DC (Metro: Red line).

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