The UNOFFICIAL blog of Washington, DC

Get more out of your experience at the National Gallery of Art

Ken Yeung — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 17:25:04 +0000

Want to enhance your experience when touring the National Gallery of Art (NGA)? Tired of simply listening to music on your iPod? Be sure to head over to the National Gallery’s website to download the latest podcast on what’s going on in the gallery. In a partnership with Apple iTunes, NGA will be releasing free podcasts about the different exhibitions and information that you might not get during your regular tour of the NGA.

Available on the first Tuesday of each month, the podcasts will include topics like NGA Art Talk where listeners will be introduced to expert guests and learn about fascinating topics about the world of art, NGA Backstory that will take you behind the scenes of the NGA and take a deeper look at the museum’s collection, exhibitions and events – hosted by Barbara Tempchin. Lastly, gain an insider’s look at the museum with NGA Conversations and get to meet the museum staff, collectors, writers, artists, and other guests.

So bring your iPod with you and get some culture with the National Gallery of Art. Free to download at their website: http://www.nga.gov/podcasts.

New DC taxi policies revised

Ken Yeung — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 02:17:18 +0000

Mayor Adrian Fenty announced early this morning that the city is on track to abolish the age-old zone fare for taxis and migrate over to the time & distance meters beginning April 16, 2008. Here are some of the latest changes to the new fares:

Drop rate – the fee to enter the cab, is now $3 (originally $4).
No rush hour or extra passenger surcharge.
Maximum rate for rides beginning and ending in DC with be $18.90 w/applicable surcharges (e.g. extra luggage, etc.).
Ride sharing will cease under the new system.

Leading up to the April launch date for the time & distance meters, it is rumoured that taxi drivers may try and stage more protests, but the city doesn’t think that it will have an effect on the mayor’s decision.

Restaurant Week begins this week

Ken Yeung — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 02:41:24 +0000

Don’t forget that this coming week is the 2008 Winter Restaurant Week. With over 175 restaurants participating in this event, check to see if your favorite restaurant is participating and head on over there for a fixed-price three course meal. Lunch will run you $20.08 per person and dinner for about $30.08. Worried about not having space for you when you get to the restaurant? Book your spot ahead of time by going to OpenTable. Most of the restaurants on the Restaurant Week website have links to the OpenTable page so you’ll be able to make your reservations quickly, easily, and for free.

Now you may think that Restaurant Week is just a bogus holiday that the folks at DC want just to hit up some restaurants…you might want to rethink it. It’s definitely not a holiday, but more a celebration of the cultural diversity in the types of cuisine that exists in the city. Many other cities have Restaurant Week celebrations and it’s just a great excuse to meet up with your friends, have some good food, and enjoy a great time. So make your reservations today and Bon Appetit!

The Embassy Open House is back in 2008 with “Passport DC”

Ken Yeung — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 03:50:55 +0000

Did you know that Washington, DC has a lot of embassies? Did you know that the city is throwing a week-long celebration of these embassies and you get the gift? From May 10 – 17, several embassies in the city will throw open their doors and you can walk right in and get a tour of the offices of foreign government ambassadors. With 15 million visitors to the nation’s capital, don’t you think it’s about time to get away from the National Mall and try something different?

Sure, it is an embassy – technically you would be on foreign soil, but a lot of embassies have public programming that allows you to simply walk in, whether for free or for a small nominal fee, but you’ll be able to check out some musical performances, art, collectables, or even have a fance soiree there.

The folks at Cultural Tourism DC are organizing this little shin-dig and more than 40 embassies and cultural organizations are participating this year in the Passport DC festival. What is Passport DC? It’s a celebration of all the international culture we have in the city and gives local residents and non-residents the chance to explore another part of the city that you never thought truly existed after hours. Between May 10-17, Cultural Tourism DC will put on cultural programming, performances, exhibits, and more from different embassies and international cultural centers.

Visit CulturalTourismDC.org for more information about which embassies are participating.

Celebrate Mardi Gras in Washington, DC

Ken Yeung — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 19:43:51 +0000

Who says that Washington, DC doesn’t have anything to celebrate in February? Sure there’s Valentine’s Day or Presidents’ Day, but you don’t party on those holidays. But why do you need a holiday to celebrate? This February, make sure you head down and take in the Mardi Gras celebrations going on in the nation’s capital. Although the capital of Mardi Gras is in good ol’ New Orleans, if you can’t fly thousands of miles there, why not try something a little closer to home?

Here’s a list of the events taking place in DC between February 5 – March 1, 2008:

Clarendon Mardi Gras Parade
February 5, 2008, 8 p.m.
Veitch Street (by the Court House Metro station)
Arlington, VA
(703) 812-8881.
A local parade with floats, music, beads and fun.

Anacostia Community Museum
Mardi Gras Family Day
2008 Date to be Announced, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
1901 Fort Place SE
Washington, DC
(202) 633-4866
The museum will offer storytelling, musical entertainment, mask making activities and videos of New Orleans Mardi Gras celebrations.

MCCXXIII
Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball
2008 Date to be Announced.
1223 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, DC

Mardi Gras Madness Party
February 2, 2008, 9 p.m. – 2 a.m.
Phillips Flagship Restaurant
900 Water St. SW Washington, DC.

Show Place Arena and Prince George’s Equestrian Center
Mardi Gras Ball
March 1, 2008, 7 p.m.
14900 Pennsylvania Ave.
Upper Marlboro, MD
(202) 397-7328.
Annual fundraiser for the United Way of Calvert County.

R.F.D. Washington
Mardi Gras Party
2008 Date to be Announced.
810 Seventh St. NW
Washington, DC

McFadden’s Restaurant and Saloon
Fat Tuesday Celebration
February 5, 2008, 5 p.m.
2401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC
Beat the clock drink specials in honor of Mardi Gras.

Check the websites for more specific information and dates on what’s going on. Be safe. Don’t Drink & Drive. Have fun!