One of the joys of growing up in Washington, D.C. and, for a time, raising my son there, was the ability to go into the Smithsonian free of charge. I was stunned when I went away to college and learned that people actually had to pay to go to a museum. The Smithsonian Institution, however, [...]
D.C.’s Cherry Blossom Festival Carries On In Chilly Weather
March 26, 2013 | Posted by
After a harsh winter for much of the United States, you’re probably more than ready for spring. And if you’re looking for a way to welcome the season of flowers, the National Cherry Blossom Festival is a good place to start. The annual Washington festival started Wednesday, the first day of spring, and runs through [...]
Obama’s Foodie Reputation Shines in Inauguration Party Menus
January 21, 2013 | Posted by
During the presidential inaugural period (which is this weekend, for our foreign readers), Washington, D.C., is a party town. All the hotels are packed, the restaurants reserved, and the ballrooms rented for gala after gala after gala. There’s the big party, the president’s Inaugural Ball itself, but there are only so many tickets to that [...]
Touring Washington, D.C.: After Obama Inauguration, Still Lots to do
January 20, 2013 | Posted by
Whether visitors want to try one of the first family’s favorite restaurants, discover a sense of history or escape from the crowd to find a museum off the beaten path, Washington is the nation’s cultural capital this weekend for inauguration visitors. The presidential swearing-in on Monday, after all, is only a brief moment in time. [...]
Luxury Stores Popping Up in D.C. Hotels For Inauguration
January 19, 2013 | Posted by
Luxury retailers are popping up in upscale hotels throughout the nation’s capital this weekend as an array of social, political and entertainment elite descend on Washington, D.C., for Barack Obama’s second presidential inauguration. Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Montblanc and Bloomingdale’s are among stores staging temporary boutiques in hotel lobbies. Guests at the Ritz-Carlton at [...]
2nd Time Around: Nation’s Capital Will be Cheaper, Easier to Get Around For Inauguration
January 10, 2013 | Posted by
Travelers planning a trip to Washington, D.C., to celebrate with festivities surrounding President Barack Obama’s swearing in for a second term are in luck. Inauguration Day is Monday, Jan. 21, and visitors are expected to be welcomed by cheaper hotel prices and an easier time getting around town. Obama’s first-term inauguration attracted an estimated 1.8 million people — the largest crowd [...]
D.C.’s Latest Foodie Craze: Decadent Doughnuts and Fried Chicken
January 8, 2013 | Posted by
Whether or not you’re a fan of savory-sweet combination of fried chicken and doughnuts, 2013 looks like it’s going to be a banner year for it in DC. Of the few imminent openings, Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken appears to be first on the docket for the new year. Co-owned by former Washington Capital and [...]
Civil Rights Hero Lawrence Guyot Dies in DC at 73
November 25, 2012 | Posted by
The activist community in Washington, DC, is mourning the passing of Lawrence Guyot, a pivotal figure in the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi who never became the household name of many of his civil rights compatriots. After he moved to DC, Guyot was a tall, barrel-chested, ubiquitous presence in the capital city, fighting injustice and [...]
An Ideal Day in Washington, DC
October 19, 2012 | Posted by
No stranger to the world’s gaze, Washington, DC is a proud and complicated city (politics makes it so) of grand boulevards, iconic monuments and idyllic vistas over the Potomac. Its museums and historic sites bear tribute to both the beauty and the horror of years past, and on even a short visit, you can delve into the [...]
Dinaw Mengestu Reacts to Being MacArthur Fellow, Recipient of ‘Genius Grant’
October 2, 2012 | Posted by
Yesterday the wide world learned that novelist and journalist Dinaw Mengestu was one of this year’s 23 MacArthur Fellows—recipients of so-called “genius grants.” But Mengestu himself has had the better part of two weeks to ponder the prize, and after keeping the news to himself for a while, he’s enjoying being able to talk about [...]
