Daro Realty Blog
Daro Realty’s Community Blog
blog
Categories
DC’s Best Bets for Wi-Fi
February 1st, 2012 by chrystal (Community, Free, Neighborhood Guides, Outdoors / No Comments)There is no doubt that DC is a city full of ambitious people who are truly dedicated to their work, and that means that locals are at times chained to their computers. On days that you prefer not to hole up at home in pajamas, venturing out to a Wi-Fi hotspot can be a great way to make work seem more pleasant. Here are some great spots for days when your laptop is joining you.
- Big Bear Café, 1700 1st Street - This hip indie coffee house is a popular gathering spot for DC’s offbeat crowd. Seating can be tight, but the artsy industrial charm and soy lattes are worth waiting for space. On Sundays from Spring through Fall, you can hit the Farmer’s market outside before settling in for your work session.
- Tryst, 2459 18th Street - This spacious Adams Morgan mainstay features an enticing display case of desserts and is creatively furnished with quirky and mismatched tables and sofas. The front façade opens in the summer, making this the perfect meeting place for a refreshment to break up a scalding afternoon.
- The National Mall - The same sprawling stretch of national heritage sites now boasts a free wi-fi signal as well. You can set up camp inside the Smithsonian Castle, or lay down a blanket and work on the grass. Afterward, you can decompress with a stroll through any of the seven world-renowned museums right on the Mall. Most locals swear they never get to them as much as they’d like!
Say what? You didn’t catch the subtle Harry Potter reference there in the title? Well, then you must be a muggle!
This children’s event will take place tomorrow, January 28th, at Artisphere in Arlington, Virginia, just outside of DC. There will be two live classical music performances featuring the closing music from John Williams’ score to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban as well as Maurice Ravel’s score to the Mother Goose Suite. A “celebrity narrator” will tell the familiar fairytales during the Mother Goose Suite performance. One concert will be held at 11:15am and the second will take place at 12:30pm. Both works will be set against images projected on the Dome Theatre screen at Artisphere.
The cost is $10 for adults and $8 for children.
Mischief Managed is part of Notasphere, a month of programming created by local artistic collaborators. From a pop-up restaurant and political cartoons to Brazilian beats, Artisphere will be filled with fresh, thought-provoking off-beat arts events presented by creative partners from across the DC-region throughout January 2012.
Les Dames d’Escoffier DC is hosting a Chinese New Year Banquet tomorrow night, January 27th, at 6:30pm at Dame Janet Yu’s Hollywood East Cafe. This international organization of women leaders in the food, beverage, and hospitality industries work together to create a supportive culture in their communities in order to achieve excellence in their professional endeavors.
The dinner will feature 14 authentic Chinese dishes along with a lecture by the Hollywood East cafe chef and owner Janet Yu about the meaning of the foods served for the new year of the dragon. Lion dancers will also perform. The price of the dinner is $50 for non-members and $43 for members of Les Dames. To make reservations, call 202-973-2168 or visit www.lesdamesdc.org.
2012 is the year of the dragon. To find out the sign of the Chinese Zodiac for that you were born in, go to http://www.chinesezodiac.com/.
Hollywood East Cafe
11160 Veirs Mill Road.
Wheaton, MD 20902
Happy Hour at the Mad Fox Brewing Company
January 23rd, 2012 by chrystal (Craft Beer, Dining / No Comments)Looking for a new spot to enjoy happy hour deals in the DC area? Look no further than the Mad Fox Brewing Company located in Falls Church, Virginia. This trendy gastropub features high-quality food to pair with their house-brewed beers.
Mad Fox always has seven to ten of their standard, house-brewed beers on tap as well as a rotating selection of seasonal beers in German, English, Belgian, and American styles. Check out their events page, which is constantly changing to stay up to date on the latest beer-tastings and cask-tappings. They also post daily specials on their Facebook and Twitter pages from time to time, so don’t miss those!
Their happy hour deals include all of their house-brewed beers, including cask-conditioned ales, for $3 instead of the regular $5. Happy hour at the Mad Fox is daily from 3 to 7pm.
444 West Broad Street, Suite i
Falls Church, VA 22046
703-942-6840
Image: DC Burger Blog
If you haven’t yet tried the Shake Shack out for yourself yet, you have undoubtedly seen or heard about the long lines constatly out the door there. Well, it is time for you to see for yourself what all the hullabaloo is about!
The Shake Shack opened in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, DC NW in May of last year. The eatery has been famous in New York and now DC gets a chance to enjoy the delicious, classic food. Since the Dupont Circle location opened, the lines have been long and the food has been in great demand.
The Shake Shack features American classics including burgers, hot dogs, fries and creamy frozen custard treats. They even have beer and wine on their menu for those of you who don’t want to indulge in a creamy shake! Their food is made from only the freshest local ingredients and they even make great efforts to be a “green” company!
Shake Shack has locations all along the East Coast and even in the Middle East in Dubai. We encourage you to brave the long lines and try a Shake Shack burger for yourself. The Dupont Circle location is located at 1216 18th Street NW on the SW corner of Connecticut Street. They are open Sunday through Thursday from 11am – 11pm and Friday through Saturday from 11am – midnight.
Gertrude Stein at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC
January 17th, 2012 by chrystal (Art, Free Events, Museums / No Comments)There isn’t much time left to check out the Gertrude Stein: Five Stories exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery in DC. The exhibit has been on display since October 14th of last year and will come to a close this Sunday on January 22nd. “Five Stories” features over 25 artifacts and 100 works by artists from both the U.S. and Europe detailing Stein’s life and work as an artist, collector, and influencer of her peers.
Some of Stein’s famous friends during her lifetime included: Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Georges Braque, and Ernest Hemingway. She was a literary celebrity and arts networker, as well as life-long partners with Alice B. Toklas. She wrote novels, poems, essays, literary and art theory, ballets, memoirs, and children’s books.
The exhibition tells five stories about Stein: “Picturing Gertrude”, “Domestic Stein”, “Art of Friendship”, “Celebrity Stein”, and “Legacies”. The National Portrait Gallery is located at Eighth and F Streets, NW in Washington, DC. It is open daily from 11:30am-7:00pm and admission is free.
Free Admission To The Corcoran on MLK Day
January 13th, 2012 by chrystal (Art, Events, Free Events, Museums / No Comments)Martin Luther King Jr. Day is this Monday, January 16th. If you have the day off from work, you should take advantage of the Corcoran’s special schedule honoring Dr. King. Though the museum is usually closed on Mondays, it will be open on the 16th and offering free admission to the landmark exhibition of contemporary African American art, “30 Americans”.
Another awesome perk? If you visit the museum on Monday the 16th, you will receive a two-for-one voucher for admission that you can use anytime before the “30 Americans” exhibit closes on February 12th.
The Corcoran Shop will also be offering 30% off all “30 Americans” merchandise from Saturday – Monday (in-store purchases only).
The Corcoran Gallery of Art
500 Seventeenth Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
(The main entrance is located on Seventeenth Street between New York Avenue and E Street NW.)
You only have a few days left to experience Andy Warhol’s 1978-79 series, Shadows at the Smithsonian Institution’s Hishhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in DC. The exhibition has been on display since September 25th of last year and will come to a close this weekend on January 15th.
Shadows is comprised of 102 silk-screened and hand-painted canvases featuring a distorted photograph of a shadow. This is the first time the complete installation has been on display together. Shadows occupies almost an entire floor of the museum and stretches out in 450 linear feet along one wall.
The Hishhorn Museum and Sculpture Gardens collects, preserves, and presents international modern and contemporary art in all media. Admission is free and the museum is open seven days a week from 10am – 5:30pm. It is located on the National Mall at the corner of Independence Avenue and Seventh Street SW. The closest Metro station is L’Enfant Plaza (Green, Yellow, Orange, and Blue lines).
Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden – Smithsonian Institution
Independence Avenue at Seventh Street SW
Washington, DC 20013
Bell’s Beer Dinner at RFD Washington in DC
January 9th, 2012 by chrystal (Craft Beer, Dining / No Comments)Tomorrow, Tuesday, January 10th, RFD Washingon will host a Bell’s Beer Dinner at 6pm. The Kalamazoo, Michigan brewery’s beers should be no stranger to us in the DC area, seeing as Two Hearted and Oberon are usually draft staples in these parts.
This Beer Dinner will feature five rare brews that almost never make their way to DC, including: Black Note, a blend of Expedition Stout and Double Cream Stout, that’s aged in bourbon barrels, and Hopsoulution, a double IPA made with hops from Germany and the Pacific Northwest. The five courses, all paired with beer, of course, will be as follows:
- Beef & Oatmeal Stout Stew
- Mixed Greens & Raspberry Ale Vinaigrette Salad
- Manchego Hopsoulution Ale Mac & Cheese
- Golden Rye Ale Pork Tenderloin
- Black Note Stout Brownie
The doors will open at 6pm for a cheese and beer cocktail hour, followed by the five-course dinner, which will begin at 7pm. Tickets are $60 for this event, which is now sold out.
R.F.D. Washington
810 Seventh St. NW
Washington, DC
Images: TG Daily, Bells Beer
Kid-Friendly New Years Celebration Near DC
December 29th, 2011 by chrystal (Children's Events, Events / No Comments)You don’t need to go to Time’s Square in New York for the biggest New Years Eve bash… for kids, anyways. Head to the Maryland Science Center, just outside of DC, in Baltimore, for a kid-friendly New Years celebration.
Midnight Noon will begin at 10 (10 am, not pm) on New Years Eve and is free with paid admission to the museum. Kids will have the opportunity to make their own noise makers and party hats. Now This! Improv will perform at 10:30am and 1pm and popular kids band, Milkshake, will take the stage at 11:30am for a dance party that is sure to last all afternoon.
There will be a countdown at noon complete with confetti cannons! So, if your kids complain about their bedtime conflicting with celebrating the New Year, bring them out to celebrate Midnight Noon!
DETAILS: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, December 31
PRICE: Included in museum admission
Maryland Science Center
601 Light St.
Baltimore, MD
Image: 123rf
