If you need me, NOW you will all know where to look...

I apologize to all of my avid followers out there…all two of you…that I haven’t written in a long while. To renew my blogging energy, I thought I would write about the pool as that seems to be my main activity these days. More specifically, the Vida Penthouse Pool on the roof of my gym where, since April, I have spent almost every Saturday and Sunday. Needless to say I am the tannest I have EVER been and August is about to begin. When I look back and say, how in the heck did I get skin cancer? I will have to remember that I did this to myself the summer of 2012 in Washington, DC of all places. So let’s dive in to the main elements of the pool and what makes is so ridiculously incredible and kinda pretentious….

THE SCENE:

PEOPLE WATCHING: The pool deck is amazing for people watching. It reminds me of Miami or some all-inclusive place in the Caribbean with lots of European tourists. The men’s bathing suit options are board shorts, trunks (slightly shorter), briefs and bikini briefs (see also: speedo). The majority of men at this pool are in the two latter options. And even better are the ones that look like they would NEVER wear such suit i.e. the larger, tatted up man that is walking around in a pink speedo. FABULOUS. I’ve noticed that these men have started accessorizing too…parasols, conical Asian hats, one guy even whipped out a fan…literally opened it like you would expect a proper English woman who was feeling faint to do so.

THE MUSIC: I think they throw on the same play list every single weekend day and holiday. It starts out quiet and you may here a monk chant here or there and then around 12pm it turns into a pop rap/techno club music. Occasionally they will forget that they just played Kelly Clarkson’s Since You’ve Been Gone, which you got very excited about the first time out as you haven’t heard it in years. Eventually you realize that they just played it for the third time that day and sometimes even in a row.

THE BATHROOM/NEGATIVES: There is only one bathroom on the pool level—MEN. I think it is because they realize that if the bathroom is any further away they would all be peeing in the pool. Us ladies have to trek down a flight of stairs to go enjoy some very weird chime/chant music (not sure “music” is best descriptor) while using the facilities.

SERVANTS (I mean) WAITSTAFF: So yes, there are waiters and waitresses that come to your chair or king-sized daybed to take your drink/food orders and to make sure that you are never without a pitcher of skinny lemonade. They even deliver to the pool. When you think about it, it is all quite ridiculous.

COMMUNICATION: My favorite part of this pool membership is that you get an email from the gym telling you to eat healthy and come exercise more…sign up for classes, boot camp, training sessions etc. and then not even ten minutes later you get an email from the pool promoting a food and drink special for that day or upcoming event while encouraging you lay all day—seems very contradictory. Yet AMAZING.

With all that said, if you need me, NOW you all know where to look...

SpeakeasyDC: Maybe one day...

SpeakeasyDC. Simple concept: Step up to the microphone and tell a story. But, it is not so simple knowing the time and effort people put in to perfecting their storytelling craft to be a part of this group. I am thoroughly impressed with the talent and confidence the people involved in SpeakeasyDC have in telling a story, and telling it well, to a 100-plus person audience. The stories are real and usually very relatable. The ticket to attend only costs between $10 and $15 and is a great way to spend an evening with friends and simply be entertained. Every month there is a themed SpeakeasyDC storytelling night usually held at Town Danceboutique. One by one people step on to stage and tell us, the audience, a story based on that evening’s theme. To quote their website directly: “Our mission is to give voice to people’s life experiences, support artistic expression, build community, and contribute to DC’s cultural capital and creative economy by promoting and teaching the art of autobiographical storytelling. Since time immemorial, storytelling has served to entertain, teach, touch and capture the human experience.”

Now to go back to the location, yes, the performances are held at “the largest gay nightclub in Washington, DC” So, not having been there on a weekend night yet, I am going to assume that the stage that holds the storyteller and a microphone transforms into a dance platform/stage on the weekends. Next goal is to hit up Town when it is actually a weekend night and experience the dance party scene which I hear is a must (especially for me). But this is definitely a more subdued evening, and the dance floor is filled with chairs facing the stage and plush couch-like seating around the perimeters.

The SpeakeasyDC events are well-attended therefore, arrive early. It is a bar so you can throw your coat on a seat or in my case ten seats, grab a drink from the bar and eat your dinner, read a book or make new friends. Town does not have a kitchen so you have to bring with you, but I find that more enjoyable. Also, the bar usually arranges for a food truck to be right outside its doors for those who forget to bring in their own food.

Bottom line, this is a D.C. gem and highly entertaining. I have always enjoyed live show with unknown talent and the stories I have heard at SpeakeasyDC more often than not, make me laugh. This group/show definitely impressed and was well worth the ticket price. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll get up on stage to tell one of my many embarrassing stories…

Let the fabulous costumes come out…

Annually on the Tuesday before Halloween people flock to 17th and R/P Sts to watch the men of the gaybrahood run down the street in their high heels: The DC Drag Queen Race. Yes, there is a heel height minimum of 2 inches and yes, they do measure. But, the actual event (the race) seems less exciting and lasts a very short time than what led up to the actual race—ah, the foreplay. Before the race the men strut their stuff up and down the street for hours prior to the 9pm race. These gentlemen are acting out their characters, posing for photos and simply appealing to the crowd. For those who think that DC is a city full of stick-in-the-muds, this event might change your perception. The crowd was huge. It was impossible to move anywhere up or down 17th Street especially if you arrived any where close to race time.

The costumes:

Looking to a few that stood out for me, there was a black swan and white swan all did up in their ballet outfits reenacting a scene from the movie where the black swan is attacking the white with a broken mirror shard. Love live theatre. Some of the men made quite gorgeous ladies and others…not so much see: winner of the race. But the effort and commitment to character was fantastic.  There were Pan Am girls complete with a drink cart with the logo on the side—very official. There was a man completely covered in blue paint dressed as Smurfette and a hidden man as the Washington Monument with eye slits that seemed impossible to see through. Then there were the usuals but done up in a most fabulous way, Tina Turner, sexy pirate, rollerblading fairies etc.

The accessories:

Speaking of costumes, the head pieces these men wore were true works of art—the higher the better.  Even the infamous hat worn by Princess Beatrice at the Prince William and Kate royal wedding made an appearance. Then on to the shoes, they too were extreme and fabulous. Yes, 2” was the minimum but very few stayed that short. Some of these shoes even Lady Gaga might think where too much for her.

The race:

The actual race was entertaining but quite short. Therefore, my discussion of it will be as well. All of the men lined up and a lot of them seriously ran their hearts out. The winner was done before half had even taken off. But watching all those men attempt to run down the street wearing heels and fabulous costumes did get the crowd cheering.

Truthfully I enjoyed the pre-race strut most--the runway costume show. It reminded me that I’ll once again be missing the Boystown parade on Halloween this year. So I urge for those in Chicago tonight, make your way to Boystown and let the fabulous costumes come out…

Go Chicago Fire Go...Win!

Last Saturday I went to a DC United vs. Chicago Fire game at RFK Stadium. The former Redskins, Senators and Nationals stadium named after Robert F. Kennedy now home to DC United. It seems all of my recent blog posts are about sporting events. I will try to switch it up but so far I have baseball, football and now soccer…all that’s left is hockey, the Caps. But, I digress, back to the soccer game…

I’ll start with RFK Memorial Stadium. Outside there were lots of people were entering the stadium, it was well lit, lots of ads and lights but then once inside the stadium was very odd as it felt abandoned. The entire upper sections were empty and half of the concessions stands were closed. The ones that were open had very limited options. There was a very eerie feeling being in that stadium. Luckily our section was packed. Fans we right on top of each other, decked out in their team’s gear, face paint, large flags etc. When DC United scored its one goal the crowd erupted and it almost (almost) reminded me of the game I saw in Spain with all the flag action. I don’t think I have even noticed a lot of flags at the Chicago Fire games I have attended but then again I am usually enjoying the packed stadium and very enthusiastic crowd.

For all those who like the travel advice, this stadium is also Metro accessible but I found that bus ride back was very enjoyable and dropped me off at the exact intersection that I was aiming to be. The bus system here is fantastic! Only negative was that a girl was dying to start a fight with me so I had to turn away from her the entire ride. At one point she threw her gum wrapper at me. Ridiculous. And I am still questioning her pregnancy as she shoved her way to the back of the bus and rudely sat down next to a poor guy stuck in the corner.

So on to the fútbol game. I’ll be honest, not much happened in the first 85 minutes of play. Then as the game was coming to a close, DC United received a penalty kick and scored. My guess is they thought the game was over as Chicago quickly answered back with a tying goal. Going into the penalty time the score was tied 1 – 1. Who’d thunk it that the Fire would score in the last minutes of the additional time? Increíble. I noticed only one group of gentlemen a few rows below cheering loudly for that one. I was very close to going down there and throwing my hollers into the mix but alas I was among the DC United fans and there were children everywhere. I didn’t want to trip over one of them.



Overall, I think the stadium is waaay too large for the crowd and they definitely need to open more concessions. But, the game was fun and yet again Chicago came out on top. Go Chicago Fire Go...Win!

United: 1 vs. Chicago: 2

I Heart Football Season…

This year I received an invitation to attend a Redskins game on September 18^th. I was very excited as this was my first non-Solider Field NFL game and possibly will be my only pro football game for the entire 2011 season.

Since graduating college I have made it a mission to go to at least one Chicago Bears game per year. Last year when living in DC I thought that it would be the first year that I would miss one but then I received an invite from the cousins for the day after Christmas game. I therefore willingly paid the $150 plane transfer fee to attend that game. So, that is my basis for comparison.

The Redskins you say… I’ll start with the stadium; I rode the Metro out there. To get to FedEx Field you have to find your way to the Blue Line Morgan Boulevard Metro Stop. A very crowded train on game day, I might add. From there it is about a mile walk to the stadium but it is very easy to find as you have with the entire packed train to guide you. The actual stadium is ok. It ain’t no Solider Field. The colors from the outside…FedEx colors, purple, orange and green…are not that appealing—just my opinion. Further the colors kind of clash with the fans’ uniforms and Redskins logos on the building. Sorry, done with the aesthetics.

For this particular game, I sat in the fancy seats—the club level. Indoors it felt like a hotel lobby with stadium concessions oddly placed on the perimeter. There were flat screen televisions throughout and leather chairs. I have a feeling that unlike my Bears adventures, I wouldn’t have to leave the game to go to the bathroom for the only purpose of simply standing under the small heat fan for 5 minutes so that I could feel my hands again. But being indoors was not necessary at this game as it was the perfect weather to be sitting outside.

The sideline entertainment is also quite different. Unlike the Bears who got rid of their cheerleaders, the Honey Bears, in 1985, the Redskins had a lot of very scantily clad ladies with pom poms rooting them on. The ladies even changed in to less clothing with white cowboy boots for the second half. In addition to the cheerleaders, there also was a full band playing in the stands. In general the sideline entertainment was great to see as all we, Chicago fans get is a Bear dressed-up like a pimp…I still don’t understand how that is “family friendly” and the cheerleaders were not.

One note, if the other team aka Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals has a great long pass and runs in for a touchdown, do not cheer very loudly. I had to throw in a “sorry fantasy” after voicing my excitement and luckily the Redskins won so this one little touchdown didn’t affect the outcome of the game.

It is truly hard to compare the seats and crowd to my experiences at Solider Field as it may have just been the fancy seats that brought about a very civilized crowd and comfort level. Even when I was cheering for Larry Fitzgerald, all I received were a few dirty looks.

Best part was that while we walked back to the Metro I was talking very loudly about how bummed I was that I didn’t get inside early enough to get the awesome white sunglasses giveaway. A guy heard this remark and removed the sunglasses from his head and gave them to me. It made my day. Thank you again, sir! 

Overall, it was a great game and a perfect day to be out watching football. The Redskins game just cannot compare to a day at Solider Field with the fans, “Bear Down” and the announcer asking us about the location of the flag—“On  the field!” But, with all that said, I truly enjoyed myself and I am excited to head back to FedEx Field for the Notre Dame vs. Maryland game in November. I heart football season…

Chow Down DC…Take One!

I have decided to post once a month with a few restaurant highlights. These posts will be quick mini reviews and entitled: Chow Down DC. I have been to so many new restaurants that I just want to share but not write full posts. For September I give you Dino, Coppi’s Organic, Tabard Inn and Touchdown.

 

The Good:
Coppi’s Organic: Italian Restaurant on U Street

Great food. This was the location of the ol’ 30th birthday dinner. The waiter had some great menu suggestions both with wine and the main course. First it was suggested to try the night’s special appetizer: corn. Sounds boring but it definitely did not taste boring. It was possibly some of the best corn I have ever had. We all ordered different pastas and tried them all. My butternut squash ravioli was amazing. There was a little mishap with the cappuccinos but the way the waiter handle the situation, brought us new ones and acted like this was possibly the most embarrassing moment of his life where he was personally offended by the incident totally redeemed the whole situation. And the birthday desert was great too. The menu changes here often so I will be returning.

Dino: Italian Restaurant/Enoteca in Cleveland Park

The Baci is AMAZING! All conversation stops when you pop one of these bad boys in your mouth. That sounded inappropriate. To use the description from the menu: “Baci ~ “Italian Kisses” ~ pancetta wrapped scallop, duck liver & date ~ 3 ginger & 3 citrus duck stock glaze” Order it. Now. In addition to having one of the best appetizers, there are good 3-course Brunch and Dinner options, good wine list and the bread and oil are excellent too. Even the desert was amazing. I plan to go back here often.

 

Tabard Inn: American Brunch near Dupont Circle

Word to the wise, on Saturday breakfast ended at 9:45am and brunch didn’t start until 11am. So my showing up at 10:20am guaranteed my name to be first on the list for walk ins but also had me sitting in the lounge area for 40 minutes. Next time I will bring a newspaper. Moving on, the food was excellent. The bread basket had muffins and delicious cheesy bread. After that we decided to continue with the carbs and go all out so for an appetizer we had their homemade doughnuts with homemade whipped cream. Then for the main course we split the Eggs Benedict (with house-made ham which had possibly some of the best hollandaise sauce) and their seasonal Pumpkin French Toast. If you are a pumpkin lover like I am, get to Tabard Inn and try that seasonal French toast—delicious. Our coffee cups were never even close to empty and the atmosphere was quite pleasant. It felt like we left DC and landed in some small quaint European town. No, I did not eat lunch that day and dinner was very minimal.

The Bad…and The Ugly:
Touchdown: Sports bar on U Street

Warning: Do not order the food here. Beer and college football is good. Food is bad. We all went the safe bar food route one ordered a hot dog and fries, I went with wings and the third ordered a chicken quesadilla. Instead of staying to watch the end of the game or going out that Saturday night we all went back to watch a movie and nurse an alka-seltzer cocktail.

More reviews to come this month…

Washington Nationals Games…just do it!

This year I have been to a lot of baseball games. To me baseball is only fun if you are actually at the game or playing yourself. Watching baseball on TV is unbelievably painful. I’d rather watch golf (I actually don’t mind this) so think of something worse…maybe bowling. Going to the Nationals games are fantastic and the entertainment provided makes it even more interesting than just being at a baseball game. What's better than sitting outside, drinking a beer and being entertained? Further the tickets are super cheap with a bonus of there being deals left and right as the ballpark is never sold out.

Speaking of the extras though, one of my favorite things is the music at the stadium especially the at-bat music. When the Nationals’ team is up the at-bat music picked by each player keeps the crowd moving and grooving--okay maybe me, the kids and a few of the older ladies in the ballpark. Then there is the infamous Presidents Race during the fourth inning. Four former presidents – Roosevelt (Teddy), Lincoln (Abe), Washington (George) and Jefferson (Tom)— four guys with giant foam president heads race around the bases.  There is quite a large following and even a twitter feed for Teddy as he has yet to win a single race. The caricature head presidents have reached local celebrity status here. Thoughout the game there is constant entertainment: t-shirts being thrown into the crowd, dance breaks with the fan cam, fan participation games. I am so bummed that I will be missing Danny Espinosa bobble head night. He has become my favorite Nat simply due to his at-bat music choices and his name is fun to say with the announcer Es-pin-ohhhhh-sah. 

Then we move to the food. The food options are fantastic too…Shake Shack, Ben’s Chili Bowl, The Sweet Spot, Capitol Candy, Hard Times Cafe, Foggy Bottom Diner, just to name a few and of course the classics, nachos, hot dogs etc. There is even a $1 hot dog night—which leads me to the price and deals. 

There are Nats promotions everywhere you look to try and get people to go to the games. It is crazy. See attached sign that I recently photographed as I thought it was hilarious. Not only do you get four for two season tickets but you also get the rest of this season free, this was as of August 17th. For my attendance this year, I have only paid full price to a couple of games (full price being much less than what I am use to). I went to a game with amazing seats for $30 which included a $10 food/booze credit (so only $20 for the game). There was a Double-Bubbler deal where you buy a $5 instant scratch lottery ticket and bring that to a select game (on a Sunday no less) and get a free ticket in the $30 seat section. I only know that as one of the guys with us had to pay full price as he did not go and buy a lottery ticket. Further, I have even gone to a game or two on a Saturday simply because the weather was nice. There I walked right up to the box office and could chose which section I wanted to sit in. According to my partner in crime one of those days, he claims I went a little too fancy regarding my seat choice but to me it was still so inexpensive. When was the last time you could just go to a game on a Saturday in Chicago because you felt like it (without paying double face-value from a scalper)? Also, just recently went to another game for a DePauw alumni event--$15. Just to give you an idea, you can spend $325 per seat if you really want the ridiculous seats but good seats range from $10 to $49. With the $17 to $34 tickets being just perfect and as previously mentioned there are deals all the time for discounts on tickets. I do love a good deal!
 

On to the location, the ballpark is located in Southeast DC. And, yes, it is Metro accessible. The area around the stadium is still being rehabbed. But, it is right at the Metro and there are a lot of people in the area during game time. There is a “bar” called The Bullpen which is right outside of the park that is simply a parking lot with a large fence around it but it is great for pre-game imbibing and it kind of feels like a tailgate in there: music, food, booze, games and new friends to be made. 

Regarding the Washington Nationals themselves, overall, the team ain’t half bad. Yes, I still go to the Cubs games here decked out in all my gear as I have way more items than games to wear it all to BUT when the Cubs aren’t in town I have found myself rooting for the Nationals and even have my eye on a red Nationals baseball hat.
 

So, yes, go to the games. Although please not all at once as I wouldn’t want it to get to a point where I am sitting on my computer in late February watching twelve different open virtual waiting room windows just so I can possibly buy tickets to attend one Saturday game the entire season…ahem Cubs. With all that said, I conclude, Washington Nationals Games…just do it!