‘David Archuleta – #2’
courtesy of ‘Aine D’

Like every Fourth of July, wary locals will avoid the Mall’s impenetrable masses and blistering heat. But that doesn’t mean you should miss out on the big show. You can catch the rehearsal of A Capitol Fourth a day early, when temperatures will be lower and tourists less scarce. There won’t be any fireworks of course, but who needs them when you have David Archuleta’s sweet voice to woo you? In addition to Mr. Archuleta, the run-through will include the concert’s full lineup of Reba McEntire, Gladys Knight, Darius Rucker and the National Symphony Orchestra. The Saturday rehearsal is free and begins at 8:00pm on the West Lawn of the US Capitol. The real deal will be held same place, same time on the Fourth.

‘one last fireworks pic…maybe’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’
On July 3rd, picnic foods procured from the CVS down the street or whatever leftovers have been floating around my fridge seem like a great idea. But by the time I get mid-fireworks on the 4th, I’m starving. If you feel like a little extra sustenance this year, you are in luck.

• Liberty Tree– Lobster and clam boils to go, whether it’s to the Mall for fireworks or your backyard kiddie pool. There are three packages available: clam boil ($15), lobster boil ($25), clam AND lobster boil ($35). Each package includes the whole shebang–the seafood, corn on the cob, red bliss potatoes, pork sausage and carrots. Must be pre-ordered by Thursday for pick up on the 4th between 11am and 2pm.
• Equinox– Head to this close-by location if you’re looking to eat up before the fireworks.  From 4pm-9pm, the gourmets at Equinox will cook up standard BBQ fare for either dine in or carry out. Priced from as low as $9, they expect to offer pork sandwiches, burgers, panini and sides to fulfill all your patriotic culinary needs. Continue reading →

‘Chillin’ with Abe’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

If you’re still looking for a unique way to spend your holiday weekend and celebrate our Nation’s birthday, Madame Tussauds has a special offer available.

According to their Twitter account, any visitors at the museum wearing red, white, and blue will receive $5 off admission.

‘CH Farmer’s Market Gelato’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

It’s official: I’m breaking up with Ben & Jerry’s. There’s a new frozen delight in my life, and its name is Dolcezza Artisanal Gelato.

In a private tasting last night at the gelateria’s recently opened Dupont location, a few lucky ducks were invited to sample the expansive summer menu. It was mind-blowing. Possibly even life-changing. I’ve eaten a lot of sorbet, gelato and ice-cream in my day, but nothing has ever come close to the bright flavors and subtle complexity of what I experienced last night. I admit I was skeptical going in, as many of the offerings sounded more like salads than sweets. Basil-flavored gelato? Cucumber mint vodka? With every bite however, my cynical little heart melted into a pool of blubbering mush.

Continue reading →

Photo by Dan Levy/NBC Washington

Dan Levy of NBC Washington’s got a good find — DC neighborhood T’s available at Mustard Seed in Bethesda.

Mustard Seed is located at 7349 Wisconsin Avenue and is now carrying the neighborhood logo tees that range in price from $9 to $19.50. Don’t want to rep your ‘hood? You can show your District loyalty by purchasing a simple yet ever so patriotic DC top.

Not gonna lie, that NW/DC knock on AC/DC is definitely something I want circulating in my wardrobe. Just saying.

Design courtesy of United Pixelworkers

DC plays host to one of the largest creative workforces in the country, with innumerable web and creative professionals who spend all their days staring at monitors moving little pixels around to make an awesome image. Now, there’s a sweet t-shirt that you can get your hands on to prove your membership.

Finally, a “union” we can all get behind. They’re running a sale on shirts through July 4th, where shirts run $17.76. They’re usually $22, so take the savings while they’re available, comrade!

‘Nationals vs Mets 23’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

The Nationals (34-45) return to the District to start a 10 game homestand tonight after going 1-5 on their most recent roadtrip.

With June behind them, Manager Jim Riggleman remains positive. “Let’s play some good baseball before the All-Star break and start feeling better about ourselves,” he told MLB.com.

Want to get your favorite Nats to the 2010 All-Star Game in Anaheim? MLB veteran Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez remains atop the NL leaders in votes but still needs more. Other players are in the running but they won’t get anywhere without fans notching their names in the tally column.

Ballots close at 11:59 p.m. tonight. That means: if you want to see those Washington faces in sunny California representing District baseball, you’ve got less than 24 hours to make something happen.

You can vote on the Nationals website or at MLB’s Campaign Manager Headquarters.

‘Bang!’
courtesy of ‘Samer Farha’

July 1 is tomorrow and the alterations to the Virginia concealed weapons law go into effect. Previously a person with a concealed weapons permit couldn’t – subject to some exceptions – carry their concealed weapon into any location that served alcohol. The new rules allow permitted individuals to keep their weapons on them so long as they do not consume any alcohol.

Unfortunately the media continues to misrepresent the changes either in the name of more salacious headlines or simple brevity. In the second paragraph of their story the Washington post says “Virginia legislature lifted a ban on guns in establishments that serve alcohol.” However, as I told you back in February, no such ban ever existed and WaPo has even reported on this fact before.

I’m sure we can look forward to more of these over the weekend. Whether you support these changes or think they’re horrific you can at least take some comfort in the fact that nothing has really changed, regardless of how lazy reporters might try to froth you up. As always, establishments are free to post signs banning firearms from the premises.

‘parking issues #1’
courtesy of ‘gerdaindc’

Fellow District blogger Prince of Petworth got a car towed all by writing about it. Talk about the power of the blog.

A yellow 2001 Volkswagen Beetle was parked in the 1500 block of Church Street just a few feet from 16^th and had a giant stack of fading pink parking tickets totaling $3,295 before additional fines for nonpayment, according to NBC Washington.

You’ve got to check out the row of pink tickets lining the windshield of the car. It’s laughable really.

‘Happy The Hippo :)’
courtesy of ‘Daniel.Techie{TaiShan~4Ever} @ 127.0.0.1’

Well, probably not. But according to a new study from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation twenty states got fatter and we’re the only region that got thinner. So DC residents would have an easier time fitting into a voting booth if only they were allowed in.

Go ahead and pat yourself on the back if you like, but only do it for the exercise and don’t eat any celebration cake. While we’re down on average the quantity of obese adults rose in the poor and black populations. In that we’re just like everywhere else and it’s a pretty sad and stark number –  21.5% of our general adult population is obese versus 34.% of the black population, a full half again.

The study does have a few bright spots and calls us out as being among the half of the country that’s put in some measures to make school lunches and vended food in schools healthier. Whether vending bans actually help is a matter of heated debate but there’s no question you can load up a lot of calories from them. This 2006 Forbes slideshow of some of the “worst” vending foods lists several items that, all by themselves, exceed 10% of the FDA’s 2000 daily calories guideline.