Entertainment, Special Events, The Features

Summer 2012 Guide to Outdoor Movies

Photo courtesy of Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie
DSC_1556.jpg
courtesy of Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie

Summertime in the city–the daylight lasts longer, the outfits get shorter and the city has so many things to offer you outdoors. We’ve rounded up the outdoor movies in the DC area and put them into one comprehensive guide. Break out the popcorn and blankets and get ready to see what films are rolling this summer.

Washington, DC:

Screen on the Green
Where: On the National Mall, between 7th and 12th streets, NW
When: Begins at sunset
Movie Lineup:

Monday, July 16th: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Wednesday, July 25th: It Happened One Night
Monday, July 30th: From Here to Eternity
Monday, August 6th: Psycho

Follow @SOTGinDC for updates and more information.

Capitol Riverfront Movies
Where: Tingey Plaza (behind U.S. Department of Transportation), New Jersey Avenue and Tingey Streets, SE
When:
8:45 PM/Sundown
Movie Lineup:
Thursday, June 14: National Treasure
Thursday, June 21: The Goonies
Thursday, June 28: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Thursday, July 5: City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly’s Gold
Thursday, July 12: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Thursday, July 19: The Da Vinci Code
Thursday, July 26:  Muppet Treasure Island

Follow @CapitolRvrFront for more information.

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Food and Drink, Music, Night Life, The Daily Feed

The Yards Park Summer Concert Series

Photo courtesy of
‘The Footbridge at Yards Park – Gorgeous Evening!’
courtesy of ‘Tony DeFilippo’

There’s not much better than when DC comes alive in the summertime and suddenly all the green lawns and open spaces are filled with people. Though it’s been running for a while now, there are two summer concert series at the Yards Park down at the Capitol Waterfront that if you haven’t already taken advantage of, you should.

The first series brings together food trucks and music during the Wednesday Lunchtime concerts. From 11:30 AM til 1:30 PM, you can get some food truck grub and listen to live music down by N and 3rd Streets SE. You can check out our food truck tracker to see who’s there, or you can check out Capitolriverfront.org to see what trucks will be making an appearance. If you can’t make it down to the riverfront for lunch, Friday nights from 6 PM til 8 PM, there’s more live music along with a beer/sangria garden and food from Devine Foods and Smokin’ Something BBQ.

For the lineup of bands and concert schedule, you can check out The Yards calendar. The lunchtime concerts run until August 17 and the Friday evening concerts run until August 19.

The Daily Feed

Summer Movies in Near Southeast

Photo courtesy of
‘Waiting for the Movie to Start’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

Now here’s something to look forward to: every Thursday night beginning June 3rd, the Capitol Riverfront BID will screen movies at the future site of Canal Park.  They need your help now to pick the best movies that fit this summer’s “Ultimate Underdog” theme.  Rudy, Forrest Gump, Finding Nemo, Miracle– there are so many to choose from, so go vote for your favorites now.  And in just a few short months, you can grab a blanket, head to Navy Yard, and watch your favorite characters triumph over adversity.

Last year the theme was 80s movies, and just looking through their pictures is getting me excited about outdoor movie season!

The Features, Where We Live

Where We Live: Near Southeast/Capitol Riverfront

Photo courtesy of
‘loves it’
courtesy of ‘NCinDC’

Welcome back to Where We Live, your bi-weekly tour of the District’s neighborhoods. This week the focus is Near Southeast, which is also commonly known as Navy Yard or Capitol Riverfront. This neighborhood has been completely transformed over the past several years, and the construction of the Nationals Stadium has redefined the character of the area.  Read on to learn how the area has changed, what’s worth checking out when you’re in the area, and where to see some amazing before-and-after photos.

History: Pierre L’Enfant came along in 1791 and recognized that Washington’s waterfront retail would be its most valuable asset, and located its commercial center in this area. Then, in 1799, the Navy Yard opened (which happens to be the longest continually-operated Federal facility), and became a major shipbuilding center. This area was the heart of Washington throughout the 1800s, and the wharf was one of the most lively parts of the city. During wartime, the Navy Yard became even more important– it was a key defense of the city during the War of 1812, and during the 1940s, the Navy Yard reached its peak of 26,000 employees (by this point, it wasn’t shipbuilding but production of weapons ammunition that kept the Navy Yard so busy).

But all this production led to one very polluted river. And I-395 cut through the urban fabric of the neighborhood. After the war, the Navy Yard drastically scaled back operations– by that point, the commercial heart of the city had moved downtown. So Near Southeast was left with a polluted river, a terribly ugly highway overpass, and lots of abandoned buildings. It’s no surprise that this combination of factors led to crime, disinvestment, and neglect of buildings.

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