Pick
The Graham
From the ground up, The Graham Georgetown is a sleek new addition to this metro-less neighborhood. Formerly the Jefferson, the boutique hotel has a modern feel that still nods to the space’s rich history.
This past weekend, the Washington Humane Society brought together Congressmen, canines, and couture at the annual Fashion for Paws Runway Show. The event, held at the National Building Museum, welcomed over 1,700 well dressed people and their pets while raising nearly $700,000 to benefit the WHS. E! News’ Now correspondent Ashlan Gorse hosted the event, honoring Congressmen Jim Moran (D-VA) and John Campbell (R-CA) with the 2013 Humane Hero Award.
Each model raised a minimum of $5,000 to walk the runway with adoptable and well dressed dogs in matching gowns. Yes, dogs in gowns!
In a town of ad hoc residents wherein even our foliage is transplanted, Mumbo Sauce is one of the few things indigenous to the DC area.
Honoring a history that is uniquely DC’s, The Contemporary Wing’s “Mumbo Sauce” exhibit opened last Friday, surveying artists like BORF, Cynthia Connolly, and several others with deep district roots. The exhibit explores how local cultural influences like Go-Go, graffiti, punk, hardcore, and graphic design have affected the works of the participants.
If you’re anything like me, this warm weather has prompted a few double takes in the mirror as the prospect of skimpy dresses and short shorts starts to become a reality. I’ve spent the winter sustained almost entirely on cubed cheese and cheap reception wine after 7pm while justifying skipping my morning run on account of the freezing weather. If winter has caught up to you, too, then thank SpaceX founder Lawrence Williams and Elizabeth’s on L for trying to help you out.
A while back, Williams recognized that frequent restaurant hoppers are often completely unaware that most of their sit-down meals out contain more calories than the average fast food meal. “I have long had a concern about the lack of incentives for restaurants and the foodservice industry to serve healthier foods, which I’m convinced has been a significant contributor to the obesity and diabetes epidemics in the United States.” He decided to quit his job to establish the United States Healthful Food Council (USHFC) and develop a nutrition and sustainability best-practices certification program for restaurants. The program, REAL (Responsible Epicurean Agricultural Leadership), connects people who want to eat healthy, sustainable meals with the restaurants that provide them.
Instead of shelling out your cash at the usual watering hole, considering welcoming Spring at the gorgeous Yards Park this Saturday to support local business, local music, and a great cause.
Local favorites The B-Side Shuffle will once again be treating the District to their super funky mix of original tracks and covers this Saturday at Taste of DC’s Drink The District wine event at Yards Park. After a Living Social ad, the $30 all-you-can-drink tickets are nearly sold out for the 5pm to 9pm slot (12pm tickets are long gone), however you can still purchase one of the remaining few while supporting a worthy cause.
If you’re not busy watching the Daft Punk teaser, go to these shows in April. You gotta kill time until May 21st somehow.
BONUS***Mr. Blonde is a 90s/2000s garage rock cover band. Breaking out nostalgia inducing hits from the likes of Weezer, Green Day, The Ataris and Jimmy Eat world, they have created a fun and energetic brand of distorted guitars and barroom sing-a-longs. They’re making their debut at the Velvet Lounge on U Street on April 17th! The cover charge is $8 and they go on at 9 pm.
Jamaican Queens are the antitheses of Detroit music and proud of it. “Everyone in Detroit is obsessed with garage rock. Unfortunately, I think that shit’s soooo boring” says the bands front man Ryan Spencer in an interview with CMJ. I shuddered at reading this due to my own penchant for fast, distorted fuzz, but I opened up while hearing them play live at Black Cat last Thursday.
Last night, Tony Hudgins and his crew welcomed a few VIP’s to celebrate its recent opening in style. However, you’re not going to find a framed Ovi jersey on the wall here — The Gryphon is challenging your typical DC sports bar to step up its game. This gorgeous new spot, with its leather club chairs, animal skulls on the walls, and unique antler chandeliers makes for an atmosphere more polished than your average sports bar. At The Gryphon, you can enjoy watching The Masters, March Madness, or a Nats game on any one of their 31 flat screen TVs while sipping a cocktail served up by one of their excessively attractive bartenders. That said, in an environment like this doing anything but slowly sipping a scotch on the rocks seems out of place. If smoking cigars inside were legal, you’d do it here.
TICKET GIVEAWAY: Win tickets to see the Revitalists at The Hamilton Live on March 27th. BONUS: this is part of the Hamilton Live’s Craft Brewer’s series where they pair your favorite jams with delicious beers. Just tell us the best show you’ve seen in DC by commenting on this post or tweeting @FamousDC & @TheHamiltonDC with the hashtag #EatDrinkListen.
Ok, now we’re ready for the rest of March.
Last week, we gave you a heads up on all the events going on around town in celebration of “Pump Me Up: DC Subculture of the 1980s” – a new exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. On Friday, FamousDC was one of 1,100 cool kids at the preview party, where we got to hang with exhibit curator and graffiti historian Roger Gastman; Black Flag front man and Georgetown native Henry Rollins; and DC’s punk rock figurehead Ian MacKaye. Considering these guys used to represent the antithesis of the Corcoran’s standard coterie, my guess is they never expected to see an exhibit dedicated to their visual, aural and DIY ethos, let alone for that exhibit to be packed to the gills.
