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What's cool in DC this week, and what's coming up

11/21/2014

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I managed to keep pretty busy this week despite (a) being abandoned for the week by my lovely London-bound wife, and (b) working 10 hours both days at the weekend. So what does a solo Brit About Town do for fun in such circumstances?


I went to see the brilliantly conceived War of the Worlds by Picnic Theatre Company at Dumbarton House. Essentially they reenacted the 1938 Orson Welles radio broadcast of War of the Worlds, made famous because listeners thought it was a real news show reporting an alien invasion happening in real time, creating mass hysteria. The setting at Dumbarton House was perfect: a charming, intimate period vibe (and nutella crepes from Bonaparte's... ahem). The set design was simple and worked beautifully. And the performers built up considerable tension. I was really impressed with this quirky gem of a show. I hope we see more things like this in DC. In the meantime, I just found the original 1938 broadcast on Youtube - enjoy.


But more delight was to come. The Moth (the most famous of storytelling shows) came to Woolly Mammoth Theatre for a special event that brought the voices of development advocates from Africa and Asia to the stage, bringing life to their stories about getting an education despite the odds, bringing fish back to the sea, food security, and more. The stories were brilliantly delivered and I was transfixed. The Moth has plans to do more shows in DC - watch this space... 


I popped up to Politics and Prose on Saturday night for the most crowded show I've ever attended: Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, talking about his book on Winston Churchill. As a Brit About Town it seemed only apt that I was there, but I was intrigued at this vast popularity. He was predictably entertaining, and I was only a little resentful that it was standing room only for me!


On Monday I decided to go and do some talent spotting at SpeakeasyDC's student showcase, which was in the big hall at HRC. You're welcome, dear Perfect Liars Club attendees. By the way, make sure you've got your Perfect Liars Club tickets for our next show on 3rd December!


While the wife's away, the cook will... not bother cooking. I hardly ate at home the entire week. But fine dining was not on the cards either. This week's dining was an economical, solo affair. And so I bring you: a rather tasty curry at the Penn Quarter Teaism, which is really big and relaxing downstairs, and an absolutely sensible place to hang out with a book and a bento box before a show at Woolly Mammoth or the like. I enjoyed a veggie burger at Native Foods, an entirely vegan sort-of-fast-food restaurant of the Sweetgreen or Chophouse ilk, where again you can hang out with a book. The food is pretty tasty.  It's on the corner of 18th and M. I had a quick dinner one night at the Drafting Table which I have to say is one of the more disappointing of all the 14th Street offerings - but then it's a gastropub, not a restaurant, so I suppose its fried egg sandwich was fine. I tried lunch at the new Dog Tag Bakery in Georgetown- they're not very good for vegetarian lunches, with lots of delicious-looking sandwiches all proving to contain meat. But their pumpkin chowder was absolutely amazing. And their banana bread to go was an afternoon treat. And finally, some Georgetown University students took me out for dinner to Mai Thai in Georgetown, where I'd inexplicably never been before. They have a good-looking vegetarian menu, then reveal that most items within are made with fish sauce. So that was disappointing. But they were pleasant and friendly, their sweet and sour tofu was quite tasty, and their coconut icecream was delicious.


What's coming up for the rest of November that sounds cool in DC: Picks of the week

Well I'll be off to Mexico... but for those of you spending Thanksgiving week in Washington, here's a little something to kick it off. Brace yourself: this is a great week for storytelling.

Fri 21 and Sat 22 Nov - Peter Aguero, Moth host and generally excellent storyteller, is performing his one man storytelling show, Daddy Issues, at Artisphere. Combine it with a visit to the the wonderful 'Think with your hands' art show at Artisphere that I reviewed last week. 

Fri 21 Nov - There are also all sorts of Beaujolais Nouveau events this week, but why not do it right and hit the French Embassy. Or else go to a comedy/story/music extravaganza with 8x8.

Sat 22 Nov - Last week SpeakeasyDC had people tell their stories to filmmakers. This week, the filmmakers reveal their short films based on the stories! Get your tickets for Speakeasy Shorts. 

Sun 23 Nov - SpeakeasyDC are on fire with their genre mashups this week. Tonight, they bring together storytellers and illustrators for a competitive story illustration contest, My Illustrated Story.

Mon 24 Nov - Head to Story League for one of their all-star tournaments. The theme: Obnoxious.

Tue 25 Nov - Hilarity for Charity at the Bier Baron will bring comedy, Lagunitas, and Thanksgiving meals for homeless DC youth.

Fri 28 Nov - Zoolights opens! This kitsch, charming holiday lights tradition at the zoo needs to be experienced to  be understood, and then loved. 

Mon 1 Dec - Feeling space nerdy? The International Space University (where I wish I could claim to have attended) is holding a space event open to the public at 7pm at Science Club. The topic is astrobiology. The speakers are cool. Free entry - just turn up.

Wed 3 Dec - Get your tickets for Perfect Liars Club - it's going to be fantastic. 
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What's cool this week in DC - and what's coming up

11/12/2014

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Looking at what I've been up to in DC this week, it seems impressive that I've crammed in quite so much, especially when I distinctly recall a dinner party and a home ping pong tournament... But as a preview so you know what you're getting yourself in for, here's what I've been doing:

Musicals: Fiddler on the Roof, Little Dancer
Indy spoken word: SpeakeasyDC, Science Comedy
Art: American Sequitur, Think With Your Hands
Hike: Cabin John Regional Park
Food: Floriana, Little Red Fox, DC Noodles, Esme, Jaleo, Dicksons Wine Bar, Bistro D'Oc, Dog Tag Bakery and Cafe Aficionado. Phew.

It has been a week for going to see big ticket musicals. First up, Fiddler on the Roof at Arena Stage. I love this musical but hadn't seen it for years. Arena Stage do a good job with it, and I really enjoyed the staging in the round. The music was great. Some of the acting was also great, but somehow it didn't quite wring much emotion from the audience. Tevye didn't carry it like I've seen others do in the past. But it's still good. 
It's worth seeing, but it's not life changing. Technically no complaints, but perhaps it lacks a spark... 


Little Dancer, on the other hand, is one of the best musicals I've seen in ages. A brand new musical at the Kennedy Center, I wasn't entirely convinced that I was interested in a musical focusing on Degas and the ballerinas he painted. I was wrong. Little Dancer is the name of an infamous Degas sculpture of a young ballet dancer, and the musical imagines the life of that dancer in the Paris ballet world, and her relationship with Degas. The plot is well imagined, the performances are excellent, the look perfect, and the music is somehow still in my head. A particular treat is some of the dancing, and I'm not even much of a ballet fan personally. This is expensive for DC, yes, but absolutely worth seeing, in my opinion. I loved it. And you can see the original statue at the National Gallery of Art now!

But enough of these polished mega-shows for one week, and onto the indie scene. We went to SpeakeasyDC's monthly show, and the theme this time was swansongs. It's interesting as I've never been to a storytelling show where there wasn't significant emphasis on humor. Some of these stories had their funny parts, but I spent a significant part of them wiping away tears. A really good show though, with some excellent storytellers, including Perfect Liars Club favorites Pierce, Cara, Anne and Brent. We also went to Science Comedy. The first time they did this show, a couple of months ago, there were people there, but nobody could accuse it of being busy. On Friday night, the Bier Baron was beyond standing room only. People were trampling each other. There was a horrendous line for the bar. And on the stage, several scientists and science writers told jokes, stories, and even sang a topical science song. Other than wondering how old I need to become before someone gives me their seat, it was an excellent evening of largely very funny people whose jokes were - a rarity in DC comedy - clever and interesting. They're back in January. I wonder if there will be a wonky spin off: DC Economist Comedy, for instance? Hmmm. 

Do you use Sosh? It's an app that finds particularly excellent things to do in DC, somehow more effectively than any other 'things to do' researcher (except Brit About Town obviously). Never does a DC weekend approach without me looking up Sosh recommendations for how to have fun. I took them up on two suggestions this weekend and both were great.

I love Artisphere in Rosslyn, but oddly I fail to follow what they have on at any particular time. So when Sosh suggested I check out the Joshua Yospyn photo exhibition, American Sequitur, it seemed like a good excuse to stroll across the river (it opens at noon on weekends). This exhibition is small, sweet, and unexpectedly witty, with an even more unexpected British-style sense of humor. It highlights 'irony, whimsy and pride' in American patriotism, documented during a cross-country road trip. Absolutely worth checking out.

While we were in Artisphere, we also wandered to one of their other exhibitions, Think With Your Hands. We were completely taken aback: this show is beautiful and brilliant. First the art, on the walls and in cases, are whimsical, graphic depictions of journals and dreams. But then it gets so much more exciting. You can download their app or check out one of their iPads, and using the camera function, focus on some of the pictures... and they come to life. In an amazing, mash-up of art and tech, this is perhaps the only time I have felt true, old fashioned delight at the combination. This exhibition is an absolute must-see. It's free. It was pretty much empty when we were there. This is unacceptable - I doubt there's a lovelier exhibition on in the city right now. Prioritize this. Make sure you have at least an hour to spend there - I ran out of time, and I'm not known for lingering. It's on til November 30th. 

I also followed Sosh's recommendation to an 'enchanted forest', aka Cabin John Regional Park in Montgomery County. It was quite an investment to get there - nearly $30 on Lyft. And once we did, I'm not sure it was as spectacular as promised. But it was a very attractive forest walk for 6 miles of pretty countryside, along riverbanks (follow the blue trail), and if you're getting bored of the old faithful walks in DC (Glover Archbold, Rock Creek, Roosevelt Island), this might be just what you're looking for. 

The latest two ventures on my grilled cheese exploration are (1) Floriana - amazing bread, but I am a grilled cheese purist and felt the deviation from cheddar was just a step too far... and (2) Little Red Fox next to Politics and Prose, which had just okay bread, but a particularly delicious filling including something apple-y. 

Moving on from the joys of grilled cheese, I really liked DC Noodles at 14th and U which I just tried for the first time - one of the best pad thais I can remember having outside Thailand, plus friendly and efficient service, and very attractive decor. Looking forward to returning for more! Down at Dupont Circle, a shout out to Ezme, one of my favorite neighborhood Turkish restaurants - it was packed on Friday night, and the baked hummus was everything glorious I remembered it being. And we checked out the Crystal City Jaleo after an evening sipping wine with In The Capital in a design lab as part of the 50 on Fire awards. CC Jaleo not quite as excellent as Penn Quarter Jaleo - but still their pan con tomate is the stuff of dreams. 


Then onto dessert: at the delightful Dicksons Wine Bar (surely the very nicest wine bar in the city) they have a seasonal pumpkin bread pudding dessert which is amazing - particularly the caramel coating on the ice cream. Mmmm go try. And mustn't forget Bistro d'Oc. On 10th between E and F. We were off to the Landmark E Street Cinema to see The Way He Looks (which was really good: a coming of age story in Brazil, focusing on a boy who is blind and gay). But first, my lovely wife had promised me dessert in Centrale, which is fantastic for dessert. But on Sunday evening it was closed! Coco Sala: closed. Proof: hideously busy. Poste: ditto. Nopa: ditto. We were giving up (and getting a bit distraught) when we ventured into Bistro d'Oc, right opposite the Ford Theatre. And completely unexpectedly found ourselves in a little corner of France - not Paris France, but a quiet, friendly, informal small town neighborhood bistro. We sat at the bar and ordered profiteroles and they were delightful and we couldn't have felt further from the bustle of tourists and chaos that awaited us just outside the door. I know where I'll be retreating to next time I find myself dessert-hunting before a movie. 

And what of those of us who seek a simple coffee, you ask? Well after much anticipation from your Brit About Town, Dog Tag Bakery is finally open! And what's more, it is everything we dreamed. Friendly staff. Great coffee. Fantastic baked goods. Lots of places to sit (the tourists haven't found it yet: shhhh). And even a cool tiny stage - I'm excited to see what they do with that! Baked and Wired, this could be competition for you... I'm scared to reveal too much in case the currently horrifying hoardes of M Street shoppers divert there. It's only a matter of time... check it out soon! We also went to Cafe Aficionado in Rosslyn which was also pleasant and incongruously pretty, but had more of a takeout feel than a place you might settle with a book - though you could: they have a few seats... 


What's coming up this week that sounds cool

Wed 12th Nov - Female comedy at Bier Baron? Schtick is a fundraiser, featuring Perfect Liars Club favorites Natalie McGill and Chelsea Shorte. 

Wed, Thu and Fri - An 1800s cocktail party with a live stage adaptation of the original radio script of War of the Worlds? This sounds amazing! 

Fri 14th Nov - What, The Moth is in DC? Nobody seemed to know in advance, yet it's sold out. How did this happen? If you really want to go, email [email protected] and ask to be a volunteer. Or else instead head to Speakeasy Shorts for your story fix - storytellers tell their stories - and over the next week competing groups of filmmakers turn them into short films, which you can see next week!

Sat 15th Nov - Feeling arty? You could 'do the loop', i.e. take advantage of a free shuttle bus between the Georgetown art galleries, Katzen Arts Center, Kreeger Museum, and Dumbarton Oaks. Enjoy. Then in the evening head to Sixth and I for comedy by Gary Gulman.

Sun 16th Nov -  At 4pm the Hill Center has an exclusive free screening of the original Mary Poppins, in celebration of the actress Mary Wickes. Then the free DC comedy festival kicks off.

Tue 18th Nov - It's a big book fair at the National Press Club. Or go to National Geographic for some practical instruction and sampling of wine/beer/stinky cheese pairings.

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What's cool in DC this week - and what's coming up

11/4/2014

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Ladies and gentlemen, we've brought you the DC delights of Levels 1, 2 and 3 of Washington visitors. But turning yourself into a tourist is a Level 4. And that's what we did this weekend. Brace yourselves.

Five years ago last weekend, my lovely wife and I got civil partnered - a huge wedding extravaganza in London. So while others in DC cavort down M Street in costumes, Halloween is romance time in our household. We'd mused on going to New York, then Philadelphia, but in the end we decided to stay in Washington for a romantic minibreak. But for that to work, we couldn't just do the same old things... 

Up bright and early, my wife romantically took my hand and led me to... The Department of the Interior. Ah yes, now THIS is a Washington anniversary, you say. Our destination: the Interior Museum, which was having an exhibition of National Park posters. This is a mission for the dedicated museum-goer indeed. First there is the gauntlet of incredulous (but cautiously welcoming) security people who need to sign you into the building - bring ID. Then you have to go through a particularly elaborate metal detector/bag scanner set up. And then you descend deep into this (pretty cool) government building, past murals, offices with really fun-sounding jobs written on them, a dry cleaner's and hat shop, a gift shop (where the proprietor oddly didn't seem to speak a word of English - or at least couldn't understand my accent), a coffee shop, a canteen, two different American Indian craft shops, an alarming array of people in costume (probably specific to the date we were there...) and then finally... the museum! By the time we got there, we felt we'd already got full value from our trip. But it was fun to see their small but interesting poster exhibition. There were no other visitors. We felt this was a truly Level 4 Washington experience. We combined this with a visit to GCDC to sample their grilled cheese sandwiches. Not only were said sandwiches delicious, GCDC is surprisingly cool inside. I'd expected a near-the-White-House-standard-lunch-joint - but it was like a proper occasion. Though were their grilled cheese sandwiches better than Glen's Garden Market? Hmm, not sure about that. But they were certainly better than the Pleasant Pops grilled cheese sandwich, which I also sampled this week. Ahem... let's gloss over quite how many grilled cheese sandwiches I've eaten of late. All in the name of research for you, dear reader... 

Then it was time for a tour, but a Level 4 DC tour demands traveling further afield - in this case on the Silver Line to East Falls Church (NB: really rude metro staff at that station this weekend!) where we met a Reston Limo minibus and were conveyed deep into Virginia wine country. For those of us who don't drive (or don't want to drink and drive), a Reston Limo wine tour is quite a cool experience that we had always wanted to try. They take you to two different wineries each time, and ours were Winery 32 and Lost Creek (which are 5 minutes apart, somewhere countryside-ish in Loudon County). The trip is $39 each and the wine tasting fees are separate. First, it was lovely to get out into the countryside - the scenery was delightful, and we got a chance to do a walk around Winery 32 which we really enjoyed despite the blustering gales... Second, it is always fun to taste wine. Winery 32 were less friendly, complaining how they don't like groups, and charging us 50% extra for being part of one - and their wines were less exciting. But they offered lunch, and had a bright, airy tasting room. Whereas Lost Creek felt more like you were in a cavern, and their wines were in my view much better. I'd buy several of these wines if I came across them in a restaurant. Plus they had board games. Which was just as well, as Reston Limo tours gave us nearly 2 hours at each winery - of which only about 20 minutes is wine tasting! Of course you can buy and consume more wine during that time, and once we relaxed into the pace, it was a lovely day out. Suggest you bring snacks. 

We polished off our weekend of new experiences at Chez Billy Sud, the French restaurant that has only just opened in  Georgetown, a 30 second walk from our house. Despite it being resolutely French, they managed some excellent vegetarian food. They were lovely to us, and when they heard it was our anniversary, even lovelier. The ambience is formal but not stuff. The decor attractive and understated. The white tablecloths crisp. I really enjoyed this occasion restaurant. 

We veered back onto familiar territory with a visit to Politics and Prose for an excellent event with the editor of the New York Times Book Review, Pamela Paul. She was witty and clever and cool and I was entirely envious of her job. Then we popped into Comet Ping Pong next door for some excellent pizza, though said ping pong tables were peskily taken up by children. So instead, after dinner we walked over to Cleveland Park and finished the evening with some superlative cheese and wine at the bar at Ripple. Delightful.

As for the rest of the week? Entertaining storytelling from Story League. A rather good visit to the cinema to see The Skeleton Twins. And a gala dinner to celebrate the middle school winners of the Broadcom Masters STEM awards_. (I wrote a separate blog about that for Huffington Post). And I got to do a hilarious proper photo shoot on the 33rd floor of a building in Rosslyn as I've been nominated for a cool award - DC 50 on Fire. And not even for all my Perfect Liars Club stuff. Exciting. Am I on fire? We'll find out on December 4th... But I got a cool photoshoot out of it. All in all, an excellent week.

What's coming up that sounds cool this week

Tue Nov 4th - Go enjoy a roast of the Mayoral candidates from the funny people at Tuesdays with Funnie, free at The Brixton. Or a talk by Water Isaacson on creating the digital revolution.

Wed Nov 5th - It's Perfect Liars Club! Grab one of the few remaining advance tickets here, or else turn up at the door and we can probably fit you in. 

Thu Nov 6th - Check out the Phillips Collection After 5 - this month it's all about Paris and Brussels. Or go hear a free talk about the universe in the beautiful Carnegie Institution for Science. You won't regret it for the ceiling murals alone! 

Fri Nov 7th - Go and be glamorous at the FotoWeekDC opening night party. Don't go to the Smithsonian Postal Museum party as it's been cancelled. 

Sat Nov 8th - During the day, check out Artcrank, a bike-themed art show with the limited-edition posters costing $50. Afterwards, there's some improv and comedy in Adams Morgan at the Happy Buddha show, with some acclaimed New York improv folk.

Tue Nov 11 - Speakeasy DC have their monthly storytelling show - and the theme is Swan song.

If anything else that's cool crosses my radar, you'll be the first to know! Make sure you're following us on Twitter.

Things you should probably think about buying tickets for

6th, 7th, 13th and 14th December - Keith Mellnick and Inga Brege are doing a solo storytelling show with Speakeasy DC which, if last year's show is anything to go by, will be a fantastic, don't miss, sold-out extravaganza. 

12th and 13th December - You guys are always complaining that I go to Second City and don't tell you about it til it's too late and the tickets are all sold out. So consider this your advance warning. The show's at the Arlington Drafthouse. Uber and Lyft exist for just such occasions. Tickets here.
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    What is this blog?

    Every Friday, Perfect Liars Club MC Layla laboriously curates a list of all the coolest English-accessible things happening in Tokyo for the next week for your delight and entertainment. If you live in Tokyo and like attending great events, you had better sign up.

    How to suggest an event to be included

    Tweet @perfectliarstky or email Layla with details and a link.

    What sort of events does this listings guide include?

    ​Recommendations are biased towards things Layla personally enjoys, like theatre, cinema, sciencey talks, book things, storytelling, comedy, art and random quirky activities.

    Come to my event, Layla!

    You can email Layla to invite her to something cool.

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