Have you been watching House of Cards? Are you excited about the new season that will start on Friday March 4th? I am! The Netflix original series is one of the few shows my politico husband and I enjoy watching together and we've already cleared out our entire schedule for the weekend so we can binge on all 13 episodes before I head to Chicago on Monday morning. I work in advertising but my first love will always be politics (hey, there's a reason I settled down in Washington, DC right?) so I've been LOVING the fake Frank Underwood re-election campaign leading up to March 4th. #FU2016 right? It all started with a campaign website, a faux campaign ad airing during the CNN Republican ...
Around the USA
Postcard from Philadelphia ~ 5 Free Things To Do in the City of Brotherly Love
We're spoiled here in Washington that most of our museums and historical attractions are completely free, making DC a very wallet-friendly destination for tourists and locals playing tourists. Like Washington, and just a quick bus or train ride away, Philadelphia is also rich in history and pretty affordable to explore, so long as you're willing to put up with some lines ;-) Here are a few budget-friendly things to do in America's former capital... VISIT AMERICA'S MOST IMPORTANT HISTORICAL SITES Bonus: they're all conveniently located within a square mile. Between 1790 and 1800, while the Federal City (<-- DC) was under construction, Philadelphia got to be the temporary capital of the ...
How ‘Bout Them Apples? Discovering Loudoun County’s Cideries
When I first moved to the United States, the only cider that was "widely" available was Vermont-based Woodchuck or Boston's Angry Orchard, fruity beverages that dominated the American cider scene back then. In recent years though, the refreshing and light apple-based drink has exploded here. As craft beer became increasingly popular, cider's appeal also rose, particularly as an alternative to beer for those who can't drink (especially those who are gluten intolerant) or those who just don't like the taste of it. Fast forward to 2016, and cider is definitely having a moment in America! And that includes in the state of Virginia, of course (I mean, Jefferson grew apples at Monticello and ...
Postcard from (snowy) Washington, DC ~ Jonas 2016 Edition
Exactly a month ago, we were celebrating Christmas in t-shirts. Well, the warm spell is over! Winter has (finally) arrived and mother nature made up for loss time by blanketing the north east with a pretty thick coat of snow. According to the National Weather Service, 57 cm (22.4 inches) fell in Washington, DC at the National Zoo (much to the delight of our giant panda Tian Tian) which was enough to shut down the federal government, metro and pretty much the entire city. We don't do well with snow here ;-) While I did brave the snow to toast Mandu's fifth anniversary on Friday night, it snowed really hard for most of Saturday so I locked myself up indoors and watched the blizzard with my ...
Postcard from Philladelphia: Mural Mile
I didn't venture too far for my first trip of 2016. Philadelphia is just an hour and half away from New York by train and less than two hours from Washington, so my NYC bestie Caitlin and I met up halfway for a quick early January birthdays day-trip in the City of Brotherly Love. Neither one of us had visited the new Barnes Foundation so we had agreed to make the new-ish museum our first stop (purchasing tickets for timed entry in advance is highly recommended). Afterwards, however, we took a break from the Renoirs to explore the open air "museum" that is Philadelphia's Mural Mile. With more than 3,000 murals, Philadelphia is one of the top cities in the US for street art (according to ...
Season’s Greenings at the US Botanic Garden
Every holiday season in Washington, I look forward to escaping the winter cold by taking a quick tropical break at the United States Botanic Garden. The dry heat in the desert environment and the warm humidity in the lush tropical rainforest immediately transport you hundreds of miles away. The colourful orchids also have a way of brightening up any grey day! Of course, this year, there's not much winter chills to be escaped, but I still looked forward to visiting the indoor garden for another reason: the annual display of National Mall landmarks made out of dried plant materials in the Garden Court. I'm always amazed at how detailed the ...
Postcard from New Mexico: Dried Red Chile Ristras
Red, green or Christmas? In New Mexico, Christmas is more than a holiday. It's a food preference, local parlance for mixing red and green chile sauce on your enchilada or burrito. Chile is a cornerstone of the New Mexican economy and of its cuisine, so much that the state is the only one in the country with an official question ("red or green?"). Earlier this year, I met up with my parents in New Mexico during the annual Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, which falls right after the chile harvest. By then, chiles are all red, strung together in colourful ristras drying in the hot New Mexican air. Chile harvest happens in the late summer and the fruits are strung together and hung outside ...
Holiday Spirit on Ice at City Center DC
I'm pretty sure the folks over at City Center DC didn't anticipate that it would be 70 degrees outside when they planned a live ice sculpting event for December 12th. Despite the unseasonably warm temperature, the event was a ton of fun! While two sculptors worked on an ice dress and a Christmas tree at the Park at CityCenterDC, additional sculptures were slowly melting away in Palmer Alley! My favourite was the Birkin bag, of course ;-) Check out some of my pictures below. And while I'm pretty sure none of the sculpture survived the evening, you can catch more icy action at the National Habor where ICE! at Gaylord National features 2 million pounds of hand-carved ice ...
8 Ways Washington, D.C. Rocks the Holidays
Washington does Christmas pretty well! Here are some of the holiday displays I look forward to year after year. CHRISTMAS WREATHS AT UNION STATION In addition to the three large wreaths hanging in the three main archways in front of Union Station, there's other decorations including a giant Model Train exhibit inside in the West Hall and a 32 feet tall Christmas tree outside, both courtesy of the Norwegian embassy. In 2013, the tree was decked out with 700 shining replicas of Edvard Munch's famous painting The Scream. In 2014, the tree made a statement on the environment and was decorated with polar bears. I can't wait to see what the Norwegian embassy comes up with this year! (<-- ...
Gad Elmaleh in DC – Part Trois, Now All In English
Le revoici, le revoilà! Gad Elmaleh repasse au Birchmere, avec un petit changement qui n'est pas négligeable: le comedien fait son show en Anglais!! It's hard enough being funny in your native language, let alone in a foreign one. Seinfeld, for example, was notoriously bad when dubbed in French, and the humour didn't quite translate. And yet, that’s exactly the personal challenge that French funnyman (and Seinfeld BFF) Gad Elmaleh has set for himself. After performing sold-out shows in Washington, DC twice in 2013 (in April and September - you can read my recap from the September show right here), the comedien is back for a third time. This fall, he’ll try to branch out of the ...
