Since 2008, Francophile New Yorkers have been able to enjoy French flicks al fresco through Films on the Green, a free outdoor French film festival produced annually in New York City Parks by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy with the City of New York Parks & Recreation. This summer, they had the opportunity to catch Purple Noon at Central Park's Cedar Hill, The Women on the 6th Floor and La Haine at Tompkins Square Park, Les Tontons Flingueurs at Washington Square Park and The French Minister at Columbia University. This year, thanks to American University and the Cultural Service of the Embassy of France in Washington, DC, we're getting our own (shorter) edition of this ...
Out and about
Expat life ~ celebrating la fête nationale Suisse in Washington, D.C.
One of my absolute favourite thing about living in Washington, D.C. is getting to know people not just from every state in the United States but also from all over the world. With 176 resident embassies in the city, and the World Bank, the IMF and countless other international organizations you can make friends from around the globe without leaving the district. Over the weekend, I got to meet a lot of Swiss and learn a lot more about Switzerland when I attended the Schweizer Bundesfeier celebration thrown by the Swiss Club of Washington, D.C. at the Embassy of Switzerland on Saturday. Every August 1st, some 8 million people around the world celebrate one of four holiday: the above ...
The Big Maze at the National Building Museum
Have you checked out the BIG maze at the National Building Museum yet? I dropped by over the long July 4th weekend to see the new playful indoor installation – and learned the difference about mazes and labyrinths in the process (labyrinths only have one path apparently…). The BIG maze is the first large scale installation in the National Building Museum since Frank Gehry was commissioned by the SMWIA to build a metal structure for their 100th anniversary back in 1988. And it's not actually that big. BIG stands for Bjarke Ingels Group, a Danish architect firm, and the maze serves as a preview for amBIGuity, an exhibition of the firm’s work that will open in October. And while I kind of ...
Negroni Week: 7 days, 3 ingredients, 1 simple way to give back
Italians celebrated their national holiday, Festa Della Repubblica, yesterday but the party continues through Sunday thanks to Campari and Imbibe. Or should I say grazie a Campari and Imbibe. Participating bar around the country get to decide which charity the'll donate a portion of the proceeds for each Negroni sold so the event is being promoted as “a drink for your cause.” This is the second time that Imbibe and Campari have teamed up for Negroni Week. Last year, some 120 participating bars raised more than $10,000. I'm not a huge Negroni fan (I'm not a huge Campari fan I should say...) but after toasting the 68th anniversary of the Italian Republic at the Italian Embassy last night, I'm ...
Recap: Art and Soul’s Biscuit Bash
Last night, Art & Soul in the Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel kicked off patio-season with a friendly biscuit competition benefiting Hospitality High, a preparatory high school for D.C. students interested in the hospitality industry. Good thing I recently traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina, to brush up on my (American) biscuits because biscuit means two completely different things in France and in America. In France, biscuits are typically sweet, more like cookies. In America, they're more like bread. Either way, I would have enjoyed any event named biscuit bash!! With the assistance of students from Hospitality high, five chefs battled it out for the title: Jason Gehring of Menu MBK; ...
Le Temps des Cerisesiers
It's cherry blossoms season in Washington, DC. I don't even care if my allergies are through the roof right now... it's been such a long, drawn out winter here, I'm particularly excited to see the city turn pink (and warm!). It was so beautiful in DC today, I refuse to believe it's supposed to be cold and possibly even snowy on Tuesday :( ...
Seeing Art Through Google Glasses
Judging by the crowds who showed up at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery this Presidents' Day weekend, Washingtonians were very exited at the idea of mixing art and wearable technology. I know I was. I must confess, when I first read about David Datuna's "Portrait of America" piece I didn't entirely grasp the concept. I just thought, ooh, cool, google glasses and art! Let's check it out. My husband and I I showed up at 11:15 on Sunday without even knowing that the Portrait Gallery only opened at 11:30. We entered on the G street Street side, slowly made our way to the line via a leisurely walk through the "Retratos: 2000 Years of Latin American Portraits" exhibit only to find out ...
Gad Elmaleh in DC ~ Part Deux
No offense to John Oliver, who was absolutely hilarious when I saw him perform his comedy routine at DC Improv. A lot of his jokes poked fun at what it's like to be a brit (read foreigner) in the United States. A lot of it rang very true. But I'm French, and I think it really takes a French comedian to relate to an audience full of French (and a few Swiss, Senegalese, Algerian, Moroccan, Quebecois...) people to get Gad Elmaleh's jokes last night. And not just because he performed entirely in French... I do feel bad for the one audience member (her name was Cathy) who didn't speak a word of French. She probably didn't think the show was that funny. But everyone else did. Gad's jokes about ...
The Great Pumpkin (Ale)
Good Grief... it's pumpkin beer season already! Is it me or did the pumpkin ales creep up on us earlier than usual this year? I spotted some pumpkin ales (and Halloween candy) at my local Safeway as early as mid-August... But I'm not complaining. #SummersNotOver but we got an early start on fall with a pumpkin beer tasting organized and hosted by my friend Christina last night. Who knew there are so many different kinds of pumpkin beers out there? We're not big on pumpkins and gourds in France. But it's a staple of fall here in the United States and it's actually been a staple of the beer industry for a long time. In colonial New England, apparently, pumpkin was used to supplement for ...
5 New (Delicious) Reasons to Visit Union Market This Weekend
It's been a few months now since I published my "10 Delicious Reasons to Visit Union Market This Weekend" post. Some of the reasons I listed are still relevant. It's still great to support local food artisans, Gina Chersevani still makes a mean egg cream and Rappahannock Oysters still has the best crab cake in the city (the lamb and clams is pretty standout as well!). But I'd like to add in a few more reasons, delicious or otherwise, why you should visit Union Market before the end of the summer. 1) Gin and Tonic on Tap at Red Apron Butchery - Cocktails on tap are popping up all over the city (Sangrias at Hogo, Margaritas at Bandolero, Rickeys and Americanos at Teddy & the Bully Bar ...