Review of Lebanese Taverna

There are several Lebanese Tavernas in the area, but I have only been to the one in Woodley Park. It has a very healthy sized outdoor eating area and a lovely dining room.

Pictured is the shankleesh (feta with paprika rolled in sesame, thyme and sumac). Another favorite, the fattoush salad, is perfectly spiced and flavored with olive oil.

The pitas are like puffy little pillows, perfect for dipping in hummos or shankleesh or (for the brave) their super spicy harissa.

Prices at Lebanese Taverna are surprisingly reasonable, although you always have to watch yourself in places with a large selection of small plates. Service can be a little spotty, but not usually terrible.

All in all a good choice.

Asia After Dark at the Freer Sackler

Back on June 4th, the Freer and Sackler galleries had their first ever Asia After Dark event.

Tickets were only $15 each and included food, entertainment, and one cocktail. You could also wander around the exhibits.

The dancers in the picture are from the Silk Road Dance Company. They had two performances of traditional Middle Eastern and Persian Dance.

The woman who was describing the dances to us had the biggest hair I had ever seen in my life. She was also extremely cranky that nobody was listening to her shpeel.

It was a great event, with two exceptions. The DJ had every drunk person out there dancing up a storm and nobody was very happy that the dancing had to stop for the performance. Also, the food was stuck in two little corners. The lines for the food were incredibly long and then the food wasn't too great.

Still, I'll be looking forward to the next one.

Coming This Week

Another packed weekend here in DC:

• For play addicts, the Source Festival continues until July 12th
  

• For art addicts, Artomatic continues through July 5th
  

• The Smithsonian Folklife Festival kicked off this past Wednesday. This year the focus is on African American storytelling, Welsh crafts, and Latin American music.
  

• The annual Safeway BBQ Battle is this weekend
  

• As is the grand reopening of Eastern Market, complete with free food and entertainment
  

• Yoni Ki Baat, the South Asian version of Vagina Monologues has three performances this weekend at the DC Arts Center
  

• Jazz in the Garden continues tonight in the Sculpture Garden
  

• You can join the ACLU tomorrow to protest Don't Ask Don't Tell
  

• And if you aren't completely exhausted by Sunday, you can hit the Festa Italiana
  

Three Servicemen Statue Vietnam Memorial

When you think of the Vietnam memorial in DC, you probably think of the long, black, reflective wall of names.

The memorial actually consists of two parts, that wall and this statue called Three Servicemen.

Apparently, many people thought that the wall was too focused on death. They wanted something more heroic. The servicemen were added a couple years later.

Frankly, I think the focus on death was appropriate, but the statue is fine. The figures are not particularly heroic or grim.

They are just a few somber kids with very large weapons.

Theodore Roosevelt Island and Memorial

Anyone who watches movies will recognize the Lincoln Memorial or the Jefferson Memorial, but Theodore's memorial never gets any play.

His statue might not seem as majestic as Lincoln's, but Teddy has an entire island to himself. You'd think people would be impressed by that.

You actually need to metro over to Virginia to get to the memorial. Then you walk over a long bridge overlooking the Potomac and Georgetown.

The island has walking paths, some interesting plants and quite a few little buzzing things. We also spotted locals fishing (brave souls).

It's a nice park and makes a great afternoon outing on a pleasant day. Just don't look for vendors or anything, cause you won't likely find any.

Coming This Week

The weather report tells me we are going to keep seeing rain this weekend, so keep backup plans to any outdoor activities.

• Brazilian jazz group Origem plays in the sculpture garden tonight
  

• If you're looking for a more lively scene, it is reggae night at the Carter Barron
  

• Tomorrow is the Juneteenth celebration at Walker Mill Regional Park
  

• Tomorrow is also the Bourbon, Beer and BBQ Festival at the National Harbor
  

• Saturday kicks off the Source Festival, which will run readings, short plays, and other crazy performances through July 12
  

• Silverdocs documentary film festival is still going strong this week
  

• As is Artomatic
  

• Wednesday starts the not to be missed Smithsonian Folklife Festival
  

Korean War Memorial

Of all the war memorials, the Korean might be the most impressive.

Soldiers are slogging through scrub brush. They are wearing rain gear and look worn down. The statues are slightly larger than life (just over seven feet).

It's particularly creepy as it gets dark and the shadowy soldiers are up lit.

If the Vietnam Memorial Wall brings home the death of war, the Korean Memorial brings home the suffering.

Behind the suffering soldiers is a wall with etchings of all the different military operations involved in the war, from air force fighters to navy transport.

Central Union Mission

This is the Central Union Mission. They are a shelter and soup kitchen and have lots of other programs that I'm sure have helped many needy people.

Which makes it all the more shameful that, when I walk by that building, all I can think of is replacing the word unto with into or onto or some other perverse thought.

Good thing I don't believe in hell.

Giant Paella at Dupont Farmers Market

Last Sunday, Jaleo restaurant kicked off their paella month at the Dupont Circle farmers market. They made a giant paella outside at the market. You're looking at maybe a third of the pan here.

The guy throwing fresh herbs in the paella is Jose Andres. He is the artist behind some of DCs best restaurants - Jaleo, Oyamel, Zaytinya, and Cafe Atlantico.

Also helping out was Jaleo's head chef, Rodolfo Guzman, a visiting chef from Spain, and a slew of Jaleo staff and their families.

I think watching them make the giant paella was even better than eating it (although eating it was pretty damn good ). I can't imagine the amount of time and money they put into their little demonstration. But it definitely made me want to make another visit to Jaleo.

Dreadlock Walking Stick Guy

I don't know who this guy is, but I love him and think he should be our next mayor.

He can be spotted all around town. Here he is dancing at a hippie concert in Lafayette Park. He always has some sort of walking stick/spear with him.

I have a sneaking suspicion that he is an extraordinarily wise, Buddha, walk-the-earth type and that some day people will be wearing likenesses of him on t-shirts.

Either that or he is batshit insane. Either way, he should be mayor.

Coming This Week

It's gay pride baby!

• Saturday at 6:30 in Dupont Circle is the Capital Pride Parade
  

• Sunday, from 11:00 to 6:00 is the Capital Pride Street Festival on Penn and 3rd. Keep an eye out for RuPaul
  

• Also Sunday, the National Museum of the American Indian has a Hawaiian festival
  

• The American Art Museum's Steinway Series puts on a performance of chamber music on Sunday at 3:00 p.m.
  

• You can still catch a few more performances of the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival
  

• The Silverdocs documentary film festival starts on Monday
  

• And, of course, Artomatic has tons of events through next month
  

Fancy Fannie Mae

This building is up in Friendship Heights, as is American University. At first I thought it must be part of the AU campus. Wrong.

It also has the vague aura of a country club, or perhaps a very large banking institution. Wrong.

This monstrously palatial building houses the government agency whose mission is (according to their website) "provide liquidity, stability and affordability to the U.S. housing and mortgage markets."

Hmmm. Think the banks loss of $23.2 billion in the first quarter of this year might have something to do with the fact that they seem to have a bit of trouble being thrifty? Nice example setting.

Oh, and can I just mention that they have their own stoplight. I'm sure all the cars who have to screech to a halt on Wisconsin in order to let people out of the Fannie Mae parking lot are thrilled.

DC Film - Air Force One

Air Force One is typical of many of the movies set in DC, especially in the nineties.

Good guys include the United States government and military. They are led, of course, by the courageous president played by Harrison Ford. Bad guys include anti-capitalist foreigners with funny accents who like to beat up on women.

The movie begins with paratroopers sneaking into a palace, killing a bunch of people, and capturing the bad guy. We know they captured a bad guy because the paratroopers were accompanied by heroic American music.

Cut to a morally outraged Harrison Ford who declares their long wait to capture said bad guy was unacceptable. From then on, America would act immediately when confronted with "atrocity and terror." Of course, the advisor who declares that allies will be upset with the United States new cowboy strategy is a weenie.

They spend a bit of time showing what a great guy Harrison Ford is. He humbly jokes with the crew. He calls everyone by their first name. He can't wait to watch the game (so manly).

Meanwhile, some "Russian nationalists" who want their general freed from prison have posed as a news crew and are on Air Force One with the heroic president, his lovely wife, precocious child, and loyal staff - except for one traitor who is working with the bad guys.

The infiltrators take over the plane, kill people, act really creepy with the president's daughter, scare the crap out of the presidents wife, make nasty comments to the female vice president (played by Glenn Close). Ford, in contrast to the women-abusing bad guys, refuses to leave the plane in his escape pod (seriously) and stays on to heroically save the girls.

Predictably, he is able to one by one take out the hijackers (although somewhere along the way the five hijackers seem to have multiplied). Ford's morality and manliness (exemplified by his refusal to negotiate with terrorists) are legendary.

A few crazy mid air accidents, a group of (Indian?) bad guys in fighter jets (Chris says outsourcing), and a daring military mid air rescue by our military boys follows. After which the idyllic nuclear family (and therefore all that is good and pure) is saved.

Not sure why I didn't see this move when it came out. It got great reviews, except from Roger Ebert, who I should pay more attention to I think.

The scenes of Washington amounted only to the usual Whitehouse and monument shots to give the impression of the city.

Art Truck at Glen Echo Park

This crazy car was parked outside of Glen Echo Park for the folk festival. It also had musical accompaniment from outside.

The other side of the car had some kind of scripture. If you are going to go all publicly jesus crazy, this is the way to do it.

I don't believe there was a single person arriving that didn't stop to check this thing out. I saw some people even peering inside, but somehow that seemed awkward. I had the sneaking suspicion someone was in there sleeping.

Coming This Week

If the free lemon filled Krispy Kreme I received for doughnut day wasn't enough to lift my spirits, we are actually going to see sun for the next few days. Finally.

• First Friday Dupont is tonight, although I think the current weather and my general blahness might keep me inside. (You know it's bad if I'm turning down free booze.)
  

• Jazz in the Garden is also tonight, but it isn't much of a garden evening.
  

• Euroasia shorts film festival is more appropriate for the current weather, although shows are sold out and only a handful of at the door tickets will be available.
  

• Artomatic is still kicking, of course, I might hit the Indian Classical Dance show tomorrow night.
  

• The Duke Ellington Jazz Festival has an amazing lineup of artists this year. There is also a jazz n families fun day on Sunday that, despite the guarantee of many little people, sounds interesting.
  

• There is an Armenian Festival Saturday in Alexandria.
  

• There is a Food and Wine Festival at the National Harbor this weekend, but the tickets are $65 a pop. Ouch. That includes some booze tastings, but "dine arounds" are extra.
  

• Eastern Market has concerts Sunday for it's music series.
  

• Jaleo is kicking off a Paella festival with a demonstration and samples at the Dupont Farmers Market on Sunday and a happy hour (with free samples) at the Arlington location on Monday night.
  

• Busboys and Poets will be having a discussion about reparations on Sunday at 4:00
  

• PJ O'Rourke is in town promoting his book Driving Like Crazy, including an appearance at CATO on Tuesday.
  

• Tuesday night concerts include Yanomanem on the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage and Pink Martini at the Wolf Trap

Seriously, anyone who gets bored in DC is crazy.

Florida Avenue Market Tour

Another Cultural Tourism DC tour that I started and then ditched this weekend was of the Florida Market.

That's the gargantuan group wandering around. Our tour guide was a mumbler. Not good when about 70 people show up.

No matter, I had a blast. The Florida Market is my new favorite thing in DC.

Want to know where all the area Asians, Latinos, Africans, and West Indians are on the weekend? They're at the Florida Market. And they've got every kind of food you can think of. Need some pig ears? Cow hoofs? Mexican pastries? Chinese rice noodles? No problem!

The warehouses at the Florida Market contain wholesale businesses that sell to area restaurants and ethnic food stores. Many of them also sell retail. There is also a flea market, a farmer's market, a few restaurants, and a handful of random people just selling things. I bought the most delicious pork and cheese pupusa from the back of some woman's van. It was perfection.

The market is right off of the New York Avenue metro station. You should hurry up and get out there. The area is gentrifying fast and it probably won't be around much longer.

Peck Mural Tour of Washington DC

Last weekend, Cultural Tourism DC sponsored a bunch of tours around town. One of them was a mural tour led by artist G. Byron Peck.

If you notice a mural in the city, there is a good chance Peck did it. Pictured is the Duke Ellington mural on the True Reformer Building on U Street.

Appropriate that the mural ended up on the True Reformer Building, since it was in that building that Ellington had his first paying gig. He made 25 cents according to our guide.

Also on the tour was the Black Family Reunion Mural up 14th street, the Mayan Mural on Florida and 18th, the Columbia Heights Mural on 14th and Clifton, and the Dupont Circle Fountain Mural on Connecticut.

Truth be told, I skipped out after the first two. A tour has to be really good to keep me herded along with the crowd. It was all moving a bit slow, all the more so because one of the volunteers along for the ride kept interjecting.

Also, while I liked the murals, I didn't love them. All of Peck's murals have a very graphic quality to them. I prefer work that is a little more organic. More importantly, I found them a little topically bland. There was little passion and no controversy. Undoubtedly, the fact that many were painted with support from large organizations, like McDonalds, contributed to that.

Washington Folk Festival at Glen Echo Park

The Washington Folk Festival at Glen Echo Park was this past weekend. They had every kind of music from bluegrass to gospel. That'd be the gospel group in the pic.

Weather was idyllic. Crowds were thick, but not impossibly so. There were a lot of kids around, which didn't make the boyfriend too happy. The small people eventually pushed us off.

Aside from music, the park was highlighting arts and crafts, many of which were made on premises. Glen Echo has classes in ceramics, painting, glass blowing, writing, and just about every other creative thing you can think of.

There is also a historic merry-go-round, a dance hall (where they teach dance), and a cafe. It's pretty much a crafty person's dream. The highlight for me was watching the glass blowing. I really need to learn how to do that. Look how happy he is!

DC Film - All the President's Men

We watched another classic DC film this weekend, All the President's Men. For the other five people out there who haven't seen this film, it is about Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's uncovering of the Watergate scandal.

In case you were also born too late to remember Watergate and/or a product of the United States school system. I'll give you a quick rundown.

Some former CIA were caught breaking into the democratic headquarters at the Watergate hotel. A crazy investigation by two Washington Post reporters eventually uncovered that the break-in was just one part of an operation to spy on, discredit, and keep from power democratic candidates.

The President, the CIA, the FBI, and a whole lot of republicans were implicated. Nixon resigned. Ford became president and then pardoned Nixon for all crimes. Incredibly, this complete implosion of the republican party resulted in a one term presidency for Jimmy Carter and then right back to the Republicans. Yikes. How'd the dems screw that up.

Despite being nothing but newsroom shots, interviews, and news clips; the story moves. Robert Redford was intense as Woodward. Dustin Hoffman, as the chain-smoking Bernstein, was just a little sleazy. It's an incredible story, but it needed those two to carry it off.

There are all kinds of great DC shots in the film. You see the Capital right off the bat, the Whitehouse several times, the Library of Congress steps, The Kennedy Center, the Washington Post building, and some neighborhood street shots.