uploaded to flickr.com by drewsaunders
It’s round two of holiday long weekends. The start of a new year may be time for you to pause and reflect on your goals, or give thanks for the prior year’s blessings. It may also just be a day to recover from all the drinking and frolicking of the night before. Nichole gave us some ideas of how to ring in 2011 on the Hill, so here are some ideas for other ways to fill up your weekend. Well, once you recover from those tequila shots.
The holiday displays at the U.S. Botanic Garden are available for your admiration for one more weekend. Catch the trees, model trains, and scale Washington, DC monuments before they are packed away for another year. On Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m., the Garden will stay open later so you can enjoy a Russian folk music concert.
Catch the last few performances of the Black Nativity at H Street Playhouse this weekend. The show combines song and dance with Langston Hughes’s retelling of the Nativity story, and runs nightly through Sunday, January 2.
If you’re looking for something to do on New Year’s Day that doesn’t involve flower-covered parades or football games, note some of the Smithsonian museums on the Mall are open extended hours on January 1, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., including the Air & Space, Natural History, and American History buildings. Admission is as always free.
“What’s a new year without freaks and nudity?” the website for Palace of Wonders asks. Indeed, a question to be pondered. While you ponder, take in the New York Grind Show on Saturday at 10:00 p.m. Admission is just $10. If freaks and nudity aren’t your thing, you can start the new year off busting a move at the Rock and Roll Hotel, where free admission and a DJ from 9:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. can help you dance your troubles away.
If you haven’t caught the Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony at Sidamo Coffee & Tea, Sunday could be your day. This weekly event explains the centuries-old coffee ceremony tradition in a relaxed and participatory environment. The ceremony starts at 2:00 p.m.
Whatever you do this weekend to usher in 2011, have fun and be safe! Happy New Year!