Photo by Tom Lawler.
Come on now, you know you don’t really want to spend hours attempting to cross the Bay Bridge this weekend just to get to beaches that are overflowing with holiday travelers. Save the gas and stress and stay in town! There is plenty to keep you entertained over the holiday weekend.
First up is the event of the summer: ARTventures On H Art Walk and Dine Around! With 19 different art walk stops and 20 restaurants and bars participating, how can you go wrong? (Plus, as of this morning, the Mayor has deemed the H Street streetscape complete!) Participants will be given an ARTventures “passport,” to be punched at each stop on the art walk. For every punch received, attendees receive an extra 2% discount that evening from 7-9:30pm at any of 20 participating restaurants, cafes, and bars on H Street, NE. Passports will be available at each of the art walk stops; attendees choose their own starting points. Full details on each Art Walk stop, along with the list of participating restaurants and bars, are just below. You can find more information here.
On Friday, head over to The Yards Park for some R&B and Funk music at their Friday evening concert series. The band sets up right on the riverwalk, so bring a picnic and enjoy the weather. As that wraps up, head into Nats park to see our boys take on the Pittsburgh Pirates – the game starts at 7:05.
If you’re more in the mood for kicking back in the A/C, Atlas has you covered with movies all weekend. On Friday, catch Funny Girl at 8pm (and send your good vibes by singing along with “Don’t Rain On My Parade”). On Saturday at 5pm you can take the kids to see An American Tail and Sunday at 4pm send your weekend guests out to see Spike Lee’s Inside Man.
On Saturday, stop by Eastern Market or the H Street FRESHFARM market to pick up some fruits, veggies and other grilling goods and invite some neighbors over for a BBQ. It’s the Fourth of July weekend, so grilling up your meal on an open flame outdoors is in order!
Saturday evening, treat yourself to some artistic contemplation. “Urban Nature,” Selected Works by John Morrell opens from 5-7pm at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop. Morrell, a native of Albany, NY, has lived an taught in DC for 30 years. This show is a series of oil paintings that explores the psychological and sublime effects of nature. Sounds perfect for a summer weekend.
Sunday brings my favorite holiday tradition: the rehearsal concert at the Capitol. Pack a picnic and a blanket and enjoy some live music while enjoying a great view of the monuments from the west lawn. While alcohol is not allowed, they don’t check what is in your water bottle…even if it happens to be the color of wine and is next to some wine glasses in your picnic basket. Just keep it classy so they don’t start cracking down like they are at the Sculpture Garden.
If you want a slightly more party atmosphere on Sunday and Monday, there is always the National FreedomFest at Yards Park. Otherwise, I suppose we’ll see you at the pool or sunning in the park!