The To Do List

Photo by María Helena Carey

Hello everyone!  Are you ready to welcome summer by grilling, getting a nice sunburn at any of the local pools which will be happily open starting Monday, and remembering all those who’ve given their lives so you can sunburn in utter and delicious freedom?  Yeah, so am I.  If you’re in a rut as to what else to do this Memorial Day weekend, here are a few suggestions– just bear in mind that we’ll be having some spotty Metro service this weekend, as well:

Since it’s Memorial Day weekend, it’s also Rolling Thunder weekend — and one of their first stops is at Congressional Cemetery, making them not just a Hill attraction but a Hill boon.  Wave hello to all the motorcycles; tell them to stop by Eastern Market and Barracks Row; and if you’re a rider yourself, you don’t need to belong to Rolling Thunder to join the parade.  Want to know their schedule?  Go to the official Rolling Thunder website and find out!

Hey genius: why not start off the weekend by going to the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H Street NE, to see “Scientist Turned Comedian”?  The YouTube sensation will be on stage Thursday, May 26 at 8 pm.  Afterward, everyone will know how big your IQ is if you decide to cap the evening by lolling about at The Argonaut’s patio, having a cold DC Brau– after all, Thursday night is locals’ night and you get 10% off your check.

On Friday, May 27, maybe you want to watch the Nationals play the Padres –game starts at 7:05 pm.  And maybe right before heading over to the park you will want to check out The Yards park and celebrate summer and not getting raptured with a special from What The Deal: from 4:30 to 6:30 or until the kegs run out, WTD will be offering its members FREE beer, cornhole and bocce –plus The Yards’ weekly Friday evening concert that starts at 6 pm!  It doesn’t get better than laying your burden down by the riverside, does it?

At some point this weekend –perhaps Saturday May 28 before it thunderstorms?–you need to take a long walk and have a cupcake at our new cupcakery, Hello Cupcake.  Here at The Hill is Home we’ve already sacrificed our swimsuit-ready bodies in order to tell you that they are all in varying degrees of delicious–but we could do with your opinion!   Since you’re around Barracks Row, maybe you want to see a good show while you’re in cupcake bliss/coma?  Get walking to CHAW, 545 7th Street SE, and catch the hilarious-sounding comedy, “Why Torture is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them” by Christopher Durang.  Make sure you get tickets in advance, as they’ve been selling out fast!  The show plays Thursday and Friday, in case the Saturday plan doesn’t work so well for you.

On Saturday you also have a date with some of your favorite reality stars as Bravo’s “Top Chef” rolls into Eastern Market filled with raffles and games and fun galore.

Sunday and Monday, reserve them for grilling, soaking, running through a sprinkler, and reflecting on what makes America great: some say it’s the sacrifices her people make so that we may be free.

I say it’s the food.