Archive for the ‘Outdoor Activities’ Category

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Jazz Festival Anyone?

Thursday, May 26th, 2011

Spring is here and this weekend as we take time to remember friends and loved ones on Memorial Day, enjoy some of the musical magic offered by the DC Jazz Festival. My friends from the Chevy Chase area will be attending and I hope to see many of our friends and neighbors there too.

The largest music festival in Washington, DC, the DC Jazz Festival offers more than 100 performances in dozens of locations throughout the city. The Festival organization invests in year-round music education for DC students and residents, promotes music education in schools and supports continued efforts to diversify the jazz music audience. What a great program, that adds to the community through cultural advancement – exactly what we need.

So gather your friends, coworkers, friends and everyone else and explore your city – there is surely something for everyone!

Be safe this holiday weekend and enjoy all that jazz!

~ Michelle

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Experience the Capitol Hill Neighborhood Through a Food Tour

Tuesday, December 7th, 2010

The holiday season often brings visits from out-of-town friends and family, many that will spend some extra time to experience the Washington DC area. Entertaining guests usually involves showing people the various landmarks, museums and monuments of our Nation’s Capital. But, for repeat visitors, entertainment options may dwindle a bit since, so what to do?

How about a neighborhood food tour? The Capitol Hill Culinary Experience is a three-hour guided tour of the Capitol Hill area featuring locally owned restaurants, boutiques and shops all catering to the Capitol Hill residents.

The tour isn’t just about food, it also is a history lesson of sorts, as each food stop provides a better understanding of how an area once planned to be the financial center of the area became the largest manufacturing sector. Restaurants visited highlight both the long-standing traditions of the Capitol Hill area as well as those recently established.

Food tours allow Capitol Hill residents and visitors the opportunity to sample a variety of food and drinks, including dishes inspired by 18th Century Anglo-Indian Cuisine, soul food, Salvadorian dishes and beverages and regional American desserts. Capitol Hill residents may learn a thing or two about their own community while gaining exposure to restaurants previously untested, so there’s no need to wait for visitors to take advantage of a culinary tour.

For more information on The Capitol Hill Culinary Experience, as well as other tours including Georgetown, Old Town, Dupont Circle, Little Ethiopia, The Foods of Eastern Market and a Washington DC Pub Crawl, visit DC Metro Food Tours. You never know when that little place you’ve never tried may become your new hometown favorite.

Happy eating! Be sure to let me know what your favorite neighborhood restaurant is too – I’m always looking for suggestions.

~ Michelle

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A Culture of Convenience: Chevy Chase – Bethesda, Maryland

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

While looking at a Washington DC Metro map over the weekend, something dawned on me: what other area in the United States can you hop on local public transportation and conveniently travel across two states lines?  One of the many stops along Washington DC’s Metro line is the community of Chevy Chase-Bethesda, Maryland.  Home to nearly 120,000 residents, Chevy Chase-Bethesda is a great alternative commuter community for those who wish to avoid the, at times, overwhelming ebb-and-flow of Washington DC without sacrificing convenience and culture.

In June 2010, the International Downtown Association awarded Downtown Bethesda with the prestigious “Downtown of the Month” award.  This accolade does not surprise me in the least.  Downtown Bethesda is littered with small bookshops, boutique retail stores, antiques, and art galleries featuring local artist talent.  The downtown area is also home to some of the area’s greatest restaurants.  From July 23 – August 1, 2010 Chevy Chase – Bethesda will be hosting their annual Restaurant Week.  I suggest you use this time to get familiar with the area, if you already aren’t.  I guarantee you will quickly realize that Chevy Chase-Bethesda is one of the areas most unique and vital neighborhoods.

Ranked as the #1 Top-Earning Towns by Money Magazine, Chevy Chase-Bethesda, Maryland’s residential real estate is actually quite diverse.  Condominiums, in the form of high-rises, are aplenty and represent a convenient and affordable alternative for young or first time buyers.  The area also offers an increasingly sizable inventory of apartments for students and young professionals.  I’m a firm believer that no matter what your budget, Chevy-Chase-Bethesda has something to offer the young, old, and in-between.

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Metropolitan Washington DC’s Capitol Hill Barracks Row

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

For those of you who frequent my Washington DC Realtor blog, you have become accustomed to reading about my fascination for all things historical.  When advising my clients on purchasing property in the metropolitan Washington DC area, I encourage them to educate themselves on the historical significance of the neighborhood that of are interest to them.  The best way to do so is by exploring one of Washington DC’s Neighborhood Heritage Trails.  One of my favorite Washington DC Neighborhood Heritage Trails is located in the historical industrial neighborhood of Barracks Row.

Capitol Hill, known almost exclusively for its rich political history, at one point in time was the home to the United States first line of defense, the U.S. Navy.  In 1799, President John Adams designated the area between Pennsylvania Avenue and Eight Street SE as the U.S. Navy Yard.  Two years later the U.S. Marines would build their barracks just north of the Navy Yard, an official decision made by President Thomas Jefferson.  Today, this area of Capitol Hill has become Barracks Row.

Unlike the polished white stone and regal federal home neighborhoods, Barracks Row provides South East Washington DC with a distinct industrial feel.  The historic buildings of the Eighth Street commercial area are home to new businesses.  Local streetscapes are being renovated as I write this by the Washington DC Department of Transportation.  Barracks Row is home to the Townhomes on Capitol Hill, a mixed-income development whose design complements the nearby Victorian era row houses.  Like most metropolitan Washington DC neighborhoods, any and all changes are made with the conscious effort of honoring a long history and cultural tradition.

The first sign is located on the Washington DC Barracks Row Heritage Trail is located at the Eastern Market Metro station plaza (Seventh Street and Pennsylvania Ave, SE).  The self-guided tour will take about 90 minutes to complete.  It looks you through the residential neighborhoods and concludes at Capitol Hill’s Eastern Market.

Along the way I suggest stopping off at Trattoria Alberto (506 8th Street, SE) for a bite of Italian dining. Capitol Hill Books (657 C Street, SE) is also a delightful Barracks Row haunt and a great spot for used, rare, and first edition books.

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Washington DC’s Historic Cleveland Park

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

While I was walking around Washington DC’s Cleveland Park neighborhood the other day my curiosity got the best of me. I couldn’t help but think that there must be some truly interesting history surrounding one of Northwest Washington DC’s prettiest and oldest established neighborhoods. Searching the web I found quite a few interesting facts about Cleveland Park including:

The neighborhood was named after former US President Grover Cleveland in 1886 shortly after he purchased a summer home in the neighborhood that is now named in his honor. As a matter of fact most of the homes located in the area during the period of Cleveland’s residency were summer retreats. In the early 1890’s when streetcars begin transporting residents from Cleveland Park to downtown Washington DC, the neighborhood earned another interesting nickname that became synonymous with similar neighborhoods around the country “streetcar suburbs”.

Today the neighborhood boosts a bevy of popular architectural styles of the time, notably the Queen Anne style (including the Shingle style), Georgian revival, and the Mission Revival. In later years, simpler schools such as the Prairie style and Tudor revival came to dominate the neighborhood.

If you have any interesting notes or historic facts about Cleveland Park or any of my other post, please take a moment to share with my readers, I’m sure they would appreciate it!

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