Four Free Things to do in D.C.
INSIDE THE BUSBOYS AND POETS U STREET LOCATION.
PHOTO: XAVIER BIAS
Washington, D.C. - D.C. may be an expensive city but it has plenty of free activities. These events range from performances to games. The city is known for its National Zoo, monuments, museums and trails, the majority of which can be enjoyed at no cost. So what if you’ve been there and done that and you don’t want to walk for hours. There are four free places that you could be visiting and many of them have an ever-changing lineup of performers.
1. Busboys and Poets, a restaurant and community space, with performances, film showings and readings of books every month in the D.C. metro area. If you are a performer be sure to look out for their open night to showcase your talents. Busboys and Poets has six locations and four are in D.C. While you're enjoying the performances you can order from a menu that offers options for vegans. Before you leave you can purchase a book to take home with you.
2. Watch a show at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage everyday at 6 pm. There are events that the entire family can enjoy from musical performances to theatre. The performers come from all over the world to showcase their talents in the nation's capital. When you arrive the seating is on a first come, first serve basis and light refreshments are available for purchase during the performances. In case you want to check the shows out and can’t make it in person, they also stream them live and archive performances.
3. At Bocce at Vendetta on Friday and Saturday night play glo bocce in the dark until the close of business. If you’ve never heard of bocce here are the indoor rules. While you're there having fun you can order some food and beverages. If you really like playing you can plan a bocce party! Here’s a brief video showing you how to play.
4. Science night at Argonaut where you can create 8th grade science projects and win prizes every Tuesday night at 8 pm! On Wednesday nights at 5 pm children 12 and under eat free! Argonaut has something for everyone. You can start your day off with coffee, come for happy hour specials and enjoy the atmosphere until 2 am. Check out their calendar for more events!
A Resurgence in D.C. Beer Brewing
AT THE D.C. BRAU BREWERY FACILITIES IN NE D.C.
PHOTO: OSIRIS REBOLLO
Washington, D.C. - D.C.'s love affair with alcohol and spirits has never been a national secret. Today the District is the highest consumer per capita of wine in the nation. While wine making has not been a D.C. tradition due to its own land and climate constrains, the beer-brewing heritage culture has been as crucial part of the city as politics, that of course until the untimely arrival of prohibition.
It has been almost a century since D.C. first went sober. The District, which was to set an example of the benefits of prohibition, saw itself dry almost three years prior to the 1919 national mandate. The Temperance movement, which was the political engine that propelled prohibition, wanted to show the nation how D.C. was a better city for being sober. But as human nature will have it, the residents of the District only demonstrated the failure of the program and the willingness of its citizens to break the law, prompting them to open an estimated 3,000 speakeasies during such “trial” time, an exponential increase from the 267 previously legal bars.
The movement was nevertheless successful at shutting down all the breweries in the capital, bringing down with them a beer tradition as old as the city itself.
“Christian Heurich was one of the only ones who reopened its brewery after prohibition," explains Garret Peck, a D.C. historian and author of Capitol Beer a Heady History of Brewing in Washington D.C. “Americans adapted to what was available (during prohibition) essentially loosing a taste for beer,” adds Peck.
The available alcohol were hard liquors, providing a stronger inebriating effect per liquid ounce from beer and were easier to produce, transport and disguise. This was unfortunate for Heurich and other beer lovers, as the business did not do as well as pre-prohibition, closing its brewery in 1957 at the very same place where the Kennedy center now stands. Another factor that Peck attributes to the dwindling of craft beer was the arrival of national advertisements, which were able to capture most of the national market.
Today D.C.’s beer renaissance is making an entrance with beers that rival other world brands in taste and quality. “We only use the best ingredients in our beer, and use local products every time we can,” adds Mike Stein, a historian and tour guide at D.C. Brau, an enterprise which was a pioneer in the market as the first packing brewery since Heurich’s. Other breweries have now followed, sparking a movement all D.C. beer lovers have longed for, which was well worth the wait.
March to the Movies
BATMAN V SUPERMAN
PHOTO: WARNER BROS
Washington, D.C. - Whether you are trying to escape the cold, or needing a break from homework, your local theater has you covered. Here is the first round of movies to grace your screen this 2016.
February 26th
Gods of Egypt: Together Bek and the powerful god Horus wage a courageous battle to save Egypt from the throes of chaos brought on by Set, the ruthless god of darkness. Starring Chadwick Boseman and Gerard Butler.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny: The sequel to the 2000 film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon features another life-altering quest, another struggle between honor and lust for power, and another generation of warriors forging alliances and enmities.
TRIPLE 9: A crew of criminals and dirty cops is blackmailed by the Russian mob to execute a virtually impossible heist. The plan: to distract the police force by executing a 999 call, “officer down." Starring Aaron Paul.
March 4th
London Has Fallen: The British Prime Minister’s funeral is a must-attend event for leaders of the western world. However, what starts out as the most protected event on earth turns into a deadly plot to kill the world’s most powerful leaders. Starring Aaron Eckhart and Morgan Freeman.
Zootopia: Judy Hopps is a rabbit who enlists in the Zootopia police force. But Officer Hopps discovers that being the first bunny on a police force of big, tough animals isn’t so easy in this animated picture. Starring the voices of Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: After arriving in the Middle East in 2002, a woman works as a journalist in Afghanistan and Pakistan and falls in love with a Scottish journalist. Starring Tina Fey and Martin Freeman.
March 18th
The Divergent Series: Allegiant: Beatrice Prior and Tobias Eaton fight to end the Bureau of Genetic Welfare’s authoritarian reign over the United States in the sequel to The Divergent Series: Insurgent. Starring Octavia Spencer and Ray Stevenson.
March 25th
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Following the events of
Man of Steel Bruce Wayne travels to Metropolis to confront Superman and enact revenge for the destruction of Gotham. Starring Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill.
President Focuses on Action Plan
Seven months into his tenure as president, Ronald Mason Jr. continues to focus on the 10-point action plan he presented during the September 2015 convocation to increase enrollment, retention and graduation rates.
Minority Women Engineers Find Support in Program
They may be under-represented in the field, but the members of the University of the District of Columbia’s (UDC) chapter of the Society of Women Engineers are nurtured in the classroom and beyond.
Brainfood Served After School
From the kitchen of a large Methodist church on Massachusetts Avenue, D.C. high schoolers are learning valuable culinary skills.
Said "I Do," but Still in School
A young bride-to-be meeting her future husband in college seems like a relic from the 1960s. A woman falls in love with her soulmate and then drops out to become the perfect housewife. At least, that’s how the story used to go.
Four Free Things to do in D.C.
D.C. may be an expensive city but it has plenty of things to do for free. These events range from performances to games.