A bar in Columbia Heights is setting up its Festivus pole in anticipation of an annual holiday tradition.
The Airedale (3605 14th St. NW) is scheduled to hold its second annual “Festivus for the Rest of Us” party this Friday, Dec. 23, at 7 p.m.
For those not in the know, Festivus is a made-up secular holiday that first appeared in an episode of “Seinfeld.” The holiday falls on Dec. 23 and includes such trappings as “the airing of grievances,” “feats of strength,” “Festivus miracles” and the “Festivus pole.”
Keeping with the tradition, the bar will have a Festivus-themed menu and cocktails and holiday events. Patrons should expect to air grievances and perform feats of strength, as well, the bar said.
Photo via Facebook / The Airedale
More than two dozen local businesses are scheduled to set up shop under the same roof in Shaw this weekend.
The neighborhood’s Wonder Bread Factory (641 S St. NW) is hosting a pop-up “bazaar” on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 17 and 18. The event is scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days.
“Whether you’re looking for a last minute holiday gift or want to treat yourself in between all the gift giving, this will be the place for a special shopping experience,” an Eventbrite page for the event says. “In addition to shopping, you’ll be able to connect with some incredible makers, artists, and creatives from the DC area and beyond.”
Businesses and brands set to sell wares during the shopping event include Mimi Miller, Oh-Mazing, Magpie Cookshop and Modami Apparel.
Poppir, a company centered on “listing, searching, and booking short-term rental space online,” is hosting the bazaar.
Image via Poppir Eventbrite
A sports bar in Adams Morgan wants to see how well you build an edible domicile.
Ventnor Sports Cafe (2411 18th St. NW) is scheduled to host its third annual “Night of Christmas Beers and Gingerbread Houses” event next Friday, Dec. 16, at 7 p.m.
Patrons who sign up for the competition will have everything they need to build a gingerbread house, including candies, sprinkles, cookies and frosting, the bar said. The person or group who builds the best house wins a prize.
“Last year, some of the best designs were a replica of The Lincoln Memorial and a Game of Thrones themed display,” said bar owner Scott Auslander. “This is going to be our third year doing this and every year it gets more and more fun.”
Ventnor’s bartenders are also slated to serve 15 holiday-themed beers to fuel yuletide cheer during the competition.
The event usually sells out quickly, so those interested in competing should sign up right away, the bar said.
Photo via Twitter / Ventnor Sports Cafe
They call him “Mr. Holiday.”
At least eight times a year, Dupont resident Greg Nelson beautifies his 16th Street home and front yard with an absurd amount of holiday decorations. Around Easter, the house has colorful flowers and bunnies. Fourth of July means red, white and blue. Fall, naturally, brings pumpkins and scarecrows.
But Christmastime is perhaps Nelson’s favorite season. Each year on the day after Thanksgiving, he lugs candy canes, twinkling lights and Santa Clauses out of storage and into his front yard.
Setting up takes about three days, Nelson said, but creates a dazzling yuletide display that draws crowds of curious onlookers every year.
“Our electric bill goes up about 400 percent during the month of December,” he said. “It’s thousands of dollars. I don’t like to think about it.”
It’s a tradition that Nelson and his partner, Jose, have carried out for roughly a decade, and much to the delight of the surrounding neighborhood.
“We have people who come for every holiday,” Nelson said. “We have had people use it for their holiday card. We have people who’ve dropped off a bottle of wine.”
People often come by and ring the doorbell. Once, Nelson found a group of women sitting in his living room. They thought it was a hotel.
“They don’t know if it’s part of the church, if it’s an embassy,” he added. “You get people who ask, why do you do this?”
But when people do ask, Nelson responds it’s because he’s just glad to bring a smile to his neighbors’ faces.
“Life is better with a theme,” he likes to say.
Earlier today, Nelson came home from the dog park to find a note taped to his front door. The letter was from a boy who passes the house on his way to and from school. The boy, with the help of his mom, asked Nelson questions like, “where do you get your decorations?” (Ebay, post-Christmas sales at Home Depot) and “did you grow up in a house that decorated like this? (Nelson grew up in Minnesota, “where decorating for Christmas is basically a rite of passage.”)
Upon seeing the letter, Nelson said he nearly cried.
“It’s [nice] to spread some Disney pixie dust on a city that all too often takes itself too seriously,” he said. “That’s what I try to achieve.”
To keep up with the home’s latest decorations, follow Nelson on Instagram at MrHolidayDC.
‘Tis the season for holiday-themed events.
Mount Vernon Triangle CID is scheduled to host its annual “Santa Celebration” on the plaza at 5th and K streets NW this Saturday, Dec. 10. The holiday-themed event kicks off at 11 a.m., organizers said.
The free event includes photos with Santa for kids, adults and dogs, hot chocolate, fresh popcorn, holiday cookies and festive music, according to a Facebook event post.
Attendees can also drop off new, unwrapped toys to contribute to Central Union Mission’s Operation Christmas Miracle.
Image via Facebook / Mount Vernon CID
Terrifying Christmas creatures will march down H Street during an annual holiday celebration this weekend.
D.C.’s “Krampusnacht” festivities kick off at Gallery O on H (1354 H St. NE) this Saturday at 5 p.m.
The event is centered around the mythical Krampus, a cloven, horned monster that punishes naughty children around Christmas each year. Legend has it that the Krampus appears alongside Saint Nicholas to shake chains, flick its tongue and cart off misbehaving children in a sack it wears on its back.
This year’s Krampusnacht celebration will include a charity benefit, live musical performances and of course, the big Krampus march down H Street.
More on the event from the Krampusnacht Facebook page:
A 14th Street purveyor of knickknacks, furnishings, furniture and local art will transform into a holiday bazaar later this week.
Miss Pixie’s (1626 14th St. NW) is scheduled to host its 4th annual holiday market event this Friday, Dec. 2, at 5:30 p.m.
More than 20 D.C.-based vendors are expected to fill the boutique with handmade goods and other artisan wares. Local businesses slated to attend the event include Typecase Industries, Brand Dave and Handmade Habitat.
Additionally, the holiday party will feature live jazz music, a raffle and food from nearby eateries such as Ice Cream Jubilee and Maki Shop.
Photo via Facebook / Miss Pixie’s
The holiday season is here, and you know what that means: It’s time for like every media outlet in town to put out a big “list” or “roundup” or “things-to-do” post. Eater has one. Thrillist also has one. DCist has a cool little shopping guide.
Well, we here at Borderstan don’t subscribe to those rules, which is why — oh. Wait a moment. Just in: It turns out we do subscribe to those rules. Well then. Guess I’ll have to cut this diatribe short. In keeping with those seasonal bylaws, here’s our obligatory holiday roundup:
Wanna buy a tree?
- Columbia Heights Farmers Market, located at the intersection of Kenyon and 14th streets NW between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturdays, has them — but only for the next two weeks.
- Ross Elementary School (1730 R St. NW) will sell trees Dec. 4-6 and 12 for a good cause.
- Bancroft Elementary School (1755 Newton St. NW) will sell them this weekend.
- The tree lot at Sixth Engine (438 Massachusetts Ave. NW) is now open for business.
- School Without Walls at Francis Stevens will sell trees at Old City Farm and Guild (925 Rhode Island Ave. NW) this weekend.
Wanna see Santa?
- Lamont Park (3258 Mt Pleasant St. NW) will serve as host for a holiday celebration this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The fat red guy will be there.
- Dupont Circle’s tree lighting ceremony at the corner of Connecticut Ave. and R St. NW this Thursday at 4 p.m. will also star the world-famous gift-giver. And he’ll take photos with your dogs.
- The Columbia Heights tree-lighting extravaganza and holiday market this Saturday in Civic Plaza at 4 p.m. may feature an appearance from the head elf.
Wanna go to the market?
- The Georgia Avenue Winter Market takes place this Saturday at 3400 Georgia Ave. NW at 11 a.m. Expect vendors selling arts and crafts, art displays, performances and food.
- Christkindlmarkt, Heurich House Museum’s holiday market, takes place this Saturday and Sunday at noon.
- More than a dozen vendors will gather at Miss Pixie’s (1626 14th St. NW) for the store’s holiday market on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
- Old City Farm and Guild (925 Rhode Island Ave. NW) will transform into a holiday market every Saturday until Dec. 19.
Wanna feel the holiday spirit?
- Shaw ANC 6E Commissioner Rachelle Nigro will go caroling with locals this Sunday at 6 p.m.
- Donate toys during a toy donation party at the Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, D.C. (474 Ridge St. NW) on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 10 a.m.
- Party with Shaw residents next Monday at the Howard Theatre at 7 p.m. (Note: Though this event is free, reservations are required)
- Tour Logan Circle homes and halls decked in holiday cheer this Sunday at 1 p.m.
Wanna drink and eat the holiday spirit instead?
- There’s a “Hannukah happy hour” with bottomless latkes at Commissary (1443 P St. NW) next Monday.
- Mockingbird Hill (1843 7th St. NW) transforms into Christmas/Hannukah cocktail bar “Miracle on 7th Street” every night this month.
- Christmas beers abound at Black Squirrel (2427 18th St. NW) in Adams Morgan this Friday at 5 p.m.
- Likewise, Logan Circle beer bar ChurchKey (1337 14th St. NW) will host a holiday tap takeover with 35 beers on Monday, Dec. 14.
- For $10, you can don a janky sweater at Duplex Diner (2004 18th St. NW) next Friday.
- Do Christmas beers pair well with gingerbread houses? Find out at Vetnor Sports Cafe (2411 18th St. NW) next Friday at 11 p.m.
Wanna see a show?
- Super Art Fight will host a non-denominational show at Black Cat (1811 14th St. NW) this Friday at 9 p.m.
- Keegan Theatre’s (1742 Church St. NW) original play “An Irish Carol” returns to the Dupont playhouse next Saturday.
Everyone deserves to spend some time with friends and family, which is why we’ll be taking tomorrow and Friday off to observe the Thanksgiving holiday.
So, what is there to be thankful for this year? We asked the question on Twitter earlier this week. Here are some of our favorite responses:
@borderstan Thankful for a strong and active community of neighbors who care about Dupont and are working to keep it great!
— Nicole Mann (@nikkimann17) November 23, 2015
@borderstan not traveling!
— Matthew Lawlor (@DrMattyO) November 25, 2015
@borderstan it was drum circles, but
— sharrowsDC (@sharrowsDC) November 24, 2015
@borderstan I'm thankful @scottbrodbeck benched JJ Watt.
— Ian Brinksman (@teamian) November 23, 2015
To those leaving the city and those staying within the District, we wish you a happy and safe holiday weekend. To tide you over until our triumphant return on Monday, here’s a rundown of some of the things you should keep in mind until next week.
Events:
- There’s a fundraiser for Garrison Elementary this weekend at Gallagher and Graham and Menchie’s on U Street next Monday
- Cyclists in plaid will zoom through Adams Morgan on Saturday
- And speaking of Adams Morgan, be sure to check out Small Business Saturday there and in Shaw for some big deals and special events
Stuff you should know:
- Here’s a list of everything you need to know about Thanksgiving in the District this year
- Thursday’s Department of Public Works (DPW) trash and recycling collections will move to Friday. Friday’s collections will be made Saturday
- Parking meters will not operate tomorrow and will resume service on Friday
- Metro rail and bus service will operate holiday service on Thanksgiving. Trains will begin running at at 7 a.m. and close at midnight. But no track work!
Photo via Flickr/icoNYCa
Although Thanksgiving is only nine days away, it isn’t too late in D.C. to snag a reservation for a turkey dinner or order the bird, pumpkin pie and other fixings for a feast at home.
We’ve gathered the information for several restaurants and stores in our coverage area that are vying for your Thanksgiving business.
Here is what you need to know to prepare for a D.C. Thanksgiving:
For a Thanksgiving Out
10 Thomas at the Washington Plaza Hotel
10 Thomas Circle NW
“Enjoy a bountiful buffet featuring traditional dishes such as herb roasted turkey, honey glazed ham and pumpkin and pecan pies. $45 per person, $22.50 for children 5 – 12,” according to OpenTable.
14K Restaurant & Lounge
1001 14th St. NW
“Thanksgiving Brunch buffet $45 with endless champagne option for $15 extra and a build your own bloody mary bar for $9 each,” according to OpenTable.
Avenue Café & Lounge – Holiday Inn Central
1501 Rhode Island Ave. NW
“Join us for a Spectacular Thanksgiving Buffet from 4 – 9PM. Adults $27.95, kids under 12 $12.95,” according to OpenTable.
Lucky us: We’re taking Monday off to celebrate Labor Day.
To those leaving the city and those staying within the District, we wish you a happy and safe holiday weekend. To tide you over until next week, here’s a short roundup of some of the things you should keep in mind this weekend:
- The District Department of Public Works will observe Labor Day, and sanitation services and most parking enforcement will be suspended until Tuesday
- Likewise, the District Department of Motor Vehicles locations will be closed on Saturday and Monday. Regular business hours will resume on Tuesday
- You can swim in five hotel pools this weekend
- … or you can go to brunch and pool parties
- Slash Run, El Chucho and Bar Charley are all open this weekend
- Don’t forget, the National Book Festival is this Saturday
If you take any photos of your relaxing holiday weekend, be sure to send them our way. We may feature some reader photos in a post next week. Send your photos to [email protected] or tweet them at us.
And we’re out! See you all on Tuesday.
The craziness of sales are not for everyone. Mike has tips on how to navigate your merchandise through the remainder of the holiday shopping season. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Mike Kohn. Got an urban etiquette wrong that needs to be righted? Find Mike on Twitter @mike_kohn or drop him a line at [email protected].
I’ll admit that I’m one of the crazy people who go out and shop on Black Friday. I can’t stand the crowds and the lines, and I’ve already made it quite clear how I feel about pedestrians who don’t know how to walk (and suburban pedestrians in the mall are the worst, as I rediscovered this past Friday at the King of Prussia mall outside of Philly), but the deals are just so awesome. Call me a glutton for punishment – but I’m excited about the new stuff I got at pretty outstanding prices.
Amidst my fabulous shopping experiences, I can’t tell you how many times I got whacked in the face, legs, stomach, etc. with people who were way too cavalier about parading through with their shopping bags. So while this may be too late for the craziest shopping day of the year, as we gear up for our holiday planning, here are some things you can do to avoid getting beat up by your own heavy merchandise.
- Keep your bags close. For crime reasons, there’s a whole other side of this one – preventing snatch and grabs and pickpockets from taking your stuff. But for our etiquette purposes, those things can run wild and will take people out if you’re not careful.
- Let’s go back to basics here. Remember “please,” “excuse me,” and “thank you?” Yeah, they’re super helpful when people are in your path in a crowded store or street. If you try to push me, I will evaluate if tackling you is the right decision.
- Along the same lines, plan to actually spend a fair amount of time doing your shopping. Snapping at people for taking too long and running around without any concern for anyone else doesn’t make things go faster. Everyone is doing what you’re doing, so either budget for extra time or stay home and shop online.
Was anyone else crazy enough to venture out on Friday to encounter crazy shopping experiences? Do you have any other tips for shoppers this time of year? Leave them in the comments and let us know.
Hanover Street in Boston’s Little Italy. (Photo: Luis Gomez, One Photograph A Day.)
Luis and I are on vacation… a couple of days in Boston and now we are in Provincetown. We had dinner in Boston’s Little Italy on Monday night, then went back for breakfast on Tuesday.
I wish Washington had a fraction of the wonderful little places–delis, coffee houses and bistros–you find in Little Italy and other sections of Boston. And a lot of the places are cheap and authentic. I bought of a piece of ricotta pie (cheese cake, more or less) with a polenta crust for $2.50 at a bakery on Hanover Street. It was enough for a meal.
14th & You is one of my favorite local bloggers. She writes a lot of original postings–unlike moi who hurriedly links to lots of stuff from many sources–on neighborhood topics. So, here are three things you should read today over at 14th & You. Besides, it’s early, I’m not awake and I have a crazy day ahead at work.
- More Holiday Happenings. A really HUGE list.
- How the Arts Overlay District Could Stymie 14th Street Development. Interesting piece, a MUST READ.
- Teen Stabbed at 13th and U; Proceeds to Board Metro Train. Yeah, another violent crime story in the neighborhood. Is it just me, or is it starting to feel like the Barry years?
Borderstanians: The follwoing holiday shopping season safety tips are from the MPD Web site, courtesy of Field Training Officer K.A. Sodimu of the Fourth District/PSA 401; they were posted to the Dupont Forum on Yahoo! Groups.
As we are all excited about the holiday shopping season, so are the criminals–they are getting ready to take advantage of any mistake we make. Remember that criminals also need to buy presents, too–for their kids, spouses, parents, grandparents, girlfriends and boyfriends. Criminals also drive and visit people, too, and if they do not have the money or the means to get around, they are coming for ours. So, we have to be proactive and remember to put into action all the safety tips that learn throughout the year. The following safety tips are from the MPD Web site:
- Auto Theft Prevention
- Thefts from Autos
- Burglary Prevention
- Carjacking
- Guarding Against Robbery and Assault
- Theft & Pickpocket Prevention
- Identity Theft
- Street Smarts
- Personal Safety in Your Vehicle
- Gas Station Safety
- Consumer Protection
- ATM Safety
- Protecting Your Private Information
- Drunk Driving Prevention
- Pedestrian Collisions in DC
- Pedestrian Protection Bus Safety Law
- Pedestrian Bus Safety
Disclaimer: Some materials have been compiled from a variety of sources, and are subject to change without notice. I do not warrant or make any representations as to the quality, content, accuracy, or completeness of the information.
Please remember you are our eyes and ears and we can not do this without you, take care and have a safe and happy shopping. – K.A. Sodimu
