Indoor activities lover, Maiko's outdoor activities pick for this summer

2 days out of 7, it's not enough to enjoy D.C. summer outdoor activities. It's very difficult to choose which event to attend, you will have plenty of them every weekend especially at this time of the year, outdoor sports events, music events, farmers' market etc. To study these interesting events, we can have a look at "Weekend going out guide" in the Washington Post annexe every Friday. You can of course check on the web site, The Washington Post "Weekend going out guide".

Here, I pick three upcoming outdoor events which I'm interested in.

 Silent Disco Party, on May 6 at Dupont Circle

(Photo from Silent disco party FB page)

Silent disco party on the Washington Post

The concept is so funny ; you download the playlist prior to the party. You gather at the hip, trendy place of D.C., Dupont Circle.You begin to play the playlist on your portable device then, you dance, all together but no loud music outside just in your ears! There will be no complain by neighbors because it is silent...If you just pass by without knowing what is going on, the scene may be very weird.

Ben Harper live outdoor concert , on July 30 at Wolf Trap

(Photo from Wolf Trap Ben Harper concert site)

Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts is a majestic natural setting for over 100 performances across all genres every summer. Home to the architecturally stunning Filene Center and the charmingly intimate Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods, the 117-acre Park offers dining and hospitality amenities throughout the summer season, and year-round recreational opportunities, including hiking trails, picnic areas, and sledding.

Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts is the official partner to the National Park Service in providing concert and performance programming within the Park. As a non-profit organization, Wolf Trap Foundation is dedicated to creating excellent performing arts experiences for the enrichment, education, and enjoyment of diverse audiences. (from Wolf Trap internet site)

I am a HUGE fan of Ben Harper. When I was still young and sweet only 20(!), I was on a trip in  London and I discovered he would play at a live house. I went to get ticket in vain, it was already sold out. I couldn't give up so I wandered in front of the live house. One fat man approached me asking what was wrong with me. I explained that I came from Japan and I absoluetely wanted to see his stage. Miracle happened, he gave me a ticket! Thanks to this kind stranger, I could get in to the concert. One more surprise, this stranger was on the stage playing the guitar with Ben Harper! One of my sweet memories of my twenties.

 Color Vibe 5K Washington D.C. on Sep 5 at RFK Stadium

 (Photos from Color Vibe site)

Again, the concept is funky ; while you run 5K, you will pass through color zones where you will get plenty of paint. Then finally, you will dance with your colorful attire! Sounds cool, isn't it? For someone like me, who doesn't find interest in just running in the street, this kind of event can finally encourage me to run(or walk) outside.

Find your activities for this long hot summer!

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Kayaking at Fletcher's Cove

With the warmer weather, I just can't wait to get out and explore.  Since coming out of my winter cave, I have been trying out the many gorgeous bike trails that Washington and Maryland have to offer.  Just a short ride from Bethesda, down the Capital Crescent Trail, will bring you straight to this little gem, Fletcher's Cove.

Fletcher's Cove is a part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park, an astounding 184 miles of bike trail hugging the C & O Canal, which stretches from Cumberland, Pennsylvania all the way to Washington, D.C.

At this quaint little spot, you can rent kayaks, canoes, bikes, and rowboats.  My friends and I rented kayaks at $13/hour and headed down to the pier with our life jackets and oars.   They set our start time twenty minutes ahead, giving us plenty of time to get situated in our kayaks before the actual rent time began.

And what a perfect day it was.  The water was so calm that we hardly noticed the current.  Here, you can even see the Washington Monument way off in the distance.

And this time of year, the geese couples are all over the place with their goslings. Two different couples crossed my path.  Aren't they so cute?

I highly recommend this as a morning adventure, preferably during the week when it's less crowded. If you'd like to drive there instead of bike, they have ample parking available and picnic tables for lunch afterwards.   

Outdoor activities in Washington DC

Before I arrived in Washington DC, I watched TV shows and wondered why all successful characters, living in the capital of the United States, practiced sports. In the series "House of Cards," Claire and Frank Underwood are always working out, rowing and running in the town, whether it is night or day. In "Captain America", I did not understand why the hero passed by people running and saying "on your left". And in the series "Veep," a comedy about the US vice-presidency, the main character hates fat people and associate obesity to weakness and lack of self-control.

What a surprise! Washington is not only a multi-ethnic and cultural city, it is perhaps the place with the highest concentration of exercise addicts in the US. Here, your body is also a business card and all people here "run" after a better performance to show success. (See also the article: Are Washingtonians Addicted to Exercise?)

The city breathes sports, with people running at any temperature of the year. Cyclists are also welcome, with cycling lanes spreading in DC streets and cycling trails in the parks, connecting it to other towns in the suburbs. There are also strong municipal incentives, the DC government co-finances a public bicycle system called "Capital Bikeshare". Annual fees are $ 85, and entitles users unlimited rides at no extra cost, as long as each ride is less than 30 minutes. In addition, there is a strong annual campaign: "Bike to Work Day", a special day, when people are invited to commute by bike. This year Bike to Work Day took place on May 15, with free distribution of t-shirts and gifts to those who joined the campaign.

Here is a description of my favorite bicycle trail in the DC area: starting at the Waterfront in Georgetown, I take the Capital Crescent Trail north to Bethesda and then I return through the Rock Creek Trail. The round trip takes about 2 hours. With some spare time, I stop in Bethesda for a brunch. I do the same thing when I ride to Alexandria (South of DC), in this case taking the Mount Vernon Trail.

My experience running and cycling in DC made me learn what Captain America meant by the expression "on your left". This is the popular command of the fastest athletes passing the slower runners or cyclists. It is a short version of "I am passing on your left. Be aware!". Cyclist here does not use the bicycle bell (which I love). The information is precisely the side where they will pass. And it's good to be prepared. In DC, even in a bucolic trail, you “have to be efficient”, to avoid being run over.

Veep

Captain America: "on your left"

Capital Bikeshare station

For the Portuguese version, continue reading...

What shall we do this weekend?

We have been enjoying a burst of summer here in DC over the past couple of weeks, outdoors again after the cold and wet of the past few months. My family couldn't agree on what to do last weekend so we ended up just going for ice cream (Dolcezza's salted caramel is the best), browsing for books and enjoying an early dinner on a restaurant terrace in Bethesda, a prime people watching spot. I loved hearing different languages that people spoke as they passed our table.

As much as we all enjoyed ourselves, I realised that we are missing out on a lot of the great things that millions of visitors come to DC every year to see. It's one of the side-effects of living in a tourist city, you forget that those attractions have something to offer locals as well. I lived in Paris for six years and only climbed the Eiffel Tower once and, despite living next door to Edinburgh Castle, for a year I never visited. In March, Washingtonian magazine published The Great Washington Bucket List: 50 Things Every Local Needs to Do. After two years here, we have ticked off very few of them. Click on the link to find your score. http://www.washingtonian.com/blogs/getaways/the-great-washington-bucket-list/50-things-every-local-needs-to-do.php

The full article has some great advice on how to make the most of some very popular places and events. When we took our young son to see the Cherry Blossoms at the tidal basin he was put off by the crowds and more interested in what was going on on the basin itself, so I definitely agree with the suggestion that “it's fun and memorable to rent a paddle boat and see the blooms from the basin itself – where you won't have to elbow anyone out of your way.”

Yesterday we managed to tick off another item. Thanks to the European Union Open House Day we visited the British Embassy. My husband had attended a function there earlier in the week and was warned that the queues could be very long so we arrived just after the 10am opening. The embassy hoped to match the 10,000 visitors they had last year and I wouldn't be surprised if they did, given the crowds. Visitors could take a tour of the residence and gardens and there were lots of photo ops with volunteers promoting historic and contemporary Britain. You could take a picture with a cardboard Will and Kate, sit in a Union Jack covered Jaguar sports car or watch Morris dancers (very hard to describe so have a look at this clip, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sArAC2_ow2k).

Morris dancers performing in front of the British Ambassador's Residence

 There were Shakespearean performances and pipes and drums from the Scots Guard Band. My son was bored by the queues but enjoyed freebies such as sunglasses, a Scottish flag and a Welsh Dragon bookmark. Personally, I loved the gardens and the impressive contemporary art on display, which comes from the United Kingdom government art collection.

There were shuttle buses to help people visit as many embassies as they wished but we decided one was enough and left planning where would go next year. If you can't wait until then take a trip on the N2 bus (Friendship Heights – Farragut Square) whose route goes down Embassy Row to admire the buildings. I am now looking for the next item to cross off my Washington bucket list. It's arbitrary, I suppose, but a little spur to make more out of a lazy summer weekend.