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Greetings and salutations. I don’t know about you but I always feel more positive and full of energy when the lighter, longer days kick in – I feel like I have a spring in my step (pardon the pun)! I have so much to look forward to this Spring but thought I’d share with you my 5 favorite things: Return of outdoor movies and concerts Rooftop happy hours Picnics in local parks Boating on the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers Long walks in public and formal gardens
Tell us what you’re looking forward to this spring! |
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🗓 Awesome Things To Do This Month. |
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The biggest event happening in DC throughout April is the Cherry Blossom Festival, which includes a month full of activities to celebrate the flowers in bloom.
But that's not the only thing happening in the nation's capital during the month. The city is abuzz with festivals, outdoor events, and all types of off-the-beaten-path cultural activities for visitors and locals to enjoy.
From drive-in movies and art walks to late-night museum events, check out our roundup of the best things to do this month to experience DC to the fullest. |
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⚾ Play Ball! Preview What’s New at Nationals Park This Season. |
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Let’s go Nats! As the 2023 season gets underway, there are lots of new and exciting changes to enhance the ballpark experience you can look forward to. Here are some of the highlights from the “What’s New” media tour. |
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Tribute Patch: To honor former owner Theodore N. Lerner, the Nationals will wear a dedicated patch on the left sleeve of all jerseys in his memory throughout the season. The oval patch bears his initials below three starts, which represent DC, Maryland and Virginia. |
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Bobbleheads: New promotional goodies will be given away over the course of the 2023 season. The giveaway calendar includes six bobble head giveaways, beginning with Josiah Gray on April 15. Other bobble heads, which will be given away to the first 20,000 fans, include Screech holding a pride flag for the Nationals’ annual Night Out (June 6); Racing Presidents: Teddy and Abe (June 17); CJ Abrams (July 22), Racing Presidents: George and Tom (August 12); and Keibert Ruiz (Sept 22). |
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Merchandise: According to a team spokesperson, the Nationals have never had more unique pieces of merchandise available inside the ballpark than they do this year! |
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More Merch: With the launch of the National City Connect jerseys last year, more cherry blossom-themed merchandise will be available inside the Team Store. |
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Grab-and-Go-Beer: Speed is the name of the game at Nats Park—and that now extends to beer. The Nationals have added several Grab-and-Go Marketplaces (Sections 110, 136, 141, and 314) where fans can walk up to coolers and select snacks and drinks—anything from Bud Light to local Port City, seltzers, and canned cocktails. A self-checkout system makes things even faster. |
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Grab-and-Go Markets: To make sure fans spend more time enjoying the game and less time waiting in line for food, the team is introducing four Grab-and-Go Marketplaces. They’ll be located Sections 110, 136, 141 and 314. Fans will order what they want at self-service kiosks then pick up their food which will be available immediately. Staff will fill drinks and check IDs for fans that want to purchase alcoholic beverages. |
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Local Eats: The Nationals work with 25+ local restaurants and chefs to offer a diverse food and drink menu on game days. Whether you’re in the mood for a classic ballpark dog or a locally made banh mi–inspired sausage, there’s plenty to pick from. New vendors this year include: Capo Italian Deli, Swizzler, and the return of Jammin’ Island BBQ for the first time since the 2018 season, and grab-and-go beer. Returning vendors include: Ben’s Chili Bowl, Arepa Zone, Roaming Rooster, Rocklands Barbeque, and South Mountain Creamery, which is debuting its new cherry blossom flavor.
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Exclusive Cocktails: Pratt Cocktail Company is also back for a second year and offering three new flavors of custom cocktails: A mango basil margarita, a Cherry Blossom mule and a bourbon smash. We can confirm that the margarita and mule are delicious and really refreshing. |
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Kiddos & Families: Options to make going to the ballpark more affordable for families this season include: Harris Teeter Family Fun Packs: Get a game ticket and full meal (hot dog, chips and bottle of water or soda) starting at $20 per person Kids Eat Free: Kids 12 and under get one free meal each game in the summer when school is out of session Value Days (7): Once a month, get 30% discounts on tickets, concessions, merchandise and parking
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Non-Sports Events: It’s not just baseball games you can look forward to at Nats Park this season; more announcements to come throughout the season: DC Beer Festival: The annual event features 80+ local breweries, food trucks and live music (April 8) (Ed Note: This is featured in this month’s Wanderlist!) PINK: Summer Carnival Tour: Superstar Pink makes a stop at the ballpark as part of her 21-city summer tour (August 7) Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: The legendary rock singer and his band play the second leg their North American shows (August 28)
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🍽 Go Inside The Bazaar by José Andrés |
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José Andrés has finally fulfills his decades-long dream of opening a restaurant inside downtown’s historic Old Post Office Pavilion. It’s called The Bazaar by José Andrés, and it overlooks the expansive, chandelier-lit lobby of the Waldorf Astoria. Go inside the newest eatery in Andrés’ restaurant empire with photos from our recent visit. |
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The “Classic” Beef Tartar: Deconstructed and delicious. |
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Crab Louie Cone: One bite and done. The single-bite sensations come with a PSA: “These are time-sensitive,” we’re informed. (Delays lead to soggy pastry; shoot any photos fast.) |
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Cotton Candy Foie Gras: Inventive, flavorful and fun! |
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Dragon Fruit Ceviche: It arrives in what appears to be sea foam but is in fact passionfruit-infused leche de tigre, the citrus-based marinade used to “cook” raw fish. Dig deep with your spoons to get all the flavors in one mouthful. Mmm, mmmm good! |
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Salt Air Margarita: This is the only way we want to have margaritas from now on. |
The skinny: Located on two levels in the Romanesque Revival building dating from 1899 that served as the city’s General Post Office until 1914, the restaurant serves breakfast and lunch on the lower floor and dinner upstairs. The design takes inspiration from the grandeur of the building mixed with avant garde elements from the menu exhibited in touches such as emerald velvet banquettes, black marble tables, floral fabrics inspired by Salvador Dali.
The details: The underlying idea is a sensory, culinary voyage based on Andrés’ Spanish roots with inventive improvisations. Each location has a local focus with dishes prepared specifically for that city using ingredients native to the area. Among the offerings featured in the “Peek Into the Archives” section of the menu are nods to politicians, and regional specialties are represented with Philly CheeseSteak comprised of airbread, cheddar and Wagyu beef and Maryland blue crab She-Crab Soup. The tapas-style menu is a journey; it weighs as much as a book and reads like Andrés’ culinary resume. Be prepared to spend lots of face time with your waiter as he introduces you to the sweep of it all.
The price point: Surprisingly, the Bazaar is relatively affordable, depending on what you order and how many items you pick. Let’s be clear, there are no value meals here, but it isn’t as exclusive — price- or otherwise — as the 12-seat Minibar or any number of Washington-area tasting-menu destinations. Snacks, tapas and medium-size dishes $9 to $68 (for a Waygu rib-eye steak).
📍: 1100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW ⏰: Open for indoor dining for breakfast 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. daily, for lunch 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, for dinner 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. |
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Studio Acting Conservatory discovered a massive African American Last Supper sculpture behind drywall in its Columbia Heights building back in 2019. DC artist Akili Ron Anderson originally created the bas relief for New Home Baptist Church, which left the building in the ’90s. Moving the sculpture, which is anchored to the school’s cinderblock wall, proved to be next to impossible.
A team of curators from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture stepped in and restored it, and while it’s occasionally been on view, opportunities to see the sculpture have been rare. But you’ll get a chance to see it April 3-8, when the building will open for free viewings. The theater school will have a guide on hand to answer questions.
📍: 3423 Holmead Place, NW ⏰: April 3 -8 from 1 - 4pm. Tours are also available by appointment by calling 202-232-0714 💰: Free |
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🔗 ICYMI: DC Link Roundup. |
Arts + Entertainment Downtown D.C.'s new pro gaming venue (Axios) Hirshhorn’s Kusama exhibition extended into the summer (Axios) D.C.'s new football team is the Defenders (Axios) Your guide to Nats Park in 2023 (Axios) Afrofuturism exhibit opens at the National Museum of African American History and Culture (Axios) ‘Shout Sister Shout!’ celebrates the legacy of Sister Rosetta Tharpe (WaPo) 2023 Spring Arts Guide (CityPaper) The 15 best concert venues in D.C. to see a band (WaPo)
Food + Bev Around Town |
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Whether you’re local or just visiting, your DC adventure awaits. Allons-y! |
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