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This Weekend’s $10 Fun
Thursday, November 12: FotoWeek DC continues through Saturday. If you haven’t checked out any of the various excellent exhibitions going on, now’s your chance. To see a list of all the exhibitions, head here.
Don your best fedora, hum a few bars of “New York, New York,” and head over to Aroma for its “Sinatra Night.” The Frank-themed event promises free martinis and cigars plus a DJ. 6 PM.
Want to get a jump start on your holiday shopping? Head to the Strathmore Mansion for the annual Museum Shop Around where 15 local museums will showcase their gifts. $8; doors open at 10 AM.
The Emmy Award-winning photographer Joshua Cogan will present a special series on music at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue as part of FotoWeek DC. His photographs capture the energy of many musical genres and highlight rising Washington musicians as well as local performances by the world’s biggest stars. The event begins at 7. To RSVP, click here.
Friday, November 13: It’s Friday the 13th! Mark the occasion by heading to H Street, Northeast for the Friday the 13th Thrill Fest at the H Street Playhouse. The Scena Theatre will enact the Edgar Allan Poe stories The Fall of the House of Usher and The Tell-Tale Heart. Stick around afterward for beer and snacks. 8 PM. Grab tickets ($32) here.
Maybe Alex Ovechkin isn’t going to date you like you’ve always dreamed of, but you may find your hockey-loving soulmate at the Capitals’ Singles Night at Bar Louie. The $20 ticket gets you drinks, food, and (shudder) dating icebreakers. 5:30; get tickets here.
More than 40 antiques dealers will convene at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites in Alexandria for the Historic Alexandria Antiques Show & Sale with furniture and decorative accessories, glass, ceramics, textiles, folk art, jewelry, and more. Friday 11 to 8, Saturday 11 to 6, Sunday noon to 5. There’s also a preview cocktail party on Thursday, November 12. For ticket information, call 703-549-5811.
Learn all about stepping—an African-American dance form—at the “The History of Step” at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. The founder of the local dance group Step Afrika!, C. Brian Williams, will be on hand to discuss the art form. 7 PM; free.
Put on your birthday hat—it’s time to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the great local music label Slumberland Records. You don’t look a day over 15, we swear! To mark the occasion, the label is hosting a concert at the Black Cat tonight featuring the buzz band du jour Crystal Stilts and several other rock bands. 8:30. Get your tickets ($15) here.
Saturday, November 14: The Washington National Opera will be at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage as part of this year’s Opera Week. The renowned group will present an “informance” to show how the orchestra accompanies singers, using experts from The Marriage of Figaro. The performance begins at 6.
Feel like you never get out that much anymore, thanks to the wee ones? Well, here’s your chance to dance and have fun at one of Washington’s best clubs—and you get to bring your kiddo, to boot! Baby Loves Disco, a group that hosts child-friendly dance parties, is hosting a pajama dance party at the Rock & Roll Hotel. Kids ages six months to seven years and their families are welcome to boogie down. 1 to 4 PM; $12 per “walking human” (babies who are still crawling are free) in advance; $15 at the door. Get your tickets here.
Watch a classic for free when the National Archives presents a screening of It Happened One Night. The Frank Capra-directed film stars Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable as an unlikely duo traveling across America by bus. Noon.
If you’re a fan of the wacky and fun Fringe Festival that runs every summer in DC, you’ll want to hit the Fall Fringe Festival, which raises funds for its main event. Through November 22, you can see three performances at varying times. To get more info and see the schedule, head here.
Fretting about Thanksgiving dessert? Get a crash course in the art of pie-making at Art and Soul. Pastry chef Lauren Whitledge will demonstrate a range of crusts and fillings, including pear tart as well as apple, pumpkin, and pecan pies. The hourlong class begins at 3, and you’ll get sent home with a booklet of recipes and a miniature pie. The class costs $40 per person; pre-register here.
Sunday, November 15: Ready your woolens, knickers, brooks, and baskets, because DC’s first Tweed Ride is peddling through town Sunday at 11. Starting from Eighth and H streets, Northeast, a make-shift photo studio will capture those appearing on fashionable vintage bikes and in dapper attire. The ride finishes at Marvin on U Street, Northwest, with a buffet ($10), raffle, and drinks sponsored by Plymouth Gin and Bass Ale. There’ll be awards for the Most Dapper Dandy, Most Quizzical Quaintrelle, Most Steadfast Steed, and Most Astonishing Accessory. The event goes until 7, and riders and walkers can register ($2) on location before the event starts.
Can you tell me how to get . . . to Lisner Auditorium? That’s where Sesame Street will be hosting its 40th birthday party today. Muppeteers, Muppets, and show producers will be on hand to talk about the show’s four decades of education and fun. 1:30. Get tickets ($18) here.
If you’re itching to relive your college frat days, we’ve got just the Sunday-night plan for you. Head to EatBar for its Sunday-night movie series—this week, the gastropub is screening Animal House at 8. But that’s not all—there’s also a toga party. Free.
Michael J. Gaynor has written about fake Navy SEALs, a town without cell phones, his Russian spy landlord, and many more weird and fascinating stories for the Washingtonian. He lives in DC, where his landlord is no longer a Russian spy.
