Film screenings, book signings, and origami are all on tap—for free!—this week.
Monday, February 8 The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage kicks off “Broadway: Today & Tomorrow,” its weeklong tribute to New York’s theater district. Tonight, Broadway stars Matt Cavenaugh, also known as Tony in West Side Story, and Kate Baldwin of Thoroughly Modern Millie take the stage along with musician and lyricist Peter Mills. 6 PM.
Tuesday, February 9 The Library of Congress offers its annual Love Poems reading by poets Heddy Reid, Margaret Mackinnon, and Kate Harding, winner of the My Bright Star Love Letter Contest. Following the reading, the library will host a special showing of Bright Star, a biopic on poet John Keats. Noon.
Wednesday, February 10 Food blogger and former DC resident Ann Mah, an occasional Washingtonian freelancer, is in town for a reading and signing of her first novel, Kitchen Chinese: A Novel About Food, Family, and Finding Yourself at Borders’ 18th and L streets location. The event starts at 6:30.
Get out your snowsuits—Washington’s about to get dumped with mounds of the white stuff. We know we’re supposed to panic, but we can’t help feeling positively giddy. It’s the eternal fourth grader in us: Hot chocolate! Snowmen! Snowball fights!
Hey, we’re not the only ones. Lots of snow-loving Washingtonians are already in the spirit; a few massive snowball fights, including one with more than 1,500 pledged participants, have cropped up all over town.
Want to join the festivities? Here’s where the fun’s happening:
If, much like our government, you’ve instituted a spending freeze in your budget to cope with the times, you’ll be pleased to learn about Elephant & Castle’s weekly drink special. Every Wednesday night starting at 8, the 19th Street, Northwest, location of the British-inspired pub chain offers a happy-hour menu with 11 takes on a martini—each for only $5. While the cocktails aren’t particularly inventive, their price should be enough of a wow factor to lure many. Below, see a demonstration of one the more popular martini spinoffs on the menu, the Castle-tini, and make sure to get the recipe after the jump.
Saints or Colts won’t be the only choice you’ll have to make Super Bowl Sunday. Bottomless wings or build-your-own nachos bar? Dirt-cheap drafts or set-price open bar? Luckily, we’ve got you covered with our list of bar specials guaranteed to make your game day go a little smoother:
Argonaut This Atlas District bar will celebrate by serving up $10 pitchers of its house-brewed Argonaut Booty beer. All other pitchers will be $15, and wings will be half the usual $8 price. Once the game starts, catch it on one of ten screens, including a 52-inch HD flat-screen.
Arlington Cinema ‘N’ Drafthouse Sports bars may boast big-screen TVs, but you can’t get much bigger than a movie theater. The Drafthouse will show the game for free with its regular tableside service.
The Bottom Line Enjoy the cover-free Super Bowl party at this Foggy Bottom bar. Beer specials will be $2.50 Miller Lite bottles, $3.50 Classic Amber Drafts, $10 Miller Lite pitchers, and $12 Classic Amber pitchers. There will also be $3 appetizers, including wings, tater tots, mini-turkey corn dogs, beer-battered onion rings, nachos, miniature meat balls, and a veggie platter.
1. Want to trade in your briefcase for a backpack and volunteer in another country? Join Idealist.org at its Global Volunteering Fair Thursday from 6 to 9 at the Google offices (1101 New York Ave., NW). The free event features three workshops that cover everything from tips for lining up jobs to potential fees involved in moving abroad. There’ll also be a variety of international organizations looking to recruit personnel. To register, click here.
2. During World War II, the Nazis attempted to destabilize the British economy by flooding the UK with fake pound notes. Learn about the largest forgery scheme in history—known as Operation Bernhard—Thursday at the International Spy Museum with a screening of the Oscar-winning film The Counterfeiters. Museum historian Thomas Boghardt will talk briefly about the complexities and historical significance of the Nazis’ master (money) plan, and audience members can view an authentic forged Operation Bernhard note. Tickets cost $6.25 or $5 for museum members. 6:30 to 8:30.
A compilation of interesting—and, most important, free—lectures, cultural events, and more throughout the week.
Monday, February 1 Head to the Black Cat’s Red Room Bar (1811 14th St., NW; 202-667-4490)—the laid-back, cover-free version of the main music venue. Tonight is Couch Night—a Black Cat staple where you can listen to DJ stylings all night. DJs Sebadoh Boy and Roulette spin vintage vinyl starting at 6.
Tuesday, February 2 The award-winning book Invisible Man was the only Ralph Ellison novel published while he was still alive. Sixteen years after his death, Modern Library has published his unfinished novel, Three Days Before the Shooting, following Juneteenth, which was a condensed version of the manuscript. A discussion by the book’s coeditors, John Callahan and Adam Bradley, start at 6:30 at the National Museum of American History’s Charmichael Auditorium. Washington Post staff writer Wil Haygood moderates the talk. There’ll be a book signing after the discussion.
Monday: An Evening on the Silk Road Every Monday night, the National Theatre hosts free dance performances in the Helen Hayes Gallery. Tonight’s performance by the Silk Road Dance Company features Middle Eastern melodies. Seating is limited, and tickets are distributed 30 minutes prior to the performance. 6 and 7:30.
Tuesday: Voice of Haiti The indie-rock venue DC9 hosts a fundraising concert to benefit the victims of last month’s earthquake in Haiti. The lineup includes Gogol Bordello’s bass player, Tommy T, with the band the Abyssinia Roots Collective, the Ambitions, Sitali, and Eastern Standard Time. Tickets are $15. Donations will be made to Voice of Haiti, an organization that funds and supports community development. Doors open at 8:30.
Wednesday: Foodie Hour Local food bloggers and food lovers will gather at the British gastropub Againn to—what else?—talk about and nosh on food from 6 to 8. A $5 happy-hour special is available to those who arrive before 7. To attend, you must RSVP in the comments section here.
Who needs a stinkin’ significant other anyway? Here’s a list of parties where all the single ladies (and gentlemen) can party this Valentine’s Day weekend—and where you might even find your next soulmate.
more
