Sunday, May 23rd
SOUNDBITES - Music * Food * Change
A Benefit for DC Central Kitchen
DJ Will Eastman ‧ US Royalty ‧ Fatback DJs ‧ Bluebrain ‧ Midnight Kids · Beautiful Swimmers
w/ Food tastings from 20 area restaurants
5:00 PM Doors
$30

So tix are ordinarily $30 each, but you can get a pair of tickets for FREE if you tweet @dcconcierge your favorite DC concert at the 9:30 Club EVER. You have until midnight to tweet at me!  My two fave responses get a pair of tickets to SOUNDBITES!!  And yes, I feel very powerful. 

The best part?  Yoga on the Mall!!

Yoga on the Mall will take place at the NE corner of the Washington Monument, near the intersection of 15th St. and Constitution Avenue, on Saturday, May 15 from 1-5pm. Nearest metro: Smithsonian. Participants are encouraged to wear loose, comfortable clothing and to bring the following:

• yoga mat or blanket
• snacks and drinks
• your family and friends!

Photo by: Cassandra Corrales & Daniela Schrier

Other DC Yoga week specials include free and $5 dollar yoga classes at some of DC’s hottest yoga studios. Participating studios include Bikram Yoga Capitol Hill, Bikram Yoga Dupont, Bikram Yoga Tenleytown, Boundless Yoga, Capitol Hill Yoga, Circle Yoga/Budding Yogis, Flow Yoga Center, Past Tense Yoga, Quiet Mind Yoga, SomaFit,  Spiral Flight Yoga, Studio Serenity, Tranquil Space, and Unity Woods Yoga Center.

According to one of my top yoga sources (you don’t keep those handy? you should!), the DC Yoga Week special not to miss is a Free Level 1 yoga class at Capitol Hill Yoga on Sunday Morning. Boundless Yoga is offering a $5 class on Wednesday May 19 at 7 am with one of her favorite Yoga instructors in DC, Erin Dowdy.

Even better news, the new menu offers  accessible prices, with all dishes ranging between $6 and $12!!   For happy hour, between 4 and 6pm you can choose any three dishes from the menu for $20.10.

Rice beer is on draft.  And now your meal is complete.

The buzz started building back in the fall and then finally The Daily Caller launched on January 11th.   I recently took a tour of the offices and met the writers, bloggers, Editor-in-Chief Tucker Carlson, and even adorable office dog (which every DC office should now require) so that I could see the start-up online publication magic in action.

In the Daily Caller you can find everything from live blogging of the Health Care Summit to a slideshow of famous celebrity sex tape scandals.  Of course, it’s been called the HuffPo for the right, so expect a slight slant.  Also check out their blogger, DC Trawler — who was recently was hit by a black SUV who made an illegal left turn and hit him head on and broke his knee.  YIKES!!!  I knew there was a reason I’m afraid of motorcades.

Kelly asks:  “I know they’re trendy everywhere, but what are the good hotel bars in DC?”

I’ve always had a thing for hotel bars.  Probably because the pick up line is so easy — “So, you from outta town?”

But now, hotel bars are hardly for their guests.  If you can score a reservation at P.O.V. at the new W, you’re golden.  The food, drinks, and view are all so worth it.  However, a velvet rope makes things complicated for the more spontaneous.  So in that case, try Poste in the Hotel Monaco or Urbana in the Hotel Palomar.  To get seasonal — I love the patio at Hotel Helix in the summer (and half price burgers) and cozy fireplace room at the Tabard Inn in the winter.   Of course, take into consideration that I have not yet been to Plume at The Jefferson.

ReadySetDC - OMG,  do these folks have their fingers on the pulse of the DC “urban renaissance”!!!  They have become my go-to for DC events, photos, and new skool culture.

The ReadysetDC Manifesto from ReadysetDC on Vimeo.

Justin Loves Food -  DC tech scene rock star Justin Thorp talks about his dining adventures in the District.  Great tips and conversations, but what else would you expect from Clearspring’s Online Community Manager!

The Prippy Handbook – Back in DC after stints up the East Coast, Tara shares her perspectives on DC style, culture, and more!  So fresh and … well… prippy*!! *See her blog for definition of prippy

50 Dates -  Geeta is going on 50 dates in DC and reporting back her tales.  This should be interesting…

While reading our DC version of UsWeekly – The Scene Bisnow — I saw pictures from party at a bar called George.  What’s this?  A bar I haven’t heard of (granted, I don’t usually run with the Georgetown scene, but I still keep up with the names).

So I clicked around and found the following review from Metromix DC:

This Georgetown locale is hidden in the courtyard behind Cafe Milano. Opened by a popular local social networker and some UVA grads, this bar is tough to get into (except on Thursdays and Fridays from 6-9 during happy hour) unless you know somebody or know somebody that knows somebody (you get the picture). The drink list is limited to Heineken, Blue Moon, Miller Lite, Corona and Red Bull & Vodka. So if you like those specialty frilly drinks, this place probably isn’t for you.

Hmmm… founder of the popular local social network?  Couldn’t be Late Night Shots, now could it?  I think it’s the limited drink menu that really gets me. But, I guess if you already know your clientele, there’s no need to go beyond.

That said, (and being an optimist) this could be a cool place for private events.

Some of the places we don’t talk about where I think the deals are going down (observation, not endorsement):

• The Capitol Visitor Center cafeteria
• Spezie
• McCormick & Schmicks
• Il Mulino

My picks:

• Sou’wester in Mandarin Oriental
• Sei
• Brasserie Beck
• The Source

Jeff asks: My organization brings in a team of engineering students for a two week project in Washington, DC, kind of like an internship.  What would you recommend they do in their spare time to see the city?

You wouldn’t know it from reading my blog, but there is a ton available here for the under 21 crowd.  Let’s see, some highlights…

Of course, for the engineer interest – hit the National Air & Space Museum or maybe the Spy Museum.

For accessible art (like Shepard Fairey’s Obama HOPE), try the National Portrait Gallery.

Check out a live rock show at Black Cat.

Eat amazing sliders and pizza at Matchbox.

Wander around the Georgetown campus.

If you are a tech/telecom policy wonk, than you’ll be heading to the Hinckley Hilton (yes, still under construction) on Dec.10 for the Federal Communications Bar Association’s Annual Chairman’s Dinner… also known as the Telecom Prom.  Check out coverage from Hillicon Valley’s Kim Hart for more on this White House Correspondent’s Dinner for, um, nerds.

You prefer to geek out in a more casual setting?  Nerd Nite is for you.  Coming up on Dec. 5th at DC9 from 6-9pm, you can hit an event that has been dubbed “Discovery Channel with beer.”  Yup, armed with a microphone and their trusty PowerPoint slides, some of the smartest people in DC will prove to be the most interesting. The only requirement is that presentations must be random and absurdly entertaining. And did I mention the beer part?  More info here.