Friday

• Trippos.com, a social travel community, partners with a new non-profit, A Woman’s Bridge, to have a party at McFadden’s! Trippos will donate part of its profits to A Woman’s Bridge, so head to McFadden’s from 8 pm to 10 pm to meet with the website’s founders and decide if they’re the right trip website for you.

Saturday

• Out of FoBo: The UNICEF Tap Project is throwing a party to kick off World Water Week and raise money. The $25 dollar ticket can buy a child 2.5 years of clean water ($35 in advance)! [Advance ticketing]

Sunday

• The Washington National Opera’s run of Porgy & Bess is selling like hot cakes, so plan ahead. The opening night, Saturday, is already dunzo, so if you like catching a show early, try Sunday. George Gershwin’s classic opera integrates techniques and melodies from jazz, the blues, and has become an Americana masterpiece (you probably already know the song Summertime). The story follows a beggar with a limp and the fiery woman who captures his heart. The opera runs thru April 3rd. [Ticketing]

Stuff

Apollo Brite Lite III Light Therapy Box (S.A.D) – $90 – Oh suuuure, sell it just as the weather gets nice and the sun comes out.

Rubik’s Cube – $2 – Giving up so easily.

Vermicomposting – Want to share red worms? – I don’t really have anything to say about this.

Visual Basic Programming Guides – These should probably be free.

Hot Stone Massage: Book + Kit – $5 – These stones are so hot!

Joanna Newsom + 3/23 + one ticket – $45 – Hipsters, check it out.

Wanted: 2 tickets to HIM show – $60 – I don’t really know what subgenre of people would be able to help this person.

Missed Connection

Tuesday night at 51st State – m4w – 26 – I think 51st State is an appropriate venue to go up to a pretty girl and talk to her.

McFaddens Hottie – w4m – 21 – If not 51st, then McFaddens is definitely the place to talk to a hottie.

Elevator Ride at Trader Joe’s – m4w – 32 – The elevator at the TJ, maybe not so much.

John at Tonic – m4m – 24 – Conversation, A+.

To the really short girl at 711 below GWU… – m4w – 27 – Hot cop wants short girl.

If rumours here are to be believed, GW paid $60,000 for the right to host a first-round game in the fledgling College Basketball Invitational (CBI). The tournament began after the 2007-2008 season as a means of taking some of the left-out teams when the NIT cut its field from 48 to 32. There is no question that it is a decidedly third-rate tournament, but at least it’s something for the men. But the cost is a rather bothersome aspect. The reports on that board are unconfirmed (by anything I’ve seen), but given the timeline of what happened, they make perfect sense. GW sent out an email before the field was announced or could have even been announced (the NIT field was being announced the next day, and the CBI takes the castoffs from that tournament). So GW knew it wasn’t in the NIT and had an opportunity to secure a postseason berth. Sounds good, right?

But at what cost? I don’t really know the inner workings of these things, but $60k seems like a lot, especially given that attendance would be low (and in fact was, with only 793 showing up) and that apparently some of the basketball players had already gone home. Granted, they got an opponent that is well-respected in Virginia Commonwealth University, but I still don’t buy it as a good plan.

As for the result? GW couldn’t pull it off, even with a Herculean 30-point effort from Damian Hollis in his final game. He was helped by Lasan Kromah’s 18, but the Colonials couldn’t quite close a 12-point 1st-half gap, and ended up losing 79-73. So $60k for a loss in a third-tier postseason tournament. Hardly seems worth it to me. Hail to the buff who blew.

Tuesday

• Head to the Heart of Georgetown (Intersection of Wisconsin Avenue NW and M Street NW) for The District Sample Sale. Tickets are $40, but get you access to shops that have merchandise up to 90% off. Check out the link to buy tickets and learn more.
• $50 will get you into an exclusive booze event at Morton’s The Steakhouse (3251 Prospect Street NW). Taste single malts from Glenlivet, including scotches up to 18 years old. RSVP cm.mdc@mortons.com.

Wednesday

• Don’t forget to wear green! Head to Rumors (1900 M Street NW) between 4 pm and midnight for some epic drink specials (4-5 pm gets you $0.17 Coors Light). $5 cover. [Ticketing]
• 2010 Storytelling World Awards winner Batt Burns & his musician wife Maura Burns come to the Millennium Stage at 6 pm to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Irish stories and songs.

Thursday

• Head to The Bottom Line for some March Madness — celebrate the first round of the NCAAs with their 17 televisions and drink specials.
• Continuing the Irish celebration at the Millennium Stage, Frankie Gavin and DeDannon bring their exciting brand of Irish folk music to DC!

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Voting ends tonight at 11:59pm — so vote now! And tell your friends.

Friday

• Enjoy cupcakes & cocktails at FLY Lounge (1802 Jefferson Place, NW) tonight, starting at 10 pm. No cover.
• For a more cultural experience, head to the Kennedy Center for the DC premiere of playwright Terrence McNally’s Nights at the Opera: Golden Age. The show centers around another premiere — the premiere of Vincenzo Bellini’s I Puritani. Hoping to secure his place in history, the show was to be Bellini’s last. The play runs through April 4th. [Ticketing]
• Snap up some of the few remaining tickets for the 9:30 Delfeayo Marsalis show in the Kennedy Center Jazz Club (the 7 pm show is sold out!). Trombonist Marsalis comes from a renowned musical family, but puts his own stamp of inventiveness on solos. [Ticketing]
• Out of FoBo: For the artists out there, the Baltimore branch of Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School is meeting as part of the G40: The Summit art exhibit. Dr. Sketchy’s brings a fun and sexy spin on life drawing — the models include burlesque models Sugar Ann Spice and Lil Dutch (DC locals). The aim of the event is fun, so even if you don’t fancy yourself an artist but want to sit down and draw a spell, check it out and bring your pencils! Get ready to drink & draw. The session runs from 8 pm to midnight at 223 23rd St. Arlington, VA 22202.

Saturday

• World renowned musician Gilberto Gil comes to Lisner Auditorium at 8 pm. Known for his guitar playing, his show is under the banner “The String Concert,” and features Jaques Morelenbaum & Bem Gil. [Ticketing]
• Conductor Christoph Eschenbach takes the lead of the NSO with Verdi’s Requiem. [Ticketing]

Sunday

• Hello Cupcake (1351 Connecticut Avenue NW) wants you to pay them $75.00 for a St. Patrick’s Day cupcake decorating class, plus one dozen cupcakes. Reserve your spot at info@hellocupcakeonline.com.

Metro escalators in Foggy Bottom got called out for being terrible all week.

FoBoGro had an invite-only soft opening to begin training staff. (See our sneak-peak here).

Marriott nears decision time to finally move ahead in bringing a new hotel to the area near 20th and E — of course they’ve been held up for years by anti-development individuals in Foggy Bottom.  What’s there now? A parking garage.