Chris

Chris loves to travel, and likes nothing more than visiting his friends in London. The city is particularly festive during the holiday season, and perhaps even more so this year due to the early snowfall. Chris, the playful sort that he is, took advantage of the winter wonderland by joining his young friends for an afternoon of sledding and snowball fights in Greenwich Park. While he enjoyed the snow what he could have done without were the below average temperatures; he thus found himself keeping warm with lots of coffee dates.


Of course red wine is another wonderful way to get that oh so warm feeling, so he also partook in long evenings at the pub. His current favorite is the Windsor Castle in Marylebone; he loves the quirky collection of bric-a-brac that covers any and every empty space. The pub is also the base for The Handlebar Club, whose finely moustached members meet there the first Friday of every month.


Chris did brave the cold one evening in order to check out Hyde Park’s rather extensive Winter Wonderland. While he wasn’t too impressed with the Angels Christmas Market (junk and bad crafts), and isn’t really a rides kind of guy (although he did appreciate the multiple penguin themed ones), he did enjoy the large selection of “Continental” treats…and what better way to keep warm with than a glass of mulled wine.


One of the reasons for this particular London visit was to celebrate a friend’s birthday. As usual Chris was given baking duty (a very pleasant winter day activity), and made cookies for the birthday gathering. It was an evening of treats, gossip and of course bubbly (it wouldn’t be a party without), and he had a fabulous time catching up with friends.


Lest you think that all Chris does on his trips is drink, he would like you to know that he is an avid museumgoer, and wouldn’t think of visiting London without catching at least one exhibition. This time he hit the Serpentine Gallery, which is showing Philippe Parreno’s first solo exhibition in a UK public institution. He also made his way to Tate Modern, where he caught the very popular Gaugin show, the Rosa Barba exhibition, and Ai Weiwei’s Sunflower Seeds (not quite so exciting now that they have been roped off due to dust issues…but better a rope than the censorship favored in Washington).


His favorite show, however, was the V&A’s Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballets Russes. He loved the sets and costumes (especially those by Léon Bakst), and what’s not to like about the drama surrounding the company. Chris also loves the V&A gift shop, where he spent a fair bit of time but managed to exercise some restraint when making his purchases. As a reward he’ll just have to plan a trip to London early in the New Year to hit the sales!

Puff

Puff thinks that Thanksgiving is the perfect time for a foreign getaway. As a vegetarian he’s not really a fan of the big turkey meal, and he certainly has no desire to partake in a day of football watching (he’s heard rumors that that is what many people do post meal). His Thanksgiving destination of choice is Germany, as the holiday often falls right before the first Sunday of Advent, meaning that he is able to visit the country’s fabulous Christmas markets. This year he chose to go to Nuremberg, home to what is perhaps Germany’s most famous one.


Puff’s base was the Le Méridien Grand Hotel Nuremberg, and from there he set out on his daily adventures, a mix of culture, shopping and food. He loves to go to the opera whenever he travels, so one evening he made his way to the State Theatre for a performance of Nabucco. It was not the best performance he’s ever seen, but certainly an enjoyable way to spend his evening. Puff is also always up for some contemporary art, so he took in the Neues Museum, where he enjoyed Jeppe Hein’s 1xMuseum, 10xRooms, 11xWorks (he’s a fan of the interactive).


Of course much of his time was spent perusing the Christmas markets, enjoying treats and keeping warm with mugs of Glühwein and Eierpunsch. When not wandering the markets he could be found shopping (exploring the floors of Kaufhof and Karstadt) and eating poppy seed delicacies at various cafes (there's no such thing as too much Mohn Streuselkuchen). He also enjoyed long leisurely dinners at Böhm’s Herrenkeller and Heilig-Geist-Spital, two seasonally festive restaurants where he happily drank the rather large pours of wine (he loves a good Müller Thurgau) and ate sizeable portions of cheese Spätzle. He admits the latter is not too healthy, however he did not have too many vegetarian choices, and who is he to complain about having a good excuse to indulge (and the hotel did have a gym that he made good use of).


Puff also set out on a few daytime adventures, hopping on the punctual except when it snows Deutsche Bahn to explore nearby towns. His first trip took him to Bamberg.


He thought the medieval town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was beautiful. He wandered up and down its many hills, taking in the architecture and checking out the cathedral, before hitting the small Christmas market for some well deserved treats.


His second outing took him to Rothenburg ob der Tauber . He loves the walled, albeit rather tourist filled, city, and made certain to hit the Medieval Crime Museum (complete with iron maiden). After learning about numerous not so pleasant methods of torture he opted for some more wholesome fun, and headed to the town’s Christmas market. And of course no trip to Rothenburg would be complete without stopping by the Christmas emporium Käthe Wohlfarht (where of course he picked up a thing or two).


Puff was very sad when his trip was over, and he certainly did not appreciate the twenty hour plus journey home (nothing like some snow to get in the way of a smooth journey). The trip did, however, leave him full of Christmas cheer. Now if he could just motivate to decorate his house…

Dandy

Dandy is an active penguin who likes to keep his days full; his weeks are thus often packed with various social and cultural activities, as well as meetings and other less exciting things. Last week’s socializing began with a happy hour at the Mayflower Hotel in honor of National Philanthropy Day. The event was organized by The Cotillion, a group that highlights and promotes philanthropic and cultural enrichment activities, with a mission to cultivate the next generation of charitable givers. Dandy enjoyed meeting numerous people involved in different causes around town, and is looking forward to the group’s inaugural gala next year. Tuesday was meeting filled, so Dandy’s social life resumed on Wednesday, with the 1869 Society’s Cultural Cocktails at the Hamiltonian Gallery. There he enjoyed some wine and catching up with friends, while perusing works by Elena Volkova (Proofs) and Renee Van Der Stelt (Recordings).


Dandy was out and about again Thursday evening, when he attended the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America’s Cupcakes and Cocktails fundraiser. The event was not too exciting, but who is he to complain when faced with an evening of sampling sweets. He greatly admired the beautiful cupcakes from Cupcakes Actually, but his favorite was the mint julep concoction from Zola. Dandy (wisely) believes that one can never go wrong by adding a bit of alcohol to one’s baked goods.


Friday Dandy waddled over to the National Gallery of Art to do some research in its library. Before heading home he made certain to see the exhibition Arcimboldo, 1526-1593: Nature and Fantasy. He is a great fan of Arcimboldo and loved seeing the numerous works, and thought the Philp Haas Arcimboldo inspired sculpture was quite fabulous. Dandy was in the mood for a bit more culture, so that evening he made his way to the Kennedy Center to see the Suzanne Farrell Ballet. Although he enjoyed the performance he is partial to the Washington Ballet (what can he say, he’s a loyal guy). In fact it was off to the Washington Ballet studios on Saturday to volunteer (and shop, of course) at the Sugar Plum Holiday Bazaar. He loves to shop, and what better incentive than knowing that 20% of sales would go to one of his favorite organizations in town. Dandy also enjoyed the Bazaar’s reception, catered by June B Sweet. He loved all of her tasty little treats and happily devoured numerous macarons (amongst other things) and a glass (or two) of bubbly.


It was then off to a friend’s birthday party. Dandy had hoped to be responsible and get home early, as he had lots of packing to do for his upcoming trip, and planned to head to the Bazaar for its second day. However, things don’t always go as planned…what can he say, when dancing is involved he just can’t say no!

Squeak

Squeak may reside in DC, but he’s not one to sit still and can often be found on the road or in the open skies. This past Monday he caught “the not too glamorous but less crowded than Bolt” DC2NY bus to New York City, in order to help out a friend working on a Robert Indiana catalogue raisonné. The trip was relatively quick, and before he knew it he was at the office in Grand Central Station. He loves the project and working with his friend…not only does he enjoy catching up with her, but she is also a great source of treats (she knows where to find the best ones in the city). In fact, Squeak arrived to find some delicious apricot and coconut bread pudding from her favorite lunch place, Dishes, and when he came into work the following day a peanut butter sandwich cookie from Bouchon Bakery (his favorite treat to date) was waiting for him.


Although Squeak spent most of his time in New York working, he was still able to schedule a few gossip dates with different friends. One evening he caught up with a former DC friend at The Barrel, where he enjoyed a few glasses of red wine and some rather tasty patatas bravas. The following night it was a quiet coffee date with another friend, followed by an evening in with his lovely hostess.


It was back to DC late Thursday afternoon for one night in town before heading off again the following evening. Luckily he was able to find the time Friday afternoon to make it to Bloomingdale’s in Chevy Chase in order to do some shopping. A portion of the sales went to The Washington Ballet as part of the Women’s Committee fashion show, which he unfortunately had to miss this year (he had strut his stuff the past two years and was just beginning to perfect his modelesque waddle).


After picking up a few things Squeak made his way to Fawn Lake for a 70th birthday celebration; there was plenty of merriment and too much food and wine (as usual). Of course a weekend in Spotsylvania County would not be complete without running errands (Walmart and Wegmans) and enjoying a peanut butter sundae at Dairy Queen.


He also stopped by the local mall, which had already been transformed into a Christmas wonderland. Squeak does think it’s a bit too early for the full on holiday extravaganza, however he likes his presents, so figured he might as well have a talk with Santa.


The holiday season does have a tendency to creep up on one, and he figured better safe than sorry!

Olga

Olga is a social butterfly; she loves nothing more that to put together a fabulous outfit and head out for a night on the town. That said, she does admit it’s been a bit harder to motivate lately, as she’s only slowly getting used to the colder temperatures.


Olga is also a very refined penguin, and she favors events with a cultural element. Wednesday night she found herself at the National Gallery of Art (such a civilized place) for a reception and viewing of the exhibition The Pre-Raphaelite Lens: British Photography and Painting, 1848-1875. As usual it was an elegant affair with bubbly and lots of delectable treats, including a rather tasty mushroom crepe cake, which she admits to having had more than one serving of (restraint is so overrated, and she knows she can always spend a little extra time in the gym). She did unfortunately miss out on most of the desserts, which were devoured while she spent her time gossiping with friends.


Thursday Olga braved the rain and made her to the Kennedy Center for a performance of the Washington Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet. She enjoyed the production, in particular the lavish costumes and dramatic scenes (what can she say, she’s an over the top kind of gal). After the performance she waddled over to the Guarisco Gallery for the opening night party. While she cannot say that she was a fan of the art, she had the most wonderful time catching up with Washington Ballet supporters, dancers and staff over a glass or two of red wine, and lots of mini ice cream cones filled with different flavors of mousse. Not a particularly healthy dinner, but what can she say, you only live once.


It was another night of art on Friday, when Olga attended the FotoWeek opening party at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. She enjoyed checking out the diverse photography, which included exterior and interior projections, and caught up with lots of people she hadn’t seen in a while (over some not too good Cava…but what can she say, if it has bubbles she’ll drink it).


Saturday night Olga made a quick stop by Irvine Contemporary for the opening of Street/Studio 2.0; she was able to peruse the show and catch up with a few friends before making her way to the French Embassy for its annual champagne tasting. She wasn’t overly impressed with the event, which lacked ambiance, but who is she to complain as there is little she loves more than bubbly, and she was able to try lots of it.

After a busy alcohol filled and nutrient deficient week Olga very much appreciated the extra hour that came with the time change, as there’s nothing like a longer lazy Sunday to get one ready for another busy week.

Hayley

Hayley hopes that everybody had a fun and candy filled Halloween weekend. Given her love of sweets it is certainly a time that she enjoys (not that she limits her treat consumption to any special day). Hayley had a very social week, during which she was able to catch up with various friends over something sweet. She began her week’s socializing with a gossip session in Clarendon, where she caught up with a friend over pumpkin spice frozen yogurt at Red Mango. Although it wasn’t the best she’s had, Hayley does love all things pumpkin (and gossip…friendly, of course). And, aware that it’s never too early to start thinking about Christmas, she also hit the area’s stores for a bit of shopping.


Wednesday Hayley took a break from her treat centered week to attend Cocktails and Conversation with Renée Stout at the Hemphill Gallery. The evening was organized by DC’s Young Art Leaders, and she enjoyed socializing with various like minded friends while perusing the exhibition House of Chance and Mischief, which she was happy to catch before it closed. It was back to gossip, shopping and pumpkin treats (this time a cupcake at the Love Café) on Friday, when she met up with a friend she hadn’t seen in quite a while.


Hayley’s weekend was a mix of entertaining – she had friends over both nights – and way too many errands/never ending moving related tasks. The former was obviously more fun than the latter, as it gave her the excuse to make Halloween themed goodies (sugar cookies and cheese crackers in various fun shapes), and show off her festive dressed up for the holiday house. The daytime chores were somewhat less exciting, but at least they involved treats…she needs to get in her share of frozen ones before it gets too chilly. Not that it’s ever too cold for Dairy Queen, where she enjoyed a Pumpkin Pie Blizzard before it was replaced by the November Blizzard of the Month.



Luckily she got home from errand running just in time to give out candy to the many trick-or-treaters. She had such a good turnout that there’s hardly anything left for her. But never mind, she’ll be baking for Christmas before she knows it, and the house will be filled with treats once again.

Beaker

Beaker is a culture loving penguin who enjoys attending performances of all (well most) sorts. He started off last week at the Kennedy Center, with the Washington National Opera’s Salome. Although Strauss is not one of his favorite composers, he thoroughly enjoyed the performance. That said, he did somewhat lose his appetite after watching Salome enjoy herself just a bit too much with the head of John the Baptist.


Wednesday Beaker made his way to the Washington Ballet for one of his favorite events, the Jeté Society’s Beer and Ballet. The evening included a rehearsal for the upcoming performance of Romeo and Juliet, and, much to his delight, it was not only beer but also bubbly (he’s not a beer kind of guy but he certainly loves his bubbles). He cannot wait to see Romeo and Juliet next week, and suggests that all those who don’t already have a ticket run out and get one.


Although his week got off to a social start Beaker found himself not feeling well (those pesky colds), so he took a few days to relax and prepare himself for a very social Saturday. The festivities began with a daytime pumpkin carving party. Beaker was very proud of his artistic talents and thought he designed a very cute Jack O’ Lantern.


Naturally he made someone else do most of the carving, especially as he was busy gorging on peanut M&M’s (candy calories obviously do not count around Halloween). With a belly full of sweets he then ran home to put on his party clothes, and headed off to the Thomas Müller openings at Project 4



and Fathom Gallery. He loved the latter space, and can't decide whether he liked its spacious terrace or fun bathrooms more.


After getting in his evening’s dose of art he waddled over to Hudson Restaurant & Lounge for its third anniversary party. It was a festive event, although sadly there were not too many vegetarian options despite the copious amounts of food, which meant a liquid dinner of the very tasty passion fruit cocktails. After a few hours of socializing he headed over to the New Vegas Lounge for his final event of the evening, a friend’s birthday party. Not surprisingly Beaker was feeling rather tired on Sunday, although he did motivate to run errands. Of course, as hard as it may be to believe, that was really just because he wanted a Dairy Queen treat!

Tundry

Tundry likes to find any and every excuse to escape DC, so he is particularly happy to be working on a project that takes him up to New York on a regular basis. He made his most recent journey last week on the not so glamorous Bolt Bus (he’s not really a bus kind of guy, but would much rather spend the extra that the train costs on fun and fashion). Although his time in New York is spent largely in an office in front of a computer, he naturally finds the time to do some socializing and get lots of treats (there are so so many in the city).


Tundry doesn’t need to go far to find a tasty snack, as there is a Financier Patisserie in Grand Central Station, to which his office building connects. His favorite treat from the bakery is the passion fruit macaron, but he's all about diversity, so he also picked up a pear diplomat (amongst other things). Furthermore, Tundry had the good luck to be staying on Clinton Street, which is home to Dessert Truck Works, meaning after work treats were also only a waddle, skip and jump away. He most recently tried the carrot cake and divine molten lava cake (olive oil is the not so secret ingredient).


Lest you think Tundry only eats sweets, he’d like you to know that he met a friend at Sinigual Restaurant, where they caught up over a glass of wine and guacamole (he doesn’t claim to be a health nut). And, one of his favorite foods is the pizza margherita; he is always in search of a good one, and he rather enjoyed the margherita he tried at Motorino in the East Village.


Sadly Tundry could not stay in New York indefinitely, and it was back to DC for the weekend, which began with Friday night drinks at the Sofitel. His pizza dinner in New York had put him in the mood for more, so he made his way to Potenza, where he once again ordered a margherita (like peanut butter he can never get enough). He enjoyed the pizza (although he still thinks Sette’s is the best in DC), and he very much appreciated the knowledgeable waiter and non rushed service (a true rarity in DC). After dinner he headed to Co Co Sala for a drink or two, and then stumbled home to bed.


Tundry was not too productive on Saturday, but he did get himself together to go to a housewarming party in Old Town Alexandria. It was a rare trip to the suburbs, and as usual the Metro was not cooperating, but it was well worth the effort. He loved his friends’ 1880s home (and was jealous of their three working fireplace, as his three are sadly only decorative), and thoroughly enjoyed all of the goodies that his friend had prepared.


Still, he’s not rushing back to the suburbs anytime soon unless it’s to go to Dairy Queen.

Alistair

Alistair is an academic type; he loves reading, researching, writing and discussing ideas with his equally astute friends. The brainy guy that he is, he is always looking for a stimulating project, and as of late has been helping a friend compile and sort information for a catalogue raisonné of the artist Robert Indiana. While he has done much of his work at the National Gallery of Art’s research library, the project is based in New York, giving him an excuse to travel up there.


Although Alistair spent much of his recent visit in the office, it wasn’t all work and no play, as it would be a sin to miss out on all of the tasty treats available in the city (and he does love his treats). His first evening in town he stopped by the Hampton Chutney Company for a quick bite (its dosas are ever so yummy), and then headed to the Crosby Street Hotel for a gossip session with friends. The bar has a great selection of wine by the glass (he tried a Geil Muskateller Trocken), and he loved the hotel’s collection of largely dog themed artwork (the creatures may not be quite as fabulous as penguins, but Alistair still thinks they are rather cute).


His second day in New York was much the same, work followed by play. After a databse filled day Alistair met up with a friend for a drink at Cipriani Dolci, conveniently located in Grand Central Station, where his office is.


Knowing that he would have to wake up at a reasonable hour the following morning, once he finished his drink he wisely decided to get some proper food instead of indulging in a liquid dinner. He thus headed off to meet another friend at Nanoosh, where they enjoyed some rather yummy hummus and a quinoa salad. Of course no meal would be complete without dessert, so they made their way to the Lower East Side, where he happened to be staying, for some treats at Dessert Truck Works (he recommends their very tasty chocolate bread pudding).


Alistair even managed to get in a treat – in fact his favorite of all those sampled during this visit - on his last day in the city.


Lucky for him that he was feeling that post coconut tres leches high as the journey home, due to the bus he was on getting a flat tire, was rather disastrous. Alistair can certainly think of things he’d much rather be doing than spending two hours at a rest stop in New Jersey. Unfortunately watching the Miley Cyrus movie being shown on the bus was not one of them. Next time he’ll just have to remember to get a treat or two for the road to keep that sugar high going.