Pinocchio

Pinocchio is a city boy who ventures out into the suburbs as little as possible. Nevertheless, after a relatively quiet weekend he was ready to get out and about for some socializing, so he finagled himself a ride and made his way to the depths of Potomac for the Washington Ballet Women’s Committee’s end of the year pool party. He does admit it was lovely and peaceful, and was rather jealous of his host’s wonderful outdoor space. He greatly enjoyed the prickly pear margaritas, homemade pizza, mushroom risotto and mini ice cream cones, but certainly did not feel like donning a bathing suit after such indulgence. Instead Pinocchio hung out on the spacious deck and chatted away with various people (he always likes a good gossip). He had a lovely evening in the suburbs, but was quite happy to return to his small flat in the city...one can never be certain what kind of creatures might live so far out…


The following evening Pinocchio found himself at one of his favorite places in Washington, the National Gallery of Art, for a tour followed by a reception. There were numerous tours and talks taking place throughout the museum, and he joined that of the exhibition German Master Drawings from the Wolfgang Ratjen Collection, 1580-1900. He found the tour most interesting and loved Johann Elias Ridinger’s drawing The Rhinoceros “Miss Clara” (a touring Indian rhinoceros who was apparently quite the hit in mid-18th century Europe). He does, however, wish that the curator had not gone so much over his allotted time…a talk becomes infinitely less captivating when one can hear everybody else making their way to a reception! Pinocchio did eventually get there, and as usual the National Gallery did not disappoint. He loved the gorgeous flower arrangements (peonies), and the food, despite the lack of interesting vegetarian options, was as tasty as always. Pinocchio had no problem indulging in the yummy breads and cheese, and he fully enjoyed the desserts, which ranged from cupcakes to baked Alaska to bread pudding to ice cream. And, of course, he might just have had a glass of bubbly or two. As usual he was amongst the last to leave – luckily he has many like minded friends so he is never alone when doing so!

Lila

Lila likes to keep her schedule packed with cultural and social activities, and this past week was no exception. A highlight was the opening of Yves Klein: With the Void, Full Powers at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Lila thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition, which includes examples of all of the artist’s major series. She was particularly pleased to discover some vibrant pink works amidst his more well-known blue ones. Lila also enjoyed the reception in the museum’s courtyard; while it was not the nicest evening to be outdoors she was able to keep warm with a drink or two. She first sampled the International Klein Blue inspired cocktail, which tasted like medicine and certainly did no justice to the artist’s color, before wisely switching to the always reliable bubbly. She also nibbled on some of the treats, and was pleased to discover cheese that was not cubed (a pet peeve), as that would have been an insult to the memory of an artist from the land of such fine cheese (and furthermore, is always an insult to one’s taste buds.)


The next evening Lila found herself at the Harman Center for opening night of the Washington Ballet’s Genius3. The performance included Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments, Nacho Duato’s Cor Perdut, Mark Morris’s Pacific and Twyla Tharp’s When Push Comes to Shove. Lila enjoyed all four works, although the second and fourth were her favorites. She is sad that it was the company’s last work of the season, but is looking forward to the next season, Untamed, which kicks off in November with Romeo & Juliet. After the performance she made her way to the opening night party for some socializing and a glass of wine…and as usual was amongst the last to leave.


Despite her love of the cultured life Lila would like you to know, lest you think her simply a snobby arts girl, that one of her favorite things in life is Dairy Queen. She found herself at the one in Bailey’s Crossroads (yet again) while running errands on Saturday. Her favorite thing to order is the peanut butter sundae, but she has been known to nibble on some fries before indulging in her sweet treat. Lila was pleasantly surprised to bump into a friend there, but of course she should know that her friends have great taste and if there is anywhere to be when the need for an icy treat hits it certainly is Dairy Queen.


Lila realized that the rainy weather would likely make it difficult for her to motivate to go out that evening, so while running errands she picked up some goodies at the German Gourmet (she loves their red cabbage and Tilsiter) for a lazy evening on her balcony (conveniently covered to keep her dry). She also picked up some Moldovan bubbly to try, but wasn’t patient enough to wait for it to chill, so it will have to be enjoyed on her next (rare) evening in.

Ice Cube

Ice Cube is always up for a good celebration, and what better to celebrate than the marriage of two lovely friends? He was not, however, celebrating having to be up early Friday morning for an 8am flight to Atlanta (he cannot believe his travel companions chose such an uncivilized departure time). He knew he would need lots of caffeine to make it through the day, although the 32 ounce iced coffee from Einstein Bros. Bagels might have been overkill (apparently large really does mean large).


Luckily the flight was quick and uneventful, and upon arrival, before heading to their hotel in Alpharetta, Ice Cube and his friends made a quick stop at The World of Coca-Cola. He was slightly disturbed by the propaganda heavy welcoming spiel and the short film Inside the Happiness Factory, but has to admit that he liked a lot of the old Coke paraphernalia and found the place rather amusing.


He especially enjoyed trying different Coke products from around the world (if only Bitter Lemon would come to the United States), although he wishes there had been more sugar free options. Ice Cube likes his sugar in desserts, not drinks.


Knowing that a weekend of wedding indulgence was in store, he opted for a light lunch at Seasons 52, a restaurant where everything has less than 500 calories, and actually tastes good. He though the tomato and parmesan flatbread was tasty, and was a great fan of the mini desserts – the key lime pie and chocolate peanut butter mousse were divine. That evening’s rehearsal dinner at The Georgian Club was not quite as friendly on the waistline, but then again weddings and excess do go hand in hand. Ice Cube caught up with people over cocktails and dinner, and then headed back to the hotel for a good night’s rest.


He also enjoyed a relatively lazy Saturday morning, but did motivate to hit the gym in anticipation of more indulgence, which began with one of his favorite although perhaps not too healthy diet tricks, substituting dessert for lunch. On this occasion Ice Cube partook in a pre wedding ceremony Dairy Queen run, part of his quest to visit as many Dairy Queens in as many states (and countries) as possible. One can never have too many peanut butter sundaes, and isn’t the treat’s combination of calcium and protein somewhat healthy anyway?


After the ceremony (the bride looked lovely) Ice Cube made his way over to the reception, held at Alpharetta’s Metropolitan Club. The first point of business (after getting a drink, of course) was checking out the cake, which was a beautiful vanilla creation (tasty, although not quite as decadent as the groom’s turtle cheesecake). He had a fabulous time at the reception – the company was wonderful, the bubbly flowing and the food tasty. The ambiance was festive and the music was good, and Ice Cube danced the night away, staying until the band played its last song (he wouldn’t have considered leaving beforehand).


What more could one ask for in a wedding… well, except perhaps for a slice of cake to go…

Robin

Robin fancies himself a patron of the arts (and other good causes), and loves to get dressed up for nights out on the town. He thus likes nothing more than a gala filled weekend, and this past weekend was just that. Friday night he made his way to the absolutely fabulous Anderson House, where the Phillips Collection held its Gala After Party. The incredibly lavish and rather eclectic early 20th century home is the perfect place for a soiree (if you are not lucky enough to attend one there it is also well worth a visit during the day). Robin was very pleased to bump into some friends he hadn’t seen in a while, and enjoyed catching up with them over various champagne cocktails (one even had a hibiscus flower in it!).


He also thoroughly enjoyed the different dessert stations – from the healthy fruit bar to the crème brûlée table to a buffet of cupcakes, ice cream pops and other treats. Luckily he had not eaten dinner so had a good excuse to indulge (not that he wouldn’t have even had he had dinner).


Saturday day was spent recovering, mostly lazing around the flat and hitting the gym (no champagne belly for him). Luckily he got his second wind just as it was time to hit gala number two, the L’Enfant Society’s Ball on the Mall. The event had a Mexican theme, as its Honorary Co-chairs were the Ambassador of Mexico and his wife, and attendees were welcomed by mariachis (Robin wished they had been playing at the event itself, especially as they were surrounded by tourists and couldn’t be properly enjoyed). The gala was held in two tents on the National Mall - one transformed into a lovely area for a seated dinner (tasty enchiladas and spinach empanadas for the vegetarians), and the second into a lounge for drinking and dancing.


Robin was slightly worried about the wind and the shaking tents, having witnessed a flying outdoor umbrella attack a woman earlier in the week, but luckily everything stayed put. The atmosphere was festive, with colorful Mexican decorative touches like papel picado, and there were lots of cocktails to be had. Best of all, the music was good (he is always happy when there is a deejay instead of a band) and Robin was able to dance the night away!

Baby Charly

Although Baby Charly loves a good party he is also very much a one on one kind of penguin who likes to schedule gossip dates as often as possible. He had a packed social calendar this week, and was able to catch up with various friends he hadn’t seen in a while. He planned his first date at the National Gallery of Art (one of his favorite places in DC) as he wanted to catch The Sacred Made Real exhibition before it closed. His trip to the Gallery was somewhat stressful due to smoke issues on Metro's tracks and a lack of proper communication (no surprise there), but once Baby Charly arrived he relaxed immediately. He loved the 17th Century Spanish art, especially the fabulous sculptures – his favorite was Mary Magdalene Meditating on the Crucifixion. Afterwards he and his friend went to the Espresso and Gelato Bar in the East Building’s Concourse Level for coffee and gossip. Although he resisted the gelato, he highly recommends it if you find yourself at the Gallery.


Tuesday Baby Charly ventured out to the suburbs (which he avoids as much as possible, unless of course he is craving Dairy Queen) to meet up with a friend at the Clarendon Le Pain Quotidien. He does admit to being a fan of that particular Pain Quotidien, as it is always quiet on weekday evenings and thus a very relaxing place to sit and chat. They also stopped by Kinder Haus Toys for a little shopping, so that his friend could check out the Smurfs. Baby Charly agreed that they are festive creatures, but of course not nearly as fabulous as penguins.


The week’s activities also included a friend’s birthday drinks at Zola, which Baby Charly thought was a most civilized choice of venue for Cinco de Mayo. Call him a snob, but he does not feel the need to celebrate a “Mexican” holiday that is primarily celebrated in the United States, and especially not with bad chemical laden margaritas and cheap tequila shots. He had a great time catching up with the birthday girl and meeting her friends, and showed remarkable discipline by sticking to Diet Coke. But, lest you think he’s gone boring, it was primarily motivated by the gala packed weekend ahead of him (discipline always goes out the door when there’s free flowing bubbly).

Rudolph

Rudolph is a social butterfly who greatly enjoys getting out and about. He does, however, also know the value of a good restful weekend, and after looking at his May schedule, packed with galas, weddings and openings, decided that it would be nice to escape to Fawn Lake for a quiet pre-craziness weekend.


Rudolph spent much of the weekend lounging on the back deck, staring out at the lake. He enjoyed the peace and quiet and warm weather, as well as various cocktails and snacks (he said relaxing, not alcohol free or healthy). He happily tested the margaritas, which were being perfected for a Cinco de Mayo party, and noshed on a family favorite, panela cheese marinated overnight with oregano and olive and corn oils (mozzarella works too), and baked until nice and gooey (so good with crusty bread).


The warm weather also provided the perfect excuse (not that he needs one) for indulging in frozen treats. Saturday he stopped by his favorite Dairy Queen where he had his usual peanut butter sundae, and stared longingly at the DQ cakes. His birthday is only a month away, after all, so he thought he’d drop a not so subtle hint. On Sunday he made the requisite Costco stop; he had numerous things to pick up, but of course it’s really all about the samples (lots of veggie ones this time!) and rather generous servings of frozen yogurt.