Holiday Adventures

Life has been a whirlwind for Katja since late October, filled with travel and the nonstop activity/festivities that start with Halloween and don’t end until the New Year (or in her case, mid-January). She prides herself on being a cheery sort, but nevertheless has a tendency to feel a bit gloomy when the sparkly Christmas lights start disappearing and the cold weather sets in. That said, she has yet to take down her Christmas tree, which she prefers to think of as a winter penguin tree. As an adult, and one who has never cared much about conformity, she figures she can make her own decisions regarding decor and what’s appropriate.

The rather unpleasant cold weather has made her a bit more of a homebody recently (well not really a homebody, but for her), so she figured she’d reminisce about all of her holiday season escapades. And while Katja is not a big social media girl, she has noticed that these days a lot of people seem to be living their lives online, so why not share her fabulous adventures (not that she's the type of girl to try to make others jealous, she's much too well-mannered for that).

As usual Katja’s more local travel was ballet-centered - quick trips to Boston for the Boston Ballet’s magnificent Swan Lake (she saw it three times), and to Washington, DC for the Washington Ballet’s Tango Soirée fundraiser, held at the beautiful Organization of American States building (Katja might have had a bit too much red wine, not that that would surprise anybody who knows her).

Then it was off to London, the first of three separate European trips in four weeks. What can she say, she’s a jet setter. Not surprisingly the trip also involved some ballet. She doesn’t like to go too long without taking class, and thankfully was able to make it to Dance Works, her go-to studio in London, a few times during her visit. She also saw a Royal Ballet triple bill of works by Brandstrup, Scarlett and Wheeldon.

The cultured girl that she is, Katja has been to opera houses and theaters throughout the world, and she believes that the Royal Opera House is the most civilized place to take in a show. Not to mention that it has a surprisingly good house red wine.

Katja spent most of her time in London hanging out with friends, gossiping, shopping and enjoying lots of wine and tasty treats– including a divine cheese plate at Li Veli restaurant

and a delicious afternoon tea at the Ham Yard Hotel. She was especially pleased by the lovely vegetarian offerings, minus the slight trauma of a salmon sandwich (which she unfortunately bit into) having made it onto the vegetarian platter. But she forgot about that as soon as she started devouring the cakes…

It was then back home for just over a week before jetting off to Budapest for the Thanksgiving weekend…but more on that later, as it’s time for her to head to BAE for class. Even the cold and rather unpleasant post-snow New York streets can’t keep her from dancing.

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.

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!

Tuxedo Sam

Tuxedo Sam is the most dapper of penguins; he loves to don his finest attire and head out for fabulous nights on the town. This past Wednesday (a busy one) he made his way to the Washington Ballet for a party hosted by the Women’s Committee. The atmosphere was festive, complete with nutcrackers (to get everybody excited for the holiday bazaar being held the weekend before Thanksgiving), cupcakes from Frosting, and a cake inspired by the upcoming season’s Rock & Roll Ballet. Sadly Tuxedo Sam could not stay for the rehearsal, as he had to dash off to his next event, the Washingtonian’s 2010 Style Setters party at the Phillips Collection. Tuxedo Sam had a great time checking out the (in most cases) fashionable ensembles, while gossiping with friends and indulging in a cocktail or two.


After a lazy rainy Thursday (waddling around the flooded streets of DC is not his idea of fun), Tuxedo Sam was ready to get out and about. He began his weekend activities at the art filled Pink Line Project headquarters, where he enjoyed treats and bubbly, and then it was on to the Corcoran for the NOW at Night fundraiser, thrown by the museum’s Contemporaries.


The museum looked great, and there were lots of cocktails to be had (he loved the Pisco Sidecar and Basil Smash), as well as snacks being served on a moving conveyor belt (he might just have grabbed a few plantain chips as they passed by him). The fashionista that Tuxedo Sam is, he enjoyed checking out everybody’s dresses, and noted that there were many blue ones inspired by Spencer Finch’s My Business, With the Cloud, the inaugural exhibition of NOW at the Corcoran, a series that presents new and site-specific works by emerging and mid-career artists. His only complaint was the lack of dancing, but at least he was able to hit the dance floor for a song or two.


The following morning Tuxedo Sam had to pull himself together earlier than he would have liked in order to catch a train to Philadelphia for a law firm retreat (as a guest, of course; he is a man of leisure). The activities were held at the Ritz, where sadly the service was not quite as impressive as the lovely lobby bar. He donned his fine apparel once again for the formal dinner; as usual it was the standard vegetarian pastry parcel, but that did leave more room for dessert (Tuxedo Sam always loves a good dessert buffet). He also enjoyed more than his share of bubbly, but was not too impressed that the Ritz thinks it is okay to serve his drink of choice in wine glasses. That said, he is always one to look on the bright side, and it did mean he got bigger pours!


On Sunday, before heading back to Washington, Tuxedo Sam wanted to see a little bit of the city, so he waddled over from his hotel to the incredibly large Philadelphia Museum of Art. He loved Inci Eviner’s Nouveau Citoyen, and enjoyed walking around the numerous period rooms (if only he could have taken some of the furniture home with him).


Of course no Sunday is complete without treats, so after he got his dose of culture he enjoyed a not too healthy lunch at Joe’s Pizza, followed by frozen yogurt from Sweet Ending. He had what is certainly amongst the best peanut butter frozen yogurt he’s tried, and he also really liked the cream cheese and pumpkin spice flavors. While he can never get enough of frozen treats, he is very happy that it is pumpkin dessert season. Guess he’ll just have to amp up his workouts!

Hippity

Hippity is a social guy who likes to get out and about as much as possible. This past Thursday he found himself at the W Hotel’s J&G Steakhouse for the Washington Ballet’s Jeté Society Happy Hour. Although the weather was steamier than he would have liked he enjoyed socializing with various friends, and cooled off with the restaurant’s rather tasty ginger margaritas (20% of the bar tab went to the Jeté Society Scholarship fund, so it was his duty to drink). He is most looking forward to the Jeté Society’s first Beer and Ballet of the season, which takes place on October 20. Rumor has it there will also be wine and maybe even bubbly (he is not a beer kind of guy so this makes him very happy).


Besides cocktails Hippity is a great fan of unhealthy treats, although he does try to limit his intake in order to maintain his toned figure. Saturday, however, is his designated treat day, and since he was in Columbia Heights shopping he splurged on fries from Five Guys (so so yummy), followed by frozen yogurt from fro•zen•yo. He loves the self serve set up as it allows him to choose as many flavors as he likes; of course he had mostly peanut butter, but he also went for a bit of cheesecake, dulce de leche, and cappuccino.


The treats did not stop there, as that evening he went over to a friends’ place for cocktails and snacks. He had a very enjoyable evening and kept his hosts up late – he just couldn’t tear himself away from the food, cocktails and conversation.


Despite his late night he managed to get himself together at a decent time the following morning for a trip to Manassas (a place he is very happy he doesn’t live) to hit some antique shops. Sadly the trip was not a success – he found his very own fabulous throne at the Manassas Antique Mall, but much to his dismay it was too big to fit in the car.


Even his attempt to console himself with Dairy Queen was almost a disaster – the one in Manassas did not have peanut butter sundaes, but luckily the one in Centreville did not disappoint.


The busy weekend and gloomy weather left him feeling rather unmotivated on Monday. Nevertheless, he found the energy to make his way to the Kennedy Center for the Jordi Savall and Tembembe Ensemble Continuo concert, part of the Celebrate Mexico 2010 series. He very much enjoyed the performance, and thought the Kennedy Center looked most festive with its many Mexican decorative touches (he is all about the festive). Nothing like a bit of culture for a civilized start to the week!

WaddlyBelly

The hot Washington summer days leave WaddlyBelly feeling very lethargic. She finds it much harder to motivate to go out, but because she values a good social life she does her best to find the energy to leave the comforts of her home. Last Thursday, one of the steamiest days so far, was a busy one. She began the evening at the Sofitel, where the Washington Ballet’s Jeté Society was hosting a happy hour to raise funds for a Washington School of Ballet scholarship. WaddlyBelly had a grand time catching up with friends and meeting new ballet enthusiasts, and she can’t wait until the 2010-2011 season begins.


It was a very festive gathering, and she found it rather difficult to tear herself away to go to the Canadian Embassy, where The Friends of the Art Museum of the Americas was hosting a fundraiser. Highlights of this event included the Embassy’s art collection and the temporary exhibition Nipirasait: Many Voices – Inuit Prints from Cape Dorset, as well as the fantastic views from the Embassy’s rooftop terrace. WaddlyBelly also enjoyed the Canadian wine, but was not overly impressed with the grumpy bartenders and waiters (and the hors d’oeuvres they were passing). As usual, despite plans to just pop in and out, she found herself staying until the very end. She did wisely skip the after party, having had more than enough red wine and too little food for a hot (or any) day.


Saturday, after a day of running errands and a Dairy Queen run, WaddlyBelly made her way to a friend’s birthday party at HR 57. She is not really a jazz aficionado, but thought the venue was a great place for catching up with friends. Customers can bring their own snacks and drinks (the bar provides the plastic cups), and the birthday girl supplied a fine selection of wines (with tasting notes) as well as some very yummy cheeses. Yet again, WaddlyBelly stayed much later than planned, but birthdays do come just once a year!


Sunday was yet another very very hot and steamy day, and thus perfect for indoor activities. WaddlyBelly finally got to The Anacostia Community Museum to see the exhibition The African Presence in Mexico. She was happy to have made it to the museum before the show closes, as it was something she had been intending to do for months. Afterwards it was time for a quick trip into Georgetown for a tasty treat from Thomas Sweet (peanut butter frozen yogurt, of course); not that WaddlyBelly ever needs an excuse to indulge in a frozen treat, but the hot Washington summer certainly provides one.

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.