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!

Marty

Marty is a very cultured penguin who likes to take advantage of the numerous cultural events in Washington (especially when socializing is involved).While the rather unpleasant summer weather had somewhat dampened his desire to get out and about, the return of cooler temperatures means he is back to being a man about town. Last week he waddled over to the Art Museum of the Americas for the opening of Argentina in Focus: Visualizing the Concept, and Emilia Gutiérrez, Drawings and Paintings. Marty enjoyed perusing the exhibitions, as well as gossiping with friends over a glass of wine. He then headed off to the Kennedy Center for the Fiesta Mexicana, a celebration of the bicentennial of the Mexican Independence. He got there just as the fireworks were ending (which he didn’t mind as he isn’t much of a fan), but in time for Mariachi Los Amigos, the longest existing ensemble of its kind in Washington (he loves musica ranchera), and the band Ozomatli. He thoroughly enjoyed the festivities, and is ready to plan his next trip to Mexico.


Wanting to ease back into the social scene Marty opted for a relatively lazy weekend (which, of course, included a DQ treat). The highlight was hosting his very first overnight guest, visiting from England, in his new house. He took his friend on a walking tour of the neighborhood


and to an opening at Hamiltonian Gallery (James Rieck’s Mead Hall and Jonathan Monaghan’s Life Tastes Good in Disco Heaven), before retiring to his cozy yard for an evening of cocktails and treats.


On Sunday it was off to Costco, as Marty’s friend had come to the US with a long shopping list and an empty suitcase (to be filled with a six month supply of Cliff bars amongst other things). Marty took the opportunity to stock up on some essentials (fudgesicles), and of course couldn’t leave the place without indulging in one of its rather generous servings of frozen yogurt.


Feeling well rested from the weekend, Marty made his way to the Kennedy Center on Monday for a performance of the Washington National Opera’s Un Ballo in Maschera. He thoroughly enjoyed the show and thought it was a wonderful way to start off the week, although he must admit he was slightly sad to miss the season premiere of Castle. He may be a classy artsy guy, but he does love his crime shows.

Brownie

Even though Brownie has a mild fear of flying he loves to travel, and always makes certain to have a foreign getaway booked for the near future. One of his favorite places to jet off to is London, where he used to live and where he has lots of good friends. Although there are certain spots he always tries to get to when in town, the majority of his time is spent catching up with people, generally over a glass of wine and/or a tasty treat or two.


This past trip involved numerous gossip dates, ranging in location from the British Museum courtyard café (better for people watching than for treats) to Le Pain Quotidien (he can’t get enough of the Blondie spread) to Leon (he loves the sweet potato falafel but stuck with wine on this occasion) to the May Fair Hotel bar (the incredibly over the top restrooms left more of an impression than the cocktails).


Brownie’s recent trip also coincided with a friend’s housewarming party. Because he loves getting ready for a party almost as much as he likes attending a good party, he was more than happy to help with the preparations. After a day spent chopping, cooking and arranging he was rewarded with an evening of treats, bubbly, good conversation and activities such as gnome bowling. He thoroughly enjoyed the latter and had hoped to take a set home with him, but sadly none were left in the stores.


If time allows (which it did on this visit) Brownie likes to hit Borough Market, where he enjoys nibbling on various samples and picking up lovely cheeses, baked goods and other assorted goodies. The surrounding area is also home to numerous hidden treasures; while wandering around he stumbled upon the Union Street Urban Orchard, which he thought was most charming. He also stopped by Jerwood Space to check out Locate, an exhibition of three artist commissions addressing the concept of ‘site’.


Of course it wouldn’t be a trip to London without a day of shopping, and Brownie was able to squeeze one in on his last full day in town. But first, to ensure that he would have the energy to tackle Oxford Street, he stopped by one of his new favorite London spots, Cocomaya Fine Chocolatier and Artisan Baker.


The café is less than a year old and serves incredibly tasty coffee, as well as lovely sweets and chocolate. Furthermore, Brownie loves the ambiance, with its fun décor that ranges from a giant pelican on the wall to cabinets filled with Toby jugs and other fun antiques available for purchase (he would have liked to start his shopping there, but wisely realized any purchase would not likely make it back in one piece).


As always the trip went by much too quickly, and before he knew it he was back in Washington. Luckily there is no need for Brownie to be sad, as he knows it won’t be long until his next trip!

Shamu

Shamu is a lover of all things Latin American (he’s especially partial to things Mexican). One of his favorite places in Washington is the beautiful Art Museum of the Americas, and this past Thursday he attended its first Art After Dark, thrown by the board of the museum’s Friends group. The festive event featured, amongst other things, video and performance art (participants included the artist Carolina Mayorga), an Argentine percussionist and music by DJ Smudge. Shamu thoroughly enjoyed the cultural offerings as well as the socializing, although he might have had a glass (or two) of wine too many (especially on an empty stomach). As a result Friday was not the most productive of days, but Shamu believes there is nothing wrong with sacrificing productivity in the name of a good night out, and he is very much looking forward to attending the September 15 opening festivities of the museum’s upcoming exhibitions, Argentina in Focus: Visualizing the Concept, and Emilia Gutiérrez, Drawings and Paintings.


Shamu was very happy that the long weekend brought with it much more civilized weather, and he was keen to get out and about. Saturday he took a trip to Kensington, Maryland, to check out the antique shops. He didn’t have much luck with furniture (what he really needs), although he did find some fabulous penguin pins (he knows the importance of good accessorizing) at the very fun shop Flotsam and Jetsam. After the shopping excursion he went in search of a Dairy Queen, and while he found one he was disappointed to learn that it didn’t serve peanut butter sundaes. Luckily the strip mall it was located in offered him other choices, so he instead opted for a tamal de elote at the rather amusing Tijuana Mexican Café, followed by a slice of tres leches from the bakery next door.


Shamu spent the evening with a few friends in his tiny, but very charming (if he may say so) backyard, enjoying bubbly, wine, various treats and his friend’s delicious pineapple upside down cake (something he had never tried before but will happily eat again). They gossiped late into the night, so Shamu decided a lazy Sunday was in order. He did, however, find the energy to head to Georgetown for the divine peanut butter frozen yogurt at Thomas Sweet.


He enjoyed his treat while reading Washington Life’s 2010 Balls and Galas Directly and pondering his social schedule for the upcoming months. He needs to be prepared as he certainly wouldn’t want to miss a good party.

Shivers

Last week Shivers went to visit family in Ann Arbor. Although he would normally fly to Michigan, because he waited too long to get decent priced plane tickets he ended up going by car. He was not, however, ready to face the nine hour drive in one day, so he decided to break up the journey, first with a stop at Dairy Queen (of course), and then for the night in glorious Boardman-Poland, Ohio. After checking out local cultural sites such as the Big K and Walmart, he decided it was time for dinner. Shivers first went in search of his meal’s most important element (wine, naturally), and was very pleased to discover Vintage Estate Wine and Beer, which has a rather impressive selection of wine and beer (over 800 craft beers and 1000 wine labels, from which Shivers chose a rather tasty Malbec). He was craving pizza with his wine, so after driving around aimlessly for what seemed like ages due to his grumbling stomach, he stumbled across a non chain pizza parlor, Inner Circle, where he was most impressed to find a penguin on the wall.


Shivers set out early(ish) the next morning (surprisingly he wasn’t tempted to linger at the Fairfield Inn’s breakfast buffet, which included such delicacies as Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage sandwiches), so he had time to make a brief stop in Blissfield, Michigan to do some antique shopping. He wasn’t overly impressed by the selection (much of it more thrift store than antique shop), but the shopper that he is he didn’t leave empty handed (and even found some new penguin friends). Sadly there was no Dairy Queen nearby, so he had to make due with a peanut butter cup McFlurry (luckily Shivers is a glass half full kind of guy, well equipped to deal with life’s disappointments).


26 hours after setting off Shivers finally made it to Ann Arbor, where he spent most of the weekend hanging out, eating and drinking too much. He did manage to leave the house on a few occasions, to go shopping and to spend an afternoon at a nearby lake.


He also helped his niece celebrate her fifth birthday – he loved all the arts and crafts at her party, but without a doubt his favorite activity was the cupcake decorating (Shivers was rather proud of his creation).


Before he knew it the weekend was over, and it was time to drive back to Washington. There was no time for excursions on the way home, except of course the all important Dairy Queen stop. As usual he looked for a new Dairy Queen to try, and stumbled across what might just be the most amusing one he’s been to yet, in Donegal, Pennsylvania.


The establishment sported a ski lodge look, complete with fireplace and local wildlife (which was probably much happier in its pre-DQ days). After what seemed like a never ending day on the road Shivers found himself back in DC, just in time to enjoy a new episode of Inspector Lewis (thank you PBS).

Bella

Although Bella is a city girl at heart, after a busy week that, with the exception of the Textile Museum’s Mod Madness party, was all work and no play, she was in the mood to escape the hustle and bustle of DC. She thus decided to head to Fawn Lake to visit family and enjoy some peace, quiet and fresh air. Unfortunately the heavy traffic meant the drive there was far from stress free, but a glass of wine and yummy food was waiting for her upon arrival, and the trip down was soon forgotten.


Bella loves to go shopping, so Saturday she headed into Fredericksburg to hit the antique shops. Before starting the search for furniture for her new home she fueled up with a very tasty iced coffee from Hyperion Espresso (always important to caffeinate). Bella saw lots of things she liked (including some fabulous vintage clothing and jewelry) but managed to stick to what she needed and not go overboard with her purchases; she picked up two lyre side tables and a bench for her penguin friends. After shopping she grabbed a bite at Sammy T’s. While far from the best restaurant she’s ever been to, Bella was impressed that a substantial number of its offerings are vegetarian or vegan, meaning that she actually had more than a bad salad and/or pasta dish to choose from. Of course she didn’t eat too much because she had to save room for a peanut butter sundae from Dairy Queen. The weekend would not be complete without one…



Bella enjoyed a relaxing evening of cocktails and treats on the deck, and a lazy Sunday morning. Sadly, before she knew it, it was time to head back to DC. She did of course have to stop and run some errands, as she likes to take advantage of the Fredericksburg Costco, which is much less crazy than the one in Pentagon City (naturally she also had a frozen treat).


And no trip to the area would be complete without stopping at Wegmans to pick up numerous goodies. The weekend may be over, but Bella can take comfort in the fact that she is well stocked with treats to get her through the week!