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| Romantic Foogli Events: |
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Activities - outdoor
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jazz in the sculpture garden - National gallery of art |
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Bring a picnic, blanket and your friends to enjoy live jazz every friday evening. This is only in the summer and will start up again May 22, 2009. Get there early to get a good parking spot and grass location, it's VERY popular. They do have a cafe there where you can purchase food and drinks, but the lines are somewhat unbarable, as is the line to the restrooms, so for the best experience, try to come prepared and in need of nothing other than the desire to have a good time with your friends and listen to jazz!
official website |
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Wolf Trap Music |
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The Wolf Trap has a very eclectic series of performances to fit all tastes (opera, popular bands, musicals etc). They have several stages, but in the summer specifically they have a stage that has covered seats infront but a lawn beyond that where you can bring a picnic hang out with your friends in a more relaxed manner. Lawn seats are around $25 depending on the artist and it's a fantastic way to see a band. It is located out in Virginia in the direction of Dulles airport.
official website |
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Ghost Tours - DC and Old Town, VA |
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| It seems that other than Politics, DC seems to be best known for all the people that have died here, so there are ample tours that can make those little hairs on the back of your neck stand on end! Georgetown is a pretty area to walk around, so a great tour site. Old town also has similar benefits. There is also a Lincoln Assassination walking tour. Other areas of DC, particularly around the White House also have some good walking tours of the ghoulish variety. Prices around $10-$15. Dogs are not allowed on most walking tours, so check if want to bring yours. |
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Memorials by moonlight Walking Tour |
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this tour takes place only between memorial and labor days but is well worth it, the Monuments are lit up beautifully at night, and you'll get the added bonus of the informative guide when you take the tour.
official website |
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bike Trails |
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One of the greatest things about living in DC are the bike trails. The Mount Vernon trail offers you great views of DC monuments and Maryland, not to mention the bridges, the potomac and the parks that you bike through. Bring a picnic and stop along the way and enjoy it all! Generally the path is pretty flat, there is some terrain south of Old Town, where the path goes through the woods as it meanders around the GW parkway, but that's walkable if you're exhausted by then or with small children.another website.
Other great trails are the C&O trail, which used to be a towpath for the canal and goes for 184 miles, starting in Georgetown and heading north, it is a very scenic bike/walking or jogging route.
There are numberous other trails, check this site for more details. |
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watch the airplanes - gravelly Point |
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With views of the Potomac, Washington, and Regan National Airport, this is a great recreational park (with picnic tables and loads of grass to play or lay on). However besides ALL this, the best thing about this park is the exhilerating view of landing (or taking off) planes from Regan Airport. Mere feet from the beginning (or end, depending on weather) of the runway you can spend hours just watching planes. Bring food and something to lie on because you won't want to leave! Bonus, if you own your own kayak or boat, you can put in here AND this is on the Mount Vernon bike path (listed above) so you can ride your bike to the park. Note though, in case it's not obivious, you can NOT fly kites here.
a website |
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Movie on the mall (summer only) |
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National Mall between 4th and 7th, they run a movie every monday night at dusk (around 9pm) for a couple of months in the summer, check website for schedule of movies and dates. You need to get there early if you want to be close to the screen, but they are good at setting it up for audio so you can hear from pretty much anywhere. Bring a blanket, stuff to eat and drink, and don't forget to take your trash with you when you go!
a website |
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Kayaking on the potomac |
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As far as I'm concerned there is nothing more fun that getting out on the river for a kayak (in warm weather!), and Jacks is the place to rent. They are right under the Key Bridge in Georgetown and I have never seen them run out of kayaks. Location wise from there you can paddle up the river where it's very serene, or down river to the monuments (although if you're new to kayaking you may not make it to the monuments, so I suggest staying close to home initially at least!). $10 for the first hour, $20 for the second and $35 for the whole day. $5 to launch your own boat.
official website |
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Cruise the Potomac |
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| There are several pre-organised cruises that you can find around town, some are sightseeing tours (which includes normally either a real person or a recording giving details of sights along a standard route either out of Georgetown or Old Town Alexandria), and some are chartered by companies and they sell tickets and you just cruise and drink. But you can also organise your own party by chartering your own boat (another website). You can also just hop on a boat from Georgetown to Old Town (or vica versa) from the docks for a short cruise past the monuments and then you can continue your party at a bar/restaurant at your destination (note that the 'taxis' don't run all night, and have a variable schedule throughout the year. |
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Mount Vernon |
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George Washington's country home Mount Vernon of course offers all the educational tours and experiences that you'd expect, but it is also a fantastically beautiful place to just walk around. From the beautiful views of the Potomac from vast lawns behind the house, to the gardens and country roads that you can take to look around the rest of the large property, you can choose whether you just wander around yourself or take the guided tours. If you have seen the Nicolas Cage movie you might enjoy the National Treasure Tour that includes areas of the house usually not open to the public. Also note that for a few dollars over the admission price you can get a years pass - well worth it if you even think you might come back. General Admission $15, various other prices for kids, seniors etc.
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Sailboat Races - wednesday evenings |
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| Starting April 22, 2009 till early September there will be sailboat races at Annapolis Harbor. 6:05pm. So grab a seat by the water and watch around 150 yachts race around marks in the bay. official website |
Activities - indoor
Restaurants/Hotels/Spas with a twist
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Hotel Monaco - Old Town Alexandria Virginia |
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This hotel is making our Foogli list because it is not only one of the nicest places to stay in Old Town but also because they have done a great job of making this a fun, colourful experience (modeled apparently after the colours of the Union soldiers uniform), and to top it all, like Old Town itself it is pet friendly and you can even order a bowl of goldfish to your room if you're feeling lonely or in need of someone to give you undivided attention! Priced around $230 and up depending on where you look/time of year, and an endless amount of other options!
a website |
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Inn at little washington |
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twice listed on Forbes's top ten most expensive restaurants in the world, this 'inn' should defintiely be on your list for a weekend getaway. Room rates from $410 to $2,150. Dinner rates from $148 to $178 per person excluding beverages. Washington, Virginia. Spa?
official website |
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Co co Sala - Chinatown |
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With everything chocolate, this restaurant really requires no review, but since you're reading this here goes. The chocolate mojito (co cojito) is delicious, made with a chocolate vodka rather than a regular rum, yum. Then there is the bacon mac and cheese with a chocolate covered bacon strip on top - if it sounds weird, it's not, it's really yummy! I personally was not so crazy about the deserts, but they had a good selection, so perhaps next time I'll try another and less mojitos prior :)
official website |
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Restaurant week |
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| If you're interested in testing out some restaurants that you generally can't afford, this is a great way to do that. Around Restaurant week time (generally around February and August) you can find a list online of all the restaurants that are participating and make your reservations accordingly. It's a fun excuse to get some friends together too. |
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Lorien Hotel and spa - Tasting room |
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| Yum yum and YUM! This is a great addition to Old Town, it's a nice low key bar with booths for dining and an open kitchen, so if you love watching people cook on the food network as much as we do, you'll enjoy the atmosphere in this new spot. The food is great, my personal favorite being the hot skillet of mussels in the white wine sauce. The photo on the website is not from the tasting room, but you can find the details of the Brabo Tasting Room there. Bonus this is on the King Street Metro end of King Street (about 2 blocks), so if you want to metro it in, no problemo! |
NOTE: All prices were accurate at time of posting. Please double check the cost of activities if price is an issue.
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