National Christmas Tree Lottery Dates Set

WARNING: This post will contain absolutely no holiday celebrations whatsoever. It is provided solely in preparation for one single event. Under no circumstances should anyone misconstrue this and prematurely hum a Christmas jingle, hang decorations, or be jolly in any manner.

photo uploaded to flickr by izikThe National Park Service has announced lottery dates for the lighting of the National Christmas Tree. The lighting will be held on December 9th, 2010, at 5 pm. It's a festive event, with the President traditionally throwing the switch amidst the glowing lights and bleating horns of thousands of Maryland and Virginia commuters unaware of the surround streets rush hour shut downs. 3000 seated tickets and 10,000 standing are tickets will be given away. Results will be announced Wednesday, November 10th.

If you're going to be in the area, and don't know anyone who can get you tickets (I don't either, btw), you're going to have to go through the lottery system. It's a little complex, and the Park Service press release didn't exactly clear it up. Here's what you have to do. Starting this Friday, you may start to register at recreation.gov, and you have until the end of the day Sunday to do so. Now, as I understand it, this is simply the registration period, so there is no need to do this at the stroke of midnight; just get it done at some point.

Also, while we're on the topic, I'd like to point out how the Park Service let's you know that you can get a ticket "by going to www.thenationaltree.org and following the link to the online ticket lottery application page at www.recreation.gov." Why not just skip thenationaltree.org and type in recreation.gov? After all, it's not as if the Park Service had included links in there for you convenience. Come on guys, we're running out of 2010, let's get that web presence up and running, ok?

Now, back to eating your kids Halloween candy and planning your Thanksgiving dinner. Don't let me catch you with that tinsel, buddy!

Booze, Fireworks, What Could Go Wrong?

photo uploaded to flickr by jGregor

Ahh, the Fourth of July. One of the great American holidays, when we celebrate overthrowing our British overlords, who had kept us in a state of perennial submission, what with their onerous tax on tea and refusing to let us riot. My latent sarcasm aside, it's a great holiday and appeals to my sense of rebelliousness and wanton hunger to watch things explode.

Unfortunately, my idea of a great Fourth is to blow a couple hundred bucks in South Carolina for enough fireworks to make the defenders of Ft. McHenry think twice about holding out next time, ideally accompanied with beer and small kids. Naturally, I follow strict safety rules, like "no firing bottle rockets at your sister" and "hold my beer while I light the finale". After all, I'm a responsible parent now.

Now if you find yourself in Washington, DC for the Fourth, and especially if you find yourself in a neighborhood that is, shall we say, less touristy, you'll find yourself enjoying an experience much like I described above, although perhaps with less of a strict regard for safety. Be forewarned, and rest secure that you're still in a country that if King George tries to quarter his troops in our homes, he'll find a warm welcome. However, if re-enacting Beirut circa 1984 isn't your cup of tea let me offer a few suggestions:

1. A Capitol Fourth: The annual concert on the West Front of the Capitol will be hosted this year by Jimmy Smits. It's a great free concert, this year featuring Reba McEntire, Gladys Knight, Darius Rucker, and the National Symphony Orchestra. It kicks off at 8:00 pm, but if you think you're showing up at 7:45 and finding a spot on the lawn you're woefully optimistic. The security gates open at 3:00 pm, and I'd say you might want to be there at around 5 if you're looking for a spot to have a picnic. For a truly local take on this, come the night before and watch the free rehearsal. Most of the headliners won't be there, but they'll be a lot less crowds.

2. Fireworks!: If your taste runs towards the "professional" displays, and away from burnt fingers, the annual DC Fireworks display is pretty impressive. They are set off near the World War II memorial, just to the west of the Washington Monument right around 9:15 pm. Popular vistas often go quickly, but a good rule of thumb is that if you can see the Monument clearly, you'll be able to see the fireworks. Folks will start camping out on the Mall fairly early in the day, and this year, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival will run on the Fourth for your viewing pleasure. Also, if you need to kill time, the White House Visitor's Center and the National Archives will be hosting special events that day. Be ready though: getting nearly a million people out of the city at one time can be a bit tricky. Plan on the Metro being packed and a bit of a wait. If you drove AND found a parking space, you're going to be there till dawn.

3. Parades: Everyone loves a good parade, and the National Independence Day Parade fits the bill. It runs along Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th ST NW starting at 11:45. Filled with all the pomp and circumstance the US government can round up, it's a stirring site with marching bands, military honor guards, floats, and all that good stuff. But if you want a less monumental and more authentic experience, swing on down to Barracks Row (8th ST SE, just feet away from the Eastern Market Metro Station) for the Capitol Hill Parade. Kicking off at 10:00 (give or take) by the historic Marine Barracks at 8th and I SE, the parade features and eclectic mix of neighborhood schools, organizations, and just a bunch of people out to have a good time, like the local moms who find a creative use for bridesmaid dresses "you can wear again" as the Fairy Princess Patrol. If you are like so many of my visitors who are lost in a maze of marbled columns and ask "does anyone live in Washington", come here for your answer. And while I've never been to it, I hear good things about the Takoma Park Parade as well.

4. For the Fireworks Haters: If you're looking to branch out in a new direction for your Fourth celebration, consider swinging by the National Cathedral. They will be hosting a recital of their incomparable 10,000 pipe organ at 2 pm this Sunday. Sure, it's a bit non-traditional, but you won't have to jockey for position in the sun, either. And if you stick around, the Cathedral grounds aren't a bad place to catch the fireworks (I recommend finding a spot near the Peace Cross on the grounds of St. Alban's school).

Whatever your plans for the Fourth of July in DC are, be sure to approach them with good humor and patience. Crowds and hot weather are part of the game here, so come ready to cope with both, but DC is one of the best places in the country to experience the Fourth. Enjoy, I'm off to South Carolina.

Will no one think of the tourists! - What to do if stranded in DC

photo by Mike ShowalterI know, I know, I'm supposed to finish up my discussion of African Americans at Arlington. I'll get to it, but for those of you who may not be paying attention, those of us in DC have been a little busy recently. As I write this, the snow has started again here in the Nation's Capital, and supplies of milk and humor are running low. Fortunately, we're still have some reserve stocks of beer, or things could be looking desperate.

I spent the first few days of this white nightmare holed up in my friend's place in Maryland; after staging an impromptu reenactment of the fall of Saigon with my two kids, getting out of here as the storm hit. Thanks to them, I still can make at least a tenuous claim to sanity, but I couldn't avoid heading home forever. After a few days of hanging out with three dogs and five children under five, and passing the time shoveling four hundred feet of driveway; we took advantage of the brief window between blizzards to bust our way back into DC yesterday.

So what's this got to do with visiting DC? I mean, who would be trying to visit us right now? And even if you wanted to, it would be virtually impossible to get here, as my wife has been finding out this last week. But what if you're weekend trip to DC was this week, and you're spending some more time here than planned? This doesn't happen often, but what do you do in DC when all the stuff you came to DC for is canceled?

So, in the off chance some of our visitors are trying to make lemonade out of yellow snow, let me give them a hand.

1. Transportation - You brought it with you! That's right, those two appendages sticking down from your pelvis. Just about everything else is going to be shut down or unreliable. Buses go fairly early, outside some main routes. Metro rail will stay open until we get about eight inches, then the above-ground stations will shut down. Even on the underground lines, be prepared for some serious headways (time between trains). And you have very little business driving in DC in the best of times, much less now. Cabs will still run in most weather, but will be scarce. Watch the meter, they're not allowed to charge more than 25% in a snow emergency. So focus on exploring the area around where you're staying and/or near open Metro stops.

2. What's open? Right now, precious little. In most cases, once the above ground lines shut down, the museums will follow suit, as it's hard to get staff in and out. One exception I've noticed: the Newseum has been persistently open these last few days, and Air and Space and Natural History were open today. Everything else has been more or less shut down since Friday (feel free to let me know if I'm wrong in the comments). The monuments shut down during the heavy winds, but if you're up for a good winter hike, I strongly recommend a stroll down to see them. The Korean Memorial is particularly striking in the snow.

3. So, if all the touristy stuff is shut down, then what? Despite some well publicized problems, I strongly recommend a good snowball fight. If you can't get a pick-up one going, blogs and twitter feeds are a good way to find out where folks are meeting up. This time around, good ones got going at Dupont Circle, the Mall, and Lincoln Park on Capitol Hill. You can also grab a piece of cardboard and go sledding. I personally like Capitol Hill, a traditional favorite. The only trick is avoiding the Capitol Police. Some are cool, some are, well, not.

4. And finally, you'll need a place to warm up. I find that locally operated places tend to do a better job of staying open than chains and such. For example, my personal favorite, Peregrine Coffee near Eastern Market is routinely fueling my habit while the Starbucks a block over might as well board up. So rather than head downtown, try Eastern Market,Dupont Circle, or some other Metro accessible neighborhood where the most of both the clientele and the staff normally walks there (and will to get out of the house!).

Ideally, you're reading this back home in some relatively less snowy place like Buffalo, but if you are stuck in DC, I hope this helps.

Churches for Christmas Worship - Round Two

Last week, DC Like a Local put out a piece about Christmas worship in Washington, covering most of the best known places to visit (National Cathedral, Shirne, etc.) and a reader asked for some more suggestions for visiting Protestants.  Wanting to respond to our readers, we went to work to investigate alternatives. We even put it out to our Facebook group, we incorporated several of those suggestions as well. Washington, DC has a lot of churches, and this is a somewhat arbitrary list of churches that we felt represented a good spread. And, by all means, if you feel your church puts together a great Christmas service, feel free to add a link in the comments.

New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, 1313 New York Avenue, NW, 202-393-3700.  If you are interested in Abraham Lincoln, this may be where you want to go.  Lincoln, who was never baptized into any Christian church, frequently worshipped here during his presidency because he liked the preaching of the pastor, Phineas Gurley.  Rev. Gurley attended Lincoln at the Petersen House across from Ford’s Theatre during his last hours.  There is a small exhibit of Lincoln items in a room adjacent to the main sanctuary, but it might not be open during the Christmas Eve services.  What you can see is the pew where Lincoln sat.  If you get there early enough, you might get to sit in it because it is not reserved for anyone.  This also was the church of the Rev. Peter Marshall, made famous in the film “A Man Called Peter.” Nearest Metro: Metro Center or McPherson Square

National City Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) , 5 Thomas Circle, NW, (202) 232-0323. This church is the national “cathedral” of the Disciples of Christ and was designed by John Russell Pope, who also designed the Jefferson Memorial and the West Building of the National Gallery of Art.  Both President Lyndon Johnson and James Garfield worshipped here and are memorialized in stained glass windows. Nearest Metro: McPherson Square

Luther Place Memorial Church, 1226 Vermont Avenue Northwest , NW (Thomas Circle), (202) 667-1377. A large statue of Martin Luther by E. Reitchel sits on Thomas Circle beside the church. Nearest Metro: McPherson Square

Calvary Baptist Church, 755 8th Street Northwest, (202) 347-8355.   This church was designed by famed 19^th century architect Adolf Cluss.  Cluss designed over 80 buildings in Washington, of which only a handful remain, including this one, Eastern Market, and the Arts and Industries Building (a part of the Smithsonian, the museum is adjacent to the Castle and presently being renovated).  His buildings are characterized by red brick construction. Nearest Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown

Foundry United Methodist Church, 1500 16th Street, NW, 202.332.4010. President Rutherford Hayes attended Foundry nearly every Sunday during his term. President Franklin Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill attended a special service at Foundry on December 25, 1941. Bill Clinton and his family attended regularly. Foundry is well known for its music programs as well. Nearest Metro: Dupont Circle

Metropolitan AME Church, 1518 M Street, NW, (202) 331-1426.  This church is the National Cathedral of African Methodism.  Metropolitan is the oldest AME church in Washington, DC, and the church sits on the oldest, continuously black-owned parcel of land in the city. A Christmas Eve service is listed on the website for 7:30pm. Nearest Metro: McPherson Square/Farragut North

Universalist National Memorial Church, 1810 16th St., NW, (16th & S Sts., NW), (202) 387-3411.  This church is part of the Unitarian movement.  Its Christmas Eve service is at 7:00pm and the website says that they will be doing the Lessons and Carols.  Christmas Day communion is at noon. Nearest Metro: Dupont Circle

St. Mark's Episcopal (3rd and A SE) and Christ Church Episcopal (620 G ST SE). We've already mentioned some Episcopal options in our last post, but if you looking for some more community oriented options, we recommend these two church on Capitol Hill. St. Mark's filled in as Washington's cathedral until the National Cathedral and Christ Church has worshiped in its current location since 1807. Despite both of their storied histories, they are very much tied in with the local neighborhoods, and hence a great way to worship as, well, a local. Nearest Metro: Capitol South (St. Mark's) and Eastern Market (Christ Church).

It's a bit further afield, but a reader suggested Mt. Olivet United Methodist Church in Arlington. They feature a live nativity with a real baby Jesus and farm animals, with time before and after for petting the animals. Nearest Metro: Ballston (but it's a good mile from here, you may want to consider a taxi if you are not driving).

Even for the churches that have the times listed here, we recommend checking their websites shortly before Christmas to see if they have updated them for the holiday or give them a call.  If we’ve missed your denomination, feel free to e-mail us at questions@dclikealocal.com or check this tool out at the Washington Post.

Merry Christmas to all wherever you worship (or don't)!

Holiday Music in DC for Cheapies!

Hey, there is nothing wrong with being a cheapie!  FREE is DC Like a Local's favorite word in the English language!

DC Like a Local has already covered some churches and secular activities for Christmas Eve and Day.  However, some of you may be interested in FREE holiday music that is going on before Christmas--even if you don’t worship or belong to other religions (like this writer).  Hey, you can be Jewish—or heathen—and still enjoy the music of the season.  Occasionally it is even about Chanukah (my favorite spelling of that word). 

At the Kennedy Center, you can never go wrong with The Millenium Stage (unless you park in the Kennedy Center’s overpriced garage). Take the blue or orange line to Foggy Bottom Metro.  There is only one exit. When you exit, the red Kennedy Center FREE shuttle buses will either be waiting for you or appear in a few minutes.  The bus stop is slightly to the left of the exit from the Metro.  There is a sign at the bus stop (to the left of the vendor who sells his stuff directly opposite the Metro stop).  Parking is available but costs $18.

The US Botanic Gardens has holiday music on selected Tuesday evenings between 6:00pm-8:00pm.

The Willard Hotel at 15^th and Constitution Ave., NW, is offering  Christmas music every night through December 23^rd, 5:30pm-7:30pm (scroll down to the bottom of the page).

The National Gallery of Art offers Christmas caroling, holiday themed lectures and concerts in the West Building Garden Court (Sundays at 6:30pm) throughout the holiday season. 

Christ Church, 620 G St., SE on Capitol Hill is the venue for the US Marine Band Brass Quintet on Dec. 20^th at 2:00pm. 

Yeah some of these events are over already.  Next year we will cover the free holiday music scene earlier.  It’s a promise!