Ben's Chili Bowl 50th Anniversary

So 50 years ago Ben & Virginia Ali opened Ben’s Chili Bowl at 1213 U St., N.W. in Washington. Specifically, August 22, 1958 was the day Washingtonians first tasted Ben’s Famous Chili Dog and Ben’s Chili Half-Smoke.

Yum. Definitely one of my favorite places in DC. They just announced the event on the Ben's Chili Bowl Website. Grant it we will have to wait till August but I'll be sure to remind you when the weekend comes up :)


"In celebration, we hope that you will join us for the following events:


Ben’s 50th Anniversary Gala
“Paying Tribute to Ben & Virginia Ali”

When: Thursday, evening August 21, 2008 at the Historic Lincoln Theatre
Time: Program begins at 7:30pm
Program: Many special guests, entertainment and tributes. Including, of course, one particular very special guest…


50th Anniversary Street Festival & Press Conference

When: Friday, morning August 22, 2008 on U St. in front of Ben’s
Time: Press Conference at 10:15am | Partying in the Street from 10am to 3pm
Program: Words from Ben & Virginia, Tribute from City Officials, Special Guests, Celebrities, Music, Entertainment, Activities for the Kids, and more! "

I have a feeling one of those special guest will be Bill Cosby!

Every Dog has its day

When I use to work at my College Radio station [WMUC, 88.1FM] I got a lot of press releases and such. Every now and again I still get them. Here's one from Washington Very Special Arts [WAVA]:

"On June 12th join WVSA for the 3rd Annual Exhibition Every Dog Has its Day: Celebrating Our Canine Companions. Pet lovers, and pet businesses from all over MD, VA and DC area will be coming together for this heart-warming event.

WVSA ARTiculate Employment Training Program helps special needs artists to perfect their creative talents while also learning vital career and life skills. The Artist Apprentices also receive hands-on training in curatorial studies. This innovative method of education, through the arts, provide the tools for success in school, adulthood, and in life. At the opening you will have a chance to see first hand the difference this organization makes in each one of their lives.

WVSA ARTiculate Gallery, located the corner of 16th and L Street, NW, is open Monday
through Friday, from 10 am to 6 pm. The opening reception on June 12, 2008 is a happy hour event from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. At the opening guests will be able to learn the best places to care for their pet in the area. There will be a range of pet venues that are each involved in the silent auction, or sponsoring. The opening will be a fantastic time for any animal enthusiast wanting to brush up on their pet resources.

WVSA’s mission is to develop, implement, and support arts-integrated education and employment programs for children and youth with special skills, special talents and special needs. This project is sponsored by CVS Caremark All Kids Can & VSA arts.

For more information please contact Mary Sellers, Gallery and Outreach Coordinator at 202-261-0204 or gallery@wvsarts.org www.wvsarts.org"

Apparently the first one of these was a big success. Maybe I should get a picture of Arty done :)

Well, I've totally fallen behind on keeping up to date on posting the things I am wearing and such. A fun idea but not something I can keep up with. Instead I will continue to oogle at the other "What I wear" blogs listed on the right and just stick to what I know for sure, DC, Columbia Heights, and Petworth. Hot.
As soon as this holiday weekend is over I'll post up a bunch of reviews and thoughts.
For now its time to play some Wii Fit.

Hungry Hungry Hippos.

The BF always tells me I should open my own restaurant. I'm not sure if he's just sucking up to me or what but until then I'll just be frequenting Crepes-A-Go-Go in Dupont Circle. It has become my new favorite place. The crepes there are so good. It opened down at 2122 P St. NW on the 26th of April. The nutella and banana crepe [$4.75] was super tasty. They offer both sweet and savory crepes that are cooked with fresh ingredients right in front of you. My crepe came out warm and gooey, exactly how I would want dessert after a long day.
Definitely check this place out. They have TONS of different topping combinations or the ability to make your own. You can either eat there, take it to go, or they'll wrap it for you so you can eat while walking. Everyone was super friendly.
It's quite a hike from Columbia Heights but if I am ever down in that area its certainly worth going out of my way to stop in for some tasty treats.
my only word of caution is that the couple of times I went were all during the first week it opened. I hear its gone a lot busier since then. At least they are open super late.

Columbia Heights Day

The website has finally been updated with information about Columbia Heights Day! This year it is scheduled for October 4th, 2008. It will be held on the ground of Harriet Tubman Elementary School. A schedule hasn't been announced just yet but I'll let you know when it is. For now they are just looking for vendors and volunteers for the event. If you're interested, check out the site!
The T-Shirt is totally cute BTW [design on the left]. You can buy one on the site for $20. All profits from the T-Shirts go back into the community. How sweet is that?

Rumberos

3345 14th St. NW
Washington, DC 20010
(202) 232-6006
Category: Latin American
Neighborhood: Columbia Heights

I went here for an early Friday dinner with a friend. The atmosphere was really nice but the place was empty. The service is why it loses a star. Our waiter was okay but the place was empty so there really wasn't a reason to be ignored. At the end of the meal we were both looking at him waiting for our check and he just looked at us then turned his back and continued to talk to another employee there.
The only reason why I still gave it four stars though is because of the food. It was so good. The calamari was okay. It wasn't lightly fried but grilled[?] which made it a little rubbery but the flavor of it was delicious. We also had the quesadilla and the platinos rellano. Both were amazing and so good. The mojitos were top notch as well. The price came out to under $50 and our tummies were both perfectly filled.
I can see how it can get really expensive but if you're going for a light dinner or lunch I would recommend it. Just don't expect to go there and eat a ton and drink till your hammered with out dropping some big bucks.
Definitely a good date place and one of my new favorites.

4 out of 5.
Check the website: Rumberos DC

Snapshots in DC

I'm twenty something and I just moved to DC. Columbia Heights to be more specific. Now that I have an apartment with my twenty something boyfriend and our 0ne year old puppy, life is doing one of those "gosh you seem grown up" things. I guess that is why I'm changing my look and trying something new. Keep the funky add more polish.
So you want some musings from a twenty something D.C. girl whose figuring out what life is after college? Well, you've come to the right place. Fashion, reviews, and whatever else crosses my mind, of course with a focus on the D.C. area.
fresh.