Crossing the Potomac

Taken from the Metro bridge on the way to Alexandria, VA.

The Smithsonian Carousel

The Smithsonian Carousel is a wooden carousel from the 1940s. The sign on the carousel states that it's been on the present site, on the National Mall right outside of the Smithsonian Castle, since 1967, but he sign is actually from its old location in Baltimore. The carousel was actually installed here in the mid 70s, giving the National Mall a little bit more French flavor, as a nod to the Tuileries.

Withering Pumpkins

From a distance, it looks like an ideal autumn afternoon, but these Jack-o'lanterns have seen better days.

Happy Election Day!

These sculptures are in the lobby of the Media and Public Affairs Building at The George Washington University.

Occupying, Marching, Singing

I went out a few nights ago to get Wonky Fries. (That's poutine to you guys in Canada, disco fries if you're from Philly.) If you don't know--Wonky Fries are French fries covered in gravy and cheese and sold from with Wonky Truck, one of the most popular food trucks in DC.  I saw via Twitter that they were in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd run out for a snack.  They didn't say why they were in the neighborhood.... And I found myself in the middle of an Occupy DC Rally.

The picture on the left shows the crowd watching videos projected on the side of the Washington Convention Center.  If you want a better idea of what it was like down on the street, I took a short video (NSFW language).

Autumn in Old Town Alexandria

Rachael Yamagata at America's Legendary Music Hall

If you've been reading a while, you've seen me mention The Birchmere.  From the outside it could be any suburban nightclub, perhaps a little more garishly painted than most.  The inside features a bar and small bandstand area for intimate shows.  The main concert hall seats at long tables where concert goers can tap along to their favorite artists while enjoying southern specialties like red beans and rice, catfish, or chicken fried steak.  

I was at the Birchmere for Rachael Yamagata, a local girl that made it big.  It's her third concert I've been to, the second at the Birchmere.  It's always charming because her proud family, friends, and even high school teachers come out for the shows.  It was undoubtedly her best performance I've seen--a mixture of tracks from her new record, Chesapeake, and years of favorites like "Worn Me Down," "Elephants," and "The Reason Why."

You can find more of Rachael here, and the Birchmere's calendar here.