The Hill is Home

Photo by María Helena Carey

Are you feeling a little down and out of sorts now that you’ve come down from your sugar rush and Halloween is over?  Don’t despair: there are always lots of fun things to do around Capitol Hill, and here is a sampling that will put an autumnal spring in your step!

Everyone knows the weekend really starts on Thursday night.  So head on out to Neighborhood Night at the Argonaut, 1430 Maryland Ave, NE, (this and every Thursday), starting at 5:30 pm and enjoy 10% off of the bill with proof of a 20002 residence.  and enjoy a beer from their great selection as you unwind, while the kiddies eat for free. Maybe bring a thick jacket and sit outside while you still can? Afterward, stroll leisurely down 13th Street and go to Trivia night at Wisdom, 1432 Pennsylvania Ave, SE.  Or you can mosey on down to Ebenezers coffeehouse, 201 F St, NE, and listen to The Hill’s own singer-songwriter Laura Tsaggaris (who was the subject of a Five Questions back in July), 7:30 pm.  This is a series that will continue the first Thursday of every month at Ebenezers, and she’ll be bringing in top-notch singer-songwriters from out of town to play a set in a great all-ages listening environment.  Some people say that the lower level of Ebenezers is the best room in town for live music.

On Friday, November 6, eat some leftover Halloween candy in honor of John Philip Sousa, who celebrates his 155th birthday today.  At Congressional Cemetery, listen to a birthday performance by his old band, the US Marine Corps band, starting at noon.  In the evening, you should go see the Szymanowski Quartet playing at the Library of Congress, Whitehall pavilion, 8:00 pm, if you can.  The performance is sold out, but there are about 80 tickets remaining if you arrive by 6:30 pm.  But if you want a sure thing, be transported to the sunny Caribbean and go to the Folger Shakespeare Library’s production of Much Ado About Nothing.  Can’t this weekend, you say?  You’re in luck: the show runs through November 29.

Yearning for something more current?  Then get thee to SOVA, for SOVA Sessions presents DJ Doc Roc, starting at 9:00 pm. 1359 H Street, NE.

On Saturday, after you’ve done a couple of laps around Eastern Market, gotten your fill of fresh produce and lovely impulse buys, and eaten at the Market Lunch (mm… buckwheat pancakes…), go to Hill’s Kitchen, 713 D St, SE, right across Eastern Market Metro and learn how to make pasta! Just make sure you stop by and sign in for the class– $45 and an old t-shirt should get you a good time.

After all the pasta is gone, plan to enjoy Second Saturday at Barracks Row, 8th Street, SE.  Most businesses stay open until 9 pm, and offer hors d’oeuvres and spirits.  Make sure you stop by Homebody, 715 8th St, SE, to see the gallery opening of abstract paintings by Southern Maryland artist Ann Crain (through December 31st).

On Sunday, sleep in– you’ve had a busy weekend!  Okay, then, if you want to avoid seeing the Redskins losing again, why not go see a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony at Sidamo Coffee and Tea, 417 H St NE, starting at 2:00 pm?  Then you can head on over to the Naval Lodge Hall at 3 pm for an Overbeck Project Lecture by Mary Gray, about growing up in Capitol Hill during the 1920s.  Free, but reservation required– call 202-544-1845 or email OverbeckLecture@aol.com.

Now, that’s a weekend to beat the blahs!