If you missed yesterday's festivities on the National Mall, be sure to visit one of the city's vibrant Mexican restaurants to throw back a tangy margarita and enjoy the salsa rhythms.

Cabanas
3050 K Street, NW
(202) 944-4242

Cactus Cantina
3300 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
(202) 686-7222

Cafe Citron
1343 Connecticut Avenue, NW
(202) 530-8844

Lauriol Plaza
1835 18th Street, NW
(202) 387-0035

Lima
1401 K Atreet, NW
(202) 789-2800

Oyamel
401 Seventh Street, NW
(202) 628-1005

Rosa Mexicana
575 Seventh Street, NW
(202) 783-5522

Alero (3 locations)
Dupont Circle:
1724 Connecticut Avenue, NW
(202) 234-8100

Cleveland Park:
3500 Connecticut Avenue, NW
(202) 966-2530

U Street:
1301 U Street, NW
(202) 462-2322

From sushi to origami, from karate to sake, from Anime and manga to J-POP music, the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C. organized more than 20 vendors of Japanese cuisine, beer gardens, exhibitors of Japanese arts and products, and live performances on three stages.

For more info click here.

Date: Saturday, April 12, 2008
Time: 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Location: Downtown DC - Pennsylvania Ave. between 14th & 10th streets; and 12th Street between Pennsylvania & Constitution avenues

LIVE PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Performance times are subject to change without notice.

Pennsylvania Avenue Main Stage on 13th STREET
Sponsored by ANA and 97.1 WASH-FM

TRADITIONAL JAPANESE PERFORMING ARTS

11:30                      Toho Koto Society

12:00                      Shizumi Kodomo Dance Team

12:30                      Traditional Japanese Geisha

1:00                       Pandora’s Playtime

1:30                       Tamagusuku Ryu

2:00                       Kikuyuki no Kai

2:30                       Tamagawa University

3:30                       Masayo Ishigure

4:00                       Imajin Nix Hamaya

4:30                       HAPPYFUNSMILE

5:00                       MITSUMASSYU

J-POP STAGE  on PENNSYLVANIA AND 10TH

11:00                       Background Music

11:30                       Matt & Yoko intro/music/games

12:00                       MITSUMASSYU

1:00                        Interesse Business Etiquette

1:30                        Cosplay Fashion Show

2:00                        Yoko & Matt Game

2:30                        Collar Shirts (Break Dancers)

3:00                        HAPPYFUNSMILE

3:30                        MITSUMASSYU

4:30                        Yoko & Matt Game

5:00                        DJ DANCE PARTAY

12th Street Stage, featuring BIG 100.3 SUPER KARAOKE

1:00                         Choral Society

1:30                         Kagetsukai

3:30                         Heritage Center

3:30                        Kagetsukai

Martial Arts Stage  on FREEDOM PLAZA NEAR 14TH STREET

11:00                       Nen Daiko

11:30                       Aikido of Arlington

12:00                       DC Karate Club

12:30                       Segnuiry Jujitsu

1:30                         Washington Judo Club

2:30                         Intermission

3:00-5:00              Capital Area Budokai

Okinawa Stage 沖米文化普及協会 on CONSTITUTION AND 12TH

1:00       Imajin Taiko, Ron Nix Hamaya Karate Taiko

2:10       Shimabuku Passai by Robert Teller

2:15       Heidi Hastings, Madison, Wisconsin

2:45       Naihanchi Shodan Karate

2:50       Ladies Bojitsu—Nix Hamaya Karate Taiko

3:00       West High School Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko

3:30       Jimmy Teller, Alex Cho Karate

3:35       Kay Ostrowsksi Taiko

4:00       West High School Taiko Group

4:30       Penn State University Taiko Group

5:00       Combined Taiko Groups

The annual National Cherry Blossom Festival commemorates the 1912 gift from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington, DC. The first two trees were planted on the north bank of the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park and symbolize the friendship between the United States and Japan.

The Blossom Secrets Stroll
Guides tell stories of the delicate blossoms on a two-hour walking tour of the cherry trees. Meet outside the Smithsonian Metro station at Independence Avenue and 12th Street.

Date(s):
Apr 11, 2008 at 10:00 am
Apr 12, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Apr 13, 2008 at 2:00 pm

National Park Service - Cherry Blossom Lantern Walks
If you miss the daytime tour, join one of the lantern walks. Meet the Park Ranger who leads this nighttime tour of the flowering trees at the Tidal Basin Welcome Area near the paddleboats on 1500 Maine Ave, SW.

Date(s):
Apr 09, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Apr 12, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Apr 13, 2008 at 8:00 pm

Ranger-led Bike Tours
Enjoy the warm weather with a National Park Service Ranger led bike tours. Meet the guide at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial.

Date(s):
Apr 12, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Apr 13, 2008 at 1:00 pm

In addition to the DC Independent Film Festival, another show has come to town.

Movie lovers are in for a treat with the annual DC Environmental Film Festival. The festival showcases more than 115 documentary, feature, animated, archival, experimental and children’s films at 45 venues throughout the city, including museums, embassies, libraries, universities and local theaters. Most films are free to the public and some include lectures by filmmakers and environmental stars. Click here for a schedule of the films by date.

Want to learn more about the creative and business aspects of making movies? Be sure to register for one of the many seminars offered.

This call for input is motivated not only by a grand fatigue of hearing my own voice and a desire to read other DC-lovers' take on the city, but also from an overwhelming curiosity to find out if anyone actually reads this thing. 

So send me your stories, photos, suggestions, "Best Of"s (or "Worst Of"s) and the like, for use in future blog postings from this DC blogger.  Or just send me your assurances that you're reading my blog, even if you have no ideas for other readers.  Please ensure your submission fits into one or more of the 11 categories in which this entry is posted (listed at the bottom of the entry).  You will receive credit on my blog for any material you send that is used in a future blog entry.

 To send me your thoughts, simply click on "Leave a Comment" at the bottom of this entry.

Happy travels!

WalkingTown, DC, Walking Tours:  Put on your trainers and grab a water bottle for these entertaining and educational pedestrian tours of Washington, DC, neighborhoods.  Tour company Washington Walks will offer a one-day Fall version of their popular multi-day Spring walking tour event, taking participants on walks through numerous neighborhoods in the District, including Embassy Row, Capitol Hill, and Adams Morgan.  These tours are a favorite among DC residents, and should appeal to tourists wanting an inside look a the city as well.  A few bike and boat tours are offered too.  All tours last between 1 and 3 1/2 hours, and kick off from various places around the city.  Reservations not required for most tours, but check to be sure.  Click here for a full schedule.

Rock Creek Park Day:  Rock Creek Park is a verdant oasis in the middle of the city smog.  Stretching from downtown DC into Maryland, the park encompasses miles of trails for walking, cycling, and horseback-riding, and also offers a multitude of family-friendly programs year-round that sensitize visitors to the wonder and genius of the natural world.  This Saturday, Rock Creek Park hosts a full day of activities for all ages, including Ranger-led horseback tours, a puppet show, a planetarium show, and a reptile exhibit.  The fun begins at 9:30am.  For location and other information, visit the Park's website.

National Book Festival:  The seventh annual National Book Festival, sponsored by the Library of Congress and held on the Mall between 7th and 14th Streets (roughly between the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument; metro stop Smithsonian), gathers 70 prominent authors and illustrators from across the literary spectrum, who will be greeting the public and signing copies of their books between 10am to 5pm.  For the under-3-foot set, popular storybook and television characters, as well as NBA/WNBA basketball stars, will be making appearances throughout the day.  For more information, click here. 

Enjoy your weekend!

If you're planning a trip to DC in October, mark your calendar to go see (among others):  folk-singer sisters the Nields (Sat, 6 Oct); jazz-fusion guitarist Al Di Meola (Thurs, 11 Oct);founding member of the group Peter, Paul and Mary, Noel Paul Stookey in a benefit for Wolf Trap education programs (Sat, 13 Oct); gospel-inspired rock singer Rodney Crowell (Thurs, 25 Oct); and "sizzling soul singer" Bettye LaVette (Wed, 31 Oct).

Tickets range from $20-$35/seat, depending on the show.  Shows start at 7:30 or 8:00pm.  Wolf Trap is easily accessible via the Dulles Toll Road, one exit past Tyson's Corner, or Route 7, and there is amble free parking.  For more information, including directions and a the full Fall-Winter lineup, check out their website at www.wolftrap.org, or call 1-877-WOLFTRAP.

Save me a seat!

 Admission is $24 for members, $28 for non-members.  For more information, go to www.nglive.org, or call 202.857.7700.

Grosvenor Auditorium
1600 M Street NW
Washington, DC
** Free Parking! **

Calling all ye Lords and Ladies, knights, damsels, rogues, wenches, good sirs, and entertainers of all kinds!  Prepare thyselves for merriment at the annual Maryland Renaissance Festival in Crownsville, MD (just outside Annapolis).  This has been a favorite tradition of mine since moving to DC many years ago.  (Check out the photos, below!)

Put on your best medieval garb and prepare to laugh at jugglers on highwires, dance to the music of lutes and flutes, cheer for your favorite knight on horseback in the joust, rip the flesh off a turkey leg, and browse the wares of merchants and craftsmen from all around.  You can learn to juggle, drench a wench (it's a game!), watch a glass-blowing demonstration, be mystified by a magician, have your body tattooed with henna, dance around the May Pole, nibble a funnel cake, even ride an elephant.  Participants and visitors alike dress up, and there are plenty of shops offering you costumes for rent or for sale if you want to get in on the action.  A wooded location with lots of shade makes wandering the recreated medieval village pleasant in any weather, and the kids' area--with slides, swings and other activities--makes this a very family-friendly venture.

Admission is $18/adults, $8/children ages 7-15.  You get $4 off each adult ticket if you show your Giant or CVS card.

The festival runs every Saturday and Sunday through 21 October, open from 10am to 7pm.  For more information, visit www.rennfest.com.