New Finds

This weekend we made two new local discoveries -- (i) Glen Echo Park and (ii) Page-to-Stage at the Kennedy Center.  Both were free, and pretty fantastic.  Check out the pictures below, and here's a little more info!

Glen Echo Park feels like a trip back in time. When we entered the Park, there was waltzing in the old Bumper Car pavilion (built in 1923!), music coming from the beautiful antique Carousel (installed in 1921, the only carousel owned and operated by the US government and one of 135 working antique carousels and one of only a few in its original location) and the 39th Annual Labor Day art show in the Spanish Ballroom, a 1933 Mediterranean style Art Deco building (brought me back to my old grade school in Florida -- no A/C, stage curtains hung to make it look like a full stage).  

On a cool day, the Ballroom or Bumper Car pavilion would be perfect for a fun wedding, engagement party or milestone birthday.  Look here for more information.  You can also use the nice picnic tables that are in the center of the Park on a first come, first serve basis for groups of 30 people or less.  Perfect area for kids since it is a pretty small footprint and there is a great play area adjacent to the picnic area.

Of course, check out the Wikipedia entry for more information about the park and read about the Crystal Pool, which seemed to have its heyday in the 30s, 40s before the area's private pools came into existence.  The Park continuously runs a film about the history of the Park -- it's priceless.  Check out the schedule too for lots of classes -- pottery, photography, etc. -- for kids and adults.

After walking into the Grand Hall at the Kennedy Center, we just grabbed a seat at one of the free performances going on at either end of the Grand Hall.  This past weekend from 2-10pm Saturday, Sunday and Monday, the Center previewed plays that are debuting in the DC/VA/MD area over the next year.  We caught a bit of a one-man show by Josh Kornbluth entitled "Andy Warhol:  Good for the Jews?".  It was pretty hilarious, with the right amount of irreverence and some interesting notes of history thrown about.  The show offers his take on the ten historical figures featured in Andy Warhol's 1980 series, Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century.  Play comes to DC in March 2010.  Great chance to check out plays you might not otherwise know about.  And, the view from the balcony off the Grand Hall along the Potomac is alone worth the trip.