A trip to the local discount store over the week confirmed things: Christmas has arrived. The Halloween candy was marked down to free, and scavengers had already stripped the shelves of the remaining discount pet costumes. We’re kind of ready for the holiday season, as we’ve accepted that it now officially begins on November 1. Now that we understand things, we're eager to get tickets for the National Christmas Tree Lighting.

This week is your only opportunity to enter for a chance to witness the lighting of the huge tree in Washington, DC. If you miss out this week, you’re going to need some good luck or have your Congressperson on speed dial. The ticket lottery opens up this Wednesday at midnight and runs through 11:59 pm on Friday evening. Almost 10,000 free tickets will be distributed, but remember to some bring good shoes, as 7,000 of the tickets will be standing room only. ]]> kjb 2009-11-02T12:14:20-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/17/125846/721

First he came for Rome, and no one was particularly worried. Then he came for Paris, and only the French were upset. But now Dan Brown's latest book The Lost Symbol has set its sights on Washington D.C., and the normally tourist-clogged city will soon have to contend with book-toting thriller nerds who missed the fact that Nicolas Cage already found the secret Freemason treasures, and they're in New York.

Haven't bothered to read The Lost Symbol yet, you lazy so-and-so? David Plotz of Slate called it "awesomely wrong about what makes [Washington D.C.] compelling."

Here's our guide of sites in the book to avoid on your next trip to the Beltway: ]]> egw 2009-09-17T13:53:54-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/8/23/204641/187

Ny now you probably know well our love of the various Restaurant Weeks around the country, whose reduced but 3-course menus allow everyone from penny-pinching tourists to jaded locals to sample something new. This year saw both a super extended New York Restaurant Week and the beginning of restaurant weeks in Miami ("Miami Spice") and Los Angeles'dineLA). Now it's the capital's turn.

Starting today in the dining rooms of Washington DC's best foodie spots is Restaurant Week, serving up several-course lunches for $20.09 and dinners for $35.09. The deal is short; it only runs from August 24-30, so we recommend getting on the phone with that little expensive place you've always wanted to try. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-08-24T12:04:40-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/23/173132/486

Washington, DC may have a rep as the nation’s most cerebral town, but that doesn’t mean they can’t drop the whole brainy thing once in a while. Said brains take a back seat in DC this weekend, as the Battle of the Biceps commences.

Keg-tossing, arm wrestling, and fastest pitch competitions are all on the agenda, along with a few less arduous tasks, like flip cup, corn hole beanbag games, and frozen margarita drinking. The event takes place a The Bullpen, a new outdoor beer garden and festival grounds across the street from the new Washington Nationals baseball stadium.

The games get going Saturday afternoon at 12:30. Afterwards, stick around for a far less threatening performance on the Bullpen’s sound stage from local indie poppers Olivia & the Mates, or just head across the street to watch the Nats take on the San Diego Padres.

Related Stories:
· Battle of the Biceps [Washington Post]
· The Bullpen [NY]
· The Kayaking Craze Means Prime Seats For Washington's Monuments [Jaunted]

[Photo: cizauskas] ]]> BS 2009-07-24T10:53:46-05:00 38.8746950 -77.010649 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/20/91816/1774

New York’s Hudson River isn’t the only scenic-but-questionably-sanitary urban waterway getting in on the kayak craze. Boating down DC’s Potomac River yields an inexpensive and crowd-free way to see the Washington tourist sites.

The Thompson Boat Center in Rock Creek Park offers kayak rentals, from $8 an hour/$24 a day for single boats and $10 an hour/$30 a day for doubles. The Boat Center is right in the middle of the city, and with just a few paddles in either direction you’ll sail past the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and the Kennedy Center, as well as the picturesque Georgetown waterfront. For a more adventurous day, pack a picnic lunch and stop off for a hike at Theodore Roosevelt Island National Memorial, the relatively un-traveled, car-free park set on the DC-Virginia border.

The boat center opens at 8 am and in our experience, it’s best to get there before noon—kayaks can’t be reserved and are often rented out by early afternoon.

Oh, and as in the Hudson, try to keep your hands out of that water.

Related Stories:
· The Thompson Boat Center [Official Site]
· Kayaking Trend Going Strong Into 2009 a> [Jaunted]
· NPR Confirms Kayaks Are the Hotness for 2008 [Jaunted]

[Photo: Marciela] ]]> BS 2009-07-20T15:41:22-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/17/92957/0535

Bastille Day may be behind us, but that doesn’t mean we’re ready to stop celebrating other countries’ independence. Fortunately, the next independence day on the agenda is for a country that loves beer and food just as much as the French (and Americans): Belgium. Tuesday, July 21 is the anniversary of the date when Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld took the oath as the first king of the Belgians in 1831. And yes, we’re using that as an excuse to party.

For reasons that remain unclear, DC seems to be the stateside locale most excited to get down for this holiday. First, acclaimed high-end resto Brasserie Beck is going buffet-style, celebrating with chef Robert Wiedmaier’s favorite selection of Belgian food and brew—both in unlimited quantities!

Meanwhile, chef Bart Vandaele of Capitol Hill’s Belga Café is hosting a beer dinner of his own Tuesday night at the Belgian Ambassador’s Residence. But that’s just the culmination of Belga’s week-long independence blow-out, which starts tonight with a “Blonds Have More Fun” party celebrating Belgium’s blond brews, kicks up with a street-side waffle cart Saturday afternoon, and ends with a DJ party and fireworks display at 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Viva Belgium!

Related Stories:
· Brasserie Beck [Official Site]
· Belga Cafe [Official Site]
· Where to Celebrate Bastille Day in New York [Jaunted]

[Photo: Kalense Kid] ]]> BS 2009-07-17T14:48:11-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/10/95858/5070

While most Washingtonians have been pretty happy with the buzz the Obama administration has brought their town over the last six months, they’ve also been quietly mourning the loss of the city’s most awe-inspiring drinking spot: the rooftop bar at the top of the legendary Hotel Washington.

Across the street from the White House, the hotel’s terrace was indisputably the best spot to wow out-of-towners with a stiff martini and a view stretching miles around. So we’re happy to report the bar is now officially back—and officially a lot cooler in its new incarnation.

The hotel reopened this week as DC’s first W Hotel, and the rooftop space has been reconceived as POV, a sleek cocktail lounge helmed by Sasha Petraske of NYC’s Milk & Honey, which means you won’t see many guests going for that stiff martini anymore. Instead, there’s a fruit-and-vegetable juicing station inside the bar, so you can spike your cocktail with some freshly-made strawberry lemonade. The views, thankfully, are exactly the same.

Related Stories:
· POV [Official Site]
· While Kobe Hits the Beach, LeBron Does DC [Jaunted]
· The 'Congress of Cool' Will Convene at W Washington DC Tomorrow [HotelChatter]

[Photo: Starwood Hotels] ]]> BS 2009-07-10T13:09:19-05:00 38.8965767 -77.033705 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/