Things I'm Talking About

• Thank you all for such a fun time at the Petworth Pretty Kitties Cat Crawl!
  • Thank you to all the people who opened their homes to show off their cats, volunteers, shops that participated in the scavenger hunt, Cat Years for the cat treats, and Humane Rescue Alliance for the kittens.
  • ​I made a recap video to hold you over until next year.
  • Tomorrow I will be turning off the cat crawl map in the app until next year. If you want to save your progress card, now's the time!
  • ​District of Cats merch is still available with shirts and totes. Get it while you can!
  • If you enjoyed it and liked the app, I'd appreciate a 5-star review on the Apple App Store or Google Play. A 5-star review really helps me continue to do this.
• The chicken shawarma manoushe from Z&Z in Rockville made it on Bon Appetit's list of the best things they ate in September.
• The Folger's Quill & Crumb has expanded to the garden, where you can enjoy drinks before shows every Friday through October 23.
• ​Army Ten-Miler is this Sunday 10/11, and the Marine Corps Marathon is Sunday 10/25. Watch out for road closures but also look out for pasta specials! Places like Osteria Morini are doing pasta specials for the runners.
• The late frost we got has meant that a lot of apple orchards lost their crops, putting a damper on a lot of apple picking this year. I forget if I've mentioned this in the newsletter before, but I'm still talking about it. Not many pick-your-own places are doing it this year. I know Larriland and FT Valley Farm are doing pick your own, but it's a more limited crop than usual.
• Some of the events this week were sourced from Lincoln the Giant Schnauzer​

Valerie

Give your opinion, and check back next week for the results.

Last week, we asked: Is it spooky season yet? You responded:

• We're not even in October yet, calm down (35.2%)
• Almost but not quite (35.2%)
• Yes it's been spooky season (29.6%)

Tried & True features your favorite go-to restaurants that have been around for a while and serve you consistently good food.

This Week's Feature: Republic Cantina

"Republic Cantina has truly never let me down and is such a unique spot in the city" Tanner

Location: 43 N St NW
​Website​

😋 What is your favorite tried and true restaurant?

Where do you find yourself going back time and time again? Reply and let me know who should be featured and why, and share the love for a local DC restaurant.

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• 🕺 Faux Real brings the Franco-American duo's matching costumes, synchronized high-kicks, and Iggy Pop-meets-Eurodance-boyband energy to Songbyrd, with Babe America and Bryce Xavier opening. Wednesday 10/7. $25.75.
• 🤓 TOOOL DC Lock Picking is a monthly meetup at Board Room where locksport enthusiasts teach beginners to pick locks, no tools or experience required. It’s legal, casual, and open to all ages, with an introductory talk covering the basics. Wednesday 10/7. Free.
• 🌐 Turkmen Starlight marks the 35th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s independence with a standing reception at historic Anderson House, featuring modern Turkmen fashion, silver jewelry, carpets, and live music. Guests are encouraged to wear Turkmen or Central Asian dress. Wednesday 10/7. $30+.
• 🍾 Wingman Wednesday at Spark Social has ten wing-persons pitching their single bisexual friends to a room of bachelors and bachelorettes via 2-3 minute PowerPoint presentations, then opens into a mixer. BOGO rail drinks all night. Wednesday 10/7. Free.
• 📖 Wordplay Wednesday: Goth(ic Lit) Night turns Planet Word into a night of Poe, the Brontës, and Mary Shelley, with a Gothic reading nook, macabre coloring pages, and literary games. Victorian decor and drinks are part of the deal, and admission is pay-what-you-can. Wednesday 10/7. $5+.
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 DC Singles Meetup: Fall Luau brings a Hawaiian-themed night to Salazar for singles ages 27-47. Wednesday 10/7. Free.

• 📜 The Adams Morgan Deep History Tour walks the neighborhood's past beyond the bars and rowhouses, covering redlining, tenant organizing against condo conversions, and its history as a haven for Central American, Chilean, and Eritrean liberation movements. The walk covers about three-quarters of a mile and ends at the neighborhood's best-known mural. Thursday 10/8. Free.
• 🍲 Art on the Rocks pits local bars like Chop Shop Taco, Josephine, and King’s Ransom against each other, each building a cocktail and appetizer pairing inspired by a piece from a local Art League artist. Sample up to 10 pairings and vote on your favorite while a panel picks the most creative one. Thursday 10/8. $90.
• 📖 Beyond the Book Bans: The Samuels Public Library Story brings in Samuels Public Library’s director and a board trustee to talk about what happened after Warren County pulled the library’s funding in 2025 following organized book challenges. Thursday 10/8. Free.
• 🐾 3CO Howloween brings dogs in costume together for spooky treats from the Woofbowl food truck. Thursday 10/8. Free.
• 🕺 Kinda Evil w/ Shame Shame and Knifing Around turns Pie Shop into a tarot-themed parlour with indie rock sets, spooky covers, tarot readings, and a costume contest for the best-dressed card. Thursday 10/8. $21.
• 📜 Omar ibn Said and the Arabic Writings of Enslaved African Muslim Scholars puts a curated display of the Omar ibn Said collection on view, followed by a discussion with Professors Carl Ernst and Mbaye Lo on the Arabic manuscripts left by Said, Abdurrahman, and Sana See. Thursday 10/8. Free.

• 📖 Fools Breaking Rules is a talk with nine-time award-winning clown Chase Brantley, who uses modern clowning technique to unpack how Renaissance actors worked the stage. Arrive early for cocktails and food at Quill & Crumb. Friday 10/9. $20.
• 🕺 Opera Outside puts Washington Concert Opera’s rising artists on an outdoor stage at Union Market, no ticket required. Bring your own seat and let a tenor and soprano cut through the market noise. Friday 10/9. Free.
• 🤸 Chill Yoga x Live Harp pairs a gentle, slow-paced flow with live harp from mystic harpist Bri Cebello at Femme Fatale DC. Bring your own mat, stay after for tea and snacks. Friday 10/9. $36.
• 🕺 Echoes of Liberation: Falastini Poetry Open Mic is hosted by The Jerusalem Fund and MC’d by Mohammed Arafat, a local DC poet from Gaza. Sign up to read original work or recite poets like Mahmoud Darwish and Fadwa Tuqan, or just show up and listen. Friday 10/9. Free.
• 🧠 Want to brush up on your golf game without dropping any cash? Free Lesson Friday brings instructors to Langston Golf Course to teach full swing, chipping, and putting to golfers of all skill levels. Stick around for games, challenges, and food vendors too. Friday 10/9. Free.
• 🎭 From Here(ish) Comedy Show brings seven DC comics to Solid State Books for a set built around third culture kids, immigrant families, and anyone whose “where are you from” answer needs a follow-up question. Drinks pour, books surround you. Friday 10/9. $15.
• 🕺 Riot Grrrl’s Not Dead DC! at Songbyrd stacks three punk acts: BUKO BUKO, known for gummy worms and mosh pits over songs like “Spaghetti Time,” queer Americana trio Ammonite, and Baltimore duo Bitter Tits. Friday 10/9. $20.
• 🎭 The Drive-In at Union Market is back with The Addams Family on the big screen, plus you can grab everything from street food to fancy eats before the show. Watch from your car or bring blankets for a picnic setup right in front of the market. Friday 10/9. $25 for car; free for walk-in.

• 🎈 Chicatana marks five years in Columbia Heights with a 5th Anniversary Fiesta, complete with live music from Banda Estrella Sureña, antojitos from Chef Marcelino Zamudio, and agave tastings from Mezcal Pal'Alma, Mezcal El Coru, and Tequila Mosto. Saturday 10/10. Free.
• 🎈 The first annual Capitol Hill PorchFest puts 150+ bands on 50+ porches across the neighborhood for one afternoon. Wander from block to block and catch whatever’s playing next. Saturday 10/10. Free.
• 🎈 DC Pickle Bash is a full day festival dedicated entirely to pickles, with vendors, eating competitions, trivia, pickle-themed drinks, and craft stations. Saturday 10/10. Free.
• 🎈 Snallygaster takes over Pennsylvania Avenue with 450 beers from 166 breweries, picked by Greg Engert of ChurchKey and Bluejacket fame, plus ciders, wines, cocktails, two music stages, and a makers’ market. Saturday 10/10. $75.
• 🎈 The Baltimore Taco Festival takes over a full city block by Power Plant Live with 30+ food vendors, lucha libre wrestling, and a giant margarita bar. Tacos run $5 each (cash only), and kids 10 and under get in free for the pumpkin patch and fun zone. Saturday 10/10. $10.
• 🤝 Community Fill A Bag Day opens up Mamatoto Village’s mama/baby closet, where expecting and new parents pick two free kits from options like newborn essentials, postpartum, and lactation supplies. First-come, first-served until supplies run out. Saturday 10/10. Free.
• 🎈 Edgar Allan Row gathers kayakers, canoers, and paddleboarders dressed as Edgar Allan Poe for a paddle through Baltimore’s Inner Harbor to Fells Point, ending with a reading of “The Raven” at Mr. Trash Wheel. No boat needed: rentals are available around the harbor, or watch from Pitango Bakery if you’d rather stay on land. Saturday 10/10. Free.
• 🖌️ Firsthand Experience: Hand Stitching at NMWA has fiber artist Kianga Jinaki teaching a small, entirely hand-sewn quilt project inspired by Routed West: Twentieth-Century African American Quilts in California. No experience needed, all materials provided. Saturday 10/10. $20-25.
• 🎈 Funset the Festival takes over Franklin Park with go-go from Critical Condition Band, a set from Karizma, and DJs Underdog and Adrian Loving, plus food and local vendors. Saturday 10/10. Free.
• 📜 The Heurich House Museum Spiritualism Tour digs into Amelia Heurich’s diary entries about mysterious “rappings,” the 12 window panes that replaced the original 13, and Michael the doll who had his own seat at dinner. Groups are capped at 10 people, and a Senate Beer in the backyard Biergarten afterward rounds out the hour. Saturday 10/10. $17.

• 🎈 Canal Day brings live music, local food, and mule-drawn canal boat rides back to the C&O Canal Mule Yard, plus the second annual Canal Boat Regatta. Sunday 10/11. Free.
• 🍲 Oyster Wars brings ten East Coast oyster farms, a dozen local chefs, and a dozen breweries to The Salt Line’s waterfront for an afternoon of tastings, live music, and DJ sets. 21+, rain or shine. Sunday 10/11. $90.
• 🤸 The Army Ten-Miler brings over 35,000 runners, including wheelchair athletes and wounded warriors, through the streets around the Pentagon for its 40th year. Sunday 10/11. $125.
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Capitol View Library’s Evil Laugh Contest wants a 10-second video of your best wicked cackle, submitted online or in person. Winners get announced at the library’s Annual Monster Mash. Sunday 10/11. Free.
• 🐾 The Fall Family Fest at Wharf Waterfront Park packs in a dog costume contest, pet adoptions with Rural Dog Rescue, free pet portraits, and appearances by the Nats Racing Presidents. There’s also live music, face painting, and food vendors for the humans. Sunday 10/11. Free.
• 🐾 Paws in the Park is a free fall festival at Oronoco Bay Park in Old Town Alexandria with adoptable animals, live music, and shopping, and dogs are very much welcome. Sunday 10/11. Free.
• 🍾 Palm & Pony: Rodeo Takeover at Desert 5 Spot mixes country and EDM DJs with a mechanical bull and a room full of western fits. Sunday 10/11. 21+, tickets required.
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 The DC Bald Meet Up at Malcolm X Park Fountain gathers bald folks and allies for temp tattoos, rhinestones, a barber on site, and giveaways from Bee Bald. Bald caps welcome, costumes of your favorite bald icon encouraged. Sunday 10/11. Price not stated.
• 🕺 Opera Outside brings tenor Jason Gonzalez, soprano Jouelle Roberson, and pianist Joy Schreier to Dupont Circle Park for an afternoon of arias and musical theater favorites. Bring a blanket or lawn chair (pets welcome) and stay as long as you like. Sunday 10/11. Free.
• 🖌️ Haute & Wired with WiresByPQ is a hands-on workshop where you learn wire-wrapping techniques for rings, necklaces, and bracelets using gemstones, crystals, and cowrie shells. Pizza and drinks from Doubles included, seating is limited. Sunday 10/11.

🤫 Psst! I couldn't fit everything in this issue. See all the events happening over the next week!

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* Items marked with an asterisks contain affiliate links (for which I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you) or sponsored. Events are featured based on if I find them interesting and think others will too, regardless if they are affiliate or sponsored.