Things I'm Talking About

• Virginia has its first confirmed case of dengue fever that was caught in the state. Previous cases had been acquired elsewhere.
• Speaking of mosquitos, Cary Institute and UMD did a study tying the invasive plants more commonly found in low income neighborhoods in DC and Baltimore to more mosquitos.
• NMWA is showing art by their security officers through September 1. I liked their video where they talk about how they got into it after being inspired by the art and each other.
• DC's Restaurant Week is coming up August 24-30, and 7 Michelin-Starred restaurants are participating this year, so get your reservations now. 5 are offering the deals right now!
• In July, Deadwood's only sit down restaurant, Smokehouse at The Strand, closed down. The Washington Informer has a good article on the fallout.
• Dumbarton House is re-opening soon, and bringing back their Jane Austen Film Festival after a hiatus. It will be on September 2 & 9th, with tickets going on sale on August 19th & 26th.
• Ospreys in the Chesapeake Bay are starving to death.
• The next hearing about painting the Eisenhower Executive Office Building is scheduled for August 18, and until then, there's an induction on painting or extracting stone from it.
• First DoorDash, now landlords: a coalition of housing providers, investors, and others are petitioning for "Congressional Oversight of the District of Columbia's Rental Housing System and Landlord and Tenant Court Operation." DC's home rule seems to be under attack a lot lately.
• We're coming up on one year of the federal surge in DC. On August 8, 2025, federal law enforcement personnel were deployed on the streets of DC, and National Guard troops were deployed on August 11, 2025.

Valerie

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

Last week, we asked: What would you want to pick your own of? You responded:

• Strawberries (25.5%)
• Peaches (25.5%)
• Apples (23.5%)
• Blueberries (15.7%)
• Pumpkins (9.8%)

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: Nooshi

"My favorite tried and true restaurant is Nooshi (1120 19th St). I go there as much as possible — everytime I go to lunch in the city — and always get the Curry Chicken, Chicken Basil, or Drunken Noodle. Sooo yummy!" Kathy

Location: 1120 19th 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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• 🤸 If you need to shake off the week's stress, there's a 60-minute yoga class at the National Arboretum where you'll stretch it out surrounded by trees and green space. Certified instructors will guide you through a FLEX'T™ class designed to help you move more freely. Wednesday 8/5. $20.
• 🕺 Hillwood After Hours lets you explore the mansion and gardens in gorgeous evening light while The JoGo Project brings their award-winning jazz and go-go fusion to the courtyard. You can also chat with the textile curator, make your own embroidery collage, and grab drinks at the café. Wednesday 8/5. $25.
• 🏞️ Lace up your sneakers for Hot Dog Days of Summer, a casual 3-mile run or 1-mile walk followed by hot dogs and free cold drinks from DC Brau. No pressure, no timing, just a fun excuse to eat hot dogs. Wednesday 8/5. Free.
• 🎭 Assassination (암살) is a 2015 Korean action thriller set during Japan’s colonial rule, following a team of operatives sent to take out a Japanese commander and a Korean collaborator. One of the highest-grossing films in Korean box office history. Wednesday 8/5. Free.
• 🤸 Root to Rise Yoga is a beginner-friendly outdoor flow on the lawn at Edgewood Community Farm, with flowers around you and an hour focused on alignment and breath. Wednesday 8/5. $12.

• 🤓 K-Pop Trivia Night at the Library of Congress pairs team trivia with a display of actual K-pop and Korean cultural artifacts from the Library's collections. Thursday 8/6. Free.
• 🎭 Atomic People (2024) is a documentary collecting testimony from Hibakusha (survivors of the atomic bombs) most of whom were children when the bombs fell, and whose firsthand accounts are nearly gone. Screening at MLK Library’s auditorium as part of the monthly MLK DOCS series. Thursday 8/6. Free.
• 🖌️ Drop-in ceramic decorating session at Analog Night with Shaylin Wallace featuring Doodleramics at MoCA Arlington, where DC-based collage and doodle artist Shaylin Wallace guides you through covering mugs, vases, or your own brought-from-home piece with abstract patterns. Thursday 8/6. Free.
• 📖 Symbolic Representation & the Legacy of the Voting Rights Act is a panel conversation on DC’s ongoing fight for voting rights, held exactly 61 years after the Voting Rights Act was signed, with a poet in the room who will turn the discussion into a poem in real time. Thursday 8/6. Free.
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Death Cafe at Congressional Cemetery is a monthly informal gathering where people talk openly about death over cake and tea, held at an active burial ground that makes the setting feel fitting rather than gimmicky. Reservations are required and space is limited. Thursday 8/6. Free.
• 🕺 Spend your Thursday evening at Jazz Soirée, where live jazz fills the Phillips Collection galleries in partnership with DC JazzFest. There’s food and drinks available, plus it’s free if you’re a member. Thursday 8/6. $20.

• 🕺 If you're looking for electronic pop, 2charm is bringing their hyperpop sound to The Atlantis. This Melbourne duo blends club energy with emotional depth, and their debut album is basically a love letter to queer self-expression. Friday 8/7. $33. *
• 🎈 The National Zoo is throwing EleFest to celebrate their new Asian elephant calf, Linh Mai, with three days of live cultural performances, keeper talks, and hands-on activities for the whole family. If you’re looking for something special, there’s also an adults-only Happy Hour on Friday with elephant-themed cocktails and a morning Yoga with Elephants session on Saturday and Sunday that comes with a free cooling towel. Friday 8/7-8/9. Free and paid admission.
• 🕺 Get ready to time travel back to the ’80s at the Totally Tubular Festival featuring Thomas Dolby, A Flock of Seagulls, The Motels, and more synth-pop legends. Perfect excuse to dust off those neon outfits and dance like nobody’s watching. Friday 8/7. $75+. *
• 🐾 CatVideoFest is a curated compilation of the best cat videos from the past year, screened in a movie theater where the collective audience reaction is genuinely half the experience. Proceeds benefit local animal shelters. Friday 8/7. $14+.
• 🛍️ The DC Fountain Pen Supershow is the largest fountain pen show in the world, drawing collectors and enthusiasts from across the globe to buy, sell, and talk pens. Friday 8/7. $10+.
• 🖼️ DC Arts Studios opens its doors for First Friday, with the added draw of the closing night for HIGH CHROMA, a color-forward exhibition at Willow Street Gallery. Walk the studios, meet working artists, and catch the show before it comes down. Friday 8/7. Free.
• 🖼️ The Dupont Circle Art Walk is a self-guided tour through galleries, museums, and cultural centers in the neighborhood, with eight venues open and artists on hand at several stops. Friday 8/7. Free.
• 🍾 Kawaii Rave is an anime-themed dance party at Baltimore Soundstage mixing EDM, K-Pop, and hyperpop, with cosplay encouraged on the floor. Friday 8/7. $23. *
• 🕺 The Thank Me Later All Stars Comedy Showcase brings together returning crowd favorites from the summer series, hosted by Dom Grayer, at an Ethiopian restaurant in Georgetown with discounted food and drinks during the show. Friday 8/7. $20.
• 🍽️ The Annapolis Rotary Crab Feast is an 81-year-old all-you-can-eat crab tradition at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, with beer, sides, and a bake sale rounding it out. Tickets sell out, so early pricing is worth catching. Friday 8/7. $95+.

• 🤸 DC Roller Derby takes on Charlottesville Roller Derby in what's sure to be an action-packed morning of fast skating and strategic blocking. Saturday 8/8. $17.
• 🐾 DockDogs at The Wharf is a nationally sanctioned dog athletics competition at District Pier, where dogs compete in long jumps, speed sprints, and vertical grabs (the world record is 9’2”). Saturday 8/8. Free.
• 📜 Friends of Peirce Mill Ice Cream-Making Demonstration walks through how ice cream was made in the early 19th century, tracing a history that runs from Augustus Jackson’s White House kitchen to Thomas Jefferson’s personal recipe. Kids get to crank the handle; everyone gets a taste. Saturday 8/8. Free.
• 🤓 MegaMahj Tournament brings the largest mahjong competition to the DC area with American, Hong Kong, and Japanese Riichi games all happening at once. You can play competitively or just for fun, with divisions for every skill level and a chance to win an automatic mahjong table. Saturday 8/8. $75–$95.
• 🖌️ Drop by Crochet Community Social at MoCA Arlington’s Innovation Studio to learn some basic stitches or work on your own project in a super chill, beginner-friendly space. You’ll help create squares that get sewn into a group blanket, and it’s all free with plenty of parking nearby. Saturday 8/8. Free.
• 🐾 Daisy’s Legacy 2nd Anniversary Celebration is a dog-friendly outdoor party at a pizza place in Arlington, marking two years of the DMV animal rescue org’s work. Dogs are welcome, rescue pups will be on-site, and your ticket covers an all-you-can-eat buffet. Saturday 8/8. $25.
• 🍾 La Noche de Benito is a Bad Bunny-themed dance party at La Cosecha with DJ sets and drink specials. Saturday 8/8. $5.
• 🤸 Outdoor Vinyasa at Eastern Market Metro Park is a 60-minute all-levels class held outside next to the playground. Bring your own mat. Saturday 8/8. Free.
• 🛍️ Sneaker Con brings 100,000+ sneakers and 200+ vendors to DC for a full weekend of buying, selling, and trading everything from rare Jordans to vintage collectibles. Bring your shoes to cash out, hunt for your next grail, or just soak in the sneaker culture with free authentication, stage games, and the famous Trading Pit. Saturday 8/8-8/9. $29.
• 🤸 Yoga in the Playground at the National Building Museum is a 60-minute all-levels flow class held inside the NBM’s Great Hall, which has been transformed into a large-scale indoor recreation installation with nine distinct spaces beneath 75-foot Corinthian columns. Bring your mat. Saturday 8/8. $42.

• 🕺 Noble Dust + Griefcat at The Pocket pairs lyrically-driven folk pop (think Sufjan Stevens, Anais Mitchell) with a viral musical comedy duo that DC has dubbed its "Tenacious Double Ds." Sunday 8/9. $19+.
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Physical Media Swap at Rhizome DC is a free bring-and-take for VHS tapes, cassettes, CDs, records, DVDs, zines, stickers, and whatever your defunct band never sold. Bring a bag and leave with someone else’s stuff. Sunday 8/9. Free.
• 🖌️ At Bouquet Crafting & Flower Design, you’ll harvest flowers and foliage straight from Edgewood Community Farm and arrange them into two bouquets to take home. All materials included. Sunday 8/9. $20.
• 🍲 Cinema Supper Club: Ratatouille is a 5-course dinner in Vienna where each dish is served as the movie plays, so the food and the film unfold together. Sunday 8/9. $98.
• 🖌️ Sewing With Mama T is a beginner sewing class at Southwest Neighborhood Library taught by a former Ms. Senior DC. You’ll learn the basics and leave with something you made. Sunday 8/9. Free.
• 🖌️ Adult Melt and Pour Soap Making at Shepherd Park Library walks you through the basics of soap making — mixing colors and scents to leave with a bar you actually made. Sunday 8/9. Free.
• 🎭 Science Comedy Night at DC Comedy Loft is a stand-up show built around health and science, with headliner Ben Miller, DC Science Comedy founder Kasha Patel, and a licensed medical professional taking audience questions. Sunday 8/9. $24.

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

• full moon sound bath on the water
• vintage American cookbook potluck
• steelpan documentary
• silent creative session
• yokai folklore exhibition
• sound mapping
• bat box building workshop

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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.