Things I'm Talking About

current app design

coming soon

• A new version of the Not Bored app will be available early next week and I'm so excited for you to see! Here's a sneak peek of what it looks like. Stay tuned for more, and until then, enjoy the current version on iOS and Android (& get the update when it's live).
• The mid-term elections were yesterday, and people on Twitter are very funny about the Dems winning.
• In DC, our main election was the June primary, and the biggest item on the ballot yesterday was whether foie gras should be banned, which passed.
• Viral starts Boy Throb have announced a tour, and are coming to 9:30 Club on Mach 6. Tickets go on sale on Friday at 10 AM.*
• Tove Lo, CHVRCHES, Caroline Rose, and more have announced shows recently. See my picks in my Pop Girl Concerts list.
  • Speaking of Caroline Rose, I've been obsessed with Hello Again, Jim, which is more rock than a lot of what I've been listening to lately.
• ​Holiday market season is starting, with one of my favorites on Saturday: Czech Christmas Market. I truly go for the food, and think about those soups and that sausage all year.

Valerie

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

Last week, we asked: Are you giving out candy to trick or treaters this year? You responded:

• Yes (47.8%)
• No (46.4%)
• I don't know yet (5.8%)

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: Axtondo

"I took my parents to Atxondo in 14th/16th Street Heights this weekend, and my dad tried paella there for the first time, and he can't stop talking about it. It's added to the dad-approved favorites… Axtondo in 16th Street Heights: Seafood paella" Valerie

Location: 4724 14th 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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• 🤓 The TOOOL DC Lock Picking Monthly Meeting at Board Room is a drop-in session where you learn to pick locks, no tools or experience required. There's a short talk at 7pm, but people come and go all night. Wednesday 11/4. Free.
• 🤓 Wordplay Wednesday keeps Planet Word open late, with all three floors including the karaoke gallery and the humor gallery available for word puzzles and games. Grab complimentary treats plus beer and wine from Immigrant Food, and pay what you can. Wednesday 11/4. $5+.
• 🖌️ Bonsai Bar at Atlas Brew Works is a two-hour beginner workshop where you pick a dwarf jade tree, pot it in a ceramic bonsai pot, and leave with it. Wednesday 11/4. $100.

• 🍾 DJ Pauly D at Cornerstone brings the Jersey Shore DJ to College Park for a night at the UMD sports bar staple. Thursday 11/5. $40+.
• 🎭 The Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival kicks off its symposium day with sessions on documentary preservation, press freedom, and building new pipelines to get investigative films in front of the audiences who need them. Panels run alongside screenings at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center, with topics ranging from AI-manipulated footage to NDAs silencing federal whistleblowers. Thursday 11/5-11/8. $200 all access pass.
• 🏞️ A ranger leads this 2-mile fall foliage hike through Rock Creek Park, covering the science behind why leaves change color along with a steep but manageable climb. Thursday 11/5. Free.
• 🤓 Hardware Hacking Night at HacDC centers on their ongoing Space Blimp project, but you can bring your own electronics to tinker with alongside the group. Thursday 11/5. Free.
• 🕺 Spanish dancer Marta Gálvez brings her DC premiere La Velada to the XXII Fuego Flamenco Festival, backed by guitarist David Durán, singer Rosa Linero, and percussionist Luis Dorado. Thursday 11/5-11/8. $25+.
• 🎭 SEIZED Film Screening & Discussion follows the police raid on a small Kansas newspaper that turned into a national fight over press freedom and the Fourth Amendment. Director Sharon Liese joins a Q&A after the screening. Thursday 11/5. Free.

• 🌐 The National Museum of Asian Art marks Diwali with Asia After Dark, a lit-up evening of food vendors, a sarod recital, dance performances, and a DJ set closing out the night. Decorate a rangoli, color a diya, or catch a curator tour of the Indian Subcontinent galleries while you're there. Friday 11/6. Free.
• 🕺 The Witching Hour is The Puppet Co.’s 18+ answer to puppetry: a night of burlesque and puppet acts from DMV performers, with a bar and raffle prizes. Bring cash to tip performers and stick around after the show to meet them. Friday 11/6. $37.
• 📖 An Evening with David Falk puts the agent who built Michael Jordan’s career in conversation at Lisner Auditorium, talking dealmaking in an industry he helped define. Friday 11/6. $40+. *
• 🎭 The Tibet Film Festival makes its US debut at the Edlavitch DCJCC, bringing contemporary films by Tibetan filmmakers from Tibet and the diaspora along with panel discussions with directors. Friday 11/6-11/8. $20-23 per screening ($65 for a full festival pass).
• 🍾 DJs Phoenix & Dionysus spin TRL-era hits at OOPS…I Did It Again: 2000s Dance Party, running through Britney, Outkast, Destiny’s Child, and ‘NSYNC. Friday 11/6. Free/$5+.
• 🖼️ Are You Ready! The Birth of the Bad Brains opens at Lost Origins Gallery with rarely seen artifacts, film footage, photographs, and original flyers from the band’s first two years in DC (1978-1980), timed to the release of their earliest studio recordings. Friday 11/6. Price not stated.
• 🌐 Bollywood Diwali Nights at Decades DC brings a live Dholi player and DJ TRVE spinning Bollywood and Punjabi tracks for the Festival of Lights, 21+. Friday 11/6. $29.
• 🛍️ GoodWood’s Dress Party is a fall fashion preview with drinks and appetizers on the side, plus 10% off all clothing and accessories. Friday 11/6. Free.
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Girlies Night Out at Port City Brewing pairs a beer sample with local pop-ups: seated massages, a curling iron workshop, a styling rack from Pickle, and calligraphy for Thanksgiving place cards. Goodie bags and giveaways (makeup sessions, gift cards, a cryo session) are included. Friday 11/6. $32.
• 🖼️ Heurich (Open) House x Queer Art Salon pairs Craft in the Conservatory with a reception to meet Queer Art Salon’s artists and curators at the Heurich House biergarten. Friday 11/6. Free.

• 🤸 The Cider Ride sends riders out on Prince George's County trails for a 60, 30, or 10 mile route, with hot cider and donuts along the way. Saturday 11/7. $50+.
• 📖 This 50th-anniversary Bonsai Science Cafe at the National Arboretum digs into the actual science behind bonsai and penjing, with researchers explaining soil properties and how plants adapt to container growth. Expect themed cocktails and bites alongside the presentations. Saturday 11/7. $40.
• 🌐 The Czech Christmas Market fills the Embassy of the Czech Republic with hand-blown ornaments, Bohemian garnet jewelry, mulled wine, and goulash from a Czech food truck, plus an astrophysicist’s presentation on the Christmas Star and live alpacas for selfies. RSVP required for entry, and bring cash since many vendors don’t take cards. Saturday 11/7. Free.
• 🎭 Dancing Queen of 1518 is a live-action roleplay set during Strasbourg’s 1518 dancing plague, part historical drama, part silent disco (bring headphones). No LARP experience required. Saturday 11/7. Free with suggested donation.
• 🕺 Former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard brings her genre-bending mix of R&B, house, and footwork to Transmission, touring behind her new album Creole Culture. 21+. Saturday 11/7. $30.
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Every Life Has a Story is a community event at Honfleur Gallery centered on dementia and memory, built around a playback theater performance where personal stories get brought to life through improvisation. Families can also get portraits taken, and lunch is provided. Saturday 11/7. Free.
• 🐾 The Doggie Dip closes out pool season at the Washington Hilton, letting dogs swim and play in the pool while owners get free hot cider and treats on the deck. Dogs only in the water, harness required. Saturday 11/7. $25 suggested donation.
• 🎭 Don’t Need You: The Herstory of Riot Grrrl is a 2005 documentary screening on the movement’s roots, followed by a discussion aiming to restart regular Riot Grrrl DC meetings. Saturday 11/7. Free.
• 🎈 Fall Fest at Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue brings a day of hayrides, mounted archery, carnival games, and a vendor market to a farm that’s home to over 200 rescued horses, with a special performance by two-time Road to the Horse champion Guy McLean. Saturday 11/7. $10.
• 🍲 DC Beer Fest takes over Nationals Park with 80+ breweries pouring 200 beers across the concourse, plus food trucks, lawn games, and dueling pianos. Saturday 11/7. $67.

• 🏞️ A Tree Walk Through History takes you through Congressional Cemetery's 25 tree species, including old-growth witness trees, the Circle of Life "tree-henge" of eight lindens, and the stories behind the monuments along the way. Sunday 11/8. Free.
• 🐾 The Fall Pack Walk at the National Arboretum is a 2.8-mile guided group walk capped at 20 dogs, hosted by Paws in the DMV and Canine Cardio. Dogs must stay leashed (no retractables) and be comfortable around other dogs. Sunday 11/8. Free.
• 🖌️ The Mindful Art Making + Yoga Workshop at MoCA Arlington pairs a restorative yoga flow with unsighted contour drawing and guided expressive drawing. Bring your own mat and water; art supplies are provided. Sunday 11/8. $23+.
• 🌐 El Tamarindo marks National Pupusa Day with an outdoor market featuring a DJ, folkloric dancers, and a 202 pupusa special, emceed by Cindy of La Salvadoreña. Part of proceeds benefits Guías Youth Collective. Sunday 11/8. Free.
• 🖌️ Pumpkin Painting & Sipping at Mercy Me sets you up with your own pumpkin, painting materials, and a seat at the restaurant’s autumn tablescape on the indoor fall patio. Seasonal bites and access to the fall menu are included. Sunday 11/8. $42.
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 The Ladies’ Hobby Hangout is an unstructured meetup for sketching, crocheting, reading, or whatever else you’re working on, with no planned activities beyond showing up with your project. Location shares in the group’s WhatsApp. Sunday 11/8. Price not stated.
• 🎭 Bring Your Own Team: An Improv Show at DCAC lets you sign up with your own friends or as a free agent for a short set, with a headlining set from local improvisers closing out the night. Sunday 11/8. $7.
• 🏰 The Maryland Emancipation Day Celebration at Thomas Harper Cabin at Brookside Nature Center marks the 162nd anniversary of emancipation in Maryland with programming at one of the county’s historic African American sites. Sunday 11/8. Free.

🤫 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.