Things I'm Talking About

• Today, there will be a partial solar eclipse beginning around 1:45 PM. But when they say partial, they mean PARTIAL. At it's peak, only a small portion of the upper left part of the sun will be covered.
• Today is also the peak of the Perseids meteor shower, and a new moon, so people are really talking about it. I made a video talking about it a bit, and here is a link to my favorite dark sky map.
• For Dupont Ice Arena has free ice skating and free skate rentals every Friday, but you need to RSVP (there are plenty of open spots though).
• The public comment period on the RFK Stadium redevelopment period ends on Friday, so if you have thoughts, now's the time to share them.
• Flock cameras have been in the news a lot lately and they, along with data centers, seem to be the subject of a lot of community opposition to a larger anti-AI movement. Harrisonburg residents recently got all Flock cameras removed by the city. There have been a number of Flock-related events in DC as well, including one on Monday.
• Evan from Boy Throb sang the national anthem at a Nats game recently. You have to be online a lot to get that one.
• Lil Bob the goat is available to be booked. That's the goat that made the news for being on the metro a week or so ago, and seen out on U Street at night.
• ​PARK(ing) Day in DC is where parking spots are transformed into popup parks. If you want to take part, applications close August 21.
• San Matteo is celebrating 3 years this weekend with a complimentary drink and appetizer on Friday and Saturday.
• Black Georgetown Foundation has been battling DDOT on respect for the gravesites at the city's oldest Black cemeteries.

Valerie

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

Last week, we asked: Do you think that deployment of federal agents and the National Guard in DC since August 8, 2025 have changed DC? You responded:

• Yes, for the worse (70%)
• No, it's about the same (26.7%)
• Yes, for the better (3.3%)

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: Cafe Milano

"Cafe Milano! A DC hot spot for decades. You see celebrities there too. Saw John Kerry and husband of Kamala Harris eating there." sharemyplight

Location: 3251 Prospect 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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• 🖌️ Camp Snappy Mosaic Tile Coaster Workshop walks you through selecting tiles, grouting, and finishing a mosaic coaster you'll take home. Includes a camp lunch (Uncrustable, beer, chips, and a Jello shot). Wednesday 8/12. $20.
• 🍲 Caroline Chambers is the Substack recipe developer behind What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking, and she’s coming to Sixth & I to talk about making real dinners in under 30 minutes. Wednesday 8/12. $53+.
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Literary Libations book club meets at The Study at Morrison House in Old Town Alexandria, with this month’s read being Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke, a darkly funny novel about a lifestyle influencer who wakes up actually living the traditional life she’s been performing online. Themed cocktails, conversation prompts, and an optional book swap round out the evening. Wednesday 8/12. Free.
• 🕺 Four storytellers walk on stage, three tell the truth, and one is lying through their teeth. At Perfect Liars Club, you and the crowd become detectives, grilling the performers for clues and voting on who’s spinning fiction. It’s hilarious, sneaky, and way harder to figure out than you’d think. Wednesday 8/12. $18+.
• 🎭 Catch a free outdoor screening of 10 Things I Hate About You at The Wharf’s Transit Pier as part of their all-summer movie series. Grab a spot on the pier, bring your friends, and enjoy a classic rom-com with the water as your backdrop. Wednesday 8/12. Free.
• 🎈 Arlington County Fair brings five days of free entertainment with live music, amusement rides, eating contests, and kids activities to Thomas Jefferson Community Center. It’s one of the East Coast’s largest free events, so bring the whole family for some classic fair fun. Wednesday 8/12-8/16. Free.

• 🌲 Fungi Frolic is a guided walk through Rock Creek Park focused on finding and identifying wild mushrooms growing in the neighborhood. Thursday 8/13. Free.
• 📖 The AirSpace Live! Star Trek at 60 is a live taping of the Air and Space Museum’s podcast marking the franchise’s 60th anniversary, with Trek curator Margaret Weitekamp and Lower Decks actress Tawny Newsome. Costumes are welcome, and after-hours museum access and pop-up stargazing are part of the evening. Thursday 8/13. Free.
• 🎭 The Ghost in the Shell (1995) screening at the Embassy of Japan is a free showing of the sci-fi anime classic about a cyborg detective unraveling a hacking conspiracy in 2029 Japan. Registration is required and seating is limited. Thursday 8/13. Free.
• 🍲 Omi Hopper at Bold Fork Books is a cookbook conversation with TikTok food creator and Next Level Chef runner-up Omi Hopper, celebrating her debut book on Puerto Rican home cooking. Thursday 8/13. $12.
• 🤓 Test your textile knowledge at Trivia Night at Hillwood, where you’ll compete in teams of up to four while exploring the mansion, gardens, and the special exhibition Interwoven: A Tradition of Textiles. Grab some pub-style snacks from Merriweather Café, answer questions about textile history and pop culture, and stick around for prizes. Thursday 8/13. $10.
• 🎭 The Dumpling Club is a short film about a man who brings his late parents’ Chinese cookbook to a local language class while grieving, followed by a panel discussion with the Arlington-based director and cast. Thursday 8/13. Free.

• 🍲 Alexandria Restaurant Week brings prix fixe dinner menus across the city's restaurants, from waterfront spots to neighborhood staples, at $35, $45, or $55 per person. Friday 8/14-8/23. $35+.
• 🎈 The DC Hot Air Balloon Festival takes over Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington with tethered balloon rides, food trucks, and a nightly balloon glow synchronized to music. Tickets are limited and sell out. Friday 8/14. $25.
• 🧠 Want to level up your golf game without spending a dime? Free Lesson Friday at Rock Creek Park Golf offers full swing, chipping, and putting instruction from real instructors, plus games and challenges for golfers of all skill levels. Friday 8/14. Free.
• 🕺 New Orleans rap legend Juvenile performs at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore with The 400 Degreez Band. Friday 8/14. $62+.
• 🕺 Kesha: The Freedom Tour brings Kesha’s pop catalog to Jiffy Lube Live on her first headlining tour in years, with Chromeo, Erika Jayne (her song Death Of Me is my song of the summer), and Sizzy Rocket opening. Friday 8/14. $24+. *
• 🍾 Moombahton Massive at Culture is a night dedicated to moombahton, the bass-heavy genre that blends reggaeton and house and was literally born in DC. Tittsworth and Dave Nada, two of the sound’s originators, are on the lineup. Friday 8/14. $34+.
• 📖 Spend the night exploring the Natural History Museum with your crew where you’ll hunt for dinosaurs, play survival games, and sleep under the same roof as some seriously cool fossils. It’s the kind of adventure that’ll have everyone talking for months. Friday 8/14-8/15. $130+.
• 🕺 Techno in the Park is an outdoor techno party at Wangari Gardens, featuring DJ KS (a Flower Factory alum who got shut down by park police last year for going too hard). Friday 8/14. Free.
• 🕺 Catch The Experience Band & Show bringing the Go-Go heat to Transit Pier for a free Friday night concert starting at 7pm. Grab a Pacifico, snag some snacks, and let the live music get everyone moving. Friday 8/14. Free.
• 📖 Paul Tenorio, senior soccer writer for The Athletic, is discussing his book The Messi Effect at a Alexandria bookstore, covering how Messi’s arrival transformed Inter Miami and reshaped MLS from the boardroom up. Friday 8/14. $12+.

• 🍲 Big Schlim's DC Food Tour is a guided bus tour through five DC restaurants — Honeymoon Chicken, Federalist Pig, Mama Tee's Kitchen, Taqueria Habanero, and Here's the Scoop — led by local food reviewer Big Schlim. You ride together, eat family style, and skip the parking. Saturday 8/15. $200.
• 🖌️ Focaccia Art in Bloom is a hands-on baking class where you make focaccia from scratch, then decorate it with vegetables, herbs, and olives. Saturday 8/15. $69. *
• 📜 Garfield Park Native History Day surfaces the Anacostan Indian history buried under a Capitol Hill park, including artifacts found during the park’s construction in 1883 and the village site identified on the Carroll Estate. Saturday 8/15-8/16. Free.
• 🎈 Get ready to settle the ultimate food debate at the Jollof Festival DC ‘26, where West African countries compete for the title of Jollof Rice Champion and you get to taste and vote on the best. There’s also live music, family activities, and plenty of regional specialties to explore at Union Market. Saturday 8/15. $34+.
• 🌲 Sound Mapping at Rock Creek Park is a 30-minute activity where you sit quietly in the park and draw what you hear instead of what you see. A good reset for anyone who usually walks with headphones in. Saturday 8/15. Free.
• 🧑‍🍳 The Five Elements of Flavor is a hands-on workshop at the Anacostia Community Museum where you’ll taste five representative flavors (date, cocoa nib, ginger, lemon, Celtic sea salt, and Schisandra berry) then blend your own Five-Spice powder to take home. The session connects flavor to digestion, organ systems, and seasonal energy through the lens of traditional food science. Saturday 8/15. Free.
• 🎈 Vintage Car Show & Pinewood Derby Race at MLK Library brings restored classic cars from local collectors alongside a first-ever Pinewood Derby where you can build and race your own wooden car. Saturday 8/15. Free.
• 🤓 A Beginner’s Guide to Mahjong with Girls Who Mahjong is a two-hour intro class covering tiles, setup, rules, and actual gameplay in American mahjong, the four-person tile-matching game of skill, strategy, and luck. Saturday 8/15. $54.
• 🤸 The Anacostia Run is a community walk/jog/run along the Anacostia trail, open to all fitness levels. Saturday 8/15. Free.
• 🕺 The Quentin Walston Trio plays an afternoon jazz set at the Kreeger Museum, mixing original compositions with standards in the tradition of Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington. Your ticket also gets you into the galleries. Saturday 8/15. $35.

• 🖌️ At this Steampunk Jewelry Workshop at Del Ray Artisans, you'll repurpose old watch parts into wearable pieces using the DIY, upcycling spirit of the steampunk aesthetic. All supplies are included. Sunday 8/16. $50.
• 🎈 The Made In Maryland Festival is a one-day outdoor celebration of Maryland-made goods, food, wine, and beer at Kurtz’s Beach in Pasadena, with live jousting thrown in for good measure. Sunday 8/16. Free.
• 🖌️ Make Art Sunday at Café Cino is a drop-in art session at a SE DC coffee shop where you make something simple, drink good coffee, and meet people. No experience needed. Sunday 8/16. $15.
• 🍾 Sundresses & Whiskey is an afternoon patio party at Dirty Habit with whiskey and cocktail specials, cigars, hookah, and DJ Shindig on the music. Sunday 8/16. Free.

🤫 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.