journey outside dc

I was in Baltimore this past weekend for the Ravens game (I’m a Ravens fan from Pittsburgh who lives in DC – it’s complicated.) and after suffering a disappointing defeat, my friend and I left the game looking for some cheer. Luckily, we were a cheap cab ride away from Baltimore’s own brand of cheer: 34^th Street in the Hampden neighborhood.

The Miracle on 34^th Street as it’s come to be called is a Christmas tradition in Baltimore, and one that I’ve missed. (I called Baltimore home on and off in my early 20s and sometimes I really miss it. I’m a blue collar girl at heart and Baltimore is comfort food for me. Of course, there’s a reason existing on mashed potatoes and mac n’ cheese alone is inadvisable and I’m very happy living here and visiting from time to time.) This year it was just what I needed to put me back in a good mood after the game.

About 25 houses on one block participate, and some even let folks inside for a peek. On Sunday there was someone selling hot chocolate, an appearance by Biker Santa and a group of Japanese tourists. If you find yourself in Charm City before January 1, you should definitely make a stop in Hampden. Not just for the lights, but maybe the meatloaf at Cafe Hon, or a burrito at Holy Frijoles (which doesn’t serve alcohol on Sundays), or an afternoon of shopping the Avenue before hitting 34^th Street after the sun goes down.

Sometimes you just want to get out of town. DC has its charm, but sometimes you just hit that point where you’ve had enough of the same bars, restaurants, people, routine and it’s time for a change of scenery. Luckily, there are a ton of easy weekend or day trips from the DC-area.

For this first edition, I will be reviewing Veramar Vineyard in Berryville, Va. (http://www.veramar.com/). I spent the weekend here in October for a friend’s wedding.

I had always been curious about the Virginia vineyards. I had heard good things, but wasn’t sure what to expect.

The vineyard is beautiful. At that time in the fall, the leaves were starting to turn and the grass was a bright green. Rolling hills flow throughout the vineyard. Veramar was smaller than I anticipated. We spent time there in the afternoon before the wedding walking around and doing a wine tasting. For the wine tasting, we sampled a handful of wines, all of which were delicious. The wines had interesting names like Rooster Red and Pink Chicken.  Continues after the jump. (more…)

Last weekend I was privileged enough to cheer on the Maritime Republic of Eastport at the 11^th Annual Slaughter Across the Water. Many people around these parts know the MRE’s big brother of a city across Spa Creek, Annapolis. What many people don’t know is about the deep, long standing rivalry between these two sailing communities. Annapolis’s high falutin’ yachts, chardonnays and white table clothes versus Eastport’s more proletariat leanings, with its sailboats, beers and dirty floors.

Admittedly it seems silly: tiny two-bedroom houses on both sides of the river will run you well into the upper 6 figures (okay, maybe not for the one pictured above), both have lovely yacht clubs and both would proudly characterize themselves as Drinking Towns with Sailing Problems. However, this rivalry while friendly, is very real and very fun and plays out in early November over the river that separates the communities.

Our group was comprised of folks who came in from San Francisco, Cleveland, and Ottawa, all of whom at one point or another called the MRE home. None of us were pulling, so we kept busy drinking and greeting old friends in between cheering on the Eastport tuggers.  Continues after the jump. (more…)

Ed. Note: Welcome new contributor, Brightwood Living. Since the site has been expanding to cover more neighborhoods in the city I have recruited someone from up in north country. Her post is actually from north north country but I think you’ll like her style. She runs a local blog called Brightwood Living.If you live in a neighborhood in the city not currently covered at PoP please send an email to [email protected] if you are interested in contributing.

Last weekend my husband and I took a drive out to Homestead Farm in Poolesville, MD. We had visited the farm last fall, and this year we looked forward to returning to take a hayride to the pumpkin patch and stock up on apples, cider, and other autumn goodies.

After an entertaining drive down River Road through Potomac (I had a hard time staying on the road while gawking at the houses), we arrived at the farm on a sunny Saturday morning. We were happy to see that we had beat the crowds, and headed straight over to snack area to get some hot cider. Homestead offers a variety of snacks, the best of which are apple-based).

With cider in hand, we headed down to visit the animals – they have hens, sheep, goats, pigs and piglets, ducks and a calf all looking to be petted and fed (they sell animal feed for 50 cents). Who could resist this little man?

After wandering around the farm, including a stop to see apple butter being made and getting a taste, we headed to the store to pick up some apples and cider. The farm offers apple picking in the fall, but the trees are all picked-out now. We picked up 4 bags of apples and a few gallons of cider. In their store, Homestead also offers lots of baked goods and treats.

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Holy cow this was awesome. (See post below for general overview of the fair.) I’d never been to an agricultural fair before and I certainly hadn’t been to a demolition derby before. It was awesome! I didn’t think I’d find it that interesting but once it started I was hooting and hollering like a life long fan.

It cost $8 to get into the fair and $12 to get into the derby. And it was worth every penny! The demolition derby consisted of three rounds where cars basically crash into each other until there is only one left running. There were some serious jaw clenching, yelping crashes. It always amazed me how cars were able to start up again after such violent crashes. And let me tell you, some of these drivers were seriously talented. There was some definite artistry involved.

I promise to give a heads up before next year’s fair. You don’t want to miss it! More photos of the derby after the jump. (more…)

I’m not sure if anyone had the opportunity to check out the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair up in Gaithersburg but it was phenomenal. It is nice to have the option of checking out a fair like this only 45 minutes away from DC. It had tons of the great food you would expect (deep fried oreos, funnel cakes, corn dogs, corn on the cobb etc.) as well as rides and of course pig races. This was the first agricultural fair I’ve ever attended and I can guarantee you I’ll be back next year. As always the pictures do more justice than anything I can write. But let me just add that there was a demolition derby that was the absolute coolest (see post above). There must have been over 20,000 folks there taking it all in. The vegetarians may want to skip this post as there was a great exhibition of prize winning livestock.

Lots more photos after the jump. (more…)