THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5
BOOKS Recipe blogger Maria Lichty recently released her first cookbook named after her blog, “Two Peas & Their Pod.” At this book signing at Room & Board, taste some of the book’s appetizers as Lichty and “How Sweet Eats” blogger Jessica Merchant chat food and answer questions from the audience. Free, 6:30 PM.
MUSIC Former Rilo Kiley singer/songwriter Jenny Lewis’s most recent album, On the Line, features Lewis’s storytelling alongside a number of guest musicians, such as Beck and Ringo Starr. Lewis will perform at the Anthem with opener The Watson Twins, whom she collaborated with on her first solo album, Rabbit Fur Coat. Lewis and the twins often perform a few songs together when they share a bill. $40-$70, 8 PM.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
POKER Play hooky from work at the Junkies Poker Open at the MGM National Harbor. This poker tournament kicks off with a live broadcast of the Sports Junkies’ show. Afterwards, sit at a table and play poker for as long as you can last. $300 buy-in, 11 AM (registration starts at 6 AM).
ART The Korean Cultural Center’s new exhibit, “Newly Connected,” shows the work of three contemporary artists whose works are influenced by their experiences after emigrating. The artists—Namwon Choi, Kyoung eun Kang, and Kieun Kim—explore the anxiety of moving to a foreign country and the process of adapting to a new culture. The exhibit will have an opening reception on Friday night with artist talks. Opening reception: 9/6, 6 PM (with RSVP). Exhibit: Through September 27.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
ARTS The Kennedy Center is celebrating the expansion of its campus with a two-week long REACH Opening Festival, which includes hundreds(!) of events ranging from music and theater to comedy and hands-on workshops. Explore the three new pavilions and greenery along the water, as well as highlights like the virtual reality lounge. Through September 22. Free, but timed passes must be reserved in advance.
MUSIC Listen to jazz outdoors at the Rosslyn Jazz Festival at Gateway Park. The festival features Houston soul band The Suffers, ex-Carolina Chocolate Drops cellist Leyla McCalla, Grammy-nominated Cha Wa, and local go-go group JoGo Project. Throughout the afternoon, dine on local food trucks and order drinks at a pop-up beer and wine garden. Free, 1 PM.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
MUSEUMS The National Gallery of Art gives an overview of the first 50 years of photography (1839-1889) with its exhibit “The Eye of the Sun: Nineteenth-Century Photographs from the National Gallery of Art.” Organized chronologically and thematically, the show displays photographs taken with the first snapshot camera, Kodak, in 1889. See the earliest uses of this medium for portraits, war photography, landscapes, and travel. Through December 1.
FESTIVAL The District of Columbia isn’t quite a state (YET), but that doesn’t stop us from having a State Fair: Head over to Gateway DC for food, arts and crafts vendors, government agencies, and nonprofits. And, like any good state fair, DC’s version has a ton of contests, so make sure to keep an eye on the pet parade and join in the hula-hooping competition. Free, 11 AM – 7 PM.
BEER DC Beer Week kicks off with three events on Sunday—a fun run (for preemptively burning off those calories), an “off-flavor” tasting at Pizza Paradiso (so you can learn about flavors that are “off”), and a kickoff party at Bluejacket that features a number of area breweries, plus the official DC Beer Week brew, a kellerbier called Solidarity Beer 2019. Through September 15. Event prices vary.
