National Train Day At Union Station… It’s Free! And A Giveaway!
All Aboard Everyone! This Saturday at Union Station,
Amtrak is celebrating National Train Day!
It’s FREE and goes from 10am til 3pm!
American Idol Judge Randy Jackson is the National Train Day Spokesperson and will kick off the festivities!
There will be Train Equipment Displays for the kiddies to see trains up close and personal all day,
including the Georgia 300 (President Obama’s historic inaugural private train car)
National Train Day is a celebration for all trainiacs, especially the little engineers. Bring your kids and enjoy appearances by The Radio Disney Road Crew where kids – and former kids – can enjoy music, a dance party, interactive games, and receive giveaways. Magicians, face painters and educational hands-on activities will also be onsite, including interaction with real Amtrak employees such as train engineers and conductors.
NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY: Just leave a comment and you are entered to win a an ‘Artie’
I have 2 to give-away! “Artie” is a plushtoy leaf, wearing an Amtrak hat. Why a leaf you might be asking? It’s to help signify and spread the word of the environmental efficiency of train travel. The Department of Energy’s 2008 report says that Amtrak’s trains are 18% more efficient than commercial airlines & 24% more efficient than cars!
ALSO-
Here are some more all day events going on:
Trains Move our Economy Exhibit, the Go-Green Express, Honor the Bright Land: Trains and the Preservation of America’s Great Places, Amtrak – Enjoy the Journey, Snapshot Station and the Train Day Trading Post.
So, leave a comment and be entered to win an ‘ARTIE’ !
**This giveaway runs through Sunday at 6pm**
**Only open to DC Metro Area residents**
**Winners will be chosen by Random.org**
Take the Metro Train down to National Train Day!
My Presidential Sighting !!!
I’ve been so busy this week I haven’t had time to share my exciting Presidential news!
This past Friday evening, we decided at the last minute to have dinner at La Panetteria, it is a great little family-owned Italian restaurant in downtown Bethesda. We love this place- it is fantastic food and always welcoming!
So we are sitting there, facing the bay window out to the little Bethesda side-street, Cordell Ave, when-
a big motorcade comes passing by!
My husband commented, “That almost looks big enough to be the President’s.” We are both natives to the DC area, so we don’t get excited about motorcades and like to think we can guess what degree of dignitary it’s for, based on the amount of cars, SUVs and security.
“Yeah, but why would the President be in Bethesda… for dinner?” We laughed… and went back to eating.
We had a great time and headed to the next block to a parking garage where our car was parked.
AND THEN we saw a large group of people gathering… around Imagination Stage.
I went up to a guy standing there to ask what was going on, then a saw that the entire road was blocked,
“The President’s in there, with the girls.”
All of a sudden, This DC native got really excited! I mean, I CAN WALK to Imagination Stage.
Then the guy told me we wouldn’t be able to get out of the parking garage- UGH.
But I went up to the Secret Service and they told me ‘no problem’, the agents in the garage would just let us out on the other side of the garage. The Secret Service was so nice, (I think they’re especially nice when you are holding hands with a 5-year-old)…
But I totally appreciated it because most were decked out with guns and stuff and for them to be nice and polite in front of my little guy was cool…
It was also cool that the President and First Lady were at Imagination Stage for officially an ‘extracurricular event’ for Sasha…
and Imagination Stage is down the street!!!
Okay, so I didn’t actually SEE the President- but really close!
So, ‘Bethesda is the new Georgetown’… without the drunk college students- YEY!
DC Metro Moms Party with ‘Top Chef’ Spike at his ‘Good Stuff Eatery’
What do you get when you cross-
Good Food,
Beer,
MILKSHAKES,
A Bravo Top Chef,
and those wild and crazy DC Metro Mom Contributors?
Well, a FANTASTIC time, of course!
The place? Good Stuff Eatery on Capitol Hill! Good Stuff? Are you kidding me?
I love this place- look up at my blog title… I love ‘good stuff’ !!
‘Bravo Top Chef’ contestant Spike Mendelsohn showed off his culinary skills last night for DC Metro Mom contributors. This is his new restaurant, specializing in burgers and fries and salads and other comfort food. I love that there are delicious milkshakes on the menu and
I especially love that I got carded when I ordered a beer!!
There’s Spike with some of our lovely DC Metro Mom Contributors…
He’s super nice, and talented- I loved my salad!
Everyone had fun; we always do when we get together…
Most of the seating is upstairs, I like this layout…
And there’s the infamous famous Jessica (A Parent In Silver Spring) holding her beer…
What a fabulous time: good food, good friends.
Spike’s new restaurant serves really good food and is reasonably priced…
AND he is working right now on opening a ‘pizza joint’ next door- SUPER COOL!
Thank you to Quaker Oats for appreciating Moms!
Go Down and See The Cherry Blossoms- Parking is EASY
My son and I went down to see The Cherry Blossoms… for the first time. I’m embarrassed we hadn’t done it before because it was so easy- and come on, the Cherry Blossoms are just so pretty!
They are officially ‘past peak’ right now, but as you can see from my pictures- they still look pretty good!
About the parking- it’s easy! Just drive down to the Tidal Basin, go around the Jefferson Memorial and that parkway right there that circles the Tidal Basin and is right by the FDR Memorial has free parking all along it. That’s right- they changed it from 2 ways to a 1 way street- so 1 lane is all parking- brilliant !!!!!!
When did the DC government get so smart ??!!
That’s how it was this week- check the Official Website for details, (although on the website they encourage you to park and take their free tram).
Go down- it’s easy, fun and there’s nothing like seeing the Cherry Blossoms in person!
Ben’s Chili Bowl: Darn Good Chili!
I’ve always meant to try the chili at the Washington Landmark- Ben’s Chili Bowl, because I’m a bit of a chili connoisseur…
if there is such a thing.
So, this week being our ‘Spring Break’, my son and I headed down to U street and the famous chili place-
to see how it measured up.
It’s right across from a Metro station and has a small parking lot in back (10 spaces- this is new), just turn into the alley on the left side of Ben’s Chili Bowl and you’ll see the parking lot!
So the review= THIS IS GOOD CHILI! It’s basically Cincinnati chili, which is my favorite, since my parents are both from Cincinnati. Cincinnati chili is the only kind I make.
For those who are not familiar with Cincinnati chili,
It’s thick, thicker than Texas chili, and the secret ingredient is: *drumroll*………………
cinnamon
yes, cinnamon.
The cinnamon makes the chili sweet and if you add a lot- hot!
Try it at home, you’ll love it!
And take a trip down to Ben’s Chili Bowl, a traditional chili diner and enjoy some GOOD chili !
Check it out- and they just opened a restaurant and bar next door.
“Oh, the Weather Outside is… Awesome!”
Isn’t it amazing how good weather puts EVERYBODY in a good mood?! Our thermometer read 66 degrees yesterday, we went to the park, we washed cars! It’s going to stay this nice all this week.
The weather affects everyone (obviously), yet ‘talking about the weather’ has a negative implication, like you had nothing to say to the person, so you just ‘talked about the weather’. But weather is important…
It is generally true that people who live in warm, sunny climates are happier.
After all, weather is like pizza– when it’s good, it’s GREAT 
Yes, I just compared weather to pizza… but can’t you really compare everything to pizza?
The DC Auto Show was Great
The DC Auto Show was great!
And taking Metro couldn’t have been easier.
If you have boys, consider taking them next year… we saw Diego, Spiderman and Ironman too!
The DC Auto Show This Weekend!
The DC Auto Show is this weekend! As a mother to a young son- this is comparable to DisneyWorld, right here in our own backyard.
Take Metro down to the convention center, and have fun! Kids under 6 get in FREE, and adults pay $12.
There is stuff for kids- with Dora, Diego and even Spiderman making appearances throughout the day!
So get up and get down there! We’ll be there, looking at the 700 cars and trucks…
I don’t know if my Little Guy is going to be able to stand it- he’s giddy about it already!
I love the First Lady’s gloves and shoes
Yesterday History was made. And even though I could have braved the cold and ventured downtown to the Capital Buiding on Metro, I did not. I chose to have the best seat in the house: I watched the Inauguration on TV.
There is enough written and there will be plenty more written about wonderful moments and the meaning of The Inauguration, like the moment I welled up with tears when I saw 2 old African-American men in the crowd wearing Tuskegee Airmen caps.
So let’s concentrate on something important here *wink*.
I LOVED Michelle Obama’s choice of green J.Crew gloves and green Jimmy Choo shoes to wear with her outfit yesterday. It was kind of a bold choice… and it worked! And not only do I love that it worked, I love that she went with J. Crew- fashionable, yet practical, and Jimmy Choo- designer… and that they were not a set.
She’s workin’ it, but not ‘above-it-all’.
And J. Crew is loving life right now: not only did they design the girls’ jackets and outfits, I just went to their site and I could not click through to their gloves section… I got an apology that you can’t access it right now; I’m guessing their gloves, which on all on sale right now too, section has temporarily crashed due to gazillions of hits to buy leather gloves… preferably green
‘Kids Eat Free’ Nights!
Busy running around? No, me neither.
Take a break and go for dinner with your kids and your hubby to Austin Grill.
We went to Austin Grill last night for dinner. It’s quick, but not too quick, and the food is good.
BUT THE BEST PART is that ‘Kids eat free’ EVERY TUESDAY at Austin Grill,
at every location in Maryland, DC and Virginia.
Also right now at Cafe Deluxe, Kids get a FREE SUNDAE for dessert on TUESDAYS… at all 3 of their locations.
Our family loves going to Cafe Deluxe because the food is great, the service is wonderful and like Austin Grill, Cafe Deluxe is very kid-friendly.
Both restaurants have great kids menus and neither restaurant rushes you, yet keeps dinner moving so your child won’t get restless.
Enjoy!
And also a big thank you to A Parent In Silver Spring for first telling me about ‘Kids Eat Free’ Tuesdays at Austin Grill!
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