Roasted salmon, braised chard with sausage

Dinner tonight: roasted salmon, braised swiss chard with sausage and shallots.

For the braised chard, I first cut some sausage and brown it in a pan. Next, I slice a medium size shallot and add to the sausage. Then, I chop 2 cloves of garlic and add to the pan. When the garlic and shallot turn translucent (don't burn the garlic), I take a bunch of chopped chard (my bunch had about 4 or 5 leafy stems) and add to the pan. Next, I add a 1/4 cup of white wine and 1/2 cup of chicken stock. Cook on high and cover for about 3-5 mins, or until chard starts to wilt.

Washington, DC's Newseum

Grand Opening
Newseum Moves Closer to Grand Opening: April 11

Free Admission on Opening Day

From the Newseum website:
"The Newseum, the world's most interactive museum, will open its new $450 million, seven-level museum on historic Pennsylvania Avenue in the nation's capital on Friday, April 11. In its 14 major galleries, 15 theaters, two broadcast studios and a 4-D time-travel experience, the new Newseum blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and innovation.

The Grand Opening will include free admission for the public on April 11 and a live broadcast of a portion of ABC's "Good Morning America" from the Newseum. Additional opening weekend events are being planned and will be announced over the next few weeks right here at newseum.org."

Read more about the Grand Opening, and find out how you can get in for FREE!!!

(photo courtesy of Washington Post online)
Fire, Fire.....

2 Fires Ravage Eastern Market, Georgetown Library in 12 Hours
By Allison Klein, Keith L. Alexander and Michelle Boorstein
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, May 1, 2007;

A pair of massive fires ripped through two treasured city buildings in separate incidents yesterday -- first destroying the butcher, bakery and fishmonger stalls at Eastern Market and 12 hours later claiming valuable books, leather-bound documents and artwork at the Georgetown branch of the D.C. Public Library.
Click HERE for full article.

ALA Conference, June 23-26, 2007 - Washington, DC

The 2007 American Library Association's Annual Conference will be held in Washington D.C., from June 21-27, 2007. The exhibits will be held June 23-26, 2007 in the Washington Convention Center, located at 801 Mount Vernon Place, NW.

Pre-conferences will be held June 21-22. Business, committee and Council meetings are primarily held June 22-27. Programs are held June 23-26.

For those of you who are interested in non-conference hotel accommodations, here are some suggestions:

Courtyard Marriott, Chinatown"Courtyard by Marriott Washington Convention Center has beautifully transformed the historic Riggs Bank Building into one of the most sought after Washington, DC hotels. Sharing a neighborhood with some of the city's finest restaurants, foremost businesses and government offices, you can easily walk to the Metro subway, famed museums and the Verizon Center."

Embassy Suites Hotel Washington, DC -Convention Center
"The newly-constructed Embassy Suites Washington DC Convention Center Hotel is conveniently located in Downtown Washington DC between the White House and the US Capitol - just 1.5 blocks from the new Washington DC Convention Center."

The Swiss Inn
"The Swiss Inn has accommodations for business travelers and families vacationing in Washington DC all with private baths. Many of our rooms in this renovated turn-of-the-century brownstone also include kitchenettes."

Hotel Monaco
"Sophisticated, stylish, warm and inviting describe the downtown luxury Hotel Monaco Washington DC, a Kimpton Hotel located within walking distance of the National Mall.
Hotel Monaco - among the best Washington DC boutique hotels - is located in Penn Quarter by the Verizon Center and Washington Convention Center in the heart of downtown."

Washington Plaza Hotel
"Being centrally located downtown, the Washington Plaza is just five blocks from both the White House and the Convention Center, and a short trek away from the National Mall's various museums."


Washington, D.C. Cool Hotels
Hotel Helix (between Dupont Circle and McPherson Square Metro stops)
Hotel Madera (Near Dupont Circle Metro)
Hotel Palomar (Near Dupont Circle Metro)
One Washington Circle Hotel (near Foggy Bottom Metro)
The Inn at Dupont Circle (Near Dupont Circle Metro)
Jury's Hotel, Dupont Circle (Near Dupont Circle Metro)
Omni Shoreham, Woodley Park (near Woodley Park Metro)
River Inn, Foggy Bottom (Near Foggy Bottom Metro)
DoubleTree, Foggy Bottom (Near Foggy Bottom Metro)


Links to other hotels
Foggy Bottom hotels
Dupont Circle Hotels
Hotels in Foggy Bottom

Trader Joe's

One of my former colleagues, Lola Halpin, turned me on to this store a few years ago when I worked at Emory University. her sister would send her boxes of goodies, mainly CHOCOLATE and Triple Ginger Snap cookies, which she'd bring to our team meetings to distract us from the realities of Tech Services in Woodruff Library. Life hasn't been the same ever since.

Trader Joe's has everything from sushi to produce, VERY inexpensive wines, pasta sauces, enchiladas, cheeses and crackers, and munchies and snacks you'll buy over and over, like those Triple Ginger Snap Cookies (I've bought seconds even before the first container was empty!). I now have one just blocks from my apartment (walking distance!). Watch out for the boxes of CHOCOLATES lined up as you're standing in the check-out line.

Here is a what Trader Joe's is, taken from their website:

Quote:

Just what is this thing we call Trader Joe’s? Well, we’re a grocery store, sure, but really so much more. Our shelves are stocked full of delicious foods and beverages from the basics like milk, bread and butter to more exotic fare like imported cheeses, organic produce and hand-tossed pizza from Italy. We taste every product before we decide to sell it, and we guarantee you’ll like it.*

Here's how to get to the Foggy Bottom Trader Joe's.
You can also read an article published in the Washington, DC Express Newspaper about the opening our the Foggy Bottom location.

(Photo courtesy of Trader Joe's website)

Groovy dc Cards and Gifts
















Laura and I went to Eastern Market/8th St. on Capitol Hill on Monday (MLK holiday) looking for lunch. We discovered a cool place called Groovy dc Cards and Gifts.
Groovy dc specialises in:

• cards and items that you will not find at your typical stores
• boxed stationery, journals, calendars, local souvenirs items and balloons
• candles, candleholders, glass art, and items for new mothers and tots, women’s jewelry, picture frames, barware cocktail & wine glass sets, martini shakers and other small home accessories

When you find that special gift Groovy dc will have everything you need to wrap it up in beautiful papers, tissues, bags and ribbons. They are already planning for the next expansion to make full use of their outdoor side patio.

Groovy dc Cards & Gifts is located 428 8th St. SE on Historic Barracks Row and we can be reached at 202.544.6633 or contact us

Getting from Dulles Airport into the city

• The Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) is 26 miles and 30 minutes (non-rush hour) from downtown Washington, DC.

• You can get to Washington DC by bus, taxi or car.

• There is no subway or train from Dulles to Washington, DC.
  

There are a few options. One is to pay $9 one way and take the Washington Flyer, which drops you off at the West Falls Church Metro. From here, you can get into Washington, DC via the Orange Line in the direction of New Carrollton. To get to Dupont Circle, you'd need to transfer at Metro Center and take the Red Line in the direction of Shady Grove.
Other airport options are posted here.

The Washington, DC Metro website (wmata.com) lists some tips to getting into the city from Reagan National, BWI (Baltimore-Washington International airport) and Dulles International using the metro (click here for metro tips). Travelers can also use the Metro Bus 5A to travel to Foggy Bottom from Dulles Airport, which is only $3.

Another option is to take SuperShuttle, which costs about $12 one way, and each additional passenger pays $8. You do have to call in advance and make a reservation (800-BLUE VAN (258-3826) or (202) 296-6662).

(photo courtesy of washingtondc.org)