RSS FeedOpenings/Closings In Penn Quarter & Free Offerings During Fed’l Shutdown
UPDATED (10/1 @ 5:40 pm): Ford’s Theatre will close for performances and theater programs. Tonight’s press night performance will be held in the Woolly Mammoth Theatre rehearsal space. Due to limited space only press may attend; Ford’s will reschedule all other guests. Ford’s walking tour, Investigation: Detective McDevitt, will continue. The Center for Education and Leadership, which is owned and operated by the Society, will stay open 9:00am — 6:00pm.
UPDATED (10/1 @ 1:31 pm): We added three items to the open list as denoted by the asterisk (*).
From an e-mail from the Penn Quarter Neighborhood Association, we are reposting this list of what is open and what isn’t open in our neighborhood during the Federal government shutdown. The list may be amended and readers are welcome to post comments regarding their own experiences. Two additional items of note…
First, a few of Jose Andres’ restaurants are offering a free sandwich to furloughed Federal employees between 3 pm to 5 pm while the shutdown is in effect – we suggest verifying with the restaurant also.
Second, Sixth and I (600 I St NW) is hosting Shutdown Central from 10 am to 4:30 pm, a gathering place to spend time with free food, coffee, and Wi-Fi.
If there are other businesses with specials in the neighborhood, they are welcome to post them in the comments:
Cultural & Entertainment Venues – Open or Closed during the Federal Government Shut Down
Open to the Public (Regular Scheduled Hours, Performances, Films, and/or Events)
Canadian Embassy Gallery*
CulturalDC’s Flashpoint
E Street Cinema
Ford’s Theatre (for performances and theater programs)
Friday Morning Music Club (performing at Calvary Baptist Church)
German-American Heritage Museum
Goethe-Institut
The Hamilton
Hill Country
International Spy Museum*
Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington
Koshland Science Museum
Madame Tussauds Wax Museum*
MLK, Jr. Memorial Library
National Building Museum
National Museum of Women in the Arts (no charge to furloughed federal employees with federal employee ID)
National Theatre Corporation
The Newseum
Ronald Reagan Building/International Trade Center*
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Sixth & I Street Historic Synagogue
U.S. Navy Memorial
Touchstone Gallery
Verizon Center
Warehouse Theater
Warner Theatre
Washington Stage Guild
Woolly Mammoth Theatre CompanyClosed to the Public
National Archives
National Gallery of Art
National Portrait Gallery
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Smithsonian Institution (all Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo are closed)
Bodogs (614 E St NW) Kosher Hot Dogs Coming Soon
Thanks to a PQ Living reader for sending in the photo above of the soon to open Bodogs restaurant/cafe at 614 E St NW. The PQ Living snapped photo below provides the wide perspective.
The space was formerly occupied by the Potato Valley Cafe which we reported opening in September 2007 and closing in approximately the late summer of 2011. The space was slated to become an Italian carry out restaurant once Potato Valley closed, but that concept didn’t make it off the drawing board.
Bodogs will serve kosher hot dogs, knishes, and corn on the cob as indicated by the signage. We’ll provide more information as we get it.
Great Expectations [For The Healthcare Clinic]
It seemed like the best of times to get a flu shot, but ended up being the worst of locations. We’ve been somewhat smitten with the Healthcare Clinic inside the new Walgreens (801 7th ST NW), finally a decent walk-in clinic in our neighborhood. For years we’ve been getting our flu shot at CVS (435 8th ST NW) and were never thrilled with the customer service we received. Sure CVS was fast, but it was never very pleasant.
Enter the Healthcare Clinic at Walgreens: bright, clean, and staffed by very friendly professionals. Unfortunately the first-come first-served clinic, treating numerous ailments, doesn’t mesh well with the walk-in/walk-out nature of a flu shot. We don’t begrudge having to wait in line to see a doctor or nurse for a normal appointment, but flu shots seem like a different beast. When practically anyone can give the shot out, and the beauty of the flu shot is it is both cheap and fast, having to wait more than an hour for a shot is crazy.
In Walgreens’ defense you can make appointments online, which we would certainly do for any visit requiring a consultation. The new Walgreens has a lot of benefits over the CVS, but getting a flu shot there isn’t one of them.
Minibar Magic
Last week, we were thrilled to have the opportunity to dine at Minibar. While we had been twice when it was in the Cafe Atlantico space, this was the first time at the new iteration of the restaurant that opened last year at 855 E Street NW. The experience definitely ranks up there as one of the best dining experiences ever. The creative flavor combinations and playful presentations play tricks on your taste buds and mind. One of my favorites (pictured above) featured coconut and cuttlefish. Nothing is what it seems, which is what makes the experience so entertaining. Additionally, the opportunity to observe and interact with a team of incredibly talented chefs that move through the kitchen in a well-choreographed dance takes the dining experience to a whole new level. Reservations are still hard to come by, but much more accessible now that there are twice as many seats as before. If you consider yourself a foodie or if you want to see how food can be transformed into art, then make your reservation now.