Things to Do This Veterans Day Weekend
It is Veterans Day weekend in the DMV, and it is going to be a chilly one. Make sure your bundle up if you plan on heading to the National Zoo to say goodbye to Bei Bei, who moves to China in just over a week or the National Veterans Day Observance at Arlington Cemetery on Monday. But don’t worry, there are plenty of indoor activities to keep you busy this weekend too.
The lower levels of Metro Center and L’Enfant Plaza along with Federal Triangle and Smithsonian stations will be closed this weekend. Free buses replace trains between McPherson Square and Federal Center SW on the Blue and Orange lines. The Silver Line will run between Wiehle-Reston East and McPherson Square ONLY. Orange Line trains will operate on a regular weekend schedule between Vienna and Ballston, and Federal Center SW and New Carrollton. Blue Line trains will run on regular weekend schedules between Franconia-Springfield and McPherson Square and Federal Center SW and Largo Town Center. Final trains will leave New Carrollton at 12:04 a.m. on Saturday and 10:14 p.m. on Sunday, and Vienna at 11:58 p.m. Saturday. The last train will leave Wiehle-Reston East at 11:55 p.m. on Saturday and Franconia-Springfield at 11:55 p.m. on Saturday. Red, Yellow and Green line trains will operate on regular weekend schedules. On Monday, Veterans Day, Metro will run from 5 a.m.-11:30 p.m. on a Saturday schedule with free parking and off-peak fares.
National Veterans Day Observance
Honor those who have served in the U.S. armed forces at the National Veterans Day Observance at Arlington Cemetery. Monday’s solemn event begins with a prelude from the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own” followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier conducted by the U.S. Army Military District of Washington at 11 a.m. It concludes with a program hosted by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Attendees are encouraged to be at the amphitheater or Tomb of the Unknown by 9:30 a.m. Free shuttle buses will be provided to the amphitheater beginning at 8 a.m. and return back to the welcome center after the program until 2 p.m. Guests may not walk to the amphitheater.
Nov. 11 at 10:30 a.m. at Arlington National Cemetery, 1 Memorial Ave., Arlington. Admission and parking is FREE!
Smithsonian Food History Weekend
The Smithsonian National Museum of American History hosts its fifth annual Smithsonian Food History Weekend that encapsulates the history of food in the U.S. and how it affects culture and community. There’s a fascinating event each day, beginning with a gala that will feature in-depth roundtable discussions, cooking demonstrations, a food-themed film festival and more on Friday and Saturday. Featured chefs include Jacques Pépin, Ellie Krieger, José Andrés, Rick Bayless, Danny Meyer and Carla Hall. Friday is topped off with an after-hours event with numerous breweries, which is sold-out.
Nov. 8 and 9 from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. at the National Museum of American History, 1300 Constitution Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
America’s First Veterans
While generals and leading officers of the Revolutionary War have received statues and glowing historical reviews, junior officers and enlisted men returned home after fighting to a new republic deeply in debt and unconcerned with appreciating and supporting them after their important service. American’s First Veterans includes paintings, prints, artifacts and documents that memorialize the men who fought for U.S. freedom and faced countless struggles in re-adjusting to civilian life.
Nov. 8 through Apr. 5 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon-4 p.m. Sunday at Anderson House, 2118 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
The Emporiyum Food Market
One of the coolest food marketplaces around is taking place all weekend long. The Emporiyum Food Market invites you and your foodie friends to delight in deliciousness from more than 90 vendors with everything from hot sauce to doughnuts and oysters to cocktails. There is plenty to samples, but you will probably want to buy full-size cookies or lobster rolls if you want to fill up. You will also find thoughtful gifts (Christmas is just around the corner) and premier products from an awesome artisan lineup that you would be hard-pressed to see anywhere else.
Nov. 8 from 6-8 p.m. and Nov. 9 and 10 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at Dock5 @ Union Market, 1309 Fifth St. NE. Tickets are $15-$80. Children 12 and younger are FREE!
White Pearl
In its attempt to be the new behemoth in cosmetics, the Singapore-based, female-led company Clearday is going global. However, a draft ad for their new skin-whitening cream leaks on YouTube, generating millions of views due to its extremely tasteless material. As morning in the U.S. market draws near, it is all on the line in White Pearl, a corporate comedy that examines culture and consumerism with searing satire.
Nov. 6 through Dec. 8 at 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (except Nov. 9), and 7 p.m. Sunday (except Nov. 10) at Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW. Tickets are $20-$111.
Amadeus
Amadeus is historical fiction at its finest, a tale of genius and the jealousy that it can inspire. Antonio Salieri, the former director of the Italian opera and once a dedicated Catholic, has admitted to the murder of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (yes, that Mozart) 32 years earlier. He takes the audience back to his glory days, which were interrupted by a young composer who thrills Salieri with his incredible music, yet appalls him with hedonistic behavior. From then on, Salieri revokes his faith and devotes his life to ruining Mozart’s. The play won the 1981 Tony Award for Best Play and the film adaptation won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Nov. 5 through Dec. 22 at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (except Nov. 9), 7 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday (except Nov. 13 and 19) at Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $27-$85.
Occupant
A little Jewish girl from Russia immigrated to the U.S. and became the renowned sculptor, Louise Nevelson. In Pulitzer Prize-winner Edward Albee’s (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) Occupant, she has been invited to participate in an interview — from beyond the grave. Through her ups and downs, her contradictions and evasions, we witness the deep inner turmoil and intrepid triumphs of one of the 20th century’s greatest artistic minds. This surprising and touching play is an unabashed exploration of how a pioneer for free-thinking women everywhere found her voice.
Nov. 7 through Dec. 8 at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (except Nov. 9, 10 and 23), and 7:30 p.m. Sunday and Tuesday at Edlavitch D.C. Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW. Tickets are $30-$52.
Airness
Here is the play about air guitar competitions that you never knew you needed. Airness follows Nina, who ventures into the brave new world and makes friends quickly. Everyone in her outgoing-but-nerdy group is gunning for the championship. However, she will find out there is a lot more to air guitar than she initially thought. Filled with laughs, this production will have you rockin’ in the aisles this November.
Nov. 8-30 at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church St. NW. Tickets are $41-$51.
International Holiday Bazaars
November is usually when some of us start thinking about shopping for holiday gifts. But forget Black Friday: The DMV’s international community has you covered with holiday markets and bazaars. The Czech Embassy opens its doors Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. for the Czech Christmas Market so shoppers can browse handblown glass ornaments and Bohemian jewelry while sipping mulled wine and listening to carols. Also on Saturday, the Danish Club of Washington’s annual Danish Christmas Bazaar from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at St. Elizabeth’s Church in Rockville will feature Royal Copenhagen Christmas plates, silver and amber jewelry, and decorations; the Icelandic Association of Washington’s Christmas Bazaar from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at American Legion Post 177 in Fairfax; and the Norwegian Christmas Bazaar from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Bethesda. Books, knitwear, holiday decorations and baked goods are common, but each country puts its own spin on the festivities.
Nov. 9 at various times throughout the DMV. Admission is FREE!
Marcel Duchamp: The Barbara and Aaron Levine Collection
Marcel Duchamp: The Barbara and Aaron Levine Collection is the first of a two-part exhibition on the life and legacy of the legendary French artist Marcel Duchamp. The Hirshhorn Museum features more than 35 of the artist’s historical pieces, all part of a recent gift from D.C. collectors Barbara and Aaron Levine. The exhibition allows viewers to grasp the full arc of Duchamp’s career, from his famous readymades to his drawings and prints that inspired countless future artists. Also see portraits of Duchamp and pieces from his contemporaries and figures he influenced, including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Diane Arbus, Man Ray and Irving Penn, among others.
Nov. 9 through Oct. 12 from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. at the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, Seventh Street and Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
George Washington Whiskey Festival
For the first time, Mount Vernon offers this whiskey festival that is sure to delight and dazzle spirit connoisseurs throughout the area. At the George Washington Whiskey Festival you will be able to try George Washington’s Rye Whiskey and spirits from 12 nationally known distilleries and ones located in Virginia. The festival will also offer discussions of whiskey history and distilling stories from experts.
Nov. 9 from 6-9 p.m. at Mount Vernon, 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Mount Vernon, Va. Tickets are $85.
Bye Bye, Bei Bei
Giant panda cub Bei Bei is scheduled to leave the National Zoo on Nov. 19 for his new home in Chengdu, China. From Nov. 11-18, the zoo will host its Bye Bye, Bei Bei farewell celebration featuring a series of events. During this tiem, Panda Cam 1 will focus exclusively on Bei Bei so you don’t have to miss a minute of his final days in D.C. From 9 a.m.-2 p.m. daily, there will be a postcard station next to Bei Bei’s outdoor habitat where you can write a postcard with your well-wishes. The postcards will be sent with Bei Bei to China. Also daily at 11 a.m. there will be a Q&A with a panda keeper where visitors can ask questions about giant pandas. And a various times throughout the day, he will be given treats including bamboo, sugar can, honey and pumpkin spice.
Nov. 11-18 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. daily at the National Zoo, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Ongoing events
All Work, No Pay from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through February at the National Museum of American History, 1300 Constitution Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Alonso Berruguete: First Sculpture of Renaissance Spain from 10 a.m.-5 p.m Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Feb. 17 at the National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Animals, Collected from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.6 p.m. Sunday through Spring 2020 at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Tickets are $7-$10.
Americans from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through 2022 at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Fourth Street and Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
Bonnard to Vuillard: The Intimate Poetry of Everyday Life from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon-6:30 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 26 at The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students and seniors 62+, and children 18 and younger are FREE!
By the Light of the Silvery Moon: A Century of Lunar Photographs from the 1850s to Apollo 11 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 5 at the National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Capital Harvest on the Plaza from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Fridays through Nov. 22 at the Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Elephants and Us: Considering Extinction from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Sept. 13 at the National Museum of American History, 1300 Constitution Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Encountering the Buddha: Art and Practice across Asia from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Nov. 29, 2020 at the Freer|Sackler Galleries, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
The End: A Mediation on Death and Extinction from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 20 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors 65 and older and students older than 18, and FREE for children 18 and younger.
Everybody at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 7 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday through Nov. 17 at the Shakespeare Theatre Co.’s Lansburgh Theatre, 450 Seventh St. NW. Tickets are $49-$112.
The Eye of the Sun: Nineteenth-Century Photographs from the National Gallery of Art from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Dec. 1 at the National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Feel the Sun in Your Mouth: Recent Acquisitions from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through February at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Independence Avenue and Seventh Street NW. Admission is FREE!
Game Change: Elephants from Prey to Preservation from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Feb. 1, at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Ginny Ruffner: Reforestation of the Imagination from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Jan. 5 at the Renwick Gallery, Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street NW. Admission is FREE!
Hoops from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 5 at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for youth ages 3-17, students with ID and seniors ages 60 and older.
I Am . . . Contemporary Women Artists of Africa from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through July 5 at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art, 950 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
In Mid-Sentence from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Mar. 8 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Intersections: Los Carpinteros from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon-6:30 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 12 at the Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors 62 and older. Children 18 and younger are FREE!
It’s Hip to Be Square: The Mint Family from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through Nov. 31 at the U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Live Dangerously from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 20 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors 65 and older and students older than 18, and FREE for children 18 and younger.
Lucid Motion from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday through Dec. 1 at Artechouse, 1238 Maryland Ave. SW. Advance tickets are $16 for adults, $12 for students, seniors and military and $8 for children 2-14 and $20, $15 and $10, respectively, at the door.
The Magic Flute at 7 p.m. on Nov. 9 and 23, and 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12, 15, 17 and 22 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW. Tickets are $25-$299.
Manifesto: Art x Agency from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through Jan. 5 at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Independence Avenue and Seventh Street SW. Admission is FREE!
Michael Sherrill Retrospective from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Jan. 5 at the Renwick Gallery, Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street NW. Admission is FREE!
Mid-Century Master: The Photography of Alfred Eisentaedt from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday through Jan. 12 at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, 4155 Linnean Ave. NW. Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, $10 for college students, $5 for children ages 6-18 and children younger than 6 are FREE!
Newsies at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday through Dec. 22 at Arena Stage,1101 Sixth St. SW. Tickets are $66-$102.
One Life: Marian Anderson from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. through May 17 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Othello at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 8 and 7 p.m. on Nov. 11 and 15 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street NW. Tickets are $45-$299.
Outbreak from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through 2021 at the National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
The Outwin 2019: American Portraiture Today from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Aug. 30 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Pat Steir: Color Wheel from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Sept. 7 at the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, Seventh Street and Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
Picture Books of the Past: Reading an Old Master Painting from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through Sept. 30 at the Museum of the Bible, 400 Fourth St. SW. Advance tickets are $19.99 for adults, $9.99 for children 7-17 and children and younger are FREE. Tickets at the door at $24.99 for adults, $19.99 for seniors, military, first responders and students, $14.99 for children 7-17 and children 6 and younger are FREE!
Picturing the American Buffalo: George Catlin and Modern Native American Artists from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Apr. 12 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Portraits of the World: Korea from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Nov. 17 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
LAST CHANCE! The Right to Be Forgotten through Nov. 10 at Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW. Tickets are $72-$115.
Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through Jan. 3, 2021, at the National Archives, 701 Constitution Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Rise Up: Stonewall and the LGBTQ Rights Movement from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Dec. 31 at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $12.71-$21.21 online or $14.95-$24.95 at the door.
Sacred Dedication: A Korean Buddhist Masterpiece from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Mar. 22 at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Sculpture Down to Scale: Models for Public Art at Federal Buildings, 1974-1985 from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. through June 6 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Sea Monsters Unearthed, Life in Angola’s Ancient Seas from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through 2020 at the National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Section 14: The Other Palm Springs, California from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through January at the National Museum of the American Indian, Fourth Street and Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Seriously Funny: From the Desk of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Dec. 31 at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Admission is $12.71-$21.21 in online or $14.95-$24.95 at the door.
Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday through September at the Library of Congress’ Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. SE. Admission is FREE!
Subodh Gupta: Terminal from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through 2020 at the Freer|Sackler Galleries, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Theory at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 7:30 p.m. Sunday through Nov. 17 and 11 a.m. matinees on Nov. 7 and 14 at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $10-$65.
The Touch of Color: Pastels at the National Gallery of Art from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 26 at the National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Verrocchio: Sculptor and Painter of Renaissance Florence from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 12 at the National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
What Absence Is Made Of from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through March at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Seventh Street and Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
Women Artists of the Dutch Golden Age from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 5 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults, and $8 for seniors 65 and older and students. Children 18 and younger are FREE!
Women of Progress: Early Camera Portraits from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through May 31 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Editor-in-Chief Mark Heckathorn is a journalist, movie buff and foodie. He oversees DC on Heels editorial operations as well as strategic planning and staff development. Reach him with story ideas or suggestions at dcoheditor (at) gmail (dot) com.