Tudor Place is fab. And the gardens at Dumbarton Oaks are killer when the roses are in bloom. And also, see a movie at the AFI Silver in Silver Spring, one of the world’s best movie theaters (and that’s not exaggeration) and eat at one of the local restaurants, like Pacci’s, Crisfield, or the Quarry House.

The Renwick is fabulous. I also liked the Sackler & Freer galleries. Air & Space is the worst culprit for crowds, IMHO.

Agreed. I moved out of DC back in ‘13 and by then Chinatown was becoming impossible...and so many Chinese restaurants and businesses were forced out by the higher rents and chain stores and restaurants. 

I live in Baltimore and probably the worst that I can think of is the National Aquarium, which is badly overpriced and full of screaming tourists. The whole Inner Harbor area in season is a pain, and the parking is obscene. The Visionary Art museum across the harbor is overpriced but worth the expense. The Baltimore…

I would have loved to have thrown this at my mom when I was a teen. She was OBSESSED with popping my pimples, no matter how tiny. And she insisted on going into my ears with cotton swabs on a regular basis. She also insisted being cold gave you a cold. 

There was a cupcake food truck that came to the neighborhood where I used to work...and their cupcakes were the work of the gods. The cake part was always moist and excellent, and they came up with frosting flavors that complemented and contrasted to the cake flavors, without overdoing it. The lady who ran it later…

I suck at decorating cakes. Once I smeared on some white frosting on a chocolate cake, and then scattered it with silver and gold sprinkles (dragees?) as it was for a Christmas potluck, and it looked smashing. And I have a very old-school cake recipe that’s basically a spice layer cake but instead of frosting, you…

I did this out of necessity when I was unemployed and looking for work. Job-hunting was using up most of my emotional energy, and even when I did find one, the pay was so low at the start that I only could tend to the absolute necessities. Things have improved but every so often I go into low-power mode.

At an old job, we had a break room sink with a garbage disposal. One of my co-workers had a habit of putting flower stems down the disposal...which gummed it up, badly, and when they finally had to call in plumbers to deal with it, the stench coming from the pipes as they cleaned them was overpowering and some in the…

I once lost a ton of weight on the South Beach Diet, and when I saw friends I hadn’t seen in a while, they didn’t comment until I mentioned the diet...and then they revealed that they had been worried that I was ill. I gained it all back, and then some, and now I’m very public about how I’m working out so my friends…

NEVER NEVER NEVER continue to sleep with someone after a breakup. DON’T. It messes with your head, you start hoping you’ll get back together, etc. If they propose it, GET OUT. RUN AWAY. It’s evil and callous and unfeeling. And yes, voice of experience speaking here. Something I wish I’d never done.

I quit my gym, because it was a poorly-maintained and poorly-run place that gave almost no guidance and didn’t have a lot of what I would have liked. They were cheap, but that was it. I went in and asked to cancel my membership, and they did so with no fuss. I didn’t even have to give them the story I had concocted.…

I made a homemade pizza and it was FABULOUS. 

I’m going to have some VITA volunteers do my taxes for me (accounting students at the local college; they get experience and all their work is double-checked) so we’ll see if they need it there....

Agreed to the first question. I live in Maryland, and once bought a used car in Pennsylvania. (A 1992 Suzuki Swift, a car I loved, amazing gas mileage, totaled in an accident, and try finding one now....) Paid the asking price for the car as a used-car lot, then we had to take it back over the border for a state…

Mine literally showed up in the mail today. I had no idea what to do with it; thanks for this posting! And I know I have nothing to fear...I was on an ACA plan from January to the end of April, and in May started off on my new employer’s plan. Whew.

Jamie Raskin (D-MD) joked about them being “the pariah’s caucus” which is about right.

Red sockeye salmon (spendy, but worth it if you can find some cans on sale) makes a great salad for sandwiches. Also, if you ever roast a fish whole and don’t eat it all, mix up the leftovers into a salad.

I’m a big burly guy, and there have been a couple of times in my life when I’ve felt uncomfortable and unsafe on a date, especially with a guy who seemed to have certain....psychiatric issues. I don’t mean to dump on people with mental illnesses, but this one would say something to me and then say something else that…

Literally a small wooden spoon with caviar in the bowl; the bowl end was sunk into the drink and the caviar generally held together, so you could take it out and nibble on it as you sipped. A few small bits would always drift around and were nice little bonuses.