Day 157/365 - Saturday Time Machine

Today was a perfect day for a retro boy like me. I started off by heading over to the Smithsonian Institution's American Art Museum to see the exhibit "1934: A New Deal for Artists." It's a collection of paintings from 1934 sponsored by the U.S. government under the Public Works Art Project, a precursor to the longer term and larger scale Public Works Administration initiative. Participating artists were requested simply to depict "the American scene." Everything else was up to them.

It's quite a good exhibition with some wonderful paintings and excellent discussions of what life was like in the U.S. during the depths of the Great Depression (which should really be called the Terrible Depression instead). It's also a reminder of the importance of art in society, even in tough times. After I finished checking out the exhibit, I headed over to the DC Armory for more retro goodness -- the DC Rollergirls' latest roller derby match. As an appetizer, the Cherry Blossom Bombshells completely crushed the visiting Boardwalk Brawlers from New Jersey in an exhibition match. The main event between the DC DemonCats (my faves) and Scare Force One was a closer match, however. It was pretty hotly contested as well. Two skaters went down with injuries and there were multiple penalties.

In the end the DemonCats pulled out the victory, their second win this season over defending league champs Scare Force One. This was my second trip to the roller derby and this time I sat on the floor of the Armory right at the edge of the track. I was hoping to end up with a rollergirl in my lap at some point, but no such luck. Several did go flying into the crowd just to my left, however. I'll have to remember that spot next time.

After the roller derby ended, I capped off my throwback day with a visit to the American City Diner for dinner and a movie. ACD is a diner in the Friendship Heights section of DC that serves up both classic diner fare and classic movies, which it shows on its deck for free every night at 8:30. In winter the deck is covered and heated, but in better weather I'm guessing it's open to the air. I opted for a very vintage meal of meatloaf, coffee, and apple pie to accompany tonight's movie, "Dial M for Murder" with Grace Kelly and Ray Milland. I'd never seen it before and it was quite good, as was the food. I'm a little bummed that I missed ACD's screening of "King Kong" earlier this month. Now that I know about this place, I'll have to make sure I check their movie schedule fairly often to see what's showing.

(Taken with my Nikon Coolpix S200)

Day 113/365 - Dinner at Johnny Rockets

I had originally planned on getting a half-price ticket to see Signature Theatre Company's production of "Les Miserables" tonight. I got busy at work though and didn't remember to buy the ticket until after Ticketplace had already closed for the day. Phooey.

So I swung by the Pentagon City mall instead to pick up a new coat to take to Venice with me next month. I didn't want to lug my overcoat or peacoat with me, and I wanted something heavier and dressier than just a fleece. I found a dark grey jacket that I think will work pretty well. Should keep me warm and keep me from looking too much like a bumpkin. And it was on sale for half-price -- bonus!

After buying the coat at Macy's I popped into the Johnny Rockets at the mall for dinner (tuna melt on rye, order of half-rings, half-fries and a vanilla Coke). I like Johnny Rockets, but I try not to eat there too often. Pretty much everything they have is fried and I'm not trying to die anytime soon.

Although their chocolate-peanut butter shakes are pretty much to-die-for.

(Taken with my Nikon Coolpix S200)