By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 6/9/2016
Disclaimer: I was a sponsor and paid guest for Awesome Con held last weekend in Washington, DC so considered this a sponsored post. That said, as you know, I write a lot about comic cons, and I am not a spokesman for Awesome Con. These are my honest opinions and if you have any questions please […]
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 6/2/2016
Tomorrow Awesome Con in Washington DC kicks off, and The Beat will be there. In case you missed it, last year Awesome Con partnered up with Leftfield Media, the convention organization run by Greg Topalian, who founded New York Comic Con. Greg and I had a blast working on the very first NYCC together and […]
By: Anastasia Goodstein,
on 3/28/2012
Michelle Obama will be making her first appearance on Nick’s Kids’ Choice Awards this weekend (presenting Taylor Swift with the Big Help Award. The First Lady won the award herself in 2010 for the Let’s Move! Campaign. In other... Read the rest of this post
By: zillustration,
on 3/22/2012
The Tantes had a mongrel they named "Baron von Sputnik", hybridizing their ever present German heritage and the Soviet threat hovering high overhead. The poor mutt was a collarless pup that never saw a bathtub, other than the occasional Spring rain. Since my great aunts survived on canned sardines and Quaker Oatmeal, I don't think the dog had a diet of anything else.
These pieces are character studies for an upcoming pub with the D.C. Conspiracy's
Magic Bullet #5 free commuter comics newspaper.
By: Beth,
on 6/20/2010
For our final blog post, the Washington D.C. Local Arrangements Committee decided to do a round-up of all the information we have shared concerning Washington D.C. We hope you have found our info valuable and that you have a great time at Annual!
At the YALSA Wiki:
Here at the YALSA blog:
Post a comment if you have any last minute questions or concerns!
By: Beth,
on 6/17/2010
I cannot believe that Annual starts next week! If you are like me and my colleagues, you have begun thinking about what to pack and what to do. If you are new to Annual, the Local Arrangements Committee thought we’d share some last minute tips to help you:
By: Beth,
on 6/16/2010
Though you will have many opportunities to see and hear from authors at the conference, there are a few teen-focused events elsewhere in DC that might warrant a little exploration.
Politics and Prose is one of American’s greatest independent bookstores, and if that isn’t enough to get you to take a field trip, Thursday before the conference they are hosting John Green and David Levithan. Green and Levithan are also at the conference, but this may be a good opportunity to watch them interact with their teen target audience. On Monday, Lynne Rae Perkins is appearing, and her new book is getting lots of buzz. Check out the complete calendar of events at Politics and Prose.
Right near the convention center is the Martin Luther King Library, and this year they will be the site of a reception for Capitol Choices. Capitol Choices is a group of librarians, teachers and booksellers from the Washington Metropolitan Region who discuss books for kids and teens and create a list of 100 books at year’s end. Come and enjoy refreshments, and chat with authors (including Jon Skovron, author of Struts and Frets) and many great advocates of children’s literature. The reception will be held on Sunday afternoon from 3-5.
By: Beth,
on 6/9/2010
When visiting the Washington D.C. area this June for ALA’s Annual Conference, fans of this country’s Colonial history, or fans of forensic science will want to book time for a trip to the Smithsonian: National Museum of Natural History to see Written in Bone: Forensic Files of the 17th Century Chesapeake. The exhibit runs through February 6, 2011, but why wait?
Forensic Anthropologist, Doug Owsley, provides an excellent online introduction to the exhibit and mentions two of the not-to-be missed “bone biographies” featured. He also mentions the forensic anthropology lab, which is open for self-guided, hands-on exploration and is also available for more traditional class-oriented school programs. Check into the details for the lab on the website, especially if you are bringing a group.
Whether you are a Maryland/Virginia history buff, a Forensic Files fanatic or a fan of Sally M. Walker’s award-winning companion volume, Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland (Carolrhoda Books, 2009), this exhibit has something to capture your attention.
National Museum of Natural History Hours:
Monday to Friday – 7:30 AM – 6:00 PM
Weekends 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
By: Beth,
on 6/8/2010
Annual is only two weeks away, and I am sure everyone is figuring out where you have to be and when. Is your schedule packed, but you still want to get out and explore Washington D.C.? Here are some “after-hours” options for you to consider!
Most of the monuments and memorials are open 24 hours a day (although they are not staffed with park employees around the clock). Some are actually much more stunning when lit up in the darkness. The National Mall is patrolled all hours, so it is a relatively safe area to visit, although you should always be cautious. Visiting at night also allows you to avoid the tourists and the D.C. heat and humidity. “Solemn Dignity” by Jonathan Berohn can give you an idea of what is worth seeing. Additionally, the Jefferson Memorial is pretty at night, and the Washington Monument will be open until 10 pm for the summer.
Some of the museums offer evening options. The National Gallery Sculpture Garden has a special “Jazz in the Park” program every Friday evening. Some Smithsonian museums have later summer hours (this includes the zoo). The International Spy Museum is open until 7 pm. The Phillips Collection is open until 8 pm on Thursdays.
If you are interested in venturing outside of the city, two cities in Virginia can be fun. Arlington has a lot of nightlife options that cater to the young professional crowd; Yelp lists some under Restaurants and Nightlife. Old Towne Alexandria offers a lot of history, great restaurants, and fun places to shop. The Torpedo Factory is a great place for various types of art.
Looking for nightlife in D.C.? Adams Morgan and Georgetown are two very popular places within D.C. city limits. If you want to stick closer to the Convention Center, Yelp can be a resource to browse for restaurants and other nightlife near by.
By: Beth,
on 5/7/2010
Better late than never — this is the final post in Museums Month!
One of Washington D.C.’s newest museums is the Newseum, devoted to the history of news. The front of the building includes a stone wall engraved with the beginning section of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. This overlooks Pennsylvania Avenue, making it something every president will see on his or her Inauguration Day parade route. The lobby of the museum displays the daily front page of 80 newspapers from around the world.
Permanent exhibits within the museum cover a variety of topics, including the flow of news, news in the Web 2.0 world, and photography in the news. Major events also receive their own exhibits, including 9/11, Watergate, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. (The Newseum claims to hold the largest collection of Berlin Wall pieces outside of Germany!) A map displays the current condition of free press around the world, which recently changed a bit according to a story in the Washington Post. Special exhibits that are currently on display are devote to Elvis, Sports Illustrated Photography, Tim Russert, and the one I am dying to see – First Dogs: Presidential Pets in the White House.
The Newseum does charge admission but the tickets are good for two days. Tickets purchased online receive a 10% discount. If you are not able to visit the Newseum, the website is worth exploring. It has resources for students and teachers, games, and even a virtual tour of the museum.
Other museums we did not cover during Museum Month but worth checking out include O Mansion, African American Civil War Memorial and Museum, National Museum of Health and Medicine, and the National Museum of Crime and Punishment.
As we get closer to Annual, are there any other topics you would like the Local Arrangements Committee to cover? Leave a comment and let us know!
By: Loree Burns,
on 4/27/2010
Guess where I spent the last week? Here's a clue:
By: Beth,
on 4/23/2010
The Smithsonian Institution is affectionately called “Our Nation’s Attic” and it certainly earns that title. The Smithsonian is made up of several different museums, each holding unique treasures.
Want to see Kermit the Frog, Jerry Seinfeld’s puffy shirt, the Star Spangled Banner, or an Inauguration gown worn by a First Lady? Drop by the National Museum of American History. This museum has undergone a big face lift, so even if you have been here before, it is worth seeing again.
At the National Portrait Gallery you can see Elvis, our Presidents, and many other faces – famous and not.
While the National Zoo recently said good-bye to the adorable panda Tai Shan so he could find a girlfriend in China, there are many other animals you can see at the Zoo. If you need proof, drop by their website and check out one of the many animal cams they feature.
The Hirshhorn is THE place for modern and contemporary art, and the Sculpture Garden holds so much inspiration, at least one couple I know got engaged there.
The Air and Space Museum has so many aviation and space related exhibits worth seeing, they have two buildings – one in D.C. and one out in Virginia near the Dulles Airport. This tends to be a favorite with children, teens, and anyone who dreams big, so if you are coming to Annual with family, everyone is bound to enjoy either or both museums.
The Museum of Natural History allows visitors to see the big (dinosaur bones) and the dangerous (the Hope Diamond – rumored to be cursed).
This is just a fraction of what the Smithsonian has to offer. There are many more museums devoted to art, cultural heritage, and even the Postal Service that can be found on the Smithsonian website. Admission to the museums is free (although they will get you for parking or a bus ride if you wish to see the Dulles branch of the Air and Space). More information can be found on their website.
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By: Beth,
on 4/16/2010
Do you have a fondness for James Bond or Jason Bourne? If so, you do not want to miss exploring the International Spy Museum while you are in Washington D.C. for Annual this year!
The International Spy Museum is designed to appeal to both older children and adults. As you wander through the museum, you’ll learn about the history of spying and the many ways it’s been accomplished over the years. Could Moses have been a spy? The museum covers spying as far back as the Greeks, and moves up to modern day spying and the technology used. The gadgets are a lot of fun to look at, and includes such innovations as a lipstick gun, invisible ink, and buttonhole cameras. Using film, audio, and other methods, first hand accounts are included throughout so visitors can learn about real events, and maybe even get a glimpse at what might motivate a person to become a spy. Interactive exhibits let the visitors get an idea of whether they might make a good spy…or not!
My personal favorite part of the museum was a room devoted to animals who have worked for spies. Pictures taken using cameras attached to trained pigeons were amazing. If you cannot visit the museum but want to learn more about animal spies, check out the book The Cold War Pigeon Patrols and Other Animal Spies by Danielle Denega.
The International Spy Museum is privately owned and operated, so adult admission is $18.00. The museum also has a few special attractions for an extra fee. More information can be found at the museum’s website.
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By: Beth,
on 10/5/2009
Are you planning to attend ALA’s Annual Conference in 2010? We hope so!
To encourage you to attend, over the next nine months, the YALSA Local Arrangements Committee will be blogging to highlight things to see and do in Washington D.C. Our nation’s capital has a lot to offer; we hope the information we share will entice you to come to the conference and excite you for a visit to DC! To tempt you to our nation’s capital, here is just a taste of the wonderful things to do in and around Washington, D.C!
There is no better place to start a D.C. introduction than with the father of our country, George Washington. Just inside the Virginia border, overlooking the Potomac river, lies Mount Vernon. This was Washington’s home before, during, and after his presidency. There are tours available at Mount Vernon, where you can hear stories about Washington’s life there, and see period furniture, much of which was owned by Washington. In addition to Washington’s home, there are many other buildings on the grounds of Mount Vernon that were needed at the time to run a sizable estate. The smoke house, the wash house, and the clerk’s quarters are all available to tour, and visitors can also explore the grounds, including the tomb of George and Martha, several gardens, and a working farm.
Throughout the grounds, visitors will meet and be able to talk to re-enactors to ask questions and learn more about life at Mount Vernon during Washington’s time. Additionally, just a few years ago, an orientation center and museum and education center were added. There, visitors can learn more about Washington, Mount Vernon, and life in his time through movies, interactive exhibits, and the presidential library.
The house and grounds are open to the public upon purchase of a ticket, which currently costs $15.00. A distillery and gristmill associated with Mount Vernon also recently opened three miles down the road, and you can visit for an additional fee. More information about Mount Vernon can be found online, including a virtual tour and many educational resources.
If you want to celebrate our first president without spending too many George Washingtons, you can visit the Washington Monument. Located on the National Mall, the monument is the tallest structure in D.C. A bit of trivia: No other structure in Washington, D.C. may be taller than the Washington Monument!
Admission is free, although you must obtain a timed ticket at the Washington Monument Lodge, located on 15th Street. Inside the monument, an elevator and 897-step stairway can take visitors to the observation deck.
By: Vivian,
on 1/20/2009
Cheers to the world today, as we celebrate the momentous occasion of O’bama’s presidential inauguration. The last CLIP episode focused on a text set dealing withe the question “What role does government play in creating the conditions for prosperity or poverty?” I think it would be wonderful to include with this text set some of [...]
By: Amy C. Moreno,
on 3/24/2007
The Chicago Manual of Style is a sort of bible of the publishing and research community and is now available on your desktop. It is completely searchable and easy to use, providing quick answers to your style and editing questions. I found it on SWET's site. The Society of Writers, Editors and Translators. I originally found that link through Art For Housewives, which led to another fantastic find of Janet Cooper Designs, whose art is created from found objects. Take a look at her quilts, mixed media creations and tin can art!
Cool. Wish I had gone.
Hmm… no mention of Con Wars with Wizard World Philly?
The week before was MegaCon (slowly evolving away from their comics-centric mission after being sold to Fan Expo).
MeCaf was also last weekend, as was Phoenix Comicon.
My big criticism? It’s held in the summer.
DC has roughly 80K university students, not to mention more in Maryland and Virginia (UMD, UVA, George Mason, Johns Hopkins…)
That photo op is the old Carnegie Library. It was once slated to house Judy Chicago’s “Dinner Party”, but UDC… well… Now it’s in Brooklyn.
The library was replaced in 1972 by a design by van der Rohe, a rare International Style building in a city of neoclassicism.
If you need to get away, I suggest the National Portrait Gallery/SAAM in the old Patent Office, at 8th and G. (Free admission, because Smithsonian.)
The convention center is nice… it’s also the home of the National Book Festival.
I’ve been there for BEA, and ALA.
The trick is to go up or down when you enter, as streets crisscross the site.
For cheap eats, there’s Mayur Kabab House next to the Methodist church on 11th and K. It’s been there since at least 1994, when I lived/worked at HI-DC across the corner.
North of the CC is Giant Food at Ninth and O.
Also.. when ranking shows, I’d go by attendance:
200K+ Comiket
100K+ CCI, NYCC, FanExpo Toronto
75K+
50K+
Also, note which shows use all of the convention center, and which have expanded outside.
This was one of those shows where it was kind of a bummer to be sitting behind my Artist Alley table the whole time. It was a great show for me, don’t get me wrong, and it was great meeting everyone and selling my Poop Office crap. But there was so much great stuff going on, I wish I could just attend it!
Couple other cool highlights that I noticed:
The MAGFest area had a free arcade, something that’s a staple of gaming conventions, but should really be at more comic conventions! There’s something magical about being at a comic convention and hearing that arcade Colossus scream!
Geppi’s Entertainment Museum had some display cases with some pretty valuable comics and a wonderful tribute to Darwyn Cooke. They also had a copy of Spawn #1 on display, which made me laugh and also feel a bit old.
It’s a very easy show to get to by public transportation, with a subway stop literally right at the entrance to the convention center. So it’s very easy to get a more affordable hotel room somewhere in the larger DC Metro area and then just take the Metro in each day.
Our table was within sight of the kid’s area (the K-Zone!), and it looked like they had tons of fun activities for kids the entire weekend.
Apparently there was some kind of science fair going on, too. I didn’t get to see it, but that’s cool as hell. There was also an entire segment of the show floor made up of government science agencies like NASA and the Dept. of Energy. Great use of the DC location!
Awesome Con is definitely on my list for next year. Comics & Politics sounds like an awesome panel!
I only went Sunday and so experienced the cons without many pros. Running out of program booklets by 10:15 AM Sunday, delaying the Capaldi and Coleman Q&A by 2 hours, shrinking the Q&A down to 35 minutes, and cancelling the Sunday costume contest without any announcement all pointed to massive disorganization. I’ll be interested in seeing what you say about this “too fast too soon” problem in your later post.
Not living up to the posted online photo timing policy caused major problems: “For your comfort we have implemented a “group” system much like the zones used in airports. Hence select photo ops are subdivided into 15 minute sessions per group – ex. Group 1 starts at 5pm, Group 2 at 5:15pm, Group 3 at 5:30pm, etc. This allows you to only arrive a few minutes before your group start time rather than wait an hour or more.” They clearly sold way too many photo ops to fit into each 15-minute slot (and continued to sell more even when they knew they were way off schedule).
https://store.epicphotoops.com/awesome-con/2016