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This is my ballisto brother Poacher…yes the one and only

NoVA/DC Activities      by Freeze

Sand pit volleyball – there are about 11 sand pits where every day people congregate to play pick-up volleyball games.  You don’t have to be awesome at volleyball and everyone is very welcoming and cool. Great to place to plan a group meeting so you can have a “team” but you can also incorporate as a single or 2-ship easily. Pits are located about 0.1 miles Northwest of the Lincoln Memorial and go unnoticed unless you’re looking. Park on Rock Creek and Potomac Pkwy NW.

National Arboretum – A fairly expansive outdoor location in NE DC. It has about 13 different collections hidden within the natural plantlife and the grounds are well manicured and plants are meticulously labeled. Great place to go and ride bikes and/or walk or run around. You can travel from place to place by car but that is more of a pain. http://www.usna.usda.gov/

 Fountainhead Regional Park – Probably the best close-by hiking, trail running, and mountain biking location. Just a few miles south on I-95 (exit at Lorton exit), it’s more secluded than Great Falls and C&O Canal Parks (though they are okay), and the trails are more agro (especially the mountain bike trails – they will kick your ass). http://www.nvrpa.org/park/fountainhead

Biking around DC/NoVA – If you don’t have a bike and utilize it around here you are missing out. It is an easy way to get outside, exercise, and see new sights. It offers a way to commute to work as well and sometimes is less time consuming than driving (like going down M Street in Georgetown for instance). There are a ton of interlinking trails throughout the area some of which are well mapped, others not. Use Google Maps and choose Bike as your mode of conveyance to see trails come up. This website has some good resources and a helpful off-road trail map (“Arlington Bike Map”) to help you out: http://www.bikearlington.com/pages/maps-rides/

Capital Science Evenings at the Carnegie Institution – Starting in the late summer and ending in the spring, the Carnegie Institution hosts a lecture series on various scientific topics. Lectures happen about once a month and entry is free. Get there 15 minutes early to ensure a seat in the main room. Parking can be difficult, it is a half mile walk from the Dupont Circle metro.

Adult League Sports – Kickball’s not just for grade-schoolers! You can pretty much find a league for anything (Skeeball, Cornhole,…). Each league is generally sponsored by a bar to which everyone returns after the game for social time with discount drink and food. Here are some good places to start: http://dcsocialsports.com , http://www.kickball.com/dcareakickball

Khan Academy – Raining? Got the flu? Broken leg? Stay inside and improve your mental prowess at this handy website which provides short lectures on just about any topic. For instance, did you know the key to having a popular Reformation Era painting was to include the Virgin Mary, baby Jesus, and baby John the Baptist (cause they’re pretty much in every painting)? Great for kids as it can track your activities and give you badges!

Top 100 Restaurants – Get out there and eat well!

Top 100

Live Music – Tons of venues around town. Check the calendar at these venues to make sure you don’t miss out on a great show:

– 9:30 Club – IOTA Club & Café – Blues Alley

– Rock & Roll Hotel – The Birchmere – Black Cat

– DC9 – Red Palace – Howard Theatre

– U St Music Hall – Washington Post Listings

Don’t forget Jazz in the Garden every Friday down on the Mall (summer)

Golf for those that don’t golf – Top Golf is a place in Alexandria where you can booze, eat food, and play games. Specifically they have a driving range where you play with golf balls that are specifically micro-chipped to you; it tracks where you hit them and gives you scores. It’s actually pretty fun, especially if you don’t like playing 18 holes.