After decades of monopolizing the tourist trade around the National Mall, Tourmobile and its 1970 throwback tour buses are ceasing operations on October 31. more ›

Does Rockville need a motto? Well, according to according to a report in the Rockville Patch, it's got one now: "Get Into It." Uh, okay. Better than "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville," I guess. more ›

The National Park Service will shut down access to the Reflecting Pool between the Lincoln Memorial and the World War II Memorial for up to two years as part of a $31 million renovation project beginning later this month, according to WTOP. The planned improvements include a new recirculation system, which will improve the water quality of the Pool, and a paved walkway around the perimeter of the pool, which should be a sizable upgrade over the dead grass which currently circles the pool. (More detailed information on the upgrades approved by the National Capital Planning Commission can be found here.) During construction, public access to the area around the pool shouldn't be impeded too much, though the pool itself will be drained and fenced off. more ›

The folks at Destination D.C., the city-funded District tourism bureau, have hired Dr. Ruth Westheimer to be their newest spokesperson. An event scheduled at the National Press Club Thursday morning promises an appearance from the diminutive psychosexual therapist, alongside At-large D.C. Council member Kwame Brown, to celebrate the launch of Destination D.C.'s latest ad campaign, described as a "month-long 'stimulus plan' designed to boost hospitality business by highlighting the romantic and playful side of the District.' Just in time for Valentine's Day -- get it? We're also told that Brown will be there in order to "swear in" Dr. Ruth as "Honorary Secretary of Love & Relationships" of the city. more ›

We're pleased to congratulate the winners of the first ever WalkingTown DC Photo Contest, sponsored by DCist and Cultural Tourism DC. On September 29, the staff behind the twice yearly free walking tour weekends challenged local photographers to come out to their event and snap photos that best captured the spirit of WalkingTown, and then judged the entries to pick their top three. First place winner: David Pike won for his "walk on" shot... more ›

FRIDAY: >> Howard University alum Eric Roberson performs tonight at the Black Cat along with Emily King. Doors open at 9 p.m. $17. >> It's pretty much the end of times: Vanilla Ice will be at Foggy Bottom bar McFadden's tonight, "drinking, partying, and hosting the night" starting at 10 p.m. $5 Jager bombs and $2 Bud and Bud Light bottles are little enticement to make this event anything more than laughable, but maybe if... more ›

Cultural Tourism DC's free WalkingTown DC event this Saturday, Sept. 29 has a walking tour for everyone, but one of the tours that most interests us is the "What’s Going On: Marvin Gaye Park" tour, led by volunteer Steve Coleman and presented by the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. From 10 to 11:30 a.m., participants will have the opportunity to follow the path of famed soul singer Marvin Gaye’s early life growing up... more ›

DCist is proud to be the official media sponsor of Cultural Tourism DC's free event this Saturday, Sept. 29: WalkingTown DC offers a wealth of free walking tours all day long to get Washingtonians out and discovering new things about their city and neighborhoods. The Temperance Tour, hosted by volunteer Garrett Peck, author of The Prohibition Hangover, begins at the Cogswell Temperance Fountain at 7th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW at 1 p.m. and wraps... more ›

We wanted to remind you about this weekend's upcoming photo contest sponsored by DCist and non-profit Cultural Tourism DC as part of the semi-annual WalkingTown DC event. On Sept. 29, photographers are encouraged to attend any of the free walking tours on offer as part of WalkingTown DC, and enter their photos to win great prizes. Details and rules below, and also feel free to sign up for the unofficial Flickr group. more ›

DCist is once again an official media sponsor of the free walking tours offered twice a year by non-profit Cultural Tourism DC. This time around, WalkingTown DC, a day-long event scheduled for Sept. 29, is teaming up with us to sponsor a photo contest to encourage people to come out to the free tours and snap photos as you explore new neighborhoods. more ›

Good morning, Washington. An estimated 10,000 people attended the dedication Sunday of the official memorial for the 32 victims killed at Virginia Tech on April 16. Students at the university, about four hours outside D.C., begin classes for the fall semester today. On the same day as the dedication, about 23 Virginia Tech students living in an off-campus apartment building were taken to hospitals after showing signs of carbon monoxide poisoning. Several of the... more ›

From the front page of this morning's Washington Post, it seems the last person anyone expected to be right about anything, perennial whack-a-doo mayoral candidate Faith, wasn't actually that far off the mark during last year's campaign: Chocolate City is rapidly becoming Vanilla Villa. The District of Columbia will likely no longer be majority-African American within the next 13 years. The 14 percent increase in non-Hispanic white District residents and 6 percent decrease in blacks... more ›

Last Saturday morning, under grey skies and whipping winds, DCist rolled out of bed to take a walking tour of Embassy Row, one of the 60 free tours being offered in this weekend's WalkingTown DC, an event offered by Cultural Tourism DC. Like Sommer, I was initially sceptical that there was much to learn about the Dupont Circle neighborhood, a familiar stomping ground for many Washington young people. But on the Embassy Row tour,... more ›

Most Washingtonians are accustomed to participating in guided tours only when entertaining out of town guests. We all know we'll have to trek out to the monuments with family and friends at least a few times a year, so being a tourist in our own city voluntarily at other times might not sound terribly appealing. But try not to think of the tours being offered in this coming weekend's WalkingTown DC, a series of 60... more ›

By DCist Contributor Matt Pelkey On the Fourth of July you light fireworks, on Memorial Day you grill hunks of meat, and on Labor Day you grill more hunks of meat. But how should you celebrate Emancipation Day this Monday? The voting rights march leaves little excuse for perverting another holiday into reason for a meaningless leisure activity. But if for some reason you can't be at the march, make up for it by heading... more ›

April is a huge month for visual art in D.C. Friday marks the beginning of the twofive-week-long Artomatic, while later this month we'll be treated to the first ever international art fair in the city with artDC, both of which we'll tell you more about as they come closer. more ›

If you haven't noticed the ad over in the left column of our site for the last couple of weeks, allow us to formally announce our excitement over once again being an official media sponsor for Cultural Tourism DC's WalkingTown weekend of free walking tours of the city. It's a pretty natural fit for us to help support this great annual event, given that it's entirely about exploring and learning about the city, and that it costs absolutely nothing -- at DCist, we're nothing if not notorious cheapskates. more ›

On Sunday, the Post ran a story detailing the Washington, DC Convention and Tourism Corporation's announcement that they will spend $150,000 beginning this year to research and develop a new catch phrase for the city. We told you a bit about these plans, including the Tourism Corporation's effort to gather your opinions on the District through their Share Your DC survey, back in January. If you still haven't completed the survey, go ahead and take... more ›

Think you've got a better slogan than "Celebrate and Discover" to describe our fair city? Chances are you do and the D.C. Convention & Tourism Corporation wants to hear it. They've launched a new campaign to find out what we Washingtonians think makes the city great. Over at Share Your DC you can take a quick survey asking what you think are the city's greatest people, places and events along with advice you'd give to... more ›

FRIDAY: more ›

Vince Scheuerman, eat your heart out. This morning, DCist's inbox contained a press release announcing an upcoming party kicking off a campaign to adopt a city song for Washington. The effort calls itself, "Come to Washington: A Song for the City," and it's thrown its support behind "Come to Washington," a treacly bit of civic pride penned by Lincoln Ross, a longtime D.C. musician whose past work has included stints with Count Basie and Donald... more ›

Just in time to close out Black History Month, Cultural Tourism DC, in partnership with the Historic Preservation Office of the D.C. Office of Planning, is unveiling its first African-American Heritage Trail marker. The marker is to be placed at the Recorder of Deeds office at 515 D Street, NW. more ›

What happens when a bunch of museum professionals try to brainstorm how to boost attendance during what is historically one of the quietest times of year? Apparently, some creative linguistic contortions to connect an eclectic smattering events to the chosen theme: "Warm Up To A Museum." Yes, you can learn about hot wax at the Textile Museum, "warm up to cool art" at the Canadian Embassy, check out an exhibit on global warming at the Marian Koshland Science Museum, or study the life of "fiery feminist" Susan B. Anthony at the Sewall-Belmont House and Museum. more ›

Everyone knows the "18th Street at 2 a.m." side of Adams Morgan, but what about the rich and diverse history of the neighborhood? And don't you wonder what it looks like in the daytime? This Saturday, there is a chance to learn about the "other side" of Adams Morgan with Step Back Into History: The Adams Morgan Heritage Trail Walk, the inaugural event of the fifth Heritage Trail in the District. A joint collaboration between... more ›

We here at DCist have long been fans of Cultural Tourism DC, a non-profit coalition of community organizations that encourage cultural tourism and promote "economic development and hometown appreciation of the capital's rich variety of heritage and arts attractions." We have found their online event directory and weekly newsletters a useful source of information on an eclectic mix of cultural events and sites around the city. Thus, we couldn't help but agree to be an... more ›

Of course. Bike to Work Day, in which this DCist is participating, had to fall on the one day this week where rain is a foregone conclusion. Hopefully a little precipitation won't dissuade area cyclists, though. In this rainy DDOT traffic cam shot of Massachusetts Avenue and Whitehaven Street, it doesn't look that there are many bikers out and about this morning. Did you bike through the rain? Congress Seeks to Overturn D.C. Gun Laws:... more ›

FRIDAY: >> All weekend long we've got Filmfest DC! Check out the schedule here, and if you haven't picked up a copy of this week's City Paper, you really should, because they've got some good Filmfest coverage. >> If you're feeling crafty, you won't want to miss the Smithsonian Craft Show this weekend: there are 120 booths exhibiting and selling some of the nation's finest arts and crafts. Just check out, for example, some of... more ›

(From DCist contributor Eleanor Davis) The season of giving has doesn't end on New Year's Day. January 10th through 16th the DC Convention and Tourism Corporation and the Restaurant Association of Metro Washington are teaming up to give us all a great big present -- discount prices at some of DC's toniest eating establishments. In honor of the new year, you can get a three-course meal for $20.05 at lunch and $30.05 at dinner. Don't... more ›

Thousands of hotel employees at 14 major D.C. hotels will go on strike at 11:59 p.m. tonight unless a last-minute deal is negotiated between the hotels and their union. UNITE HERE Local 25 joined that union's other locals in five other cities when they voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike if negotiations with the Hotel Association of Washington D.C. failed to yield a contract. (See the potential strike covered by the AP/WTOP, Post, W. Times.) The two other cities where union members have voted to authorize a strike are San Francisco and Los Angeles. From the Post:

Union officials say a strike would close half of the first-class hotels in Washington, creating a devastating effect on the city's economy. The tourism industry generates more than $10 billion in direct spending each year and sustains 260,000 jobs, according to the Washington, D.C., Convention and Tourism Corp.