Mayor Vince Gray is traveling to Charlotte next week for the Democratic National Convention, but he’s paying his own way and using vacation days for the trip.

One reason August might not be so bad: With so many people out of town, it’s a lot easier to get a reservation and a decent table.

U.S. News and World says D.C. is the third-best vacation destination in the United States, trailing only New York and Yellowstone National Park. Too bad U.S. News’ recommendations of what to do here are lame.

This week U.S. News and World Report offered its judgment on the 21 best places to take a vacation in the U.S., and the District took second place behind San Francisco.

Our editor Aaron Morrissey will be stepping down at the end of the month, so DCist is looking to hire a new senior editor. This is a paid, full-time position with benefits.

Were you thinking about taking a quick trip to the beach this weekend? Uh, you’ll probably want to put a hold on those plans.

How are the Washington Wizards spending their summer vacation? Hooping, planking, pranking, promoting strip clubs and, of course, tweeting. (My goodness, the tweeting.)