PlanetEye

Washington has joined legions of other cities and now has a dessert bar, featuring specialties made of chocloate.  The new, Co Co. Sala, which is described as a chocolate lounge and boutique, opened recently has been getting good reviews.  Currently, they are only serving dinner but will soon be opened for lunch as well.

Co Co. Sala derives its name from coffee and chocolate and the Italian word for lounge.  There is a chocolate room where you can watch the staff are they create and the owners hope to someday offer dessert making lessons in the aptly titled "chocolate room."  The lounge's signature dish appears to be a prixe- fix $30 five course offering of desserts inspired by flavors around the world.  If you aren't interested in all things sugar, Co Co also offers small dishes which you can nibble on, such as, sliders, macaroni and cheese and and crab cakes.  

It is recommended that if you go, you try to Cocojito, which is comprised of chocolate infused vodka and chocolate shavings, and the hot chocolate souffle, which comes with churros and a Mexican wedding cookie.  One review that I read said that Co Co. Sala just oozes "Sex and the City."  If this is your style, check out this place while you are in DC. 

Co Co. Sala will stay open even until 3 a.m. on Saturdays and is complete with a DJ available to spin tunes.  Even though there will be a DJ, don't expect dancing to go on as the music serves as the backdrop for conversation.

On Saturday, May 3, 25 Embassies are opening their doors to the public, the annual European Union open house.  Embassies will be featuring native food, drink, music and art.  For example, you can take a guided tour of the Italian Embassy, taste Spanish food and wine, and join a wine-tasting at the Embassy of Austria.  Each Embassy will feature a different program. 

Free shuttle service to the Embassies is available from the Dupont Circle, Cleveland Park, and Farragut North metro stations.   

Here are some highlights of this year's 2008 Open House:

1) Czech Republic:  Chodska Vina, a bagpipe band, will be performing. 

2) Hungary: Hungarian folk dancers will be performing. 

3) Russia:  30 minute guided tour of the Embassy.  Also will feature "Russia's Golden RIng" which is an ornate mural of Old Russia.

4) India:  Come and sample IDEA Dance, a group of Indian classical dancers and also a bollywood inspired South Asian dance troupe will perform. 

The event runs from 9am to 3 pm.  Visit www.passportdc.org and www.europe-in-dc.org for more details and schedules.  The entrance to the Embassies is free but some embassies will charge for food and drink. 

Cultural Tourism DC is sponsoring a walking event this weekend, April 26 and 27.  There will be 80 guided walking tours around Washington and this weekend all of the walks are FREE! The walks are usually around $10 per person.  The walks are all led by really knowledgeable guides who shed light on interesting historical facts are you burn off carlories around town.  

Here are a few of the walks that will occur this weekend:  1) Embassy Row:  I am sure that this walk will be highly attended since the embassies are some of the most beautiful buildings in Washington.  2) Black Georgetown Hike:  A National Park Service Ranger will take walkers through a section of Georgetown that was home to more than 1,000 black families during the 19th Century.  There are also a number of bike tours as well. 

Personally, I have done two of these walks.  I did a historical walking tour of the U Street area and learned so much that I really look at this area in an entirely different light.  I also took an evening walk about the monuments.  This was really nice and I highly recommend it.  We completely forgot how far we walked as we intently listened to our guide. 

For more information, please visit:  www.washingtonwalks.com for the complete schedule.   Dust off your sneakers and get moving!

Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Washington today.  Pope Benedict will be in Washington for four days and will celebrate his 81st birthday here on Wednesday.  This is the Pope's first visit to Washington and the first papal visit to the United States since 1999.  There is defintely excitement in the air about this visit and what the Pope has to say.

Maybe I am telling my age, but the Pope that I will always remember was Pope John Paul II.  I never got to see the late Pope, but I remember seeing him in his famous "Popemobile" on TV.  This Pope, will take a ride in a Popemobile on Wednesday.  Before his ride around town, the Pope will meet with President Bush.  The Pope will also meet with bishops of the United States, meet with educators from Catholic colleges and meet with interfaith leaders.  On Thursday, the new Nationals Park will be transformed into an open air church for a mass that the Pope will celebrate on Thursday.  The mass seems to be the highlight of his trip.

Theologians and others are pondering what the Pope will say in his mass on Thursday.  Specifically, many are wondering if he will make a statement about the church scandals during his stay in Washington and if he will make a statement on the direction that he sees for the Catholic church so those of us in the United States can get a better feel for the "new" Pope. 

While there is excitement for his trip to Washington, those of us that live here are dreading the increased traffic.  Maybe I will be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Pope Benedict XVI as he cruises down the street in his Popemobile--that may be the safest mode of transportation these days.

For Pope Benedict's itinerary, please visit:  http://www.adw.org/papalvisit/itinerary.asp

Your eyes were not deceiving you, the much anticipated, Newsuem, will be opening on Friday, April 11.  I was in the area of the Newsuem on Saturday and gathered some useful information --admission on opening day is FREE and after Friday, tickets will cost $20 for adults and $13 for kids 7 to 12 years of age.  When did the price of museums go up?  I would suggest going on Friday.

The Newseum is exactly what is sounds like, a museum dedicated to the news.  The newsuem will offer visitors five centuries of news history and visitors will be able to go behind the scenes to learn how and why news is made.  From what I could see by just standing in front of the newsuem, it looks like it will be an interesting place to visit.  On Saturday, there were front pages of newpapers from around the world for that particular day.  I think that the interactive newsroom will be the most fun thing to do at the Newseum.  You get the chance to play the role of reporter or photographer to see if you can prepare a story in a timely manner. Other exhibits include the 9/11 Gallery and the First Amendment Gallery.   

The Newseum complex also includes a restaurant, The Source, by Wolfgang Puck which is adjacent to the museum.  The Source is Washington, DC's first fine dining establishment that is headlined by Wolfgang Puck. 

The Newseum is located at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue, NW and Sixth Streets, NW. 

This Sunday marks the first game of the Washington Nationals baseball team in the new Nationals Park.  There has been much controversy surrounding the stadium, such as whether the stadium would displace the residents near the stadium and issues surrounding parking.  Today, the Nationals host the Atlanta Braves and expect a crowd of around 41,000!  President Bush will throw the opening pitch and the game will be televised on ESPN starting at 8p.m.  However, the first real test for the stadium will be the first weeknight game on April 7 at 7:10 p.m. 

In terms of getting there by public transportation, only the Green Line goes near the stadium, but crowding on the metro is expected at on other lines as well.  You can take the "Nats Express," which is a free shuttle that will take fans from the free parking in Lot 8 at the RFK Stadium to Nationals Park.  Street parking will be allowed on certain streets near the stadium so please try to pay attention to the street signs. 

If you want to find out what the fans are saying about the new stadium, take a look at www.washingtonpost.com/stadium.  If nothing else, the concessions at the stadium will definitely have some favorite Washington vendors, such as Ben's Chili Bowl, Hard Times Cafe, and Red Hot and Blue.  If these places are anything like their brick and mortar counterparts, the food will be a draw in itself. 

It's that time of year again...when Spring is in the air (somewhat) and clusters of cotton candy hued flowers being to appear.  It's time for the National Cherry Blossom Festival.  Even if you have lived here for years or are a newcomer, I recommend that everyone come out to enjoy the flowers and the other events planned during the Festival. The Festival is a city-wide, two week event that runs from March 28 - April 13.  Most of the events are free but I would advise checking the website to ensure what events are free and which events have a fee. 

Why are the cherry blossoms important?  The 2008 Festival commemorates the 96th Anniversary of the gift of 3,000 Yoshino cherry trees in 1912 by the Mayor of Tokyo to the city of Washington as a symbol of national friendship between the United States and Japan. Currently, there are 3,750 cherry blossom trees on 16 National Park Service lands.  The blossoms are located on 3 National Park Service locations: the Tibal Basin, East Potomac Park, and on the Washington Monument Grounds. 

The opening ceremonies and family day will occur on Saturday, March 29.  There are always massive crowds during the first weekend so be prepared.  There will be performances from local high school marching bands, dance performances from community organizations, and numerous demonstrations -- you can even learn how to create your own mini cherry blossom tree.  There is also a dinner cruise scheduled for Wednesday, April 9 where you can enjoy the monuments by moonlight alongside Japanese dignataries. 

For information on all of the events of the Festival, please visit:  www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org