Some Gettysburg Love!

Alright kids, this is gonna be a quick post! My darling hubby decided to surprise me with a weekend jaunt to Annapolis to celebrate Valentine’s Day since he’ll be out of town next week. We’re getting ready to explore this adorable little town, so I have to make it a quick post. I promise I’ll take lots of pictures to share, but for now, I figured I’d stay in the historical vein and share some pictures from a recent trip to Gettysburg.

Gettysburg isn’t even a hop, skip and a jump away from DC. It’s more of just a hop and maybe a half a skip. In about two hours travel time from DC, you’ll find yourself smack dab in the middle of historical battlefields, storefronts advertising Civil War memorabilia and, of course, just your average Civil War reenactor. I know Gettysburg isn’t exactly the top destination to pop on a DCer’s radar; we ended up there for a friend’s wedding. However, it was a very cost effective, easy escape from reality.

The Historic Gettysburg Hotel

We stayed at the Historic Gettysburg Hotel,a Best Western property, smack dab in the middle of quaint downtown Gettysburg. For $100 a night, our room was decent enough. The hotel is very old, so don’t expect any bells and whistles, but the staff was nice (and in historic costume) and the rooms were clean. We were within a few blocks of cute restaurants, shops and a coffee shop with tons of character.

We wanted to leave Gettysburg with an improved knowledge of American history, so on Saturday, we ventured out to the Gettysburg battlefield. Upon arrival, we realized we didn’t have enough time to see everything we wanted to, so we set out on a walking tour of the battlefield site nearby. Here are some highlights:

A view from the walkway of the battlefield.
Some information about the battlefield.
Weaponry.
A fellow battlefield admirer contemplating what went wrong...
The whole gang.

All in all, we had a fantastic time. I recommend the Lincoln Diner, around the corner from the hotel, for some stick to your ribs grub and the Ragged Edge for a caffeine buzz, quick bite and free refills. Crazy concept, right? FREE REFILLS. Needless to say, I was a happy, albeit jittery, customer. Go ahead, give Gettysburg a try! Convenient, cheap and chock-full of things to do, it is an easy alternative to a weekend of the same old DC thing!

 
 

Calling all Foodies and Winos!

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The majority of my friends could be classified in either one of these two categories. They are in luck – they can nourish both tendencies this weekend at the 12th Annual Washington DC International Wine & Food Festival! Some of the culinary world’s top names will be exhibiting. Wineries, distilleries and unique food vendors will be hocking their goods and putting them on display for attendees. Taking place at the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center (1300 Pennsylvania Ave, NW), you can work off all the calories you’ll consume from the tastings just by walking from one end to the other!

The Wine & Food festival kicks off tonight with a “Sommelier Showdown” and the fun continues throughout the entire weekend. Tickets for tonight’s event are pricey and hard to come by as only a select few are released to the public. For $150 per person, buyers will get to watch as top metro-area sommeliers compete to see who can identify wines with mystery labels.

Friday’s event, “Cupid’s Not Stupid, Cocktails to Fall For,” held at Aria Pizzeria (housed in the Reagan Building), will pit the city’s top mixologists against one another as they compete to make the best cocktail. For $55, the audience will get to watch on and sample their creations, along with some light snacks, beer and wine. The mixologists are:

Gina Chersevani
Rachel Sergi, Jack Rose Dining Saloon  
Ben Wiley, America Eats Tavern
Youssef, J & G Steakhouse
Dennis Burns, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center

And, on to the main event! Grand Tastings are on Saturday and Sunday from 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm and provide access to 500 “rare, unique and loved wines” from wineries across the globe. Sample food from international artisans and, of course, the city’s best restaurants! You’ll leave full, happy and armed with a brand, spankin’ new wine glass courtesy of the DC International Wine & Food Festival. Ticket options include $145 for both days or $85 for Saturday and $80 for Sunday. Sure, it ain’t cheap but sometimes it is ok to shell out to culture yourself a bit!

Seriously, what else are you doing this weekend? No, getting a head start on your taxes does NOT count! Surprise your hunny with an early Valentine’s Day date or just enjoy some quality time with good friends by switching it up a bit!  If you plan to go to the Gilt City Warehouse sale, then you have a reprieve. Otherwise, get your butt down there and get a real taste of DC!

 
 

Surreptitiously Job Searching?

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Whether happily employed, miserably employed or anxiously trying to just be employed, happily or not, it is always best to be prepared. Staying current on the latest job search tools, advice and tips is essential to making sure you are ready to take the next step in your career. Or, perhaps, stay put after comparing a current gig to what else is out there!

Professionals in their mid-twenties are facing tough decisions related to their careers. It is a transitional time; some have been at companies for more than five years while others (such as myself) have bounced around between 2-3 positions in 5 years. After five years or so in the workforce, it seems normal to question whether our role is setting us up for the brightest future possible; whether we are learning everything we can from our responsibilities; whether we are challenged enough in our current position; whether our true potential is being reached; whether we are being paid accordingly for our skills. The queries are endless and always slowly eating away at our thoughts, but we aren’t job seekers – call us job questioners.

We’re questioning, so we aren’t sure whether or not it is time to make a leap into a new career. In order to make a qualified decision, we have to educate ourselves. But how can a job “questioner” get a better idea of what is out there without outing themselves to their colleagues or bosses?

Enter JobPoacher, a unique site that let’s you enter in your information, making it public to recruiters, but anonymous to anyone viewing it. Crazy, right? The site asks the user for his/her current title, salary and location; then asks for the user’s desired title, compensation, location and email address. Using a craigslist-like function, the email address is made anonymous and all information is posted for recruiters! Voila – now your info is out there for the world to see, but nobody will know it’s you! Consider yourself an informed job questioner!

Why not turn the job search process around and make people come after you? You know you’re worth it!