Jon Rochetti: Hi Everyone: I’m Jon, the PlanetEye Traveler writer who covers the Washington, DC area, formerly the writer of The DC Traveler. Besides writing about all the fun and different things to do in and around Washington, DC, I’m also a marketing consultant, and a photographer (many of the photos used on my posts were taken by me and are available for sale or licensing). I'm also a home gourmet chef and avid biker and scuba diver. Plus, I love to travel, explore and take advantage of all the great things to do in Washington, DC. I love exploring places in and around the District of Columbia, ranging from local neighborhood mom & pop ethnic restaurants to museums, galleries, places of interest and more. I also love history and art, love touring museums, enjoy architecture, great food, and the Arts. Have a comment, suggestion or story idea? Feel free to e-mail me. Some of my favorite places around Washington, DC are at the Jefferson Memorial, my deck at sunset, the Smithsonian museums (all of them) especially the National Gallery of Art and the National Air & Space museum, perhaps a fun Latin dance club for a little Salsa dancing, Zaytinya or Bambule for tapas, riding my bike on the National Mall or along the Potomac River in the summer, and the National Arboretum just about any time of the year. Outside of DC, I love scuba diving in Belize, relaxing on the island of Santorini in Greece, sitting at a cafe in Rome, visiting Chicago and seeing a Cubs game at Wrigley Field (my home town), and spending time with family in Sonoma County and the Napa Valley (my home away from home). I’m also a marketing and branding consultant with over 25 years of consumer and b2b marketing experience. Most of my clients are household names or in the Fortune 500. Washington, DC is such a wonderful town, full of rich culture, a great history, and events of all types happening all the time. And then there’s the food and festivals…so there’s always something interesting to tell you about. I'll consistently try to provide all the information you’ll need for a visit to one of the Washington, DC’s many attractions, the best in the local music scene, plays and artistic performances, museums, great parks and outdoor recreation, fun things to do on a date, as well as family-friendly activities, shopping, places to eat, drink, and stay, or just relax and have some fun. So if you love all that Washington, DC has to offer – from the Smithsonian museums to weekend get-aways in DC or around Virginia, Maryland and beyond, then the PlanetEye Traveler is here for you. With new ideas and posts almost every day, please us a daily website destination and tell your friends about us. Follow me on Twitter @jrochetti And thanks very much for stopping by. Jon ___________________________________________________
Picasso Masterpieces Not-to-be-Missed in Richmond
Picasso: Masterpieces from Musée National Picasso, Paris opens for its 3-month run at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond on February 19th. As the only East Coast venue for the exhibition’s nine-city international tour, this is a rare chance to see a collection of the renowned modern artist and co-founder of the Cubist art movement.
The exhibition includes works from each of Pablo Picasso’s major periods throughout his eight decade career. The collection includes a total of 176 works,...
February 8th, 2011 | Washington DC | Read More
Adventurer Photographers Share their Work at National Geographic
Step behind the camera with amazing nature photographers at National Geographic’s Masters of Photography series in Washington DC.
The series includes four National Geographic journalist/photographers who visited and photographed three unique destinations:
Vietnam’s mammoth Hang Ken cave system, considered to be the largest cave system on the planet. Adventurist, climber, scuba diver and caver Carsten Peter has photographed some of the world’s most scary and extreme locations including descending...
January 30th, 2011 | Washington DC | Read More
DC’s Famous Ben’s Chili Bowl
Since 1958, Washington DC residents, politicians and celebrities have all been fans of the iconic DC chili restaurant, Ben’s Chili Bowl. The list of VIP’s who have dined at Ben’s includes President Barack Obama, France’s President Sarkozy, Bill Cosby and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to name just a few.
No trip to Ben’s would be complete without ordering something that includes their famous chili. Chili lovers tend toward the Bill Cosby’s Original Chili Half-Smoke. It’s...
January 28th, 2011 | Washington DC | Read More
Cool Crafts at the Sugarloaf Crafts Festival
For over 30 years, Sugarloaf Crafts Festival have brought some of the country’s most talented crafters, artists and artisans to the area. And this weekend at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, Virginia you can see and purchase the works of over 250 of these talented artists.
The types of crafts range from hand-made purses and home décor to intricate and ornate jewelery and glass pieces to gourmet foods. And for a sampling of some of the more unique vendors, check out the one-of-a-kind whimsical...
January 23rd, 2011 | Washington DC | Read More
Celebrate Chinese New Year’s with a BANG!
Each year, the annual Chinese New Year (year 4709) begins when the new moon rises in February and ends 15 days later with the next full moon. So on February 6th, Washington DC will celebrate the start of the year of the rabbit.
The Lunar New Year will be celebrated with an exciting parade through DC’s Chinatown, complete with musicians, dancers, and marching bands.
The highlights of the parade include the colorful dancing dragon, a symbol of prosperity, good luck and fortune, the powerful...
January 20th, 2011 | Washington DC | Read More
Ladysmith Black Mambazo Visits DC
Blending the rhythms and harmonies of their native South African, Ladysmith Black Mambazo brings their unique sound of Christian gospel inspired song to Washington DC.
Coming to George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium in March, this concert is a rare opportunity to see this 3-time Grammy award-winning singing group who’s roots go back to South Africa miners traditional music called isicathamiya, which is a characterized as a loudly and powerful harmonic blend of voices.
Ladysmith Black...
January 17th, 2011 | Washington DC | Read More
Flights of Fancy at the Washington Antiques Show
Since 1955, Thrift Shop Charities has hosted the very popular annual Washington Antiques Show, which is one of the nation’s longest running antique shows.
The show features 44 of the best American and European antique dealers showcasing a wide range of period furnishings and decorative arts, porcelains, ceramics, silver, vintage jewelry, as well as architectural and garden accents.
The online catalog features scholarly articles to illustrate the show’s theme; this year is Flights of Fancy,...
December 29th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More
Designing Tomorrow at the 1930s World’s Fairs
One of my best travel memories as a child was a family trip to New York for the 1964 World’s Fair in Queens. It was a showcase of modern technology during the height of the new space age, and included innovations such as picture phones, a controlled nuclear fusion explosion, and the People Mover.
But three decades earlier, in the midst of the Great Depression, millions of people visited 6 major fairs across the country to get a different view of the future. The cities of New York, Chicago,...
December 26th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More
Yaaaa-hoo!! Bull Riders Buck into DC
Hang on tight as the touring Professional Bull Riders make a stop for two shows at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, to kick off the New Year.
The competition includes 40 of the best minor-league bull riders trying to stay atop some of the toughest, meanest bulls around. Being bred to buck, spin and twist, the massive bulls try to toss their rider before the 8 second ride needed to earn points is completed.
Riders score points in two ways, first by staying on the bull for the full 8 seconds. ...
December 19th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More
Get in the Holiday Spirit in Washington DC
To jump-start your holiday spirit, check out these four fun holiday activities in and around Washington DC. From the National Christmas Tree to a jet-skiing Santa, there’s something fun, exciting and sure to bring smiles to the faces of children of any age.
National Christmas Tree – Ellipse across for the White House, (map) – Through January 1, 2011.
The live 40-foot Colorado blue spruce tree in the Ellipse was transplanted from Pennsylvania in 1978, and each December since, the President...
December 9th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More
Paris at its Best: Notre Dame Cathedral
Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the most famous attractions in Paris, and also offers some of the best views of the City of Lights from atop its massive twin towers.
Walk in the same steps as Napoleon and King Henry VI who were both crowned in the cathedral, and also get a glimpse into the spiritual and daily lives of Parisians dating back two millennium, to when Celts and then Romans ruled the city. For literary fans, Quasimodo, the deformed bell-ringer from Victor Hugo’s novel, The Hunchback...
December 5th, 2010 | Paris | Read More
A Doo-Wop New Year’s Eve at DC’s Carlyle Club
It’s already time to start thinking about dancing the night away on New Year’s Eve. And here’s a fun way — with the singing of Joe Coleman, a former lead vocalist with The Platters (“Only You” , “My Prayer”, “The Great Pretender”) at the enjoyable retro-jazz club, The Carlyle Club in Alexandria, Virginia.
This New Year’s Eve party come complete with live music, dancing, party favors, and the classic midnight champagne toast and optional dinner.
DC area native Joe Coleman...
November 21st, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More
Beaujolais Nouveau Races into DC
Beaujolais Nouveau is that perky little French wine that celebrates the end of the annual harvest by making its annual debut on the third Thursday in November. And once again, there are several places in Washington DC to enjoy the fruity and often served-chilled red wine celebrating one of the hallmark wine holidays.
Made from Gamy grapes, this generally simple French table wine is fermented for less than a couple months and released at an elaborate annual Parisian party, as wineries race from...
November 17th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More
London Eye Offers Stunning City Views
The London Eye or Millennium Wheel in Jubilee Gardens on the Thames River in London, is the city’s most popular paid tourist attraction and a definite thing to do while in London. Standing at 443 feet (135m) tall, the white steel Ferris wheel is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe and draws over 3.5 million people each year. The wheel’s 32 air-conditioned passenger capsules each hold 25 people and takes visitors on a one revolution “flight” that lasts about 30 minutes.
The London...
November 15th, 2010 | London | Read More
Old School with Rickie Lee Jones
The style of singer-songwriter Ricky Lee Jones covers everything from jazz and R&B to pop and blues. And next month, she’ll be performing at The Birchmere in Arlington, Virginia.
Her “Old School” show brings her first two albums, Rickie Lee Jones (1979) and Pirates (2001) to the stage in their entirety.
Throughout her career, she’s recorded over a dozen CDs, some with original music, other being compilations of classic covers from legendary artists such as The Beatles, Marvin Gaye,...
November 11th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More
Minding the Gap on London’s Famous Tube
The London Underground, or as Londoners call their local transportation subway system, the Tube, was the first underground railway system in the world. The first section opened in 1863. Since then, the system has grown to be the second largest in the world. The 270 stations covering close to 250 miles (400 km) of track helps keep Londoners moving with over a billion trips made annually in and around London.
The underground railway network is made up of 11 color coded lines, that crisscross the...
November 4th, 2010 | London | Read More
Flowers Galore at the Los Angeles Flower District
Plan on an early morning wake-up in order to visit the largest flower market in the country, the famous Downtown LA Flower District, in the heart of downtown Los Angles.
Late each night, arriving by air and by truck, shipments of flowers from around the world are delivered to the 6-square city blocks that make up the flower district. Starting at 4:00 am, the 200+ wholesalers housed in the 8 buildings that comprise the market open their booths to area florists. Phone orders also start to arrive...
November 3rd, 2010 | Baby Boomers, Los Angeles | Read More
A Fox on the Fairway Scores a Hole in One
The newest hilarious romp, A Fox on the Fairway at Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia by Ken Ludwig (Lend Me a Tenor), is full of laughs from the first tee to the final hole.
The story, delivered in classic 1940s British farce style, pits Bingham, a golf club manager (Jeff McCarthy) who has lost the annual inter-club tournament against his arch-rival golf club for the past five years in a row. But this year things will change. He has a secret ringer, a newly joined member who’s close...
October 28th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More
DC’s Marine Marathon Makes Monuments Memorable
The 35th annual Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) is expected to bring 85,000 spectators, as well as over 32,000 runners to the famous 26.2 mile journey called the Marathon of the Monuments. The race is also celebrating the 2,500 anniversary of the first run form Marathon to Athens.
The marathon is the 4th largest marathon in the US and the 8th largest in the world. This year, runners from over 50 countries are expected to run, with more than 10,000 runners being in their first MCM. Four runners called...
October 20th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More
Intimate Photos of Elvis at the National Portrait Gallery
Elvis at 21, Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer is a collection of over 40 stunning and intimate black and white photographs of The King, Elvis Presley, when he was just 21 years old.
The collection of photos document the singer just as he was exploding onto the national stage. In January 1956, RCA released his first single, “Heartbreak Hotel” with the b-side tune “I Was the One”. Heartbreak Hotel catapulted to number 1 on Billboard’s Pop Singles Chart and became Elvis’s first...
October 15th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More
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