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 ___________________________________________________

Shakin’ Up Washington DC with Bellydance Superstars

Having performed over 600 shows in more than 20 countries since forming 6 years ago, one of Washington DC’s favorite dance troupes, the Bellydance Superstars, have earned their reputation as one of the finest and most progressive bellydance company on the planet. Having sold out previous single night appearance shows at The Birchmere in Arlington, Virginia, this year, two shows are scheduled in late October as part of their 3-month, 75 city tour. Washington DC is a mecca for bellydance with multiple...

October 6th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

A Ballet Like No Other – Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo

I first saw a performance by Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo in Chicago in the late 1970s. I took my then girlfriend, a serious dance student, to the performance, simply telling her that we were seeing a ballet troupe from Monte Carlo. She had no idea all of the dancers of the company were men, all men, including the ballerinas wearing classic tutus and dancing en point. By the end of the second number, she mentioned she thought something was just a bit “odd.” She then realized that the...

October 2nd, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

Washington DC’s Fall Season Theater Round-up

The new season of live theater is opening in Washington DC and here’s a round-up of a few plays ranging from a couple classics to a pair of somewhat edgier plays. Signature Theatre’s 2010-11 season continues with the world premiere of Walter Cronkite is Dead. Staring Helen Hayes Award winners Sherri L. Edelen and Nancy Robinette, Walter Cronkite is Dead features two women, whose flights are delayed leaving them stuck in an stormy airport, sharing a table. In a world that seems to be spinning...

October 1st, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

Spend an Afternoon at Madrid’s Prado Museum

One of Madrid’s top cultural sites is the exceptional collection of European art housed at the Museo Nacional del Prado. The collection of close to 8,000 paintings and pieces of art (about 1,500 on display) covers art from the 12th to the early 19th century. Start your tour early in the day as there’s much to see in this world class museum. A half-day visit should get you through the entire museum, seeing both the collection of masterpieces and gaining an exceptional history of Spanish art. ...

September 30th, 2010 | Madrid | Read More

Step Back in Time at DC’s National Park Seminary

Guided tours of National Park Seminary, just north of Washington DC,gives visitors a glance into DC’s rich history through the evolution of a tobacco plantation over a three hundred year period. Throughout its history, National Seminary Park has been transformed from a plantation, to an exclusive resort hotel and casino for Washington DC’s rich, to an elite all-girls boarding and finishing school, followed by an Army patient rehabilitation center. Today it’s a living museum, Historical...

September 21st, 2010 | Baby Boomers, Washington DC | Read More

Sample Wines at Argentine Embassy

Boutique Wines of Argentina is a special adventure in tasting the wines and food of Argentina in the newly renovated Argentine Embassy in Washington DC. The reception starts with a 30-minute class about the wines of Argentina and concludes with a wine tasting from some of the main wine producing areas of Argentina including Mendoza, San Juan, La Rioja, and Salta Cafayae. The festival starts with a self-paced tasting of 10+ Argentinean boutique wines, including several reds, and a couple white wines: Cabernet...

September 17th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

Arlington Cinema ‘N’ Drafthouse Offers Comedy, Music, & More

The Arlington Cinema ‘N’ Drafthouse is one of the most unique movie theaters, restaurants and bars in the Washington DC area. In fact, it’s probably the only venue that combines sub-run films (most screened 30-90 days after first run films,) live comedy, special events and other entertainment with comfortable seats and a big screen. One of things that makes The Drafthouse’s unique is that they often pair movies with a theme, so you might get live stand up comedy paired with a hilarious...

September 14th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Steams into DC

At some time, you’ve probably seen the beer commercial or the YouTube video with the house that’s been overly decorated with what seems like a zillion synchronized and flickering Christmas lights and enough computerized lighting gear for a rock band’s show at a major arena, all set to high energy electronic music. Well that song is “Wizards in Winter” by the band Trans Siberian Orchestra. Tickets to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra just went on sale for their November 18th performance...

September 12th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

Washington DC’s Best Art Fair – Alexandria Festival of Arts

This weekend’s popular 2-day Alexandria Festival of Arts offers 6 full blocks of unique, classic and fantastic art on display. See the works of some of the nation’s best award-winning artists over the fun-filled weekend. Over 200 artist’s booths line King Street showing a wide range of art including paintings, sculptures, photography, glass, jewelry, fashion, mixed media and more. And besides all the art, there’s dozens of restaurants to try for lunch or dinner to make a full day of the festival. Attendees...

September 11th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

Wine, Music & Food – Virginia Wine Festival

The annual Virginia Wine Festival is one of DC’s largest and most relaxed wine festivals in the area. In its 35th year, the festival , set in a park setting, offers over 50 wineries pouring more than 400 Virginia wines. The festival, besides offering tons of tastings, lets you learn about wine, food pairings in various wine seminars. Even learn about hosting your own tasting at home and the right type of wine glass to use to maximize your enjoyment of each type of wine. Bring a blanket and...

September 6th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

Shoot a Film in Just 72 Hours

When most movies take months or years to create and edit, shorter films can take just a week or two. But the challenge of 72 Film Fest is to bring together on the streets of Frederick, Maryland teams of local actors, directors, musicians, writers, and editors to write, shoot, edit and score a short film in just 72 hours. The 5th annual 72 Film Fest provides each participating team with specific criteria and guidelines based around a central theme, and the film must use the criteria when making...

September 2nd, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

Golden Dragon Acrobats from China Visit DC

Breathtaking Chinese acrobats, the Golden Dragon Acrobats will be performing at Wolf Trap on September 18th. Formed in 1967, the troupe has performed in 65 countries and across the US and annually performs over 200 shows, making them one of the world’s leading traditional Chinese acrobatic troupes. The troupe of roughly 20 performers present an exciting 2-hour show that highlights acrobatic skills that blend ancient skills with modern gymnastics accompanied by a range of music, from tribal drums...

September 1st, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

The National Mall: Protest & Rally Central

The National Mall in Washington DC is the Nation’s protest and event venue. Over the years, besides Presidential inaugurations, July 4th celebrations, and cultural festivals and events, veterans, anti-war protesters, pro-life/pro-choice, clergy, civil rights activists and people with a cause have all used the Mall as a place to express their points of view in an attempt to sway their government. The Mall was again mobbed with people this past Saturday, with many wearing American flag clothing,...

August 31st, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

“An Film Unfinished” Captures Nazi Propaganda Film Making

A Film Unfinished is an 80-minute documentary of several lost reels of Nazi propaganda film shot in the last few months of the occupation of the Warsaw ghetto in Poland. Shot just months before the Final Solution was implemented and the ghetto’s inhabitants were transported by rail to their deaths in the infamous concentration camps, Nazi film crews shot film stock for a propaganda film. The clips, as part of a work of propaganda shot in Poland’s Warsaw Ghetto during World War II by a team...

August 29th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

Restaurant Review: Matchbox Wood-Fired Oven Pizzas, DC

Just blocks from the Verizon Center and Gallery Place in Washington DC is the restaurant Matchbox, a “vintage pizza bistro” that specializes in hand tossed pizzas baked in an 800+ degree brick wood-fired oven. A recent lunch at Matchbox allowed me to sample several of their pizzas. The 3-story building, a former Chinese grocery store, is just 15 feet wide, but fun and funky, incorporating lots of fabricated metal stairs and railings and exposed air conditioning vents. It’s got a high-tech,...

August 27th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

Bagpipes and Braun at the Virginia Scottish Games & Festival

The annual Virginia Scottish Games & Festival started in Alexandria, Virginia in 1974, but have since outgrown the space and moved to the much larger Great Meadow venue in 2007. Join kilted clansmen and clanswomen in their traditional Highland garb from 30 different clans and step back in time at the Clan Field as they celebrate the heritage and culture of Scotland. The games and festival includes Scottish pipe and drum bands, living history encampment with period reenactors, Highland and Country...

August 26th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

Drive a NASCAR Race Car at Old Dominion Speedway

At Old Dominion Raceway outside of Washington DC, Try It Racing puts car racing enthusiasts behind the wheel of a real NASCAR racecar. The Try It Racing experience puts you in a full size, dual seat NASCAR Nextel-Cup type car pumping out close to 400 HP, on the same track as stock car racing legends such as Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Allison, and the “King” Richard Petty have all competed. You can either ride along in the passenger’s seat of a real NASCAR racer at full race speed with...

August 23rd, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

Vintage Crystal – Wine, Tapas & Jazz Festival

The Vintage Crystal food, wine and jazz festival returns to Crystal City for its 4th year. The one-day festival brings more than 30 different wines hailing from Spain, Chile, and Argentina along with live jazz, dancing and food from 25 Crystal City restaurants for an afternoon of Latin-inspired fun, food and wine. Local Latin American dance groups lead the Latin-themed festival by taking the stage to entertain guests, along with live jazz musicians. And don’t miss the opportunity to take a...

August 22nd, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

Folk Singer and 1960s Social Activist Joan Baez

When you think about the quintessential 1960s folk singer, names like Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Arlo Guthrie and Joan Baez come to mind. And nest month, Joan Baez is coming to town. Her vibrato style, passionate delivery and association with many causes of the 1960s such as the anti-Vietnam war movement, civil rights and equal rights placed her at many of the major events of the tumultuous 1960s. She performed the civil-rights anthem “We Shall Overcome” in Washington DC as part of Dr....

August 18th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

Enjoy the Free National Symphony Orchestra Labor Day Concert

Every year, the National Symphony Orchestra puts on a free Labor Day concert on the west lawn of the Capitol Building in Washington DC. The Labor Day concert is the official kick-off of the start of the performing arts season in the nation’s capital, the start of the NSO’s 79th season, and the unofficial end of summer. The concert honors American workers from all walks of life and professions. The original inspiration of Labor Day was a protest of the traditional 12 hour work day. Worker...

August 16th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More