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 ___________________________________________________

Films in Under 20 Minutes at DC Shorts Film Festival

The DC Shorts Film Festival brings together 97 short films from 11 countries, all ranging from just one minute to upwards of 20 minutes in length. The themes include just about every genre of film, including drama, comedy, animation, sci-fi, documentaries and experimental films, along with one really great short about a young man and relentless phone calls from his mother in Banana Bread, the short which will open this year’s festival. Additionally, “Music by Prudence,” the 2010 Oscar-winning...

August 13th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

Ladies Night with the Washington Nationals

Call all ladies that love Nationals baseball or if you just want to try a different type of Girl’s Night Out. The Washington Nationals are hosting a Ladies Night with the Washington Nationals when they play the St. Louis Cardinals at home on Thursday, August 26th. Tickets include special group seating and access to the pre-game ladies only party on the Rooftop Party Deck, featuring: Photo ops with a couple of the Nats players Themed drink specials Special group seating Food samples and tastings,...

August 11th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

Knights & Wenches at the Maryland Renaissance Festival

It’s 1543 and you can join King Henry VIII and his Court at the small village of Revel Grove, in Oxfordshire, England, for his annual summer escape from the tedium of ruling England from London at the annual Maryland Renaissance Festival in Annapolis, Maryland, near Washington DC. The huge Ren Fest runs over 9 weekends from late August, until mid-October and draws over 250,000 attendees, including many of the finest of English noblemen and women, knights, pirates, friars and wenches. With over...

August 9th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

Chester Dale Art Collection at National Gallery of Art

From Impressionism to Modernism: The Chester Dale Collection at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC highlights the personal art collection of millionaire Chester Dale, a 20th century Wall Street banker and railroad and utilities bond market maker. His impressive collection from his apartment in New York’s famous Plaza Hotel, included 240 paintings, 7 sculptures, 22 graphics plus books and art catalogs. At the time of his death in 1961, some paintings had been on loan to the museum, while...

August 7th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

Ride ‘em Cowboy – Catch Rodeo Fever near Washington DC

While Washington DC is known for members of Congress wrangling votes, and rounding up support, it’s not famous for actual rodeos. But over the next month you’ll have three opportunities to see a professional rodeo with cowboys trying to ride bucking bulls during what’s called the most dangerous 8 seconds in sports. Watch as up to 30 professional bull riders risk their life atop massive bulls who violently buck, spin, kick, spin and twist trying to toss their rider at the J Bar W Ranch Battle...

August 5th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

See Racing Pigs at the Maryland State Fair

The annual Maryland State Fair is not all about cows, hogs and sheep. The fair is a 21-day family fun event that offers big name concerts, bull riding, jousting tournaments, thoroughbred horseracing and all kinds of learning opportunities for children. Learn to milk a cow, watch as livestock are born or chickens hatched, or take an agricultural fair tour including tours of the numerous livestock buildings and barns including the Cow Palace, the Milking Parlor, the Swine Barn, the Sheep & Goat...

August 4th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

LEGO Stars at the National Building Museum

If the Lego Fan Festival this weekend (August 8 and 9) in Chantilly, Virginia isn’t enough to satisfy your need for creations made out of Lego building blocks, then check out the current exhibit at Washington DC’s National Building Museum, LEGO® Architecture: Towering Ambition. The exhibition showcases 15 famous buildings from around the world made entirely from LEGO bricks, by one of the 11 LEGO Certified Professional certified builders, Adam Reed Tucker. Tucker first discovered Legos at the...

August 2nd, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

REVIEW: Noises Off, A Whirlwind of Silliness

Called the funniest British farce ever written, I can attest that Noises Off is over-the-top hysterical. This British back-stage view of a theater production is a fast-paced, laugh a minute, play-within-a-play. The highly recommended production, by my favorite little theater company in Washington DC, The Keegan Theatre, is a must see for anyone who loves to laugh. The story is about a somewhat talentless British theater group, a collection of wacky and temperamental actors. They are attempting...

July 31st, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

Washington Redskins Kick Off Summer Training Camp

The 100 degree heat of summer is still upon us, but that won’t stop the Washington Redskins football team from kicking off their 2010 Training Camp at Redskins Park in suburban Ashburn, Virginia. Skins fans are welcome to attend the 15 free public practices and scrimmages in July and August. The Redskins new head coach, Mike Shanahan, is kicking off his first Skins training camp. Shanahan replaces Jim Zorn who headed up the team for two seasons. Zorn’s two season record was 8-8 add a dismal...

July 28th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

Introductions Introduces New Artists to DC

For the sixth year, the contemporary and modern art gallery Irving Contemporary in Washington, DC, is hosting its annual Introductions art show, featuring a selection of art created by recent graduates and student artists from some of the Fine Arts programs across the country. Soliciting entries from student and recent grads from major American art schools, Irvine received over 200 submissions from newer artists. Of those, just 6 were selected as finalists, including 4 from the Washington DC/Baltimore...

July 28th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

Try 200 of DC’s Best Restaurants During Restaurant Week

Okay, you might not be able to try all 200 restaurants, but you’ll at least be able to select from some of the best and most popular Washington DC resultants from August 16th through the 22nd. Each participating restaurant will be offering 3-course dinners for $35.10 and 3-course lunches for $20.10 during Washington DC’s summer Restaurant Week. From steakhouses to ethnic cuisine, tapas to fondue, there’s lots of great restaurants in the Washington DC area to choose from in the 16th annual...

July 26th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

All You Need Is (Beatles) Love

The 1964 British invasion changed American music forever. And Abbey Road on the River, billed as the world’s largest Beatles tribute festival, will be at National Harbor, just outside of Washington DC, September 2-6, will bring Beatles fans, bands and merchandise together for 5 days of Fab Four fun. The Labor Day weekend Beatles music festival brings together more than 50 international Beatles tribute and cover bands from over a dozen countries. The bands range from look-alike early Beatles...

July 24th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson Brings His Magic Flute to DC

Tickets go on sale at noon today for an evening with Jethro Tull’s front man, Ian Anderson, at The Birchmere in Alexandria in November. As Jethro Tull’s singer and flutist, he helped propel the innovative rock band into huge popularity in the 1970s and 80s, by developing a new sound and style to the music scene, that included using a flute as a lead instrument. The band will have recently finished yet another world tour (over 2,500 concerts to date) and Anderson will then start an East Coast...

July 22nd, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

The Whiskey of George Washington

While stopping at George Washington’s Mt. Vernon Estate is a must visit location on any trip to Washington DC, it’s worth the special effort to make a side trip to George Washington’s Whiskey Distillery and Gristmill, just 3 miles south of the Mt. Vernon property. On George Washington’s large Virginia estate, besides growing corn, tobacco and wheat, the first President also distilled whiskey under the brand Mt. Vernon Whiskey. It quickly became a leading brand. As American’s taste...

July 20th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

A Couple Dummies Crash into the Smithsonian

Vince and Larry, the pair of crash test dummies that helped convince Americans to wear seat belts in the “You Could Learn a Lot From a Dummy” public service announcements are moving to Washington DC. The pair’s uniforms, along with other auto safety innovations will be on display at the National Museum of Natural History as part of a new exhibit covering 75 years of auto safety. Since the first cars were manufactured, Americans have had a a love affair with their cars. But with the automobile,...

July 20th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

Build to the Sky with Lego Building Blocks at BrickFair

BrickFair Lego Fan Festival 2010 is the largest Lego Festival in the country, covering a full 60,000 sq. feet of exhibit space. Lego builders of all ages create fantastic creations of buildings, trains, robots, airplanes, complete towns and even monsters which are sure to delight kids of all ages. This year, in a new space at the larger Dulles Expo Center, the larger space is sure to hold the estimated seven to ten thousand people that typically attend the annual DC expo. Stop by the BrickFilms...

July 19th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

Free Concerts and Movies at Carter Barron Amphitheatre

Carter Barron Amphitheatre, in picturesque Washington DC’s Rock Creek Park, offers free summer music concerts, performing arts and movies all summer. From dance to poetry to jazz and blues, the series has something for everyone, including a couple movies for the family. The summer free concert schedule includes: August 13 at 7:30 p.m. – 8th Annual Metro DC Dances features Capitol Movement (CMI), Junior Company, Contradiction Dance, New School of Dance & Arts, Next Reflex Dance Collective...

July 16th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

Rebel Yell with Billy Idol

The HFStival brings more than a dozen bands to Merriweather Post Pavilion for a full day of music, including the iconic English rocker, Billy Idol. When you think about a punk rock rebel, the name Billy Idol usually comes up. Why? Who hasn’t sung along to his hits “Rebel Yell,” “Mony Mony” or “White Wedding”? His career took off as a result of the wide popularity of the then relatively new video music channel, MTV. As a result, a generation of teenagers grew up with Billy Idol’s...

July 14th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

Daily Lunchtime Concerts at Woodrow Wilson Plaza

Every weekday during the lunch hour, the Woodrow Wilson Plaza located at the Ronald Reagan Center in Washington DC gets Live! with free musical concerts. Performances feature a wide variety of bands and performers, including African dance, Celtic folk singers, jazz, Hip Hop, Latin swing, pop, rock and more. Bring your lunch or grab a bite from the Market to Market cafe, or try one of the 18 diverse cuisines served at the Food Court. If pizza sound good, try one of the handmade pizzas at Aria Pizzeria...

July 13th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More

The Newseum Chronicles The Press and Our History

Plan on spending most of the day at the Newseum in Washington DC as you will be intrigued by the thousands of artifacts, newspapers, memorabilia and video clips on display. As my newest must see museum in the District, the Newseum not only tells the story and history of news reporting, journalism and the evolution of the news media, but is also a chronicle all of the major events in global history. It’s almost impossible to enter any gallery and not be immediately drawn to view something of interest. ...

July 12th, 2010 | Washington DC | Read More