Take a beer trip around the world in Washington DC

by Jeremy Kressmann on

I love beer. For me, beer is also a drink that goes hand-in-hand with travel. It’s available just about everywhere from Asia to America to Africa, yet no two places are alike when it comes to the preferred local brand. One of the first things I do when I arrive in a new place is try out the local beer. My reaction is usually a good sign of things to come. Is the beer watered-down and tasteless? Not a good sign for the rest of my trip.

Thankfully this past weekend I found myself in Washington DC, home of the beer paradise that is The Brickskeller. This beer institution in our nation’s capital has one of the most extensive beer lists anywhere in the world, boasting a place in the Guinness Book of World Records with over 1,000 offerings in-house. Ever tried a smoked beer from Germany? Take a pick from their numerous list. Wonder what beer from Ecuador tastes like? Not good. Looking for a classic Belgian Trappist beer? The Brickskeller has got you covered there too. There are so many beer choices at The Brickskeller that you’ll be full (or drunk) before you even scratch the surface.

If you find yourself absorbing some culture in Washington this summer, head up to the city’s DuPont Circle neighborhood and sample a few bottles of your favorite domestic or foreign brew. And make sure to try a few you’ve never heard of – it’s sure to impress your globetrotting friends.

Looking for more spots to quench your thirst? Check out this previous Gadling list of the best places for beer.

Aiports landscape with artificial turf

by Anna Brones on

No, it’s not an attempt to make airports seem more like sport stadiums; artificial turf is being used on tarmacs at airports around the country because it is easier and less expensive to maintain that the real green stuff. Baltimore/Washington is the latest airport to green its tarmac, joining other major hubs like New York’s John F. Kennedy, Atlanta, Detroit, Boston, Toronto, Chicago Midway and Chicago O’Hare.

Artificial turf is ideal for unpaved areas near the tarmac as regular grass and soil often hide foreign debris that can cause safety hazards if it makes its way onto the runway. The two types approved by the FAA are AvTurf and Airfieldturf, and they aren’t just being used for the runway; it’s also replacing the painted green and yellow X signs used to help pilots figure out which taxiways are open. At night, painted asphalt can be difficult to see and the paint wears away more easily than the durable artificial turf. What’s next? Artificial green stuff in the security line?

Magna Carta comes to the National Archives in DC

by Grant Martin on

If you were following the Sotheby’s auctions late last year (or listening to NPR the day of the sale), you probably heard that a rare copy of the Magna Carta, one of the most important documents in the history of democracy, was sold to a Mr. David Rubenstien, of the private equity company Carlyle Group.

Speculation on where that version of the document, originally commissioned by the King of England in 1297, would end up, ranged from lost somewhere into a private collection to some sort of public display.

Luckily, this one wont end up on Steven Spielburg’s wall. The generous Mr. Rubenstien announced today that his company was loaning the treasure to the National Archives in Washington DC, where it will soon be put on display for the public to see, along with the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and Constitution. How exciting.

The document is slated to go on display on the 12th of this month. Make sure you stop by and take a look if you’re in the neighborhood — admission is free!

Restaurant Menus Available Online for Major American Cities

by Neil Woodburn on

You know the drill. You’re in a strange city, someone gives you a restaurant recommendation, but when you get there, there is nothing on the menu that looks interesting to you.

Well, a new website plans to alleviate that culinary nightmare. MenuPages.com is a database of thousands of menus covering restaurants in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, and South Florida.

The site is organized by regions and cuisines. Simply find the restaurant that’s been recommended and click on the online menu or download the printable PDF file.

The listings are long and impressive–pretty much every restaurant I searched for in Los Angeles popped up. The one disappointment is the rather lackluster review section. Few of the restaurants feature reader reviews. Hopefully this will change in the future as the site catches on.

41st Annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival

by Kelly Amabile on

The 41st annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival kicks off this Wednesday, June 27th on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Each year the cultural event features music and arts from several world regions. This year’s global goodness will focus on the Mekong River, Northern Ireland and the state of Virginia. Quite an interesting culture combo!

The Mekong River: Connecting Cultures feature will celebrate the diversity of the region and its ties to daily life in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and the Chinese province of Yunnan. Programming includes crafts, cooking demonstrations, ritual specialists and artistic and musical performances as diverse as Vietnamese opera, Thai shadow puppetry and Cambodian classical dance.

Northern Ireland’s Smithsonian exhibit area will feature sessions on agriculture and fishing, as well as a collection of pipers, rhymers and mummers. The Roots of Virginia Culture presentation will include delegations from Virginia’s eight Native American tribes, West Africa, and Kent County, England, who together will represent the Native, African American, and English roots of the state.

The festival runs through July 8. Don’t forget to check out Gadling’s huge round-up of other musical summer festivals.