Wolf Trap

“The Sound of Music” on stage from August 31st through September 5th.

D.C. taxes

If you are purchasing a place in the District, be sure to check if you are eligible for any of these programs: D.C. homestead exemption which deducts money from your assessment and lowers your property taxes, D.C. Tax abatement program which exempts you from paying transfer and recordation taxes at settlement and the D.C. first time homebuyer credit.

For the puppies in your life

Saturday, August 28th from 11-4, bring the dogs for pet portraits, pet contests, exhibitors, live music and fun for children at The Village at Shirlington. Villageatshirlington.com.

Check it out

Try Washingtonian.com/topchefdc or /realhousewives for the latest in case you had to miss these two Bravo programs taking place in our city!

Go Nats!

The Cubbies are coming to town! And on August 25th, you can get $5 off tickets when you buy the Washington Post. Just tear off the masthead on the front page showing the name of the paper and the date and turn this in at the ticket office. Same deal applies for Nats vs. Mets September 8th, Nats vs. Astros September 22 and Nats vs. Phillies September 29th. Support the hometown team!!

Re-fi?

The ability to now obtain a 30 year fixed rate mortgage for less than 5% and a 15 year for less than 4% is pretty amazing, but this assumes a stellar credit score. And be sure to compare fees before committing to a lower rate. Switching from a 30 year 5% loan to a 3.92% 15 year loan of $200,000 would increase the monthly payment by $400 so if your goal is to lower your monthly payment, this doesn’t work for you even though it saves you interest in the long term.

Photos

Opening August 20th at the National Portrait Gallery: “Americans Now” – featuring portraits of iconic sports figures and entertainers. Npg.si.edu

County Fair!

August 20th – The Montgomery County Fair, one of the area’s largest agricultural fairs opens at 3. Midway of rides and carnival games plus lots of fried foods and a demolition derby! 10 to midnight through the 21st. www.mcagfair.com

Looking forward

After a two and one-half year building project, Arena Stage will open again October 22nd with “Oklahoma”! The Cradle has been added to the two existing stages. Check out their plans for the upcoming season.

Are you Irish?

Head down to Alexandria’s Market Square Saturday for pipe bands, bagpipers, traditional Irish food, plenty of Guinness and Irish dancing from noon to seven – www.ballyshaners.org

Day trip

Taste Lancaster County’s (Pennsylvania) famous food on their sweet and salty trail and visit the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Factory and the Wilbur Chocolate Co. among other sites. www.padutchcountry.com

Rock Opera

“Chess” is a fascinating musical and it will star Broadway actors at Signature Theatre in Shirlington – Arlington – through September 26th. Signature-theatre.org

Weekly Wine Night

Try Fridays at the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse at 7 for the movie of the week and

Something Different

If you haven’t been to the Phillips Collection, here’s a fun way to get acquainted – for jazz music, gelato and a scavenger hunt through the museum - Phillips After Five Thursdays from 5 to 8:30 – www.phillipscollection.org.

Changes in the Market

An interesting takeaway from the stats in the chart below is the drastic drop in the average number of days that homes spent on the market. The stat not only speaks to the fact that the country was in the middle of the housing crisis last summer, but also is evidence of the high demand for quality homes when they hit the market these days.

2010
2009
% Change

Average Sold Price
$550,687
$483,477
13.9

Median Sold Price
$430,000
$386,000
11.4

Average Days on Market
62
88
-29.55

Average List Price
$582,959
$520,162
12.07

Rock Opera

“Chess” is a fascinating musical and it will star Broadway actors at Signature Theatre in Shirlington – Arlington – through September 26th. Signature-theatre.org

Carnival!

Through August 21st, visit the Montgomery County Fair and ride the Ferris Wheel, eat junk food and enjoy the pig races. www.ncagfair.com

Open Table

When making reservations for restaurants, go to www.opentable.com or download the Open Table app on your iphone.

If you have an account with open table, it tracks the restaurants you have been to and you can easily keep track of the places you love. For example, the restaurant we visited in NYC several years ago... none of us can remember where it was or the name of it, but it was one of our favorite dining experiences in New York. If we had made the reservation with open table, we would have had it in our database!

Also, each time you make a reservation you get rewards points (most restaurants are 100 points--but some featured restaurants are 1000). Once you get to 2000 points you get a $20 gift certificate to use with any Open Table restaurant (similarly, 5000 points is a $50 gift certificate and 10,000 points is a $100 gift certificate) . Its a great program! Let us know how you like it!

Straight from the cow!

This family run farmstead specializes in cow’s milk cheeses similar to Taleggio and Fontina. Meadow Creek Dairy in Galax, Va – meadowcreekdairy.com. Or visit a pick- your-own farm to grab some fruits and veggies – pickyourown.org

Blacksburg, Va. & Martinsville, Va.

Blacksburg, Va.
“Steppin’ Out”, More than 150 craft vendors sell handmade jewelry, stained glass, pottery, etc. plus musical performances August 6-7 – downtownblacksburg.com, 540 951 0454.

Martinsville, Va.
August 21st, see 400 classic cars in the historic district, martinsville.com

Multi tasking!

Shop for dinner while listening to concerts at the Rosslyyn Farmers’ Market (11:45-3:00) Thursdays, www.rosslynva.org/play/markets. Or at the Ballston Farmers’ Market, 3-7 pm, Wilson Blvd. and Taylor Street Thursdays.

Fun for the puppy!

First Thursday in Del Ray this month is devoted to the dogs in your life. Head for the Farmers' Market space at Mt. Vernon and Oxford 6-9 this Thursday (August 5th) and to such shops as Barkley Square for treats!

Alexandria Restaurant Week

August 20-29th!

Click here for more details:
http://visitalexandriava.com/restaurants-nightlife/restaurants/alexandria-restaurant-week/

Will the Redskins be back this year?

Check them out on Fan Appreciation Day Ashburn August 7th – redskins.com

Old Faithfuls at Wolf Trap

Willie Nelson August 3rd and home town gal Mary Chapin Carpenter August 19th.

Watching your pennies?

Follow the summer interns to Happy Hours at the Hawk and Dove (for free food starting at 5 until it’s gone),Union Pub (cheap beer specials); Capitol Lounge (25 cent wings on Tuesdays); My Brother’s Place ($1 tacos Tuesday and Saturday nights); McFadden’s (inexpensive beer) –all on the Hill. In Arlington, the Clarendon Ballroom for inexpensive drinks and appetizers on Wednesdays