I am such a huge fan of this place. everyone that works here is so friendly and they really know…read morewine. I always get a great recommendation, and you can also always get a free taste of wine when you visit.

This place shouldn't be a hidden gem to anyone! The concept is wonderful as they bring amazing and…read moreunexpected experiences and different types of wines, rums, bubbles, and many more liquors and cocktails mainly focused from Latin American producers. They also have snacks and tapas. Always very clean and organized, and well stacked. Can't forget about the staff. Always knowledgeable and willing to help with a big smile. This place is a must! We are members, and the membership is totally worth checking out specially for the price. I know they also have a bar located at Cocecha at Union Market, so check that out as well. You won't regret the experience!

Went with owner Alison Marriott on a private tour of Virginia wineries to look at venues and…read moreavailable wines in Loudoun county. Alison was very helpful navigating the area (how on Earth can you figure out which wineries to go to?) and explaining the difference in the varietals we tried. She also asked questions of the venue I would not have thought to ask, and I found two possible locations for my event (and learned which wines made it through the difficult 2011 growing season!) As someone who enjoys wine but really needs a little extra help, Alison has been my go-to "wine Rolodex" and was invaluable to learning what options were available in Loudoun County.

I hosted a small dinner party to celebrate my husband's birthday and had it catered. Thought it…read morewould be fun to have someone come in and do a wine pairing with the meal and talk to the guests about wine throughout. I was referred to Alison and she was AMAZING. She went above and beyond, talked to me about the choices prior to the dinner, seemed willing and able to work with any budget and her selections were fantastic. She was engaging, down to earth and entertaining. everyone loved it and her. She also took a few pictures of the party, which I'd forgotten to do so I have lasting memories of a very special night. I would definitely use her again.

I've been to a paint and sip event before and I was expecting a similar experience when I signed up…read morefor Paint Amore's "Paint and Chill" event at Selina DC on Friday. I arrived at Selina around 7pm and was directed to the lower level where the event was taking place. The check-in table at the front displayed a selection of well-used paint brushes and paint-stained plastic cups. The dimly lit room had three rows of tables set up with tiny blank canvases. The lady at the check-in desk never asked me for my ticket or my name. Instead, she directed me to select one of the laminated images on the table to "sketch." I saw that a few other attendees had on aprons, so I grabbed one of the paint-stained aprons to protect my clothing. I'm no artist, so I asked the staff member for some guidance on sketching the image I had chosen and she simply stated that I needed to draw it freehand. I helped myself to a few paint colors after figuring out that I needed to grab my own materials. I joined my friend at one of the three 4-person tables in the cozy room and made my best attempt to sketch the image using a pencil before applying the colors with my paintbrush. I completed my 10 x 8 inch painting in no time and it looked nothing like the original laminated image. Even though it wasn't a masterpiece, I found the act of painting pretty relaxing. The conversation at my table and the playlist streaming in the background were bomb! They made an otherwise lackluster experience worthwhile. I do wish this event included some wine and snacks to nosh on while we painted. That and larger canvases with sketched images and a quick orientation to attendees as they entered the room would have made this event even better. 2.5

What a fun experience this was! Booked on Eventbrite, Paint Amore offers the opportunity to paint…read morein an inclusive, fun and encouraging environment. I think that this would be a great date night plan, or fun activity for friends. Definitely geared more for adults, just because of the alcohol available and more adult playlist. Pros - Relaxed vibes: The vibes were so happy and upbeat. Folks talking, laughing, and singing along to the music. The studio is clean, well organized, and bright. - Friendly: All the staff is so helpful and friendly. They immediately make you feel at home, show you where all the paint and tools are located, guide you to your seat, and put you at ease. - Be creative: I like that there is no pressure here to follow a certain style, paint a certain picture, or complete things in a certain amount of time. You are able to follow your heart, be creative, and draw whatever you want. There are some outlines and photos available to copy if you want inspiration, but there is no pressure to do this, either! - Lots of supplies: Paints of every color, brushes of every size-- lots of cups and plats and paper towels and smocks. A dryer to dry your art as well. This studio is well stocked-- everything you need to direct your next masterpiece is here! - Fun conversation: You get seated at tables with your party, but also with other groups, so you can converse and socialize as you paint! - Affordable: I paid about $25 per person for the general admission experience, which I found to be a great value! Other: - VIP experience: The VIP experience allows for you to paint in a blacklight room, with neon paint! Not sure what the pricing is for this, but it seemed pretty dope!

I just took a GMAT test prep course with Anthony Ritz and it was an amazing experience. The way he…read morecovers the material is extremely engaging and efficient. He focuses on the most relevant and common errors and hits on them over and over till you get it. He is also super available and committed to helping his students who are struggling to get there. It's rare that you find someone so passionate about his work - he does it because he cares and genuinely wants the success of his students. I feel very fortunate to have found this course and am confident that I will well surpass my target score of 720. He is honestly going to be the difference between me going to Stanford vs a community college for business school. I'm sure the rest of Veritas is great too... but nothing beats this guy!

I have just completed my Veritas program (March - April), instructed by Anthony Ritz, and found…read morethis program INCREDIBLY helpful. I found out about Veritas through a friend who previously took the program (who scored a 740). He told me how this program was exactly what he needed to make him get the score that he did eventual receive. I of course was skeptical, and a little intimidated, however, now that the class is complete, I can say with utter confidence that I feel significantly more prepared for the test - and ultimately agree with my friend. I have my test scheduled for later this year and feel much more prepared for the test. 1.) The resources - Veritas has done a great job of providing everyone with all the tools they could ever want to prep for the test. Between a video catalog covering all pre-class work/classes/homework, to the weekly classes, you can never feel lost through the work. 2.) The instructors - As said earlier, my instructor was Anthony Ritz, who keep the class engaging and informative, while keeping everything professional and tailored to what the students needed. 3.) The discipline - While having a 9-to-5 job, it is initially intimidating to consider how you can keep up with the work. But, if you are serious about the test - the discipline is something you need to have, and the Veritas program supports you throughout the development. I recommend this program to anyone who is serious about the GMAT and getting into a top B-school.

When it comes to GMAT prep resources, the ranking goes something like this:…read more1. GMAT Official Guides and other mba.com resources 2. Manhattan Prep guides and books 3. Veritas Prep guides and books 4. Everything else I chose the in-person lesson plan with Marcus Hedahl as my instructor. He was great. Smart, prepared, funny, and able to hold my attention for the three hour lessons. Thanks to MPrep and Marcus, I was able to pull a 740 after my 650 diagnostic. I'm very happy with my choice to use Manhattan Prep.

I absolutely recommend Manhattan Prep for those preparing to take the GMAT. The prep materials they…read moreprovide (books, learning plans, and practice tests), combined with the expertise of their instructors, helped me overcome my GMAT apprehension to nab a 98th percentile GMAT score. My teacher, Whitney Garner, did a fabulous job walking us through each question type and teaching us strategies to quickly (and correctly) answer them. In addition to teaching us how to nail the test, Whitney fostered an uplifting, supportive learning environment, which helped give me the confidence I needed to crush the exam. If I had to do it again, I'd take Whitney's class again in a heartbeat! Thank you, Whitney and Manhattan Prep!

My partner and I took pottery classes here. Our instructor Lore was extremely skilled and did a…read moregreat job of showing the ropes. Glazing and firing your pieces outside of being a student is pretty pricy compared to other studios though so after our classes were over my partner and I found a new clay studio to class and fire our homemade pieces.

I took the 3 hour try-it class today and it was so fun! The instructors were kind, knowledgeable,…read moreand ready to help. I appreciated the small class size as well! Will definitely be trying for a spot in future classes.

My visit to Alliance Française de Washington brought back memories of Alliance Française Singapore…read morewhere I started my interest in French language, films and cooking. Needless to say, you can call me a francophile. The only time when "-phile" sounds positive. The charming home was the place for learning French language and the host of all kinds of francophile events. It was nice to learn about the organization and the events. I met the friendly management team Didier, Thomas and Marie at the event hosted by the Belgium Tourist Office in New York. They were promoting the 2012 Year of Gastronomy in Brussels. We were treated to St Feuillien beer, cheeses made from Chimay beer and a speech by the executive chef of the Belgium embassy about Belgium cuisine. He is a fan of seasonal food especially the game season in Belgium. How lovely. Then last Friday we were invited back to Alliance Française de Washington for a chocolate tasting event hosted by Neuhaus Chocolatier. They gave us a history of chocolate making that started in Belgium. Neuhaus is the inventor of praline and ballotine. We tried their handmade chocolates ranging from Tentation (traditional nougatine: toffee filled with coffee ganache) to Jean (ganache of intense dark Peruvian chocolate (64% cocoa mass)) to Truffe au Marc de Champagne to Marzipans. I was in chocolate heaven mmmmm......!!! It was yet another awesome event at Alliance Française de Washington. I am definitely heading to the Neuhaus store at the Union Station : P

Cet endroit est un centre cultural (this place is a cultural center). At the Alliance you can take…read morea class, hear a lecture, see a film (most likely a French one), see an art exhibit or-- my favorite activity-- go to a wine and cheese event. The Alliance offers a library that has videos and more than eight thousand books. There are chapters of this organization around the world and also about 150 of them within the US. There's also a conversation club here if you want to practice your French. Oui!

I had a great time at World Speak, I took Portuguese classes there. The class was small only about…read more4 or 5 students, the teacher was really warm and friendly and made the environment very open. The class involved reading Portuguese outloud, speaking and answer back as well as going over vocab and grammer. There was a lot practice oral practice which is what I needed. The school also gave personalized attention. The teacher was usually available to answer my questions after class and if I had a few other questions I could email them. I am now in Rio De Janiero using the Portuguese that I learned from WorldSpeak. :D

I had an excellent Portuguese teacher for private classes. In a very short time I felt very much at…read moreease with the language and the combination of constant conversation and homework exercises offered the closest thing to immersion I could hope for.