Quickly! Before yet another area of our fair city gets re-developed and overdeveloped..get your…read morebutt down here. Super builders Archstone-Smith and Hines are already working on convention center site into a "Town Center" with retail shops, offices and condos. But before they do, there will be an outdoor market held in this space through December 21st (so..this Thursday!). There will be about 150 vendors selling food; fresh fruit/veggies/flowers; and crafts. Perfect way to beat the mall crowds and pick up something different to give this year.

This review is for the Cochon 555 2019 edition in New York City. I noticed there were no reviews…read moreyet for this year so thought I'd share my experience. The venue - This year's Cochon 555 was held at the Weylin event space in Brooklyn. The building is a NYC landmark, formerly known as the Williamsburg Savings Bank. Recently renovated, it's a beautiful space with a grand dome & stunning architecture (classic revival according to Wikipedia). Venue is five stars all the way! The food - Around 4 stars overall. Since this was my first Cochon 555, I don't know how it was in previous years, but I'd say it was good. The lines weren't too long & there was enough food. They ran out of oysters. The tacos were incredible. The cupcakes by The Perfect Purée were my favorite sweet. The hibiscus cupcake was wonderful. The drinks - Cochon555 is known for its excellent wine selection. This year included a wine and cheese pairing which was incredible! It was a well curated selection, including Orin Swift 8 years paired with Nancy's Camembert amongst others. There were many great wines scattered throughout the event. Also, Rum from Venezuela and mixed drinks. To top it off, they had a Punch Kings punch contest with 5 different barkeeps. Fountains, bowls, and even one with coconut milk & orange bitters. Very creative ! And good too. Five stars for the drinks. Overall value - I purchased my ticket for 75$ It was more than I wanted to spend but I don't usually have time to go to Cochon 555 and I've heard so many good things about it over the years. I think it's a little expensive, compared with other food events that offer more food stations & larger servings. For NYC it's a good price when you factor in the wine & average cost of a decent meal at some of the better restaurants. Would I go again? Yes but I'd much rather go to Cochon's Heritage Fire. The one they have in Napa looks incredible; it'd be cool to schedule a trip to the Napa valley & add this to the itinerary. Probably will never do it, but I can dream.

So the gang gave me the honor of the FTR since I created this yelp event which I am honored to do…read more Even though I just got home from this fabulous event, I will attempt the glorify this event in words with as few spelling mistakes as possible. I had a lot of wine. To be completely honest, words escape me with how great this event was. It was held at the newseum and while at times it seemed a little crowded, it was never that bad that you had to complain. As far as the amount of food, there was SO MUCH FOOD PER PERSON! They in no way ran out of food. They served the little piggies from 5pm till about 8pm nonstop. Some food stations ran out of food, but there were other places you could go. For about the last hour we all said at least once, "I can not eat another thing" and then we always found another delicious bite to eat. Chef Scott Drewno of The Source won the big prize and deservedly so. He served food up until the last person left the room. He said he had about 14 dishes plus cocktails. Bryan Voltaggio was my honorable mention because he had this homemade soda which was probably one of the best things I tasted tonight. It was a cream soda-makers mark-chestnut-hamhock- SODA. It was really..... WOW. But SD really took the prize for me with his bacon peanut brittle, pork cider cockails, and so many other things. I saw other things people eating but I could literally not eat another thing. It was that much food. It was great to taste all the other wines as well. There was an after party on U Street which was a great place to keep the party going and talk with the chefs. Overall, it was completely worth the $125 entry fee (feels like a steal) and want to go to each chef's restaurant and support the wonderful work and artistry they do. I would totally go to this event in the future.

It was super fun to have so many DC ramen chefs in one venue and to taste each one. I enjoyed…read moreeating different types of ramen - some not so traditional and others what you expect from ramen. There was also unlimited Kirin beer and various cocktails, as well as Sake Lemonade. Some stations had dumplings and there was gelato from Dolcezza. Also had a DJ spinning music and various rooms each restaurant was represented in. The event was fun and it was $75 per person if you bought early and then $90+ after the early bird discount. But with about 8+ bowls of ramen and drinks- its not so bad. The suggestion I would offer is to have some kind of organized way for people to queue. It was very confusing which way and where we were supposed to be in line. We would queue, but then others would just walk up and grab a bowl. It was chaos- but we all got our food. Just wish there was some kind of organization to this event- I never knew if I was in a line or stuck behind people just eating. Everyone left with a gift from the sponsors- Sun-J marinade and sauce. My friends and I had a lot of fun! I would do it again.

I must be sick in the head. So the day after having a 21 course tasting dinner at Volt, I decided…read moreit was a great idea to also go to Ramen World and eat endless HEAPING bowls of broth and noodles. I do not regret it. What I do regret is having a doctor's appointment the next day and having to explain the ABNORMALLY high blood pressure reading for someone who has low blood pressure. Doctor: That's a high reading for you.Do you feel dizzy, have any fainting spells? Me: I ate about six bowls of Ramen yesterday. Doctor: Yeah, well that would do it. Here are some things you should know about Ramen World before going. Eating over one bowl of Ramen is tremendously hard. I discovered ramen is not exactly sampling food. It's incredibly filling and heavy. Plan accordingly. Justin C. did a great job of explaining how the event was organized and highlighting the food. It was disappointing that there weren't clear signs of where each vendor was and what exactly they were serving. With regard to food, I would like to add that the strongest offering were from Thip Khao, they had long wide noodles (like chow fun) in their take on Khao Soi and I was pleasantly surprised by Chalin's bowls of tantan-men ramen, very Thai in flavor, spicy with a hint of peanuts. Both inspired me to visit their respective restaurants in the near future. Chaplin's also offered a fried pork dumpling, injected with a mixture of soy, Sriracha, and rye whiskey. It was...kinda gross actually. Dolcezza has me dreaming of their black sesame ice cream, and SnoCream had the cutest macarons in the shape of pandas, bears and frogs. We offered unlimited drinks but there was only so much Kirin one can drink. As Justin noted, the food ran out well before closing time. Not only did the food run out so did utensils and disposable plate wear. Donburi began serving on plastic plate lids. Classy move. I am not sure if I would attend this event in the future, given the poor planning and that ramen is not something I could eat in mass quantities, but I did have a blast while I was here. I would like to thank Erik Bruner-Yang for letting us borrow the decorative dragon heads on Toki's table to do our own interpretive dance with them. Great photo op there.

Hidden on a typical residential street is a huge secret vegetable garden! Out back is an elderly…read moreman selling his vegetables only to those few who know about it! Organic, real, local and fresh! Check it out!

A cute little park in downtown Vienna. My dog loves being outdoors and parks but we like to avoid…read moreanywhere crowded as he gets excited very easily. We stopped by at this park today because our usual one was too full. This one was nice and empty for him. It had just enough room for him to explore and have fun. Lots of trash cans available for doggie #2 too. Parking was easy right on the street. They had a little free library as well. They had bathrooms that were pretty clean and even a doggie water fountain (and a water fountain specifically to refill your water bottle). It was a nice surprise that this little park had so many amenities. I'll definitely be back as my dog really enjoyed himself!!

There was a summer several years ago where I stumbled upon the CW sitcom "Hart of Dixie" on Netflix…read moreand binge-watched the entire series within a few days. There was something so magical about the community of Bluebell, Alabama and all of the traditions and activities they had that was very compelling to watch. I believe the Town of Vienna is the closest to Bluebell situation we have going here in Northern Virginia and I have definitely been taking advantage of all the family-friendly activities that they offer. The Vienna Town Green is home to a lot of them (including a free summer concert series). A few friends and I packed up a picnic and watched a show while our kiddos ran around with new friends catching fireflies and blowing bubbles. I honestly can't think of a better way to spend a random Wednesday night!

Cyndy's Bottom Line: LOVE Sculpture and Garden - Celebrates the community's diversity, inclusion,…read moreand 75th-anniversary spirit. Created to reflect the City's history, commitment to democracy, and value of a welcoming community, the City's new LOVE installation, "Reflection: Diversity and Inclusivity" is designed to promote The Little City as a unique travel destination. The LOVE sculpture is located in the heart of the City where annual events across the four seasons and the weekly Farmers Market bring the community together. The sculpture's site is intentionally at the heart of where residents, businesses, and visitors come together. The installation is an extension of the "Virginia is for Lovers" brand, joining the other Virginia Tourism Corporation LOVEworks structures in towns and cities across the Commonwealth. "The LOVE Sculpture, Reflection: Diversity and Inclusivity, with its unique interactive mirror, is a meaningful and fitting symbol for our City. The City of Falls Church has long been known as a welcoming community with a big heart, and this artwork perfectly captures that spirit," said City Manager Wyatt Shields.

Looking for a flexible and inexpensive space to host a birthday party? Look no further than the…read moreFalls Church Community Center! We recently booked the Teen Center for my nine (!!!) year old's birthday and the kiddos had an absolute blast. The vibe felt like a little house party -- there were tons of active games like pool, shuffle board, air hockey, and ping pong as well as a few board games, a tv, couches, and a mini kitchen with bar. We were able to entertain the children for two full hours with a mix of crafts, games, and food and felt like the area was able to contain a group of mixed ages nicely. On a spring or fall day, you can also utilize the playground at Cherry Hill Park which is directly behind the building. Booking was pretty easy and they set up all the tables/chairs which was helpful. Definitely plan for breakdown time -- you will need to cleanup and sweep afterwards.

I live in the town next to Falls Church but never knew about this hidden gem. There's group…read moregathering spaces, rooms to rent, and a sweet basketball court that I'd love to use regularly if I lived closer by. We were here for a birthday party where the host rented out a room. It was a really big room - maybe 50 feet long - so it was able to accommodate the large number of guests. There was a ping pong table in the center and books and games on the bookshelves. There were also tons of tables and seating for all the guests and a wet bar with a sink and counter for the host to set up food. It's an older building, but it met all of the kids' needs and everyone had a great time!

Thursday afternoon I headed down to The Birchmere to see a concert that I was really excited to see…read more- Moya Brennan. For those of you that may be unfamiliar with the name - if you've ever heard of the Irish Supergroup - Clannad - Moya is the lead singer of Clannad. Moya is also Enya's older sister. I always try to arrive at The Birchmere 30-40 minutes before the doors to the Box Office open at 5:00 pm. When picking up will call tickets you've ordered over the phone or internet, they give you a stub with a number on it. You then hang out in the bar of the Birchmere, drink, and wait for them to open the doors to the Music Hall at 6:00 pm. They then call for folks to enter by those numbered ticket stubs they hand out. So, getting down there early means you will get in the Music Hall early and be guaranteed reasonably good seats. Traffic was bad and I arrived later than I normally do - it was about 4:45 pm when I arrived. but the line was not to bad, there was only nine people ahead of me in line. I thought I was prepared for the cold weather and dressed warmly - but it was frickin' cold out! Even just standing outside for 15 minutes! I picked up my ticket, bought a second ticket for a friend and left it at the Box Office for her with her name on it, and went and hung out in the Bar with my friend Robert and ordered a Dominion Ale. This was the second time getting to see Moya perform. I saw her last performance at The Birchmere a couple of years ago when she toured to support the release of her album "Two Horizons." When the doors to the Music Hall opened at 6:00 pm, since we only had 9 other parties in front of us, we managed to secure a nice table right down in front of the stage - front row seats! Yaaaaayyyyy! Robert and I ordered dinner - we both opted for the Cajun Gumbo - it's okay as Gumbo goes, I've had better, but I've also had far worse. I also continued drinking Dominion Ale. The performance started promptly at 7:30 pm. Moya came out with her band. She announced that the evening would be a combination of music from her two latest albums - "Signature" and "Irish Christmas" plus some old Clannad songs. So throughout the evening we got to experience her take on Christmas songs. Moya has a beautiful voice, and she is a kind, funny, and beautiful soul. Her essence shines through in both her music, and her as a person. She is very sweet! She sang songs from throughout her career, including some classics such as "I Will Find You," the theme song from the movie "Last of the Mohicans" which was done by Clannad. She also sang "Robin (The Hooded Man)" some of you may have seen a British TV show from the 1980s entitled "Robin of Sherwood." Clannad performed the theme song for that show "Robin (The Hooded Man)." The crowd went nuts when she played "I Will Find You" and "Robin (The Hooded Man)." Her Christmas songs were just ethereal. Wonderful. Beautiful. Joyful. Just to be there, and experience her, feel her, was beyond any words in the languages of men to adequately describe what I felt. She sang a number of Christmas songs - my favorites were "Deck The Halls," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "The Wexford Carol" and "Silent Night." "Silent Night" was especially beautiful. After the performance was completed, the crowd stood and applauded and applauded and applauded until she came back out. They performed three final songs and ended with "Silent Night." She sang the song, first in Gaelic, then in English, then she motioned for the audience to join her in singing the song. There was a short 10 minute intermission during the performance - I used that time to duck out to the store in The Birchmere and purchase her two latest albums "Signature" and "An Irish Christmas." After the concert, we got in line out in the Lobby to meet Moya and have our CDs autographed by her. I was sixth in line so I did not have to wait long. She is such a lovely person, I got the chance to ask her several questions to which I've been dying to know the answers. I got to ask her about her first name - her real name is spelled "Maire" with an accent over the "a" but we stupid Americans were always mispronouncing it as something else - she has been called everything from "Marie" to who knows what else. Even though her real name is spelled "Maire," it's pronounced "Moya." If you go back and buy her early albums - you will see they are under the real spelling of her name. Anyway she changed to "Moya" for marketing because it was easier. I then asked her if Clannad had disbanded as they had not released an album or toured for a terribly long time. She laughed and told us that Clannad was getting ready to gear up for a UK/European Tour. I asked, hoping against hope - might we get to to see Clannad tour the U.S.? She said if they can work it out - find the right promoter - that the answer would be yes! I have my fingers crossed! It was a beautiful evening of music!