Unique to DC!

When those unexpected little pleasant surprises come around, it is important that we reflect for a moment to appreciate the little blessing we received. Well, one of the greatest museums and collections of art in the world is free for all to see, for at least four hours every week. Generally regarded a the most influential modern art collection in the world, New York’s Museum of Modern Art is worth every penny of the $25 admission fee. But thanks to Target, it can be experienced for free every Friday between 4pm and 8pm. If you happen to be in the City on a Friday, take advantage!

Enjoy the images below of some recent Free Friday attendees…

Washington, D.C. is synonymous with politics. Black tie here, red tie there, navy suit everywhere. But as we’ve discussed before, the city behind the white-columned buildings that garner most of the attention has plenty of gems to uncover. Among those is the musical history of the city that produced a wide range of musicians, ranging from John Philip Sousa to Duke Ellington to Thievery Corporation.

We have put together a list of 32 singles that have defined the surprisingly diverse D.C. music scene, which even created its own genre of music that remains a D.C. secret today: Go-Go (you can get a sample of this genre from Chuck Brown, Junk Yard Band, Rare Essence and Backyard Band below).

Going in chronological order…

1886–John Philip Sousa: Stars and Stripes Forever

1888–John Philip Sousa: Semper Fidelis

1931–Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington: In A Sentimental Mood (featuring John Coltrane)

1931–Duke Ellington: It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)

1932–Duke Ellington: Sophisticated Lady

1939–Duke Ellington: Take the “A” Train

1973–Roberta Flack: Killing Me Softly

1974–Roberta Flack: Feel Like Making Love

1978–Chuck Brown: Bustin’ Loose

1986–Junk Yard Band: Sardines

1987–Chuck Brown: It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Don’t Got That Go-Go Swing)

1993–Rare Essence: Work the Walls

1994–Junk Yard Band: Loose Booty

1995–Questionmark Asylum: Hey Lookaway

1998–Rare Essence: Overnight Scenario

1998–Thievery Corporation: Lebanese Blonde

2000–R.E.U.B.: All My Peoples (download)

2001–Backyard Band: Pretty Girls

2003–Thievery Corporation: Richest Man in Babylon

2003–Thievery Corporation: Until the Morning

2005–Deep Dish: Say Hello

2007–K-Beta: I Read (download)

2008–Mambo Sauce: Welcome to D.C.

2008–SOJA: Rest Of My Life

2009–Raheem DeVaughn: Bulletproof (featuring Ludacris)

2009–R.E.U.B. (feat. John Mayer): Waiting On the World to Change (Remix)

2009–R.E.U.B.: All I Know That’s Real (download)

2009–SOJA: Here I Am

2009–SOJA: I Don’t Wanna Wait

2009–Wale: Chillin’ (featuring Lady Gaga)

2010–Wale: Pretty Girls (featuring Backyard Band)

2011–Thievery Corporation: Culture of Fear (featuring Mr. Lif)

Philly’s Independence Hall

Welcome to Philly. You know, Philly. Philly? Like, Philadelphia? You mean that place where the Founding Fathers signed those documents that started the modern day United States of America? That place where they make really greasy fake steak sandwiches with cheese sauce that for some reason are famous? Ah, but of course….Philly!

Poor Philadelphia. Located anywhere else, it may in fact be considered a great city—an esteemed tourist attraction garnering attention from far and wide. I mean, surely it has more to offer than places like Dallas or Houston, right? And yet Philly often finds itself  playing the role of red-headed stepchild…occasionally paid attention to only because you can’t avoid it, but typically shunned in favor of the taller, prettier, more charming siblings.

If Philadelphia were in Texas, its image would be a lot different. Unfortunately, it rests just about 90 miles (150 kilometers) from New York City to the north, and about 150 miles (240 kilometers) from Washington, D.C. to the south. As a result, it is often overlooked, because it has the same grime and grit that plagues some of its more well-known neighbors, but without quite as much charm.

Philly has a nice art museum (Rocky steps, anyone?). And some world-class universities (UPenn is among the world’s best). It has luscious green parks, a strong sporting tradition, and eclectic ethnic neighborhoods. A walk through the traditional Italian section of Philly south of downtown (which is bigger than NYC’s Little Italy if you’re keeping track), will send you back to the early 1900s, when an estimated 600,000 Italians called this place home.

Unfortunately, as nice as some of these things are, they aren’t differentiated enough from what Big Brother 90 miles to the north has to offer. Art museums? Check. World class universities? Check. Green parks, sports and eclectic, melting pot neighborhoods? Check. As for the more famous Little Brother to the south, well, Philly was once the Capitol of the United States, but that was before it was a global superpower. So only DC has been able to bill itself the “most powerful city in the world.” (perhaps for a few more years, anyway).

And while NYC and DC have their share of problems with crime, occasionally corrupt governments, and the like, well….these things happen just as much in Philly.

As the fourth-largest city in the U.S., trailing only New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, Philly is surely deserving of a bigger name than it currently has. Perhaps we should just pack it up and ship it Midwest, and then you may see Philly popping up on some more tourist agendas :).

The world’s symbol for liberty: The Liberty Bell!

Philly skyline (image credit: TripAdvisor)

For today’s post, I found the perfect example of what I am hoping to have people share for the “MyID” feature. A group of international students at Ball State University in Indiana tell about their first impressions of life in the United States. Special thanks to littleleafyuko!