About Bethesda's Downtown Bethesda

About a week after I moved to Washington from New York, one of my new neighbors invited me to come with her on a grocery shopping expedition. But we did not go to Safeway or Giant. Instead, she introduced me to a magical place, the Bethesda Farm Women's Cooperative, that has become one of my favorite hunting and gathering spots.

The market is located at 7155 Wisconsin Avenue, just above Leland Street, and about a mile north of the District line. And there is plenty of metered parking in the adjacent public lot.

Since the 1930's, local farm women have been bringing their pies, jams, meats and vegetables to the Bethesda Farm Women's Cooperative to sell them. From the beginnings, it was wildly successful, and within a few years, the cooperative was able to buy the building where they still operate today.

In the beginning, you had to make it, raise it or bake it yourself to sell your wares, and most of the indoor stalls still meet that standard. In the spaces outdoors, however, there are many imported goods, vintage costume jewelry and other not so local items - although they are still fun to browse.

There are jams like they taught us to make in high school home ec, amazing local cheeses, meet from creatures that were in the barnyard or pasture until a day ago (once, to my horror, I discovered that the steak I just bought had had a name - yikes!), and baked goods that look and smell heavenly.

And as apple season arrives, the ciders (which often have a bit of a kick). The fruits and vegetables are all local, extremely fresh, and delicious.

There are flowers that are just beautiful - fresh cut, dried or potted and ready to plant.

The market is open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and the best time to go is Saturday morning - and I suggest getting there early, before the really good stuff is gone!

The Bethesda Farm Women's Market, located on Wisconsin Avenue between Leland and Willow Streets.

In the old days, the vendors had to cook it or grow it themselves. You can still get a gorgeous piece of beef that only the day before had been munching grass in a pasture, and the veggies are always quite local and fresh. They sell cheese that melts in your mouth, chickens that are just a different animal than you get at the supermarket, and a lot of hand made crafts.

There are now vendors in the outside area facing Wisconsin Avenue who sell imported jewelry and lots of stuff that you might find at a flea market, and I try to avoid these stands. Um, I should be taking this sort of stuff out of my house and selling it or giving it away!

But for locally grown meat and produce, the place is amazing.

And did I mention flowers? Whether you are looking for something to plant in your garden, to put in a vase on your dining room table, or dried flowers, they have some beautiful things.

It's located at 7155 Wisconsin Avenue, and it's open from way before I get up in the morning to about 3 in the afternoon on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

It's fun and the photos ops are endless!

Enjoy a weekend of dance events, including free dance lessons and parties at Bethesda dance studios, February. 18-19, 2011.

The 7th annual Dance Bethesda celebrates dance by providing fun dancing opportunities for young and old alike, and performances in downtown Bethesda. This year, the event includes for the first time a FREE Youth Dance Party featuring dance lessons, discounts, raffles & prizes for ages 10-17.

Also, the event includes some great performances by local dance groups on Sat. February 19. Admission is $15 for adults and $8 children under 12, tickets can be purchased on line. Featuring ClancyWorks Dance Co., Furia Flamenco, Lesole's Dance Project and more. Showtime begins at 8pm.

The Adult dance parties are Fri. February 28 from 7-10pm

Dance Bethesda Dance Studio 8227 Woodmont Ave.
Social dance party and lessons (waltz, cha cha, swing, tango & more)

Du-Shor Dance Studio 7800 Wisconsin Ave.
Demos and lessons (foxtrot, tango, salsa and more)

Youth Dance Party & Lessons are Friday, February 18 from 7-9:30pm

Imagination Stage
4908 Auburn Ave.

Joy of Motion Dance Center, Dansez! Dansez! & Imagination Stage join together to host this event. Demos and lessons in various styles including hip-hop, jazz and modern will be offered for ages 10 - 17

If you need a new fancy hat for your Kentucky Derby party, I found these at a sweet little shop on Bethesda Row. In addition to boutiques that sell hats and other fashions, Bethesda Row boasts a farmer's market with lots of fresh veggies that are on my diet. There were also several restaurants where I might have stopped if it were not for this stupid diet - and the smells were just wonderful.

Florida Avenue Grill Celebrates 65th Anniversary this Saturday

The owner of DC's famed Florida Avenue Grill will host a 65th Anniversary celebration this Saturday, October 3rd, from 10am to 4pm. The event, honoring one of the city's oldest African-American establishments, will serve up southern food and music to the public to show its appreciation. The Grill, a must-visit site for DC's politicians and celebrities, is located just off U Street at Florida and 11th St., NW. The event is open to the public.

The Florida Avenue Grill is no ordinary greasy spoon. It's been paying homage to diner food, Southern style, since 1944. Although lunch and dinner are served, if you want a real treat, come for breakfast. And know right off the bat that this is no place to bring your diet.

WHERE: 1100 Florida Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20009 202-265-1586

Neighborhood: U Street/Cardozo

Metro: U Street/African-American Civil War Memorial/Cardozo (Green Line)

Cuisines: Southern/Soul, Diner

Still hungry? Be sure to check out the Taste of Bethesda - which runs from 11 to 4 on October 3.

When you are finished feasting in Bethesda, be sure to give Lise Howe a call and you can check out some houses near by! A little walk and some real estate shopping will certainly provide a way to walk off some of the delicious food you just ate.