Urban Discoveries Living .

Spring is just about the most beautiful time in D.C. The sun is shining, the cherry blossoms are in bloom, summer humidity hasn't kicked in yet, and it's light out past 5:00 pm. One of the best ways to see DC in the spring (or any time of the year) is by bike. You don't have to fight traffic or the sometimes unreliable Metro service and you can get some exercise while seeing the sights. However most people don't own a bike simply because they wouldn't use it often enough. The Smart Bike program may change that and bring bikes to everyone.

Based on a popular program in France and making its U.S. debut in DC, Smart Bike is the bike equivalent of Zipcar. Bikes will be located at stations throughout DC. You go up to a station, swipe your pre-paid Smart Bike card, and the bike is yours. The exact plans have yet to be finalized - some people are reporting that users will pay an hourly fee, others are saying you can pay a $40 fee which gives you access to the system for a year. Whatever the outcome, the Smart Bike program is sure to open up a whole new world of bike trails and scenic sightseeing for DC residents.

We will be sure to keep you updated as the plan develops. In the meantime, a link to a map with proposed Smart Bike locations can be found here.

Discover Washington D.C. by foot and delight in the food shops and restaurants that give flavor to the capital's favorite tales of gastronomic history. Along the way, learn about the inaugural party turned food fight and the quiet milestone in civil rights by racial equality advocate Mary Church Teller.

By foot and Metro hops, visit a café specializing in teas of the world, pick selections at a gourmet take-out market, walk-in at a Chinese sundries shop, stop at a diner famous for its chili and half-smokes, and enjoy a dessert course at a café/bakery by DC's Food Network celebrity.

Bring extra cash since it will be difficult to pass up bringing home some of the goodies and souvenirs. Cameras would be necessary too with great photo opportunities along the way.

This walking tour is offered Saturdays, 1:30 p.m., April 1 through October 31 at $15 per person. Cost of snacks and subway fare are not included. Tour begins from outside the Archives-Navy Memorial Station.

Tickets may be purchased online - "Moveable Feast: A Taste of D.C." walking tour.

The Erwin Gomez Salon and Spa on 1519 Wisconsin Avenue N.W. is elevating the spa experience a notch higher with their Knight Spa concept. It is a place where you can start your evening fun during preparation. Have cocktails while getting a facial or sip a martini while having your hair done. Good food and drinks, plus music and dancing in a welcoming party atmosphere might just make you decide to complete the night right at the salon.

The concept integrates fun and pampering. Women who naturally gather to talk, swap stories, unwind and have an adventure together can do so while relaxing. Expect rejuvenation and more in the enjoyable company of your friends in a spa and party place combined.

The Erwin Gomez Salon and Spa has been selected by Star Magazine as one of the top 5 Salons in the USA. With owner and make up guru Erwin Gomez at the helm, the salon certainly provides innovative ways to enhance beauty and good looks from its top of the line salon products to expert staff and creative customer service such as the Knight Spa.

Call the Erwin Gomez Salon and Spa at (202) 333-7290.

5 Time Winner of the coveted ‘Best Irish Pub in Washington D.C.' award, Four Green Fields-or "the 4Ps" as longtime locals still call it-offers a unique Irish atmosphere and 16 different beers on tap. And while many bars have trivia nights, only Four Green Fields reads the trivia to you in a delightful Irish accent during their "Pub Quiz" every Wednesday night at 9 p.m. So bring along your smartest friends, settle in with some pints of Guinness, and show off your knowledge of obscure facts and trivia while imagining you're in Ireland! Visit this charming and unique Irish pub for a night you'll never forget.

Four Green Fields
3412 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC 20008
202-244-0860
http://www.irelandsfourprovinces.com

Rain or shine, come join Cultural Tourism DC for 80 free walking tours (and some bike tours) in 18 neighborhoods across Washington, DC this Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27. All 80 tours are free and participants are welcome to join as many tours as they like! Most tours are walk-up but some require reservations, so make sure you double-check the listing before joining a tour.

Cultural Tourism DC encourages participants to take the Metrobus, Metrorail, or the Circulator and to check goDCgo.com to map out their route in advance. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes, dress appropriately, and bring water, but please leave dogs and alcoholic beverages at home. Don't forget to bring your camera and enter the DCist Walkingtown photo contest!

Among the 80 available tours are a bike Eco-tour of DC's "green" buildings, and walking tours of Capitol Hill, artwork at Metro Stations, and the Southwest Waterfront-the smallest yet most diverse quadrant in the Capital City. Participants interested in D.C.'s diverse history can also check out the rich black history of Georgetown, Washington's "Black Broadway"-U Street, and Barry Farm, Anacostia-an area that was once home to thousands of homeless ex-slaves after the Civil War. In addition, tours will visit art galleries, cemeteries, and old schools, but that's not all! For a full listing of tours available, check the schedule.

For more information, email info@CulturalTourismDC.org or call 202-661-7581.