Van Lueween knows how to have fun with its flavors. While the press plays up their collaborations with Kraft Mac and Cheese and Ranch dressing, Van Lueween scoop shops is where the magic happens. The cult-favorite brand is opening their first (of many!) store fronts in D.C., starting with a location in the Union Market neighborhood. To celebrate the grand opening, Van Leeuwen will offer $1 scoops at their 18 Morse St., NE location between noon and 4:00 pm on opening day, Thursday, March 23, 2023.
Two of the world’s most acclaimed bartenders—Ryan Chetiyawardana (aka Mr Lyan) of Silver Lyan in Washington, D.C. and Masa Urushido of Katana Kitten in New York City—are coming together once again during D.C.’s cherry blossom season for a limited-run immersive pop-up experience at Silver Lyan, located inside Riggs Washington, DC.
Urushido’s award-winning Katana Kitten (ranked No. 9 in the World’s 50 Best Bars) will once again bring its Japanese-inspired ethos to D.C. for a celebratory collaboration, inspired by the Japanese custom of flower viewing, known as hanami, and the original 1912 gift of cherry trees from the people of Japan to the United States.
Silver Lyan takes inspiration from the history of cultural exchange in America, pairing innovative ingredients with traditional techniques, making a collaboration with Japanese-American Katana Kitten a perfect fit to fete cherry blossom season. // Cherry Blossom Pop Up at Riggs Washington D.C., 900 F St. NW, Washington DC. Reservations available at silverlyan.com.
Beyond luck and little kids’ obsessions, the rainbow is one of nature’s most beautiful moments. Japanese artist Ay-Ō, a member of the New York avant-garde movement Fluxus from the 1950s, reinterprets this iconic color combination in what he calls his “rainbow hell” (niji no jigoku). An exhibit of his work—Ay-Ō’s Happy Rainbow Hell—opens at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery National Museum of Asian Art on March 25, 2023. But these aren’t all happy, well, rainbows. Ay-Ō’s rainbow works are an in-depth exploration into complex topics like the human body and the animal kingdom to abstract compositions and even reinterpreting other artists’ work with rainbows. Featuring over eighty artworks from the collections of the National Museum of Asian Art as well as several other US institutions, Ay-Ō’s Happy Rainbow Hell is the first ever exhibition dedicated to the artist’s work at a museum in the United States. // Happy Rainbow Hell, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC, Gallery 25‘
After a long closure, the National Museum of Women in the Arts is slated better than ever in the fall of 2023. But that hasn’t stopped the museum of celebrating creative women in the arts throughout the refurbishment. To cap off Women’s History Monday, the museum will host its annual gala, Women Making History Gala. A-list celebrities and activists—Ashley Graham, Willie Pearl Mackey King, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Sharon Stone and Uma Thurman—will be honored this time around with the inimitable Meryl Streep & Viola Davis serving as co-chairs. // March 31, 2023; limited tickets are still available.
DC muralist Chris Pyrate is bringing a special cherry blossom art installation to Georgetown Park just in time for cherry blossom season. In celebration of the iconic blooms, Pyrate is bringing his signature cherry blossom street art to Georgetown Park, a retail destination situated between Georgetown’s two Main Streets and the historic C&O Canal. A Washingtonian and visual multimedia artist from Southeast, Chris Pyrate is known for his signature cherry blossom art murals throughout the city. Pyrate has amassed a notable clientele that includes Grammy Award-winning musician Lupe Fiasco, Nike, and the Washington Wizards. His popular pastel floral murals will appear in four consecutive phases throughout Georgetown Park over the course of the installation’s two-month-long duration. The public art installation “Georgetown on the Journey” will be on view to visitors late March through May, with art displays spanning from East Market Lane to Grace Street Plaza.
The natural cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin are the stars of the season, but coming in a close second is ARTECHOUSE’S annual homage to the blooms with its awe-inspiring digital take on the iconic cherry trees. This year’s theme is PIXELBLOOM: Timeless Butterflies, which expands on the successful 2022 PIXELBLOOM exhibition, Timeless Butterflies is an all-new visual narrative that takes visitors through a virtual world of cherry blossoms to experience the ephemeral beauty of the fluttering, delicate creatures. PIXELBLOOM: Timeless Butterflies is a joyous audio-visual story that pays tribute to nature’s exuberance and the arrival of spring. Leveraging custom technologies, ARTECHOUSE Studio reimagines the potential of a vibrant full spring bloom, both digital and organic in design, to create a one-of-a-kind enchanting, immersive journey. The stunning assortment of butterflies are released from winter slumber, nodding to the start of spring and turning ‘pixels’ into full bloom. // ARTECHOUSE: 1238 Maryland Ave. SW. PIXELBLOOM: Timeless Butterflies is open to the public daily through June 11, 2023
Tucked between Bottega, Gucci and Carter, a Michelin-starred chef opened the Washington, D.C. area’s only fine-dining Singaporean restaurant.
Jiwa Singapura debuts at a time when all eyes are on how the lively blend of Malay, Indonesian, Chinese, Indian and Portuguese flavors of Singapore’s cuisine come together on the plate.
Chef Pepe Moncayo, a native of Barcelona, spent a decade cooking Singaporean food on the island nation, which is when he met his wife, Aishah, a native of the city-state. (Her dad is a cook at one of the hawker centers there.)
Together, the Moncayos—who also own the Michelin-starred Cranes, a Spanish kaiseki in D.C.—brings luxurious takes on Hainanese chicken rice, laksa and chili crab to the D.C.’s area premier luxury retail experience, Tysons Galleria.
Designed by //3877, Jiwa Singapura (replacing Macy’s) takes inspiration from the modern built forms of Singapore with traditional patterns, featuring an impressive floral art installation in the main dining room suspended from 30-foot ceilings, an expansive chef’s table in a speckled terrazzo tile top, and 3,000-square-foot outdoor terrace with a thoughtfully-designed pergola system for near four-season use, just in time to really enjoy for patio season.
CityCenterDC’s beloved pink lanterns are back for cherry blossom season. Suspended over Palmer Alley, 250 light pink lanterns create the perfect Instagrammable moment for spring. The lanterns will be up through Memorial Day. In addition to the beautiful overhead sea of pink, there’s–of course–the shopping. Take this as your sign to update your spring wardrobe at the luxury mecca in the heart of DC.
Nothing says glamor in D.C. like drinking bubbles on a rooftop in Georgetown. At the posh Rosewood, it’s best to find yourself out in the open air in the luxe surroundings of CUT Above. It’s the best of both worlds: the fine-dining approach to al fresco meals in a secluded setting with some of the best views of Georgetown’s waterfront. // CUT Above at Rosewood, Washington, DC, 1050 31st St NW, Washington, DC
In February, when we were in the depths of winter (snowless, but still freezing), I dug out my warm weather jetset gear and got on a plane to Miami. It was a needed escape, but it was also a return to our pre-pandemic expansion plans, palm trees and all
Between the physical and the surreal lies the magic. Welcome to the TAA Meta Office
As summer in the Hamptons season approaches, Joey Wölffer–the spirited entrepreneur behind the now iconic “Summer in a Bottle” and equestrienne–shares how she brings her keen sense of style to business and pleasure
Bronze, DC’s Afrofuturism-inspired restaurant, is a revolution in creating an Afro-luxury culinary experience
Marking 10 years as Daikaya Group, founders Katsuya Fukushima, Daisuke Utagawa and Yama Jewayni, reveal their tips for finding the best ramen—and burgers!— in Tokyo
In a sea of utilitarian digital watches, Panerai sets itself apart with quality timepieces–and opens its doors for the first time at Tysons Galleria
From rave restaurant reviews to the return of engaging cherry blossom-inspired experiences, catch up on these clips from TAA’s clients
