  January Funin Bethesda
and beyond |
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Looking for fun things to do in the New Year?
Mary J. Murphy has you covered! |
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 Put your pajamas on backwards and inside out and do a snow dance - then grab the sleds, tubes and saucers and hit some local slopes for sledding fun! Little kids will enjoy the hill at North Bethesda Middle School, but the Big Kids want Big Fun, and for that, you have to head to Robert Frost Middle School in Rockville. It's impossible not to hop on your child's saucer and take a hair-raising turn down the hill! Other noteworthy spots include Strathmore Hall, Stone Ridge School and Battery Kemble Park.
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If sledding just won't do it for you, take advantage of the great skiing just a few hours from Bethesda. Liberty Mountain Resort (www.skiliberty.com) and Wisp (www.wispresort.com) offer ski lessons, tubing, rentals and a variety of slopes. Whitetail Resort (www.skiwhitetail.com) has state-of-the-art equipment (their high speed quad lift gets you up the mountain in no time) and is a mere hour and a half from Bethesda - the closest slopes around. Half of Bethesda learned to ski at one of these long-time winter institutions! Do you have a fourth or fifth grade ski bunny? Like to save a buck or two? Then check out Pennsylvania's "Snowpass." Your child will get free lift tickets at some of 22 participating ski resorts. Go to www.skipa.com and click on the "I want to ski-ride for free" box for the application. Find those report cards - needed to apply! |
 Shhhh....about to tell you a secret....if it's really, really cold for a while (think back to last February), the National Park Service will let you skate on the C&O Canal. How cool is that (literally)? Bring skates, portable hockey goals, Thermoses filled with anything warm, blankets and start making memories with your kids, neighbors and friends. For more information, call the C&O Canal Ice Information Line at 301-767-3707 or visit www.nps.gov.
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When the regular NFL season draws to a close (which it's doing now), that means the football playoffs are coming. If you want good bar food, good bar drinks and lots of televisions, Caddie's on Cordell (www.caddiesoncordell.com) and Blackfinn (www.blackfinnbethesda.com) fit the bill.
While your significant other is off drinking beer and screaming at the T V, let yourself relax at a local spa. While the true spa experience can get pricey, most places offer a quick facial or pedicure that will be just the treat you need at a price you can handle. Elizabeth Arden's Red Door Spa in the Wildwood shopping center (www.reddoorspas.com) is the ultimate in spa luxury, but many others are excellent as well: bluemercury (www.bluemercury.com), Aveda (www.aveda-bethesda.com) and Blu Water Day Spa (www.bluwaterdayspa.com) are all local favorites. If you want a quick (but good) mani/pedi and don't have an appointment, try the Aqua Nails on Old Georgetown Road or Nail Designs on St. Elmo Avenue. |
Tired of making the same meals over and over? Warm up by your stove and learn some new foodie tricks! Grab one of your friends and head to a class at L'Academie de Cuisine in downtown Bethesda. Make chocolate truffles, soups, soufflés and croissants under the watchful (and blessedly patient) eyes of master chefs. There are classes where you watch, classes where you cook, "date-night" classes, parent/child classes - tons of options. See www.lacademie.com. | |
You know how sometimes you'd give absolutely anything to lock your children in a padded room and relax with a book? Well, your dreams have finally come true!  Bounce U isn't close (it's up 270 a bit, in Clarksburg), but it is so much fun. This wonderland offers two rooms full of moonbounces, slides, webs to climb, and inflatable obstacle courses. It is clean, the people who work there actually watch your kids and engage them, the price isn't scary even if you have lots of kids, so let 'em loose! Call for "open bounce" times and prepare for naps on the car ride home. See www.bounceu.com for directions, rates, party information and reservations. More great news: a Rockville location is opening this summer! |
This is farther away and costlier than anything else on our list, but don't overlook Great Wolf Lodge (www.greatwolf.com/Williamsburg) for some winter fun. Kids and parents alike love the water slides, the MagiQuest game and the goofy characters that run around (some intentional). Tips: Don't plan to stay more than one night - that's enough time. Also, there are refrigerators in almost all the rooms, so bring your own food; it's better than what you can get there and you will save a bundle. The MagiQuest game is actually worth the money but watch out for the kitchy things, like hair braiding, that are better suited for a genuinely tropical vacation. Oh, and wear pool shoes or Crocs - germs aside, the obstacle course ropes can tear up little (and big) feet. | |
If you have a car-crazy male in your life (or, in the interest of e quality, a pretty cool female!), you need to plan a visit to the
Washington Auto Show (see www.washingtonautoshow.com).
The show starts January 28 and showcases the newest in car models and technology. You will also find live entertainment and even celebrity appearances - if you've gotten over being mad at the Redskins, Chris Cooley and Mike Sellers appear on January 31. |
 Did the holiday stress do you in? Then plan a relaxing visit to the Mindfulness Center in Bethesda (www.themindfulnesscenter.com). Cross your legs, close your eyes, and prepare to meditate (or do yoga, or acupuncture, or Tai Chi, or whatever else floats your boat). Valerie Strosberg will help you find the perfect class for that balanced mind/body connection. | |
 For the music lovers out there, Strathmore Hall offers quite a treat this month - highly acclaimed
violin virtuoso Joshua Bell (www.joshuabell.com) performs on January 26. This prodigy debuted at Carnegie Hall at age 14, and has since released more than 30 CDs, received multiple awards, including a Grammy, and has been profiled
in many national publications. If that's not enough to interest you, he was also featured in People Magazine's Most Beautiful People issue. Hmmmm..... For tickets, see www.strathmore.org/eventstickets/calendar. |
Need some comic relief after opening those dreaded holiday credit card bills? It's a Laugh Riot at the Hyatt in downtown Bethesda every Saturday night! Grab dinner at Mortons or the Daily Grill and bring it to the show; there's a cash bar and plenty of jokes. Most of the humor is rated "R", but that's probably what makes it so funny. Feeling inspired? There's an open-mike segment at the end - best joke wins $25. Visit www.standupcomedytogo.com for details. |  I have so many fond memories of my childhood here in Bethesda. This is a photo of one - my dad teaching me to skate on the C&O Canal. We share these ideas so you can build memories with your own families. So get your loved ones and go have fun! Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2011! - Mary J. Murphy |
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Mary J. Murphy
Allied Realty Corp.
301-656-8600
301-717-8372 direct
7605 Arlington Road, Suite 100
Bethesda, MD 20814
mjmurphy@alliedrealtycorp.com
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Editing and graphic design by
The advice contained in this newsletter is the result of
three very opinionated
Bethesda moms getting
together over coffee. We
don't get paid, these aren't
advertisements; these are the
same great ideas and tips we
share with our friends. Enjoy!
Mary J. Murphy
Allied Realty Corp.
301-656-8600
301-717-8372 direct
7605 Arlington Road, Suite 100
Bethesda, MD 20814
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