• Travel Inspiration

    Weekly Travel Inspiration: Shanghai Calling

    You may have noticed that Weekly Travel Inspiration has been branching out to include book reviews, enough book reviews that I gave them their own category. Well, this is a movie review. So, I guess further branching out was in order. China has never been high on my list of countries to visit, and I know that sounds ridiculous because it’s a huge, dynamic, important country, but I guess I’d never seriously considered it. Then I saw the movie Shanghai Calling (directed by Daniel Hsia), and now, well, I think I want to go to China. Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB would have you believe that this movie isn’t worth your…

  • Summer in the City

    Outdoor Film Screenings

    In DC, outdoor film screenings are a summer staple — the nights are warm, the bugs aren’t so bad, and the parks are plentiful. I know of three outdoor film series in the DC metro area, two of which I’ve been to this summer. For the most iconic experience, pack a picnic dinner, and a blanket or a few low chairs, and head out to the National Mall for Screen on the Green. On Monday nights in July, a movie screen appears on the Mall and shows classic films. While waiting for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid to begin, I glanced behind me and was greeted by this view:…