The International Spy Museum: A Last-Minute Planner’s V-Day Date Destination
Submitted by SharpMan Editorial Team on Wednesday 13th October 2010- The intel on this Great Date .
- Capping your date off with food.
- If you’re nowhere near DC.
Mission: Pull a decent Valentine’s Day date out of your ear — without dropping a bundle.
Code Name: Save-Your-Hide Daytrip or Weekend
Classification: You’d-Betta-You’d-Betta-You-Bet (highest classification)
WARNING: Failure may result in another year of hearing about it.
Here’s the deal: You dig your gal, but the fact is that Valentine's Day is right around the corner and you haven’t done squat about it. We totally get it, you were busy, the Superbowl was just a couple of weeks ago. But the bottom line is that now you’re kinda stuck. All the reasonable restaurants are booked. All the good ideas have been taken. Sure, you could panic and book something super-high-roller-y and drop a huge wad on a meal you may not remember (and frankly, if you have that kind of coin, you should be putting it towards the gift, which she will give you waaaay more credit for than the dinner, by the way), or you can take a deep breath and focus on the following words:
Rabbit out of hat. Smoke and mirror. Adventure. Romance.
That’s right. We’re suggesting that you skip the fancy feast and consider a Great Date idea that looks like you planned a whole itinerary just for her in celebration of your special day together. Oh, sure, the day will include a meal or two, but it will cost you far less, will be a lot more fun and a heck of a lot more memorable for the both of you.
Now get over to the jewelry store before all the good stuff is gone. We’ll wait.
OK, great.
Now, you can find a truck-load of Great Date ideas in SharpMan’s 102 Great Dates for Any Budget (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2004), but in the spirit of the season, we’re throwing in a 103rd. That’s right, we’re all heart.
SharpNote: As with all of our Great Date suggestions, always take a beat to consider your audience. If your gal dreads the thought of you taking her to yet another James Bond flick, skip this one and refer to the Great Dates bible.
It Takes A Spy
If you live in or within a few hours drive from Washington DC, President’s Day weekend (the weekend you actually get the day off for the V-Day, which, contrary to your SharpWoman and all greeting card manufacturer’s understanding, is not actually a national holiday) is a pretty great time to visit DC. Although you won’t get the warmer weather and budding tulips of April, you will get mild winter weather and all the pageantry of a capital city celebrating one of its own.
Particularly if you and our SharpWoman have already done the schoolkid "basics" tour of the capital, we suggest putting a romantic spin on this daytrip or weekend by centering your activities — and your "theme" — on the new International Spy Museum.
I think you can see where we’re going with the whole romance angle — small notes left for her in the V-day card you’ll plant in her purse or on her pillow a few days before and in the days leading up (read: free or cheap), followed by a cuddly evening screening of a romance-era spy film, sharp-suggestion: The Spy Who Loved Me (read: cheap) and drugstore gag gifts — secret decoder rings and X-ray glasses wrapped up as gifts (read: super-cheap) for the car, plane or train trip there.
The International Spy Museum provides a 360-look at the who, what, when, where and even how of spy-dom. You’ll learn some of the best cocktail party factoid chatter ever: did you know:
- Chef Julia Child worked for the OSS during World War II?
- Woman are responsible for some of the most exceptional spy work in history?
- We really did use birds during World War I to take photos and deliver messages behind enemy lines?
- And, right in time for President’s Day Weekend, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were two of the earliest American spies?
This is just the surface of what you can discover in a one-day tour of The International Spy Museum. There’s plenty more to do in DC, including strolling around some of the world’s most extraordinary collections of…everything…or just walk around DC being romantic. After all, DC was designed by the same man who designed Paris. That’s right, as in France.
"Stuff" and Stories. There are over 200 spy weapons, or daggers, in the museum, from U.S., Russia, Germany and other countries. And while the tools of the trade are fascinating, the real excitement comes as you hear accounts of how these weapons were used in espionage. For example, as late as 1999, the State Department uncovered a bug in the molding of a reception room; who knows who put it there or how long it had been in operation?
The Spy Museum does an excellent job of quickly chronicling the evolution of espionage, the key players and the gadgetry used in the field of information gathering.
Currently on display is a special exhibit on Hollywood and Espionage, including artifacts from fictionalized spy depictions in films. You’ll see James Bond’s Walther handgun from A View To A Kill… and Austin Power's eyeglasses, yah babeee!
The Full 411. No doubt, the last time you visited a museum in DC you (and your 300 schoolmates) were comped. Not this time. Entrance fee is $15 per person. The museum is generally open 10 am to 6 pm (with last admission for the permanent exhibit at 4 pm), but extended opening hours apply for the holiday weekend. See the museum Web site for more information. The International Spy Museum is located at 800 F Street, NW in Washington DC, 20004. For more information, visit www.spymuseum.org.
Refueling After the Museum
After a few hours touring the museum, consider following up with food in the district at one of the following dead drops:
Zola
http://zoladc.com/
If you’d like to grab a bite or drink after your museum tour, check out this museum-affiliated watering hole for them cocktails and nibbles, located at 800 F Street, at the corner of 8th and F Streets, NW; (202) 654 0999. For a drink suggestion, consider The Jade, made with Rum, Crème de Menthe, Grand Mariner and lime juice. .
OYA
http://www.oyadc.com/
If you’d like to splurge a bit, after all, check out OYA's Web site for the five-course Valentine's Day menu. Then follow up with drinks at OYA’s Fire and Ice Lounge. Consider Pineapple Lemongrass Vodka Shooter, an OYA specialty. Located at 777 9th Street, NW, between F & G Streets; (202) 393 1400.
Zengo
http://www.modernmexican.com/zengodc.htm
One of the newest bars/restaurants to open on the ever-popular 7th Street. Try their great flavored mojitos (minced mint and light rum). Zengo also features a three-course lunch special that is very reasonably priced. Located at 781 7th Street NW; (202) 393 2929.
Clyde's of Gallery Place
http://www.clydes.com/main/index.cfm
Like its big brother in neighboring Georgetown, Clyde's is a great place to relax and enjoy a beer (or two). Located at 707 7th Street, NW; (202) 349 3700.
Indebleu
http://www.bleu.com/indebleu/
Another sleek, James-Bond-style bar/restaurant combination with solid food (Not to be confused with Bleu, a salon owned by the same parent company). Located at 707 G Street, NW; (202) 333 2538.
Café Atlantico
http://www.cafeatlantico.com/
Hungry for a brunch? Consider the restaurant’s Latino Dim Sum, available Saturdays and Sundays during the day. Located at 405 8th Street, NW, between D and E Streets (202) 393 0812.
Coming To A Museum Near You
If travel to our nation’s capital is completely out of the question, considering modifying this or another Great Date in your area. Then hang on: the International Spy Museum’s first touring exhibit, The Enemy Within: Terror in America — 1776 to Today , will open in Oklahoma City at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, February 19, 2006. The exhibit moves on to The Exploris Museum in Raleigh, North Carolina, in Fall 2006.
Some Spy Lingo for Your V-Day Card:
- Cover: quick disguise
- Legend: carefully developed artificial life
- Dead Drop: pre-arranged location where spies receive information
- Target: Person you’re meant to interact with.
- Ninja: unstoppable Spy
- Dagger: weapons, escape tools
- Shadow: support intelligence