This post was submitted by Allison

Before I met friend and former TNG Staff member Amy Cavanaugh, I felt jaded by DC’s heavy political crowds, seemingly one-note social scene and lack of a creative community. Instead of sitting back and accepting people’s negative associations of our nation’s capitol, Ms. Cavanaugh decided to strap on DC and ride it for all its worth. Her featured articles of DC arts and culture have acted as an information hub to fill up my social calendar as well as enlightened me to the small pockets of DC even many locals are not aware of. From restaurants, to art to cupcakes, Ms. Cavanaugh covers it all, and uses her own experiences abroad to fill us in on how we can get a taste of the world right by the metro. Here’s what Amy told TNG about her blog: Ms. Cavanaugh goes to Washington:

In the summer of 2007, I was only working three days a week during my grad school summer vacation, and an abundance of free time led to an important time-killing discovery — blogs. I began reading dozens of D.C.-based blogs that touched on a range of topics (restaurants, the arts, events), and I realized that there wasn’t really a blog that combined everything I was interested in. And so Ms. Cavanaugh Goes to Washington was born.

From my first post on a bag-making event at Marimekko in Silver Spring, to more recent posts on the orchid show at the Museum of Natural History and new restaurants in National Harbor, I’ve tried to cover the metropolitan area from a range of angles. I cover new exhibits at art museums and promote shows for artists I’m friends it. I write about restaurants new and old, local chef gossip, and cocktail parties. I keep a calendar with cool events around town that I’m going to. There are non-D.C. posts on occasion, about trips I’ve taken or Gossip Girl dresses I’m coveting, and I also do a weekly post where I link to the most interesting articles I’ve written for other outlets that week (I work full time for the Washington Blade, and freelance for a number of papers, including the Washington Post Express and The Onion).

Many of you know me as one of the early writers of The New Gay, and while I’ve also had to move on from writing for other web sites as my freelance writing jobs take up so much time, Ms. Cavanaugh Goes to Washington is a chance for me to share my knowledge of the city with a large number of readers. People tell me they read my site when they have friends or family coming into town and need to know the best art exhibit to take them to, and others read it to stay on top of local restaurant openings. I write it for these reasons, but my blog is also a love letter to the city I’ve called home for three years.

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