Metropolitan Restaurant Week happens twice a year, once in the winter and once in the summer. With over 100 places to choose from, what’s so great about Restaurant Week is that you can get a three-course meal for $22 during brunch/lunch and $35 during dinner. And we’re not talking about Cheesecake Factory or Outback, these restaurants are some of the most award-winning restaurants in the area. Participating restaurants include Fogo De Chao, The Capital Grille, RPM Italian, and Oceanaire. This year wasn’t my first time participating in Restaurant Week but it was the first time that I feel like I took full advantage of it. I was able to plan a date night at 2 different restaurants and I won a contest to visit the third restaurant.

TenPenh Pork Dumpling

What to Know About Restaurant Week

Winter Restaurant Week usually takes places around mid-February while Summer Restaurant Week happens towards the end of August. Each participating restaurant lays out a menu with selected items to choose from during the respective meal time. Since you’re getting an AMAZING deal most restaurants do not allow substitutions or alterations to any of the options on the menu. I highly suggest you view it beforehand. Most of the time, the restaurant will submit their menu to RAMW.org. However, there are a few places that will only post it on the company website. Oh and of course drinks are not included so plan ahead. Lastly, I suggest making reservations especially if you’re going during peak times.

Where I Ate

Mastro’s Steakhouse

I had heard of Mastro’s but never been. I am not a fan of steak so steakhouses are not my typical choice when it comes to restaurants. But I have heard a lot of great things about Mastro’s so I figured why not take this opportunity to check it out. From their restaurant week menu, I ordered a Spicy Mambo Salad (caesar with wasabi), blackened salmon with mango lobster butter, and their signature warm butter cake. One thing to note here is that the menu is a la carte. So sides were not included in the $35 price but they are large enough to share! We decided to get asparagus and lobster mashed potatoes to fancy up our meal. Once you add in sides and drinks, we spent way over what we expected to. But the everything was so good I have no regrets!

Blackened Salmon with Mango Lobster Butter

Ginger at MGM

I’ve only been inside MGM a few times so this was my first time visiting one of the restaurants. We love Asian food so we were excited to try something a little different than. But we were highly disappointed. I honestly am not sure why we picked this restaurant after reviewing the Restaurant Week menu online. But we were both okay with ordering something that wasn’t from the menu. We order chicken lettuce wraps as an appetizer because I imagined them being similar to the ones from Cheesecake Factory. Wrong! They came pre-made on a plate and you only get 4. The menu was overwhelming because it had entrees you would find at a Thai restaurant and at the carryout. I decided to keep things simple and order Sweet & Sour Chicken. It lacked flavor and also felt very rubbery to chew. The best part of the experience was the drinks.

TenPenh Tyson’s

This restaurant was a wild card because I won a contest hosted by RAMW and GlamSquad. The prize was a girl’s night out which included hair, makeup, and dinner for 2 at a restaurant they chose. I had never even heard of TenPenh which made things a little more exciting for me as a foodie. The manager of the restaurant treated us so well! Dinner was covered but they treated us to Beijing Bellini’s and a sample of a few appetizers. From the Restaurant Week menu I ordered Shrimp Lumpia, Miso Glazed Salmon, and Mai Tai Creme Brulee. I would be lying if I said I loved the salmon, however, it wasn’t too bad. The taste just wasn’t something I was used to. All of the appetizers were amazing; especially the lumpia and dumplings!

Miso Glazed Salmon

Is it worth it?

The simple answer: yes! As a foodie, I enjoy eating out and trying new things which isn’t always cost effective. Although we spent a little more money than usually this time around, we still got to try some new places and surprisingly we still saved a few bucks. As I said before, planning ahead is key!

Warm Butter Cake Mastro’s Steakhouse

The post Restaurant Week DC Recap appeared first on Running Erins.

This weekend, we hosted our first event titled “Hey Sis!: Women Empowerment + Packing Social.” Packing socials are events where a group of people get together to pack items to donate. The bags we packed were given to Goodie Girl Bags, a non-profit organization who delivers them to homeless shelter throughout the DMV. Each bag includes 1 bra, feminine hygiene products like pads & tampons, breast cancer exam cards, and a hand written note for encouragement. In planning our event, we set a goal to pack 150 bags. Little did we know that we set the vision a little too small as we collected over 80 bras before the event.

Both of us have a passion for helping other women so it was important for this event to embody that. Not only in the items we packed for the homeless but by making sure we spoke to the women in the room too. The 2 of us shared a bit of our backgrounds along with one other woman. All with the theme that everyone struggles but it matters how you push past it. Our hope is that we continue to inspire and improve the lives of those around us. Whether it is through a non-profit our hosting other social events like this one. Either way, we know we can make a difference.

Each attendee left the event with a bag of items from our sponsors. We were also able to supply desserts and drinks during the event. My business partner and I are extremely grateful to each and every person who saw our vision and made it come true.

We would like to give a special thanks to all of our sponsors:

Ardell Beauty
Eden BodyWorks
Essentia Water
Jamaican Mango & Lime
This Is L.
OhMazing Food
LiquidJoy Beverages
Sweet Sticky Thing Bakery
Blessed Vessels
Faye Smith Realtor

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I got my degree in Mass Communications in 2014. When I was in school, I took 2 different unpaid internship with magazines. I just knew I would have ease finding a job when I graduated. WRONG! Once I finally landed a stable full-time position it was not in my career field. But it allowed me to get a Master’s degree for free.99! So I decided to get my Master’s in Public Relations Management. But I didn’t have much formal experience with being a “publicist”. Sure I could write the press releases and work events but could I pitch? Could I create a sponsorship deck? Maybe with the help of Google but I needed the experience. Something I could actually put on my resume.

I remember looking for jobs, seeing that people wanted interns with a Bachelor’s degree and thinking “Ew. Why would I do that?” I think part of that came from how bad the job market is for recent graduates. Looking back now, I’m actually extremely grateful for the opportunity the internship provided. Not only did I enjoy what I was doing, I was able focus on something outside of my everyday activities at work . Which brings me to this….here are a few reasons you should take an internship even if you have a degree.

5 Reasons to Take An Internship After Graduating:

1. Test the Waters. You may come out of school and still be unsure which path you want to take. And that is okay! An internship can help you see the day-to-day life of someone in the field. For me, I came out of my internship feeling extremely comfortable and knowing that I still wanted to pursue communications.
2. Gaining Experience. If you know me (or have read previous posts) you know that I am an advocate for learning. Whether it’s in the classroom or in the field, you can always learn something new. Through my internship I was able to learn new skills and even get hands on knowledge with the skills I learned previously. This brings me to my next point….
3. Refresh Your Knowledge. If you’re like me and you ended up in a different career field, chances are you may need to brush up on your skills. Interning helped me get back into swing of communications. It gave me the chance to go into my memory bank to pull out old tricks.
4. Resume Building. Interning is a resume builder. Self explanatory! Those new skills can be added. It can also increase the length of your skills. For example, if you completed one 6-month internship already and you take another 6-month internship. You now have one year of experience.
5. Networking! I’ll be honest and say I did not realize the value of networking when I was in school. I was in a few organizations and I stuck with them. Interning allowed me to meet different people and make connections.

Spring internship season is around the corner. If you’re interested in completing an internship, start searching and putting in applications now! Who knows….you may even be able to land your dream job after interning.

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In 2015, I took a job working for an event company. The company was responsible for helping Susan G. Komen put on their annual Race for the Cure. It was a temporary position but I knew that I would love it so I didn’t care. I knew the position would definitely be an emotional one for me. I didn’t know if I was going to cry everyday or what but I knew that it was for me. Working from home, putting on events, and traveling the local area is right up my alley. What I did not know was that the position would have life-long effects on me.

One of my favorite parts about the job was the people. And when I say people, I don’t mean my coworkers (I was working from home remember? So I only saw them on race day). I’m talking about the women who are survivors. The women who were passionate about the race. The women (and men) who were participating in an effort to support someone. Those stories are the ones that had an impact on me.

You see, they were all very different. But we all had something in common. Whether it was for a mom, sister, auntie, cousin, or coworker. Or if they were walking in support, memory, or just to spread knowledge. Looking back now, I know it was meant for me to take that job. It helped me through the healing process of losing my aunt. It shed light on my feelings and let me know that my family wasn’t the only ones going through this. Whenever someone asks me about my favorite job, I always tell them it was this one.

What I learned about Breast Cancer

1. If something feels different, check it out! There was a lady who was diagnosed with breast cancer. She felt like something was off with her body and could not figure it out. Doctors checked her for just about everything and every time they came back with nothing. Her mammogram even came back normal. It wasn’t until she went back in for a scan of her chest that they found the cancer. It was in the tissues in between her breasts. Being persistent about her health is how she is able to tell her story today.
2. Genetic testing is available but can be tricky. I met another lady who told me about getting tested for the breast cancer genes (BRCA1 & BRCA2). Everyone carries these genes but they become a problem when they mutate or have abnormalities. However having an abnormal gene doesn’t mean you will get the disease.
3. It is possible to have cystic breast tissue. Many women find smaller lumps in their breast and automatically assume it is cancer. Sometimes having cystic breast tissue is the cause. Like cancer, there is no cure for the cysts but they don’t need to be removed unless they are large or cause pain.
4. Breast cancer mortality rates are higher in black women. Although black women are less likely than white women to be diagnosed with breast cancer, it is more likely to be fatal in black women. Black women also tend to be diagnosed at a younger age than white women.

It is recommended that you do a breast self-exam once a month. If you are unsure about anything you feel, check with your primary care doctor. Remember, awareness and acting early is key!

Breast self-exam image pulled from http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-self-exam

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When my friend sent the information to our group chat everyone’s immediate response was, “How did you find this?” It was very random to say the least but we were down to go. After all, it’s not everyday that someone sends you a link for something called “The Sweet Spot.”

Howard Theatre is usually standing room only so we purchased reserved seats since we didn’t know how things would play out. The tickets were fairly inexpensive on Groupon ($24 reserved, $12 general admission) so it wasn’t a big deal to upgrade.

The first thing I saw walking in was a woman with her boobs bedazzled. Then I look down to see condoms on the seats. “What are we getting in to?” immediately crossed my mind. I should have known better when I read that the theme for the night was fetishes but I didn’t think much of it. We then see a woman on stage with a leash and collar on. And the drink menu? With names like “The Sweet Spot,” “Leg Spreader” and “Deep Throat,” the drinks definitely fit the theme. And if you ordered all three guess what you ask for? That’s right, a “threesome.” Imagine having that conversation with someone later!

The show wasn’t quite what I had in mind. Remember I’m thinking about the movie with Christina Aguilera. So I’m thinking singing, dancing, the whole event! Nope. There was mostly dancing in little to no clothing, some poetry reading, and a lady who sang “And I’m telling you”; which clearly did not fit the theme. And I’ll be honest, the music wasn’t the best in my opinion. Everything had lots of slow tempos which made the show seem like it was dragging. My friends and I ended up leaving early because we were hungry and couldn’t last the rest of the show. (There was a company selling food but the line was always long.)

Overall, I would say we had a good time. It was a very interesting event for it being our first Burlesque show. I can see us attending another show in the future….just not one we found on Groupon.

Have you purchased tickets to anything interesting on Groupon? Let me know in the comments!

The post I Purchased Tickets to a Burlesque Show on Groupon appeared first on Running Erins.

D.C. has some amazing food options. And I’m not talking your everyday, Taco Bell or On the Boarder. Lots of them are smaller chain restaurants or mom/pop type of places. I’m a foodie so I am always down to try new places. If you’re looking for a good taco, check out some of the places below (no particular order).

1. Lauriol Plaza
   Lauriol Plaza has to be one of my favorite Mexican restaurants. Amazing food and even better drinks. In the summer, you can sit outside on the patio with a street view or admire from the rooftop. The rooftop area is also heated so you can enjoy it in the fall and winter too. I’ve never ordered anything bad here, from shrimp tacos to fajitas. Make sure to get a pitcher of margarita with your tacos. My favorite is the Sangarita!
   

   Lauriol Plaza

2. El Rey
   My first time ever going to El Rey’s was on Cinco De Mayo a few years back. They had a happy hour deal on tacos and margaritas. This was also the first time I had guacamole that I actually enjoyed! The tacos were amazing; I think I had about 2 orders once the margaritas kicked in!
3. Guapo’s
   I went to the Guapo’s in Bethesda but was excited to learn that they have a location in D.C. They also offer outdoor seating during the summer with a cover for fall. The tacos were awesome. Another place with good food and even better drinks!
   
4. Brass Tap
   I’ll warn you now, this is not the typical place you go for tacos. Brass Tap is an everyday bar at the National Harbor. That’s what makes it such a gem! I ordered chicken tacos when I went and they were unexpectedly good. Check them out for a bite on your way to MGM.
5. Surfside DC
   I am a sucker for a good food truck! Hence why I love when Truckeroo season comes around. I tried Surfside this summer and it leads me to one word: delicious! Tacos and rice on a sunny day (or any day for that matter) is always what I need. If you are a food truck chaser like me, you’ve got to chase them down. I also recently just came across their storefront in Dupont Circle and it is open 24/7!

What’s your favorite place to get a taco? Share in the comments!

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When I decided to rebrand I knew I needed something that would encompass a variety of my favorite things. I spent weeks trying to think of a new name because I wanted something with value. I also knew that I couldn’t just use my name as it is extremely common. The light bulb went off when I was talking to someone about all the things I needed to do and said “Erin needs to run errands.” It was so perfect to me because I’m always on the go and I’m always up for adventure.

I started poking around with the idea and asking people about their errands without telling them exactly why I was asking. I wanted to see what they usually included to make sure my idea wasn’t too far fetched. And sure enough I received tons of answer. The funniest one had to come from a friend who met Vice President Joe Biden on an airplane. She is an author and CEO of her own brand so she is always on the run. When she was telling the story, she mentioned how her wig wasn’t on and she wasn’t prepared but she made it her business to get her book in his hand no matter what. And she succeeded! As she was telling this story, I said to myself “This is it. This is what I want to portray.”

Women are set to be the caretakers. We are the minority yet we hold the buying power. And if you look more closely at women of color, we are the trendsetters. Yet we are so left behind. Brands would rather look to steal ideas from us than to actually ask us our opinions. We’re leading the movement for entrepreneurship but it’s all built off of what we create for ourselves. We have to create the brands, create the products, and create the lanes. Doing all the work and running all the errands with little recognition. Not anymore.

As I use this blog to make my dreams a reality, I hope it also inspires someone else to take a leap of faith towards theirs. A mustard seed of faith is all you need. And along the way I hope more and more women turn their passions into sources of income. And running errands into their lifestyle of making things happen for themselves.

Sincerely,

Erin

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If you have a schedule like mine, long get aways may not always be convenient. This is where staycations come in! I’ve lived in the DMV all of my life, except those years in Baltimore for college, and I feel like there is still so much that I haven’t done in the area. Staycations give me the opportunity to do things outside of my ordinary activities.

Staycations can be just as fun as any other vacation if you plan out some things to do and remember to take time to relax. All though mine might not have been fully planned out, I did 3 staycations this year. Each one has given me time to rest, unwind, and experience new things. But I still feel like I could use more vacations Here is a bit more information on my 3 staycations:

1. D.C.
   I live about 20 minutes outside of the city but I hate driving in D.C. and parking is always a nightmare so I almost never spend a day out there. My friend decided that she wanted to come down from Baltimore to spend her birthday in D.C. She got a room at The W (fancy) and we just decided to wing it. I knew I would love the hotel when we walked in because they had a pictures of Beyoncé and Rihanna on the walls. They also poured us a glass of champagne upon checking in and gave us drink coupons for the bar upstairs since our room wasn’t ready. We decided to eat at The Hamilton for lunch which I had never been to so I was excited to try the food. Once night rolled around, we headed out to a hookah bar for drinks. We met some dope people who bought us shots, went out for pizza at the end of the night, and overall had a good time not too far from home.
   
2. Virginia
   I originally wanted to go out of town for my birthday but for some reason things just weren’t working out. And I was lucky they didn’t because all of the places I wanted to go ended up being hit by the hurricanes right around my birthday. When I decided to stay home, my boyfriend put together a quick staycation for us. I had no idea where we were going or what we were going to do which was exciting and nerve wrecking at the same time. We ended up staying in a part of Virginia that I had never been to before. We went to a nice dinner one night and spent the next day at the mall trying out a sushi restaurant. We both spend a lot of time at work so doing a staycation baecation gave us time to enjoy each other’s company, connect, and get some rest that was well needed.
3. Baltimore
   I know what you’re thinking….”Baltimore isn’t in the DMV.” I completely agree but it is accessible from the DMV so it fits! My birthday wouldn’t have been complete without some time spent with my girls. I decided that I wanted to get some of my friends together and do a wine tasting and tour. I found a lot of different places all throughout D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Even in cities I’ve never heard of (like where the hell is Boonsboro?) And eventually decided on Boordy Vineyards right outside of Baltimore. The tour was pretty boring because I expected to actually see the wine being made (I guess I watch too much tv). Instead you just listen to a guy talking about the process and he wasn’t the most interesting person in the world so of course the wine tasting was my favorite part. We got to sample 8 different wines, a mix of reds and whites, and decided to buy 2 bottles to drink there because why not?! I got a hotel room near BWI so we could keep the party going (even though they said no parties shhh). We went out to dinner at a small Mexican bar called Toro Bravo before heading to the room. The food/drinks were delicious and they sang happy birthday to me with fried ice cream and a sombrero. When we got back, we drank and played card games; nothing too fancy just a little fun.
   

As you can see, my staycations definitely weren’t over the top or very expensive but I still had fun! This year was about creating experiences for me and that’s just what I did. Sometimes you don’t need to be very fancy; you just need to getaway. That’s why staycations are perfect to clear your mind, let loose, and just have fun!

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Wavez Silent Party was at Howard Theatre and earlybird tickets were $20. The only other time I’ve been to Howard Theatre was for a Dom Kennedy concert a few years ago so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I just remembered the area by the stage being an open space, perfect for a party.

For some reason leading up to the party I was thinking it might be best to bring my own headphones. But then it hit me, “Well Erin, how are you going to tune into the stations?” (Don’t be like me. Think smarter not harder) When you walk in, they scan your ticket and trade you a pair of headphones for your I.D. They also give you another ticket with a number on it so that you can get your I.D. back at the end of the night. If you lose or break the headphones you have to pay $40 (which is why they keep your I.D.)

When we first got there, I was scoping out the crowd. I needed to know what I had gotten myself into; was this a work something twerk something type of vibe? Or more of a ‘I’m in my zone’ type thing? Mostly females or a good mixed crowd? You know the typical questions you have when going to a party. There were 3 DJs on the stage, playing 3 stations in the headphones: Afro-Soca, R&B, and Hip-Hop. 2 of the DJs were female which I find extremely dope because you don’t see that often #GirlPower. The ears to the headphones were trimmed in lights and changed based on the station you were listening to (red, blue, or green).

It was definitely an experience I enjoyed. From singing out loud like no one was watching to doing the Electric Slide with the whole dance floor. And it’s honestly a perfect way to meet people but not feel obligated to. There were times when other people would come over and sing with me because no one in there group was listening to the same thing. It was also pretty funny to see the puzzled look on someone’s face when they see you jammin’ to a song. Then curiosity leads them to changing the station to see what you’re listening to.

The crowd was definitely mixed. You had the anti-social social crowd who stood in groups with their friends. A few people who brought out the clappas to twerk. And the Afro-Caribbeans who brought their flags to twirl and wave. It was definitely a fun experience that I would recommend for anyone. Even if you don’t party all the time, it’s was a great environment, in a chill place where you don’t have to worry about being turnt up. You can just catch the vibe and do your own thing. There are plenty of Silent Dance Tours that travel around the world. Check your local Eventbrite to find the closest one near you.

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I had heard of Turning Natural from a few coworkers. I had been meaning to check it out when my mom mentioned it to me so we decided what better time to go than now?

Turning Natural is a black-owned juice bar with 2 locations in the DMV. From the parking lot it looks very dim inside but there is so much light that shines once you go in. The staff was very friendly and able to offer suggestions since it was our first visit. There were even a few other customers who offered suggestions about their favorite products.

The theme of the entire store is centered around the magic that exudes from African Americans. The smoothies have clever names like Swizz Beets, Green Latifah, Just Blaze, and the symbol formerly known as Prince. There’s a bookshelf shaped like a tree on the wall that features books by and about black people. They also have signs that promote positive energy.

Besides the smoothies their menu also includes juice, black bean burgers, vegan cookies, a juice cleanse, and so much more. I’ve visited a few different times now and each time has been a great experience. I definitely recommend checking them out. Whether you’re currently eating clean or not it’s a great chance to support a Black Owned Business with an awesome energy.

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