Cabi and Chilidogs: Washington D.C.

Showing one's film in Washington D.C. can be an interesting experience. One never knows who will shop up. Case and point: attendees of our three D.C. screenings included World Bank and National Immigration Services employees, pedi-cab drivers, a freelance writer for the Washington Post and People Magazine, and Georgetown grad students from several different countries.

I had no idea what to expect going into the nation's capital. How big would the audiences be? Could we compete with the literally hundreds of other events going on in the city every evening? First good sign: my hostess and long time family friend Heather recommended that I grab one of the bright red Capital Bike Share (Cabi) bikes at the kiosk near her house to ride dow to the venue. City Bike Share?! Turns out that D.C. has over 100 kiosks stocked with bomb-proof 3 speed town bikes. One swipe of Heather's Cabi key (she works for the District Department of Transportation and doesn't have to pay to use Cabi bkes), and I had a trusty steed to carry me downtown. Make no mistake, Cabi bikes share more in common with beach cruisers than Bianchis, but they do the job.

Things only got better from there. When I rolled up to our BicycleSpace, our first venue, I was greeted by the sight of dozens of bikes and pedicabs...always a good sign. Inside, over 100 cyclists were milling about drinking local beverage and chili made by the shop owner's mom. Perfect. Nelle from the Bike House and Eric of BicycleSpace and their respective crews ran an awesome show. Pedalers of all ages sat on the shop floor – it was like story time at the local library. They had some of the best questions yet, and wisely chose to come see WMOTW instead of the playground match that was the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship.

The following night was the big show. The Washington Area Bicyclist's Association rented out the Arlington Drafthouse and Cinema, voted one of the best theaters in the District. I knew that WABA had a large following, but I didn't expect that we would sell out minutes after the box offic openend. Over 3/4 of the tickets were sold in advance sales! This was the largest venue that I had shown the film in since Santa Barbara (250 people), and the energy of the crowd was great. Thanks to Kevin, Nelle, and the rest of the WABA folks for puting on such an awesome night!

To round out the trip to our nation's capital, I had to have at least one university screening. Fellow Cal Cycling alum Jessica Kuo helped put together a more intimate screening at Georgetown University for my last night in town. Much smaller group than the huge showing the night before, but it was great to have a more engaged discussion after the film.

After the Georgetown screening, hopped on another trusty Cabi bike and headed to what has become a must-visit for me in D.C.: Ben's Chili Bowl. While I was probably the only customer who in the house who biked there, it hardly mattered. Nothing caps off yet another great trip to D.C. like one of Bill Cosby's favorite chili half smokes.