I don’t know about you, but this weather makes me happy–and definitely in the mood to go out. Do I want to see the cherry blossoms and perhaps wander around downtown and check out a cool museum exhibit? Or perhaps celebrate National Grilled Cheese Day with an oooey gooey bite at the new GCDC Grilled Cheese Bar before heading to Yuri’s Night? Either way, I think drinks on the back patio at Vinoteca are in store on Sunday. It will be 80 beautiful degrees.

If you’re looking for something to do, check out Yuri’s Night and my other picks in this week’s Washington Times column, available in the print edition, in PDF format, and below.

The Washington Times

Get Out: The Week’s Pocket Picks for April 11, 2014

By Samantha Sault

Pick of the Pack: Countdown to Yuri’s Night

Following Russia’s annexation of Crimea, tensions between the U.S. and the former USSR are once again high. In fact, it seems like we’ve gone back in time to the Cold War, when the Soviet Union beat us in putting a human into space 53 years ago. On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin completed an orbit around Earth in Vostok 1. He died seven years later in a training jet crash and did not witness his American counterparts landing on the moon, thereby winning the space race. Saturday night, put our differences with Russia aside and honor the world’s first cosmonaut with a celebration of his historic space flight at the Anacostia Arts Center and other nearby venues. Enjoy a space-themed burlesque show, live music, and a dance party led by DJ Adrian Loving, as well as an exhibit of out-of-this-world local artists. Saturday at the Anacostia Arts Center, 1231 Good Hope Rd. SE. 202/631-6291. Web: anacostiaartscenter.com or astropopevents.com. 

Yuri’s Night Burlesque Stars (Credit: Stereo Vision)

Festival: Cherry Blossom Family Celebration

The cherry blossoms are expected to be at their puffy, pink, peak bloom this weekend, so it’s a good time to visit the Tidal Basin on the first real spring-like weekend of the year. On Saturday, the Smithsonian American Art Museum will celebrate the arrival of the blossoms and the arts and culture of Japan, which gifted the trees to the United States 102 years ago. From 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., the gallery will host arts and crafts workshops, performances, a scavenger hunt, tea demonstrations, and more. Learn how to make tissue paper cherry blossoms or origami birds, or see a demonstration on how to tie a kimono. Throughout the day, enjoy performances by Nen Daiko, a drumming group based at the Ekoji Buddhist Temple in Fairfax, and the Onoe Ryu Dance Troupe, which performs Japanese classical dance. Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8^th St. & F St. NW. 202/633-7970. Web: americanart.si.edu. 

Dance: American Ballet Theatre

If you’re expecting a tax refund, why don’t you treat yourself to a performance by one of the best ballet companies in the country? If your refund is large enough, we suggest you spring for box seats and champagne at intermission during one of the American Ballet Theatre’s shows at the Kennedy Center this week. Founded in 1939, ABT has toured the globe with an impressive repertoire of both classic and contemporary commissioned works. (Congress officially named it America’s National Ballet Company on April 27, 2006.) Beginning Tuesday, you can see three of the company’s acclaimed works: “Les Sylphides” choreographed by Michel Fokine to music by Chopin; “The Dream,” a one-act ballet based on “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to honor Shakespeare’s 450^th birthday; and “Aftereffects,” choreographed by ABT Principal Marcelo Gomes to Tchaikovsky’s “Souvenir de Florence.” Later in the week, catch a performance of “Don Quixote,” the colorful, full-length ballet based on the novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Works by Fokime, Gomes, & Ashton on Tuesday and Wednesday and “Don Quixote” on Thursday through Sunday, April 20 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW. 800/444-1324. Web: kennedy-center.org. 

Exhibit: Millinery Magic Hat Exhibition & Sale

If you’re looking for a new Easter bonnet, head to Georgetown’s Tudor Place on Thursday for a chapeau sale and exhibit. From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., enjoy a glass of wine while you ogle the museum’s collection of couture hats from 1900 to 1965, which are rarely put on display. The Tudor Place owns confections by some of the most renowned milliners in history, including Henri Bendel, Sally Milgrim, and Hattie Carnegie, as well as local designers who sold their wares to political wives and society women. If you’re in need of a hat for the Easter parade, or perhaps a derby event or spring wedding, local designer Melissa Vap will also be on hand with her fashionable toppers–frequently worn by Washingtonians for local horseracing events–including a new design named for the historic estate. Thursday at Tudor Place Historic House & Garden, 1644 31^st St. NW. 202/965-0400. Web: tudorplace.org. 

Concert: We Are Scientists

Inspired by California’s indie punk scene, Keith Murray and Chris Cain decided to form a rock band after meeting at Pomona College. But what to call it? When moving from Los Angeles to Berkeley, an employee at U-Haul asked the bespectacled young musicians if they were scientists—and the name stuck. The group eventually moved to New York and began making waves in the music scene with their second album, 2005’s “With Love and Squalor,” which sold 100,000 copies in six months. We Are Scientists released their fifth studio album, “TV en Francais,” in March, and is now touring the country. Fans of David Bowie, the Velvet Underground, and Hall & Oates will appreciate the band’s guitar skills, vocals, and humor, and you can expect to hear chart-topping hits like “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt” and “The Great Escape” along with songs from the new album. UK band Paws, which has been compared to the Violent Femmes, will open the show. Thursday at the Black Cat, 1811 14^th St. NW. 202/667-4490. Web: blackcatdc.com.  

© Copyright 2014 The Washington Times, LLC and Samantha Sault