Washington Monument

The Photographer's Guide to Washington, D.C. Countryman Press, $14.95 Because Washington is one of the most photographed cities in the world, it is understandable why some visitors might think it difficult to find a fresh perspective while shooting the town's landmarks. After all, the Washington Monument is the Washington Monument. How many ways can you shoot it? But authors Lee Foster and Ann F. Purcell take a different view. "Remember," they say, "no one will ever see it in exactly the light in which you see this iconic place."

Inaugural Kick-off Concert Where:: The Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington. When:: Today. Event begins at 2 p.m.. What:: Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce, Bono and Mary J. Blige are just a few of the musicians scheduled to perform as part of President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration celebration events. The concert will be televised on HBO beginning at 7 p.m. Other performers include Stevie Wonder, John Mellencamp, Herbie Hancock, John Legend, Usher, Sheryl Crow and many more.

The staff members at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington agree that it is their favorite moment: A holiday visitor is gazing at the miniature U.S. Capitol or at the miniature Jefferson Memorial in the conservatory's courtyard, or at any one of the fanciful structures that line the tracks in the nearby holiday train garden. "And suddenly they realize they are looking at an acorn or a corn husk and the look on their faces is amazing," said Laura Anthony, coordinator of the garden's visitors center.

A long-vacant basement coffee shop near Mount Vernon's Washington Monument could become a 7-Eleven convenience store over the objections of community activists, who are enlisting city support to buy the spot as a tourist information center. The former Buttery restaurant, at the southeast corner of Charles and Centre streets, faces the Washington Monument, Walters Art Museum and Peabody Institute. Negotiations are under way with its owner and a convenience store operator to open a 24-hour-a-day retail operation, which under zoning rules is a permitted use. "I'd rather have a 7-Eleven in my own backyard than on Mount Vernon Place," said R. Paul Warren, a Park Avenue resident who is vice president of the Mount Vernon-Belvedere Improvement Association.

There are mornings when I say to myself, do I really need another Flower Mart? Then I get my walking shoes on, pace down Charles Street, bless the lack of traffic (streets closed) and wind up in the right mood. Call it the Flowermart effect. Are there people who come out only three times a year for these annual festivals? I saw people yesterday morning around the Washington Monument who show up only for Flower Mart, the Christmas lighting of the monument and maybe the September book festival.

Standing at one of the 16 floor-to-ceiling windows inside his 20th-floor luxury condo, Christian S. Johansson brings to mind a popular movie scene -- you know, the one about being king of the world. Indeed, Johansson's lofty perch at the Harbor Court in downtown Baltimore is certainly fit for a king. Or at the very least, a successful 35-year-old bachelor who enjoys living in a residential building attached to a four-star hotel, complete with restaurants, a concierge and doorman, gym and more.

Get the blues The lowdown -- Blues musicians know how to stick together. Members of the Baltimore Blues Society are performing Sunday to support local bluesman Memphis Gold. Gold suffered a 40-foot fall last month and is in physical therapy. The concert has more than 10 local bands, including Bobby Parker and the Memphis Gold Band. If you go -- The show is 3 p.m.-11 p.m. Sunday at Fish Head Cantina, 4802 Benson Ave., Arbutus. Donations are accepted at the door. Special food and drink prices are available to those who donate.

WASHINGTON -- Barry C. Black was 8 when his mother returned to their West Baltimore home one day with a record album of two sermons by Peter Marshall, the famed preacher of Washington's New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. It was a gift from the family whose house she cleaned. "I learned both of those sermons," says Black. And more than half a century later, he still knows them, putting on Marshall's high Scottish brogue as he recites: "The morning sun had been up for a few hours over the city of David ... " Marshall was chaplain of the U.S. Senate when he died in 1949.

On a list of city landmarks -- the Washington Monument, Fort McHenry -- add a funky little boutique on Sulgrave Avenue in Mount Washington. That's an extravagant statement, but a lot of people who grew up in Baltimore would agree with it. Three generations of women have shopped there, made lifetime friends in its community dressing room and been nurtured by its owner. This month, Something Else celebrates its 40th anniversary, a remarkable achievement for a small clothing, accessories and tchotchkes shop that's nothing less or more than a reflection of owner Elsie Fergusson and her prophetic sense of color, style and ornamentation.

HOLIDAY LIGHT UP THE SEASON Celebrate the start of the holiday season with the 36th annual lighting of Baltimore's Washington Monument. Food, crafts vendors and festive holiday activities will precede the lighting starting at 5:30 p.m. today in Mount Vernon's West Park. Live entertainment from local performers begins at 6 p.m. For the main attraction, Mayor Sheila Dixon and a celebrity guest will light the 1,200 lights strung on the Washington Monument shortly before 7 p.m., followed by a fireworks display and holiday music.