Alexandria Living Magazine - May/June 2024

I am immensely grateful to my clients who trusted me to represent their special homes in Old Town. Our small community is more than a collection of houses; it’s a sanctuary of community and connection, and I am so proud to be part of it—living, loving, and listing Alexandria. If you would like to have a confidential conversation about your home, please contact me. Best wishes for a beautiful Spring bloom.

New Benchmark at Alexandria Senior Community Offers

Worry-Free Lifestyle in the Center of It All

Mani-pedis, a full-service salon, several dining venues, sunset social hour on the rooftop deck, fitness classes, movie showings, concierge and housekeeping services, easy underground parking. Sounds like the perfect place to live, right?

There's just one catch: It's only seniors.

The new Benchmark at Alexandria

independent living, assisted living and Mind & Memory Care community, located at 3440 Berkeley Street near Silver Diner and Harris Teeter, offers seniors that and more.

Many of the 115 studio, one and two-bedroom apartments that can be customized to individual tastes are already leased but others are still available to

welcome residents home. Although things like 24/7 personalized care are available for those who need it, one of the most impressive features is its prime location nestled among 100K square feet of retail space and the refined, worry-free lifestyle made possible by associates who’ve been carefully selected and trained.

The first thing you'll notice when you step inside is how light, bright and open it is. High ceilings, floor to ceiling windows and modern, upscale furnishings energize while feeling warm and inviting, a nod to the community’s impending WELL Building Institute and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certifications.

There are numerous indoor and outdoor spaces, some with cozy fireplaces or fire pits, for intimate conversations as well as larger ones for things like family dinners and educational lectures.

Throughout its 10 floors, activities like an indoor putting green and games make it possible for all ages to connect and have fun together.

Benchmark at Alexandria is Benchmark Senior Living’s first foray into the Mid-Atlantic market, having built a reputation for excellent care and experiences over the past 27 years. With 65 communities throughout the Northeast, it’s long been their vision to bring their nationally award-winning services to the DC area.

“We uniquely combine high levels of personalized care and hospitality with sought-after amenities,” said Doug Buttner, senior executive director of Benchmark at Alexandria who has 23 years of experience managing Mid-Atlantic senior living communities.

One of the most impressive parts of Benchmark at Alexandria is its culinary program – something that Buttner knows

a lot about having begun his career in hospitality through which he once prepared a luncheon for former President George H. W. Bush.

With several dining venues available and other places for a quick snack or refreshment, Benchmark is designed to offer something for every taste all day long, even if you’re a late riser and like to have breakfast at 11am. A set menu is offered with specials that change daily and seasonally.

The more casual bistro features a beckoning bar and piano, which will be home to live entertainment. It’s the perfect place for a leisurely lunch or social hour.

In the contemporary dining room, residents will be able to engage with the chef while he’s making their dinner in the open kitchen or during lively cooking demonstrations. The glassed in and brightly lit micro-farms flanking one wall are a constant

reminder of the fresh herbs and vegetables grown on-site that make their way onto residents’ plates.

In the spring, summer and fall, the rooftop deck with Washington Monument views in the background is the place to be. Besides being the ideal gathering place during the warmer months, events like wine socials by the fire and barbecues will take advantage of the outdoor kitchen.

Besides dining there is a lot more to see and do thanks to a comprehensive daily social calendar featuring everything from creative arts programs to trips with transportation provided to D.C.’s many attractions.

To find out more about the amenityrich lifestyle offered at Benchmark at Alexandria, visit the community at 3440 Berkeley Street, call 571.450.9118 or go to BenchmarkAtAlexandria.com.

10 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

It’s a beautiful time of the year to get outside — grab your calendar and start making plans for May and June in Alexandria!

HEALTH & FITNESS

Rowing on the river: A masters rower, Pam Jones, finds community on the Potomac, in this story by local writer Linda Harvey.

HISTORY

If you caught “Manhunt” on Apple TV+, you may have a renewed interest in the 12 days that saw Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth on the run. Four volunteers working in Alexandria perished on the Potomac the night he crossed into Virginia.

OUT AND ABOUT

Local writer Glenda Booth scouts out some great day (or weekend!) trips to Richmond with visits to the Julia Child exhibit at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

TRAVEL

Local journalist Jane Fullerton Lemons offers fellow firsttimers tips to “go with the flow” on a European river cruise.

FOOD & DINING

Our spring intern Grace Kenyon explores the story of an entrepreneur from Alexandria who became a legend in the hot sauce industry.

FOOD & DINING

A look at the spring restaurant menus springing up at MGM National Harbor.

CIVIC LIFE

Three candidates for mayor of Alexandria talk about the issues facing the city.

THE LAST WORD

Mayor Justin Wilson surveys the landscape of local government as he winds down his last year in local politics.

The Clifton, Charlottesville

34

OUTDOOR DINING

It’s that time of year in Alexandria! Beautiful spring weather beckons residents and tourists alike to grab an outdoor table at one of the city’s eateries, enjoy a meal, sit back and enjoy!

38

KITCHEN REDESIGN

A Beverley Hills couple took their home’s dark, dated ‘80s look and — with help from Aidan Design and Iantha Carley Interiors — are now enjoying a modern vibrant vibe.

PHOTO BY CHRIS MILITZER

PUBLISHER

Beth Lawton

EDITOR

Mary Ann Barton

ADVERTISING/EVENTS

Katherine Barton

DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Katie Roy

SPRING INTERN

Grace Kenyon

Alexandria Living Magazine is published six times per year by Alexandria Living, LLC ©2024. 201 N. Union St., Suite 110 Alexandria, VA 22314. For newsstand or distribution locations or to subscribe for home delivery, go to alexandrialivingmagazine.com/subscribe.

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A Letter from Our Founders

Welcome to our May/June issue! Hope you’re enjoying a beautiful outdoor spot with your favorite beverage while perusing the pages of ALM.

We’re excited about some of the great stories we’ve got for you in this issue, courtesy of some terrific writing by local writers Glenda Booth, Jane Fullerton Lemons and Linda Harvey as well as our spring intern Grace Kenyon.

First, let’s dive into our calendar, where you’ll find all sorts of springtime events to experience, from fireworks at Mount Vernon to the Del Ray House & Garden Tour. Grab a pen and circle your favorite events (and tell your friends!).

Next, you’ll read about a masters rower who finds community on the Potomac in a story by Linda Harvey. Amazingly, Alexandrian Pam Jones started out as a novice in 2013 and is now a world medal winner.

We don’t know about you, but we were avid viewers of the Apple+ series based on the book “Manhunt,” by James L. Swanson. We delve into that 12-day manhunt that saw four men working in Alexandria out on the Potomac one perilous night during their search for the assassin.

Back to the present. If you’re like us, this spring weather really triggers your wanderlust. Local writer Glenda Booth tells us about the “Julia Child: A Recipe for Life,” exhibit in Richmond. If you’re itching to travel beyond the Commonwealth, local writer Jane Fullerton Lemons has the ticket, with tips from her first European river cruise.

Next, in Food & Dining, we bring you several appetizing stories to explore. ALM spring intern Grace Kenyon explores the story of a hot sauce king who hails from Alexandria and the new spring menus at the restaurants you’ll find at MGM National Harbor. You’ll also find a roundup of some of our favorite outdoor dining spots in town.

In June, voters will head to the polls to vote in the Democratic primary for mayor of Alexandria. In this issue, get to know the three candidates on the ballot. And be sure

to take a look at what current Mayor Justin Wilson has to say about his time in office and his advice to a successor, in The Last Word.

No matter your politics, we can all get behind a beautiful home renovation. Writer Linda Harvey talked to the folks behind the reboot of an Alexandria couple’s kitchen and more, with spectacular results.

Thank you for being an avid reader of Alexandria Living! We appreciate our readers as well as our advertising partners. Be sure to tell your friends about our magazine, website, newsletters and Instagram.

See you right back here in July!

Mary Ann Barton and Beth Lawton Founders

Beth Lawton, publisher, and Mary Ann Barton, editor

PHOTO BY MATT MENDELSOHN, TAKEN AT VIRTUE FEED & GRAIN.

Our Team

Meet some of the contributors to this issue.

KATHERINE BARTON

Contributor

Kate manages advertising, social media, and event planning for Alexandria Living. She grew up in Alexandria and enjoys highlighting new creators, businesses and events on social media. Kate loves creating unique partnerships with local businesses and finding opportunities for the Alexandria Living brand to grow. If you're interested in advertising with us, email kate@ alexandrialivingmagazine.com.

G

Contributor

Grace is a graduate student at the Missouri School of Journalism, where she specializes in magazine and investigative journalism. She is originally from Colorado and studied piano performance and premed at Wheaton College, 40 minutes outside of Chicago. She became interested in journalism while working at her college newspaper during the craziness of the COVID19 pandemic. As a reporting intern at Alexandria Living Magazine, Grace is thrilled to be living and working in Alexandria, where her fiancé was born and raised.

GLENDA BOOTH

Contributor

Glenda is a freelance writer who has lived in Northern Virginia for more than 40 years covering travel, history, people and conservation for local, state and national publications. Glenda has volunteered for Earthwatch in Botswana, Greece, France, Saskatchewan (Canada) and the Galapagos Islands. A gardener, outdoors woman and lifelong learner, she lives in Fairfax County and is the mother of two grown sons.

Contributor

Jane is an award-winning journalist based in Northern Virginia. A graduate of the University of Missouri, she has covered politics and policy from the White House to Capitol Hill for more than 30 years, documenting the people behind the power. She earned her master’s degree in creative nonfiction from Goucher College. A serendipitous friendship introduced her to Italy, sparking a passion that has expanded her writing repertoire.You can follow her adventures in traveling and writing on Instagram at @janefullertonlemons.

LINDA HARVEY

Contributor

Linda is a freelance writer/editor who loves living in Alexandria and enjoys its smalltown feel, where there’s always a chance of six degrees of separation or less! She has called the Beverley Hills neighborhood home since 1998, raising two daughters with her husband. She enjoys volunteering with many local organizations, exploring the sites of the DMV area, and visiting her Hokie daughters. She’s still deciding if she likes pickleball more than tennis — but is game for either one.

Photographer

Chris is a Virginia photographer whose work has been featured by USA Today, the United States Department of the Interior, Visit Virginia and Visit Alexandria. As a travel photographer, Militzer has shot album covers in New York, and performances in Paris. As a consultant and photographer, he has aided brands in their social media outreach. Militzer has an active social media following, and his photos have been shared by major online brands including The Washington Post, Southern Living, CBS, and a week long takeover of Visit Virginia. Militzer has lived in Alexandria, Virginia for 20 years and now makes his home in Leesburg, where he resides with his wife and two daughters.

RACE KENYON

JANE FULLERTON LEMONS

CHRIS MILITZER

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SPRING 2024

Calendar of Events

May

Makers’ Market at Port City Brewing Co.

May 4, Noon-5 p.m.

Stop by the Made in ALX Makers’ Market at Port City Brewing Co.! The markets are always a fun sip-and-shop, featuring craft beer from the award-winning Port City Brewing Co. along with food, shopping and activities. This kid-friendly and pet-friendly event will feature more than 30 artists from Alexandria and nearby with a wide variety of crafts and items. There is easy street and off-street parking at Port City Brewing Co., at 3950 Wheeler Ave. in Alexandria's West End. The market will open at noon and close at 5 p.m. Port City Brewing Co. has plenty of outside and inside seating.

Port City Brewing Co. 3950 Wheeler Ave.

Alexandria Art Show & Craft Spring Fair: Mother’s Day Celebration

May 4, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Embark on a journey of artistic elegance at the Alexandria Art Show and Craft Spring Fair, set in the charming John Carlyle Square

in Old Town. Discover an array of handcrafted marvels from over 90 artisans and crafters, independent consultants and other small businesses, tailor-made for celebrating Mother’s Day. Immerse yourself in the world of creativity, support local artisans, and find that unique, heartfelt gift that will make this Mother’s Day truly special. Free admission, pet-friendly. Rain or shine.

John Carlyle Square, 300 John Carlyle St., Alexandria, VA 22314

Revolutionary War Weekend at George Washington’s Mount Vernon

May 4-5, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Step back in time during a Revolutionary War encampment at Mount Vernon. Mount Vernon’s serene 12-acre field transforms into a battleground as Continentals, Redcoats and Hessians conduct military drills, demonstrations, and engage in 18th-century tacticals. Visit with camp followers and walk through a recreation of George Washington’s War Tent.Revolutionary War Weekend is included with admission on May 4-5, 2024, and is free for Mount Vernon members.

3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy.

Power of Produce (POP) Kids Club

May 11, June 8; 8 a.m. to noon

The free POP Club helps connect children ages 4-12 with local farmers to educate them about nutrition, food, farming, and community. Each month, Del Ray restaurant chefs will attend the market for cooking demonstrations oriented around seasonal fruits and vegetables available at the market. On May 11, it will be Matt + Tony’s All Day Kitchen + Bar. On June 8, the club will be hosted by District Biscuit Company. Children can stop by the POP Kids' Club tent on Oxford Avenue. After completing the activity, children will receive a $5 voucher from the Del Ray Farmers Market that can be used to purchase fresh, local fruits and vegetables.

Del Ray Farmers Market, Oxford and Mount Vernon Avenue

George Washington’s Mount Vernon Spring Wine Festival & Sunset Tour

May 17-19 from 6 to 9 p.m.

Head to Mount Vernon for their most popular event of the year. Taste unlimited samples of wines from Virginia’s finest wineries. Bring a blanket and relax on the east lawn overlooking the Potomac River. Enjoy the live music of Bruce Ewan and the Solid Senders.  Admission: Friday: $50 for members; $60 for non-members; Saturday: $54 for members; $64 for non-members; Sunday: $44 for members; $54 for non-members.

George Washington’s Mount Vernon, 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy., mountvernon.org

Little Theatre of Alexandria: ‘Is He Dead?’

May 18 – June 8, 2024

The comedy by Mark Twain, adapted by David Ives is produced by Eleanore Tapscott and directed by Joey Pierce. Jean-Francois Millet, a young painter of genius, is in love with Marie Leroux but in debt to a villainous art-dealer, Bastien Andre. Millet is foreclosed on by Andre who threatens debtor’s prison unless Marie marries him! The artist realizes the only way he can pay his debt and keep Marie to himself is to die, as only dead artists achieve fame and fortune. Millet fakes his death and prospers, all while passing himself off as his own sister, the widow Tillou. Now a

MOUNT VERNON: INDEPENDENCE FIREWORKS

JHH_ALM_0324.indd 1

rich widow, Millet must find a way to get out of a dress, return to life and marry Marie!

Mon Dieu! Tickets: $21 – $24, depending on performance date

For tickets, visit thelittletheatre.com 600 Wolfe St.

Calligraphy 101 with Jenny Paxton

May 18, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

During this in-depth introduction to calligraphy class, learn all the basics of pointed pen calligraphy in a relaxed and inspiring atmosphere. This class will focus on the alphabet, and instructor Jenny Paxton will provide you with all the supplies you'll need to continue your studies at home. You'll gain the confidence to do amazing greeting cards, place cards and decor.

This class is at Made in ALX, 533 Montgomery St. in Old Town North.

Discovering Alexandria: Architecture Walking Tour

May 18, 10-11:30 a.m.

Alexandria has grown from a small town

in the 18th century to a bustling small city in the 21st century. Join us for a tour of Alexandria  as we explore looking at the various Architecture styles that adorn the city streets and make it one of the best places to live and work. Reservations are required as space is limited. Please wear comfortable shoes for this 1.5 hour guided tour. Tour is held rain or shine unless there is severe weather. $20 per person.

Carlyle House, 121 N. Fairfax St.

Old Town Festival of Speed and Style

May 19, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Admission: Free. View dozens of rare and exotic cars up close, made famous by their speed, performance and elegance. This will be enhanced by a presentation of style, fashion and live music provided by over 40 local merchants.

The Old Town Festival of Speed & Style, presented by Burke & Herbert Bank, will be held on the 200-400 blocks of King Street, and the 100 blocks of North Royal and North Fairfax. Visit festivalspeedstylealex. com for more information.

4/1/2024 3:49:03 PM

Preserving Carlyle House: Hidden House Reemerges Open House

May 19, Noon-4 p.m.

With the destruction of the Mansion House Hotel in the 1970s and an extensive restoration by NOVA Parks, Carlyle House reemerged into Alexandria’s line of sight as one of the grandest buildings in Old Town. During your self-guided experience, learn about some of the early museum history, see photographs of the restoration, and admire some of the objects found by the restoration team.

June

Portside in Old Town by Ting Internet Friday, June 16 and Saturday, June 17, 1-9 p.m.

The free two-day Portside in Old Town Festival starts with Jazz Fest on Friday, June 16 from 6 to 9 p.m. and continues Saturday, June 17, from 1 to 9 p.m. with an array of live mu-

Del Ray House & Garden Tour

May 11 | 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

The Del Ray Citizens Association (DRCA) will host the 2024 Del Ray House & Garden Tour. The self-guided walking tour will feature a variety of homes and gardens in Alexandria’s Del Ray neighborhood. The tour is set for Saturday, May 11, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine. Ticket holders will be able to visit eight to 10 properties, including carefully maintained cottages, newly constructed homes and those with recent renovations.

Tickets are available at: https://delraycitizens.org/2024-house-and-garden-tour/

Concerts at The Birchmere

Check out some of the performances scheduled for May and June. Check the website for the latest information and full list, some shows may be sold out. Concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices vary.

Ra Arkestra - 100th

Allman Betts Band

JUNE 7

Bill Kirchen

JUNE 8

Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes

J UNE 12

Eric Benet

JUNE 13

Marc Cohn

J UNE 15

Pieces of a Dream

JUNE 18

Chayce Beckham

JUNE 22

Judy Collins

J UNE 23

Christian de Mesone

J UNE 24, 25

The Wallflowers

JUNE 29

Gary Puckett

sic, local craft beer from Port City Brewing Company and fun for the whole family with hands-on art and history activities and more. Learn more at PortsideFestival.com.

Waterfront Park, 1 Prince St.

Mount Vernon: Independence Fireworks

June 28, June 29, 6-9:30 p.m.

Enjoy an evening of family fun, fireworks and patriotic music to celebrate our nation’s founding. George Washington’s mansion will be lit up in red, white and blue for the occasion. General Washington will pay a visit between 6-8:30 p.m. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn hairs. Tickets go on sale May 6. Tickets with mansion tour are: $53 for non-members; $43 for members; $41 for youth non-members; $31 for youth members. Tickets without mansion tours are: $48 for non-members; $38 for members; $36 for youth non-members and $25 for youth members.

For more information email tickets@mountvernon. org or call (703) 780-2000.

GARY PUCKETT

A Masters Rower Finds Community on the Water

Meet Alexandria’s Pam Jones — from novice rower to world medal winner

BY LINDA HARVEY

It’s a steamy August day in Florida and five boats are vying for the gold in the finals at the 2022 USRowing Masters National Championship. One coxswain starts beating the side of the slim boat, encouraging her rowers to keep going, to maintain their lead. They are far ahead of all the other boats in this 1,000-meter sprint race.

The four pink-shirted women keep rowing in unison propelling the boat

forward—the announcer commenting on their impressive stroke rate compared to the other boats in this sweep rowing race.

“Those rowers are dropping the hammer on the field right now, they are not letting up at all … open water over everyone else,” the announcer describes. Then she continues, “And that is pretty decent for an E masters boat.”

Pam Jones, an Alexandria resident and one of the rowers, chuckles when she

hears this comment as she watches a recap of the race. Seeing her fellow teammates working hard as they move through the water, she’s partly annoyed by the announcer’s backhanded compliment.

“She’s saying that we’re going pretty fast for old people,” she explains. Jones laughs it off again but she’d be the first to admit that they are very competitive for women in their 50s, and they like to win. They clinched the gold for that race, along with many other victories and medals over the years.

Jones and the other rowers — Jenn Bright, Mary Cato, and Christina Swartz — compete in masters rowing races for Alexandria Community Rowing (ACR), a local club for adult rowers. Formed 35 years ago, ACR has about 200 members participating in its novice, club, and competitive programs. Cato is head of ACR operations, and Jones is the representative for its competitive sweep program.

Masters rowing events are open to rowers who are 27 years old or older. Rowers are placed in age categories from A to M, with an A boat having an average age of 27 years or more, and an M boat with an average age of 89 or more. Jones and her

Members of Late Risers Rowing practice on the Potomac River.

fellow crew members row in an E boat, which has an average age of 55 or more.

During the April to November rowing season, ACR competitive and club rowers compete in local events, such as the Stonewall Regatta, the Head of the Occoquan, the Head of the Potomac and the Capital Sprints. Those in the competitive program also travel to events outside the DMV, such as the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, the Diamond States Masters Regatta in Delaware and the Independence Day Regatta in Philadelphia.

Jones and her crew usually compete in seven sprint regattas each spring/summer, and five head races each fall. Sprint races are either 1,000 or 2,000 meters in length, much shorter than the three-mile courses for head races. They also compete at the USRowing Masters National Championships, held every summer in various locations. That’s where they won the gold in the impressive 2022 race in Sarasota.

Jones, however, has taken her drive to compete in the sport of rowing one step further — or many more miles further — than her fellow ACR teammates by competing in the World Rowing Masters Regatta held internationally once a year.

Last September’s 2023 regatta in South Africa was a big one for Jones — she placed third in her age group for single sculling, competing against rowers from several different countries. It was an accomplishment at age 52 that she would have never imagined when she first starting rowing 10 years ago as a complete novice.

‘Built Like a Rower’

Growing up in Westchester County, New York, Jones played softball, basketball and volleyball. She loved the camaraderie of being on a team and competing at a high level, even traveling to China with her club volleyball team. After graduating from high school in 1989, she headed to Johns Hopkins University to play Division III volleyball as a middle hitter.

At 6 feet tall and with long limbs, Jones had focused on volleyball for most of her life, even joining recreational teams after college. Little did she know that her body was the perfect form for rowing. “I’m built like a rower. I can’t believe no one ever said ‘rowing’ to me before,” Jones

acknowledges. Her high school didn’t have a crew team, and she was never exposed to the sport even while at college.

It was by word of mouth that Jones got introduced to rowing in 2013 when a neighbor started Late Risers Rowing in Alexandria. At that point in her life — a busy mom in her early 40s with two daughters — Jones was ready to try something new and, most importantly, wanted to avoid injuries.

She had jammed her finger while playing volleyball in a recreational league. “I couldn’t even get my wedding ring off, and I was like OK, that’s it,” she recalls. “Rowing is a sport you can do sitting down” — that perk and less risk of injury are what sold her. She headed down to the boathouse in Old Town one morning with other novice moms to give rowing a try, ultimately saying good-bye to her volleyball days.

Late Risers Rowing

Looking back, Jones remembers that no one knew what they were getting into when Sara, who had rowed with ACR, gathered them together for Late Risers Rowing. It was the perfect introduction to rowing in a very encouraging environment, she recalls.

Conrad started Late Risers when she proposed the idea to the booster club for the Alexandria City High School crew team.

Her son rowed on the Titans team, and she realized that the school’s boats and its boathouse were sitting unused during the middle of the day. Why not start another rowing club for adults who didn’t want to get up at 5 a.m. in the morning and wanted a bit more flexibility during the season? she thought.

Conrad got approval from the boosters since they agreed to use this program as a fundraiser for the high school crew team — they receive funds from member fees. The group called themselves “Late Risers” since they didn’t start until 8:45 a.m., well after the other early morning practices.

All three groups — Alexandria High School’s Titans crew team, Alexandria Community Rowing and Late Risers Rowing — practice at the Dee Campbell Rowing Center, located on Alexandria’s waterfront in Rivergate City Park, just north of Oronoco Bay Park.

Coaching — a Natural Progression

Fast forward 10 years and Jones is now the coach for Late Risers. It’s a dreary March morning and she is leading the winter conditioning session on the second floor of the rowing center. This group of mostly women and a couple men, ranging in age from late 30s to early 70s, meets three times a week to work out together

Pam Jones and Chris Vest partipate in mixed double at Diamond State Masters Regatta in July 2022.

in the off season. They’ll get on the water in April, but for now it’s erg drills, weight training and conditioning.

As coach, Jones takes the lead, guiding them in a direct but easy-going manner. The first exercises of the day are the ergs (or ergometer rowing machine), which replicate the body movements of rowing without being on the water or in a boat. More than 20 ergs are lined up in two long rows facing the wide expanse of windows with a view of the Potomac River.

For Jones, coaching the Late Risers has been her side gig since 2021. She’s dedicated to coaching this group and loves working with them. Even when she switched to the competitive ACR program in 2014, she still showed up to Late Risers, helping out on the dock, subbing for a boat, even scrunching up her long body to be a coxswain, according to Conrad.

“She never really left us all that time,” Conrad explains. It was a natural progression for her to become their coach when they needed a new one. “She’s got a great way of knowing how to help each person individually and brings this calmness over everyone,” she says about Jones’ coaching style.

She is impressed by Jones’ rowing achievements, but isn’t surprised by it at

all. “She took to rowing like a duck takes to water,” Conrad laughs. She recalls the Late Risers screaming, “She’s our coach!” when Jones placed third in the 2023 World Rowing Masters Regatta.

Prior to taking this coaching job, Jones spent years as a substitute teacher for Alexandria City Public Schools. It allowed her to balance her life with children and her early morning rowing practices. She has an education background and had taught earth science in Prince William County. Now as an empty nester along with husband Dan, Jones can focus fully on rowing.

The Core Four

When not coaching, Jones trains for this season’s national and international races. That means 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. practices five times a week. Before coaching Late Risers that morning, Jones had worked out with her ACR group earlier and then took a single scull out on the water.

When Jones joined ACR’s competitive program, it didn’t take her long to find others with the same mindset and drive. “There’s a group of us that are in our fifties and wildly competitive … a core four

of us that race together,” Jones explains.  Coached by Jaime Rubini, this group includes Bright, Swartz and Cato. The coxswain position, which steers the boat, can change each season, but the core four have competed together since 2015.

They see each other nearly every morning to train on the water or focus on conditioning. This hard work is geared toward winning their main event — Women’s 4+ in sweep rowing. For this race, the coxswain steers and each rower holds one oar with two hands, with the oars alternating along the side of the boat. Their determination as athletes has been rewarded by regularly placing in sweep races at the Masters National and Regional Championships. They also continue to qualify for the Head of the Charles Regatta for the Women’s 4+ in the 50s age category for the last few years.

Outshining the competition is not unusual for them. “We dusted the whole field by several meters….It was like a symphony of movement, with 36 strokes per minute,” Bright recalls with the 2022 Nationals win. “Your body goes into autopilot while pouring everything into it. That’s when the magic happens.”

National Learn to Row Day: Alexandria Community Rowing

June 1 | 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Free Event located at Dee Campbell Rowing

One Madison

• Tour the boathouse

• Learn to use an erg machine

• Learn rowing basics

• Head out on the water

• Get info on summer novice programs

Pam Jones and Mary Cato row in 2020.

Bright, who has rowed with ACR for 25 years, says the four of them are in sync with each other, that there’s just a natural ebb and flow while rowing as they “hit the swing.” Even though their technique and “leg drive” are critical, she emphasizes that their success is due to a strong sense of trust in each other.

They consistently perform well, but there is one event in particular these four haven’t won together — the Head of the Charles Regatta. Held each October, this regatta is one of the largest rowing events in North America, bringing together more than 11,000 competitors.

“We can taste the medal for the Head of the Charles,” Bright says. Jones, who broke her jaw in 2021 and couldn’t compete that year, is just as hungry for a win in 2024. They’ve come close by placing fifth and fourth in previous years. Her injury was a setback for several months but she came back focused on competing. Jones explains, “We put pressure on ourselves to win, we want to win. It’s almost like you’re in your own little world when you’re rowing — it’s very mental and intense.”

According to Bright, Jones sets a high bar when it comes to performance, but she is very understanding that everyone has a life and is doing their best. “She’s super positive and brings everyone up to meet the challenge,” Bright explains. “She’s a fierce competitor who wants to do everything you can to help the boat win.”

For a small community club, the ACR members are proud of what they have accomplished compared to other clubs with newer boats and more elite rowers, according to Bright. They all support each other and will fill in when someone can’t compete.

Taking on the World

Now an experienced rower, Jones has competed in almost every type of event — pairs, fours and eights for sweeping races and single, doubles and quads for sculling races. She also competes in mixed boats that have an even number of men and women.

With her willingness to compete internationally and in different race events, she has formed a community of rowers outside of ACR. A co-ed group from Minneapolis

that she met at Nationals recruited her to go to the 2023 World Masters Regatta in South Africa. Jones joined more than 900 competitors from around the world, including one 94-year-old from the United States.

She rowed in several race events over the five days of competition, including her single sculling race, a mixed doubles sculling race and an eight-person sweep race with four men and four women, with six of the rowers from Brazil and then herself and a woman from Florida.

International masters rowers who want to race competitively can connect online looking to fill boats, Jones explains. She now has rowing friends across the globe and plans to attend the 2024 Worlds in Germany this September. For this regatta, she has connected with one rower from Hong Kong and another from Scotland.

On Her Own Sculling

Jones’ singles sculling event has taken off, with her rocketing to top finishes in races. She only started single sculling during the pandemic since the school’s boathouse was closed. Other boathouses in the area allowed single sculling, which was a safe way to get out on the water.

Being on your own is a bit scary before the start of a race, Jones admits. The sculling shell is very slim and can flip over easily. Despite her nerves, she competed in her

first single sculling race at the Virginia Boat Club Sprints just last year. She followed that by competing at the 2023 Nationals, surprising herself by placing fourth.

Buoyed by her fourth place finish at Nationals, Jones was ready to take on the international competition in South Africa. That moment she placed third in her single scull race, one second behind an Austrian rower, is imprinted on her mind. As she pulled up to the dock to get her bronze medal, she was proud of herself. However, she’s determined to place higher in 2024 — that one second behind spurring her on.

Jones, humble about her rowing accomplishments, loved being at the Worlds, interacting with the international crowd, soaking up the hospitality of the host country, and just enjoying time with her husband since they made it into an anniversary trip. Since rowing isn’t really a spectator sport, her family rarely attends regattas but will watch the race livestreams.

Friends and family can expect to watch more race livestreams this year and for years to come, Jones promises. And, most likely, more medals from National and World Championships. Jones is only just beginning and ACR’s Bright, agrees — they want to continue rowing into their golden years and “smash the competition” in those later age categories.

Mary Cato, Pam Jones, Wea Nichols and Christina Swartz compete in Head of the Charles Regatta in 2019.

The Manhunt for John Wilkes Booth

Four

volunteers working in Alexandria perished on the Potomac searching for assassin.

BY MARY ANN BARTON

The Apple+ series “Manhunt,” which aired this spring, documents the hunt for John Wilkes Booth after he assassinated President Abraham Lincoln April 14, 1865. The series is based on the New York Times bestselling book “Manhunt,” by James Swanson.

Booth’s escape continued for 12 days, covering 90 miles from Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C., through Maryland and Virginia and ultimately to the Richard Garrett Farm near Port Royal, Virginia.

A little-reported event connects Alexandria to the manhunt that took place 159 years ago.

Eight days after the assassination, with Booth still on the run, four civilian employees of the Quartermaster Corps at the U.S. Steam Fire House in Alexandria — blacksmiths Peter Carroll, Samuel N. Gosnell and George W. Huntington and carpenter

Christopher Farley — were on the lookout for Booth. All four were from eastern Pennsylvania and it’s said they volunteered to join a patrol of the Potomac River to try to find Booth before he crossed into Virginia from Maryland.

Karen Stone, manager of the St. Mary’s County, Md. Museums Division, discussed the wreck in a podcast interview on C-SPAN four years ago.

“It was April 22, 1865, day eight of the manhunt for Booth,” she said. “They were calling in troops from everywhere.”

The manhunt was initially focused on Southern Maryland. The Black Diamond, a 120-foot long iron-hulled coal barge was used to haul freight between Alexandria, Washington, D.C. and other ports. It was on hire as needed by the Quartermaster.

“Federal authorities were aware that Booth was in Southern Maryland and was

(Top left) Booth "wanted poster." (Top right) John Wilkes Booth. (Above) The Assassin's Escape, from Ford's Theatre.

waiting to cross into Virginia, so Captain Lee, the assistant quartermaster at the Alexandria depot, put the Black Diamond into service temporarily with the Potomac flotilla,” Stone said. “He sent her out of Alexandria down to the naval depot at Piney Point, Md. They left Piney Point at 11 o’clock that night with orders to take anchor in the vicinity of Blackistone Lighthouse [off St. Clement’s Island], and they were to keep Booth from crossing the river.”

“They got all set up at about 12:35 on the morning of April 23,” she noted.

Meanwhile, The Massachusetts, a steamer filled with 300 Union troops, was heading to the area, also from Alexandria. A strong wind began to blow making the water choppy. Shortly before 1 a.m., The Massachusetts hit the Black Diamond, opening up the hull to the waterline. The Black Diamond only had one light showing. “They got hit, and they got hit hard,” Stone said.

“Booth was actually crossing the river at this time,” Stone said. “This was the second attempt by him. He left the Maryland shore just after sundown on a flood tide, a very high incoming tide, which

made his crossing really rough but he got to the Virginia shore some time after midnight. So it was right around the same time that all of this was happening on the river.”

When the sleeping men on The Massachusetts were jarred awake by the crash, they mistakenly thought the Black Diamond was a rescue boat. A passing steamer helped rescue people in the water while many other survivors clung to debris for several hours.

Quartermaster Allen sent a retrieval force the next day; they recovered 37 of 87 who perished. “Word of the collision was reported all over the country,” Stone said. But the news competed with a lot of other big headlines of the day. "Booth was captured and killed, Lincoln’s funeral train was on its way and the Sultana exploded, so this loss of 87 men was kind of forgotten.”

On May 10, 1865, the Alexandria Gazette wrote:

“The bodies of three of the firemen connected with the United States Steam Fire Department, in this city, recently lost by the collision on the Potomac, which sunk the steamer Black Diamond, have been

recovered and brought to this place. They will be buried this evening, at 4 o’clock, the procession to move from the Steam Engine House. The Fire Department, government and city, are to unite in the funeral ceremonies.”

The four men were given military honors and are buried in Alexandria National Cemetery, located at 1450 Wilkes St. The street is not named after John Wilkes Booth, but after Lord Mayor of London, John Wilkes. He supported George Washington during the American Revolution.

Later that fall, a monument was erected in the Soldier’s Cemetery. After the monument deteriorated, a new granite monument was unveiled in 1922 that reads “In memory of Peter Carroll, Samuel N. Gosnell, George W. Huntington, Christopher Farley who lost their lives April 24, 1865 while in pursuit of Booth the assassin of our beloved president Abraham Lincoln.” In the 1950s, new monuments were also erected.

The Black Diamond barge is likely still sunk in the water although there was an attempt by a salvage company to raise some wrecks in the area in 1867.

Periodically, a ceremony is held on St. Clement’s Island in view of the lighthousewhere a wreath is laid in the Potomac with the Navy’s support.

Here’s a day-by-day account of the manhunt, from the National Park Service, picking up from the point where Booth crosses into Virginia.

Friday - Saturday, April 21 & 22

As Booth and David Herold (an accomplice) attempted to paddle across the Potomac River to Virginia in the dead of night, they became lost and veered off course. When day broke, the two men found themselves still in Maryland, about 9 miles upriver from where they had started. Herold knew the area from various hunting trips and found the way to Indiantown farm, leased by a friend of his, John J. Hughes. Hughes offered food and a small unused house for the men to rest in, which they did for the remainder of the

A scene from "Manhunt," which aired last month on AppleTV+.

day. John Wilkes Booth wrote in his diary that night about how he had been “hunted like a dog” and now found himself “here in despair. . . looked upon as a common cutthroat” for his actions.

After resting at the Indiantown farm in Maryland during the day, John Wilkes Booth and David Herold set off on their second attempt to row across the Potomac River in the night. This attempt succeeded, and the men landed on the Virginia side early the next morning.

Sunday, April 23

Booth and Herold successfully rowed across the Potomac River to Virginia, landing at the mouth of Gambo Creek. They sought out the home of Mrs. Elizabeth Quesenberry, a Southern sympathizer recommended to them by Confederate agent Thomas Jones. Mrs. Quesenberry offered the men food but no further help.

The two conspirators linked up with Confederate agents Thomas Harbin and William Bryant. Bryant brought Booth and Herold to Cleydael, the home of Southern sympathizer Dr. Richard Stuart, and left them there. Stuart offered the men food

but no further help and had to chase down Bryant to take Booth and Herold off his hands. Bryant took Booth and Herold to the nearby cabin of free Black man William Lucas and his family. Angry at the day’s events, John Wilkes Booth threatened William Lucas at knifepoint and kicked the Lucas family out of their home. Booth and Herold slept in the Lucas family cabin that night.

Monday, April 24

After kicking the Lucas family out of their home and spending the night in it, Booth and Herold hired Charley Lucas to give them a wagon ride to the Rappahannock River at Port Conway. At the ferry crossing, they met three Confederate soldiers: Mortimer Ruggles, Absalom Bainbridge, and Willie Jett. David Herold revealed John Wilkes Booth’s identity to a stunned Jett. The men rode across the river on the ferry together, and Jett sought accommodations for Booth and Herold in Port Royal, Virginia.

The two were not allowed to stay at the home of Randolph Peyton, as only his two unmarried sisters were home, so Jett took Booth and Herold down the road to the farm of Richard Garrett. John Wilkes Booth was allowed to stay at the Garrett farm under the pseudonym “John W. Boyd” and the alibi of being a former Confederate soldier, while David Herold proceeded to the next town, Bowling Green, with the soldiers. Booth played with the Garrett children and slept the night in the farmhouse.

Tuesday, April 25

Booth enjoyed a relaxing morning at the Richard Garrett farm, eating breakfast and playing with the Garrett children. David Herold returned from Bowling Green in the afternoon, soon followed by Mortimer Ruggles and Absalom Bainbridge, two Confederate soldiers the conspirators had met the day before. Ruggles and Bainbridge reported Union cavalry approaching, causing Booth to flee and hide in the nearby woods while Herold kept watch. Seeing this incident, Richard

Garrett’s son Jack, a former Confederate soldier, became suspicious of the two men. That night, Booth and Herold were told to sleep in the tobacco barn, as Jack suspected they may be horse thieves. The conspirators were locked in the barn, while Jack and another Garrett son slept in the nearby corn crib. In Bowling Green, Union soldiers found and interrogated Willie Jett, who had brought Booth and Herold to the Garrett farm. Jett agreed to lead the soldiers to the assassin.

Wednesday, April 26

At approximately 2 a.m., detectives and Union soldiers of the 16th New York Cavalry arrived at the Richard Garrett farm. The soldiers roughed up Richard Garrett before his son, Jack, ran over and told the men that the fugitives were hiding in the tobacco barn. The soldiers surrounded the barn and demanded the surrender of Booth and Herold. Booth requested the chance to have a shootout with the soldiers, which they denied.

Under direction from detective Everton Conger, the soldiers lit the barn on fire to force Booth and Herold to come out. Herold surrendered and was pulled out of the barn, as Booth called him a coward. Booth tried in vain to stamp out the flames and seemed to be preparing his gun. Despite orders not to kill the assassin, Sergeant Boston Corbett fired one bullet that passed through Booth’s neck, severing his spinal cord and paralyzing him from the neck down. Conger and others rushed into the barn and pulled Booth out, attempting to interrogate him. Booth could barely speak and was dragged onto the porch of the Garrett farmhouse. A doctor summoned to the home concluded that Booth would soon die.

In his final hours, Booth said “tell my mother I die for my country” and, after asking for the soldiers to raise his hands so he could see them, “useless, useless.” The assassin died around 7:15 a.m. His body was loaded onto a wagon and taken to the steamship John S. Ide, where it would be transported back to Washington, DC for identification and an autopsy.

Abraham Lincoln, photo by Alexander Gardner, taken Feb. 5, 1865.

The Joy of Eating, from Gastronomy to Botany

Julia Child was an unconventional woman of her day, an icon in the cooking world, a creative and bold soul who won the hearts – and appetites – of millions in 206 episodes of her cooking show, “The French Chef,” from 1963 to 1973.

“Julia Child:  A Recipe for Life” tells her life story at Richmond’s Virginia Museum of History and Culture until Sept. 2, 2024, in exhibits that capture her culinary creativity, inimitable style and zest for life. Her TV show grew out of her landmark

BY GLENDA C. BOOTH

cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, which she co-authored in 1961 with Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck in 1961. In her books and on television, Julia sought to dispel the notion that French cooking was daunting and complicated.

“This is a book for the servantless American cook who can be unconcerned on occasion with budgets, waistlines, time schedules, children’s meals, the parent-chauffeur-den-mother syndrome or

anything else which might interfere with the enjoyment of producing something wonderful to eat,” they wrote in the foreword. “Use all the pans, bowls and equipment you need. . .” the authors urged. And Julia did, with unbridled gusto.

Museum visitors can immerse themselves in Julia’s studio kitchen by exploring the kitchen cabinets, drawers and appliances and finding hidden stories. They can try out her culinary tools of the trade. Visitors can have olfactory adventures too by lifting

lids and sniffing enticing aromas of French specialties like crème brulee and coq au vin. Adventurous types can even don an apron and film themselves pretending to be Julia on her show wielding bowls, spoons, copper pots, iron pans, wooden spoons, whisks, molds, garlic presses and potato ricers.

Visitors can watch classic vignettes of Julia chopping, dicing, slicing, mincing, folding, stirring, sauteing, braising, poaching, pureeing and baking, all accompanied by her exuberant tutorials and distinctive cadence, as she shows viewers how to make French dishes from shirred eggs to boeuf bourguignon to molded mousses.

To teach people how to cook, Julia crafted meticulously detailed recipes, to eventually “divorce yourself from a dependence on recipes.” She wanted people to love food and love preparing it. Visitors can experience a giant version of “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” and learn about her achievement of publishing this

ground-breaking cookbook in a then male-dominated, culinary industry.

Her Life

The exhibit traces Julia McWilliams’ life, growing up in Pasadena, California, in the late 1920s and early 1930s in a culture riddled with certain societal expectations, many would say limitations, for young women. She was rejected by the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, supposedly because officials considered her to be too tall at six feet two inches, but she persevered and went on to join the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the predecessor of today’s Central Intelligence Agency and researched top secret projects. In Ceylon, she met Paul Childs who shared her curiosity and creative streak. Paul became her husband and devoted supporter of her career.

Museum visitors can “share” her first meal in France, what she would later call “the most exciting meal of her life,” featuring sole Meuniere. They’ll see some of her favorite haunts in Paris, like the bustling Les Halles market and Le Cordon Bleu cooking school where she enrolled.

One telling exhibit that reveals the

Childs’ fun-loving spirit is a clawfoot bathtub that people can sit in. It replicates a valentine that they sent to friends and family, a photo of Paul and Julia taking a bubble bath together. Sorry folks, there are no bubbles in this exhibit.

Exhibit curator Paige Newman, offers, “Julia Child’s insatiable curiosity and tenacious spirit drove her to endlessly try, test, prove and communicate how to make delicious food. Learning to cook empowered Julia and she in turn empowered others, profoundly transforming American cuisine and food culture.”

The exhibit will make visitors hungry, for Julia’s delicious creations and for more of her. She passed away in 2004.

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

Richmond not only has gastronomical Julia, there’s also a botanical Julia. Check out the Julia Child rose at the Lewis Ginter Gardens. Rosa Julia Child has a blend of yellow tones from light to dark. It is a floribunda rose, a variety with many flowers in tight clusters that attract bees, butterflies and birds.  Julia Child personally chose this rose to bear her name.

The Spruce website describes the Julia Child rose like this: “The Julia Child rose is known for its luscious blooms and

(Right) The Julia Child Rose. (Bottom) The conservatory rises in the background behind pink-tipped roses and the Rose Belvedere at the garden.

licorice-like scent.”  “Luscious” and “licorice” are very appropriate paired descriptors for a flower named for Julia Child, who could seemingly mix all kinds of ingredients into a deliciously palatable dish.

The rose also known as the “Buttergold” rose, also apropos of Julia as she loved to cook with real butter. About beurre, she wrote, “French butter is made from matured cream rather than from sweet cream, is unsalted and has a special almost nutty flavor,” and went on to explain how to clarify butter and when exactly to add eggs to the omelette pan or meat to the skillet, when the butter is very hot but not browning. Pay attention to the foaming.

In the United Kingdom the rose is called the “Absolutely Fabulous rose,” another fitting tribute to Julia.

Botanical Adventures

The 82-acre Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden has 15 outdoor gardens, four lakes, 5,700 taxa of plants, 11 buildings and an 80-acre branch site, the Lewis Ginter Nature Reserve.

Among the themed gardens are a children’s garden, rose garden, four seasons garden, healing and meditation garden,

Julia Locally

In 1942, Julia Child worked for the Office of Strategic Services, starting in the Washington, D. C., headquarters with the director, General William J. Donovan. After working overseas for the OSS and marrying Paul Child, the couple bought a yellow house on Olive Street on the edge of Georgetown, but soon relocated to Paris. In 1956, they moved back to the yellow house, did some renovations on the fixer-upper, including her ideal kitchen, equipped with a six-burner, Garland model 182 stove, worth over $3,600 today. Julia said that her home kitchen was “the soul of our house.”

During her promotional tour for her fourth book in 1976, From Julia Child’s Kitchen, she stopped in Richmond for a book signing and cooking demonstration at Thalhimers Department Store, a legendary chain with headquarters in Richmond and its flagship store on Broad Street. In 1996, she participated in a conference on cookbooks in Colonial Williamsburg.

Julia’s kitchen is on permanent display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

On June 3, 2024, the Julia Child Foundation will have a 10-year anniversary awards dinner hosted by celebrity chef José Andrés and Danielle Nierenberg at Jaleo, 480 Seventh St., in Washington, D.C.  On Oct. 17, 2024, the foundation will announce the 10th recipient of the Julia Child Award at a food history gala at the National Museum of American History. The award recognizes people who have “made a profound and significant difference in the way America cooks, eats and drinks.” The winner will receive a copper pan.

wetland garden, cherry tree walk and woodland walk. The Martha and Reed West Island wetland garden consists of three small islands on the edge of Sydnor Lake, linked by bridges and boardwalks. Wetland plants include cattails and lotuses that attract wildlife like fish, toads, turtles, chipmunks and great blue herons.

Ginter’s promoters boast that there’s always something in bloom in the gardens. Nature’s colors will erupt with 37,000 daffodils, hyacinths and tulips and then peonies, irises and 2,000 roses in May. June brings balloon flowers, pincushion flowers, bee balm, water irises, red hot pokers and water lilies.  In July, the garden will be brightened by falling stars, coneflowers, coral honeysuckles and more. For the blooming calendar, visit  https://www.lewisginter.org/visit/gardens/whats-in-bloom/.

The 11,000-square-foot Conservatory features exotic and unusual plants from around the world and some seasonal displays. Under the 63-foot-tall dome is a

palm and cycad collection. One wing has tropical plants, including orchids.  Another has cacti and succulents and another, special exhibitions. A gallery features botanically-themed artwork by regional artists.

Children can explore the adventure pathway through prairie habitat, a butterfly meadow and an evergreen garden. They can climb up into the universally accessible, 13-foot Klaus Family tree house overlooking a lake or scamper up a 100-yearold mulberry tree. Youngsters can plant and nurture fruits and vegetables in the farm garden. They can splash in water, explore verdant hidden nooks and just romp amid the greenery and blooms. The garden also has a kids’ story time.

Back to eating. Ginter Garden has a collection of insect-eating plants, one of the best collections of Sarracenia or pitcher plants on the East Coast with approximately 20 species, including six species native to Virginia.

These carnivorous plants have sweet, slippery “mouths” and specialized, tube-like leaves known as pitfall traps. Insects are lured into the tubes or cupped leaves by pigments and nectar and get trapped by small downward-pointing hairs that force the bug into the liquid, called phytotelmata. There they drown.  The plant then “digests” the insects. Late spring and early summer are optimal times to see these wonders of nature when their leafy tubes develop.

On the garden’s website, Phuong Tran wrote, “Sarracenia look to me as if they were sent here to Earth as ambassadors from a faraway planet, all jovial and ready to have fun. Whenever I pay them a visit, they salute me with their bright colors and then resume the leisure activities of brewing insect tea and chilling by the water’s edge.”

This year marks the garden’s 40th anniversary and many events organized around the theme “Flourish” are planned, for example, a garden party, plant sales, concerts and a speaker series. An artist in residence, Kyle Epps, will be painting in the garden in May. He’ll have dimensional tapestries in June and July and two large-scale works related to Lewis Ginter and Grace Arents and an artworks scavenger hunt in August and September.

Ginter Botanical Garden

In 1984, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden was founded as a non-profit garden. The garden’s origins started with Grace Arents who wanted to honor her beloved uncle, Lewis Ginter, a 19th-century businessman and philanthropist, so she purchased an abandoned Lakeside Wheel Clubhouse and 10 acres in Henrico County from her uncle’s estate, later adding 73 acres. She bequeathed the garden to the city of Richmond for a “public park and botanical garden” to be named in Ginter’s honor.

In a typical year, the Ginter Garden has more than 450,000 visitors including 17,000 schoolchildren. Around 70 staffers and 700 volunteers care for the garden.

The Garden’s mission is connecting people to plants by inspiring communities to explore and conserve nature.

Where to Stay: The Clifton

If you’re making a long weekend of it, a great place to get away from it all is at The Clifton, a relaxing inn off the beaten path located on the eastern outskirts of Charlottesville and about an hour’s drive from the Richmond area.

The 100-acre property features a private lake, infinity pool, hot tub and lots of hiking paths. About a two-hour drive from Alexandria, the inn is a terrific spot as a home base for visiting Richmond or Charlottesville and nearby wine country.

Michelin-starred Chef Matthew Bousquet steers the restaurant at the inn, 1799, offering a seasonal menu made with fresh ingredients. Prior to joining 1799, Bousquet owned and ran Mirepoix Restaurant in Northern California. After relocating to Charlottesville, he worked as Executive Chef at nearby Keswick Hall.

Visitors to 1799 can dine in the book-lined library or the back porch area where you can enjoy dazzling sunsets. You can also dine al fresco when the weather is nice. The lively Copper Bar sits between the library dining area and the back porch area. Boxwoods and mature trees dot the property making for an intoxicating after-dinner evening stroll.

There are several locations where you can rest your head in one of the 20 rooms on the property. The Manor House, Collina Farmhouse, Garden Cottages or Livery Stables. The inn also has several dog-friendly rooms.

The Manor House was originally built in 1799 and was inherited by Thomas Jefferson’s daughter, Martha and her husband Thomas. During a recent stay, we spent the night in the former stables converted into luxe suites and close to the lake.

The Blackberry Farm design team reimagined the interiors in 2018 keeping the inn’s historic bones and creating modern living areas, giving the inn a fresh energy. Today the inn is a great getaway spot for couples or families, a romantic spot for destination weddings or business retreats.

1296 Clifton Inn Drive | For more information visit the-clifton.com

Dining Under the Stars with

Chef Kurt Peter of Chesapeake Chef Service

Whether you’re coming from out of town, or looking for a night on the town, a stay at the award-winning Brampton Inn will enhance your evening.

Scan the QR code for dining tickets, themes, and guest room offerings.

Chef Kurt Peter

Chef Jordan Lloyd

Tips to Help First-Timers Go with the Flow on a European River Cruise

As we dragged our suitcases along the cobblestone streets of Avignon, France, my husband and I were not worried about finding the Viking cruise ship that awaited us. How hard could it be to find a big boat docked along the Rhone River just a short walk from the city center?

As we headed outside the 14th-century city walls, we put the address provided by Viking into Google maps, looking forward to an early arrival for our first river cruise. Alas, it turns out that a ship’s address when it’s docked on a river is a bit like pirate code — more of a guideline than an actual rule — so the map directions took us right when we should have turned left.

Adding to that, France’s famed mistral winds were huffing and puffing vigorously. While these winds contributed significantly to the delicious wines we enjoyed throughout the trip, they do not make for pleasant

walking conditions. After a mile-long schlep along the river, we were wind-blown, frazzled and starting to regret not just calling an Uber.

Taking shelter at a nearby bus stop, we texted Viking’s customer service number (a Los Angeles number) and got a quick and helpful response. They contacted the ship directly, we traded a few screenshots, and we were soon headed in the correct direction.

Our fortunes quickly changed. As we approached the ship, crew members hustled out to help us with our luggage — and that was the last time we carried our own bags until our final departure 10 days later. Once inside the lobby, the staff greeted us, checked our room status and offered us a refreshing glass of juice.

Then we headed into the comfortably modern dining room where we spent two

enjoyable hours chatting with other guests — having lunch and drinking wine with the first of several new friends we made — as we waited for our rooms to be ready.

And that’s when we realized we’d been seamlessly ushered into the world of Viking, a culture in many ways as distinct as Disney. As first timers with both Viking and river cruising, two things stood out:

• Unlike ocean-going cruises, there was no line to get on the ship, and that didn’t change throughout the entire cruise. With fewer than 200 guests on board, there was no backup for checking in. And the lines we encountered during the rest of the trip were minimal – we’re talking a backup at the omelet station or waiting to board a tour bus for an excursion.

• There was no extra charge for that juice, which we soon learned was a regular welcoming touch when you return to the ship. When we’d previously cruised to the Bahamas as novices, we thought it was a nice gesture when they welcomed us with a large fruity drink, until we realized how much those drinks with umbrellas had cost. Viking advertises “no nickel and diming” and essentially lives up to that.

Take the Plunge

We had been considering a river-type cruise for a couple of years, and events conspired for it to happen last year. In January we booked a cruise for October — a timeframe that is extremely short in cruise-booking terms.

Viking makes it easy to book and plan these trips yourself. All you need to do is go to the website and put down a deposit,

STORY AND PHOTOS BY JANE FULLERTON LEMONS

The ship docks in the Rhone River in Lyon, France.

sometimes as little as $25 to hold your spot. But popular cruise destinations and sought-after rooms fill quickly, so people book well in advance — often more than a year out. That gives you more choice over the cruise details and more time to pay for it. And we highly recommend the “shoulder seasons” of spring and fall, which tend to have milder weather and smaller crowds — and frequently lower prices than the summer high season.

We booked the eight-day Lyon and Provence cruise, entirely along the Rhone in southern France, which translates to eight days and seven nights. That’s Viking’s shortest length for river cruises, and frankly a couple more days would have been nice. With this length, you’ve just gotten the hang of the schedule, you’re understanding how the actual river cruise elements work, and you’ve made new friends with both fellow cruisers and crew members, so maximizing all that with a 10or 14-day itinerary might be beneficial.

If you’ve seen the stream of ads for Viking’s European river cruises, you may be wondering if they live up to the

picturesque hype. A few points may help answer that:

• If you’re looking for a discount cruise, Viking isn’t it. The starting price point for Viking’s cheapest river cruise is currently $2,199 per person. But the actual price will depend on which room you book and how many options you add.

• That being said, once you’ve settled on those choices, then it really is about as all-inclusive as you can get for a cruise – and the quality does not disappoint.

• If you’re looking for a cruise with onboard pools and entertainment venues, this is not for you. A Viking river cruise can be as active — or leisurely — as you want it to be, but ultimately it’s an immersive cultural experience on a ship that boasts a library rather than a casino.

Here are things for first timers to consider that won’t rock the boat. Keep in mind that these tips apply only to river cruises; while Viking also offers ocean cruises,

those ships and itineraries are different. And while our experience was on Viking, many of these tips also would apply to European river cruises offered by other companies.

Plan the Logistics

Airfare: Once you’ve booked the trip, the next thing to think about is getting there. Offering airfare deals is a common incentive for cruise lines, including Viking. The pros and cons vary widely, with many factors coming into play, which unfortunately means there’s no simple answer.  The reality is that it’s a case-by-case scenario, so research and comparison shopping will be essential. In our case, we ultimately opted to use credit card points to book our travel.

Ground transfers: There’s also the issue of getting to the ship once you’ve arrived. Since we booked our own flights, we were also on our own to get to the ship, which led to our unexpected hike along the Rhone searching for the boat. If you book airfare with Viking, they will transport you to and from the airport and the hotel. Otherwise, you will need to arrange for

(Left) The author and her husband Terry paddle during a river excursion. (Right) View from the ship as it sails up the Rhone River.

your own transfer to the ship, such as a taxi service or private driver. Uber is also a convenient option in many European destinations, although not all, so it’s wise to check in advance.

Choose Your Excursions

For its river cruises, Viking includes one shore excursion at each port. In our case, that meant every day except for arrival and departure days. These excursions are good — think of fairly easy walking tours that provide a general overview and focus on the top highlights of a specific city or attraction. The tour guides are almost uniformly excellent and well versed in both the local area and the Viking process — which is to say that they can answer questions about the historic sites, but they also know what time your ship will be leaving port.

You also can add optional excursions, for an extra fee, if there are specific sights you want to see. For instance, we added a canoe trip on the Rhone that was fantastic. It cost an extra $124 each, which included ground transportation, a delightful guide, plus an additional local French rower who also happened to be an NBA fan. That translated into amusing banter as they led us for an hour-long float that culminated by gliding under the remains of an iconic 12th-century bridge.

But with all the options available, it’s also wise not to fill your schedule completely with shore excursions. Between the included tours and the optional excursions, you could be busy every morning and afternoon. Friends we met on the trip recommended leaving time to tour on your own, visit local restaurants or simply spend time on the ship itself.

You’ll generally choose these excursions several months before the cruise, and you’ll want to research them and allow time to consider all the choices. There is room for everyone on the included tours, but some optional tours do fill up. It’s also possible to add the optional tours during the cruise, if there are spots still available.

It will take planning to find the right balance here. We saw people who only took the included excursions, and that was plenty. We saw people who added a few extras and people who added as many extras as

possible. And we saw people who never took any excursions, opting for the leisurely lifestyle on the boat or strolling the cities on their own.

Consider an Extension

Viking also offers optional land excursions that you can add before or after your cruise, typically two or three days in a location near the beginning or end of the cruise, destinations such as Paris or Amsterdam or Barcelona. These include hotels, meals and local tours.

We added a three-day extension to the end of our cruise in France’s Burgundy region that turned out to essentially be a private tour, since we were the only two guests who booked it. The hotel in Dijon was quite good. But the real treat was the personable guides who knew the area well, were fun to chat with and made us feel we were hanging out with locals — because we were.

It's worth noting that we typically prefer to plan our own travel itinerary, including accommodations and tours. But this trip

Viking veranda stateroom; a sampling of the cuisine on board; the French and Viking flags fly on the sundeck.

came at a time when we knew we didn’t have the bandwidth to do it all ourselves. Our answer was to add a few days on either end that we planned on our own, which resulted in a good combination —basically a short trip on the front, the planned cruise in the middle, and another short trip at the end. For those wary of the group tour element of a river cruise, we recommend complementing it with your own activities.

Life on the River

Ship: The company makes much of its Viking Longboats – a sleek design inspired by the boats the Vikings used. We were onboard the Viking Hermod, and artwork featuring the namesake Norse messenger of the gods greeted us at the top of the

stairs leading to the upper deck. The ship’s Scandinavian design creates an elegant and understated ambiance, with classical music playing in the background.

The lounge is the ship’s primary gathering spot. There are nightly presentations, and after dinner it takes on a piano bar vibe, often with music or dancing. It’s also the site of activities such as performances, talks and demonstrations that tie into the local region and offers a good view for watching the boat traverse the river and navigate the system of locks.

For those who lean toward seasickness, river cruises offer a safe harbor. This is not an ocean-going vessel. Our ship floated gently along the river, no swaying or tilting. You barely know you’re on the water unless you’re watching the scenery go by. We

didn’t see a single motion sickness patch the whole trip.

Noise was also not issue. We were at the end of a hallway, near a set of stairs used by the crew and had worried there would be noise, but at night we heard nothing from either the hallway or the floors above and below.

One thing to note is that ships cruising European rivers often share limited docking space. That can result in “rafting” – meaning that one ship is tied next to the land, while another ship is tied next to that one. This happened to us a couple of times, and we simply walked from our ship, through the lobby of the other ship, onto the shore. While it’s interesting to get an inside view of another ship, it also meant that our balcony was right next to the other boat.

Rooms: This turned out to be exactly what we’d envisioned – a luxurious floating hotel. We were able to completely unpack and make ourselves at home, while our boat chauffeured us from one location to the next.

Yes, it’s a boat, so the room was not large. But it was well designed with a layout and clever storage that maximized the space. All the rooms are exterior with some kind of window. The lower deck rooms that are partially below the water line have a small rectangular window at the top, while the upper deck rooms have either full balconies or French balconies, both of which have sliding doors. We did appreciate our balcony, but the reality is that you spend most of your time elsewhere. There are plenty of places for enjoying the views, including the sun deck on the top level and the terrace at the bow of the ship.

Amenities: Viking pays attention to smaller details, such as the U.S. power outlets and USB ports in the rooms. There’s free Wi-Fi on board, and our service was generally good. We also used the onboard app to track activities, which repeat guests told us has been improving, and there also are printed copies of the daily itinerary distributed to rooms every night.

To underscore how clean the boat is kept, when we were docked in Lyon, we watched two crew members in a rowboat slowly circling the ship and touching up the paint.

Swans swim alongside the dock during a stop in Lyon, France.

Food: Overall, the food was significantly better than we anticipated. Each meal — breakfast, lunch, and dinner — included regional specialties along with more standard fare that was always available, which is to say you can eat steak every night if you want to. The kitchen also accommodated various food concerns —allergies, vegetarians, whatever — personally checking with the passengers who had specific needs.

During the nightly port talk, the chef described the local specialties on the dinner menu, which included some fabulous French cuisine. So be adventurous! On one of our first evenings, my husband went with the trusty steak, dismissing the coq au vin as potentially banquet-level chicken, a decision he instantly regretted when the smell of wine and garlic hit the air.

Even with the local specialties, don’t eat every meal onboard. Reflecting on the trip, friends said they wished they’d taken time in Lyon, known as the capital of French gastronomy, to have lunch or dinner at one of the city’s excellent restaurants. The staff can make recommendations and help with reservations.

Drinks: Viking includes beer, wine and soft drinks in its cost, plus there is a 24hour coffee and tea bar. But if you like wine, or have top-shelf taste in cocktails, we recommend upgrading the drinks package. While the included wine and beer are fine, there are many more options and much better bottles available with the “silver spirits” package. We had not initially planned to do this, but at the last minute we upgraded at the recommendation of others who had been on Viking cruises previously and were glad we did. For our cruise, this cost $175 each, and we definitely got our money’s worth.

Make no mistake: This is not a booze cruise. But you can expand your palette, particularly if you are in a wine region, like the Rhone valley regions we visited. We tried a wide variety of wines at both lunch and dinner, and the crew quickly learned our preferences. In addition, with an open bar available, we were free to sample interesting new spirits that we otherwise would not have discovered.

People: The people you meet on board contribute greatly to the experience. Our

cruise drew an eclectic assortment of both guests and crew members. Beginning with that first lunch, we enjoyed stimulating conversations, traded stories — and even mastered a new card game with new friends. The ship is filled with interesting people, so strike up a conversation.

Viking’s guests do indeed skew older, and children under 18 are not allowed. While many were retired, we met several like ourselves who were not. It appeared that the majority of guests on our cruise were in the 50s-70s age range, but we also met people in their 40s and 80s, including one of our fellow canoers. The majority were Americans, and we met folks from across the country – from California to Missouri to Massachusetts to Florida.

While there were plenty of first timers,

there also were many repeat Viking cruisers, including groups who travel together regularly.

Viking crew members, mostly from across Europe, were extremely professional and highly competent — not to mention fun to talk with, from the bubbly 20-somethings who served our meals and cleaned our cabin to the multi-lingual program director who amused with pun-filled jokes and the ambitious young maître d' climbing the company ladder who kept our wine glasses filled.

By the end of the cruise, like the Vikings of yore, we felt we’d conquered a new region, albeit peacefully: We’d seen historic sites, savored local food and drink, made new friends — and even learned a few things along the way.

A putting green and herb garden are featured on the sundeck during a stop in Aries, France.

Sunset Concert at River Farm

featuring the band, Soul re

Thursday, May 30, 6 pm – 8 pm

FREE Entry! Parking is $20

Tickets available at www.ahsgardening.org/sunsetconcert

Proceeds support the maintenance, beauti cation and preservation of River Farm, headquarters of the American Horticultural Society

An unforgettable evening of music, nature and stunning views overlooking the Potomac River. Purchase award-winning BBQ from Rocklands or bring a picnic basket of your favorite foods and beverages. Dogs welcome.

COMING SOON!

Children’s Library and Reading Room at River Farm

1,732 children’s books on plants, gardening and nature to ignite the mind!

Opening June 1, 2024

www.ahsgardening.org/library

Hot Sauce King Hails from Alexandria

BY GRACE KENYON

If you don’t know Dave Hirschkop’s name, you might know his hot sauce — Dave’s Insanity Sauce. The Alexandria native, who has worked in the food industry for nearly his whole life, was inducted into the Specialty Food Association Hall of Fame in 2023. He’s still brimming with ideas.

The story behind what was once the world’s hottest hot sauce begins not too far from here. After graduating from Fort Hunt High School (now West Potomac) and attending Boston University, Hirschkop spent some time in California. When he returned to the D.C. area, he missed the quality Mexican food he had enjoyed on the West Coast.

This led him to open his first business at age 22 in 1991, a taqueria called Burrito Madness, in College Park, Maryland. Driven by an urge to create new things, and annoyed with his drunk customers, he set out to make the hottest sauce in the universe. When asked if he likes spicy food, he says he’s not the type of person to put hot sauce on everything, but there are some foods that should be spicy.

“Initially, I was just having fun,” Hirschkop said. However, the sauce soon grew too big to be a hobby.

are created when you’re not really focused on money,” Hirschkop said. “You really focus on just creating something amazing. And I think that's kind of where I was at.”

During 29 years of running Dave’s Gourmet, Hirschkop learned valuable lessons. He thinks the best entrepreneurs are humble and make efforts to learn in a constantly shifting market. “Grit” is a bit of a self-help cliché, but Hirschkop thinks this mindset is everything.

“Just find a way,” Hirschkop said. “You will not know how to do everything. Find somebody to tell you how. You just have to find a way to do it.”

As Hirschkop’s company grew, he wore a straitjacket to trade shows, leaning into the “insanity” part of the sauce’s name. The sauce was banned from the National Fiery Foods & BBQ Show in 1993 due to a “minor respiratory incident.” Like any company, Hirschkop said they had their “snafus” and their trade show appearances were not without incident. He recalls one time someone passed out after trying the hot sauce (don’t worry, they were fine 10 minutes later).

Eventually, his company expanded into pasta sauce, which they still sell, among other sauces and recently the viral TikTok “pink sauce.” For a time, they also experimented with quirky snacks, like Dave’s Lucky Nuts — one in 10 peanuts is extra spicy. They even tried a hot sauce where the spice level could be adjusted by turning the cap. This was made possible by two separate compartments, one with a hotter sauce and the other with a milder sauce. It also had a spray nozzle meant to coat the food more evenly.

At every turn, the fun and experimentation came first.

“I think the products I can create that are truly inspired, that resonate with people,

Now, Hirschkop lives in San Rafael, California, and is married with three kids. He likes to try new foods, enjoys a game of tennis and treats bouncing around ideas with other entrepreneurs as a hobby. Since exiting the company in 2022, much of his work has been mentoring other entrepreneurs. He volunteers with a variety of organizations, including one which focuses on business owners from under-represented demographics. A pet food company, a chocolate and snack bar company, a food kit company and a beer company are on the roster of his recent mentees.

“It’s nice to help people, build relationships and watch people's businesses start to really flourish,” Hirschkop said. Whether he is mentoring other entrepreneurs or hatching ideas of his own, he credits part of his flair for business to his upbringing in Virginia.

He lived in the Mount Vernon area and his father, who still lives in Virginia, worked as a constitutional litigator in an office near Christ Church in Old Town Alexandria. The ever-present awareness of history made him want to make a difference in the world, even in small ways.

Ultimately, he sees starting and running a business as just one more way to create. When he decides which of his many ideas will be the backbone of his next project, he hopes it will be something that makes a difference. The idea of trying to outsell makers of a pre-existing product doesn’t appeal to him so much.

“I’m not going to cure cancer, but I do want it to be something that moves the world forward in some way,” Hirschkop said. “Business is just sort of a means to an end. I like creating. I like innovation.”

Dave Hirschkop

MGM Offers a Taste of Spring

New menu items include fresh flavors and fun takes on old favorites.

BY GRACE KENYON

In the MGM National Harbor Conservatory, with the backdrop of birdsong and a trickling fountain, half a dozen restaurants recently showcased new menu items coming this season. Guests mingled with chefs and I got the chance to try some

of the newest offerings coming to the MGM food scene.

One of the chefs gave me a peek at the inspiration behind a few of the new dishes. Bryan Voltaggio and his brother Michael are the mastermind chefs behind the Voltaggio Brothers Steak House. Since opening the steakhouse in 2016, they have been serving creative twists on classic steakhouse dishes. This spring, Bryan Voltaggio said they are switching up their menu with even more innovative items.

One of my favorite menu items of the night came from this imaginative twist on classic dishes, a tuna ceviche prepared with hibiscus ponzu and a sea bean tostada. Ceviche is often served chilled, so one of the twists on this dish was a lemongrass-infused coconut cream that was frozen in liquid nitrogen — essentially edible and flavorful ice.

The menu twists also come with a side of humor. Another new menu item is the Voltaggi O’s, a twist on a childhood classic (hint: it comes in a can and rhymes with Voltaggio’s). At the restaurant, they serve the upgraded sauce out of a can as a performative homage to the childhood favorite.

The night was full of new flavors ranging from adventurous combinations to classy takes on comfort food. Diablo’s Cantina featured churros, birria tacos and a shrimp ceviche. The ceviche was light and refreshing, made with avocado, cucumber, red onion, radish, mango and pineapple chamoy served with thin and crispy sweet potato chips.

Ginger, a restaurant specializing in dim sum and classic Pan-Asian dishes, was serving steamed chicken and shrimp siu mai drizzled in a spicy wasabi chili sauce. Both the siu mai and the boiled dumplings were satisfying and perfectly cooked.

Tap Sports Bar served deviled eggs, fried shrimp and smoked cajun mussels served with linguini and garlic broth. Although I still had several tables left to sample, I enjoyed a mid-meal dessert, a strawberry pound cake with lemon curd that was the perfect combination of sweet and tart.

Osteria Costa took comfort food to a new level with a thin-crust pizza topped with fig, prosciutto, gorgonzola cheese and arugula. Another favorite was the Pompeii Shrimp, a variation on shrimp and grits made with polenta and doused in a spicy broth.

We finished the night with some spring-inspired pastries from Bellagio Patisserie. There were chocolate bars with flavors ranging from peanut butter dark chocolate to milk chocolate mango chili. There were also macarons and flaky danishes filled with blueberry cream cheese.

Bon appétit!

Dining Al Fresco at the Waterfront

BY ALEXANDRIA LIVING MAGAZINE STAFF

It’s that time of year, when sunshine, a water view and the great outdoors just make a meal at any of Alexandria’s restaurants a little extra special. These days, you’ll find decks, patios and sidewalk dining offered at even more of the City’s eateries. With spring weather warming up, now’s the time to make plans to visit your favorite dining spot and grab a table alfresco!

If you love people watching and views of the Potomac, you may want to try one of these outdoor restaurants near the waterfront in Old Town Alexandria.

The country ever has a lagging Spring, Waiting for May to call its violets forth, And June its roses--showers and sunshine bring, Slowly, the deepening verdure o'er the earth; To put their foliage out, the woods are slack, And one by one the singing-birds come back.

- From ‘Spring in Town’ by

William Cullen Bryant

BARCA Pier & Wine Bar, 2 Pioneer Mill Way

BARCA Pier & Wine Bar is right on the water, at 2 Pioneer Mill Way. You may want to bring a hat or scarf to keep your hair from blowing around in the breeze as you’re sitting right on the water. You’ll want to make a reservation as this spot fills up fast. Known of their “small plates,” this is a good spot for drinks and appetizers and watching the sun set. Open nightly ’til 11 p.m., this is also a great spot for a late-night bite. Barca is owned and operated by Alexandria Restaurant Partners.

Chart House, 1 Cameron St.

Chart House offers beautiful views of the Potomac and the Alexandria Marina from its perch at 1 Cameron St. This luxe chain restaurant offers comfortable surroundings, great service and a dependable steak and seafood menu. End your night here with the perfect dessert, Hot Chocolate Lava Cake.

Blackwall Hitch, 5 Cameron St.

Blackwall Hitch features outdoor dining at the

entrance to the restaurant, which overlooks the marina and also on its expansive back patio, which includes a bar area and fire pit coffee table seating. Located at 5 Cameron St., you’ll often find a lively crowd listening to live music on the weekends. Fried green tomatoes, fried oysters and the flaming crab dip are crowd favorites

Virtue Feed & Grain, 106 S. Union St.

Virtue Feed & Grain offers patio dining just off the beaten path. The restaurant is housed in a unique and historic building with lots of exposed brick and wood beams that dates to the 1800s. The place is usually buzzing with patrons at the bar, main dining room, upstairs dining room and patio.

Fish Market, 105 King St.

Fish Market is a great place for people-watching. Perched high above King Street, you can survey the crowd while enjoying a plateful of seafood on a beautiful night on the balcony.

Jula’s on the Potomac, 44 Canal Center Plaza, #401

Jula’s on the Potomac offers panoramic river views in a sophisticated environment. If you’re stopping in for brunch, be sure to try the French Toast Bread Pudding, one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes. Another favorite is the Lobster Bisque. The restaurant recently underwent renovations and was formerly Cafe 44.

The Race for Mayor of Alexandria

BY GRACE KENYON

Alexandria Living Magazine spoke with all three candidates for mayor in Alexandria. The primary is set for June 5, and it is likely that the winner of the primary will also win the election for Mayor of the City of Alexandria this November.

For more from each candidate, including their takes on transportation, development, crime and other hot topics, visit alexandrialivingmagazine.com/ news/2024-alexandria-mayoral-race.

Councilwoman Alyia Gaskins

When asked if there is something she wished she had known at the beginning of her tenure as a city council member, Alyia Gaskins said she wished she knew how excited she would get about things like sidewalk lights and trash cans. She came in with big ideas for initiatives, but she has learned that it is often the small things that impact quality of life the most, she said.

“I’m excited to really think about systems for being able to respond to the everyday quality of life issues that people face,” Gaskins said.

Gaskins is coming to the end of her first three-year term as a city council member and is running for mayor in 2024. She holds

master’s degrees in both public health and urban planning, and she is a senior program manager for a charitable trust. She has lived in Alexandria since 2016. She is married and has two young boys.

She wants to run for mayor because she sees large projects on the horizon for Alexandria, and wants to make sure that everyone thrives in the midst of those changes.

“I recognize the connections between education, housing, public safety and climate, and I think that we can plan in a way that really maximizes the benefits of the opportunities before us but also mitigates unintended consequences,” Gaskins said.

One of the important challenges facing Alexandria, according to Gaskins, is continuing budget concerns. She says the city needs to find ways to diversify revenue as the city and its needs continue to grow. One way to do this might have been the Potomac Yard Arena, a proposal that Gaskins thinks had some potential to boost jobs and tax revenue. However, Gaskins maintains that the proposal never addressed the need for union jobs, affordable housing, and funding for metro and other transit improvements. And while Gaskins hopes that Potomac Yard will be developed in line with the community’s vision for a “sustainable, mixed-use community,” it is only one piece of the puzzle.

“We need to develop this site, but we have limited control over how and when that happens, which is why we also need

to create a city-wide economic development plan that leverages all our community strengths from Potomac Yard to Landmark,” Gaskins wrote in an email following the news that the arena deal was over. “This will be one of my top priorities as mayor.”

Other priorities for Gaskins include addressing public safety, particularly focusing on crime prevention. And as a mother of two young children, she is attuned to other issues related to education and childcare. She sympathizes with the frustration of parents who struggle to find affordable childcare.

One initiative that Gaskins is excited to implement is the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council, which would give the mayor the opportunity to meet monthly with young leaders in Alexandria. This is intended to be an expansion of the Alexandria Youth Ambassadors program, an effort that Gaskins led while on council.

“When I think about some of the most pressing issues we’re facing, from housing to public safety, to jobs to education, our young people need to be at the table helping us make those decisions. We need to be hearing from them directly,” Gaskins said. “Because this is not just the city they will inherit, it’s the city they should be shaping as well.”

Gaskins says she understands the importance of inviting the most vulnerable members of the community to be a part of the conversation shaping decisions. She wants to focus on conversations around topics like worker rights and housing, having been shaped by the experience of watching her own single mother work several jobs to keep the family afloat.

“It’s also why I’m probably the one who asks the most questions on council now, because my brain is constantly thinking about the intersections and the connections between these issues and how we evaluate the ripple effects of every decision,” Gaskins said.

Vice Mayor Amy Jackson

Vice Mayor Amy Jackson, a career educator, mother and Alexandria native, originally ran for city council in 2018 because she wanted to advocate for the needs of the school system. As she embarks on a campaign for mayor of Alexandria, families and

schools are two of her top priorities.

One of these priorities is making sure that schools are fully funded as they continue to work toward closing the achievement gap that developed during the pandemic. Another priority for Jackson is making sure that Alexandria is affordable and allows families to thrive.

In line with these priorities, her campaign released a statement in opposition to the proposed Potomac Yard arena plan, which has since been rejected. Jackson shared citizens’ concerns about traffic infrastructure and the actual economic impact on the city. Instead of something like the arena, she thinks the focus should be on creating affordable opportunities for families.

With the limited term lengths in city council, one of the challenges of city leadership is striking a balance with the timing of progress, neither moving too quickly nor too slowly. Jackson thinks some projects, like flood resiliency and climate action, should have been started much sooner. Other projects, like housing zoning and the Potomac Yard arena, should not be rushed.

“Progress does not mean fast, it means forward,” Jackson said.

Jackson’s time serving on city council has been fundamentally shaped by the pandemic. As she puts it, no one signed up to be on council during a pandemic. However, she thinks the city council team did the best they could to guide the city through a turbulent time.

If she wins the mayor’s race, Jackson said on her first day in office she would want to sit down with as many people from as many committees as she can and ask what they need. She prides herself on a track record of listening and says this is the approach she would take to mayoral leadership.

“My ear has always been to the ground,” Jackson said. “I have a lot of friends in different walks of life. And when I’m hearing it from all walks of life, I’m not just hearing it from one part of the community. I’m not hearing it from just one neighborhood.”

Steven Peterson

When Steven Peterson heard that Mayor Justin Wilson was not running for mayor again, he started thinking about what it takes to be a leader. A former president of the real estate development firm Peterson Companies, Peterson says that leadership is ultimately about identifying problems and finding solutions.

“To me, it comes down to common sense leadership, and trust occurs through transparency,” Peterson said. “I've been around a lot of boardrooms, and I know how to get consensus and transparency.”

A core feature of Peterson’s campaign was opposing the Potomac Yard arena deal. From the time he announced his campaign, he was adamantly against this deal, citing concerns about traffic congestion, lack of parking, and the fact that the

deal doesn’t adequately address the real needs of Alexandrians.

"From a first blush economic prospective, the arena deal presented some intriguing possibilities,” Peterson wrote in an email following the deal’s demise. “But after further reviewing the deal, there was very little transparency and citizen input prior to and after the Monument Group/ Governor Younkin/Mayor Wilson press a conference [in December]."

However, now that the deal has been rejected, there are other key issues that Peterson believes are important.

“A new anchor will emerge eventually, just not a sports arena," Peterson wrote. "The arena deal caught the most attention, but it's not necessarily the most important issue facing our city."

For Peterson, other key issues include affordable housing, safety, and education. He says his first day in office would mean meeting with all the division heads, who he considers to be experts on the front lines of their individual areas. And while staying connected with these people is important, he says that good leadership is also about knowing when to step back and let experts do what they do best.

“If you’re micromanaging, you’re not trusting the people,” Peterson said. “They are better at what they do collectively than what you do. So, get out of their way.”

Peterson has lived in Alexandria for 30 years, raising seven children. Referencing the development that has transformed the waterfront, he is wary of the risks posed by growth. Not all growth is good growth, Peterson said, and any decision must be measured not just by who benefits, but who is affected negatively.

“What I don't want to see is that the city becomes a victim of its own success,” Peterson said.

When asked about how he would approach mayoral leadership, Peterson talks about the leadership style he learned from watching his father, who always made a point to hear every perspective in the room. No leadership position, Peterson said, gives you the right to not listen to the people you work with.

“I would operate from the bottom up, with transparency, not operate from the top down,” Peterson said.

The kitchen eating area features a large custom window seat that better utilizes the space, and the cabinet drawers underneath provide additional storage. The glass kitchen table and translucent chandelier help make the space look larger and more open.

Dark, Dated ‘80s to MODERN VIBRANCY KITCHEN REDESIGN:

BY LINDA HARVEY

After seven years of living in their 1940s colonial home, Dora Hughes and Scott McLeod knew it was time for a kitchen update. The space was dark, cramped and awkward — but the failing 1987 microwave built into the cabinetry and the not-to-code cooktop made it an easy decision for them.

“We knew there were issues to deal with when we moved here in 2013,” Hughes explains. “The floor was uneven, the linoleum was cracking, but the deciding factor was that the appliances started to die.” She and her husband realized that it would be impossible to replace the 1980s-era appliances without changing the cabinetry.

This was the summer of 2020, and the couple, along with their 9-year-old daughter, were spending lots of time in their Alexandria home quarantining. Hughes acknowledges that the pandemic gave her more time to focus on what wasn’t working in their kitchen. Little did she know that nearly nine months later, she and her family would be cooking in a colorful modern kitchen and also enjoying everyday life in other updated and beautifully designed rooms.

‘A Dream Partnership’

As Hughes talks about her home’s transformation, she still gushes about the chemistry between the kitchen designer and the interior designer, calling them “a dream partnership.”

Nadia Subaran, principal and senior designer, started Aidan Design LLC back in 2001 with her late husband. The company specializes in kitchen design with a strength in space planning and adheres to the “form follows function” philosophy, she says. The end product is organized and balanced spaces that reflect each client’s lifestyle and personality.

“We strive to create kitchens that feel like living spaces or extensions of living spaces,” Subaran explains. “They have places for artwork and interesting lighting fixtures.” She recommends a budget of 10% of the value of a client’s home for a kitchen project.

Subaran had worked with Iantha Carley of Iantha Carley Interiors on other projects in the past, including the DC Design House, Inc., the former nonprofit that raised money for Children’s National by having

designers transform a showcase house each year.

Carley, who started her boutique interior design business in 2005, brings her passion for color, pattern and texture to each project. She also enjoys mixing traditional and modern forms to create unique and welcoming spaces.

For the Hughes/McLeod project, working together was a collaboration of expertise, with each designer providing the other with inspiration and support throughout. This partnership allowed the project to flow smoothly from an initial kitchen redesign to incorporating updated interiors for the dining room, family room, foyer and living room.

“Their [Aidan Design] work inspired me when choosing color — I was looking for a complementary color for the blue kitchen cabinets and went with orange,” Carley explains. She also turned to them when a room’s interior design could use built-in cabinetry, crediting them for custom storage creations in the foyer and dining room.

Homeowner Dora Hughes enjoys coffee in her kitchen’s separate breakfast bar area, which features a bold geometric backsplash inspired by designer David Hicks. With a microwave, sink and wine refrigerator, this area also can serve as a cocktail bar or snack area depending on that day’s needs.

Getting to Know You

The first and most important step in kitchen design is getting to know the homeowner, according to Subaran, who has worked on more than 600 kitchens in her 22 years. She had Hughes and McLeod go through a questionnaire to better understand their family’s lifestyle today and how they can age into the space since most kitchen designs have a 20-25 year lifespan.

Do they like to entertain? Do they enjoy cooking elaborate or simple meals? Do they like to hang out in the kitchen area for other tasks? The answers to such questions give the project a focused direction and eliminates other components, Subaran explains.

For this exercise, Hughes was able to think through her “pain points in the kitchen” and consider other issues, such as

lighting. She realized the kitchen was too dark and agreed with Subaran’s suggestion for three layers of lighting. Even though she loves the look of glass door cabinets, she knew her family wouldn’t keep them neat enough.

The questionnaire for Aidan Design also looks at ergonomics — asking clients their height, are they left-handed or right-handed? With a focus on ergonomics, the final kitchen design should be efficient and functional for the homeowners, with organization zones set up for everyday life and when entertaining. “We always want the cook to have a wonderful experience,” Subaran says.

Good-Bye, Outdated Rooms!

Even though this home is a traditional colonial like others in Alexandria’s Beverley

Hills neighborhood, its kitchen was full-on 1980s. Checkered floors, dark smaller cabinets, black countertop, black appliances and a peninsula rounded out this outdated look. The kitchen had been redone about 35 years ago, along with an expanded eating nook area and family room addition.

Kitchen designer Subaran recalls the awkward cooktop on the peninsula, which formed a U-shape layout blocking the flow within the space. This made the cooking area feel very disconnected from the eating nook area, whose space wasn’t fully functional with its clunky table and chairs.

The rest of the rooms on the first floor also were showing their age, with wall-towall carpeting in the family room, dark red paint and an ornate ceiling medallion in the dining room, dated light fixtures such

The resigned kitchen is colorful, bright and open with its Maple Shaker-style cabinets painted in Sherwin Williams Moody Blue and a custom orange island on casters the homeowners can shift when needed. The window treatments and accent lighting help unify the kitchen’s work space with its eating area.

as track lighting and heavy chandeliers, nonexistent storage space in the foyer, and well-loved furniture that had seen better days.

Carley, the interior designer, praises Hughes for her foresight in having the rest of the downstairs refreshed at the same time as the kitchen redesign. “You get the domino effect — it calls attention to the other areas that need work,” she explains. The cosmetic changes in the other rooms would create a more consistent updated look throughout the home, Carley explains.

Hughes agrees that once they decided to have hardwood floors installed in the kitchen and family room, it forced them to refinish the other hardwood floors on the first floor, leading to other much-needed improvements in each room.

‘Fearless with Color’

Walking into the redone kitchen, the bold colors stand out in a refreshing way, energizing the space. “No ‘all white kitchen,’ no beiges … let’s have some fun with it,” Hughes recalls telling the designers. Carley concurs that “Dora was fearless when it came to color.”

The focal point is the breakfast bar area that has a geometric backsplash. “The backsplash pattern was inspired by the David Hick hex pattern that he created in the 1960s,” Carley explains. “It’s actually a reverse painted glass (églomisé).” The backsplash is one piece of glass that was custom painted by Billet Collins.

She went with the orange, blue and gold pattern to match the kitchen’s orange island and the Sherwin Williams Moody Blue paint on the Shaker-style cabinets, which feature gold-toned hardware.“It was hard to imagine but it [the backsplash] turned out very beautiful and distinct,” Hughes says.

Even though she wanted more color, especially blue, since it is her favorite color, Hughes deferred to Carley, especially for the bright orange on the island. “My younger sister told me ‘You don’t have good taste’ — ‘Get out of the way of the designers,’ and so I did,” Hughes laughs while explaining why she embraced their suggestions.

(Above): The dining room’s bold Farrow & Ball wallpaper incorporates different levels of blue — the homeowner’s favorite color — and the wainscoting adds dimension to the walls. Vegan leather chairs create comfortable seating around the round table, which can be enlarged with two leaves. (Right): The foyer features limestone tiles in a rectangular modern style, and the grass cloth wallpaper in teal pays homage to homeowner Scott McLeod’s Jamaican background. Custom built-in cabinetry creates a shallow closet that hides shoe cubbies and coat hooks.

The bold orange on the island complements the blue kitchen cabinets, and this burst of color is balanced by the white main backsplash and Caesarstone countertop that are softer and cleaner, Subaran explains. Plus, the island’s walnut top provides some warmth to offset the bold colors and white surfaces.

Reworking the Kitchen

The previous kitchen lacked enough counter space, even the awkward peninsula had a cooktop. Subaran created a more logical design by adding versatile counter space with the breakfast bar area, the moveable island on casters, and even an induction range cooktop — when not in use, the cooktop is a continuation of counter or service space.

"If it's something you love, it's not a trend."

Subaran suggested an island with wheels since the peninsula blocked access to the kitchen eating area and she wanted to open up the space. The wheels allow flexibility for the family to shift the island for their needs. Hughes agrees that they move it more than they thought they would, especially when hosting events for better room flow. “It’s beautiful to look at and functional,” Hughes says of the island.

Subaran also points out, “The stool and overhang of the island countertop show another sign of designing with ergonomics in mind. Having a seated stool for repetitive tasks or chatting with the cook is [optimizing performance and well-being].”

The homeowner’s now 13-year-old daughter loves sitting at the stool — a special request she made for the custom-designed island.

The inviting but elegant living room with its vibrant peacock blue couch has a "modern regency look” that includes custom shades and drapes. Treasured family artwork is displayed on the fireplace mantel.

The breakfast bar area is another versatile addition to the new kitchen and better utilizes this space. It can be a breakfast bar or cocktail bar or snack bar — whatever you need for that day. Its extra counter space, cabinets, sink, microwave and a wine refrigerator take pressure off the main kitchen, especially when entertaining, Subaran explains. The breakfast bar area also is just off the main dining room, making it convenient when hosting events.

The redesign also did away with the double-wall ovens and separate cooktop, replacing them with one induction range with a custom hood that matches the blue cabinetry. Customers usually have a wish list for appliances, says Subaran, and Hughes was no different. However, due to delays during the pandemic, the refrigerator is a more modestly priced one with French doors. When working with clients, Aidan Design encourages clients to look for appliances that are better for the environment and more efficient, such as the induction range.

The uneven lighting was corrected with under-cabinet lights for tasks and another two layers with accent and ceiling lighting. The sculptural lighting fixtures over the sink and eating area match, helping to unify the two areas within the kitchen space.

Harmonizing Rooms with Color and Design

Once Carley knew the look of the kitchen, she worked on harmonizing the colors and design within the first floor so that the rooms all flowed naturally, but were still distinct in their own way. Various shades of blue, such as teal, were used throughout to create this consistency, such as the vibrant wallpaper in the dining room, the grass cloth wallpaper in the foyer, the velvet couch in the living room, the modern Noomi Chair in the family room, and other upholstery, window treatments and rugs throughout.

Modern chandeliers and light fixtures, several with gold-toned features, were another subtle design element that helped harmonize the spaces. Most of the fixtures came from Visual Comfort, which has many style-forward selections at great

price points. Hughes selected the dining room chandelier, a trendy starburst look that Carley agreed to accommodate — “If it’s something you love, it’s not a trend,” she acknowledges.

The family’s own artwork was incorporated throughout the rooms to showcase their personality and history, including their daughter’s tiny “adorable” sculptures on the fireplace mantel in the living room. “All of it has meaning to the family,” Hughes shares, explaining that many were gifts from friends, family or her daughter’s creations.

Most of the artwork hadn’t been framed properly so Carley worked with The Art Registry, a DC-based company that curates art collections. The company went through the artwork, framed pieces, helped with placement, and finished the job by hanging them. Relying on the company’s expertise was well worth it, according to Hughes. She praises them for the well-laid-out gallery wall in the family room and by avoiding extra holes in wallpapered rooms.

Final Thoughts

Nearly three years later, the family loves the kitchen redesign with its “logical flow" and enjoys the other “very usable rooms,” as Hughes describes. It’s now a more fun and vibrant home that reflects their family’s personality.

Looking back, she recalls they stayed within budget since most of the work outside of the kitchen was cosmetic, and they focused their budget on what had the most impact, such as the kitchen cabinets. It was challenging to have construction start in early 2021 during the pandemic, but the family made it work by living elsewhere during the week. Overall, the project exceeded their expectations, and they are glad they tackled the home’s dated kitchen when they did.

For kitchen remodeling: Aidan Design LLC at 301-320-8735; www.aidandesign.com.

For interior design: Iantha Carley Interiors at 202-285-2374; email iantha@ianthainteriors.com; www.ianthainteriors.com

Building Alexandria for Over 100 Years

Recently Alexandria Living sat down with Sam and Tom Rust, two brothers leading Rust Construction, an Alexandria-based remodeling company that's been in business for over 100 years. We spoke with them about their long history working in Alexandria, their expertise in historic remodels, the future of their business and more.

Can you share the story of Rust Construction and how the business started?

Rust Construction is a fourth-generation, Alexandria-based remodeling company. The business was started in the 1920s after "Oakland," the Rust family dairy farm in North Ridge/Rosemont was sold off. Robert Rust Sr. built offices at 1610 Mt. Vernon Avenue in Del Ray, where we were located until the 1970s. In 1956, Rust Construction was incorporated under its current charter by Robert Sr.'s sons who formed a design-build firm, before design-build was widely adopted. In 1970, our parents took over the business and built a reputation for detailed, appropriate historic renovations in Old Town. Fast forward to 2020, we formally took over operations.

How has Alexandria influenced the development of your business?

Building, designing, and Alexandria are in our DNA. Back in the day Rust Construction helped build many of the churches (St. Paul's Norton Hall/ Emmanuel Episcopal), schools (St. Agnes), warehouses (Robinson Terminals North and South in Old Town), banks (Burke and Herbert branches) and early homes of the Del Ray, Rosemont/ North Ridge, and Beverly Hills neighborhoods. The story of our business is in a very small way, the story of the development of Alexandria over the last 100 years.

What services do you specialize in?

We are a design-build remodeling company. We specialize in taking clients from discussions about the challenges and

Kitchen renovation in Old Town.

JENN VERRIER

dreams they have for their homes all the way through the design process to the end of construction. We also do some small commercial work. We make this journey fun and easy by putting everyone involved in the process under one tent. Our core competency is in building additions, whole home remodels, kitchens, and bathrooms. We have been doing some really neat rooftop decks and other outdoor spaces lately. Our biggest differentiator is that we can handle complex jobs, and jobs with historic details. We are experts in the Old Town Board of Architectural Review process. We know how to work with diverse groups of clients and teams - meaning we can handle curve balls and do difficult projects - perfect for Alexandria!

What is your company most proud of?

Clients from 30-plus years ago that continue to come to us as their needs change for their homes. We are also members of the Professional Remodeling Association (PRO) and have won awards for projects designed and built by our team.

What advice do you have for someone thinking about starting a remodeling project?

Process and experience are the most important aspects of a remodeling project. When interviewing companies ask how they approach the process from design through the end of construction. How clearly articulated is their approach? Are they doing the work on a fixed-price contract? What will the construction documents look like before you start construction? Will you have a clear-eyed understanding of what is covered under the scope of work and how changes to the contract will be handled? Ask how the construction will be managed and what work will be handled in-house versus by subcontractors. Most importantly, only work with a builder that you like and feel you can trust and respect. No matter the project, your remodeler is going to be a big part of your life for the duration of your contract with them. If things go well, you will have a trusted connection for life.

Where can potential clients learn more about Rust Construction?

Our website rust-construction.com or follow us for more timely updates via our Instagram handle @rustcontruction.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

Design, remodeling, and construction in general can offer rewarding careers. Unfortunately, not enough people are going into the trades to support the demand

in the industry and there often isn’t a clear path for people interested in joining the industry to get started with solid mentorship. The shortage of skill is most acute among remodeling carpenters. The Professional Remodeling Organization (PRO) is working to address this issue along with other partners. If you or someone you know is interested in going into the remodeling industry, please contact us at careers@rust-construction.com and we will point you in the right direction.

Sam Rust (left) and Tom Rust (right).

Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson: Full Speed Ahead to the Finish Line

BY MARY ANN BARTON

On a recent rainy Saturday, Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson wasn’t quite ready to reflect or rest on his laurels as he nears the end of his elected service to the City. But he did concede that, with a team effort with staff and volunteers, the City has cleared some big hurdles under his leadership.

Construction on a new hospital, transportation, schools and the City sewer system are the big-ticket items completed under Wilson’s leadership.

“We’re not done, but we have made a lot of progress on a lot of fronts,” he said. “Getting Landmark Mall redeveloped was the big one, that’s something we’ve been talking about for 25 years in the city and I’m excited to have gotten that to the point that we have. But we have a plan moving forward. Construction will begin soon on a new hospital.”

Another check-off on during his time as mayor: Getting construction done on the Potomac Yard Metro and surrounding area. “That’s finally happening, which is exciting,” he said.

School construction is another big achievement for the City, he noted. “We’ve been able to get two schools opening in just a couple of months of each other. MacArthur just opened and Minnie Howard will open later this year. It is the most significant era of new school construction in the city’s history. Essentially [we’ve built] five schools in a decade."

“We have the combined sewer project nearing conclusion,” he noted. “That’s the

biggest infrastructure the city has ever undertaken. We have invested several hundred million dollars now in storm sewers to address the flooding issues in Del Ray and Rosemont. That’s one of the things you don’t see, but we’ve got a lot going on.”

Housing decisions ‘controversial’ but ‘impactful'

“The reforms we’ve done around housing — creating committed affordable housing, working to change a lot of our provisions on how we create housing in the future, a vision to make sure Alexandria remains accessible for low and moderate income to live in the future — while those have certainly been controversial, they will be impactful for decades to come,” he said. “That’s something I’m proud of.”

Wilson is proud of how most of Alexandria got through the Covid pandemic. “Getting back from one of the worst eras of our history, I took office as mayor just before the pandemic,” he noted. “We dealt with the pandemic, kept the economy afloat, kept our residents alive and got ourselves back quicker than almost anybody ever thought. We had one of the highest vaccinations rates in the state and certainly the country.”

“We pushed out vaccination as quickly as we possibly could and galvanized a whole army of volunteers to help with food, health and service gaps we had. I’m proud of that; it’s a team effort, we have a great city staff and volunteers.”

Should the mayor position be full time?

“It’s definitely full time in hours,” Wilson said. “The question is only ‘Is it full time in pay?’ I’ve always had mixed feelings about that. I feel like I have benefited by the fact that I live a somewhat normal life. I have a normal job, I take the bus and the metro, I pick up my kids and drop them off and go to sporting events. Having a real job and that experience helps me be a better City Council person.”

Wilson noted that having a professional city manager "not involved in day-to-day politics, insulated from that, is important. It makes our government less politicized, improves things from the ethical perspective, prevents ethical lapses you see in other jurisdictions. But I also recognize it does mean that there are people who cannot do this job because of their personal financial situations, I’m definitely sensitive to those concerns.”

Ward representation?

“I’m not opposed categorically, but I do believe people who believe it would solve certain problems are incorrect. I say that to mean the people advocating for it are advocating for it because they think it would solve certain issues,” he said.

The two groups generally advocating for wards “are Republicans, they think that’s how they will elect more Republicans to Council,” he said. “The reality is in Alexandria, there is pretty much no way that you could draw a ward district in Alexandria

Mayor Justin Wilson

where they would elect a Republican automatically. The most Republican area in Alexandria is still a 55 percent Democratic performance area. It’s unlikely to be able to draw that kind of district.”

A second group of people that Wilson hears about “are disappointed about different decisions on different development decisions. In reality, how it works, you have seven people on Council who have to listen to everybody, people who are in favor and people who are against something. If you had wards and localized opposition to a project, well, then there would be one person against it presumably and six people who wouldn’t care. I’m not sure it solves that problem that folks think it does.”

Another negative of wards, Wilson said, is “you tend to have very parochial kind of horse-trading and things like that. The advantage of our system is all seven of us have to look out for the entire city. And we can’t afford to ignore any particular part of the city."

Developing a thick skin

What comes with the mayor’s job — getting criticized by residents for the decisions you make. “You absolutely have to have a thick skin in this business,” Wilson said. “If you’re doing your job right, you’re going to face criticism, it requires that you be willing to deal with that. I certainly, in 14 years on City Council, I’ve dealt with people being upset with me about different things. I try not to take it personally. The tough ones are when it is personal friends who are disappointed with you for various reasons. That’s no fun."

The good news, he said: “People in politics have a healthy sense of themselves. You can’t have a fragile ego and be in this business. Over time, it’s sometimes not fun to get criticized. Alexandrians are a very highly educated, opinionated bunch and they expect a lot of their elected officials and you’ve got to clear that bar. It’s certainly a challenging environment at times but I find that fun.”

What has he learned the hard way?

"I learned certainly, in 2009 when I lost the election, you’ve got to tell your own story. [I learned the hard way] that

you can’t count on the press and word of mouth to spread information, especially good information. So you’ve got to get out there and communicate with people. I’ve worked really hard to communicate with residents and get the information and make sure they’re aware of what’s going on with their governments. That’s something that took me awhile to figure out, how effective that was.”

Wilson also said that you should talk to people who are in your camp and outside of your camp. “I have always had the feeling and the view that you talk to everybody,” he said. “Someone who’s against you on an issue today, might be with you on an issue tomorrow. So, you just constantly engage with people and over 14 years and six campaigns I’ve had people who started out supporting me for my first few campaigns and stopped supporting me and I’ve had people who went the other way who changed their mind and came on board.”

He’s able to see the bigger picture now, he said. “I used to get more spun up about little things and little criticisms and I’ve developed a thicker skin for sure.”

What’s next?

“I’m looking forward to sitting on the sidelines. There’s no office I’m particularly interested in at the moment. I think everybody assumes I’m looking at Don’s (Congressman Don Beyer) seat and I certainly, Don’s a good friend, I’ve known him for a long, long time. I hope he serves in Congress for a long time to come.”

“As I told Don a couple days ago, I look at the U.S. House of Representatives and say ‘Why in the hell would anybody want to be there?’ They are literally fighting each other in the hallways, they just expelled a member, they don’t actually pass any bills. It looks miserable, absolutely miserable. I have no desire to go to Congress.”

“Part of the advantage of being in local government is I’m able to have a normal life, do my day job, see my family occasionally. Pretty much any other office that’s out there requires either getting rid of my day job or a sacrifice for my family I’m just not willing to make. Never say never, but at this time, I have no intent or plan.”

The hardest thing I’ve ever done

Getting a kid to college, a 19-year old and 16-year old through high school is a hard thing. And we’re not done, we’re not done, as my Mom reminds me, “you’re never really done.”

Three people living or dead I would invite to dinner

President Lyndon Baines Johnson; Congressman John Lewis and astronaut Sally Ride, I’ve got to have some political and science knowledge in there!

Favorite way to relax

Running for sure.

My favorite meal is I’m a big fan of Chinese food (Peking duck); and I also love Vietnamese.

My pet peeve is Negativity

My favorite movie is “A Few Good Men”

Last book I read was “Lessons from the Edge” by Alexandria resident Maria Ivanovitch, former ambassador to Ukraine.

My favorite U.S. president is Franklin Delano Roosevelt

My favorite vacation spot is South Africa. We had a great time; our next trip is to Greece.

A dream I have is to Get a full night of sleep.

At Benchmark Senior Living, we pride ourselves on being different, working tirelessly to set ourselves apart. While our best in-class amenities, personalized care, restaurant-style dining, full calendar of programs and numerous awards set us apart; our true differentiator is the power of human connection. The interaction between our residents and associates gives people an indescribable warm feeling we refer to as the Benchmark Experience. Benchmark is proud to bring this award-winning experience to Alexandria.

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David Weintritt, MD, FACS, is a board-certified breast surgeon and founder of the National Breast Center and Foundation. He is dedicated to providing the most comprehensive care available. He firmly believes every patient is unique and deserves a treatment plan tailored to their specific needs.

Old Town Alexandria Breast Surgical Suite 277 S. Washington St., Suite 100 Alexandria, VA 22314

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