Hill Rag Magazine – April 2020 by Capital Community News

hillrag.com . April 2020

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2310 ASHMEAD PL. NW #203 1BR, 1BA in Kalorama Peter Frias 202-744-8973 www.peterfrias.com

APRIL 2020 H 3

WINTER IS GONE AND HEAVY SRING RAINS ARE NOT FAR OFF! WE ARE STILL WORKING SO EMAIL US TODAY AT TOM@RTHOMASDANIELROOFING.COM OR CALL US AT 202-569-1080 FOR YOUR FREE ROOF INSPECTION WHILE APPOINTMENTS ARE STILL AVAILABLE!

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APRIL 2020 H 5

Capitol Hill Animal Clinic 1240 Pennsylvania Ave. SE

202-546-1972

capitolhillanimalclinic.com CAPITOL HILL ANIMAL CLINIC:

COVID 19 PROTOCOL TO ALL OUR CLIENTS: DUE TO THE COVID 19 ISSUE THE CLINIC WILL HAVE MODIFIED HOURS AND POLICIES: ALL CLIENTS MUST CALL THE CLINIC TO HAVE THERE PET ADMITTED TO THE CLINIC. NO CLIENTS WILL BE ADMITTED TO THE CLINIC DURING THE COVID 19 CRISIS. At this time the clinic hours with be Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9 AM to 4 PM with the clinic being closed 11:30-12:30 for mid day disinfection; and Saturday 8 AM to Noon. We will be seeing regular appointments, annual exams, Puppy/Kitten exams and HRA Rescue Exams. Pets will be brought into the clinic by staff members once clients call to notify that they are outside the clinic or outside in their cars. We will be continuing puppy vaccines and rabies vaccines with these being administered by Dr. Murphy and staff, while clients wait in their car or outside the clinic. Humane Rescue Alliance Certificate Exams will continue to be honored. THERE WILL BE NO CLIENTS MEETING WITH DR. MURPHY. He will consult with you on the telephone. DON’T BE AFRAID TO DOUBLE PARK ON PENNSYLVANIA AVE. IN FRONT OF THE CLINIC Dr. Murphy and all the staff will work with all our clients to make sure their pets can get medications and prescription foods during the crisis. If needed, we will deliver these to the Capitol Hill community, Navy Yard community and South West DC community. Dr. Murphy will be available to discuss client’s concerns and if an exam of their pet is needed. All this is being elected to keep all our staff and their families healthy, trying to minimizing their exposure to the COVID 19 virus. We are a small clinic, if one staff member becomes sick, the clinic will have to close for a minimum of 2 weeks while we all self quarantine. WE ARE TRYING TO PREVENT THAT FROM HAPPENING. THIS PROTOCOL WILL STAY IN EFFECT UNTIL THE A.V.M.A. DEEMS IT IS SAFE TO START HAVING FACE TO FACE CLIENT APPOINTMENTS. PLEASE UNDERSTAND ALL EXAMS WILL REQUIRE ADDED TIME GETTING HISTORY, ADDED TIME TO COMPLETE EXAMS AND ADDED TIME TO PERFORM NEEDED CARE FOR YOUR PETS. Dan Murphy, DVM Capitol Hill Animal Clinic

Mon - Tue: 8 AM to 6 PM | Wed: Closed Thur: 8 AM - 5 PM, CALL FOR DOCTORS HOURS Fri: 8 AM to 7 PM • Sat: 8 AM to 12 Noon 6 H HILLRAG.COM

APRIL 2020 H 7

IN THIS ISSUE APRIL 2020

GREEN

EART

DAY

Special

2040: Imagining What The Nation’s Capital Will Look Like In 20 Years by Andrew Giambrone

Our River: The Anacostia: Places to Greet Spring by Bill Matuszeski

Atlas Brew Works: Brewing Environmentally Friendly Beer While Being Extremely Good-Looking by Catherine Plume

Plastic Tree: Making “Reuse” a Reality by Catherine Plume

Helping Our Businesses Through COVID-19

Due to the COVID-19 virus, What’s On Washington, Community Calendar, Kids and Family Notebook, and School Notes, will not be running this month.

by Elizabeth O’Gorek

Real Estate and Crisis: The Ups and Downs of the Past 40 Years

How to Work from Home with a Preschooler

by Don Denton

by Elizabeth O’Gorek

capitol streets 13

Helping Our Businesses Through COVID-19 by Elizabeth O’Gorek

Coronavirus Myths Dispelled: Epidemiologist Addresses Misinformation by Elizabeth O’Gorek

Keeping Customers and Employees Safe: Two Tradespeople Talk about COVID-19 Precautions by Elizabeth O’Gorek

2020 Capitol Hill Community Achievement Awards by Stephanie Deutsch

Women of Ward 6: The Furies Collective House by Marci Hilt

The Numbers: Coming Home to Homelessness: Too Many Returning Citizens Lack A Home by Kate Coventry

ANC 6A Report by Nick L. Alberti

ANC 6B Report by Elizabeth O’Gorek

ANC 6C Report by Elizabeth O’Gorek

Bulletin Board by Kathleen Donner

homes and gardens 61

Real Estate and Crisis: The Ups and Downs of the Past 40 Years by Don Denton

The Hill Gardener: Plant A Little Garden by Rindy Obrien

Capitol Hill Restoration Society 2020 Photo Contest Winners by Elizabeth Nelson

Dear Garden Problem Lady by Wendy Blair

Changing Hands by Don Denton

arts and dining 75

At the Movies by Mike Canning

You’re Gonna Eat, So Eat Local: Hill Restaurants Offering Pick-Up and Delivery by Elizabeth O’Gorek

The Wine Girl by Elyse Genderson

Art and The City by Jim Magner

Literary Hill by Karen Lyon

Poetic Hill by Karen Lyon

family life 87

How to Work from Home with a Preschooler: Self-described Child-Development Nerd Gives Tips on Making a Workday Work by Elizabeth O’Gorek

The District Vet by Dan Teich

96 CLASSIFIEDS 102 CROSSWORD on the cover: Artwork: Echo In The Night by Miss Buggs. Archival Inkjet with 2 Colour Screenprint and Varnish Overlay on Hahnemuhle 11:ELEVEN GALLERY is a new and cutting edge, commercial art gallery coming to Washington DC, specializing in UK contemporary and urban art to suit all budgets, offering some of the most prolific and exciting contemporary and urban artists on the scene, to buy online and rent via their ART A LA CARTE service, including original and limited edition works by artists such as, but not limited to Ben Eine, Harland Miller, Matt Small, Tracy Emin and the talented Miss Bugs. They are also proud to reveal that they have access to over $7m worth of Banksy originals and limited edition prints. “Washington D.C is changing at a rapid rate and so is the international contemporary art market and as the nation’s capital, it’s important to keep up with that trend. The introduction of 11:ELEVEN GALLERY to the local art scene means Washingtonians will no longer need to travel to other cities to see and purchase such gems” says Nicola Charles, Gallery Owner and Director. To view and purchase artwork online or to find out more information about their Art A La Carte rental service, or sign up to their mailing visit www.11elevengallery.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @11eleven_gallery.

Next Issue: May 2

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We welcome suggestions for stories. Send queries to andrew@hillrag.com. We are also interested in your views on community issues which are published in the Last Word. Please limit your comments to 250 words. Letters may be edited for space. Please include your name, address and phone number. Send Last Word submissions to lastword@hillrag.com. For employment opportunities email jobs@hillrag.com. 10 H HILLRAG.COM

APRIL 2020 H 11

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capitol s ree s t

Mariah Fraker working relentlessly at Radicci

Jack Blanchard of Fairy Godmother

HELPING OUR BUSINESSES THROUGH COVID-19 by Elizabeth O’Gorek

he COVID-19 Here are some ideas outbreak is for ways to help Hill restaucreating anxrants, businesses, organizaiety in many tions and services make it to quarters, inthe other side of this unpreccluding our local economy. edented time: Some of our local businesses Buy Gift Cards have had to shut down comThis is a great way to suppletely. Others have closed port businesses of all kinds, sales floors and on-site serfrom restaurants to yoga stuvices at places like bars, resdios, to hair salons to clothtaurants and gyms. It’s a ing shops. Check the webperiod of anxiety for many sites of your favorite local business owners, so critical services, from framing serto the community. vices like Frame of Mine Some Hill residents (www.frameofminetoo.com) are working from home and to shuttered riverside resdrawing a paycheck during taurant The Salt Line (www. the outbreak. Many of these Leah Daniels, owner of Hill’s Kitchen. thesaltline.com) or the Anfolks have asked how they gelika Pop-up (www.angelikafi lmcenter.com) movie theatre near Union Marcan use this good position to support neighbors who own local businesses ket. DC Tech People have started a website where you can find links to purthis through time of social distancing, reduced business options, and closures. APRIL 2020 H 13

.capitol streets.

chase gift cards from many businesses right now. It’s constantly updating. Check it out now at supportdc.com

es as well. Call or text them, tell them what’s up and they’ll give you instructions where to leave your bike.

Buy Local

Exercise and Play Online

If you feel comfortable, visit local shops right now. You need groceries, so visit Eastern Market (222 Seventh St. SE) and Union Market (1309 Fifth St. NE, unionmarketdc. com, also offering curbside pickup) or your local YES Organic (410 Eighth St. SE) rather than going to Amazon. Groovy DC is open with cards, balloons and gifts (321 Seventh St. SE, www.groovydc.com) Don’t forget your corner store grocers!

If you didn’t know what Zoom was before you learned about COVID19, this is the time to learn about the online conference and meeting service. Exercise and yoga studios are offering online classes, many through Zoom, including Hot Yoga Capitol Hill (.com), East Side Yoga (eastsideyogadc.com), H Street’s Core Power Yoga (corepoweryoga.com) and Southwest’s District Flow Yoga (districtflowyoga.com). You can participate in free workshops with Rose Physical Therapy Group (1015 Half St. SE), or book video conferenced physical therapy (rosept.com/book-appointment). Participate in guided playdates for preschoolers play-space design team grOH! (grohplayrooms.com).

Buy Local Online Many local shops have online stores where you can order items. Satisfy your sweet tooth by ordering from Capital Candy Jar online (thecapitalcandyjar.com) or through GrubHub. Many make sales through social media sites as well –fashion and accessory shop C.A.T.walk Boutique (1000 H St. NE, thecatwalkdc.com) offers stylish clothing and more via their Instagram account @c.a.t.walk_boutique.

Use Curbside Delivery At Local Shops

Order Food Dennis DeWees at Groovy DC

Many Hill restaurants are offering take away and delivery, either direct or via Uber Eats, GrubHub, Door Dash, Caviar. There’s a list elsewhere in this issue, but check with your favorites even if they’re not included. You can directly support workers via Venmo through the Virtual Tip Jar (https://bit.ly/3aay3hL). The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) has established a Coronovirus Worker Relief Fund. You can donate at ramw.org/educated-eats.

their shop floors, but many have created curbside pick-up services. Just call or email the shops to Businesses have taken the precaution of closing place your order, then call when you pull up and they’ll bring your stuff to you (some even suggest pop the trunk or open a window). You can use this service to get books from shops like Solid State DC (600 H St. NE, com, 202-897-4201) and East City Bookshop (eastcitybookshop. com, 202-290-1636) to get games from Labyrinth Puzzles & Games (labyrinthgameshop. com, 202-544-1059), to get pet food and supplies from Howl to the Chief (howltothechief. com, 202-544-8710), to get hardware supplies from Frager’s (1115 Pennsylvania Ave SE, info@acehardware.com, 202-543-6157). The Daily Rider (600 H St NE, thedaiArena Stage’s Civil Dialogues are available online for residents Well, Easter IS Coming, and Cherry Blossoms are here. Reasons to celto engage with varying viewpoints from their own homes. lyriderdc.com, 202-396-0704) ebrate with candy delivery from The Capital Candy Jar (201 15th St. NE): Photo: Courtesy Arena Stage] is offering limited repair servicScreenshot/ TheCapitalCandyJar.com 14 H HILLRAG.COM

Help Those Helping Others Nonprofit Martha’s Table has pledged more than $300,000 to assist local families and is distributing $15-per-day grocery-store gift cards. Miriam’s Kitchen (miriamskitchen.org/helpnow) and The Capital Area Food Bank are also raising money to help families (www.gofundme.com/f/feeding-dc-area-families-during-covidcrisis), and Hill nonprofit Everyone Home DC (everyonehomedc.org) continues to help those experiencing homelessness. Hill resident Allison McGill is organizing neighbors willing to run errands for those who should not be leaving their home (elderly, folks with preexisting conditions). Share your information by emailing McGill at alli@ thetabledc.org Eastern Market Main Street (EMMS) also recommends we check in with the owners of favorite businesses. “Ask how you can help, or let them know you are thinking about them (it’s the little things that mean a lot),” EMMS wrote in a message. Finally, practice social distancing. As one Twitter user put it, the point is not to act like everyone else has COVID-19. The point is to act like you have the coronavirus and you don’t want to give it to anyone. You can get current advice and data from DC Health via coronavirus.dc.gov, but the basics remain the same: Cover your mouth with your elbow when you cough or sneeze, stay home if you feel sick, stay six feet from others to avoid transmission and avoid congregating in non-essential groups. We will get through this by pulling together, even as we keep more than six feet apart. u APRIL 2020 H 15

.capitol streets.

CORONAVIRUS MYTHS DISPELLED Epidemiologist Addresses Misinformation by Elizabeth O’Gorek Social distancing in the line at Frager’s Hardware, March 21, 2020. Photo: A. Lightman

here are lot of rumors flying around in regard to COVID-19 (aka the coronavirus). Are dogs safe? Takeout food? Jogging past neighbors on the sidewalk? The Hill Rag decided to ask an expert to separate fact from fiction. Hill resident Dr. Pedro Kremer is a lead scientist with Booz Allen Hamilton working in public health programs and policy evaluation for clients including the US Federal Government. A family physician for 15 years, Kremer was with the Argentinian Ministry of Health during the 2009 SARS outbreak before coming to the US in 2015 to pursue a PhD in public health and epidemiology (the branch of medicine dealing with how and why diseases emerge, are transmitted and can be controlled). Kremer has been providing neighbors with answers to their questions on social media sites such as NextDoor. “One of the reasons I jumped into some of the social networks is that I am very concerned about the amount of misinformation and conflicting information that is out there,” he said. “it’s doing a lot of damage. I believe those of us that are privileged enough to have access to good information have a responsibility to disseminate it, particularly in cases like this.”

The Facts Here are a few of those basic facts: COVID-19 is transferred inside little drops sprayed out of the respiratory system as someone coughs, sneezes or talks (usually called “respiratory droplets”) which infect people by getting in their eyes, mouth or nose. This can happen because the droplets are inhaled by another person standing nearby, usually within six feet or so (hence the recommendation of six-feet distance as part of social distancing). It can also happen because people touch surfaces on which droplets have landed (including their own bodies and faces) or surfaces infected people have touched. With these facts in mind, the Hill Rag asked Kremer to address some of the rumors about COVID-19 circulating on social media. 16 H HILLRAG.COM

CORONA VIRUS (cheat sheet)

WHAT SHOULD I DO !? How do I protect myself, family & community? Yep! ok. Let’s figure this out together

no.

Are you Freaking out!?

hmmm. are you still saying “What’s the fuss? It’s just like the flu.”

That’s great. But Still, Let’s figure this out together

Are You

ok. WRONG! The Corona Virus, A.k.A. ‘COVid-19’ is more contagious & more Dangerous than the flu. a bunch of people have it and more will get it. some will even die. The only way to minimize that is through education & behavior change. so...

SICK? yeah

nope.

Well, you shouldn’t go out if you’re sick anytime, & especially NOT now. Let’s review your symptoms. do you have: • anxious • irritable • stressed • constant media checking

yeah, that’s called 2020, ugh. • practice good hygiene and social distancing

• Runny nose • no fever • dry cough

that’s a cold. stay at home & practice, • good hygiene & social distancing. (so you don’t freak out others)

!! NOte !!

if you’re having trouble breathing or keeping food down, or feel too weak to stand, then go to the hospital or call 9-1-1. (like you always should if/when that happens. duh.)

• fever • dry cough • exhaustion sweats • malaise • shortness of breath

could be the flu, but it could also be corona virus.

Yes You’re probably fine, But you must • call your healthcare provider or 3-1-1. • Self isolate • Wear a mask • practice good hygiene and social distancing

Especially if you’re over 65 and/or in poor health. kids, you’re gonna be ok! But you all have to call your healthcare provider or 3-1-1.

Glossary of Terms:

Have you had CLOSE CONTACT with anyone diagnosed with corona virus?

Are you currently in or have been in a high risk area?

nope. nope.

Yes

Are You

SICK?

Have you had CLOSE CONTACT with anyone who has been in a high risk area?

nope.

nope. That means you’re at risk. That’s ok, you just need to:

• Cancel nonessential travel • work from home when you can • practice good hygiene and social distancing

close contact: being within 6 feet of someone, or two seats between you and another on planes, trains, etc. and living with or caring for another person. high risk area: A region, country, or city where is reported to have sustained transmission or community spread. social distancing: avoid mass gatherings and maintain a 6 foot distance from others. self isolation: stay indoors and completely avoid contact with others. stay away from family members, including pets, and call ahead before visiting a doctor. wear a mask.

Cool! Let’s keep you and everyone else healthy. But at the same time you should: • Minimize all non-essential travel • Practice good hygiene & social distancing. and if you can, find a way to support and volunteer in your community.

We’re all in this together.

Note: This is but a humble flow chart. for the latest updates go to http://cdc.gov created by eliah aranoff-pencer, md, phd, infectious disease doctor & researcher at univ. of California san diego school of medicine & design lab

APRIL 2020 H 17

Can The Coronavirus Be Transmitted Via Takeout And Delivery Packaging? It’s not impossible, Kremer acknowledges, but the risk is very low – so low that he’s been ordering in himself. “In terms of the overwhelming damage that the outbreak is producing, not just in terms of health care but also socially and economically, I think that the risk is low enough for us to support small businesses by ordering take-out and delivery,” Kremer said. The virus affects the body through the respiratory system rather than the digestive system, he said, meaning the risk is the possibility of transfer via surface. “For the most part, we can rely on the measures taken by restaurants,” Kremer said. If we don’t want do that, Kremer advises you immediately put delivered food in your own dishes, dispose of the containers and then wash your hands without touching your face. If you want to exercise hyper-caution, you can also sanitize containers with soap and water where possible and spray sanitizers where this is not possible.

So, Can The Coronavirus Be Transmitted Via Package Delivery? Recent reports indicate that some delivery personnel have recently tested positive for COVID-19, raising concerns that the virus could be transmitted through the mail. Even though these workers would be quarantined, any packages they handled with unwashed hands or unclean gloves could possibly have virus on them, Kremer said. The virus can be viable for between 24 hours and 5 days on paper, so deliveries that take less time could theoretically carry coronavirus. “For the population, the recommendation is 18 H HILLRAG.COM

ONE D STREET SE QUINTESSENTIAL CAPITOL HILL PRESENCE! AMAZING OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE A PRIZED HISTORICAL HOME WITH UNPARALLELED LOCATION AND HISTORY. DIRECTLY ACROSS FROM THE CAPITOL, THIS GRAND HOME IS AN ELEGANT PERIOD TREASURE WITH ORIGINAL DETAILS AND FINISHING AFFORDING ELEGANT ENTERTAINING AND QUICK ACCESS TO CONGRESS. BY APPOINTMENT ONLY.

YOUR HOME. MY MISSION.

DeeDee Branand Realtor Â® DC / MD 202.369.7902 deedeebranand@compass.com deedeebranand.com Compass is a licensed real estate brokerage that abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is not guaranteed. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Compass is licensed as Compass Real Estate in DC and as Compass in Virginia and Maryland. 660 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20003 | 202.545.6900

APRIL 2020 H 19

.capitol streets.

not more than 95 percent) or sodium hypochlorite bleach (concentrated between .001 to .21 percent). But, again the most effective step is to WASH YOUR HANDS.

Can Pets Get Or Give People The Coronavirus? There is no evidence of a human getting coronavirus from an infected dog or pet, Kremer said. “Dogs and cats can get a strain of coronavirus, and have for ages, but it is a difPatients wearing masks wait outside the busy Eastern Market MedStar Promptferent variety than the one Care office March 20, 2020. Photo: E.O’Gorek/CCN we are currently seeing in humans,” he said. to wash hands immediately after handling and disWhere pets are dangerous is where they act as posing the envelopes and boxes,” Kremer said. a surface for transmission: if someone with COVID-19 sneezes or coughs onto a pet, or touches their Can The Virus Be Transferred fur or skin with unclean hands, that virus can be conVia Reusable Bags (And What veyed to the next person who pets him, similar to any About Smart Phones)? other surface (including your own skin and hair!), Some surfaces get touched a lot, Kremer acknowledgKremer said. So refrain from petting animals outside es, and that includes some reusable shopping bags. It you household. Kremer echoed the CDC in noting includes lots of other things, like door handles, remote that it is wise to wash your hands after touching pets. controls, light switches and elevator buttons. Kremer said that since washing some of these things can be complicated, it might be most efficient to sanitize the areas touched most frequently, and that goes for the bags, too. “I wouldn’t wash the entire bag. I really wouldn’t,” he said. “That reasoning would lead me to wash the entirety of everything in my house,” he said. Washing your hands prevents the virus – and other germs, too – from getting into your respiratory system.

Wash Your Phone Every day, people put their phones on all sorts of surfaces, in their pockets and against their faces. You touch it frequently, and so it is as dangerous as your hands are. You can sanitize your phone with an aerosol solution or gel sanitizer. If you can wash an object with soap and water, do that, Kremer said. For other surfaces, a bottle that says ‘kills 99.99 percent of germs’ is not necessarily sufficient to kill the virus. Kremer recommends consumers check labels for active agents like ethanol (not less than 62 and 20 H HILLRAG.COM

Can I Use Ibuprofen If I Have Symptoms Similar To The Coronavirus? Short answer: most likely, yes. Kremer said the whole fear of ibuprofen is based on ‘speculation’, rather than a scientific study. Long answer: the ibuprofenCOVID-19 discussion started with a letter written to respected British medical journal The Lancet, in which the writer wondered if ibuprofen might mix poorly with a specific drug family used by a small population of elderly people suffering from high blood pressure or diabetes. That letter triggered warnings from organizations and governments before there was any actual scientific evidence either way. A few days later, organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) clarified that there was no evidence against the use of ibuprofen even in people with COVID-19 or similar symptoms. Obviously, those who are taking prescription medication or have underlying conditions should always consult with a physician before taking med-

ication, but for everyone else ibuprofen is probably as safe as for a headache, although acetaminophen or paracetamol are just as good.

Can I Get The Virus From Standing Near An Infected Person? Two things on this, Kremer said. First, if you’re in a close environment, such as a retail or service line, where people are not keeping social distance (i.e., standing six feet apart), you have the responsibility to let someone in authority know so they can take measures to allow everyone to keep social distance. “I truly believe that we all need to be agents of change here,” he said. “We all need to not be afraid to speak up, gently, tell everyone around us that this is not okay and that we need to organize ourselves.” Being spaced six feet apart makes it impossible for people to touch one another, and makes it harder for the respiratory droplets from a cough or sneeze to reach you. However, Kremer said, being within six feet of another person for the time it takes to pass them on the sidewalk is not likely to be a danger unless they sneeze or cough on you, or for some reason should touch you.

The Key Recommendations Remain The Same: Stay home if you are sick. Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze with your elbow or a tissue. Avoid touching your face, especially your eyes, nose and mouth. Sanitize frequently touched objects and surfaces. People without risk factors or pre-existing conditions should call the doctor if you have symptoms of COVID-19 BEFORE you go in to a doctor, unless you are experiencing difficulty breathing or blueness in the face or lips.

Finally, and critically: Wash your hands frequently, before and after eating or using the bathroom and after sneezing, coughing or handling objects from outside your home. Connect with Dr. Pedro Kremer via Linkedin, NextDoor or via Twitter @pedrokremer. Get the latest on COVID-19 from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) at https:// www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/, and from the DC Department of Health at https://coronavirus.dc.gov/ Comments on articles should be directed to Leads@HillRag.com u

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KEEPING CUSTOMERS AND EMPLOYEES SAFE

Two Tradespeople Talk about COVID-19 Precautions

avid Mahoney said that given the concerns around the coronavirus, he understood the reasons why his painters were turned away when they came to do a recent estimate at a home in Maryland. “It’s perfectly understandable,” the founder of David Mahoney Painting Company said of the homeowner’s decision not to let the team in. “I do wish they’d told me before we drove up there.” As an outbreak of the coronavirus, or COVID-19 continues, local contractors are taking steps to protect their customers and employees while continuing with business as usual – even in these unusual times.

by Elizabeth O’Gorek

phasizing good hygiene. Mahoney said that painters have always been concerned with respiratory safety. He and his team must protect their lungs from the dust created when sanding and scraping to prepare surfaces for painting. Specializing in historic houses and buildings means they deal with toxic ingredients in paint like lead and mercury, he added. Those dangers make the coveted N95 masks a critical part of their daily uniform, which protect their lungs from dust and chemicals. When removing lead, the team wears the higherrated N100 masks necessary for lead removal, as well as full-body and eye protection. “When you’re taking precautions, especially as a Respirators a certified lead paint contracRegular Part tor, you understand the imof Uniform portance of containing,” he David Mahoney has been said. The team cordons off painting houses since he and stages the job to protect was 15 years old. He startthe customer whether or not ed his own company nearly lead is present, and painters twenty-five years ago, spewear fully Tyvek suits. “You cializing in repainting hismight scare people walking toric buildings. through the neighborhood He said he thinks the like that,” he said, “but those Steve Mahoney of David Mahoney Painting Company is photographed wearing protective equipment for the removal of lead paint, including a N-100 mask, rubber gloves, eye protection and a one-piece company can pull through are the precautions you’ve jumpsuit. Photo: Courtesy David Mahoney Painting Company this challenge, just as they got to take.” pulled through the 2008 reThe equipment has bedoing interiors right now, which is understandcession. The key is to keep come increasingly hard to able,” Mahoney said. He said he will keep both his both customers and employees safe while getting get, with many suppliers telling him they won’t have customers and employees out of harm’s way, emthe work done. “People aren’t that excited about more until late April, at best. He said that many peo-

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ple have been buying up the N95 masks. Mahoney fortunately purchased a number of N95 and N100 masks early on, allowing his work to continue. “I’m not sure what we will do if we run out, as we wear them on a daily basis,” said Mahoney. Some clients have been reluctant to have tradespeople in their homes. Fortunately, Mahoney said that the bulk of his work during the spring is repainting the exterior of homes, which as of now has not been affected. Mahoney remains optimistic that people will continue to request estimates and move forward with painting projects. If the situation continues to worsen, the company could eventually be forced to lay off employees and ultimately have to seek unemployment insurance, he said, but public health is the critical thing. “The important thing is to keep everyone healthy and safe as we ride this out.”

‘Public Health is the Most Important Thing’ Tiffany Wilcox fully agrees. She is a partner at Wilcox Electric, managing the office, while her husband Steve Wilcox manages the field. She said that it’s a hard time to be a contractor, as many people understandably are reluctant to have others in their homes at this time, even at a social distance and even if they have a real need for electric repair. “If people are letting us into their homes, then we are working, we want to work,” she said. “But it is a personal decision, and we respect it very much.” She has also made her sick policy utterly clear: stay home. All employees are encouraged to stay home if they feel ill, with pay, whether the symptoms resemble COVID-19 or a head cold. “I don’t want my employees to have to make that difficult decision,” she said. “They can stay home and pay their bills, and that way I am hopefully offering a healthier workforce to my customers.” It is part of a new COVID-19 policy Wilcox instituted to ensure that the health of both employees and clients is protected. All electricians will no longer shake hands upon arrival at a job, and will maintain 6 feet distance. They will ask for permission to wash their hands upon arrival and departure. Tools, vehicles and offices are also regularly cleaned and disinfected, she added.

Clients who feel ill are encouraged to reschedule their appointments, multiple times if necessary, Wilcox said -–the company will make it work. But if there is an electrical emergency, such as a power outage, clients should call whether they have symptoms or a positive test. It will likely be Steve Wilcox himself who takes that call, his spouse said. The team has a supply of protective equipment that can be worn to keep Steve and everyone else safe if he is called on in such an emergency. “We feel a responsibility –and I know many people do. Let’s just get through this, together, as unscathed as we can be. You’ve got the public health crisis, and you’ve got the economic crisis that’s unfolding as a result. The public health crisis is, I think paramount.” As of March 23, Wilcox said that the electric company had a sustainable level of calls scheduled until the Wednesday, and while they’re still booking work, it’s not enough. However, she said if more business doesn’t come in, the 31-year-old business will have to make some hard decisions with the seven electricians they have on staff by the end of the week. Steve Wilcox said that some clients are still calling for estimates, perhaps hoping to keep some normalcy or forward-motion in their lives. A realtor called to get an estimate for work on a vacant home, for instance. “I think we’ll be doing a few days work there,” Wilcox said, “and that’s a godsend.” Tiffany Wilcox said her hope is that people will take this time to do electric work in spaces that are similarly now sitting vacant, such as offices where staff are working from home, vacation houses, or rental units. She recognizes that the public health crisis is bigger that Wilcox Electric. Of course, she wants the company to make it through, but she says public health and safety come above all else. “If there are ways for us to keep working safely, then let’s do it,” she said, “This is disruptive. It just is.” “But we’ll see you on the other side.” To learn more about Wilcox Electric or to get an estimate, visit www.wilcox-electric.com or call 202-546-1010. For more information on David Mahoney Painting, call 1-866-967-6711 or visit mahoneypainting.com u

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APRIL 2020 H 23

.capitol streets. Kathleen Donahue, Bonnie Wolf and Pat Joseph are the 2020 Capitol Hill Community Achievement Award recipients. Photo: Elizabeth Dranitzke/Photopia

2020 CAPITOL HILL COMMUNITY ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS by Stephanie Deutsch

he Capitol Hill Community Foundation will honor three dynamic and imaginative women at the annual spring fundraising dinner on April 22. Pat Joseph, Kathleen Donahue and Bonny Wolf will be celebrated for their many and varied contributions to the life of our neighborhood.

Pat Joseph A childhood that took her from the Bronx to Los Angeles, with many moves in between, and then three decades as a flight attendant on international routes, made Patricia Joseph more than ready to settle down and embrace life on Capitol Hill. She came to this neighborhood initially because her then-husband was studying at Howard University, and because it provided a convenient home base when she was flying. It was, she thought, sophisticated but with a hometown feel. 24 H HILLRAG.COM

Milan and Rome are her favorite foreign cities, and she has two sisters back in L.A. But in Washington, DC, on Capitol Hill, she says, “I found a lid for my pot. I love it here.” Joseph’s airline career was exciting but interrupted periodically by layoffs and labor disputes. She took advantage of one layoff to go to culinary school, which led to two years of working for Ridgewell’s catering and then running her own small pastry business, Pattycakes. She was also interested in city government. “I had a government family,” she says. Her mother worked for the Veterans’ Administration and her father had been one of the first African Americans to serve as an undercover federal narcotics agent. Campaigning for his city-council reelection, she became friends with Tommy Wells, and in 2011 she retired from the airlines and went into another career as his

constituent services specialist. In 2015 Joseph took on her current position – constituent services director for At-Large Councilmember Elissa Silverman. She helps plan community-wide events and special occasions, promotes voter registration and is the contact person for the daily constituent complaints about everything from smaller concerns like a mailbox that has been moved or questions about construction to difficult issues relating to crime, evictions, electricity interruptions and homelessness. Increasingly, her work involves helping individuals navigate the services offered by the city as well as by organizations like the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities and other charities and local food pantries. She spends a lot of her time “calling all over the place,” seeking appropriate assistance for people in distress. Serving on the volunteer board of Everyone Home

DC enables her to engage with the issue of insecure housing from another perspective as well. A “cradle” Episcopalian, Joseph is a long-time member of Saint Monica and Saint James Episcopal church in Northeast, where she has served on the vestry and helped the congregation work through the tough decision to sell the rectory in order to finance much-needed improvements to the beautiful and historic building. The church, with its eclectic, slightly quirky mix of people, feels “like family.” And family is the core of Joseph’s life. Though separated geographically from her two sisters and two brothers, she keeps in close touch with them. Every Saturday night the five siblings, two in on the West Coast, one in Massachusetts, one in Mississippi and Pat on Capitol Hill, share a conference call.

Kathleen Donahue In the summer of 2010, Kathleen Donahue was stuck in traffic on the 14th Street Bridge, returning from a trip to northern Virginia to buy a game for her young son, David, to take as a present to a birthday party. While dealing with family issues, she had taken time off from a demanding career in strategic planning, marketing and management for both public and private entities, DC-based and international. She had been wondering what kind of work, what career step, might come next. By the time she got home she was too late for the party but she was playing with an idea. A few weeks later, at a celebratory dinner in New York for her 40th birthday, she told her husband Keith, “I’ve decided to open a game store.” Ten years later, to the surprise of many, Labyrinth on Pennsylvania Avenue is a neighborhood destination, not just for parents in search of birthday gifts, though there are

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many to be found there, but for a heterogeneous group of adults and children seeking intellectually stimulating games and, increasingly, a community of folk with whom to play them. “I got so lucky,” says Donahue of her success. “I had no idea what I was doing.” In fact, though, despite her years of international travel and high-level business consulting (at 23 she had moved to Mexico City as Florida’s first trade representative there), Donahue had actually grown up in retail. As an eight-year-old in Pensacola, she started going to work with her father at his liquor store. After school and on Saturdays, she would dust things, check in orders as they arrived, tell the delivery men where to put the various products. As she got older, she took on the bookkeeping. When the time came for her to go into retail, the positions were reversed. Her father offered to help by investing in her fledgling business. His banker said, “This is never going to work.” He was wrong. Donahue’s success owes much to the lessons she learned working for her dad, whose friendly, outgoing personality helped create a community feeling around his store. “I knew I wanted that,” she says. And of course, as she points out, games in themselves create community – in families, among friends and even among people who do not know each other. “I wanted to attract smart, curious people,” she says. And she has. The monthly schedule at Labyrinth offers Pokemon Clubs for kids, mah jong nights, a Capitol Hill Village Game Day, an Intro to Dungeons and Dragons. Most sessions are packed. Boozy Board Games Nights at Mr. Henry’s charge a modest fee with proceeds going to benefit Children’s Hospital. Birthday parties for kids, a game library for teachers, after-school chess clubs and a summer kids’ program, along with an emphasis on customer 26 H HILLRAG.COM

IN MEMORY OF

Marie Ziar

December 15, 1961 - March 6, 2020 service and community outreach, have contributed to making Labyrinth a valued part of our neighborhood.

Bonny Wolf Bonny Wolf lives close enough to the Eastern Market that before dawn on April 30, 2007, she was among the pajama-clad neighbors, wakened by sirens and clangs of fire engines, watching in horror as flames rose from the ceiling and walls of the 137-year-old brick building. That evening, for a nationwide audience on National Public Radio, she described the market as our “village green,” the heart of the neighborhood, and told of how, moving to Capitol Hill 20 years earlier, she had taken one look at the market and decided, “this is the right place for my family.” It had been in part the desire for a more urban environment that had brought Wolf, her husband Michael and their young son Jonathan to Washington from College Station, Texas. There she had had a “dream job” on the local newspaper, the Bryan Eagle. As features editor she had created 11 new sections, including food, movies and the biggest book review section in Texas. She enjoyed the excitement of the newsroom and being part of the transition from hot to cold type. “Newspapers were just fun to work at,” she says of that time. But a desire to be closer to family and to raise their son with the stimulating urban environment that she and Michael had grown up with, she in Minneapolis, he in Baltimore, brought them to Washington and to Capitol Hill. As an editor on a series of local publications with a political slant, Wolf had interesting work but realized that she was “more of a soft news type” and that her real love was food and cooking. For two years in the early 90s, she published a newsletter, The Food Pages, a lively compendium of restaurant reviews, recipes, tips on where to get really good coffee or buy the best spices. It was, she says, “ahead of its

Marie Ziar, co-owner of Le Grenier planning the space renovation in 2012.

arie was an entrepreneur, painter, fashion writer and artist. A jack of all trades, she renovated and created the interior design of Le Grenier and Le Chat Noir. Marie was an overachiever and innovator. She created the Menus from her memories of her childhood in Normandy and in the South of France. Marie took on all challenges in her life; no matter what they were. Marie’s creations and legacy are still with us and hopefully for many more years.

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time,” an artistic success but financially unsustainable. She then took her interest in food in a completely different direction, with an appointment in the Clinton administration in the Office of the Undersecretary for Food and Nutrition. A year later, she became a speechwriter for the Secretary of Agriculture. Freelancing for a time as a speechwriter and then doing food commentaries for NPR, Wolf wrote a series of essays that became her book, “Talking with My Mouth Full: Crab Cakes, Bundt Cakes, and Other Kitchen Stories,” published in 2006 by St. Martin’s Press. Wolf ’s enthusiasm for the neighborhood, as well as her writing ability, came into play almost 20 years ago when she joined the small group that was meeting regularly to figure out how to turn the decaying Old Naval Hospital building on Pennsylvania Avenue into an asset for the community. Enthusiastic about the project from the start, Wolf spent countless hours meeting with a core team, imagining what the building could become, drafting publicity materials, stressing the need for the renovated building to have a demonstration kitchen. She helped hire the first executive director, hosted parties to create awareness of the project and raise money and gave a lot of thought to what the newly created Hill Center could offer to the public, especially in the areas of nutrition and cooking. The program for a recent concert series says: “Hill Center’s staff is continually inspired and motivated by Bonny Wolf and her pursuit of engaging programming.” To celebrate these many and varied contributions to our neighborhood, Pat Joseph and Bonny Wolf will be given Community Achievement Awards and Kathleen Donahue will receive the Steve Cymrot “Spark” Award at a gala dinner at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church on April 22. For more information or to purchase tickets to the dinner, please contact Nancy Lazear, nlazear@aol.com. u

APRIL 2020 H 29

.capitol streets.

WOMEN OF WARD 6 The Furies Collective House

by Marci Hilt

pril’s Women of Ward 6 is the Furies Collective house, a rowhouse at 219 11th St. SE. This building is directly connected with the early expression of the character, role and ideology of the lesbian community as a social and political community in the 1970s. The house became the operational center of The Furies, a lesbian feminist separatist collective, which from 1971 to 1973 created and led the debate over lesbians’ place in society. In a 2015 book, “The Gay Revolution,” author Lillian Faderman said the group’s name was a reference to “the three Greek goddesses with blood-red eyes and snakes for hair” who took vengeance on mother-murdering Orestes by driving him crazy. The building was the operational center of a 12-woman collective of writers and artists and the birthplace of the feminist newspaper The Furies. The newspaper addressed major questions of identity and relationships with other women, with men and with society at large. In the first issue, Ginny Berson wrote: “We call our paper The Furies because we are also angry. We are angry because we are oppressed by male supremacy. We have been fucked over all our lives by a system which is based on the domination of men over women … We are working to change this system, which has kept us separate and powerless for so long.” The women also published a lesbian feminist edition of Motive, a youth magazine of the United Methodist Church. Together, Motive and The Furies set the issues and agenda of lesbian and feminist discussion for many years to come.

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Furies Collective House at 219 11th St. SE

The women didn’t just work as a collective, they also cohabited, along with three children, in three separate spaces, one of which was the 11th Street rowhouse. The collective’s publication “inspired thousands of lesbian feminists to form their own collectives in cities, farms, forests and mountains all over America and in Europe, too,” according to Faderman. When Robert Pohl and his wife moved into the house, Pohl did a Google search to find out if there was anything special about it. He immediately found information from a local LGBT organization that named his new home as the operational center and main residence for a lesbian feminist collective. He continued researching the house, and the search made him transition from his career as a computer programmer to a tour guide, historian and writer. The DC Historic Preservation Review Board designated the house a historic landmark in 2016, making it the first lesbian-related location designated as a DC historic landmark. The Women of Ward 6 Initiative is a nonpartisan recognition of Ward 6’s women. In partnership with the National Woman’s Party, Capitol Hill Restoration Society and the Hill Rag, the initiative will culminate in 2020 with the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.

Marci Hilt is a retired communications coordinator and press secretary for the US Department of Agriculture and the Office of the US Trade Representative. She writes and edits “EMMCA Matters” and is the treasurer of the Ward 6 Democrats. u

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/the numbers/

COMING HOME TO HOMELESSNESS Too Many Returning Citizens Lack A Home

by Kate Coventry

any folks who are incarcerated look forward to their release date and life on the outside – from spending time with loved ones to eating the foods they’ve been craving to even just feeling strands of grass between their toes. Returning to DC from incarceration, however, too often means coming home to homelessness. In fact, when you ask individuals in DC what led to their homelessness, more than one-third of them point to their incarceration. If the District is to meet its goal of ending this problem, policymakers must improve housing and services for returning citizens to help them avoid it whenever possible and move into housing quickly if they do experience homelessness. Being homeless often leads to a life that is cut short. People who don’t know where they’re going to spend the night struggle to get the medical treatment or counseling they need. And often they must stay in places that make their illnesses worse. The current COVID-19 crisis has put a spotlight on this awful reality. People living outside can’t wash their hands frequently because they don’t have sinks, or protect themselves from exposure by staying home. Housing makes our entire community safer and healthier.

people can afford on minimum and low wages. However, returning citizens also face unique challenges that exacerbate their hurdles to finding safe, stable and affordable housing. Being separated while incarcerated leads to weaker bonds with family and friends, leaving many with no one to stay with upon release. Most are released from prison without savings or a job, and thus lack funds for housing application fees, security deposits and rent. Returning citizens also face high rates of discrimination in the housing market, even though this is illegal. Many landlords do not want to rent to returning citizens. Finally, returning citizens experience mental health problems at higher rates than other residents. It is likely that many with mental health needs do not receive adequate services while incarcerated. The federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), which manages the federal prisons that DC residents are incarcerated in, classifies just 3% of its inmates as having a mental illness serious enough to require regular treatment. This is much lower than the 20% to 30% who receive regular treatment in the state prison system, and suggests that BOP underestimates the extent of this need.

Both the Most Important Need and the Biggest Challenge

A Matter of Racial Justice

Securing housing is returning citizens’ most important need and biggest challenge. Those who aren’t able to find housing may turn to homeless shelters, benches or tents, often under a bridge – pushed into the shadows. Housing not only provides one of the utmost human rights, it also has broad individual and societal benefits by establishing stability for employment, substance abuse assistance and mental health treatment. Individuals who face multiple barriers and are not able to meet basic needs are more likely to return to crime, contributing to a relentless cycle between jail and homelessness. Returning citizens typically have low incomes and face the same housing challenges as other District residents with low incomes, living in a city with rapidly rising rents and costs that far exceed what 32 H HILLRAG.COM

Returning citizens in DC are overwhelmingly black, as are residents experiencing homelessness. This reflects a long history of racial discrimination and disparities in housing markets, employment, police interactions, arrest and sentencing. “Black and White Americans encounter the police at different rates and for different reasons, and they are treated differently during these encounters,” according to the Sentencing Project, both because of formal policies and the choices police officers make. Officers are more likely to stop black drivers and, once stopped, more likely to search them as well. “Stop and frisk” policies, in which officers search individuals for contraband, are often implemented in black neighborhoods against black residents. As a result, people of color are also more likely to be arrested than whites. Additionally, people of color are

HYPERLINK “https://www.sentencingproject.org/ publications/black-lives-matter-eliminating-racial-inequity-in-the-criminal-justice-system/” more likely to be charged with a crimeconvicted and receive harsher sentences for the same crimes than whites are.

Returning Citizens Experience Particular Hardships The strong link between incarceration and homelessness is ultimately a policy failure at the local and national levels. That’s because the District has a unique criminal justice system, involving a complicated mix of local and federal facilities and agencies. Individuals who have violated a DC law face additional obstacles because they are incarcerated by the BOP, rather than by a state prison. This means DC has no control over where individuals are housed, and isolates them from their loved ones and local service providers. DC also has no control over services provided in the federal prisons or at the federally managed halfway houses that citizens return to. In addition to not receiving needed mental health services, many returning citizens miss out on education or training. The vast majority of halfway house residents report there is no exit planning, leading people to become homeless when their mandated time in the halfway house is over.

The District Can Act After reviewing research and getting direct input from DC’s returning citizens, service providers and government officials, DC Fiscal Policy Institute offers the following housing and shelter recommendations: • Create a new program to connect returning citizens with loved ones and offering financial assistance and services to support these living arrangements. • Create medium-term housing options, in recognition that the first years following incarceration are especially important and that the risk of recidivism is highest in this period. • Prioritize returning citizens with high service needs and high likelihood of recidivism for DC’s Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH)

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Thomas Landscapes program for residents with high service needs. • Create shelter beds especially for returning citizens with services to meet their unique needs. Beyond housing, we recommend: • Strengthening mental health services by providers as part of discharge planning and ensuring that services are available for all who need them. • Helping individuals find and keep employment. • Preparing individuals for return by connecting them to loved ones and DC service providers while still incarcerated. The days and months following release are key to success, so these connections need to be available immediately. Finally, the District needs a strategic plan to tackle homelessness among returning citizens that includes a needs assessment and assigns roles and responsibilities to the many government agencies involved in reentry. While it would be an expensive undertaking, taking full control of our criminal justice system would make it easier to solve many of these problems. DC would create its own courts, prison, halfway houses and parole system. The city would also control prison and halfway house programming to ensure that each inmate has access to mental health services, education, employment and housing location assistance. By implementing these recommendations, the District can put returning citizens on the path to success.

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APRIL 2020 H 33

.capitol streets.

ANC 6A REPORT

by Nick L. Alberti

hair Amber Gove (6A04) called the Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6A meeting to order at Miner Elementary School, 601 15th St. NE, with Commissioners Mike Soderman (6A03), Brian Alcorn (6A08), Ruth Ann Hudson (6A05) and Stephanie Zimny (6A06) in attendance. Commissioners Sondra Phillips-Gilbert (6A07), Phil Toomajian (6A02) and Marie Claire Brown (6A01) were absent.

Community Presentation Andrew DeFrank, Ward 6 community engagement specialist of the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), provided brief updates on some of the major projects underway in Ward 6. The Maryland Avenue project is on schedule and expected to be completed in 2021. Likewise, the C Street NE project is also moving along according to schedule, with an anticipated start in spring 2021. By the end of March 2020, the project designs will be sent to the Office of Contracting and Procurement. Nancee Lyons of the Department of Public Works (DPW) shared that Atlas Theater is considering having a mural painted on the east wall of its building, facing the alley. It is open to input from the local community, as the goal is for the mural to reflect the culture of the immediate neighborhood. More information can be found by visiting www.muralsdcproject.com.

Alcohol Beverage Licensing (ABL) Committee The commissioners voted unanimously to approve and authorize either co-chair of the Alcohol Beverage Licensing Committee to send a letter to all establishments with Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) licenses in ANC 6A, reminding establishments of settlement agreement requirements to take steps to address loitering in front of establishments and to post signage asking that patrons not make excessive noise when arriving or departing. ABL Committee meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at the Sherwood Recreation Center, corner of 10th and G streets NE.

Transportation and Public Space (TPS) Committee The commissioners voted unanimously to send a letter to DDOT stating that the ANC has no substantial objection to the public space permit application (Tracking # 346179 Review # 641311) for a fence over 42 inches high at 1387 North Carolina Ave. NE, provided that the permit is corrected to list the current owner and state the correct height of the fence, and that ANC 6A send a letter to the company that built the fence requesting that it perform no unpermitted work in the future and suggesting that it compensate the current owner for her time in obtaining the retroactive permit. The commissioners voted unanimously to submit a request for resident-only parking (ROP) for the unit block of 10th Street, the 100 block of 10th Street, the 1000 block of Massachusetts Avenue, the 100 Block of Ninth Street, the unit block of Ninth Street and the 1200 block of Linden Place NE. TPS Committee meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the third Monday of each month at Capitol Hill Towers, 900 G St. NE (photo ID required).

Economic Development and Zoning (EDZ) Committee The commission ers voted unanimously to send a letter to the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) supporting an application for special exemption from the lot occupancy requirements and the nonconforming structure requirements to construct a two-story rear addition to an existing attached flat at 216 Ninth St. NE (BZA #20250) in the RF-1 Zone, on the condition that the applicant conduct a shadow study to ensure 34 H HILLRAG.COM

ADVISORY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION 6A AMBER GOVE, CHAIR, AMBERANC6A@GMAIL.COM Serving the Near Northeast, North Lincoln Park, Rosedale, and H Street communities ANC 6A generally meets the second Thursday of the month, at Miner Elementary School, 601 15th Street, NE.

www.anc6a.org ALL ARE WELCOME. that there is no impact on the light and air of the neighbors, and makes best efforts to get letters of support from neighbors. The commissioners voted unanimously to send a letter to BZA supporting special exemption from the lot occupancy requirements, the rear yard requirements and the nonconforming structure requirements to construct a two-story rear addition to an existing semi-detached principal dwelling unit at 1006 10th St. NE (BZA #20248) in the RF-1 Zone, on the condition that the applicant conduct a shadow study to ensure that there is no impact on the light and air of the neighbors, and make best efforts to get letters of support from neighbors. The commissioners voted unanimously to send a letter to the BZA supporting an application for a special exception from the lot occupancy requirements and the rear addition requirements to construct a two-story rear addition to an existing attached principal dwelling unit at 216 14th Place NE (BZA #20245) in the RF-1 Zone, on the condition that the applicant make best efforts to get letters of support from neighbors at 220 and 212 14th Place and from the neighbor across the alley at 223 11th St. NE. The commissioners voted unanimously to send a letter to the Historic Preservation Review Board supporting relief to build a rear addition onto an existing structure at 326 11th St. NE (HPA 20-170) in the Capitol Hill Historic District. EDZ Committee meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month at the Sherwood Recreation Center, 10th and G streets NE.

Single-Member District Reports Zimny shared that the issue regarding Amazing Love staff improperly using DC visitor parking permits has been resolved. The Metropolitan Police Department discovered a local resident who was procuring additional permits and providing them to Amazing Love. Gove reported a positive experience

from her hard-hat tour of the progress at Eliot-Hine Middle School. The panel to select the art to be installed in the new school building will continue as scheduled, but presentations will be virtual. The commissioners also plugged the DC rebate program encouraging residents to install street-facing security cameras on private residences. More information can be found by visiting https://ovsjg.dc.gov/ service/private-security-camera-systemincentive-program. Brown informed residents to visit www.coronavirus.dc.gov for up-to-date information about to DC’s response to the coronavirus. Visit www.anc6a.org for calendar of events, changes of date/venue, agendas and other information. u

The Next meeting is 2nd Thursday, April 9th, 7:00 p.m. Due to the current COVID - 19 Pandemic ANC6A will be hosting the April ANC Meeting virtually via WEBEX. Please check our website for further details www.ANC6A.org. The TPS, EDZ, ABL and Community Outreach committee meetings will likely not be scheduled until we know that the emergency has subsided but please check website for additional information. Please check the Community Calendar on the website for cancellations and changes of venue.

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6C P.O. Box 77876 • Washington, D.C. 20013-7787 www.anc6c.org • (202) 547-7168

ANC 6B REPORT

Check our website for meeting information.

by Elizabeth O’Gorek

dvisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6B held the February meeting of the full commission at the Hill Center on Tuesday, March 10, with a quorum of 10 commissioners. On the dais: Commissioners Jennifer Samolyk (6B01), Gerald Sroufe (6B02, secretary), Brian Ready (6B03, chair), Kirsten Oldenburg (6B04), Steve Holtzman (6B05), Corey Holman (6B06, treasurer), Kelly Waud (6B07, parliamentarian), Chander Jayaraman (6B08, vice chair), Kasie Clark (6B09) and Denise Krepp (6B10).

ANC 6C COMMISSIONERS ANC 6C01 Christine Healey 6C01@anc.dc.gov

ANC 6C04 Mark Eckenwiler 6C04@anc.dc.gov

ANC 6C02 Karen Wirt 6C02@anc.dc.gov

ANC 6C05 Joel Kelty 6C05@anc.dc.gov

ANC 6C03 Jay Adelstein 6C03@anc.dc.gov

ANC 6C06 Drew Courtney drewcourtney.anc @gmail.com

ANC usually meets the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00 pm, 214 Massachusetts Ave, N.E.

ANC 6C COMMITTEES Alcoholic Beverage Licensing First Monday, 7 pm Contact: anc6c.abl.committee@gmail.com Grants Last Thursday, 7 pm Contact: torylord@gmail.com Twitter: @ANC_6C_Grants Environment, Parks, and Events First Tuesday, 7 pm Contact: jgmccann@gmail.com

Transportation and Public Space First Thursday, 7 pm Contact: anc6c.tps@gmail.com Planning, Zoning, and Economic Development First Wednesday, 6:30 pm Contact: 6C04@anc.dc.gov Twitter: @6C_PZE

ANC Supports Installation of Games of Skill at Trusty’s The commissioners unanimously supported the application from Trusty’s Bar (1420 Pennsylvania Ave. SE) to install up to three Dragon’s Ascent games in the restaurant. Manager Mark Menard said the establishment hopes to install one or two now, eventually three. Menard said these are games of skill, APRIL 2020 H 35

rather than lottery or sports betting, designed for one to eight players depending on the table size. Trusty’s is interested in a one-to-two-player table. The games are intended for adults. At first, they will be placed upstairs where the bartender a can see them and ID users. Menard said a player puts in cash to play the game and can win cash as they play. Payouts are small, and winners obtain their money by bringing a printed receipt of winnings to the bartender for redemption. Menard said winnings are usually in the $5-10 range and will not require keeping excess cash on hand. He said the printout system was also a safeguard, as it allows another opportunity to identify users prior to payout. Jayaraman noted there are also applications to install units at three other local establishments – Lola’s, Finn McCools and the Brig.

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DC Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Director Gabriel Robinson appeared before the commission to discuss the upcoming deadline for all District residents to ensure that they have a Real ID. A federal deadline calls for residents of the United States to update their identification, including driver’s license and Real ID card, by Oct. 1, 2020. Robinson said that 83% of District residents are compliant, adding that he was focused on the remainder, specifically those whose expiry dates are after Oct. 1. Robinson said that many services are available online, including license and vehicle registration renewal, change of address and ticket services. You can view the whole list at https:// dmv.dc.gov/service/dmv-online-services. He said residents should not need to visit a DMV to correct errors of fact that are easily verified by the documents used to apply for identification, such as incorrectly listed eye color, but should email DMV at DMC@dc.gov.

The commissioners voted unanimously to support a letter proposed by Samolyk asking that the District consider using the site at Third Street and Virginia Avenue SE as one of two sites for the pilot Public Restroom Facilities Installation & Promotion Act of 2018. Funding for two public restrooms is in the 2020 budget. Samolyk said that such an installation would help address many of the concerns she raised at the February meeting, in particular about public defecation by those living in the homeless encampment under the overpass near Garfield Park. Samolyk said she had plans to accompany Monica Merke, of the Office of the Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services (DMHHS), to meet with those residents. She and her children planned to make hand sanitizer and share it at that meeting.

Other Business The commission voted to support: â&#x20AC;˘ A Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) application for special exception to construct a third story and rear addition to convert a single-family dwelling into two units and make an accessory building into a third. The variance is required due to the alley width, which must be at least 15 feet, and to the fact that the alley is 10 feet behind the property line, which projects into the alley. Commissioners also supported the request to waive a 40-day waiting period triggered by the variance request. Another exception, to the size of the accessory building, seeks a variance to the rule limiting apartments in accessory buildings to 450 square feet. Representation said that BZA rules do not require the applicant show a need for the variance, just that the difference does not impact neigh-

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bors’ light, air and privacy. Both exceptions were supported 8-1-0. A letter in regard to six questions about the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) Monumental Core Streetscape Project, specifically elements of streetscape and lighting related to plans underway and significant community views. The letter asks whether the plans consider the upcoming Eastern Market Metro Plaza (EMMP) park, raises concerns about guidance for the aesthetics of small cell-tower installation and inquires whether NCPC has considered the effect of lightbulb intensities on residents living on major routes. A letter to seven District agencies requesting information on their plans for Reservation 13, given that, of eight DC agencies asked to attend a Feb. 24 Hill East Taskforce meeting, the only representative present was from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Among other items, the letter requests a list and map of all structures on the property as well as plans for financing the project, for affordable housing and for the fate of the DC Jail. A letter to Councilmember Brendan Todd, chair of the Committee on Government Operations, asking for a committee hearing on the Sexual Harassment Data Collection and Reporting Act of 2019 within the next two months. A letter to the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) requesting a copy of a study on the intersection of 16th Street and Independence Avenue SE that was presented at a Feb. 5 public meeting. A resolution asking the DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to recognize the Friends of Virginia Avenue Park organization as a Park Partner. A resolution calling on the DC Council to fund programs addressing the needs of homeless families and individuals unable to take advantage of affordable housing programs but requiring housing support. A letter to the DC Housing Authority (DCHA) asking about the authority’s plans for the Potomac Gardens complex, given that the Comprehensive Plan specifically addresses redevelopment of the site, while the DCHA’s 20-Year Transformation Plan does not. The letter asks for assurance that

future plans use a build-first approach to sustain the established community. ANC 6B has been working to update its website. You can visit the new site, learn about the commissioners and committees and subscribe to the newsletter by visiting www.anc6b.org, or connect with the commission via email at 6b@anc.dc.gov or find @ANC6B on Twitter. The next meeting of ANC 6B was scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10, at the Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital (921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE). In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, the DC Council passed emergency legislation on March 17 enabling ANCs to meet virtually or not at all during the public health emergency. For the most up-to-date information on meetings, visit www.anc6c.org. u

ANC 6C REPORT

by Elizabeth O’Gorek

ive members of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6C were present at the March 10 meeting: Christine Healey (6C01, secretary), Karen Wirt (6C02, chair), Jay Adelstein (6C03), Mark Eckenwiler (6C04, vice chair) and Joel Kelty (6C05, treasurer). Drew Courtney (6C06) was absent.

ANC 6C Has Second Highest Number of 311 Requests Office of Unified Communications (OUC) 311 Operations Manager Marcellus Walker Jr. appeared at the meeting to report on ANC statistics. OUC houses 911 and 311 services, and Walker said that ANC 6C had the second-highest number of service requests per ANC for the calendar year, at 3,241 service requests. The top five concerns were residential parking violations, bulk collection, parking enforcements, Christmas tree collection and parking meter service. Walker also discussed some new initiatives, including the non-emergency line at 311, option 1. The operator answering that line is familiar with emergency services and can put you in contact with the correct personnel on a non-emergency basis. The system also upgraded the customer-management system last summer in order to communicate more effectively with residents via 311.dc.gov or the DC311 App to monitor service

requests. You can also text MENU to 32311 to conduct service requests via instant text message, or tweet @ DC311 for assistance.

Request Reduction Union Station Planned Parking The commissioners voted to submit a letter to the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation (USRC), asking it to reduce the number of parking spaces in the proposed above-ground lot and Union station, and to consider the flow of pick-up and drop-off zones as well as commercial loading. At a recent meeting with the ANC 6C Transportation Public Space (TPS) Committee about the Union Station expansion and Burnham Place projects, representatives from USRC and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) appeared; TPS Chair Christy Kwan said that no new information was presented. However, public concern remains regarding the USRC preferred design. That plan, called “Deferred Alternative A-C,” has an above-ground structure allowing for 1,575 parking spaces on six levels. The committee emphasized accessibility for cyclists and pedestrians and traffic flow, as people travel from H Street NE. Representatives from the USRC development team told the Public Space Committee (PSC) that they understood that a resolution made by the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) at its January meeting did not require the USRC to reduce the number of parking spaces, but rather to work with the District to determine the correct amount.

Consent Calendar The commissioners supported the following on consent: • The TPS Committee recommended support for a request for resident permit parking (RPP) for the blocks near Union Station, the Capitol Building and a local church. Commissioners and residents nominated blocks

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APRIL 2020 H 39

•

Photo by Gayle Krughoff

•

Read her story at CapitolHillHistory.org Longtime real estate agent Helen Carey started renovating Capitol Hill townhouses in the early 1960s and became deeply involved in the evolution of the neighborhood. Her oral history interview is one of many you’ll find on our website.

AN INITIATIVE OF THE CAPITOL HILL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION.

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based on the scarcity of parking near these high-demand sites. The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) must conduct studies for the chosen locations, which include the 200 and 300 blocks of E Street, the 200 and 300 blocks of F Street, the 500 block of Second Street, the 400, 500 and 600 blocks of Third Street and some blocks on A Street and Maryland Avenue NE. An application from Streets Market (51 M St. NE) for a 40-seat unenclosed sidewalk cafe with 10 tables, four of which are ADA accessible stools. Proposed hours of operation are 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week. Customers bring food outside to eat, and alcohol will not be permitted. An historic preservation application (HPA) at 630 C St. NE for concept approval to construct a rear addition and a two-story carriage house. There was some discussion in the PZE Committee about whether a window facing a public alley met emergency exit requirements, and revisions were later made to address this. To oppose an HPA for 645 Lexington Place NE to demolish a garage and construct a three-story rear addition and new front steps, saying the application was deficient, lacking, for instance, a section drawing despite plans to raise the roof, and having no indication of exterior construction materials.

Other Business The ANC voted to: • Send a letter of support for the concept for a public space application at 20 Massachusetts Ave. NW as part of the redevelopment of an existing eight-story office building into a mixed-use hotel, office and retail. Public space elements include 17 bike racks, planters, tree spacing and 22 trees, two new curb cuts for a proposed circular hotel driveway

•

on Massachusetts Avenue and some building projections. The letter also suggests installation of a sign telling drivers not to block sidewalks. Submit a letter to the president and CEO of the USRC, calling attention to the disrepair of entryways at the south and west entries to Union Station. The letter asks for specifics of and schedule for repair, and requests assurance that entryways comply with ADA requirements. Four of nine entrances on the south side of the landmarked building are now blocked off, said Eckenwiler, who proposed the letter. Support a Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) application, by a vote of 4-1-0, to permit a special exception at 22 M St. NE, under the downtown use requirements, to permit an animal care and boarding use on the ground floor of an existing mixeduse building in the D-5 zone. The letter is conditional on the applicant installing noise mitigation measures, and also notes that it is unclear under Board of Zoning regulations what is specifically permitted for an animal boarding establishment. Support a letter of support for the Capitol Hill Classic, tentatively scheduled for May 17. Roberta Stewart said that it was unclear if the event would take place in May or be rescheduled for October or cancelled for the year.

ANC 6C usually meets at 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday of every month (except August) in the ground floor conference room at the Heritage Foundation (214 Massachusetts Ave. NE). The next meeting of ANC 6C was scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7, but has been cancelled, as have all committee meetings, owing to the COVID-19 outbreak. The DC Council passed emergency legislation on March 17 enabling ANCs to meet virtually or not at all during the public health emergency. ANC 6C is working on virtual meeting solutions for May. For the most upto-date information, visit www.anc6c.org. u

APRIL 2020 H 41

.capitol streets.

BULLETIN BOARD The Count of Monte Cristo Online The “We Happy Few” theater group has cancelled it’s The Count of Monte Cristo Capitol Hill Arts Workshop run. Their hour-long, four-person adaptation of the classic novel is available online. Visit youtube.com/ watch?v=MYnMrBrSCPw. Visit wehappyfewdc.com for ticket refunds and future scheduling.

tary School, 601 15th St. NE. A full list of meal sites can be found on coronavirus.dc.gov/mealsites.

Call for Graffiti and Aerosol Mural Artists

The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH), in partnership with the DC Department of Public Works (DPW), seeks graffiti and aerosol mural artists and artist teams to design, create and install aeroCongressional sol murals as part of the MuralsCemetery Closed DC program. Selected artists will Photo: Courtesy of the Friends of To prevent the spread of COthe National Arboretum be expected to engage designatVID-19, Congressional Cemed youth, ages 14 to 18, to help etery is closed to both walkNational Arboretum Closes them understand the art of aeroers and dogs until the city To help protect the public from the spread of COVID-19, the buildings and grounds of sol graffiti mural painting and lifts its current guidance on the US National Arboretum closed to the public on March 24. usna.usda.gov. provide youth with opportunipublic gatherings. ties to assist in activities such as site preparation and mural outAnacostia River Kenilworth Park Is Closed lining. Preference will be given to artists that are resiFestival Rescheduled Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, 1900 Anacostia Ave. dents of the District of Columbia. Submission deadThe Anacostia River Festival has been rescheduled SE, is temporarily. This means the ponds, boardline is April 17, 4 p.m. For more information and from April 5 to Aug. 9, 1 to 5 p.m. Take a canoe out walk, trails, parking lot, visitors center and bathapplication instructions, visit dcarts.dc.gov/page/fy2to explore the River, ride in their bike parade, play rooms are open. Hopefully in a few weeks we can muralsdc-artists-rfq. lawn games with family, and experience Southeast once again take a deep breath, walk among the DC’s local arts scene at this special free event. Anponds, and look for birds, muskrats and turtles. Go Virtual Storytime acostia Park, Anacostia Drive and Good Hope Rd. for a bike ride on the Anacostia River Trail. Bring a On March 21, DC Public Library hosted its first virSE. To receive the latest news and information, sign sketchbook and draw a lotus seed pod. Try identitual storytime featuring, “What’s Going on in There” up for updates at bbardc.org.arf. fying everything using inaturalist.org. Bring a camby Geoffrey Grahn on the Library’s Facebook pageera. nps.gov/keaq. -facebook.com/dclibrary. Led by Librarian Theresa Free DC Circulator Wang, “What’s Going on in There” takes readers to The DC Circulator has suspended fares on all Kids Can Get Breakfast & Lunch Grahnville, USA, a town where nothing is as it aproutes during the COVID-19 public health emerDC has 29 meal sites for lunch and shelf-stable breakpears. With each page, silhouettes prompt the quesgency. Suspension of fares allows passengers to fast, weekdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., for all residents untion, “what’s going on in here?” The answers follow board the bus from all doors in support of social der 18. Ward Six locations are: Eastern High School, in full pictures that are certain to elicit comparisons distancing practices recommended by the CDC. 1700 East Capitol St. NE; Friendship Chamberand laughs. The text, beautiful drawings make a great Passengers who require wheelchair access may lain PCS, 1345 Potomac Ave. SE; Howard Univerguessing game for early readers. still use the front door to board. Additionally, sity Middle School of Math and Science PCS, outThe event is the part of the special online prothe Circulator has suspended service on the Naside of Shaw Metro Station; Jefferson Middle School, grams and activities the DC Public Library is hosttional Mall route. For more information, visit dc801 Seventh St. SW; Walker-Jones Education Caming to help people remain connected as the District circulator.com. pus, 1125 New Jersey Ave. NW; and Miner Elemen42 H HILLRAG.COM

APRIL 2020 H 43

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encourages social distancing. To see all of the library’s upcoming online virtual programs, visit dclibrary.org/libraryathome.

Water Restored to Disconnected Residents DC Water has announced that disconnected residents will have their service restored upon request. Every residential customer can take advantage of flexible payment terms for the duration of the health emergency. Disconnections for nonpayment have been halted. Customers whose water has been shut off should email restore@dcwater.com or can call DC Water at 202-354-3750. Customers requesting restored service can leave a message and DC Water will return their call. dcwater.com.

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Ordinarily, residents can attend a local Groupmuse concert house party for a $3 registration fee and a $10+ donation. Read more and sign up at Groupmuse.com. However, in response to the current public health crisis, Groupmuse is piloting an online format. Concert listings are at groupmuse.com/calendar/all. Keep in mind that times listed are in their local time zone, so make sure to adjust.

Unemployment Insurance Lost a job or had work hours significantly reduced with a DC-based employer because of COVID-19, apply for unemployment insurance. Anyone who received a layoff notice or a significant reduction of work hours from a DC-based employer is eligible. Those in quarantine as a result of COVID-19 and experiencing a temporary separation from work can also receive benefits. Apply online by visiting dcnetworks.org and click on “Claim Unemployment Benefits” at the top. Have questions? Call 202-724-7000 for further assistance.

New Online DMV Services The District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) provides several driver license or identification card, vehicle, ticket processing and general transactions online. dmv.dc.gov/service/dmv/online/service.

Free DPR Urban Grower Webinar Course

SBA Disaster Assistance Available

The DC Parks and Rec Urban Grower Course has been converted into an all online webinar course called the DPR Urban Grower Webinar Course. It is a free online course focused on teaching people all the basics of gardening from building a home garden to cooking and preserving the harvest. The course is 12 two-hour classes and meets virtually twice a week for 6 weeks Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. from March 24 to April 30. Each class will be recorded as well for those that cannot attend the scheduled time. To receive a webinar invite and recording afterwards, all participants must register at eventbrite.com/e/dpr-urban-growerwebinar-course-tickets-100443786068. Contact Joshua.singer@dc.gov.

The Small Business Administration’s Office of Disaster Assistance is providing targeted, lowinterest loans to DC small businesses that have been severely impacted by COVID-19. Loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that cannot be paid because of the disaster’s impact. Terms are determined on a case-by-case basis, based upon each borrower’s ability to repay. For more information on the District’s response and recovery, visit coronavirus.dc.gov.

DPR Closures DC has closed all recreation centers, aquatic centers and playgrounds. In addition, gated parks and athletic fields are also shuttered. Residents 44 H HILLRAG.COM

should not congregate in groups larger than 10 while using other DPR public outdoor spaces. Patrons should also continue to practice social distancing, standing at least six feet apart while outdoors. For more information regarding the District’s response to coronavirus (COVID-19), visit coronavirus.dc.gov.

Small Business Recovery Microloans DC Government has created a $25 million fund for small businesses disaster assistance. Businesses must be located in DC; have up-to-date business licenses and at least a 25 percent revenue loss from COVID-19. The application is available at coronavirus.dc.gov/recovery.

EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF CAPITOL HILL & BEYOND Drop-Off Food Waste DPW food waste drop-off location at Eastern Market, 635 North Carolina Ave. SE, is now open yearround. The food waste collected at these drop-off locations is composted locally at District community composting sites and at the Prince George’s County Organics Compost facility. DPW will re-launch the food waste drop-off program for all wards in conjunction with the opening of the farmer’s market season in May 2020. Read more at zerowaste. dc.gov/foodwastedropoff.

New Bike Lane Enforcement The DPW will issue $150 tickets to any motorist improperly standing, stopping or parking in a bike lane. 26 new Parking Enforcement Officers have been hired. Violators will receive a $150 printed ticket at the scene or a photo ticket in the mail along with an image showing the bike lane violation. Tickets can be appealed through the normal adjudication process with the DMV.

Community Forklift Open Community Forklift, 4671 Tanglewood Dr., Edmondston, MD, partners with hundreds of nonprofits, community groups, schools, and social service agencies to offer community giving programs to area residents. They are committed to continuing these services that will help their neighbors in this difficult time. Requests for free appliances and home repair supplies have not slowed and these materials are essential to helping low-income families self-isolate in safety. communityforklift.org.

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View Arena Stage’s Civil Dialogue Conversations Online Arena Stage’s Civil Dialogues provides an opportunity for members of the DC community to engage in civil discourse about social and political issues. The goal to have people of diverse viewpoints conduct fruitful conversations. Each Arena Civil Dialogue features prominent Dialogue Starters and is curated and moderated by Amitai Etzioni, a professor at The George Washington University and author. A full YouTube playlist of recorded dialogues can be found at youtube.com/pl aylist?list=PL99W0xdGnAKT2xCypDy7CkUCzltXsD2nn. Photo: Courtesy of Arena Stage

Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at One Judiciary Square, 441 Fourth St. NW, suite 707 North. Call 202-724-5454 for more details.

Register for MCM Kids Run The Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) Kids Run will be held on Oct. 24, 2020 in the Pentagon North Parking lot. Nearly 3,600 children ages 5 to 12 will participate in the onemile just-for-fun running challenge. Shuttles from Metro, pre- and post-event hospitality, activities, entertainment, games and mascots make this an unforgettable event. The Kids Run offers families eight start time options between 9:30 and 11:50 a.m. $10. Registration is open. marinemarathon.com.

DC In-Person Customer Service Centers Closed

still accepting donations. Place items in the bins directly outside their donation doors. These donations will be collected periodically by Goodwill associates. goodwill.org.

Grant Panelists Wanted The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities relies on volunteer citizen panelists to evaluate and rate grant applications at various times throughout the year. Panelists review applications, provide comments, and score applications in order to advise on proposals submitted to the agency’s various grant programs. DC residents are encouraged to apply to serve. Individuals with arts and humanities backgrounds make the strongest candidates. Apply at dcarts.dc.gov/page/ be-grant-panelist.

Residential Street Sweeping Suspended DPW has suspended residential street sweeping indefinitely to provide continuous residential parking for those residents working from home. For more information about street sweeping, go to dpw.dc.gov.

VETSRIDE 2020 Any DC veteran making under $30,000 a year qualifies for a transport voucher program. Apply in person, 46 H HILLRAG.COM

In-person customer service centers at the DMV, Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) are closed. Deadlines for government documents, inspections, and other requirements and have been extended. In-person operations are set to resume on April 27. For comprehensive and real-time service updates related to the District’s COVID-19 response, visit coronavirus.dc.gov.

Local Vets & COVID The Capitol Hill Animal Clinic (CHAC), 1240 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, hours are Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The clinic is closed from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for a mid-day disinfection. Saturday hours are 8 a.m. to noon. All clients must call or knock on the door to be admitted. No wellness exams/annual physicals for the foreseeable future are being offered. Only see sick or injured pets will be seen as appointments. Puppy and rabies vaccines will be conducted as clients wait outside the clinic. Pets medications and prescription foods remain available during the crisis. If needed, they can be delivered to the Capitol Hill, Navy Yard and Southwest communities. For more information, call 202-546-1972. AtlasVet, 1326 H St. NE, is open. Hours are shortened to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays to Saturdays. There will be no in-person conversations with clients. The practice will issue no paper receipts. Prescriptions can be approved from 1800petmeds or Covetrust online pharmacy. atlasvetdc.com.

District Veterinary Hospital, 240 Seventh St. SE, are requests that only one client come per pet appointment, even for two pets. The hospital only accepts credit cards. Clients must fill out any new forms online. Unwell clients should have a friend or non-quarantined person bring in the pet, giving advanced notice. The hospital is immediately rooming all clients to reduce the number of people in the waiting room. districtvet.com.

Eastern Market Is Open Eastern Market remains open for normal business hours. Farmers’ Markets will be held on Tuesday evening, Saturday and Sundays as normal.

Farmers Market SW Opens Due to an increased demand for accessible food options during the COVID-19, Farmers Market SW, Fourth and M Streets, SW, has relaunched on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Farmers Market SW opened with the intention to help the community access healthy provisions during this crisis. The DC Government considers farmers markets an essential business that can operate during this unprecedented time. Strict adherence to CDC guidelines and recommendations by the Department of Public Health will be followed. marketsdc.com.

Serve Your City’s COVID-19 Response Serve Your City is acting as the Ward 6 hub for #DCMutualAid, a community-led grassroots effort to safely support people hardest hit by the effects of this public health crisis. They are delivering food and supplies, as well as working to bridge the digital divide for DC students who don’t have the technology and internet service required for school right now. They are looking for donations of fruit and vegetables, bread, toilet paper, sandwich meat, snacks, diapers and wipes, women’s hygiene products, bottled water, rice, hot dogs, bleach, cleaning wipes, rubbing alcohol and gloves. Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW), 545 Seventh St. SE, is a collection point for food and other donations for distribution at the Potomac Gardens and Hopkins apartments in Ward 6. CHAW’s outer doors are open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. for donation collection. Tax deductible financial contributions can also be made through Serve Your City’s donation page at serveyourcitydc.org--designate for Mutual Aid. Have an item for the Bulletin Board? Email the information to bulletinboard@hillrag.com u

Through the ages, literature has survived every variation of disease, tragedy and natural disaster. As we face the coronavirus pandemic together, the Literary Hill Bookfest intends to carry on this long and tenacious tradition by going virtual. We recognize that the health and safety of our community must be everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top priority, and that social distancing is a necessary step. But we also understandâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;perhaps now more than everâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the importance of maintaining our connections with one

another. So, in that spirit, we still plan to bring the very best of Capitol Hillâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s literary community directly to you, just as weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done since 2011. Instead of our usual event at Eastern Market, the BookFest will be online on Sunday, May 3, celebrating the books, writers, booksellers and others that help make Capitol Hill such a special place. As details evolve, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll keep you informed on our website as well as through Facebook and Twitter.

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C N E D E R G dc 2040

Imagining What The Nation’s Capital Will Look Like In 20 Years

by Andrew Giambrone

he bullet train pulls into Union Station around noon. I look up from my laptop-phone and see people grabbing their Smart Bags before shuffling to exit the brightly lit car. The novelty of high-tech luggage never gets old for me, what with its air-compression and efficient-storage capabilities. Perhaps it’s the journalist in me who enjoys observing the outlines of these bags, the shape of people’s stuff, and wondering what’s inside. I’m back in DC for a media conference, slated for tomorrow. It’s been a few years since I last visited, for a series of talks at several independent bookstores across the city. There are more such stores now than I recall there being when I lived here, from 2014 to 2020—the former the year I moved to the city and started covering

it as a reporter; the latter the year coronavirus hit and upended much of the world as we knew it. I’m surprised by this business expansion, given online retailers’ outright dominance in book sales, not to mention the fact that most of us are pretty much constantly glued to our laptop-phones. Then again, it’s 2040, and our remaining bookstores largely serve as event/coworking spaces that sell audiobooks, food, and drink, in addition to the usual literature. At some stores, drones fetch ordered books from nearby storage facilities, as customers sip on shots of espresso and glasses of wine. Bless the readerly Washingtonians who keep the checks coming! I walk into the main hall of Union Station by way of the Amtrak concourse,

Illustration: Shawn Henderson

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redesigned 10 years ago. The concourse is much bigger and more welcoming than it used to be, though the project was delayed for years and went over budget by tens of millions of dollars. Same as it ever was in Washington. Except that it’s not. So much has changed about this city, and I can’t help but feel both amazed and a little wistful about the differences.

Tent Encampments and A Reliable Metro The main hall is as beautiful as ever, with its arched ceilings and perched statues. Now, though, the floor space is like a bazaar. It’s occupied by vendors whom the station’s directors brought in to enliven the atrium or, as activists alleged, keep out homeless folks. Every time I pass through, I’m disheartened by the jarring contrast between all the commerce inside Union Station—people buying candles and soaps and cannabis products made in DC—and the privation right outside. Tent encampments cover the sidewalks surrounding the 1907 Beaux-Arts building. They extend tent by tent into NoMa, downtown, and Capitol Hill. I walk by them as I make my way to the Metro station below. The shortage of affordable housing was the most pressing issue facing the region when I lived here, and it’s clear that it hasn’t gone away. Mayor after mayor pledged to see more homes built while lifting low-income residents out of poverty, but none of them moved swiftly or vigorously enough to meet the true need. By 2030, nearly 20,000 people were recorded as unhoused, according to the city’s major hometown news outlet, and the median rent for a two-bedroom unit was more than $3,500. The District’s shelters became so crammed that a coalition of nonprofit advocacy organizations sued the city over their abhorrent conditions, including unhygienic bathrooms and lax security. It didn’t help matters that DC’s stock of public housing, long underfunded and neglected, went by the wayside in favor APRIL 2020 H 51

C N E D E R G of mixed-income developments that failed the city’s poorest, who had few living alternatives, if any. It was harrowing to watch, even from afar. A spate of homeless deaths caused by disease and violence, along with a critical mass of constituents fed up with exorbitant real estate prices and visible penury, led the then-mayor (the city’s first white one) and councilmembers to build extra shelters and rewrite the zoning code. The latter action allowed for denser development not only near Metro stops but in residential neighborhoods dominated by single-family homes. Yet, while the zoning update helped stabilize overall housing costs in the next decade, it wasn’t enough to reverse the exodus of large families from the city—some of which had begun after the outbreak of COVID-19, with more people switching to teleworking—or the surge in homelessness. In this respect, even San Francisco and California at large took bolder measures to assuage their own housing crisis than DC and its neighboring states did to alleviate theirs. I wait a couple of minutes for a train to arrive on the Red Line as I ponder this recent history. I’m headed to the hotel I’ve booked in Dupont Circle, my old haunt. It’s incredible how quickly Metro runs these days, especially compared with my first years as a DC resident. Service meltdowns were common, and phrases like “arcing insulator” became part of the lingua franca. Today, the trains come frequently, if not on time, thanks in part to additional funding Metro secured from the local jurisdictions and Congress roughly 12 years ago. In the 2020s, the traffic congestion got so bad that the politicians had no real choice but to invest more money in Metro, lest they look as if they didn’t care about suffering suburban commuters or greenhouse gas emissions. And it’s free to ride. As it should be: I always found charging fares for public transit to be morally indefensible. (Most places don’t charge access for public parks or roads.) While commuters still have to walk through individual entrance gates so Metro can track ridership, it’s a relief that the contemporary gates open in under a second and don’t cause as many bottlenecks as the gates of yesteryear did. I absolutely hated having to come to a near-halt to tap my SmarTrip card at a gate and then hold back as the gate retracted. This was the 21st century—not the 20th— in one of the most prosperous cities in the world. After the coronavirus pandemic abated, I was glad to see ridership bounce back and eventually grow. It meant that people still saw the value of cities.

Climate and Built-Environment Changes The oncoming Metro train pulls into the station and I board. It’s only midday, but there are a ton of people in the car. “Cherry blossom season,” I think. No wonder the hotel rate was so high. 52 H HILLRAG.COM

The groups of tourists around me look either excited or like they don’t know what to expect of the nation’s capital in a presidential election year. I bet they don’t realize that for most District residents, it’s basically the same as any other year. Maybe I’ll turn out to be wrong, and 2040 will be a huge deal for DC after all: Congressional hearings on statehood are occurring while Democrats control both the House of Representatives and the White House. I do hope they’ll get it done before November, but I’m not holding my breath with this Senate. You’d think 2016 (and, ugh, 2020) ingrained in us the reality that elections have consequences. I’m honestly not so certain, given the dysfunctional nature of our two-party politics, which seem as American as apple pie. (Lest we forget, even Obama cut a deal with Republicans that frustrated the District’s independence.) Perhaps it’s the journalist in me who’s a cynic. Or at best, a stubborn skeptic. I wonder how many of the visitors I see know what they’re in for as they go to the Mall. They’ll be prohibited from walking near where the old cherry blossoms used to be, before rising tides forced the National Park Service to relocate the trees away from the Tidal Basin. Many of the Yoshinos have been carefully replanted nearby at the Ellipse, and the remainder have been transported to the Arboretum out of an abundance of caution. When flooding is particularly bad along the basin, water reaches the stairs of the Jefferson Memorial. That isn’t so rare anymore, unfortunately. At least DC tourists can still scale the Washington Monument, via glass elevators gifted by the late philanthropist David Rubenstein. There, they can gaze out at the District’s skyline. It hasn’t changed much in the downtown core since I was a reporter at a scrappy local newspaper (RIP, community dead-tree editions), but if they look far enough they’ll see pockets of taller buildings to the northwest, northeast, and southeast. Although the controversial Height Act remains in effect, limiting the scale of buildings based on the width of their streets, new multifamily apartment buildings are going up on once low-density thoroughfares: Wisconsin and Georgia avenues NW, Rhode Island Avenue NE, Benning Road NE, East Capitol Street, and Pennsylvania and Martin Luther King Jr. avenues SE. The Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium was demolished in the early 2020s and has since been replaced by a patchwork of recreational fields, riverfront parks, mixed housing types, and office buildings. The Armory was repurposed into a multi-use events/entertainment venue, including for e-sports exhibitions. When I was growing up, these were called video game tournaments. What’s happened across the Anacostia River simply stuns me. The St. Elizabeths Campus was completely transformed, by the mid-2030s, into a walkable enclave featuring townhouses, small businesses as well as big-box stores, and public plazas. While it took a few years after the ini-

tial redevelopment phase for people and employers to move there in significant numbers, the name “St. Elizabeths” now has the kind of buzzy draw that The Wharf did after debuting in 2018. (Like the Tidal Basin, The Wharf also experiences high tides. The project’s developers erected five-foot seawalls several years back, but this exigency didn’t discourage others from continuing to build up the Buzzard Point waterfront—nor did the swarms of mosquitoes. What can withstand grand ambitions coupled with the pursuit of the almighty dollar? Poplar Point and the old Kenilworth Dump are the next hot spots to redevelop: They’re the only major plots in the city left to fill in, now that the McMillan Sand Filtration Site has finally cleared the courts. Shovels probably would be in the ground already, had the area not recently entered a recession due to federal budget cuts and the diminished government sector. Manifest destiny when practical, in other words.

Economic & Population Growth As the train glides through the tunnel, my mind wanders west. Across the Potomac River, Amazon’s second headquarters gleams in the sunshine, attracting newcomers and college graduates to its lucrative jobs. I remember covering all the hullabaloo that emerged after the company announced it was looking for a new headquarters site, and the elation and worry born when it chose Northern Virginia. Its total footprint spreads farther out than publicly proposed at the time, encompassing about a dozen buildings and a handful of satellite offices. No doubt Amazon’s presence has driven economic growth. But as many people expected, it’s also gentrified what used to be vibrant communities of color in South Arlington and Alexandria. When the tech giant unveiled ferries that would shepherd its employees and others across the area’s rivers, community activists organized protests on the grounds of the headquarters’ main towers. (The protests subsided shortly thereafter because it had become obvious that Amazon, one of the region’s largest employers, had plenty of allies—and customers—among residents.) Still, the ferries were signs of other Amazon-led changes to come: In 2036, Nationals Park was officially renamed Amazon Field. The name-switch was said to be a multimillion-dollar deal that en-

tailed Jeff Bezos receiving private stadium suites connected by secret tunnels to his massive estate in Kalorama. My train finally reaches Dupont Circle and I hop off the Metro. The neighborhood bustles with delivery workers riding electric scooters and bikes, and even novel hoverboards being piloted under a city transportation program. I guess they’re on their way to pick up or drop off lunches with office employees, or groceries for people’s homes. At first, I’m astonished to notice only a few ride-hailing vehicles around the circle, but then I recall DC enforces congestion pricing in its business districts, which effectively takes many such vehicles off the streets. Thank the Lord. The driverless cars and trucks on the arterial roads and highways are enough to back things up. Luckily, downtown curbside parking has been supplanted by dedicated bus and bike lanes. The transportation network still has gaps, but it’s good that more people can get around more easily because of these improvements. I check into my hotel, a former embassy with podlike rooms. My nonsmart luggage is whisked away by a pneumatic tube in the lobby. When I enter my room, it’s standing there in the corner. That never gets old for me either. I should prepare for my conference in the morning—I’m supposed to give remarks. However, I can’t resist the urge to explore this city I once called mine. DC’s population is now well over one million people, and I want to see how they’re shaping the place. Pausing for a moment, I muse on a simple question: How many of them recall the District’s days as either the “Murder Capital” or “Chocolate City”? A shrinking number, I imagine. As I head downstairs, it strikes me that I likely won’t be back again for a while. Then I summon an electric bike with my laptop-phone, and I’m off. Andrew Giambrone is a freelance writer who has covered local Washington since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter @AndrewGiambrone. u

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C N E D E R G Our River: The Anacostia

Places to Greet Spring Along Our River

his is a particularly interesting year to welcome the spring. The winter was mild so nature is coming out early. And the corona virus is making us get out and away from others. So where along the Anacostia are those special places to find your way to? Do you want gardens, nature recovering, projects underway, history or places to take the kids? Starting near the Nationals’ Baseball Stadium and heading upstream, here are eight places I recommend.

Article and photos by Bill Matuszeski protected from the traffic alongside and the construction is all in clear view downstream from where you stand and look out. Don’t miss it!

Art and Calm Along Poplar Point

vis and carried out by the same firm that did Springhouse Run in the National Arboretum.

Finding Nature on Heritage Island Heritage is a small island in the shadow of Kingman Island. Walking in from the parking area north of RFK Stadium, most of which has been converted to soccer fields for local use, Heritage begins after crossing the first pedestrian bridge. It is much smaller than Kingman, but much more in its natural state, surrounded by tall grass beds emerging from the River and filled with natural seeps and ponds. At the far end is the only sign of humanity, a small area recently planted with evergreens and other trees that will fast seem native to the Island. Plenty of places to poke around in nature’s gardens.

Starting at the Douglass Bridge on the Anacostia side and walking under the 11th Street Bridge and up to Pennsylvania Avenue take a quiet stroll along the River, There is little traffic and you are surrounded by natural vegetation emerging from the Art Display on Poplar Point winter. There are a few The site of the Frederick Douglass art billboards along the Bridge way, attractive composite creations capturing The construction site of the new Frederick Dougnature and river history by Eastern and Ballass Memorial Bridge, taking South Capitol Street The Riches of lou High School art students under the dithe National over the Anacostia, is a great place to take the kids rection of artist Tendani Mpulubusi El. Arboretum and something no adult should miss, as the existThe Arboretum (accesing bridge is replaced by a towering set of arches Alone in the City Along sible from either New Pope Branch and roadways. You can safely walk the entire site York Avenue or BladOne of the quietest and most remote-feeling by taking the sidewalk along the south side of the ensburg Road via R St. spots in the City is in the midst of Anacosexisting bridge, looking up at the cranes and archNE) is filled with distia. Pope Branch Park attaches to Fort Davis es hundreds of feet above you and the trucks and Nature on Heritage Island plays that attract many and Fort Dupont Parks, and the beautifulmachinery way down below. The sidewalk is wellfolks in spring, such as ly restored stream flows down the collection of many different colors and bloom to the Anacostia through deep woods Frederick Douglas Bridge – Old and New times for cherries and other fruit trees (compared and a series of pools and riffles. The to one shade and a few days along the Tidal Basin). only sounds are of running water and But the Arboretum’s 450 acres provide numerwildlife all the way to Minnesota Aveous opportunities to find peace and quiet. Among nue at M Place NE, where it tunnels bemy favorites are the view of the City and the Capilow and emerges in a restored Park for tol from the top of Mount Hamilton, accessible by a block until dipping below the freepaths through the azalea collection or a parking area way and entering the River. Last time on the other side; the wilderness woods on the other I entered, I was greeted by a buck and side of the road from the azalea collection, which feel his doe friends, plus an owl luring me as though you’re the first to plow through in a very upstream with his calls to me. Best to long time; Fern Valley; the restored Springhouse park, enter and head upstream right Run and the trail alongside from New York Avenue above Minnesota Avenue. The restoto Hickey Run; and the random orchards of flowerration work was inspired by Dolly Da54 H HILLRAG.COM

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Arboretum Magnolia

West Hyattsville Station of the Green Line Metro and head north for about a 15-mile round trip.

Where It All Begins The most distant origin of the Anacostia is Sandy Spring, located outside the town of the same name in Montgomery

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ing trees of all sizes, colors and bloom times. For those who can take on the crowds for some real rewards, the annual Garden Fair is April 25-26 this year; Saturday morning purchases in the tent of the Friends of the National Arboretum are limited to Friends (you can join on the spot), and Saturday afternoon and Sunday for anyone. Incredible offerings and prices!

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The Kenilworth Aquatic Garden This is the ultimate peaceful place. These gardens are enormous and spread out among many acres of ponds, inlets and marshes. They are late-bloomers, but there is always something to please the visitor. Access is from the Anacostia Freeway near the Maryland line, the Deanwood Redline Metro Station or the Anacostia River Trail. There are seldom many visitors, and the paths around the flower ponds and wooden walks out over the marshes are a delight.

Deep in the Woods There is one special place where you can be surrounded by forested hillsides and the only sounds are the birds and the rushing stream alongside. This is on the Northwest Branch, starting at the Adelphia Mill Historic Site on Riggs Road and continuing along the stream to the Beltway. It is about a five mile round trip, with only one road crossing high above your head. To bike it you can start at the

Sandy Spring â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Furthest Source of Our River

County. Look for signs to the Quaker Meeting House and turn south on Meeting House Road. Follow the road past the Meeting House (which was part of the Underground Railroad to help guide escaped slaves to freedom) until it curves left and stops at a gate. Walk through the gate into a series of beautiful open fields, county lands used to raise grains, proceeding for about a half mile where the path turns right and a small fenced area on the left contains the spring. The spring seeps out and drains into the woods, creating the first waters of Our River. Worth the experience! Bill Matuszeski is a member of the Mayorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Leadership Council for a Cleaner Anacostia River, and the retired Director of the Chesapeake Bay Program. u

APRIL 2020 H 55

C N E D E R G Atlas Brew Works

Brewing Environmentally Friendly Beer While Being Extremely Good-Looking

by Catherine Plume

ustin Cox, the founder and CEO of Atnod to the brewery’s past as the drawing was includlas Brew Works, really likes beer. A naed on the can of Atlas’ first draft beer. tive of Kingsport, Tennessee, he became a But Atlas goes beyond brewing good beer, as it self-professed “beer nerd” after drinking has a strong environmental ethic to its work. Since his first “non-crappy” macro lager while 2015, the Ivy City location has been powered by a an undergrad at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. 68 kW solar array located on the brewery’s roof that He eventually moved to the DC area and received a law degree Atlas Brew Works’ impressive solar from George Mason University array. Photo: Atlas Brew Works in 2009 – honing his microbrewery skills between exams. Cox began entering his beers in competitions, and started to win awards. His passion for brewing grew while his interest in his day job at the General Services Administration waned. As he puts it, “I decided to open a brewery to avoid being angry at myself when I was older for not giving it a try. The name Atlas came from the brewery’s proximity to the Atlas District, and then, generally, I just like the short and strong name.” And he provides a non sequitur with a snide smile, “I also like to answer questions about how we manage to produce the best beer in DC and still be extremely good looking.” Atlas Brew Works opened in 2013, and the rest is history. The brewery hosts a portfolio of 16 brews, ranging from the ever-popular District Common Lager to the more eclectic Silent Neighbor Pumpernickel Stout. Six brews are available year-round and another 10 are available seasonally. You’ll find an eclectic set of drawings on Atlas beers, including one of John Hancock’s pen, a 56 H HILLRAG.COM

was installed by DC-based Solar Solution. According to Cox, “We decided to go solar for a few reasons. One is to keep in with our environmental stewardship ethos, but it also makes good business sense. There is a financial benefit to cheaper green energy. Oh, and, by the way, we did not pay for the solar installation in beer, though the guys did spend a lot of time checking out our production system.” While Atlas is proud of its solar-powered beer, it also employs other green practices. Atlas beer is packaged in 100% recyclable aluminum cans. As these cans weigh significantly less than bottles, Atlas uses less fuel in its beer distribution system. Atlas also reclaims the water from the brewing process, and it donates the spent grains from brewing to local farmers for animal feed and compost. The grains come from many places, including Britain, Germany and the Czech Republic, but the majority is grown in the American Midwest. You can buy Atlas beer in reusable glass growlers – either their own or even one from another brewery. Just make sure they’re clean before you bring them in. Atlas’ good green ethic is paying off. It will soon be opening a second venue, a brewery and tap room at 1201 Half St. SE. The opening date is pending due to the coronavirus outbreak. According to Cox, “We’re fortunate. People in DC and in the great DC area really enjoy our beer! We put a lot of effort into creating, brewing and mar-

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Experienced Residential Insulation Contractor Air Sealing Radiant Foil Barrier Blown-in Insulation Spray Foam Insulation Batt & Roll Insulation Sound Barrier Insulation 5-STAR YELP RATED Just a few of Atlas Brew Works’ beers – packaged in 100% recyclable aluminum cans. Photo: C. Plume

keting our beer, and the response has been great. We’ve been looking for a new production home as we outgrow our Ivy City space. We came across this Half Street location in Capitol Riverfront. As big DC sports fans ourselves, a location just outside Nats Park and not too far from Audi Field was just too good to pass up.” The Half Street brewery and tap room will be just that, a 10-barrel brewhouse along with a large bar and pizza kitchen. While the roof lacks the space for solar panels due to the size of the building’s mechanical systems, the site will eventually have solar panels installed over the awning and a solar canopy over the patio space. According to Cox, the Half Street location will get the remainder of its electricity needs from offsite renewable wind and solar sources. Atlas Brew Works is still operating despite the coronavirus. While the brew pub itself is not open to the public, in line with DC’s Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) recent regulations, Atlas’ Ivy City brewery is offering onsite pick-up of cans and draft beer growlers. It is also providing delivery in the Ivy City, H Street, Trinidad, Carver/Langston, NOMA, Capitol Hill and Kingman Park neighborhoods (see https:// www.toasttab.com/atlasbrewworks/v2/onlineorder#!/order). Gift cards are available: https://

www.toasttab.com/atlasbrewworks/giftcards. As of this writing, Atlas is taking orders from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and making deliveries in batches between 4 and 6 p.m. Note that customers must show a valid 21+ ID to the driver and meet them curbside. Cox notes, “We are open! The best thing about running a brewery is that we always have plenty of delicious beer on hand, and we’re doing what we can to make sure our customers have access to it. It’s a great feeling to make a tangible product that people enjoy, and see your dreams come to fruition and be enjoyed by others.” How does Atlas brew such good beer and still be extremely good looking? Once the current coronavirus restrictions are lifted, tours will be available at the Ivy City location on most Saturdays at noon, 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., staff time permitting. Stop by and find out for yourself – and buy a beer made from solar power! Catherine Plume is a lifelong environmentalist, a writer and a blogger for the DC Recycler: www. DCRecycler.blogspot.com; Twitter: @DC_Recycler. She is also the chair of the DC Chapter of the Sierra Club, but the perspectives expressed are her own and do not necessarily represent the positions of that organization. u

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APRIL 2020 H 57

C N E D E R G Plastic Tree

Making “Reuse” a Reality

by Catherine Plume

ver wonder where those goods you put in the recycling bin actually go? With all the news about China restricting US recycling imports and cities across the country downsizing their recycling programs, you certainly aren’t alone. DC resident Lara Ilao decided to take this matter into her own hands. “Like many others, I was aware of the waste I produced. But, frankly, it’s difficult to reduce waste when you need to run an errand after work but before you pick up your kids from school, and you’re multitasking homework and meal prep among other things. I realized I was throwing items in my recycling bin – jars, cardboard boxes, flower planters – things that could be reused in their current state. Instead, these goods were being compacted and broken down into supposedly recyclable elements. I suspected others shared my frustrations. I decided to find out if there was a way to collect and actually reuse these items. In January 2019, I established Plastic Tree LLC” (https://plastictree.com/). With a Plastic Tree subscription, customers receive a 32-gallon heavy duty “REUSE!” bin. Anything that can be reused for its original purpose – think empty beer and wine bottles, takeout containers, bubble-wrap – can be placed in the bin. Plastic Tree collects the goods weekly and seeks end markets for them. In a further commitment to the environment, Plastic Tree operates a 100% zero-emission fleet for its waste collection services. Ilao notes, “We had a soft launch in September 2019 and began our REUSE collection in October. Currently we’re servicing single-family homes as well as apartment and condo buildings across nine DC neighborhoods.” So far, Plastic Tree has recovered a lot of padded envelopes, beer bottles, icepacks and polystyrene (Styrofoam) coolers. But it also receives some unusual items. According to Ilao, “One customer gave us a box of plastic reels left over from an architectural firm project. It’s fun to get these sort of items as it forces us to be creative as we think about reuse opportunities. We’re still noodling on how to reuse those reels! A STEM class project? A local artist?” Plastic Tree is storing collected goods in a 1,200-square-foot Lara Ilao, Plastic Tree founder, picks up some reusable goods. Photo: C. Plume warehouse, accumulating inven-

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tory and determining what products and volume it has to offer. A partner in the food service industry has provided access to commercial dishwashers to sanitize materials. Ilao is beginning to reach out to local businesses about the products they have available. “Plastic Tree is focused on a reverse logistics supply chain,” A Plastic Tree bin full of reusable items and ready for she explains. “We also pick up. Photo: C. Plume want our service to encourage more circular schemes for reuse across the District – and elsewhere. We’re focused on collecting used materials and getting them from point A to point B so they can be reused.” In response to COVID-19, Plastic Tree is also collecting medical supplies – face masks, plastic gloves, soap, paper towels, disinfectant wipes and dishwasher and laundry detergent pods, which it will donate to hospitals and clinics, shelters and food kitchens across DC. “Plastic Tree is coordinating pick-up and drop-off of donated items to minimize face-to-face interaction.” Waste reduction has long been a part of Ilao’s DNA. “I’ve cared about the environment from an early age. In high school, I started and ran our aluminum can recycling program for four years. I organized a group of grade 7-12 students to crush cans after school every Thursday, and found parent volunteers to drive the cans to the recycling center. The money we earned went back to the school.” Ilao wanted to show her children her commitment to the environment and her gumption to start her own business. She notes, “Prior to Plastic Tree, I worked in emergency management law. We touched on environmental issues such as climate change and rising sea levels, but I always wanted to focus on waste. When China announced its recycling import restrictions policy in July 2018, I started thinking more seriously about my business idea. When China officially stopped accepting our waste, I launched my company.” If you’re interested in learning more about Plastic Tree and perhaps even signing up for a subscription or becoming a business partner, drop a line at info@plastictree.com. Earth Day is turning 50 this year, and maybe this is your way to celebrate! Catherine Plume is a lifelong environmentalist, a writer and a blogger for the DC Recycler: www.DCRecycler.blogspot.com; Twitter: @DC_Recycler. She is also the chair of the DC Chapter of the Sierra Club, but the perspectives expressed are her own and do not necessarily represent the positions of that organization. u

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home and garden REAL ESTATE AND CRISIS The Ups and Downs of the Past 40 Years by Don Denton

n the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, it is hard not to panic. There are so many unknowns. How long will it last? Will we have to shelter in place? Will people want to buy a home in this time of incredible economic uncertainty? We all have our opinions about the current situation and only time will tell. But it is useful to give this some perspective by looking back at times that have tested our particular business and the way people have been impacted -- agents, buyers, sellers, lenders, home inspectors and many, many more. I will also say up front that I am no economist. As with many of you, my adult business and personal life has been shaped by all of these â&#x20AC;&#x153;events.â&#x20AC;? Each time, you never knew how bad it would get or how long it would last, just as in our current situation. continued on pg. 62

2001

2020

2008

1980s

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Early 80s – 16% Mortgage Rates In August 1979, the Capitol Hill market was booming. Seemed like everyone was buying shells, quickly renovating and flipping for big profits. Some were buying and flipping in the same day! By the end of Q1 1980, things were changing quickly. 30-year home mortgage rates were heading to 16%+. To sell anything, a seller had to have an old FHA loan or an existing assumable VA loan. And even then, the seller had to be willing to hold financing and “wrap” it all into a single mortgage. There were no adjustable mortgages yet. For people in our business or dependent on our business or sellers who had to sell, this was a pretty devastating 18 months. In the lending portion of the business, net S&L income in 1980 was $781M. In 1981, that industry’s net income had lost $4.6B and that’s with a B. Another loss of $4.1B in 1982. We all know that when most of us buy a home, we put down a percentage of our own cash and then finance the rest through a lender. Go to settlement, bring your check and then the lender funds are wired to the title company conducting the settlement. Some title companies maintained a list of “troubled” lenders and if your lender was on that list, settlement was halted until the funds were wired and confirmed. Lots of business failures and consolidations and lots of people looking for jobs in other industries! Once our “fiscal leadership” figured it out, properties started to move and values stabilized. By 1983 things were looking up. Rates were lower but the new adjustable rate mortgages were the key. However, a lot of damage had been done during a very bleak two-year period. If your livelihood depended on the real estate business, imagine two years of this! On the Hill, by the end of the 80’s, real estate was looking pretty good. We were hitting sales prices of $300,000 - $350,000 pretty regularly. Sellers were actually taking cash from settlements!

The 90s – Crisis of Confidence But then the clouds rolled in. A spike in oil prices in August 1990 as a result of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, a restrictive monetary policy and eroding consumer confidence all added to a drastic decline in the real estate market. Our local leadership added to an erosion of confidence in the future of our City. By 1991 we were awash in property sales inventory (over 450 for sale on Capitol Hill). Many, many more sellers than buyers. As far as we could tell, this 62 H HILLRAG.COM

was purely a crisis of confidence. There was lots of properties to sell and reasonable financing alternatives, but the buyers didn’t show. When you were fortunate enough to sell your home, and if you had bought between say 1987 and 1990, you (the seller) in all likelihood would have to bring money to the table. Imagine bringing money to the table to sell your home. Happened all the time. If you bought in 1988-early 1990, you most likely could not sell and get out whole until 2001! What followed 1990 were years of lender failures. Right behind the lenders were the real estate company failures and consolidations. A tough lesson that many agents in our business learned was that pending commissions belonged to the broker, not the agent. Agents with a few settlements pending were shocked to find out that they had no claim on their share of the commission. The entire commission belonged to the broker and then to the brokers debtors and finally, the agents were at the end of the line. Not much money there. Fortunately for some, other brokers stepped up, in return for associating with their brokerage, and covered their outstanding commissions. Many, many agents were hurt badly. It was brutal out there. In hindsight, the turning point for us was the passage of legislation in 1995 authorizing the appointment of a control board to operate our City. It was a sign that the Feds would not let our City fail. Confidence began to return. However, we did not realize that we had turned the corner until the late 90s. By 2000, the market was moving nicely and we had our first $1M+ sale on the Hill.

9/11 In September 2001, life had returned to normal and things were very good here on the Hill. Then, while we were on our regular Tuesday morning tour of prospective new listings, a cell call from this person and then another about something happening in New York City. We continued on to a home in the 200 block of Kentucky that had a TV on and they were replaying the New York aircraft hitting the World Trade Center. We shut everything down and headed to pick up our kids and other loved ones. We all remember what the rest of that day was like. We were all in uncharted waters. Nobody knew what would happen next. As it all sunk in, as a business, we presumed we were dead in the water for the foreseeable future. Days, months, years...we just didn’t know. More than one neighbor decided

to closeup or rent their homes and move to someplace that did not have the “high target” profile that Washington DC had. We tracked the sales numbers closely expecting the worst, and it was not good. But by Q1, a sense of the new normalcy had taken hold and the Hill moved on. Prosperity in our business had returned. However, in those days and weeks and months after 9/11, prosperity and normalcy were only a pipedream.

2008 Financial Crisis In 2007, our industry was plunged into another financial crisis. This crisis was caused in large part by subprime lending practices that brought down any number of financial institutions. The FDIC ultimately closed 465 failed banks. Developers took a real beating. A number of condo projects went under and resurfaced as apartment buildings (rentals). If you wonder why most of the multiunit buildings built in the past decade are rentals rather than condos, the roots are in this crisis. Moving forward, financing construction of multii-unit rentals has proved much easier than financing condo projects for developers. Our local marketplace took a deep breath between 2007 and 2009. After that, onward and upward. This rise has also coincided with the seemingly insatiable appetite for buyers, young and old, to live inside the beltway. However, it is important to note that that has not been the case everywhere. Many towns and counties in this country have still not recovered from 2007. That is particularly true in many second home markets. For many in our business, this has been a 15-year struggle. Now we are all faced with this pandemic. This is like nothing that we have ever seen. One thing for sure is that it is touching all of us. The other thing for sure is that we are in the beginning of this and do not know how deep or how long. If we have learned anything, in the beginning of any crisis, stay calm and stay optimistic. This country has a great track record of pulling together and pooling all of our energies to defeat whatever foe. This situation will not be any different this time. Don Denton is Branch Vice President – Capitol Hill, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. u

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/the hill gardener/

PLANT A LITTLE GARDEN

Article and Photographs by Rindy OBrien

pring is here. The early arrival of spring flowers and trees this year has been a wonderful tonic as we hunker down and endure the coronavirus pandemic. With so many people seeking an outdoor respite as they shelter in place, Lincoln, Garfield, and Stanton parks have seen large numbers of local residents walking about in the late afternoon hours. Friends meet one another and, usually keeping six feet apart, carry on conversations and enjoy the sun. National Park Service staff report over 200 people visiting Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens on a warm Saturday afternoon, definitely a record outside of the July lotus-blooming season. It’s clear we are all craving some sun and the many delightful diversions of being outdoors. One great diversion in these challenging times is to take up gardening. “Plant a Little Garden – Eat a lot of Peaches...”

Bloom is the first of its kind of soil conditioner made from biosolids. The 25 bag is approved by the EPA and used in 80 plus community gardens in DC and the metro area.

Hill can be challenging, but soil conditioners can help. Surprisingly, one product that will help your garden grow is produced by our own DC wastewater plant. It is called Bloom, a specialized fertilizer rich in organic matter that retails at $14.99 for 25-pound bag. Bloom is produced from Class A exceptional quality biosolids produced at DC Water’s Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment plant. The product is approved by EPA. A new premium product, Cured Bloom, is about to hit the market to be sold in 50-pound bags. A recent tour of the facility demonstrated the only-one-in-the-country process used to create such a product. James Fotouhi is a wastewater engineer and manages the Bloom operations at Blue Plains. He oversees the blending, green house and co-digestion operations. It is pretty amazing to think the byproduct of what we flush in our homes can travel through the sewers and end up mixed with mulch, also locally sourced, and help us grow greener, lusher plants and lawns. But, testimony after testimony swears it works. Recently, the Bloom product was used on the John Tyler Elementary School ball field to help

is a line from a 1971 song by singer/songwriter John Prine. It was the anthem of the day, a paean to dropping out and doing your own thing. Posters are still sold with the song’s chorus. Given the current state of things, maybe “plant a little garden” should be our new motto. We’ve turned to gardening before in times of crisis. In World War II, families were encouraged to plant Victory Gardens to help with their own food supply and stretch their canned good rations. It also got families outside in both public and private spaces to work together in the fresh air. At the moment, our local garden centers remain open and are happy to help you get the basic tools, plants, and soil conditioners to help you create your own little garden. s waste James Fotouhi manages the Blue Plain conditioner, management production for the soil house ends Bloom. Literally, the waste from your flowers and up as a fertilizer for growing better en. gard your in back s vegetable

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Before You Begin Of course, it is important to pick a spot that gets strong sunlight, is easy to water, and hopefully has good soil. The hard clay soil of Capitol

Seeds and more seeds. The variety of seeds are plentiful, and in addition to the seeds, the pack information on germination and life ets contain valuable of the plant.

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Starter plants is another way to get your garden growing. A little more expensive than seeds, they work extremely well for growing plants with a longer growing season, like tomatoes and peppers.

fill in bare spots. The product has also been used on the lawns of the National Mall. Research conducted at Virginia Tech has shown that Bloom improves drought resistance and water holding capacity. The process also helps reduce carbon emissions and generates renewable energy. The product can be purchased at W.S. Jenks & Son Hardware on Bladensburg Road, SE, Homestead Garden in Davidsonville, Maryland, and Annie’s Ace Hardware in the Brookland neighborhood, NW. Until recently, it was available on site at the Blue Plains plant, and that operation may start again after the coronavirus crisis passes. Fragers and Gingko Gardens sell other excellent soil conditioning products in the same price zone, and their staffs can help you choose the right combination of products.

Seedlings Versus Starter Plants You may wonder whether it’s better to plant from seeds or buy starter 66 H HILLRAG.COM

plants, otherwise known as transfers, to give you a head start. Certainly, seeds are the least costly; a packet of seeds cost on average $1.50 per packet, with 10 to 20 seeds ready to plant. A six-pack of starters will cost $4.99 and a larger grown plant might sell for $3.99 in a four-inch pot. Which choice is best for you depends on a few things. Do you have enough sunlight in your house to put plant containers, like egg cartons or small plastic trays, in the window for a few weeks as you wait for the seeds to sprout? Or alternatively, you can use grow lamps. If your answer is no, don’t worry just wait until it is warmer to directly sow your seeds into the soil, or buy the starter plants. Another consideration is the kind of vegetables you wish to grow. Some do better being just sown into the ground. These vegetables simply do not transfer well from container to ground. Vegetables that fit into this category include beans, beets, carrots, cucumbers, okra, peas, radishes, squash and watermelons. Many of

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the vegetables known as root vegetables require longer time to grow and do better starting off as seeds planted directly in the ground. On the other hand, plants like peppers and tomatoes are best to buy as small starter plants. Leeks, eggplants, chard, basil and cabbages also fit into this category. Eastern Market vendors often bring great starter plants to buy beginning in late April. Unfortunately, the spring plant sales at the National Arboretum, Franciscan Monastery and National Cathedral won’t be happening this year. These sales usually bring in starter plants suited to this region from well-established nurseries and farms. Seed packets are also a great resource for information about the plants. The packet instructs on germination times, time to sow the seeds, and how long to wait for the plant to bloom, flower, and present the actual vegetable or fruit. Seeds also come in many more varieties than starter plants, and it can be quite fun to try different kinds. If the growing season allows it, one can get early produce from the starters followed by a round of produce from the seeds, creating a second season of food. Ready, set, grow. Jumping into gardening now makes really good sense. It is a healthy diversion from all the pandemic news. It gets you outdoors and may help you stretch your food budget a few months from now. It is an activity that the entire family can participate in and our local hardware and garden centers are open just waiting for you.

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Rindy O’Brien is a long time resident and hopes to see many small gardens popping up on the hill this spring. Contact Rindy at rindyobrien@ gmail.com u

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1st Place: Megan Grimaldi, 300 Block of F St. NE

CAPITOL HILL RESTORATION SOCIETY 2020 PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS by Elizabeth Nelson

n anticipation of the 63rd anniversary of the Capitol Hill House and Garden Tour, the Capitol Hill Restoration Society sponsored a photo contest – “The Capitol Hill Home.” We are pleased to announce the winners: Megan Grimaldi, Robert Weinstein and Nan Raphael; and runners-up Victor Romero and Nathaniel Liu. Their photos and “the best of the rest” are posted at www.CHRS.org/2020-photo-contest winners. Please take a peek – you’ll be glad you did. CHRS is grateful to all participants, including Rick Battino, Coen Blaauw, Stephanie Butto, Jennifer Flather, Megan Grimaldi, Helen Haislmaier, Nathaniel Liu, Norman Metzger, Nan Raphael, Victor Romero, Ben Schaibly, G.M. Smith and 2nd Place: Robert Weinstein, Robert Weinstein. 304-306 North Carolina Ave. SE Captions are kinda-sorta in the filenames, which include the name of photographer, address of location in photo, sometimes an additional title. Also, following the “HTPC” which precedes each filename is what “place” it won: first, second, etc. u

RIGHT: 3rd Place: Nan Raphael, 1010 Independence Ave. SE

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The Capitol Hill Garden Club presents

Dear Garden Problem Lady, by Wendy Blair

Runner-Up: Victor Romero, 507 Kentucky Ave. SE, “Welcome Home”

Runner-Up: Nathaniel Liu, 1200 Block of E St. NE

Not-A-Winner: Stephanie Butto, 101 North Carolina Ave. SE, “Rooftop Wonders”

The US National Arboretum just closed because of the Corona virus, but we got in this past Monday in time to see the spectacular spring blooming camellias, which have grown as high as trees. I have a very small but beautiful red camellia probably growing in the wrong place – it is called “Don Mac.” Please provide hints for best camellia care. Here is a picture of Don Mac. It got that personal-sounding name from the woman in Pensacola, FL, who developed it in 1940. Those flowers are as big as dessert plates! Each semi-double bloom has a big bunch of yellow stamens in the middle. As far as best location goes, avoid winter exposure to any piercing cold or strong west or north winds. Camellias also hate direct sun, especial hot afternoon sun. Hot morning sun in winter is also a no-no. Best is “filtered” shade in USDA Zones 7a to 10b. Also important is the soil – it should be well drained and acidic, rich in organic matter like well-rotted humus, leaves, manure. Soggy soil is a slow killer. We need to get rid of a tree that drops squishy fruit all over our next-door neighbor’s yard as well as ours. I’d like a small tree – nothing much higher than say 10 feet, max. Ideas? Lots of ideas. First, the light and prevailing winds. The purpose of the tree, and whether you want something evergreen? Deciduous? Blooms? After that – where to shop, and when to plant.

Take your time. Best time to plant is early autumn, for roots get started and settle in for more growth the following late winter and spring. Any local garden center will be able to help. But the choosing will take more time, as you cruise your neighborhood to see what thrives. When the Arboretum opens again, you can drive past the Gotari Collection of evergreens, and the hillsides devoted to Camellias and Asian trees and shrubs. Of course native trees are hardiest. Sometimes “weeping” (trees that droop) can capture your fancy. Consult books, especially Dirr’s Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs (Timber Press) and then explore online under names of your favorites. Keep in mind that although the Latin word in a tree’s name, “nana”, means “dwarf,” sometimes the label can be mistaken! My own chamaecyparis pisifera nana from a reputable nursery is now 40 feet high. Just saying. Public meetings of the Capitol Hill Garden Club are on hold because the NE DC Public Library will be closed, and meetings cancelled, into April. You can call the Library to see if it is open for meetings on Tuesday, April 14, 2020. This April meeting will have been the last public meeting of the club until next September. Club membership details can be found at our website, capitolhillgardenclub.org. Feeling beset by gardening problems? Your problem might prove instructive to others, and help them feel superior to you. Send them to the Problem Lady c/o dearproblemlady@gmail.com. Complete anonymity is assured. u

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CHANGING HANDS Changing Hands is a list of residential sales in Capitol Hill and contiguous neighborhoods from the previous month. A feature of every issue, this list, based on the MRIS, is provided courtesy of Don Denton, manager of the Coldwell Banker office on Capitol Hill. The list includes address, sales price and number of bedrooms. NEIGHBORHOOD

PRICE BR

14TH STREET CORRIDOR 2125 14th St NW #905 2125 14th St NW #310 W 1634 14th St NW #203 3810 13th St NW #1 2125 14th St NW #705 3441 14th St NW #1 1402 Swann St NW #1 2125 14th St NW #203 3043 15th St NW #3 3043 15th St NW #UNIT 2

ADAMS MORGAN 1819 Vernon St NW #PH4 2328 Champlain St NW #317 1793 Lanier Pl NW #7 2450 Ontario Rd NW #2 1719 Euclid St NW #4 2426 Ontario Rd NW #203 2515 17th St NW #4 2019 19th St NW #3 2426 Ontario Rd NW #102 2515 17th St NW #2 2440 16th St NW #120

ANACOSTIA 1427 22nd St SE 2262 High St SE 1309 Maple View Pl SE 1430 V St SE 1814 18th St SE 1718 16th St SE 1661 U St SE 1900 Curtis Ct SE 1431 Ridge Pl SE 1640 V St SE 2226 Prout St SE 1350 Talbert Ter SE 2110 16th St SE

ATLAS DISTRICT 903 8th St NE

BLOOMINGDALE 46 S St NW 2010 Flagler Pl NW 2118 Flagler Pl NW 40 W St NW #1 26 Rhode Island Ave NW #2 57 R St NW 67 V St NW #2 2119 Flagler Pl NW #1 25 Rhode Island Ave NW 66 Rhode Island Ave NW #1

BRENTWOOD 1334 Downing Pl NE #B

CAPITOL HILL 301 Maryland Ave NE 145 11th St NE 1311 D St SE 1005 North Carolina Ave SE 300 8th St NE #PH408 415 6th St SE 1106 E St NE

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1,125,000 969,000 800,000 777,500 760,000 595,000 580,000 537,500 432,000 395,000

2 3 2 3 2 2 2 2 1 1

1,755,000 889,000 835,000 732,000 700,000 645,000 573,000 531,000 399,000 385,000 346,000

3 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1

590,000 582,500 490,000 474,900 465,000 440,000 399,999 384,900 360,000 305,000 305,000 250,000 230,000

4 5 5 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 4

860,000

1,325,000 1,200,000 1,124,000 995,000 915,000 831,500 740,000 700,000 630,000 596,000

5 5 4 3 3 3 2 2 4 2

457,205

1,950,000 1,879,000 1,750,000 1,650,000 1,354,900 1,325,000 1,315,000

7 6 4 4 2 3 4

419 Guethlerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Way SE 1740 Bay St SE 438 10th St NE 17 7th St NE 419 Independence Ave SE 337 6th St SE 300 8th St NE #211 300 8th St NE #406 1323 Corbin Pl NE 1349 Emerald St NE 1604 D St SE 615 10th St NE 728 Maryland Ave NE 300 8th St NE #202 350 9th St SE #12 1111 Pennsylvanvia Ave SE #402 1412 D St NE 918 14th St SE #3 118 15th St NE 1811 E St NE 1215 C St SE 1237 K St SE 300 8th St NE #210 300 8th St NE #102 1504 Massachusetts Ave SE 10 Browns Ct SE 209 17th St SE 520 E St NE #301 819 D St NE #1 300 8th St NE #107 1334 L St SE #1334 300 8th St NE #201 626 Independence Ave SE #103 401 13th St NE #101 1439 A St NE #A

1,284,000 1,202,000 1,179,000 1,179,000 1,028,500 982,000 967,400 914,900 860,000 853,000 845,000 800,000 798,500 779,900 771,000 762,400 745,000 744,000 730,000 729,300 705,000 695,000 659,900 649,900 645,000 629,000 610,000 585,000 580,000 579,900 570,000 499,900 441,000 420,000 419,000

3 4 3 3 2 3 2 2 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 3 2 3 3 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 1 2 1 1

CAPITOL HILL EAST 1301 Potomac Ave SE #1 1391 Pennsylvania Ave SE #319 1331 K St SE #302

CENTRAL

920 I St NW #411 631 D St NW #233 920 I St NW #807 2555 Pennsylvania Ave NW #219 616 E St NW #1211 1010 Massachusetts Ave NW #209 1150 K St NW #1107 400 Massachusetts Ave NW #705 1260 21st St NW #501

CHINATOWN 920 I St NW #609 809 6th St NW #34

780,000 640,000 450,000

2 2 2

1,325,000 819,000 735,000 707,000 490,000 463,000 475,000 452,500 251,500

2 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 0

1,020,000 550,000

2 2

COLUMBIA HEIGHTS 2914 13th St NW 1335 Spring Rd NW 3550 10th St NW 1021 Otis Pl NW 1227 Harvard St NW 1338 Fairmont St NW #3 929 Florida Ave NW #5007 3810 13th St NW #2 3552 13th St NW #2 1340 Quincy St NW

1,425,000 1,195,000 1,185,000 1,147,500 1,075,000 1,011,000 950,000 908,000 885,000 871,000

3 4 6 3 8 3 2 3 3 4

1458 Columbia Rd NW #505 1451 Park Rd NW #507

319,500 295,000

CONGRESS HEIGHTS 511 Alabama Ave SE 3926 1st St SW 125 Xenia St SE 831 Xenia St SE 4308 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SW 3315 6th St SE 103 Danbury St SW 1238 Barnaby Ter SE 3334 10th Pl SE 411 Mellon St SE #3 411 Mellon St SE #4 151 Wilmington Pl SE 404 Newcomb St SE #2 1232 Barnaby Ter SE

DEANWOOD

3504 Center St NW 4022 Georgia Ave NW #3 1305 Irving St NW #2 1449 Harvard St NW #6 1431 Shepherd St NW 526 Columbia Rd NW 3315 Sherman Ave NW #A 3319 Sherman Ave NW #2 1025 Lamont St NW #1 1014 Park Rd NW #A 1476 Harvard St NW #C 3815 14th St NW #4 3514 13th St NW #6 2619 University Pl NW #4 3465 14th St NW #D 1390 Kenyon St NW #305 3043 15th St NW #4 625 Park Rd NW #106 613 Newton Pl NW 2812 13th NW #2 1012 Harvard St NW #4 1300 Park Rd NW #3 1411 Spring Rd NW #1 2812 13th NW #3 625 Park Rd NW #C07 714 Rock Creek Church Rd NW #1 1444 Fairmont St NW #5 1336 Belmont St NW #1 4120 14th St NW #7 3504 13th St NW #24 3656 New Hampshire Ave NW #3 3318 Sherman Ave NW #104 3514 13th St NW #2

869,990 865,000 850,000 830,000 795,000 780,000 775,000 755,000 750,000 737,500 696,000 675,000 670,000 665,000 640,000 620,000 608,247 567,500 560,000 549,999 520,000 505,000 500,000 499,000 475,000 465,000 455,000 440,000 405,000 395,000 345,000 328,500 324,999

4 3 3 2 5 4 2 2 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 1 2 3 1 1 2 1 1 2 1

5132 Lee St NE 5100 Brooks St NE 123 57th St SE 5307 Gay St NE 5309 Gay St NE 4709 Dix St NE 3934 Clay Pl NE 3930 Clay Pl NE 5632 Blaine St NE 5230 Karl Pl NE 264 57th Place NE 5078 Just St NE 711 56th Pl NE 4920 Blaine St NE 5063 Just St NE 5219 Clay St NE 4322 Hayes St NE 119 36th St NE 4112 Hayes St NE 118 49th St NE 320 61st St NE #B2 928 52nd St NE 5512 Blaine St NE 5207 Just St NE 4810 Quarles St NE #402 940 Eastern Ave NE #12

DUPONT CIRCLE 1745 N St NW #309 1758 U St NW #3 1731 20th St NW #9 1730 New Hampshire Ave NW #14 1260 21st St NW #211 1736 Willard St NW #505 1514 17th St NW #503 1831 19th St NW 1748 S St NW 2132 Newport Pl NW 1603 16th St NW #5 1745 N St NW #209 1325 21st St NW #T01 1762 Corcoran St NW #2 1725 New Hampshire Ave NW #602 1918 18th St NW #35 2141 P St NW #906 2007 O St NW #505 1718 P St NW ##3 1775 Church St NW #1 1701 16th St NW #717

1 1

510,000 481,000 415,000 405,000 405,000 395,000 385,000 365,000 325,000 315,000 305,000 305,000 293,000 216,200

3 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 3 2 3

557,000 556,000 521,388 492,000 485,000 473,000 470,000 467,915 429,900 410,000 409,000 400,000 390,000 385,000 385,000 369,900 365,000 334,500 330,000 320,000 260,000 254,000 236,000 233,000 140,000 87,000

3 5 3 4 4 4 3 4 4 3 3 3 4 6 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 2 2 1

1,090,000 679,000 399,999 399,999 390,000 341,500 238,975 2,715,000 1,725,000 1,180,000 1,175,000 1,125,000 775,000 705,000 652,000 605,000 480,000 439,000 429,900 425,000 420,000

2 2 1 1 2 0 0 5 5 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1

SO M

7M .9 $1

1775 Church St NW #3 1701 16th St NW #326 1711 Massachusetts Ave NW #105 1775 Church St NW #2 1701 16th St NW #146 1545 18th St NW #111 1409-1/2 21st St NW #A 1 Scott Cir NW #701 1750 Corcoran St NW #B 1301 20th St NW #915

ECKINGTON 209 S St NE 48 Rhode Island Ave NW 1937 2nd St NE #5 117 Quincy Pl NE #2 227 Seaton Pl NE #1 1937 2nd St NE #4 1937 2nd St NE #3 113 U St NE #PH 239 R St NE #A 1937 2nd St NE #1 1937 2nd St NE #2 113 U St NE #A 114 Todd Pl NE #1 53 T St NE #1 227 R St NE #B 1717 Lincoln Rd NE #1 50 Florida Ave NE #423 50 Florida Ave NE #116

EDGEWOOD 2200 3rd St NE #5

420,000 412,600 395,000 390,000 367,000 359,000 350,000 325,000 320,500 300,000

1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0

1,215,000 909,000 862,500 801,000 745,000 730,000 725,000 719,000 709,500 647,000 647,000 639,000 616,500 615,000 600,000 580,000 456,800 454,250

6 4 2 3 3 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 3 3 2 1 1

725,000

FORT DUPONT PARK 3932 S St SE 4309 Gorman Ter SE 1499 Fort Davis St SE 4358 F St SE 1658 Fort Dupont St SE 1 Ridge Rd SE 3932 Burns Pl SE 4206 Gorman St SE 656 Chaplin St SE 4024 Southern Ave SE 4653 H St SE 4020 Q St SE 3956 Pennsylvania Ave SE #204 4115 Massachusetts Ave SE #5

FORT LINCOLN 5015 12th St NE 3140 Cherry Rd NE #38 2745 31st Pl NE #2745 3124 Berry Rd NE #23 624 Farragut Pl NE

449,000 440,000 425,000 409,900 409,000 389,500 375,000 351,000 350,000 280,000 275,000 270,000 215,000 208,000

3 3 3 3 3 4 3 2 2 3 3 3 2 3

580,190 377,000 330,000 315,377 445,000

3 3 3 3 2

H STREET CORRIDOR 646 H St NE #PH-2 646 H St NE #PH-1 512 L St NE #A 910 9th St NE #2 910 9th St NE #1 911 9th St NE #2 723 18th St NE #2 719 18th St NE #1 646 H St NE #302

HILL CREST

2613 Q St SE 3700 Bangor St SE 3439 Massachusetts Ave SE 2423 32nd St SE 3232 Pope St SE 1651-1/2 38th St SE 2139 Suitland Ter SE #A 3679 Alabama Ave SE #B

1,250,000 1,049,900 969,900 895,000 855,000 850,000 639,000 590,000 529,900

2 2 3 4 4 3 3 3 1

750,000 685,000 587,500 485,000 478,000 440,000 275,000 227,000

6 4 4 4 3 3 3 2

CT A TR 5!

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NOW MORE THAN EVER, THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME We take our responsibility as consultants and agents very seriously, especially during times of rapid change. Our society is faced with unprecedented uncertainty, and our team urges you first and foremost to BE SAFE and practice social distancing to SUPPRESS the Covid-19 virus and protect one another! While working, thinking, and reading remotely, we are here for you to discuss your goals and strategize the way to achieve them. The market continues to move forward, with the houses above just a few developments from the last two weeks! We urge you to keep in mind a few fundamental things that we believe will remain true about our community and the resiliency of your local real estate market: • Capitol Hill and other core historic neighborhoods of DC are strong and vibrant places to call home. As neighbors help each other manage through this difficult time, we are reminded why this is and will remain such a tremendously desirable place to live. • Mortgage interest rates – while tumultuous at moments – are poised to remain historically low for months to come and to incentivize smart property purchases. • As many of us STAY HOME to practice social distancing and protect our families and communities, we appreciate more than ever the importance of HOME as a central priority in life!

For 19 years through market shifts, my team and I have been dedicated to helping buyers and sellers achieve their real estate and life goals. If you or someone you know need expert advice as you make plans, CONTACT US ANYTIME for a free consultation on the state of the market.

/joelnelsongroup

202.243.7707 info@joelnelsongroup.com

@joelnelsongroup @joelnelsongroup 519 C ST NE Washington, DC 20002 www.joelnelsongroup.com APRIL 2020 H 71

IVY CITY

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419 U St NW 1924 2nd St NW 2036 1st St NW 621 U St NW 129 W St NW #104 1907 3rd St NW #304

LILY PONDS

411 34th St NE 1612 Olive St NE 3313 Clay Pl NE 4215 Meade St NE 942 T St NW 1101 Q St NW #202 1735 Johnson Ave NW #B 1441 Rhode Island Ave NW #505 1001 L St NW #707 1225 13th St NW #606 1440 N St NW #312 1333 T St NW 1831 Vermont Ave NW 1634 14th St NW #604 1313 Corcoran St NW 1615 13th St NW 1445 Church St NW #41 1440 Church St NW #605 1328 Corcoran St NW #1 1735 10th St NW #B 1628 11th St NW #103 1444 Church St NW #101 1514 12th St NW #1 1311 13th St NW #409 1111 11th St NW #311 1300 N St NW #102 1239 Vermont Ave NW #P6 1300 N St NW #211 1420 N St NW #306 1414 S St NW 933 O St NW

669,900

780,000 655,000 576,000

3 3 2

1,900,000 1,125,000 1,065,000 810,000 467,500 385,000

4 3 5 3 2 1

470,000 435,000 246,000 198,000 1,100,000 780,000 605,000 566,000 523,000 449,000 280,000 1,830,000 810,000 682,000 1,900,000 1,695,995 1,362,500 1,225,000 1,110,000 1,089,900 925,000 760,000 650,000 489,000 469,000 294,000 33,000 420,000 290,000 2,465,000 800,000

3 3 2 3 5 2 2 1 1 1 1 5 2 2 4 4 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 0 0 1 1 4 3

MARSHALL HEIGHTS 5029 A St SE 5518 C St SE 5106 F St SE #2 5014 H St SE #303

540,000 260,000 210,000 175,000

MT VERNON SQUARE 811 4th St NW #318 460 New York Ave NW #307 400 Massachusetts Ave NW #901 555 Massachusetts Ave NW #612 1010 Massachusetts Ave NW #211 811 4th St NW #911 475 K St NW #630 1314 Massachusetts Ave NW #508

NAVY YARD 1505 K St SE #4 1505 K St SE #3 1025 1st SE #709 1505 K St SE #2 1505 K St SE #1 1025 1st St SE #814

NOMA

1159 5th St NE 1150 1st St NW 24 Florida Ave NE #101 24 Florida Ave NE #302

4 2 2 1

665,000 624,500 555,900 480,000 442,500 840,000 605,000 268,000

2 2 1 1 1 2 2 0

769,000 699,000 697,000 600,500 549,000 530,000

2 2 2 2 2 1

950,000 635,000 609,900 487,500

3 3 3 1

50 Florida Ave NE #222 50 Florida Ave NE #923

OLD CITY #1

1016 D St NE 738 11th St NE 820 7th St NE 308 11th St NE 410 5th St NE #15 333 17th St NE 1347 F St NE 301 H St NE #402 642 15th St NE #2 430 13th St NE 429 18th St NE #4 1433 A St NE #D 711 18th St NE 1345 K St SE #T06 1519 Constitution Ave NE #102 1628 C St SE #B3 334 14th Pl NE #1

OLD CITY #2

1515 P St NW #2 1300 Q St NW 1828 Florida Ave NW 1724 4th St NW 1429 New Jersey Ave NW 1300 13th St NW #304 437 New York Ave NW #Y30 1501 1st St NW #2 475 K St NW #1221 400 Massachusetts Ave NW #1209 1316 9th St NW #2 1916 17th St NW #505 1740 New Jersey Ave NW #5 1101 L St NW #410 1601 18th St NW #904

PENN QUARTER 675 E St NW #720 601 Pennsylvania Ave NW #1003N 915 E St NW #1210 777 7th St NW #712

RANDLE HEIGHTS 3021 P St SE 1890 Savannah Pl SE 1609 Minnesota Ave SE 2725 Knox Ter SE 3525 21st St SE 3512 21st St SE 2002 Tremont St SE 2822 Bruce Pl SE 1719 Gainesville St SE #101 1907 Good Hope Rd SE #2 1907 Good Hope Rd SE #109

RLA (SW)

812 Capitol Square Pl SW 77 G St SW #101 300 M St SW #N315 1301 Delaware Ave SW #N-514 800 4th St SW #N103 1311 Delaware Ave SW #S441

SHAW

1405 NW 5th St NW 1831 9th St NW 311 P St NW #3 51 P St NW 906 S St NW 311 P St NW #2 810 O NW #503 910 M St NW #405 402 Richardson Pl NW 1011 M St NW #302 435 R St NW #404

485,500 484,125

1 1

1,500,000 1,250,000 1,150,000 905,000 845,000 775,000 765,000 635,000 630,000 611,000 490,398 425,000 390,000 370,500 364,900 329,900 299,999

5 2 4 3 2 4 3 2 2 2 3 1 2 1 1 1 1

1,150,000 975,000 940,000 915,000 899,900 730,000 710,000 699,000 600,000 500,000 485,000 485,000 394,000 246,000 230,000

2 3 3 3 3 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 0 0

629,900 579,900 465,000 405,000

1 1 1 1

800,000 400,000 399,999 397,500 390,000 364,000 359,000 250,000 124,100 120,000 80,000

5 2 2 3 4 3 3 3 2 2 2

1,045,000 656,250 449,000 295,000 279,000 212,000

4 3 2 2 0 1

1,300,000 1,000,000 921,500 845,000 830,000 811,500 799,900 599,000 589,900 578,500 475,000

3 3 2 3 4 3 1 1 2 1 1

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SW WATERFRONT 45 Sutton Sq SW #1003 1350 4th St SW 700 7th St SW #701 800 4th St SW #S423

TRINIDAD

1271 Owen Pl NE 1282 Oates St NE 1111 Owen Pl NE 1707 West Virginia Ave NE #3 800 21st St NE #3 1632 Trinidad Ave NE 1259 16th St NE 1308 Staples St NE 1700 Montello Ave NE 1137 19th St NE 1707 West Virginia Ave NE #2 839 19th St NE #6

TRUXTON CIRCLE 57 N St NW #534 1214 Kirby St NW 57 N St NW #423 57 N St NW #N-429

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1,740,000 535,000 480,000 305,000

2 4 2 0

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U STREET CORRIDOR 2020 12th St NW #218 2000 16th St NW #608 2019 13th St NW 1927 15th St NW 2231 13th St NW 2119 11th St NW #3 1917 13th St NW #1 2120 Vermont Ave NW #618 2120 Vermont Ave NW #219 2001 16th St NW #508 1440 W St NW #403

WATERFRONT 350 G St SW #N-612 350 G St SW #N319 45 Sutton Sq SW #1009 619 G St SW 525 Water St SW #109 240 M St SW #E708

WEST END 2301 N St NW #612 2425 L St NW #708 1121 24th St NW #307 1200 23rd St NW #907 2201 L St NW #310

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2 1 4 5 3 2 2 2 1 1 1

399,990 446,500 3,000,011 1,100,000 732,000 337,500

1 1 3 4 2 1

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2 1 2 1 0

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HILL RAG’S DAILY NEWS! There’s a lot going on, so don’t miss the latest happenings. Restaurant Openings | New Businesses | Fun Events | Crime Alerts Go to HillRag.com and sign up to be added to our daily news feed, or email request to dailynews@HillRag.com

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74 H HILLRAG.COM

arts ining d and

AT THE MOVIES

Seen From the Couch: Film Comedies with a Twist

by Mike Canning

s all of us are adjusting to the grim reworld of a harassed New Jersey lawyer who is trying dy-drama, playing twins who are somewhat estranged ality of COVID-19, so must the Hill to keep his financial head above water while coachyet who still harbor unique insights into each other’s Rag. With movie houses closed at ing a hapless high school wrestling team. Paul Giapsyches. The thrill of the film is to watch two actors the time of this writing, we can hardmatti, unsurpassed in roles like this conflicted, mildly so thoroughly in sync: you agonize with them as they ly provide reviews of new films whose desperate figure, is the lawyer, a role that fits him like lie and prevaricate to each other yet exalt and guffaw venues have shut down. Thus, we will shift gears to an old suit. For McCarthy, who also wrote the crafty when they reconnect with a common memory. The give Rag readers a selection of recent movies to watch script, this was probably a labor of love, depicting a film, deftly written and directed by Craig Johnson, while sequestered at home. world he knows by heart and offering it to us as a gift. doesn’t move to an easy, “feel-good” ending but does The theme of this month’s mini-reviews is “Comshow an ending with feeling. The Skeleton Twins (2014) – Leads Kristen edies with a Twist,” an assortment of very worthy—if Love and Friendship (2016) – A bracing reWigg and Bill Hader (old SNL colleagues) offer an lesser-known--comic films from the last ten years that imagining of a Jane Austen bagatelle (adapted from exemplar of acting symbiosis in this touching comebring laughs along with dramatic elements that deepen their impact. Readers can find these titles on disc (rental or purchase) or on streaming services. So, settle down on your couch and try out these (mostly) feel-good flicks. Up in the Air (2009) – A comedy-drama by Jason Reitman of the highest quality and pertinence. Reitman’s clever script is enhanced by solid performances. It follows a sleek, unattached corporate downsizer (George Clooney) as he travels the country to tell employees that they are fired. The film’s humor is nicely understated and smartly insinuating, with an adult repartee which recalls, at best, the great 1930’s comedies. The movie also has a timely thoughtfulness about business downsizing and its firing mini-dramas which offer an unexpected gravitas alongside the comic touches. Win Win (2011) – Director Tom McCarthy offers a wonPaul Giamatti preps young wrestler Alex Shaﬀer in “Win Win.” Photo Credit: Kimberly Wright TM; © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp derful, droll drama outlining the APRIL 2020 H 75

29 YEARS

ON CAPITOL HILL!

A u t h e n t i c S a l v a d o ra n & M ex i c a n C u i s i n e

Open Daily 11:00AM-10:00PM DINE IN / CARRY OUT / DELIVERY

1100 8th ST SE (ONE BLOCK FROM NAVYYARD)

202.543.3700

Order ONLINE DELIVERY with UberEats, DoorDash, Grubhub, and Postmates.

A u t h e n t i c S a l v a d o ra n & M ex i c a n C u i s i n e

3614 14TH ST., NW 202.726.1334

www.lasplacitasrestaurant.com lasplacitasrestaurant

ADVERTISE WITH THE HILLRAG! Call Kira Means at 202.400.3503 Or email: kira@hillrag.com

Elsie Fisher studies her screen in “Eight Grade,” photo by Linda Kallerus, courtesy of A24 Pictures

T U O E TAK ABLE! AVAIL

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an unpublished early novel) by American writerdirector Whit Stillman. He has beautifully re-created the flavor of Regency England (mostly shot in Dublin), but with contemporary panache. A radiant Kate Beckinsale heads a sparkling cast as the ambitious widow Lady Susan Vernon, a ruthless she-devil under period plumage, who will do anything to advance the marriage prospects of her penniless daughter. The brittle and brilliant dialogue by Stillman sounds like “Masterpiece Theater” on steroids. Pay attention. The Death of Stalin (2017) – British writerdirector Armando Iannucci has reimaged a piece of USSR history in this pitch-black farce, tangentially based on events after the death of the dictator. The Anglo-American cast speaks a mashup of accents: cockney, Brooklynese, semi-tosh Britspeak, Yorkshire, etc. Iannucci’s depiction of the bizarre struggle among Central Committee members seems at times like a zany update of the Marx(ist) Brothers, with the pratfalls and oneliners contrasted with the darkest shades of Stalin’s legacy. The film treads a delicate line, ready giggles tempered by chilly winces—sometimes in the same scene! In all, it makes for a heady bowl of borscht. The Big Sick (2017) – Co-writers Ku-

mail Nanjani and his then-fiancé Emily V. Gordon (now married) offer a thinly veiled outline of their life together and turn it into an hilarious, heart-warming, yet daunting comedy of clashing cultures. Self-deprecating comedian Kumail wins the buoyant Emily, but when she falls into a mysterious coma, he must contend with her lovable, if slightly nutty parents. The whole cast is superb (Ray Romano and Holly Hunter are wonderful as Emily’s comical but decent parents), and the cunning script balances on a thin line between tones of wit and poignancy. Eighth Grade (2018) – This film convinces because of its lead, 15-year-old Elsie Fisher as Kayla. Maybe she is just playing herself– a prototype American teenager–but she makes the character her own. Her round, accepting face and her moony eyes seem just right for this puzzled, poignant young girl, as is her placid, hesitant voice aching for affirmation. She is moody and muddled but still emits bursts of courage as she navigates the next stage of her life. Writer/director Bo Burnham makes his feature film debut and reveals tremendous promise with this comic achievement, appearing to possess total recall of middle school and its multifarious humiliations. u

APRIL 2020 H 77

. arts and dining .

YOU’RE GONNA EAT, SO EAT LOCAL

Mr. Henry’s Restaurant, www.mrhenrysdc.com 601 Pennsylvania Ave SE, 202-546-8412 Nooshi Sushi, nooshidc.com/location/capitol-hill 524 Eighth St. SE, 2nd Fl, 202-827-8832

Hill Restaurants Offering Pick-Up and Delivery

Peregrine Espresso, peregrineespresso.com @JoeCoffeeApp, 660 Pennsylvania Ave SE, 202-629-4381

by Elizabeth O’Gorek

Prego Deli, pregodeli.com 210 Seventh St. SE, 202-547-8686

t the end of a long day of tele-working, home-schooling, and refereeing kids, the last thing you want to do is cook. While District restaurants have been closed for dine-in since March 16, you can still order food for delivery or pick-up, including adult beverages. It’s a great way to support the neighbors that work at and own these community businesses! Here’s a list of restaurants on the Hill offering delivery or take-out service, so you can support local while you eat. Where possible, try to order food and beverages directly from the restaurant, either via telephone or through the website. Platforms such a UberEats, Doordash, Caviar and Postmates offer pick-up and delivery from restaurants that might otherwise be unable to provide it in-house, making business possible through the COVID-19 shutdown. They also charge a commission, separately negotiated for each restaurant, that can be anywhere from 15 to 20 percent and as high as 40 percent on each order. (While Uber Eats has waived the delivery fee for more than 100,000 local restaurants, that’s for the customer, not the restaurant. Caviar and Doordash recently merged and have waived commission on pick-up orders, and reduced commission for some independent restaurants). Restaurants already operate on a low profit margin, usually around 6 percent. Ordering by phone or through the restaurant website can help reduce those fees by allowing the restaurant to take the order themselves and only pay a platform for delivery. Websites may also direct you to platforms with whom restaurants have the best arrangements. Times are moving fast, so this information is subject to change. Check with your restaurant directly about hours, and to see how they’re doing!

Eastern Market, Pennsylvania Corridor, Barracks Row: &Pizza, andpizza.com, 405 Eighth St. SE Aatish on The Hill, aatishonthehill.com 609 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, 202-733-5026) Acqua al 2, www.acquaal2.com 212 Seventh St. SE, 202-525-4375, Next Day Orders 78 H HILLRAG.COM

Al’s Famous Delicatessen www.facebook.com/pages/Als-Famous-Delicatessen 1003 Eighth St. SE, 202-543-7662 Belga Café, belgacafe.com 514 Eighth St. SE, 202-544-0100 Beuchert’s Saloon, BeuchertsSaloon.com 623 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, 202-733-1384 Bombay Street Food 2, bombaystreetfood.us 524 Eighth St. SE, 202-558-9506 BullFrog Bagels Eastern Market bullfrogbagels.com, 317 Seventh St. SE, 202-494-5615 Capitol Lounge, capitolloungedc.com 231 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, 202-547-2098 Cava Mezze, cavamezze.com/capitol-hill 527 Eighth St. SE, 202-543-9090 ChiKo, www.chikodc.com 423 Eighth St. SE, 202-558-9934 District Doughnut, districtdoughnut.com 749 Eighth St. SE, 202-817-3196 District Soul Food, districtsoulfood.com 500 Eighth St. SE, 202-544-8882 District Taco, districttaco.com 656 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, 202-735-5649 The Eastern, easternwinebar.com 360 Seventh St. SE, 202-621-7950 robert@easternwinebar.com Emilie’s, emiliesdc.com 1101 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, 202-544-4368 FeedMe@emiliesdc.com

Pineapple & Pearls, rosesrestaurantgroupdc.com 715 Eighth St. SE, 202-595-7375

Radici Market, www.radici-market.com 303 Seventh St. SE, 202-758-0086 Rose’s Luxury, www.rosesrestaurantgroupdc.com 717 Eighth St SE, 202-580-8889 Sanphan Thai, sanphanthaicuisine.com 652 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, 202-544-9368 Sushi Hachi, www.sushihachidc.com 735 Eighth St. SE, 202-640-1881 Szechuan House, www.szechuanhousewashington.com 515 Eight St. SE, 2nd Floor, 202-546-5303 Taco City DC, tacocitydc.com 1102 Eighth St. SE, 202-629-4012 Ted’s Bulletin, www.tedsbulletin.com/location/capitol-hill 505 Eighth St. SE, 202-544-8337 The Brig, www.thebrigdc.com 1007 Eighth St. SE, 202-675-1000 The Sweet Lobby, www.sweetlobby.com 404 Eighth St. SE, 202-544-2404 The Ugly Mug, www.uglymugdc.com 723 Eighth St. SE, upstairs; 202-547-8459 Torai Japanese Cuisine toraisushi.com 751 Eighth St. SE, 202-525-2053 Tortilla Café, www.tortillacafe.com 201 Seventh St. SE, 202-547-5700 Trattoria Alberto, www.trattoriaalbertodc.com 506 Eighth St. SE, 202-544-2007 Trusty’s Full Serve, www.trustysfullserve.com 1420 Pennsylvania Ave.SE, 202-547-1010

Firehook, www.firehook.com 215 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, 202-684-7400

Tunnicliff ’s Tavern, www.tunnicliffstavern.com 222 Seventh St. SE, 202-544-5680

Hype Cafe, HypeCafeDC.com 1129 Penns. Ave. SE, 202-629-3046

Valor Brewpub, www.valorbrewpub.com 723 Eighth St. SE, downstairs; 202-547-8459

La Plaza Mexican Restaurant, laplazadc.com 29 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, 202-546-9512

NoMa, Northeast

Las Placitas, lasplacitasrestaurant.com 1100 Eighth St. SE, 202-543-3700

A.Litter, alitteri.com 517-519 Morse St. NE, 202-544-0183

Let’s Mix! Bibija!, letsmixbbj.com 209 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, 202-544-3049

Albi Pub, offers meal kits & pantry items, albidc.com 237 Second St. NW, 202-347-2237

Lavagna, www.lavagnadc.com 539 Eighth St. SE, 202-546-5006

Bistro Cacao, bistrocacao.com 316 Massachusetts Ave. NE, 202-546-4737

Little Pearl, rosesrestaurantgroupdc.com Carriage House at 921 Penns. Ave. SE, 202-618-1868

Buffalo & Bergen, buffalobergendc.com/capitol-hill 240 Massachusetts Ave. NE, 202-525-3350

Market Lunch, marketlunchdc.com Eastern Market South Hall, 225 Seventh St. SE 202-547-8444, Cash Only. Order in person

Cafe Berlin, cafeberlin-dc.com 322 Massachusetts Ave. NE, 202-543-7656

Matchbox, www.matchboxrestaurants.com/capitol-hill 521 Eighth St. SE, 202-548-0369

Café Bliss, doordash.com 201 Massachusetts Ave. NE, 202-546-0500

Café Fili Mediterranean, www.cafefili.com 701 Second St. NE, 202-629-2816

H Street, Atlas District

Carving Room Kitchen & Bar, www.carvingroom.com 140 M St. NE, 202-962-3947

Bab Korean, babdc.com, 1387 H St. NE, 202-399-8999

Deli Italian Café, www.facebook.com/adeliwashingtondc 1300 Second St. NE, 202-842-8045 Peruvian Brothers www.peruvianbrothers.com in La Consecha Market at 1280 Fourth St. NE 703-625-6473 info@peruvianbrothers.com Ebenezers Coffee House, ebenezerscoffeehouse.com 201 F St. NE, 202-558-6900 The Eleanor, www.eleanordc.com 100 Florida Ave. NE, 202-758-2235

&Pizza, andpizza.com, 1118 H St. NE Bieregarten Haus, www.biergartenhaus.com 355 H St. NW, 202-388-4053 The Big Board, thebigboarddc.com 421 H St. NE, 202-543-3630 Bullfrog Bagels, bullfrogbagels.com 1341 H St. NE, 202-388-3833 Butter Chicken Company, www.usabutterchicken.com 500 H St. NE, 202-921-9750 Cane, www.cane-dc.com, 403 H St. NE, 202-675-2011

Indigo Indian, www.indigowdc.com 243 K St. NE, 202-544-4777

Cava Chupacabra, www.chupacabradc.com 822 H St. NE, 202-505-GOAT [4628]

Jacob’s Coffee House, www.facebook.com/Jacobs-Coffee-House, 401 Eighth St. NE, 202-507-8812

CopyCat Co. Chinese Street Food, copycatcompany.com 1110 H St. NE, 202-241-1952

King Street Oyster Bar, kingstreetoysterbar.com 22 M St NE, 202-621-8513

Crown Fried Chicken doordash.com 716 H St. NE, 202-546-6600 Cusbah, www.cusbah.com, 1128 H St. NE, 202-506-1504

Laos in Town, laosintown.com 250 K St. NW, 202-864-6620

Dio Wine Bar, diowinebar.com 904 H St. NE, 202-506-3103

Old City Market, www.oldcitymarketandoven.com 522 K St. NE, 202-544-0600

Duffy’s Irish Pub, dcduffys.com 1016 H St. NE, 202-463-WING (9464)

Red Apron, redapronbutchery.com Union Market, 1309 Fifth St. NE, 202-524-6807

Ethiopic Restaurant, www.ethiopicrestaurant.com 401 H St. NE, 202-675-2066

Qualia Coffee, qualiacoffeeroasters.com Eckington Pl. at Harry Thomas Way NE in Gales Bld

Farewell www.eatfarewell.com 406 H St. NE, 202-468-2618

Red Bear Brewing Co. www.redbear.beer 209 M St. NE, 202-849-6130

Farmbird www.farmbird.com 625 H St. NE, 202-506-6778

Rice Bar, ricebardc.com 1300 Second St. NE, 202-682-2076

Fresca Taqueria, frescadc.com, 701 H St. NE, 202-544-1579

Sandwiches by Phillip, sandwichesbyphillip.com 440 First St. NW, 202-525-3602

The Haymaker Bar, www.thehaymakerdc.com 1015 H St. NE, 202-399-0020

Seoulspice, www.seoulspice.com 145 N St. NW, 202-817-6927

IMM Thai, immthai.com, 1360 H St. NE, 202-748-5536

Stellina Pizzeria, www.stellinapizzeria.com 399 Morse St. NW, 202-851-3995 Union District Oyster Bar & Lounge, www.uniondistrictoysterbarlounge.com 501 Morse St. NE, 202-543-1474 Union Kitchen Grocery, unionkitchen.com/grocery 538 Third St. NE, 202-792-7850 Union Market (1309 Fifth St. NE) unionmarketdc.com restaurants open inside: • Cucina Al Volo, hperegrineespresso.com • La Caprese, www.instagram.com/lacapresedc

Kitsuen, www.kitsuenbar.com 1362 H Street, NE, 202-914-2465 Le Grenier, www.legrenierdc.com 502 H St. NE, 202-544-4999 Maketto, maketto1351.com, 1351 H St. NE, 202-838-9972 Majors Carryout, www.majorscarryout.com 714 H St. NE, 202-543-8866 Nando’s Peri Peri, nandosperiperi.com 411 H St. NE, 202-821-4155 Pie Shop DC pieshopdc.com, aka Dangerously Delicious, 1399 H St. NE, 202-398-7437

• Lao Ban, laobanddumplings.com

Pizza Walay, www.pizzawalaymenu.com 504 H St. NE, 202-543-2600

• On Toast, unionmarketdc.com/retailer/on-toast/

Po Boy Jim, poboyjim.com, 709 H St. NE, 202-621-7171

• Peregrine, peregrineespresso.com

Pow Pow, www.eatpowpow.com 1253 H Street, NE, 202-399-1364, no cash

• Puddin’, www.dcpuddin.com • South Block, www.southblockjuice.com • The District Fishwife, www.thedistrictfishwife.com • Uzu Ramen, unionmarketdc.com/retailer/uzu • Zita Rica, unionmarketdc.com/retailer/zita-rica

The Pursuit Wine Bar & Kitchen, thepursuitwinebar.com, 1025 H St. NE, 202-609-7420 Rice Bar, ricebardc.com, 625 H St. NE, 202-758-2004 Toki Underground, www.tokiunderground.com 1234 H St. NE, 202-388-3086

Sol Mexican Grill, www.solmexicangrilldc.com 1251 H St. NW, 202-808-2625 Sospeso Wine Bar, sospesodc.com, 1344 H St. NE, 202-594-3517 Stable DC, stabledc.com, 1324 H St. NE, 202-733-4604 Sticky Rice stickyricedc.com, 1224 H St. NE, 202-397-7655 Tony’s Place, www.tonysplacedc.com 1401 H St. NW, 202-396-2482 The Queen Vic, thequeenvicdc.com 1206 H St. NE, 202-396-2001

Navy Yard, Capitol Riverfront, Southwest ABC Pony, abcpony.com, 2 I Street SE, 202-913-8155 Agua 301, agua301.com, 301 Water St. SE, 202-484-0301 All-Purpose Pizzeria Capitol Riverfront allpurposedc.com, 79 Potomac Ave SE, 202-629-1894 Anchovy Social, anchovysocial.com, 221 Tingey St. SE, 202-249-6274 Bethesda Bagels, bethesdabagels.com/OrderOnlineNavyYard, 120 M St. SE, 202-804-5548 Bluejacket, bluejacketdc.com, 300 Tingey St. SE, 202-524-4862 Bonchon Chicken, bonchon.com 1015 Half St. SE, 202-488-4000 Cava, order.cava.com/stores/71/menu 52 M St. SE, 202-536-2522 Circa Bistro, www.circabistros.com, 99 M St. SE, 202-863-9900 Cornercopia, facebook.com/cornercopia, 1000 Third St. SE, 202-525-1653 Dacha Beer Garden, dachadc.com 79 Potomac Ave. SE, 202-350-9888 Due South, duesouthdc.com, 301 Water St. SE, 202-479-4616 El Bebe Tacos & Tequila, www.el-bebe.com, 99 M St. SE, 202-863-2323 Hatoba, hatobadc.com, 300 Tingey St. SE, 202-488-4800 Ice Cream Jubilee, icecreamjubilee.com 301 Water St. SE and 1407 T St. NW) pint pick up. Credit card only. Call Water St. SE at 202-863-0727 Kruba Thai and Sushi, krubadc.com 300 Water St. SE, 202-484-0234 Lot 38 Espresso Bar, facebook.com/pages/lot38espressobar 1001 Second St. SE, 202-758-0677 Maialino Mare, www.maialinomare.com 221 Tingey St. SE, 202-508-5249 Oath Pizza, oathpizza.com, 110 M St. SE, 202-863-2000 Osteria Morini, osteriamorini.com/washington-dc 301 Water St. SE, 202-484-0660 Rasa Grill, rasagrill.com, 1247 First St. SE, 202-804-5678 Rice Bar, ricebardc.com, 409 Third St. SW, 202-488-1100 Shake Shack, www.shakeshack.com/location/navy-yardwashington-d-c, 50 M St. SE, 202-769-5760

(Continued on pg. 81) APRIL 2020 H 79

. arts and dining .

WINES FOR EXPLORATION Indigenous Grape Varieties of Europe by Elyse Genderson

’m so lucky to live in Washington, DC with so many educated and engaged wine fans. I am constantly pleased and excited when my customers are willing to take the plunge and try new wines from local indigenous grapes with strange names and surprising aromas and flavors. These authentic wines seem exotic or odd, but when people to try them, they instantly fall in love. Drinking these hard-to-pronounce yet easy-to-love wines will make you feel as though you’ve been transported to the Alps of Northern Italy, or are sunning on the beaches of Santorini. During these uncertain times while we’re stuck at home, it can be considered “self-care” to take a moment to drink well and explore classic wines made by ancient traditions. Discover four indigenous grapes; Schiava from Alto Adige, Montepulciano from Abruzzo, Monastrell from Jumilla, and Assyrtiko from Santorini, all available at Schneider’s. Native to Alto Adige, the Schiava grape produces a fresh red wine with low tannins. Schiava wines also have refreshing acidity, notes of white pepper, and a soft mouthfeel. Serve it with a slight chill and Schiava explodes with notes of strawberries, raspberries, cherries, and zesty citrus. On a wine label, Schiava is also sometimes referred to by its appellation St. Magdalener or Kalterersee.

2018 Castel Sallegg Lago di Caldaro Scelto Classico Superiore Bischofsleiten Schiava, Alto Adige, Italy $19.99 Light ruby in color with deliciously juicy red berry aromas of strawberry, raspberry, and red cherries. Intense flavors of orange peel, red currant, snappy white pepper and baking spices. Another wonderful indigenous grape is Montepulciano from Abruzzo. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo wines are an excellent value for the money. There are two very different styles. The first sees a shorter maceration time of juice on the skins, only 4-5 days for a simpler easy drinking style. The second has a longer period of around 20 days’ maceration for rich full-bodied wines with firm tannins and concentrated black fruit flavors. Oak aging is also used to impart toasty and savory flavors.

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2018 Farnese Fantini Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Italy $10.99

the wine girl

Soft, fruity and very easy to enjoy. This lovely red is approachable and yet not at all simple. Juicy red fruits and cinnamon spice with racy acidity make this an ideal pairing with pizza or pasta in marinara sauce. Next journey to Spain with Monastrell from Jumilla. The Jumilla region is located in Murcia between Alicante in the east and La Mancha in the west. During most of the 20th century, Jumilla was known for only producing bulk wines of low quality, However, in 1989 after the region was devastated by phylloxera (a vine pest), most of the vines were pulled up and replanted. This was an opportunity to plant healthy, higher quality Monastrell clones. The result, along with modern winemaking techniques, has led to a quality revolution that is apparent in your glass today. Red wines from Monastrell are full-bodied with high alcohol and ripe flavors of blackberry and cherry along with savory spice from oak aging.

2016 Finca el Lince, Jumilla, Spain $14.99 Big, ripe, red cherry and holiday spice aromas explode from the glass. Mostly Monastrell with a touch of Syrah in the blend, this velvety red offers sophistication and finesse. Monastrell is the same grape as Mourvèdre, popular in France, known for producing big and full-bodied wines with lots of lush dark red fruits and spicy, earthy, and gamey notes. Greece’s wide assortment of indigenous grape varieties is another incredible category to discover, most notably, Assyrtiko from Santorini. Today, there are a number of quality minded producers in Greece making beautifully complex and delicious wines. Assyrtiko is Greece’s most well known and most loved indigenous white grape. Assyrtiko offers aromas and flavors of lemon, peach, nectarine, and pineapple, with a flinty mineral backbone. Some producers will employ partial oak aging adding fuller body and savory toasty aromas to complement the primary citrus fruit. Today, modern winemaking techniques and equipment are used, but several young and innovative producers are also returning to the ancient and traditional methods like using natural yeast and maturing

their wines in clay amphorae like the Ancient Greeks. Producers are also experimenting with lees contact for Assyrtiko to give texture and weight.

2018 Karamolegos Feredini Santorini Assyrtiko, Greece $21.99 This crisp and complex white offers stony minerality, juicy acidity, and a hint of smoke which is typical of Santorini’s Assyrtiko. Tropical fruit flavors linger on the long finish. Discover these four indigenous grapes and many more by ordering online at cellar.com. Elyse is the Vice President of Schneider’s. Call her at 202-543-9300 to schedule a curbside pick up or a safe no-contact home delivery. u

Mr Henry’s is here for you!

(Continued from pg. 79) Shilling Canning Co. shillingcanning.com, 360 Water St. SE, 360 Water St. SE Slipstream, slipstreamdc.com, 82 I St. SE, 202-560-5095 Walters Sports Bar, waltersdc.com, offering prepackaged groceries as Walters CSA, 10 N St. SE, 202-499-3919

The Wharf Canopy Central Bar and Café canopycentralcafeandbar.business.site (975 Seventh St. SW, 202-488-2500) Fish Market (1100 Main Ave. SW) • Captain White’s Seafood, captainwhitesseafood.com 202-484-2722 • Jessie Taylor Seafood jessietaylorseafood.com, 202-554-4173

Limited menu for takeout and delivery Monday through Friday!!

Please give us a call! 202-546-8412

check out all of our happenings at www.Mrhenrysdc.com

601 Pennsylvania Ave. SE

LIVE MUSIC Returns In May!

Grazie Grazie Sandwich and Salad, graziegrazie.com 85 District Sq. SW, 202-216-2999 Kaliwa, kaliwadc.com 751 Wharf St. SE, 202-516-4739 Kirwan’s Irish Pub www.kirwansonthewharf.com 749 Wharf St. SW, 202-554-3818 Lupo Marino, www.lupomarinodc.com, 40 Pearl St. SW, 202-506-1306 Mi Vida Mexican, mividamexico.com (98 District Sq. SW, 202-516-4656) Oﬃcina DC, www.officinadc.com 1120 Maine Ave. SW, 202-747-5222 Pearl Street Warehouse, www.pearlstreetwarehouse.com 33 Pearl St. SW, 202-380-9620 Praline Bakery, praline-bakery.com, 965 Seventh St. SW, 202-484-0500

Do you remember what good old-fashioned corn tastes like?

Rappahannock Oyster Bar www.rroysters.com/restaurants/rappbaroysterwharf 1150 Maine Ave. SW, 202-484-0572 Shake Shack, www.shakeshack.com/location/wharf-washington-d-c 975 Wharf St. SW, 202-869-8345 Southwest Soda Pop Shop & Ice Cream, swsodapopshop.com 1142 Maine Ave. SW, 202-981-6999 The Grill Steakhouse, thegrilldc.com 99 Market Sq. SW, 202-916-5996

Extra sweet, tender & juicy. You can taste its quality in every bite!

100% ALL NATURAL!

Toastique Gourmet Juice and Toast www.toastique.co, 764 Maine Ave. SW, 202-484-5200

NO added sugar, additives, coloring or preservatives

Union Pie Pizza, www.unionstage.com/ pizza (in Union Stage) 740 Water St. SW, 202-506-3329

Available at

Whiskey Charlie, whiskeycharliewharf.com (in Hilton), 975 Seventh St. SW, 202-488-2500 u

IN T H E F R OZ E N V E G G I E S S E C T I O N

More info and recipes at: larrysweetcorn.com APRIL 2020 H 81

. arts and dining .

ARTandtheCITY by Jim Magner

ARTIST PORTRAIT: DAVID MORDINI

he “Others” congregate in the Otis Street Arts Project. Human-appearing heads, or other body parts like arms and fingers, are really “alien in nature.” They often exist independently in their own space, or in bunches, taking on new identities. David Mordini is a sculptor who has carved layered slabs of particleboard to create startling realities that reach out to you and connect in their humanness— but tug at you with a slightly different intuition—the Other—and wrap you in David’s “fluid anxiety.” The anxiety creates social constructs to change the way you interact with his work. Physically sculpting the layered particleboard took a physical toll so he has turned to 3-D printers to grow his “Space Babies.” They’re everywhere in the open expanses of the studio-gallery. Very small Space Babies can become large, and vigilant—they’re motion activated. Eyes suddenly pop open as you walk by. These babies are crafty and smart with a cover of cute. When he sets them

Fingers, Medium Density Fiber Board (MDF), acylic, silicon

on a rocket base, they, of course, become “Rocket Babies.” David Mordini believes we have entered a “Bizzaro World” so his work reflects that— “Und Umgebung” for example. He describes it as “humor with a dark underbelly.” He also loves to construct repetitious forms and structures because your attention is drawn to subtle differences within the similarities: “Multiples create unique qualities.” Dave received his BFA from the Corcoran College of Art and Design in 1995. His first solo exhibition, “Heads,” was held at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in ‘96. He co-founded Otis Street Arts Project, in Mt. Rainier, in 2015, and is now its director. It features artists’ studios, galleries, and a workshop/ maker space. www.Mordini.org.

Jim Magner’s Thoughts on Art

Und Umgebung, 3d print, found objects, acrylic paint. Courtesy of the artist

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David Mordini believes we live in a “Bizzaro World.” Yes, we do. The bizzaro is becoming more otherworldly by the day—by the minute as I write this. A tiny life form attacks the mightiest life form. The mighty crumbles—falls into pieces of quivering fear. The air we breathe and things we touch be-

come the universal enemy. What is our consort? Our comfort? Hopes? Pleadings? And for what do we plead? Health? Survival? Freedom? But is freedom hopeless in a war with so many facets? So many fronts? What is in your brain as we fight to survive? Dare you use it Eagles, Andrei Kushnir, 30 x 40 Oil. At American Painting without permission? Fine Art. Are we human, or as Dave Mordini susFoundry Gallery pects, are we just human-appearing 2118 8th Street, N.W. – subject to control by the Others. (Open by Appointment) If there is a human inside your foundrygallery.org brain, a mind, you need to use it This is Kathryn Mohrman’s first solo now to reason and to dream. To fly. exhibit at the Foundry. The subjects A mind can create any encounter— are identifiable, but this is not about even those not experienced. It can content—the emphasis is on geomdrift through colors and supernatetry, line and pattern. “I took these ural forms, vapors and visions. Anphotographs because of the shapes cient genetic memories entrusted to and repetitions I discovered, whether evolution will flash and dance if you in architecture or water. The scale varlet them. Your mind may inhabit the ies from one image to another, whethmemories of those wonderful creaer measured in acres or inches.” tures and revel in their fears and lusts http://jadeforestphotography. and moments of satisfaction. smugmug.com Yet, do dreams really exist? Does art play in those dreams, those fanBrentwood Arts Exchange tasies? Can dreams become art? Yes. 3901 Rhode Island Ave. Art is made of vapors and visions. Brentwood, MD It cannot be murdered, but as the The Arts Exchange is celebrating mighty crumble, the vapors dissiten years of arts programming. This pate—they drift only in the minds of group exhibition is delayed not canartists and silly dreamers. And mayceled. It highlights 10 artists of varibe that is good enough. ous disciplines who live or work in the

At The Galleries: Hill Center 921 Pennsylvania Ave., SE –April 18 This is the annual Regional Juried Exhibition. The Hill Center Gallery will not be open, but a wonderful work from each artist can be seen at: https://www. hillcenterdc.org/artist/2020-regionaljuried-exhibition.

Gateway Arts District, including David Mordini, (See, Artist Profile) this month. arts.pgparks.com American Painting Fine Art 5125 MacArthur Blvd. NW #17 –May 31 (By appointment) “Bountiful Treasures” is the extended members show. (See, Andrei Kushnir’s “Soaring Eagles.”) It can be accessed at, classicamericanpainting.com.u u APRIL 2020 H 83

. arts and dining .

the LITERARY HILL

ust because the Literary Hill BookFest has been cancelled doesn’t mean we can’t still support our loA Compendium of Readers, Writers, Books, & Events cal authors. We encourage you to check out the books below by three by Karen Lyon writers who had been slated to appear. Go to www.literaryhillbookfest.org to see the others, and keep in touch with us there or on ell, and the Broken Friendship That Defined an Era,” Facebook and Twitter @theliteraryhill regarding a political writer James Mann delves into the lives of virtual event we’re planning. Stay well, stay with us both men to discover what went wrong. Their perand keep reading! sonality differences were apparent from the start. And if your book supply runs low, East City Powell was easygoing, with a great sense of huBookshop offers delivery within a one-mile radius mor, while Cheney cultivated an icy image of aufor a $2 fee or curbside pick-up via phone order at thority and was seen as “a lone cowboy.” Ultimately, 202-290-1636. www.eastcitybookshop.com though, it was their differing philosOr email Capitol Hill Books at info@capitolhillophies that spelled the undoing of books-dc.com to inquire about specific titles, which their friendship, with Powell favorthey’ll deliver free via media mail, or to arrange an ing diplomacy and cooperation, and hour-long visit for four people or fewer. www.capiCheney eschewing international allitolhillbooks-dc.com ances in favor of America going “all out in pursuit of its adversaries.” Frenemies As Mann notes, their views in As leading figures in the post-Cold War era, Dick many ways became emblematic of Cheney and Colin Powell worked closely together the divisions in the nation as a whole, during the Reagan administration, and, under George creating “a climate in which Dick H.W. Bush, “could often be found monitoring events Cheney’s views would prevail over together” at the Pentagon. As Powell later wrote, “We the principles that had held sway durthought so much alike that … we could finish each ing the Cold War, principles that Coother’s sentences.” By the time of George W. Bush’s lin Powell embraced.” Mann’s analpresidency, however, their relationship had “curdled ysis of the relationship between the into open bitterness and hostility.” How did these two men provides a thought-provokclose friends and partners develop such antipathy? ing look at the schisms that not only In “The Great Rift: Dick Cheney, Colin Powcharacterized their era but also continue to resonate in the polarization we see today. James Mann is a longtime correspondent for the Los Angeles Times and the author of several books on American politics and national security issues, including “Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush’s War Cabinet” and “The Obamians: The Struggle Inside the White House to Redefine American Power.” https://james-mann.com

Baseball Fever

Political writer James Mann examines the evolving relationship between Dick Cheney and Colin Powell in “The Great Rift.”

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In 1907, World Series fever was at such a pitch that the Washington Evening Star set up an electrified board outside its offices at Eleventh and Pennsylvania so that

federal clerks, who got the afternoon off, could follow the action. “Everybody saw what was going on in Chicago,” boasted the paper the next day. What they saw was the first victory by the Cubs in what would become a historic winning streak. In “Tinker to Evers to Chance: The Chicago Cubs and the Dawn of Modern America,” Hill journalist David Rapp anchors his tale on the crack trio of Cubs infielders – Tinker at shortstop, Evers at second, and Chance at first – who were immortalized in verse for the deadly power of their double plays. “These are the saddest of possible words: ‘Tinker to Evers to Chance,’” wrote

Journalist and fan David Rapp focuses on early 20thcentury baseball and the Chicago Cubs in “Tinker to Evers to Chance.”

waggish columnist Franklin Pierce Adams, thereby cementing their reputation. The three men hardly seemed destined for fame. Tinker, from Missouri, was on his way to becoming a paperhanger; Evers grew up in an Irish community in Troy, New York, where “baseball was as much a part of the local fabric as Mass on Sunday morning”; and Chance’s wealthy father, from pioneer stock in California, expected him to pursue a career in banking. But they became part of a historic moment in baseball and a team that dominated the league for 10 glorious seasons. Rapp’s story ranges beyond the three infielders through the first two decades of the 20th century, marking the change in the game from one of hooliganism, billingsgate (foul language) and dirty play to an entertainment suitable for women and children. He covers the internecine battles for control of the franchises, the intense rivalries, the arcane and sometimes controversial rules and the characters who sported

THE POETIC HILL

by Karen Lyon

aomi Thiers grew up in California and Pittsburgh, but her chosen home is the DC area. She is the author of three poetry collections: “Only the Raw Hands Are Heaven,” “In Yolo County,” and “She Was a Cathedral.” Her poems, fiction, and essays have been published in Virginia Quarterly Review, Poet Lore, Colorado Review, Grist, Sojourners, and other magazines. Former editor of the journal Phoebe, she works as an editor for Educational Leadership magazines and currently lives on the banks of Four Mile Run in Arlington.

An inspirational moment at a DC museum is captured in “Parker Looks Up” by Parker Curry and Jessica Curry.

colorful nicknames like “Muggsy” McGraw and “Three-Finger” Brown. In the end, however, he brings it back to his original trio. “Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, and Frank Chance can’t take sole or even three-way credit for baseball’s transformation in the early twentieth century,” Rapp writes. “Yet their life stories, separately and together, elevate and extol the real popular memory of baseball as it exists today.” Theirs are stories well worth reading, and David Rapp has not only made them accessible and entertaining, but has also tied them to the larger framework of their time and to the boisterous history of the nation’s pastime. David Rapp has retired from a 30-year career in Washington journalism, most of which was spent with Congressional Quarterly, and is now immersed in baseball history. He’s on Twitter @RappinDc.

An Inspiring Portrait When her mother suggested a trip to the museum, Parker was elated. She “loved visiting the museum almost as much as she loved twirling and leaping” in her pink tutu. With her little sister Ava and friend Gia, she admires the paintings of horses and flowers, giggles at a subject’s bushy mustache and goes “ewww!” at a picture of slimy fish. The girls are dancing past a picture of ballerinas when Parker pulls up in front of a very

special portrait. She stands spellbound. There before her is a beautiful woman who reminds her of “her mother, her grandmother, her sister, and yes – even of herself.” In this brownskinned woman, she not only sees the former First Lady, but also envisions “a road before her with endless possibilities.” This moving scene, immortalized in a now-famous photograph, comes to life in “Parker Looks Up: An Extraordinary Moment,” a book written by Parker Curry and Jessica Curry. It’s a beautiful story made even more compelling by Brittany Jackson’s splendid illustrations, which deftly capture the museum setting (complete with the works of art cited in an appendix), as well as the expressiveness of the little girls, from playful giddiness to a sense of reverential awe. “Parker Looks Up” – and Amy Sherald’s stunning portrait of Michelle Obama – provide heartening inspiration not only to little girls of color but to all boys and girls who aspire toward lives filled with promise and achievement. Parker Curry is four years old and a fulltime Pre-K4 student who is also a New York Times bestselling author and an NAACP Image Award nominee. Her mother Jessica is a published author and writer whose work has been featured in the New York Times. www.parkerlooksup.com u

What Are You Doing for Your 60th? On the table is—forgetting the whole thing. In play is treating it like a nothingburger. Another option: Let’s not and say we did. I’m up for denial, disbelief, deception, calling out the Deep State for spreading fake news. On my mind is sitting on an anonymous beach beating back the advancing fog (and on my neck, white hair I’ll try not to see). See no evil, hear no evil, fete no evil. What happened in 1958 stays in 1958. Finding an Old Photo Your hair would be white by now, you whom I cut from my life by pointed neglect. My mother once found some old family shots, each with the same person’s face burned out by a lit cigarette. I have not done that, not spent nearly so much heat, only turned my back on a weak woman with girl’s eyes. You die slowly elsewhere, made unseen, made more lonely. If you would like to have your poem considered for publication, please send it to klyon@literaryhillbookfest.org.(There is no remuneration.) u

APRIL 2020 H 85

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HOW TO WORK FROM HOME WITH A PRESCHOOLER Self-described Child-Development Nerd Gives Tips on Making a Workday Work

’ve been working at home for three years. I started my job at the Hill Rag working with a toddler, and three years later, I’m back working at home with a (different) toddler, joined by my husband and our now five-year-old. Working with two young kids and your spouse at home – and not going out around ANYONE ELSE – is a whole new ball game. Many of us are facing it for a period of weeks. How can we navigate this? Parents like me first emphasize communication with our spouse (or any other adults in the house). Christina Hughes is an attorney who, like her husband, is working from home together with a threeyear-old and a newborn on the way. She realized this lesson while making preparations for social distancing. “Make an agreement now to have judgment-free communication and that teamwork is the goal,” she said. Two people trying to work with a third pulling on their arm can rapidly take on qualities of a competition (everyone has something so important to do). Reinforce this as often as you can, she said. You can get through this. But how? What do you do with the day, and the kids? I reached out for advice to an expert on keeping kids busy. Self-described “child-development nerd” Anne Gillyard has nine years’ classroom experience in early childhood education (ECE) and a master’s in early childhood development. A year ago, she and Jodi Arellano founded educational design company grOH! (www.grohplayrooms.com), which helps create intentional oﬃce and home playspaces.

by Elizabeth O’Gorek

A Visual Routine Gillyard offered some advice on how to handle kids in the playspace that is now both your home and oﬃce. First, Gillyard suggests you make a routine (rather than a schedule). Use a visual schedule, where each activity is represented by a picture. For breakfast, the image could be a bowl and a spoon, for storytime a book, for naptime a bed – you get it. You and the kids can even draw them together as an ac-

tivity, she said. Then, use magnets to arrange parts of the day somewhere accessible to the kid, like the fridge. This will allow you to rearrange the schedule and for your five-year-old to still be able to follow it. If you can, arrange for an adult to be with the kids for blocks of time, so they know who to go to for attention or if they’re hurt (you can put a photo next to the activities). “Having a general flow to the day will make things comfortable and more predictable for kids,” Gillyard said. “They like to know what’s coming next.” In an ideal world, she said, the happenings of the day would be really clear for kids, and it will also allow the other parent to get something done. In our family, we work simultaneously while the toddler naps (for two hours starting at 1 p.m.). We give our five-year-old a craft, an activity podcast or a show during that time – whatever it takes to keep her occupied. Ideally, we then divide the day into four-hour blocks with one adult in charge to let the other work behind a closed door. Blocks last either 8 a.m. to noon or 1 to 5 p.m. It will take some time to find a schedule that works for each family, Gillyard said. “Give yourself some grace and give yourself space to make mistakes as you find the way to make it work.”.

The Skill of Independent Play This is a time to help kids create the skill of independent play, said Gillyard. Don’t worry if your kid hasn’t mastered it – they’ll learn. “It is a skill that has to be taught, like riding a bike,” she said. Some kids APRIL 2020 H 87

An example of a magnetic visual schedule. Photo: Anne Gillyard/grOH!

will only play alone for about five minutes, and then need attention. One thing you can do is create spaces to facilitate independent play. For kids, this often means actually reducing the options available and making some of them look particularly attractive. “When kids say, ‘I’m bored,’ it’s often because they don’t know how to recognize they’re overwhelmed,” she said. Gillyard has three suggestions for how to make this happen, some easy enough to begin during naptime. First, take half of the toys out of the playspace. Offer between four and eight options,

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APRIL 2020 H 89

Jodi Arellano and Anne Gillyard, founders of grOH!, are designers of intentional playspace. Photo: grOH!

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depending on the size of the space, by type, that is, big cars, blocks, baby dolls and puzzles. Little cars are a different type. Put the rest of them in an empty Amazon box and put it in your closet. “By this we’re setting up a matrix of toy rotation,” she advised. “When we talk about a lot of clutter, a lot of choice, it helps kids make decisions about what to play.” Second, move furniture. If you can, push things toward the wall in one room or area, or make a runway for cars and kids in the hallway. This gives a good, open place to move and play. “Movement is critical to getting through these days,” Gillyard said, suggesting both parents and children set aside time to move each day. “Even if you just put on your favorite song on Spotify and dance for 10 minutes, it’ll really be good.” Third, “feature play,” also called an invitation to play, as a way of making a toy or activity look particularly attractive. Choose a toy or activity a child doesn’t often get to do, maybe a race-car track, Play-Doh or paint. Put it in the middle of a clear space or a table and just 90 H HILLRAG.COM

leave it there until the child chooses to engage with it. “This is also a good way to reinvigorate play,” Gillyard explained, noting the times when kids lose self-direction. “Pull something different out of the box in your closet and feature it.”

Building Skills If you’ve got siblings who fight, Gillyard says not to worry – sibling play is also a skill. “I wish I had a more magical answer,” she said, “but it is something learned.” It’s important to support kids who fight in independent play, she said, maybe with separate play areas if space allows. When a caregiver has time to focus, Gillyard said, that adult can help them learn how to work together, “like a coach working with players who are having trouble with a particular skill.” Put out something “super novel and fun” that all parties can get really involved with. An easy winner is waterplay, she said. Take the shower curtain down, put a bin on top with soap and bath toys, and sit and monitor kids playing together. Then when trouble brews,

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mentor best practices. “For instance, you could stop them and say, ‘I see you didn’t want her to take that from you. Watch how I react,’” Gillyard says, “and then demonstrate an appropriate reaction.” Again, she emphasized the need for grace and flexibility with yourself – and one another – during this challenging time. “Parents feel a lot of different ways about screens,” she said. When a kid just won’t play alone and you need to send an email, it’s okay to put on a show. “As long as we use screens as a tool, that’s exactly what it is.”

Guided Virtual Playdates During the emergency shutdown, grOH! started offering virtual playdates. Targeted at two-to-five-yearolds, the 30- to 45-minute sessions are a sort of directed playdate. Each session has a theme. On Tuesday,

kids were asked to bring a leaf or an insect inside and have blocks available. Kids engage with Gillyard and get up and move. Depending on the child, parents can participate, or hang out in the background with a coffee and finally send that email. Morning classes are offered at 10 a.m. and story-playtime at 12:30 p.m. daily. You can sign up online at www.grohplayrooms.com/ virtual-play-dates. Gillyard encouraged parents to be gentle with themselves throughout the unprecedent challenges during this time. “What’s most important is that we make our kids feel safe, we make ourselves feel safe, and we all find fun and joy together,” she said. grOH! is still offering virtual consultations online. Learn more about Gillyard and her partner, Jodi Arellano, grOH! and the virtual playdates by visiting www.grohplayrooms.com. u

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DO YOU KNOW HOW TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN A HEALTHY AND STRONG IMMUNE SYSTEM?

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BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR TO YOUR VET Some New Protocols While We Deal with Covid-19

by Dan Teich, DVM

uring these times, I am channelling Fred Rogers. He formatted his entire show and person around being a good neighbor. We are now in unprecedented times where community is the key to success, and ultimately, survival. Mayor Bowserhas rightly asked residents to shelter in place and avoid venturing out into areas where others congregate. But many aspects of life cannot be put on hold, including pet care. I have some good neighbor advice to help us all keep our human and furry friends as safe as possible. We at District Vet recognize that the human-animal bond requires both humans and animals! During these times of social distancing, we have had to make some changes to how we operate. While we are using some telemedicine platforms, in-person appointments continue to be the best method to care for your pet. It harkens back to the beginnings of medicine and personal relationships. But in keeping with good community, there are a few rule changes. It should go without saying: if you are ill, under quarantine, or suspect that you have COVID-19, we ask that you not enter our facility. You may have a friend bring your pet or ask about telemedicine options. I am a strong believer in the adage, “necessity is the mother of all invention,” and we will work with you to provide the best care possible. Call us and we will find a solution. We have adjusted the airflow in our hospitals to provide more frequent air exchanges, but this works at maximum capacity when there are the fewest number of clients. So please, only one person per appointment. Under special circumstances, we can be flexible, but please call us first. It is important that only adults come for appointments. Although we clean between clients, this is a public facility - it is best to keep the kids at home. Just like hairdressers being closed, we are scaling back some

EASTERN MARKET non-essential services. Ok haircuts are essential, but it will not be detrimental to our health to push them back a bit. Elective nail trims, grooming, routine surgery, and some vaccines may be scheduled for a later time. It’s all about keeping essential services working. To minimize contact with objects, we are only taking credit cards. Cash is notoriously unclean and can be an excellent vector of disease transmission. By only accepting cards, we lower the risks for our front of house staff. In addition, we have our new client form on-line at www.districtvet.com/ncf. Less paperwork. We are encouraging clients to send all paperwork and vaccine history as an email attachment - it cuts down on paper handling in the oﬃce and gives us time to review the documents in advance. The less you have to leave your house, the better! Need a medication refill? Call us or send us an email. We have been keeping the US Postal Service in business the past few weeks. For most common medications, we will have them out to you the same day, much faster than many “on-line” pharmacies, the larger and most popular of which have been having up to ten-day delays. In your box, we include any rebates and maybe even a small token of thanks. Mailing of medications helps keep your pet healthy and helps us continue to provide healthcare during these trying times. Remember that we are all

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Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Lose Your Posture Nearly all spine pain problems arise from the same classic syndrome of us losing our posture. Not only is keeping our posture essential for health, but for how we look and enjoying an active, happy retirement. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s never too early to start. Call Capitol Hill Chiropractic today for a no-cost Springtime Consultation.

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in this together. District Vet wants to provide needed services while providing for the safety of our staff and clients. Yes, things are weird. And yes, we ask for your patience. COVID-19 has placed strains on the notion of our community, but I promise that in the end, it will strengthen the bonds which tie us together. Dr. Teich is the medical director for District Veterinary Hospitals in Eastern Market and Brookland. Visit www.districtvet.com for more information. u

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XWORD “Celeb Pairings” by Myles Mellor Across:

1. Raise Cain 5. ‘Neath opposite 8. Jovial 11. Local entrepreneurial orgs. 15. “La la” preceder 18. Hand lotion ingredient 19. Take for granted 21. In an inescapable position 23. Celeb pairing 26. Sounds of woe 27. ___ Cruces, N.M. 28. Cavaliers and Indians, on scoreboards 29. Hindu clerk 30. Director Welles 34. Contract need, abbr. 35. Hindu god of war and weather 37. Abbr. at the bottom of a letter 38. They moved to Citi Field in 2009 39. Huskies’ vehicle 41. H.S. biology topic 42. Smallest American dollars 45. E.R. order 46. ___ chi ch’uan 47. Quitter’s cry 49. Fools 53. Celeb pairing 57. Earth sci. 58. Switch settings 59. “Uh-huh” 60. Great report card column 61. Disgust 64. Like Beethoven 67. Rep’s forte 69. Noted artist Jean 72. “All over the world” singers, for short 73. Draft classification? 75. Master 76. Mayo, por ejemplo 77. Passed on 79. Apt. balcony

80. Tippler 81. Too fussy 82. Poacher’s collection? 85. Partakes of 87. Beef-grading govt. agcy. 91. Celeb pairing 98. Sushi offering 99. Wheels setting 100. ___ pinch 101. Large lake 102. Old French coins 104. Ring org. 105. Championed 106. Indian tourist site 107. Compass point 110. Indian dish 112. Bearded revolutionary 113. Welcome 114. Brad, for one 117. Vow words 118. Arles assent 119. Grayish brown 121. Celeb pairing 129. Sheer fabric robe 130. African pests 131. Down in the dumps 132. Sample 133. Mercury measure 134. One engaged in, suffix 135. Be off base 136. Kind of blocker

Down:

Look for this months answers at labyrinthgameshop.com

1. Rule opposed by Gandhi 2. UN working conditions agcy. 3. “Sweet!” 4. It’s an honor 5. Grand Ole ___ 6. Notable times in history 7. Clergyman’s address 8. Soviet Union labor camp 9. Nos. on checks 10. Biblical assent 11. Burn

12. Ravel classic 13. Flood escape vessel 14. Arrogant person 15. Group of people 16. Military information gathering, for short 17. For the “specific purpose” 20. Assured 22. Actress/model Mendes 24. Freight weight 25. Mapmaker Andrew 30. City in the SW Russian Federation 31. Put a new price on 32. Say 33. Bone: Prefix 34. Timex alternative 35. Machu Picchu builder 36. Willy Loman, for one 39. Sault ___ Marie 40. Quebecois water

41. IV league? 43. Suffix with west 44. Agave rug fiber 47. Not mailed 48. Ample shoe width 50. Demand 51. “The Family Circus” cartoonist 52. Bachelor parties 54. Like the sky 55. Prefix with European 56. The Stepford Wives 62. Organized chorus 63. One of Samuel Johnson’s cats 65. Broke bread 66. “Honeymoon travels” director, first name 68. Formula One car 69. Kaffiyeh wearers 70. “Chicago” star, abbr.

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71. Costa del Sol section 74. Beseech 78. Medicinal plants 83. Heater 84. Con 86. It’s a piece of cake 88. Say “@#$%!” 89. Dreary sound 90. Burning 92. Matrix character 93. Figure skater Thomas 94. Hispanic aunt 95. “The loneliest number” 96. Cool in the 80s 97. Milk source 103. 2000 Martin Landau film 105. “I can take ___!” 107. Barely enough 108. When haroseth is eaten 109. Plaintive piece 111. Venomous snake 112. More attractive 113. Econ. indicator 115. Corner piece 116. “So ___” 118. Seine tributary 119. Textile worker 120. It dissolved in Dec. 1991 122. “Long, long time ___” 123. No. for a drive 124. Vane direction 125. “Chicago” lyricist 126. Hearty brew 127. Groove 128. Type of voyage

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