MidCity DC January 2011

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MIDCITY JANUARY 2011



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CONTENTS JANUARY 2011

16

out and about 08 10 16 18 24

COVER: Faith Hunter, Master Yoga Teacher, practicing Yoga on 9th Street, NW. Photo by Jon Ewing. www.faithhunter.com.

Hit the City • Joy Hopkins Calendar • Kathleen Donner Insatiable • Celeste McCall Jazz Avenues • Steve Monroe Retail Therapy • Scott Fazzini

health in 2011 22 24

22

Cultivating Optimism • Ronda Bresnick Hauss Bikrim Yoga Can Help with Arthritis • Kristin Marsh Song

your neighborhood 26 28 30 31 32 33 34 35

The Nose • Anonymous The Numbers: Happy New Year, Multi-State Corporations! • Jenny Reed and Elissa Silverman Bread for the City Gets Even Bigger Bloomingdale Bytes • Amanda Abrams Logan Circles • Mark F. Johnson 14th and U • by Catherine Finn Shaw Streets • Ralph Brabham Holiday Traditions in Shaw • Alexander M. Padro

kids and family

40 at home 36

Kids and Family Notebook • Kathleen Donner

40 42 44 45

Home/Style: Brass Knob Back Door Warehouse Closes • Mark F. Johnson Orchids • Joe Carmack Garden Fairy: Winter and Me • Frank Asher Changing Hands • Don Denton

46

Classifieds


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HILL RAG MID CITY DC EAST OF THE RIVER FAGON COMMUNITY GUIDES

Capital Community News, Inc. 224 7th Street, SE, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20003 202.543.8300 • www.capitalcommunitynews.com EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Melissa Ashabranner melissaashabranner@hillrag.com EDITORIAL STAFF

SOCIETY & EVENTS

MANAGING EDITOR: Andrew Lightman andrew@hillrag.com CFO & ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Maria Carolina Lopez carolina@hillrag.com KIDS & FAMILY EDITOR: Susan Braun Johnson schools@hillrag.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Mary-Frances Daly maryfrances@hillrag.com

Mickey Thompson • socialsightings@aol.com

HOMES & GARDENS Rindy O’Brien - Hill Gardener • rindyob@mac.com Derek Thomas • derek@thomaslandscapes.com Judith Capen • judith.capen@architravepc.com HomeStyle: Mark Johnson • mark@hillrag.com

NEWS & NEIGHBORHOOD REPORTS ARTS, DINING & ENTERTAINMENT ART: Jim Magner • jjmagner@aol.com DINING: Celeste McCall • celeste@hillrag.com HIT THE CITY: Kathleen Donner • kathleen.donner@gmail.com LITERATURE: Karen Lyon • klyon@folger.edu MOVIES: Mike Canning • mjcanning@verizon.net MUSIC: Jean-Keith Fagon • Fagon @hillrag.com Stephen Monroe • samonroe2004@yahoo.com RETAIL THERAPY: Scott Frazini • scott.frazini@gmail.com THEATER: Brad Hathaway • brad@potomacstages.com TRAVEL: Maggie Hall • whitby@aol.com THE WINE GUYS: Jon Genderson • jon@cellar.com

ANC6A:

Tanya Snyder • tanya.c.snyder@gmail.com Hunter Gorinson • hunter.gorinson@gmail.com ANC6C: Hunter Gorinson • hunter.gorinson@gmail.com ANC6D: Roberta Weiner • rweiner_us@yahoo.com BARRACKS ROW: sharon@barracksrow.org H STREET LIFE: Elise Bernard • inked78@hotmail.com THE NOSE: thenose@hillrag.com LOGAN CIRCLE • mark@hillrag.com SHAW • shaw@hillrag.com MOUNT VERNON TRIANGLE • triangle@hillrag.com BLOOMINGDALE • bloomingdale@hillrag.com 14TH & U • 14thandU@hillrag.com

CALENDAR & BULLETIN BOARD

PRODUCTION/GRAPHIC DESIGN

HILL RAG, MIDCITY DC & EAST OF THE RIVER: CALENDAR EDITOR: Kathleen Donner calendar@hillrag.com, bulletinboard@hillrag.com

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WIDE SHOE OUTLET Men’s and Women’s sizes up to 15 EE Brands: Naturalizer • Soft Spots Ros Hommerson • Propet Walking Cradles • InStride Slingshots are Back

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Michelle Evans • invisiblecolours@yahoo.com Celeste McCall • celeste@hillrag.com Heather Schoell • hschoell@verizon.net Tanya Synder • tanya.c.snyder@gmail.com Virginia Avniel Spatz • virginia@hillrag.com Peter Waldron • peter@hillrag.com Kathleen Donner • kathleen.donner@gmail.com Stephanie Deutsch • scd@his.com Paul D. Shinkman - pdshinkman@gmail.com Melanie Sunukjian - melsunuk@gmail.com Shannon Holloway - holloway.shannon@gmail.com

BEAUTY, HEALTH & FITNESS Patricia Cinelli • fitmiss44@aol.com Ronda Bresnick Hauss, LCSW • www.quietwaterscenter.com quiet_waters_center@yahoo.com Peter Sherer • Peter@expmatters.com

KIDS & FAMILY Kathleen Donner • kathleen.donner@gmail.com Susan Johnson • schools@hillrag.com

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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.

PUBLISHER: JEAN-KEITH FAGON • fagon@hillrag.com Copyright © 2010 by Capital Community News. All Rights Reserved.

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by Joy Hopkins

Voices of a Changing Middle East at Theater J Theater J’s Season of Combustible Couplets continues with the Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv’s pro-

future. Director Sinai Peter stages Boaz Gaon’s adaptation of the novella by Ghassan Kanafani. Cameri’s last visit to Washington, DC, brought their acclaimed Hamlet to Signature Theatre in 2007. The Cameri Theatre’s resi-

Return to Haifa leads the charge in the Voices From a Changing Middle East Festival: Portraits of Home. The festival is comprised of nine readings and events, including a new work by the adapter of Return to Haifa, and takes place through the end of February. All performances are $10 each, or a festival pass for all nine events is only $50. Theater J at the Washington District of Columbia Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th Street NW Washington, DC, 202-518-9400 Box Office: 800494-TIXS www.washingtondcjcc.org

Paula Crawford at Long View Gallery

Return to Haifa Artwork by David Polansky

duction of Return to Haifa, the story of a couple returning to the home they fled to learn the fate of the baby they left behind. That baby is now a young soldier in the IDF. He meets his birth parents while cleaving to the Holocaust survivors who raised him as he contemplates his identity and his country’s 8 ◆ Midcity DC | January 2011

dency at Theater J is made possible by several grants at the local, regional and national levels. Return to Haifa will be performed in Hebrew with English sur-titles. The production runs Jan. 15-30. Tickets for preview performances on Jan. 15 and 16 are $30. Regular ticket prices vary from $15-$60.

Long View Gallery is presenting painter Paula Crawford in its DC space through January 16. As her body began displaying symptoms of a then-undiagnosed illness, Crawford’s mind led her to paint walls of spherical forms. Upon her diagnosis of Hepatitis C, the doctor showed her imagery of the diseased cells – clustered spheres, eerily similar to what she had been painting. Through her recovery, the walls of cells have transformed into floors, stretching out toward horizons – replacing a sense of confinement with a sense of space. Crawford says of her work, “I’m attempting to make paintings that fall

between the material and the ideal, between order and disorder, between the scientific and the poetic.” Paula Crawford has had exhibitions in New York, California, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Ohio, and Washington, as well as international shows in Peru, Paraguay, Canada, and Jordan. Born and raised in Berkeley, California, she received her MFA in 1988 from the San Francisco Art Institute, with a year’s residency at the Whitney Museum of American Art Independent Study Program in New York (1984-5). She is currently an Associate Professor of Painting at George Mason University’s School of Art. Long View Gallery opened in 2006 with a mission to highlight local and regional artists. They present monthly exhibitions and host a growing permanent collection. The gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Longview Gallery 1234 9th St NW Washington, DC 202-2324788 www.longviewgallerydc.com

“River Cells 1”, 75 x 75, oil on canvas, 2007-2010


Tell Them, “Shaw Main Streets Sent Me!”

U Street Music Hall Stirs Up Some Trouble Self-proclaimed “Heavy Bass Champions of the World” Trouble & Bass roll into DC for a one-nighter at U Street Music Hall on Jan. 27 at 10 pm. Trouble & Bass is a line-up of hardhitting djs/producers Drop the Lime, Star Eyes, The Captain, and recent addition AC Slater, plus worldwide affiliates including Paris’ Mikix the Cat, Stockholm’s Little Jinder, Philly’s Starkey, Krakow’s Su-

of a Trouble & Bass t-shirt, $5 if you wear a Trouble & Bass shirt, or $10 otherwise. Trouble and Bass is a perfect fit for U Street Music Hall. Opened in March 2010, it’s a DJ-owned and operated basement dance club and live music venue. The 300person capacity room features a first-class sound-system, a 1200 square foot corkcushioned dance-floor, and two bars with a full liquor selection. They also have a limited food menu. U Street Music Hall 1115A U Street NW Washington, DC 202-588-1880 www.

Trouble and bass visionary, Drop the Lime

pra 1, Lisbon’s Zombies For Money, Hell Spawned - Deathface, Melbourne’s Acid Jacks and Jamaica’s 77KLASH. Together they have more than 40 releases. Born four years ago in New York City, Trouble & Bass takes its influences from house, electro, dubstep, drum & bass, metal, and hip-hop, fusing sub-cultures to create a new sound for its audiences – a sound characterized by heavy bass and no rules. Headlining the U Street Music Hall performance is Mikix the Cat and Samo Sound Boy. Admission is free with purchase

ustreetmusichall.com Joy Hopkins has lived in DC for the past 13 years. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Industry from James Madison University and a Master’s degree in Arts Management from American University. She works as a fundraiser in the nonprofit sector. ◆

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calendar

JANUARY Spies of the Civil Rights Movement

Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C. [Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speaking.] on 08/28/1963; Photo Courtesy of National Archives.

MLK EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES Street Art and Jazz. Monday, Jan. 10, 6:308:30 PM. This is the exhibit opening of Picture Equality by youth activist photography group Critical Exposure, and a King-era jazz concert with bassist Herman Burney and vocalist Akua Allrich. Light refreshments served. This event is part of the DC Public Library’s King Week 2011. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW. dclibrary.org/mlkweek Martin Luther King Jr. Lectures: The Montgomery Bus Boycott. Monday, Jan. 10, 7:00 PM. The Birmingham Campaign. Wednesday, Jan. 12, 7:00 PM. Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Neighborhood Library, 1630 Seventh St. NW. 202-727-1288. dclibrary.org/shaw Powerful Words, Vibrant Strokes: Live Mural Painting to Dr. King’s Voice of Social Justice. Tuesday, Jan. 11, 4:30-7:30 PM. Young arts apprentices from Life Pieces to Masterpieces create a bold work of art, live, against an inspiring backdrop of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s voice ofjustice and social protest. Audience energy is welcomed to add to the spirit of the piece. All ages. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW. dclibrary.org/mlkweek Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Portrait Contest. Jan. 10-12, regular library hours. Create a portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in any

10 ◆ Midcity DC | January 2011

Tuesday, Jan. 11, 6:30 PM. International Spy Museum. One of the most shocking aspects of the civil rights era are the spies, smear campaigns, and other dirty tricks the U.S. government used to infiltrate and discredit the movement and its leaders—especially Dr. Martin Luther King. Join Rick Bowers, author of Spies of Mississippi: The True Story of the Spy Network that Tried to Destroy the Civil Rights Movement, for a fascinating, behind-the-scenes view of the operatives who infiltrated the movement in the 1950s and ‘60s. $12.50. 800 F St. NW. 202-393-7798. spymuseum.org

medium and submit it for a library competition. Prizes awarded in different age categories. Winning entries will be displayed during Black History Month. All ages. Northwest One Neighborhood Library, 155 L St. NW. 202-9395946. dclibrary.org/northwest Spy At Night at the International Spy Museum. Every Friday and Saturday night, 6:00 PM. Every Friday and Saturday night. Pick your poison at a full cocktail bar and enjoy food fit for a global arms smuggler – it’s all prepared from the award winning Zola kitchen. Unwind, yes, but don’t let your guard down. $20. 800 F St. NW. 202-393-7798. spymuseum.org Books & Beyond at the Library of Congress. Wednesday, Jan. 12, noon. Kate Masur will discuss and sign her new book An Example for All the Land: Emancipation and the Struggle Over Equality in Washington, DC. Free. Montpelier Room, Madison Building, Library of Congress. 101 Independence Ave. SE. 202707-8000. loc.gov Rise Up, Young Nation!: Voices of Youth Activists. Wednesday, Jan. 12, 6:00 PM. Young people have always been a critical part of progressive social movements. Hear from young area residents who are leading activist efforts around important social justice issues, and get a historical perspective of youth involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. All ages. Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Neighborhood Library, 1630 Seventh St. NW. 202-727-1288. dclibrary.org/shaw

The State of MLK Street (film premier). Thursday, Jan. 13, 7:00 PM. View the documentary “State of MLK Street” that examines the many avenues, boulevards and thoroughfares named after the slain Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Eight young filmmakers traveled to 13 cities across the country to document and discuss what they saw about Dr. King’s legacy of social justice. Inspired by a joke within the African-American community that streets named for Martin Luther King, Jr. are crime-ridden, the students visited streets named for the slain civil rights leader to interview the people who frequent those streets. Guided by A Nu View, a D.C.based organization that teaches high school students to produce documentaries, the film includes interviews of Harry Belafonte, Danny Glover, Judge Joe Brown, author Walter Mosley, Rev. Jesse Jackson, rapper Mos Def and political commentator Jeff Johnson. Discussion follows with the producers. Anacostia Neighborhood Library, 1800 Good Hope Rd. SE. 202-715-7707. dclibrary.org/anacostia Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Program at the Anacostia Community Museum. Friday, Jan. 14, 7:00-9:30 PM. This annual program honors the birthday and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Free. 1901 Fort Pl. SE. 202633-4820. anacostia.si.edu MLK Shabbat: Visions of Justice and Freedom. Friday, Jan. 14, 7:30 PM. Sixth & I Historic Synagogue and Turner Memorial A.M.E.

Church invite you to celebrate the seventh annual MLK Shabbat service commemorating the spirit and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. Musical accompaniment by Turner Memorial Choir and Rak Shalom, a University of Maryland a cappella group. Dessert reception following the service. Free but please RSVP. Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, 600 I St. NW. 202-4083100. sixthandi.org A Conversation with Tavis Smiley and Cornel West. Jan. 14, 7:30 PM. Join one of America’s leading public intellectuals, Cornel West, for a wide-ranging conversation with broadcaster and author Tavis Smiley, on African American history and culture. This event is presented as a preview to the exhibition America I AM: The African American Imprint, which opens Feb. 2 at National Geographic Museum. $20. National Geographic Museum, 17th and M sts. NW. 202-857-7000. nationalgeographic.com Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Family Festival. Jan. 15–17, 10:00 AM-5:30 PM. The National Museum of American History remembers King’s legacy and the contributions of thousands of other Americans to justice and freedom during the Civil Rights Movement with a weekend of special events. Visitors can participate in Student Sit-ins, a Freedom Riders Roundtable Discussion and experience a stirring and inspirational tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as the museum’s Freedom Singers present songs of the Civil Rights Movement, followed by a dramatic presentation of Dr. King’s own words. 202-633-1000. americanhistory.si.edu Poetry Extravaganza: 15th Annual Tribute Honoring the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Saturday, Jan. 15, 1:005:00 PM. Presented by Collective Voices. All ages. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (auditorium A-5), 901 G St. NW. dclibrary. org/mlkweek Service To Serve Haiti Fair. Sunday, Jan. 16, 3:00-6:00 PM. Service of Recommitment, 4:00 PM in the church sanctuary. This event is an ecumenical, inter-faith gathering to commemorate the January 12th, 2010 earthquake that devastated part of Haiti and to engage local citizens in partnering with Haitian organizations actively reconstructing their schools, clinics, and small businesses. The fair is for non-profit partners of Haitian organizations to display their project’s work, seek volunteers and raise material and financial support. Lutheran Church of the Reformation, 212 E. Capitol St. NE. servicetoservehaiti.org


Martin Luther King Day Concert at National Cathedral. Monday, Jan. 17, 2:00 PM. This annual tribute celebrates the legacy of Dr. King through service projects, interfaith dialogue, and performances of our city’s rich music and dance heritage. No reservations are required to attend this program of soulful music and dance. Admission is a donation of either a non-perishable canned food item or a new children’s book. Washington National Cathedral (intersection of Massachusetts and Wisconsin aves. NW). nationalcathedral.org/events MLK Day: Not Just Another Day Off. Monday, Jan. 17, 11:00-1:00 PM. Combining dramatic readings of speeches and poetry, Folger Shakespeare Library celebrates the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. with this free and family-friendly event. Folger Shakespeare Library Fifth Annual MLK Peace Walk. Monday, Jan. 17, assembly at 9:00-10:00 AM at Bethlehem Baptist Church, 2500 MLK, Jr. Ave. SE. Destination and program at 11:30 AM at Covenant Baptist UCC, 3845 So. Capitol St. Bring a new pair of socks and a bar of soap for Haitian earthquake victims. 202-5614101. MLKPeaceWalk.org Wreath-Laying at the Lincoln Memorial. Monday, Jan. 17, 1:00 PM. The National Park Service will place a wreath at the Lincoln Memorial, on the steps where Dr. King gave his 1963 speech. The recitation of the “I Have a Dream” speech will be presented by students of Washington, DC’s Watkins Elementary School. 202-426-6895. nps.gov/linc Alexandria, Virginia MLK Poster Contest Awards. Monday, Jan. 17, 1:00-3:00 PM. Posters on display and prizes awarded. Free. City Hall, 301 K St., Alexandria, VA. 703-746-4356. alexandriava.gov

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Martin Luther King, Jr Holiday Public Skate. Fort Dupont Ice Arena welcomes all skaters on Monday, Jan 17, 1:00-2:20 PM. Children 12 and under and seniors, $4. Skaters 13 and older, $5. Skate rental is $3. 3779 Ely Pl. SE. 202-584-5007. fdia.org Remembrance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Concert. Tuesday, Jan. 18, 7:00 PM,

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12 ◆ Midcity DC | January 2011

the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Arts Consortium and the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop will offer a Remembrance of Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church, Fourth and Independence Ave. SE. Participants in the Remembrance include: Fortissima, Choir of the Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church, Not What You Think, Nuance, Rock Creek Singers of Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., Jubilee Singers of All Souls Unitarian, the Capitol Hill Youth Chorus, and artist Pamela Jafari. The performance will conclude with a special appearance by the youth of the Bokamoso Youth Centre in Winterveldt Township near Pretoria, South Africa who will talk and sing about their challenges and dreams. The event is free and open to the public. The church is accessible and the event will be interpreted for the deaf. 202-547-4102. dcglbtarts.org or chaw.org Civil Rights History: On American Soil. Thursday, Jan. 20, noon. Jack Hamann will discuss On American Soil: How Justice Became a Casualty of WWII, an account of one of the most controversial events in American civil rights and military justice history. In the U.S. Army’s largest and longest court-martial of World War II, 43 African American soldiers were accused of rioting and charged with the murder of an Italian prisoner of war. After dozens of interviews and years of research, Hamann uncovered documents in the National Archives that shed new light on the case and led to justice for the African American soldiers. A book signing will follow the program. National Archives, Jefferson Room, Pennsylvania Ave. at Seventh St. NW. 202-357-5300. archives.gov Greater DC Cares Volunteer Opportunities. On Monday, Jan. 17, Greater DC Cares will continue the proud tradition of honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the role of community service by engaging nearly 2,000 corporate and community volunteers of all ages and backgrounds in service projects throughout Washington, DC, Maryland & Virginia. Join them as they remember his legacy and commitment to service by volunteering with Greater DC Cares! Call 202-777-4441 or register online at greaterdccares.org. Washington, DC Martin Luther King. Jr. National Memorial. Dr. King championed a movement that draws fully from the deep well of America’s potential for freedom, opportunity, and justice. His vision of America is captured in his message of hope and possibility for a future anchored in dignity, sensitivity, and mutual respect; a message that challenges each of us to recognize that America’s true strength lies in its diversity of talents. The vision of a memorial in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. is one that captures the essence of his message, a message in which he so eloquently affirms the commanding tenants of the American Dream — Freedom, Democracy and Opportunity for All; a noble quest that gained him the Nobel Peace Prize and one that continues to influence people and societies throughout the world. Upon reflection, we are reminded that Dr. King’s lifelong dedication to the idea of achieving human dignity through global relationships of well being has served to instill a broader and deeper sense of duty within each of us— a duty to be both responsible citizens and conscientious stewards of freedom and democracy. Keep track of the memorial construction at mlkmemorial.org.

AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD A Girl’s Guide to Washington Politics at Woolly. Through Jan. 9. written and performed by THE SECOND CITY, Chicago’s legendary comedy theatre. Tickets start at $30. 641 D St. NW. 202-393-3939. woollymammoth.net Neighborhood Bingo. Fridays, Jan. 7, 14 and 21, 7:00 PM (doors open at 8:00 PM). Metropolitan Community Church, 474 Ridge St. NW (2 blocks east of the Convention Center Metro, Fifth St. between M and N sts.). Free parking available. 202-297-6884 or bingo@ mccdc.com Shakespeare and the Law. Monday, Jan. 10, 6:30 PM, panel discussion; 7:30 PM, reception. Shakespeare on Happy (and Unhappy) Marriages moderated by Abbe David Lowell, Esq., McDermott Will & Emery with Sanford K. Ain, Esq., Ain & Bank P.C.; Judge Judith Bartnoff, DC Superior Court; Connie Chung, Award-winning journalist; Deborah E. Reiser, Esq., Lerch, Early & Brewer, Chtd. $25. Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F St. NW. RSVP, 202-547-3230 ext. 2312. BardAssociation@ShakespeareTheatre.org Art and Science Lecture Series: Alexis Rockman. Wednesday, Jan. 12, 7:00 PM. In conjunction with the exhibition Alexis Rockman: A Fable for Tomorrow, the American Art Museum presents a lecture series that places the science of climate change within a cultural context. The series invites leading environmental scientists to discuss the problems our planet faces, while experts in cultural fields consider how art can heighten awareness of these issues. Contemporary artist Alexis Rockman launches the series with a talk about his artistic influences and the impact humans have on our planet. Free. American Art Museum, McEvoy Auditorium, Lower Level. Eighth and F sts. N.W. 202-633-7970. americanart.si.edu Magical, Mystical, Musical Machine: Noon Pipe Organ Recital Series. Fridays, Jan. 7, 14, 21 and 28, 12:15-1:00 PM. ...pipe-organ-only focus, a burst of renewed energy, and a fun and interactive approach which will open your eyes to the amazing world of the pipe organ. Free. National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Circle. 202-232-0323. www.nationalcitycc.org “Them” (sci-fi movie). Thursday, Jan. 13, 6:00 PM. Them! (1954, 94 min, directed by Gordon Douglas, starring James Whitmore) Nuclear tests in the desert cause mutations producing giant ants that terrorize the local population. Can the Army keep the menace from spreading across the country? Free. American Art Museum, McEvoy Auditorium, Lower Level. Eighth and F sts. N.W. 202-633-7970. americanart.si.edu Cameri Theatre Production of “Return to Haifa.” Jan. 15-30. A cross-cultural collaboration from the Israeli company that brought their kinetic Hamlet to DC in 2007, this heartrending saga tells the story of Sa’id and Saffiyah, who return to the home they fled and learn the fate of the baby they left behind. Now a young soldier, Dov meets his birth parents while cleaving to the Holocaust survivors


who raised him. Performed in Hebrew with English sur-titles. Tickets start at $30. Washington District of Columbia Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW. 202-5189400. washingtondcjcc.org Washington Studio School Open House. Sunday, Jan. 16, 1:00-3:00 PM. Register early, meet the faculty and join in a free drawing session. 202-234-3030. washingtonstudioschool.org “Lunch Bites” History Lectures at Anderson House. Friday, Jan 21, 12:30 PM. This new series features informal talks by Society of the Cincinnati staff highlighting objects from the Society’s vaults. Free. 2118 Massachusetts Ave. NW. 202-785-2040. societyofthecincinnati.org Marcus: or the Secret of Sweet. Jan. 5-Feb. 13. In this whimsical story of a young boy becoming a man and discovering his sexuality, Marcus risks alienating his loved ones in his own search for love. Past and present, obligation and desire, lust and friendship all collide in the sultry Louisiana heat. $35-$50. The Studio Theatre 1501 14th St. NW. 202-332-3300 studiotheatre.org Evenings at the TM (Textile Museum). Thursdays, Jan. 13 and 27, 6:00 PM. There is a different focus each evening. $20. 2320 S St. NW. 202-667-0441. textilemuseum.org East of the River: Continuity and Change. On exhibit through Jan. Insightfully explores the development of Washington communities east of the Anacostia River from a provocative yet universal perspective: the struggle over land, who owns it, who controls it, who profits from it, and how residents determine their own destiny. The timeline covers the region’s Native Americans’ beginning through the present and into the future. Free. The Historical Society of Washington, DC, 801 K St. NW. 202-3831850. www.historydc.org Fela! National Theatre Live Broadcast in HD. Monday, Jan 17–7:30 PM. Sidney Harman Hall. The Tony Award winning musical Fela! comes to the National with Sahr Ngaujah as Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. $20. 610 F St. NW. 202-547-1122. shakespearetheatre.org Cymbeline by William Shakespeare. Jan. 18-Mar. 6. The Shakespeare Theatre Company premiere of Cymbeline follows Imogen on her search for reconciled love against the backdrop of a colorful and magical journey. Forbidden love, mistaken identities, banishment and a magic potion— Shakespeare combines multiple styles in this endlessly inventive fairy tale. $37-$75. Lansburgh Theatre, 450 Seventh St. NW. 202-5471122. shakespearetheatre.org MidCity Mixer. First Monday of every month, 6:00-8:00 PM. Cafe Saint Ex, Gate 54 (basement), 1847 14th St. NW. 202-265-7839. www.saint-ex.com Phillips after 5. First Thursday of every month, 5:008:30 PM. The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW. Gallery talks. Live jazz. Museum shop. Food. Socializing in the Galleries. Cash Bar. Admission is the price of the current exhibition. 202-387-2151. www.phillipscollection.org First Wednesday Jazz @ The Historical Society. First Wednesday of every month, 6:00-9:00 PM. The Historical Society of Washington, DC, 801 K St. NW. Described as a “motivational mixer” featuring jazz, R&B and neo soul. $10 cover. Food and spirits are extra. 202-3831850. www.historydc.org Rainbow Response Monthly Meeting. Second Wednesday, 7:00 PM. Rainbow Response is a grassroots coalition that brings together organizations and leaders from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning

(LGBTQ) communities, along with traditional domestic violence service providers and government agencies. They collaborate to increase the awareness about Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) amid the relationships of LGBTQ individuals, educating within the LGBTQ communities and beyond. DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 5 Thomas Circle, NW. 202-299-1181 x105. rainbowresponse.org Dupont Circle Farmers’ Market. Sundays year round (rain or shine), 9:00 AM-1:00 PM. The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times of London named the market one of the top farmers’ markets in the country. During the peak season, there are more than 30 farmers offering fruits and vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, cheeses, fruit pies, breads, fresh pasta, cut flowers, potted plants, soaps and herbal products. 20th St. and Mass. Ave. NW, 1500 block of 20th St. NW (between Mass. Ave. and Q St. in the adjacent parking lot of PNC Bank). 202-362-8889. www. freshfarmmarket.org Art & Coffee at the American Art Museum. Year round, Wednesdays through Sundays, 1:30 PM. Learn about the more than 3,300 treasures of the Luce Foundation Center for American Art during this tour/talk. Afterwards, enjoy a complimentary cup of coffee or tea. Meet in the F Street Lobby. Free--walk-in. Eighth and F sts. N.W. 202-6337970. americanart.si.edu

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SPORTS, DANCE AND PHYSICAL FITNESS 2011 Predictions & Resolutions 5K. Saturday, Jan. 1, noon-1:30 PM. Out-and-Back 5K course on the Mount Vernon Tail starting near Key Bridge. $5. 2100 North Lynn St., Arlington, VA. email ben@dcroadrummers.org. dcroadrunners.org Georgetown Men’s Basketball at the Verizon Center. Jan. 1, 8, 12, 26 and 31. Buy and sell tickets at the “Stub Hub” on the Hoyas website. guhoyas.com Washington Capitals Ice Hockey. Jan. 4, 8, 14, 16 and 24 at the Verizon Center. Buy and sell tickets on teamexchange.ticketmaster.com. Visit the Washington Capitals website at http://capitals.nhl.com. Washington Wizards Basketball. Jan. 1, 7, 11, 15, 17, 21, 22 and 25 at the Verizon Center. nba.com/wizards Yoga Classes. Every Tuesday, 6:30 PM. Free. NW1 Neighborhood Library, 155 L St. NW. 202-939-5946. dclibrary. org/northwest Aquafitness at the Jewish Community Center. Mondays and Wednesays, 7:00-8:00 PM. A fun workout in the pool with emphasis on aerobic movement. This class will raise your heart rate and get you in shape. $8. Washington District of Columbia Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW. 202-518-9400. washingtondcjcc.org Senior AquaFitness at the Jewish Community Center. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:00-10:00 AM. This class combines low impact aerobic movements and gentle stretching in the pool. Builds muscle tone and heart rate through water resistance. $8. Washington District of Columbia Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW. 202518-9400. washingtondcjcc.org Kung Fu and Tai Chi at the Historical Society of Washington, DC. Every Saturday (rain or shine). Kung Fu, noon; Tai Chi, 1:00 PM. Suitable for all ages. Kung Fu is a broad term that is used to describe all martial arts of Chinese origin. The ancient art of Tai Chi is a style of Kung Fu that emphasizes internal energy. Free. No RSVP required. Historical Society of Washington, DC, 801 K St.

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NW (Mount Vernon Square). 202-383-1850. www.historydc.org East Potomac Tennis Center (indoor courts). Open daily. Indoor courts available year round at 70 degrees. 7:00 AM-10:00 PM. Winter indoor court fees are $17-$36/ hour depending on the time. 1090 Ohio Dr. SW (East Potomac Park). 202-554-5962. eastpotomactennis.com Southeast Tennis and Learning Center (indoor courts). Open daily; Monday through Saturday, 9:00 AM-9:00 PM; Sunday, 9:00 AM-6:00 PM. Four indoor courts. Six outdoor courts. Summer hourly fees at $6 to $10 for adults. Kids 17 and under play for free. 701 Mississippi Ave. SE. 202-645-6242. dpr. dc.gov/dpr 2011 Al Lewis 10 Miler. Saturday, Jan. 8, 9:00 AM-noon. Although this is in Rock Creek Park, it is not a flat course and has some nice hills after Mile 1 and along the portions of the course parallel to Military Rd. and Oregon Ave. $5. Meadowbrook Recreation Center, 7901 Meadowbrook Lane, Chevy Chase, MD. Contact aaron@dcraodrummers.org. dcroadrunners.org Ice Skating at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden. Open through Mid March (depending on the weather). Monday through Thursday, 10:00 AM-9:00 PM; Friday and Saturday, 10:00 AM-11:00 PM; Sunday, 11:00 AM-9:00 PM. View magnificent works of sculpture while skating in the open air and enjoying music from the state-of-the-art sound system. $7 for adults, $6 for children 12 and under, students with ID and seniors 50 and over. Skate rental is $3. Seventh St. and Constitution Ave. NW. 202-289-3361. nga.gov/ginfo/skating Fort Dupont Ice Arena Public Skating. Fridays in Jan., noon-1:50 pm; Saturdays in Dec., 11:15 AM-12:15 PM. $5, adults. $4, children and seniors. Skate rental, $3. 3779 Ely Place, SE. 202-584-5007. fdia.org National Marathon and Half-Marathon Registration Open. The race is Saturday, Mar. 26, 7:00 AM. The National Marathon is the only marathon held entirely within the boundaries of the District of Columbia. The races begin and end at RFK Stadium, 2400 E. Capitol St. providing the opportunity to run past all of the historic monuments, museums and corridors of the city. This course is the fastest flat-looped marathon in the country and is a Boston Marathon qualifying race. Registration is $105. Half Marathon is $85. Register online at nationalmarathon.com. NBC4 Health and Fitness Expo. Saturday, Jan. 15-Sunday, Jan. 16, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM. More than 200 health care providers, businesses, and non-profit organizations will be on site at the Expo. They will provide free assessments, advice and information, and tests, screenings and services. Also, raffles and giveaways, blood drive, dancing, healthy cooking stage and a Winter Olympics pavilion. Free. Washington Convention Center. nbcwashington.com 2011 JFK 20 & MLK 5K (low key) Races. Saturday, Jan 15, 9:00 AM-noon. This race will

14 ◆ Midcity DC | January 2011

feature both a 20K and a 5K out and back on the Capital Crescent Trail. Register online before the race, there will be only a limited number of same day registrations. Online registration will close at 11:30 P.M. on Jan. 14. $5. 3700 Water St. NW (Georgetown). 301233-7147. dcroadrunners.org Volunteer Nights at the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. Typically held on the first and third Wednesday of each month, 6:30-8:30 PM, they invite everyone and anyone to come by the WABA office and assist with the latest project. Tasks might include preparing materials for an upcoming events, stuffing envelops for membership mailings and anything else needed at the time. 2599 Ontario Rd. NW. 202.518.0524. waba.org Gentle Morning and Evening Yoga at Smith Farm Center. Mondays, 10:15-11:30 AM, and Wednesdays, 5:30-6:45 PM. Designed for people living with illness and caregivers. $10/ session; $25/month. 1632 U St. NW. 202-4838600. www.smithfarm.com.

month. 7:30-9:30 PM. Yale Steam Laundry, 437 New York Ave. NW. lifein.mvsna.org U Street Neighborhood Association Meeting. Wednesday, Oct. 13, 7:00-8:30 PM. Source (second floor classroom), 1835 14th St. NW PSA 101/Downtown Neighborhood Association Meeting. Second Tuesday of every month. 6:30-8:00 PM. Calvary Baptist Church, 755 Eighth St. NW (entrance on Eighth St. between G and H). www.dcdna.org Public Safety 305 Monthly Meeting. First Tuesday of every month. 7:00-8:15 PM. DC Housing Finance Agency, 815 Florida Ave. NW. Monthly meeting with MPD, Howard U. Police, residents, community groups and others. publicsafety305.csnadc.org PSA 308 Meeting. Second Thursday of every month. 6:30-8:00 PM. Kennedy Recreation Center, 1401 Seventh St. NW. Lieutenant Jeffery Carroll, MPD Third District, 1620 V St. NW. Cell 202-437-8198. jefferyw.carroll@ dc.gov

Sunday Road Ride. Every Sunday, meet at 8:30 AM, depart by 8:45 AM. The Bike Rack. A 40-mile, moderately paced ride that emphasizes group riding techniques, newcomers to the group riding are welcome as riders regroup throughout, so that nobody is left behind. Helmets mandatory. Free. 1412 Q St. NW. 202387-BIKE. www.bikerackdc.com.

PSA 501 Monthly Meeting. Third Wednesday of every month. 7:00-8:30 PM. Harry Thomas Recreation Center, 1743 Lincoln Rd. NE

Saturday Road Ride. Every Saturday, meet at 10 AM, depart by 10:15 AM. The Bike Rack. The Saturday ride is more of an introductory ride and caters to road riders who are new to the sport, hybrid riders intimidated by the faster pace of the Sunday ride, and anyone who just wants a shorter (approx. 20 to 30 miles) and slower (12 to 14 mph) pace. Helmets mandatory. Free. 1412 Q St. NW. 202387-BIKE. www.bikerackdc.com.

ANC 1B Meeting. First Thursday of every month. 7:00 PM. Reeves Center, 2000 14th St. NW (second floor). 202-870-4202. anc1b.org

CIVIC LIFE All-Ways Mount Pleasant. First Saturday of every month, noon-2:00 PM. LaCasa. All-Ways is a citizen’s association primarily for the tenants of the larger apartment buildings of Mount Pleasant. 3166 Mt. Pleasant St. NW. aa-ss.org Convention Center Community Association. Last Tuesday of every month. 7:00-8:30 PM. Kennedy Rec Center, 1401 Seventh St. NW. www.ccca-online. Eckington Civic Association. First Monday of every month. 7:00-8:30 PM. Harry Thomas Recreation Center, 1743 Lincoln Rd. NE. www. eckingtondc.org Edgewood Civic Association Meeting. Last Monday of every month. 7:00-9:00 PM. Edgewood senior building, 635 Edgewood St. NE, nineth floor7-9pm. They encourage all Eckington and Edgewood residents to come out and take part in the lively civic life of our communities. www.theedgewoodcivicassociationdc.org Mount Vernon Square Neighborhood Association Meeting. Third Tuesday of every

ANC 1A Meeting. Second Wednesday of every month. 7:00 PM. Harriet Tubman Elementary School, 3101 13th St. NW. 202-588-7278. anc1a.org

ANC 1B11 Meeting. Second Monday of every month, 7:00 PM. LeDroit Senior Building (basement community room), 2125 Fourth St. NW. 202-481-3462. www.anc1b.org ANC 1C Meeting. Third Tuesday of every month. Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Health, 2355 Ontario Rd. NW. 202-332-2630. anc1c.org ANC 1D Meeting. Third Tuesday of every month. 7:00 PM. 3166 Mount Pleasant St. NW. 202- 462-8692. anc1d.org ANC 2C Meeting. First Wednesday of every month. 6:30-8:30 PM. Watha T. Daniel Library, 1630 Seventh St. NW (new location). 202682-1633. anc2C.org ANC 6C Planning, Zoning and the Environment Committee Meeting. First Wednesday of every month, 7:00-8:00 PM. NPR Headquarters, 635 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Contact Planning, Zoning and the Environment Committee Chair Rob Amos at robamos@yahoo.com. anc6c.org ANC6C Alcoholic Beverage Licensing Committee Meeting. First Tuesday of every month. 7:00-8:30 PM. To verify the meeting location, contact Committee Chair Anne Phelps at anne. phelps@ gmail.com or 202-607-7826.

OUT OF TOWN International Saxophone Symposium. Friday, Jan. 7, 3:00-7:00 PM, 8:00 PM concert; Saturday, Jan. 8, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM, 8:00

PM concert. The event is brought about for the enjoyment and fulfillment of all members of the general community. Because of this mission, they have one of the largest audiences of any saxophone-only event in the country today. All concerts, clinics, recitals and master classes are free, open to the public, and no tickets are required. George Mason University Center for the Arts. 703-993-2787. navyband.navy.mil Art Night at the Torpedo Factory. Second Thursday of every month, 6:00-9:00 PM. Browse open studios and galleries, interact with artists, and enjoy refreshments. Enjoy special programming and exhibition receptions throughout the year. Free. Torpedo Facrory Art Center, 105 North Union St., Alexandria, VA. 703-838-4565. torpedofactory.org Rosslyn Lighting the Washington Skyline. Skyline lit through Jan. 31. Rosslyn property owners participate in LIGHT UP Rosslyn by placing holiday lights along the rooftops of their buildings. Over the past two years most Rosslyn buildings have gone green, changing all of their rooftop lights to energy-efficient LED bulbs. The result is an 80 percent energy savings compared to traditional lights. rosslynva.org F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Gravesite. Open daily. Fitzgerald died at age 44 on December 21, 1940, in Hollywood. After his wife, Zelda, died in a sanitarium fire on March 11, 1948, she was buried with him beneath a common headstone. Fitzgerald had once written that, “I wouldn’t mind a bit if in a few years Zelda and I could snuggle up together under a stone in some graveyard. That is really a happy thought, and not melancholy at all.” Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was the namesake and second cousin three times removed of the author of the National Anthem--see next entry. Saint Mary’s Cemetery, 520 Veirs Mill Rd. (Rockville Pike at Veirs Mill Rd.), Rockville, MD. stmarysrockville.org Fort McHenry (Birthplace of the National Anthem). Grounds open daily, 8:00 AM-5:00 PM. It was the valiant defense of the starshaped Fort McHenry by 1,000 dedicated Americans during the Battle of Baltimore in 1814 that inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner.” 2400 E. Fort Ave., Baltimore, MD nps.gov/fomc Arlington National Cemetery. Open daily. October through March, 8:00 AM-5:00 PM. Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier every hour, on the hour. Occupying 612 acres of hillside overlooking the Potomac River, Arlington National Cemetery was founded on 200 acres confiscated from the family of Robert E. Lee’s wife. It was intended to be a cemetery for Union soldiers of the Civil War. 703-607-8000. arlingtoncemetery.org ◆


Public Programs at the Anacostia Community Museum Jan. 8 The Music of West Africa, 2 p.m. Brother Ah and the Sound of Awareness Ensemble lead a workshop that provides a compelling introduction to the rhythms of traditional Africa. Jan. 9 Rhythm Café: “The Long Awaited Return-Home Again”, 2 p.m. In the final installment of David Vandy’s three-part series that offers traditional dancing with masks and music, the long-awaited Gullah relatives return to Sierra Leone to the welcoming arms of a proud people eager for their kinfolk’s arrival.With stories from the unknown land, the homecoming celebrations are filled with emotions, tears, and laughter. Jan. 11 The Sierra Leone-Gullah Link, Part 1, 7 p.m. Journalist Kwame “Cumale” Fitzjohn moderates this series analyzing the relationships between the Sierra Leone and Gullah cultures. E. Frances White, a New York University professor, discusses the market place, role of female vendors, rice crops and other commonalities between Gullahs and Sierra Leoneans. Part 2: Jan. 28. Jan. 14 Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Program, 7-9 p.m. Annual program features keynoter FOX News analyst Juan Williams followed by a dialogue with Essence Magazine White House correspondent Cynthia Gordy. Performance by Taratibu Pan African steppers. Free admission but reservations requested. For more information, call 202.633.4875; for reservations, email ACMrsvp@si.edu. At National Museum of Natural History, Baird Auditorium Constitution Avenue at 10th Street NW. Jan. 15 Inspired by the African Gullah Traditions, 10:30 a.m. Inspired by African and Gullah traditions, create your own personalized mojo, an inspirational charm, from a variety of familiar found objects and everyday materials. Artist Camilla Younger leads the workshop. Jan. 22 Washington’s Dance Party (45 min film), 1 p.m. Documentary Dance Party: The Teenarama Story (2006) examines the popular TV dance programs of the 1950s and 1960s.Teenarama aired on the former WOOK-TV channel 14 from 1963 to 1970 and provided a social outlet for Washington, D.C., black teens. Followed by discussion with filmmakers, show producer and participants. Jan. 23 The Language You Cry In (52 min. film), 2 p.m. This film traces the memory of a African American family to their ancestral roots through a Mende (Sierra Leone) funeral song based on linguist Lorenzo Dow Turner’s 1930s research of a song from Ga. Sea Islander Amelia Dawley. Jan. 28 The Sierra Leone-Gullah Link, Part 2, 7 p.m. Journalist Kwame “Cumale” Fitzjohn moderates part 2 of this series analyzing of the relationships between the Sierra Leone and Gullah cultures. Arthur Abraham, a Virginia State University professor and consultant on the Mende of Sierra Leone for the Amistad movie, discusses Mende history and culture. Jan. 29 Folk tales from Africa to the Americas, 10:30 a.m. Master storyteller Baba-C shares his unique blend of interactive storytelling through West African, Afro-Brazilian, and Gullah tales imparting life lessons and featuring Anansi the Spider, Bossy Elephant, and others. Feb. 3 Black Seminoles: The Gullah That Got Away, 7 p.m. Word Shout Song: curator Alcione Amos, explains how Black Seminoles, who now live in three countries, were originally Gullah people who fled SC and Ga. into Fla. Editor of the book ,The Black Seminoles: History of a Freedom Speaking People, Amos will tell the story of a people who kept their language and traditions despite enslavement. Feb. 5 The Music of West Africa, 10:30 a.m. (see Jan. 8). REMINDER: All events are free, open to the public and require reservations which may be made at 202.633.4844 unless otherwise indicated. 1901 Fort Pl. SE, Open 10am-5pm daily except Dec. 25. 202.633.4820 anacostia.si.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

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out and about

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+ Dining

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By Celeste McCall

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repast will feature chef Kyle nel and mint; uring the first Bailey’s menu of “bellies,” *Pappardelle with goat belly radecade of the each selection comple- gout, root vegetables and Parmesan; new millennium, Washington’s vibrant, midmented by a different beer. *Braised lamb belly with Israeli city neighborhoods welChoosing the brewskis couscous, roasted pickled red pepcomed numerous restauwill be Neighborhood Res- pers, cumin and garlic (the flavors rants–and their chefs. Most taurant Group beer director of merguez); Greg Engert. (He should *Apple “piggy” pie with sour recently, Eatonville Resnot have a problem finding cream ice cream, all slathered with taurant, adjacent to sister appropriate potables; Birch bacon caramel sauce. establishment Busboys and & Barley’s inventory conA Logan Circle favorite since Poets just off U Street NW, tains 555 “artisinal” variet- 2009, Birch & Barley copped the has hired a new top toque: ies.) As if the above menu 2010 RAMMY (awarded by the Garret Fleming. Located is not filling enough, pas- Restaurant Association of Metroat 2121 14th St. NW, near try chef Tiffany MacIsaac politan Washington) for Best New the bustling U street corhas created an equally fat- Restaurant. Located at 1337 14th ridor, Eatonville debuted in 2009. The geographic tening dessert. Street NW, Birch & Barley is open moniker comes from the Eatonville Executive Chef Garret Fleming Are you ready? Here’s Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday Florida hometown of Afrithe Birch & Barley “beer from 5-10 p.m.; Friday and SaturEatonville owner Andy Shallal can American author Zora belly” lineup: day 5-11 p.m. Call 202-567-2576 is “very excited about Chef Garret Neale Hurston. *Crudo of hamachi (tuna) belly or visit www.birchandbarley.com. Born in Charleston, South Fleming’s passion, creativity and with grapefruit beads, pickled fenCarolina, Fleming developed his confidence in the kitchen.” Eatonskills in his family kitchen, creating ville restaurant is open Low Country meals with ingre- daily; call 202-332dients plucked from his mother’s 6432 or www.eatongarden. Fleming then graduated villerestaurant.com. from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois where he studied philoso- Logan Circle phy, French and music. His passion Pigout for the culinary arts was stirred by In case you have travels through France and Italy. already started slackAfter graduation, Fleming cooked ing off on New in several North Carolina restau- Year’s resolutions like rants before attending the Culinary healthy eating and Institute of America in Hyde Park, gym workouts, here’s New York. Fleming arrives at Ea- something fun and tonville after wielding his whisk definitely NOT inat Stella’s in Castine, Maine. Since cluded in the South settling in Washington, Execu- Beach Diet. Birch tive Chef Fleming has visited local & Barley (in Logan markets and farmers. Thus inspired, Circle), is throwing a he has introduced Eatonville din- “beer bellies” dinner ers to “heritage” Southern cooking January 31. Starting at Birch & Barley copped the 2010 RAMMY (awarded by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington with a “Garret Fleming flair.” 7 p.m., the four-course for Best New Restaurant.

16 ◆ Midcity DC | January 2011


Winter Warming Just when winter is settling in for a long cold haul, here are a couple of fun, warming culinary activities: Near Mount Vernon Square, Acadiana restaurant, 901 New York Ave. NW, is introducing an “early bird” deal. Offered daily (including weekends), the special runs from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. For just $35, diners may choose from numerous options for a first and third course. For the second plate, they select any entree–perhaps Louisiana seafood gumbo, stuffed flounder or pork t-bone–from the regular menu. It’s sort of like “Restaurant Week” year around, we’ve been told. For more information call 202408-8848 or visit www.acadianarestaurant.com.

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A Scotch Tasting at DC Coast On January 15, DC Coast, 1401 K St. NW (in the Tower Building) is hosting a scotch tasting. Besides sampling 10 fine scotches (including some rare whiskies from the Highlands, Speyside, and Islay), you will learn about the history and production of scotch from wine and beverage director Scott Clime. Priced at $75 per person, the tasting goes from 1 to 3 p.m. Don’t worry, you won’t have to drink on an empty stomach. Executive chef Brendan Cox and his staff will prepare a very good lunch to complement the whisky sipping. For more information call 202-216-5988 or www.dccoast.com. ◆ capitalcommunitynews.com ◆ 17


out and about

+ Music

JAZZ AVENUES by Steve Monroe

Best wishes for 2011 Happy New Year’s wishes first of all to our senior masters, including Buck Hill, Butch Warren, George Botts, and Nasar Abadey and James King and Steve Novosel among others. Here’s that we see more venues for Hill to do his magic on saxophone, and for good crowds at Columbia Station where Warren holds forth with his special artistry that has led the way for bass players for a couple of generations now. Much success is hoped for Abadey’s new CD “Diamond in the Rough,” as well as for King’s “Allen’s Odyssey” and Benito Gonzalez’ “Circles” recordings. Keep up the good work Omrao Brown at the Bohemian Caverns, where Tim Warfield was featured recently for some smoking sessions, and the venue’s Liv space upstairs, where Hammett Bluett celebrated

his birthday to a packed house in inimitable freeform mode that September afternoon. Great wishes also for paying customers to go with fine players at all the venues for real jazz, including Twins Jazz, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Westminster Church’s Jazz Night, the Madison Hotel, Johnny’s Half Shell, and of course the mainstays, the Kennedy Center and Blues Alley. Best of luck to Tony Puesan in his HR-57’s new location for 2011 on H Street Northeast, a happening that should be a boost for that community’s ongoing redevelopment and economic development happenings. And thanks for all those memories from the old 14th street location, where many of the young jazz stars in the area got their first real break during the fabled HR-57 jam sessions. And of course another good year for Charlie Fishman and his D.C. Jazz Festival as it continues to spin its own legacy of performances by the masters and instructional sessions and staging grounds for young players to come into their own. And a very happy birthday to D.C.’s own drummer Jimmy Cobb on Jan. 20, along with homage to Cedar Walton, whose birthday is the 17th, with thanks for the memories for that long ago One Step Down session.

January Highlights: Mose Allison, Jan. 6-9, Blues Alley … “Allen’s Odyssey” with James King, Jan. 7, Westminster Church … Roy Hargrove, Jan. 8, Kennedy Center … Marshall Keys, Jan 15-16, Bohemian Caverns … Trio Caliente, Jan. 18, Blues Alley … David Sanchez, Jan. 19, Blues Alley … Eddie Palmieri-Bryan Lynch, Jan. 20-23, Blues Alley … The music of Wayne Shorter Jeff Antoniuk, Jazz Update, Jan. 22, Twins Jazz … Tedd Baker Quartet, Jan. 22-23, Bohemian Caverns … Sharon Clark Quintet, Jan. 28, Westminster Church … Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Jan. 30, Kennedy Center …

Learn jazz, in Depth...

Happy New Year’s wishes to sax master Buck Hill. 18 ◆ Midcity DC | January 2011

In conjunction with the Jan. 22 date at Twins Jazz by Jeff Antoniuk and Jazz Update, with guest trumpeter Alex Norris, the next day, Sunday Jan. 23 is the first inDepth Jazz Clinic of the year, “Winter Tune Up: The Music of Wayne Shorter,” for instrumentalists and vocalists. The clinic, from 1 to 5:30 p.m., is billed “for ALL levels of students, from beginners to pros,” at Mt. Vernon Place United Methodist Church, 900 Massachusetts Ave., N.W. The clinic is being presented by Antoniuk, the inDepth Jazz artistic director, University of Maryland bass instructor Tom Baldwin, Virginia Commonwealth University drum professor Tony Martucci and George Mason University pianist Wade Beach. As a quartet this group re-

January Birthdays: Frank Wess 4; Kenny Clarke 9; Max Roach 10; Jay McShann 12; Melba Liston, Joe Pass 13; Gene Krupa 15; Cedar Walton 17; Jimmy Cobb 20; J.J. Johnson 22; Gary Burton 23; Antonio Carlos Jobim 25; Bobby Hutcherson 27; Roy Eldridge 30.


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Roy Hargrove performs Jan. 8 at the Kennedy Center.

ceived widely favorable reviews for their 2010 CD “Brotherhood.” The inDepth promotional material says of the clinic, “If you have never played in a jazz setting, THIS IS FOR YOU! Participants just need to have a basic to intermediate level of understanding and proficiency on their instrument. Leave the rest to us.” Tuition is $170, and for auditors $125, for vocalists and instrumentalists who won’t be playing their instrument. To enroll or for more information, call 410-2956691 or visit the registration page at indepthjazz.com.

MAJF returns… Speaking of festivals, here’s to more success for Paul Carr, a frequent performer around D.C., and his second annual Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival next month in Rockville. Scheduled for Feb. 18-21 at the Hilton Washington DC/Rockville Hotel & Execu-

tive Meeting Center, performers include Carr’s Jazz Academy Ensemble, Nasar Abadey and Super Nova, Jimmy Heath, Eric Alexander, Bootsie Barnes and Tim Warfield, in a tenor saxophone summit, the Blues Alley Youth Jazz Band, Randy Brecker, Sharon Clark, Allyn Johnson, Michael Thomas and the Paul Carr Quintet. Also featured is the MAJF High School Jazz Band Competition, which is to include 12 high school jazz bands from the MidAtlantic states, including North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, D.C., West Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. See midatlanticjazzfestival.org for more information. ◆

t i h s a h C D y t MidCi ! R E T T I W T D N A K O O B E C FA “Like” MidCity DC to stay on top of your local community news on FACEBOOK

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out and about

+ Shopping

RETAIL THERAPY RETAI RETAI RETAI LRETAIL LTHER RETAIL L THER RETAIL THER RETAIL AP TH RETAIL AP TH YAP ERA YERA TYHERA TPY HERA TPY HERA PYPY PY by Scott Fazzini

Dr. K’s

The newest kid on the block, Dr. K’s is a droll-worthy vintage store of unparalleled content. Shop founder Somkiat Umberd has been in the business for over twenty years . Beginning his career working with designers and large manufacturers such as J.Crew (he still does), Somkiat buys vintage American heritage brands specializing in workwear and collegiate attire. He was quick to show me a Princeton sweater ($79) a la Amory Blaine. Unfortunately, it wasn’t my size. I did, however, snag a pair of leather Ralph Lauren double strap slip-ons that have yet to leave my feet. We consumers in America are trending towards a revolutionary approach to shopping. We want products that are domestically manufactured from storied American retailers who were pioneers, and that remind us of our dissolved can-do attitude. This criteria is often times difficult to find in modern manufacturing, so we look to the past. Dr. K carries classic Woolworth cardigans ($79), LL Bean work boots ($39), and stylish Ralph Lauren leather loafers ($39) to name a few. In an industry that unabashedly caters to ladies, it’s refreshing to experience a shop that puts as much effort into its men’s selection as it does its ladies.

Muleh

Dr. K. in the flesh! Photo: Scott Fazzini 20 ◆ Midcity DC | January 2011

A study in modern design. Photo: Scott Fazzini

The concept of “Lifestyle” shopping (think Ralph Lauren) is becoming increasingly popular. Retailers are working to sell consumers not just a product, but the environment that complements it. Muleh is the type of establishment built on this idea. Walking into the store you’re welcomed by a dining room display topped with the Little People light fixture ($530) surrounded by mannequins dressed for a chic cocktail party--I knew I should have thrown on my party bow tie. This shop is wide-open and serenely simple in design. Furniture, like the softly sculpted Bloom Lounge Chair ($2,465) from Kenneth Coboque mingles effortlessly with delicate silk dresses and chunky jewelry such as the Paula Mendoza Ruiz Necklace of raw emeralds ($1,400). In another area of the store, starkly merchandised, you’ll find a rack of dark edgier clothing complementing the Ango Seventh Stone ($3,520) light fixture of towering proportions. This is not an inexpensive store, but one well worth a visit. Sorry men, Muleh carries only home furnishings and ladies clothing and accessories. Although you might not be able to purchase any clothes for yourself, I’m sure that any woman in your life would appreciate a gift from this fine establishment.


Tell Them, “Shaw Main Streets Sent Me!”

Pulp

This shop is not only a constant source of comic relief for me (often blush-inducing), but of inspiration and delight as well. Friendly staff members are eager to show you the newest products -- Bear Wash ($12.50), shampoo for beards, and Cub Scrub ($8.95), soap for cubs?--are but two examples. The place is layered from floor to ceiling, so be sure to set aside enough time to thoroughly peruse. Pulp has your back for all occasions. Holidays? Witty cards from Fresh Frances ($17.95 for a box of eight) should suffice. They even carry all of the supplies necessary to host a swank party. So, if you’re suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) swing by Pulp for a healthy dose of shopping more powerful than prescription strength Wellbutrin. Tongue-in-cheek wit reigns supreme here. Photo: Scott Fazzini

Good Wood

Described by owners, Dan and Anna Kahoe, as “An American Mercantile and Dry Goods Store” the venerable Good Wood is reinventing the shopping experience. In recent months the store has layered new merchandise and vintage clothing into their already stellar product assortment creating a retail happening akin to an authentic Ralph Lauren, Anthropologie, and Free People all wrapped up in one hep package. Dan, a champion in the field of scouting, combs the Eastern Seaboard in search of antiques and artifacts ranging from a 19th century farm table ($689) to a substantial metal sign salvaged from the facade of an old Pennsylvanian department store. Meanwhile, wife Anna, co-owner of the design firm Old School Interiors, curates collections that compliment Dan’s finds. In the haberdashery Assouline books such as, American Fashion Menswear ($50), mingle with vintage leather shoes (starting at $28) and stacks of wool Pendleton shirts ($28) resting atop a large, and amazingly relevant, victorian desk. In another part of the store you’ll enjoy a display featuring vintage evening gloves, new American made Simpatico candles ($24), and fragrances from storied French perfume house Lubin, such as Gin Fizz ($135) which was first created in the 1950’s for Grace Kelly. Good Wood is, by the way, the only retailer in the District who carries Lubin. With inventory as transient as this great city itself, Good Wood affords shoppers the opportunity to revisit often with familiar feel, but completely new experiences. ◆ An American Mercantile and Dry Goods Store. Photo: Scott Fazzini

capitalcommunitynews.com ◆ 21


Health in 2011

“I have had dreams and I have had nightmares, but I have conquered my nightmares because of my dreams.” Dr. Jonas Salk

Cultivating Optimism Learning How to Be An Optimistic Person by Ronda Bresnick Hauss, LCSW

I

t’s the start of a new year and with it comes the opportunity to be happier and healthier. One key tool for increasing happiness, according to Martin Seligman, author of the book, Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life, is to learn to be an optimistic person. People with an optimistic way of seeing the world are likely to be healthier, more successful and happier in life. Optimism can be cultivated with practice.

universal causes and that good events are caused by specific factors. For example, a pessimist might think, “All teachers are unfair” rather than “my math teacher is unfair”. Or, “I’m smart at math” rather than “I’m a smart person.”

Personalization: •

Is the Glass Half Empty or Half Full? What are the qualities that make one person optimistic and another pessimistic? According to Seligman, a person’s habitual way of explaining bad events is learned in childhood and adolescence and stems directly from whether they think they are valuable and deserving or worthless and hopeless. There are three dimensions to a person’s style of explaining events: permanence, pervasiveness and personalization.

Permanence: •

If a person thinks about bad things that happen in an permanent way - alway’s and never’s - they have a pessimistic style. If however, bad events are blamed on transient conditions sometime’s and lately’s - a person has an optimistic style. For example, the pessimist might say, “I’m all washed up”, while the optimist might say, “I am simply exhausted”. In contrast, if a person thinks about good events that happen as having permanent causes - traits, abilities, always’s, they are more optimistic than a person who believes that good events are temporary. For example, the pessimist might say, “I try hard” while the optimist might say, “I’m a talented person”.

Pervasiveness: •

The optimist sees bad events as having specific causes while good events enhance everything that they do. For example, an optimist might think, “This book is useless” rather than “all books are useless.” Or, “I was charming” rather than “I was charming to her.” The pessimist believes that bad events have

22 ◆ Midcity DC | January 2011

The optimist tends to find external reasons for bad events. For example, “I have no luck at poker” rather than, “I have no talent at poker”. The pessimist tend to internalize or blame themselves for bad events. For example, “I am an insecure person” rather than, “I grew up in poverty.”

The Consequences of Pessimism Martin Segliman is straightforward about the consequences of a pessimism. A person with a more pessimistic style is likely to get depressed easily. They are likely to be achieving less at work than their talents warrant, and their physical health and immune system are probably not what they should be. A person who has an average amount of pessimism may be fine in ordinary times but may find that in a crisis, they get more depressed than they should. For example, when they are rejected by someone they love or don’t get the job they want, they may find that the future feels bleak and the zest has gone out of living. They might feel this way for weeks or perhaps months. So how do we raise our everyday level of optimism?

The Optimistic Life The optimist faces the same set backs and tragedies that befall the pessimist in life but the optimist is more resilient and weathers life better. Learned optimism comes from the power of developing “non-negative” thinking. The following are some of the skills that promote an optimistic style of thinking. Disputing Your Belief: Look for an alternative explanation for the adversity besides one that implies the setback is permanent, unchangeable and pervasive.

Distancing: Recognize that your beliefs are just that - beliefs and not facts. Just because you feel that you are a failure does not make it a fact - it is a belief. It is essential to stand back and suspend belief for a moment - distance yourself for your pessimistic explanation long enough to verify it’s accuracy. Evidence: The most convincing way to dispute a negative belief is to show that it is not factually correct. Ask yourself - “what evidence do I have that this point of view is true?” Alternatives: There are usually multiple causes for events. Rather than picking the most permanent, pervasive and personal one - consider a less insidious explanation. Focus on the cause that is changeable, specific and non-personal. De-catastrophizing: Try to consider the situation and it’s implications. Ask yourself “Even if my belief is true, what are the consequences? Is it the end of the world?” Usefulness: Try to consider whether it is useful to dwell on the negative belief at a given moment in time. If not, try to set the negative thought aside for now and return to it when you have time to examine it and challenge it. There is little doubt that optimism is good for us. It is also probably more fun. While it may not stem the tide of depression, it is a valuable tool to help a person achieve their goals. Segliman notes that finding temporary and specific causes for misfortune is the art of hope while finding permanent and universal causes for misfortune is the practice of despair. Optimism, he says, serves as the crucial framework for relating to experiences -- it’s the skeleton of hope. Ronda Bresnick Hauss is a licensed clinical social worker and the founder of the Quiet Waters Center for Trauma, Stress and Resilience, on Capitol Hill. She uses an integrative & holistic approach to psychotherapy – addressing the connection between the mind, body and spirit through the use of traditional talk therapy, meditation, visualization, and creative, non-verbal techniques. She can be reached at: 202-544-5050 and is on the web at: HYPERLINK “http://www.quietwaterscenter.com” ◆


capitalcommunitynews.com â—† 23


Health in 2011 Bikram Yoga Can Help with Rheumatoid Arthritis by Kristin Marsh Song

L

ara Atella knows The pleasant conversafirsthand how tion concluded, and all wonderfully three women went on quirky Capitol Hill life with their lives. can be. Lara and her Then, in January husband, Ken Petersen, of 2008, Lara and Ken moved to the Hill in decided to give Bikram 1999 to be close to Union yoga a try. They had Station so she could take frequently seen people the train to work in Balcoming and going from timore. It was convenient the Bikram Yoga Capiat the time, but they did tol Hill while they sat not plan to stay more drinking coffee at their than a few years. While favorite shop, Sidamo – Ken worked his way located across the street through school, Lara – and were curious. held a job as a neurobe“Since my husband havioral researcher in is a sauna enthusiast, I child development. Her though he might like position meant hours of it,” Lara says. “I never work behind a computer thought I would make it and in the lab, in addipast the first class.” tion to a long commute. Class wasn’t easy, but Over time she began nothe effects were amazBikram Yoga. Photo by Andrew Lightman ticing increasingly stiff ing. “The next day when and swollen joints. In I woke up, I experienced 2002 she was diagnosed with rheumatoid one of my first mornings not feeling horriarthritis bly stiff and uncomfortable,” Lara says. “By About two years later she was pushing our second week we were hooked and even her one-year-old son, Nate, in a stroller decided to buy year memberships.” down G Street with a friend, and a car Lara and Ken became regulars and made stopped in front of them. A tall blonde a host of great friends through the studio woman climbed out and approached them – including that special blonde woman, with a big, friendly smile. owner Elizabeth Glover. Ever since that The woman asked the surprised pair fateful meeting, Lara has grown to appreciwhat they thought about having a Bikram ate the place Elizabeth and her studio hold yoga studio on H Street. Lara didn’t know on Capitol Hill. what “Bikram” was and thought H Street “Elizabeth is so supportive of the comwas a bit rough at the time, but she said munity,” Lara says, pointing to the studio’s having a yoga studio nearby would be nice. extensive work-study program for those The woman said she was looking at who can’t afford membership, as well as the something around 5th and H streets and Friday evening classes that generate proseemed excited about the prospect of open- ceeds to local charities. ing up her own business. Lara thought she Lara is especially grateful for the help was gutsy and encouraged her to go for it. Elizabeth and her studio have given to her 24 ◆ Midcity DC | January 2011


and her family. The yoga has brought physical relief to Lara, helped her husband cope with the stress of completing his Ph.D., and even provided a learning place for her son. Elizabeth has always allowed Lara to bring her son to the studio. In fact, Lara became such a devotee of Bikram and the studio that she decided to become a professional teacher, enduring the rigorous nine-week training session all Bikram teachers must undergo to become certified. Her friend, the one walking with her on that fateful day, also has become a certified instructor. These days, Lara and her husband are basking in their Hill life and the community they’ve found. Their idea of a perfect day always includes a trip to Sidamo to see the owners Mimi and Kenfe and then to the BYCH “hot room.” “Over the past several years we’ve grown to love our lives and the community we share here and are so thankful to those who make it so meaningful and fun! My son is at an excellent school, Brent Elementary in SE, and my husband has an easy bike ride to work in northwest. I no longer need to commute to work by train; instead I just walk a few minutes down H Street, grab a perfect cup of coffee and hit the ‘hot room’ for an early savasana.” Bikram Yoga Capitol Hill is located at 410 H St. NE. 202-547-1208, info@bikramyogacapitolhill.com ◆

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the nose

We’ll Have Fun, Fun, Fun Until Tommy Drives My Clunker Away! by Anonymous

C

ouncilmember Wells. The Nose has spend countless hours whiling away the winter recess sipping Bourbon and watching Council hearings. Listening to you pontificate on the merits of ‘Smart Development,’ has left him with one rather burning question. But first... While cautiously navigating the cryptic lane markings on the downtown intersections of Pennsylvania Avenue in his old clunker, has The Nose ever tried to run you and your bicycle down? Have you ever seen the Nose lurking late at night on Seward Square calculating the best moment to interrupt your evening commute with an open car door. Has The Nose ever loosed his tiny white poodle to chase your artfully bound suit legs down Barracks Row? Never! So, Ward Six Cyclist in Chief, why do you hate The Nose’s car? Let’s not mince words, Oh Grand Poo-Bah of ‘Performance Parking.’ Your perverse, solar-powered, multi-space meters stand like giant, green monoliths desecrating the historic ambiance of Capitol Hill and Georgetown. You and that bow-tied fellow show no shame in your propensity to raise curbside rents. The Nose and his neighbors now schedule weekly bank runs just to have enough quarters. Soon, The Nose might need a second 26 ◆ Midcity DC | January 2011

vehicle just to carry the coins. And, what about the recent escalation in charges leveled on drivers for municipal vehicular infractions? Settling a parking ticket, much less a moving violation, will soon require half The Nose’s monthly paycheck, an allotment not likely to increase substantially given the declining state of the local journalistic fraternity. In the name of “Smart Growth,” you conspire with ‘Highrise’ Harriet Tregoning to build towers on top of every metro, but not parking for their inhabitants. The two of you are of the opinion that less built parking equals less cars. If you don’t build it, they will live car-less, you say. Hey, a friend just purchased a condo in Southwest WITHOUT a dedicated parking spot. Guess where his car is? On the street! Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! Don’t you get it? Americans love their cars! Now that the recession is abating, Prius sales are down. Our fellow citizens are back to snapping up SUVs like lobster rolls. The only green thing they seem to value is the sight of a nicely sculpted highway median in their rear view mirror. They will swap mileage for horsepower in half the time it takes to go zero to sixty even in The Nose’s ancient Volvo. Truth be told, The Nose never put much credence in your wilder plans to turn the District into the American version of Amsterdam sans hashish shops. Now, with the legalization

of medical marijuana, and your levitation to the Chair of the Council’s Transportation Committee, it sounds like biking and toking are in the cards. In the new World of Wells, will the city provide seniors with free Segways? Replace taxicabs with cycle rickshaws? Turn parking garages into condos? Levy a carbon tax on vehicle tailpipes? Sink the Kwame-mobile in the Anacostia River? Force UPS to deliver The Nose’s beloved Amazon boxes by bike cart? Councilman Pedaler. It is time to stop Twittering and start ignoring the voices of Greater Greater Washington. Give up your quixotic struggle to rid the District of the vehicles owned by its own RESIDENTS! With a nod to the Beach Boys, Tommy, here’s a song for you: Well, I got my old clunker And I am cruising to Walmart, now Seems I forgot all about my column And I blew my deadline to h—l now And with Chuck Brown blastin’ goes Cruisin’ just as fast as I can, now And I’ll have fun, fun, fun ‘til Tommy taxes my clunker away Fun, fun, fun, ‘til Tommy fines my clunker away! Well, Tommy can’t stand me ‘Cause I walk, look, and drive like an ace, now I walk like an ace, now, I’m so on his case! I drive down H Street like running in a Blackberry race, now I look like an ace, now, in a state of grace! Diane and Cathy try to catch me But I lead ‘em on a wild goose chase, now I drive like an ace, now, stoned out in space. And I’ll have fun, fun, fun ‘Til Tommy tickets my clunker away Fun, fun, fun, ‘til Tommy drives my clunker away! By the way, word on the Internet is that a Councilman on a bike is worth at least 10 points. That’s even better than an old man or a stroller mommy. Just saying. Have a comment for The Nose? Email thenose@hillrag.com. ◆


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your neighborhood

theNUMB3RS 3.327.649.10

Happy New Year, Multi-State Corporations! DC Council Inaction Could Give You A $22 MillionGift at The Expense of DC Taxpayers by Jenny Reed and Elissa Silverman

M

ayor Vincent Gray has made it abundantly clear that dealing with the District’s looming $400 million budget shortfall next year will be his biggest immediate challenge. However, you may not have heard that Gray and the DC Council could be making the gap even bigger by failing to follow through on an important corporate tax reform they adopted last year. If they don’t take action soon, the city could lose $22 million in needed tax revenue by allowing big multi-state corporations to continue to avoid paying taxes to the District. Right now, corporations like CVS and Starbucks are taking advantage of weaknesses in our tax system by shifting profits they make in DC to other states that have lower — or no — businesses taxes. The result? They avoid paying their fair share of DC taxes while local businesses and residents pick up the slack in tax revenue. This doesn’t sound like good tax policy. And the DC Council seemed to agree, when it passed an important tax reform in 2009 to prevent this abuse of corporate tax shelters called “combined reporting.”

So everything has been fixed, right? Not yet. The problem is that the Mayor and Council haven’t spelled out the rules and details 28 ◆ Midcity DC | January 2011

so that corporations can actually start abiding by combined reporting this month as planned. The result of this inaction? A $22 million larger hole in our budget next year. This comes despite the fact that a majority of states with a corporate income tax use combined reporting, and DC’s Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi endorses it. In fact, Gandhi has made it easy for the Council to take action because his office has drafted the legislation needed to implement this important reform.

So is it too late? No. If the Mayor and Council act soon, combined reporting can go into effect and the District can collect the taxes it needs from Macy’s, Home Depot, and others. At a time when funding for libraries, parks, and assistance to poor families has been cut, and more cuts will be coming soon, our leaders should be doing everything they can to keep DC’s revenue base healthy and strong.

The Tax Evasion Game That Big Corporations Play Should a locally-owned hardware store be taxed more than a branch of a national retailer? Of course the answer is no. Yet right now, national retailers and other corporations often have a distinct tax advantage over local DC businesses. These companies

engage in complicated tax-avoidance strategies that artificially shift profits out from states where they are earned and into states where the business tax rate is lower— or where a corporate income tax doesn’t exist at all. This happens because most large, multistate corporations are composed of a “parent” corporation and a number of “subsidiary” corporations owned by the parent. Some major retailers shift profits earned by subsidiaries to reduce their taxes. For example, Toys R Us has its corporate logo registered in Delaware. Each store pays a royalty to this Delaware subsidiary, which takes profits earned across the country and moves them to Delaware, which just happens to not have a corporate income tax. DC doesn’t have a Toys R Us, but there are many other multistate corporations in the city that use practices like this to deny the District needed revenues to help fund schools, libraries, health care and roads. The result is that individual taxpayers and small businesses have a heavier tax burden. The DC Council passed legislation to stop this abuse last year, and combined reporting was supposed to take effect Jan. 1, 2011. At the time the Council adopted combined reporting, CFO Gandhi estimated this tax reform would add $20 million to DC coffers in FY 2012, and this was used to bal-

ance the FY 2012 budget. Gandhi has recently upped the revenue from combined reporting to $22 million. However, the Mayor and DC Council have not moved on legislation to implement the law, even though the CFO’s prepared draft legislation. If nothing happens, then the budget for 2012 will fall $22 million further into the hole. That means $22 million more in cuts while multi-state corporations continue to pocket money that should be coming to the city. Gandhi has also expressed his support for the law, telling the Washington Examiner: “This legislation is a fair and equitable revenue source for the District…It is being adopted by many states.” In fact, combined reporting is recognized by economists and tax experts as the most comprehensive way for states to stop corporations from abusing tax shelters. Twentythree states of the 45 with a corporate income tax use combined reporting.

Combined Reporting Poses No Harm to DC’s Business Climate Multi-state corporations lobby against combined reporting, but here’s an important fact to keep in mind: Many of the corporations that would be impacted by combined reporting in DC are already


subject to it in other states. Companies such as CVS and Marriott already follow the combined reporting law in these states, and it has not proven to be a disincentive to do business there. In fact, most states with combined reporting have had it in effect for decades, and they include some of the most economically-successful states in the country. Studies suggest that combined reporting has not affected their economic competiveness. At a time when cuts are being made to libraries, parks and poor families with children — and when DC government employees are being asked to forgo pay, lack of action on this important tax reform will mean deeper cuts next year while multi-state corporations continue to avoid paying DC taxes. Mayor Gray has said we need to make tough choices to tackle our budget shortfall. And Council Chairman Kwame Brown has argued that DC should be fighting to collect taxes owed to us before we talk about raising taxes. Combined reporting shouldn’t even be a tough choice. It’s a no-brainer. The DC Council should take the final steps needed to implement combined reporting and pass the necessary legislation as soon as possible. Reed and Silverman are staff of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute (www.dcfpi.org), which conducts research on tax and budget issues that affect low- and moderate-income DC residents. ◆

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your neighborhood

+ Extra

Bread for the City Gets Even Bigger by Amanda Abrams

T

he first thing I’ll say about my visit to Bread for the City’s recently expanded digs is that Greg Bloom is good at his job. As the organization’s development/marketing/communications guy, Bloom’s role is to show off BFC’s accomplishments, and he did it well. During the hour that he accompanied me on a tour of the facility, my eyes were big with impressed-ness practically the whole time. But as a second point, I’ll add that playing up Bread for the City’s activities can’t be a particularly taxing task. Even in this parched economic climate, the organization is doing so much—with ambitions to expand even further—that only a grinch wouldn’t respond with admiration. Bread for the City, located at 1525 7th St. NW, is one of key agencies helping low-income District residents; initially established in the 1970s as a food pantry, the organization now also provides medical care, legal assistance, and social services counseling. BFC’s main center is on 7th Street in Shaw, but in the early 1990s, the group opened up a satellite facility in Southeast. By the start of this decade, the Shaw building, a former textile mill, had gotten pretty crowded. Staff members were seeing up to 400 people a day, but seating space was limited and the facilities were cramped at best. “People come in with a lot of pressures and stresses, and tensions can get high,” explained Bloom. Despite employees’ efforts to maintain an atmosphere of respect, it wasn’t a particularly pleasant or dignified environment. The organization first hit on the idea of expanding more than five years ago, and began seriously plan30 ◆ Midcity DC | January 2011

Top to Bottom; Photo: Amanda Abrams: Standing on BFC’s new roof, Greg Bloom points out where the garden beds will be sited. Sitting in the shadow of the organization’s new sign, Jeffrey Wankel, BFC’s food pantry specialist, designs a new layout for the organization’s food pantry.

ning for it in 2006. “It was already clear then that this would be the biggest event in our history,” said Bloom—and that was before the recession hit town. But instead of backing off, the organization decided to move forward regardless. In part, funding was guaranteed through the city’s tobacco settlement award, which was earmarked for community health clinics. That would cover construction, but the group still needed to raise the funds to staff and operate an expanded facility. In response, BFC stepped back and asked some of the city’s biggest

law firms for (pro bono) advice. The result: the group identified a lesser-known tax credit program that would allow them to leverage the capital they needed. The remaining gap was closed by individual donations, which, unlike other funding sources, have actually increased during the recession. Almost five years later, the fruit of all that strategizing is on display. The new wing, which cost $6.8 million to build and more than doubles the facility, is as spacious and airy as the older structure was idiosyncratic and crowded. There’s a big, light-filled lobby area that will soon hold a few computer terminals; a 20-seat conference room; and new offices for administration and development employees, who were formerly working in a separate space a few doors down. Plus, the new wing is topped by a green roof that’s slated to hold 40 gardening beds that clients will help manage—the first large-scale rooftop agriculture project in the Washington area. But the really big winner of the expansion is the organization’s medical clinic, which takes up almost the entire second floor of the new wing. The number of examination rooms more than doubled (from six to thirteen), the waiting room holds dozens of patients and has a kids’ play area, and there’s even space for a health resource room, where patients with otherwise limited computer access can get assistance in researching their issues online. In the not-very-distant future, BFC is hoping to round out the clinic by offering a few other crucial services: a mental health counselor, an on-staff optometrist, and a dental clinic. “This is timely, with healthcare reform, but in some ways, the

issue is as much about access as about insurance itself,” explained George Jones, BFC’s executive director. “The real challenge is getting people to a primary care provider. We get 3,000 unique individuals now, and this will allow us to expand.” What I found particularly impressive was the way the organization’s various divisions seem to be converging. The focus on health isn’t limited to the medical clinic: three years ago, BFC’s food pantry converted to a menu that emphasizes healthy eating—less red meat, more fresh food and whole grains, that kind of thing. Towards that end, the organization established a “gleaning” program that sends volunteers out to nearby farms to harvest leftover produce that can be given out in the pantry. At the same time, the group hired an inhouse nutrition consultant who leads cooking classes and runs a weight loss support group for clients. Bloom explained this last part while we were standing in the pantry, watching volunteers assemble holiday bags full of turkey and the trimmings. BFC had planned on giving away 8,000 bags, but by midDecember, the number was already approaching 10,000. Let’s face it: the city is still full of poor people with a lot of unmet needs. And despite the organization’s “fierce innovation” (as Bloom put it) of the past few years, there’s still a lot it doesn’t do. Still, he said, “we know how the city works, or fails to work, for low income people. We don’t provide everything, but we can connect you with a lot of services.” For more information on BFC programs, donating or volunteering, go to www.breadforthecity.org or call 202265-2400. ◆


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Bloomingdale Bytes by Amanda Abrams

Big Bike Sale at Big Bear Mornings like December 11 add credence to some Bloomingdale residents’ claims that Big Bear Café isn’t simply a business peddling lattes and croissants, it’s a community-minded establishment. The day marked the third annual used bike sale hosted by the Bloomingdale café, with proceeds from the sale donated to a few nonprofit organizations. I wasn’t personally looking for another bike, but a friend was interested in checking out the wares, so we headed over around 11a.m. Despite the exceedingly grey, wintry weather, the café’s patio was packed with people looking at the various bikes on sale. It was a hipster-heavy crowd, with the majority of folks appearing to be in their mid-twenties to mid-thirties and many sporting skinny jeans (with one leg rolled up, natch), down vests, and ear-flap hats, but the vibe was very friendly. In one sense, the event was simply a bike sale at a cool locale in a city where used bikes are hard to come by. But it was also a great chance to see what the area’s nonprofit bike organizations are up to. The sale was a fundraiser for two do-gooder bike groups, Phoenix Bikes, based in Arlington, and Vienna’s Bikes for the World, but they invited two other bicycle cooperatives to participate as well.

Empowering Kids In NOVA Phoenix Bikes, which had brought 45 bikes to sell, covered the most space. “Last year we had 30 and they all sold out,” said Kelly Auer, director of Phoenix Bikes, taking a few minutes off from helping customers to talk to me. “This is a major fundraiser for us. I’m very amazed at the number of people who’ve shown up,”

she added. The organization is all about empowering young people in the Falls Church/Arlington area—giving them skills to work on bikes, sure, but also teaching them how to deal with customers, be entrepreneurial, and make decisions among themselves. The bikes for sale were donated and then fixed up by the kids, and the proceeds will go towards sustaining the group’s programs. Prices averaged around $150—not particularly cheap, but on par with the rest of the cycles for sale.

Thinking Global Bikes for the World had set up shop around the corner. I’d never heard of it, but learned that it’s a pretty cool organization: in partnership with synagogues, churches, and Boy Scouts groups, the group gathers unused bikes in the DC area and sends them to developing countries. “When we have 500—that usually takes about two weeks in the summer and fall—we get a shipping container at the Port of Baltimore,” said Nick Colombo, who’s in charge of the group’s Maryland operations. From there, the cycles head to places like Ghana and Panama. This sale was a bit of an anomaly for the organization; they don’t normally sell bikes at all. But siphoning off some of their highest-value cycles and putting them up for sale allows Bikes for the World to pay its rent.

The Classic Bike Coops The final group selling bikes at the event was VeloCity Bikes. Founded in Alexandria this past May, it’s a pretty typical bike cooperative: cyclists can fix their bikes at the shop, get help from experts, and take various bike-related classes.

in a 24-hour marathon. Most of those went to a local Boys and Girls Club, but the rest were on sale right outside Big Bear’s side door. All three of those groups are based in Virginia, but Northwest DC was also represented at the sale: the Bike House, a Petworth-based bicycle cooperative that opened last year, had a table near the sidewalk. The group didn’t bring any twoPhoenix Bikes founder Kelly Auer helps a customer pick out a bicycle. Photo: Amanda Abrams wheelers to sell, but volunteers were handing out information about the groups’ classes (“Surviving Winter” workshop, anyone?) and other services.

Shopping In The Cold

Shaw resident Danielle Lorusso shows off her new bike. Photo: Amanda Abrams

What impressed me most, though, was the 24-hour repair extravaganza the group had held the previous weekend. The local police department had donated more than 100 kids’ bikes that had been sitting in their impound lot to VeloCity, which then gathered volunteers—plus food, music, and other necessities—to fix the bikes

Perusing the goods on offer was Andrew Duff, who lives near Van Ness and had brought his wife and eight-month-old baby to the sale. “I heard about this from a friend—it’s my first time to this area,” said Duff, who was seeking a second bike for himself. He’d just bought one of the kids’ bikes from VeloCity for the baby. “Sure, it’ll be a few years off,” he admitted, “but it’s only $25!” At that point, it was almost noon. A new wave of shoppers had arrived to check out the bikes, others were socializing in small clumps around the patio, and lots more had gravitated into Big Bear, seeking respite from the chill. Amanda Abrams is a freelance writer and dancer who lives in Adams Morgan and is toying with the idea of buying a house somewhere in the District. ◆ capitalcommunitynews.com ◆ 31


your neighborhood

Logan Circles by Mark F. Johnson

City Population Continues to Increase Looks as though Whole Foods put their Trader-Joe-like express lane in at exactly the right time. As the city’s overall population has increased in excess of 600,000, many of the newcomers have bumped up the resident numbers right here in Logan Circle. You may have already figured that out by now. There are more people in the shops, restaurants, bars and in the streets. Not all of them actually live here in the `hood, but an increasing percentage of them do according to what can be determined from census tracking. Data compiled from census figures for recent years show about a nine percent population increase in the central city of Washington, which includes Logan Circle and the rest of Ward 2. However, figures from last year’s decennial census have not yet been released. Those figures would add a more detailed look at the neighborhood’s population. But, what we can say is that in raw numbers, the nine percent increase translates to about 10,000 new residents. The bulk of new residents in the U/14 `hood are young college graduates who don’t own cars and who largely rely on public transportation. They are generally high-income, predominantly white and live in many of the new apartment and condo structures around Logan Circle, NOMA, Shaw and other adjoining neighborhoods. A piece of good news for local merchants is that this demographic often shops locally too. This helps explain the increase in chic food stores, coffee shops, bars, restaurants and other boutique shops that continue to open in this part of town. In fact, a new Harris Teeter has opened in NOMA, at First and L Streets NE. 32 ◆ Midcity DC | January 2011

The food chain is housed on the ground level of Constitution Square, a new loft-style apartment complex just down the street from the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Administration headquarters at North Capitol and New York Avenues. So far about 10 food stores have opened in the central part of the city within the past four years.

Hello Blackbird! They just couldn’t let Busboys and Poets keep the cool crowd by themselves! The “they” in this case, are the Thievery Corporation crew. They had to go chisel off a piece of the late night action for themselves. And they also decided to make reference to the Harlem Renaissance and the Roaring Twenties in naming their new spot Blackbird! The owners of Marvin, The Gibson, Patty Boom Boom and Eighteenth Street Lounge downtown, plan to continue their dominance of the U/14 food and bar scene with their new spot set to open sometime in the first half of 2011. With Blackbird, they hope to go head to head with Busboy’s and Poets located further up the block of 14th and V. That spot is almost always crowded and appeals to a generally younger to middle-age and very diverse crowd of city folk. It will be interesting to see how much of Busboy’s steady clientele Blackbird can chip away. Everything this ownership team has touched so far has proven to be golden statuette-worthy. The Gibson, the team’s popular speakeasy that was formerly for those in the know only, but now since almost everyone in town knows, has been getting their upstairs ready for private parties. The second floor offers three separate spaces, one including a large bar almost as nice as

the main bar downstairs and two adjacent sitting rooms for small groups. One is smartly designed for those with a Louis XIV complex and the other very smashing one will appeal to the Mad Men crowd!

Twenty Eleven is a (New) Banner Year Whether you like the moniker or not, U/14 has been officially branded

The Arts District! The new street light banners that have popped up all over the `hood proudly announce the name. Other choices to call the area were Mid City, the historic name for the swath of land that we live in, and Midtown, but that sounded too much like a New York City-wannabe to many. The banners appear on street lights around U Street, 14th Street, Logan Circle and P Street, among other parts of the U/14, Shaw and Logan Circle neighborhoods. There are about six iterations of them, one featuring a very handsome Duke Ellington and one displaying a map of the Arts District which encompasses the area between 7th Street and 16th Street as well as U Street and Mass. Avenue/Thomas Circle/ The Arts District is described in promotional literature as “a confederation of three neighborhoods marketing themselves together through their great wealth of arts assets from theaters to music, to visual arts and design to shopping, dining, history, architecture and a diverse, eclectic vibe.” ◆

One of the new U Street, Shaw, Logan Circle Arts District Posters that have popped up

Blackbird is soon to open next to The Gibson on 14th Near U Street.


14U

14th and U by Catherine Finn

The Best Sandwich in DC - in a Gas Station? That’s the word on the street in the U Street corridor -- if you want a great sandwich, go to Fast Gourmet, operating out of the gas station, W Express, at 14 and W Streets. The owners, from Uruguay, serve everything from a Cuban sandwich to falafel, priced from $6-14. The restaurant opened in August and has been flying under the radar as a hidden gem. It is open until 5:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, perfect for late night eats. However, given its unusual location it’s not very busy -- but expect that to change given the media buzz it’s been receiving lately. The Cuban sandwich is especially getting raves. This Miami classic is hard to replicate outside of Florida because it’s hard to find the right bread. Well Fast Gourmet makes their own, slow roasts the pork for seven hours in their own blend of spices, and uses mustard seed Dijon. You might want to call in advance to see if they have any left before you go -- they’re in high demand and they often run out of the ingredients during the mid-day lunch rush. Another specialty is the Uruguayan sandwich Chivito, the national dish of the country. It is a steak sandwich served warm, but don’t think it’s just any steak sandwich: it commonly features ham, bacon, a hard-boiled or fried egg, mozzarella cheese, mayonnaise, olives, lettuce, and tomato. Fast Gourmet’s version features all of these, along with peppers and mushrooms. The Uruguayan sandwich is difficult to find in the D.C. area so it is certainly a draw for those familiar with the sandwich. The servings certainly aren’t

small, so be sure to get there hungry. And hurry, before it becomes the next “it” place along the U Street corridor.

Slew of Construction Projects Underway When the recession hit in 2008, construction along the U Street corridor came to a standstill. But now, as the economy recovers, so have the long-stalled construction projects in the neighborhood. Within the last month, two stalled projects have announced they are starting up and one

new project has been announced. 14W, the mixed-use project that was set to break ground in 2008, has announced that construction will finally begin. The project will rebuild the Anthony Bowen YMCA at 14th and W Streets, as well as feature 12,000 square feet of retail and 231 housing units. While construction hasn’t started as of yet, Perseus, the developer, has been pretty open about the progress of the project -so expect to see work starting soon. A so-far-unnamed mixed-use project at 14th and Belmont, was set to replace the old Nehemiah Shop-

ping Center that was torn down in 2009 after plans for redevelopment had been announced in 2008. The project will feature 255 one and twobedroom apartment units and 18,500 square feet of ground floor retail. Work has actually begun on the site in December, with construction vehicles ripping out the concrete of the old Nehemiah parking lot to make way for the new structure. While there is movement, sources say that following the preparation of the site for construction, actual construction of the building might not begin for a while. Finally, Douglas Jemal, the uberdeveloper in the District, has announced plans to turn the long-vacant Latino Auto Sales at 14th and Florida into a 30-unit apartment building with 4,900 square feet of ground floor retail. Some have raised concerns about the Black Family Reunion mural, which would be obscured based on the current plans. The mural, which has been on the neighboring building for quite some time, has become a hallmark of the neighborhood. Jemal has stated that they will try to find a way around obscuring the mural. There is also talk that the developer will work with the artist, Byron Peck, to create a new mural if the new construction obscures the Black Family Reunion mural. They hope to break ground on the project in the summer of 2011. As these projects get underway, keep an eye out for more to pop up as development seems to beget development. Catherine writes the neighborhood blog, U Street Girl, which covers happenings in the U Street corridor, whether they be cultural, artistic, epicurean, social, or lifestyle-related. You can read her blog at http://ustreetgirl.wordpress.com. ◆ capitalcommunitynews.com ◆ 33


your neighborhood

Shaw Streets by Ralph Brabham

Playful New Building to Rise on M Street Until recently, a rather unattractive three story building occupied 623 M St., NW. It sat awkwardly elevated from and back off the street, and small windows dotted its uninviting fake stone façade. In early December 2010, the building was razed to make way for its replacement. The property owner, United House of Prayer for All People, engaged Suzane Reitig Architecture to design the residential building to occupy the lot. The new structure will be three stories high and contain nine residential units, three on each floor. The top three units will have 2-story living spaces, small “loft” areas and private outdoor terraces. The building will sit lower on the site than the former structure, so it will be more approachable and relate better to the street. It will have a generous entry porch with built-in waiting benches. Its exterior finishes, which include colorful metal panels, will make a subtle nod to the adjacent House of Prayer. When asked what feature of the building the architects are most proud, Megan Mitchell of Suzane Reitig said “As in all of our work, we strive for clarity and simplicity by using a limited palette of building materials and by making clean, open spaces with connection to the outdoors. We always provide units with multiple exposures and operable windows. We specify quality construction materials for maximal efficiency and sustainability.” She concluded, as many others surely will, that “What we like most about this building is the playfulness of the facades.” 34 ◆ Midcity DC | January 2011

Rendering of New Residential Building in the 600 Block of M St., NW. Photo: Suzane Reitig Architecture

Construction should be complete in fall 2011.

A Greener P Street Underway P Street is a beautiful, treelined corridor transecting the Shaw neighborhood. Along it are a handful of open spaces, including Logan Circle, Seaton Elementary School’s playfield, the Kennedy Recreation Center, and Bundy School grounds. Inspired by these open spaces and the desire to link them, the Office of Planning proposed a greenway along P Street in the 2006 Convention Center Area Strategic Development Plan. Thanks to funds from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (“ARRA”), the District of Columbia’s Urban Forestry Administration (UFA) recently began work to make the greenway a reality. The UFA’s project will expand many existing tree boxes by two feet on

each side, create continuous strips of unpaved surfaces between the curb and the sidewalk along much of the south side of the street, and add several new tree boxes. The UFA will plant trees and sod in the newly

exposed ground. In addition to aesthetically improving the corridor, the project will have environmental benefits. The UFA’s project will remove an estimated 9,500 square feet of im-

The Annex Market at 1337 11th St., NW, recently closed, and neighbors report that the building is likely to undergo a complete renovation in the near future. Photo: Drew Porterfield


pervious paving. This, combined the increased tree canopy that the project will bring about, will reduce storm water runoff into sewers. This will alleviate the pressures imposed on the sewer system during large rain events, when the District’s sewers often overflow and empty into area waterways.

Briefly Noted in Shaw On December 14, 2010, Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs issued permits for underpinning and foundation work at 1501 9th St., NW, where a new, mixed use building will be built for Mandalay Burmese Restaurant and a residential condominium unit above. With this permit in place, construction on this prominent corner development should begin soon. 1318 9th St., NW, is undergoing another transformation. The building was most recently home to the EFN Lounge and Motley Bar, which closed in August 2010. After their demise, the building was marketed for lease. An entity called Mimi & D LLC pulled permits to renovate the space, presumably into a new nightlife option for Shaw. The long bemoaned Annex Market at 11th St. and O St., NW is now closed. Nearby neighbors report that the building in which it was located – most of which has been vacant, boarded, and, often, tagged with graffiti for years -- will be renovated completely. Café Eagle and Lounge opened in the former Vegetate space at 1414 9th St., NW. Café Eagle serves Italian and Eritrean cuisine and is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Café Eagle has applied for a Tavern alcohol license and has a hearing before the ABRA on January 24, 2011. ◆

Holiday Traditions Continue nue in Shaw by Alexander M. Padro

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ongstanding December holiday events in Shaw drew hundreds of excited children and their families, and two others drew diverse crowds. The 18th annual French Street Holiday Tree Lighting took place on December ber 4, 2010, the latest edition of the longest-running community tree ree lighting ceremony in the District. ict. French Street is a one block street eet located between 9th, 10th, R and nd S Streets, NW. At Large Coununcilmember Phil Mendelson helped ped neighborhood children light the tree, which was donated by Old City Green. A pot luck dinner with ith delicious food prepared by residents nts was organized by the French Street Neighbors Association, sponsors of the event, and was enjoyed by all. The Shaw Main Streets Holiday 10, Party was held on December 7, 2010, at the Cre8 Space Studio Gallery at th 1314 9th Street, NW. In its sixth ate year, the event included an elaborate spread of food and beverages from businesses on 7th and 9th Streets, along with musical entertainment Neighborhood teen vocal standout Keisha Lewis, a 16-year-old Duke Ellington School of the Arts student, and past American Classic Queen Rose Bullock also demonstrated their talents. Food and beverages were provided by Azi’s Café, Beau Thai Restaurant, Boston Wine & Spirits, Chatman’s D’Vine Bakery & Café, Etete Ethiopian Cuisine, First Cup Café, FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: Log Cabin Liquors, Business owners Frank Asher and LaVerne Miller at the SMS Holiday Party. Nellie’s Sports Bar, Photo: Pleasant P. Mann Old Dominion BreTwo happy young ladies with their presents at Kennedy Rec Center. whouse, Queen of Photo: Alexander M. Padro Sheba Restaurant, Red Toque Café, (L) Keisha Lewis entertains the crowd at WCSA Winter Wonderland. Photo: Alexander M. Padro River Valley Spring (R) Perennial DC Mayoral candidate Faith stopped by the SMS Holiday Party Water, Safeway, and with her trumpet. Photo: Pleasant P. Mann Serv-U Liquors. Souvenir photos at the Kennedy Rec Center party. Photo: Alexander M. Padro The 12th annual Winter WonKids pulled the switch to light the French Street tree. Photo: Pleasant P. Mann

derland event hosted by the Washington Convention and Sports Authority at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on December 11, 2010, brought together 100 Shaw children and their families. Participants were chosen by ANC C 2C’s four Commissioners. A visit from Santa, who handed out candyy canes canes, and Grammy award nomi nominated R&B artist Raheem DeVa DeVaughn, who helped select raffle winners, w were highlights of the event event. Eight-foot-tall snowman and ginge erbread woman costumed charc gingerbread acterss delighted the kids. WP PGC WPGC 95.5 FM F radio and DJ Aladdin n distributed promotional items. tribut items The Kennedy Recreation Center at 1401 7th Street, NW, has been ebrathe site of an annual holiday celebration and toy give-away for at least a decade. The December 17, 2010, 2 event was sponsored by the Department of Parks and Recreation, Recreaation, with support from the Friend ds of Friends Kennedy Playground, DC Sportsbike Riders, WrightVision Foundation, and Creatively Developing Abilities Outreach. Three hundred age and gender-appropriate toys were purchased and wrapped by volunteers and were given to the intended recipients after a catered dinner. Motorcycle club members dressed in Santa Claus hats and black leather jackets and vests served dinner to the families at their tables. ‘We couldn’t do this every year without the support of the Friends of Kennedy Playground and other partners,” Center Director Pamela Pugh said. “This is such a blessing for our community.” Children at Lincoln Westmoreland Apartments and Foster House Apartments also enjoyed two dozen gifts donated by Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans’ office. All photos courtesy Shaw Main Streets. ◆ capitalcommunitynews.com ◆ 35


kids and family

+ Notebook

by Kathlee

n Donner

MacFarland Middle School wins Golden Mic Trophy at DC SCORES Poetry Slam!. The 13th Annual DC SCORES Poetry Slam! showcased original poetry and songs written by 800 DC SCORES poet-athletes. This year’s slam was held at Columbia Heights Education Campus and Kelly Miller Middle School, where a standing-room-only audience witnessed incredible performances. One student waxed poetic about standardized testing; one read a Harriet Tubman poem; and another laid out the ingredients for peace. Westside Poetry Slam! elementary school winners were Raymond Education Center, Tubman Elementary School, Marie Reed Learning Center, Hyde Leadership Public Charter School and Akilae Snorden, Shine Award. Middle school winners were MacFarland Middle School, Oyster-Adams Bilingual School, Columbia Heights Education Campus–Lincoln Middle School and David Shelton and Kahinda Fraiser, Shine Award. DC

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DC Public Charter School Recruitment Expo On Saturday, Jan. 8, noon-4:00 PM, learn about 94 unique public charter school options at the Washington Convention Center. Children’s entertainment and giveaways. 202-328-2660. dccharterexpo.org

Home School Programs at the Navy Museum The U.S. Navy Museum free math and science-focused home school program is designed specifically for home school students. Sessions are held on the second Monday and Thursday of every month. On Jan. 10, 1:00-3:00 PM, and Jan. 13, 10:00 AM-noon, underwater archeology will be studied. All ages are welcome. They will split the groups into age groups so that everyone can participate in the activities. Reservations are requested to ensure enough materials for all students but are not required. RSVP to Laura Hockensmith at 202-433-6826 or laura. hockensmith@navy.mil. Parking is not available at the Navy Yard. Enter at Sixth and M Sts. SE or the Ninth 36 ◆ Midcity DC | January 2011

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Photo: Cecilia Joia

SCORES is an after-school program in 25 DC public schools that inspires youth through the unique combination of soccer, poetry and service-learning. 202-3936999 x301. dcscores.org

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and M St. SE gate. All adults 16 years and older will need a photo ID to enter. Tell the guard at the gate you are there to participate in a museum event and they can direct you. history.navy.mil

Saturday Spanish Classes for Young Children Registration is open for Saturday Spanish classes for young children beginning in January. They combine the fun of a playgroup and the learning of a workshop. Children learn Spanish naturally in a playful immersion way. Parents and tots, 18 mos.– young 3 yrs., 10:00-10:50 AM. Just kids, older 3’s–5 yrs.,11:50 AM. Classes are at Josephine Butler Parks Center, 2437 15th St. NW. Free parking on premises. Winter session is Jan. 8-Mar. 12. $190/child. Register online at pratacreative.com. 202-656-0044 or email info@pratacreative.com.

The Institute for Responsible Citizenship Needs College Sophomores The Institute for Responsible Citizenship is now accepting ap-

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plications for the Class of 2012. The Institute seeks to recruit talented African American male college sophomores to participate in its summer leadership program. Admitted students will work at high-level internships, take a challenging course in government and economics, and meet influential leaders in the public and private sectors. Applicants must be college sophomores. They strongly encourage students who major in the sciences, engineering, business, and entrepreneurship to apply. They are accepting applications on a rolling basis through Jan. 7. i4rc.org

The USBG is looking for Junior Botanists You can become Apprentice Junior Botanist by asking for an Adventure Folder for exploring the US Botanic Garden Conservatory. Bring along an adult adviser with an official ID (e.g., a driver’s license) so you can check out a backpack filled with cool tools to use during your explorations. Follow up your visit to the USBG with an at-home activity and then apply to become not just an apprentice, but an official USBG Junior Botanist. Free. 202-2258333. usbg.gov

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Children’s Audio Tour of the National Gallery of Art--West Building Highlights This free, self-guided tour gives children, ages 7–12, an opportunity to get “up close and personal” with some of the world’s greatest paintings, by such masters as Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt van Rijn, Claude Monet, and Winslow Homer. Available at the Acoustiguide desk located in the Rotunda, on the main floor of the West Building. For group reservations (ten or more), call 202-842-6592. The audio tour, with images, is also available on nga. gov/programs/family.

“Investigate: Alexander Calder” at the NGA Meet Sophie, an artistic spider, and find out what inspired her wondrous creations. Then explore Alexander Calder’s Spider and learn to weave your own wire mobile. Free. January 16, 23 and 30 at 11:30 AM, 12:30 PM and 1:30 PM at the National Gallery of Art East Building, ground level. 202737-4215. nga.gov


Accepting applications for grades PS-6 Download your application at www.ewstokes.org

With a French and Spanish immersion program and a dual focus on academic excellence and community service, Stokes School prepares culturally diverse elementary school students to be leaders, scholars, and responsible citizens who are committed to social justice.

2011 Open Houses: January 27 & February 24 9:30 - 11:00 am. RSVP to Ms. Cortes @ 202.265.7237 The Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School 3700 Oakview Terrace, NE | Washington, DC 20017 | 202.265.7237 capitalcommunitynews.com â—† 37


LEGO® Architecture: Towering Ambition at the National Building Museum

NEW HOPE ACADEMY

(PreSchool through 12th grade) 7009 Varnum Street, Landover Hills MD 20784 (301) 459-7311 • www.newhopeacademy.org

Supporting Parents In Raising Moral Children Over 20 Faiths & Nationalities Represented I-20 Approved for International Students

• Excellent academic standards • High standardized test scores • Competitive pricing; sibling discount • Enriching Summer Program

Open House

Saturday’s January 8th, February 12th, March 12th and April 9th 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM (tour begins promptly at 10:00 AM) Mention the Hill Rag and get $25 off registration fee Principal orientation and tour of the school most Thursdays 9:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

38 ◆ Midcity DC | January 2011

LEGO® Architecture:Towering Ambition at the National Building Museum . Exhibition open through Sept. 5, 2011. $5 suggested donation. National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. 202-272-2448. nbm.org

Piece by piece, brick by brick, this exhibition features large-scale artistic models of some of the world’s most famous structures including the Empire State Building, St. Louis’ Gateway Arch, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece Fallingwater. The simplicity and nostalgic quality of LEGO affords viewers a new, detailed look at familiar buildings. Visitors can lean in close to see the complexity of a building’s intricate design and engineering or take a step back to appreciate its stunning sculptural form in full. After drawing inspiration from awe-inspiring structures, visitors are encouraged to create buildings to include in a LEGO community. Based on the principles of good urban design, participants will be invited to create a building from one of the four categories—residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial— and then place the LEGO models on a large-scale map of a city. As the day goes on and the Museum welcomes more visitors, the LEGO city will grow and grow. Exhibition open through Sept. 5, 2011. $5 suggested donation. National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. 202-272-2448. nbm.org

Teen Drivers Needed Westat is recruiting teens and their parents or guardians to help test a teen driver support system for vehicles. The driver support system can detect whether or not a passenger is present, seat belt use, speeding, driving behavior, and cell phone use, and it provides feedback to the driver. This study involves installing data recording equipment and a driver support system in the teen’s car for 4 weeks. If you have a teenager who has been a licensed driver for at least 6 months, call 1-888-880-1024 or email at SafeTeenCar@westat.com and include your name and a phone number where you can be reached during the day. Teen participants will receive $200 if they complete the study, and their parent will receive $50.

Teen Volunteer Program at the NGA The department of teacher, school, and family programs recruits local high school student volunteers for spring term ( January through May) and summer term ( June through August). Student volunteers assist with clerical and administrative tasks that support the department’s education programs. Typical activities include preparing materials for art projects, data entry, photocopying, collating, filing, and assisting during teacher programs. Candidates for the Teen Volunteer Program must be rising juniors or seniors with a mature, positive attitude and a strong work ethic. The schedule will vary weekly, based on the number of projects to be completed. The time commitment can range from four to ten hours per


week, with periodic weekend work as well. Service hours will be documented and may be submitted for school-based community service credits. GET UP TO DATE INFO> deadlines, applications

Archbishop Carroll High School Holds Open House for Prospective Students Archbishop Carroll High School is holding a prospective-student open house on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 9:00-11:00 AM, on the campus at 4300 Harewood Rd. NE. Archbishop Carroll, serving grades 9-12, is a Catholic coeducational college preparatory school committed to serving a diverse student population since 1951. For more information, call 202-529-0900 ext. 134. archbishopcarroll.org

START HAVING THE YARD OF YOUR DREAMS

·

MLK, Jr Holiday Public Skate Fort Dupont Ice Arena welcomes all skaters on Monday, Jan 17, 1:00-2:20 PM. Children 12 and under and seniors, $4. Skaters 13 and older, $5. Skate rental is $3. 3779 Ely Pl. SE. 202-584-5007. fdia. org

“Little Skippers” Program at the Navy Yard On Saturday, Jan. 22, 1:00 PM, Little Skippers learn about the “Battle of Hampton Roads: Monitor vs Virginia.” Free. Enter at Sixth and M sts. SE. All adults 16 years and older will need a photo ID to enter. Tell the guard at the gate you are there to participate in a museum event and they can direct you. history.navy.mil. ◆

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+ Home / Style

Brass Knob Back Doors Warehouse Closes “Victorian Home Depot” Soon to Become Relic by Mark F. Johnson

40 ◆ Midcity DC | January 2011


W

hen it comes to home design and interior renovations, as in most things, everything old is new again! That is, until such time as everything old is gone for good. As we greet 2011, we are about to lose an old standby for those renovating the city’s classic homes of yesteryear to their vintage glory. The Brass Knob Back Doors Warehouse, a Washington staple for finding vintage architectural and interior salvage pieces for years is about to close. The creaky old doors that lock in all the treasures troved from Victorian and early 20th century homes throughout Washington will likely be shut for the last time sometime this month, says owner Rick Allan. Allan remembers all the years he has spent building his antique architectural salvage business, which is basically one-of-a-kind here in DC. A lot of hard work

went into amassing the several thousand doors and windows and claw foot tubs and mantle pieces and porcelain sinks and gilded light fixtures and the like that he has stocked and sold for about the last 30 years. He remembers how customers once flocked to the Brass Knob as they undertook restoration of Adams-Morgan, Capitol Hill, Shaw, Dupont Circle, Ledroit Park, Columbia Heights and Georgetown homes. It was at this time that his business was known as the “Victorian Home

Depot. These are clearly the sweet thoughts about the glory days. But lately, business has plummeted. With the recession and the downturn in home sales, people have much less need for the beautiful antique ironwork that lines the walls of one area of his 24,000 square foot space in Truxton Circle, just off New York Avenue. Folks are leaving the columned mantle pieces with the detail work and beveled glass to idle. And they’re leaving all those heavy wood doors, window and shutters from yesteryear, behind. The contractors and developers, like Joe Englert who has opened many business establishments on H Street, NE, aren’t coming anymore. Well-known designers like Darryl Carter don’t bring clients over so much to find those pieces that help bring their home back to its original splendor. Allan swallows hard as he tells how it used to be. At the same time, he is convinced that it is time to leave this period of his life behind him. “I’m ready to be done with it and move on,” he says. It is important to note that the Warehouse’s sister business, the Brass Knob, in operation in Adams¬Morgan for about 30 years, is not closing. Washington has seemed to have few casualties of a bad economy and anemic home sales. But the Brass Knob Back Doors Warehouse appears to be one of them, and with payment of rent a problem, Allan’s landlord has requested that he leave. Furniture stores like Room & Board, a recent addition to 14th Street and existing stores like Mitchell-Gold, their neighbor down the street, appear to do well selling newly crafted furniture made to look like pieces from the 1950’s and 1960’s in the age of Mad Men and brand new Modernist condominiums. Much of the housing stock has already been renovated, and perhaps there is less interest in restoring homes to their

original splendor. But, for those who are interested, the news is good. Allan is quick to point out that he is more than willing to make a deal. With the amount of stock left in the giant warehouse space right now, there is hardly any way that Allan can expect to sell it all with eviction as eminent as it is. Therefore, his plan is to sell as much of it as he can cheaply and then to pass what remains off to a similar business located just outside the District in Hyattsville, Md., called the Community Forklift (communityforklift.com). They too stock architectural salvage pieces for sale. “I’m happy to work with them and to help their business grow bigger,” Allan states. Smaller pieces like light fixtures, perhaps some of the ironwork and fireplace accessory pieces will go to the Brass Knob (www. brassknob.com), still located in its original building on 18th Street NW at Kalorama Road. The two were once the same business but split up in 1991. Allan says he has continued to maintain a relationship with Brass Knob partner Donella George. “She has made the Brass Knob a destination point in the area of home design here in Washington,” he commented. It’s rather a shame that a business like the Brass Knob Back Doors Warehouse will no longer exist in DC itself. Many cities around the country have businesses that deal in architectural antiques. I was recently in one in Rochester, NY in fact. Unlike so many other cities, Washington was never the kind of city with big warehouse spaces to house a business like Allan’s because the city was never very industrial in the industrial age. However, as more of the city’s Victorian homes get modernized and gutted, the salvageable interiors that become casualties of modernization get tossed away and, unfortunately, often end up gone and forgotten. As we enter the second decade of the 21st century, we can still appreciate the beautiful things of the past. Even at a hundred or more years old, they may be gone before their time. ◆

capitalcommunitynews.com ◆ 41


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R C H I D S Remarkably Easy by Joe Carmack

E

verybody seems to like orchids. A few, not without reason, may be a little intimidated by them. I guess it’s their exotic beauty and unfamiliarity that scares people off. Sometimes it’s hard, even being in the business, to convince customers otherwise. But if they appeal to you, give them a try. They work great in urban homes from modern loft to Victorian townhouse. They add life and brilliant color. Orchids thrive in the bright defused light emanating from large industrial windows. Surprisingly, they are proving themselves quite smart jumping from jungle to modern city life and adapting easily. I visited with Room and Board visual merchandiser Angela Hayes in their store on 14th Street.. She likes using orchids with her displays for their simplicity, beauty and durability, which fit perfectly with the store’s main design principles. We placed orchids around the store, and they looked ideal in this modern, light filled setting. Angela will be using more orchids in displays with the new 2011 furniture collection due to arrive mid-January. Interestingly enough, orchids found their way into the Victorian townhouse more than a century ago. Here a certain sense of nostalgia prevails in having orchids. The Victorians were mad about their botany, adoring exotic and non-native plants. They treated their orchids like pampered pets. There is a strong association between orchids and the Victorian townhouse that works well even today.

Caring for Orchids Orchids widely available in this area are the Phalaenopsis, Dendrobium and Cymbidium. They are not difficult to care for but require some attention to detail. Here are Phalaenopsis. Photo by Jeremy Hube 42 ◆ Midcity DC | January 2011

the main factors to consider in caring for an orchid: light, water, potting medium and air moisture. Orchids like bright, indirect light. If they are getting the right amount of light, they will have healthy, medium-colored green leaves (just imagine a smidge of yellowish tint). Dark green leaves are a sign that the plant is not getting enough light. Equally as important as light is darkness. Keeping a lamp on at night close to an orchid might not be the best idea, particularly if you are trying to get an orchid to bloom again. As to watering, the golden rule is to never let an orchid sit in water. Always test the orchid medium before watering; if it is moist to the touch, wait to water. In general, wait 7-10 days and then water thoroughly. Our DC water is treated and has added minerals not natural to orchids, particularly sodium. If possible, not a must, try watering your plants with distilled water. Know your medium. The Phalaenopsis and Dendrobium are epiphytes as are most orchids, which grow high in tree branches. (They cause no damage to their host.) These orchids should be planted in bark, not potting soil, in an orchid pot with openings around the sides. This allows air to reach the roots. Leave the fuzzy aerial roots showing. They add to the visual charm. Cymbidiums are terrestrial. They can grow either in or on the ground. They should be planted using one part bark to two parts soilless medium, both easily available at your local neighborhood garden shop. There are many types of terrestrial orchids requiring different medium combinations. So when in doubt, always check with your sales person for answers.


“I suppose I do have one embarrassing passion - I want to know what it feels like to care about something passionately.” - Susan Orlean The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession. Other factors to consider for healthy orchids are humidity and temperature. Humidity should be around 40 to 70 percent. You can test humidity using a hygrometer. The general “recommended” temperature range should be between mid-50s nighttime and mid-70s daytime degrees. Orchids often bloom for 6-8 weeks, and then bloom again the following year. Apply all these easy care instructions for a healthy, reblooming orchid. The reward is great. Passions run high among orchid growers and studies show that blooming orchids have an emotional impact on humans, enhancing sharing, intimacy, and a sense of life satisfaction. Joe Carmack is owner of Garden District and a landscape designer/consultant, graduate of the George Washington University, Landscape Design Studies program. He’s a lifelong gardener dedicated to bringing great plants and resources to the urbanlandscape and to making DC a more green and inviting city. You can reach him at joecarmack@ gardendistrict-dc.com or visit the garden shop’s website at gardendistrict-dc.com. ◆ Cymbidiums. Photo by Joe Carmack capitalcommunitynews.com ◆ 43


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+ The Garden Fairy

Winter and Me A Love/Hate Relationship by Frank Asher

I

love winter! Wait a minute! First, the negative side of the relationship. I hate the blistering cold when my windows aren’t insulated. I do not like the local scrooges who go out of their way to share misery. I am annoyed by the crazy drivers who freak out at the first sign of snow flurries, and I really hate seeing dog doodoo in the snow. What’s up with that, dog owners? But I love the quiet of the first snow on the grass. I love seeing the buds of the woody shrubs get perky. (To me, that is oh, so sexy!!) Even the dried wheat colored grasses and rocks add an architectural element to a winter landscape that brings serenity incomparable.

dead outer skin adds beauty to an otherwise, drab landscape. I LOVE tree bark in the winter.

Barking Up The Right Tree

Life and Light

I really love looking at the naked trees. Even without leaves, trees really show their true colors far beyond what fall offers us. Isn’t it interesting that when the tree’s chlorophyll producing leaves die, the trunks and limbs really start their dance in the gray skies of winter. There is one particular American elm near N St. and New Jersey, Ave. An American elm near N St. and New Jersey Ave. NW. NW that I really enjoy. She Photo: Frank Asher looks like a dancing Rockette elm disease. Our cities have lost a or Las Vegas showgirl. Yet, she needs no sequins and feathers. Her lot of American elms over the years beauty is complete. I now under- to that blight. Even the paper bark birch, the stand why the American elm was so crepe myrtles and the sycamores pop popular for urban landscapes. I have out of the cold bare garden. Their a hate/hate relationship with Dutch 44 ◆ Midcity DC | January 2011

A Time To Remember Another beautiful thing about winter is the symbolism of renewal. According to pagans and druids, winter is the time to go inward and reclaim the soul. The winter solstice is all about the new light coming after the longest night. More light!! A big YIPEE for all of us with a bit of S.A.D. (Seasonal Affect Disorder.) Did you also know that if you exchanged one ion of iron for one ion of potassium, blood becomes chlorophyll? No wonder light is so important to the plants and trees, as well as us humans.

The perennials and bulbs know about this yearly change of light and temperature. Did you know that the colder the winter, the stronger the bulbs in spring? What really is going on underground? If bulbs were planted in the fall, they immediately start sending out roots to get established. When the first cold hits, the bulbs starts to regenerate, and by the time the warmer spring comes along they begin to grow and bloom. It is sort of like the phrase: that, which doesn’t kill me, makes me stronger - a colder winter makes them stronger. (I think people are like that too.) Tulips, which of course spring from bulbs, originate from Turkey and the Himalayas, where winters

are cold and summers and dry and warm. Now I know why I have to plant so many new tulip bulbs here in D.C. every fall. Not only is our climate not the best, but also squirrels make a fall feast of them. Winter is the time to slow down. What better time to take a slow walk along your street and look for the different colored dogwood shrubs or the winter blooming camellias. A cold winter’s night can offer a true winter wonderland with frozen rain glistening. Even frozen vegetation takes on a surreal beauty of it’s own. I purposely leave some perennials in the garden just to get some “frosted” green. John Muir wrote: “In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” Let me add that nature is all around the Shaw neighborhood. Even with its big cement Convention Center and the asphalt streets and cars honking, nature is humming to it’s own music. We have gardens and even pieces of forgotten land that thrive with nature. Tree boxes are all around ready for nature to come visit. This winter find what you like and don’t like. It will offer you more than you seek. Happy New Year friends. Frank Asher is founder of OLD CITY green where people and plants come together. And Fairies’ Crossing, a landscaping and gardening company. ◆


+ Changing Hands Changing hands is a list of most residential sales in the District of Columbia 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.

64 SEATON PL NW 47 QUINCY PL NW 122 RHODE ISLAND AVE NW 163 V ST NE 23 S ST NW 35 FLORIDA AVE NW 18 QUINCY PL NE 155 U ST NE

$485,000 $416,000 $380,000 $375,000 $370,000 $335,000 $305,000 $195,000

3 4 4 4 3 4 3 3

$849,500 $480,000 $360,000 $399,999

4 4 3 4

1250 EMERSON ST NE

$1,150,000 $751,000 $500,000

4 4 2

TRINIDAD

$335,000 $243,000 $215,000

3 3 3

LEDROIT PARK 1911 2ND ST NW 112 ADAMS ST NW 525 FLORIDA AVE NW 21 ADAMS ST NW

MICHIGAN PARK 4009 SOUTH DAKOTA AVE NE 3720 22ND ST NE 1656 MICHIGAN AVE NE

MOUNT PLEASANT Neighborhood

Close Price

BR

FEE SIMPLE 16TH STREET HEIGHTS 1316 FARRAGUT ST NW 1342 MONTAGUE ST NW 5605 14TH ST NW 1233 MADISON ST NW 4312 14TH ST NW 1413 CRITTENDEN ST NW

$790,000 $762,500 $725,000 $322,750 $285,000 $17,250

4 5 5 5 7 0

$529,000 $373,000 $340,000 $278,800 $160,000 $417,500

3 3 4 4 3 4

$669,000 $504,990 $390,000 $299,000 $295,000 $250,000 $235,000 $195,000

4 3 4 4 3 3 3 3

$660,000 $575,000 $570,000 $536,000 $475,000 $461,000 $459,000 $407,000 $390,000 $354,000 $326,000 $300,000 $234,000 $180,000

3 3 4 5 0 8 3 4 5 3 4 3 2 0

BRIGHTWOOD 6408 LUZON AVE NW 6723 14TH PL NW 415 MISSOURI AVE NW 320 PEABODY ST NW 716 ROXBORO PL NW 235 QUACKENBOS ST NW

BROOKLAND 1250 KEARNEY ST NE 4212 12TH ST NE 1408 MONROE ST NE 2630 12TH ST NE 3607 17TH ST NE 3733 12TH ST NE 3009 7TH ST NE 224 CROMWELL TER NE

COLUMBIA HEIGHTS 1314 FAIRMONT ST NW 748 PRINCETON PL NW 950 SHEPHERD ST NW 3453 14TH ST NW 1205 KENYON ST NW 3532 13TH ST NW 1021 KENYON ST NW 718 QUINCY ST NW 1429 SHEPHERD ST NW 641 COLUMBIA RD NW 755 GRESHAM PL NW 1482 NEWTON ST NW 729 MORTON ST NW 627 KEEFER PL NW

ECKINGTON 38 QUINCY PL NE 44 R ST NE

$599,000 $559,900

4 4

1793 LANIER PL NW 3360 18TH ST NW 2009 KLINGLE RD NW 1632 HOBART ST NW 1721 HOBART ST NW 1605 IRVING ST NW 1646 PARK RD NW 1863 MONROE ST NW 1613 HARVARD ST NW #513 1613 HARVARD ST NW #514

$1,085,000 $895,000 $789,000 $727,870 $715,000 $628,500 $615,000 $575,000 $497,000 $380,000

9 6 4 5 2 3 4 3 2 1

$460,000 $190,000 $665,000 $600,000 $565,000 $530,000 $475,000 $456,250 $426,269 $415,000 $415,000 $415,000 $415,000 $410,000 $400,000 $353,500 $340,000 $305,000 $305,000 $265,000 $189,955 $160,000 $99,900 $1,000,000 $800,000 $627,000 $400,000 $285,000

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

OLD CITY 1225 1ST ST NW 1810 H PL NE 1334 CONSTITUTION AVE NE 619 ELLIOTT ST NE 911 G ST SE 714 7TH ST NE 513 14TH ST SE 720 7TH ST NE 626 LEXINGTON PL NE 114 17TH ST SE 638 ORLEANS PL NE 618 G ST NE 1433 G ST NE 813 10TH ST NE 1717 C ST SE 1214 CARROLLSBURG PL SW 221 K ST NE 901 L ST NE 1356 EMERALD ST NE 2043 GALES ST NE 1808 H PL NE 1507 1ST ST SW 2019 ROSEDALE ST NE 1421 S ST NW 1346 WALLACH PL NW 1818 15TH ST NW 1608 8TH ST NW 304 P ST NW

PETWORTH 4118 ILLINOIS AVE NW 3804 4TH ST NW 41 GALLATIN ST NW 4113 3RD ST NW 4614 NEW HAMPSHIRE AVE NW 4325 2ND ST NW 445 JEFFERSON ST NW 623 KENNEDY ST NW 5416 8TH ST NW 603 JEFFERSON ST NW

$335,000 $320,000 $319,920 $300,000 $297,000 $200,000 $185,000 $156,000

3 3 5 4 3 4 3 3

$245,000

3

RIGGS PARK

LOGAN 1329 T ST NW 1307 CORCORAN ST NW 922 P ST NW

5014 3RD ST NW 423 ALLISON ST NW 903 LONGFELLOW ST NW 253 FARRAGUT ST NW 4314 3RD ST NW 614 DELAFIELD PL NW 54 FARRAGUT PL NW 515 KENNEDY ST NW

$489,691 $465,000 $464,450 $460,000 $431,500 $428,000 $370,000 $357,000 $349,000 $335,000

4 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 4 4

1525 OATES ST NE 1804 H PL NE 1152 NEAL ST NE 1140 MORSE ST NE

$554,000 $549,000

3 3

$230,000 $187,000 $170,000 $151,000

4 3 3 4

$919,000 $594,900 $640,000 $379,000 $815,000

3 2 3 2 3

$430,000 $421,000 $55,000

6 4 0

WOODRIDGE 2630 MONROE ST NE 2820 MYRTLE AVE NE 3022 CHANNING ST NE

$1,550,000 $1,226,250 $615,000 $420,100 $399,000 $370,000 $335,000 $202,980 $170,000

3 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 0

1962 2ND ST NW #2 531 T ST NW #101

$446,000 $399,500

3 1

$162,000 $693,000 $519,000 $496,000 $399,900 $330,000 $492,000

0 2 1 2 1 1 2

$668,000 $570,000 $324,900 $234,900

2 3 1 2

$465,000

2

$379,000 $317,000 $750,000 $724,900 $515,000 $515,000 $394,500 $390,000 $368,000 $360,000 $315,000 $295,000 $235,000 $200,000 $165,000

1 1 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 0

$318,000

1

$399,000 $349,900 $745,000

2 1 3

$339,000 $210,000

1 1

$370,000

2

$370,000 $137,000

1 0

$305,000

1 ★

LOGAN

U STREET 2122 10TH ST NW 1111 V ST NW 1329 V ST NW 1811 WILTBERGER ST NW 1348 WALLACH PL NW

2230 CALIFORNIA ST NW #6AE 2120 WYOMING AVE NW #1 1815 BILTMORE ST NW #8 OR B 2109 S ST NW #G 1851 COLUMBIA RD NW #200 1938 BILTMORE ST NW #2 1954 COLUMBIA RD NW #601 2032-2040 BELMONT RD NW #332 1954 COLUMBIA RD NW #207

LEDROIT PARK

SHAW 1629 NEW JERSEY AVE NW 1418 5TH ST NW

KALORAMA

1440 N ST NW #301 1300 13TH ST NW #405 1213 N ST NW #E 1444 CHURCH ST NW #303 1203 N ST NW #G 1300 N ST NW #811 1001 L ST NW #204

MOUNT PLEASANT 2301 CHAMPLAIN ST NW #108 3345 17TH ST NW #1 2630 ADAMS MILL RD NW #303 3426 16TH ST NW #T-6

MT. VERNON/SHAW 1234 4TH ST NW #2

OLD CITY CONDO ADAMS MORGAN 2444 ONTARIO RD NW #3 1656 BEEKMAN PL NW #B 2444 ONTARIO RD NW #2 1701 KALORAMA RD NW #311 2301 CHAMPLAIN ST NW #201 2380 CHAMPLAIN ST NW #205 2630 ADAMS MILL RD NW #6 1701 KALORAMA RD NW #209

$625,000 $620,000 $585,000 $530,000 $529,000 $495,000 $475,000 $269,000

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1

$190,000 $80,000

1 1

$118,900 $105,000

1 1

BRIGHTWOOD 343 CEDAR ST NW #11 1404 TUCKERMAN ST NW #202

CENTRAL 631 D ST NW #229 400 MASSACHUSETTS AVE NW #1221 1316 NEW HAMPSHIRE AVE NW #708 1010 MASSACHUSETTS AVE NW #309 631 D ST NW #1029 601 PENNSYLVANIA AVE NW #1010 1010 MASSACHUSETTS AVE NW #712

$510,000 $460,000 $410,000 $390,000 $385,000 $375,000 $365,000

2 1 1 1 1 1 1

$575,000 $450,000 $398,000 $391,400 $307,000 $305,000 $249,750 $167,500

3 2 2 2 1 1 1 1

COLUMBIA HEIGHTS 3457 HOLMEAD PL NW #2 1419 CLIFTON ST NW #102 3226 13TH ST NW #1 1613 HARVARD ST NW #116 1354 EUCLID ST NW #303B 1436 OGDEN ST NW #9 1461 GIRARD NW #102 1439 EUCLID ST NW #B3

U STREET 2004 11TH ST NW #239 2020 12TH ST NW #T-10 2106 10TH ST NW #4

COOP KALORAMA 1852 COLUMBIA RD NW #304 2100 19TH NW #101

LOGAN CIRCLE 1419 R ST NW #40

MOUNT PLEASANT 2853 ONTARIO RD NW #411 1801 CLYDESDALE PL NW #404

OLD CITY #2 2039 NEW HAMPSHIRE AVE NW #208

ECKINGTON 2002 4TH ST NE #1

PENN QUARTER 400 MASSACHUSETTS AVE NW #610

BROOKLAND 3719 12TH ST NE #103 3000 7TH ST NE #211

1391 PENNSYLVANIA AVE SE #557 1439 A ST NE #A 1210 R ST NW #P-302 1440 CHURCH ST NW #106 1117 10TH ST NW #603 1303 P ST NW #5 555 MASSACHUSETTS AVE NW #1017 1433 BISHOPS GATE CT NW #24 440 L ST NW #202 2232 13TH ST NW #2 304 Q ST NW #4 304 Q ST NW #3 1718 P ST NW #203 2120 VERMONT AVE NW #2 1725 NEW HAMPSHIRE AVE NW #703

$204,997

2

capitalcommunitynews.com ◆ 45


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ISAAC HOLDEN Roofing, Gutters & Painting

capitalcommunitynews.com

OVER 30

EMERGENCY REPAIRS WE DO IT ALL RUBBER & FLAT ROOFS WATER PROOFING SLATE ROOFS LEAK REPAIRS METAL ROOFS GUTTER REPAIRS SHINGLE ROOFING CHIMNEY REPAIRS FACIAL/SOFFITS ALUMINUM ROOF COATING

YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

DC Lic. 7610

• • • • • •

PLUMBING

New Roofs & Maintenance Seamless Gutters Waterproofing Chimney Brick Pointing Interior & Exterior Painting

202-489-1728 Licensed, Bonded & Insured Free Estimates Senior and Government Discount 10%

202.486.7184

WAIT NO MORE PLUMBING 24 hour plumbing service. Master plumber. No job too small. DC license # 1164. Darrell White. 202-575-1885 or 202-812-7115 (tf)

15% off with Ad LICENSED & INSURED

• Licensed Gas Fitter • Water Heater • Boiler Work • Serving DC • References John • Drain Service • Furness Repair & Replacement

Licensed Bonded Insured

Kenny

202-251-1479 DC P

L U M M E R

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WHS PLUMBING & HEATING Superior Service and Quick Response

We are Repiping & Drain Cleaning Specialists · Competitive On The Spot Pricing · Same Day, Nights, Weekends & Emergency Service · Licensed Plumbers and Gasfitters · Underground Domestic Water and Sewer Line Leak Detection · Underground Pipe Locator

Hill Family Owned & Operated Call William at

(202) 255-9231 20 years of experience Licensed, Bonded and Insured LSDBE Certified

www.whsplumbingandheating.com

PLEASE RECYCLE THIS PAPER

Keith Roofing EXPERT WORKMANSHIP

AT

REASONABLE PRICES!

Residential/Commercial • Over 40 years in Business Chimney Repairs • Storm & Wind Damage Repair

• New or Re-Roofing • Tear-Off & Replacement • Flat Roof Specialist • Copper, Tin, Sheet Metal & Rolled • Seamless & Flat Roofs • Re-Sealing • Tar, Asphalt, Gravel, Hot Coats • Modified Bitumen • Ask about our gutter specials Insurance Claims • Free Estimates • 24Hr. Service

Fully Insured • Licensed • Bonded “No Job Too Large or Small” Senior & Military Discounts Available!

202-486-7359 All Work Inspected by Owner...Deals Directly with Customers! All Work Fully Guaranteed

Flat • Rubber • Slate • Metal • Tiles & Shingles • Vinyl and Aluminum Siding • Skylights • Gutters & Downspouts • Chimneys • Waterproofing

We Do it All! 202.637.8808 Serving DC Since 1927 Licensed, Bonded & Insured

SPECIALIZING IN SEAMLESS GUTTERS

24 Hour Emergency

Just Say I Need A Plumber®

Dial A Plumber, LLC®

Stopping Leaks is our Specialty!

FLAT ROOF SPECIALIST

WELDING

WE STOP LEAKS! • Roof Repairs • Roof Coatings • Rubber • Metal • Slate

• Tiles • Chimneys • Gutters • Waterproofing • Roof Certifications

We Do Everything!

BOYD CONSTRUCTION INC. LIC. BONDED. INS

75 years in service

BBB Member

202-223-ROOF (7663)

Johnston & Johnston Roofing “Try a new coating vs. a roof replacement.” • FLAT ROOF SPECIALIST • WATERPROOFING • BASEMENT LEAKS • ALUMINUM ASPHALT COATING • SLATE REPAIRS • SHINGLE REPAIRS

• CHIMNEY REPAIR • BRICK POINTING • GUTTER REPAIR/GUTTER REPLACEMENT • INQUIRE ABOUT OUR SPECIALS • FREE ESTIMATES

FREE MAINTENANCE! Licensed • Bonded • Insured Family owned & operated 40 Years Experience

202-607-4038

www.JohnstonandJohnstonRoofing.com

202

271 4377

TO ADVERTISE IN THE CLASSIFIEDS call Carolina at 202.543.8300 x12 capitalcommunitynews.com ◆ 47



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