“REVITALIZATION” OR A “DEATH SENTENCE”? ACTIVISTS AND RESIDENTS PUSH BACK ON CITY’S CHINATOWN PLANS
By Katie Doran
FEBRUARY 14, 2025
4
news
“Revitalization” or a “death sentence”? Activists and residents push back on city’s Chinatown plans
KATIE DORAN
6
voices
What if it was the journey and the destination? Giving D.C. public transit a second chance
PHOEBE NASH
7
news
Workers at five D.C. restaurants attempt to unionize, fighting for “rights, respect, and benefits”
CONNOR DWIN AND IMANI LIBURD
8 features
DC Rawhides brings queer joy and cowboy boots to the District
KATHERINE WILKISON
10 features
“D.C. sold them up the river”: 24 years after the D.C. prison closed, advocates debate what’s next
HALEY JAWORSKI
12
halftime sports
On the brink of history: Ovechkin inches closer to Gretzky’s legendary 894 goals
ERIC QIAN
13
halftime sports
Reparo! How do we fix the Wizards?
BRADSHAW CATE AND EILEEN WEISNER
14 leisure
A guide to D.C.’s lesser-known museums
KOHARU ANDO AND RHEA BANERJEE
15
halftime leisure
Top 10 leisurely activities in D.C.
HALFTIME LEISURE
“If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying. The Astros won the World Series. The Patriots won the Super Bowl. The leagues did not meaningfully punish them, either. So, the Wizards should do the same.”
Editor-in-Chief — Connor Martin
Managing Editor — Eddy Binford-Ross
internal resources:
Exec. Editor for Resources, Diversity, and Inclusion — Ajani Jones
Asst. Editor for Resources, Diversity, and Inclusion — Imani Liburd
Editor for Sexual Violence Advocacy, Prevention, and Coverage — Franziska Wild
Social Chairs — Apara Chandavarkar, Samantha Monteiro
Service Chair — Katherine Wilkison Archivist — Elle Marinello
news:
Executive Editor — Samantha Monteiro
Features Editor — Sydney Carroll
Asst. Features Editor — Chih-Rong Kuo News Editor — Katie Doran
Asst. News Editors — Sophie St. Amand, Aubrey Butterfield, Katherine Wilkison
opinion:
Executive Editor — Ali Chaudhry Voices Editor — Eileen Miller
Thank you Hoya Game Day and Wingo’s for supporting this issue!
Brendan’s D.C. Crossword
ACROSS
1. Source of a scary push notification
6. En vogue
10. First name in Japanese animation
11. G - C - E, in the key of C Major
13. Shape of a planetary orbit
14. Pointillism brush stroke
15. Angkor ___ (Cambodian Buddhist temple)
16. Geological suffix
17. It’s got the best clubs in the District (no, not AdMo)
18. Director of Disability Cultural Center Kenny 19. A “French” one is white 21. Make an oopsie
22. Rumored illiterate member of the Glee cast
25. Former smash hit of 2024’s premiere “flop-star”
27. Type of pen
30. Fifth step in a classic math acronym
31. F.A.Q. answer?
33. Spanish, French, or Italian pronoun
34. Amazon competitor
36. Area in D.C. that, despite its name, doesn’t have an Auntie Anne’s 39. Long, skinny mushroom
40. First name in 1950s American racial politics
41. Move through water
42. Newly stipended employee of the CSE
DOWN
1. With 9 Down, D.C. nickname coined to celebrate the its majorityBlack population at the time
2. Widely spoken dialect in the United States
3. Cat that leaves a rainbow trail, per a 2011 meme
4. Parking pass?
5. Notable toymaker F. _ _ Schwarz
6. Last kind of mainstream physical music media
7. Home of the Bison
8. Yahya Hendi, e.g. 9. See 1 Down 11. ... --- ...
12. Whiskered semi-aquatic mammal
14. Metro stop for Kramers 20. Combat grp. involved in the Troubles
23. “Rowing in ___! Ah! The sea!” - Dickinson
24. A reliable testing ground for your fake I.D.
26. Tennis great Arthur 28. Adverb pair in a 10-minute song title
29. Road appropriately circling the District
32. “I’m thinking!”
35. “Are you alright?”, over SMS
37. Longer of two dashes
38. ___ Lingus
Bailey’s la la love playlist
1. I Want You To Love Me, Fiona Apple
2. party 4 u, Charli xcx
3. Savage Good Boy, Japanese Breakfast
4. When You Sleep, my bloody valentine
5. Luna, The Smashing Pumpkins
6. Cariño, The Marías
7. PLASTIC OFF THE SOFA, Beyoncé
8. (They Long To Be) Close To You, Carpenters
9. The Way I Feel Inside, The Zombies
10. Close To You, Frank Ocean
11. True Love Waits, Radiohead
“Revitalization” or a “death sentence”? Activists and residents push back on city’s
Chinatown
plans
BY KATIE DORAN
DESIGN BY MICHELLE WANG
On the first weekend of the lunar calendar, visitors gathered at a church near D.C.’s Chinatown to celebrate Lunar New Year, enjoying a lion dance performance as volunteers dished out noodles and dumplings. But beneath the lanterns, streamers, and joyful glow of the holiday festivities, the event carried a heavier purpose: organizing against gentrification in Chinatown.
This Feb. 1 town hall was organized by Save Chinatown Solidarity Network DC and hosted at the Metropolitan Community Church. Attendees listened to activists and Chinatown residents speak about displacement and their hopes for the neighborhood’s future. Afterward, attendees colored posters to be carried at D.C.’s annual Lunar New Year parade that read, “New year same demands” and “Residents must drive community decisions.”
The town hall was one small part of a yearslong, concerted effort to combat displacement in D.C.’s struggling Chinatown as the District government moves forward with plans to “revitalize” the neighborhood, which locals worry will only worsen gentrification.
Chinatown’s community
D.C.’s Chinatown—spanning just a few blocks along H and I Streets Northwest—has never been huge in area or population. But in recent years, it’s only become smaller.
In 2010, there were about 3,000 Chinese residents living in Chinatown, but the 2020 census showed just 361—a nearly 90% decrease in just one decade. In recent years, Chinatown has also seen closures of businesses, restaurants, and stores that served as Chinese cultural hubs.
Despite these changes, activists emphasized that Chinatown still has a strong community fighting to preserve their home.
“We hear a lot about D.C. Chinatown being bad, being dead, and being really embarrassing in comparison to New York and Philly. I totally feel that sentiment 100 percent, but at the same time, there are still residents living there, and there are still small businesses operating there,” Cassie He, an organizer with Save Chinatown, said. “Chinatown isn’t dead.”
He encouraged D.C. residents across the city to work to protect the remaining community in Chinatown.
“If we’re able to shift our mindset to think, there’s actually a really long history of activism and organizing in Chinatown. There are two tenants’ associations that are so incredible,” He said. “There are small businesses that are vibrant. This is a community that is still alive, and we should still be fighting for them.”
For activists like He, part of fighting for Chinatown means pushing for investment that focuses on current residents’ needs, preserves existing businesses, and fosters growth for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) owned small businesses.
D.C.’s plans to build “something new”
The local government, however, has a different vision for the neighborhood.
Last May, the Gallery Place/Chinatown Task Force unveiled “8 Big Ideas” for revitalizing 130 blocks of Downtown D.C., including Chinatown. The plan aims to bring 16,500 new residents to the area by transforming the space around Capital One Arena, installing more greenspace, building more residential units, and organizing more street life events, among other proposals.
Save Chinatown pushed back on these ideas, unveiling their own plan of seven “Bigger Ideas” for Chinatown at the Feb. 1 town hall. Activists and residents spoke about each of these points, including building affordable housing, investing in AAPI-owned small businesses, decreasing policing to shift focus to other community resources, and prioritizing current residents’ involvement in neighborhood decision-making.
Shani Shih, a founding member of Save Chinatown and a lead organizer in the group’s steering committee, said that the city’s plans for Chinatown show a lack of care for residents’ wishes.
“A lot of their plans for developing this neighborhood involve coming down and creating something new to transform, to revitalize, without any deep understanding or engagement with what exists and how important what this existing community is to the character and the heart of what Chinatown is,” Shih said.
Many of the District’s plans for Chinatown do involve building “something new.”
The “8 Big Ideas” came on the heels of the Downtown Action Plan, a $400 million five-year plan to revitalize Downtown D.C. that Mayor Muriel Bowser announced in February 2024. The plan includes tens of millions of dollars in investments in retail, parks, office buildings, policing, arts and culture, residential space, and more.
“We have a plan to reposition the city better than ever before. With key investments from our partners, we’ll be able to create safer streets, support new and existing businesses, welcome new residents, and offer a vibrant 24/7 community that attracts everyone to our district,” Gerren Price, president and CEO of the DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID), which helped design the plan, said in a press release.
The Downtown Action Plan suggests various projects and investments in Chinatown, but another controversial plan focuses on just one investment in the neighborhood: Capital One Arena.
In December, the D.C. Council approved the Downtown Arena Revitalization Act, a $515 million agreement for the city to purchase and renovate Capital One Arena, located in the heart of Chinatown. In exchange, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which currently owns the arena as well as the Washington Capitals and Wizards, will have the two sports teams play in the
city until 2050, following threats of moving the teams to Northern Virginia.
“We are going to have a state-of-the-art urban arena in Downtown DC and that’s a great deal for DC, for the teams, and for the fans,” Bowser said in a March 2024 statement when the deal was first proposed. “This is a win-win for our city and the teams. This is a catalytic investment in Downtown DC.”
The Downtown Action Plan and the Downtown Arena Expansion Revitalization Act would have the city pour almost a billion dollars into development in Chinatown over the next few years. Activists worry that the influx of money will further gentrify the area, continuing the displacement of the neighborhood’s current residents. Save Chinatown described these plans, combined with the “8 Big Ideas,” as a “death sentence for what remains of Chinatown.”
The DowntownDC BID and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning & Economic Development did not respond to requests for comment from the Voice, but local government officials have maintained that their plans for Chinatown are in the best interest of current residents as well as potential future residents, tourists, or visitors.
“It is critical to the success of our city that we focus resources and conscientious attention to preserve, protect, and build Chinatown in supporting the residents and Chineseowned and focused businesses who are there now and ensure our tourism efforts are inclusive and a draw for visitors from around the world,” Ward 2
Councilmember Brooke Pinto wrote in a statement to the Voice
Ongoing displacement
Activists say that gentrification in Chinatown is growing even before the city’s new plans kick into gear. For example, in a controversial move in May 2024, the D.C. Zoning Board approved plans to build a ninestory luxury hotel on H Street. The hotel would require redeveloping several row houses and would push out two small businesses, Full Kee Restaurant and Gaoya Salon.
According to He, Save Chinatown is asking the developer of the H Street hotel to enter into negotiations to create a “community benefits agreement” with Chinatown residents.
“If the hotel is to develop and demolish the existing small businesses, we are asking in exchange that they provide some type of community benefit in order to preserve the things that they’re demolishing,” He said.
Jenny Wang, manager of Gaoya Salon, spoke at the Save Chinatown town hall earlier this month about the importance of businesses and residents being able to stay in Chinatown.
“Language is the major barrier that causes Chinese-Americans to stay in Chinatown,” Wang said in a speech in Mandarin. “As Chinese people, we hope that the U.S. government and D.C. government will preserve Chinatown’s culture.”
Wang is also a resident of Museum Square, one of Chinatown’s two affordable housing complexes. Museum Square is facing worsening living conditions and constant facility issues, including broken elevators that pose safety risks for the mostly elderly residents of the nine-story building.
Museum Square residents say their landlord, Bush Companies, is trying to push out tenants by refusing to address maintenance issues in the building, so the company can then redevelop the land for more profitable uses, such as marketrate condos or retail. There are now only 70 remaining residents in the 302-unit apartment complex.
Activists say the city’s focus on new retail and arena development in Chinatown is frustrating when residents are being pushed out of the already limited affordable housing in the neighborhood.
“Our demand around Museum Square is very clear, is for the city, instead of pouring billions into the redevelopment and the revitalization of Chinatown, is to divert some of these funds, which is a drop in the bucket for them, to preserve affordable housing,” Shih said.
Community-centered investments
Beyond housing, activists pointed to several other examples of possibilities for community-centered investments. Some have pushed for building a Chinese grocery store in the neighborhood, as Chinatown
currently has only a small convenience store and a Safeway a few blocks away, neither of which stock many Asian grocery products. Many Chinatown residents regularly travel to Virginia to buy Asian groceries.
Chef Kevin Tien, who owns Moon Rabbit, a Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown, spoke at the Save Chinatown town hall about his hopes for an Asian grocery store in the neighborhood, but he also emphasized the need to protect current businesses.
“It’s not just about future businesses. It’s about preservation of businesses that have been there for generations. That’s what keeps Chinatown, Chinatown,” Tien said.
Many activists express support for expanding business activity in Chinatown, but disagree with the government on how to best achieve this goal.
“We want to make it clear that we are not against increased investment in Chinatown. But the city has made absolutely no plans to invest in community alongside all of these investments they’re making to developers and new businesses,” He said. “They have said nothing about how these businesses would be Asian, Asian-owned or owned by residents, or that they would hire residents.”
Shih also said that D.C.’s government has overlooked marginalized populations while making their plans for Chinatown.
“A lot of these changes have been predicated on the silence and the exclusion of the voices of our most vulnerable and our low-income, working-class, long-term residents, Chinese, Black, long-term residents of this community,” Shih said.
As debates continue around Chinatown’s future, activists emphasized the need for collaboration across neighborhoods, inviting all D.C. residents—including Georgetown students—to show their support for Chinatown’s residents, such as by volunteering at Save Chinatown events.
“Whenever you’re living in a place, however temporary, I think it’s important to get connected to the movements that have been started before you,” Peter Atwill, a member of Save Chinatown’s steering committee, said. “There are very small things that you can do without having a huge knowledge base, supporting the activism that’s going on around you.”
Despite the challenges facing Chinatown, Shih emphasized that the neighborhood remains a cultural center and symbol of community for both residents and other visitors, particularly immigrants.
“The history of Chinatown is the history of diversity in the city and in this country, of how immigrants work to fight to have a place in society and have a voice,” Shih said. “It’s a space where folks can find a sense of belonging, a sense of connection to culture and tradition.” G
What if it was the journey and the destination? Giving D.C. public transit a second chance
BY PHOEBE NASH
DESIGN BY ELIN CHOE
Beads of sweat run down my face and soak my shirt. Onlookers would probably assume I just ran a marathon across the city or am returning from one of D.C.’s many trendy workout classes. No. Instead, I am winded by the impossibility of traveling downtown via public transportation from Darnall.
However frustrating it may be, I am notorious for my dedication to finding cheap public transit options instead of calling an Uber, often at the expense of my sanity.
Instead of an overpriced ride to LAX, I once took the LA Metro miles in the opposite direction of my friend’s USC dorm to get on a questionable $15 bus ride to the airport. A summer in Barcelona found me obsessed with the city’s timely metro system, punctual to the point that “the train was late” was never a functional excuse to my host mom for getting back past curfew. And in my freshman year of high school, school-provided metro card in hand, I regularly arrived half an hour early following the absurdly-routed bus ride. That last one, admittedly, was powered by my mother’s refusal to endure our Seattle suburb’s early morning highway traffic. Regardless, I call myself a committed bus commuter.
Excited about the prospect of moving to a city with a more established public transportation system, I was ready to bring my unfounded perseverance and support of mediocre metros to the Hilltop. Unfortunately, much like Leo’s “Mexican” food and the campus bookstore’s t-shirt designs, Georgetown’s Metro connectivity leaves something to be desired.
There is something almost heartbreaking about the urge to turn to overpriced rideshares, perhaps sneakily on a parent’s credit card, at the realization that your overzealous transportation schemes for a night out no longer work after a toolong pregame, or that plans to use public transit were never drafted in the first place.
We should not abandon D.C.’s transit system just because it is imperfect. Instead, we should recognize its merits and continue to support it in pursuit of a carless way of life.
Coming from a similarly disconnected neighborhood in a major city, I quickly subscribed to the narrative that the lack of a Georgetown Metro stop is the classic story of a close-minded and powerful neighborhood association’s obstruction.
But, it turns out, the bigger picture of the Georgetown stop is more nuanced.
From the conception of the city’s metro system in 1967, a stop close to campus was never seriously considered. Complications around building a line near the Potomac and the C&O Canal, paired with an outdated view of public transportation as exclusively for connecting suburban workers to their downtown offices, meant the project was doomed from the start. Admittedly, there was some anti-Metro rhetoric from the neighborhood, though this was consistent across the city and had no impact on city planning decisions. More modern excuses blame tricky land use policies, the requirement for an egregiously deep station design, and the ever-present rumor of the aforementioned neighborhood opposition.
But, the worst excuse of all, at least to me, is that metro systems are just too expensive. In one of the richest countries in the world, a lack of investment in transit infrastructure shows a misalignment of political priorities. It is this same rhetoric that, instead of investing in sustainable transportation systems, effectively turns Los Angeles’ roads into parking lots, separates Chicago from its largest natural resource with an eight-lane highway, and forces millions of Americans into carreliant lifestyles. It is ridiculous to simply blame budgeting issues.
The lack of a Georgetown Metro station is reflective of a much larger public transit issue in the United States today. Strong public transportation systems are safer, cheaper, and better for the environment. By contrast, car-reliant lifestyles utilize lots of land, increase the likelihood of vehicular accidents, and emit carbon dioxide.
Fortunately, we are not far from a strong system. D.C.’s Metro has good customer
satisfaction and predictability and is often ranked the best system of its size in the U.S. It just needs expansion to benefit Georgetown neighborhood residents hoping to explore the city.
We must remember that patience is required with all effective logistical changes. Just as it is easy to wish for improved dorm facilities and in the same breath complain about on-campus construction, we must remember that building functional systems takes time. But that isn’t to say that we shouldn’t be demanding more and working toward having well-connected cities.
There is hope to be had as we patiently await future city planning. The uptick of rideshare bikes and scooters, albeit annoying on the already crowded campus walkways, signals the possibility of private innovation in the face of government inaction. These alternatives prove that perhaps the prospect of carless cities and the hope of transit enthusiasts such as myself can persist a little longer, while also providing a functional means to travel to other well-connected parts of the city. The GUTS bus also demonstrates the university’s interest in empowering student travel. The university-owned fleet of shuttles helps students break out of the Georgetown bubble, though restricted weekend service makes its use limited.
It is clear that D.C. is far from the artful systems found in other capital cities like Berlin, Tokyo, and London and it is important to demand more. But for now, we must continue to trust in the journey, favoring the flawed Metro system over perpetuating car-centered transportation, even if that means we arrive at our destination a bit sweatier than we hoped. G
Workers at five D.C. restaurants attempt to unionize, fighting for “rights, respect, and benefits”
BY CONNOR DWIN AND IMANI LIBURD
Le Diplomate is a bustling highend spot, consistently making lists of the District’s top restaurants. The popular Logan Circle restaurant brings in about $26.7 million in revenue a year—but workers say that success doesn’t come through in the ways they’re treated and paid. So, Le Diplomate is among five high-end D.C. restaurants where workers launched a unionization effort last month.
“For a restaurant that generates almost $30 million in revenue yearly, they can afford to provide better conditions,” Pablo Zuniga, a server at Le Diplomate, said.
The restaurants—Le Diplomate, Pastis DC, St. Anselm, Rasika, and Modena—are all owned by either Starr Restaurants or Knightsbridge Restaurant Group and are some of the most lucrative in the region.
Employees at each of these restaurants are joining UNITE HERE Local 25, a union representing hotel, restaurant, and casino workers in the D.C. area. Workers at the five restaurants say they are pushing for better working conditions, higher wages, and less hostility from their management.
“[The workers] also understand that the only way to change that is with a union, by coming together with their coworkers and bargaining collectively for a contract that guarantees them all the rights, respect, and benefits that come with the Local 25 contract,” Benji Cannon, director of communications at Local 25, said to the Voice.
D.C. restaurant workers and their supporters rallied behind the union, leading several protests to advance their organizing effort. On Jan. 30, over 100 demonstrators gathered on K Street in downtown D.C. to support the union. A week later, on Feb. 6, over 50 workers and their supporters
protested at Eastern Market, where employees delivered speeches detailing their work experience and demanding better treatment going forward.
Jamaal Jackson, a server at Pastis DC, said management repeatedly cut his hours without notifying him. Management retaliated against him for confronting them about the reduction, he said, by further reducing his hours to nine per week and writing him up for baseless violations.
“I had been written up multiple times for arbitrary issues, none of them related to the other, and when just simply asking for documentation of my write ups, they asserted that I had no rights to a copy of the right of documentation,” Jackson said in an interview with the Voice.
Immigrant workers also said their employers disrespected them. At the Jan. 30 protest, Yesenia Delgado, a prep cook at St. Anselm who immigrated from El Salvador, recalled an instance where her manager was giving her instructions on how to do food prep in English. When she asked a coworker to translate the directions into Spanish, her manager allegedly said, “Well you should have learned English then.”
Other workers said management assigned them work that fell outside of their job description.
“So you’ll come into the workplace and they’ll say, ‘Hey, here’s what you’re going to work today.’ But then after a while, they’ll move you around and they’ll have you do jobs that aren’t your job,” Juan Guevara, a dishwasher at St. Anselm, said in Spanish through a translator.
Since the workers announced the unionization plans, Starr and Knightsbridge denied claims of unfair treatment and have refused to voluntarily recognize the union.
The Starr and Knightsbridge restaurant groups did not respond to the Voice’s request for comment.
In a written statement to the Washingtonian, Starr Restaurants dismissed workers’ claims about labor law violations as “typical tactics of unions” that are filed “regardless of the legal merit.”
Despite the groups’ refusal to recognize the union, some workers said they have noticed a positive shift in their treatment and working conditions since their announcement to begin unionizing.
“Since we’ve been open about our efforts to unionize, managers are providing better food for family meals, providing us with longer breaks, when they could’ve done this all along,” Zuniga said.
However, other workers said they are facing increased scrutiny in response to the unionization effort.
“The owner tried to bribe me, he offered to give me money to reveal the names of my coworkers who were organizing the union and I said ‘No,’” Halis Rodriguez, a former busser at Rasika, said in Spanish through a translator at the Jan. 30 protest.
After she did not reveal the names of her coworkers, management fired her without giving her a reason, Rodriguez said.
According to Cannon, the issues that workers at the five restaurants have faced are disappointing, but ultimately unsurprising, as they reflect a larger phenomenon of unfavorable work standards being normalized in restaurant work as a whole.
“There is a status quo in the restaurant industry where people are not treated well,” Cannon said. “They are treated without respect, without dignity. They are yelled at. And they just had enough.”
Organizers hope that a union will push employers to recognize the value of restaurant workers, who work to ensure an enjoyable customer experience despite challenges they face at their workplaces.
“If they treat their workers better with respect, we’ll in turn create a better restaurant experience for our guests, which is the whole reason we’re doing this,” Zuniga said. G
DC Rawhides brings queer joy and cowboy boots to the District
BY KATHERINE WILKISON
DESIGN BY LUCY MONTALTI
Every other Saturday night, volunteers at DC Rawhides turn Eastern Market’s North Hall into a hoedown bursting with queer joy. Cowboy boots, some more authentic than others, stomp in lockstep across a temporary parquet dance floor to “Mambo Shuffle,” “Canadian Stomp,” and crowd favorite, “Shivers.”
Since its founding more than a decade ago, Rawhides has been hosting queer country western dances across the District. Their mission is simple, yet no small feat: preserving the tradition of same-sex country western dancing and creating a space for D.C.’s queer community to come together.
For more than 50 years, clubs around the country have been organizing queer country western dances. While they began in the shadows at private clubs under fear of arrest, now they are united by an international association of queer country western dance clubs. Organizations from Pittsburgh to Los Angeles to Munich serve those looking to chassé in an affirming space.
“It’s for people that want to be a part of a community, of a thriving LGBT community that’s active. And it’s very diverse. And I think you don’t get that elsewhere,” Angel Guillory, a longtime dancer and volunteer, said. “Here at Rawhides, you really get a little of everything, and I think that’s so welcoming and so wonderful.”
Rawhides has survived, and thrived, through the shuttering of its first two homes: Remington’s, a gay country western bar that closed in 2014, and Town, a gay dance bar that closed in 2018.
When Remington’s closed, its longtime manager told the Washington Blade, the D.C.-based LGBTQ+ newspaper, that country western dancing was “a fad” that has “run its course.”
Rawhides is proving him wrong.
On Jan. 25 and Feb. 8, the hall reached its capacity of more than 400 people before 10 p.m.—“the dance,” as organizers call it, goes until 11 p.m.
Organizers and dancers pointed to various reasons for the group’s growth and popularity, from word of mouth to social media—Rawhides has more than 90,000 followers on Instagram. Above all, they
agreed that the strength and warmth of the community is what keeps people coming back, especially in the wake of mounting attacks on the LGBTQ+ community in the U.S. and across the world.
“In the climate of the world today, people feel attacked and isolated. Rawhides is the one place you can go and just be happy for a night and be safe. Whether you dance or not, just be around people who are really enjoying life at that moment,” Guillory said.
Guillory found Rawhides more than a decade ago, and to this day, she has stuck around because of the dance’s supportive atmosphere.
“I was newly out. I was looking for avenues to go out and to meet people in safe spaces and that turned out to be one of them,” Guillory said. “I’ve moved away three times and I think each time what pulls me back here is the community, and part of that is Rawhides. I just can’t find that anywhere else.”
“Everybody dances with everybody. You're not pigeonholed in one way or another. I'm a woman, but I can lead or follow. It's just really freeing.”
For the first time in its history, Guillory estimates, the crowd at Jan. 25’s dance had more women than men. Unlike many queer spaces in D.C. and elsewhere that tend to be male-dominated, Rawhides draws a remarkably diverse crowd.
The gender-inclusivity of Rawhides also gives women and gender non-conforming people the opportunity to lead on the dance floor. Traditionally, most country western two-step or partner dances feature mixedgender couples, with men leading and women following.
“Everybody dances with everybody. You’re not pigeonholed in one way or
another. I’m a woman, but I can lead or follow. It’s just really freeing,” Guillory said.
During a summer out west, Charlotte Correiro (CAS ’24) went dancing at a Colorado country bar with a mixedgender group of co-workers. There, strict gender roles were enforced, creating a very different experience than at Rawhides.
“I loved this bar. We went a couple of times, but they were very strict about women having to follow and men having to lead, which was crazy,” she said. “I was just following and it was really cool to experience but less cool with a man that I had known for three weeks, you know? If one of the lesbians at Rawhides was, like, ‘Let’s go do that,’ I would be, like, ‘Okay, great!’”
That sense of comfort, openness, and lack of judgement, according to Correiro and Gillory, is what brings participants back time and again. Even people who identify as non-dancers are encouraged to give it a try.
“You can watch people and no one’s gonna judge you. You can also participate as much as you are able, and if you want to try and learn, someone will be willing to help you,” Jaelyn Mitchell, a Rawhides volunteer, said.
The growing crowd of dancers inspires Patrick DiBattista, who has been dancing for more than 20 years, to keep volunteering hours per week to organize, run, set up, and take down the dance along with a team of several dozen volunteers.
“The beautiful mix we have of people and types of people, you can’t beat it,” DiBattista said. “Hopefully it gives us resilience. Hopefully it gives us joy. And hopefully it sustains us, and hopefully it heals us. I’ll say that—hopefully, it heals us.”
Dancers’ ages range from 21 to over 70—participants need ID to attend. For younger participants watching elder queers move across the dance floor, it is hard not to think about how such a scene would have been impossible or outright illegal in their youth.
“Elder queers are everywhere, which is just huge,” Correiro, who frequents the dance, said. “It made me emotional to see.”
In 1980, a federal court ruled that public high school students have a right to bring same-sex partners to school dances. That
of the park’s strict “male/female” couplesonly policy. In 1985, after a long legal battle, Disney changed its policy, giving samesex couples the right to dance. Same-sex couples in New York City were prohibited from publicly holding hands, dancing, or kissing until the 1970s.
Given this history, organizers are well aware that “the dance” is far more than just a dance to many of its participants.
“When you walk through that door, our goal is to make sure that you are seen. That you are seen as your authentic self and accepted as your authentic self,” DiBattista said. “Not that you just feel welcome, but that you are welcome, and that we communicate that you are welcome.”
As more people join the dance, DiBattista continues to emphasize that all are welcome—experience, skill, or rhythm are not required.
“It’s a live, changing, evolving, dynamic group of people who are connected and have been connected for a long time. Again, some of the people who dance with us, I’ve danced with them for 20 years. And some of the people who dance with us, I’ve danced with for three months. And each is equally important,” DiBattista said.
D.C. is the gayest “state” (or district!) in the U.S., yet local queer gathering spaces seem to be few and far between. A 2021 study found that more than 14%
a city of well over 1,000 bars, there are less than 30 gay bars, only two of which cater primarily to women and gender non-conforming clientele.
The organizers behind Rawhides have tried to create a diverse, communityoriented, “non-hookup” space for the District’s queer and allied population. Yes, even straight people are welcome.
“I don’t identify as queer, and I know that might turn off people, but there’s no hate. They’re not going to kick you out or anything like that,” Mitchell said. “Also, for people who just don’t know how to dance, the expectation for dance level is like, two left feet and rhythm optional.”
Many in Rawhides are celebrating country western dancing’s rise in popularity among the queer community.
“Beyoncé does country music now! It's not your mama’s country dancing,” Guillory said. “Rawhides has evolved over time to be more welcoming, and we’re trying to stay current. I mean, we throw the wobble in there and try and include current songs.”
Still, some members worry about the potential commodification of the dance. In the last few years, a new group of queer country dancers has arrived on the scene: Stud Country. A dance collective started in Los Angeles, Stud Country has garnered significant media attention in the last couple of years and become the de-facto
New York City, and Nashville.
Correiro has mixed feelings about the group, and encourages people who are interested in dancing to explore local options outside of what they find on Instagram.
“That is so fucking awesome, but have you checked the website for the International Association of Gay/Lesbian Country Western Dance Clubs? Because there might be one 20 minutes outside of the city that’s been running for 25 years and they just don’t have such a flashy Instagram presence and the median age is 45,” Correiro said. “I don’t want to be scared of that. And I’m ultimately excited that it’s popping up.”
For Correiro and Guillory, dancing in an explicitly queer space brings a level of comfort that they haven’t felt elsewhere.
“Every time I walk in, I’m happy, and everyone says that. They’re like, ‘Oh man, I’m so glad I’m here. My life just got better. My day just got better,’” Guillory said. “And I’ve gone to dance in other places and it’s not the same.”
Volunteers and organizers are committed to keeping the community going for as long as people are willing to come out and dance.
“The dance belongs to the community,” DiBattista said. “And we’re going to continue to work to ensure that the dance has a home.” G
“D.C. sold them up the river”: 24 years after the D.C. prison closed, advocates debate what’s next
BY HALEY JAWORSKI GRAPHICS BY ELLE MARINELLO; LAYOUT BY LUCY MONTALTI
Colie “Shaka” Long was born and raised in Washington, D.C., but in 1996, he was incarcerated and forced to leave “his city.” He didn’t return free until 26 years later.
Originally, Long was held in the Lorton Correctional Complex in Lorton, Virginia, about a 30-minute drive from the city. Four years later, Lorton closed, and the federal government transferred Long to Red Onion State Prison in Wise, Virginia, about a sevenhour drive from D.C.
Then, he was transferred to Indiana. Then California. Then Georgia. Then Pennsylvania. Then back to Virginia. Then, finally, to the D.C. Jail.
Washington, D.C. has not had its own prison since the 2001 closure of Lorton, under the Revitalization Act of 1997.
Because D.C. doesn’t have a long-term detention facility, residents sentenced to over one year in prison have been arbitrarily moved across the country, based on the availability of beds.
Currently, the only correctional facilities in D.C. are the Central Detention Facility— widely referred to as the D.C. Jail—the Correctional Treatment Facility, and the
Community Corrections Facilities, a halfway house for women. These are all classified as jails: short-term detention facilities that hold individuals pre-trial or for sentences shorter than one year.
Although Lorton was in Virginia, it was operated by the D.C. Department of Corrections and housed D.C. residents. Congress passed the Revitalization Act and shuttered Lorton in an effort to reduce D.C.’s expenditures after years of financial trouble.
The act dissolved the prison system in D.C. by closing Lorton and transferring custody of incarcerated people from D.C. to the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BoP). The law reassigned authority for parole decisions and community supervision responsibilities from D.C. to federal agencies.
Today, advocates are proposing different solutions to alleviate the challenges faced by incarcerated people from D.C. These span from the construction of a prison in the District to the abolition of the carceral system altogether, but all agree on one thing: D.C.’s incarcerated population is suffering.
Being moved out of the District creates barriers to rehabilitation for D.C. offenders, like a lack of family connection. The Revitalization Act mandates that people convicted under D.C. Code are incarcerated within 500 miles of D.C. when possible, but, according to the D.C. Policy Center, almost half of D.C. offenders are further away, making family visitation difficult.
“The role that family and loved ones play in maintaining humanity is pivotal,” Long
and costly. Bailey co-founded the prison reform organization More Than Our Crimes with Rob Barton, a D.C. offender and former Georgetown Prison Scholars Program participant currently incarcerated in Florida. After the two met through a pen pal letter exchange, they created the organization to share the stories of incarcerated individuals, especially those with long sentences.
“I went down to visit Rob a couple weeks ago. It cost me $800. It’s airfare, rental car, and hotel. And a lot of these families are low income, and that is a lot of money,” Bailey said. “On top of that, I had to get all the way down there and they canceled the visit.”
The frequent transfer of D.C. offenders in the federal system makes it difficult not only to maintain connections with those outside of prison but also those made in the facility. When Lorton closed, those who were incarcerated together in D.C. were split up and forced apart.
“When they closed Lorton, they just submerged you in this hostile, foreign territory. It’s like we were war buddies,” Long said of his friends from D.C. who were also incarcerated in the federal system. “Your most direct and constant form of communication with other people is people that are inside.”
It is difficult for them to stay in touch with other D.C. natives unless, by chance, they end up in the same facility again, Long said.
Furthermore, this frequent transfer makes it so D.C. offenders are rarely in the same place long enough to reap the benefits of any educational programming while incarcerated. These include General Education Development and English as a Second Language classes, degree programs,
“If there were educational programs, for example, in a federal prison like Indiana, you’re there for
a couple months, even a couple years, then you move to a different facility,” Long said. “There’s no continuity.”
D.C. offenders are also disproportionately housed in high-security facilities, further decreasing their access to educational programming.
The BoP decides the type of facility people supervised by the federal system are incarcerated in and their educational programming access. According to an amicus brief filed by the D.C. Office of the Attorney General (OAG) in 2022, the BoP makes these decisions based on an individual’s “criminal history score,” but they use a separate, stricter score calculation system for D.C. offenders than for federal offenders. This means, the OAG alleged, that D.C. offenders are disproportionately housed in highsecurity facilities and have less eligibility for early-release programs. And, according to the brief, this system disproportionately impacts Black inmates.
Nearly 96% of D.C. offenders are Black, compared to around 40% of D.C. residents and 39% of federal offenders overall.
While incarcerated, D.C. natives face racism and discrimination not only from the system but also from federal offenders, Bailey said. D.C. offenders placed by the federal system are also mostly incarcerated for violent crimes, whereas federal offenders are more likely to be incarcerated for whitecollar crimes.
“[D.C. offenders] are perceived as more violent,” Bailey said. “There’s a lot of racism involved. So really they’re discriminated against.”
With all the challenges that D.C. natives face when incarcerated outside the District, some advocates, including Bailey, believe that D.C. should build a new prison of its own.
“As far as I’m concerned, D.C. sold them up the river when they gave up all control of their criminal justice system to the feds,” Bailey said. “They owe it to them to bring them home.”
According to Bailey, building a prison in D.C. would allow for more continuous programming, which would give incarcerated people not only greater access to education but also a stronger connection to the
Long said that investing in programming within prisons could help those who are incarcerated have the support to succeed upon release.
“Especially in D.C., we are so responsebased,” said Long. “Re-entry starts when you’re inside. So if we had a prison we would need close family connections, programming, therapy, counseling, all these kinds of things. That’s how you work towards building a safe community.”
A prison in D.C. would also make visitation much more accessible for District families with incarcerated loved ones, Bailey said.
“[Lorton] was a truly horrible place,” Bailey said. “But it doesn’t have to be that way. And at the very least they need to be close to home so they can have family visits.”
Long believes that having correctional staff from D.C. would also be beneficial to creating a community-oriented prison culture.
“Culture is everything. The Lorton correctional staff were from D.C.,” Long said. “A lot of the officers knew the incarcerated people.”
While some advocate for the construction of a D.C. prison, others advocate for the abolition of the prison system entirely, arguing that a new prison is antithetical to that goal.
“No new jails, no new prisons,” said Heath Pearson, an anthropology and Justice and Peace Studies professor at Georgetown who studies racial capitalism, prisons, and policing. “Supporting a building project is pretty much counter to my entire life project.”
Building a D.C. prison would not address the larger issue of mass incarceration, according to Pearson. D.C. already has one of the highest incarceration rates in the U.S., at 816 residents incarcerated per 100,000, compared to the national average of 614.
However, Bailey believes it is still a more viable immediate solution than long-term goals like abolition. Bailey doesn’t generally believe in building more prisons, but she said this is a unique case, as D.C. is the only area in the country without a “state-level” prison.
Focusing solely on abolition is unfair to incarcerated people who would benefit from short-term reforms, Bailey said.
turn them into only video chats and email messaging and mailing stuff,” Pearson said. “Who’s to say that one year after building the D.C. prison, they won’t say, ‘No more visitation. But I’m glad we got 800 extra beds out of it.’”
Pearson thinks advocates can help D.C. offenders by pressuring the government to follow the laws that they created. Rather than building a prison, he said the BoP should be held to the rule that D.C. offenders are kept within 500 miles of the city.
“One thing that you can do to create a sense of accountability around all of this is to say for every X number of miles you distance a person from their family, you are responsible for transporting their family X number of times a year,” Pearson said.
According to Pearson, it is time to rethink how we run the prison system.
“People who run the prison system are thinking in terms of, ‘How do we get more beds?’ We should be thinking, ‘How do we get rid of beds?’” he said.
One way to “get rid of beds,” according to Bailey and Pearson, is to focus on the root causes of crime and recidivism, rather than punitive responses.
“Disinvestment in the communities led to a lot of these crimes,” Bailey said. “Honestly, you hear about most of their childhoods, and D.C.’s lack of investment in southeast D.C. is why they’re there. Shame on them.”
Neighborhoods across D.C. experience great disparities in measures like poverty. For example, in Ward 8, which is a predominantly Black area in Southeast and Southwest D.C., the poverty rate is 27%, nearly double the citywide rate of 14%.
Pearson said advocates should “go upstream,” focusing on reducing the number of people involved with the justice system in the first place. Pearson’s personal connection to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people drives their abolitionist view.
“I’m also a person who’s had family and friends who are locked up. I think about it
“We are not getting rid of prisons anytime soon, if ever. It’s very cruel to take this attitude because there are more than 2,000 D.C. residents in the federal system, and it is
Pearson is not convinced that a D.C. “Prisons are, as we speak, rapidly retooling
Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is closing in on the National Hockey League’s (NHL) all-time career goal-scoring record. On Feb. 4, he scored an empty-net goal with 0.1 seconds left on the clock as the Capitals defeated Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers. On Feb. 6, he scored directly off a pass in the first period of the Capitals’ win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
The goal record set by Wayne Gretzky, also known as the “Great One,” once seemed unbreakable. During his 20-year career, Gretzky scored 894 goals, averaging 0.601 goals per game. This record has been standing for nearly three decades without any serious threat.
However, the Capitals’ captain proved that he can compete. With his goal against the Flyers, Ovechkin, at the age of 39 and flashing his longevity, brought his career goal record to 879—only 16 goals from passing Gretzky’s legendary record. In doing so, Ovechkin also became the second player to have 19 seasons in the NHL with at least 25 goals in each season.
consistency over such a long period is key to his pursuit of the all-time goal record.
Even at the age of 39, Ovechkin continues to score consistently. Following his game against the Panthers, he was averaging approximately 0.68 goals per
On the brink of history: Ovechkin inches closer to legendaryGretzky’s 894 goals
BY ERIC QIAN DESIGN BY TINA SOLKI
Ovechkin previously downplayed his chances of breaking the goal record, saying in 2017, “I don’t think that’s possible. I talked to Wayne, and I don’t think those records can ever be beaten.” However, Gretzky has long maintained that Ovechkin may beat him.
Ovechkin’s consistency and ability to score at an elite level is remarkable. It’s even more impressive because Ovechkin plays in an era of lower-scoring games with stronger goaltending and defensive systems, compared to when Gretzky played in the ’80s and ’90s.
If he breaks the record in a Capitals jersey, the moment will be significant not just for Ovechkin himself, but also for D.C. sports history as a whole.
The Capitals now have 27 regularseason games remaining. With the
Since entering the NHL in 2005, Ovechkin has cemented himself as one of the most dominant offensive players in the league’s history. His signature onetimer from the left circle, known as “The Ovi Spot,” has become the most effective scoring weapon in hockey history.
Averaging 0.60 goals per game since his debut, Ovechkin scores at a rate exceptional in the NHL, where team scoring has fluctuated between 2.66 and 3.03 goals per game over the past two decades. Ovechkin’s
mid-tier NHL team to a perennial Stanley Cup contender.
Before Ovechkin’s arrival, the Capitals had not won a Stanley Cup and struggled to gain national recognition. In 2018, he led the team to its first championship in franchise history, marking his legacy in Washington sports. Since Ovechkin joined, the Capitals have the third-best points percentage as a team in the NHL (.608), trailing only behind the Vegas Golden Knights, who joined the NHL in 2017, and Boston Bruins. This sustained success highlights his transformative impact on the franchise.
yeah, obviously it would be cool.”
When the record finally falls, it will mark a major achievement in professional hockey. It will define Ovechkin’s legacy and place him in discussions about the greatest goalscorers in the sport.
The entire hockey world sits on the edge of its seat, counting down every goal as Ovechkin approaches the record. With each shot, he’s not just chasing history—he’s redefining greatness. The puck is on his stick, the record is in sight, and the moment is almost here. G
Reparo! How do we fix the Wizards?
By Bradshaw Cate and Eileen Weisner
D esign by Tina Solki
Our Washington Wizards need to rebuild. The team is 9-43 so far this season, dead last in the NBA, and on pace to break the franchise’s record for most losses in a season that they set last year. We’ve come up with magical solutions to fix the team—and we’re expecting a check from Wizards’ owner Ted Leonsis any day now.
Plan C: Cheat
Plan A: Draft and develop Washington’s front office needs to draft well. The reigning champion Celtics drafted their two star players. Oklahoma City amassed draft capital and built a young core that propelled the team to first in the Western Conference. If the Wizards want to improve, they need to emulate these franchises’ patience and talent evaluation.
The Wizards have acquired three firstround picks and 12 second-rounders since General Manager Michael Winger joined the team in 2023. While the extra firstround selections are nice, the army of second-round picks hold little value. Only 20% of players picked in the second round stay on an NBA roster after five years, let alone become all-stars. The Wizards should acquire more first-rounders where they can, like trading Marcus Smart in the offseason, whom Washington just acquired from Memphis. Otherwise, it could be leading scorer Jordan Poole in the trade cauldron next.
Beyond capital, Washington needs to develop their young talent. Second overall pick Alex Sarr has played fine compared to other rookies, sitting at fourth in points, first in blocks, and ninth in assists, all per game. Sophomore Bilal Coulibaly has started to make an impact, with his 12.6 points per game. Still, these players must be more productive to justify their high selections in the 2023 and 2024 drafts. That will take extensive coaching, something new coach Brian Keefe has indicated a willingness to do. However, that will take time—which is boring, so here’s how we fix them now.
If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying. The Astros won the World Series. The Patriots won the Super Bowl. The leagues did not meaningfully punish them, either. So, the Wizards should do the same. Washington has kept its payroll at $43 million under the league-leading team. Why not just divide some of that money between the referees at the start of each game?
Alternatively, the Wizards could prioritize invention. For example, design a way to make their shoes jump higher. Or add some special sauce to their workout routines. Our best idea is to bend the rims. Make opponents shoot on a slightly broken hoop so they miss more of their shots. However, teams switch directions every quarter, so the Wizards will need some serious magic to switch which one of the hoops is angled every quarter.
Plan LeWizards: LeBron
LeBron James is the one person who is unequivocally capable of rescuing a franchise’s success. How do we get him to Washington? By showing him an offer he can’t turn down: the 2028 presidency. Who can convince him? Kamala Harris.
James voted for the Harris-Walz ticket in the 2024 election, and former Vice President Harris has already returned to her California home. Harris is in a perfect position to persuade LeBron of a potential move to D.C. and advise his campaigning. Her infectious laugh will surely hype LeSunshine and convince him of his rightful spot as our nation’s leader. We expect his large and diehard fan base to vote for him.
With LeBron as president in 2028, he’d have to move into the White House. The James family will need Secret Service details to ensure their safety. Since Bronny James will be in the midst of an illustrious career by then, he’ll need double the agents to watch over him. The Secret Service can’t afford to send all those agents to California full time, so as soon as LeBron finalizes his campaign,
Bronny will start the move to D.C. with a trade to the Wizards. So, if Bronny is on the Wizards, and LeBron wants to play with Bronny, where does LeBron need to be? On the Wizards.
If that doesn’t work, we throw a massive bag at Bronny and hope LeBron follows him. Fifty million should do the trick. We know he’d get playing time.
Plan E: Effort
NBA commissioner Adam Silver feels that the aggressive defense of the 1990s was too physical and that emphasis on physicality overshadowed players’ individuality. However, some believe the league’s defense is lackluster and minimizes the excitement of the game. But defense doesn’t have to be pure physicality. Quick switches to unguarded players and hustle efforts make a big difference. Proactive defenders stymie fast breaks by knocking away a pass or keeping the pressure on the ball. Here the Wizards have an advantage. Our team is the youngest in the NBA and has yet to develop the star power that makes telling legends like Steph Curry to play defense impossible.
The benefits of good defense are intangible but invaluable: it can swing momentum, inspire teammates, and keep a team in the game. Getting a rebound to a teammate creates another potential scoring possession while taking one away from your opponent. Sticking on a guy and preventing his shot demoralizes and exhausts him. Blocks are more exhilarating than three-pointers because they’re not as easy to come by. We have the power of youth on our side—harness the team’s energy to terrorize lethargic teams.
It’s hard to keep that energy up in a losing season. The league average points per game is 113.3, and the Wizards average 107.8. That’s a scoring gap we can make up with a consistent defense. None of our trade-deadline players boast much offensive talent, so this is the only shot for resurrecting what’s left of the season. G
A guide to D.C.’s lesserknown museums
BY KOHARU ANDO AND RHEA BANERJEE DESIGN BY MAGGIE ZHANG
W ashington, D.C. houses an extensive art culture supported through (often) free, unadulterated access to myriad museums littered throughout the city. A typical museum day often leads to the well-known locations, like The Phillips Collection or the wealth of Smithsonians framing the National Mall. While they’ve earned every bit of attention they receive, there are actually over 200 museums in D.C.—hidden gems that speak to a plethora of cultures, histories, and stories that deserve a little extra love. We’ve turned our attention to four.
gallery neptune & brown
Address: 1530 14th St. NW
How to get there: Take the G2 bus from right outside the front gates to P St. NW & 14th St. NW. From there, walk about two minutes. Price: Free to visit
Self-described as “D.C.’s premier gallery for modern and contemporary art,” this museum sits by Logan Circle, less than a block away from Le Diplomate and Da Hong Pao. While the gallery still has that serious, professional “museum” feel, its close collaborations with artists, collectors, and other creatives, coupled with its intimate size, make it much more approachable and accessible. That feeling is no surprise—founders Robert Brown and Chris Neptune have approached their work at gallery neptune & brown with years of gallerist experience since they opened in 2015. If you’re looking for a reprieve from the vast, echoing corridors of seemingly never-ending museums, look no further: here lies a more friendly, cozy gallery experience.
The gallery displays local, national, and international art, ranging from well-known artists to up-and-coming visionaries. Their latest exhibition is Art Deco Glamour in Shanghai: 19141935 showcasing Chinese lithographic posters, which served as both artistic expression and advertisement. This exhibition runs through March 1, 2025.
The Kreeger Museum
Address: 2401 Foxhall Rd. NW
How to get there: After walking to Q St. NW & 35th St. NW, get on the D6 bus until Foxhall Rd. NW & Greenwich Pkwy and walk from there. Or, take the D2 bus to 41st St. NW & David Pl. NW. Price: $10 for college students
Founded in 1959, this unassuming, beige mansion holds a vibrant, distinguished collection of modern art encapsulating the legacy of David and Carmen Kreeger—the CEO of GEICO turned art philanthropist and his wife. With a focus on 19thand 20th-century art, the permanent collection boasts works by Monet, Picasso, and Braque, as well as some D.C. natives like Sam Gilliam and Sammie Fox. The grounds also hold a sculpture garden with massive statues that speak on themes of friendship and piety and even stories from the Old Testament. The architecture is an experience of its own. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Philip Johnson and modernist architect Richard Foster, the building previously doubled as a living space and exhibition. Inspired by Italian and Egyptian styles, the architecture is exemplary of the exquisitely well-crafted collection inside.
Hillwood Estate, Museum & Garden
Address: 4155 Linnean Ave. NW
How to get there: Take the GUTS bus to Dupont Circle, then get on the Red Line at the Dupont Circle Metro Station. Ride six stops until Van-Ness-UDC, and then walk about 20 minutes.
Price: $10 for college students
Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens is the former residence of Marjorie Merriweather Post, one of the most accomplished businesswomen, socialites, and philanthropists of the 20th century. Hillwood Estate is known for its grandeur and lavishness, offering us a peek into Post’s rich and vibrant life. Her home is decorated in the 18th-century French style—massive crystalline chandeliers, meticulously embroidered furniture, sweeping staircases, and layers upon layers of colorful fabric—combined with the newest innovations that the 1950s could offer. With 18 separate rooms to explore, you’ll not only see artwork, including Post’s much-loved Russian imperial art, but also experience the home as a time capsule that whisks you away to another era.
A tour of the estate isn’t complete without a walk through the 13 acres of formal gardens that unfurl from the house, forming “outdoor rooms” with distinct aesthetics. The greenhouse displays a variety of perfectly fragrant flowers in every season, while the Japanese-style garden is adorned with stone figures and carefully selected plants that reflect the space’s distinct atmosphere, “a little American, a little Japanese.”
Hirshhorn Museum
Address: Independence Ave. SW & 7th St. SW
How to get there: Walk to Wisconsin Ave. & N St., and take the 33 bus toward Union Station. Get off at Pennsylvania Ave. NW & 22nd St. NW, and transfer to the 32 bus, riding 10 stops untill Independence Ave. SW & 6th St. SW. It’s less than a 5 minute walk from there!
Price: Free to visit
The giant cylinder on the National Mall is actually a leading platform in the contemporary art world. One of the more undervisited Smithsonians, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, established by an Act of Congress in 1966 and opened in 1974, puts a spotlight on groundbreaking artists challenging political and cultural norms. Currently on display until Oct. 26 is a Basquiat x Banksy exhibition centered around two edgy, abstract pieces. Opening on March 22 is Revolutions: Art from the Hirshhorn Collection, 1860–1960, in honor of the museum’s 50th season. Hirshhorn also hosts regularly scheduled guided tours and artist talks, opportunities to supplement your visit with some expert knowledge from the museum guides. G
1. Smithsonian National Zoo
The National Zoo, only a short Metro stop away from Dupont Circle on the Red Line, is one of the oldest in the country. Spanning 163 acres in Rock Creek Park, Smithsonian reports that the center is home to more than 2,100 animals from almost 400 species, including the nation’s most important ambassadors: giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao. The best part? Admission is free—just don’t forget to reserve your day pass!
Top 10 leisurely activities in D.C.
2. D.C. Concert Culture
From 9:30 Club to Capital One Arena, D.C. offers a stage for every kind of artist. The city has produced legends like Marvin Gaye and Rico Nasty, while the surrounding DMV area has given rise to talents like Kali Uchis and Brent Faiyaz. Go see your favorite popular artist or catch someone before their break—smaller venues like Black Cat and The Pocket showcase local artists at budget-friendly prices. Call your friends, grab those tickets, and lace up your Docs—for that height boost.
3. Dumbarton Oaks
With expansive gardens and a museum adorned with Byzantine and pre-Columbian treasures, these grounds are the perfect place to spend a Saturday afternoon. Named as one of the best gardens in the world by National Geographic in 2010, you would truly be missing out on your Georgetown experience without stepping foot within its gates. Admission is free during the winter until March 1, and around $10 for a daily pass after.
BY RHEA BANERJEE, SAGUN SHRESTHA, MINHAL NAZEER, AND KOHARU ANDO
GRAPHICS
BY
KATIE SNYDER; LAYOUT BY MAGGIE ZHANG
4.
Hiking
Whether you’re looking for a challenge or just some time away from the hustle and bustle of city life, D.C. has a multitude of hiking trails to choose from. Capital Crescent Trail, which runs from Georgetown all the way to Silver Spring, Maryland, is perfect for running or biking, while Rock Creek Trail is only about three miles long and passes by the National Zoo. Next time you’re missing some time in nature or just desperately need to touch grass, go for a hike.
5. Folger Shakespeare Library
Although it isn’t Broadway or London’s West End, D.C. is by no means lacking in theatrical entertainment: the Folger Shakespeare Library and Theater being a prime example. Recently renovated, the Folger Theater is the spot to hit on East Capitol Street. The Library features world-famous Shakespeare exhibitions, gardens, and regular plays and concerts. The theater is currently running A Room in the Castle, a Hamlet retelling from the perspective of its female characters. Twelfth Night is set to open on May 13. Purchase tickets with a studentdiscount of 10% off.
6. Kennedy Center
Named the John F. Kennedy Center at the time of publication, this concert hall for the Performing Arts is a mere 30-minute walk—or 10-minute bike ride—from the steps of Lau. A visit can entail listening to the thunderous sounds of the National Symphony Orchestra, attending comedy shows and concerts (like Laufey’s serene performance last year), or watching the elegance of the American Ballet Theater—currently performing a ballet based on Fyodor Dostyoyevksy’s Crime and Punishment until Feb. 16. Purchase tickets at a discounted rate with the Student Rush MyTix benefits.
7. Georgetown Waterfront
What’s more leisurely than a long, calming stroll along the Waterfront? Give yourself a moment to simply exist. Listen to your favorite new playlist, your friend’s crazy weekend story, or the soothing sounds of quacking ducks and traffic, and resist the urge to take your homework everywhere. If you’re so inclined, you could even go for a run along the Potomac. Pro tip: stop by any of Georgetown’s cafés and bakeries on your way to or from the waterfront for the perfect excuse to splurge on a sweet treat.
8. Happy Hour
For our recently Tombs-certified students, happy hour discounts are a great way to socialize with a drink in hand. Monday through Friday, The Sovereign offers $6 for all drinks— and the brussel sprouts are to die for. Cocktails at Maman start at $8, including a delectable espresso martini served in a teacup. If you’re looking for something classy, Fitzgerald’s has a $10 classic martini, old fashioned, and Manhattan. Of course, you must also stop by Bodega Spanish Tapas & Lounge to indulge in their $20 sangria pitchers.
9. History
D.C. is teeming with rich history, and you shouldn't pass up the opportunity to explore it. You can visit Ford Theater, where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, or the Lincoln Memorial where Martin Luther King Jr. declared “I have a dream.” You can peruse the original U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence at the National Archives or walk through old trolley tunnels in the Dupont Underground, a citizen-driven urban initiative that memorializes modern culture in a historical space.
10. Washington Monument
Though made exceedingly famous in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), D.C.’s pencil-shaped monument has long been a highlight of the city’s skyline, towering over every building in its vicinity. While there is a longstanding myth that no structure is allowed to exceed the monument’s height, no law actually mentions the monument itself. It is only due to an urban design principle—the 1910 Height of Buildings Act which determines limits from the width of the street—that this structure has such a towering presence. With a 70-second elevator ride, you can be on top of the world! Or rather, the city. G
