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VOLUME 66 NUMBER 13
GEORGETOWNER.COM
APRIL 8 - APRIL 21, 2020
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REV. COLE BACK HOME RECOVERING
EMERGENCY MEASURES COMING
THE AGE OF COVID SHUTS SPRING ARTS GARDENING’S HEALING POWERS
LEAN ON ME: CELEBRATING SPRING AT HOME
C O V I D -19 R E D A L E RT
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Town Topics
DOWNTOWNER · 7 Downtown News
EDITORIAL/OPINION · 8 Editorial CAG Update Letters to the Editor
THE VILLAGE · 9
Feed The Fight DC Gardening’s Healing Powers POPULAR GEORGETOWN BUS ROUTES SAVED
COVER · 10
PUBLISHER Sonya Bernhardt
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Robert Devaney
FEATURES EDITORS COPY EDITOR Ari Post Richard Selden Gary Tischler SENIOR FASHION & BEAUTY CORRESPONDENT DIRECTOR Peggy Sands Lauretta McCoy CONTRIBUTORS GRAPHIC DESIGN Mary Bird Troy Riemer Susan Bodiker Allyson Burkhardt PHOTOGRAPHERS Evan Caplan Philip Bermingham Didi Cutler Jeff Malet Donna Evers Michelle Galler ADVERTISING & Stephanie Green MARKETING Amos Gelb Kate Sprague Wally Greeves Richard Selden Kitty Kelley Kelly Sullivan Rebekah Kelley Jody Kurash Shelia Moses Kate Oczypok Linda Roth Alison Schafer Mary Ann Treger
BY PEGGY SAN D S
Future Fem
The D2 bus. Courtesy WMATA.
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ARTS · 11
Artswatch - COVID Edition
BUSINESS · 12
GEORGETOWNERS TAKE A WALK ON THE WARM AND FUZZY SIDE
Ins & Outs Take Your Business Virtual
CLASSIFIEDS · 13
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Service Directory
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BOOK CLUB · 14
Kitty Kelley Book Club
SPRING · 15
JOSEPH LOWERY: THE DEAN OF HOPE
Hiking for COVID World
BY SH EL IA M OSES
Joseph Lowery. Photo by Jeff Malet.
The Georgetowner is published every other Wednesday. The opinions of our writers and columnists do not necessarily reflect the editorial and corporate opinions of The Georgetowner newspaper. The Georgetowner accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs and assumes no liability for products or services advertised herein. The Georgetowner reserves the right to edit, rewrite or refuse material and is not responsible for errors or omissions. Copyright 2020.
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To submit your photos tag #thegeorgetowner on Instagram! North side Park in Vienna, Virginia where I walk my black Lab every day. The love sign is to reminder visitors to respect the 6 feet Covid-19 stop the spread.
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COUNCILMEMBER
WARD 2 www.evansward2.com
EVANS 2020 3141 P Street, NW Washington, DC 20007
April 3, 2020
Dear residents of Georgetown, Burleith, Hillandale and all Ward 2 residents, I recognize that I personally tarnished my legacy of public service. I apologize to all the citizens of the District of Columbia for the embarrassment that I have caused our wonderful city. I know how hard we have had to work in recent decades to redeem our city’s image and it indescribably pains me that I damaged our proud record. And, of course, I apologize to the residents of Ward 2 for leaving them without representation. I also recognize that DC residents are a generous and redemptive citizenry and extend second chances. And, I believe the constituents of Ward 2 should decide their representation—a right they were recently denied. For these reasons, I would truly appreciate an opportunity to redeem myself in the eyes of the voters and my colleagues on the DC Council, and make amends for my mistakes. I am very proud of the contributions and accomplishments I have made as the Ward 2 Councilmember. I especially value the many years of hard work I spent during the 1990s and early 2000s turning around DC’s terribly damaged finances to the point that we were awarded the highest possible Triple AAA rating, putting the city on firm financial footing for the first time. We all know DC will be facing many similar challenges in coming months as we deal with the tremendous impact of COVID-19. We will work to help those residents and small businesses in need while also ensuring our budget and finances are managed so we overcome these hurdles and keep moving our city forward. Let me conclude where I began—with an apology to you. I hope I can once again earn your support. I know many of you still have questions or concerns and I encourage you to personally email me (jackevans3142@gmail.com) or visit evansward2.com. With all sincerity,
Jack Evans Candidate for Ward 2 Councilmember
PAID FOR BY: EVANS 2020, DON DINAN, TREASURER, 3141 P STREET NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20007
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TOWN TOPICS
NEWS
Virtual ANC & CAG: More Policing in Georgetown BY PEGGY SA NDS “I can see and feel the increase of police and public safety measures in my daily walks around Georgetown,” said Rick Murphy, chair of the Georgetown-Burleith advisory neighborhood commission, during a virtual meeting of ANC 2E on March 30. Second District Commander Duncan Bedlion of the Metropolitan Police Department confirmed that, as did John Rentzepis of the Citizens Association of Georgetown and Joe Sternlieb of the Georgetown Business Improvement District. “The police stations, offices and patrols are fully staffed and engaged,” Bedlion said. “You can come in at any time, even for parking passes. But changes have been made to meet the challenges of the coronavirus stay-at-home and social distancing orders. “Reports of nonviolent crimes and requests for most services for all but
emergency incidents are being done online or by phone,” he said. “As a result, we are seeing that officers have been able to respond quicker to serious crimes and are making more arrests faster.” “Our CAG security officer will continue to drive around five nights a week, patrolling Georgetown and reporting any suspicious or dangerous activity directly to the Metropolitan Police Department,” said Rentzepis. “The service that regularly checks homes of absent residents who request it will continue. But the CAG officer will no longer be able to offer late-night rides in the car to residents to their homes.” According to CAG, its unarmed patrol officer provides a visual deterrent to crime while being a trained set of “eyes and ears” for the community. Some of the Georgetown BID’s Clean
A Metropolitan Police Department cruiser on M Street on April 2. Georgetowner photo. Team members have been reassigned to night security patrol. “They will provide additional security to businesses and some residences in the commercial areas of Georgetown,” Sternlieb said. “The far west end of Water Street continues to be a problem, mainly with gatherings of young people late at night,” Bedlion reported. “We’ll be patrolling that area more frequently with more officers.”
Of course, now that street traffic has been greatly reduced by the stay-at-home order, officers are not the only ones more visible. So are potential law breakers, noted Murphy. “More residents who become a little stir-crazy in their homes walk their neighborhoods more often,” Murphy said. “They look out their windows more. They notice things that don’t seem right. If you see something, report it.”
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TOWN TOPICS
Council Passes New Emergency Act BY P EG GY S A N D S
Mayor Muriel Bowser at the April 6 press conference. Behind her is District CFO Jeffrey DeWitt. Photo by Robert Devaney.
COVID-19 Update: D.C. Deaths Hit 22; Emergency Measures Coming BY RO B ER T D E VA N E Y Mayor Muriel Bowser and District Council Chairman Phil Mendelson held a morning press conference on April 6 to discuss “tough choices” in light of the coronavirus pandemic, such as a hiring and pay freeze for most of D.C. government as well as more than a $600-million cut to this year’s and next year’s budget. Meanwhile, D.C. government gave an update, as of April 5, on deaths from the coronavirus — 24 — sorted by race: Asian, 2 (8 percent); African American, 14 (58 percent); Hispanic, 2 (8 percent); Non-Hispanic White, 4 (17 percent); Other, 2 (8 percent). Mendelson announced that the Council will vote on a bill with emergency provisions on Tuesday — all while allowing for a virtual meeting through the Council’s website. A rent freeze has been endorsed. “This is a consensus bill,” he said. “It’s important for everyone to be on the same page.” The Council is expected to extend the D.C. health emergency, which began on
March 17, for an additional 45 days. The bill would also allow for $500 million in shortterm borrowing by the District. Bowser was asked about D.C. shutting down the fish market at the Wharf over the weekend because people were not practicing social distancing. She agreed to it, but said that access to food was essential. If the management of the fish market set up workable guidelines for its customers, the businesses might be reopened, she stated. The mayor called for individual responsibility regarding the socialdistancing guidelines: “It’s everybody’s individual responsibility to do what they know they need to do for themselves, their family and this community.” Bowser did not say how long D.C. schools would remain closed, but added, “I hope kids can come back this year.” Following an extension, next year’s District budget is set to be submitted on June 6.
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On April 7, the D.C. Council unanimously approved District-wide rent freezes and mortgage payment deferrals under its second pandemic health emergency act in two weeks. The act also expands unemployment insurance to include the self-employed, gig workers, those seeking part-time work and others “who otherwise would not qualify.” The discussion and vote took place during the first-ever virtual meeting of the Council, with all members participating remotely. Under the COVID-19 Response Supplemental Emergency Amendment Act of 2020, the Council added cable and telecommunications services to the list of utilities whose users would be protected against shutoffs. Debt-collection lawsuits and the seizures of cars and other property are also prohibited. In addition, the new act waives the
requirements for minimum classroom time and community service time for D.C. high school seniors about to graduate. And it requires the mailing of an absentee ballot application (with return-postage paid) for the June 2 primary and the June 26 Ward 2 special election to registered voters. The act further provides 54 days of goodtime credits for convicted felons and allows for the possibility for compassionate release for inmates over age 60 who have served at least 25 years. It offers no benefits to unauthorized workers. Finally, by extending the state of emergency declared by the mayor on March 17 for an additional 45 days, the act enables the District to borrow via a short-term loan up to $500 million to close an expected $600-million loss of tax revenue due to the pandemic.
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TOWN TOPICS
‘Wonderful News’: the Rev. Tim Cole Returns Home BY PEGGY SA NDS The Rev. Tim Cole, rector of Georgetown’s Christ Church, the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Washington, D.C., is back home from the hospital. He passed several tests and is now recovering. Cole went to Medstar Georgetown University Hospital on March 7 and returned to the Christ Church rectory at 31st and O Streets NW on Thursday, March 26. The church sent out the “wonderful news,” as it said, on Friday. “It is with much thanksgiving that I write to let you know that Father Tim was discharged from the hospital late yesterday and is resting comfortably at home. He, Lorraine, and young Tim are ever-grateful for your thoughts and prayers during these long and trying weeks,” wrote Chad Thorley, senior warden of Christ Church, in a church statement.
The Rev. Tim Cole of Christ Church is back home after battling the coronavirus for three weeks in the hospital and is gaining his strength. Courtesy Christ Church. “Father Tim has been asked by his doctors to remain semi-quarantined for a period of time and to continue to get as much rest as possible. For that reason, the Coles ask that you refrain from visiting or calling so that Father Tim can continue to heal and gain strength. Father Tim wants you to know that you all remain in his prayers.” In early March, Christ Church parishioners self-quarantined after learning of their rector’s condition upon the order of Mayor Muriel Bowser.
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Chloe Kaplan with her husband — both are infected with the coronavirus — and her son in more open days, which will come again. Courtesy Chloe Kaplan.
A COVID-Positive Parent’s Morning BY C H L OE KAPL AN “Mommy? Can I please stop watching the iPad now?” My six-year-old son not so gently shakes my arm as I roll over in bed. I check the clock: 10 a.m. Our most reliable and germ-free caregiver has been babysitting him for two and a half hours while I catch extra zees, fighting the virus that has now affected more than 5,000 of us locally. My husband is asleep in the guest room. Debating my symptoms and deciding it’s worth it, I go for it: “Can you go ask Daddy?” I mutter. My son rolls his eyes. “Mommy, I already did. He said to ask you.” We are on Day 16 of COVID symptoms in our home, having received positive results earlier this week after nine days of waiting. My husband and I are both zonked — each of us with a different hodgepodge of varying symptoms — while our son spiked a fever for 12 hours and miraculously woke up feeling all better. It has been a trying couple of weeks on the road to recovery as we navigate healing, health protocols, working, homeschooling, trying to stay sane and keeping a marriage counselor off speed dial. By 10:30, we have all stumbled out of our various beds and made it to the kitchen. We are ready for the daily “Whose symptoms are worse?” check-in, the winner of which shoves the other out of the way before the coffee machine tells us we need to refill
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the water tank. I take a bite of cereal. Nope, still can’t smell or taste. Ugh. I immediately report this aloud. My husband is torn between feigning sympathy and rushing to announce his biggest grievance, but I can see in his eyes he is somewhat flustered that I still have a symptom he lacks. I press the coffee button. Double espresso. It’s time for homeschooling. As a former kindergarten teacher with a son in kindergarten, I feel like I got this. We log onto the portal and are greeted by a prerecorded video of his cheery teachers telling him the day’s writing workshop lesson and reminding him to do his best. “Aha, do your best,” I think, and pretend they are saying this to me. Just then the school-provided iPad shuts down. I plug it in and it asks me for a password. I shout down to my husband, who is “off-duty” for this shift, asking for the login info. “I gave it to you!” he shouts from three floors away. Suddenly, I’m overwhelmed by the desire for Baked & Wired cupcakes, despite my inability to taste them. Sometimes doing your best just means surviving, supporting local businesses, indulging cravings you can’t fully enjoy and teaching your child that sometimes life does not go according to plan, and you have to roll with it.
TOWN TOPICS
DOWNTOWNER Penske Dash car-sharing will leave the area on April 11.
Gliches in Payroll Loan Rollout BY PEGGY SA NDS The application process for the $349-billion federal relief program of forgivable loans for small businesses, mainly to cover employee payroll, opened on April 3. By the following Tuesday, it was variously described as “a free-for-all,” “a bureaucratic morass,” “total confusion” and “beset by a technically buggy rollout.” There were also signs that the funds, to be distributed through local banks, could be fully committed within days. Bank of America, alone, reported on Monday that it had received 178,000 applications seeking $32.9 billion, according to the Washington Post. As of April 7, the nation’s biggest banks had already committed 10 percent of the total. The Payroll Protection Program is part of the $2.2-trillion relief bill that Congress passed and the president signed into law in March. The payroll funds are being “shoveled” (as the Wall Street Journal put it) through the Small Business Administration, which normally grants about $30 billion in loans to some 60,000 businesses annually. The disaster relief program, 10 times bigger, is supposed to be distributed in a few weeks
through member banks. Initial glitches and difficulties can be expected in such a large and urgent nationwide program. The PPP paperwork has changed more than once, according to news reports. Many lenders have had problems signing up for new user accounts on the SBA’s platform, while banks with existing accounts have had issues unlocking them or resetting passwords. “It is imperative for small businesses in Georgetown to work with their banks and make the applications, which require a number of tax documents and other payroll validations, as soon as possible this week,” Joe Sternlieb, executive director of the Georgetown Business Improvement District, told The Georgetowner. “Best is that small businesses work through their own banks,” he said, adding that application forms can also be obtained at sba.gov by companies with fewer than 500 workers that were operation on or before Feb. 15. Sternlieb indicated that the BID might be able to offer technical help with grant applications later this week.
NEWS BYTES BY KAT E OCZ Y P OK
7-MONTH SENTENCE FOR GU PARENT
A California woman who paid nearly half a million dollars to get one of her daughters into Georgetown University was sentenced to seven months in prison. Elizabeth Henriquez, 57, tried to get her daughter admitted as a fake tennis recruit. Henriquez is the 16th parent to be sentenced in the “Varsity Blues” scandal, which also involved “Full House” star Lori Loughlin, her husband Mossimo Giannulli and their YouTube-famous daughters.
JAILED GEORGETOWN RABBI FREED EARLY
The Georgetown rabbi who secretly recorded dozens of women in a ritual bath was released from the D.C. jail last week. Prosecutors initially wanted 17 years for former Kesher Israel Rabbi Barry Freundel, who was given a six-and-a-half-year sentence and fined. However, due to the current public health emergency, and with time off for good behavior, Freundel ended up serving just short of five years.
THE HISTORIC GEORGETOWN
BY KATE OC ZYPOK
STAY-AT-HOME ORDERS IN EFFECT
The new stay-at-home orders in D.C., Maryland and Virginia give police more ability to enforce social-distancing rules. Disobeying these rules could result in fines or jail time. Businesses deemed “essential” — grocery stores, liquor stores, auto repair shops, etc. — will remain open. School districts are continuing to teach students through distance learning.
BETTING APP READY, BUT NO SPORTS
D.C. Lottery’s sports betting app, GambetDC, is ready after months of challenges. Unfortunately, due to coronavirus concerns, there are currently no professional sports taking place. The new platform was supposed to be available for the Nationals’ season opener on April 2. In the absence of sports, the launch of GambetDC will be postponed, as first reported by Washington City Paper.
2ND D.C. EMPLOYEE DIES FROM COVID-19
A man employed by the D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation passed away last week due to COVID-19. Kenneth Moore, 52, was the second District employee to die from the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. He worked for the city for over 10 years, most recently assisting at-risk youth at the H. Carl Moultrie Courthouse on Indiana Avenue NW.
BUSINESS GUIDE
PENSKE DASH LEAVING D.C. AREA
Chances are, it was here so briefly that you may not have even heard the name. The short-lived Penske Dash, a car-share service featuring Volkswagen Jettas, will leave the area on April 11. The D.C. market first welcomed Penske Dash in October of 2019. It seems the company fell victim to the coronavirus-related financial woes affecting millions of Americans.
METRO SERVICE SCALED BACK
Metro has scaled back bus and rail service due to coronavirus-related restrictions. Multiple rail stations have been closed, including — to limit cherry blossom viewing — Smithsonian and Arlington Cemetery. Trains are running every 15 to 20 minutes (with greater frequency at stations served by more than one line). With the exception of disabled persons, bus riders are to board and exit at the rear of the bus. For details, visit wmata.com.
RESTAURANTS, ARTS VENUES ADAPT
For those who miss dining out, many D.C. restaurants are offering takeout or delivery options to stay afloat — and to help those stuck at home stay sane. Also, in the wake of coronavirus closures, performing arts venues are going virtual. For example, Folger Theatre’s 2008 production of “Macbeth,” set in the early 20th century and directed by Aaron Posner and Teller (of Penn & Teller), is now available on YouTube.
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EDITORIAL
OPINION
CAG UPDATE BY C H ERYL GR AY
Send Your Feedback, Questions or Concerns, Tips and Suggestions to editorial@georgetowner.com or call 202-338-4833
Still, Easter and Passover Are Here for Us As Palm Sunday passed with no churchgoers or services, there remained the blessed palms, symbolic of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem in the days before his trial and crucifixion. At the steps of several churches, we could grab — alone, together — pieces of palm in this extraordinary time of the COVID-19 pandemic. A bit sad, but something to hold. For many, this Lenten season feels like the longest ever. One church jokingly posted: “I wanted to give up something for Lent, but I didn’t want to give up everything.” As we turn inward, whether spiritually or not, the path through this contagion moves between inconvenient and deadly. We watch press conferences. We see the signs of our times. It is like nothing we have experienced. It is our time to keep the faith, as it were, among our fellow Americans: staying home, wearing masks and gloves, socially distancing. Still, Easter Sunday will come — whether we worship and celebrate in church or not. The sign of the risen Christ, conquering death, remains a wondrous symbol of eternal hope for many. One day, this coronavirus will be contained, its fury diminished through science. On that day, we will feel reborn. Our civic lives will be resurrected — and perhaps our society will become stronger. Could we be so lucky? The easy freedoms taken for granted will return. We will apprehend the feeling of the exodus in those ancient days and just
may understand the meaning of another religious holiday, Passover. How ironic it seems that self-isolation and the cresting of the coronavirus are happening during these holy days. The Jewish holiday of Passover, commemorating the exodus of the enslaved Hebrews from Egypt, begins at sundown on April 8. Travel restrictions and the need for social distancing will keep extended families from gathering for the ritual meal, the seder, at which the story of Moses leading his people to freedom is told, complete with commentary and song. To maintain a semblance of this cherished tradition, some families will hold this year’s seder via Zoom or WhatsApp. Better than nothing? Yes, but not much better than eating a turkey TV dinner on Thanksgiving alone. The holiday lasts for eight days (seven for Reform Jews), during which time matzoh is eaten instead of leavened bread, among other dietary directives. These minor sacrifices help those observing Passover reflect on the suffering of the Hebrews (and of others oppressed since then and in our own time) and on the privilege of freedom. The current physical separation from family and communal life — and in some cases, tragically, the death of loved ones — has cast a shadow on this season of Easter, Passover and Ramadan. We can only hope that each of us finds meaning and consolation in this most somber of springs.
Thank You, Mayor Bowser Check in on Mayor Muriel Bowser’s daily press conferences on the COVID-19 crisis and you will see a leader in full command of the situation, one who understands the medical, social, economic, bureaucratic and legislative needs (to name a few) that must be marshaled. Heading an impressive team, the mayor is willing to stand with, and up to, anyone
to carry out her mission of mitigating the pain and death of the virus for all. She has kept the public and the press up to date, communicating calmly and sensibly. She has been fair, firm and consistent. She is helping the entire city get through this oncein-a-lifetime emergency. The Georgetowner thanks her for her leadership.
What is your new favorite thing to do while staying at home? YOUR OPINION MATTERS. Post your response. Facebook.com/TheGeorgetowner
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Life is certainly unpredictable, and the past few weeks have changed Georgetown and our individual lives more than anyone could have ever imagined. T he Cit i ze n s A sso ciat ion of Georgetown was moving along in February with exciting plans for the spring: a candidates forum in March for the Ward 2 D.C. Council position, a community meeting in April focusing on the oral histories of some of our most esteemed long-term residents, a Concert in the Park in May with a sponsors party in advance and our CAG Annual Meeting on May 12 at beautiful Dumbarton House. Needless to say, these in-person events have been canceled, though we are hoping to reschedule as many as possible for later in the year. We are pleased that CAG’s Public Safety Program is continuing to operate unabated through this difficult period. CAG’s security officer continues to patrol in our CAG car five nights a week. Block captains continue to inform their neighbors about criminal activity and provide feedback on specific concerns. In addition, CAG continues to implement its camera program to help the Metropolitan Police Department monitor areas where criminals are likely to enter and exit Georgetown.
Through all of these initiatives, CAG maintains close contact with MPD to promote community-oriented and strategic policing in Georgetown. The CAG Public Safety Program is 100-percent paid for by community donations. We appreciate our longtime supporters and welcome new ones at cagtown.org. It is particularly important that community organizations work together to help out in this time of need. CAG recently joined with Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E to sponsor an online briefing for the community by MPD. We have helped the Georgetown Business Improvement District recruit volunteers to advise local businesses and assist them with filings for new federal assistance programs, and we are discussing ways to support other BID programs that will be vital for Georgetown businesses in the weeks and months ahead. We continue to facilitate and monitor the Georgetown Forum to help residents communicate and inform each other. If you have ideas and suggestions, please do not hesitate to share them through the Forum or other means. This is a difficult time, but we will get through it ... together. Cheryl Gray is president of the Citizens Association of Georgetown.
Letters to the Editor News When We Need It the Most I wanted to write a note to The Georgetowner to let you know how appreciative I am of your continuing to publish during this very challenging time. You are the source of Georgetown news when we need it the most. We love Georgetown because of the strong community of neighbors. Now we find ourselves having to be removed from our friends, community involvement and the bustling streets of our town. It has made me realize how important socializing is. I am going to be bold and suggest that during these next months (and
maybe ongoing) you consider offering a subscription for your door-to-door delivery. Most of us would be happy to support the staff, the publishing/printing and the delivery of the paper when revenue from advertising has got to be diminishing. Just an idea! I love to see the paper slipped through my mail slot. — Pamla H. Moore Former president, Citizens Association of Georgetown Board member, Georgetown Heritage
The Real Threat Was Overlooked The irony of today’s current situation is that because this administration was so focused on building a border wall to keep Americans safe from our neighbors south of the border, the real threat was overlooked. COVID-19 has forced the country and the world to impose borders around ourselves to keep us appropriately socially distanced so that we can impede the spread of the virus.
After three weeks of telework and lockdown, we’ve grown weary of isolation from friends and colleagues, and we’re worrying about the walls that we’ll have to maintain between ourselves to keep transmission of this deadly virus in check. This is a real concern. The border wall is not. — Danielle Dukowicz
THE VILLAGE
Feed the Fight DC: Meals for Hospital Staffs BY PEGGY SA NDS Health-care lobbyist Elena Tompkins, a Georgetown resident, woke up one night with an idea. She had contacts at hospitals and knew the stress of their hard-working staffs — dealing with the coronavirus pandemic now surging in the U.S. She also knew that all the restaurants in the District were hurting. Why not put together a service that would help both? That’s why, in early February, Tompkins founded a nonprofit called Feed the Fight DC. And it has taken off. In three weeks, Tompkins developed a crowdsourcing mechanism to help more than
25 local restaurants prepare, package and distribute lunches and sometimes dinners for medical staffers throughout the District. “Every week we coordinate directly with the hospitals on what their needs are in different departments. We’re focused on supporting local health care facilities and first responders on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Tompkins wrote to The Georgetowner. Recipients have included not only nurses and emergency medical personnel, but also medical facility-based food service and maintenance workers.
Hospital workers accept their lunches. Courtesy Feed the Fight DC.
Peacock Cafe co-owner Shahab Farivar and staffers get ready for the food pickup. Courtesy Feed the Fight DC.
Gardening: Green Balm for Code-Red Times BY ALISON SCHA F ER “No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden.” So sayeth Thomas Jefferson. And though just a few inspirational garden quotes go a long way (type “garden quotes” into Google and you’ll get hundreds of hits), maybe green is the balm for these code-red times. The wisteria is starting to come out, lilacs are blooming and — though the squirrels ate most of my tulip bulbs when I planted them — my wily Georgetown neighbors clearly outfoxed the critters last fall. If you have to have your life grind to a halt, there are much worse places to be than Georgetown in spring. “I know, for me, that working in the garden, whether weeding or planting, gives a calmness and peace to my soul. Watching the signs of spring and new life visually tells us that we too will come through this ‘winterdark’ time and emerge to again bring life to the world,” says Vicki Campbell, president of the Georgetown Garden Club. If you’re lucky enough to have access to a patch of earth in your backyard, now’s the
time to sweep up winter’s debris and start pruning off dead branches and cleaning up new growth. “Gardening is about the future. And, in that regard, it is the best thing you can do right now. Whatever you do in the garden is about thinking ahead,” says Georgetown gardener Georgina Owen Horsey, who has been spending these slow days in her backyard, moving plants, dividing them and cutting them back into shape. Plants can provide solace, even for people whose access to the outdoors consists of a sunny windowsill. Start with herbs. Basil, mint, chives and parsley will all thrive inside. Soon you’ll be garnishing away like a madcap Julia Child. That said, there are a few obstacles to your new life as a sustainable farmer in the wilds of Georgetown. To get started, you might need seeds, which, according to a recent story in the New York Times, are selling out across the country as people hunker down and stock up. Jump-starting your farming with actual plants won’t be easy, either. Greenhouse
Cineraria is freshly planted in an O Street backyard. Georgetowner photo. Management, a website devoted to the business of plants, notes that nurseries are mostly classified as essential businesses and remain open across the U.S. However, none of the nurseries I called in the DMV were open, though plants ordered precoronavirus or online could be picked up. Gardening — a connection with soil, growing things and the outdoors — is good for the gardener. It is also good for passersby. With few places to go, Georgetown has
become even more of a neighborhood of walkers. And those walkers appreciate the yellow Triumph tulips in front of the house on the corner and the little grape hyacinths poking out from under the forsythia down the block. One Georgetowner got an anonymous note last week that reads: “thank you for your gorgeous garden, it’s at times like this we need to be reminded of the beauty of the world.” GMG, INC.
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FUTURE FEM BY L A URE T TA J MC C O Y
On the heels of Women’s History Month and at the dawn of the resurrection, the FUTURE FEM fashion editorial sends healing energy to help us rise above the winds of uncertainty and the horrible tragedy marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. The delicate style and colors of spring express a longing to whisper to those on the front lines and to those directly affected who search for solace, finding encouragement in the lyrics to “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers. Let’s drape our skin in the comfort of generous poofs of eyelet cotton and natural silken scarves. Together, we are stronger than we know. FUTURE FEM.
Dress • GIANNI Shirt • THE ROW Scarf • ALEXANDER MCQUEEN Pants • DEREK LAM Shoes • JEFFREY CAMPBELL Hoop Earrings • HOOP 88 DREAMS
Photographer NUSRAT M Fashion / Beauty Editor LAURETTA J MCCOY
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Top • DOLCE & GABBANA Skirt • PHILLIP LIM Dress • PHILLIP LI M Shoes • UGGS
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BEAUTY • We love the dewy Springtime fresh face. These brands have so many colors for you to choose from you’re sure to find your look. Have Fun! KOSAS • Tinted Face Oil Foundation & Revealer Concealer @kosas NARS • Eye Shadow & Highligher @narsissist GLOSSIER • Lips @glossier
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Cape • BURBERRY Shirt • BY ANY OTHER NAME Pants • RAG & BONE
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Cardigan • DOLCE & GABANNA Pants • THEORY Dress • HELMUT LANG Blazer • THEORY Earrings • HOOP 88 DREAMS
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The Washington Ballet’s “Swan Lake” has been rescheduled for June 13 to 21. Courtesy TWB. Ready or not (probably both), spring is here! True, we’re in partial lockdown, living the vida virtual, but our shared goal is to get through the coronavirus crisis in style, with flying colors and high spirits. Keeping healthy, mentally and otherwise, during challenging times is all about staying centered. That’s what we hope to help out with in this issue. Remember, as Julie Andrews would say (or sing): a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down...
DC Artswatch — COVID Edition BY RIC HARD S E L DE N With a surge in COVID-19 cases looming, the District Council is expected to vote to extend D.C.’s state of emergency — declared on a parade-less St. Patrick’s — by 45 days, through mid-June. Given the consensus that measures to “flatten the curve” of coronavirus infections will save lives, cultural organizations have had no choice but to cancel events and close their doors, sacrificing most (and now likely all) of their spring seasons. The National Cherry Blossom Festival, which was to begin on March 20, was D.C.’s most visible annual-event cancellation. “Peak bloom” went forward anyway, earlier than forecast, with Metro stations closed to discourage visitors. Area film lovers have been hit hard, first by the loss of the Environmental Film Festival in March, then by the cancellation of Filmfest DC, which would have taken place in late April and early May. The DC
Jazz Festival, too, scheduled for June, has been postponed. Among museums, the National Children’s Museum reopened in its new Ronald Reagan Building home in late February … and closed three weeks later. The National Building Museum was to reopen in March upon completion of a three-month renovation project; it did not. Having brought the curtain down on “Degas at the Opéra” after two weeks, the National Gallery of Art is closed until further notice, with public events canceled through Sept. 7. A major survey of Genoese Baroque art that was to open in May has been postponed until 2021. Likewise, all Smithsonian museums (and the National Zoo), the Phillips Collection, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Kreeger Museum, Hillwood, Georgetown’s Dumbarton Oaks, Dumbarton House and Tudor Place — you name it — are shuttered,
with no reopening dates announced as yet. Painful enough for D.C.’s free museums, these closures will cripple those that rely on admission fees. The situation — especially the uncertainly — is even worse for performing arts ensembles, presenters and venues, now scrambling to reschedule productions and appearances; in many cases, this won’t be possible. Strathmore is closed “for the time being.” Washington Performing Arts events are canceled through June 7, the end of the 2019-20 season. As of this writing, Wolf Trap’s summer season is to begin on May 28. Ticket sales are the lifeblood of theater, opera and dance companies, orchestras, choruses and the organizations that present and host them, along with other ensembles and artists. Lacking it, they must make drastic budget cuts, draw down often inadequate endowments and look to government agencies, foundations, corporations and individuals for emergency support. Regrettably, in addition to the loss of income facing individuals who work in the arts — creators, performers, producers, administrators, educators and a range of support staffers — the emergency measures are sure to result in the permanent closure of some D.C.-area cultural entities. Others will take years to recover. In the meantime, organizations are stepping up online engagement, streaming past performances and offering virtual tours and other educational programming. Additional coronavirus-related cultural
news: Closed through May 10 (and probably longer), the Kennedy Center has canceled more than 400 performances, laid off hundreds of part-time and hourly workers and furloughed the National Symphony Orchestra musicians. Most recently, just days after the $2.2-billion federal stimulus package — including $25 million for the center — was passed, some 250 administrators were furloughed for five weeks without pay, triggering widespread criticism and the introduction by Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wisconsin) of a bill to rescind the grant. Aiming to raise $115,000 to support the D.C.-area theater community, service organization theatreWashington has created the Taking Care — COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund. Onstage and offstage theater professionals who currently reside in the D.C. metropolitan area and have worked here within the past two years can apply for $500 grants to provide relief from loss of work and assist with emergency expenses. Medical emergency grants of between $500 and $5,000 are also available. The Washington Ballet postponed its 2020 gala, originally set for May 8, and has launched a Stronger Than Ever fundraising campaign, with gifts up to $200,000 matched dollar-for-dollar through the support of Eve and William Lilley. The company’s April presentation of “Swan Lake” in the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater has been rescheduled for June 13 to 21. GMG, INC.
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BUSINESS
INS & OUTS BY RO B E RT DEVA NEY
Due to the coronavirus crisis, most retailers have temporarily closed or limited their services. For details, check our business directory on georgetowner.com.
OUT: BROOKS BROTHERS SKIPS TOWN
Another sign of our COVID-19 times on March 29 and 30, as large moving vans were filled with the remains of the Brooks Brother store at 31st & M Streets NW. Its sign at 3077 M St. NW was removed. Brooks Brothers did not respond to press inquiries. Neither landlord EastBanc nor the Georgetown Business Improvement District was alerted to the exit by the company.
Brooks Brothers at 31st & M Streets NW packed up and skipped town without telling anyone. Photo by Robert Devaney.
IN: SOME RESTAURANTS STILL OPEN FOR TAKEOUT
While a few businesses remain open on M Street, such as Thunder Burger (takeout and delivery only), Moby Dick, America Eats (meals for the needy) and even Georgetown Tobacco, another reopened for takeout: Boulangerie Christophe on Wisconsin Avenue. Contact your favorite eatery for details — many are still open — and support local businesses with real cash.
Daughter and mother bicycle pass the boarded up Club Monaco at 33rd and M Streets NW. Georgetowner photo.
Your 5-Step Tool Kit to Taking Your Business Virtual BY DANIEL L E MA RT IN- TAY LO R If you’re finding yourself taking your business online in a new way, you’re not alone. With an unprecedented pandemic taking over our world, every sector of life is being upended. We’re seeing businesses shut their doors and lay off employees, while many are seeking new, innovative ways to successfully bring their business online. Transitioning your business from in-person to online can feel like a whirlwind. But with the right support and the right knowledge at your fingertips, your business can stay running, albeit a bit differently. Whether your business has always been virtual or you’re being forced to get creative, we’re outlining five ways to keep your brand and business alive during this trying time ... and they’re right at your fingertips.
STEP ONE:
REASSESS YOUR BRAND Before you begin going virtual, take a step back and reevaluate your brand. Your brand identity is the face of your business. It’s you, your purpose, your business, your services, your team and your message. A successful brand is cohesive and shares your message, indicative of the “why” behind your business and the service or product you provide. Your brand is what will attract the right audience, build awareness and develop trust and loyalty with your customers, especially 12 APRIL 8, 2020
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during an unprecedented time like this. Now that you’ve taken a step back to look at your business from a new perspective, it’s time to take it virtual — confidently!
STEP TWO:
CREATE CONSISTENCY When it comes to going virtual, consistency is key. Consistency is important to maintain recognition and visibility amongst your customers, as well as making it clear to people who you are and what you offer. This is especially important as you communicate important changes, such as new hours, new services or other big announcements. As you begin going virtual, ensure that your message is consistent and clear across all your platforms, especially if your business looks different than usual. This includes wording on emails, social media, your website, mailings and more. Consider this a way to set yourself up for success and get rid of any potential confusion.
STEP THREE:
EVALUATE YOUR WEB PRESENCE Think of your website as the first impression that you give potential customers. That being said, it’s important to make it a good one. In this day and age, online first impressions can make or break businesses. Before people see your shop,
Dwayne of the Georgetown Business Improvement District’s Clean Team on K Street at the waterfront. Georgetowner photo.
salon, firm or office, they see your website. A high-quality website can make that good first impression you’re striving for, but it needs to be set up for success. A good website is well-organized, easy to navigate, clear and concise, modern in terms of style and layout, functional and branded. Most of all, it should attract and motivate the visitor to want to do business with you. Websites should clearly communicate information such as current offerings and contact information. Don’t make people hunt for this ... make it easy to find. If you have social media profiles, buttons linked to these profiles should be present to increase your connectivity to visitors as well. People want fast solutions to their problem or instant answers to their questions and it’s your job to make it easy for them to find. Use your website as a tool to propel your business forward. While you’re at it, make sure that tool is high-quality, efficient and does all you need it to do.
STEP FOUR:
GET THE RIGHT SYSTEMS IN PLACE With new technology coming and going faster than we can keep up with, it can be difficult to know which systems are the right ones for your business. You may already have systems in place, but are they really doing the job efficiently and at a satisfactory level? Especially while you’re making the switch to doing business virtually, now is the time to figure that out and automate, automate, automate! Trust us, you’ll thank us later. The right business system should give you
the ability to make faster, more thought-out decisions as it automates common processes and helps you do your job more efficiently. A CRM, a Customer Relationship Management tool, can accomplish this and make your life easier throughout this transition to going virtual. Whether it’s sending emails out at certain times in the customer relationship or billing clients, CRMs keep it all in one place. Best of all, they connect you with your customers in a way that can mean the difference between profitability and instability.
STEP FIVE:
GET SOCIAL AND GET CREATIVE More than ever, we’re seeking connection virtually as we stay holed up in our homes during this pandemic. Use your creativity when it comes to what to post — maybe even taking the opportunity to share tools of the trade or helpful quotes and information to your audience. Have too much to share in a social media post? Give blogging a try. Whether you’ve blogged before or not, blogging can be used to educate others, keep website and social media content fresh (which helps with your SEO) and even bring in some extra money if you can monetize it. Get creative and promote your business through freebies, email newsletters and other helpful yet personal content that keeps your audience engaged and connected. While it might not seem fruitful to market yourself on social media during a time when your doors aren’t physically open, consistency and visibility is key to staying seen and sticking around.
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KITTY KELLEY BOOK CLUB
‘Faster: How a Jewish Driver, an American Heiress, and a Legendary Car Beat Hitler’s Best’ R EVIEWE D BY KIT T Y K E LLE Y This accounting of an iconic 1938 race recaps every twist and turn, for better or worse. Racing in the European Grand Prix is like playing at Carnegie Hall, singing at the Met or scaling Mount Everest. It is the epitome of excellence — achieved by few, but thrilling thousands. Enzo Ferrari called it “this life of fearful joys.” In 1938, the Grand Prix involved something more than two race car drivers pitting themselves and their countries’ fastest automobiles against each other in a 100-lap race for superiority. In that particular year, the Grand Prix came down to: Dreyfus versus Caracciola, Delahaye versus Mercedes, France versus Germany, Good versus Evil. In his newest book, “Faster: How a Jewish Driver, an American Heiress, and a Legendary Car Beat Hitler’s Best,”
Neal Bascomb documents every detail of the contest between René Dreyfus, an American-financed French Jew driving a Delahaye 145, and Rudi Caracciola, representing Germany in a Mercedes Silver Arrow. It was a titanic struggle between two nations that would lead one to humiliating defeat and the other to resounding victory. Bascomb begins the story in 1933, when Adolf Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany and, as leader of the Third Reich, makes a major speech promoting Germany’s automobile industry, which he pronounces his “beloved child.” Hitler’s Silver Arrows and their blond, blue-eyed drivers stood for more than sporting prowess. “They represented the master race conquering the rest of the world,” Bascomb writes, showing that Daimler-Benz wasted no time ingratiating itself with the Führer by immediately increasing production of
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military trucks, armored vehicles, aircraft frames and tanks. Soon, Nazi propaganda trumpeted, “A Mercedes-Benz victory is a German victory.” Within five years, Germany had annexed Austria. In March of 1938, a month before the Grand Prix, Caracciola, Germany’s premier race car driver, issued a public proclamation endorsing Hitler’s policies and supporting the Anschluss: “We racing drivers are fighters for the world-class German automobile industry. Our victories are at the same time triumphs of German engineering and workmanship. The Führer has once again given our factories the opportunity to build racing cars … their unique successes over the past four years represent a glorious symbol of the efforts of our leader.” The glamour attached to the 1938 Grand Prix drew worldwide attention, and victory seemed assured for Germany as Dreyfus, unlike Caracciola, did not have a worldrated record of wins. In addition, the Delahaye 145 seemed like a plodding mule next to Daimler-Benz’s sleek thoroughbred. But Dreyfus had the financial backing of American Lucy O’Reilly Schell, a rally driver herself. The only child of wealthy parents and “decidedly nouveau riche and unapologetic about it,” she inherited millions from her father’s fortunes in construction, factories and real estate, and married a man who didn’t work. So she financed their shared passion for racing. The wealth of detail in this book will rivet automobile enthusiasts; others might want to take a pass. For example, “The prototype Mercedes engine, a supercharged 3.3 liter straight-eight … was … not a revolutionary design, [but] it benefited from ultraprecise construction and a host of improvements, allowing for horsepower measurements 50 percent greater than the Alfa P3.”
Those familiar with race routes will recognize the locales in which Bascomb chases every hairpin turn, every straight and every rise and fall: La Turbie outside Nice, the Nürburgring in the Eifel Mountains, Montlhéry, south of Paris, the streets of Monte Carlo in Monaco and Pau, on the edge of the Pyrenees between Spain and France. The author whirls readers around curves, bullets down hills and twists ulcer-making bends, with death beckoning at 250 mph. “Grand Prix racing was like all motor car racing,” Bascomb writes, “balanced on the very brink of death.” Documenting the 100 laps of the 1938 Grand Prix demands much from a writer whose verbs must ricochet off the page like rocketing electrons: zoom, careen, brake, zigzag, swoop, streak, charge — faster and faster and faster — until victory is finally achieved. Only then does the Frenchman step out of his Delahaye 145 in front of Hitler as the band strikes up “Le Marseillaise” to celebrate France’s triumph over Germany. René Dreyfus was to the French what Babe Ruth was to Americans: a bona-fide hero — which gives Neal Bascomb’s eighth book a Cinderella ending and a surefire film adaptation. Georgetown resident Kitty Kelley has written several number-one New York Times best-sellers, including “The Family: The Real Story Behind the Bush Dynasty.” Her most recent books include “Capturing Camelot: Stanley Tretick’s Iconic Images of the Kennedys” and “Let Freedom Ring: Stanley Tretick’s Iconic Images of the March on Washington.”
AllTrails App, the Perfect COVID Thing to Do B Y KAT E OCZ Y P O K For those going stir crazy inside, as they say, there’s an app for that! AllTrails, an app for hikers has an “outdoors” platform with crowdsourced trails from nearly 10 million hikers, bikers and runners from more than 100 countries. The app has been downloaded over 12 million times, with plenty of local options available. Some fresh air may do you some good during these crazy times. If there’s one thing we can all do during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s to go outside. If you thrived on routine before, downloading AllTrails and getting into a set local trail routine could be a great way to keep your life calm during the uncertainty. Nature can heal us all in so many ways and become a safe haven that many are seeking. The Glover-Archbold Trail is currently on the app, marked as “easy.” The 3.1-mile trail is great for all skill types and dogs are allowed on it too (leashed only). Another local top trail on the app is the Westen Ridge Trail, Rock Creek, Valley Trail. The
trail is marked as easy and is slightly longer than Glover-Archbold at 5.2 miles. If you’re lucky enough you can even see some wildlife. The trail also allows leashed dogs. Please do keep in mind though: Trails may be open, but facilities might be closed including public restrooms, visitor centers and campgrounds. Plan accordingly. While the app is great for new routes to learn to get out and about, keep in mind social distancing precautions as the entire Washington area is currently under stayat-home orders. Individuals are allowed to exercise outdoors but must maintain at least a six-foot distance from others. Masks are not required but are also now recommended. AllTrails was founded by Russell Cook and is now led by Jade Van Doren, who came on as CEO in 2015. She spent her childhood camping and backpacking in the Sierras with her grandfather. AllTrails is planning on using their capital to do some hiring. While we take care of Mother Nature, now she can take care of us.
THE HISTORIC GEORGETOWN
BUSINESS GUIDE
SUPPORT LOCAL FOR COVID-19
GEORGETOWNER.COM
WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER For 65 years, The Georgetowner has been an advocate for the neighborhood and an ally to its businesses. Now, faced with one of the greatest challenges we’ve ever known, we are happy to offer this platform to businesses whose survival is on the line as a result of mandated closures during the COVID pandemic.
We are all in this together and must pull together to save the commercial life of our great neighborhood and city. The Historic Georgetown Business Guide will help you stay top-of-mind and generate good will among the community.
GET MORE INFO AND JOIN THE GUIDE AT GEORGETOWNER.COM
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202.944.5000
CLEVELAND PARK $5,495,000 3100 35TH ST NW, WASHINGTON, DC Margot Wilson 202-549-2100
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CLEVELAND PARK $3,495,000 3301 Highland Place, Washington, DC Margot Wilson 202-549-2100
MCLEAN $ 3,299,000 1371 Kirby Road, McLean, VA Piper Yerks Gioia 703-963-1363 Penny Yerks 703-760-0744
UNDER CONTRACT
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MCLEAN $2,950,000 905 Goergetown Ridge, McLean, VA Piper Yerks Gioia 703-963-1363 Penny Yerks 703-760-0744
GEORGETOWN $2,450,000 3052 R Street NW, Washington, DC Anne Hatfield Weir 202-255-2490 Heidi Hatfield 202-258-1919
GEORGETOWN $2,250,000 3406 N Street NW, Washington, DC Anne Hatfield Weir 202-255-2490 Heidi Hatfield 202-258-1919
VIENNA $2,145,000 301 Niblick Drive SE, Vienna, VA W. Ted Gossett 703-625-5656
ARLINGTON $1,895,000 2914 24th Rd N, Arlington, VA W. Ted Gossett 703-625-5656 Margot Wilson 202-549-2100
GEORGETOWN $1,695,000 2709 Dumbarton St NW, Washington, DC Nancy Taylor Bubes Group 202-386-7813
CENTRAL $1,495,000 920 I St NW #702, Washington, DC W. Ted Gossett 703-625-5656
GEORGETOWN $1,325,000 2617 O Street NW, Washington, DC Nate Guggenheim 202-333-5905
GEORGETOWN $1,095,000 3303 Water Street NW, Washington, DC Anne Hatfield Weir 202-255-2490 Heidi Hatfield 202-258-1919
GEORGETOWNN $1,050,000 1626 33rd St NW, Washington, DC Anne Hatfield Weir 202-255-2490 Heidi Hatfield 202-258-1919
WESLEY HEIGHTS $839,900 4287 Embassy Park Dr NW, Washington, DC Anne Hatfield Weir 202-255-2490 Heidi Hatfield 202-258-1919
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