THE
DOWNTOWNER
VOLUME 6, NUMBER 24
All the news you can use.
JANUARY 27 - FEBRUARY 9 2010
YEAR KING of the
REAL ESTATE SPECIAL
2010, Broke? Not This Year BODY & SOUL
Labels of Love SOCIAL SCENE
Under Contract
Georgetown
Mass Avenue Heights
Georgetown
Giorgio Furioso | 202.518.7888
Hugh Oates | 202.257.5640 Judy Lewis | 202.256.0522 Jonathan Taylor | 202.276.3344
Theresa Burt | 202.258.2600
This sophisticated detached brick residence has been extensively remodeled using high end custom materials and finishes. The center hall opens into the principal entertaining rooms of the house which lead to the rear garden and pool through multiple sets of French doors. The formal dining room opens to the state-of-the-art Boffi kitchen. 5 bedrooms, 4.5 Waterworks baths. 1-car garage parking. $3,995,000.
Georgetown
Georgetown
Georgetown
Georgetown
Michael Rankin | 202.271.3344
Michael Rankin | 202.271.3344 Julia Diaz-Asper | 202.256.1887
Georgetown
Foxhall
Georgetown
Giorgio Furioso | 202.518.7888
Diana Hart | 202.271.2717 Mary Fox | 202.316.9631
Rick Leverrier | 202.957.7777
1907 Georgian classic offers incredible space for entertaining. Grand entry features 11’ ceiling. Formal LR and DR, chef ’s kitchen with Sub-Zero/Wolf appliances, flagstone patio, master bedroom suite with sitting room, dressing room & 2 baths en-suite. 3 additional bedrooms, fully finished basement, 2 car garage plus storage. Elevator. $6,350,000.
Historic Georgetown detached house on a cobblestone street. Elegant formal living room with fireplace and built in book shelves. Heart of pine wide plank floors throughout the main levels. Large formal dining room with crown molding. Each of the four bedrooms has a full bathroom. Large southern facing garden with brick pathways leads to a garage with up to six car parking! $3,500,000.
Elegant French-inspired residence entirely reconstructed and expanded. Gorgeous architecture, custom millwork, plaster crown molding, extensive modern amenities. 6 BR, 5.5 baths, library, two family rms, gym, state-ofthe-art wiring, enormous MBR w/vaulted ceiling. 2-car gar, ample off-street prkg. $5,995,000.
Incredible 4 BR, 4.5 bath unit at the Ritz-Georgetown. Approx. 4,000 sq ft, spectacular contemporary open living space, state-of-the-art kitchen, wine cellar, great river views and tons of sunlight from floor-to-ceiling windows. 2-car parking included. $2,995,000.
Jonathan Taylor | 202.276.3344
Russell Firestone | 202.271.1701
Georgetown
Elegant E. Village home with great entertaining flow features beautiful parlor w/built-ins, wood burning fireplace and French doors overlooking a very private landscaped garden. Separate DR seats 14+. Garden facing Master suite w/2 walk-in closets. Two extra bedrooms and hall bath. Lower level library/den/media room w/sound system. Staff quarters. Attached Garage. $2,285,000.
Julia Diaz-Asper | 202.256.1887
Refined East Village property with two-car parking. The main house offers 5 bedrooms and 4.5 baths. Two baths are completely redone w/Waterworks & Restoration Hardware materials. Closet space galore, custom Pedini closet system in the Master. One bedroom au pair suite in LL w/separate entrance. $2,225,000.
www.ttrsir.com
Worthy of grand entertaining, this important home offers large formal public rooms as well as comfortable family and guest quarters. The curved bow window at the front faces a historic cobblestone street. With a 3 car garage enclosing the classic garden, this is urban Georgetown neighborhood living at its best. $4,995,000.
Michael Rankin | 202.271.3344
Complete & tasteful restoration of this classic Georgetown residence w/ elegant entertaining rooms. French doors lead from LR and DR to professionally designed deep south garden. Well appointed chef ’s kitch & breakfast area, exquisite MBR & sublime Waterworks bath, 3 additional BR and 2 more Waterworks baths on the 2nd & 3rd floors. Formal office w/ custom built-ins. Excellent storage. 1-car gar & driveway pkg. $2,475,000.
Gorgeous home in a stunning setting! Large, beautiful 1937 Tudor with 5 BR + study and 4.5 baths. Great 1st floor family room opens onto deck w/fabulous views overlooking Glover Archibold Park. Wonderful kitchen, big formal DR. Master suite offers his/her baths. Finished lower level and 2-car garage. A treasure in move-in condition. $1,490,000.
Georgetown, Washington, D.C. 202.333.1212
Georgetown
Excellent East Village Location! Superb 2006 renovation brought virtually everything new to this Federal style home. Large sun-filled rooms, wood floors, FDR, FLR with large bay window & gas fireplace and French doors opening to rear garden, gourmet kit, custom office. Sun-filled MBR & lux bath. Spectacular garden with water features & loggia. PARKING. $2,295,000.
Remarkable Georgetown semi-detached with PARKING in rear. Bright and cheery, this home, near the top of Mansion Hill offers 11’ ceilings, two original fireplaces on the first floor & a cloistered rose garden with brick patio. This home has some of the original details, along with the potential to be enlarged or enhanced. Near Montrose Park. $1,295,000.
McLean, VA 703.319.3344
Chevy Chase, MD 301.967.3344
© MMX Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. All Rights Reserved. Les Bords de l’Epte a Giverny, used with permission. Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity . Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated.
2 January 27, 2010 gmg, Inc.
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“All The News You Can Use” About the Cover: “Going Home” photo by Alfred Wertheimer / Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery
THE
DOWNTOWNER
Vol. 6, No. 24
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Our Contributors:
Publisher Sonya Bernhardt
Donna Evers has more than 35 years of experience in the residential real estate business in the Washington Metro area. With offices in Chevy Chase, Dupont and Virginia Countryside and more than 70 agents, Evers & Co. specializes in listing distinguished properties and providing highly personalized service to clients. Donna and her husband Bob have renovated 23 properties, including two in Paris, France, where they own an apartment in the sixth arrondissement. They also own a vineyard and Twin Oaks Tavern Winery in Bluemont, VA, one hour from Washington, where their second home and the Virginia countryside office is located. Donna appears regularly on radio, television and in print to discuss the Metro area real estate market. A longtime history buff, she writes historical columns for The Georgetowner and Washington Life magazine.
Editor at Large David Roffman Feature Editors Garrett Faulkner Gary Tischler Publisher’s Assistant Siobhan Catanzaro Contributors Alexis Miller Patricia Lipe Linda Roth Mary Bird Claire Swift Pam Burns Michelle Galler Lauretta McCoy
Photographers Yvonne Taylor Tom Wolff Neshan Naltchayan Jeff Malet Malek Naz Freidouni Robert Devaney Advertising Director Charlie Louis Advertising Daniel Gray Jennifer Gray Graphic Design Alyssa Loope Jennifer Merino Counsel Juan Chardiet, Attorney
Published by Georgetown Media Group, Inc. 1054 Potomac St., N.W. Washington, DC 20007 Phone: (202) 338-4833 Fax: (202) 338-3292 editorial@georgetowner.com www.georgetowner.com Find us on Twitter (SonyaBernhardt) or Facebook (I Love The Georgetowner) 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, re-write, or refuse material and is not responsible for errors or omissions. Copyright, 2009.
4-5 — Neighborhood Commiseration and Candlelight for Haiti 6-7 — Editorial/Opinion
Gary Tischler has written for the Georgetowner for 30 years, covering the arts and entertainment community, museums, politics and writing profiles of notable — and regular — folks during that time. He lives in Adams Morgan, where he is wellknown for being a companion to his Bichon Frise, Bailey. He was awarded two Associated Press feature writing prizes for his work with two daily newspapers in the San Francisco Bay area prior to coming to Washington. Tischler is a native of Munich, Germany.
georgetown media group
Andrew O’Neill Jack Evans Bill Starrels Jordan Wright Ari Post John Blee Jennifer Gray Donna Evers
contents
A native of D.C., John Blee has written for Art/World in New York and teaches at UDC. As a painter he has shown in several local galleries, as well as in New York and Paris. His work is in the collection of museums in Los Angeles, New York (including the Museum of Modern Art) and Yerevan, Armenia. He thrives on the richness and diversity of museums and galleries in D.C. as well as living in one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the US.
Rhee in Hot Water Letters to the Editor Jack Evans Report A Day to Remember Obituaries Saying No to Emperor Obama 8-9—Education Art Adventures Abroad 10-14 — Real Estate Agent Spotlight
Ask the Realtor Featured Property Downtown Real Estate Sales Mortgage 15 — Le Decor Home Decor for
For next issue:
the Winter Doldrums
On Jan. 26 we had a chance to preview the Smithsonian’s latest exhibit, “From Impressionism to Modernism: The Chester Dale Collection.” Opening to the public on Jan. 31 and continuing through July 31, 2011, the Chester Dale collection is up in its full glory at the National Gallery. Dale was a tough and astute businessman as well as a great collector of art. His bequest to the National Gallery is considered the backbone of the French 19th and 20th century collections. Chester Dale’s wife, Maud, played a large role in the development of the collection. Dale was eight years younger than Maud, and had been a friend of her first husband, whom she divorced. In the photograph she is shown at her stylish best. In the wonderful Leger portrait we sense some of the power of her personality. Included in the exhibition is Picasso’s great masterpiece of the rose/blue period, “Family of Saltimbanques” upon which Rilke based his “Fifth Elegy.” Look for an extensive review of the National Gallery’s latest exhibit in our Feb. 10 issue.
16-17 — Cover Story Year of The King 18 — Performance Big Man is Big Fun in “Cargo Cult” 19 — Feature I Want to Hold Your Hand 20-21 — In Country Off to the B&B 24-25 — Dining Cocktail of the Week In the Mood: Ten Suggestions
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The Georgetowner Photo Exhibit Opening Reception 1 gmg, Inc. January 27, 2010 3
Neighborhood
Commiseration and candlelight for haiti By Gary Tischler
S
o distant from where we live here, the sheer size and catastrophic effects of the tragedy that has struck the troubled nation of Haiti is just plain impossible to digest or know. Hearts stop, tears well, the mind is overwhelmed, uncaring time moves on. There are only moments and stories. We pluck them from our cell phones, our computers, the nightly, daily ticker tape news, and see discarded bodies, a city collapsed and destroyed, the dustcovered faces of miracle survivors, the harsh sunlight of the Caribbean countryside there. Here, we have the moments where thousands of acts of charity, an outpouring of sympathy and empathy, both official and personal, is also hard to take in and see completely. But the moments pile up. Just off Sheridan Circle, on one of those keenly felt pleasant breaks from the frigid days of late, people were gathering at the Embassy of Jamaica. In the week since the killer earthquake struck, there had been hundreds upon hundreds of visitors to the embassy, bringing food or clothing, money and hearts, trying to help. Vigils and gatherings have been commonplace, including a candlelight vigil organized by the TransAfrica Forum, a Washington-based black foreign policy advocacy group, along with the Hip Hop Caucus, an activist group which orga-
nizes young people in urban centers to be active in elections, policy and service projects. Cars were passing by at a rush-hour clip and it was getting on toward dusk, a normal scene on this stretch of Massachusetts Avenue called Embassy Row. In Haiti, people were suffering, coping with the help of sluggish international aid that was pouring into the country, along with American troops to help keep order for a government that had all but collapsed. Most of the city was buzzing about the quite real pos-
sibility that a Republican was about to win the late Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat. Here, though, candles were being passed out to the people who had begun to arrive, caring, veteran activists, young children, people with feelings for the country they had once visited, embassy workers and officials and small boys sporting caps with the alliterative plea HipHopCaucusHelpHaiti.org. Some of the folks were used to coming out, to voice their feelings, their empathy or their oppo-
sition. David Burrows, a long-time activist, was here, sporting a big sign that read “Food, Not Troops, to Haiti.” Danielle Greene had come in from Falls Church in Virginia to express her feelings. “I have great sympathy for Haiti,” she said. “They have suffered such a tragedy, and have struggled so hard to overcome their problems.” She has spent a number of years protesting the Iraq war, including in times when it wasn’t popular to do so, as a member of Code Pink, often standing in front of the White House
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on cold holiday mornings.   John Kozyn, who works locally as a realtor, lived for a time in Haiti in the ’90s working as a consultant for the government there. “This is just so hurtful,� he said. “I know a lot of people there, in the government. I loved being there. I feel sick now, we’re devastated.� He was there with his daughter Sarah, a student at Cornell, who had also visited Haiti often.   Joia Jefferson, the communications director of TransAfrica Forum, was there handing out candles. “We want to make sure that the world’s aid comes to Haiti, that this nation will be helped with all speed,� she said. “People can’t wait. They’re starving, they’re frustrated.�   The Reverend Lennox Yearwood, Jr., a wellknown activist, anti-war protester and community organizer here, understood moments, and this moment and the moment that changed all the hundreds of thousands of lives.   “We’re here to keep vigil,� he said. “Think of the moment a week ago at 4:53 p.m. in downtown Port-au-Prince. People were doing what you were doing, what’s going on right now here. Cars whizzing by. People coming home from work or going to work. People in their homes in offices, shopping for food for the dinner tonight. Right then, everything was all so normal. And then. Something happened. Something happened. Not only did the earth in Haiti shake, but the whole world shook. Something happened. It was global, and it happened in an instant, ceilings falling down, buildings
collapsing, no time to even scream. Something happened and it happened to all of us.   “That’s what we must sustain,� he said. “This happened to people like us, to people we know. Mothers and fathers, grandfathers, nieces and sons and daughters, children and politicians, and teachers and clerks and ministers.   “But they are not alone,� he said. “We must let them know. They are not alone. You are not alone, we are here with you, and so as we light the candles at 4:53, we are lighting a light to shine on life and make sure that it goes on, that there are people holding on.
  “It’s hard to lose so much,� he said. “I was in New Orleans. I saw what was lost and there was more lost here.   “We got to remember. In unity there is strength,� he said. “Hold up the candles now.�   And in gathering dusk, the candles came up, and His Excellency Ray Joseph, the Ambassador of Haiti, raised a candle along with everyone else. “It is impossible to comprehend what happened,� he said. “We lost people from our embassy, we lost friends, families, people we loved and who loved us. But I am hopeful and gratified by the outpouring of charity, help and love. I know it is frustrating, the slowness of the
arrival of food and water. But I believe it will come and in force.   “We continue,� he said. “The State Department has assured me that everything that can be done is being done and I believe that. We hear stories of miracles everyday, of people rescued from the darkness and surviving. I believe in that.�   Ambassador Joseph, with the look of something of an elegant, charismatic prophet, also said, “We must continue to help, to hope. Meantime, please say it with me, in English, ‘Long live Haiti, long live Haiti!’�   “What we try to do by having the young people here is to teach them not to give into cynicism,� Yearwood said, watching small boys from the Hip Hop group hold their candles. “This is about a civic energy here, about doing everything you can do to help others.�   People seemed reluctant to leave. We asked the ambassador about trusting charities. “Choose whom you trust,� he said. “The Red Cross, others. The ones you believe. Be careful, but to do nothing is not an alternative.�   It was a moment. Dusk came, and there were still stories of rescue and survival amid all the soaring numbers of loss.   For now, it was still hours to the next moment, a 6.5 aftershock that made life harder still.   But Tuesday, the sun set like a beautiful gift of solace, light on candlelight.
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Editorials/opinion
Rhee in hot water
I
t’s been a bumpy week or so for District of Columbia Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee. Item #1: “I got rid of teachers who had hit children, who had had sex with children, who had missed 78 days of school. Why wouldn’t we take those things into consideration?” That’s a quote by Rhee from a brief item in the February edition of “Fast Company,” a publication aimed at young entrepreneurs. She was responding to accusations about the fairness of the controversial firings of 266 teachers over a budget crunch in the falls. Questions about the layoffs still linger, but they are officially a done deal. When the quote surfaced last Friday, there was immediate outrage and protest from the D.C. Teachers Union and a call for an appearance before the council by D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray, all signs of a billowing, major controversy brewing. Rhee officially remained silent for days, finally giving an interview to a local television newsman. When the firings incurred demonstrations,
Item #2: Earlier in January, a report leaked out that there were plans afoot to move two hearings and heated, angry Duke Ellington School comments from teachers and for the Arts to a Northeast students, Rhee promised to Elementary School site, improve communications with making way for a high the council. The latest contreschool that would serve temps isn’t going to help much. Ward 2 residents. No comThe comment seems, on its ments were given by either surface, unnecessary, reckless the Fenty administration or and thoughtless and appears from Rhee, although Ward to tar the fired teachers with a 2 Councilman Jack Evans generalized brush. praised the idea. In the interview with Tom Less than a week later, Sherwood, Rhee said one Rhee said the district teacher had been on adminishad no plans to move the trative leave for sexual misconschool out of Georgetown duct, six served suspensions for after being hit with scores corporal punishment and two Michelle Rhee photo by David Clow of e-mails and telephone were suspended for unauthorcalls from parents protesting the move. ized absences. All of them had been part of the teachers that were fired in the fall. She did not With her support crumbling, Rhee will have apologize for her comments. to work fast to convince constituents she isn’t At the time of writing, Councilmen Harry a completely loose cannon. The events of this Thomas (Ward 5) and Marion Barry (Ward next week may make or break her tenure as 8) were holding a press conference on Rhee’s education czar. Stay tuned. comments.
A Day to remember By David Roffman Georgetowner Frida Burling spoke to the congregation at Georgetown’s St. John’s Episcopal Church on Sunday, Jan. 17. She was asked to talk about her memories of that day in 1963 when Rev. Martin Luther King spoke at the Lincoln Memorial. Frida Burling was born in 1915, and remembers what a sleepy little southern town Washington, D.C. was in the ’20s and ’30s. She also remembers the total segregation in the city: schools, restaurants, bathrooms. She remembers the signs at public drinking fountain labeled “white only,” and the fact that her black friends could not be served a Coca-Cola at the drug store lunch counters. But Burling recalled how the Great Depression brought Franklin Delano Roosevelt to the White House, and with him lots of bright young men to Washington “to save the world,” which “especially awakened Georgetown to a whole new life.” Burling told the young congregants at St. John’s: “I married one of these Yankees, a Boston blueblood, who gently showed me that my acceptance of this apartheid was totally unfair and morally wrong. This is important, the fact that I changed completely proves that one can change, and there are still many changes that need to be made.” Although a heart attack ended her husband’s life much too early, Burling had learned her lesson well, still feeling strongly against segregation. Four years later she married her late husband’s good friend, whose feelings were similar, and “we even did some integrated entertaining.” She recalled watching on television the horrific pictures of blacks being lynched, children being bombed at church, angry dogs and fire-
6 January 27, 2010 gmg, Inc.
hoses breaking up nonviolent protests and marches. “Much of the country began to be aware of the two strong forces on opposite sides. Martin Luther King spoke out, preaching non-violence, but TV showed clearly angry Southern women spitting at well-behaved children peacefully trying to integrate their school even under the protection of the state troopers.” When Dr. King and other leaders called for a peaceful March in August 1963 to be held in D.C., Mrs. Burling knew she had to be there to stand up for what she believed. “We were enjoying summer in Middleburg but I packed some sandwiches and my camera and drove into Georgetown to pick up my mother, who felt as I did. She was about 60 and I about 40. We rode a bus partway downtown, not sure where we were headed, nor what we faced. Would we be attacked by spitting counter-demonstrators or dogs or worse? But we had to show up for the good guys, to make our peaceful protest.” “We hopped off the bus when we heard fabulous singing and music coming out of St. John’s Church at Lafayette Square. We stayed awhile but then most of us moved on, down beside the Square, where we saw lines of buses pulled up, marked Selma, Birmingham, etc. We were very moved by this sight, realizing these people had dared to come even though they might well lose their job, or their home, for daring to make this long tiring trip all night on their buses. “Then on down past the White House to the [Washington] Monument, where I paid a dollar for a placard on a stick to carry, which read: “I Have a Dream” ... Crowds increasing all along the way, the friendliest, happiest crowd I had ever encountered. I was glad to see Craig Eder and Canon Martin from St.Albans School. We
Letters to the editor To the editor: Dominion Power’s request for a rate increase should be denied. Their profit in 2008 was over $520 million (19 percent net profit), which is absurd. Then to request a rate hike is ludicrous. Virginia needs a mandatory REC (Renewable Energy Credit) system. The present voluntary system does not benefit us who have installed, at our own expense, solar energy systems. The present system allows Dominion to gain $500 million to $1 billion off the backs of ratepayers. Mandatory RECs will hold companies like Dominion accountable to Virginia home and business owners who will then be the beneficiaries. Virginia is the only state in this area not to have a REC payment system to entice those of us who have invested so much in renewable energy sources to use in supporting our investment. The main reason that I have participated in the DMME (Dept of Mines, Minerals and Energy) Solar Rebate Program is of the greatly improved ROI (return on investment) made possible by the ability to market my RECs in other states. Otherwise, I would not have been able to invest in solar renewable energy because of its cost. Virginia must get on the wagon to encourage solar and other alternative energy systems. And Dominion must be held accountable. — Steele Lipe, Haymarket, VA To the Georgetowner staff: Kris and I had a wonderful time [at The Georgetowner’s photo contest reception and Haiti benefit]. We have been talking about just how welcoming and friendly everybody was! You and the rest of the staff did an outstanding job putting the whole thing together. It was a memorable event for us. I hope that in the end, the Georgetowner found the photography contest worthwhile and beneficial. I look forward to participating again next year! — Jeff Kouri Mr. Kouri’s winning photograph “Cold Misty Morning” appeared on our Jan. 13 cover. To the editor:
Frida Burling all walked on together towards the Lincoln Memorial. We had been there early enough so were able to sit on the grass near and below the platform where the leaders and singers would be. We ate sandwiches and chatted with everyone else. We were all one united group, black and white, old and young, all ‘brothers.’ “We heard the speeches and songs, but even King’s wonderful famous speech was not the main item that day. It was the atmosphere of love being shared, the strong feeling of the brotherhood of man. I felt that on this one day in that one place, we all shared the grace of God which passeth all understanding. It was an unforgettable day.”
Just a note to say that I was fascinated by John Blee’s interview of Harry Cooper. Blee seems to have gotten to the heart of Cooper’s philosophy. Cooper strikes me as a remarkable blend of intelligence and accessibility, with deep artistic knowledge and yet a keen awareness of how to make art interesting and engaging for the modern audience. Especially after seeing Kandinsky’s Guggenheim show and following his quest to generate through painting the emotion that we feel with music, it’s very interesting to learn about Cooper’s efforts to juxtapose these art forms. I look forward to seeing how his diverse background plays itself out in his future curatorial work at the National Gallery. Thanks for a great piece. — Anastasya Partan Tveteraas
opinion
Saying no to emperor obama By Alan Caruba
Y
es, it’s true. The emperor has no clothes. Even in a State where you cannot swing a dead cat without hitting a dozen Democrats, the voters said “No.” “We don’t want your odious Medicare ‘reform.’ We don’t want to be forced to buy insurance. We don’t want a bill that exists only because every sweetheart deal and other form of bribery was used to get it to this point in the Senate.” And, ignored by the media, it was no to amnesty for illegal aliens as well, another issue of Scott Brown’s race. The significance of the Massachusetts victory for Scott Brown is the repudiation of Barack Hussein Obama, his policies, and his performance in office. It wasn’t the first time the voters sent the White House this message. They told him to buzz off in Virginia and they told him to get lost in New Jersey. This is a tangible voter backlash against profligate spending and exces-
Obituaries By Gary Tischler Robert B. Parker, author Robert B. Parker wrote a lot, but if you were a fan, not too much. He was old school — he died at 77 last week — but inspired the new school of mystery and tough guy writers with his sparse language, brisk plotting, and humor. Parker admitted that he loved and admired Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and their successor, Ross MacDonald. By the time all three had passed away — along with Sam Spade, Philip Marlowe and Lew Archer, the private eye trio created by them — there was no real successor. Parker took care of that when he created Spenser, a wise-cracking, really tough guy with an even tougher black partner named Hawk, and put them to confronting bad guys, cops and robbers and the mysteries of women in Boston some 30 ago, with the first of 37 Spenser books and more than 50 altogether. He was what you would call a pro, a writer you could trust to deliver, who could work other genres, who regularly turned out popular mystery fiction, the occasional saga, usually involving recent history, and in the past few years, the occasional Western. Among his peers, you’d probably have to put Elmore Leonard, who got better reviews by critics who liked Leonard’s distanced irony a little bit more. But Leonard, too, was a prolific pro who dabbled in Westerns on occasion. Parker’s kind of tough-guy writing, featuring sharp, short sentences mixing the vivid with plain talk probably owed a debt, as did Chandler and company, to Ernest Hemingway. But Parker was a contemporary kind of guy because, in spite of being capable of swift and fierce violence, Spenser was a sensitive type, relationship-oriented. He has a long-standing significant other, a shrink no less, named Susan, and much of the goings-on in the Spenser books involve banter, sometimes serious, about men and women and why they’re different. The
sive taxation. Come November, the voters, Democrats, Republicans, and independents will come together to clean house in Washington, D.C. It takes no great punditry to see that coming. If the midterms were held tomorrow, the result would be the same. It is almost beyond comprehension how Obama could have engineered a failed presidency within the space of just one year. He got a lot of help from Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as mendacious and imperious an individual to have ever held that office. He got a lot of help from Majority Leader Harry Reid, a scowling, malicious cockroach whom the voters of Nevada will remove in November. Obama’s narcissism and arrogance will blind him to the message of the Massachusetts victory. He and his press secretary, Robert “Glib” Gibbs, will put out a statement that will dismiss the historic event as just an aberration, but the aberration is Obama! So, stand up and take a bow, Massachusetts: home to the pilgrims; home to the Boston
same thing occurs in the Sunny Rendell series he wrote, featuring a female private eye missing her ex, a mobster’s son, and Jesse Stone, the sheriff in a small suburban Boston town, who can’t get over his unfaithful newscaster wife. Spenser became a television series (“Spenser: for Hire”) starring the late Robert Urich, who was a little soft for the role, and a spinoff called “Hawk,” starring Avery Brooke who was not. Tom Selleck also has starred in some Jesse Stone made-for-TV films. Fans will miss Parker, but rumor has it that there’s still a few books laying around that haven’t been published yet. Erich Segal, author Erich Segal, who died recently at 72 of a heart attack, was a classics professor at Yale, which accounts for his writing “Roman Laughter,” a study of the playwright Plautus and perhaps even the book and lyrics for “Sing Muse,” a 1961 musical based on the life of Helen of Troy. He also wrote other books, including “Oliver’s Story,” “The Class,” “Doctors,” “Acts of Faith” and “Only Love,” and, in his specialty, “The Death of Comedy,” a book on the Western comic drama from antiquity to present day. Not only that, but he also wrote the screenplay for the Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine.” Oh yeah — in 1970, he wrote a little something called “Love Story.” This thin — less than 200 pages — tome was a huge best-seller and practically drowned the country in tears, being the tale of a rich preppie named Oliver Barrett IV who falls in love with an Italian working class girl named Jennifer Cavalleri, who dies at the end of the book. “Love Story” was a phenomenon of the time; it stayed on top of the best-seller list practically forever, and spawned a hugely successful movie starring Ryan O’Neal and Ali McGraw. The book was such a quick read you could read it over breakfast, dump a tear on your toast and still have time for the Times. The book was very much of its time, with “The Godfather” enjoying a similar success as best-seller and movie, and a strange little
massacre when British troops fired on protesters in 1770; home to the 1773 tea party to protest taxes; and birthplace of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Sam Adams, Elbridge Gerry, Josiah Bartlett, Roger Sherman, and John Hancock, signers of the Declaration of Independence. Those first Americans led the resistance to the greatest power of their day, Great Britain, and its king. For all the years Obama taught the U.S. Constitution at the University of Chicago Law School, he either never really understood it or never believed it means what it says. He never understood that real Americans will not be pushed around, cheated of their Constitutional birthright, or be lied to. They will push back. A former emperor, Napoleon of France, spent his last days as an exile on St. Helena. It would not surprise me if Emperor Obama spends his on one of Hawaii’s islands. The author blogs at factsnotfantasy.blogspot. com.
chronicle called “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” mystically topping the list for too long. The movie version flopped. For a time, even cool, hip people quoted the crying Oliver as he confronted his father after Jenny’s death. “I’m sorry,” the father, who had bitterly opposed his son’s marriage on the usual grounds (money and class), said. “Love,” Oliver says, “means not ever having to say you’re sorry.” To which many women might add, “that’s what you think, buster.” Jean Simmons, actress Jean Simmons, who died last weekend of lung cancer, was one of the few remaining classic old Hollywood movie stars, sub-genre, classy British beauty. Both she and Deborah Kerr, another luminous Brit star of the ’50s and ’60s, were gifted actresses, but were too often used for their beauty, although they always brought a compelling dignity and sometimes sexiness to their roles. Neither was ever an Oscar winner, although both were capable of Oscar performances. Prior to coming to Hollywood, the youthful Simmons, dark-haired, blue-eyed and small, stood out in ’40s English films as Ophelia in Olivier’s Oscar-winning “Hamlet” and as the haunting object of Pip’s affections in a wonderful version of “Great Expectations.” In Hollywood, Simmons was sent to the Dark Ages, to ancient Egypt, to ancient Rome, to revolutionary France and Victorian Britain, and even into the Old West in such epics as “The Robe,” “The Egyptian,” “Desiree,” “Spartacus” and “The Big Country.” That put her in league with some major leading men — Richard Burton, Charlton Heston, Gregory Peck, Kirk Douglas and Marlon Brando. She also played a female evangelist opposite Burt Lancaster’s huckster preacher in the memorable “Elmer Gantry.’ Jean Simmons was 80.
Jack Evans Report
T
hese are the tough months to get through in Washington — January and February. The holidays and all they bring are over. Spring is still a distant hope. All we have are the cold, short days and dark, cold, long nights. Ten months of the year Washington is the best. The two months of deep winter, not so great, in my opinion. Work at the city council is focused on oversight hearings and preparation for the 2011 budget. In January and February, the various committees hold oversight hearings to check the fiscal pulse and public policies of the District. Our quiet quarter (October-December) is over and our new revenue estimates are in. We are now getting a sense as to how our planning from May and June is being implemented. Budget preparations focus on our planning for the next year. Clearly the D.C. government, like everywhere else, will have less money to work with in the upcoming year. In our 2010 budget, the mayor and council relied on millions of dollars of one-time money to pay for on-going items. In planning this year for 2011, that money, about $300 million, is no longer available. Cutting expenses this year is a necessity. In 2010, the government raised the sales tax and imposed several new fees. These are also no longer options. Hard decisions in funding education, human services, and public safety will have to be made. So maybe we feel the difficult times in the gloomy part of the year on purpose. Perhaps it fits with the season, but cheer up — Groundhog Day is only a week away! The author is a city councilmember representing District Ward 2.
gmg, Inc. January 27, 2010 7
EDUCATION
ART ADVENTURES ABROAD By Garrett Faulkner
A
t five and a half acres, penned in by an inexorable steel fence 12 feet high, it’s hard to miss the Embassy of Italy. Set into a gentle slope just off Massachusetts Avenue, the complex is a fixture on Embassy Row, and they want you to know it. Outsiders are vetted through a rigorous screening process before being shepherded from the gatehouse to the front entrance. There’s pomp, there’s circumstance, there’s probably the most discerning look at your driver’s license you’re ever likely to get. But after that, you’re awash in Italy, the culture, the art, the sonorous lilt of an old, old Romance language. Green marble columns spiral up to the cupolaed glass-panel ceiling, a sort of Pantheon-meets-21st-century architectural stew. Sleek leather couches, flown in from Milan, dot the curved walls encircling the lobby, so broad and naturally lit it’s probably better called a piazza. Tucked away, a café-cum-cucina bustles with activity, milling out pasta and slicing charcuterie. The building is at once modern élan and staunch tradition, two and a half thousand years of history woven into glass and stone. And in a back hall gallery, in what amounts to a little over 50 square feet of exhibition space, there are other, smaller distillations of Italy. An old woman walking alone by a pond in wispy charcoal sketching. Opposite that, soft watercolor tones, suffuse and lifelike, form a panorama of the Appenines. Between paintings hangs the odd poem or two, calligraphied and framed.
It’s a visiting exhibit, a collection of works so vivid you know whoever made them had to have been there. But they aren’t on loan from a European gallery, nor, even, do their authors require a visa to come see them. In fact, their creators hail largely from right here in Washington, and for most of them, art is somewhat of a peripheral project. But such is the beauty of Cultural Study Abroad, a nonprofit whose mission is to give a small group of part-time creative types the chance to go ex-pat and let the easygoingness and rustic aesthetic of Europe inspire them. For Angela Iovino, who runs the program — and paints a little on the side herself — the 10-day trips abroad offer a unique opportunity to make new friends, unwind and develop as an artist. “As I became more involved in art myself and got tired of painting alone in villas across Europe, I reestablished CSA primarily for artists and photographers,” she says. A retired professor of Italian history and literature who taught at Georgetown and George Washington universities, Iovino revived the program, originally founded in 1997, a few years ago. One of the inaugural trips placed her travelers on a halcyon little island called Ischia. If you just pulled a map out, that’s good (hint: look near Naples). Iovino aims for trip sites a little off the beaten path — and sometimes off the mainland — which she says makes for a more idyllic setting removed from the tourist rush and, more important, allows for deeper introspection and inspiration. Unexpected scen-
previous engagements or ery also offers the usual distractions — that chance for a fresh in and of itself is enough experience, which to mentally waken you.” some trip veterans Galanis was so impressed say changed their with the volatility and whole perspective. looming presence of VeAngelika Wamsler, suvius she incorporated it who attended a into her Byzantine-tinged trip to Tuscany last mosaic art. June, says the set And while the act of ting altered her encreation is itself rewardtire direction as an ing, many found that sopartist. ping up the experience was “The town where just as much fun. Study we stayed was dif- CSA students painting in Cortona, Tuscany groups often include a handferent from what I ful of friends simply there expected, it was not to sightsee and have a part of the typical Tuscany good time. Some enduring landscape you see in postfriendships are formed on cards. It was in the middle the trip itself. of green, green hills. By be Barb Williams, a retired ing close to that landscape, public health officer, startI actually realized that landed reading “Inferno” each scape painting isn’t what night with two other exI’m into. By discovering cursionists. The rest of the what you don’t like, you get group called the trio The close to what you do like.” Dante Club, who bonded Wamsler says she now preso cohesively they are now fers abstract painting, still inspired, of course, by what Jennifer Galanis,“The Giant Merely Sleeps” planning a return trip of their own. she has seen overseas. However CSA travelers choose to spend their “Going on a study abroad trip is good for an vacations, they are in good hands. Extremely artist,” says Jennifer Galanis, a scientist by propopular among them is Steve Cushner, who fession who attended the Ischia trip, also last acts as lead artist on CSA trips, when he’s not June. “You’re pulled from your normal everyteaching his craft at the District’s own Corcoran day environment and taken out of your routine. School of Art. He’s well known within WashThere are no other activities to run home to, no
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ington’s art community, and many CSA adventurers, Iovino herself included, took his art classes before ever setting foot on an airplane to the Old World. While abroad, Cushner likes this mix of old and new students. “Each trip is different, the group of students is different from trip to trip,” he says. “That’s
Mia Klimchak, “To Lisciano Di Niccone”
kind of the excitement of it, it’s a new experience for everybody. It takes a couple days to figure out everyone’s personality, figure out the place.” Since the company handles daily logistics and itineraries for its travelers, Cushner is free to offer advice and help others find their muse. That said, he’s more than simply a lecturer. Galanis says Cushner is known for his open dialogue with students and willingness to let them explore their own styles. Barb Williams appreciates this laid-back approach. “Steve is just fabulous,” she says. “I consider him to be a master teacher. He is very perceptive, a very good artist himself. His personal style is such he can work with a wide variety of abilities and personalities.” Cushner presided over the Ischia and Tusca-
ny trips, and will do so again on CSA’s planned trip to Ragusa, Sicily in June. Later that month, Iovino will lead a four-day tour through Rome, which focuses on the historical role of the city’s Jewish population. The company is planning several other trips this year too, some with a visual art focus, others concentrating on literary history. Lillian Bisson, who teaches English at Marymount University, will lead reading buffs in September through Bath and rural England, following the trail of Jane Austen and touring the manors and countryside that influenced her novels. In March, eminent photographer Chan Chao will lead students through Paris to help them snap that perfect shot of the City that Never Sleeps. Other trips are planned for Spain, Shanghai (in 2012) and, for those in love with fall colors, Gettysburg, PA in autumn. Depending on what you find inspiring, chances are there’s a trip for you. “My outlook is, you would take a trip like this to do something you wouldn’t do in your own studio,” Cushner says. “I took a trip like this and it took me a while to let go of what I was doing and embrace what else was possible.” All-inclusive prices for Cultural Study Abroad trips start at $2200 (Paris), $2300 (Sicily), $2250 (Rome), $2350 (Segovia, Spain) and $2350 (England). Rates are generally lower for leisure travelers not participating in the art seminars. For a full breakdown of prices, trip dates and more information, visit www.culturalstudyabroad.com or contact Angela Iovino at 202-669-1562.
The Georgetown University Learning Community
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“effective, well done, beautiful, I learned a lot, thought-provoking, fabulous presentation, unique and valuable, love to have more, clear and understandable, a real pro, awesome, knowledgeable, personable, fine analysis, excellent throughout, I see why my children loved this, stimulating, fascinating.” *** Registration fee (via credit card) $30 for one course, $50 for two or more courses. Find more information and register on-line at: http://emeriticourses.georgetown.edu, or contact Kimberly Woolf at: lifelonglearning@georgetown.edu or 202-687-1514. GMG, Inc. January 27, 2010 9
AGENT
SPOTLIGHT
CARL BECKER: MR. JANUARY AGENT
What is the highest ticket you have closed yet? It would have to be a new home for $1.9M. What are some of the “special/extra” things you have done for a client in order to help them purchase or like you more? I’ve hung flat-panel TVs, installed in-wall speakers, wired recessed lights, and (d’oh) replaced toilets for clients. I should learn how to get better at being less handy, but sometimes it’s hard to resist saving someone the money! Have you sold to/worked with any local celebrities on a deal? If so, who might we know?
Whew, not touching that one. I did a straw deal for a high-profile client and somehow the purchase made the papers in D.C. and New York. And then I was grilled by the client and attorney! We’re still good friends, as they paid a few hundred grand less than their limit.
takes two”
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1218 31st Street NW (Georgetown) (202)333-3002 10 January 27, 2010 GMG, Inc.
times when an agent should be paid that much. Are you single or married? If single, do you date other agents ever or have you? If married, what does your spouse do? I’ve never dated another agent — not sure how I would do with that much shop talk! What is your dream home in the district to live in (on or off the market)?
4 percent on a large deal. I took friends out to a club and had bottle service. Later in the night someone stole one of the bottles! Luckily, the manager replayed the security tape and found the culprit. Moral: Nowadays, if the deal isn’t too much trouble I credit my clients a portion of the commission at closing. There are few
ValentIne’s Day 2010
“It
Photo by Tom Wolff
What were your highest commissions made so far on a deal? And what was the first thing you bought with the money earned besides paying bills?
flowers
L
ocal realtor Carl Becker is the mastermind behind his firm Premier Properties, which focuses on residential listings, buyer representation and real estate investments in D.C., Maryland and Virginia. With a diverse real estate background and experience with everything from residential and commercial investment properties to land development to remodeling, the precocious Becker is one to watch in Washington’s competitive housing scene. John Blee sat down with Becker to talk commissions, dating colleagues and charity events on the horizon.
That’s a tough one. I’d go for a home with one of the best swimming pools in the city: The Dodge Mansion, the Little’s Penthouse at Washington Harbour, or the Laird-Dunlap Coach House. What is your favorite thing about being an agent/in the business?
I like the variety and being able to use my diverse background to provide value to my clients. I enjoy being involved with all facets of real estate including investing, developing, building, as well as helping clients buy or sell their homes. I started out investing. One summer in college my brother and I took a six-week real estate licensing course and had class all day on Saturday. The goal was to start buying investment properties and use the commission to offset the closing costs. The ulterior motive was that our parents went to their river house on the weekends and the course gave us a great excuse to stay in town and throw parties while they were away. We invested in a lot of beer that summer. How do you get your face out there? Do you use advertising, marketing, charities or community involvement? It’s mostly word of mouth. I am involved with the planning of my three favorite parties, all of which benefit local charitable organizations: The Washington Ballet’s Jete Dance Party (Feb. 6), Oscar Night D.C. with the American Red Cross (March 7) and the Washington Humane Society’s Fashion for Paws (April 10). Carl Becker can be reached at 301-873-3221 or www.premierpropertiesdc.com.
“ASK THE REALTOR” By Darrell Parsons thought FHA loans were only for limitedincome people. However my friend bought a place for $450,000 last week using FHA financing. How is that possible? —John S
I
Dear John, For many years FHA financing was the financing of choice for buyers with limited income and financial resources. The highest loan one could obtain was capped at $417,000. It was especially appealing because it required a smaller than usual down payment, and was in some ways more protective of buyers. In recent years however, prices rose significantly and at some point there weren’t all that many properties available in the lower price ranges. About a year ago, FHA recognized the disparity between their cap and the reality of property prices and raised the cap in the DC area to $715,000 while maintaining the low down payment concept. This made it possible for far more buyers to use this mode of financing to purchase property in our area. This is a very simple outline of the program. I encourage you to speak to your favorite loan officer about the details. Dear Darrell, I’m confused about the tax credits available to home buyers. There is a $5000 tax credit for buyers in DC, and a $6500 credit offered by the Federal government...and then I just heard about an $8000 credit. Can one use all of them? —Bob R.
Dear Bob, As you probably guessed, you can’t use all of them on one purchase. You are right that there is a DC tax credit ($5000) and a Federal one, but the Federal has two parts...$6500 and $8000. The short answer is that you can’t use both DC and Federal simultaneously. Both come with their own set of restrictions, and both are great programs....especially for first-time buyers. The added good news is that also “move-up” buyers can use the $6500 Federal credit. First-time buyers must not have had an interest in a principal residence for 3 years. Moveup buyers must have used their current home 5 consecutive years of the past 8. For the Federal, one must have a ratified contract by April 30, 2010. There are also income and other restrictions, of which there are too many to go into detail here. For the DC tax credit go to www.otr. cfo.dc.gov/otr and in the search window enter “$5000 tax credit”. For the Federal, here is a helpful website www.federalhousingtaxcredit. com/. For the best help, contact a trusted loan officer. The DC credit has been around for a while, and gets renewed every year (so far!). At the moment it makes more sense to use the Federal credit since it is worth $3000 more, but it expires on April 30th. The reality is that no one knows how long either one will last, or how long interest rates will stay at their current low level.
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MEMORIES Listed for $875,000 Spectacular one-bedroom condo totally remodeled in 2006 for sophisticated modern living. Featuring high ceilings, gleaming wood floors, imported Italian kitchen (with stainless steel counters and Wolf dual-fuel range) and luxurious bathrooms (2.5) while maintaining original Old World details, such as ornate mantles and folding shutters. The spacious dining and living rooms can function as dramatic open-plan or can be separated with sliding pocket doors. Conveniently located in the heart of Dupont.
PORTRAIT
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mortgage By Bill Starrels
F
ederal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgages are mortgages which the United States Government guarantees, where loans that buyers of relatively low priced homes with little cash and all types of credit use. When the country was entering into the financial crisis, Congress passed legislation on more liberal guidelines for FHA mortgages to fill the gap of tightened underwriting standards on “conventional” loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. This program is going through some changes. Before the financial crisis a borrower could get a conventional backed purchase mortgage
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loan for little money down. These loans would require mortgage insurance to help protect the lender. When the financial storm hit, these low down payment mortgages vanished. This was the catalyst for the expansion of the FHA government backed mortgage program. Loan limits were raised to $729,000 in high cost areas including the Washington metropolitan area. This enabled prospective homeowners to buy moderately expensive homes with as little as 3.5 percent down. In 2006 FHA backed mortgages accounted for 3 percent of new home purchases. Today the number of FHA backed mortgages approaches 30 percent of new home purchases. One advantage of FHA loans was that there were no minimum credit score (FICO) requirements. At the same time, credit score requirements for non-Government loans were tightening. The down side to the relaxed requirements was the resulting increase of defaults of FHA mortgages. One result of the increased default rate was the eroding balance sheet for the FHA. The Government had a dilemma on its hands. How do you bolster the required reserves without hampering the ability of homeowners to get an
FHA mortgage? The answers include a tightening of the rules and an increase in the financed mortgage insurance. Customers with a credit score of 580 or below now have to put 10 percent down. Seller cash towards closing costs is being reduced from 6 percent to 3 percent of the purchase price. The financed mortgage insurance on FHA mortgages is being raised by half a point to help bolster the reserves. The new rate is 2.25 percent. Since this becomes part of the loan amount, the impact is not too severe. This will add $15 a month to a typical FHA loan. Customers with low credit scores may be forced to the sidelines with the tightening of the rules that pertain to people with low credit scores. FHA loans will still be a popular option even with the changes. It is the only game in town for a client who wants a mortgage of $729,000 with very little cash down. FHA loans are worth serious consideration. Bill Starrels is a mortgage loan consultant who lives in Georgetown. He specializes in purchase and refinance mortgages. He can be reached at 703 625 7355, email; bill.starrels@gmail.com
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14 January 27, 2010 gmg, Inc.
Home decor for the winter doldrums
By Garrett Faulkner
“
F
eeling a little down this winter? Consider the factors: a subzero January climate, stingy daylight hours and a bleak realization that holiday warmth and magic passes swiftly after the party hats, kazoos and 2010 glasses stuffed in the trash. It seems almost (yawn) like it’s your lot to feel like curling up and hibernating until April. Sound familiar? Unless you hail from Palm Beach, it probably does. The American Academy of Family Physicians reports six out of every 100 Americans suffer each winter from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a recent medical coinage explaining the blues many feel come late autumn, when the weather takes a turn for the worse. Severe sufferers can experience depression-like symptoms — lethargy, extreme introversion, difficulty concentrating — throughout the winter. SAD’s cause is a matter of debate for psychologists and clinicians, but they seem to agree the disorder stems from a dearth of natural light. Those living in high northern latitudes, where days are especially short, seem particularly affected — in Finland, SAD reportedly affects as much as 10 percent of the population. But if you’re feeling blue and cooped up this winter, why not turn your hibernation cave into something a little more hospitable? It starts with how you light and decorate your home. “Small changes can make a big difference,” says Tracy Morris, an interior designer who ran her company on Georgetown’s Wisconsin Avenue for nearly five years (she recently moved her office to Bethesda). She says minor adjustments to a room’s lighting can noticeably improve its depth and warmth. Morris advises moving a chair next to a window to catch some sunlight at the right time of day. If this isn’t feasible, she says the tried-and-true incandescent light bulb is the next best thing. Cheaper than halogen bulbs, ordinary incandescent lighting is warm and yellow, unlike the chilly warehouse light produced by fluorescent bulbs. Boxy, contemporary furniture, hip as it may be, can appear drab and colorless in the low light of January. Morris suggests furnishings with an organic component. “Bring the outdoors into your home,” she says, pointing out that raffia and other wooden furniture is becoming increasingly popular and adds a lifelike element to the décor. Empty coffee or end table? Throw a few moss balls into a silver or glass bowl for an understated yet quaint decoration that’s as inexpensive as it is chic. Potted flowers and plants also make handsome additions. “Try an orchid or tall ficus tree,” says Morris. “Something you can put in your home that has some greenery and makes you feel like there is life other than what’s not growing outside.” Color scheme also dictates a room’s overall feel. Morris recommends neutral — brown and beige work best — and warm spectrum colors like reds and yellows. Not up for hauling out the paint rollers? Try hanging a landscape painting or two with a warm palette. Then light a fire, curl up and forget about shoveling that driveway. After all, that which is cold soon melts away. For further design tips, contact Tracy Morris at 202486-6209 or tracy@tracymorrisdesign.com.
Small changes can make a big difference - Interior Designer Tracy Morris
” Festive dinnerware ($60-200) and glassware ($50) from Amano (1677 Wisconsin Ave.) will brighten any room in need of a little color.
Dedon’s casual, outdoorsy Hemisphere loungeware, available at JANUS et Cie (3304 M St.), features a rustic wicker look to give your home a more organic feel.
Start simple and inexpensive: incandescent light bulbs offer a vintage look and produce warm light more natural than fluorescent equivalents. Photo by Samantha Celera.
(top image) Christian Platt, “Jekyll Island – Sunrise,” $1150, Susan Calloway Fine Arts (1643 Wisconsin Ave.) (bottom image) Roxanne Weidele, “Standing Tall,” $350, Susan Calloway Fine Arts
Moss ball ($8) from Moss and Co. Greenery (1657 Wisconsin Ave.)
gmg, Inc. January 27, 2010 15
cover
yEAR of the King: Washington celebrates Elvis’ 75th By Gary Tischler
A
ELVIS PRESLEY by Red Grooms
mong the many words and phrases related to Elvis Presley that have entered the national memory and lexicon like particular glittering keepsakes is “Elvis has left the building.” As a phrase, it has a certain finality: the man is gone, out the hall, into a pink Cadillac, left the country and the life on earth. Performers use it often to let audiences know that an encore isn’t coming. Several years ago, Jerry Lewis, who used to tour with Elvis when they were both raw and young, used it at Strathmore, as in “The Killer has left the building.” To this day, the phrase is as American pop culture as apple pie and Britney Spears. And it doesn’t mean what it says. Don’t you believe it. Not a chance, not when he left, and not now, no how, no way. If the building we’re talking about is pop America, our collective memory, Elvis is still in the building, never left and never will. We may have heard a door slam shut briefly when he died over 30 years ago, but Elvis still has the key. Witness: thousands, literally, of professional and unprofessional Presley impersonators, the huge record sales he maintains regularly, the thousands upon thousands of visitors to Graceland, the movies, the books, the songs all the time somewhere in the world. Didn’t you hear “I’ll Have a Blue Christmas” at least once over the holidays? Witness: “Elvis at 21: Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer,” a traveling exhibition put together by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition and by Georgetown’s Govinda Gallery and its owner Chris Murray, who organized and curated the show and wrote the introduction for the accompanying catalog. The exhibition, chronicling with electric immediacy the rising meteor that was Elvis, debuted at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles and is making its way like a train across America before landing at the NPG in October. With stops at Boca Raton, FL, the James Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, PA, the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, AR, Winchester and Richmond, VA and Mobile, AL, it conjures up visions of another Elvis tour, the roadies, the big mi-
crophones, the squealing and rock ’n’ roll. Witness: “One Life: Echoes of Elvis,” a small, one-room exhibition of art works done after the death of the king of rock ’n’ roll in 1977, a room that turns into a rowdy, pop culture celebration of memory and the music in our heads, the stories we tell or hear. Witness, too, the recent celebration of what would have been the 75th birthday of Elvis Presley, all that stuff in Graceland in Memphis going on there, and the celebrations the wide world over. And it doesn’t stop with that. In March, the NPG will hold what appears to be a quirky and scholarly symposium on Elvis while the Newseum will hold its own Elvis photo exhibition, “Elvis!” E. Warren Perry Jr., writer and researcher for the Catalog of American Portraits at the NPG, would appear to be almost the perfect curator for the “Echoes of Elvis” ex-
ing music of blues, gospel, country, blues and what was then called “race” music like a sponge. There’s the rising, fresh-asa-slap-in-the-face star, the swivel hips, the Hound Dog man, the catnip for screaming girls whirlwind so starkly documented by Wertheimer. There‘s the post-momma’sdeath-post-army-stint Elvis, careening off to Hollywood, morphing into grotesquerie, the sweaty, bling-loaded master of Graceland, prince of Las Vegas, and bloated king. And there‘s the death of Elvis, the dead Elvis and the Elvis afterlife. The funny about all of these Elvises is that they‘re all very much alive. “He’s an icon,” Perry says. “I think there’s very few souls alive that at least haven’t heard about him, heard his mu-
“He was one of a kind. He could sing the whole range of music. Heck, he was the king.” Glenn Mullen, Capitol Hill.
UNTITLED (ELVIS AND PRISCILLA), FROM THE PORTFOLIO GRACELAND by William Eggleston
ELVIS PRESLEY by Ralph Wolfe Cowan
16 January 27, 2010 gmg, Inc. 1
hibition. After all, he grew up in Memphis, and walked to junior high school along Elvis Presley Boulevard, a former interstate highway. “Not everybody can say that,” Perry said. “In Memphis, you can’t get away from Elvis if you wanted to. The junior high was just a couple of blocks from Graceland.” “We’ve been working on this for quite some time,” Perry, a deceptively genial down-home Southern sort of guy with keen smarts and stories to tell, said. “The idea was to keep the entries to works that had been done after his death, to show, yeah, the echoes. And they go on forever, believe me. Elvis is pervasive, you can see that in the sections that are sort of pop culture, the lunchbox, the Elvis cookbook, the scrapbook, the Jewish Elvis, and car keys, all of that.” You can sort of section off Elvis‘s life into three or four parts: there‘s the gritty childhood, where he sucked up the prevail-
sic. There isn’t a rock and roll performer who wasn’t influenced by him. He was just huge. Perry pointed to the late Howard Finster’s two contributions. Finster was a great and prolific American artist, genus folk artist, who chronicled everything he ran across and interested him and his love for Elvis was abiding as is the portrait called “Elvis at Three is An Angel to Me,” a haunting image of a three-year-old Elvis with wings. “My favorite?” Perry mused. “I like that stamp portrait,
that famous stamp portrait, (500 million copies), I like Red Grooms Graceland thing, I like Ralph Cowan painting, it just knocks your eyes out. I think it captures him. But most people really like the bust, they’re drawn to it like flies, trying to figure it.” That would be the bust of Elvis after a bust of Julius Caesar, a big piece by the late Robert Arneson from 1978 made of glazed ceramic. It’s garish, a true Vegas image in some ways, the fake gold, the big wavy hair, and the imagery of rock and roll scattered like gold dust over it. “There’s a rock on the shoulder,” Perry said. “People figure it out, or they’re puzzled. With a lot of this, it depends who you are. I’m heading towards fifty, and I grew with my mother playing Elvis, I’d hear ‘Jailhouse Rock’ and you sort of get hooked. She’s a big fan.” Two couples you’d guess to be baby boomers wandered through the exhibition on a mid-week afternoon. “Any of you figure that rock out yet,” Joe Gegg, retired from the trade association business, asked. His wife Linda laughed. “Rock, rock star, am I right?” she said. All of them, the Geggs, Larry Jones, his wife Sharen, grew up with Elvis, and everything in the room is like a flashback to some other time and place: Iowa for Jones, Missouri for Gegg in the 1950s. “I used to work for a farmer when I was a kid,” Jones said. “I’d sneak into the guys’ pickup truck in the summer and I’d listen to Elvis. I’d be chasing chickens around and listening to “Hound Dog.” “We all remember him,” Gegg said. “All of us. That was the music then. Sometimes, some parents, they’d be shocked, didn’t want you to listen, especially the girls. He drove the girls crazy, and everybody knew it.” A man named Shola, an architectural designer and self-described musicologist originally from Nigeria, recalled the worldwide appeal of Elvis. “People, young people, everybody listened to him in Nigeria,” he said. “Like Michael Jackson. He was very important, the music was important, it was new.” A National Portrait Gallery tour guide was leading a group to the exhibition. “This is our One Life series,” she said. “Here, we honor Americans who were major figures in our history, and our culture. And Elvis Presley, let’s face it, was the king of rock ’n’ roll and that’s why he is here.” Not everybody, of course is a fan. If you look at the rabbit hole entries on Elvis on the Internet, you’ll find that Frank Sinatra — who had a similar effect on
his early female fans — detested the music on moral grounds. A young man who wandered through the one-room exhibition also wasn’t impressed. “Honest, I don’t like Elvis that much,” Paulo Ruff, 19, a student from Peru, said. “Me, I think Chuck Berry is the king of rock ’n’ roll.” One of the effects, of course, of Elvis, is that his own musical roots are a part of the lore of rock and roll. Berry, Fats Domino, Jimmy Reed and the like were already singing a blues-based rock and roll, but didn’t cross over until Elvis came along. “Me, I will always love that early Elvis,” Chris Murray said. “That’s so authentic, so alive, that’s the great genius musician and performer at his peak. That’s a personal feeling for me. The rest not so much, although, if you listen to say “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” or “Are You Lonesome Tonight” or “In The Ghetto,” they’re pretty impressive. I’m starting to like and appreciate that a lot more. He had a great voice. But purists, you know, they get into that decline thing, that Hollywood stuff or Vegas and that’s not the genius of Elvis.” “I think it’s the music that’s most important,” Murray said. “But I think the persona and legend, they keep him alive, probably just as much, sometimes more.” “There’s so much we know about Elvis,” Perry said. “We seem to know his life inside out. His music is sustaining. It lasts. But the effect, it moves forward, time does that, it’s an evolving thing.” This writer remembers the screaming at a screening of “Love Me Tender,” his first movie. It was a black and white Western in which Elvis flat out fell in love with the wispy Debra Paget. We were just freshmen in high school, three guys in a theater in Ohio and when he first appeared on the screen, the girls in the audiences started squealing. It was scary, it made your hair stand on end. We knew what it was, too, guessed at it and wished we could be him. Elvis had something primal, but he also had musical genius, he could sing about dead dogs, broken hearts, kids in the ghetto, and frisky love in tones that swept up country, blues, gospel in amazing musical alchemy making something new. John Lennon, himself a man with a strong afterlife, said “Before Elvis, there was nothing.” That’s not quite true, of course. But Elvis hasn’t left the building either. “Echoes of Elvis” runs through Aug. 22 at the National Portrait Gallery. Stay tuned for “Elvis at 21,” slated for exhibition in Washington in October 2010. All photos provided by the National Portrait Gallery
story
ELVIS, THE ARTIST, AND PINK CADILLAC by Donald Paterson
ELVIS IN ARMY UNIFORM by Howard Finster
ELVIS PRESLEY by Mark Stutzman
1 gmg, Inc. January 27, 2010 17
Performance
big man is big fun in “Cargo cult”
THE LAST CARGO CULT - Mike Daisey, photo by Stan Barouh
By Gary Tischler
P
icture this for a night out. You’re in a smallish downtown theater. There’s a stage, bare except for a table, a chair and a glass of water. The “set” is a precariously stacked totem-like pile of what appears to be cargo boxes, the kind that are carted all over the world by planes. You’re going to be spending a couple of hours — uninterrupted — with a heavy-set man who sweats a lot, and talks pretty much non-stop, wiping his brow, drinking water, yelling intermittently and sometimes screaming about esoteric matters such as a money-less society in the South Pacific, what to do if a pig gets into your gear, the fate of back-seat drivers in New England and why he shops at Ikea. Sound like fun? Or would you rather visit the dentist? Take the big guy. He’s a lot of fun. His name is Mike Daisey and his one-man act is called “The Last Cargo Cult,” playing through Feb. 7 at the downtown Woolly Mammoth Theater. Daisey is a playwright, a writer, a thinker, a monologist, a storyteller and, in truth, a real live comedian. In the past, he’s performed “How the Theater Failed America,” “All Stories Are Fiction,” “21 Dog Years,” and the epic “Men of Genius,” a six-hour piece in performance. Even from the title, it’s obvious that Daisey’s not scared of anybody, not even theater people. In “The Last Cargo Cult” he takes on the last taboo in American society: money. Sure, people bitch about it, covet it, hate Bernie Madoff, wonder about their credit rating and so on, but this isn’t the ultimate critique of capitalism. It’s about the religion of money, here, there and ultimately everywhere. The title refers to real cults that sprung up in previously primitive societies visited by techno-superior societies, specifically the polyglot Polynesian islands that were the scenes of vast visitations by World War II-era America.
18 January 27, 2010 gmg, Inc. 1
“We talk about money all the time, but we don’t want to really talk about what it means.” It’s serious business - it’s a tangled tale of values, and a riff on how money has become a religion... “They worship what was left behind, which was cigarettes, fridges, wheels, candy, mass-produced furniture,” he said. “Mainly, they’re starting to dream about money, the kids are asking about it. They’re becoming something other than what they were,” says Daisey, who’s described as a gonzo journalist, among other things. He took off on a trip to a remote Pacific island where the inhabitants worship the cargo at the base of a live volcano. They’ve become modernized — the local chief, a charismatic woman who also doubles as a businesswoman — but they live with memories of their own past while yearning for what money buys you. Part of the evening is an account of Daisey’s travels in the Pacific, an account that’s at turns hilarious, panic-stricken and wise. Full of keenly painful, sharp observations, Daisey vividly describes the experience of island-hopping in prop planes piloted by a pilot with dropsy. There is a lot of screaming in the accounts of takeoff and landing, not all of them successful. Like any Westerner encountering so-called Third World civilizations, Daisey makes mistakes, especially when it comes to pigs, including one hungry pig who visits him at night and sleeps at his side. “The thing of it was, they hunt pigs on that island,” he said. “And they gossip. So first time out, I meet some of them, and they go ‘yeah, you’re the guy that sleeps with a pig.’”
Those stories — and they make up an epic string about people who not all that long ago used to eat missionaries but now have big cargo celebrations every year — are countered with tales of back home, the daily grind in the midst of a modern economic disaster. “We talk about money all the time, but we don’t want to really talk about what it means.” It’s serious business — it’s a tangled tale of values, and a riff on how money has become a religion and the altars are Wall Mart, Ikea, the check out line, the bank teller’s window, the incredible display of wares in our store front windows, on Ebay and in catalogues. “I love my stuff,” Daisey continues. “We shop at Ikea. Incredible. We buy stuff that we’re not even sure of what it might be because we can’t read the labels.” That Daisey can hold the stage for so long is incredible in and of itself, but he goes beyond, salting the points of his rant (a very controlled rant, in many ways), with funny bits, including the ultimate back-seat or side-seat driving that makes his performance truly unique. He’s been described as a cross between Noam Chomsky and Oliver Hardy. You might want to throw in Sam Kinnison, the late and very loud stand-up comedian. You could think about Mort Sahl, for the intelligence, but you might want to add in Lenny Bruce, also for the smarts, for telling the obvious truth, for barreling on through our most closely held beliefs, our sureties, and exposing them. You could make a case that the natives are a little off, they’ve got one foot on the edge of a volcano and another on the tarmac waiting for the goodies to come in. But one of them tells it to him succinctly: “You people are insane. You put a price on everything and value nothing.” This may also be true for the show, which he insists become an exercise in economic trust and exchange. For tickets and information visit www.woollymammoth.net.
feature
I want to hold your hand
The Beatles’ debut in America was not on the Ed Sullivan Show in New York, but on WWDC radio in Washington. By Donna Evers
T
he year was 1963, and the place was Washington, D.C. It was the year Martin Luther King Jr. inspired the country with his “I have a dream” speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall. A few months later, the unthinkable happened when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas and the nation recoiled in horror and grief. For three days, people sat in front of their television sets, watching the memorial services for the fallen president unfold in front of the White House, the Capitol, through the avenues of the city and finally to the cemetery at Arlington. It’s hard to believe that all of this happened almost 50 years ago. To illustrate just how long ago this was, take a look at prices. The average American home sold for less than $20,000 and a gallon of gas cost 30 cents. In the pop music world, Elvis was the undisputed King, and teenage girls swooned by the thousands when he came on stage. But popular music fans in this country were barely aware of a new musical group called The Beatles, who were taking Great Britain and Europe by storm. A Washington teenager named Marsha Albert heard about this group and couldn’t figure out why we weren’t listening to their music here in
America. She wrote a letter to DJ Carroll James of WWDC radio and asked him to play their records. When he asked around, the DJ found out that while Capitol Records had the rights to release their music here, the president of the company didn’t think “foreign bands” did very well on this side of the pond. Even worse, when Capitol asked for the scoop on The Beatles, a music critic told him that they were “a bunch of long-haired kids” and to forget about them. And so Capitol Records put the group on the back burner. That is, until the DJ and the teenager took matters into their own hands. Carroll James found a friend who knew a British stewardess who agreed to bring a Beatles record back to the U.S. with her. And so, at 5:15 p.m. on December 17, 1963, the 15-yearold Marsha Albert announced on WWDC, “Ladies and gentlemen, appearing for the first time in America, the Beatles singing “I Want To Hold Your Hand.” The radio audience response was overwhelming and James said his switchboard lit up like a Christmas tree. He played the recording all week and the listeners loved it. Capitol heard about the phenomenon and decided to bring the record out on Dec. 26. It went to the top of the charts. In fact, it became the fastest selling single in recording history and eventually went on to occupy all five of the Top Five positions on the Billboard charts, some-
thing which hasn’t been duplicated or surpassed since. In February, the Beatles arrived in New York to be on the Ed Sullivan Show, where an unprecedented viewing audience of 73 million people tuned in to see the group. But their first live concert was here in the District at the Washington Coliseum. They couldn’t fly into National Airport because of a snowstorm, so they had to take the train to the then-dilapidated Union Station, where a screaming group of 2000 teenag-
ers waited in the snow behind police barricades to welcome them. They drew a full house at the Coliseum, where tickets, by the way, started at $3.50 apiece. The Beatles went on to dominate the popular music scene around the world for an amazing two decades, and Washington gets the credit for giving them their first introduction to what turned out to be a huge American audience, thanks to a determined teenager and an enterprising DJ.
Say “I LOVE YOU” in Print! CELEBRATE LOVE THIS SEASON
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Tell the community who completes you! Just imagine getting the paper & seeing special words from a loved one written across it. Leave it by the coffee in the morning bookmarked with a rose. 200 - 400 WORDS (poem, love story, etc.) and a picture only $200 A Happy Valentine (with image) Loved ones name Message or I love you Your name $100 Message with no picture $50
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Share your LOVE in PRINT gmg, Inc. January 27, 2010 19
In
Country
Off to the B & B Silver Thatch Inn
By Robert Sacheli and John Blee
D
riving out of Washington for a weekend getaway to a bed and breakfast can be a highly pleasurable and affordable mini-vacation. In very little time one can experience a whole different small-town quality of life. No going through the hassle of airport screening. It can be almost spur of the moment, though it’s important to check room availability. Charlottesville means history, and the Silver Thatch Inn shares in that heritage, with the oldest parts of the inn dating to 1780 and 1812. There are three rooms in the main house, and another four in the Presidents’ Cottage. The décor is elegant and Federal era-inspired, and several rooms have canopy beds or fireplaces. There’s plenty to do in winter, with Monticello, Montpelier, and Ash Lawn-Highland within reach, and the attractions of downtown Charlottesville nearby. You’ll be in the heart of the Virginia wine country, with more than 20 wineries to explore along the Monticello Wine Trail. The Inn’s restaurant serves dinner Wednesday through Sunday, and there’s a cozy pub for lingering. Check the inn’s Web site for a number of online-only packages, including last-minute getaways and romantic specials. (800-261-0720, 434-978-4686, www.silverthatch.com)
How does a “do-nothing weekend” sound? It’s one of the packages that the Iris Inn can arrange for guests at this woodsy mountain resort overlooking the Shenandoah Valley. The modern Inn offers three suites and six rooms, plus a library and great room with a 28-foot stone fireplace wall. Wineries are among the local attractions, and there are lots of outdoor (and indoor) options for guests. Staunton’s Ameri-
can Shakespeare Center with its Blackfriar’s Theatre is about 20 minutes away. The Iris Inn offers some eco-conscious specials: drive up in a hybrid car and receive a 5 percent discount, and two or more couples who arrive in a single vehicle can take 10 percent off each room; there are also long-weekend discounts. (888-585-9018, 540-943-1991, www.irisinn.com)
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MINIofalexandria.com &$300 security deposit). Excludes tax, title & dealer fees. †1.9% APR financing up to 60 months at $17.48/month per $1,000 financed. OwnerChoice & Select contracts have 2.9% APR financing for up to 48 & 60 months respectively , thru MINI Financial Services. Excludes tax title & registration fees. Rates apply to remaining new ‘09 MINI convertible models. Specific vehicles are subject to availability. Subject to credit approval. ††All ‘10 MINI Passenger Cars come with MINI No Cost Maintenance standard for 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first, MINI Passenger Car Limited Warranty with 24-hour roadside assistance standard for 4 years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first, & a MINI Warranty against rust & corrosion perforation standard for 12 years w/unlimited mileage. limitations. See dealer for complete details. Offers expire 2/28/10. ©2009 MINI, a division of BMW of North America, LLC. The MINI name, model names and logo are registered trademarks.
1/12/10 5:59 PM
“A casual, comfortable, country farmhouse among the mountains” is how Piney Hill’s co-owner Hank Overton describes
this Luray getaway, ranked sixth on Tripadvisor’s list of top 10 American B&Bs. There’s a suite and two rooms in the main house, and a separate 500-square-foot cottage. In winter, Piney Hill attracts urban visitors who want to relax, as well as outdoor enthusiasts drawn to the skiing at Bryce or Massanutten, hiking along Skyline Drive, or riding though the woods (Piney Hill can arrange mounts from a local stable).
Luray Caverns is the famous local draw, and there are wineries and antiquing for those who like to keep busy. Guests report that Luray’s quaint Page Theatre is a great destination for movie nights. And, notes Overton, the winter stars glimpsed from an outdoor Jacuzzi are a particularly lovely sight. (800-644-5261, 540-778-5261, www. pineyhillbandb.com) Maryland has some convenient and unique inns. Just an hour and 15 minutes or so from D.C. in Keedysville, MD, the Antietam Overlook Farm would be a great destination for a quiet, close getaway. It’s all about relaxing, with many guests returning as repeat customers. The interior is all wood, with hand-hewn timber framing and stone fireplaces. The inn is situated on a spectacular 95-acre mountaintop overlooking the Civil War battlefield. Being very much in nature with a view of four states would make for a delightful break from urban life. (800-878-4241, www.antietamoverlook.com)
Sandaway, located on a peninsula where the Choptank and Tred Avon Rivers flow into the Chesapeake, is part of a complex that includes the Robert Morris Inn, now celebrating its 300th birthday. It was at the Inn that James Michener wrote most of “Chesapeake.” The Inn is closed most of the winter, but Sandaway, built in 1870, has its own charm much like a Dutch Colonial complex on two acres. At Sandaway there are rooms with spectacular views of the water and private screen porches. In the winter there is shopping in nearby towns that contain two museums and ample opportunity for wildlife viewing. There is a good sampling of restaurants in Oxford. If you go online you will find some special discounts for this time of year. (888 726 3292, www. sandaway.com) Tilghman Island on the Eastern shore of Maryland is surrounded by the Chesapeake Bay. The Island is separated from the mainland by Knapps Narrows — you get onto it via drawbridge. Tilghman Island is still very much a working watermen’s village and has excellent fishing and fresh seafood. Here you’ll find the last commercial sailing fleet in North America. For those interested in terrific cuisine, staying at the Tilghman Island Inn in Maryland is highly recommended. There is a special Valentine’s Day “Snuggle Up Weekend Dinner Package,” which includes two nights lodging, a special Valentine’s five-course tasting menu for two, Sunday Champagne seated brunch and a continental breakfast each morning. (800-866-2141, 410-886-2141, www.tilghmanislandinn.com)
Middleburg Sales Exclusive Affiliate of CHRISTIE’S GREAT ESTATES
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The Maples of Upperville, Virginia circa 1853. Historicaly signi�icant Greek Revival house meticulously restored and enhanced with every modern amenity. Barns, paddocks, stone fences, cottages, pool, creek, panoramic views. 60 private acres in VOF easement surrounded by large farms in Piedmont Hunt. $6,500,000 Andy Stevens 703-568-0727 8 N Madison St ▪ PO Box 765 ▪ Middleburg, VA 20118 Ph: 540.687.8530 ▪ Fax: 540.687.3020 www.middleburgsales.com
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gmg, Inc. January 27, 2010 21
Your Dining Guide to Washington DC’s Finest
1789 RESTAURANT 1226 36th St, NW With the ambiance of an elegant country inn, 1789 features classically based American cuisine – the finest regional game, fish and produce available. Open seven nights a week. Jackets required. Complimentary valet parking. www.1789restaurant.com
Bistro Francais
3000 K St NW
3124-28 M St NW
Come and enjoy contemporary Thai cuisine & Sushi bar deliciously prepared at Bangkok Bistro. The restaurant’s decor matches its peppery cuisine, vibrant in both color and flavor. Enthusiasts say we offer professional, prompt and friendly service. Experience outdoor sidewalk dining in the heart of Georgetown.
(One block from Georgetown Lowe’s theatres)
A friendly French Bistro in the heart of historic Georgetown since 1975. Executive chef and owner Gerard Cabrol came to Washington, D.C. 32 years ago, bringing with him home recipes from southwestern France. Our specialties include our famous Poulet Bistro (tarragon rotisserie chicken); Minute steak Maitre d’Hotel (steak and pomme frit¬es); Steak Tartare, freshly pre¬pared seafood, veal, lamb and duck dishes; and the best Eggs Benedict in town. In addition to varying daily specials, www.bistrofrancaisdc.com
Open for lunch and dinner. Sun.-Thurs.11:30am - 10:30pm Fri.-Sat. 11:30am - 11:30pm
Georgetown introduces Washington’s first “Dumpling Bar” featuring more than 12 varieties. Come and enjoy the new exotic Thai cuisine inspired by French cooking techniques. Bangkok Joe’s is upscale, colorful and refined. Absolutely the perfect place for lunch or dinner or just a private gathering. www.bangkokjoes.com
www.bangkokbistrodc.com (202) 965-1789
(202) 337-2424
(202) 333-4422
CAFE BONAPARTE
Café La Ruche
CAFE MILANO
1522 Wisconsin Ave
www.cafebonaparte.com (202) 333-8830
One Washington Circle, NW Washington, DC 22037 Circle Bistro presents artful favorites that reflect our adventurous and sophisticated kitchen. Featuring Happy Hour weekdays from 5pm-7pm, live music every Saturday from 8pm-12midnight, and an a la carte Sunday Brunch from 11:30am-2:30pm. Open dailyfor breakfast, lunch and dinner.
1736 Wisconsin Ave., NW Come and see for yourself why Bistrot Lepic, with its classical, regional and contemporary cuisine, has been voted best bistro in D.C. by the Zagat Guide. And now with its Wine bar, you can enjoy “appeteasers”, full bar service, complimentary wine tasting every Tuesday and a new Private Room. The regular menu is always available. Open everyday. Lunch & dinner. Reservations suggested. www.bistrotlepic.com (202) 333-0111
CHADWICKS
HASHI RESTAURANT
3205 K St, NW (est.1967)
1073 Wisconsin Ave., NW Hashi Sushi Bar
Cafe Milano specializes in setting up your private party in our exclusive dining rooms. Our detail-oriented staff also will cater your corporate meetings & special events at your office, home or other locations. Check out our website for booking information or call 202-965-8990, ext. 135. Cafe Milano is high on the restaurant critics’ charts with excellent Italian cuisine & attention to service. Fresh pastas, steaks, fish dishes, & authentic Italian specialties. Lunch & dinner. Late night dining & bar service.
A Georgetown tradition for over 40 years, this friendly neighborhood restaurant/saloon features fresh seafood, burgers, award-winning ribs, & specialty salads & sandwiches. Casual dining & a lively bar. Daily lunch & dinner specials. Late night dining (until midnight Sun.Thu., 1A.M. Fri-Sat) Champagne brunch served Sat. & Sun. until 4P.M. Open Mon-Thu 11:30A.M.-2A.M. Fri-Sat 11:30A.M.-3A.M.Sun 11A.M.-2A.M.Kids’ Menu Available. Located ½ block from the Georgetown movie theatres, overlooking the new Georgetown Waterfront Park
(Georgetown Chopsticks)
www.CafeMilano.net
ChadwicksRestaurants.com
(202) 965-2684
(202) 333-6183
(202) 333.2565
CITRONELLE
CLYDE’S OF GEORGETOWN
“Outdoor Dining Available” www.cafelaruche.com
(The Latham Hotel) 3000 M St, NW Internationally renowned chef and restaurateur Michel Richard creates magic with fresh and innovative American-French Cuisine, an exceptional wine list and stylish ambiance.
3236 M St, NW This animated tavern, in the heart of Georgetown, popularized saloon food and practically invented Sunday brunch.
Open for Dinner.
Clyde’s is the People’s Choice for bacon cheeseburgers, steaks, fresh seafood, grilled chicken salads, fresh pastas and desserts.
Valet parking.
www.clydes.com
www.circlebistro.com
www.citronelledc.com
(202) 293-5390
(202) 625-2150
22 January 27, 2010 gmg, Inc.
(202) 338-3830
BISTROT LEPIC & WINE BAR
3251 Prospect St. NW
1039 31st Street, NW
Captivating customers since 2003 Café Take a stroll down memory lane. Bonaparte has been dubbed the “quintes- Serving Georgetown for more than 35 years - Since 1974 sential” European café featuring award winning crepes & arguably the “best” Chef Jean-Claude Cauderlier coffee in D.C! Located in sophisticated A bit of Paris on the Potomac. Georgetown, our café brings a touch Great Selection of Fine Wines Fresh of Paris “je ne sais quoi” to the neighMeat, Seafood & Poultry Chicken borhood making it an ideal romantic destination. Other can’t miss attributes Cordon-Bleu *Duck Salmon, & Steaks Voted Best Dessert-Pastry in are; the famous weekend brunch every Sat and Sun until 3pm, our late night town, The Washingtonian Magazine weekend hours serving sweet & savory FULL BAR crepes until 1 am Fri-Sat evenings & the alluring sounds of the Syssi & Marc jazz Open Daily from 11:30 a.m. Open Late ‘til 1 am on Friday & duo every other Wed. at 7:30. We look Saturday night forward to calling you a “regular” soon!
CIRCLE BISTRO CONTACT DANIEL GRAY TO PLACE AN AD IN OUR DINING GUIDE. daniel@georgetowner.com 202.338.4833
BANGKOK JOE’S
3251Prospect St, NW
BANGKOK BISTRO
(202) 333-9180
DAILY GRILL
1310 Wisconsin Ave., NW Reminiscent of the classic American Grills, Daily Grill is best known for its large portions of fresh seasonal fare including Steaks & Chops, Cobb Salad, Meatloaf and Warm Berry Cobbler. Open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.Visit our other locations at 18th & M Sts NW and Tysons Corner. www.dailygrill.com
(202) 337-4900
Our Special 3 Rolls $10.95 Monday- Friday 12-5PM All rolls are seaweed outside! (any kind of combienation) Tuna Roll Salmon Roll Shrimp Roll Avocado Roll Cucumber Roll Asparagus Roll White Tuna Roll Kanikama Roll Spicy Tuna Roll Spicy Salmon Roll (No Substitution, togo, or extra sauce)
Mon-Thur & Sun noon-10:30PM Fri & Sat Noon-11:00PM (202) 338-6161
FILOMENA RISTORANTE 1063 Wisconsin Ave., NW One of Washington’s most celebrated restaurants, Filomena is a Georgetown landmark that has endured the test of time for almost a quarter of a century. Our oldworld cooking styles & recipes brought to America by the early Italian immigrants, alongside the culinary cutting edge creations of Italy’s foods of today, executed by our award winning Italian Chef. Try our spectacular Lunch buffet on Fri. & Saturdays or our Sunday Brunch, Open 7 days a week for lunch & dinner. www.filomena.com (202) 338-8800
FAHRENHEIT Georgetown 3100 South St, NW Restaurant & Degrees Bar & Lounge The Ritz-Carlton, As featured on the cover of December 2007’s Washingtonian magazine, Degrees Bar and Lounge is Georgetown’s hidden hot spot. Warm up by the wood burning fireplace with our signature “Fahrenheit 5” cocktail, ignite your business lunch with a $25.00 four-course express lunch, or make your special occasion memorable with an epicurean delight with the fire inspired American regional cuisine. www.fahrenheitdc.com 202.912.4110
M | STREET BAR & GRILL & the 21 M Lounge 2033 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036-3305 M Street Bar & Grill, in the St. Gregory Hotel has a new Brunch menu by Chef Christopher Williams Featuring Live Jazz, Champagne, Mimosas and Bellini’s. For Entertaining, small groups of 12 to 25 people wishing a dining room experience we are featuring Prix Fixe Menus: $27.00 Lunch and $34.00 Dinner. Lunch and dinner specials daily.
www.mstreetbarandgrill.com
(202) 530-3621
Garrett’s Georgetown 3003 M Street N.W., Washington, DC 20007
JETTIES
1609 Foxhall Road, Intersection Foxhall & Reservoir
Celebrating over 29 years of keeping bellies full with good food and thirsts quenched with tasty beverages.
Jetties serves freshly-made sandwiches, and houses a salad bar. Indoor & outdoor seating. Open every day of the week, Jetties is a great for lunch and dinner.
· Fantastic Happy Hour · Free WiFi Internet · Golden Tee Game · Trivia Night Tuesdays
Jetties serves 25 flavors of ice cream. Freshly made coffee is served, too.
Including: Miller Lite bottles for $2.25 each
Parking Available on Foxhall Mon.-Fri. 11am-9pm. Sat & Sun 9am-9pm.
www.garretsdc.com (202) 333-1033
Panache Restaurant 1725 DeSales St NW Tapas – Specialty Drinks Martini’s Citrus - Cosmopolitan - Sour Apple - Blue Berry Summer Patio – Open Now! Coming Soon. “New” Tyson’s Corner Location Open NOW! Dining Room Monday - Friday: 11:30am-11:00pm Saturday: 5:00pm-11:00pm Bar Hours Mon.-Thursday: 11:30am-11:00pm Friday: 11:30am- 2:00am Saturday: 5:00pm- 2:00am (202) 293-7760
www.jettiesdc.com 965-3663 (202) 965-FOOD
La Chaumiere 2813 M St. Northwest, Washington, DC 20007 Whether it’s a romantic dinner or a business lunch, enjoy wonderful Boudin Blanc, Fresh Dover Sole Meunière, Cassoulet or Pike Quenelles by the fireplace in this unique “Country Inn”. Chef Patrick Orange serves his Award Winning Cuisine in a rustic atmosphere, where locals and celebrities alike gather. La Chaumiere also offers 2 private dining rooms with a prix-fixe menu and an affordable wine list. Washingtonian’s Best 100 restaurant 28 years in a row. www.lachaumieredc.com (202) 338-1784
Peacock Cafe
SEA CATCH
Established in 1991, Peacock Cafe is a tradition in Georgetown life.
Lovers of history and seafood can always find something to tempt the palette at the Sea Catch Restaurant & Raw Bar. Sea Catch offers fresh seafood “simply prepared” in a relaxed atmosphere. Overlooking the historic C&O Canal, we offer seasonal fireside and outdoor dining. Private party space available for 15 - 300 Complimentary parking Lunch Monday - Saturday 11:30am - 3:00pm Dinner Monday - Saturday 5:30pm - 10:00pm Closed on Sunday Happy Hour Specials at the Bar Monday - Friday 5:00pm -7:00pm www.seacatchrestaurant.com
3251 Prospect St. NW
The tremendous popularity of The Peacock Happy Day Brunch in Washington DC is legendary. The breakfast and brunch selections offer wonderful variety and there is a new selection of fresh, spectacular desserts everyday. The Peacock Café in Georgetown, DC - a fabulous menu for the entire family. Monday - Thursday: 11:30am - 10:30pm Friday: 11:30am - 12:00am Saturday: 9:00am - 12:00am Sunday: 9:00am - 10:30pm (202) 625-2740
1054 31st St, NW
(202) 337-8855
Sequoia
SMITH POINT
THE OCEANAIRE
TOWN HALL
3000 K St NW, Suite 100 Washington, DC 20007
1338 Wisconsin Ave., NW (corner of Wisconsin & O St.)
1201 F St, NW
2218 Wisconsin Ave NW
Eclectic American cuisine, Coupled with enchanting views of the Potomac River make Sequoia a one of a kind dining experience.
Smith Point has quickly become a favorite of Georgetowners. The Washington Post Magazine calls Smith Point “an underground success” with “unusually good cooking at fair prices.” Chef Francis Kane’s Nantucket style fare changes weekly, featuring fresh combinations of seafood, meats, and farmers market produce.
Ranked one of the most popular seafood restaurants in , DC, “this cosmopolitan”send-up of a vintage supper club that’s styled after a ‘40’s-era ocean liner is appointed with cherry wood and red leather booths, infused with a “clubby, old money” atmosphere. The menu showcases “intelligently” prepared fish dishes that “recall an earlier time of elegant” dining. What’s more, “nothing” is snobbish here.
Town Hall is a neighborhood favorite in the heart of Glover Park, offering a classic neighborhood restaurant and bar with contemporary charm. Whether its your 1st, 2nd or 99th time in the door, we’re committed to serving you a great meal and making you feel at home each and every time. Come try one of our seasonal offerings and find out for yourself what the Washington Post dubbed the “Talk of Glover Park”Make a reservation online today at www.townhalldc.com
Offering a dynamic atmosphere featuring a mesquite wood fire grill, sensational drinks, and renowned River Bar. No matter the occasion, Sequoia will provide an unforgettable dining experience. www.arkrestaurants.com /sequoia_dc.html (202) 944-4200
Open for dinner Thurs- Sat from 6:30 pm-11pm. www.smithpointdc.com (202) 333-9003
Lunch: Mon-Fri- 11:30am -5:00pm Dinner: Mon-Thur 5-10pm. Fri & Sat 5-11pm. Sun-5-9pm. www.theoceanaire.com (202) 347-2277
Serving Dinner Daily5PM-10:30pm Brunch Sat & Sun 11:30AM-5PM Free Parking available (202) 333-5640
MARTIN’S TAVERN Corner Wisconsin & N St, NW Since 1933, family owned and operated Martin’s Tavern has been popular with the local crowd, journalists, dignitaries and politicians who appreciate its top-notch food and welcoming atmosphere.People continue to return for the classic American fare of Prime steaks, chops, seafood, fresh pasta and shellfish and good old fashioned comfort food.Ask where LBJ, JFK and Nixon sat as regulars! ServingLunch,Dinner & Brunch Daily. www.martins-tavern.com (202) 333-7370
SETTE OSTERIA 1666 Conn. Ave at R St. NW (Dupont Circle) Edgy. Witty. Casual. THE patio near Dupont Circle for peoplewatching. Pizza masters bake delicious Neapolitan thincrust pizzas in a wood-fire oven. Menu favorites include pastas, salads, lasagnas, Italian specialty meats and cheeses, and lowcarb choices. Daily specials, Lunch & dinner. Late night dining & bar service. www.SetteOsteria.com
(202)483-3070
Zed’s 1201 28TH St, N.W. ETHIOPIAN IN GEORGETOWN Award Winning Seafood | Poultry | Beef Vegetarian Dishes also available 100 Very Best Restaurants Award 100 Very Best Bargains Award Also, visit Zed’s “New” Gainesville, Virginia location (571) 261-5993 At the Corner of M & 28th Streets 1201 28th Street, N.W. Email: zeds@zeds.net (202) 333-4710
gmg, Inc. January 27, 2010 23
C o c k ta i l o f t h e W e e k
Russian passion, via The emerald isle Gourmet food & Fine Italian wines Georgetown’s Little Corner of Italy
By Miss Dixie
D i n n er o rd ers a n d ca teri n g P h o n e : 202. 965. 1222 g r i f f i n ma r ke t @ ya h o o . co m 1425 28t h S t N W
Valentine’s Day A NIGHT TO REMEMBER
We will be featuring 2 distinctive 4 course menus including wine. Choose from:
a contemporary Thai experience or
a sushi inspired menu
$25.00 PER PERSON 3251 Prospect St., NW Washington, DC 20007
202-337-2424
www.bangkokbistrodc.com 24 January 27, 2010 gmg, Inc.
W a sh i n g t o n D C , 20007
B
efore my recent journey to Ireland, I imaged the Dublin nightlife to be limited to traditional pubs. Friendly places where Guinness flowed like water and talkative locals traded stories while Gaelic music reeled in the background. I pictured a place like this on every corner. After all, in “Ulysses,” James Joyce referred to the puzzle of trying to cross Dublin without passing a pub, preferring to stop and sample a few instead. While the pubs and Guinness lived up to my expectations, I also found another side of Dublin, sleek and modern, with hip clubs and trendy cocktail bars. Perhaps the change in Dublin sparked when they gave birth to U2, the biggest band in the world. It continued with the European money that flowed in throughout the 1990s and 2000s. My first glimpse of “new Dublin” came from my hotel in the city’s Docklands area. This area has transformed into an affluent neighborhood of modern office buildings and pricey riverside apartments, also housing U2’s recording studios. Another makeover, courtesy of U2, is the refurbishment of the Clarence Hotel, which was built in 1852. Purchased by U2’s Bono and the Edge in 1992, the structure was renovated into a luxury hotel. It re-opened in 1996 and has been called a symbol and catalyst of the city’s economic and cultural renaissance. With its celebrity backing, it’s no surprise that the hotel’s Octagon Bar is one of the hottest venues in Europe. According to head barman Szabi Sandor, the eight-sided bar is popular with hotel guests and Dubliners alike. While I expected a bar that was owned by rock stars to be flashy and glittery, the Octagon bar was elegant and refined. The bar’s shape was inspired by an antique clock that was restored during the hotel’s modernization. A recessed stained glass ceiling hovers over the center-staged bar. While the bar offers Guinness on tap, the true highlight is the extensive menu of cocktails which features seasonal offerings and innovative twists on classic drinks. Sandor, the brainchild behind the impres-
sive drink list, was recently awarded first place in the National Cocktail Championships 2009 for his Russian Passion cocktail, an innovative concoction of Smirnoff vodka, melon liqueur, pear juice, grapefruit and lychee syrup, lime juice and passion fruit puree. The name, according to Sandor, comes from Russian for the vodka and passion for the fruit. The Russian Passion is served in a tall glass over crushed ice and garnished with a hand cut flower made from a passion fruit. The drink was fruity but not overly sweet. Its fresh and tropical flavors seemed at odds with the cold damp climate of Ireland, while it sophisticated fusion fit right in at the stately surroundings Although he has worked three years at the Clarence Hotel, Sandor hails from Budapest were he first honed his craft. He tells me that while pints are still the norm in countryside, edgy new cocktail bars keep opening up in modern-day Dublin. The hotel’s website describes the bar as a place Bono and The Edge would choose to drink while in Dublin. When I asked Sandor about their whereabouts, he whispers that information about the owners is off limits. When I ask which cocktail on the menu is Bono’s favorite, he reluctantly says that when Bono is at the bar he drinks Guinness “like a true Irishman.” Russian vodka can be purchased at Dixie Liquor (3429 M St.) in Georgetown. For more information about the Clarence Hotel visit www.theclarence.ie.
The Russian Passion 1 1/2 ounces Smirnoff vodka 1/2 ounce Midori melon liqueur 1/4 ounce lychee and pink grapefruit syrup 1/4 ounce passion fruit puree 3/4 ounce freshly pressed apple juice 1/4 ounce fresh lime juice Shake ingredients and strain into a tall glass. Serve over crushed ice and garnish with fresh passion fruit and mint leaf.
dining
By Robert Sacheli
V
alentine’s Day falls on a Sunday this year, offering dining-out possibilities for the whole weekend. Will your special meal be a traditional dinner, or lunch, brunch or even tea? Here are a few ideas to spark the romantic in you — just remember to book your reservation early.
Dining as performance art. Michel Richard’s modern spin on French cuisine is bold, inventive and idiosyncratic — and well worth the splurge. Great for: The grand gesture.
Montmartre
The Tabard Inn
Coeur de Lion
1789
1226 36th St. | 202-965-1789 | www.1789restaurant. com If dinner with your Valentine means dressing up for a special evening, then this perennial’s the place for you. The menu may be New American, but the elegant atmosphere is Old Georgetown all the way, with upstairs dining rooms that are just right for a tete-a-tete. Great for: Old-fashioned romance.
Henley Park Hotel, 926 Massachusetts Ave. | 202-414-0500 | www.henleypark.com A brick-walled courtyard, skylights, and chandeliers make this room a perfect setting for a table for two. There’s a champagne brunch, New American cuisine for dinner, and the adjacent Blue Bar for cocktails. Indulge in your “Gosford Park” fantasies with afternoon tea in the oh-so-British Wilkes Room. Great for: Neo-romantics.
Neyla pictured below
In the Mood: Ten Suggestions for Valentine’s Weekend Dining
327 Seventh St. S.E. | 202-544-1244 | www.montmartredc.com The bistro fare at this Capitol Hill favorite will go a long way to warming your Valentine’s heart. The dining room may not leave much space for privacy, but the food and the buzz in the atmosphere more than make up for it. Great for: Remembering — or planning — that trip to Paris.
Neyla
3206 N St. | 202-333-6353 | www.neyla.com Fabric-draped dining spaces add drama to this panMediterranean spot, where the meze are tailor-made for nibbling from each other’s plate. Great for: Spicing things up.
Hotel Tabard Inn, 1739 N St. | 202-331-8528 | www.tabardinn.com Chef Paul Pelt has designed an eclectic threecourse Valentine’s weekend dinner menu with influences that range from Asian to Mediterranean. The perennially popular fireside lounge is a comfy spot for after-dinner lingering and is welcoming for weekend brunches. Great for: Urban romantics. Bonus:
The Venetian Bar and Lounge
Hotel Lombardy, 2019 Pennsylvania Ave. | 202-828-2601 | www.hotellombardy.com Tucked away behind the hotel’s Café Lombardy is one of the town’s most romantic and little-known spots. The vibe — part Victorian parlor, part Orient Express — makes this pocket-sized lounge an ideal place to begin or end the evening over drinks. Great for: Popping the question.
Firefly
The Bombay Club
815 Connecticut Ave. | 202-659-3727 | www.bombayclubdc.com Sophisticated Indian cuisine and a glamorous setting with echoes of the Raj make this one of downtown’s favorite destinations. A pianist adds to the atmosphere every evening. Great for: An after-meal walk in Lafayette Park.
La Chaumière
2813 M St. | 202-338-1784 | www.lachaumieredc. com Rustic beams, country décor, a fireplace, and a classic French menu add up to a charming package at this evergreen Georgetown spot. Great for: An in-town getaway.
Citronelle
1310 New Hampshire Ave. | 202-861-1310 | www.firefly-dc.com The lantern-lit “tree” at the heart of this Dupont Circle oasis may be make-believe, but Chef Daniel Bortnick’s comfort food-inspired cooking is the real thing. There’s a four-stage Valentine’s dinner menu offered Feb. 12 through 14, and you couldn’t find a more comforting place for a cozy weekend brunch. Great for: Country lovers.
Little Fountain Café
Latham Hotel, 3000 M St. | 202-625-2150 | www. citronelledc.com
2339 18th St. | 202-462-8100 | www.littlefountaincafe.com Tucked among the hipster hangouts of AdamsMorgan is this small (38-seat) favorite — and yes, there is a fountain. A special four-course Valentine’s menu will be available Feb.13 and 14. Great for: The getting-to-know-you dinner.
3301 m street nw
gmg, Inc. January 27, 2010 25
SERVICE DIRECTORY HOME Improvement CONSTRUCTION Owner, Eric Sivak epsivak@tmo.blackberry.net Cell:202.478.9468 Text:202.468.7356
When you go out of town, SEND YOUR DOG TO CAMP! Wouldn’t you rather have your dog running outside while you’re away?
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Mention this ad and get a FREE Country Dogs mug with your boarding. Serving Metropolitan DC since 2004. www.country-dogs.net
Call Mark @ 888.711.7833 x1
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Serving Georgetown & Bethesda since 1971,we specialize in the renovation and restoration of historic homes. We are an experienced company of experts with impeccable references.
CONTRACTOR Owner, John Oddenino Procraftbuilders.net Cell: 540.270.1943 Office: 540.364.3664
PROCRAFT BUILDERS Here to help you build the home or project of your dreams. We specialize in historical renovations, homes, remodeling and more. Free estimates. Licensed, Bonded & Insured Class A Contractor in business since 1984.
Computer Service and Consulting
ANDREW HALOB
General Manager
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❖ Individual midday dog walks ❖ Pet sitting Free estimates and Trail in home consultation. References Rides 1427 27thavailable. Street, NW Washington, DC 20007 ❖ Overnights Hourly rates available. Contact Elmer (240) 462-3760202.338.4676 ❖ Cat care too! ❖ Insured & bonded Special Events ❖ In business since 1993
www.therockingsranch.com Tasabru's Cleaning 540.678.8501
26 January 27, 2010 GMG, Inc.
Always doing the very Best for You! MD-DC-VA Cleans Houses, Apartments, and offices. Call Ana: (301) 518 3790 MISCELLANEOUS
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Catering and event management consultants available to help make your holiday party unforgettable without breaking the bank. Book your event today and stay stress-free this season! Save 25% on your party drinks or beverage service when you place a catering order from Dec.9-Jan.9! Call 202-342-2935 or email mhaevents1@gmail.com.
Large suite with balcony overlooking C&O canal also available. Conference rooms, telephone answering, garage parking & more. Emma Dingle: 202-625-8300 www.dccenters.com
FOR LEASE IN GEORGETOWN
CLEANING SERVICES REMEMBER CLEAN? Maid to Clean® does. We get on our hands and knees, roll up our sleeves, and scrub until it sparkles. Everywhere. Every time. Call 202-270-2967 or visit www.maidtoclean.com today!
EDUCATION/TUTOR LEARN THE “LANGUAGE OF MATH” Get OUTSTANDING Mathematic Tutoring from a well-respected coach with M.ed and over 20+ years of experience as a classroom teacher and tutor. Contact BG-7 MATHEMATICS TUTORING, LLC: 240-601-6677 or BG-7@live.com.
LANGUAGEONE 202-328-0099 Free Language Evaluation Class Offering onversatonal English and foreign language instruction and speacializing in Advanced Discussion Groups, Private, Semi-Private and Small Group Language instruction Including: English, Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese. No Registration Fee. Classes forming all of the time. Email us at classes@languageone.com
3210 Grace Street Retail Suites ranging from 1,000 to 2,000sf. Office Suites from 3,600 to 9,500sf. Call Jamie Connelly, Lincoln Property 210-491-5300
TOPS IN TUTORING Supportive Language Arts Tutoring Tailored to your Child’s Needs, Grades K-9. Aileen M.Solomon, M.Ed. Reading Specialist for over 25 years in public/ independent schools reading (decoding, comprehension, literature study, note-taking, phonics, fluency), enrichment reading, writing (early writing through essays), word study (spelling), vocabulary, study/organizational skills, homework support. Excellant references Amsolomo@gmail.com 202-368-7670
INVISALIGN Wireless braces! Have the great smile you always wanted without the painful and unsightly metal. Very affordable - Financing available. Call NOW for FREE Consultation. Dr. Tirdad Fattahi: 202-338-7499 MacArthur Blvd., NW, 1st Floor Washington, DC 20007
SHARED OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE!
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3307 M St, NW 2 offices, 4 cubicles for lease. LPC Commercial Services Adam Biberaj: 202-513-6736
EDUCATION
FOR SALE 2009 FORD MUSTANG Torch Red Clearcoat exterior, with a Light Graphite interior color. Priced to sell at: $16,999.00 ONLY 23K Miles – Wow! Automatic Transmission VIN: 1ZVHT80N095103078 – And, the Best news of all -STILL COVERERD UNDER FORD NEW CAR WARRANTY!! One Owner CLEAN CarFax. NON-SMOKER Car. CALL Daniel at 703-362-0165
2009 DODGE CALIBER SXT Inferno Red Crystal Pearl Coat Price: $13,995.00 – with only 11,000 miles VIN: 1B3HB48A79D112500 email: wintergreengray@aol.com
Train for a New Job! CDL in 3 weeks. Class A (3 weeks) Class B (1 week). Montgomery College. Call Now: 240-567-4118
HOME IMPROVEMENT Fine Finish Carpenter and Cabinetmaker Commercial and Small Jobs Welcome. 202-591-7472 dccarpenter@rocketmail.com
JHI CONTRACTING Renovations, Remodeling, Painting, Concrete, Masonry, Waterproofing, Excavation, Demolition. All work guaranteed. Licensed, bonded and insured. Member BBB and Member of Angie’s List. DC License #3044. John Himchak 202-528-2877.
CAR INSURANCE WITH PERSONAL SERVICE NO EXTRA CHARGE GEORGETOWN GARAGE Rare opportunity to own a seprately deeded GARAGE in the heart of the Village. Single Car Space...Brick/Frame Construction... Excellent condition. Located in alley of 33rd St. between P St. & O St. NEW PRICE $85,000. Call John Taylor ,Chatel Real Estate 202-258-7485.
MT. PLEASANT/ QUIET RETREAT Yet close to everything. 1/1, small building, courtyard view, wood floors, great closets, storage, low fee, pets ok. $299K 1615 Kenyon St, NW; Apt. 22 Bill Panici 202-277-4675 Weichert, Realtors 202-326-1300
Licensed & Insured Local/Long distance, packing, pianos, & antiques. Swift and gentle relocations. 202-483-9579 or 703-838-7645 www.gulliversmovers.com
MUSIC PATIENT PIANO TEACHER Enjoy teaching children and adults, beginners or those returning to the piano. Parking at NW DC Studio for students. Near Metro. 202-234-1837
ORGANIZATION CHERYL’S ORGANIZING CONCEPTS LLC. Home and Small Business Organizing Including Senior Move Management and Paperwork Assistance. Serving Washington Metro Area since 2002. Member NAPO, NSGCD, AADMM. www.cherylsorganizing.com 301-916-9022
RAY BROWNE
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FRENCH LANGUAGE TEACHER Beginners to advance-level classes, and conversation classes. Enthusiastic and very patient. Years of teaching, Washington, DC. Contact: 202-270-2098 or getfrench@gmail.com
GRAND OPENING at 1624 Wisconsin Ave, NW in Georgetown. Professional Massage Therapy. Full Body Acupressure, Relaxation, and Relief of Your Stress and Tension. Incall/Outcall 703-237-6666
State Farm Insurance Michele A. Conely, Agent, 4401 Connecticut Ave. NW Washington, DC 20008 Please Call for a quote 24/7: 202-966-6677
LIMOUSINE
ENERGY WORK-SPACE CLEARING Release and clear attachments, blockages, negative energies both metaphysical and physical in homes, work enviroment, land and personal. Contact Juliette at JulietteTahar@earthlink.net or 202-337-0362
HOME ORGANIZATION What does disorganization cost you? Time? Energy? Confused parties? Take back control! Call in professional organizer Julie today at 703-517-2449 and visit www.profound-impact.com
PERSONAL SHOPPER STYLE CONSULTANT/ PERSONAL SHOPPER Now back from Manhattan, Sarah Pauley is here to help you develop the image you’ve always desired. Contact Sarah Pauley for a complimentary consultation at 646-382-0116 or visit www.sarahpauley.com
PROFESSIONAL SUNRISE LIMOUSINE SERVICE Luxury Limo / Sedan Service. Serving Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia. Airport Transportation, Business Meeting, Weddings and other Occasions. Get 10% Discount on all Online Reservations. www.sunriselimousines.com Phone: 301-260-1069 email: info@sunriselimousines.com
PRESERVE YOUR LIFE STORY (Or that of a loved one) as an attractive hardcover book - without writing a word! All you have to do is talk! Call Vitagraph®, 410-666-8632 or go to www.myvitagraph.com Vitagraph® Quality preservation of priceless memories.
GMG, Inc. January 27, 2010 27
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2010, BROKE AGAIN? NOT THIS YEAR By Elizabeth Saverino 009 was the year of the Recessionista— the fiscally frugal yet stylish chick who paved her way to make her fashion sense work with her budget. With things beginning to look up in 2010 let’s not forget the things we learned when we had to cut some corners and maybe even limit ourselves to the sale rack. Here are a few smart moves every savvy beauty girl of 2010 should know. The Do It Yourself. One of the very best investments I’ve ever made (don’t laugh) was a $3.00 Sally Hansen wax kit. I kid you not. The frugality of college taught me a lot, and although long division may not have been my strength, I knew that spending 20 dollars twice a month wasn’t going to help my already diminishing bank account. I was pre-med and one thing you hear a lot from the medical field is that common phrase “watch one, do one, teach one”. In most cases this referred to complicated procedures like a tracheotomy, yet in my world, it meant professional services. While I forewent the desire to land myself in medical school, instead I took the lesson and applied it elsewhere. I started becoming a focused observer of services— and found that you can make yourself fabulous while saving a good deal of money. Just ask professional stylist Kei Pucci who says a Deep Hair Conditioning Treatment, that can cost anywhere from 15 to 50 dollars at salons and spas and can easily be done at home just as effectively without the cost. Products to use? Pucci recommends either Joyco K-Pac Deep Penetrating Reconstructor found at most beauty retail stores and salons, or for a slightly more intense hair revival, she not only loves but uses Molton Brown Reawakening Mer-Rouge Hair Hydramasque, found at Nieman Marcus or MoltonBrown. com. She advises to do the conditioning treatment following shampooing when hair cuticles are open and more porous. “Depending on the length of hair— for long hair use a silver dollar sized amount, for short to medium a quarter’s worth. If hair is highlighted or severely damaged you might want to add a bit extra. Vigorously run the product through hair from shaft to the ends and leave in for 15 to 20 minutes”. Pucci concluded her advice noting to use cool water while rinsing hair to seal the hairs’ cuticle. With many things you pay to have done, watch and take note of how the professionals do it. The wax kit I bought 4 years ago still has wax left for my bimonthly eyebrow waxes. It’s an easy application- just an orange stick should do the trick. I watched as an esthetician did my girlfriend’s eyebrows before doing my own. I learned to start by applying a small amount of wax to a small area at one time. This works easiest after a shower when your pores are more open from the hot water and steam. Be slow to apply and quick to remove. Learn how to do a professional looking manicure and pedicure. The most basic key ingredients are what you are using and how. I often think of the steps they use at the salon, like always reapplying nail polish remover (often for the second time) right before the base coat is applied. Both these steps are crucial, yet often overlooked by most DIY jobs. The former takes off any oils, lotions or excess moisture left on your nails after hands are softened or cuticle gel is applied. The later masks any ridges in your nails and leave a smooth foundation for the colored layer. It also helps bond your nail polish to the nail preventing
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28 January 27, 2010 GMG, Inc.
chipping. I love the Essie line with its First Base Base Coat and Ridge Filling Base Coat. They also have a Protein Fortifying Base to help strengthen and protect weak fragile nails. The next key ingredient is not only quality nail polish but a protective top coat. OPI’s T30 Top Coat does a nice job preventing chips and adding shine while drying quickly. Outside of DIY projects, being a smart consumer can help you save an extra couple bucks and come without compromise. What we tend to forget is how the littlest of things quickly add up. (If I only had the extra $1.99 I spent on buying Diet Cokes last year, I could most likely purchase an entire outfit). So don’t scoff at saving a few extra dollars here and there, in the big picture these things add up. And let’s face it, who couldn’t use some extra money. —Shop at consignment stores. I’m always surprised at exciting things I find at places like Annie Cream Cheese (3279 M Street) and Second Hand Rose (1516 Wisconsin Ave). It’s not just the price and the quality, it’s the selection. Rarely can you buy something at the mall without passing someone on the street wearing the same thing. But at consignment shops you find individual items all from different years and seasons with authentic brands for a lot less. —Look at the active ingredients in products. Everything from toothpaste to deodorant to medicines. This is one of the easiest ways to simply stop throwing out money on marketing and advertising. Another lesson learned as a pre-med student in organic chemistry lab- the active ingredient
in all these products is the only thing that matters. After synthesizing acetaminophen and realizing that it was the same thing that’s in Tylenol, I stopped spending the extra 3-4 dollars for the brand. The point is that it’s all the same exact chemical composition, just packaged differently. This savings can be huge from multi-symptom cold medicines to even mouthwash. As long as the active ingredient is the same
and percentage amount of it is, don’t waste your money on the name brand. —Sign up for serious deals! Shopittome.com is one of the best sites for designer clothes. Simply put in the labels you love (everything from Christian Dior, BCBG to Jimmy Choo), the types of clothes you’re interested in and then your sizes. Decide how frequently you want e-mails coming to and check your inbox to find a personal shopping assistant that’s finding you sales on items by your favorite designers. Other great discount sites are Groupon.com and Livingsocial.com where you can get deep daily discounts from local businesses like 66% off spa treatments to half price restaurant certificates. Remember it all adds up!
SOCIAL
LOVELY LOLO
Photos by Neshan H. Naltchayan
Lolo Sarnoff defies age. Now in her nineties, she was radiant on Jan. 21 at the Capricorn birthday party which she has hosted for many years “In honor of all Capricorns and their Friends.” In l988, the hostess founded Arts for the Aging, Inc. (AFTA), a non-profit that provides arts outreach programs in underserved day care centers, nursing homes and community settings throughout the metropolitan area to enhance the health and well-being of seniors. With so many supporters in attendance, she gave a gracious acceptance speech as AFTA board members presented her with a $42,000 check in recognition of her dedication.
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LATINO STUDENT FUND On Jan. 22, Cindy and Jaime Sanchez hosted a salsa party to benefit the Latino Student Fund (LSF), whose mission is to provide young students of Hispanic descent equal access to education in order to promote higher learning and professional leadership. Guests were encouraged to bring items or monetary contributions for the auction at the upcoming LSF Gala on May 4 at the Organization of American States. Everyone delighted in the margaritas followed by fabulous paella and Cuban-style pork loin from the hosts’ popular Cactus Cantina and Lauriol Plaza restaurants before taking to the dance floor to salsa away the calories.-Mary Bird
LSF President Cindy and Jaime Sanchez
LSF Board Members Mandy Delk, Juan Altamar and Alex Garcia
Helen Simmons, Hazel Huete-Rosenbusch, Carmen Gutierrez de Vegarra Christine Warnke, Nicole d’Amecourt and Lolo Sarnoff
Lolo Sarnoff. Here she cuts her birthday cake.
BOOK LAUNCH: “THE OVERNIGHT SOCIALITE”
FIRST AND ONLY IN DC! Introducing High Speed LightSheer® DUET™
Photo: Jennifer Gray
Finally, Hair Removal that’s Painless to Your Skin AND Your Wallet.
Hosted by Ginger Boutique on January 21st 2010. Bridie Clark greeted guests and signed copies of her newest book “The Overnight Socialite.”
• A Revolution in Laser Hair Removal • Treatment Time Reduced up to 75% • All of the Results, None of the Discomfort High Speed Permanent Hair Reduction with Customized Comfort
Left, Bridie Clark
Legs and backs can be treated comfortably in only 20 minutes, without anesthetics or gels.
CHILD, ADOLESCENT, & ADULT PSYCHIATRY
FDA cleared for all skin types.
ASK ABOUT OUR NEW LOW RATES! Introductory Price: 50% Off Your First Treatment!
Dr. Dale Isaacson & Dr. Marilyn Berzin 1828 L Street NW Suite 850 Washington, DC 20036 (202) 822-9591
Clifford Sussman, MD provides psychotherapy and medications as indicated, often in combination. Dr. Sussman will also be running an OCD group for ages 12-18 that uses the CBT method of exposure with response prevention. Call 202.248.4346 5410 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 112 Washington, DC 20015 202.248.4346 cliffordsussmanmd@gmail.com www.cliffordsussmanmd.com
Therapies Offered: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Dialectical-Behavioral therapy (DBT) Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Other Supportive Therapies Psychopharmacology Problems Treated Include: Anxiety Disorders (Including OCD) ADHD Learning Disabilities Mood Disorders Autism Spectrum Disorders Personality Disorders Self-improvement
GMG, Inc. January 27, 2010 29
SOCIAL
LABELS OF LOVE
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Photos: Jeff Malet
An exclusive evening of Fashion, Art and Philanthropy! Benefiting the Center for Heart, Lung and Kidney Disease at Children’s National Medical Center featuring a runway show by Lela Rose as she brings her Spring 2010 Collection to Washington, DC, and a Fashoin inspired art auction by 7 of DC’s most notable artists “Labels for Love, Inc. benefits 501(c)3 charitable organizations that protect women and children from the damaging effects of poverty, homelessness, political unrest, abuse, and the hardships associated with terminal illnesses. One children’s charity and one women’s charity is chosen to benefit from event proceeds, per calendar year. While the core of our efforts are geared toward solutions-focused organizations in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area, we also lend our support to national organizations who share in our passion and vision to make a difference.” Mary Schmidt Amons is founder and president of Labels for Love.
Beth Singer, Ann Goettman, Trissi Bennett and Suzanne Youngkin. Beth is Chairman of the Board, Children’s Research Institute at Children’s National Medical Center. Ann is on the Board of Visitors of the Children’s National Medical Center
Will Thomas anchors the weekend editions of FOX 5 News at 5, FOX 5 News at 10 and The Edge at 11. Mary Schmidt Amons, and Paul Wharton
Rich Amons, Susan Stewart and Scott Stewart. Scott Stewart is the Founder and Managing Partner of Carlyle Seniors Housing, LLC
Jennifer and Brett Haber. Brett is Sports Anchor for WUSA-TV
Emil Hill and Jim Rayborn
Krystal Ugo and Lynda Erkiletian of T.H.E. Artist Agency Ebong Eka is a CPA and a Menswear Designer
30 January 27, 2010 GMG, Inc.
Model
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2010 GEORGETOWNER CONTEST PHOTOS CELEBRATE THE TOWN’S CLASSIC STYLE
Photos: Robert Devaney
Georgetowner photo contest winner Jeff Kouri, whose “Cold Misty Morning” shimmered on the Jan. 13 front page, was at Peacock Cafe Jan. 22 with other photographers and admirers as well as publisher Sonya Bernhardt and staffers. Their photographs hung at the walls of Peacock Cafe as they captured the archetypes we love: the C&O Canal, the Potomac, Key Bridge, the spires of Georgetown University. View the pictures at Peacock or on the newspaper web site, and capture images of the village for the 2011 contest.-RAD A special thanks to our sponsors Peacock Cafe and Dodge Chrome Imaging. Join us in our continued support of the recovery of Haiti by purchasing these images. On view at Peacock Cafe, 3251 Prospect St. through Feb. 10, 2010. Call for details 202-338-4833.
Dara Sloan with Peacock Cafe executive chef Maziar Farivar
The first-place winner Jeff Kouri with publisher Sonya Bernhardt.
Photo exhibitor Ray Regan (left) with Lara Driscoe, Raina Dieterle and Guy Filippelli.
Photo exhibitor Jamie Hess and Anne Hunter. Columnists Linda Roth and Katherine Tallmadge
Photo exhibitor Claire Reynolds (center) with Alex Bauman and Courtney Brand
Maryam Sardani and Kaveh Sardari with photo contest judge Neshan Naltchayan
GMG, Inc. January 27, 2010 31
Evers & Co. Real Estate Is pleased to welcome
Eric Murtagh & Karen Kuchins Splendid Estate
Sophisticated Styling
Wesley Hts. Now $4,600,000. Magnificent fieldstone colonial on one acre of beautifully landscaped grounds with pool and tennis court; spacious formal rooms for entertaining; 6 Brs, and 5.5 Bas; extra buildable lot. $4,600,000
Kalorama. Stately home with dramatic contemporary interior: living rm and dining rm opening to designer patio garden, perfect for entertaining; chef’s kitchen; 3 Brs, 4.5 Bas, complete in-law or ofc suite; garage. $2,595,000
Pat Lore: 301-908-1242; Ted Beverley: 301-728-4338
Ian Wakefield: 202-207-7474; Phillip Smith: 202-213-7170
Dazzling Contemporary
Modern Mode
Lake Barcroft.Waterfront home with brilliant architectural design, sweeping spaces; woodland and lake views; amazing liv rm/ din rm/ kitchen for entertaining; 2 dens, 4 Brs, 4 full and 2 half bas. $1,899,000
Chevy Chase, DC. Stately colonial has fabulous kitchen/ fam rm w/ dramatic rounded window wall overlooking pool, grdns, terrace, 1/2 ac grounds; R, DR, library w/FP, 4-5 Brs, 4.5 Bas, rec rm, 2-car gar. $1,730,000
Denny Hormer: 703-629-8455
Gracious & Spacious Berkley. Fantastic neighborhood, beautiful tucked away street, large rooms and a sparkling pool, patio and gardens: renovated kitchen, 2 FPs, large MBR, family room/ game room. Close to schools, parks, shops. $1,695,000
Suzy Hubbell: 202-607-5688
To our Chevy Chase Office
Modern Design
Bonnie Lewin: 301-332-0171
Village Ambiance Somerset, Chevy Chase. Now $799,000 Spacious, charming rambler; walk to Metro, shops, comm. pool and Somerset Elementary; liv rm w/FP, din rm, eat-in kitchen, sun porch and big backyard; 3 Brs, 2 Bas, lower lvl W/O rec rm, garage.
Bonnie Lewin: 301-332-0171
32 January 27, 2010 gmg, Inc. 1
European Style
Kent/ Palisades. Now $1,329,000. SoSomerset/ Chevy Chase. True contem- phisticated colonial w/ glamorous renoporary backing to parkland has entry vation: entry foyer, LR w/FP & French foyer, LR/DR combination w/ window drs to terrace garden, DR, sleek eat-in wall overlooking trees and stream; 4 kitchen, study, media rm w/FP, 5 Brs, 3 Brs, 4 Bas, 2 FPs, W/O rec rm, 2 ofcs. 1/2 + 1/2 Bas, garage, circular drive. Walk to Metro, shops,pool. school. Pat Lore: 301-908-1242; $1,350,000
Classic Modern
Ted Beverley: 301-728-4338
Sunny Delight
Kalorama/ The Coronado. Dazzling Glover park. Charming front porch penthouse aapt in 1910 bldg re-built in TH has bright airy rms, 3 redone lvls 2009. 2 Brs, + den, 2 Bas, LR w/ 12’ of living space, 3 Brs, 2 bas, hardwds, vaulted cilings, S and W exposures, great deck and courtyrd, CAC. Walk to open kichen w/ white granite counters, shops, Georgetown. $695,000 Bonnie Roberts-Burke: exciting design throughout. $735,000
Bonnie Roberts-Burke: 202-487-7653
202-487-7653
Susan Berger: 202-255-5006; Ellen Sandler: 202-255-5007
Grand Victorian
Ultra Modern
Takoma.Fabulous renovation of San Francisco Victorian: fr porch, period vestibule & foyer, dbl liv rm w/FP, elegant DR w/FP, gourmet kitchen, scr porch, library landing, 4 Brs, 4.5 Bas, gorgeous gardens. $989,000
Logan/ Shaw. Dramatic duplex apt w/ 2700 fabulous sf: sweeping spaces, loft atmosphere, plenty of sunshine, 3 Brs, 3 Bas, beautifully crafted, fine finishes,exciting design. $799,000.
Denny Horner: 703-629-8455
Mary Lynn White: 202-309-1100; Melissa Snowden: 301-325-9843
Rooms With a View
Sparkling & Spacious
Mt. Pleasant. Walk and bike in Rock Creek Park, enjoy the views from the balcony; 1 Br, 1.5 Ba apt, hardwd flrs, sleek kitchen w/ granite and s.s. appls. Great opportunity at $364,000
Wesley Hts/ Sutton Towers. Sunny 1650 sf apt w/ 2 Brs, 2 Bas, outdoor terrace, new kitchen & baths. Bldg has doorman, pool, tennis; pets allowed; 2-parking spaces. $569,000
Leslie Suarez: 202-246- 6402
Paul Prevost: 202-210-4378