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GEORGETOWNER VOLUME 58, NUMBER 18
MAY 30– JUNE 12, 2012
DC JAZZ FEST THIS YEAR'S STRONG LINE-UP
IN COUNTRY: Escape to the Eastern Shore OPEN: Volta Park Pool; Bandolero BUSINESS: 50th at Georgetown Inn SOCIAL:
Tudor Place Garden Party
2 May 30, 2012 GMG, INC.
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REVIVED ‘MUSIC MAN’ FINDS TRUE LOVE AT ARENA
Expect the UNEXPECTED
There’s a certain air of expectation that hangs over artistic director Molly Smith’s production of “The Music Man” at Arena Stage, now running for a better part of the summer there.
Save the Dates! Kate Baldwin as Marian Paroo and Burke Moses as Harold Hill in “The Music Man.”
FEDERAL INVESTIGATION OF GRAY THROTTLES UP Another campaign worker for Mayor Vincent Gray was charged with lying to the FBI. If this is not the other shoe to drop, it is surely another lace untied.
First-ever outdoor film series!
Jane Austen Film Fest June 27 – “Sense & Sensibility” July 11 – “Emma” July 28 – “Pride & Prejudice” Playing on the grounds of Dumbarton House www.DumbartonHouse.org Film series admission will be FREE for all Sponsored by
INSIDE D.C.’S JAZZ AND ITS ARTISTS An in-depth look at this year’s DC Jazz Festival.
Visit us at:
Taste
OF GEORGETOWN
Saturday, June 2, 2012 11am - 4pm Wisconsin Ave and M St
Family, Neighbor & Community Focus Looking for a Career Change?
Call Stacy Berman, Manager 1680 Wisconsin Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20007
Monty Alexander
Office: 202.944.8400
GMG, INC. May 30, 2012 3
VOL. 58, NO. 18
SINCE 1954
CONTENTS NE WS 3
Web Exclusives
5
Up & Coming
6
Georgetown Inn
7
Business Ins/Outs
FOOD & W I NE 20-21 22
10-11
Town Topics
Featured Property
14
Mortgage
Timely Decision for a Summer Suit Season: FDA Approves Cellulite Treatment Classified/Service Directory
THE AR T S 26
FAS H I ON
Theater Round-up: Summer Re-Mixes
Beyond the Blooming Sculpture Gardens 27
15 Haute
& Cool
SOCI AL SCEN E
C OV E R 16-17
24
R E A L E S TAT E 13
23
ON THE COVER Rising jazz star, Anat Cohen, performs at the D.C. Jazz Festival. Photo provided by D.C. Jazz Festival.
D I RECT ORY
Rose Park Tennis
12
Cocktail of the Week
BODY & SOU L
Editorial & Opinion
8-9
A Great American Lamb Jam
D.C. Jazz Festival
28-30
PAGE 22 Taste a little history on this delicious-looking drink.
Charities & Benefits
IN C OU N T R Y 18-19
Taste, Tour and Explore the Eastern Shore FIND US ON FACEBOOK
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MEET THE PRESS THIS WEEK MARY BIRD
Mary Bird is a former theater major who came to Washington to study interpreting and translation at Georgetown University. She joined the Department of State as a translator of French, Italian and Spanish into English and went on to become Chief of Translating. Since 2002, she has covered events for the Georgetowner, currently contributing to Social Scene. She serves on numerous arts committees and heads up the annual Blessing of the Animals at St. John’s Church on O Street. Her late husband Collins Bird operated the Georgetown Inn for many years. The hotel is celebrating its 50th anniversary, featured in this issue in page 6. Photo by Tony Powell
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1054 Potomac St., N.W. Washington, DC 20007 Phone: (202) 338-4833 Fax: (202) 338-4834 www.georgetowner.com 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, 2012.
UP & COMING
JUNE 3
Steel Drum Sundays Relax outdoors and enjoy live steel drum music at the waterfront, performed by Roger Greenidge from noon until 3 p.m. on Sundays, June 3 until Oct. 16, at Washington Harbour. Email info@thewashingtonharbour.com for more information. Washington Harbour, 3050 K Street, N.W.
JUNE 4
Author on Deck Lecture Series: Elliot Carlson The United States Navy Memorial’s Authors on Deck book lecture series welcomes author Elliot Carlson, who will present his latest work, “Joe Rochefort’s War: The Odyssey of the Codebreaker Who Outwitted Yamamoto at Midway.” The Navy Memorial will also hold
a wreath-laying ceremony on its outdoor plaza with the U.S. Navy Band and Ceremonial Guard. Call 202-737-2300 for more information. United States Navy Memorial, Naval Heritage Center, 701 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. SAIS-French Embassy Conference Series French Embassy Rendez-vous presents: The Hard and Soft Power Dilemma. With the political impact of religion and the debate over secularization of politics deeply increased due to the Arab Spring, the West is now facing new challenges. This event focuses on a secularized EU versus a pluralized U.S., the Turkish attitude toward EU membership, and other topics. The conference begins at 9 a.m. and is free with reservation. Email transatlanticrsvp@jhu.edu. Johns Hopkins University, the Kenney Auditorim in the Paul H. Nitze Building at SAIS, 1740 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
2012 Adam Smith Awards Dinner The 2012 Adam Smith Awards Dinner will feature a gala awards program honoring Rep. Harold Rogers (R–Ky.) and Bernadette Budde in addition to a cocktail reception to benefit the Friends of Adam Smith Foundation. Wed., June 6, 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. $500 per ticket. To RSVP, call 703-761-1505, or e-mail FOAS@ hayespr.com. Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, 1301 Constitution Ave., N.W.
Dr. A. Jacob Peretz | General and Cosmetic Dentistry www.georgetownsmile.com | 202.333.0003
* Compassionate Painless Dentistry * Massage Chairs & Laughing Gas
SAVOR: An American Craft Beer and Food Experience A must-attend for craft beer aficionados and foodies alike, SAVOR offers a memorable craft beer and food experience to a limited number of attendees in Washington, D.C.’s beautiful National Building Museum. Event tickets have consistently sold out in a matter of days. $120 per person. National Building Museum, 401 F Street, N.W. Visit savorcraftbeer.com for more information.
Alla Lester & Becky Durand Dental Hygienist
JUNE 9
Pointless Theatre Company: The Solar System Show Kids take a fun-filled trip through our solar system with self-acclaimed scientist, Dr. Canterbury Osmand and his robot assistant Sparko as they visit planets, make scientific observations and try to find the planet that best suits their adopted “pet rock.” Free to
Georgetown
Washington Harbour 3000 K Street NW Suite 101 Plaza Level
* Office with State-of-the-art Equipment Preferred Invisalign Partner * Pre * Immediate Emergency Appointments Available
& Specialists 2011
Taxi service available from Rosslyn.
The Legacy Celebration: A Tribute to the Maestro Cherished colleagues and collaborators of retiring Choral Arts Founder and Artistic Director Norman Scribner will present a musical tribute to the maestro on Wednesday, June 13, 7:30 p.m. at Washington National Cathedral. This all-star choral celebration will honor the maestro’s lifetime of musical contributions to Washington and the world. Presented by the Choral Arts Society of Washington. Tickets range from $25-$80. Email choralarts@ choralarts.org for more information. Washington National Cathedral, 3101 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. ★
Pet Adoption Event
* Most Insurance Accepted
* The Washingtonian Best Dentists
Civil War Georgetown: House and Walking Tours Experience life in Georgetown during this American ordeal. On the house tour, learn how masters and enslaved workers managed on the estate during wartime. Hear family stories and see where Union officers boarded in their midst. After a lunch break, join or rejoin the group for an early afternoon walking tour of Georgetown burial sites, a Union hospital, officers’ residences, and a neighborhood that housed enslaved and free African Americans. $8-15. Call 202-965-0400 for more information. Tudor Place Historic House and Garden, 1644 31 Street, N.W.
Fall in love with your new best friend. Adopt a dog and never walk alone
* Convenient Evening & Weekend Hours
* Open on Saturdays
the public, visit NationalTheatre.org. The National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
JUNE 13
JUNE 6
Georgetown Smile * Spa-like Environment
JUNE 8
Calendar
Freer Sackler Galleries | Asia After Dark: Afro-Asiatic Mash-Up The Enid A. Haupt Garden transforms into a Japanese playhouse for the first Asia After Dark of 2012, featuring a mash-up performance of Japanese vogue dance, theater, storytelling, and hip-hop music choreographed by visual artist Iona Rozeal Brown and performed by soloist dancer Monstah Black. Enjoy Japanese fusion bites, specialty cocktails, dancing and more. $25 (includes one free drink); $15, Silk Road Society members. Email publicaffairsAsia@si.edu for more information. 1050 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C.
Sunday, June 17th 12pm - 4pm
As these registered Hygienist strive to provide thorough and gentle periodontal treatment, they also stress the importance of maintaining good dental health for patients’ well-being. They remind us to get a cleaning every six months. Thanks girls!
HOSTED BY: 4400 MacArthur Blvd, NW Suite #200 Washington, DC 20007
Georgetown Office
WASHINGTON
Bringing People, Homes & Pets Together For more information call: 202.333.6100 www.cbmove.com/georgetown www.ophrescue.org
HUMANE SOCIETY
GMG, INC. May 30, 2012 5
FEATURE BUSINESS
The Georgetown Inn at 50 Celebrates Its History, Plans Renovation BY M ARY BIRD
Most famous general manager of the Georgetown Inn, Collins Bird (left), poses outside the hotel, seen in the post card above.
F
ifty years after the Georgetown Inn opened to the public, its new owner is planning a multi-year renovation of the 96-room property, located at 1310 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. The hotel will throw a birthday party for itself and friends on June 6. Nayan Patel of Your DC Hotels purchased the hotel in November 2011. The upcoming renovation will be welcome news to those who remember the glory days of the Four Georges restaurant and piano bar, where pianist Mel Clement, bassist Louis Saverino and Julian Allman held forth, often accompanied by visiting artists from the Kennedy Center or National Theatre. Allman played his signature “Alley Cat” on a Stradivarius stolen from Carnegie Hall. That discovery made the front page of The New York Times when his widow followed his instructions to inspect the violin case after his demise and found the evidence. Sheldon Magazine, president of American Mortgage Investment Company, built the Georgetown Inn, which opened May 20, 1962. 6 May 30, 2012 GMG, INC.
Welcoming the first guest Peter Caruso, vice president and general manager Collins Bird threw the key across the driveway manned by “Tex” Aldridge in full livery and said the doors would not be locked again. After Collins retired in the early 1980s, the doors were abruptly locked during a peremptory shutdown in 1991 with Tex still at the helm. But—back to better days. In 1968, a young Herb Miller brokered the sale to Collins Bird and several partners. The hotel offered unique luxury for its day. A Washington Dossier magazine article acclaimed, “After Blair House, the Georgetown Inn on Wisconsin Avenue is probably D.C.’s spiffiest place to go for bed and board.” The hotel was later lauded by Fortune magazine as “A Way to Escape the Washington Stockade.” A third generation hotelier, Collins Bird intended to return to his job a general manager of three hotels in Georgia after the Georgetown Inn opened but instead stayed on for 30 years and became synonymous with the property that welcomed many notables, including the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Charles and Ann Morrow Lindberg, Marlon Brando, Robert Mitchum, many Kennedys and the cast of the film, “The Exorcist.” The Inn was the Washington base of the original Mercury astronauts who became personal
friends. Collins had a tailor on call to add new honors to the astronauts’ uniforms, as they obligingly signed photo after photo of their exploits. It was a sad occasion when friends gathered at the Inn for an Irish wake honoring astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee, who were killed in a fire during a prelaunch test of Apollo 1 in 1967. Another frequent guest was Hubert Humphrey, who framed an enormous key from the “frozen Chosun” hotel in South Korea for “his favorite innkeeper.” Once again, Collins made certain that the former vice president’s family was pampered when they arrived for Humphrey’s funeral. The banquet room was filled with treats for all ages. In a gentler era, the Secret Service was pleased when Humphrey visited the hotel because the exits could be easily guarded. At the height of the Dallas Cowboys and Redskins rivalry, the Inn hosted then Cowboys owner Clint Murchison and his entourage. There was always a lavish party in Potomac with an unending fleet of limousines ferrying guests from the hotel and back. Collins held a pre-game brunch replete with a bus and police escort to RFK Stadium. One year, the bus waited for a late-arriving Elizabeth Taylor. The first time the Four Georges closed for a private party was to celebrate Playboy magazine’s “The Girls of Washington.” David Chan took a number of the photos upstairs at the Inn. Party guests included the then-infamous Fanne Foxe, who had jumped out of the car of Rep.
Wilbur Mills (D-Ark.) for a dip in the Tidal Basin, and Elizabeth Ray, who famously did not take dictation from Rep. Wayne Hays (D-Ohio). Harry “Doc” Dalinsky was a treasured fixture at his Georgetown Pharmacy at the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and O Street, half a block from the hotel. He was a character, a cigar connoisseur and a confidant. The drugstore was a favored hangout of Ben Bradlee, Art Buchwald, David Brinkley and Herb Block. Collins started sending bagels and coffee to the pharmacy as people fetched their Sunday newspapers. A New York Times article on Doc’s Sunday brunch brought an overflow crowd to the consternation of the regulars. For all its glamour quotient, the Inn was foremost favored by Georgetowners who could find a civilized haven with good food, drink and music. When you heard, “Let’s go to the Inn,” you knew it would be fun and you would see familiar faces, both locally and perhaps internationally known. The Georgetowner often wrote about the Georgetown Inn and Collins. A sizable portion of the September, 8, 1977, issue was devoted to the lead story by Suzie Gookin, headlined “Collins Bird to Marry.” I was that lucky person. We had 23 wonderful years together. Collins had been quoted as saying that his previous two marriages had ended in divorce with both ex-wives citing his hotel as “the other woman.” The third time must have been a charm, unless you count the hotel, making me the fourth wife. ★
BUSINESS
INS & OUTS
State of $avings.
With activities celebrating summer holidays, such as Father’s Day and July 4th, and with a hot dog and burger bar, daily summer cooler cocktails, weekly early morning yoga, select spa services, and more, the company wants “the Urban Garden to be a hub for the Ritz-Carlton guest and the Georgetown community to gather and interact.� Beginning Saturday, June 9, at 9 a.m., and every Saturday up to Sept. 8, complimentary outdoor yoga classes courtesy of Georgetown’s Lululemon are available to hotel guests and Georgetown neighbors. (Also available are private one-on-one fitness sessions with local trainers which can be arranged through the hotel’s boutique spa.)
CLOSED: Bandolero’s flavors hold up the taste buds in a good way.
MIKE ISABELLA’S BANDOLERO BRINGS BIG FLAVORS TO M STREET Bandolero, chef Mike Isabella’s modern Mexican restaurant at 3241 M Street, opened last week. With more tacos and margaritas than you thought you wanted, Isabella’s homage to armed outlaws got uniquely flavored food, a Day-of-the-Dead motif space and servers to spare as well. With margaritas, we sampled the pumpkin seed-mixed dip served with masa crisps, pork tacos, tuna tartare taquitos, charred corn on a stick, nachos, pear-infused wine and enchilada rojo. It’s a lively place with some lively tastes: armed, perhaps; outlawed, never.
MACARON BEE OPENS ON WISCONSIN AVENUE O.K., you got your cupcakes, pies, frozen yogurt and ice cream, of course. Now, it’s sweet
macaroons -- or is it macarons? Oui, we had them at Dean & Deluca and at Paul Bakery. Say hello to new parents and new business owners, Han and Deborah Kim, who opened Macaron Bee at 1669 Wisconsin Ave., N.W., along the Book Hill business strip on May 19. The little shop is open Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Price? One macaron costs $1.75; a box of six, $10.50.
Geoff Collins, Agent 2233 Wisconsin Ave NW, Ste 224 Washington, DC 20007 Bus: 202-333-4134
*Discounts vary by state. State Farm, Home Office, Bloomington, IL 1101282.1
PAPA-RAZZI SHUTS DOWN ABRUPTLY “We hope this is not an inconvenience, and thank you for all the wonderful years,� the sign read on the window of Papa-razzi May 21. Text messages told the news first: the Italian restaurant next to Georgetown Park on Wisconsin Avenue at the C&O Canal has closed; doors locked; employees on the street.
BETSEY JOHNSON STORE TO CLOSE JUNE 9 The town’s flashy, pink and fun Betsey Johnson store on M Street near the Old Stone House will close June 9. Fashion designer Betsey Johnson’s chain of stores went bankrupt April 26. Most of the 63 freestanding boutiques will close. “Johnson won’t be losing her job — but as many as 350 store workers will,� reported the New York Daily News. Women’s Wear Daily reported the designer will retain control of the Betsey Johnson clothing label.
‘MORE THAN JUST GREEN SPACE’ AT RITZ, AND FREE YOGA
Macaron Bee has 13 flavors, from lemon to bitter lemon.
Local and international designer, artist and furniture maker, Jan Marfyak has closed his shop, Uncommon Furnishings, at 1301 35th Street, N.W. Marfyak has been around D.C. for years as well as the New York and L.A. arts scene and has worked with Krupsaw’s, Antony Childs, Miller & Armey and Muleh.
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The Ritz-Carlton on South Street debuted its artistically-inspired outdoor escape, a multitiered Urban Garden located on two levels outside the hotel lobby. You don’t have to be a guest of The Ritz-Carlton, Georgetown to enjoy this “more than just a green space,� the company says. “The Urban Garden, with its terraced garden of paver stones, stacked stone wall, lush grass and a canopy of trees, is a venue for intimate weddings accommodating up to 90 guests, outdoor evening of dining under the stars for 60 guests and receptions of up to 90 guests.�
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EDITORIAL / OPINION
Mr. Mayor, It’s Time to Talk to Us Talk to almost anybody about recent revelations, charges and events surrounding Mayor Vincent Gray’s election campaign, especially folks who supported him, and the result is not so much shock as a deep sense of frustration and disappointment. Two operatives in the campaign—long time ally and friend Thomas W. Gore, who was the assistant treasurer for the Gray’s victorious 2010 campaign, and mystery man and campaign operative Howard Brooks, in guilty pleas to federal prosecutors, admitted that money had been given to fringe candidate Sulaimon Brown to keep his anti-Adrian Fenty campaign alive. Gore had major roles in Gray’s successful campaigns for a Ward 7 Council seat and for the city council chairmanship. Brooks had been specifically hired for the 2010 campaign. Gore admitted that he and unnamed (so far) others had come up with a plan to pay Brown hundreds of dollars to keep him in the race, where his appearances were noted for their vitriolic attacks on Fenty. Brown had also said that he had been promised a job in the Gray administration. After the election, he did get a job but was fired shortly thereafter. Other accusations have emerged since, including the possibility of a shadow of a “shadow campaign,” involving developer and Gray supporter Jeffrey Thompson. Gore admitted to shredding the contents of a notebook detailing
the payments to Brown, and Brooks admitted lying to the FBI. The two convictions were the proverbial shoes to drop in the long-standing investigatory cloud hanging over the Gray Administration, a cloud that seemed to wound his mayoralty seriously, almost from the get-go. Most observers believe that this is not the end but perhaps only the beginning of more charges which could lead to the mayor himself. From the beginning of March (when Brown’s story first emerged), and all the subsequent hearings, investigations and revelations, the mayor has remained steadfastly silent, refusing to talk to the press or the public, other than to maintain his innocence of any wrong-doing and his disbelief that anyone in his campaign would do such things. Yet at least two of his campaign workers did do such things and more. There is something stark and unequivocal about the admissions of Gore and Brooks—there is no getting around them. They are not rumors, speculations, wild charges, political rants or media exaggerations. They are what they are: facts. Gore did order payments, and Brooks did give money to Brown, in the form of cash and money orders. Gore did shred records. Brooks did lie to the FBI. There is a real cover-up here. There is a real plan which can easily be construed as a conspiracy. And the political process -- the 2010 mayoral
election campaign -- was tainted by the mayor’s campaign staff if not the mayor himself. That is a legally and morally serious matter. Gray has even stopped giving his usual denials. He has simply refused to talk about the whole mess on the advice of his attorney, he says. But he should, and, really, he must. His silence is becoming deafening. Because silence festers, it keeps the public from imaging the best outcomes. It, inevitably, as one Washington Post columnist bluntly stated, leads you to the conclusion that the mayor was either a fool or a liar. If the mayor was a part of this—if he sat in on and gave approval to a plan to pay Brown— then, he lied since about the time of the first payment to Brown. He protested too much when he expressed disapproval of Brown’s more loose-cannon invectives against Fenty on the campaign trail The entire reign of Gray as mayor, during which, oddly enough, the city appears to have actually prospered and remain on a steady course, has been conducted in an atmosphere that is surreal. The mayor remained under an ever-darkening cloud, and the public’s trust in him as well as the District Council—which was also plagued by major ethical issues on the part of some of its members—was as low as it can possibly get.
But the strangest thing of all to some was Gray’s silence. Most politicians, faced with an ongoing political scandal, try to get out in front of it, not simply by making brusque denials, but by grabbing the story by the neck and killing it. Instead, Gray has simply ignored it. This seems to be a politically and ethically suicidal approach. It does a grave disservice to the city, and to the voters who elected Gray, to all voters, many of whom had been impressed by his conduct as council chairman, by his approachability, by his candor, his then unsullied claims of honesty as a politician. He has now an obligation to explain himself, to tell the story, whether his lawyer says otherwise or not. It doesn’t really matter that there (as far as we know) were small amounts of money involved, or that the whole plan did not affect the outcome. What matters is that the fringe candidate who was dismissed by many appears to have been telling the truth, at least in terms of the information that was verified recently. What matters is that the process itself was sullied. Speculation has already started about potential mayoral candidates for 2014. That’s political noodling. With each passing day, and no word from the mayor, district residents might not want to wait that long. So far, the mayor hasn’t told us anything. He has to start now. He owes it to everyone. ★
ONE GEORGETOWN STUDENT’S VIEW OF HIS NEIGHBORS BY NIC O DODD I will remember my graduation day as one of the happiest of my life. Receiving my diploma onstage in front of classmates, family and faculty was one of my proudest moments ever. Saturday, May 19, was a beautiful day that will not be topped anytime soon. There was, though, one group absent from Healy Lawn that played an important role during my four years on the Hilltop. Besides faculty and fellow students, my neighbors in Georgetown had a big part in molding my undergraduate experience, for better or for worse. One thing guides do not tell aspiring students during Georgetown University’s campus tour is that most neighbors are not fans of the university or its students. During my first few weeks as a freshman, I would be disheartened as a party was stopped by the university’s Department of Public Safety or the Metropolitan Police Department. By my senior year, it felt like almost any gathering inevitably ended in flashlights and firm words from a staffer of the Student Neighborhood Assistance Program, better known as S.N.A.P. Students cannot even be sure if they’re not on camera, thanks to Stephen R. Brown’s DrunkenGeorgetownStudents.com, Burleith’s version of TMZ.
Besides dipping their fingers in students’ private activities, neighbors have also effected the university’s relationship with its own students. Georgetown’s 10-year campus plan has been a point of contention since my sophomore year. I have sat in on numerous advisory neighborhood commission meetings and one D.C. Zoning Commission hearing to listen to horror stories about my classmates from exasperated neighbors. This firm resistance to the university’s growth has affected student life as administrators scramble to appeal to the neighbors, while protecting their own interests. This was clearest in the university’s scaling back of this year’s Georgetown Day celebration on April 27, three days before what could have been the Zoning Commission’s final hearing on the 2010-2020 Campus Plan. Held at the end of the spring semester, Georgetown Day was legendary and fun, even if in the words of Georgetown’s associate vice president for student affairs, Jeanne Lord — for being a “celebration by the campus community,” rather than a “celebration of the campus community.” Inflatables and a beer garden were cut from the day’s programs, and this year’s celebration was a shadow of what it used to be. There has been a lot of squabbling over four years, but I will say that my personal interactions PUBLISHER
Sonya Bernhardt Robert Devaney FEATURE EDITORS
8 May 30, 2012 GMG, INC.
ADVERTISING
Charlene Louis
Renee Antosh Kelly Sullivan
Adra Williams
Please send all submissions of opinions for Gary Tischler consideration to editorial@georgetowner.com Ari Post
IN COUNTRY & ADVERTISING
Nico Dodd, who earned a bachelor of arts degree in English from Georgetown College, was an editorial intern at the Georgetowner in the summer of 2011.
WEB & SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
with my Georgetown neighbors have been nothing but gracious and courteous. Whether in Volta Park or at an ANC meeting, Georgetown residents were always interested in who I was and what I was doing as a student at the nearby university. Georgetown is a beautiful neighborhood, and I am grateful to have been able to share it with neighbors who care deeply about it. It is a shame that students and Georgetown residents can rarely reach common ground. Georgetown is a lot of things, and — whether the neighbors like it not — it is also a college town. Although many residents fear that unbridled growth by the university will lower the quality of life in the surrounding area, they could work more directly with students to ensure that it is maintained. ★
Evelyn Keyes
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Jen Merino
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Jeff Malet Neshan Naltchayan
PHOTO BY JURA KONCIUS Yvonne Taylor
CONTRIBUTORS
Mary Bird Linda Roth Conte Jack Evans Donna Evers Amos Gelb Lisa Gillespie Jody Kurash
Ris Lacoste David Post Alison Schafer Bill Starells
EDITORIAL / OPINION
GOD BLESS US EVERYONE, AND GOD BLESS THE QUEEN BY G ARY T IS CHL ER Let us now praise Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. It would be churlish not to. It may even be time for us, the American cousins and former colonials, to embrace all things English, as we are wont to do when royal ceremonials break out across the pond. We swoon at royal weddings, cry at royal funerals and stand in awe as the United Kingdom celebrates Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee, marking her 60th year as her nation’s reigning monarch. We have won the revolution which turned us into Americans, but somewhere in our hearts and movie memories, there will always be an England. Like the English themselves, we are in thrall (although, like the English, sometimes reluctantly and rebelliously) to all things regal and royal. Somehow, in the act of separation, someone forgot to take out that gene which makes do that little bow when we are in the
royal receiving line. But so few of us are. Like Queen Victoria, with whom she shares longevity on the throne, the longer she reigns, the sturdier she seems. No doubt Prince Charles sometimes wonders just how short the age of Charles III will be should he ever succeed to the throne. The queen has sometimes gotten a bum rap both here and in her own country for not showing her emotions very often, for her corgies, for a certain dowdiness. But that sturdiness has also been her strength ever since she became queen in the guise of a shy, lovely young English rose. Periodically, the English go through bouts of sneering at the monarchy (the most recent of which was the contratemps surrounding the death of Diana,the Princess of Wales, and the crush of worldwide grief that followed). She has, in fact, carried her duties with honor and influence, and a grace that is all her own, falling in quite nicely when greeted as
The Lessons of J.P. Morgan: Defining Oligopoly BY J OHN F E NZ E L J.P. Morgan’s $2-4 billion trading blunder has reignited the debate of whether our banking industry should remain the oligopoly that it is, or be subject to a broader array of regulatory reforms and restructuring. The media’s focus on the several billion dollars in bad derivative trades, while replete with shock value, misses the real lessons of the incident. While significant, the losses were hardly catastrophic for the bank. With $2.3 trillion in assets, J.P. Morgan’s loss represents only .1 percent of its total assets and 1 percent of its equity. Clearly, the bad trades represent a failure of risk management, yet the fact remains that J.P. Morgan remains fundamentally well managed. Chances are, the bank will still be profitable in the second quarter. In the midst of the ongoing media feeding frenzy, J.P. Morgan will do what any well-run organization would do: analyze what went wrong and fix it. Ina Drew, the J.P. Morgan chief investment officer who ran the department behind the massive trading loss, has left the bank with a $32 Million severance package. Other heads will roll in the coming weeks as the forensics behind the bad trades become more apparent. Jaime Dimon, J.P. Morgan’s chairman and chief executive once praised for adeptly navigating the bank through the 2008 financial crisis shares the blame. His biggest mistake, perhaps, was his lack of humility and his reflexive—if not extreme—resistance to enhanced regulation of the banking industry. On April 13, Dimon downplayed the rumors of the massive losses by referring to it as “a tempest in a teapot.” But after the extent of the losses became clear, and when Dimon was forced to announce the losses on May 10, he explained, “In hindsight, the new
strategy was flawed, complex, poorly reviewed, poorly executed and poorly monitored.” To even a passive observer, the incident highlights that Dimon and other megabank CEOs, supported by a government sanctioned and licensed oligopoly, dominate trading flows and market making, particularly in the “over the counter” (OTC) markets. What exactly does that mean? The term, “Oligopoly” comes from the Greek, “Oligos” and “Polein.” “Oligos” translates to “few”; “Polein” means “to sell.” Simply defined, an oligopoly is an economic condition where there are few sellers and many buyers. The few sellers who dominate a market exert control over their competitors’ prices or their ability to freely compete. In an oligopoly, the market is also particularly vulnerable to the mistakes and fates of those few dominant influences. When Citigroup or Bank of America experience massive losses, the government invariably comes to their rescue with billions in taxpayer dollars quite literally because they are “too big to fail.” The 2008 financial crisis was largely caused by an overconcentration of derivative instruments in the hands of a few banks. Today, the top six megabanks hold 95 percent of the entire $1.2 quadrillion derivatives market. J.P. Morgan has 44 percent of that market. Those statistics alone constitute an oligopoly in that particular market. Alarming? Now, consider this: today, those same banks have assets that exceed 60 percent of our national GDP. While the CEOs of the megabank club know the risks of overconcentration well, those whispered conversations normally occur behind closed doors or on the back nine. Their interest, understandably, is in turning massive profits for their shareholders. Each bank, therefore, con-
“queenie” by a D.C. resident whom she visited a couple of decades ago. She -- and all the ceremonial attachments to the monarchy -- and she, alone, reminds us that Great Britain was once a great world empire. “Rule Britannia,” indeed. Everyone knows the coach will be out, the soldiers will march and the once colonials will pay the respects from all over the world. All the royals and quasi-royals will come out, and they will cheer the commoner duchess and the queen’s grandsons. Prince Phillip will walk stiffly, and the queen will smile and wave, and be loved for herself. It will be the kind of spectacle that will remind us of Shakespeare, of Shaw and Dickens, Pip and Falstaff, of the Scots, the Brits, the Welsh and Irish and cricket, (the game not Jiminy) and music halls, and Winston and the finest hour. The queen’s reign coincided with the rise of the celebrity and paparazzi culture, and the royals were the biggest celebrities of all, climaxing in the rise and demise of Princess Di. But the queen, like Victoria, like Elizabeth I, has endured. A diamond indeed. God bless us everyone, and God bless the queen. ★
tributes millions to both political parties, and employs an army of Capitol Hill’s best lobbyists to ensure their advantages are preserved. Over a century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt confronted the financiers (J.P. Morgan among them) and industrialists headon with antitrust suits. Despite the accusations of his critics, Roosevelt’s objective was to regulate the giants, not to destroy them. Roosevelt’s direct approach was politically courageous and effective in 1907. Created to safeguard against undo risks by improving accountability and transparency in the financial system, the Dodd-Frank Act was the closest we’ve come to TR’s method yet. But even that “big stick”has, by most accounts, fallen short. The lessons should be abundantly clear. Mitigating against risk requires sufficient capital. Because J.P. Morgan is a healthy bank, the losses they announced last month, while uncomfortable, were nonetheless manageable. Banks should, therefore be required, by law, to hold ample equity capital to cover any potential losses. That is something regulations can’t do. Second, the Department of Justice as well as federal regulators should both be empowered and instructed to preemptively break up large financial institutions that pose a threat to the nation’s financial stability. Currently, DoddFrank empowers regulators to intervene “only as a last resort.” Dodd-Frank also requires banks to have a “living will” to provide for a managed dissolution in the event of a bankruptcy. This provision remains ill-defined and untested, and offers little reassurance that our economy won’t be driven into the same kind of crisis we experienced in 2008. Today, the banking system is even more concentrated than pre-2008. Because the largest banks have the implicit backing of U.S. taxpayers, their cost of capital is artificially low. As a result, the megabanks are incentivized to take outsized, irrational risks—and smaller banks are challenged to compete with them. That is the textbook definition of an oligopoly. ★
Reflecting on 21 Years on the Council BY JACK EVANS This month, I passed a personal milestone. On April 30, it was the 21st anniversary of my being elected to the City Council as the representative for Ward 2. May 13 was the 21st anniversary of my being sworn in as the Ward 2 Councilmember. I became the longest serving current Councilmember a year ago, and when I finish my current term, I will be the longest serving Councilmember in our history. I find this annual milestone to be a good time to stop and reflect on both our past achievements and our future goals. The first Ward 2 Councilmember was John Wilson, who took office in January 1975 and served until December 31, 1990. He was sworn in January 2, 1991, as Chairman of the Council, which created a vacancy in the Ward 2 post. The special election to fill the Ward 2 Council seat had 15 candidates. I won the election with 2,926 votes, 360 more than Jim Zais. Bill Cochran and Clarene Martin each received 1,050 votes. I came on the Council at a different time. Sharon Pratt Kelly had just been elected mayor and had taken office in January 1991. The finances of the city were not good. Two weeks before my swearing-in were the riots by the Latino community in Mt. Pleasant. Things in the District went from bad to worse. Mayor Kelly did not have a good working relationship with Chairman Wilson and the Council. Then, in 1993, Chairman Wilson died. By 1994, the District’s finances had further deteriorated and Mayor Kelly had become very unpopular. The mayoral election in 1994 saw the return of Marion Barry as mayor. By the end of 1995, Congress had imposed a control board. As you can see, my early days were quite turbulent. However, beginning in 1996, we saw a resurgence in our city. With Mayor Tony Williams’s election in 1998, he joined Chairman Linda Cropp, me, as Finance and Revenue Chairman, and Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi to lead our city’s comeback. As I look back, I remember great challenges and great progress. Our city stands today as one of the most dynamic in the country with strong finances and a AAA-bond rating. I hope we continue to build on these past achievements. Our financial picture is good, but we must continue to aggressively restrain our spending and practice fiscal discipline, as we are always just one bad budget away from the possible return of a control board. A balanced Budget Request Act passed the Council earlier this month, and I plan to provide a full budget update after passage of the Budget Support Act in early June. It has been quite a journey and one I wouldn’t trade for anything. There is still much work to be done, however, and I look forward to a great future representing the residents of Ward 2. ★
GMG, INC. May 30, 2012 9
TOWN TOPICS
News Buzz BY R OBERT D EVAN EY
Scheele’s Market Saved by Neighbors and a Farewell Party for the Lees
Malcolm “Mike” Peabody and his neighbors successfully rescued Scheele’s Market at 29th and Dumbarton through an agreement with property owner Jordan O’Neill to pay $70,000 for improvements and other covenant details. The neighborhood group, Friends of Scheele’s, has worked to keep the store, which served the town for 118 years, operating for another 15 years and with a new shopkeeper, Dougjuk Kim. Meanwhile, a retirement party for Shin and Kye Lee will take place on June 21, from 6 to 9 p.m., along 29th Street between Dumbarton and O Streets. The neighborhood will also welcome Kim as well as O’Neill, who lives in the second-floor apartment. The neighborhood still needs more money to complete the purchase of the covenant by June 30. Sponsors have already stepped up; more are needed, however. Come join the celebratation honoring a great neighborhood tradition. For more information or to make a donation, contact Mike Peabody at mpeabody@ptmanagement.com.
MD.202 NoDuctNoProb 4.875w x 6.125”h by.indd 1
10 May 30, 2012 GMG, INC.
Make a Splash: Volta Park Pool Is Open
The D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation has opened its pools for Memorial Day weekend, including Georgetown’s only public pool at Volta Park (1555 34th St., NW) -- 202-645-5669. For the weekend of June 2, outdoor pools will be open on weekends only (Fridays and Saturdays), from noon until 6 p.m., until June 17 when District Public Schools are dismissed for the summer months. After June 17, all outdoor pools will operate on a summer schedule —open six days a week and closed one day per week for cleaning and maintenance. DPR Director Jesús Aguirre said: “While we want everyone to have a great time in the District’s pools, I would like to remind everyone that safety is key. We encourage everyone to learn how to swim and to follow all pool rules.” Pool Schedule—General Public Swim: Monday through Friday 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. Lap Swim—Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Closed on Monday.
5/23/2012 9:05:18 AM
TOWN TOPICS For more information regarding DPR aquatic facilities, please visit DPR.DC.GOV or contact DPR’s Aquatic Office at 202-6711289 during regular business hours. For pools updates, schedule changes and the most upto-date summer information, be sure to follow DPR on Twitter@DCDPR.
‘Exorcist’ Author Threatens Suit Against Alma Mater
But wait, there’s more, and it involves one of the most famous authors to graduate from Georgetown University. And you thought Father Damien had problems. While Georgetown University was criticized for its invitation of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to speak at one of its commencement events and the Archdiocese of Washington joined at least 40 Catholic dioceses, schools or groups in suing the federal government in several districts for its healthcare requirements, another suit involving the Catholic world was threatened last week. Georgetown alumnus William Peter Blatty, who penned the satanic blockbuster, “The Exorcist,” and encrypted Georgetown into horror film history accuses his alma mater of turning away from its Roman Catholic commitments. “For 21 years now, Georgetown University has refused to comply with Ex Corde Ecclesiaie (“From The Heart of the Church”) and, therefore, with canon law,” Blatty wrote. “And it seems as if every month GU gives another scandal to the faithful! The most recent is Georgetown’s obtuse invitation to Secretary Sebelius to be a commencement speaker. Each of these scandals is proof of Georgetown’s noncompliance with Excorde Ecclesiae and canon law. They are each inconsistent with a Catholic identity, and we all know it. A university in solidarity with the Church would not do these prideful things that do so much harm to our communion.” Blatty cited the website, GUpetition.org, as the starting point for his complaint, where it calls for him to named “procurator” on behalf
of those who agree with the petition to go before the Vatican. Georgetown University has cited academic freedom in defending the selection of Sebelius as a commencement speaker. As for the Blatty complaint, university spokesperson Stacy Kerr repeated Georgetown president John DeGioia’s response: “We are a university, committed to the free exchange of ideas.”
Georgetown Village Plans June 21 Reception
Georgetown Village has received a $10,000 grant from Wells Fargo Bank. It was the nonprofit’s first major corporate grant, founder Sharon Lockwood said. On June 21, a private reception for Georgetown Village will be held at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Thomas P. Nigra, 3038 N Street, NW, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Georgetown Village is a nonprofit membership organization providing services and programs in the Georgetown area so older residents can live better and longer in their homes; among its services are transportation of appointments, grocery shopping, computer and cell phone help, gardening and household help. For more information, visit www.georgetown-village.org, call 202-999-8988 or email lynn@georgetownvillage.org.
DMV at Georgetown Park Closes The neighborhood’s uber-convenient office of D.C.’s Department of Motor Vehicles, located in the lower level of the Shops at Georgetown Park, closed May 19 because of the mall’s construction. (The DMV had sought a lease in Northwest D.C., but, so far, there has been no announcement on any new permanent office.) On June 4, the DMV will open a temporary service center at 301 C Street, NW For locations and hours of operations, visit DMV. DC.gov. For our part, we would like to give a special shout-out to Mrs. Rivers, who worked there and retired in November: Thank you for your optimism, assistance and advice!
Community Calendar JUNE 2
19th Annual Taste of Georgetown, On June 2 an event will highlight some of D.C.’s finest restaurants, while showing off Georgetown’s culinary personalities and featuring special dishes to sample, along with the jazz talents of Blues Alley musical ensembles and wine and specialty cocktail sampling. Presented by the Georgetown Business Improvement District, all proceeds from the Taste of Georgetown will benefit the Georgetown Ministry Center’s services supporting the homeless. For more information visit www.TasteofGeorgetown.com.
JUNE 4
ANC 2E monthly meeting, June 4, 6:30 p.m., Georgetown Visitation Prep, 35th Street and Volta Place, NW, second floor, main building. Details: www.ANC2E.com.
JUNE 8
Friends of Volta Park will host a Silent Auction and Cocktail Party from 7 - 9 p.m. at Georgetown Visitation, hosted by Friends of Volta Park and 1789 Restaurant. For more information, visit www.Voltapark.com
JUNE 10
Volta Park Day, June 10, at Annual Community Picnic at Volta Park, 3 to 6 p.m. (rain or shine)—softball, children’s games, dunk tank, bake sale, flea market and more. Free. On June 8, 7 to 9 p.m., there is a cocktail party and fundraiser at Georgetown Visitation Prep on 35th Street. Individual tickets cost $100; two, $175. For more information, visit www.VoltaPark.org.
GMG, INC. May 30, 2012 11
FEATURE
Rose Park Tennis BY ALIS ON S CHA F ER
O
ne quick glance as you walk by and you can see it. They are good. They are really, really good. The regulars at the Rose Park tennis courts include lawyers, former members of Congress, diplomats, doctors, liberals and conservatives. They are young, or a little creaky, from all parts of Washington—and from all over the world. But they all bow to the altar of tennis. And many of
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them have been playing pick-up tennis together for decades. “I’ve only been here three years, they barely talk to me!” says Drew Hodge, a banker and tennis player. Hodge is sitting in the shade, on a plastic chair bought by the tennis players, watching a heated doubles match. Next to him sits Clarence Lyons, a 30-year regular here and the unofficial boss of Rose’s three courts. He tamps down disputes when they arise and helps organize volunteer maintenance squads to trim back bushes and keep the courts neat. Clarence is locally famous, greeting the mothers and their kids by name— even if they never step foot on the courts. But it’s the tennis players, racket in hand, who ask for him all the time. “Who’s Clarence?” and “Someone told me to ask for Clarence?” are constant refrains. After all, he’s their connection to a good game. “People—its DC, after all—leave to go to other countries. When they come back, they come back here,” Lyons says. He says the concierges at nearby hotels often send players up to Rose. One of them told the regulars that there are only three public courts in the U.S. with a level of play this high—one in Chicago, one in San Diego and Rose Park. David Dunning lives a block from Rose and spends most of his time there, organizing events,
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Rose Park regulars after a hard game cleaning up, playing tennis, chatting with neighbors or just hanging out. “It’s the best pick-up court for tennis in DC, there are a lot of good players here who come from all over the city,” he says. During prime time, weekends and week nights, the Rose Park players are clearly a literally slice above the average. People show up and get folded into games, or they sign up and a game comes to them. Usually, a wanna-be comes and hits on the backboard next to the courts for a while. That’s sort of a tryout—if you look good on the backboard, you get to move up to the regulars. Of course, anyone can bring their own game and sign up for a court; this process is only for the hard-core players. On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, the action is intense. Two ferocious pick-up doubles games flank a gentle grudge match between neighbors. Many of the people on the court played in college, and some are tennis coaches. Only a few, though, are women. The vast majority of the regulars are men, though the few women who do play are impressive. One of the spectators muses that the good players come to Rose because the courts are build in a slight “V” shape, so the big hitters can slam the ball and it (mostly) stays in. “Everyone looks like a super star,” suggests Hodge. Another says that good players attract good players. Ville Waites has been a regular for some fifteen years. He identifies himself as “the king of everything around here,” and says players have got to be able to handle the pressure of constant ribbing and a little supportive trash talk. “They come for camaraderie and they come to hang out, to shoot the breeze,” Waites says, “that’s half of what people come here for.” Every September, the park hosts a doubles
Trophy winners Lindsay and Vincent tournament, complete with a cookout and trophies. The Rose Park courts are such a draw that the occasional celebrity sometimes stumbles upon them. Last year, the actor Owen Wilson came by a couple of days in a row. Carlos Santana, of the eponymous band hit balls there once (which is truly hard to imagine, if you remember the ‘70s). A few years ago, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf warmed up at Rose before a Legg Mason tournament. Of course, they only raised the level of play at the courts a little bit. ★
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As Mortgage Rates Drift Lower, it’s Time to Buy BY BIL L STAR R EL S
M
ortgage rates are being driven by continued European debt crisis. With the recent elections in Greece and France, further uncertainty rules the day in the European economies. In recent days headlines in The Wall Street Journal and other publications have talked about the European Union preparing for the departure of Greece from the EU. While the European economy continues to generate uncertainty, the United States economy is showing signs of strength. Consumer sentiment in May was at its highest levels since January 2008 according to studies from the University of Michigan. Industrial production is strong. Projected automobile sales for this year have been increased. Housing starts are strengthening. In April, Housing starts rose to an annualized rate of 717,000 homes in April. This is well over consensus numbers. Existing home sales reached an annualized rate of 4.62% in April. Mortgage rates are continuing to reach lower levels. In the May 24, 2012 mortgage rate survey by Freddie Mac, the rate of thirtyyear fixed-rate mortgages averaged 3.79%. The rate for fifteen-year fixed rate mortgages averaged 3.04%, all with 0.7 of a point. In the January 5, 2012 the averages in the Freddie Mac Survey were 3.91% and 3.23% with 0.7 of a point. In January 2011, the rates were 4.77% and 4.13% Since January 2011 the rates for 30-year
fixedrate mortgages have been down approximately 100 basis points and 109 basis points on 15-year fixed rate mortgages. For homeowners who refinanced in late 2011 it may be worth refinancing—or considering refinancing—again. Rates on adjustable rate mortgages are attractive these days. Rates on a 10-to-1 mortgage, the rate is around 3% and is fixed for ten years. An ARM can be an excellent choice if the homeowner who is planning on owning a home for ten years or less. The Federal Reserve Board of Governors has already stated that it will not raise rates well into 2014. Economists are also pointing to continued turbulence and weakness in Europe. Thus it is likely mortgage rates will remain low for well over a year—and perhaps longer. Finally, the affordability index is at its most attractive levels in recent times. With home prices well off their highs from five or more years ago—and interest rates at or near record lows—now is a great time to buy a home. ★ Bill Starrels lives in Georgetown and is a mortgage loan officer who specializes in refinance and purchase mortgages. He can be reached at 703-625-7355 or bill.starrels@ gmail.com
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THE MAD MEN CRASH PEACOCK CAFÉ BY PAM EL A BURNS
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Model and Blogger Baille Gelwicks was all glam in her Pinupgirl.com navy floral dress for the Man Men party at Peacock Café. Mike Lean played the part as well in his sharp black pinstripe Express suit. Mad Men, here they come.
Kelly Carnes—aka Joan Harris—sizzled in a red bombshell Black Halo dress from Rent the Runway. Chris Meyer was ever so sleek in his 1960’s inspired JoS. A. Banks black pinstripe suit, striped tie and fedora hat. Now, a toast!
We had to take a second look to make sure Megan Draper was not at Peacock Café. But, no, it was Fadmashion’s Anastasia Lambrou. She was the perfect “look–a-like,” dressed in a floral skirt from England, an off-white Zara jacket with vintage pin and Miu Miu shoes. The missing accessory was Don on her arm.
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GMG, INC. May 30, 2012 15
COVER STORY
BY GARY T IS CHL ER
W
THE SOUL OF DC’S JAZZ FESTIVAL
ashington has its own culture —and it’s not just the whole center-of-the world, seat-ofgovernment thing. It’s about music and neighborhoods, actors and museums—all the things that are the mosaic and the background of our daily lives Washington’s culture gets richer every year because of the work of its native citizens— people who have ideas, see needs and get other people to see what they see. The result is an environment of cultural arts institutions, festivals, concerts and music series and a rich theater and art world that have endured and enriched Washington culture, its contents and its reputation. A good chunk of the heavy lifting in this arena—not excluding the existing culture totem poles and brand names like the Kennedy Center—has been done by individuals who can best be described as originals, one-of-a-kinds. We’ve always had them in one form or another. The late Raissa Tselentis, who created the Bach Competition, the late and larger-than-life Maria Fisher, founder of the Beethoven Society and the Thelonius Monk Institute, Jerome Barry practicing cultural and musical diplomacy with Embassy Series, Norman Scribner, the founder of the Washington Choral Arts Society, Chuck Brown, who gave the city its own go-go sound, and many others. To that list should be added the name of Charlie Fishman, the founder and executive producer of what is now called the D.C. Jazz Festival, now in its eighth year, and celebrating all over town June 1 through 10. Jazz festivals have been tried before, but it was Fishman who has grown and expanded the festival, guided it through rough patches and made it what appears to be a permanent institution of Washington’s culture. You can get all the evidence you want by looking at the full schedule and various features of the festival, spread to all corners of the city with its innovative “Jazz in the Hood” component. It has big name artists—Ron Carter, Kenny Barron, Anat Cohen, Paquito D’Rivera, Dianne Reeves. They will playing at the Hamilton restaurant in downtown Washington, the spectacularly renovated, refurbished Howard Theatre, neighborhood clubs and restaurants as well as featured jazz performances at the I Street Synagogue and the Kennedy Center. The festival, as it exists today, is marked by innovation, an eye to the future, tremendous variety and energy, and Fishman’s rock-solid belief in the future of jazz as an American art form. Everything has changed since 2005, when the first festival was held. Yet when you visit Fishman at his Adams Morgan home in the basement-office, nothing much appears to have changed since we first met there three years ago before the fifth festival, when it was still
Charlie Fishman sees his son Moses and wife Stephanie Peters as inspiration for his work as executive producer of the D.C. Jazz Festival.
“Jazz is our—America’s—idiom, it’s most original cultural contribution,”
says Charlie Fishman. “And that’s especially true here—the Duke Ellington history is here, there are so many terrific local jazz musicians here, there’s an audience. But for a long time, given all that, we were still the only city in the country that didn’t have a proper jazz festival.” called the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival. There is, if that’s possible, more clutter on his desk, and some additions to the array of stuff you find there—a huge library of jazz CDs, books, magazines and newspapers. Fishman himself is parked behind his desk, wearing as always one of a collection of yarmulkes, handmade, a thin gray-white beard on his face. He’s plugged into a phone and his computer, doing what he was doing the last time I saw him here, which is checking schedules, checking incoming musicians’ hotel reservations, making sure his seven-year-old son Moses was being picked up from school “Yeah, I think this city is rich in origina-
16 May 30, 2012 GMG, INC.
tors, in people who have influenced the culture, who’ve created something,” Fishman said. “I knew Maria Fisher, by way of the Monk thing for one. Now, there was an original. I can think of others—Ari Roth, over at Theater J, Bill Warrell, who was District Curator and tried to keep a jazz festival going. He was a forerunner.” “Jazz is our—America’s—idiom, its most original cultural contribution,” Fishman said. “And that’s especially true here—the Duke Ellington history is here. There are so many terrific local jazz musicians here, and there’s an audience. But for a long time, given all that, we were still the only city in the country that didn’t have a proper jazz festival.”
That changed eight years ago, when Fishman, with the help of many others, turned vision into reality and maintained it. “It was shaky sometimes,” he said. “But I think we’ve turned the corner here.” “I think the festival is in a very good place,” Fishman said. “But when you talk about making something permanent, you can’t think just in terms of a festival, however good it might be. We’re already doing some things—educational outreach, special programs throughout the year in the schools, at embassies, we had a thing with the Cherry Blossom Festival. To me, the jazz festival is a year-round thing, and it’s a part of the heart and soul of this city.” Fishman, as any founder worth his soul, wants national recognition and respect for the festival. He tends to think big, including global—which is natural enough given his 20-plus years with the legendary Dizzie Gillespie. But he also sees the music and the festival as a living thing, part of the neighborhoods of Washington—hence, the “Jazz in the Hood” special, which can be found in parts of D.C. as different as Anacostia and Georgetown. “To me and people I know, Washington is about neighborhoods,” Fishman said. “I like living where I do, in Adams Morgan. It’s a lively neighborhood, the kind of place where the music is appreciated, and you can talk about it with your neighbors and friends. He’s living a life that seems to get richer—in terms of meaning, if not necessarily, money— with the passage of time, a development that seems to surprise him still. Fishman talks about his family—wife Stephanie Peters, an executive with Microsoft, and their son, Moses. “It’s our 10th anniversary this year,” he said. “She was a surprise to me. I was divorced, I’d been single for 19 years and I have three grown children. I just thought that was it, and I was going to spend the rest of my life alone. Then, I met Stephanie, and that was it. I’ll tell you, if anybody keeps the festival together, it’s Stephanie. ” He and his wife have a shared passion for jazz, and a devotion to their son. “He’s amazing. He’s a gift. He really is.” He’s a little something more—he’s steeped in jazz, which couldn’t be helped given his parents. He played drums, and now he’s playing piano. “Let me show you something,” Fishman said. He does some clicking and brings up a video of Moses confidently playing Thelonius Monk at age seven. For Fishman, jazz is the music he’s always heard running through his life. “I see the festival growing, taking on its own life,” he said. When it comes to his own life, he added: “the rest is not yet history.”★
COVER STORY
DC JAZZ FEST J
azz in the Hoods, Jazz Meets the Classic, Jazz and Family Fun Days, Jazz at theHamilton, Jazz at the Howard. It’s all that Jazz at the annual DC Jazz Festival June 1-10, with top drawer attractions, jazz legends and new blazing stars and musicians. As always the festival honors the living legends of jazz, with the presentation of its Lifetime Achievement Award to Kenny Barron, called the “most lyrical piano player of our time” by Jazz Weekly, and Ron Carter, a legendary jazz multitasker as bassist, cellist and author, an artist with more than 2,500 albums to his credit and numerous awards including two Grammies. The two men will be honored at the festival’s signature concert Jazz Meets the Classics in collaboration with the Kennedy Center on June 4 with a performances by the Classical Jazz Quartet (Barron, Carter, Stefon Harris and Lewis Nash), preceded by an opening concert with the festival’s co-artistic director Paquito D’Rivera and his Sextet. Other highlights of the Festival include the mushrooming in size and events Jazz in the “Hoods”, which splashes jazz, its music and performers city-wide with 80 performances at over 40 museums, clubs, restaurants, hotels and galleries. It’s presented by Events DC, and attracts a large and diverse audience and showcases D.C.-based jazz groups. Kicking things off in the ‘Hoods is Ron Carter headlining at the Bohemian Caverns, the popular jazz club on U Street, one of the key elements in the festival. Also part of Jazz in the ‘Hoods is the DC Jazz Loft Series, a three-day series of events that includes a minifestival on June 9. The Hamilton (on 14th Street), one of downtown’s newest clubs and hot restaurants, will be the Festivals main venue with ten nights of performances with such headliners as Monty Alexander, Jimmy Heath, Roy Hargrove, David Sanchez, Les Nubians, Marshall Keyes, Antonio Hart and others, along with Jazz Gospel Brunches, featuring with the WPAS Gospel Choir and Lori Williams. Jazz at the Howard highlights and celebrates the return of the restored Howard Theater, which only recently opened and will including such performers as Grammy Awardwinning vocalist Dianne Reeves and Italian guitarist Pino Daniele. A highlight of this year’s festival is a performance by Israeli clarinetist and saxophonist Anat Cohen at the Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, as well as six concerts co-presented by the Kennedy Center at its Milenniuim Stage, with performers like the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra, Origem and Malika Zara.★
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1. Monty Alexander 2.Kriss Funn 3. Lewis Nash 4. Paquito D’Rivera 5. John Scofield Trio Edity 6. Stefon Harris
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IN COUNTRY
Taste, Tour and Explore the Eastern Shore
BY AR I P OS T
As an after dinner treat, The Scottish Highland Creamery is a choice find, offering premium handmade icecreams—some of the best and freshest you’ll ever taste. The creamery sources local ingredients, fresh milk, cream and flavorings imported from Italy. And with over 600 flavors to choose from, there’s sure to be one that suits everyone’s fancy. The Mexican vanilla, double Belgian chocolate, fresh crushed strawberry and pumpkin pie are all must-haves. Perhaps no other event captures the spirit of Oxford like the annual Cardboard Boat Races staged each June since 1988. Launched from the shore of the Tred Avon River, the festive and colorful event begins at 11 a.m. and continues until all five races are complete. Boats are intended to be inexpensive and biodegradable, and contestants are strongly encouraged to be creative in their designs. The Oxford Picket Fence Project is another annual treat. Begun in 2009, the process begins with 18 unpainted red cedar wood picket fence segments. Local artists decorate the posts, reconfiguring and reinventing the fence in the process. Completed fences are then placed on display from Memorial Day to mid-September., scattered throughout town in fun and surprising locations, the locations designed around a town-wide treasure hunt. This is a unique event that showcases local artists, town history, charm and beauty.
Founded in 1683, Oxford is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Few towns have endured the marked phases of change that Oxford has. The landscape, once dominated by tobacco plantations and home to famous figures of the Revolution, later gave rise to oyster harvesting and packing industries. Despite the increase in tourism to the area, Oxford retains its small-town feel. It is a town that lets you feel at home almost as soon as you arrive. Perhaps the biggest draw to Oxford is the world-class cuisine. Those looking to dine in town would do right to give Pope’s Tavern, or else the Robert Morris Inn, a try. Both restaurants provide impeccable service and dining ambiance while affording incredible views of the water. At the Robert Morris Inn, Chef Proprietor and British Master Chef Mark Salter, brings a modern British sensibility to the kitchen combined with classical feeling. A Bay resident since 1993, Salter has immersed himself in the region’s cooking and seafood bounty. A friend to local farmers, artisan producers and the seasons, Salter turns to sustainability and the richness of Maryland’s local bounty of herbs, fruit and vegetables at every opportunity. His signature dishes St. Michael’s St. Michaels rests along the “Bay Hundred” go well with the wide array of vintages the inn has stocked. Dine in Salter’s Tap Room & Tavern stretch that runs to Tilghman Island. In its heyday, St. Michaels was a major shipbuilding cenor one Georgetowner.06.01_Layout 1 5/25/12 9:36 AM Page 1 of two 1710 dining rooms, a few feet from ter that produced such models as the Baltimore Oxford’s ferry dock. Oxford Clipper, which served as privateers during the
W
ith summer upon us, many District dwellers will participate in their annual early summer excursions. On long weekends—such as our gone-too-soon Memorial Day—Washington area residents retreat to their preferred fair-weather getaways. Resorts and B&Bs throughout Maryland and Virginia play host to those reveling in the year’s most vibrant and blooming weather. When making plans, finding less conventional avenues and avoiding throngs of tourists is a recurring trend. The Eastern Shore is less than a two-hour drive from DC and promises some of the season’s best activities. Spending the weekend on the Eastern Shore is an unconventional yet unparalleled experience, one sure to enliven your season. Talbot County, Maryland is a great escape—a world apart on less than one gas tank’s distance. The setting is rich with history and offers some of the best cuisine, family activities and outdoor activities to be found. What’s more, Talbot County presents visitors with several distinctive towns to choose from, each with a personality all its own. Guests to the area may choose to intimately explore one or town-hop for a taste of the entire area.
Revolutionary War and War of 1812. Thus, it should come as no surprise that the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is one of its premier attractions. Founded in 1965, the Maritime Museum occupies 35 buildings across 18 waterfront acres and features 10 exhibits that explore the geological, social, and economic history of the Chesapeake Bay. The museum also houses the largest collection of indigenous Chesapeake Bay watercrafts in existence. Ava’s Pizzeria & Wine Bar and The Crab Claw Restaurant are two popular local eateries. Ava’s is complemented by its diverse selection of beer and wine. The Crab Claw has served steamed Maryland blue crabs since 1965. Also worth a look is Bistro St. Michael’s, which rounds out the town’s wide range of restaurants. Not far off is the Inn at Perry Cabin. An elite escape, the Inn’s waterfront property offers a gorgeous panorama of the Shore at its finest. Though the inn has lost some of its exclusivity with an expansion to 78 rooms, the lavish accommodations and amenities make this less noticeable. In addition, the inn’s convenient location makes it the perfect place to stay if you plan on seeing the sights around “The Town that Fooled the British.”
Easton
The most urban of Eastern Shore towns, Easton just celebrated its 300-year anniversary, adding historic flavor to the vibrant atmosphere. But nestled just outside the town are family-owned farms, such as Chapel’s Country Creamery. Dairy cows graze its sprawling fields, attesting to Easton’s pastoral grandeur. The farm itself sells its all-natural produce on site.
P r o P e rt i e s i n V i r G i n i A H u n t C o u n t ry lavendeR hill
ChiMneys
bUCk spRing
fieldsTone
One of a kind property nestled on a ridge above Goose Creek between Middleburg & Upperville. Built by owner/architect, this gracious 4,600 sq. ft neo-classical, Italianate home features 4 Bedrooms, 4.5 Baths, 20' ceilings, 10' French doors, two 1st floor Master suites, Gourmet Kitchen, terra cotta tile floors, fireplace, terraced lawns & extensive gardens, pool with pergola, Guest House 1 Bedroom, 1.5 Bath with fireplace, terrace. Private yet close to town. $2,750,000
Main house, c1790 with later addition, is stucco over log and frame, has heart of pine floors, beamed ceilings, Guest Bedroom on the first floor, 5 fpls, 6 brs 5full ba, and 2 half ba, old boxwood and exquisite perennial gardens. Cozy Stone Guest Cottage, c 1770, is 3 floors with 1 br, 1fba overlooks pond. Pool House has flagstone floors, pickled walls, great for entertaining, 2 fpls. 2-car garage, barns, sheds on 12.5 acres. $1,595,000
Beautiful custom Colonial, built with handsome Flemish bond style brick, encompasses over 11.5 acres just 10 minutes from historic Miiddleburg. Ideally located in the Piedmont Hunt Territory, this home boasts over 4500 sq.ft. of spectacular living space with hardwood floors,4 fireplaces, 10" ceilings, library with custom bookshelves. Attached 3 bay garage.Land is perfect for horses or pool. $1,495,000
Custom Southern Living Home with grand front porch. Built of fieldstone and beautifully sited on a knoll with western views sFirst floor master bedroom with spacious walk-in closet and double master bath sCountry kitchen opens into the informal dining, family room and sun room s 3,000 sq. ft. unfinished, walkout basement s4 car garage s7 acres s1 mile west of Middleburg $1,375,000
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THOMAS -TALBOT.com
oak hill
on The RoCks
shen. RiveR faRM
Chinn lane
Beautiful "Oak Hill" is a 4 bedroom, 3.5 baths Colonial that is wonderfully sited on over 10 acres,that includes manicured lawns, magnificent gardens, a large pond and mountain views. Living Room, Dining Room, Library, Kitchen with Breakfast Room, Family Room.3 Finished levels, vaulted ceilings, gleaming wood floors and sun-lit rooms. Includes 4 car garage. $1,120,000
Fantastic one level residence on a private, fenced 1/3 acre parcel and “in town” location. renovatation with brand new Kitchen, 3 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths, new floor plan, French doors to terrace and exquisite perennial gardens. Spacious rooms with over 2300 square feet. Skylights, new windows and multiple French doors add light and warmth. Sun lit rooms. Beautiful decor! $929,900
Turn-key horse farm. Dressage, show jumping & cross country can be taught here on 18+ acres and only minutes from the I-81 & I-66 merge. Dressage arena,220x100, Riding arena, 100x250 and indoor 50x76. Brick Colonial sits majestically on a knoll in a curve of the Shenadoah River. Addtional 30 acres are leased for $1/year for grazing. $875,000
Step into this beautifully designed village home with its open feel. From the foyer enter the double living room w/wood burning fpl.; a wall of windows & doors lead to the stone terrace and gardens. 1st fl. master bedroom w/2 baths and spacious sitting room. 2 brs on second level w/excellent storage. 2 car gar. Recent improvements include new appliances, heating and cooling equipment. $750,000
Offers subject to errors, omissions, change of price or withdraw without notice. Information contained herein is deemed reliable, but is not so warranted nor is it otherwise guaranteed.
THOMAS AND TALBOT REAL ESTATE LAND AND ESTATE AGENTS SINCE 1967 A STAUNCH ADVOCATE OF LAND EASEMENTS
18 May 30, 2012 GMG, INC.
Telephone (540) 687-6500
P. O. Box 500 s No.2 South Madison Street Middleburg sVirginia 20117
IN COUNTRY
Poplar Island in Talbot County Additionally, many of the Shore’s best chefs use local creamers and farmers as their purveyors, strengthening Easton’s communal bonds. One such chef is Jordan Lloyd, whose Bartlett Pear Inn recently received the second highest Zagat rating in all categories for the East Coast. Lloyd owns the inn with his wife Alice, his fourth grade sweetheart reunited by fate 10 years later. The two embarked on a journey that led from Mason’s, another local favorite, to Michel Richard’s Citronelle here in DC, New York, Atlanta, Miami, and back again. Along the way, Lloyd apprenticed with four-star chefs at five-diamond and five-star enterprises, including DC’s Four Seasons Hotel. The end result is his upscale American bistro, where classic French techniques meet contemporary plate design, in an impressive 220-year-old establishment. You can easily spend a long weekend in the warm embrace of the Bartlett Pear Inn.
Poplar Island
Known as “the island that almost vanished,” Poplar Island amounted to around 1,000 acres in the 1800s. By 1990, erosion had cut the island into three separate chunks of land and squeezed it to less than 10 acres. Today, thanks to a suc-
cessful restoration effort led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, it has returned to 1,140 acres and may grow by another 570 acres before the project is finished. For now, it’s a unique destination for ecotourism, where visitors can charter boats around the premises, viewing wildlife and a burgeoning ecosystem in its infancy. The island is already drawing scads of wildlife—almost too much for biologists to keep track of. Ospreys, egrets, terns, herons, eagles, double-breasted cormorants, black ducks and other wild fowl have already been discovered on the island, unfazed by workers and heavy equipment that move and shape the dredge material that is bulldozed onto the island from barges. Diamondback terrapins are nesting in large numbers on the island, predominantly along the sandy beaches of the southeast. The Eastern Shore is an often overlooked and underutilized travel alternative. Add to this its breathtaking vistas and insulated townships, and the Shore might just be among the most well-guarded vacation secret in the country—for now. Now is a great chance to see it before it inevitably catapults into the national tourism limelight. ★
keswick, virginia 202.390.2323 www.castlehillcider.com events@castlehillcider.com
RiversBend On the James River- Southern style home built on the historic Kanawha Canal. At almost 7000sf, the three level home features custom hand painted murals, two story atrium and antique heart pine floors throughout. The third floor observatory’s octagonal design adds to the Jeffersonian attributes. 35 acres of equestrian pasture and park like setting with pool. Includes multiple private islands. 20 min to Richmond, VA. Ann Hay Hardy 202-297-0228
FRANK HARDY, INC. REALTORS FARM AND ESTATE BROKERS
info@rhettassociates.com
417 Park St. • Charlottesville, VA 22902 www.farmandestate.com Georgetowner 5-24-12.indd 1
po box 46, keswick, va 22947 434.296.0047 5/24/12 10:33 PM
GMG, INC. May 30, 2012 19
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 suggested. Complimentary valet parking. www.1789restaurant.com
BANGKOK JOE’S
3000 K St NW (One block from Georgetown Lowe’s theatres) 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
(202) 965-1789
CHADWICKS
(202) 333-4422
CIRCLE BISTRO
BISTRO FRANCAIS
3124-28 M St NW 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
BISTROT LEPIC & WINE BAR
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) 338-3830
(202) 333-0111
CITRONELLE
CLYDE’S OF GEORGETOWN
3205 K St, NW (est.1967) A Georgetown tradition for over 40 years, this friendly neighborhood restaurant/ saloon features fresh seafood, burgers, award-winning ribs, & specialty salads & sandwiches. 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. Overlooking the new Georgetown Waterfront Park ChadwicksRestaurants.com
One Washington Circle, NW Washington, DC 22037 Circle Bistro presents artful favorites that reflect our adventurous and sophisticated kitchen.
(202) 333-2565
(202) 293-5390
(202) 625-2150
(202) 333-9180
DEGREES BISTRO
DON LOBOS MEXICAN GRILL
FILOMENA RISTORANTE
2311 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
The Ritz-Carlton Georgetown, Washington, D.C. 3100 South Street, NW, Degrees Bistro features a traditional French bistro menu with an innovative cocktail and wine list. The restaurant design complements the industrial chic style of The Ritz-Carlton, Georgetown, and welcomes diners to unwind in the simple, modern comfort of a neighborhood eatery while enjoying a savory lunch or dinner at the hip bar or in one of the stylish banquettes. www.ritzcarlton.com/ georgetown
20 May 30, 2012 GMG, INC.
(202) 912-4110
Featuring Happy Hour weekdays from 5pm-7pm, live music every Saturday from 8pm12midnight, and an a la carte Sunday Brunch from 11:30am-2:30pm. Open dailyfor breakfast, lunch and dinner.
(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. Open for Dinner. Valet parking. www.citronelledc.com
3236 M St, NW This animated tavern, in the heart of Georgetown, popularized saloon food and practically invented Sunday brunch. Clyde’s is the People’s Choice for bacon cheeseburgers, steaks, fresh seafood, grilled chicken salads, fresh pastas and desserts. www.clydes.com
CAFE BONAPARTE
1522 Wisconsin Ave Captivating customers since 2003 Café Bonaparte has been dubbed the “quintessential” European café featuring award winning crepes & arguably the “best” coffee in D.C! Other can’t miss attributes are; the famous weekend brunch every Sat and Sun until 3pm, our late night weekend hours serving sweet & savory crepes until 1 am Fri-Sat evenings & the alluring sounds of the Syssi & Marc jazz duo every other Wed. at 7:30. We look forward to calling you a “regular” soon! www.cafebonaparte.com (202) 333-8830
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
www.circlebistro.com
2811 M Street NW Serving Washington since 1992, Don Lobos offers authentic Mexican cuisine. We use only the finest and freshest ingredients when making our traditional menu items. Famous for our Mole, and adored for our tamales. We also offer a wide range of tequila and the best margarita in Georgetown. Now serving Brunch Saturday and Sunday from 10-2. Hours: Mon-Thu 11am-10pm Fri-Sat 11am-11pm Sun 10am- 10pm (202) 333-0137
GOOD GUYS
1063 Wisconsin Ave., NW Filomena is a Georgetown landmark that has endured the test of time for almost a quarter of a century. Our old-world 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
Fine Dining & Exotic Entertainment in Glover Park since 1966.
(202) 338-8800
(202) 333-8128
Monday-Thursday 11am-2am Friday-Saturday 11am-3am Sunday 4pm-2am The kitchen is always open!
A GENTLEMAN’S CLUB ONLY 21 AND OVER, PLEASE www.goodguysclub.com
(202) 337-4900
MAI THAI
3251 Prospect St. NW Authentic Thai food in the heart of Georgetown. The warm atmosphere, attentive service, and variety of wines and cocktails in this contemporary establishment only add to the rich culture and authentic cuisine inspired by Thailand. With an array of authentic dishes, from Lahb Gai (spicy chicken salad) and Pad Thai, to contemporary dishes like Panang soft shell crab and papaya salad, the dynamic menu and spectacular drinks will have you coming back time and time again. HAPPY HOUR 3:30 - 6PM www.maithai.com (202) 337-1010
FOOD & WINE
PEACOCK CAFE
3251 Prospect St. NW Established in 1991, Peacock Cafe is a tradition in Georgetown life. 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
SEA CATCH
A Great American Lamb Jam
1054 31st St, NW Lovers of 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 Mon. -Sat. 11:30am -3pm Dinner Mon.-Sat. 5:30pm -10pm Closed on Sunday Happy Hour Specials at the Bar Mon. - Fri. 5 -7pm www.seacatchrestaurant.com (202) 337-8855
People’s Choice
SEQUOIA
3000 K St NW, Suite 100 Washington, DC 20007 Eclectic American cuisine, Coupled with enchanting views of the Potomac River make Sequoia a one of a kind dining experience. 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
SHANGHAI TEA HOUSE 2400 Wisconsin Ave NW Authentic traditional Chinese cuisine with a variety of Bubble Tea. Offering an elegant atmosphere. LUNCH SPECIAL $7.25 (Mon-Fri) comes with spring roll or hot&sour soup Hours: Mon-Thu 11am-10:30pm Fri-Sat 11am-11pm Sun 11:30am-10pm www.shanghaihousedc.com
(202) 944-4200
THE OCEANAIRE
1201 F St, NW 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. Lunch: Mon-Fri- 11:30am-5pm Dinner: Mon-Thur 5-10pm. Fri & Sat 5-11pm. Sun-5-9pm. www.theoceanaire.com (202) 347-2277
To advertise, call 202-338-4833 or email advertising@ georgetowner. com
T
he American Lamb Board hosted its second annual Lamb Jam in Washington, D.C. on Monday, May 21 at the Eastern Market. Hosted by 94.7 Fresh FM’s Tommy McFly, the event featured 18 of D.C.’s top chefs, who prepared ewe-nique American lamb tastes and competed for bragging rights in each of four cut categories and the chance to be crowned DC Lamb Master. Executive Chef John Citchley from Urbana was named “Best in Show” for the second year in a row, for his Lamb Leg Pupusa with Queso Blanco and Lamb Tongue Curtido. Chef Critchley will take his local Lamb Jam win to San Luis Obispo, California in September to battle other lamb-loving chefs in a Master Lamb Jam competition at Savor the Central Coast. Fans of lamb enjoyed butchery demonstrations from Wagshal’s Pam the Butcher, live music, Jefferson’s bourbon slushies and dozens of local beer and wine pairings. Competing chefs took home the following notable accolades:
AMERICAN LAMB TRIVIA •American Lamb is produced in nearly every U.S. state •Texas is the largest U.S. producer of lamb •American Lamb has a more generous meat-to-bone ratio than other lamb varieties. •The average American consumers only 1 pound of lamb per year—compared with 61 pounds of beef, 59 pounds of chicken and 46 pounds of pork. •Lamb is healthy! It’s a lean meat, with an average of 175 calories, 8 grams fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, and 80 miligrams of cholesterol per 3-ounce cooked portion. It’s also a good source of protein, vitamin B12, niacin, zinc, selenium, iron and riboflavin.
•“Best in Show Overall” and “Best Leg” – Chef John Critchley or Urbana for his Lamb Leg Pupusa with Queso Blanco and Lamb Tongue Curtido •“People’s Choice” – Chef Adam Sobel from Bourbon Steak for his Sausage and Peppers Lamb Sausage •“Best Loin” – Chef Rodney Scruggs of Occidental Grill & Seafood for his Dried Rub Grilled Lamb Loin Salad •“Best Shank” – Chef Dimitri Moshovitis of Cava Mezze Restaurant for his Braised Lamb Shank Ravioli •“Best Shoulder” – Chef Nick Stefanelli of Bibiana for his Stuffed Lamb Shoulder For more information about the American Lamb Board and to view winning recipes from the Washington DC American Lamb Jam, please visit www. FansofLambDC.com, like the American Lamb Board on Facebook or follow @FANofLAMB on Twitter.
Pupusa Winner-Critchley
GMG, INC. May 30, 2012 21
FOOD & WINE
COCKTAIL OF THE WEEK:
We Got the Beet BY JODY KURA S H Just in time for the upcoming summer season, the Museum of the American Cocktail hosted an event last week at the Georgetown Four Seasons Hotel celebrating popular drinks from South of the Border. Three bartenders from Bourbon Steak—Duane Sylvester, JP Caceres and Jamie McBain—each prepared cocktails featuring spirits from Latin America and the Caribbean. Sylvester, whose family hails from Trinidad and Tobago, presented two rum drinks, a classic punch and mojito. Caceres, from Bolivia, presented two traditional South American cocktails, the caipirinha, made with cachaca from Brazil, the pisco sour, and the forged frompisco, a Peruvian grapebased spirit. McBain presented the only original cocktail of the evening—a crimson-red tequila and beet juice concoction called “We Got the Beet.” Being a tequila lover, I am always on the lookout for non-traditional agave tipples. But for a person who doesn’t like beets, I approached this concoction with hesitation. I later learned that Jamie, himself, doesn’t eat beets either.
He developed the recipe after receiving multiple requests as a bartender for flavored margaritas. “I get asked to make flavored margaritas, which I don’t,” Jamie said sternly. “This is my small concession.” The classic margarita is a simple formula. Consisting of tequila, lime juice and a sweetener—usually an orange liqueur like Cointreau or triple sec—it yields a pleasing sweet and sour and potentially salty profile if you enjoy a salted rim. Jamie’s five-ingredient recipe of tequila, beet juice, agave syrup, lime and Averna Amaro, creates a multi-layered complex cocktail. Amaro—meaning “bitter” in Italian—is an herbal liqueur, usually enjoyed as an after-dinner digestif. It is produced by macerating herbs, roots, flowers, bark and citrus peels in alcohol, mixing it with sugar syrup, and allowing it to age in casks or bottles. Averna has a distinct herbaceous flavor that tempers the sweetness of the beet juice and highlights the root vegetable’s earthy quality. The result is a harmonious balance of sweet, sour, bitter and salty.
WE GOT THE BEET 1.5 ounces Partido reposado tequila .5 ounce beet juice .5 ounces Agave nectar .5 ounce Averna .5 Ounce lime juice. Salt Salt half the rim of your cocktail glass. Mix four ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake.Strain intoglass.
For tequila, Jamie uses Partido Reposado for this cocktail. Reposado—meaning “rested” in Spanish—refers to any 100 percent agave tequila, which has been aged between two and 12 months in oak barrels. Jamie enjoys the subtle smoky flavor the reposado tequila imparts in this drink. For those planning to make this cocktail at home, finding the beet juice can be tricky. A health food store that sells fresh juices may be your only pre-made option. Otherwise, you’ll need a juicer to make it at home. At Bourbon Steak, Jamie uses beets that have been steamed first. But if you would prefer a more pronounced earthy flavor in your cocktail, he suggests roasting the vegetables before juicing. In addition to their unique freshness, the beets,
IN-HOUSE PERIODONIST
will give this cocktail a stunning scarlet hue. If you don’t have access to a juicer at home, you can sample the “We Got The Beat” at Bourbon Steak located inside the Four Seasons hotel in Georgetown. For more information on upcoming seminars being hosted by the Museum of the American Cocktail, please visit www.museumoftheamericancocktail.org ★
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BODY & SOUL
TIMELY DECISION FOR A SUMMER SUIT SEASON: FDA Approves Cellulite Treatment, Turns the Tide BY CH A RL E NE L OUIS
I
t goes by many names. Cottage cheese, orange peel, hail damage. But whatever you call it, cellulite has been a scourge for bikini and swimsuit wearers for years. Unfortunately, when women pile on the winter pounds, it tends to sit stubbornly on our hips, bottom and thighs ... Just in time for summer. Since cellulite is a structural problem—the “cheese effect” only worsens as the pounds are added on. With age, hormones and genetics, the connective tissue that bands under the skin begins to stiffen and the fat cells they surround to become larger and push up into the skin. This creates the “cottage cheese” effect you that many of us wish we could eliminate. But there is good news! The Food and Drug Administration recently approved a one-time treatment method called Cellulaze that helps diminish the look of cellulite. Using a very small cannula (a narrow tube that is roughly the size of a pen tip), the Cellulaze™ laser is inserted directly under the skin and a controlled laser is used to treat the affected area. The laser diminishes the lumpy pockets of fat, releases the areas of skin depression and increases the elasticity and thickness of the skin. Because the cannula is so small, Cellulaze™ is a minimally invasive procedure that can be performed under
local anesthesia. Wondering what the catch is? There are few locations within the District at offer the treatment (which will surely change in the next few months) and depending on the size being treated, the cost of the one-time only treatment can range from $5,000-7,000. In general, people do pay upwards of $10,000 for cosmetic work and other forms of surgery, but this amount may be seem like pocket change to those seeking more confidence in shorts and bathing suits. For those looking for just a bit more confidence and not willing shed the skin pucker or the money for such a treatment, there are some at home remedies that can help reduce the appearance and provide you with the confidence to ask “Who wears short shorts?”
There’s a Rub
Steer from Salty and Sugary Snacks
Drink and Be Merry
In most cases, cellulite is simply part of the genes you were born with, but you can reduce their appearance with a healthy diet. This includes avoiding excessive sugar, which gets stored in fat cells and causes them to expand and try limiting your salt intake. Sodium causes fluid retention, meanwhile, which makes cellulite appear even worse.
Yoga With Attitude
Massages actually help reduce the appearance of cellulite. Because cellulite is comprised of fibrous connective bands between the skin and fat, the fat is pulled to the surface, causing the pocketed effect on skin. Pressure on the skin can help loosen the bands, stimulate circulation and drain excess fluids.
We’ve all been told to drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. Not many of us are walking around with liter bottles, but by increasing our water intake, we allow our bodies to flush out the toxins hidden between the fat layers which help reduce the apparence of cellulite. When we consume more water our skin appears healthy and plump ... which is much better than any lump.
A Lovin’ Spoonful of Flaxseeds
By adding flaxseeds to meals and salads, you can help the appearance of your cellulite. Flaxseed boosts collagen growth, the main component of connective tissue in our skin. By strengthening this, it reduces the appearance of cellulite. Just sprinkle a couple of tablespoons daily on oatmeal, cereal and yogurt to help prevent cellulite. ★
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CLASSIFIEDS / SERVICE DIRECTORY JOB OPPORTUNITIES
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Georgetown Media Group is the publisher of The Georgetowner and The Downtowner. We are a bi-weekly tabloid boasting a circulation of 50,000 in D.C. , Northern Virginia and Maryland. The following are opportunities that suit a career minded individual who is seeking exposure to the world of print publication.
Part time: Graphic designer will assist head designer in layout of both publications, photo editing and correction, design ads for current and potential advertisers, upload and edit editorial web content. Requirements include: knowledge of Adobe CS5 (Indesign and Photoshop), availability on Deadline days (every other Mon. & Tues.) a must! Comfortable working in a high energy, deadline oriented environment Submit resume and cover letter to jen@georgetowner.com
MEDIA SALES GMG seeks an experienced sales professional to sell B2B print, web and social advertising. A qualified candidate has experience generating revenue, meeting deadlines and building partnerships with clients to bring the highest quality of service that we’re known for. Work from home with regularly scheduled staff meetings and office support; ideal for stay-at-home people or retirees. Send resume, three references and cover letter outlining why you fit the bill. E-mail Info@Georgetowner.com or call (202) 338-4833.
To join other satisfied customers and place an ad in the classified or service directory, email jen@georgetowner.com or call 202.338.4833
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PERFORMANCE
Theater Round-up: Great Summer Re-Mixes BY GARY T IS CHL ER
J
uke joints and cabaret. Kander and Ebb show tunes. Bachelorettes and Falstaff. Artful comedy and noir fatales. Think Tony Kushner and Kramer and a post-electric play. In other words, theater never takes a vacation. Here are some random offerings of different kinds of theater, coming (or already there) to a venue near you. COMEDY IN TWOS — At the Shakespeare Theatre Company, Falstaff will vie with a great big hit already in place — the company’s 25th
‘Anniversary season ending with “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” in which the overweight knight figures as a foil for scheming wives. Stephen Rayne directs. (June 12-15) Already lined up for the company at the Lansburg is “The Servant of Two Masters,” proving that everything old is new again. This is a prime example of stylized, highly physical and funny commedia dell‘Arte, by Carlo Goldoni and adapted by Constance Congdon, is a big hit, and runs through July 8. NOIR IN THE THEATER—“Double Indemnity,” a classic novel by James Cain, turned into an
even more classic black-and-white noir thriller (starring Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck), directed by Billy Wilder, hits the Round House Theater as play adapted for the stage by R. Hamilton Wright and David Bichette. Insurance agent Walter Huff runs into femme fatale Phyllis Nirlinger in 1930s Los Angeles and together they plot to kill her husband. Where is that insurance duck when you need him? May 30-June 24. BACHELORETTES—David Muse, now in his second year as Studio Theater artistic director, takes the helm for “Bachelorette”. In this new play by Leslye Headland, three girlfriends ten years out of high school celebrate a classmate’s weddings. Probably not quite like the film, “Bridesmaids,” but more provoking. June 8-July 1.
MUSIC, MUSIC MUSIC AT THE KENNEDY CENTER—All kinds of popular music will hit
Rachel Spencer Hewitt as Beatrice, Allen Gilmore as Pantalone, Liz Wisan as Smeraldina, Danielle Brooks as Clarice, Andy Grotelueschen as Silvio, Liam Craig as Brighella and Don Darryl Rivera as Il Dottore in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of ‘The Servant of Two Masters,’ directed by Christopher Bayes. Photo by S. Christian Low.
the stage at the Kennedy Center. The first of the spotlight series of cabaret-style vocals initiated by Broadway legend Barbara Cook will conclude its season with Barbara Cook. For two nights only at the center’s Terrace Theater, June 15-16. Speaking of Broadway legends, the music of two of the Great White Way’s most prolific creators of hit shows—composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb—gets a great treatment at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater with “First You Dream” directed by Eric Schaeffer of Signature Theater, where the show had its beginnings. Think “Zorba,” “Cabaret,” “Chicago,” “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” “The Rink,”
“Funny Lady” and “Woman of the Year”. June 8-July 1. Next, there’s the Tony Award-winning “Memphis,” which takes you into the heart of the underground dance clubs of Memphis circa the 1950s. Gotta dance, gotta get bluesy, gotta sing, boogie, dance and more. June 12-July 1 at the Kennedy Center’s Opera House. POST-ELECTRIC—What is post-electric? Well, it’s a world without electricity, the postArmageddon of terrible times imagined by many and re-imaged by playwright Anne Washburn and directed by Steven Cosson at the Wooly Mammoth in “Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play.” There’s nothing: no radio, no TV, no Internet, no computers, no apps -- except to stay alive. For survivors, the best bet is to remember the glories of the past, like “The Simpsons” and Lady Ga Ga. So, they try to recreate the joys of the tech age without tech. Part of Woolly’s end-of-theworld-themed season, it’s really about the end of the world. They say it’s a brilliant work of cultural anthropology. We say it might be a lot of fun. Through July 1.
AIDS, LARRY KRAMER, THE NORMAL HEART—“The Normal Heart” is a revival of Larry Kramer’s classic about characters struggling to respond to the AIDS epidemic which ravaged New York’s gay community in the 1980s. The play is a landmark, and so was this recent revival which won a Tony Award in 2011. George Wolfe directs this first professional production of the revival in Washington. June 6-July 29. ★
TAKE METROBuS AND METRORAiL TO THE...
dc jazz festival
IN THE
jUne 1–10 2012
dcjazzfest.org or scan code for festival app
6/1: Akua Allrich/Randy Weston Trio, 8:30 PM 6/2: Les Nubians, 8:00 PM & 10:30 PM The Jolley Brothers, 12:30 AM 6/3: Lori Williams Gospel Jazz Brunch, 10:00 AM & 12:30 PM Charlie Sepúlveda & The Turnaround/David Sánchez Quintet, 7:30 PM 6/4: Ben Williams & Sound Effect/Jonathan Batiste & The Stay Human Band, 7:30 PM
This tour engagement of David Sánchez is funded through the American Masterpieces program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. The DC Jazz Festival® is a project of Festivals DC, Ltd., a 501 (c)(3) non-profit service organization. The DC Jazz Festival is sponsored in part with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, and by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. NEA Jazz Masters Live is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. © 2012 Festivals DC, Ltd. All rights reserved.
26 May 30, 2012 GMG, INC.
6/5: Antonio Hart Organ Trio/Jimmy Heath Quintet, 7:30 PM 6/6: Marshall Keys Group: The Soulful Side of Cannonball Adderley/Roy Hargrove Quintet, 7:30 PM 6/7: Roberta Gambarini/Cyrus Chestnut Quartet, 7:30 PM 6/8: The Brass-A-Holics: A New Orleans Celebration of the Life & Legacy of Chuck Brown, 8:00 PM 6/9: Etienne Charles Quintet/Monty Alexander’s HarlemKingston Express, 8:00 PM & 10:30 PM Victor Provost Steel Pan Band, 12:30 AM 6/10: Washington Performing Arts Society’s Men and Women of the Choir Gospel Jazz Brunch, 10:00 AM & 12:30 PM John Scofield Trio, 7:30 PM
MUSEUM
Beyond its Blooming Sculpture Gardens: Washington’s Best Outdoor Art Installations BY ARI POS T
B
etween the sculpture gardens at the National Gallery, the Kreeger Museum and Hirshhorn, there’s a lot to see around the streets of Washington. Throw in the fraternity of bronze-cast historic figures among those scattered throughout the city and there’s an all-star cast of artistic and historic characters around every corner. You’ll see Henri Moore and Henry Longfellow, Giacometti and Ghandi, Alexander Calder and Alexander Hamilton. Indeed, there are so many longstanding outdoor fixtures that we miss on our daily commute alone (who among us has ever actually seen a Boundary Stone?), that it’s all too easy to overlook a new public installation. Doug Aitken’s “Song 1” at the Hirshhorn was a deserved success before it came down early last month, with projectors flashing a fully encompassing video around the building’s elliptical façade to a remixed exploration of the 1930s pop song “I Only Have Eyes for You.” It left audiences wanting more of that interactive, environmentally specific experience. Thankfully, the Hirshhorn isn’t lacking for new outdoor installations, and neither is the National Museum of Women in the Arts. And now is just the right time of year to be outside and experience them.
Chakaia Booker Scultures Roll Into New York Avenue There is a peculiar group of sculptures on a well-kept, grassy median on New York Avenue between 12th and 13th Streets NW, amid the oil drum echoes of construction by Mount Vernon Square and the arterial bustle of downtown. Black and unusually textured, they appear almost aloof to their surroundings — curious as to what exactly is going on around them. This is the work of sculptor Chakaia Booker, the second artist selected for the National Museum of Women in the Arts’ (NMWA) New York Avenue Sculpture Project, the only public art space featuring changing installations of contemporary works by women artists. Booker, by integrating discarded construction materials into large outdoor sculptures, works here with recycled tires which she slices, twists, weaves and rivets into radically new forms. Tires resonate with the artist for their versatility and rich historical and cultural legacy: The harvest and production of rubber is entwined with a history of brutal colonization, cultural injustices and slave labor in Africa and the world beyond. Given the space they occupy, these sculptures are oddly modest in size, as if refusing to compete with surrounding noise and structures. They stick out from their environment by utter disassociation of urban aesthetics. They do not try to be big—and in this way they grow. These dancing forms, with interlacing planes that revolve through around each other, are Brancusian in their allusions. They are also suggestive of form and movement, while their texture and tactility remain rooted somewhere firmly in the earth of this world.
Booker Installation
They have the texture of nature, vines, bushes and nettles, like fictitious plants you might see in a Maurice Sendack illustration. Also like Sendack’s work, there is an undertow of darkness about them—a keyhole’s peek into a world of magnificent intrigue and epochal wrath. Perhaps it’s the wondrous patterns and textures against the sheer literality of the tires—once you get close to them, that is, the sculptures are upfront about their material: masses of diced, slit rubber and hundreds of heavy screws securing them to their skeleton. While there is a good chance you already passed them by without even noticing their presence, Chakaia’s sculptures are worth serious consideration. The good news is they will be on view through 2014, so there’s time to check them out. www.NMWA.org.
Ai Weiwei Turns Heads at the Hirshhorn “Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads” is the first major U.S. public art project by internationally renowned Chinese artist and political activist Ai Weiwei. The installation comprises a dozen bronze sculptures—each roughly ten feet tall— that represent the signs of the Chinese zodiac (the snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog, pig, rat, ox, tiger, rabbit and dragon). The sculptures are re-envisioned and enlarged versions of 18th Century heads that were designed during the Qing Dynasty for the fountain clock of the Yuanming Yuan (Garden of Perfect Brightness), an imperial, Europeanstyle retreat outside Beijing, that was pillaged in 1860. The Hirshhorn placed them encircling the fountain in the center of the Hirshhorn’s rounded courtyard. Weiwei went to great lengths to depict the animals with detail—from the veins in the rabbit’s forehead and the chicken’s grainy crown— in every surface suggestive of hair, feathers or skin. The heads cut off abruptly at the neck, the stanchions they are affixed to connecting
Ai Weiwei’s Zodiac Heads
rather artlessly underneath, as if the heads were each severed from the body and mounted on coarsely carved wooden spikes—like the pig’s head in William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies.” There is always a lot of history and politics on display at an Ai Weiwei exhibit—and I mean that in the best possible way. A noted dissident, Ai has spent his career speaking out against social and political oppression in his homeland. So all this begs a question: Why would Weiwei go to the effort of such odd and meticulous realism if he didn’t mean it to be perceived that way? The artist is a master of the conversation between abrasive confrontation (including a
photographic series of his own middle finger interrupting otherwise innocuous snapshots of historic Chinese landmarks—not limited to Tiananmen Square) and a symbolism and subtlety (covering the floor at London’s Tate Modern with hand-painted porcelain sunflower seeds—a commentary on mass consumption, among countless other things). Without forcing anything on the audience, the work at once raises disturbing questions about repatriation and intention—as well as our own blindness to suffering, religious misinterpretation and historical injustice. www.Hirshhorn.si.edu.★
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SOCIAL SCENE
Tudor Place Honors Austin Kiplinger at 20th Garden Party BY RO B E RT DE VANEY
Tudor Place Historic House and Garden — one of Georgetown’s and Washington’s greatest gems— fended off the rain and hailed its great benefactor, Austin Kiplinger, at its 20th annual spring garden party on May 23. The major social event raised major money for the Tudor Place Foundation, which maintains the 31st Street property and offers numerous educational and historical programs to the public. Tudor Place was the home of Martha Washington’s granddaughter and six generations of her descendants, the Custis-Peter family. As the honoree and media executive Kiplinger, who received a painting of Tudor Place, summed up the event by smiling at the esteemed crowd and saying: “My cup runneth over.”
Tudor Place trustee Dan Dowd (right) greets Ryuji Ueno and Sachiko Kuno, owners of two Georgetown historic properties, Evermay and Halcyon House, along with Ella Gorodetski.
Tudor Place executive director Leslie Buhler with event co-chairs, Marcia Mayo and Lucy Rhame.
Lisa Parker, Barbara Hawthorne and Teri Galvez.
Theresa Burt and Gregory Gingery.
The Spirit of Nooristan BY M ARY BIR D
Austin Kiplinger is presented a painting of Tudor Place by executive director Leslie Buhler and board of trustees’ president Timothy Matz.
Albert Beveridge with Sally and Buck Chapoton.
28 May 30, 2012 GMG, INC.
Newly elected French President François Hollande was needed at the G-8 Summit at Camp David so Ambassador Delattre could not be present at his residence on May 18 to welcome supporters of Nooristan’s “Evening of Hope” on May 18. However, guests were fortunate to hear insider remarks by special guest Madame Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund; Marc Grossman, U.S. Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Nooristan Foundation President Marie Kux. Against daunting odds, the Nooristan Foundation is many teaching Afghan women to read and write, while instilling them with an entrepreneurial spirit to help take control of their household resources.
Tehmina Khan, Gamila Karjawally, Sultana Hakimi, wife of the Ambassador of Afghanistan and Ann Kaplan (left to right).
IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, Bobbie Brewster
Thomas Coleman and Anna Gawal
SOCIAL SCENE
The Green Door Gala Opens Trees for Georgetown Growing On May 7, more than 200 Green Door friends and supporters of Green Door gathered at the J.W. Marriott in Washington, D.C. for the 2012 Remarkable Journeys Gala. The annual event celebrates those who are helping individuals with mental illnesses on their journey toward independence and also recognizes the achievements of their clients.
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Judy Collins
BY M ARY BIR D
On May 16, Patrick McGettigan welcomed supporters of Trees for Georgetown to his house on N Street’s historic Cox Row. A committee of CAG, Trees for Georgetown is an allvolunteer group that has, since 1989, planted nearly 2,000 trees, contracted watering services and provided preventive maintenance for atrisk trees. Trees for Georgetown partners with the DC Urban Forestry Administration and Casey Trees in an innovative program to plant residential street trees. Each tree costs about $800 to purchase and plant, funded entirely through gifts and grants. The group is eager to enlist young members.
Trees for Georgetown Chair Betsy Emes, Board Members Bob Laycock and Kitty Skallerup
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Green Door client Willie Williams
Host Patrick McGettigan stands next to a historically imagined painting he commissioned of Cox Row and his N Street home. It depicts Marquis de Lafayette’s arrival at Cox Row during his 1824-1825 national tour of the 24 states. Note the fellow with the top hat on the left in the painting — he’s reported to be McGettigan himself.
Gala co-chairs Tom Daschle and Wayne and Catherine Reynolds
Tim and Barbara Downs, Sharon Lockwood and Ed Emes
Marriott and NBC4’s Barbara Harrison
Gala co-chair Linda Daschle and Abby Blunt
Peter Baumbusch, Cindy Howar and Cherry Baumbusch
The Washington Nationals’ Lara Potter with Meghan Sullivan and Michael Cleary. GMG, INC. May 30, 2012 29
SOCIAL SCENE
160th Anniversary Closing Gala Shines Light on Accomplishments
Friday night’s closing gala (May 18) marked the end of more than a year-long event series commemorating the 160-year anniversary of the University of the District of Columbia. Amid the opulence of the Mayflower Hotel, UDC President Allen Sessoms thanked all those whose dedication and talent have helped to pave the way for a renaissance within the District’s only public university.
Upcoming Galas JUNE 2 Washington National Opera’s Opera Ball
UDC President Allen Sessoms and Council Member-atLarge Michael Brown.
Chaired by philanthropist Adrienne Arsht, the evening will begin with intimate, preBall dinners hosted by ambassadors in their residences. The ball continues at the United Arab Emirates Embassy for a festive evening of music, mingling and desserts. Contact the Kennedy Center’s Special Events office at 202-416-8396 or operaball@kennedy-center.org.
25th Annual Bark Ball
The Washington Humane Society’s 25th Annual Gala will be held at the Washington Hilton. This event is the only black-tie event where Washington D.C.’s movers and shakers can bring their canine companions as dates. A reception will be followed by an extensive silent and live auction, dinner, program, dancing and special surprises. Contact 202-6831822 or www.barkball.com.
JUNE 5 Dress for Success Washington, D.C., Mix It Up to Toast It Up A summer rooftop celebration benefiting From left: Doreen Gentzler, Jim Dinegar, Her Excellency Tebelelo Mazile Seretse, Barbara Lang, Michelle Hagans, Mayor Vincent Gray and UDC President Allen Sessoms.
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Dress for Success will be held at the Beacon Hotel Martini Skybar, 1615 Rhode Island Avenue, N.W. Call 202-269-4505, or email washington@dressforsuccess.org.
JUNE 6 Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards
The Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards will honor and celebrate women leaders worldwide who are the unsung heroines working to strengthen democracy, increase economic opportunity and protect human rights at the Kennedy Center Opera House. Contact Annie Lieberman at 202-380-9487 or annielieberman@vitalvoices.org.
St. Jude Summer Hope
An evening of fashion, food and fun will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital featuring a fashion presentation by MyDCStyle with accessories by Saks Fifth Avenue. Michel Richard Citronelle and the Latham Hotel. Call or email Devon Dupay at 703-3515171 or devon.dupay@stjude.org.
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PHOTOS AND TEXT BY JEFF MALET. WWW.MALETPHOTO.COM
1. The Annual National Memorial Day Parade, took place along
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Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C., on May 28. Consisting of entertainers, veterans’ units, marching bands and patriotic floats, the parade honored those who have served and died to protect our country. As always, the parade began with the marching platoons of each of our armed services. 2. Colonel Buzz Aldrin, USAF (Ret.) Legendary Apollo 11 Astronaut and Korean War veteran rides in the National Memorial Day Parade. 3. Members of the Baltimore police department salute their fallen comrades during a memorial service on the Capitol West Lawn on May 15. Thousands gathered in Washington from around the country for Police Week. 4. Grammy winner Natalie Cole performs a duet with her late father Nat King Cole. The annual National Memorial Day Concert on Sunday May 27 was interrupted midway through due to a weather emergency. But we were able to grab close-up photos of the entire performance at the previous day’s full dress rehearsal. 5. Members of the Korean Culture Ministry perform a dance with fans. In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the National Asian Heritage Festival’s Fiesta Asia held its seventh annual street fair covering three full blocks on Pennsylvania Avenue near the Capitol on May 19. 6. For the 25th year, the Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Rally thundered past the Capitol calling attention to veterans and those missing in action, on Sunday May 28. Mark Meuman from Champaign, Ill., shows his support.
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