The Georgetowner January 27, 2018 Issue

SINCE 1954

VOLUME 64 NUMBER 8

GEORGETOWNER.COM

JANUARY 24 - FEBRUARY 6, 2018

WOMEN MAKING WAVES

FOOD TRUCKS SCRIMMAGE WHAT GEORGETOWNERS WANT G.U. ATONEMENT CONTINUES AMAZON BOOKS BY SPRING? HAUTE & COOL: COLD WEATHER TREADS

IN T HIS IS SUE

IN THIS ISSUE NEWS · 4-7,9 Up & Coming Town Topics Crime Report

Community Calendar In Your Town

EDITORIAL/OPINION · 8 Jack Evans Report Editorials Letter to the Editor

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ON THE COVER “My outrage can’t fit on this sign,” reads the sign. Thousands of activists gathered on the National Mall and marched to the White House for the 2018 Women’s March on Washington, D.C., Jan. 20, demanding respect for women and protesting against President Donald Trump and his policies — one of several such protests around the country marking the anniversary of Trump’s first year in office. Photo by Jeff Malet.

WEB EXCLUSIVES Senate Votes to End Government Shutdown

BY PEGGY SANDS

Levine Music: Welcoming Aspiring Musicians

Around 2 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 22, it was clear that Democrats helped the Senate reach the 60-vote threshold to end the government shutdown. The final procedural vote to end the debate was 81 to 18.

COVER STORY · 12-13

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)

BUSINESS · 10-11 Ins & Outs

REAL ESTATE · 14 Commercial Property Featured Property

DOWNTOWNER · 15 STYLE · 16 Haute & Cool

FOOD & WINE · 17 Dining Guide Karma: Modern Indian in Chinatown

A Half-Dozen Gone But Remembered

BY GARY TISCHLER Our writer salutes musicians Edwin Hawkins and Dolores O’Riordan, sportscaster Keith Jackson, little- and big-screen stars Doreen Tracey and Dorothy Malone and California Sen. John Tunney.

Dolores O’Riordan performing with the Cranberries in 2010. Creative Commons.

ARTS · 18-19 Encounters with ‘Hamlet’ ‘Pickett’s Charge’ at the Hirshhorn

GOOD WORKS & GOOD TIMES · 20-21 Social Scene Events

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK To submit your photos tag #thegeorgetowner on Instagram! @jenmaltba “For some reason i’m really mourning the end of the holiday lights this year, so I’m loving that Georgetown GLOW light exhibits are still up!!!

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PUBLISHER Sonya Bernhardt

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Robert Devaney

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Charlene Louis

COPY EDITOR Richard Selden

FEATURES EDITORS Ari Post Gary Tischler CREATIVE DIRECTOR Aidah Fontenot GRAPHIC DESIGN Angie Myers Jennifer Trigilio PHOTOGRAPHERS Philip Bermingham Jeff Malet Neshan Naltchayan Patrick G. Ryan ADVERTISING Evelyn Keyes Richard Selden Kelly Sullivan Chesley Wiseman

SENIOR CORRESPONDENT Peggy Sands CONTRIBUTORS Mary Bird Pamela Burns Jack Evans Donna Evers Michelle Galler Amos Gelb Wally Greeves Rebekah Kelley Selma Khenissi Jody Kurash Sallie Lewis Shelia Moses Stacy Murphy Mark Plotkin Linda Roth Alison Schafer

1050 30th Street, NW 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, rewrite or refuse material and is not responsible for errors or omissions. Copyright 2017.

Please send submissions of opinions for consideration to: editorial@georgetowner.com For advertising inquiries email advertising@georgetowner.com or call (202) 338-4833

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UP & COMING

February Events Calendar JANUARY 27

POTOMACK COMPANY AUCTION This live auction at the Potomack Company will feature property from Owlwood, the former home of Mr. and Mrs. William Myron Keck in the Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles. In 1921, William Myron Keck founded the Superior Oil Company (now part of ExxonMobil) in California.

For details, visit potomackcompany. com. 1120 North Fairfax St., Alexandria, Virginia.

JANUARY 28

KING’S SINGERS AT ST. JOHN’S Celebrated for their commitment to perfection in blend, balance and intonation, the King’s Singers have an impressively diverse repertoire that encompasses masterworks from medieval to Renaissance and from lieder to jazz.

Tickets to this Georgetown Concert Series performance are $40. For details, visit stjohnsgeorgetown.org. 3240 O St. NW.

AROMATOUCH CERTIFICATION CLASS This class provides six hours of classroom and experiential instruction in the AromaTouch Technique, an application of doTERRA essential oils to the back and feet developed by Doctor of Chiropractic David K. Hill. Tickets are $149. For details, visit eventbrite.com. Balance Gym in the Fairmont Hotel, 2401 M St. NW.

JANUARY 29

TIM SHRIVER AT RISTORANTE I RICCHI Participants will join Tim Shriver, chairman of Special Olympics International, for an intimate exchange over dinner to discuss the power of including people with intellectual disabilities and other marginalized populations fully into society. Tickets are $79 (exclusive of tax and tip). For details, visit iricchidc.com/ events. Ristorante i Ricchi, 1220 19th St. NW.

FEBRUARY 4

FEBRUARY 10

For Super Bowl LII, the Ritz-Carlton’s Degrees Bistro is offering irresistible game-day snacks inspired by American bistro fare: beef sliders with chipotle aioli, fried buffalo wings with homemade garlic ranch dressing and chilled beers for the table. For details, visit ritzcarlton.com.

3100 South St. NW.

This concert by New Orchestra of Washington will feature Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana” arranged for two pianos and five percussionists and selections from “American Song Books”

by George Crumb for voice, four percussionists and prepared piano. Tickets are $30 ($15 for students and ages 12-18, under 12 free). For details, visit neworchestraofwashington.org.

First Congregational United Church of Christ, 945 G St. NW.

SUPER BOWL LII AT THE RITZCARLTON

FEBRUARY 5 AND 6 LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO

South Africa’s four-time Grammy Awardwinning group has warmed the hearts of audiences worldwide with the members’ uplifting vocal harmonies, signature dance moves and charming onstage banter. The performance will include tracks from “Songs of Peace & Love for Kids & Parents Around the World.” Tickets are $40. For details, visit wolftrap.org. Barns at Wolf Trap, 1635 Trap Road, Vienna, Virginia.

PROMOTE YOUR EVENT

FOR PREMIUM EVENT LISTINGS, PLEASE SEND INQUIRIES TO EVENTS@GEORGETOWNER.COM OR 202-338-4833

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NEW ORCHESTRA OF WASHINGTON

FEBRUARY 1 TO 28 ‘FROM ENO WITH LOVE’

For the entire month of love, Eno Wine Bar at the Four Seasons is offering a chocolate lovers’ elixir to celebrate Valentine’s Day: “From Eno With Love.” Tickets are $40 per couple (excluding tax and tip). For details, visit fourseasons.com. 2810 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. For more events, visit Georgetowner.com

TOWN TOPICS

NEWS

BY PEGGY SA NDS A N D R O B E RT D E VA N E Y

Food Truck Scrimmage on T.J. St. “I usually get three to four parking tickets a day. The fine is $30 per ticket and it’s a cost of doing business.”

Food trucks parked on Thomas Jefferson Street. Photo by Robert Devaney.

It starts about 6 a.m. every morning on the corner of Thomas Jefferson and K Streets, across from the grand entrance to Washington Harbour. Food trucks — those colorful mobile kitchens cooking up and selling falafel sandwiches, kabobs, tacos, cheesesteaks, chicken in various forms, hamburgers, ice cream, you name it — begin wrestling for public metered parking spots along the bottom half of Thomas Jefferson Street, one of the few two-way thoroughfares between M Street and the Georgetown waterfront.

There are nine public parking spots up the first half of the block, almost to South Street. Increasingly, a dozen food trucks can be seen vying for them. The word “fight” was used by some observers and food truck owners interviewed on Jan. 19 by The Georgetowner. “Even by 7 a.m., it’s already too late to get a spot,” several noted.

“The noise, smells and blocking of public parking and the two-way traffic flow from early morning to late afternoon by the large, garish trucks are generating a growing number of complaints,” said Bill Starrels, a longtime resident of the area and former Georgetown advisory neighborhood commissioner. “Some of the trucks park illegally overnight and for days. The kitchens are not cleaned properly,” Starrels said. “Can you imagine?”

The food trucks, which have to be licensed, are regulated by sanitary, health and public safety agencies. But the site is not a designated food truck area with participation by lottery, enforced (theoretically) by the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs and the

Metropolitan Police Department.

“At other D.C. sites, it’s worse,” said Andie Himmelrich, manager of the DMV Food Truck Association, who is the sister of Jessie Himmelrich, executive director of the newly opened Georgetown Main Street. “At 20th and L Streets, often 20 or more trucks fight over six spots. If it were a designated site, food truck owners would have to pay a fee to be part of the lottery that would give them one spot for one to three days.”

But that might not help much. “If a non-lottery holder takes a place, the lottery is only loosely enforced,” Himmelrich admitted. “The police have other priorities.”

As it is, in Georgetown, the metered parking spots are good for one hour. That is enforced several times a day. The truck operators shrug their shoulders.

“I usually get three to four parking tickets a day,” said Tony (no last name given), the owner of one of the nine food trucks parked along the street. “The fine is $30 per ticket and it’s a cost of doing business.”

Tony says he owns only one truck and the Georgetown site — with no delis or fast-food restaurants nearby — is crucial for him. “What’s really unfair is that some of the owners here have 10 or more food trucks. It’s not right that I have to fight for a spot for my sole business when other owners may get several.”

Tony thinks there should be some regulations about that. He mentioned the ever-increasing number of regulations for operators to be licensed (he said he is). But he’s unsure about a lottery designation and not a member of the association. “We are very

proactive with this issue,” said Lisa Palmer, the advisory neighborhood commissioner for the area. “There is value in city officials being engaged.” Possible solutions include a lottery designation, significantly higher parking fines for continual abusers and the withdrawing of licenses for significant violations.

“Lt. Valerie Stewart, a new Georgetown police officer assigned especially to the food truck issue, is really making things happen here,” said Starrels. “She’s making a real difference.”

“I love eating here,” said Cecilia Wassberg, walking back to work, falafel in hand, with a new colleague at the Swedish Embassy. Though she generally brings a lunch to work, and sometimes eats at a Washington Harbour restaurant, she purchases food from the trucks several times a month. She is one of many who appreciate the lunch options in the area, including along food truckcongested Thomas Jefferson Street.

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TOWN TOPICS

Bridge St. Books Becoming a Nonprofit

What Do Georgetowners Really Want?

Georgetown’s venerable (and sole surviving) bookstore, two doors down from the Four Seasons hotel, won’t close, according to Megan Ronan, who has managed the store for more than seven years. The store is looking to evolve into a nonprofit, perhaps a membership organization devoted to education through reading.

“We are mostly exploring the support we may have in terms of membership and fundraising,” Ronan told The Georgetowner Jan. 16. “We are very lucky to have so many people interested in it.”

After its gregarious and affable owner Philip Levy died unexpectedly last October, many in Georgetown were concerned that the store they love might close. Levy, who opened the narrow two-story shop in 1980, would often engage customers and drop-ins in lively conversations about books and issues of the day.

The store’s outdoor table of discounted used books almost always has a few browsers, thumbing through tempting copies of old and new classics, history and especially political books for $5 and up.

With a reputation for carrying books not found in other bookstores, as well as current titles, Bridge Street was characterized by Washington Post columnist George Will (whose office is nearby) as “a small island of individuality.” Others refer to it as “the

“More cutting-edge new restaurants as well as better ‘neighborhood’ eateries” turned out to be the most requested “want” identified in the just completed survey of Georgetown residents by the Georgetown Business Improvement District.

“We had a very robust response to the survey that was sent out last fall to Georgetown addresses,” Jamie Scott, the BID’s economic development manager told The Georgetowner.

“It was larger than expected and included a good mix of residents by age, gender, length of time in Georgetown and household size.”

It seems Georgetowners like to go out to eat. “From the survey, it appeared that Georgetowners were looking at all the cuttingedge new concept restaurants opening in other areas of Washington, D.C., like Shaw, downtown and the Wharf and wishing there were more here,” Scott mused. But at the same time, many respondents expressed the wish for more and better “neighborhood” restaurants, places in the middle price-range where friends and family could dine out midweek.

They also want more neighborhood boutique hardware and kitchen stores. And they want more small quality grocery markets. “There were indications that Georgetowners really are missing the Whole Foods Market in Glover Park,” said Scott.

intellectual’s bookstore.”

More than a bookstore, “It was a place of intense discussion, debate and conversation,” recalled Washington Hebrew Congregation President David M. Astrove at an Oct. 16 memorial gathering for Levy. Nowhere in D.C. is there anything quite like the store, which survived the closing of many others in Georgetown: Olsson’s, Barnes & Noble, the Saville on P Street, the Francis Scott Key shop on 28th Street, Bartleby’s on 29th. For new books, only Bridge Street remains.

In its new configuration as a nonprofit, the store will probably expand its calendar of readings and author events. “But we won’t be another Politics and Prose or Kramer’s bookstore,” said Ronan. “We all have different identities and niches. Ours is more literary than the others.” To date, the store’s readings have focused on poetry.

Most of the staff is expected to stay on. Rod Smith, the other full-time employee, has been there for 25 years. “Since he does most all of the buying, we expect to have a good continuity of offerings,” Ronan said. Four part-time staffers have about 10 years of experience.

“Anyone interested in getting updates about the store’s future can sign up for our blog,” she added. “We’re not sure yet when it all will happen.”

New Pathways.

New Possibilities.

“More cutting-edge new restaurants as well as better ‘neighborhood’ eateries”

Want something like the Fiola Mare at Washington Harbour, Georgetown? Owners Maria Trabocchi and chef Fabio Trabocchi’s restaurant has attracted the likes of the Obamas. Courtesy Fiola Mare.

The BID will present the report at the next ANC meeting on Monday, Jan. 29. The full survey and analysis of responses will be posted on the BID website afterwards.

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TOWN TOPICS

CRIME REPORT Contractor Carelessness Causes P St. Fire

Mayor Muriel Bowser reopens another D.C. public library — Palisades — on Jan. 20.

Courtesy Office of the Mayor.

Mayor Cuts Ribbon for Palisades Library Mayor Muriel Bowser cut the ribbon Jan. 20 at the new Palisades Library, just off MacArthur Boulevard at 4901 V St. NW, the District’s 18th library renovated or rebuilt since 2009. Joining the mayor were Ward 3 Council member Mary Cheh, At-large Council member David Grosso, DC Public Library Executive Director Richard Reyes-Gavilan and members of the DC Public Library board of trustees.

Following the opening of the West End Library in December, the Palisades Library is the first of three D.C. libraries to open in 2018.

Later this year, the Capitol View and Cleveland Park Libraries will reopen.

After its $8.2-million, LEED Gold modernization by the Georgetown-based team of Cox Graae + Spack Architects and MCN Build, the Palisades Library features new furniture, fixtures and flooring, seating for 200, a program room for up to 100, a 14-seat conference room and three small study rooms.

Adult visitors will have access to 12 laptops, making the Palisades Library the first District library to offer such access.

Unexplained Midnight Gas Work Neighbors on 29th Street NW were awakened around midnight Tuesday, Jan. 9, to the loud sounds of jackhammering. The next day, communications consultant Ed Segal, who lives around the corner on O Street, wrote to The Georgetowner that the noise was due to work the gas company was doing on a leak at the corner of 29th and Dumbarton Streets.

Washington Gas responded via Twitter: “Our records do not show any recent activity at this intersection.”

Segal is not surprised. For nearly a year, he has been observing, researching and making his complaints known about loud, long,

undocumented late-night work that seems to be unaccounted for in gas company records.

Even worse is the disruption caused by the gas company reserving, sometimes for a week or more, a half block or an entire side street of parking spaces for vehicles and crews that never come.

In his missive, Segal asked: “When will the gas company be held responsible for their continued lack of communication, transparency and accountability to the Georgetown community over the never-ending cycle of gas leaks, repairs and leaks above and below our street?”

G.U. to Get ‘Gender Inclusivity’ Dorm Georgetown University’s Office of Residential Living will provide a “Living Learning Community” dorm for 500 mainly LGBTQ students beginning in September. “It is intended to serve as a community space for conversations about inclusivity issues pertaining to gender and sexual orientation while remaining true to Georgetown’s Jesuit values,” according to Todd Olson, vice president for student affairs at the venerable Catholic university.

The latest addition to 13 themed residences on campus, called LLCs, will be named Crossroads LLC. “It is dedicated to the themes of gender and sexuality,” according to Olson. The themes of other LLCs include culture and the arts, entrepreneurship and intercultural living.

“In addition to providing a student-led

space as a resource for queer students, this LLC will also ease the housing process for LGBTQ students,” stated GUPride President Chad Gasman, a member of the Georgetown College class of 2020, in a Jan. 12 article in campus newspaper the Hoya. “For trans students especially, housing is a very difficult and stressful process,” Gasman wrote. “What this means for the LGBTQ campus community is, in so many words, an assurance of safety and comfortability.”

According to the Hoya, the Out for Change campaign — launched in response to alleged bias-related incidents that occurred on campus in 2007 — sparked a historic town hall on LGBTQ inclusivity convened by University President John J. DeGioia that October.

“Aggressive inside attack in progress,” tweeted D.C. Fire and EMS as the department responded to a house fire Jan. 20 on the 3300 block of P Street NW. Residents were not at home. There were no injuries and there was no extension to adjacent homes, per the department, which added that the fire was “caused by contractors either unlicensed or without proper permits. Don’t put your home or business in jeopardy by allowing this to happen.”

Secret Service Investigates Auto Thefts Near Rose Park Police were called to the 2600 block of O Street NW Jan. 21 about two car break-ins and broken windows. One car had diplomatic plates from the Embassy of the Netherlands.

Shoes and a candle from one vehicle were found dumped in front of the second car across the street. Along with Metropolitan Police, Secret Service Uniformed Division officers responded due to the embassy connection. A few weeks earlier, another car was broken into in the same area. Paper was scattered around and a box cutter was stolen from a car.

Stabbing Reported at Wisconsin & O

D.C. firefighters put down the P Street house fire as neighbors watched and homeowners were away. Courtesy D.C. Fire & EMS,

According to the Citizens Association of Georgetown, on Jan. 23 there was “a stabbing at Wisconsin Ave and O Street at 3:18 a.m. There is no lookout [i.e., description of suspect] and no further information at this time.” Metropolitan Police Department Commander Melvin Gresham emailed CAG: “This appears to be an isolated incident. The victim in this case has been evasive in his responses as to what transpired.”

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EDITORIAL / OPINION

Jack Evans Report

Derailment Underscores Case for Funding

BY JAC K EVAN S

GU’s Atonement for Slave Sale Continues In the last year or so, Georgetown University has earnestly taken on the task of righting an awful wrong — if such a thing can be done.

The university is confronting a tragic episode in its history: the 1838 selling of 272 enslaved African Americans owned by the Society of Jesus, the Roman Catholic order of priests, which founded the college in 1789.

Last April, after meetings with some descendants of those enslaved, the university offered a formal apology and renamed two main campus buildings to honor Isaac Hawkins, an enslaved youth, and Anne Marie Becraft, an educator of black women. It also launched a program of special legacy admissions for descendants of the 272 individuals.

In a Jan. 12 message to the descendants, the university and the Jesuits wrote: “In conversations with many of you, and through reflection and prayer, we have sought to determine additional ways that we could work together to best contribute to addressing the ongoing consequences of slavery.”

The message continued: “Our conversations have reinforced the importance of building a strong and lasting framework for dialogue, partnership, and collaboration among the Descendants, Georgetown, and the Jesuits.

We believe that developing this framework from a set of guiding principles can enable us to work together on important ideas over

the long-term. Our histories are inextricably linked and, in that spirit, we seek ways to move forward together.

“With a sense of humility and gratitude, guided by the many conversations we have had with Descendants, we wish to propose a draft set of principles for your consideration and to hear from you your ideas and reflections. We believe seeking engagement and consensus around a set of principles can help us move forward in developing a partnership and determining the most meaningful and significant ideas for our communities to pursue together.”

It seems they’ve just begun. Some ask: Is it enough? One group is seeking more than dialogue; it is expecting direct restitution, if not reparations. Another group previously called for a foundation with a $1-billion fund.

These groups point to the profit from the sales of slaves that helped pay off the debts of the financially strapped school at the time, ensuring the future of what is now a thriving 21st-century university.

Georgetown University has entered a humbling era, ready for its own Lent, made even more poignant by the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. this April. In the years ahead, we may just find out what is enough.

Letter to the Editor: Burleith Hypocrisy I have lived in Burleith since 1983. A lot has changed since then. For instance, back in the day, when Georgetown University wanted to increase the student enrollment, the Burleith Citizens Association went to war with GU to build a dormitory to accommodate the additional students.

Residents of Burleith felt that absentee owners, landlords of student housing and students let the properties get quite rundown and were not good for Burleith’s property values.

Since then, there has been a decline in students living in Burleith. Many of the landlords of those properties sold them to Blue Water or Bogdan Construction.

These companies tore down the existing buildings and built new homes that sold for over $1.2 million each. Young families have moved into many of the new properties. Burleith does not have a historic preservation designation and

probably never will.

My point is this: [as noted in The Georgetowner’s Jan. 10 article, “Burleith Pop-Up Gets Thumbs Down“] 15 neighbors objected to the new construction at 3608 S St. NW, but many other neighbors were not even asked. Furthermore, the hypocrisy stinks to high heaven here. Either you want student housing or it’s okay to replace the houses with new ones. If not one or the other, what’s the choice? For the record, 3612, 3620, 3628 and 3635 S St. NW have all been build out to the spec disapproved at the Jan. 3 ANC meeting.

Are these select 15 now the official “if we don’t like it, you can’t have it” committee?

The folks who run the Burleith neighborhood should take a good look in the mirror to decide what it is they really want.

- Name withheld at writer’s request

Where is your favorite winter getaway?

Your opinion matters. Post your response to Facebook.com/TheGeorgetowner Submit your editorial ideas to editorial@georgetowner.com

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JANUARY 24, 2018

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Last week, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Metro experienced another derailment, this time on the Red Line at the Farragut North station. More than 60 passengers were on board at the time the train met a rail that cracked, causing three cars of an eight-car train to leave the tracks.

Several issues were evident after an initial assessment of the situation. The cracked rail was inspected multiple times just days before the incident and raised no red flags.

Metro employees communicating by radio experienced spotty reception in “dead zones,” leaving them unable to effectively communicate in an emergency situation.

I commend D.C. Fire and EMS for their exceptional work in making sure everyone was evacuated safely. There were no injuries immediately after the incident or during the evacuation process. The emergency response was much better than the response to the L’Enfant Plaza smoke incident three years ago.

I take these issues very seriously and have called for a special Metro Safety Committee meeting on Jan. 25 at Metro headquarters, 650 5th St. NW, at 9 a.m.

All of this comes in front of a backdrop of a pivotal moment — both for Metro and for the region. For the first time in Metro’s history, it seems as though the region is on the edge of a deal that could bring dedicated funding to the aging rail system. The District Council, the

Maryland and Virginia state legislatures and the U.S. Congress have bills which would address funding and governance.

While this has been the most encouraging moment in the ongoing attempt to secure dedicated funding, regional leaders have to meet various deadlines in order to avoid going off a cliff on this issue. A critical benchmark for the region is March 10, when the Virginia General Assembly adjourns. A bill for funding must be approved by that day by both the Virginia and the Maryland legislatures (Maryland’s session ends April 9).

The District Council works year-round and a hearing will be held by the Committee on Finance and Revenue in February to discuss our proposal for a dedicated funding contribution: the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Dedicated Funding Act. The second important benchmark is July 1.

If a dedicated revenue source is not identified for Metro by this date, then the system will experience drastic service cuts that will affect the entire region.

Incidents such as the latest derailment underscore the case for bondable, dedicated funding for Metro, which is desperately needed.

I implore the jurisdictions to come up with the funding source to help fix the region’s transit system.​ Jack Evans is the District Council member for Ward 2, representing Georgetown and other neighborhoods since 1991.

Facing Online Competitors, Stores Get Creative As an unrepentant fan of local retail, The Georgetowner has challenged the idea that online shopping will wipe out our brick-andmortar stores. Online and face-to-face shopping have their own advantages and disadvantages; each has its niche. But they have to be creative.

Owner-run shops in Georgetown are rightly proud of their personal service. Unlike the online matching of ads and offers with individuals, based on algorithms and data gathered from (where else?) the internet, the sales staff of brick-and-mortar stores can really get to know their clients’ tastes, needs and desires, up close and personal.

Several Georgetown stores on Wisconsin Avenue offer examples.

Mariam Heydari, the owner of Jaryam, a high-end swimwear and lingerie shop, tells how she will see an item at a New York trade show, have a revelation that a particular customer would really like it, email them a photo of the item and offer to bring it by for a try-on.

Adam Mahr, the owner of A Mano, tells how one regular customer came to the store looking for a birthday gift for his friend, another regular customer. Mahr steered him to just the right gift, which Mahr had seen the friend considering.

Bassan Al-Kahouaji, the owner of Bacchus, a wine store specializing in small vineyards, knows which customers like a good Chardonnay,

for instance, and will call them when a new one he thinks is special comes in. Often, customers drop by for a taste and a chat.

But online and brick-and-mortar stores can also work together, each increasing the other’s business. “They can blend the best of both the online and the in-store experience,” a Jan. 11 article in USA Today Money pointed out. Shops can carry products previously only obtainable online. “Cosmetic hubs likely can help attract shoppers who then stay and buy other products,” noted the article.

Amazon appears to be morphing into a hybrid. An Amazon bookstore will open in Georgetown on M Street in the near future. In the meantime, neighborhood stores are arranging to take deliveries for customers concerned about packages ordered online arriving at their unattended front doorsteps; the 7-Eleven on the corner of P and 27th Streets, open 24 hours, has lockers in the back where items ordered from Amazon can be received and retrieved.

According to Charles O’Shea, senior retail analyst for Moody’s Investors Service, “Anything a brick-and-mortar retailer can do to get you into the stores has to be viewed favorably.”

Georgetown can only benefit from these creative partnerships.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR THURSDAY, JANUARY 25 HISTORIC PRESERVATION REVIEW BOARD

IN YOUR TOWN TO WN - GO W N LI N K :

GU’s Office of Neighborhood Life

The District’s Historic Preservation Review Board will meet at 9 a.m. at 441 4th St. NW in Room 220 South. For details, visit planning.dc.gov.

MONDAY, JANUARY 29 ADVISORY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION 2E ANC 2E represents the Burleith, Georgetown and Hillandale neighborhoods and reviews development in the historic district and local liquor licenses. The monthly meetings begin at 6:30 p.m. at Georgetown Visitation Prep, Heritage Room, 2nd floor, 35th Street and Volta Place NW. For details, visit anc2e.com.

Office of Neighborhood Life staff members Catherine Finnegan, Gwendolyn Coleman, Samantha Herrell and Cory Peterson. Georgetowner photo.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1

B Y R O B ERT D EVAN EY

OLD GEORGETOWN BOARD

OGB meetings are held at 9 a.m. on the first Thursday of every month except August at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW, Suite 312. For details, visit cfa.org.

Send your community event listing to editorial@georgetowner.com or call 202-338-4833.

CONTACT FOR NEIGHBORS To discuss the university’s presence in the neighborhood, call Cory Peterson at 202-6875138 or email neighborhoodlife@ georgetown.edu. After business hours, call the Georgetown University Helpline at 202687-8413 or visit studentliving. georgetown.edu/off-campus.

INFORMATION FOR LANDLORDS Landlords concerned about the home and safety conditions of students in the neighborhood are referred to the university’s “Properties of Concern” and “Safety Tips” webpages.

ADDITIONAL CONTACT Christopher Murphy Vice President for Government Relations and Community Engagement 202-687-4403 christopher.murphy@ georgetown.edu

It is intentional that Georgetown University’s Office of Neighborhood Life sits “outside the gates” at 36th and N Streets, says Cory Peterson, director since 2013 of the office, which was created as part of a historic agreement between the university and Georgetown residents.

In August of 2012, when town and gown reached an accord after years of discussion, Ron Lewis, who then chaired the GeorgetownBurleith Advisory Neighborhood Commission, said: “This is an extraordinary event in the life of our community, and it’s very promising.

We have found a way — the community and the university, together — that offers a new cooperative spirit and real results on issues that have divided us for years.”

The deal, which approved the university’s 10-year campus plan, limited the school’s additional growth outside its main campus in zip code 20007, capped student enrollment at certain intervals and called for additional on-campus dormitories “to centralize student social life on the campus.”

Many of these goals have been attained.

There is a new dorm named for Pedro Arrupe, S.J., as well as the renovated New South Dormitory at the western terminus of Prospect Street, which houses the Healey Family Student Center. Student housing was reduced on the university’s “Magus Row” on 36th Street.

Reducing traffic congestion and relieving the immediate area’s parking challenges were also part of the deal.

Gone are the days of Georgetown students simply living in the neighborhood because the university lacked adequate campus housing.

Students are now told: “Living off campus is a privilege and an opportunity for learning and personal growth. It is a time when you are not only a student at Georgetown but also a member of a local community, whether it’s in the District, Virginia, or Maryland.”

Times have changed, with rules firmly in place for those who live outside Healy Gates — following “clear standards for appropriate offcampus behavior and a results-based system for maintaining the peaceful, quiet atmosphere of our residential neighborhoods.”

The school tells its students “to be responsible citizens and good neighbors.

All Georgetown students are expected to comply with Georgetown University policies, the Code of Student Conduct, the Office of Neighborhood Life policies, local laws, and general community standards of consideration for kindness toward others.”

That’s where the Office of Neighborhood Life, located in a small yellow row house at 1301 36th St. NW, comes in.

Peterson — who joined the Georgetown University administration with a bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Utah and a master’s in educational administration from Texas A&M — works with four full-time staffers, two of whom live in the neighborhood.

An assistant director is soon to arrive.

Among other responsibilities, the office coordinates SNAP, the Student Neighborhood Assistance Program, a service that also responds to bad student conduct off campus.

The office sometimes employs off-duty cops.

It also checks on trash disposal, yard cleaning and snow shoveling. (Students can pick up a shovel or a rake at the office.)

Off-campus students must keep their address updated with the school, attend a mandatory “Hoya Living Off Campus Orientation” and sign up for bulk trash pickup, if needed, when moving in or out.

On its website, the office offers advice on leasing and landlord verification, as well as a message to landlords on accountability.

Peterson works to ensure that students are “more mindful of residents,” especially when it comes to noise. The office gives out placards that read: “Know Your Noise” … “Don’t disturb Jack the bulldog’s beauty sleep.”

The office also explains how house parties and excessive noise can become disorderly conduct, a criminal offense. From time to time, Peterson gets an earful from close-in neighbors who complain of rowdy students celebrating a homecoming or partying too long into the night. (In 2016, he and the university had to apologize to Georgetowner columnist and university neighbor Michelle Galler for a group of drunken students and alumni in front of her house, an incident that made the news.)

Nevertheless, for residents who have lived in Washington’s oldest neighborhood for years if not decades, the office serves

as a welcome addition to better relations with the hometown university, as part of the Georgetown Community Partnership.

To underscore that, the Burleith Citizens Association gave the unassuming Peterson an award of appreciation for his “exceptional cooperation with the residents … that has forged a welcome collegiality.”

Meanwhile, Peterson continues to give obvious but essential advice young adults ought to heed: “We further encourage you to conduct yourselves in ways that reflect the best of who you are and the best of the university, and to be women and men for others.” If only it were that easy.

OFFICE OF NEIGHBORHOOD LIFE MISSION STATEMENT The Office of Neighborhood Life supports all students, nonstudents, and permanent residents in the communities surrounding Georgetown University. Our office will educate students about university policies and local ordinances; continue to build and strengthen neighborhood relations by facilitating dialogue; and promote civic citizenship to create a positive quality of life for everyone living in the neighborhood.

CORRECTION In the Jan. 10 Georgetowner, the email address for Richard Livingstone, Ward 2 liaison in the Mayor’s Office of Community Relations and Services, was incorrect. It is richard.livingstone@dc.gov.

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JANUARY 24, 2018

9

BUSINESS

INS & OUTS

BY R OBE RT DEVA NEY A N D S E LM A K H E N I S S I

In (Reopened): El Centro D.F.

Demo Work: Pier 2934

Walking around Wisconsin Avenue and M Street NW, you may have noticed a business announcing its comeback with great fanfare: “We are back on fire.” Mexican restaurant El Centro D.F., 1218 Wisconsin Ave. NW, reopened after being closed for two weeks because of the damage done when firefighters used its space to put down a fire next door on Dec. 15. The restaurant needed to get building permits to repair a third-floor wall.

A demolition permit has been issued for 2934 M St. NW, where seafood-focused restaurant Pier 2934 used to be. The notice on the front window indicates that a restaurant, listed as belonging to the category “Restaurants A-2,” will be replacing Pier 2934 (same category).

Out (Sort of): Lynn Louisa The future Amazon store at 3040 M St. NW. Georgetowner photo.

In (Coming): Amazon on M St. The odds are looking good for D.C. to snag HQ2, the second headquarters for Amazon, the retail giant founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, owner of the Washington Post. Of the 20 shortlisted cities, Oddshark.com reported that, as of Jan. 19, betting website Bovada had Nashville as the +800 favorite, with D.C. close behind at +1000. The other front-runners were Atlanta (+1200), Austin (+1400), Dallas (+1400), Philadelphia (+1400) and Indianapolis (+1500).

Meanwhile, Amazon has already selected Georgetown, where a bricks-and-mortar presence is under construction. The company is moving its first D.C. bookstore into the retail space at 3040 M St. NW, next to the building that once housed a Barnes & Noble.

Amazon also plans to open a store in Bethesda, Maryland.

Jeff Bezos. Courtesy Amazon.

Friday, March 2 6 - 9 p.m.

House of Sweden 2900 K Street NW Join the Georgetown Community as we celebrate and thank retiring Officer Antonial Atkins for his 28 years of service to Washington, D.C. and 10+ years of dedication to Georgetown.

For questions and to RSVP, please email: atkinscelebration2018@yahoo.com.

JANUARY 24, 2018

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In the Jan. 10 Georgetowner, Business Ins & Outs erroneously reported that Pearson’s Wine & Spirits, 2434 Wisconsin Ave. NW, is for sale — building and business — for $5.2 million.

A representative of Pearson’s contacted the newspaper last week to assert that the report was incorrect. (A Glover Park news blog and a real estate website still indicate otherwise.) It is unclear if the 18-space Pearson’s parking lot remains available in a separate sale.

Group Pushes to Keep Johnson’s Open

SAVE THE DATE

10

Women’s clothing retailer Lynn Louisa, which describes itself as focusing on “young luxury and off-duty style,” shut down its brick-and-mortar store after Dec. 23. However, fans of the shop can still buy items through its website. A note where the store used to be at 1631 Wisconsin Ave. NW said that while its online presence is growing — a few of the new arrivals were already sold-out as of this writing — the support from store customers for two and a half years is not forgotten.

Correction: Pearson’s Is Not for Sale

The latest from a community group fighting to keep Johnson’s Florist and Garden Center at Van Ness and Wisconsin Avenue open: At an emergency meeting at American University on Jan. 18, the Ad Hoc Committee to Save Johnson’s Florist and Garden Center pressed representatives of American University, owner of the property, to involve A.U. President Sylvia Burwell in the Johnson’s controversy.

The ad hoc committee continues to ask for Burwell to meet with the Ad Hoc Committee and act to Save Johnson’s.

The call for a meeting with Burwell, first issued when the community learned that Johnson’s was closing in early January due to a hike in rent, was made directly to Assistant Vice President Linda Argo as she presided at a meeting of the A.U. Community Liaison Committee. Argo said that Burwell was at a basketball game but that the request would be transmitted and the answer delivered to the Ad Hoc Committee.

Said Judy Chesser of the ad hoc committee: “It is not enough to say that lower level AU ‘officials’ went through the appropriate ‘process’ since they came up with the wrong answer. Only President Burwell has the authority to meet A.U.’s societal obligations as a tax-exempt entity. President Burwell should make good on A.U.’s claim to be ‘a valuable and valued community partner.’ President Burwell should respond to the online petition, with over 2,000 signers, the community letters, the alumni letters and other appeals about saving Johnson’s.”

There will be a Feb. 26 community meeting with American University President Sylvia Burwell — 7 p.m., town hall; 8 p.m., reception; Constitution Hall, East Campus, 3319-3395 New Mexico Ave. NW. RSVP to communityrelations@american.edu.

FOR MORE BUSINESS VISIT GEORGETOWNER.COM

FOLLOW @THEGEORGETOWNR

BUSINESS

Levine Music:

Welcoming Aspiring Musicians

BY SEL MA K HENISS I

Levine Music’s main campus in Van Ness. Courtesy Levine Music.

So — you decided that you want to invest some time, money and effort into music lessons for yourself or your child. Where to turn?

Rhonda Buckley, who recently joined Levine Music as head of campuses and strategic development, wants to convince people that the benefits of music are accessible to anyone who takes that step toward furthering his or her musical acumen.

“Everybody can do it,” said Buckley, known to many in D.C. as the founder and longtime executive director of the Sitar Arts Center in Adams Morgan.

Luckily for people who live in the Washington area, Levine Music offers multiple locations: Northwest D.C.; Southeast D.C.; Silver Spring and Bethesda in Maryland; and Arlington, Virginia.

Levine Music was founded in 1976 in a small church basement through the combined efforts of Diana Engel, Ruth Cogen and Jaclin Marlin. The three decided to start the school in honor of the late Selma M. Levine, an attorney and amateur pianist who encouraged young musicians to further their craft. Levine died in 1975 in an automobile accident.

From the beginning, the school encouraged people to take part in music classes from an early age. Through its First Music program, children as young as four months old can take a class, as long as a parent or a caregiver is present. First Music is for children up to 8 years of age. There are also programs for children between the ages of 4 and 12 and for those between 13 and 18.

Levine also brings music to families that are economically challenged. According to the website, more than 650 children receive free or subsidized instruction annually.

With close to 200 faculty members, the departments include guitar, percussion, piano, strings, voice and woodwinds and brass, along with jazz, rock, Act Two (musical theater), chamber music, composition, music therapy and Suzuki.

As an adult, it is easy to believe that it is too late to try to become some sort of musician, but there is a division for people over 18.

Levine brings music to families that are economically challenged.

According to the website, more than 650 children receive free or subsidized instruction annually.

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• Locally, Family Owned & Operated • Over 30 Years in Business • Full Service Moving & Storage to include: • Residential Moving Local & Long Distance

It wouldn’t be surprising for someone with little music experience to feel sheer terror at the thought of stepping into a new field of knowledge. One might even think that Levine would be a place where newcomers are immediately judged on their ability, as though they were trying to audition for “The Voice.”

The About page on the website is reassuring, emphasizing that the school is “a welcoming community” and that every person is “a cherished friend.” Buckley makes clear that when a new person comes to Levine Music, the application process does not determine admission, but focuses on what the seeker is looking for.

The main D.C. campus, on Upton Street in Van Ness, is a hub buzzing with activity.

The calendar is filled with a myriad of events open to the musically interested public. One can listen to a Young Concert Artists Series performance or pay $5 to take part in a Community Sings event, for which no previous music experience is required.

Interested in taking a class or starting lessons? The spring semester begins on Jan. 30, though lessons can begin at any time.

Registration is also open for this year’s Camp Levine, from late June to early August, which has a Caribbean theme.

• Commercial Moving • Storage • Packing Material & Services • Free Written Estimates

Ask about our special discounts and services for local residents.

GMG, INC.

JANUARY 24, 2018

11

ON TRUMP’S FIRST-YEAR ANNIVERSARY

T

housands of activists brandishing signs and sporting signature pink "pussyhats" gathered on the National Mall and marched to the White House on Saturday, Jan. 20. Participating in the 2018 Women's March on Washington, D.C., the marchers were demanding respect for women and protesting against President Donald Trump and his policies. it was one of several such protests around the world marking the anniversary of President Trump's first year in office.

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JANUARY 24, 2018

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According to the event’s organizers, a key aim was to encourage women to engage in the political process, including running for office. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-California) were the principal speakers. The second such protest since Donald Trump entered the White House, the march promises to be an annual event.

PHO TO S BY JEFF MALET

“They marched. Now there are more women running for office than ever before,” declared the headline of the Jan. 29 issue of Time magazine.

FOR CONGRESS, IT’S NOT JUST WOMEN — IT’S PEOPLE POWER

BY PE GGY SA NDS There were two significant marches in Washington, D.C., and around the nation last week. They drew thousands of chanting, whooping, women activists for daylong events focused on women’s issues.

The Jan. 19 event was the annual pro-life demonstration at the Capitol. The Jan. 20 march — held on the one-year anniversary of the historic rallies opposing President Donald Trump and his policies, the day after his 2017 inauguration — was about women expanding their political voice and influence.

What significance might these energizing marches have in 2018?

One of the main goals, of course, is to influence the midterm congressional elections on Nov. 6. The stakes are high. There is always a chance in midterm elections to change the majority in the Senate and/or the House, which controls the legislative agenda.

This year, Democrats will have to win 23 Republican-held seats and hold all of their 194 to flip the majority. Already, a record number of Republican representatives in Congress have announced that they are not running. In the Senate, although Republicans have only a two-seat majority, the Democrats must defend 25 of the 33 seats up for election.

Democratic analysts think that, because the majority often loses seats in midterm elections, and given President Trump’s historically low approval rating, especially among women, Democrats could have a wave to ride. A flipped Democratic Congress could take up the impeachment of President Trump. Most believe, however, that the Senate will remain Republican.

Everything will depend on voter turnout. And that increasingly depends not just on party affiliation, but on how much voters like — or are even excited about — the candidates and the issues they stand for.

“They marched. Now there are more women running for office than ever before,” declared the headline of the Jan. 29 issue of Time magazine. Most of the women considering running for office in 2018 and featured by the press are Democrats. Many are members of minority groups. Most are running on an anti-everything-Trump platform.

But there are Republican women as well. In Virginia, Republican Barbara Comstock is likely to keep her seat. In Maryland, former Deputy Undersecretary of the Army Amie Hoeber has a good chance to flip the Democratic seat of retiring Rep. John Delaney.

How the midterm election goes for women and their parties could indicate how the 2020 presidential election will go. But 2020 is highly important for another reason: every 10 years, the U.S. Census finalizes the population count for the past decade.

On the basis of that, congressional districts are configured by each state government. Whichever party controls the state legislatures can determine the electoral districts and influence which party wins elections for the next decade.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Batala Washington is an all-women Afro-Brazilian band that plays samba-reggae rhythms.

Thousands of activists gathered on the National Mall and marched to the White House for the 2018 Women’s March on Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, demanding respect for women and protesting against President Donald Trump and his policies - one of several such protests around the country marking the anniversary of President Trump’s first year in office.

This one-year-old has had enough.

The sign quotes Martin Luther King Jr.: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

The sign reads “Nolite te bastardes carborundorum” - a phrase found in Margaret Atwood’s novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” which means “Don’t let the bastards grind you down” in grammatically incorrect Latin.

GMG, INC.

JANUARY 24, 2018

13

REAL ESTATE

Featured Property 1257 35th Street NW

One of Georgetown’s great finds, this cozy and comfortable one-bedroom row house has an open-concept first floor with built-in bookshelves and a fireplace in the living-dining area. A spiral staircase leads to the master suite on the upper level. With a private, fenced-in backyard, the home is walking distance to the shops and restaurants on Wisconsin Avenue and M Street.

OFFERED AT $800,000 (PRICE ADJUSTMENT) WEICHERT REALTORS JOANNE MALCUIT 800-375-1894

Kathleen Battista

(O) 202.338.4800 • (C) 202.320.8700 kbattista@cathedralrealtyllc.com 4000 Cathedral Ave. NW Experience and Integrity — A Winning Combination www.cathedralrealtyllc.com Washington, DC 20016

Discover The Westchester 4000 Cathedral Avenue, NW Thank you to our Washington area customers, friends, and Westchester Residents for a spectacular 2017!

Cathedral Realty LLC and Kathleen Battista had an exceptional sales history in 2017 listing over 58% of the co-ops that settled at The Westchester — studios, one bedrooms, two bedrooms, a three bedroom, and a four bedroom co-op.

If you are considering purchasing or selling at The Westchester in 2018, please contact kathleen at the onsite office for a confidential discussion and review of her marketing program.

Commercial Property 1361 Wisconsin Avenue NW

This property, suitable for storefront retail and office use, is located in the heart of Georgetown, two doors up from the newly renovated Georgetown Theatre building and a block from the justsigned Wawa store. There is also an opportunity to expand in the rear of the property on the ground and second levels, while having an income stream in place.

Georgetown’s Only Comprehensive Financial Planning & Investment Management Firm

YEAR BUILT: 1938 ZONING DESCRIPTION: C2A BUILDING CLASS: A APN/PARCEL ID: 1243-0815 SALE TYPE: INVESTMENT GROSS LEASABLE AREA: 1,300 SQUARE FEET

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We believe in providing a uniquely personalized client experience to residents in our community—helping you to optimize your money to optimize your life.

Financial independence starts with a conversation. Call or visit us online today to schedule the most important conversation you’ve never had.

(240) 482-4000 | CapitalAMG.com Independent, Objective and Comprehensive Financial Planning.

John E. Girouard, CFP®, CLU,ChFC, CFS Founder & CEO, The GeorgeTowner Contributing Columnist Securities licensed associates of Capital Asset Management Group Inc. are registered representatives offering securities through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. a Broker/Dealer. Member FINRA/SIPC. Licensed administrative associates do not offer securities. Investment advisory licensed associates of Capital Asset Management Group Inc. are investment advisor representatives offering advisory services through Capital Investment Advisors, Inc. a registered investment advisor. Capital Asset Management Group/ Capital Investment Advisors and the Institute for Financial Independence are not affiliated with Cambridge.

The Genau Group was proud to help Retired Senior Airman E-4, Kyle Cook, purchase his first home after recovering at Walter Reed.

Welcome home, Kyle, and thank you for your service to our great republic.

202-735-5382 www.thegenaugroup.com

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JANUARY 24, 2018

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DOWNTOWNER

BY KATE O CZYPO K

Amazon.

D.C. Makes HQ2 Shortlist Washington, D.C., is one of 20 places to make the latest cut in Amazon’s search for a second headquarters. With $5 billion set to be invested, Amazon’s HQ2 would equal the internet retail giant’s original home in Seattle. Also selected from the 238 communities that submitted proposals were Montgomery County, Maryland, and Northern Virginia. Four D.C. neighborhoods were offered as possible sites: Anacostia Riverfront, Capitol Hill East, NoMa-Union Station and ShawHoward University.

Teachers were pressured to pass Ballou students despite violations.

NBC4’s Tom Sherwood has joined the City Paper.

Report: Ballou Teachers Were Pressured

NBC4’s Sherwood Moves to City Paper

The findings of a investigation into the Ballou High School graduation and absenteeism scandal have been released. WTOP reported that teachers were pressured by the school’s principal and administrators to pass students.

The report also uncovered a pattern in which students were allowed to graduate with a large number of days absent. Records showed that 133 out of 177 graduating seniors committing policy violations.

Local political reporter and commentator Tom Sherwood will become a contributing writer at Washington City Paper after nearly three decades at NBC4. Prior to joining NBC, the Navy Reserve vet worked at the Atlanta Constitution, where his first assignment was writing obituaries. Sherwood has long written a column for the Current Newspapers, now in Chapter 11.

The Justice Department sided with the Washington archdiocese, which had its bus ads rejected.

A.G. Sides With Archdiocese on Bus Ads

The Justice Department sided with the Archdiocese of Washington regarding the “Find the Perfect Gift” Christmas ads the archdiocese wanted to run on Metrobuses. In November 2017, the archdiocese and Metro went to court after WMATA said no to the posters, saying the agency bans ads promoting or opposing religion.

D.C. hopes to regain the fittest-city top spot.

Who’s the Fittest in the Land?

After losing by one point to Minneapolis for fittest city in the United States, D.C. is working to take back its title. Vida Fitness and the Department of Parks and Recreation are launching “Take Back #1,” a citywide campaign to return D.C. to the top spot when the rankings come out May 16. The city was numero uno on the American College of Sport Medicine’s American Fitness Index in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Trump Hotels are getting bad reviews on Yelp after his vulgar comment.

Trump Hotels Dissed on Yelp

In the wake of Trump’s comments about African nations, El Salvador, Haiti and Honduras — he allegedly called them “s--thole countries” — the Yelp reviews for his Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue and other hotel properties have tanked. Most of the reviews have used the vulgar term. Among the comments quoted in Washingtonian magazine: “The owner is a racist, senile old man. Don’t waste your money” and “I thought it would be tacky, but it’s revoltingly awful.”

THERE’S ANOTHER WAY

CALL US TODAY (703) 821-8200

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JANUARY 24, 2018

15

STYLE

HAUTE & COOL

Baby,

FUR

TRIMMED PARKA

This is not your mother’s fur coat.

Versatility has become the key for today’s fashion investments. From classic to modern, fur gets a makeover.

Layer on the luxury with a statement parka featuring bold fur trim. It is all about attitude when wearing this trend.

LISKA MINK AND CASHMERE GILET $5,936 | FARFETCH

ISABEL MARANT ÉTOILE LILLY SWEATSHIRT $225 | HU’S WEAR

PUFFY JACKET

NAVY TOPCOAT

The puffer has reemerged in every shape, size and color — and it’s unexpectedly cool. Try pairing your LBD with a puffer jacket for a chic night out.

An easy piece that matches denim, evening wear and everything in between. We love a classic take on this season’s neutral outerwear.

MONCLER GRENOBLE BRUCHE QUILTED JACKET $1,450 | CITYCENTERDC

HARRIS WHARF LONDON FLAIRY WOOL COAT $645 | SAKS FIFTH AVENUE

It’s Cold Out There

BY ALLY S ON BURK HA R D T

Got the winter blues? It may be cold, it may be wet, but the days are longer and the sun is brighter. However, we may still have some freezing temperatures coming our way. Here’s what we’re wearing to stay warm — but look cool — when the snow falls.

Allyson Burkhardt is founder of Let’s Get Dressed! Image & Style Services.

Visit her on the web at letsgetdresseddc.com.

SHEARLING

CAPE

From sporty to luxe, a shearling coat is at the top of the must-have list. Driving the trend is the bold creativity of designers who are playing with mixed media for greater effect.

Easy to wear and adding a fashionable element to any look, capes have you covered. They are even better when topped off with a fur collar.

DYLAN FAUX SHEARLING VEST $99 | NORDSTROM

SOFIA CASHMERE CAPE WITH FUR MOCK NECK $950 | NEIMAN MARCUS

Ultra Violet Beauty Favs

BY KRYS T IANA B ONHE U R Ultra Violet is the 2018 Pantone Color of the Year. Described as imaginative and inventive, Ultra Violet’s intense hue will provide a splash of color to any day or night time look. Urban Decay’s Eye shadow in Flash ($17) provides soft, matte, buildable color that is crease free. Diorific Matte Fluid Lip and Cheek Velvet Color in Intensity ($38) is a bold powdery cream that provides a matte touch of color for lips and face. With a gel like finish that shines, Marc Jacob’s Enamored Nail Lacquer in Purple Glaze ($18) gives bold vibrant color. Want an all in one kit? Check out Butter London’s Pantone Color of the Year 2018 Collection ($36), the limited edition set includes, Trend Nail Lacquer, Plush Lip gloss, Glazen Eye Gloss and Liner in a grab-and-go makeup bag.

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JANUARY 24, 2018

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WASHINGTON DC’S FINEST RESTAURANTS

Karma:

ENO WINE BAR

MODERN INDIAN IN CHINATOWN

2810 PENNSYLVANIA AVE., NW

202–295–2826 | enowinerooms.com HAPPY HOUR: Offered nightly Tuesday - Thursday from 5 - 7 PM & Sunday from 4 - 7 PM. Enjoy select $7 wines on tap. Join us on Wednesday’s for College Nights from 9 - 11 PM and Sunday’s for 30% off bottles. Our delightful wines are best enjoyed with local charcuterie, cheese and small plates.

BY TR AV IS MIT CHEL L D.C.’s newest Indian restaurant is out to inject the country’s rich and flavorful food with some fresh ideas — ideas it hopes will make Karma Modern Indian a go-to gathering place for everything from bar bites to a multi-course feast.

Located in Chinatown at 611 I St. NW, Karma Modern Indian opened in late December, just across from the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue. In the kitchen is executive chef Ajay Kumar, a New Delhi native whose resume includes designing menus for Washington receptions attended

by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Ricky Singh, co-owner with Sachin Mahajan, says the “modern” in the name signals an inventive and refined approach in all areas: food, cocktails, dining room and bar.

“It is not to be confused with fusion.

We are not mashing Indian spices with the flavors of another cuisine,” says Singh.

“We are instead refining age-old recipes and tweaking traditional cooking methods, while paying close attention to the quality of ingredients used and the presentation of each dish.”

Aware, no doubt, of D.C.’s crowded Indian restaurant landscape, the Karma team has developed a menu that goes beyond the dishes commonly found at other establishments. The menu here is designed to be flexible, with small plates, shareable bites, large-format entrees and grilled options.

“One of our goals included making the cuisine more approachable,” explains Singh.

“Indian food can be overwhelming for some, so having smaller portions to try a variety of different flavors and finding what you like was important.”

When it comes to ordering, pair some garlic naan with roasted eggplant spread for a comforting start. From there, try the tender zucchini kofta (dumplings) with a savory tomato and onion sauce ($22), one of the many tasty vegetarian options. Halibut

with a coconut milk and spicy tamarind and turmeric paste ($24) and dal makhani, slow-cooked black lentils in spices ($19), are equally satisfying, as is the lamb roganjosh with Kashmir chili, ginger and tomato ($24).

Some entrée prices hit $40 — not exactly an everyday price point. True to its name, Karma also donates a portion of daily sales to local and international charities, including DC Central Kitchen.

Cocktails here are given just as much attention as the food. Bar director Dominik Lenikowski works to create beverages that pair with the spices coming out of the kitchen, using house-made ingredients wherever possible. That shows in the Temple of Salt, a bourbon-based cocktail with Green Chartreuse, lime juice, honey, Himalayan salt, Kashmiri chili bitters and egg white.

Lenikowski also plans to rotate out a halfdozen classic cocktails, such as the gimlet and the Martinez.

Like the food, cocktails are priced at a premium, starting at $14. The restaurant’s cocktail hour, weekdays from 4 to 7 p.m., is a good opportunity to experience Karma Modern Indian, sharing some plates and sampling custom mixed drinks and glasses of wine ($9) and rotating beers ($6).

CLYDE’S OF GEORGETOWN 3236 M ST., NW

202-333-9180 | clydes.com 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.

THE OCEANAIRE SEAFOOD ROOM

TOWN HALL

1201 F ST., NW

2340 WISCONSIN AVE., NW

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PERFORMANCE

Encounters with ‘Hamlet’

BY G ARY T IS CHL ER

Once encountered — preferably onstage, acting a part, however small, but also as a high school English assignment — William Shakespeare and his most familiar creation, “Hamlet,” about that melancholy Danish prince, never leave you.

And here they are again, threefold, in Washington, D.C. Right now, Michael Urie is playing Hamlet in a Shakespeare Theatre Company production directed by longtime Artistic Director Michael Kahn. The production, at Sidney Harman Hall, has now been extended through March 4. Kahn has directed what is arguably the Bard’s greatest play twice before in recent years. Since he has announced that he is retiring at the end of the 2018-19 season, it’s quite possible that this is his last go-around with world theater’s most redoubtable, enigmatic, unforgettable character.

Overlapping with STC’s production, from Feb. 6 to 18, the National Theatre will host the national touring company of the Tony Awardnominated musical (yes, musical) “Something’s Rotten!”

But, wait, there’s more. The Royal Shakespeare Company is bringing its much praised, edgy production of “Hamlet” to the Kennedy Center this spring, from May 2 to 6.

In the words of Osric, judging one of Laertes’s sword jabs at Hamlet in the climactic dueling

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scene, “Hamlet” is still “a very palpable hit.”

For theater fans, for people interested in what makes people tick, for whom all the world’s a stage, there are, in terms of “Hamlet,” all sorts of moments that are like a first contact, a first kiss and, finally and forever, a sighing surrender.

I touched base with “Hamlet” for the first time through a comic book, one of the old-timey Classics Illustrated comics that included some of Shakespeare’s works among its hundreds of comics (you could call them graphic novels, but they did not) from the 1940s and later. It included a speech, the one that begins “To be or not to be,” filling up the whole page, with a tiny Hamlet at the bottom contemplating murder.

I can’t exactly remember where I first saw a stage production, although the old Hallmark Hall of Fame classic, often live, dramas would have included “Hamlet.” It was Laurence Olivier’s spooky black-and-white film version which he directed, and which won an Oscar for best picture in 1948, where I first encountered a living prince, and a fairly crazed and kinetic one at that, blondish-white-haired and intense, battling Laertes, pirates, the clueless Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and poor Jean Simmons as Ophelia.

Hamlet thrived on the cinema screen and actors who portrayed him did too. It’s hard to

forget Kenneth Branagh’s full-length version, so richly peopled and performed.

But the real legends exist onstage, therefore in the mind: Olivier and Gielgud were apparently dueling princes in the 1930s of very different styles. Most recently onstage, there was Benedict Cumberbatch. The list also includes Nicol Williamson, Derek Jacoby and, yes, indeed, Mel Gibson, who was surprisingly good.

The encounters were not always pleasant.

Bad ideas are still bad ideas, as when an aging Judith Anderson took on the part in a production I saw in San Francisco in the 1970s.

There are and have been thousands upon thousands of “Hamlets.” In the 1980s, I saw a production by British film director Lindsay Anderson at the Folger Theatre. At the start, there was a stageful of dead bodies. Horatio is cradling a supine and bleeding Hamlet, slain at the play’s climax. After speaking the line, “Good-night sweet prince,” he turns to the audience and says: “You are probably wondering what happened here” or words to that effect (since these are not the Bard’s words).

“Well, therein lies a story,” he concludes, and so the play begins. It is a story, as well as a play, as well as a dream.

Very few productions of a full length “Hamlet” are ever staged, since they tend to

Poster for “Hamlet,” starring Thos. W. Keene, c.

1884. Courtesy Library of Congress. run around four hours or more.

In 1976, I had the opportunity to perform — yes, perform — in the shortest version, “The Fifteen Minute Hamlet” by Tom Stoppard. I did it at the suggestion of a director friend of mine, who thought it was a good idea for a critic to come at things from the inside, much as Hamlet himself tended to do. In tights, I played the part of a second Osric, a very small part to begin with. I alternated from fear to exhilaration.

I had one line: “A hit, a very palpable hit.”

VISUAL ARTS

‘Pickett’s Charge’ at the Hirshhorn

BY ARI P OS T

O

ur way of describing art in grand, esoteric terms developed strangely throughout the 20th century as American academics began mimicking the dense and syntactically exorbitant style of influential French philosophers and critics like Michel Foucault. The problem is that along with the influence of their ideas came the influence of their language, which Americans were largely seeing through a fractured prism of translated text.

I am not fluent in French, but from speaking with historians who are, I gather that the writings of Foucault are a lot more accessible and less gratuitously flowery when read in his native language.

With this needlessly complicated, apotheosizing style of discussing artistic achievement, the modern American art scene built a wall around itself, which both the university and museum systems maintained.

They protected each other from the inside, naked kings strolling about and praising one another for their beautiful robes in the most brilliantly convoluted speech.

This is hyperbolic, and on the whole I am discussing a community of free-thinking, highly intelligent people. But the dangerous truth is that, for the most part, those who wish to be a part of any venerable system must bend to its codes of conduct.

I am not saying that artists and academics have been part of a massive avant-garde conspiracy to hock meaningless garbage to the public and convince them it’s sacred.

But I know many capable, successful, rather brilliant people who abandoned careers in the arts in the 1970s and ’80s because of its stifling and disheartening culture of vapid self-aggrandizement.

Today, due in part to more recent capitalist influences within the arts and humanities, we are coming around to less culturally prohibitive

dialogue as part of a broader art-consuming culture. But again, it is happening in a strange way. We have preserved the esoteric mysticism around fine art in a kind of collusive shorthand and Frankensteined it to an elementary-schoollevel inclusivity.

“This art,” we can now say, “is imbued with politics and history. But it is also abstract.

It is about everything and it is also about nothing. Can you see its complex historical narratives that challenge us to consider the current political climate? Can you find the pictures hidden in the canvas? Can you see colors and shapes?”

This is a universal admissions badge meant to attract mass audiences by applauding a basic awareness of history and culture in the broadest possible terms. One result is that art has become almost impossible to criticize.

Which brings us to “Pickett’s Charge,” Mark Bradford’s monumental mixed-media installation, which wraps itself around the entire third floor of the Hirshhorn. It is a good work of art — visually arresting, imposing, aggressive, violent, powerful. Indeed, it is like a battle.

“Pickett’s Charge” is a direct response to a monumental American mural from 1883, the Gettysburg Cyclorama by French artist Paul Dominique Philippoteaux. A gorgeous 360-degree diorama of the Confederate infantry’s assault on Union forces in the final days of the Battle of Gettysburg, the cyclorama was one of the most popular entertainment spectacles of its era.

Bradford printed large-scale copies of the diorama and ripped them apart beyond recognition among endless layers of canvas, paper, bungee cord and cream-thick smears of bright paint.

The way Bradford created bold, organic, gracefully roiling motion through layers of media on such a large scale is striking. And

Charge,” by juxtaposing pictorial fragments with abstract textures, disrupts “our notions of space and time.” I have no idea what that’s supposed to mean, but the way it is written assures me that it’s all there and that I understand it as much as I need to. And I guess that’s the point.

Art does not have to be mind-blowing all the time. It does not have to alter the fourth dimension to be valuable. And the expectation that it should is deluded. The existence of art, like war, is an inherent, constant and important piece of human nature. It is not necessary or right to assign it divine virtue — especially considering the broadly atheistic disposition of the art community at large.

I liked “Pickett’s Charge.” I am glad to see work like Bradford’s being made today.

It functions powerfully as art and exhibits evident measures of craft and intellectual awareness. That is enough. It does not have to contain the entire history of the United States of America. And the institution that sponsors it should not claim that it does, even if its building is perfectly round.

EXTENDED TO MARCH 4 DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND!

HAMLET

BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

DIRECTED BY MICHAEL KAHN

FEATURING MICHAEL URIE AS HAMLET

NOW PLAYING

ORDER TODAY! ShakespeareTheatre.org | 202.547.1122 Photo by Tony Powell

“Pickett’s Charge (The Thunderous Cannonade)” (detail), 2016-17. Mark Bradford. Photo by Joshua White.

Courtesy of the artist and Hauser & Wirth.

the violence written across the painting’s latitudinal rips and tears speaks to a sort of environmental fissure that, if necessary, could be ascribed to our country’s ongoing sociopolitical schism.

But beyond the annular shape of the Hirshhorn for which it was designed, its origins in the United States and its shreds of vaguely identifiable imagery, I am not convinced that Bradford’s creation has any significantly deeper connection to its source material.

When artist Larry Rivers painted his version of “Washington Crossing the Delaware” in 1953 (based on the 1851 painting by Emanuel Leutze), he discussed his references to Napoleonic invasions and the parallels to American exceptionalism, particularly as a response to Abstract Expressionism. But it was specific, and it was slightly ironic. He did not deign to say that his painting “upends this notion of a faithful representation of history, revealing instead the complexity of historical narrative,” which is what the Hirshhorn’s wall text says about “Pickett’s Charge.”

The wall text also says that “Pickett’s

Hamlet is underwritten by the Robert H. Smith Family Foundation.

Additional support provided by Production support for Hamlet is provided in part by Steve and Diane Rudis.

Restaurant Partner:

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GOOD WORKS & GOOD TIMES

Visser: Women’s Sports Trailblazer

Boys & Girls Club’s ‘Fearless Woman’

BY CH RIST INE WA RNK E

BY C H R ISTIN E WAR N KE

Breaking barriers has certainly been a topic of political and social interest these days and CBS Sports commentator and woman trailblazer Lesley Visser struck many emotional cords Jan. 17 at the Kalorama home of Esther Coopersmith. Visser’s book – “Sometimes You Have to Cross When It Says Don’t Walk: A Memoir of Breaking Barriers” — was well received by the distinguished crowd that included Sen. Edward Markey, (D-Mass.), Rep. Debbie Dingle (D-Mich.), former Maryland Lieutenant governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Rear Admiral Susan Blumenthal, M.D, Kathleen Matthews and other women pioneers.

January 20 marked another historical day around the world as Washington’s daytime march drew another committed crowd. That evening, a Washington “Fearless Woman” took to the stage at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington Gala, held at the Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner.

Honoree Barbara Brown Hawthorn was serenaded by Joe Coleman, one of the original singers of rock and roll group, the Platters. Coleman brought the house to its feet when he sang “My Girl” to Hawthorn.

Writer, editor and TV producer Connie Coopersmith, CBS sportscaster and author Lesley Visser and Christine Brennan, sports columnist for USA Today. Photo by Neshan H. Naltchayan.

Former lead vocalist with “The Platters,” Joe Coleman with Fearless Woman awardee, Barbara Hawthorn, president and CEO, Barbara Hawthorn Interiors. Photo by Neshan H. Naltchayan.

Rear Admiral Susan Blumenthal, M.D., Esther Coopersmith, who hosted the event, Kathleen Matthews and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.). Photo by Neshan H. Naltchayan.

Tech entrepreneur Steve Graubart and designer Anna Weatherley. Photo by Neshan H. Naltchayan.

Charlotte Moss Headlines Washington Winter Show Lecture & Luncheon

BY M ARY BIRD

Charlotte Moss spoke on “32 Years of Designing & How Travel Has Influenced It All” Jan. 12. The designer is a prolific writer with nine published books and her most recent title, “Garden Inspirations,” due out this spring. Among her philanthropic endeavors, she is a trustee of Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello. In keeping with this year’s show theme, “The Charm of Chinoiserie,” she recalled that Marco Polo’s travels had started it all. An avid traveler herself, she interspersed her remarks with stunning photos of places she has been privileged to visit. The program began with young singers from the Bishop John T. Walker School, a beneficiary of the show’s proceeds along with THEARC and the founders board of St. John’s Community Services.

Guests also enjoyed an elegant luncheon catered by Susan Gage.

Mekki Karrakchou, owner of Flavio, and MiMi Bitton.

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Jerry and Kenya Pierce.

Designer Charlotte Moss at luncheon. Photo by Patrick G. Ryan.

GOOD WORKS & GOOD TIMES

3rd Annual Vettys at Mayflower

BY RO BE RT DEVA NEY The Academy of United States Veterans and Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes made a splash with its third annual Veteran Awards Jan. 20 at the Mayflower Hotel during the government shutdown. CNN’s Jake Tapper hosted the awards gala which looks to get bigger next year. Vettys went to Dustin Perkins of Student Veterans of America, Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, Inc., Bunker Labs, National Veterans Legal Services Program and Sarah Verardo of the Independence Fund. Two Honorary Vettys went to Steve Vincent and George A. Chewning, II. Tapper was surprised with the Veterans Choice Award, a honor based on his dedication and service to the veteran community.

The awards dinner opened with remarks by David Shulkin, M.D., Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Presenters included former Army Green Beret and NFL player Nate Boyer, TV personality Montel Williams, Shohreh Aghdashloo of Syfy’s “The Expanse,” Anne Heche, Mike Vogel and Sophia Pernas of NBC’s “The Brave” and Matt Barr of CW’s “Valor.” Other VIP guests included White House Chief of Staff Gen. John F. Kelly, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Jack Scalia, Colton T. Smith and Kristin Beck.

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and his wife Karen with Jake and Jennifer Tapper. Photo by Robert Devaney.

Sofia Pernas. Photo by Patrick G. Ryan.

Anne Heche. Photo by Patrick G. Ryan.

Shohreh Aghdashloo. Photo by Patrick G. Ryan.

Sarah and Michael Verardo. Photo by Patrick G. Ryan.

Commander Dave Bartell and Kat Kingston with Montel Williams. Photo by Robert Devaney.

Nate Boyer, Green Beret. Photo by Patrick G. Ryan.

George Chewning and Megan O’Brien. Photo by Patrick G. Ryan.

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GOOD WORKS & GOOD TIMES

OVERHEARD AT LUNCH

D.C. GOSSIP GIRL

BY KATE OC ZYPOK

And You Thought Skating Was Fun

JANUARY 27 & 28

FEBRUARY 9

2018 SIPS & SUPPERS

D’VINE AFFAIR: BALLETTO & VINO IN VERONA

José Andrés, Joan Nathan and Alice Waters proudly present Sips & Suppers, two extraordinary evenings featuring the country’s finest chefs in support of D.C. Central Kitchen and Martha’s Table, organizations that serve the most vulnerable individuals in the nation’s capital. Since its inception in 2009, Sips & Suppers has raised more than $3 million dollars for the programs run by these organizations. On Jan. 27, artisans and mixologists will prepare signature dishes and drinks. On January 28, Suppers will feature celebrity chefs as they create dinners in homes throughout the city. Please contact rjackson@ marthastable.org.

70TH ANNUAL AN AFFAIR OF THE HEART The Women’s Board of the American Heart Association Greater Washington Region holds the annual luncheon with net proceeds directly benefiting research grants. 11 a.m.: VIP and general reception; noon: luncheon and fashion show featuring the Best of Bloomingdale’s.

Marriott Marquis. Contact Kara Laing at 703248-1745 or Kara.Laing@heart.org

ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER’S OPENING NIGHT GALA The Washington, D.C. Gala Benefit kicks off Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s annual engagement at the Kennedy Center. Proceeds support Ailey’s Washington, D.C. programs, including the creation of new works, arts-ineducation activities and scholarships to talented young dance students in the Washington area to attend the Ailey School in New York.

Kennedy Center Opera House. Call 202-5186908 ext. 2.

FRENCH AMBASSADOR RESIDENCE: LA SOIRÉE CHAMPAGNE The French-American Chamber of Commerce will hold its third annual La Soirée Champagne! — a rare opportunity to taste different champagnes from France’s leading houses and mingle with Chamber members, diplomats and VIPs. The precedence of the Ambassador of France, Gérard Araud. Search French-American Chamber of Commerce @ FACCWDC on Facebook or Messenger.

JANUARY 24, 2018

FEBRUARY 10 VALENTINE’S BALL AT THE EMBASSY OF ITALY

FEBRUARY 6

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Under the patronage of Ambassador of Italy Armando Varricchio and Micaela Varrichio, the Women’s Committee of the Washington Ballet will present its annual Wine Tasting.

Guests will enjoy a multi-course Italian meal featuring inspired wine pairings. The evening will celebrate the upcoming performance of John Cranko’s “Romeo & Juliet,” which will be performed during Valentine’s Day week at the Kennedy Center. Embassy of Italy. Call 202362-3606 or email info@washingtonballet.org.

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The event will recreate the culture and romance of Italy, combining the Valentine’s holiday with a special Valentine’s Ball — an evening filled with Italian food, open bar, live orchestra, late night DJ, dancing, opera, film and more. An optional VIP Reception before the gala will include early admission, a private champagne reception and a special early dinner menu. Portions of the event’s proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society.

Embassy of Italy. Call 301-519-8030 or email info@thingstodoDC.com.

FEBRUARY 15 Hillwood’s Valentine Day’s benefit features cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, art and silent auction celebrating the opening of the newest exhibition, “The Artistic Table,” with an exclusive preview. Leading interior designers and Hillwood curators take inspiration from Marjorie Merriweather Post and history’s finest table settings to create a feast for the eyes. Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens.

Contact Allison Kingery at 202-243-3974 or akingery@HillwoodMuseum.org.

Spotted at Momofuku CCDC: Jarvanka.

Open for just two months, Bad Axe Throwing in Northeast D.C. has already hosted countless parties. The most popular type of party, according to Washingtonian magazine? Divorce parties. One woman tore her wedding dress apart with an axe and a man sliced and diced his ex-wife’s heels. If you want to throw solo, $20 gets you an hour’s worth. We hear (and are not surprised) that women have the edge as customers for the facility.

Ivanka and Jared Dine at Momofuku First daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner — whose birthday was Jan. 10 — decided to dine out with two other couples at Momofuku CCDC on Jan. 6, the Washington Post reported. The White House advisors ended up having to switch seats with another couple in their party to avoid cellphone cameras. It was also reported that they were in earshot of fellow diners making cracks about President Donald Trump’s “stable genius” tweet.

Awkward!

We Agree With President Trump Well, this is a first for some of us: We are fully in agreement with President Trump.

Aboard Air Force One, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-California) noticed the president eating Starbursts and picking out the cherry and strawberry flavors, the Washington Post reported.

McCarthy later gave the president a jar full of just those flavors — which everyone knows are the best ones.

NBC briefly endorsed Oprah for president on Twitter.

NBC Tweets Then Deletes Oprah Endorsement Oprah Winfrey’s speech at the Golden Globes on Jan. 8, upon receiving the Cecil B. DeMille Award, sparked a call for her to run for president in 2020. NBC tweeted shortly after Winfrey’s powerful speech: “Nothing but respect for OUR future president.” But 14 hours later, the tweet had been deleted.

FEBRUARY 21 ST. JUDE GOURMET GALA The 19th St. Jude Gourmet Gala will be a fabulous evening featuring restaurant and cocktail tastings from DC’s top restaurants, a rousing live auction and premiere silent auction. Last year’s event raised over $1.16M for the kids of St. Jude and harbingers another record-breaking year! Learn about the lifesaving mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. National Building Museum. Contact Alexis Fedora at 703-650-4515 or alexis. fedora@stjude.org

Obamas Try Out Gjerde’s New Joint Wednesday, Jan. 17, was Michelle Obama’s 54th birthday. According to several sources, the former first lady was taken out to dinner by loving husband Barack at A Rake’s Progress, Spike Gjerde’s new restaurant in the Line Hotel in Adams Morgan. They also went to a play. The restaurant won’t officially open until Jan. 29. Michelle Instagramed a photo of the flowers she received from the former president and Barack replied with an equally heart-melting post.

Conan O’Brien will host shows in Haiti.

Conan to Film in One of Those Countries In response to President Trump’s allegedly calling the country a “s—thole,” TV host Conan O’Brien is planning to film shows in Haiti, the Hill reported. O’Brien said he doesn’t have any idea what the president has against the people of Haiti. He added that he thinks he’ll love Haiti and whenever the president hates something he tends to love it.

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If you’ve dreamed of a career in marketing and helping businesses to succeed, this is your chance to be part of a community-focused company.

Georgetown Media Group is looking for advertising sales representatives familiar with the Washington, D.C., area. Prior experience selling advertising for other publications is preferred. We have an opportunity to hire, on a full-time, flextime or part-time basis, Advertising Account Executives who wish to work on commission and set their own schedules, while still achieving their monthly sales goals. For details and to apply, contact advertising@georgetowner.com.

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FOXHALL, WASHINGTON, DC Nearly 7,000 square foot home completely renovated with top quality finishes, 6BR, 6.5BA, two-car garage, garden fountain and more! $3,950,000 Robert Hryniewicki Adam Rackliffe 202-243-1620

SAINT MARY’S CO, MARYLAND Boater’s paradise. Historic renovated estate with boathouse, pool, two guest houses, stables, tennis, 100+ acres. $2,999,000 Dan Corr 202-494-3530 Anne Killeen 301-706-0067

EAST VILLAGE, WASHINGTON, DC Stunning new 5BR/3.5BA renovation! Main level features a beautiful kitchen overlooking garden, dining room, 1/2 bath and living room. HWF, high ceilings, grand master suite & bathroom! $2,495,000 Nancy Taylor Bubes 202-386-7813

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA Stunning new construction by ADH. Over 3/4 acre w/ amazing park-like views! 6 bedrooms, 5.5 baths,10’ ceilings, two car garage. Walk to WGCC. $2,485,000 Christopher Wilkes 703-282-0634 Jinny Wilkes 703-887-1907

GEORGETOWN, WASHINGTON, DC NEW PRICE! Light-filled and authentic detached Federal with four bedroom, three full, two half baths and four fireplaces. Incredible lush deep garden and garage parking. $1,995,000 Jamie Peva 202-258-5050

GEORGETOWN, WASHINGTON, DC Classic Victorian with four bedrooms, three and a half baths, high ceilings, two fireplaces, skylights, original details, lower level family room and sunny south garden! $1,795,000 Jamie Peva 202-258-5050

RECTORTOWN, VIRGINIA Lismore Hill - Incredible renovation & expansion, incorporating fabulous western views. 1st floor master, 2 additional BR & BA. Separate library. A must see! $1,795,000 Lynn Wiley 540-454-1527 Trow Littleton 540-272-2032

GEORGETOWN, WASHINGTON, DC Light-filled four bedroom, three and a half bath home in The Cloisters. This home features a spacious master suite, private back patio, a two car garage with elevator! $1,670,000 Nancy Taylor Bubes 202-386-7813

CLEVELAND PARK, WASHINGTON, DC NEW LISTING! Inviting and updated four bedroom, three and a half bath home with large front porch on a charming and quiet street- walking distance to Cathedral Commons and Rosedale! $1,650,000 Ben Roth 202-465-9636

CITY CENTER, WASHINGTON, DC NEW LISTING! Sunlit and open one bedroom luxurious condo featuring floor to ceiling windows, exceptional building amenities and garage parking! $980,000 Ben Roth 202-465-9636

GMG, INC.

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