The Georgetowner: April 12, 2023 Issue

NEWS · 6 - 11

Town Topics

ANC Meeting

News Bytes

Garden Tour

EDITORIAL & OPINION · 12

THE VILLAGE · 13

BUSINESS · 14 - 15

Ins and Outs

COVER · 16 - 17

Georgetown House Tour

REAL ESTATE · 18 - 19

Real Estate Sales

ARTS · 20 - 23

Spring Theater Guide

EARTH DAY · 24 - 25

FOOD & WINE · 26 - 27

Latest Dish

Cocktail of the Month

HAUTE & COOL · 28

SERVICE DIRECTORY · 28

IN COUNTRY · 29

KITTY KELLEY BOOK CLUB · 30

ON THE COVER

Ian Myers and Azali Kassum with their children, seven-olds Taran and Raza and four-year-old Zia, at their P Street home, which is on this year’s Georgetown House Tour.

Photo by Philip Bermingham.

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C&O CANAL BOAT RIDES

RETURN MAY 5

BY CHRISTOPHER JONES

All Aboard! Costumed reenactments and historic C&O Canal tours will begin again on May 5 aboard the “Georgetown Heritage.” Photo by Chris Jones.

OGB: TRANSFORMERS SHOULD BE REMOVED

BY PEGGY SANDS

Transformer statues at 3614 Prospect St. NW. Georgetowner photo.

3 DEAD IN ROCK CREEK PARKWAY CRASH

BY ROBERT DEVANEY

A two-vehicle crash on Rock Creek Parkway killed three persons, as seen from Rose Park in Georgetown on March 15. Photo by Robert Devaney.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS HONORS JONI MITCHELL

BY KAREN FELD

Joni Mitchell accepts the 2023 Gershwin Prize for Popular Song from Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden during a tribute concert at DAR Constitution Hall. Courtesy LOC. Photo by Shawn Miller.

PUBLISHER

Sonya Bernhardt

SENIOR CORRESPONDENT

Peggy Sands

FEATURE EDITOR

Ari Post

FASHION & BEAUTY DIRECTOR

Allyson Burkhardt

Lauretta McCoy

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Troy Riemer

Laura Argentieri

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Philip Bermingham

Jeff Malet

Bill Starrels

DIRECTOR OF CONTENT & ADVERTISING

Kate Oczypok

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Robert Devaney

MANAGING EDITOR

Christopher Jones

CONTRIBUTORS

Mary Bird

Susan Bodiker

Allyson Burkhardt

Didi Cutler

Donna Evers

Michelle Galler

Amos Gelb

Wally Greeves

Kitty Kelley

Rebekah Kelley

Jody Kurash

Shelia Moses

Kate Oczypok

Linda Roth

Alison Schafer

Celia Sharpe

Mary Ann Treger

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Phone: (202) 338-4833

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The Georgetowner is published in print monthly with an online newsletter supplement posted twice per week — On Mondays we highlight news and on Thursdays goings on about town. 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 2023.

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Casey & Co. Client Reflects on First Spring with New Garden

By this time of year, the miracle of rebirth that is spring is almost forgotten. The delicate show of snowbells pushing through the drab landscape, swaths of sun-colored forsythia shocking us awake, and the spectacle of cherry blossoms is on the wane. All the trees begin to erupt into leaf and the extraordinariness of that liminal time when earth moves from sleeping to bursting with life passes into the new ordinary. As the plants become established, it becomes easier to take this vibrancy for granted.

I say this because this is my first spring living with a new garden, and I am surprised to note that the moods and peculiar habits that gripped me in early spring are loosening their control, giving way to a more confident, blasé perspective so at odds with the heightened awareness and cares of pre-bloom me. The mystery of tending a garden is perhaps never as acute as in the early spring and with it comes uncertainty and expectation: will your ship come in?

Every morning at dawn, full of anticipation, I go out to communicate with the plants. Now they are well on their way, and it is easy to imagine that it was meant to be.

For any garden lover, spring is always a revelation; this is doubly so when one has created a new garden. Seeing signs of growth is akin to watching a painting emerge slowly before your eyes. The observer is called upon to exercise patience, even as the imagination is pumping out ideas to fill in the space defined by the early arrivals. In early spring, the growing garden is a soul-stirring source of surprise and awe. So, the other day, as I thrilled at the discovery of yet more batches of new hostas, astilbes, and caramel-colored heucheras emerging in the early morning light, I was equally aware of how much blind luck went into my being able to savor this new garden now. An essential part of my luck was finding, after many months of searching and meetings with prospective providers, the right person and team to work with to install a new garden. Gardening can represent a major investment;

in researching landscaping teams, I was looking for someone with expertise, ability to deliver both on time, within budget, and perhaps most importantly someone with the communication skills and imagination to be able to support me in developing my own vision of the garden. These past weeks of savoring the new space that has been created in our backyard and reveling in the colorful success of the varieties of flora as they make their irrepressible debuts, I have also had reason to look back on my moments of hesitation, doubt, uncertainty, and to feel the relief and gratitude of pushing ahead with the program. Casey & Co. made this resolve possible. The team was consistently responsive, clear minded, expert at their craft and good listeners. After a few collaborative meetings and measuring practicalities, I was presented with a thorough plan for the garden that met our budget. We made a few refinements, and then waited on availability of the best plant materials.

Everything, save some established trees and the stone pathway, came out of the garden. The soil was amended and reinvigorated, and then the planting began. The space opened up, the light in the garden shifted, and this outdoor room was made alive with possibility.

Then came winter.

The plants went to sleep and the garden went into suspension. The undertaking entered that stage rich in uncertainty, promise and mystery: what will happen in the spring? What will survive and thrive? How might it look and work together?

As I walked through the garden early morning, whispering to the plants my appreciation of their miraculous properties and beauty (another Georgetowner wrote a book in the seventies about talking to plants…), I thought to write to Casey; I wanted to thank her for this display of life she so expertly helped me to create at our home, and how her own steadfast nature in the pursuit of this work has helped our garden grow, in my heart and in the actual space behind our new home. Collaboration is a beautiful

thing. So, if you are contemplating revamping your garden, I encourage you in the endeavor and wish you patience, creative upwellings, discovery, delight and, of course, success with the support of a great collaborator.

90Celebrates

Celebrating its 90 th year, this annual event graciously opens historic 18 th and 19 th century homes in Georgetown to Tour attendees.

Tickets are $55 per person online in advance, or $60 per person on the day of the Tour. Ticket includes a Parish Tea at St. John’s from 1:30-4:30 pm. Group prices are available. For more information and to purchase tickets online, please visit www georgetownhousetour com

Lengthy ANC Meeting: New Top Cop, Streets Market, Transformers

BY PEGGY SANDS

Democracy and community and neighborhood meetings that give everyone a voice are the basis of our country’s government by-the-people. There was no better example of that than the April 3 meeting of the Georgetown-Burleith-Hillandale Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC 2E). The virtual meeting started promptly at 6:30 p.m. and ended to cheers of relief at about 11:30 p.m. There was some news, but little action, on most of the well-known agenda items, but lots of voices were heard … and heard and heard. Newswise first, the introduction of the new Metropolitan Police Department 2nd District Commander John Branch – who has a long D.C. resume – and two commission resolutions welcoming him and also commending the former commander Duncan Bedlion who has been moved up to a position in D.C.’s Homeland Security administration. “I’ll be walking often around the neighborhood,” Branch said.

Foremost on stage for new businesses about to open in Georgetown was Campbell Burns, vice president of Streets Market, the fancy old grocery store moving into the shuttered 7-Eleven space on the northeast corner of P and 27th Streets. It will be the seventh Streets Market store in Washington, D.C. Neighbors raised concerns such as traffic issues arising from front door placement, trash and rodent control. Burns said he would be meeting with neighbors at Apero’s on P Street the next day.

Normally, ANC reports from city officials can elicit some worthy news — although not always specific to Georgetown. For instance, Mayor Bowser’s spokesperson Grace Reeder announced that street sweeping on certain days when parked vehicles must be removed, is back in D.C.” But as most Georgetowners know, that doesn’t apply to Georgetown. Nevertheless, commissioners were still curious as to the specifics of the $3 million proposed for the Georgetown Safety and Mobility Project in the mayor’s budget.

Ward 2 Council member Brook Pinto’s spokesperson Brian Romanowski again told commissioners that the proposed city budget of 2023 “The Recovery Act” was now awaiting community input before final decisions were made the end of April. Commissioner Kishan Putta again asked that the soon-to-be-atmaximum-capacity Hardy Middle School auditorium and sound system be added to the reconstruction budget along with the new cafeteria.

The Department of Public Recreation’s Tommie Jones again addressed Georgetown’s three big significant park projects that are slowly moving through the permitting, bidding and vetting construction phases: reconstruction of the Jelleff recreation center and pool, of the

baseball field and fencing at Volta Park and of the field houses and possibly parking at Duke Ellington Field. All have gone through a number of town meetings — though not nearly enough, according to commissioners, who are now into the second and third years of promises to show concrete construction plans and schedules. Jones apologized for the delays and reiterated again that the projects were ongoing but their estimated schedules and costs could likely be subject to change… with subsequent community meetings as part of the process. Discussion of lighting and parking concerns for collaborative events at the Ellington Field were a particular focus at the meeting.

Safeway store manager Craig S. Gross made a presentation of the changes being implemented at the supermarket store at 1855 Wisconsin Ave. NW that include upgrades in products, services and the general aesthetics of the store, which has been undergoing a very slow reset over the past year. Stay tuned for a taco bar, sushi bar, and pizza spot, plus catering services by Balducci’s. The store employs 247 persons and hopes to hire 40 more. Gross expects a June 1 completion.

Also, Vivien Tsang, owner of Dent Place Market at 1643 34th St. NW, spoke of her business’s purchase and renovation of Sara’s Market at 3008 Q St. NW which closed last summer. While an opening date was not given, she did say, “We probably will continue the dry cleaning service there.”

Then, commissioners John DiPierri and Joe Massaua, who represent Georgetown University, announced that students on Saturday awoke to the announcement that the Car Barn on Prospect Street would be converted into a four-story parking garage …. April Fools! They did, in truth, report that April 28 will be Georgetown Day and — no joke — that residents should expect traffic and partying, as the day celebrates the last day of classes. They also reported students were concerned about the gun shooting incident on Reservoir Road on March 25 and what seemed to them to be a too slow police response time.

The meeting came alive after 10 p.m. in discussion of the fate of the large Transformer statues — street art, public space incursions and neighborhood nuisances — at 3614 Prospect St. NW. Homeowner Newton Howard, a Georgetown University professor, had been given a temporary permit of six months in 2021 that he responded to by moving a smaller statue to his rooftop and replacing it with a much larger one … and then ignoring completely the deadline of 16 months earlier. While no neighbor objected to the art itself, most had stories of blocked driveways, sidewalks, privacy incursions and obstruction

Georgetown Garden Tour May 13

BY LEE CHILD

The magnificent terraced gardens of Evermay estate, which have enchanted guests for over 200 years, will once again be open to the public May 13, as part of the annual Georgetown Garden Tour. For years the tour’s lead attraction, the gardens, planted with decades-old boxwoods, roses, and azaleas surrounding the Federal-style mansion at 1623 28th St. NW have not been open since 2011. On this special day in May, honoring the 93rd year of the tour, however, the garden gates will open, the fountains will flow, and statuary and pristinely planted beds on the three-and-a-half-acre estate will welcome you. Seven other spectacular gardens in the heart of Georgetown will also be featured.

One of the oldest garden walks in the country, the Georgetown Garden Tour was launched in 1928 as a way of raising much needed funds for the Georgetown Children’s House, which provided day care to children whose mothers worked in and around Georgetown. Evermay was part of the first tour, along with Dumbarton Oaks. In 1938, over 1000 visitors supported the tour and at $1 per-head, over $1000 was raised!

In 1955, Mrs. Dwight D. Eisenhower and Mrs. Richard M. Nixon headed up the twoday “garden pilgrimage,” as it was called then. In the ‘60s patrons of the tour included Lady Bird Johnson, along with most of the spouses of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s

ANC MEETING NOTES CONTINUED...

of the street by sightseers and tourists with absolute impunity. Howard — who did not appear yet again at the meeting, much to almost everyone’s expressed disappointment — has filed another permit application with the Old Georgetown Board — with another awaited result. Some neighbors suggested the

tour go to maintain local public gardens and green spaces.

This year, in addition to the gardens of Evermay, gardens of every size will be showcased. One is a rich urban oasis filled with delicate plants along with a Wardian case for orchids. (A “Wardian case” is an early kind of terrarium, often used for exotic plants who don’t like the cold.) Another, is a newly planted garden boasting a stumpery, which is an intentional arrangement of stumps and logs. Stumperies offer the perfect environment for ferns and woodland gems, and this one is home to a resident rabbit! The American science writer Loren Eiseley wrote, “and if there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water,” and this year’s tour might well have been designed by Merlin — from the lily-filled pond with grasses in a small Georgetown garden to the rich variety of cherub-filled pools on the terraced grounds of Evermay, there are plenty of water elements.

Tickets may be purchased on line at georgetowngardenclubdc.org or on the day of the tour at tour headquarters, Christ Church, 31st and O Streets, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Tickets are $45, $40 if purchased before May 1. All proceeds from the tour go directly back to the greening of Georgetown, to its parks, public spaces, and tree-lined streets. Come out and celebrate the freshness of spring -Georgetown at its lush finest and very best!

transformers be removed to an on-campus site university since the statues are quite innovative and fun in themselves.

Despite the hour, neighbors spoke civilly and passionately about their frustrations until the meeting was adjourned about 11:30 p.m.

Evermay at 1628 28th St. NW. Photo by Agnostic Preachers Kid.

NEWS BYTES

BY ROBERT DEVANEY, KATE OCZYPOK AND PEGGY SANDS

SEXUAL HARASSMENT ALLEGATIONS BANISH DEPUTY MAYOR FALCICCHIO

Bowser’s only mention of her longtime aide and confidant was in the final words of the March 17 press release: “We also thank Deputy Mayor John Falcicchio for his years of service to the District as he transitions to the private sector.”

Falcicchio is now under investigation by the Mayor’s Office of Legal Counsel for allegations of sexual harassment.

MAYOR’S BUDGET REDUCED

Mayor Bowser presented her final $19.7 billion, 2023 budget to the D.C. Council on March 22. After much more optimistic revenue sums dominated town hall meetings, an estimated $1.7 billion deficit is projected for late 2022, reducing Mayor Bowser’s wish-list of proposals significantly.

P. WESLEY FOSTER (1933-2023)

P. Wesley “Wes” Foster, Jr., founder and chairman of the Long & Foster Companies, parent entity of Long & Foster Real Estate, died March 17. Foster, who was 89, started the real estate firm in 1968 with then-partner Henry A. “Hank” Long. He bought out Long in 1979 and over the next 40 years, built the business into a powerhouse. In 2017, Long & Foster was sold to HomeServices of America, an affiliate of Berkshire Hathaway. Long & Foster real estate sales reached $34.5 billion by 2020.

campaigns with us for years. We just had a lovely relationship,” recalled Sonya Bernhardt, publisher of The Georgetowner. publisher of The Georgetowner.

HOUSE COMMITTEE PASSES DISAPPROVAL RESOLUTION OF D.C. POLICE REFORM LAW

Deputy Mayor John Falcicchio, Chief-ofStaff to Mayor Bowser, suddenly resigned on March 17. The second most powerful person in D.C.’s executive branch, he served as Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development — and was widely admired and well known around town.

The mayor unexpectedly announced Falcicchio’s successors on the same afternoon — new Chief of Staff Lindsey V. Parker and Interim Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Keith Anderson.

D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson criticized the new budget. “Although next year’s budget will have more money to spend than this year’s, and the Mayor has chosen the theme of recovery, a closer look reveals budget choices that set back recovery for low-income and middle-income residents,” he wrote. “This budget reflects many tough choices, but we’re also fortunate that even in tight times, the District remains well-resourced and able to continue delivering world-class programs and services,” said Bowser.

A final vote on the new city budget by the Council – expect changes and negotiations – is expected by May 20.

“I found him to be such a consummate gentleman, a sort of father figure, so characteristic of his generation — I just adored him. He was such a positive, humble and downto-earth gentleman. And he was so supportive and encouraging in his whole demeanor. He supported The Georgetowner by doing

Another joint congressional resolution of disapproval of a D.C. law — this one on police reform — was passed by the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability on March 28, sending it directly to the House floor for a vote possibly in the next week or two. The committee vote came after more than four hours of testimony by D.C. officials, including Council Chair Phil Mendelson, Ward 6 Council member Charles Allen, D.C. Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee and D.C. Police Union President Greggory Pemberton.

The one-page joint resolution (JHR 42) sent to the House reads: “Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the [United States] in Congress assembled that the Congress disapproves of … The Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022 (D.C. Act 24–781), enacted by the [D.C. Council] on January 19, 2023.”

The proposed law would prohibit certain previously common police restraining actions and increase accountability measures of on-duty police officers among other reforms.

Deputy Mayor John Falcicchio in December 2022. Photo by Bill Starrels.

P. Wesley “Wes” Foster, founder and chairman of the Long & Foster Companies. Photo by Philip Bermingham.

Law in the Public Interest: D.C.’s New Attorney General, Brian Schwalb

BY CHRISTOPHER JONES

The Office of the DC Attorney General (OAG) is unique. Unlike many other cities, the District’s residents elect their AGs. And the position as the city’s “chief legal officer” is not designed simply to apply the law dispassionately from on high, but to use it as a tool to “uphold the public interest.”

At the Washington Convention Center on Jan. 3, alongside Mayor Muriel Bowser and other recently elected D.C. officials, former trial attorney and partner-in-charge of Venable law firm’s office in the District, Brian L. Schwalb (D), swore his oath of office as the District’s second elected attorney general, following Karl Racine’s two terms in the position. Racine (D) had endorsed Schwalb to succeed him. The OAG with its broad-sweeping powers is comprised of approximately 275 attorneys and 300 other professional staff members.

We spoke with Schwalb about what inspires him in his role as the District’s AG, his key priorities and challenges, and how his role might affect Georgetowners.

Schwalb is “committed to fighting for D.C., advancing the public interest, and ensuring that the law works to make the District safer, healthier, and more equitable for all who live and work here,” according to the OAG.

A third-generation Washingtonian, Schwalb earned his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1992, “completed a two-year judicial clerkship,” and then served as a trial attorney in the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Then, entering private practice, he represented clients in a “multitude of high stakes matters including advocating for people injured by excessive, unconstitutional police force, defrauded out of their assets, and fighting for their lives on death row.” He served as a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and became “an experienced law firm leader, having served as Venable’s firm-wide Vice Chairman.” Schwalb and his wife Mickie Simon “live in Ward 3 where they raised their

three daughters: Jessica, Allison and Sydney,” each having attended D.C. public schools.

We asked Schwalb what inspires and prepares him for his role as the city’s AG. “My wife and I raised our three daughters here in Washington and I love this city,” he said. “And I firmly believe this is the greatest city in the world to live in for a variety of reasons. I think the challenges that Washington, D.C., confronts are challenges that the law is uniquely equipped to address and make better.”

So, what are some of the city’s biggest challenges?

“I believe it’s the gap between those who are enjoying the prosperity and the abundance of resources we have in our city and those who aren’t,” Schwalb said. “And the opportunities those resources create are not shared equally across the city. So we have a widening gulf of income, wealth, and access to health care and healthy food and the ability to create intergenerational wealth that some, but not all Washingtonians have. So, the opportunity to put the law to work in furtherance of the city I love… I hope helps me do this awesome job as well as I possibly can.”

Schwalb outlined his four top priorities as AG. Each is intended to address the “root causes” surrounding social dislocation, poverty, and crime that often undermine the social fabric and contribute to residents’ legal struggles.

The first is using the law to help the children in the city thrive. “Making sure we raise children in our city to be safe and independent and healthy and hopeful,” he emphasized. “Our future is dependent on young people continuing to grow and stay engaged and live hopeful lives. Hopeful kids are healthy and safer for themselves and those around them. I’m the [city’s] chief juvenile justice prosecutor but I don’t think the [OAG] should be having its first interaction with young people when the police may be charging them with a crime.” Second, is “closing the equity gaps in our city, … making sure all people who live in Washington have the same kind of access to opportunity and income and wealth and good jobs and health care.”

Third is “protecting core democratic values,” such as “standing up against hate, White supremacy, anti-Semitism and homophobia.” And “right now, fighting for Home Rule and [D.C.] statehood are of the utmost importance.”

Schwalb’s fourth priority is to continue to build “institutional excellence within [the OAG] … to make sure we’re providing the kind of legal counsel and legal services to the city and to the residents and to the public interest that people who live and pay taxes in the District of Columbia deserve.”

Attorney General, Brian Schwalb

Georgetown Has New Police Commander

BY CHRISTOPHER JONES

There’s a new police commander in town. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced March 13 that Commander John Branch of MPD’s Seventh District – a nearly 30-year veteran of the force – has taken over leadership of the Second District serving Georgetown from Commander Duncan Bedlion who’s been promoted to “lead functions within the Homeland Security Bureau.” Commander Bedlion had served as Second District Commander since January, 2019.

According to MPD, Branch is a native Washingtonian and graduate of Ballou Senior High School where he was a member of the Track and Field team and earned an athletic scholarship to Howard University. Branch told ANC 2E commissioners in their April 3 virtual meeting that he went to the Olympic trials in 1988 and ran against teams from Russia, France and Germany and they won the gold medal in the 4x400 relay. “I feel like Forrest Gump a little bit -- like I’ve done a bit of everything” for the MPD, he said, including scuba diving and helicopter piloting. While his running days are behind him, he quipped, “now all I do is run my mouth, but I’m pretty good at it.”

Branch “began his career in 1993 in the Fourth District, first as a patrol officer and then as part of the 4D Gun Unit.” Then, in March 1997, “moved to the Narcotics and Special Investigation Division (NSID), where he spent two years before he earned a position as a tactical officer with the Emergency Response Team.” He then “became a helicopter pilot with the Air Support Unit” in December 2007. By 2010, Branch was “promoted to sergeant,” returning to the Fourth District “in charge of the 4D Crime Suppression Team.” Soon, he also assumed responsibility for the 4D Vice Unit as well.

By November 2014, Branch was serving as a sergeant of the Emergency Response Team as well as a helicopter pilot in the Special

Operations Division. He was promoted to lieutenant in November 2016, serving in the Seventh District through 2018 and placed in charge of that district’s Special Missions Unit. By 2018, he was promoted to captain and assigned to the Sixth District. He was selected as one of six captains to manage an area designated as a Summer Crime Prevention Initiative Area (SCPI). He was then assigned to the Narcotics and Special Investigations Division and placed in charge of field operations.

In January 2021, “shortly after the Capitol riot and insurrection, Branch was reassigned to the Special Operations Division and placed in charge of the Traffic Safety and Special Enforcement Branch, Events/Presidential Escort Team. On May 7, 2021, Branch was promoted to commander and assigned to the Seventh District where he served for almost two years before taking command of the Second District.

Branch became a familiar figure on television following several shootings in the Seventh District. In September 2021 after a mass shooting outside a shopping center in Southeast D.C., Branch “walked around Alabama Avenue talking to members of the community before addressing a few reporters who were still on the scene,” according to WTOP News. “After a few minutes of talking about the particular incident, just the latest of several shootings that have plagued that area recently, the frustration over what happened — the brazenness and willingness of people to just “spray and pray” as he called it — was evident in his voice.” For Branch, community policing would have to be part of the solution to gun violence in the District. “It’s very personal. I take my job seriously. I want to have a good society where everyone can thrive and live and enjoy themselves,” he said, emphasizing that it will take support throughout the community, not just policing, to make an impact.

MPD Cmdr. John Branch has taken over leadership of the Second District from Cmdr. Duncan Bedlion. MPD photo.

Waking up in America

PROUDLY WRITTEN BY SHERRA GIORGETTI

Let’s Take Positive Steps This Earth Day,

April 22

April 22 marks Earth Day, dedicated to celebrating, protecting and restoring our natural environment here on our life-rich planet, so far alone with sentience in the vast universe. In these early days of spring, Washingtonians and visitors from around the world flock to the nation’s capital to delight in the flowering buds of spring and glorious cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin. But each year, peak cherry blossom times fall earlier and earlier – by days and weeks –due to the effects of climate change. Extreme temperatures and moisture fluctuations combined with rising Tidal Basin levels stress the trees’ fragile nourishment systems and their continued longevity is in doubt.

Washingtonians – noted for having their eyes on the news – cannot help but see daily headlines warning of the climate catastrophe threatening the world’s ecosystems. So many deadly droughts, extreme heat events, atmospheric rivers, floods, heat domes, hurricanes, tornadoes and wildfires. Oceanside homes swept to sea. The Colorado River drying up. Portland reaches 116 degrees. Rainforests

disappearing. Deserts encroaching. Tick-born diseases spreading. Did flooding last year really swamp one-third of Pakistan?

“Blame geography for the U.S.’s getting hit by stronger, costlier, more varied and frequent extreme weather. Then add climate change, and ‘buckle up,” warns an April 3 Associated Press story. “If air and ocean temperatures around Antarctica were to increase as projected… researchers say ice marching backward hundreds of feet in a day could trigger collapse of modern-day glaciers sooner than previously thought. That could be devastating for global sea levels,” reported The Washington Post April 6.

Instead of resigning ourselves to catastrophe, however, we suggest taking active steps, however humble, to help protect and restore our natural wonders.

Toward these ends, we feature two positive Earth Day stories this month: a profile of Virginia’s Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) and an interview with the head of the DC Department of Energy and the Environment. Happy Earth Day!

Home! Sweet Home! Thank You, Homeowners.

While many of us may be annoyed by service vans, noisy equipment, blocked streets or sidewalks as well as those dreaded dumpsters and lost parking spaces, it is time to step back and thank the property and homeowners who are essentially preserving Georgetown.

Through their time, frustrations and treasure, they not only are remaking a beautiful home for themselves but are ensuring a particular place — sometimes with quite a history — will be enjoyed by future generations.

Think back, if you will, to the time of the first years of the Georgetown House Tour 90 years ago. There were shuddered old mansions, shadows of their best days, seen by Georgetown children as haunted houses. We can be sure a few brave ones snuck into

the deteriorating hulks for kicks and daring. Indeed, a few homes were only fixed up and reoccupied in the 1940s — we know of one on Prospect Street that did not receive electricity until that decade.

In fact, the author of the song, “Home! Sweet Home!,” John Howard Payne is buried at Oak Hill Cemetery on R Street — right on the front lawn with a prominent memorial stone near Renwick Chapel, which is on this year’s Georgetown House Tour. Again, history is at every turn in this town, where historic preservation is repeated and encouraged.

So, let’s have some patience and show some appreciation to those homeowners fixing up their houses — and applaud their efforts that keep Georgetown the special place it is.

Nothing good comes from guns, Whether you’re old or you’re young, So much lost, so much sadness, Every city, every town, Every day, gun violence can be found, In our churches and school grounds, There goes another deadly round, Of a mass shooter who astounds, Daily mournings so profound.

There’s no where to hide, From that monster that lurks outside, Getting harder to look into the mirror, Our denial is getting clearer, What we truly love is our cold steel guns, More than our precious daughters and sons, Are we just cowards on the run? Bullied by our politicians and the NRA, Gun manufacturers that always get their way. How many more innocent people have to die? A countless generation of stolen lives, As the victims find the courage to survive, Haunting memories that words can’t describe, What’s it going to take, To stop this endless loop of hate, Wake up America, It’s now or never, ban these assault weapons forever!

In memory of the countless lives lost from gun violence everyday in America.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

COMMISSION OF FINE ARTS

April 20, 10:00 a.m. 401 F. Street NW, Suite 312.

Filing deadline: April 6.

CULTURAL POWER BREAKFAST, MARK HUDSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TUDOR PLACE

April 20, 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

The Georgetowner, Four Seasons Hotel, 2800 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Breakfast and talk, $40. Go to Georgetowner.com to register.

CONCERT IN THE PARK AND EARTH DAY CELEBRATION

April 23, 3 - 5:00 p.m. Rose Park, 2459 P St. NW. Live entertainment, food trucks, kids’ activities and more.

EARTH DAY CLEANUP WITH WARD 2 COUNCIL MEMBER BROOKE PINTO

April 24, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Dupont Circle. Meet at the fountain.

ADVISORY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION ANC 2E

May 1, 6:30 p.m.

For agenda go to anc2e.com.

OLD GEORGETOWN BOARD

May 4, 9:00 a.m.

401 F. Street NW, Suite 312.

Filing deadline: April 13.

CITIZENS OF GEORGETOWN (CAG) ANNUAL MEETING

May 9, 6 - 8:00 p.m.

Duke Ellington School, 3500 R St. NW. Open to public; voting for members only.

Georgetown Village Celebrates Expansive New Digs

BY PEGGY SANDS

“This is not only a stunningly beautiful expansive new headquarters for the Georgetown Village, but this is a game changer for our entire organization,” Georgetown Village founding Director Lynn Golub-Rofrano told The Georgetowner on March 29 as more than 100 community seniors couldn’t stop smiling and gasping in amazement as they got to tour their new digs in the former Fillmore School at 1801 35th St. NW.

Founded in May 2011 to help Georgetowners 55 years and older “to stay engaged with the community, their homes and to thrive,” Georgetown Village is now one of 17 neighborhood villages in Washington, D.C., each with their own services, programs and styles as part of a growing national “aging in place” movement. “The services are intended to help you stay in your home for as long as you wish to remain there, according to GolubRofrano.

Especially during the past two years of pandemic restrictions, personal transportation and on-line health care information, grocery and drug store pickups and help at home from raking leaves to changing hard-to-reach light bulbs became essential services. So did help for those who were too ill to walk, feed pets, pick up mail, even to call for plumbers and the like. “One hundred percent of our members got their Covid vaccinations, some certainly due to Georgetown Village help,” GolubRofrano said during the ten year anniversary party of the Village last May. “Perhaps the biggest growing sector of services Georgetown Village offers is electronics support. Two years ago, many of us had never heard of Zoom. Today, it’s an essential part of our new normal.”

But all that is evolving as Covid disappears and everyone is yearning for more personal contacts and relationships – especially seniors who’ve been often limited for almost three years because of pandemic restrictions. Last

year when the owner of the Penzance building told Golub-Rofrano that they could no longer offer the Village staff (the Director and Volunteer and Activities Coordinators) office space in their Book Hill office, everyone started reaching out looking for space that could also possibly offer a place for members to gather and socialize. Suddenly, Dr. Sachiko Kuno (the biochemist, philanthropist and co-owner of Evermay and Halcyon House estates in Georgetown) offered the entire ground floor of the former school.

“Since January, our volunteers have been scouring, painting, decorating and placing furniture, books and accessories from full coffee services, televisions, phonograph players and an upright popcorn maker in the basement room lined with half windows,” Golub-Rofrano said with a touch of awe in her voice. Community organizations and individuals have contributed everything from coffee makers and book cases, records, books (including Prince Harry’s “Spare”), a full snack bar and comfortable chairs, tables, sofas and lamps to several cozy reading and conversation and relaxing areas. All the décor was done under the expertise of designer and Board member Michele Seiver who coordinated everything (even the pencils and notebooks) in Georgetown Village colors orange and lime green.

Although fronting on 35th Street, the entrance off of 34th Street offers a large private gated parking lot that fronts the double glass door entrance salon of the village headquarters – perfect for the reception desk and for large events like exhibits, classes and elegant parties such as the headquarters launch with champagne, sushi rolls and cookies. A spacious hallway leads to two large spaces – one decorated and now fully equipped as offices for the staff directors and volunteers and next to it the attractive Village Square. A very large storage closet contains dozens of

walkers, canes, wheel chairs and other health aide devices that are loanable to members and the public for as long as they might need them. Now multiple in-house activities are being planned with the focus on relationship building and social engagement to combat a growing pandemic of loneliness, that Surgeon General Vivek Murphy calls the biggest health crisis, affecting all ages, in America today. Already a basic exercise and balance-building class is scheduled in the Village Square on most Monday mornings. The former interactive coffee klatch meetings and talks will most likely become hybrid

events – in-person and on Zoom; on March 16, Dr. Carol Weisbrod conducted one on “the Psychology of Parenting Adult Children.” Health talks and private Q&As will continue to be held as well as classes and events that members want – such as TV documentary nights or maybe gatherings to share TedTalks. “We’re seeking all ideas now.”

Like all the villages, Georgetown Village is a private membership organization with monthly or yearly dues. There are various levels of membership, however, and stipends for those who need them.

Georgetown Village founding Director Lynn Golub-Rofrano and designer and Board member Michele Seiver cut the ribbon to the new digs at the old Fillmore School. Photo by Robert Devaney.

INS & OUTS

BY ROBERT DEVANEY

IN: ALKOVA, YOGA COWORKING

Alkova opened at 1510 Wisconsin Ave. NW and offers yoga in a co-working setting — “We’ve created a place where you can peacefully work, practice yoga, or both. This space, like an alcove in a city, is a respite from the disconnection present in the outside world.”

The vegan. kosher and halal menu includes shawarma, sausage, falafel, crab sandwich, za’atar cauliflower and malabi.

IN: STREETS MARKET TO OPEN FRIDAY ON P ST.

Streets Market — a local chain of small grocery stores that operates in such neighborhoods as Adams Morgan, Cleveland Park, NOMA and West End — is set to open in the former 7-Eleven space at 2617 P St. NW. Word on the street has the opening set for Friday, April 14. Some fancy food items are already being delivered to the store. The owners welcome the neighbors and their suggestions.

IN: SCOTCH & SODA, NOT A DRINK

kids’ collections are the ultimate expressions of creative freedom. From eclectic statements to richly detailed essentials, we unite original design with clever functionality to bring you a modern, versatile wardrobe that lasts.” The company boasts 224 stores.

RETURNING: WINGO’S FIRST ROOST

Wingo’s chicken shack at 3207 O St. NW is finally flying back to its original coop after a fire shut it down in 2018.

IN: VILLA YARA, LEBANESE DELIGHT

Villa Yara opened in the former Le Pain Quotidien at 2815 M St. NW — “Yara’s food is made to be shared. We serve it in the Lebanese tradition of Mezza. Many plates to be enjoyed by all.” The restaurant seats up to 119, including a garden in the back. Early reviews are also enthusiastic.

OUT: INTERMIX … RIP

The Georgetown Intermix store at 3300 M St. NW closed suddenly on March 29, along with most other Intermix locations. The Georgetown woman’s fashion spot stood prominently at the corner of 33rd & M since 2012, after moving west from the Georgetown Park complex.

“Intermix saga continues,” Yahoo News wrote. “The multibrand retailer, which is now owned by private equity firm Regent LLP, has closed 17 of its stores, with five still operating. Sources claim Regent’s plan for Intermix is to file Chapter 11, renegotiate the leases, reopen some of the stores, then start up again immediately as a new company. … The five stores remaining open are 1003 Madison Avenue in New York; Palm Beach, Florida; Brickell City Centre in Miami; Scottsdale, Arizona, and Beverly Hills.”

CLOSED (AGAIN) TEMPORARILY: APPLE STORE

IN: SHOUK, SUSTAINABLE VEGAN

Shouk, a plant-based Israeli street food eatery, at 1426 Wisconsin Ave. NW opened March 24. Early reviews are enthusiastic.

The Scotch & Soda clothing store returned to Georgetown on March 31. Originally on M Street, the shop is now at 1214 Wisconsin Ave. NW, next to El Centro. Says the company: “Born in Amsterdam, our men, women and

Georgetown’s Apple store at 1229 Wisconsin Ave. NW is once again closed temporarily for renovations. It was closed for a few weeks before Christmas for work in the basement and the back shop. The additional construction is expected to take more than a month.

End of an Era: Booeymonger Closes

BY ROBERT DEVANEY

Last week, the signage was stripped off the awning and the windows papered up. The unique Georgetown deli, known as Booeymonger, ended its 50-year-old existence at 3265 Prospect St. NW.

“Yes, Booeymonger is closed,” Leslie Samuel, property owner and co-founder of the business, told The Georgetowner. “A new restaurant is forthcoming.”

It will be a French bistro, Samuel said, from the owners of Zeppelin and Chaplin’s, two restaurants on 9th Street in Shaw. He added that he understands that the new business owners, Ari and Claire Wilder, plan to call it La Bonne Vache — “The Good Cow.”

Since 1973, Booeymonger — at the corner of Prospect and Potomac Streets, near residential homes and one block from busy M Street — was a gathering spot for neighbors, business folks and Georgetown University students. The unusually named sandwiches, the “Patty Hearst,” “Fifth Avenue” and “Tuna Turner,” fit the eatery’s quirky name, taken from a student newspaper in Ohio which one of the co-founders thought was cool.

Apparently, just about everyone has stopped by —Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Patrick

Ewing and various politicians and celebs — as well as former Georgetowner publisher Dave Roffman, whom Samuel said loved to have lunch there almost every day.

But the pandemic put a strain on the eatery for Rummana Choudhury, business owner since 2018. (The occasional underage drinking violation did not help either.) Hours constricted — and employees departed. Except for three or four, including Priya, who was the subject of a recent Mapping Georgetown column in September.

An opening date for the new business — which is still going through permit processes — has not been announced.

Mark Hudson

Executive Director of Tudor Place

Thursday, April 20

Doors open at 8 a.m.

Talk begins at 8:30 a.m.

$2,700,000

7

3432 Lowell St NW, Washington, DC 20016

This lovely home is situated in Cleveland Park, in one of the most sought-after neighborhoods in D.C., in the shadows of the National Cathedral towers and the sound of its soothing bells. It’s ideally located fronting on the highest-side of Lowell St. A front porch and back-deck add a space and charm to this home. It is blocks away to restaurants, shops, and supermarkets.

Main Level:

• Front porch

• Entry foyer

• Living room with fireplace

• Dining room

• Kitchen leading to a deck

• Powder room

Second Level:

• Four bedrooms

• Full bathroom

• First bedroom with balcony

Julia Diaz-Asper

Senior Vice President

35+ Years of Experience in Georgetown

(202) 256-1887 | jasper@ttrsir.com

1206 30th St NW Washington, DC 20007

Third Level:

• Owner’s suite

• Second bedroom

• Full bathroom

Lower Level:

• In-law suite

• Living Room

• Bedroom

• Bathroom

• Laundry room

• Other: Two-car parking

Link to house: tinyurl.com/nwlowellst

R.I.P.: Booeymonger, 1973 to 2023. Courtesy photo.

Celebrating 90 Years

THE GEORGETOWN

HOUSE TOUR RETURNS

BY ROBERT DEVANEY

n April 22, the annual Georgetown House Tour returns for its 90th showing — opening nine historic and exceptional houses (one, a house of worship) of varying styles to local and out-of-town guests, likely numbering more than 1,800. The tour is believed to be the oldest, most prestigious house tour in the country. Ninety never looked so good — and so do the nine places on the tour. With committed homeowners, architects, designers and tour volunteers, it takes a village to put on an event that has raised millions to support charities that serve those in need in Georgetown and beyond since 1931.

“Today, St. John’s Episcopal Church celebrates the 90th running of the Georgetown House Tour, annually benefitting the many missions and ministries supported by the church community,” says Donna Leanos, chair of this year’s Georgetown House Tour. “During the 1930s, a time of upheaval in our country, folks were searching for ways to help those who were less fortunate and who had fallen on very difficult times. Many residents of Georgetown were hungry and living in unhealthy conditions at that time. Mrs. Jefferson Randolph Kean noticed this problem and decided to organize a tour of the many beautiful and historically significant homes of Georgetown, charging a fee that would ultimately support these neighbors.”

St. John’s Church, Georgetown Parish, is engaged in many outreach programs, supported, in part, by the Georgetown House Tour. Over the past few years, St. John’s has funded a broad range of human service organizations, including: Bishop Walker School, Bright Beginnings, Cornerstone Community, Seabury Senior Ministries,

Georgetown Ministry Center, Grate Patrol, Jubilee Jobs, DC Volunteer Lawyers Project, Manna, Metro Teens & Pediatric AIDS, New Futures and Joseph House (all in the Washington metro area), in addition to Seafarers & International House, American Near East Refugee Aid, Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and Honduras Support through the Episcopal Diocese of Washington.

Chaired by Kathryn Minor Jones, the Patron’s Party — created by tour benefactor Frida Burling — will kick off the action for

offer glimpses, both interior and exterior, of historic houses that we have had the privilege of restoring, expanding and ushering into the 21st century — lots to discover behind the historic facades!” says Zapatka.

Designer Azali Kassum worked with Zapatka on one of the houses on the tour and is opening her own home for the day. Her Georgetown story — like Zapatka’s — is both personal and professional.

She met her now husband, Ian Myers, when the two were teenagers attending the

“Our entire day to day life revolves around this community, and the Georgetown House Tour is such a fabulous way to give back. All the homes which participate each year provide an incredible view to the design, architecture and history of Georgetown and how families live today — each a gem in its own right.”

the Georgetown House Tour with a stylish reception on April 19 at the Hawkins residence (the Henry Foxhall house) on Dumbarton Street.

On Saturday, April 22, the self-guided tour — 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. — will begin at St. John’s Church on O Street, where guests will receive a House Tour magazine with maps and histories on each property. Attendees will also receive admission to the Parish Tea, held in Blake Hall at the church.

The homes are certainly exceptional and historic — well-known architect Christian Zapatka invites attendees to four special places, including his residence and his home office.

“It’s always a pleasure and an honor to

American Embassy School in New Delhi, India, in the late 1980s.

“Our parents were all stationed there for work, and Ian and I were both in the same high school science class,” Kassum says. “We reconnected 25 years later, when Ian, rather serendipitously, came across my name while researching law firms with a presence in India. I was living in Georgetown at the time which really set the stage for our courtship and our decision to settle here. We love the neighborhood, its history, and how walkable it is, whether with our dog or to our favorite date night destinations, such as Apero, Chez Billy and Martin’s Tavern. All three of our children have attended Little Folks School.”

As for her design philosophy, Kassum says, “I’ve always had a passion for design, inspired by my mother’s love of antiquing and our global travels throughout my childhood. Creating and recreating living spaces were often my great escape from practicing law. My minimalist and organic approach to design is rooted in the belief that your home should reflect who you are, what you love and how you live while creating a sanctuary from the chaos of every day. I love layering natural textures, materials and finishes with curated and meaningful pieces, the unexpected contrast of which draws your eye and connects you to a space. Design for me is also fluid, ever evolving and transformative. The entire process excites me, from configuring floor plans for how a family functions in their home carries equal weight to how it is ultimately decorated.”

Kassum adds: “Our home, featured on the tour, served as exploration of this — taking a 1790s Federal down to its bones, revealing the original brick, beams, thresholds and lintels — and pulling it back together by opening rooms to bring in the outdoors. It’s a surprise to most who walk through to see these deconstructed and simplified spaces which also feel warm and inviting.”

Indeed, it does take a village to show off the charms of the oldest neighborhood in the nation’s capital. We know the walls have ears and more. So, if you look and listen very hard, you’ll learn a little more about Georgetown.

3235 P ST. NW. Photo by Jordan Tovin.

“It’s always a pleasure and an honor to offer glimpses, both interior and exterior, of historic houses that we have had the privilege of restoring...” — Christian Zapatka

On the Tour

A LIST OF PARTICIPATING HOMES FOR THIS YEAR’S HOUSE TOUR ARE BELOW, AS PROVIDED BY TOUR OFFICIALS:

1308

29TH ST. NW

This Federal-style house was built in 1825 and expanded in 1930, adding a wing in the rear of the home which is now the kitchen and dining room, as well as a detached garage. Dubbed the Georgetown “Spy House,” this home was once owned by Frank Wisner, a founding father of the Central Intelligence Agency. Allen Dulles, the first civilian director of the CIA, also lived here during the 1950s.

3023

P ST. NW

This 1800 federal townhouse on the east side of Georgetown is often referred to as the “Seam House” because of the vertical seam running down its brick façade. The two-story core of the home was originally used as a workshop but now functions as the dining room and features original exposed beams. In 1814, the home was purchased as an investment by Washington Bowie, a Scottish tobacco merchant and colonel in the Maryland militia. Bowie was also the godson of George Washington (who was present at his christening) and founding vestryman in 1796 of St. John’s Church. In 2015, the homeowners with architect Christian Zapatka restored the home.

1347

30TH ST. NW

Longtime owner Hannah M. Parker, who living until the age of 98, recalled President Teddy Roosevelt riding his horse past her house when the streets were dirt. This elegant sun-filled 1900s Victorian now offers elegant architectural details and an extensive art collection. Bleached floors and an all-neutral color scheme reflect the modern architectural changes made by architect Christian Zapatka and interior designer Azali Kassum. This home’s history showed a third floor that had been lost in a fire. After much study and planning, the home was restored to its original beauty and usefulness.

1615 31ST ST. NW

Hidden away in a charming enclave of Georgian center hall colonials — built in the 1980s on the site of the historic SmithWinslow House — this home is a delight, tastefully redesigned by architect John Cecchi of Cecchi Homes with both family living and formal entertaining in mind. The owners have filled the home with unique artwork that stands as focal points throughout.

1698 31ST ST. NW

Near the entrance to Dumbarton Oaks and set among other historic residences like the Taft Mansion and Tudor Place, this grand fivelevel Victorian home was built in 1898 and is formerly part of McLean’s Lot. The elegant facade and welcoming foyer are an invitation to the graciousness of this sophisticated bow front Victorian townhouse that boasts bright rooms with large windows, five fireplaces, numerous bookcases, tall ceilings with crown molding and wooden floors. It was restored by current owners, Daniel Chao and Jeff Berkowitz. The previous owner of 30 years was Dr. Norma Evenson, an architect, urban historian, and a prize-winning author of architecture and urban planning books.

3235 P ST. NW

This house is one of four built by Emmert & Heisley in 1886 as companions to one another. Given the window layout, it is clear that this property was constructed as a residence, although it has enjoyed various uses throughout the years — a boarding house, a shop of distinguished art and antiques, an art gallery, a jewelry store and a confectionery shop. It is now the office of Christian Zapatka Architect. The redesigned spaces are adorned with storied effects throughout. Zapatka has brought true meaning to the term, “home office.”

1416 34TH ST. NW

An Italianate-style house built in 1876, this stately detached brick federal, known as the Wetzel-Graves home, was renovated by architect Dale Overmyer and features hard wood floors and crown molding throughout its grand living spaces. The side and rear outdoor space and gardens feature an artist’s studio, which is also used as a guest house. The artist’s works can be seen throughout the house.

1413 35TH ST. NW

In 2005, architect Christian Zapatka transformed this intimate 1,480-square-foot home built in 1900 to reflect the modern-day conveniences, while keeping the traditional Georgetown charm. The living room across the back of the house opens directly on to a limestone terrace through three sets of tall French doors. The home features a beautiful, terraced garden that is a must see.

3001 R ST. NW

In Oak Hill Cemetery, Renwick Chapel built in 1850 was designed by James Renwick, Jr. A National Historic Landmark, it is an example of Gothic Revival architecture and often called a “miniature Gothic gem.” The chapel has hosted funerals and weddings for the past 173 years, with notable guests including presidents and cabinet members. Renwick’s work includes the Smithsonian Building, the original Corcoran Gallery of Art (now the Renwick Gallery) and St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.

1615 31st St. NW. Photo by Jordan Tovin.

1347 30th St. NW. Photo by Jordan Tovin.

Oscar Heyman Brothers, Diamond and Enamel Gardenia Earclips (sold for $28,350) and Brooch (sold for $25,200).

Georgetown Real Estate Maven Dishes on Swingin’ ‘60s and Beyond

BY KATE OCZYPOK

“As I sit here at my desk, I’m looking at the most magnificent, panoramic view of Georgetown,” said real estate agent Terri Robinson. “I live about a block from the Four Seasons Hotel, and it’s fabulous.”

Not only is Robinson’s home fabulous, her life is also arguably just as extraordinary. Robinson has achieved more than $2 billion in residential and commercial sales and ranks in the top one percent nationwide. Her clients over the years have included investors, major institutions, embassies and corporations. She has been with Long and Foster Real Estate for nearly 20 years.

PRE-REAL ESTATE YEARS

Robinson’s life wasn’t all about real estate though. She once served as Sen. Ted Kennedy’s (D-Mass.) press secretary, first arriving in Washington, D.C., for the newly elected President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural ball in 1961. Robinson reminisced about that inaugural weekend, chatting about having dinner at Rive Gauche, a French restaurant that stood at the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and M Streets NW and mingling with President Kennedy’s physician.

Robinson believes she was the first female press secretary on Capitol Hill, having first volunteered on Ted Kennedy’s campaign at just 18 years old.

“They made me the National Committee Woman of the Young Democrats when I was 19,” she added. “That’s how I got into politics.”

When asked if she ever felt overwhelmed being that young involved in such big things, Robinson cited being her church organist, directing the church choir and serving as a major in a bagpipe band as sources of confidence.

Originally hailing from Boston, Robinson was immediately drawn to Georgetown for its similar historical nature. Her Bostonian heritage was what made her want to specialize in historic homes when she began her real estate career.

WORKING AND RAISING A FAMILY

After she married and the birth of her son, Robinson felt compelled to stay home. She decided to get into the real estate business 52 years ago, citing the flexibility of the profession.

“It really gave women independence, and it gave us equal pay for equal work,” Robinson said. “I was thrilled to have the opportunity

to take care of my children on my schedule.”

According to Robinson, when she got into real estate, there were only 400 licensed agents in Washington. They were mostly women older than Robinson, whose children had gone off to college.

“They looked at me in a different way, let’s say, because I was much younger and they were women whose husbands were successful. They just did it really as a part-time position,” Robinson said.

THE SWINGIN’ ’60S—AND THEIR AFTERMATH

Robinson reminisced about Georgetown in the 1960s, calling it “so much fun.” When The Georgetown Inn opened in 1962, Robinson lived next door to the now deceased Collins Bird, the former manager of the hotel (and husband of Georgetowner writer Mary Bird).

“He would invite me [to the Georgetown Inn] and we would have so much fun,” Robinson recalled. “The Mercury astronauts would stay there—we had a lot of good evenings there having cocktails and just singing a lot.”

Of course, a lot changed after President Kennedy’s 1963 assassination and the 1968 riots.

Full article at Georgetowner.com

Robinson’s daughter Christa worked for former president Bill Clinton. Pictured in the photo is Robinson, her daughter Christa and her son Bill. Bill produced a movie with Diane Keaton and the family were at the White House theater together in the photo.

The Georgetowner’s Spring Theater Guide

BY RICHARD SELDEN

ONGOING …

The National Capital New Play Festival at Bethesda’s Round House Theatre is featuring two world premieres: “On the Far End,” Mary Kathryn Nagle’s one-woman show about Muscogee leader Ella Jean Hill, directed by Margot Bordelon; and Morgan Gould’s “Jennifer Who Is Leaving,” about a caregiver at her breaking point (through May 7). A panel discussion, “The State of Indian Law,” will follow the April 23 performance of “On the Far End.”

Carrie Compere is singing up a storm as Sister Rosetta Tharpe in “Shout Sister Shout!” at Ford’s Theatre, Cheryl L. West’s adaptation of Gayle F. Wald’s book about the Godmother of Rock and Roll, directed by Kenneth L. Roberson (through May 13).

Do drop in at “Shear Madness,” the Georgetown hair salon in the Kennedy Center Theater Lab, to vote for the murderer — and the ending — of your choice (through Oct. 1).

LAST CHANCE THIS MONTH …

Extended: “A Nice Indian Boy” by Madhuri Shekar, directed by Zi Alikhan at Olney

Theatre Center; and “Clyde’s” by Lynn Nottage, directed by Candis C. Jones at Studio Theatre (through April 16).

Closing soon: at Shakespeare Theatre Company, “King Lear” with Patrick Page in the Klein Theatre and the refugee drama “The Jungle” in Harman Hall; at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, “Sometimes the Rain, Sometimes the Sea,” Rorschach Theatre’s reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid” (through April 16).

Arena Stage is presenting the first half of Tony Kushner’s AIDS-era epic, “Angels in America, Part I: Millennium Approaches,” directed by János Szász (through April 23).

“Unseen,” Mona Mansour’s play about an American conflict photographer in Istanbul, is at Mosaic Theater Company, a resident arts partner of the Atlas Performing Arts Center, directed by Johanna Gruenhut (through April 23).

At Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, “The Nosebleed,” written and directed by Aya Ogawa, explores parenthood in “a series of absurd autobiographical vignettes” (through April 23).

Folger Theatre’s “Our Verse in Time to Come,” by Malik Work and Karen Ann Daniels in collaboration with Devin E. Haqq, directed by Vernice Miller, brings Shakespeare-inspired poetry and song to the DC Public Library (through April 23) and Woolly Mammoth (April 25 to 30).

Up next at the Keegan Theatre: “The Wilting Point,” a world premiere by Graziella Jackson, directed by Danielle A. Drakes, set in the drought-suffering Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Colorado (April 13 to 30).

Feeling misérable? Join Jean Valjean in the Kennedy Center Opera House (through April 29). Or catch the next carpet for “Disney’s Aladdin” at the National Theatre (April 19 to 30).

Back on H Street NE at the Atlas: In Series will present the first fully-staged American production since its 1995 premiere of “I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky,” John Adams’s and June Jordan’s “song-play” about the Northridge, California, earthquake (April 14 to 30).

Carrie Compere as Sister Rosetta Tharpe in “Shout Sister Shout!” Photo by André Chung. Courtesy Ford’s Theatre.

OPENING THIS MONTH AND PLAYING ON …

Marsha Norman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play “’night, Mother” opens soon at the Anacostia Playhouse (April 19 to May 14).

Olney Theatre Center will pay tribute to the music of John Kander and the lyrics of Fred Ebb, composers of “Cabaret” and “Chicago,” with a new production of “The World Goes ’Round,” directed by Kevin S. McAllister (April 19 to May 21).

GALA Hispanic Theatre will stage the comedy “La valentía (Valor)” by Alfredo Sanzol, directed by José Zayas, about sisters for and against the sale of the family summer home (April 20 to May 14).

Kathleen Barth will direct the Little Theatre of Alexandria’s production of “Mary Stuart,” a 223-year-old play by Friedrich Schiller, translated by Peter Oswald (April 22 to May 13).

“Bursting with energizing punk, blues, gospel and jazz music” by Stew and Heidi Rodewald, “Passing Strange,” directed by Raymond O. Caldwell, will shake the stage at Signature Theatre (April 25 to June 18).

ExPats Theatre will present “The Body of a Woman as a Battlefield,” an adults-only play by Matei Visniec, at the Atlas (April 28 to May 21).

Opening this month or next: The U.S. premiere production of Norwegian playwright Jon Fosse’s “Strong Wind” by Scena Theatre

at the DC Arts Center, directed by Robert McNamara (dates to be announced).

COMING IN MAY …

In Kenneth Lin’s “Exclusion,” directed by Trip Cullman at Arena Stage, a historian’s

book about the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 is optioned for a mini-series (May 5 to June 25).

Coming to Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Harman Hall: “Here There Are Blueberries” by Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich, conceived and directed by Kaufman, focuses on an album of Nazi-era photos that turns up at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (May 7 to 28).

Commissioned by Studio Theatre from 2022 Pulitzer Prize winner James Ijames, “Good Bones,” directed by Psalmayene 24, depicts an urban planner’s troubled homecoming (May 10 to June 11).

Another round of Broadway on tour: Monty Python’s “Spamalot” in the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater (May 12 to 21); and “Beetlejuice,” based on Tim Burton’s 1988 wacky classic, at the National (May 16 to 28).

Signature Theatre brings its Sondheim expertise to “Sweeney Todd” in a production directed by Sarna Lapine with music direction by Jon Kalbfleisch and choreography by Alison Solomon (May 16 to July 9).

A world premiere directed by Monty Cole at Woolly Mammoth, Dave Harris’s “Incendiary” uses techniques from comic

Mary Kathryn Nagle as Jean in “On the Far End.” Photo by Margot Schulman. Courtesy Round House Theatre.

APRIL 19 – MAY 21

books and video games to tell the story of a mother’s attempt to break her son out of death row (May 29 to June 25).

Margaret McAuliffe’s “The Humours of Bandon,” directed by Stefanie Preissner for Solas Nua at the Atlas, follows a teenage Dublin dancer on the eve of the Irish Open Championships (May 31 to June 11).

NEW IN JUNE …

Three Black queer men “in an ethereal waiting room” greet audiences in Donja R. Love’s “One in Two,” directed by Raymond O. Caldwell for Mosaic at the Atlas (June 1 to 25).

Jazz pianist and composer Janelle Gill will lead an ensemble of performers — some of whom played with Chuck Brown — in “Chuck & Eva,” an In Series production based on Brown and Eva Cassidy’s 1992 album “The Other Side.” Performances are at Source Theatre (June 1 and 2) and at Baltimore Theatre Project (June 23 to 25).

The Longest Title Award goes to the Little Theatre of Alexandria for “The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at a Celebration of Their First One Hundred Years,” Pearl Cleage’s play about African American debutantes in Montgomery, Alabama, directed by Eleanore Tapscott (June 3 to 24).

Another award winner — this time of eight Tonys — “Hadestown,” by singersongwriter Anaïs Mitchell, directed by Rachel Chavkin, will bring Orpheus, Eurydice, Persephone and, naturally, King Hades to life, or afterlife, at the National (June 6 to 18).

Max McLean stars as the Narnia chronicler in “C.S. Lewis On Stage: Further Up & Further In,” in Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Klein Theatre (June 7 to 18).

Next at GALA, directed by co-founder Hugo Medrano: the Afro-Peruvian musical revue “Kumanana!” by Zelmira Aguilar, with music and lyrics by Victoria and Nicomedes Santa Cruz (June 7 to 25).

From August Wilson’s landmark 10-play Century Cycle set in Pittsburgh’s Hill District: “Radio Golf,” directed by Reginald Douglas at Round House (June 2 to July 7).

Johanna Gruenhut will direct the U.S. premiere of “One Jewish Boy,” Stephen Laughton’s comic love story addressing antisemitism, at Theater J (June 7 to July 2).

Heard a Who lately? “Seussical: The Musical,” by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, will lure Horton, the Cat in the Hat and more of the good Dr.’s characters to the Keegan (June 17 to July 22).

June Musicals: Elton John and Tim Rice’s “The Lion King” in the Kennedy Center Opera House (June 22 to July 29); the American Repertory Theater/Roundabout Theatre Company production of “1776,” directed by Jeffrey L. Page and Diane Paulus, “with a cast that reflects multiple representations of race, gender and ethnicity,” in the Ken Cen’s Eisenhower Theater (June 27 to July 16); and, at Studio, “Fun Home,” Lisa Kron’s adaptation of Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel about coming out, with music by Jeanine Tesori, directed by David Muse (June 28 to July 30).

Billie Krishawn in “Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches.” Photo by Margot Schulman. Courtesy Arena Stage.

DC Artswatch

BY KATE OCZYPOK

The latest ArtsWatch includes a generous gift to the Spy Museum, repatriated objects to the National Museum of Asian Arts, the World Culture Festival and a new Studio Theatre associate artistic director.

SPY MUSEUM RECEIVES MULTIMILLION DOLLAR GIFT FROM VERSTANDIG FAMILY FOUNDATION

The International Spy Museum is the recipient of a $3 million-dollar, multi-year grant from the Verstandig Family Foundation, the largest gift ever from a foundation. The foundation was established by Spy Museum board member Grant Verstandig. The museum’s exhibit “Spying That Launched a Nation” will be reimagined with the help of the new grant funds.

D.C. TO HOST WORLD CULTURE FESTIVAL LATER THIS YEAR

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser joined humanitarian Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of Art of Living, to announce a new festival coming this fall. The World Culture Festival will be September 29 through October 1 on the National Mall. The purpose of the festival is “to honor humanity’s culture, diversity and unity,” according to a press release. Past World Culture Festivals have been held in Bangalore, Berlin and New Delhi.

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ASIAN ART ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH REPUBLIC OF YEMEN GOVERNMENT AS U.S. REPATRIATES 77 CULTURAL OBJECTS

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art will be providing safe storage and care for 77 objects the U.S. government is repatriating to the Republic of Yemen. Sixtyfour of the objects were forfeited to the U.S. due to investigative efforts initiated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. At the end of February, the objects entered custody of the National Museum of Asian Art in a repatriation ceremony.

STUDIO THEATRE NAMES NEW ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Danilo Gambini is Studio Theatre’s new associate artistic director, having started part-time and serving full-time since March 20. Gambini is a Brazil native and most recently received praise for directing the oneperson show “Ni Mi Madre” at the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater in New York. Gambini has also worked on the musicals “Sabina” and “Thebes.” He will serve as Studio Theatre’s local casting director, helping move shows through the production process and leading community engagement. Plans for him to direct some shows are afoot.

The Spy Museum recently acquired a multimillion-dollar grant.

The World Culture Festival was most recently held in New Delhi in 2016. There were 3.75 million attendees from 155 countries. Photo courtesy Art of Living.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art will be providing safe storage and care for 77 objects the U.S. government is repatriating to the Republic of Yemen.

Danilo Gambini is Studio Theatre’s new associate artistic director.

Earth Day Interview: Richard Jackson, Head of The D.C. Department of Energy and Environment

BY CHRISTOPHER JONES

As Earth Day, April 22 is just around the corner, we chatted with the city’s agency head most responsible for environmental protection in the District, Richard Jackson, interim director of the DC Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE). Refreshingly, Jackson is about as far from a paper-pushing bureaucrat as one can imagine. With deep private-sector experience, Jackson’s passionate about working with businesses and residents to comply with regulations hassle-free. He’s also driven to do the behind-the-scenes work necessary to help mitigate the impacts of climate change and pollution affecting residents of the nation’s capital.

At DOEE, Jackson is working to provide “strategic guidance and leadership to a workforce of more than 450 environmental professionals,” to “protect the environment and conserve” the District’s natural resources. But his rise has been shaped by many years of scientific and nuts-and-bolts experience. After receiving a degree in nuclear chemical engineering from the Univ. of Pittsburgh in his early 20s, he signed on as a nuclear

chemist with the U.S. Navy. According to his official bio, he “spent 21 years” as a “nuclear submariner operating nuclear reactors, power generation, and propulsion systems, and maintaining weapons systems” and is today a “proud U.S. veteran.” He told us, “I loved every minute of being on a [submarine]… the camaraderie and the work – for some, it’s high stress… but for me, it was relaxing. I enjoyed my time underwater – so it was cool.”

After 8 years of active-duty, Jackson entered the Navy reserves and began working full-time in a variety of industry jobs focusing on waste disposal and compliance. “My background has always involved learning new things and applying them – that quest for knowledge,” he said. He “worked in multiple fields, such as the steel industry, and the hazardous incineration industry.” He often helped firms needing to comply with regulations on “air quality, hazardous waste, pesticides, chemicals, lead-based paint, energy weatherization and construction.” Even his side-job designing theater sets taught him lessons about construction site

compliance.

In 2008, the DC Environmental Services Agency (ESA) hired Jackson as a Hazardous Waste Inspector. He rose rapidly through the ranks, leading the “largest and most complex river remediation project in the District,” to clean up the Anacostia River. He managed the District’s Site Remediation and Response Program, working with the federal government on toxic cleanups. He established the Rail Safety and Emergency Response Division (RSERD) to “ensure that District residents and railroad employees are protected from unsafe practices.” After serving as the Deputy Director of ESA, he was then selected as second-in-command at DOEE, under Director Tommy Wells who retired last year, making way for Jackson to assume leadership of DOEE.

We asked Jackson how “green” is D.C.? “I think D.C. is a very green city…. In many areas we’re on the cutting edge,” he said. “With our Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) program – We’re teaching other cities and states how to do what we’re doing here. It’s a great program that’s going

Richard Jackson, Interim Director of DC Department of Energy and Environment. Courtesy DOEE.

to allow us to achieve our energy goals…. Over 200 businesses or buildings have submitted their reports to us showing us where their energy uses are and what would be the next steps to start reducing that energy consumption. It was a big deal getting that many companies involved – we’re working on the rest of them…. And we know that’s going to have a major impact in terms of our greenhouse gas production in the future…. We’re looking at [approximately] a 60 percent reduction in greenhouse gasses by 2030 compared to 2006. And our largest producers of greenhouse gasses are our buildings.”

The city’s “sustainability plan” with its “green infrastructure (GI)” programs – think green roofs, rain gardens, etc. -- is emulated by many other cities. “We go to a lot of other cities and show them what we’re doing,” Jackson said.

But, a major innovation in the District’s environmental programs is to grow the green economy and create new jobs – something long touted by environmentalists. “You can’t just put in green infrastructure -- you’ve got to develop a plan for maintaining [it]. So, that led us on the path of creating a whole new ‘workforce development project’ to allow people to learn how to do that and to maintain those systems in their neighborhoods,” Jackson said. He recalled recently working

with his team to help a young man who’d done roof maintenance establish a startup green infrastructure business.

The hidden effects of climate change in the region are a concern, however. A leader in the city’s Flood Task Force, the DOEE has prioritized addressing major storm events and

rising water table levels in the city. DOEE has set up the FloodSmart Homes project to help homeowners prevent basement flooding and a database identifying the District’s 100-year flood plains. “We’re doing redevelopments around the shorelines,” Jackson said. “Like at Kingman Island, we want everyone to think

about what the floods are going to look like. What’s it going to be in a few years? Look down the road. Don’t just design for the day. Design for the future.”

And, of course, climate change has differential impacts in the city raising issues about environmental justice. In marginalized areas, less tree canopy and indoor air conditioning leads to more heat strokes and heart attack deaths during extreme heat events. “In terms of ‘heat islands,’ I know our energy team is working on that as well… We had a meeting on the tree canopy a few weeks ago…. And it’s one of our performance measures for the city -- how many trees there are and how many are planted and maintained for the city. We do that every year.” To help residents in ‘heat islands’ without air conditioning, DOEE also helps residents who qualify through HUD to receive home air conditioners.

For Jackson, however, Job 1 is to ensure that residents receive regulatory “compliance assistance” from DOEE. He wants his teams to help the city move together to achieve the city’s sustainability goals without having to resort to fining businesses. “We’re here to help,” Jackson emphasized. “We have to make sure everyone is safe and we have an environment that’s safe to live in… [but,] we’re here to serve.”

The Latest Dish

BY LINDA ROTH

Partners Steven Salm (co-founder, CEO and GWU grad) and co-founder and Executive Chef David Lee will open PLANTA Queen in D.C.’s West End at 1200 New Hampshire Ave., NW, featuring plant-based dining, “an unguilty pleasure.” PLANTA Queen highlights Asian cuisine. The plan is to open for lunch and dinner in the second half of April. This will be their second in the DMV, as their first restaurant opened in Bethesda at 4910 Elm Street.

Greg Casten’s Fish and Fire Food Group ( Ivy City Smokehouse in NE, The Point in SW, Tony & Joe’s Seafood Place in NW, Nick’s Riverside Grill in NW) plans to open a new neighborhood spot in Deanwood (NE DC) featuring fresh seafood and smoked meats. The Strand at 5131 Nannie Helen Burroughs Ave. NE, is where The Strand Theater used to be. It will seat 163 in the dining room. Its speakeasy-themed second floor seats 40.

Foggy Bottom’s Western Market food hall at 2000 Pennsylvania Ave. NW welcomes new vendors: ExPat, an 8000 sq.-ft. sports betting bar that accommodates up to 400, brought to you by Tim Ma ( Lucky Danger, Laoban Dumplings) and Ben Sislen and Jonas Singer; Alitiko, a fast-casual Greek food tribute to

owner Dimitri Piskapas; The Bussdown, a Caribbean and Cajun-Creole eatery from chefs Solomon Johnson and Mike Woods.

Shaw Update: Whitlow’s Bar & Grill, which opened in D.C., then moved to Clarendon, then back to D.C. (as Whitlow’s DC), will relocate (again) to 901 U Street NW where The Brixton used to be. After a three-floor renovation, Whitlow’s has targeted a May opening. It will seat 200, and feature an outdoor patio in the rear. … Andy’s Pizza plans to open at 808 V Street NW where Hazel used to be, with seating for 75.

Kappo Makoto just opened where Sakedokoro used to be in D.C.’s Palisades neighborhood at 4822 MacArthur Blvd. Minoru Ogawa, of Sushi Ogawa in Kalorama, partnered with Zeppelin co-owners Ari Wilder and Adrian Williams. The 21-seat intimate restaurant features wagyu beef imported from the highly regarded Miyazaki Prefecture.

AdMo Update: The Wave Group’s (Scott Parker, Lee Smith, Gary Koh, Jon Rennich) first Baja Tap, opened at 2436 18th Street NW in Adams Morgan. Executive Chef Greg Lloyd, formerly of Le Diplomate, helms the kitchen. Live music and DJs and late night/ early morning tamales and tortas. The plan is to open a second one in August in Baltimore’s Fells Point neighborhood.… Meli, a Greekthemed wine and mezze club at the Silva building at 1630 Columbia Road NW, is slated to open in Q2 2023. It’s brought to you by Eastern Point Collective (The Duck & The

Peach, La Collina, The Wells). The annual membership fee benefits hyper-local The Reed Cooke Neighborhood Association.

Rex Management, which owns and operates Landini Bros, Fish Market & Anchor Bar and Pop’s Ice Cream Shop as well as Junction Bakery in Del Ray, Capitol Hill and Chevy Chase. Cooper Mill will feature a market and tavern on the first floor and event space to accommodate up to 120 people, on the second floor.

Clyde’s Restaurant Group will open Ebbitt House 1860 Reston Row Plaza at Reston Station in 2025, in the tradition of its iconic Old Ebbitt Grill, D.C.’s oldest saloon. This new suburban rendition will include Old Ebbitt’s American classics menu and twice-a-day happy hours, as well as its abundant seating for 300 indoors and 125 on the patio, which will likely do business with Comstock’s 80-acre mixed-use development where Google, Spotify and Rolls Royce of America are headquartered.

Jackie Greenbaum and Gordon Banks ( Little Coco’s, El Chucho, Bar Charley, Quarry House Tavern) plan to open Charley Prime Foods this month in Gaithersburg’s Rio Lakefront Mall, featuring steaks and homemade pastas. Chef/partner Adam Harvey and chef de cuisine Russell Pike are the kitchen maestros. The 90-seat restaurant can seat another 100 on its patio.

Linda Roth is Founder and CEO of Linda Roth Associates (LRA), a D.C.-based public relations and marketing firm that specializes in the foodservice and hospitality industries. Follow her at: @LindaRothPR, #LindaRothPR, or www.lindarothpr.com.

Chef Maziar and brother Shahab Farivar

Queen Arrives in D.C.’s West End – PLANTA Queen, that is…

Noe Landini plans to open Cooper Mill in Old Town, Alexandria, part of a market and tavern concept at the new Robinson Landing townhouse and condominium development, owned by Bonitt Builders. Noe is the CEO of

Cocktail of the Month

An Emancipation Day Sour

BY JODY KURASH

In 2023, taxpayers will have an extra three days to file their returns. This is because the standard deadline of April 15, falls on a Saturday and the first weekday after that, Monday, April 17, is the Emancipation Day holiday in Washington, D.C.

So, residents of states with voting rights can thank the Capital city for an extra 24-hour grace period. In the U.S., Emancipation Day is only celebrated in the District of Columbia. Other countries, like Canada and several Caribbean nations also have Emancipation holidays but on different dates.

However, there is one holiday on April 17, that can be celebrated across the globe –Malbec World Day. While its origins trace back to France, this red wine is most famously associated with Argentina where it has become a “national variety.” Its recognition as a nationwide symbol rivals that of World Cup MVP Lionel Messi.

According to winesofargentina.org, Malbec World Day or “Malbec Mundo,” was celebrated for the first time in 2011. Malbec first arrived in South America in 1853, when

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Argentina’s president, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, asked a French soil expert to bring new grape varietals to his country. In that same year, on April 16, the first agronomy school was founded in Argentina for the study of European grapes.

The country’s arid and dry climate have allowed this varietal to thrive from North to South and Argentina is now home to nearly 70 percent of the Malbec vineyards of the world.

Known for its versatility, Malbec can range from full-bodied and powerful to fruity and easy-drinking. Its complex character makes it an intriguing choice for red-wine cocktails. Some common red wine potables that would lend themselves well to Malbec are spritzers, mulled wine, sangria and calimotxo.

One classic wine-tipple that’s been making the rounds recently on Instagram and has been in-vogue in hip cocktail bars is the New York Sour. Basically, a classic whiskey sour with a float of red wine on top, this cocktail is not only photogenic, it’s got an intriguing flavor that backs up its style with substance. Malbec is an ideal vino to craft this drink because its aromatically spiced flavor pairs well with the smoky-sweet bourbon and its bold nuance works nicely with the lemon twang.

Like Malbec, the New York Sour was imported from outside the Big Apple. According to Difford’s Guide, it’s “thought to have been first made in the 1880s by a bartender in Chicago. This drink was originally called the Continental Sour and the Southern Whiskey Sour before becoming known as a New York Sour after a bartender started serving it Manhattan and made it popular.”

This fashionable darling of a drink has made its way to the District’s happening cocktail scene. Reviewers on Google mention it by name at the Mirror, Founding Farmers, The

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Eastern and barmini by José Andrés. No doubt, Georgetown favorites like L’Annexe and Bourbon Steak will be able to serve up top notch versions.

So, when April 17 rolls around, whether you’ve filed early, requested an extension or are pulling an all-nighter, remember to lift a Malbec-filled glass and say, “No more taxation without representation!”

New York Sour

INGREDIENTS

• 2 OUNCES BOURBON

• 1 OUNCE FRESH LEMON JUICE

• 3/4 OUNCE SIMPLE SYRUP

• 1 OUNCE MALBEC

INSTRUCTION

1. Add whiskey, lemon juice, and simple syrup into a shaker with ice.

2. Shake hard until well-chilled.

3. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.

4. Slowly pour the red wine over the back of a bar spoon so that the wine floats on top of the drink.

PUBLIC NOTICE

THE EMBASSY OF THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA IS ACCEPTING BIDS FROM QUALIFIED COMPANIES FOR THE FOLLOWING:

• Removal of old waterproofing; Supply, and install of new waterproofing, and repair of parapet wall of the Embassy’s building at 601 New Hampshire Ave., NW Washington D.C. 20037.

• Replacing, supplying, installing of ceiling and ceiling lighting at the Embassy’s Building at 601 New Hampshire Ave., NW Washington D.C. 20037.

• Replacing, supplying, installing and commissioning of emergency power generators.

• Replacing, supplying, and installing a chiller unit.

• Replacing, supplying, and installing a Fire Alarm System.

PLEASE CONTACT THE EMBASSY AT ENG.WASEMB@MOFA.GOV.SA OR AT (202) 342-3800 EXT. 3021 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR INQUIRIES BY APRIL 15, 2023.

SERVICE DIRECTORY

NYFW in 3 Georgetown Shops, Featuring the Looks of Spring 2023

BY SONYA BERNHARDT

BODY LANGUAGE

The past season’s focus on defining the waist continues. Weightless jersey bandeaus wrapped around long skirts and lean kneecropped pants. Molded tunics are tailored with gentle curves, a foil to fluttering bias-cut lace, chiffon and lamé skirts.

Image #1 Look is paired with various pieces from the collection, Chantilly Lace Bra $158, Open-Back Pullover $348, Jersey Chiffon Skirt $898

Image #2 Look is paired with various pieces from the collection, Chantilly Lace Bra $158, Open-Back Pullover $348, Jersey Chiffon Skirt $898

Tory Burch - The starting points for spring/ summer 2023 were two seemingly opposing instincts: to pare everything back and to experiment freely. On the runway, these notions came together seamlessly. Clean lines and an ethereal palette provided the ideal backdrop for new ideas.

Alice and Olivia - Owner, Stacey Bendet, recently featured on the cover of Architectural Digest, welcomes women to come and indulge in the endless glamour, whimsy and inspiration found in Stacey’s wonderland version of home. For this spring, she asks “Why must glamour only exist outside? So often do my interiors inspire my design, and my designs inspire my interiors,” she notes.

Veronica Beard, namely Veronica and Veronica, the sisters-in-law duo, featured their second show of the brand’s history in September 2023, showcasing their polished, put-together looks. The company said: “We believe in enduring personal style. We believe in the doers and makers, the movers and shakers. We believe a dream wardrobe must work for real life. Look good, feel good, do good.” Suited looks featured colors and floral patterns in dresses and shirts.

Image #3 Doja V-Neck Tulle High Low Ballgown $1,795

Image #4 Black White Nida High Neck Open Back Dress $350

Image #5 Saskia Halter Dress $498

Image #6 Corey Dickey Jacket $748 and Emar Miniskirt $298

Preserving Virginia’s Piedmont Region Means Working in the District

BY MADDIE RENNYSON

You know you’re in Virginia as soon as the Blue Ridge Mountains begin to peek over the horizon. Whether it’s a day trip to Upperville or a weekend getaway to Charlottesville to escape the city hustle, the Virginia countryside is a serene homeaway-from-home. What you may not know is that most of the surrounding farms and lush arboriculture has been tirelessly maintained and conserved by the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) for the last fifty years.

The PEC was founded in 1972 with a mission of “promoting and protecting the natural

resources, rural economy, history, and beauty of the Virginia Piedmont.” The organization is headquartered in Warrenton, Virginia but works in the District to help shape public policy to conserve land in the surrounding metropolitan area amidst rapid development. PEC has a strong community foundation and works year-round to protect the environment through reforestation, land conservation, wildlife habitat maintenance, farm-to-table initiatives, and clean energy and water programs.

The Georgetowner sat down with Chris

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Paul MacMahon (703) 609-1905

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Miller, president of PEC, and Advancement Officer Gertraud Hechl, to discuss pertinent issues and top goals for the organization this year.

Up to this point, PEC has officially conserved almost 25 percent of the 2 million acres of land in the Piedmont region encompassing the foothills and river valleys between Virginia’s Coastal Plain and the Blue Ridge Mountains. This has been made possible by the collaboration between family farm owners and PEC land conservationists who have the same goal in mind: to protect Virginia’s most historic and beautiful land.

However, Big Data has arrived. A large commercial development known as Data Center Alley – comprised of the world’s largest concentration of data centers in Ashburn, Virginia -- threatens the PEC’s conservation efforts. These data centers are used to power our speedy smartphones and 10K-resolution televisions but have harmed wildlife habitats and substantially decreased fertile farmlands.

“We are the place where the global cloud operates,” Miller tells The Georgetowner, as he warns that this concentration of data centers could have severe impact on electrical demand in Virginia over the next 15-20 years.

PEC also empowers communities to embrace the “buy fresh, buy local” lifestyle

by supporting farms directly. The clean eating process is cyclical and starts with the consumer. When purchasing produce from a grocery store, farmers receive a minute percentage of the profit. However, when bought directly, farmers earn the entire profit. Additionally, the consumer is purchasing a sustainable, reliable food source. With a higher profit margin from direct sales, farmers can continue to engage in sustainable farming practices which are more costly yet protective of the environment.

With Earth Day approaching on April 22, many wonder how they can participate. One of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions is transportation. Walking or biking instead of driving is always a good choice. Throughout the year, PEC hosts many different events from tree-planting and nature walks to river clean up days. Miller and Hechl agree that the most important initiative is inspiring the next generation to maintain the progress that’s been made. Playing outside, visits to the farmers market, and gardening are all small ways to have a long-lasting impact.

Visit Pecva.org for more information and a full calendar of events. See Georgetowner. com for a list of fun activities in Virginia’s Piedmont region.

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Virginia • $2,700,000 Major frontage on Route 50 & Atoka Rd | Commercial kitchen, beer cooler, grocery items, pizza oven, in store seating | Potential to be very lucrative | Property also improved by older home, old gas station has been renovated for potential office space or storage & stone spring house | 2 lots with commercial village zoning

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View from Piedmont Memorial Overlook towards Washington D.C.

‘Confessions: A Life of Failed Promises’

A LITERARY CRITIC ADMITS HIS SHORTCOMINGS.

REVIEWED BY KITTY KELLEY

The writing life is full of potholes — long days and solitary nights followed by rewrites, rejections, and, for most, scant rewards. Upon publication of a work, critics descend from Mt. Olympus to dissect and dismember, which may explain why writers like A.N. Wilson wrap themselves in the protective carapace of grandiosity. In the first paragraph of his new memoir, “Confessions,” Wilson writes: “Fans and hostile critics alike have always spoken to, and of, me as one who was too fluent, who wrote with too much ease. Over fifty books published, and probably millions of words in the newspapers.”

Quite a record for a British writer not born in Stratford-upon-Avon. And not to puff up an already overstuffed ego, but Andrew Norman Wilson can write — fluidly, gracefully, and with immense literary flourish. So, one might wonder about his memoir’s subtitle, “A Life of Failed Promises.” The disconnect, according to Wilson, is found in his self-assessment of a man

who has squandered his potential.

At 72, he’s looking back on his life as a husband, a parent, a son, and a friend; sadly, he finds himself wanting. And who’s to argue as he admits to being “trapped” in his first marriage to a woman 13 years his senior, whom he blames for stealing “my youth, my experience of student life, my chance of developing an emotional spectrum with several girlfriends, before settling on the Right Moment to marry”?

Like a petulant child, Wilson retaliates with vitriol, leaving one to wonder if he was some kind of naïf who’d been shanghaied into marriage at 19 by a 32-year-old virago who bound and blindfolded him. They had two children together, and despite his many affairs (and a few of hers), remained married for 19 years, supposedly because of their religious vows.

Wilson maintains he was desolate in his first marriage and writes of how he tortured himself, becoming anorexic, not to mention enduring

“two bouts of pneumonia, one of pleurisy and weight loss down to seven stone [98 pounds].” If not for hypnotherapy, he contends, “I think my eating disorder would probably have killed me.”

But then he fell in love with the woman who would become his second wife, until that marriage also ended in divorce. Before either of those wives came along, Wilson admits to having had “one fully fledged love affair” at his all-boys boarding school “that lasted nearly three years.”

Of his first marriage, Wilson writes: “I broke every vow and promise I ever made to that woman, including of course, the one about staying with her in sickness and in health.” He blames their split on “certain aspects of life with my difficult mother.” Years later, when his first wife tumbles into “alcohol numbed dementia,” Wilson visits her in “the care home,” adding less than chivalrously that her “uncertain control of bodily functions” made “taxi rides or visits to restaurants and cinemas anti-social.”

In keeping with the book’s title, Wilson confesses to the addiction of fame and seeing his name in print. “Cheap publicity,” he calls it, claiming it infected him as much as it did his “cherished friends,” the poet Stephen Spender and the philanthropist Lord Longford. He compares the “heady buzz” of seeing themselves in print to “the sadness of lonely mackintoshed men reaching greedily for magazines on the top shelf, in days before internet porn.”

Wilson further pleads guilty to being a full-throated snob who loves the monarchy, adores Diana, the late Princess of Wales, and reveres Margaret Thatcher as “the best Prime Minister of our lifetime.” He berates Oxford’s refusal to grant Thatcher an honorary degree as “shameful.” He claims not to be “a natural courtier,” yet devotes several pages to his dinners with Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and the near national scandal he caused by reporting her table talk about T.S. Eliot and his “dreary” recitations of “The Waste Land,” which convulsed the royal family into fits of giggles.

Page after page charts Wilson’s back-andforth religious forays from the Church of England to the Church of Rome. He once entered an Anglican seminary intent on becoming an Episcopal priest, but he left after a year. He then converted to Catholicism, but that, too, was temporary. He now rages against Catholicism’s “preposterous claim” of papal infallibility and the “authoritarian clericalism [that] has so obviously helped to cover up, perhaps even to encourage, the abuse of children by priests.”

Admitting that his life has been a tangle of spiritual confusion, he recounts how, in 1989, he descended from the heights of piety to

meander in the nether region of agnosticism. “I think that all churches have faults but all also have members whose lives shine with the life of Christ, and that this has been true in the C of E as it has in the other churches.” He then adds, “I still read the New Testament in Greek each year.”

The surprise of this book comes from its lackluster ending, which is not a bang but a whimper. After confessing his thundering ambitions, he writes remorsefully of the “young A.N. Wilson, so full of himself, so unfaithful, not only to his wife [make that two wives] but to his own better nature.” Unable to find peace in religion or happiness in marriage late in life, he seeks redemption in his talent. After all, he concludes, “[E]ven the feeblest of writers [know] why writing and reading play such a vital part in our lives.”

Georgetown resident Kitty Kelley has written several number-one New York Times best-sellers, including “The Family: The Real Story Behind the Bush Dynasty.” Her most recent books include “Capturing Camelot: Stanley Tretick’s Iconic Images of the Kennedys” and “Let Freedom Ring: Stanley Tretick’s Iconic Images of the March on Washington.” She serves on the board of BIO (Biographers International Organization) and Washington Independent Review of Books, where this review originally appeared.

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