The Georgetowner: June 12, 2024 Issue

Throughout The Fitzgerald’s multiple dining venues, our chefs elevate breakfast, lunch, and dinner to highly anticipated daily dining experiences, allowing residents to connect with friends and family while enjoying thoughtfully planned seasonal menus. Following Forbes Travel Guide five-star standards, our associates deliver anticipatory service and create meaningful moments, one delicious meal at a time.

OFFSITE DISCOVERY CENTER 4418 MACARTHUR BLVD., NW WASHINGTON, D.C.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC MONDAY - FRIDAY, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM WEEKENDS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

The Fitzgerald of Palisades is currently under construction and is not licensed by the D.C. Department of Health. Upon completion of construction, The Fitzgerald of Palisades will apply to the D.C. Department of Health for a license to operate as an Assisted Living Residence. The anticipated opening for The Fitzgerald of Palisades is Late 2024.

Battery Operated Cameras

Ring Battery Doorbell Plus: $120 + $175 for installation and programming (fully reimbursable through DC rebate program).

Ring Battery Doorbell Pro: $230 + $175 for installation and programming ($200 reimbursable per device, up to $500 through DC rebate program).

Wired Camera

Ring Doorbell Pro: $530 including device, indoor chime, installation, and programming ($200 reimbursable per device, up to $500 through DC rebate program).

Automatic or Motion Sensor Lighting

15% discount on labor for porch light day/night sensor installation, flood or motion sensor outdoor light installation/replacement, or other electrical services.

Self-Installation

Blink Video Doorbell: $42 at most retailers (fully reimbursable through DC rebate program).

Porch Light Bulb Replacement (dusk to dawn or motion sensor bulbs - available at most hardware stores).

CameraConnect DC Program

Register your camera system to help MPD with crime investigations.

For

Private Security Camera Rebate Program

Get up to $200 for each camera or up to $500 reimbursed in total.

THIS ISSUE

ON THE COVER

PUBLISHER

Sonya

DIRECTOR OF CONTENT

SENIOR

FEATURE

FASHION & BEAUTY DIRECTOR

Allyson Burkhardt Lauretta McCoy

GRAPHIC

PHOTOGRAPHERS

1050 30th Street,

Phone: (202) 338-4833

Fax: (202) 338-4834

www.georgetowner.com

“The Newspaper Whose Influence Far Exceeds Its Size” — Pierre Cardin

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 2024.

Please send submissions of opinions for consideration to:

editorial@georgetowner.com

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CAG CONCERT PACKS ROSE PARK — WITH KIDS BY THE GEORGETOWNER

The children were out in force at Sunday’s concert in Rose Park on May 19. Georgetowner photo.

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS AT THE KREEGER BY FORBES DUDLEY

The Kreeger Museum is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Photo by Mariah Miranda Photography.

‘JEWELS,’ BALANCHINE’S SPARKLING TRIPTYCH, AT THE KENNEDY CENTER BY HAILEY WHARRAM

Emma Von Enck and Joseph Gordon in “Rubies” from George Balanchine’s “Jewels.” Photo by Erin Baiano. Courtesy NYCB.

I’D LIKE TO SOLVE, PAT: RETIREMENT! BY KATE OCZYPOK

“Wheel of Fortune” hosts Pat Sajak and Vanna White toast 8,000 episodes. Courtesy “Wheel of Fortune.”

Coolidge Foundation

REMEMBERING JACK QUINN (19492024): D.C. LOBBYIST, INFLUENCER AND FAMILY MAN BY KATE OCZYPOK

Jack and Susanna Quinn. Family photo.

CRIME REPORT: MOPEDS, CRASH ON FOXHALL, ATTEMPTED BREAK-IN BY MARK MARTINKOV

A pedestrian died after being hit by a car on June 5, at the intersection of Q Street and Foxhall Road, NW. Photo courtesy @CordellTraffic.

Oak Hill History Book!

Learn about the fascinating history of Oak Hill Cemetery in this new Book by Laura Lavelle, which features nearly 200 historic photographs and the story behind both the place and those buried there since 1849. Available in local shops, online, or in the cemetery gatehouse at 30th and R Streets. $25.

Did You Know?

Oak Hill Cemetery has over 800 sites available for purchase –single cremation sites, double niches, hundreds of casket sites, family sites, and more. Consider us for your ‘final forwarding address.’

Save the Date!

October 18, 2024: Our 175th Anniversary Gala! City Tavern Club

Cemetery Office: 202-337-2835

News Bytes

BY THE GEORGETOWNER

MAYOR TO VOLTA PARK FRIENDS: ‘GEORGETOWN IS HOT!’

Addressing a sold-out crowd at the Friends of Volta Park annual fundraiser on June 1, Mayor Muriel Bowser said: “Georgetown is hot!” The mayor cited such indicators as the Capitals and Wizards staying downtown, pandas returning to the National Zoo and rising visitor numbers. The event was sponsored by the Carl M. Freeman Foundation, Little Folks School, Seoul Spice, Washington Fine Properties, Chevy Chase Trust and Georgetown University.

GEORGETOWN VILLAGE HONORS DR. SACHIKO KUNO

Georgetown Village’s spring gala — held on May 16 at the Washington Harbour home of Nancy Taylor Bubes and Alan Bubes — honored S&R Evermay founder Dr. Sachiko Kuno for her support of the nonprofit with the motto: Neighbors Helping Neighbors Thrive. S&R Evermay’s Fillmore School on 35th Street provides offices and meeting space for Georgetown Village. Among the notables on hand to speak was Ward 2 Council member Brooke Pinto.

GEORGETOWN SUMMER SECRET: 3 FREE PUBLIC POOLS

Starting June 24, the public swimming pool at the Jelleff Community Center, 3265 S St. NW, opens six days a week. Georgetowners have easy access to two additional public pools: one at Volta Park at 1555 34th St. NW and another just outside Georgetown at 2435 N St. NW. Department of Parks and Recreation pools are free for D.C. residents; nonresidents can purchase daily or seasonal passes.

DEFUND THE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB? JELLEFF SUPPORTERS TOLD: FEAR NOT!

On May 22, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington Vice President Mike McDonald told a gathering of club members and Georgetown leaders that the annual funding to run the Boys & Girls Club at the Jelleff Center had suddenly disappeared from the District’s fiscal 2025 budget. But within days, Jelleff supporters were assured that the District Council had put in the necessary funds. Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners Daniel Ciao and Kishan Putta say they first learned about the loss of the operating funds about a month ago. “Oversights happen, mistakes happen, and I urge everyone with influence and the power that you hold to please restore full funding to the Boys & Girls Club of Washington in the FY 2025 Department of Recreation budget,” said Ciao in a letter. Fear not: Georgetown’s Boys & Girls Club will receive full funding.

Lynn Golub-Rofrano, Dr. Sachiko Kuno, Carol Kelly and Nancy Taylor Bubes on May 16.

Photo by Lien James.

Ashley Burke, Council member Brooke Pinto, Saraya Arnold and Mayor Muriel Bowser at the Friends of Volta Park fundraiser on June 1. Courtesy FOVP.

Though it looks private, the Jelleff pool is open to the public. Photo by Peggy Sands.

Georgetown-Burleith Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Kishan Putta at the May 22 press conference at the Jelleff Center.

Georgetown Transportation Access and Circulation Study

COMPILED BY JULIA KEY

• Study started in March 2023, joint effort of the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and Georgetown Business Improvement District

• Study to evaluate the transportation network and proposed transportation initiatives to identify opportunities to enhance safety, accessibility, and equity of transportation in Georgetown.

• DDOT formally proposed its recommendations in early April 2024.

• Recommendations fall into two categories: (1) traffic safety recommendations, and (2) circulation recommendations.

• There are 17 short-term traffic safety recommendations.

◦ The recommendations address issues such as:

▪ Resident concerns about speeding drivers and disregard for stop signs and crosswalks;

▪ Conflicts between pedestrians and drivers;

▪ Visibility and poor sightline issues, particularly at intersections and near schools;

▪ Safety and crashes at particularly difficult intersections.

◦ The study makes several draft recommendations to address issues of significant traffic congestion, a high level of driver turning movement, narrow sidewalks, and only a brief crossing period for pedestrians at the corner of M Street and Wisconsin Avenue NW. To address pedestrian safety, the study recommends installing curb extensions and evaluating the signal to add a pedestrian only crossing phase and considering the tradeoffs. The study also recommends adjusting the bike/scooter parking area south of intersection and expand bus stop zones.

◦ The study includes a draft recommendation to redesign the intersection of 28th Street, M Street, and

Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The redesign would reduce conflict points and improve driver and pedestrian safety.

◦ Four of the draft recommendations are aimed at improving pedestrian safety around nearby schools.

• There are 5 circulation recommendations.

◦ To address excessive congestion on 33rd, 34th, and 35th Streets, NW, especially during rush hours from drivers accessing Key Bridge, the study noted its analysis did not support changes to traffic patterns. Rather, draft recommendations include updates to signal timing at M and 33rd, installation of additional signage at M and 34th, and additional markings to slow drivers turning from Wisconsin onto southbound 35th.

◦ The draft recommendations include several one-way street conversions. To reduce congestion and conflict points, the study recommends making S Street eastbound and T Street westbound oneway between 35th and 37th Streets, NW, and making 28th Street northbound and 29th Street southbound one-way between M and P Streets, NW. (DDOT later stated it is not considering one-way streets at this time.)

• Next steps – public comment was received through April 30, with final recommendations to be presented in mid to late May and the study finalized in June 2024.

• DDOT noted a forthcoming Bus Priority Project study to start later this year or in early 2025. In addition, DDOT will initiate longer-term project to explore corridor-wide changes to M and Wisconsin Streets, NW.

For the full study visit: https://engage.dc.gov/georgetownstudy

For questions about the meetings, please email: kelly.jeong-olson1@dc.gov

Trees for Georgetown Hosts Panel of Experts

BY PEGGY SANDS

On May 15, Trees for Georgetown held an event, appropriately enough, in a room with hand-painted wallpaper of silver trees. Co-sponsored by the Georgetown Business Improvement District, the program, at the City Tavern Club, 3206 M St. NW, featured a panel of local tree experts.

“Wow, this panel’s combined knowledge and enthusiasm is outstanding! Do you get together as a group to share your valuable expertise like this often?” A new Georgetown resident, the questioner had been active in a community tree organization in Palo Alto.

The answer was “no.” In fact, it was the first time that some of the 70 or so tree lovers in the room had met in person.

The panelists were: Matt Lehtonen from the District Department of Transportation’s Urban Forestry Division; Keith Pitchford of Pitchford Associates, inventor of the Tree Matrix app; Smithsonian Gardens arborist Jake Hendee; and Robert Shaut, director of tree operations at Casey Trees. Matt Millage,

the Georgetown BID’s director of public space operations, served as moderator.

“D.C. is probably one of the five top cities in the country that supports such an active and professional urban forest division,” said Lehtonen. His DDOT division “stewards” over 170,000 trees of more than 300 varieties in public areas throughout D.C.

“We are all trying to educate ourselves and Georgetowners about how to maintain their remarkable canopy of trees. One way is to distinguish between streetside trees and trees in parks,” Lehtonen explained. “Home owners are responsible for watering the street trees in front of their homes, but not for planting or trimming them. That’s the city’s job in collaboration with expert partners. Call 311.”

The park trees are planted and maintained by private companies and city agencies in accordance with various cooperative agreements, as well as by the National Park Service in several Georgetown parks, such

as Georgetown Waterfront Park, Rose Park and Dumbarton Oaks Park.

“We depend on the help of this team of experts to help us fulfill our mission,” said Trees for Georgetown President Betsy Emes. “We also inform neighbors on how to care for these trees and guide them regarding city regulations. Many residents do not know that they are responsible for the guardianship of the trees in front of their property.”

“Our longtime, go-to, faithful expert is Keith Pitchford,” said Emes, giving him a

big hug.

“We have a bright future with these experts, all relatively young and data knowledgeable,” added interior designer Frank Randolph.

Since its founding in 1989, Trees for Georgetown has planted more than 3,000 street trees (mainly in street boxes with regulated three-sided fencing), contracted watering services during drought periods and provided preventative maintenance for at-risk trees.

A tree planting in Georgetown. Courtesy Casey Trees.

Lockwoods Mark Three Milestones

BY ROBERT DEVANEY

Marking three milestones, Sharon and David Lockwood are throwing a “60-50-20” party at the Cosmos Club on June 22. The Lockwoods — who have lived in their Georgetown home on the 3000 block of O Street for 57 years — are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary, their son Reid’s 50th birthday and his 20th wedding anniversary.

Both Sharon and David earned PhDs. Sharon is a retired World Bank economist and David was

a consultant to Congress with the Congressional Research Service for over 40 years.

Sharon is also the founder of Georgetown Village, a nonprofit that helps residents age in place. As she told The Georgetowner in 2013, referring to her inspiration: “I want to leave the house feet first.”

It is perhaps in her role as a real-life fairy godmother that Sharon really shines, encouraging young people through informal mentoring and sometimes with financial support.

Sharon Lockwood has 56 African American godchildren, many of whom grew up in a housing project in Northeast D.C. She met her oldest godson when he was 14; he is now 56. Her commitment starts with helping her godchildren through college and lasts a lifetime. She also volunteers at Dunbar High School to help its graduates with college admission.

“It’s just such a thrill to watch them succeed. It’s mutual, they help me, too,” she told the Washington Post, which featured her Cosmos Club party in 2014.

Saylor Settles Suit for $40

BY ROBERT DEVANEY

“Michael J. Saylor and MicroStrategy, Inc., the company he co-founded and led, will pay $40 million to resolve a tax fraud lawsuit filed by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) alleging that Saylor had defrauded the District of over $25 million in income taxes,” District of Columbia Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb announced June 3.

The settlement is the largest income-tax fraud recovery in D.C. history. By agreeing to the settlement, Saylor and MicroStrategy admit no liability or wrongdoing.

OAG’s lawsuit — the first of its kind brought under updates to the D.C. False Claims Act — detailed “how Saylor, despite living in the District, illegally pretended to live in lower-tax jurisdictions in an attempt to avoid paying taxes on hundreds of millions of dollars of income. Saylor called the District home since at least 2005, renovating and living in a 7,000-square-foot Georgetown penthouse and docking multiple yachts at Washington Harbour.”

Schwalb added: “Tax cheats are freeloading off the backs of hardworking, law-abiding, tax paying District residents while depriving our city of resources needed for critical programs, including public safety, infrastructure and education. Michael Saylor and his company, MicroStrategy, defrauded the District and all of its residents for years. Indeed, Saylor openly bragged about his tax-evasion scheme, encouraging his friends to follow his example and contending that anyone who paid taxes to the District was stupid. This precedent-setting settlement makes clear that no one in the District of Columbia, no matter how wealthy or powerful they may be, is above the law.”

Million

BACKGROUND ON LAWSUIT AGAINST SAYLOR, ACCORDING TO OAG

In 2021, whistleblowers filed a lawsuit against Michael J. Saylor alleging that he had defrauded the District and failed to pay income taxes he legally owed from 2014 through 2020. The whistleblowers’ complaint also alleged that Saylor openly bragged to friends and acquaintances about evading D.C. taxes, encouraging them to follow his example.

After independently investigating the tax fraud allegations against Saylor, OAG intervened in the whistleblower lawsuit and filed its own complaint against Saylor. The District’s lawsuit alleged that Saylor lived in the District but pretended to be a resident of Florida (a state with no personal income tax) or Virginia (a state with lower income tax) to avoid paying more than $25 million in District income taxes. In addition to the 2014-2020 tax years addressed by the whistleblowers’ complaint, the District also sought to recover taxes that Saylor failed to pay for the tax years 2005 through 2013.

As part of his fraudulent tax avoidance scheme, Saylor enlisted the assistance of his company, MicroStrategy, a technology corporation he founded and led. MicroStrategy employees falsely reported address information on the W-2s the company issued to Saylor and also omitted Saylor’s accurate information from the withholding filings it submitted to the District. Saylor and MicroStrategy knew that these records and statements were false, especially because MicroStrategy employees maintained detailed logs of Saylor’s precise

whereabouts throughout much of this period. With its suit, the District sought to collect back taxes, as well as interest and penalties.

The District’s amended complaint and the settlement are available at oag.dc.gov.

This matter was handled by Assistant Attorneys General Norman Anderson, Jason Jones, Sarah Levine, Jessica Micciolo and Charlie Sinks, Senior Trial Counsel Laura Beckerman and Workers’ Rights and Antifraud Section Chief Graham Lake.

Read two of The Georgetowner’s previous articles about Michael Saylor at georgetowner.com/articles/2022/09/12/ michael-saylor/ and georgetowner.com/ articles/2012/10/15/michael-saylor-ridingmobile-wave/.

52 YEARS

1819 35th St NW Every Sunday 8AM to 4PM

David and Sharon Lockwood. Family photo.

The Joy of Community: The List Goes On

“Taking care of others, helping others, ultimately is the way to discover your own joy and to have a happy life.” — the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Now that we have sung the benefits — civic and personal — of volunteering, we realize the list of opportunities is forever changing. As solutions are implemented and new groups identified, there will always be work to be done in our vibrant community. The list is ongoing; as your community news source, we will continue to report on this.

“What the Dalai Lama and I are offering is a way of handling your worries: thinking about others. You can think about others who are in a similar situation or perhaps even worse a situation, but who have survived, even thrived. It does help quite a lot to see yourself as part of a greater whole.” — Archbishop Desmond Tutu For ideas, we refer you to The Georgetowner’s Town Topics pages, where we cover the neighborhood’s hottest issues. See the DDOT transportation study on page 7 and the Lockwood story on page 9 for examples of matters affecting this community that could use your help. Where else to start? We can think of a Lucky 13 (in random order):

• Children (at our Jelleff Center/Boys & Girls Club, for instance)

• Seniors

• Homelessness and mental health

• Hospitals and the fight against cancer (BellRinger’s Bike Ride is Oct. 26)

• History and historic preservation (in general and at sites such as Dumbarton House and Tudor Place)

Is DDOT Listening?

The DC Department of Transportation has been getting the stink eye in Georgetown. Whether it’s too many extended sidewalks, illpositioned scooter racks or traffic flow decisions. Everyone has an opinion: why not one-way streets? Broken mirrors, damaged cars and people arguing are the results of our wider vehicles, poor drivers and tight two-way streets. Others opined: No bike lanes with ugly plastic bollards on my block, messing with street parking that’s sparse enough. We won’t mention rude bicyclists. But we could declare: Ban the scooters. Paris did.

It’s a mixed bag, indeed. During the recent Georgetown Transportation Access and Circulation Study “forums,” DDOT presented

• Animal rescue

• Crime prevention (Why not be a block captain?)

• Parks (Join a cleanup!)

• Parking and traffic (Georgetown’s secondoldest problem)

• Pedestrian and cyclist safety (Watch out for loose scooters on the sidewalk and bike racks that edge into the traffic lane!)

• Trees and flowers

• Churches and choirs

• Georgetown’s Black history (a prime site being Mount Zion Cemetery)

Whether you treat volunteerism as a hobby or have a heartfelt passion project, your help is needed. Summer can be a time of reflection and soul searching — and also a time of joy. What would you like to do?

“‘How are we?’ This understanding sees that someone else’s achievements or happiness is a very real way our own. So, rejoicing in others’ good fortune really brings a lot of positive benefits.” — the Dalai Lama

For further inspiration, your summer reading assignment (if you haven’t already guessed) is to read “The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World” by the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Over and over, their message is loud and clear: Helping others brings joy.

“Joy is much bigger than happiness. While happiness is often seen as being dependent on external circumstances, joy is not.” — Archbishop Desmond Tutu

We Owe It to Our Ancestors: The Juneteenth Federal Holiday

BY SHELIA P. MOSES

Juneteenth is more than a historical milestone. It is a powerful reminder of the resilience and enduring spirit of African Americans. Celebrating Juneteenth acknowledges the painful history of slavery and its lasting impact on American society. This holiday is also an opportunity to honor the contributions and achievements of African Americans, many of whom continued to face systemic racism and violence long after the official end of slavery.

Its origins date back to June 19, 1865, when Union Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced General Order No. 3, declaring that all enslaved people were free. This day came more than two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation, on Jan. 1, 1863.

The delay in the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas, one of the most remote slaveholding states, was due to a combination of limited Union troop presence and the resistance of Confederate forces. The proclamation had effectively freed slaves in Confederate states, but its practical implementation relied heavily on the advance of Union troops. Hence, it wasn’t until Granger’s arrival that the proclamation was enforced in Texas, marking the true end of slavery in the United States.

The initial celebration of Juneteenth involved spontaneous festivities, with newly freed African Americans rejoicing in the streets, organizing prayer meetings and gathering for feasts. These celebrations quickly became an annual tradition, with the day an occasion for parades and speeches. Emphasis was placed on education, self-improvement and reflection on the struggles and achievements of African Americans.

As its importance has gained increased recognition, Juneteenth has evolved over the years from a regional observance to a national commemoration. Civil rights activist Opal Lee and others fought for decades to highlight the significance of June 19, 1865, in the broader context of African American freedom and equality. In 1980, Texas became the first state

to declare Juneteenth an official state holiday, setting a precedent for other states to follow.

In recent years, the momentum behind Juneteenth has grown significantly. In 2021, Juneteenth was officially recognized as a federal holiday, a landmark decision reflecting its national importance. While honoring the past, this recognition also serves as a call to action to address ongoing racial disparities and promote social justice.

As we approach Juneteenth in just a few days, remember that celebrating will provide an opportunity to educate the broader public about the history of slavery and the continuous struggle for civil rights. It is a day to foster a sense of community and solidarity, bringing people together to reflect on shared history and celebrate cultural heritage.

When you gather with friends and family, remember to tell young people about the importance of their freedom and to continue to strive for equality and justice for all. By honoring Juneteenth, we pay tribute to the strength and resilience of those who fought for that freedom. We owe it to our ancestors to continue to inspire generations to come.

Historian and playwright Shelia P. Moses, a National Book Award Finalist, is the author of several books, including “She Persisted: Opal Lee.”

lots of information. Discussion was diminished. Half a million dollars for these little fixes?

Besides the perceived waste of money and minimal exchanges with tax-paying homeowners, the later presentation in May at St. John’s Parish Hall did seem to go better with a little give-andtake. Or were we just resigned to it all?

At least DDOT nixed bike lanes on Connecticut Avenue — overflow traffic on residential streets, seriously? Maybe this bureaucracy is listening to the people.

Feel free to share your opinions with Ted Van Houten, DDOT Project Manager at theodore. vanhouten@dc.gov or 202-716-5302.

Letter to the Editor

[Editor’snote:AreadersharedherlettertotheDistrictDepartmentofTransportationwithusand askedthatweshareitfurther.]

Dear DDOT

I attended your April meeting at St. John’s, where DDOT was not willing to take questions and where there were very few seats and basically no give-and-take with residents.

The DDOT boards were simply words pushed on those of us attending. It was not a public meeting and those I spoke to felt it was a waste of time. How can DDOT make decisions that impact our historic district and the residents in this manner?

Is there any reason to think the next meeting will include resident input? It would be interesting to have transparency as to how our tax dollars are being spent by your department.

—PamlaMoore,formerpresident,CitizensAssociationofGeorgetown

Voting in Georgetown: A Village Experience, Mostly

BY PEGGY SANDS

Sitting on the wide porch of Georgetown’s Colonial Revival-style public library with volunteer poll worker Alan Aronson on a warm Election Day afternoon, June 4, felt like a village experience.

Aronson was posted by the large ballot deposit box near the library entrance, greeting groups of voters, families, singles young and old, Georgetown leaders and people from throughout the District — and, in a few cases, the world.

Some held large folded and sealed envelopes with absentee ballots, which they or their small children put gingerly into the voting box slot. Others followed Aronson’s directions to proceed to the voting hall downstairs. All seemed excited and even a little proud to be there.

“It seems more meaningful to come in person to the election polling station, towards the end of the official election day, to cast a ballot,” one voter remarked to The Georgetowner, echoing the sentiment of several as they left the library.

Georgetown’s two polling places, at the Georgetown Library at 3260 R St. NW and at Hardy School at 1819 35th St. NW, were staffed with volunteers to guide voters through the

registration and voting process. Voters could vote on paper ballots or digitally. Volunteers like Aronson handed out “I Voted” stickers, which most voters accepted with big smiles.

By 8 p.m., closing time, on Tuesday, the library had tabulated about 130 in-person ballots; Hardy counted about 145. “It seemed about even who took a print ballot and who a digital one,” one volunteer told The Georgetowner.

The library reported five noncitizen ballots cast and Hardy two. The new D.C. law allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections after 30 days of residency is controversial.

On June 3, the Washington Post reported: “D.C. election workers have been fielding angry calls and emails for more than a month from people who oppose allowing noncitizen residents to vote in local elections, leaving the head of the D.C. Board of Elections concerned about safety at the polls.”

“A message opposing the right of noncitizens to vote in local elections was chalked outside the voting center at the Georgetown Library that Sunday,” reported Monica Evans, executive director of the D.C. Board of Elections, on June 3. Election workers washed away the message

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

COFFEE WITH A COP

Tuesday, June 18

The Metropolitan Police Department and the Citizens Association of Georgetown will hold this chat and Q&A from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18, at Grace Street Coffee Roasters, 3299 K St. NW.

JUNETEENTH AT MT. ZION CEMETERY

Wednesday, June 19

Black Georgetown’s Juneteenth event, a day of learning and service, will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, June 19, at Mt. Zion Cemetery, 2501 Mill Road NW. Visit blackgeorgetown.com or Eventbrite.

FÊTE DE LA MUSIQUE – WORLD MUSIC DAY

Friday, June 21

The Georgetown Business Improvement District and the Embassy of FranceVilla Albertine are co-sponsoring the Georgetown edition of the 2024 Fête de la Musique – World Music Day on Friday, June 21. Dozens of musical acts — R&B, Americana, jazz, bluegrass, spoken word and rock — will perform in locations throughout Georgetown from 5 to 8 p.m. and on three stages at the embassy, 4101 Reservoir Road NW, from 5 to 10 p.m. Visit georgetowndc.com.

before voters arrived.

D.C.’s noncitizen voting law appears to be unique in the country in that it allows any noncitizen — temporary, documented or neither — who has resided in the District for more than 30 days to vote in local elections. About a dozen communities in the U.S. allow noncitizens who have permanent residency status (aka Green Card holders) to vote in local elections, but no one else.

Since the June 4 election was also a primary for president and for the District’s delegate in Congress, each polling location in D.C. had to have separate Democratic, Republican

and Statehood Green ballots minus the federal candidates on hand for noncitizen voters.

Voters — whether they were citizens or not — could register to vote at the polling station on Election Day. The application did not require any proof of identity, and registration workers in D.C. are not allowed to ask. “It’s an honor system,” Aronson explained.

When all was said and done, the status quo remained: all incumbents won their elections, excluding Vincent Gray, who announced his retirement and support of Wendell Felder, who won the Ward 7 seat on the District Council.

ADVISORY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION 2E

Monday, July 1

ANC 2E represents the Georgetown, Burleith and Hillandale neighborhoods. The monthly meetings, next on Monday, July 1, begin at 6:30 p.m. Visit anc2e.com.

OLD GEORGETOWN BOARD

Wednesday, July 3

OGB meetings, next on Wednesday, July 3, are usually held at 9 a.m. on the first Thursday of every month except August. Note the day change due to Independence Day. Visit cfa.org.

FOURTH OF JULY PARADE AND PICNIC

Thursday, July 4

The Palisades Community Association presents “the absolutely best small town parade in DC and quite possibly anywhere!” The neighborhood’s 58th annual Fourth of July Parade will step off at 11 a.m. at the intersection of Whitehaven Parkway and MacArthur Boulevard, proceed down MacArthur (northbound side) and end at the Palisades Rec Center. The picnic starts at noon. Visit palisadesdc.org.

Leslie Maysak of the City Tavern Foundation and Georgetown Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Paul Maysak with their son Liam, who voted for the first time, outside the Georgetown Library on June 4. Photo by Peggy Sands.

BY ROBERT DEVANEY

Biz Boom

After the uncertainty of the last few years, Georgetown has emerged triumphant. From new businesses like Elon Musk’s Teslas to Kim Kardashian’s Skims, gourmet ice cream and cozy restaurants, British bike shop Brompton Bikes and chic clothing boutiques, one can say everything’s coming up Georgetown.

OPEN 2024

RETAIL

Pure Sweat + Float Studio

Opened at 3345 Prospect St. NW.

Catbird

Catbird opened at 3066 M St. NW.

M.M. LaFleur

The women’s clothing store opened at 1344 Wisconsin Ave. NW.

Argent

Another women’s clothing store at 1250 Wisconsin Ave. NW.

Rails

West Coast apparel for women and men at 3239 M St. NW.

Molteni&C

Luxury furniture and kitchen group is at 3306 M St. NW.

Christopher Boutlier Interiors

Both his residence and his interior design business at 3214 O St. NW.

Clare V.

Clare Vivier’s clothing store opened at 1238 Wisconsin Ave NW.

Outerknown

Surfer Kelly Slater’s store opened at 1240 Wisconsin Ave. NW.

Brompton Bikes

Opened at 1214 Wisconsin Ave. NW.

Poliform

Leading Italian company’s flagship store at 3304 M St. NW.

Sézane

French fashion brand opened at 1211 Wisconsin Ave. NW.

Olfactory NYC

Its first retail boutique in Washington, D.C., at 3242 M St. NW.

New

Balance

The sports footwear and apparel manufacturer opened at 3139 M St. NW.

Definition Studio

Fitted into 1257 Wisconsin Ave. NW, a local collective pop-up.

RESTAURANTS

Reverie

Chef Johnny Spero’s Reverie resurrected at 3201 Cherry Hill Lane NW.

La Bonne Vache

“The Good Cow” mooed at the corner that held Booeymonger for 50 years at 3265 Prospect St. NW.

Ice Cream Jubilee

Ice Cream Jubilee opened at 3333 M Street.

Wingo’s

The original location reopened at 3207 O St. NW.

Afghania

Omar Masroor opened Afghania at 2811 M St. NW.

Greco

The first Greco location in Washington, D.C, opened at 1335 Wisconsin Ave. NW.

Grace Street Coffee

Flagship reopened at 3299 K Street NW.

HRC Cafe by Emissary

Now open at 3210 Grace St. NW.

Smoothie King

Its first location in Georgetown at 3122 M St. NW.

Tesla

Barnes & Noble

Gone from Georgetown since 2011, the United

“Georgetown is the best experience in town because it has had it all throughout history: great residences, retail and lifestyle. Its residents and visitors can’t help but realize and appreciate that —and once you live or work here, you don’t want to move out,”

Philippe Lanier of EastBanc

The luxury electric carmaker will open a 4,500-square-foot showroom at 3307 M St. NW.

Gold’s Gym

A 24,000-square-foot facility will open at 3270 M St. NW, Suite C100.

Club Pilates

A Club Pilates will open soon at 1065 Wisconsin Ave. NW.

Skims

Co-founded in 2019 by Kim Kardashian, shapewear brand Skims is about to open at 3300 M St. NW.

Ornare

A high-end Brazilian furniture brand, will open at 3340 Cady’s Alley NW.

Generation Tux

“The perfect suit or tux delivered” at 1517 Wisconsin Ave. NW.

Glowbar

The facial-membership brand will open at 1533 Wisconsin Ave. NW.

Love Weld Jewelry

Forever bound at 2824 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.

RESTAURANTS

Starr’s Osteria Mozza

Restaurateur Stephen Starr is partnering with Michelin star chef Nancy Silverton to bring an Italian restaurant to the former Dean & Deluca space at 3276 M St. NW and has said, “I am confident that what we create together will knock the socks off of D.C.”

Alara

A Mediterranean-style restaurant at 1303 Wisconsin Ave. NW by Hakan Ilhan.

Jinya Ramen

Sam Shoja will open a seventh location at 1525 Wisconsin Ave. NW.

Tatte Bakery

Tatte Bakery looks ready to open in the former Capital One Bank building at Wisconsin Avenue and Q Street.

My Little Chamomile

Green Almond Pantry at 3210 Grace St. NW is getting a sister restaurant.

Billy Hicks

A Brat Pack restaurant is planned at the corner of M and Potomac Streets.

River Club

At Washington Harbour, River Club will succeed the shuttered Bangkok Joe’s Restaurant. Crust

An eatery takes over an empty bank at 3143 N St. NW, next to Cafe Georgetown.

Raising Cane’s

Replacing Havana Smoke Shop, the Louisiana chicken restaurant plans to open at 3249 M St. NW.

HOTELS

$20M Refresh at Four Seasons

The Four Seasons Hotel Washington has kicked off a roughly $20-million renovation of its rooms and common areas, with plans to wrap up in time for festivities tied to the presidential inauguration in January.

IN THE PIPELINE …

• 230-room CitizenM Hotel at 3401 Water St. NW — actively under construction.

• 100-room hotel at 1023 31st (part of Marriott Tribute’s portfolio) — actively under construction.

• 100-room hotel at 3000 M with ground floor retail.

• 10-room inn at 3071 Canal St. NW

Tesla showroom coming soon to Georgetown. Photo by Tesla.

Bonbons on O

BY PEGGY SANDS

The confections created by Anabella Arcay de Berti in the beautiful shop she decorated herself, Arcay’s Chocolates at 3211 O St. NW — half a block from Wisconsin Avenue in the heart of Georgetown — are literally some of the best in the world. Arcay has won more than 40 international awards, including seven World Chocolate Master awards, for her handcrafted chocolate bonbons.

Arcay, who goes by Anabella, moved to the States some 15 years ago on a business entrepreneur permit. However, she founded her business while a teen in Caracas, her home country.

“Oh my, yes. Si! Si! Anabella and her chocolates are well known in the country. In fact, if you did not have Arcay chocolates at your wedding in Venezuela, it almost wouldn’t count,” one laughingly told The Georgetowner. “Many wedding hosts and guests understood that the chocolates were more important than the cake. In fact, at times a multiple-foot-tall pyramid of Arcay chocolates replaced the wedding cake altogether on the reception table. Everyone loved them!”

LA BONNE VACHE

La Bonne Vache, “The Good Cow,” opened at the corner that for 50 years was home to Booeymonger. Georgetowner food writer Olga Boikess wrote: “Vibrant restaurant pros Claire and Ari Wilder (Chaplin’s, Kappo DC) are transforming the space at 3265 Prospect St. NW into an imaginative, French-accented wine bar/bistro, with a menu highlighting burgers dressed up with a Gallic touch.”

Pure Sweat + Float Studio, “a community-focused

healing and connection within,” opened at 3345 Prospect St.

formerly a corner dry cleaners.

Eating just one piece of Arcay’s custom chocolate may bring on a rolling-eyed swoon — at least for those Georgetowners who are serious chocolate aficionadas, including (full disclosure) this reporter. The rich layers of chocolate wrap around dozens of unique fillings, devised and revised by Arcay in the sparkling-clean chocolate kitchen and workshop below the main floor. Note: Classes in chocolate-making may be available.

The more than two dozen unique bonbon fillings at Arcay Chocolates include fruit and flower flavors, nuts, coffee/chocolate mixes and liqueurs.

Arcay and Berti have become involved in community organizations like Georgetown Main Street. They are partnering with several new and refurbished shops on O Street to plan block parties and events meant to spark the growing high-quality neighborhood atmosphere of Georgetown’s commercial areas.

Chocolatier Director Anabella Arcay de Berti and CEO Director Dario Berti of Arcay Chocolates. Photo by Robert Devaney.

Business owners Liz Baker and Claire Wilder. Photo by Greg Blakey.

Afghania, 157 followers

Cafe by Emissary, 2,196

Washington Fine Properties Turns

BY KATE OCZYPOK

Washington Fine Properties is celebrating 25 years this year. One of the top real estate firms in the Washington, D.C., area, WFP was founded in 1999 by managing partners Tom Anderson, Dana Landry, William F. X. Moody

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“Every special market has the firm of wellconnected professional agents who dominate their markets,” Anderson said. “We hoped to create a new firm to keep that tradition here

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in Washington,” following the 1998 purchase of Pardoe Real Estate by Cendant Corporation.

Today, Anderson, Landry, Moody and Schappell are grateful to what Anderson calls “their exceptional agents,” who have made that a very successful reality, far exceeding their goal.

The firm includes 150 top-producing agents; the size is intentional. “We have been blessed over our 25 years in so many ways, although most importantly, any firm is only as good as its people, and WFP is fortunate to have the most experienced and productive agents in the Capital Region,” said Anderson.

When the foursome founded WFP, Schappell was managing partner at Egon Zehnder, a New York-based global executive search firm. He chose to stay in that role until 2007, when he moved to D.C. to join WFP, focusing on recruitment and on building the firm’s footprint.

“From the start, we have embraced what we wanted our ‘lane’ to be, both from a cultural and operational standpoint, and we have stuck to our principles over the last 25 years,” Schappell said.

With a total sales volume of $3 billion, WFP’s average sale price is number one in the Capital Region. The firm also has the highest regional sales volume per agent at $19.1 million and the highest Mid-Atlantic average sales price at $1.6 million.

Before he became a managing partner at WFP, Moody covered areas of New York, Chicago, Dallas and other cities. “As a director for my previous firm, I had the opportunity to visit real estate offices in many cities across the country,” he said. “The difference is that D.C. is a big small town.”

There were struggles at the beginning, as there were at Moody’s previous D.C. firm. “The challenge was guiding the independent contractor/real estate agent to adjust their mindset away from being so independent, to working together with their colleagues,” he said. “At WFP, we have succeeded in having our agents work together with each other in all marketing, advertising and promotions. What that has created is the power of the company fortifying the independent contractor/agent in building their business.”

Tom Anderson, Bill Moody, Dana Landry and Marc Schappell.

Dana Landry, Marc Schappell, Bill Moody and Tom Anderson.

Cocktail of the Month

BY JODY KURASH

Last month, our column honored Mother’s Day with a cocktail fit for a queen. This month, we’ll celebrate the summer solstice with a princely — or soon-to-be kingly — tipple.

The summer solstice, which marks the longest day of the year and the sun’s most northerly point in Earth’s sky, falls between June 20 and 22 in the Northern Hemisphere. This is also considered the first day of summer.

Way back in 1982, royal-watchers celebrated a huge event on midsummer’s eve. A future king was born on June 21, 1982: Prince William Arthur Philip Louis. According to astrology, solstice babies are believed to be romantic, inspirational and dedicated to the service of a higher purpose.

Now grown and married with three children, what libation will the prince choose to toast his 42nd birthday? I would have guessed something classic and refined. However, it turns out to be quite the opposite.

During an outing in Birmingham, England, last year, Prince William admitted to Hello Magazine that “he likes vodka and has a penchant for a Kamikaze cocktail,” which he described as “silent, but deadly” — a suitable phrase for a drink with a mighty kick.

The Kamikaze

Far from sophisticated, Kamikazes are usually served as shots and contain a double dose of vodka, along with triple sec and lime. Tastingtable.com refers to the Kamikaze as a “disco drink,” a class of ’80s drinks widely looked down upon in the mixology community.

It is believed that this drink was created at an American naval base in the Land of the Rising Sun during World War II, hence the Japanese moniker. The word “kamikaze,” Japanese for “divine wind,” referred to suicide bombers who were trained to fly their aircraft, loaded with explosives, directly into enemy warships.

The drink rose to popularity during the 1970s and ’80s, around the same time that vodka became the favored potable in bars. Strangely enough, this was another period of noticeable anti-Japanese sentiment in the U.S.

The mere mention of this shooter calls up foggy memories of tossing back shots at rowdy college parties in the late ’80s. Back in the day, I would make them in bulk using cans of frozen concentrated lime juice, mixing one can of lime and one can of triple sec with two or three cans of vodka in a pitcher.

Sad to say, it was rarely top-shelf vodka on my starving-student budget. Hopefully, the

THE LATEST DISH

Coming, Bars and Omakase Spots

BY LINDA ROTH

UnOrdinary Hospitality’s Radovan Jankovic and Marko Bogdanovic, creators of Residents Café & Bar in Dupont Circle, and chef Rob Curtis, who curated the transformation of Mercy Me restaurant in Yours Truly Hotel, are slated to open Cana, a Brazilian caipirinha bar in Adams Morgan at 2412 18th St. NW. An opening late in the second quarter is targeted. Nick Cordero (sans father Mike) plans to open Saki — an omakase-style Japanese restaurant with a speakeasy-style bar — in Arlington’s Commodore building at 2025 15th St. N. His partners are Dr. Greg Lee and chef Masaaki “Uchi” Uchino, formerly of Sushi Nakazawa

And speaking of the Cordero clan, Mike, Nick and Anthony Cordero ( Barley Mac, Don Tito, Taco Rock, Bronson Bierhall) have opened Carbonara: Old School Italian & Wine Bar at 3865 Wilson Boulevard in Arlington.

OPENINGS UPDATE

The team behind Bar Chinois will open Bar Japonais at 1520 14th St. NW, where Estadio used to be, on June 21 … Also on June 21, Atlas Brew Works will open its Alexandria location

… Sixty Vines will open its Foggy Bottom location on June 11.

New York-based Fireman Hospitality Group ( Bond 45, Fiorella Italian Kitchen, Brooklyn

privileged prince has a more polished palate than I did as a student pauper.

William’s college years at St Andrews were a lot bougier than mine. It’s been reported by the Mirror that he was known to imbibe a cocktail called the Treasure Chest. This combination of peach liqueur, brandy and champagne was served in a wooden chest at a now-closed London nightclub for £135 a pop.

As a cocktail, the ingredients for a Kamikaze are shaken with ice until chilled, then strained

into a martini glass and sometimes garnished with lime. It is occasionally referred to as a margarita, with vodka substituted for tequila. The key to making this cocktail enjoyable is using elite ingredients. Since the vodka composes over half of the cocktail, choose wisely. For the triple sec, I’d use a superb orange liqueur such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier. And always use freshly squeezed lime juice.

Diner, Brooklyn Deli, Redeye Grill, Trattoria Dell’Arte) plans to open Cafe Fiorello at 1001 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, where Tadich Grill used to be. Shelly Fireman’s company is not new to the DMV, as it has operated Fiorella Italian Kitchen & Pizzeria and Bond 45 at National Harbor in Prince George’s County since 2010 and 2011, respectively.

JUST OPENED

Peter Chang and daughter Lydia Chang, with partner Erik Bruner-Yang, have opened NiHao, a Chinese restaurant featuring Sichuan food, at 1550 Crystal Drive in Arlington’s National Landing … From the folks who brought you Sonny’s Pizza and No Kisses bar in Park View comes Catboat Pizza Bar, at the Washington Sailing Marina between Reagan National Airport and Old Town Alexandria. Yes, it has kayak access.

Linda Roth is the founder and CEO of Linda Roth Associates, a D.C.-based public relations and marketing firm specializing in the food service and hospitality industries. Follow her at @LindaRothPR, #LindaRothPR or lindarothpr.com.

H E P E R F E C T P L A C E F O R S U M M E R

Tee Time

BY ALLYSON BURKHARDT

Golf is entering the fashion sphere, with a younger, more dynamic audience. Covid-19 cultivated a community of enthusiasts seeking outdoor recreation. High-profile athletes have continued to create visibility through brand deals and partnerships. Additionally, we have social media promoting the sport with stories and expanding the reach. Today’s base goes well beyond the traditional population of politicos, executives and seniors.

The increased engagement has attracted the fashion world. Celebrity clothing collaborations are rising and many are taking to runways. Adjusting to the attention, specialized golf brands — which formerly aimed for an optimal balance of comfort and mobility, intended for distraction-free performance — are balancing function with fashion-forward design.

Dedicated sporting labels are revolutionizing the polo shirt by infusing moisture-resistant

textiles with vibrant color and bold prints. Bottoms have modern, slimmer fits. Even jogger pants are approaching the green in lightweight technical fabrics. We are seeing a variety of stretch belts constructed for active comfort while adhering to preppy, clubhouse rules.

J.Hilburn Custom Clothier’s golf collection offers personalization both in fit and styling. Streetwear brands have introduced vintage detailing, furthering the mainstream appeal.

The Air Jordan 6 Retro Golf 1961 sneaker pays tribute to the year the PGA recognized Black players.

The pro-shop aesthetic borrows from casual clothing categories that easily transition to the off-course lifestyle. Let the fair-weather days help you level up your game with golf’s new grip.

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Artswatch

BY KATE OCZYPOK

NEW ARTISTIC LEADERSHIP AT IMAGINATION STAGE

KARIM-COOPER NAMED FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY DIRECTOR

Joanne Seelig Lamparter is the new chief artistic programming officer for Imagination Stage, succeeding Janet Stanford, the venue’s founding artistic director, who retired on May 31. “As a former student, educator and administrator of Imagination Stage, I am humbled and excited to carry forward the enormous legacy of founder Bonnie Fogel and Founding Artistic Director Janet Stanford,” said Seelig Lamparter in a press release.

Bucoy-Calavan, most recently director of choral studies at the University of Akron, will join the organization on Sept. 1. She is currently secretary of Chorus America’s national board of directors. Bucoy-Calavan, who earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, led the “O Night Divine!” performance by Choral Arts last December.

BUCOY-CALAVAN IS NEXT ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AT CHORAL ARTS

The Choral Arts Society of Washington has announced conductor and clinician Marie Bucoy-Calavan as its next artistic director.

HOLLANDER IS NEW CHAIR AT NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

The National Portrait Gallery is welcoming Michael S. Hollander, managing director of private equity firm GTCR, as the new chair of the organization’s 25-person commission. Hollander succeeds Joseph P. Ujobai, chair since November of 2016, who will remain a commissioner through April 2026. Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet stated in a press release: “Mike’s business acumen, combined with his interest in history and portraiture, will be instrumental in guiding the institution into its next chapter.”

After a year-long search, Dr. Farah KarimCooper has been named the new director of the Folger Shakespeare Library, succeeding Dr. Michael Witmore. Karim-Cooper, who will begin her duties in October, currently serves on the executive leadership team at Shakespeare’s Globe in London as director of education. The Folger’s grand reopening after a major renovation and expansion will take place over the weekend of June 21-23.

NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT GEORGE WASHINGTON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY

historian of Dr. Chervinsky’s stature at the helm,” said Margaret Nichols, 23rd Regent of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, in a press release.

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL RECEIVES BUILDING MUSEUM AWARD

Marriott International received the National Building Museum’s 2024 Honor Award, which recognizes organizations or individuals that made significant contributions to our built heritage, at the museum’s annual gala on June 6. “It’s hard to think of a more deserving recipient for our 37th annual Honor Award than Marriott International,” said Executive Director Aileen Fuchs in a press release. “Marriott’s commitment to excellence and community engagement perfectly aligns with the Museum’s pillars of Equity, Innovation, Environment and Wonder.”

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The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association an nounced the appointment of Dr. Lindsay M. Chervinsky as executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library. Chervinsky will begin her new role on July 22. “We are pleased to have a

Thinkin’ in the Bardo

BY KITTY KELLEY

George Saunders did not want his tombstone to read: “Here lies a guy who never did what he wanted to do.” So in 2017, at the age of 59, having mastered the art of the dystopian short story, Saunders secretly began writing his first novel.

Four years later, he burst into the literary stratosphere with “Lincoln in the Bardo,” which earned him the Man Booker Prize. Colson Whitehead, already in that stratosphere, called Saunders’s book “a luminous feat of generosity and humanism.”

In the Tibetan Book of the Dead, the bardo is the interim space between life and afterlife. Spirits who have not yet reconciled their deaths must remain there until they resolve lingering issues and can proceed to their next incarnation.

“I was raised Catholic, where purgatory is like the DMV,” said Saunders, now a practicing Buddhist. Saunders made his literary bona fides as a comic sci-fi writer and published frequently in the New Yorker. During that time, he was named a MacArthur Fellow — the recipient of a “genius grant” — garnered a Guggenheim Fellowship and won the PEN/ Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story. In addition, he became a full professor at Syracuse University, where he teaches in the

MFA program.

Those prestigious awards seem to hang lightly on Saunders, whose scruffy beard and rumpled jeans make him look a bit impish, rather like a choirboy gone rogue. Politically, he admits to being a liberal (“left of Gandhi, actually”) and acts as comfortable behind a lectern as he is conversing with Stephen Colbert on late-night television.

Saunders recently returned to Washington, D.C., to speak at the Library of Congress, where he had received its 2023 Prize for American Fiction. The following day, he led a small troupe of admirers to the marble crypt in Oak Hill Cemetery where Abraham Lincoln’s 11-year-old son Willie, who died of typhoid fever on Feb. 20, 1862, once lay. Willie became pivotal among the 166 characters Saunders created in his prize-winning novel.

Leading the group through the 150-year-old cemetery at the top of Georgetown, Saunders related how the grief-ravaged president rode his horse late at night from the White House to sit in the gated crypt belonging to William Thomas Carroll, where he held the casket of his beloved son. The Carroll mausoleum is the most visited gravesite in the cemetery.

In addition to sharing his family’s crypt

with the president, Carroll, clerk of the U.S. Supreme Court, had loaned Lincoln his family Bible in 1861 for his swearing-in. Presidentelect Barack Obama used that same Bible for his own 2009 swearing-in.

“The thing about a place like Oak Hill … walking through it always makes me feel more alive and more urgent about … whatever it is I’m supposed to be doing down here,” Saunders wrote on his Substack account of the visit. “There’s no ‘we’ and no ‘them.’ There’s just life and then that grand waterfall we all will have to go over.”

During the tour, the cemetery archivist presented Saunders with a circa-1862 key of the type Lincoln would have used to gain entry to the cemetery. (“Do I love this kind of thing?” Saunders wrote later. “You know I do.”)

He recalled being transported the first time he visited the gravesite: “Wow. This really happened. Lincoln, really, for sure, stood here … somehow that made me feel I could and must write the book.”

The publication of “Lincoln in the Bardo” has bound Saunders to the Georgetown burial ground in ways he never imagined while writing. In addition to the novel’s prizes and plaudits — which include the 2018 Audie Award for audiobook of the year — the Metropolitan Opera has commissioned American composer Missy Mazzoli to create an opera based on Saunders’s book, to debut in 2026. A movie is also in the works. “This connects me forever to Oak Hill,” said Saunders.

Later that evening, he spoke in the cemetery’s Renwick Chapel, where Willie’s funeral was held. Standing in front of the huge stained-glass window, featuring a giant angel uplifted by iridescent wings, the professor talked about the creative process and how he met the challenge

of conjuring spirits to communicate with the anguished Lincoln, who finds the strength amid the graveyard’s clamoring lost souls to rise above his personal sorrow and lead the country through the Civil War. Saunders believes it was that graveside evolution within Lincoln that enabled him to write the Emancipation Proclamation.

“When a writer has a problem, the reader feels it, and then, when the writer identifies and addresses that problem — presto — this feels like originality and innovation,” he told the chapel crowd.

Some writers never get to “presto,” but for those who do, exhilaration awaits. In conveying the magic of creativity, Saunders echoed William Faulkner’s 1950 Nobel Prize address about the writer’s responsibility to create “out of the materials of the human spirit something which did not exist before.” George Saunders did exactly that with “Lincoln in the Bardo.”

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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