From the Bay to the Blue Ridge
Since 1988 • Priceless
January 2018
Celebrating 30 years!
Road Trip
Personality Profile
Grapevvine
Dining Out
RECAP 2017
FRANCES KILLPATRICK
TOKYO JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE
What a ride!
Author, journalist, friend.
WARMING UP IN WINE COUNTRY
Teppanyaki anyone?
Some Loudoun County favorites.
oldtowncrier.com
january’18 A Division of Crier Media Group OTC Media LLC PO Box 320386 Alexandria, VA 22320 703. 836. 0132
38
office@oldtowncrier.com oldtowncrier.com Published the first week of every month. Worth waiting for! PUBLISHER Bob Tagert MARKETING & ADVERTISING Lani Gering Bob Tagert SOCIAL MEDIA & WEBSITE Ashley Schultz DESIGN & PRODUCTION Electronic Ink 9 Royal Street, SE Leesburg, VA 20175 703. 669. 5502 CONTRIBUTORS Jeff McCord Ron Powers Kim Putens Julie Reardon Ashley Schultz Chester Simpson Bob Tagert Carl Trevisan Ryan Unverzagt Lori Welch Brown Molly Winans
Peggie Arvidson Nancy Bauer Sarah Becker F. Lennox Campello Steve Chaconas Dr. David Edelberg, MD Doug Fabbioli Nicole Flanagan Lani Gering Miriam Kramer Genevieve LeFranc Sarah Liu
© 2017 Crier Media Group, Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. The Old Town Crier is published monthly and distributed to select Alexandria residents, hotels, restaurants and retail shops. Also distributed in the Annapolis, Fredericksburg, Blue Ridge and Washington, DC areas and St. John, USVI.
From the Bay to the Blue Ridge
Since 1988 • Priceless
January 2018
Celebrating 30 years!
Road Trip
Personality Profile
RECAP 2017
FRANCES KILLPATRICK
What a ride!
Author, journalist, friend.
Grapevvine
Dining Out
WARMING UP IN WINE COUNTRY
TOKYO JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE Teppanyaki anyone?
Some Loudoun County favorites.
oldtowncrier.com
about the cover Let the Anniversary Celebration begin. Consider this image our toast to you, our readers.
Old Town Crier
18
24
A Bit of History............................................................. 16
First Blush.........................................................................43
Personality Profile.............................................................4
After Hours.......................................................................11
Fitness................................................................................41
Pets of the Month.........................................................19
Arts & Antiques..............................................................13
From the Bay….............................................................22
Points on Pets.................................................................18
Behind the Bar................................................................30
From the Trainer............................................................42
Publisher’s Notes.............................................................. 2
Business Profile................................................................. 6
Gallery Beat.....................................................................12
Road Trip...........................................................................24
Caribbean Connection...............................................20
Go Fish...............................................................................45
Social Media Message....................................................3
Chef's Special..................................................................32
Grapevine.........................................................................38
Spiritual Renaissance...................................................44
Dining Guide...................................................................34
High Notes.......................................................................10
The Last Word.................................................................... 9
Dining Out.......................................................................29
National Harbor.............................................................47
To the Blue Ridge..........................................................27
Exploring Virginia Wines............................................39
On the Road with OTC................................................... 1
Urban Garden.................................................................14
Financial Focus.................................................................. 5
Open Space.....................................................................46
Writers' Resoultions .....................................................11
on the road with OTC Alexandria residents and former OTC columnist, Mike Waite, and his wife Penny took a few minutes from visiting Copenhagen, Denmark in August to catch up on Alexandria news from the OTC. They were on a two week Celebrity cruise from Southampton, England to the Baltic Sea, stopping in Fredericia and Copenhagen Denmark, Stockholm, Sweden, Tallinn, Estonia, St. Petersburg, Russia and Warnemunde/Rostock, Germany. They say that St. Petersburg was worth the trip alone as it was one of the most beautiful cities they have ever visited.
If you would like to see your picture here, take the OTC on your next adventure, snap a high resolution photo and send it along with information for the caption to office@ oldtowncrier.com. Happy Trails! January 2018 | 1
PUBLISHER’S NOTES
BOB TAGERT
I
n January of 1988 we came out with the first issue of the Old Town Crier. This issue makes our 361stand a 30-year history that has been pretty amazing. I am not going to dwell on the history here because it will pop up in other places in this issue. All I want to say is thank you to our readers, our advertisers and those who have helped over the years. THANKS… It looks like winter has finally arrived with temps in the 20’s; keep those pets safe and warm inside. This month’s Personality p\Profile is about Frances Killpatrick, the one who taught us to spell and construct complete thoughts in the beginning. The Business Profile is about our journey. Heck, if you don’t blow your own horn, who will? Lenny Campello explains the importance of art fairs today if you are an artist or own a gallery in his Gallery Beat column. Sara Becker brings us some insight into a young Robert E. Lee and his later years in A Bit of History. Jeff McCord continues his commentary in the Caribbean Connection on the recovery of St. John USVI as electricity is gradually returning but, the question is, are the tourists? With the cold weather upon us we thought it right to remember our summer pals in Solomons Maryland in the From the Bay section. Except for the Tiki Bar, most of the businesses are open all winter and many have great promotions going on. I also wrapped up the Road Trip column with a recap of 2017 with excerpts from each month. Dining Out this month took us to Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse…a little out off the beaten path in in the scheme of things but what a good time! I hope that you enjoy this issue and those to come in the New Year! Like I noted in the piece about the OTC, you are welcome at my fire any time….
JANUARY 26-FEBRUARY 4 AlexandriaRestaurantWeek.com #ALXRestaurantWeek Experience fine dining and casual favorites at 50+ restaurants.
For 10 days and two weekends, more than 60 Alexandria restaurants offer a $35 three-course dinner OR a $35 dinner for two during Alexandria Winter Restaurant Week,January 26 to February 4, 2018. More than 30 restaurants will also offer lunch deals at $10, $15 or $20 per person in addition to the dinner specials.
Alexandria Winter Restaurant Week showcases the inventiveness of local chefs in neighborhoods throughout the city, including Old Town, Del Ray and the West End. At a range of locales, from fine dining establishments to casual neighborhood favorites, guests will savor the flavors of Alexandria’s distinctive collection of eateries.
ABOUT ALEXANDRIA RESTAURANT WEEK Alexandria Restaurant Week was launched in 2009 by Visit Alexandria and has since been a favorite among patrons and restaurateurs, occurring biannually in the winter and summer. In addition to serving as an economic driver for Alexandria restaurants, Alexandria Restaurant Week bolsters the city’s reputation as a culinary destination.
NEW TO ALEXANDRIA WINTER RESTAURANT WEEK • • • • • •
Hank’s Pasta Bar Sunday in Saigon Cedar Knoll Café 44 La Trattoria Nectar Coffee & Wine Bistro
RETURNING PARTICIPANTS INCLUDE • • • • • • • • •
Restaurant Eve, Sonoma Cellar, Magnolia’s On King, Vermilion, Evening Star Cafe, Virtue Feed & Grain, Mason Social, Cheesetique, Columbia Firehouse Del Ray Café.
IN JANUARY, GUESTS WILL FIND A FLIP-BOOK OF MENUS ON WWW.ALEXANDRIARESTAURANTWEEK.COM
www.AlexandriaRestaurantWeek.com | 703-838-5005
2 | January 2018
Old Town Crier
SOCIAL MEDIA MESSAGE
ASHLEY SCHULTZ
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What’s the Deal with the Repeal… of Net Neutrality? What is the deal??? I know I am, and sure many of you are….confused and don’t understand what the repeal of Net Neutrality means for us in the future. Therefore, I took it upon myself to find out exactly what is going to happen, and now hopefully clear up any questions you might have had. To make a long story short, in 2015, President Obama issued a “regulatory plan” to address the growing and changing Internet landscape. In laymen’s terms it required Internet providers to give consumers equal access to all content online without charging for high quality delivery and preferential treatment to certain websites. The New York Times recently released an article addressing all the rules that were repealed: •
BLOCKING: Internet service providers could not discriminate against any lawful content by blocking websites or apps.
•
THROTTLING: Service providers could not slow the transmission of data based on the nature of the content, as long as it is legal.
•
PAID PRIORITIZATION: Service providers could not create an Internet fast lane for companies and consumers who pay premiums, and a slow lane for those who don’t.
So now, it looks like we might be heading toward a bundling plan, as other countries currently use this system. For example, in Portugal they have to purchase a “Social” plan in order to access all social media sites, e.g. “Messaging” plan to use anything such as Skype, an “Email” plan to access your various E-Mail accounts, etc. Another huge concern is that the Internet will become “Pay to Play” technology with two tiers; major conglomerates and affluent households would occupy the high-speed lane. Then there would be the rest of us in the slow lane. As a result, this could significantly affect businesses that don’t necessarily make much money, but rely on their online sales. What did we do before the Internet? We survived. In a classic quote from Jeff Goldblum…”Life will find a way.” The Internet will find a way….. Old Town Crier
January 2018 | 3
PERSONALITY PROFILE
LANI GERING
Photo ©Chester Simpson
I
n honor of our 30th year, we thought it only appropriate to revisit a profile of one of our very favorite people on this earth who is also one of our very first writers of 30 years. The original profile was written in 2006 and much of it is reprinted in this space. We sat down with Franny the K a couple of weeks ago to catch up with her and to say a belated Happy 83rd Birthday and Merry Christmas all at the same time and asked if she minded of we ran her profile again. After some cajoling she agreed. The following is credited to OTC contributing writer Peggy Arvidson: Franny Kilpatrick loves her family. On a recent Saturday afternoon over shrimp and avocado salad and coffee in the brick-walled, sunny dining room of Landini Brothers, this vivacious, genteel and multi-talented woman shared secrets of balancing career, philanthropy and family. Long-time readers of the Old Town Crier will recognize Franny as my predecessor writing the Personality Profile column sporadically throughout the past thirty years. “Writing for the Crier was really satisfying in so many ways-but mostly, I was touched by the opportunity to hear and share so many life stories,” quotes Franny. From Alabama through Rhodes College in Memphis Tennessee where she achieved an English degree to the University of Minnesota where she completed her Master degree in Journalism, Franny’s been collecting life stories. She insists her focus since meeting and marrying husband, Jim, has been on raising kids – they are the
her connection to her religious faith. She is a member of the congregation of the Old Presbyterian Meeting House, where she’s involved in various philanthropic endeavors. “As we get older, those relationships at church really make all the difference. I think it’s important that those folks like me, religious but not religious right let others know that their faith is important, so that we can dispel the stereotype of all churchgoers being religious right.” It’s important for her to give back to the community in many ways, she was a volunteer reading tutor for area high school schoolchildren because she knows that people who learn to read by second grade have a higher chance of succeeding in life than those who struggle with reading. “Everyone who possibly can - should volunteer.” After settling in Alexandria, which she calls “the best place in the world to live.” Franny continued writing both for the Connection Papers and for the Old Town Crier. Rumor has it that shortly after they began publication of the Crier, Franny called and said, “You’ve got a great idea, but boy do you need some help!” Over the years at the Crier, she says, “it was the process of doing the interviews that I really liked. Everybody has a story if you dig deep enough.” – Peggie Arvidson While we try to get together with Franny several times during the course of the year, sometimes the time just flies by too quickly. When we broached the subject of the profile she
Franny the K
4 | January 2018
proud parents of two grown children, and grandparents to “three perfect grandchildren,” Matthew; Megan and Joseph, “they are the greatest thing in my life!” When they moved from Illinois back to Memphis, she taught part-time in the Journalism Department of Memphis State, and thinks she may have made a career in the world of academia. During their time in Memphis, Martin Luther King Junior was assassinated and Jim’s reporting on the tragedy as a stringer for Time, CBS, Reuters, and other media outlets led to a job in New York. Although her first priority was raising a family, Franny found time for other pursuits, including teaching in her church’s nursery school (where she found she had a natural affinity for the much younger set). She had a travel piece on Hershey Pennsylvania published in Better Homes and Gardens. In the early 70’s she was a contestant on the original
Jeopardy! “I finally decided I should put my money where my mouth was and take the test to be on the show. “ This was during the early days of the now iconic game show. “Back then everyone left with the money they’d won and a set of encyclopedias. I came in second, but at least the man who beat me went on to become a five-time champion.” Franny remembered nearly verbatim the topic and answer for Final Jeopardy. The topic was “Flora and Fauna”. Thinking she knew little about either, she bet little. Had she bet more, she may well have continued on, as she was the only contestant to correctly guess the question to the following (paraphrased) answer. “The school children of Massachusetts presented a chair in honor of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow made in this kind of wood.” A literature buff, Franny knew that the line in The Village Blacksmith, written by Longfellow, began “Under the Chestnut Tree…” She also continued
PERSONALITY PROFILE > PAGE 15
Old Town Crier
FINANCIAL FOCUS
T
CARL TREVISAN, CFP© & STEPHEN BEARCE
Setting Personal and Family Wealth Goals
here’s a Finnish quote, “Happiness is the place between too little and too much.” In our culture that’s so driven by having more, no matter what we already have, this can be a smart and helpful bit of advice. For families just starting to plan their financial priorities, budgeting can be a balancing act: paying bills, saving wisely in the event of emergencies, and investing in anticipation of children’s college tuition or your own retirement. The desire for more “stuff ” actually can contribute to a financial bind for families. In many cases, a lack of financial priorities leads to overspending, leaving too little money to cover expenses and savings. As a result, many individuals have little choice but to continue working into their retirement years. For many Americans, however, retirement will span decades — and that key thought should be near the forefront of your planning efforts.
Start by planning your journey Everyone should avoid the temptation to plow ahead with no plan, possibly because they think they don’t earn enough to save or because poor decisions have left their finances in such turmoil that they don’t want others, including family members, to know. You should never be embarrassed about what you make or the situation you are in. It might surprise people to know how many others are in situations similar to theirs. The worst thing you can do is nothing. Seeking help from a trusted financial advisor can help build your confidence, and most important, show you that you’re not alone on your financial journey. Set goals, ask the right questions, and find someone to help you. Setting goals is critical to your financial wellbeing, and it starts with introspection and questions. For example, would you love to work into old age or do you want to retire early? Would you like to Old Town Crier
Smart planning starts with a simple principle: Pay yourself f irst.
start a second career or own a business? How will you financially provide for your children’s college education? Is your dream house a near or distant possibility? At the heart of having an investment plan for your future is figuring out exactly what you want to achieve. In determining your investment goals, there are several questions that can help you and your financial advisor develop an appropriate investment plan. First, how long can you invest your money? Second, how comfortable are you with up and down movements in the value of your investments? Third, how much ready cash do you need to meet unexpected emergencies or expenses? Once you’ve answered those questions, you and your financial advisor can begin to weigh the three primary investment goals – growth, income, and stability or protection of principal – to determine how to select specific investments that are appropriate for your investment plan.
Move saving up your priority list Typically when we budget, we budget all of the required obligations that we have — mortgages, car loans, utilities — and then we budget our discretionary spending. And whatever is left over, if anything, is what we save. Re-order your list (and priorities): Pay required household bills and then budget your savings, moving nonessentials to the bottom of the list. Smart planning starts with a simple principle: Pay yourself first. Save systematically to take advantage of the potential for compound growth. As a hypothetical example, Sally, age 23, invests $5,500 a year for 10 years in a Traditional IRA. At age 65, her investment will be worth $363,418, based on a hypothetical, consistent return of 5%. By contrast, David starts funding his Traditional IRA at age 40, putting in a total of $143,000 over 26 years until he’s 65. Using that same assumed return, his investment will be worth $295,180 — about $68,000 less than Sally has in her account even though she invested $88,000 less. A small amount can be huge here, even if you are saving $10 a week or $50 a month or $200 a month. Doing so may be more reliable than hoping for an inheritance from your parents, who may incur unexpected medical bills or give their money to someone else. This article was written by/for Wells Fargo Advisors and provided courtesy of Carl M. Trevisan, Managing DirectorInvestments and Stephen M. Bearce, First Vice PresidentInvestments in Alexandria, VA at 800-247-8602. Investments in securities and insurance products are: NOT FDICINSURED/NOT BANK-GUARANTEED/MAY LOSE VALUE Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered brokerdealer and non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. © 2017 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. All rights reserved.
January 2018 | 5
BUSINESS PROFILE
BOB TAGERT
From the Bay to the Blue Ridge for 30 years. 6 | January 2018
Old Town Crier
T
his issue of the Old Town Crier marks the 30th time we have printed a January issue. Looking back 30 years ago, not only does it seem surreal, but it also seems like it was just yesterday. We put our first issue together in December of 1987 in David Underwood’s dining room. Dave was my friend and business partner for 20 of these 30 years. He passed away in January of 2007. He has been missed! In the fall of 1994, my now partner, Lani Gering, joined us. She took a buyout after 20 years with the USDA and was headed back out west when she decided that she wanted to stick around the east coast. Her common sense – Dave and I lacked it at some points over the years - and organizational skills have been instrumental in getting us to where we are today. In all honesty, if it weren’t for her I doubt we would still be in business. She gets credit for the stitching and trimming (staples and rough edges cut off) and the glossy cover wrap. We are trying to see what new wrinkle we can bring to the publication in 2018. We conjured up the concept of the OTC over several “adult” beverages at then Bullfeathers - now O’Connell’s. Neither of us had/has any background in journalism or publishing – Dave was a graphic artist and I sold insurance. We lucked out and found a guy that I played rugby with who was a technical writer for Pepco so we had someone who could do layout, someone who could sell advertising and someone who had some writing skills. Unfortunately our writer friend had some issues that resulted in his leaving us. Keep in mind, it never occurred to us to even think about putting together a business plan; then you tack on the fact that we had no investment money, we basically started in the hole. With a clever advertising sales pitch we gathered a nice nest of
Old Town Crier
Dave Underwood and Bob Tagert celebrate the 20th anniversary over a few adult beverages.
“We had no computer, in fact, back then we didn’t quite understand what a computer was...” inaugural advertisers who promised to pay the minute the paper hit the streets. Well, they did and we paid our printing bill and started on to the next issue. In fact, many of the advertisers you see in this issue have been with us faithfully each month for a good portion of these 30 years. Thanks to our advertisers we have managed to not only survive but to grow in the process. We could have been one of those stories about how the business operated out of a garage, but it was a cold December…so this business started out in the “dining room” of Dave’s townhouse. We had no computer, in fact, back then we didn’t
quite understand what a computer was, so we hired someone to type set and print out galleys for us and we pasted them down on boards. We took the boards to the printer the next morning, paid for the printing with a credit card, and picked up the finished product three days later. Our first cover was of the Schooner Alexandria, which was owned by the Alexandria Seaport Foundation and upon which I proudly crewed. The Alexandria was built as a Baltic Trader back in the 1920’s and served as Alexandria’s seagoing ambassador until her sinking off of the North Carolina coast in a storm. Luckily, in the spring of 2019 the revived
Seaport Foundation and locals will be bringing the tall ship Providence to Alexandria as our seagoing ambassador. She will grace a future cover for sure. In addition to publishing the OTC every month since January of 1988, we have sponsored some really fun events over the course of those years. In the early nineties the patrons of Portner’s Restaurant (now Columbia Firehouse) would engage in a sailboat race from Annapolis to St. Michaels, Maryland. Doug Harvey, the then manager of Portner’s and avid sailor, BUSINESS PROFILE > PAGE 8
January 2018 | 7
BUSINESS PROFILE | FROM PAGE 7
asked if we would take over the race. We agreed but changed the race from the Old Town Cup to the Old Town Crier Cup. Our first race was in 6 identical 33-foot Hunters and raced from Annapolis to St. Michaels in October of 1996. A year later we moved the venue to Solomons Maryland and everybody brought their own boats for a buoy race in the Chesapeake Bay. We also had as many as two committee boats to take friends out to watch the race. It was a much-anticipated event each year and lasted until 2006. During these earlier days we also hosted a tent at the annual International Gold Cup at Great Meadows in The Plains. This lasted for about 15 years and was another great annual event for our advertisers, guests and friends. Local restaurants stepped up to the plate and catered the event for us, and Kathy Coomb’s original recipe for our signature cocktails - the Golden Stirrup and Silver Stirrup - were a favorite each year. The three days it took for the research at the bar in Landini’s Restaurant was a lot of fun. A lot has changed since 1988, and we have changed with the years. Starting out as a publication exclusively for Old Town Alexandria, we soon began to include the other small towns and old towns that lie beyond the 22314 zip code. Although our primary focus is still Alexandria and the metro area, we extended our content and distribution to other destinations beginning in 1994. Our footprint includes places like Winchester, Middleburg, The Plains, Front Royal, Woodstock, Sperryville, Warrenton, and Culpeper in Virginia and Annapolis, Leonardtown and Solomons in Maryland. We even ship the issue to the St. John in the USVI. We probably should change our moniker to “From the Bay to the Blue Ridge & Beyond”. There are too many people to thank in this space who helped make our publication successful, so I won’t even try. Suffice it to say that, from day one, if it were not for those kind souls who put their sweat into the writing, picture-taking, production help and just a kind word, we would not be here today. To the business owners who, over the past 30 years, realize that the Old Town Crier is, and always will be, a great way to market their wares…we owe them and recognize our responsibility to them! You are welcome at my fire anytime!!! And finally, for all of you who take the time to pick us up and read us…well, if it weren’t for you, there would be no point. We know some folks who read our first issue and all the ones following – that is a total of 360 publications. I cannot tell you how gratifying that is. To all of you, our friends… Many, Many Thanks!
bes a b e h t For
...
Road trippin'
Lani's Mix
Do you remember what was it like 30 years ago? The number one song debuting in 1988 was Faith, by George Michael. The overall number one song in 1988 was Need You Tonight, by INXS. The number one country song was Addicted, by Dan Seals. People in 1988 wore funky clothes; after all, it was the era of heavy metal. Some of the more popular styles were acid washed jeans, tight mini skirts (think Kelly Bundy, in Married With Children), linen jackets (think Miami Vice), and lots of pastel colors, leggings/tights/colored pantyhose, and high-top sneakers for the guys (rebirth of Chuck Taylor), and ankle boots for the girls. Accessories included lots of multi-pierced ears (still popular among the youngsters), and left piercing for the guys. Hairstyles for the girls were big hair with lots of hairspray and the side ponytail. The top 5 movies in 1988 were; Diehard, A Fish Called Wanda, Bull Durham, Rain Man and Dead Ringers. Rain Man went on the win the Oscar for best picture. The most popular car was the Acrua Legend Coupe and the Integra. The late, great Roy Orbison dies of a heart attack. The last Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant roll off the assembly line in a Chrysler Factory. Pan Am flight 103 is blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland; killing a total of 270 people…a new world was anointed with the beginning of modern terrorism. VIRGINIA CHESTNUTS > PAGE 8
8 | January 2018
Old Town Crier
THE LAST WORD
R
MIRIAM R. KRAMER
From Russia, with love
ussian folklore comprises dazzling fairy tales that take place in dark forests in the deep winter. Katherine Arden’s The Bear and the Nightingale and recently published The Girl in the Tower are two lovely novels in a fantasy trilogy about Vasilisa Petrovna, a woman in medieval Russia who straddles a world between myth and conscious reality. As a so-called witch, she is in reality an unconventional Russian soul, claiming her fate in a world that sees women only as mothers and wives. In a lyrical manner, Arden presents Vasilisa Petrovna as a heroine born under unusual circumstances in a beautiful natural world of sky, earth, and forest. The granddaughter of a princess once named a witch, she grows up on her father’s rural farm estate in Lesnaya Zemlya, Land of the Forest. Many miles from Moscow, she matures as an exuberant tomboy, balancing the constraints of female household chores with rambles across her father’s acres of fields and forests. Gifted with second sight, the adventurous Vasya sees domestic spirits that inhabit her house, bathhouse, courtyard, and stables, along with the rusalka, a water nymph who lures mortal men like a siren from the riverbank. Initially alone in seeing these mythical creatures, she pays them tribute and accepts them fully. Wandering into the woods, she encounters two spirits, Morozko, an alternately dangerous and beautiful spirit of frost and death,
Old Town Crier
Author Katherine Arden and his opponent the Bear, a one-eyed creature that feeds on fear and destruction. When a wandering priest, Konstantin Nikonovich, arrives in her village, he deploys his fanatic devotion to stamping out the villagers’ pantheistic beliefs in the spirits of the earth, sky, and forest. By turns fascinated and repulsed by her unconventional beauty and passion, he encourages the villages to fear God and their own human natures. After Vasya develops her innate gift and learns to speak to horses, Morozko, the blue-eyed frost demon, gifts her a horse born of a nightingale, one who runs as swiftly as a dream. Vasya must fight the terror engendered by the priest to save her world, as the Bear strengthens from an atmosphere of fear,
starting famines and fires and raising the dead. Helped by Morozko, she confronts the Bear and his unwitting servant, the exceedingly handsome, proud priest who uses his power over his congregation to make them fear God and to lessen their ties to the land they till. Arden creates a gorgeous medieval Russian universe in which Christianity is in tension with the pagan world in which it is planted, despite the ways in which they are intertwined. While Vasya’s beloved brother Aleksandr becomes a renowned monk who worships God lovingly, she sees the strictures of the church as tightening its noose around a universe that is a part of her, one in which she has grown up nurtured on fairy tales told by her beloved nurse. To avoid spoiling the plots of both books I will stop here, since I highly recommend both and eagerly await the last novel in her fantasy trilogy. This author pens her adventures simply and beautifully. Both adults wishing and mature teenage readers wishing for an escapist adventure will enjoy these works for their clear, cool writing and the surprisingly modern heroine Vasilisa Petrovna. With her unique Russian spirit, she fights to preserve her heritage and to shape her own destiny, escaping the towering prisons of traditional female roles. January 2018 | 9
HIGH NOTES
RON POWERS
kygo a
R
emix DJ and producer "Kygo, a" takes us on a sonic flight with her latest EP, The Midnight Show, escorting us through a cosmos which transcends genre by seamlessly melding classical composition, sensory stimulating synthesizers, soul nurturing pianos, beautifully toned guitars, and a healthy dose of pop appeal guaranteeing the music captures the attention of listeners no matter the moment, the mood or their personal music tastes.
10 | January 2018
WELCOME TO THE MIDNIGHT SHOW The Midnight Show is an exciting and unpredictable listen although it only includes two tracks. With that in mind, I promise this project will leave you wanting to hear more of Kygo, a’s work. Let’s take a deeper look at the two featured songs. Midnight Flight of the Bumble Bee
immediately grabs us with a guitar riff that pierces deep, sticks with you for a long time, and drives this Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov original into new realms. A hard hitting, arena sized rhythm and groove section makes HIGH NOTES > PAGE 11
Old Town Crier
HIGH NOTES | FROM PAGE 10
the song accessible to all listeners forcing our bodies into uncontrollable head nods, body rocks, and foot taps. A dissonant and busy violin riff accents the arrangement with context and texture as it mimics the flight of the bee through this masterfully crafted bed of enticing sounds. Maintaining an atmospheric, dreamy soundscape, this song would easily fit into a shoegaze/dream pop/indie pop playlist with ease. The second track of The Midnight Show features one of my favorite classical pieces, The Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven. Midnight by Moonlight Sonata, the Kygo, a version, kicks off with the iconic Beethoven piano melody which is guaranteed to infect the depths of your sensory system. Building into a lush, hypnotic and uplifting wall of synths, an infectious and memorable guitar riff, and an inspiring barrage of energetic frequencies, this piece is nothing short of breathtakingly beautiful. Crisp snares, caressing strings, and an abundance of sonic nuance transform this Beethoven classic into a heartfelt, soul-infused, undeniably awesomesauce sonic layer cake of a remix. This 2-track EP could easily play on repeat. You’re likely to notice something new with each listen. Kygo, a is originally from Asia but makes it known that she is half-Norwegian. She is a DJ who does very well at producing very engaging original compositions and is not afraid to stretch her creativity or the idea of genre categories to new and exciting limits. The Midnight Show is now available on Spotify or Apple Music. I highly encourage you to listen. You can connect directly Kygo, a on Twitter, FB or Soundcloud. Live appearances available via Songkick. Ron Powers is an independent A&R specialist and music industry consultant, and is constantly searching for, discovering and writing about new talent.
Writers Resolutions 2018! We asked our writers to send us their resolutions and they responded with a various sundry of things! To rethink the meaning of self-discipline, love my 14 year old poodle more each day, and return to horse-back riding in the spring. — Sarah Becker, A Bit of History
My goal is to visit all of the Northern Virginia and Shenandoah County wineries I haven’t been to yet, which will put me over 200 Virginia wineries. — Nancy Bauer, Grapevine
Find a home for our longest KSC resident Tokyo!! A perfectly sweet all black gentleman who just always gets passed by. We know his furrever after is out there. — Sarah Liu, Points on Pets
Remember to stay present, treat others with kindness & empathy, and move my new hips more than my lips! Keep on movin’! Lori Welch Brown, Open Space Learn to be patient (again)! — F. Lennox Campello, Gallery Beat My New Year’s resolution would be to say “no” a little more often when opportunity knocks in order to focus on me and my family a bit more. — Doug Fabbioli, Exploring VA Wines
My New Year’s resolution is to help elect Democrats and liberal women in the 2018 local and congressional elections. In addition I want to brush up on my foreign languages and take guitar lessons. — Miriam R Kramer, Last Word
I would like to save more money. – Ryan Unverzagt, From the Trainer I resolve not to make resolutions. – Julie Reardon, To the Blue Ridge Using my new Skeeter bass boat, I hope to introduce more women and kids to Potomac River bass fishing. I look forward to Make America Fish Again. `– Steve Chaconas, Go Fish
AFTER HOURS Birchmere 703.549.7500 3701 Mt. Vernon Ave. birchmere.com The Blackwall Hitch 571-982-3577 5 Cameron St. theblackwallhitch.com Carlyle Club 411 John Carlyle Dr. 703-549-8957 thecarlyleclub.com Chadwicks 203 S. Strand St. 703.836.4442 Evening Star Cafe 703.549.5051 2000 Mt. Vernon Ave. The Fish Market 703.836.5676
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105 King St. fishmarketoldtown.com King Street Blues 703.836.8800 112 N. St. Asaph St. La Portas 703.683.6313 1600 Duke St. Las Tapas 703.836.4000 710-714 King St. lastapas.us The Light Horse 703.549.0533 715 King St. lighthorserestaurant.com Murphys Irish Pub 703.548.1717 713 King St. murphyspub.com
O’Connell’s 703.739.1124 112 King St. Rock It Grill 703.739.2274 1319 King St. Shooter McGees 703.751.9266 5239 Duke St. shootermcgees.com Southside 815 703.836.6222 815 S. Washington St. St. Elmos 703.739.9268 2300 Mt. Vernon Ave. Taverna Cretekou 703.548.8688 818 King St.
TJ Stones 703.548.1004 608 Montgomery St. tjstones.com Trattoria da Franco 703-548-9338 305 S. Washington St. Two Nineteen 703.549.1141 219 King St. These establishments offer live entertainment. Call to confirm show times, dates and cover charges. Check our advertisers’ websites
January 2018 | 11
GALLERY BEAT
F. LENNOX CAMPELLO
Dateline Miami: Urban Jungle of Art
H
ow many times have you heard me preach: If you are an artist or a gallery in the 21st century, you have to do art fairs? Here we go again: over a decade ago, the founders and organizers of an European fine arts fair called Art Basel (which of course, takes place in Basel, Switzerland), gambled on trying out an American version of their successful European “art fair” model and started one in the gigantic Miami Beach Convention Center, and they called it Art Basel Miami Beach or ABMB for short. In the decade plus since, that one mega international art fair radically revolutionized the way in which contemporary and secondary fine art is presented and sold as a commodity. It has spawned also multiple satellite art fairs in the Greater Miami area, all taking place at the same time during the first week of December each year. Because there are over a thousand galleries and tens of thousands of artists being presented all over the Miami area, art collectors, artists, celebrities, gallerists, actors, dealers, party animals, politicians, curators, and all the symbiots of the art world head to Miami during that week, and fine art rules the area (closely followed by dozens and dozens of private “art parties”). I’ve heard quotes where I have been told that about 20% of all the visual art sold on the planet each year (less auctions I assume) sell in Miami during that first week in December. This is the art world’s big dance! And because there is so much art being presented and offered for sale, at some many levels of the economic scales, while most mega collectors, the Hollywood crowd and the rest of the 1% all focus on the top two or three fairs in the art fair food chain (ABMB itself being the crown jewel, followed by Art Miami and its sister fair Context, and third perhaps switching every year between Pulse, Miami Projects or Untitled), there is art somewhere 12 | January 2018
in Miami for all tastes and budgets. Because of that critical mass, the ABMB Week in Miami has become the big dance of the art world; the art salon of the 21st century, the one special place on the planet where art rules as a commodity. And thus for this article, I’ve enlisted a set of very different eyes and perspective to help tell a story about Art Basel Week 2017. In this column, you’ll read Alysia Klein’s take on the art fair aptly known simply as “Fair.” with the period as a full part of the title – it’s not a typo! This new fair is an all-female art fair focused on “gender inequality” with a show at a fancy Miami shopping mall. Ms. Klein is an artist and writer currently enrolled at Kent State University pursuing a MFA in Painting, where she happens to be a good friend of the amazing Audrey Wilson, one of the most innovative and hardworking MFA candidates on the planet and herself a pro with half a dozen Art Basel week fairs in the last decade. Klein received her BFA in 2D Studio Art with a minor in Art History, graduating summa cum laude, from Eastern Illinois University. My idea was to offer the young female perspective of Klein, the contemporary MFA candidate in her very first ABMB week, to deliver a piece with a distinct set of eyes and sensibilities. Klein takes over.
Guerrilla Girls, Dear Collectors, Fair., Miami
Guerrilla Girls, Do Women Have To Be Naked To Get Into The Met. Museum?, Fair., Miami
Fair. At Miami: Radical or Fence-Sitting? “Fair. took place during Miami’s annual ultra-fair week and was a non-commercial alternative to the traditional art market scene one typically expects at venues such as Art Basel, Art Miami and other satellite fairs. Not seeing a price tag on artworks that most consumers cannot afford was a breath of fresh air in today’s over saturated highpriced art market. Even though this was the case when I was
Cheryl Pope, A Silent I, Fair., Miami
GALLERY BEAT > PAGE 12
Old Town Crier
GALLERY BEAT | FROM PAGE 12
analyzing the monetary side of the exhibition I could not help but wonder if Fair. was indeed fair? Was it doing as much as it could to project its conceptual ideologies or did it simply fall short? The statement We Are Here. (with a period) seemed to be true only for 16 center stage women artists who already carry significant weight within the art world. When first arriving to the space, located within a shopping mall for the elite of Miami, I was greeted by posters from the Guerrilla Girls addressing the upperclass shoppers and art collectors about the disparity of wealth and inequality in American society. There were good intentions but this is one instance where I wonder if “preaching to the choir” may have been more effective than speaking to the holders of the wealth themselves. Just by placing these posters in this setting inadvertently makes them capitalistic instead of non-commercial, which is contradictory to the show’s overall message.
Guerrilla Girls, Dear Collector, Fair., Miami When finally arriving at the exhibition area, the first piece is a recreated participatory artwork Wish Tree Garden by Yoko Ono, obviously one of these most established female artists of the 20th century. The Wish Tree Garden has been shown recently at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and the Guggenheim Bilboa. At this point I am already wondering how fair can this be when the artwork being displayed is already melded within the framework of “blue chip” art? The exhibition catalogue quoted that “The outpouring of positive response from women in the art world—artists, curators, gallerists, and writers—affirms that this work is more necessary than ever.” They must not have polled very many responses because I myself as a woman must disagree to some extent. While, yes, this work is more necessary than ever before, I must criticize the half-hazard stance and poor utilization of space by co-curators Zoe Lukov and Anthony Spinello. Even though this show was noncommercial and not for sale, during the same
week Spinello Projects was hosting a cocktail party in partnership with Gucci to promote the artworks Kris Knight, which were for sale. When entering inside the space, you encounter the infamous Do women have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum? piece by the Guerrilla Girls. This poster utilized a space of roughly 40 feet of the entire exhibition. If the fair truly wanted to be fair, inclusive and address true inequality maybe they would have included a sleuth of women artists in this massive expanse of space versus one poster by a well-known art group, albeit a well-respected one. Guerrilla Girls, Do women have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum? Fair., Miami I can think of a handful of under-represented female activist artists who were not included in this exhibition that could have been included. Perhaps instead of having it be “noncommercial” the show could have sold artworks and given the profits to the causes the Fair. exhibition seems so keen on promoting. I am all for promoting females in an art world that is clearly more geared towards a patriarchal, hetero-normative outlook but also must question if we are using what little power we do have to the best of our abilities. Given the political situations that revolve around getting funded and represented for an exhibition space, I also wonder if the curators were doing the best they could without overstepping their allotted power. If this is the case, the art world is in even more dire situation than most would believe. Holistically, the artwork showcased was thought provoking but at the same time something felt off and not quite as engaging as I had hoped. Maybe things were not as fair as they appeared to be.
ART&ANTIQUES
Cheryl Pope, A Silent I, Fair., Miami
Lloyd’s Row 119 S. Henry Street
And now read what caught Ardis Bartle’s experienced eyes as she visited several art fairs from the perspective of the experienced collector. She noted to me that the “common themes during Art Miami Week were guns - made of porcelain, made of water hoses and sprayers, made of typewriter parts, etc.” She also added “Words - Words are back. From the show at the Perez Art Museum to various works throughout the art fairs all focusing on words.”
ANTIQUES
2018
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Silverman Galleries 110 N. St. Asaph Street
Local Colour Old Town 218 N. Lee Street
Red Barn Mercantile 1117 King Street
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January 2018 | 13
URBAN GARDEN
Brighten Up Your Winter Garden With Colorful Berries
J
ust because the trees are bare and there is snow on the ground doesn’t mean that your garden has to become a winter wasteland. A wellplanned garden will provide yearround interest and visual treats. Many evergreens and hardy ornamental grasses can be quite stunning in the colder months. But perhaps nothing can compare to the vibrant color of berries during the winter. Berry palates range from bright red to yellow to pale blue and white, so there is something sure to please your eye. Many berries will also attract a variety of birds to your garden. Here are a few suggestions for hardy berry-bearing beauties that can provide a bit of pizzazz to the drab winter landscape.
American Cranberrybush (Viburnum trilobum) Berry: Red Height: 10 to 12 ft. tall Hardy to Zone 3 Partial to Full Sun Notes: This shrub bears clusters of white flowers in the spring. Some cultivars produce yellow berries. The European Cranberrybush (Viburnum opulus) has similar properties.
American Holly (Ilex opaca) Berry: Red Height: 20 to 25 ft. tall Hardy to Zone 5 Partial Sun Notes: This evergreen tree bears small white flowers in the spring. It has many cultivars, such as “Xanthocarpa,” which bears goldenyellow berries.
14 | January 2018
Arrowwood
Cranberry Cotoneaster
Winterberry
(Viburnum dentatum) Berry: Bluish-Black Height: 6 to10 ft. tall Hardy to Zone 3 Partial to Full Sun Notes: This shrub bears clusters of dark berries that are very popular with birds and bears clusters of small white flowers in the spring.
(Cotoneaster apiculatus) Berry: Red Height: 1 to 3 ft. tall Hardy to Zone 4 Partial to Full Sun Notes: Great for ground cover, this shrub bears tiny pink flowers in the spring. Other low-growing cotoneasters include Bearberry Cotoneaster (C. dammeri) and Rockspray Cotoneaster (C. horizontalis).
(Ilex verticillata) Berry: Red or Yellow Height: 8 to 10 ft. tall Hardy to Zone 3 Partial to Full Sun Notes: Birds love these berries, so there is a risk that the berries will all be eaten before the winter is over. If you love having birds in your garden, however, this will do the trick.
Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) Berry: Dark Purple Height: 4 to 6 ft. tall Hardy to Zone 4 Partial to Full Sun Notes: The berries of the “Autumn Magic” cultivar last an especially long time into the winter. Although the Red Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) bears attractive red berries, it is considered invasive in many areas and should be avoided.
Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) Berry: Powdery Periwinkle Blue Height: 40 to 50 ft. tall Hardy to Zone 3 Full Sun Notes: The female trees bear these lovely berries (they are actually cones that look like berries) which are very popular with the birds.
Common Snowberry
Northern Bayberry
(Symphoricarpos albus) Berry: White Height: 3 to 5 ft. tall Hardy to Zone 3 Full Shade to Full Sun Notes: This hardy shrub grows well in shade as well as sun and tolerates almost every soil type.
(Myrica pensylvanica) Berry: Pale Blue-Gray Height: 4 to 10 ft. tall Hardy to Zone 3 Partial to Full Sun Notes: This shrub is extremely hardy and easy to grow in most conditions. It is also salt tolerant.
Coralberry
Tea Viburnum
(Symphoricarpos orbiculatus) Berry: Reddish-Purple Height: 3 to 5 ft. tall Hardy to Zone 3 Full Shade to Full Sun Notes: Like Snowberry, this shrub likes shade as well as sun and is very easy to grow. It is also know as Indian Currant.
(Viburnum setigerum) Berry: Bright Red Height: 8 to10 ft. tall Hardy to Zone 5 Partial to Full Sun Notes: This shrub bears clusters of red berries in the fall and clusters of small white flowers in the spring.
Winter King Hawthorne (Crataegus viridis) Berry: Bright Red Height: 20 to 30 ft. tall Hardy to Zone 4 Partial to Full Sun Notes: This tree bears clusters off white flowers in the spring. The Washington Hawthorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum) has similar properties to the Winter King. The above list, of course, is just meant to get you started. There are many more varieties of berry and winter fruit bearing plants. Many roses, for example, will develop colorful rose hips if the faded blooms are not pruned back. Likewise, some flowering plants, such as clematis, produce beautiful seed heads that can add interest to your garden through the winter months. The important thing is to keep in mind that winter does not have to mean dreary for your garden. With just a little bit of planning berries can bring color and vibrancy to the winter garden and give you (and the birds) something to enjoy during the cold weather months. For Garden tips of all kinds, log on to www.helpfulgardner.com.
Old Town Crier
PERSONALITY PROFILE | FROM PAGE 4
gave us a bit of a “refresher” course in what has been going on in her life since December of 2006. She tells us, “I am a charter member of Mount Vernon at Home, because I want to stay in my home and be active in my community. This village concept offers friends, activities and support when I need it to live this way. I did some volunteer tutoring years ago, and decided, at 83, I could still help out, so I am going to do that again. I recommend it. Being around children is invigorating and it does help busy teachers. (Contact the Alexandria Tutoring Consortium for details). During the 90s, my husband, Jim, and I produced five editions of “The Winning Edge, The Student-Athlete’s Guide to College Sports”. It was interesting work and explained to parents, students and guidance counselors, a simple to understand outline of the NCAA rules, what to look for on campus and the athletics department and how to stress athletic ability to help gain admission. Nine years ago, I became a widow after a very happy marriage, two great children, three fine grandchildren, and two super in-law children.
That would have been enough, but later I found a second love in my life. Not only is Stan a good and funny man, but we are lucky that we have not fallen prey to what some windowed people do. [Pause here for a WARNING: Loneliness is a terrible thing, especially if you have had a good marriage and miss that. BUT run if someone, man or woman, courts you and then asks for money – or has this great business opportunity if only he or she could get umpteen dollars to invest. People have lost everything falling for this scam. And, ladies, if you get the idea a man is looking for a cook, housekeeper and nurse, get the heck out, unless this is what you miss.] I agree with something that wonderful woman, the late Vola Lawson, said to me. She had done many important things for Alexandria, but her proudest accomplishment, she said, was her famiIy. How blessed to be able to say, me,too. That said, my life has been richer for all the people I’ve worked with, known, listened to, written about, because of the Crier. Happy Anniversary…..” Thank you Francis, we look forward to many more sessions with you in the New Year.
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January 2018 | 15
A BIT OF HISTORY
SARAH BECKER©
Robert E. Lee:
Behind the Marble Model
NORTHERN POLITICIANS DO NOT APPRECIATE THE DETERMINATION AND PLUCK OF THE SOUTH AND SOUTHERN POLITICIANS DO NOT APPRECIATE THE NUMBERS, RESOURCES, AND PATIENT PERSEVERANCE OF THE NORTH.”
16 | January 2018
W
est Point classmates called Virginia-born Robert E. Lee the Marble Model, the Marble Man. He was nicknamed such probably for reason of heritage; his statuesque quality, dignity and bravura. Lee entered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on July 1, 1825, mostly because it was free. “We beg leave to recommend to your personal consideration Mr. Robert Edward Lee, a son of the late General Henry Lee of Virginia, as an applicant for admission to the Military Academy at West Point,” the Congressional signers wrote. “The assurances which we have received of the talents and attainments of this young gentleman, apart from the regard we feel for the military services of his deceased father, induce us to hope… for the admission.” A plebe cum cadet staff sergeant, Lee was born January 19, 1807, the fifth child of overspent Revolutionary War hero General Henry “Light-horse Harry” Lee and his second wife Ann Hill Carter. Robert E. did not live the “legendary Victorian virtue” as “celebrated in a thousand marble statues across the South.” His sense of Duty did not include the South’s “terrible
hardening of the heart.” Lee emancipated his in-laws’ slaves on December 29, 1862; approximately three months after President Abraham Lincoln’s September 23 Emancipation Proclamation was published in draft. The Emancipation Proclamation became law on January 1, 1863. “Know all men by these presents, that I, Robert E. Lee, executor of the last will and testament of George W.P. Custis deceased, acting by and under authority and direction of the provision of the said will, do hereby manumit, emancipate and forever set free from slavery the following named slaves.” “[Lee’s] specialty was finishing up,” Alexandria school teacher Benjamin Hallowell said of young Robert’s studies. “He imparted a finish and a neatness, as he proceeded to everything he undertook...The same traits he exhibited in my school he carried with him to West Point.” Robert E.’s early education included the Alexandria Academy and Benjamin Hallowell’s school mathematics especially. Robert E.’s decision to opt for a military career was sustained in part by his deceased father’s friendship with the Marquis de Lafayette, an invaluable
Lee at age 31 in 1838, as a Lieutenant of Enginerrs in the U. S. Army. Revolutionary War ally. In 1824 President James Monroe, also a Revolutionary War veteran, invited Lafayette to participate in a triumphal United States tour. General Lafayette, a Frenchman, arrived in New York in August 1824 and Robert E. Lee’s Alexandria Boyhood Home was among the requested stops. Lee graduated from West Point in 1829, second in his class. His rank: second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It was from Ft. Monroe that Lee courted his wife, Martha Washington’s great-granddaughter; George Washington Parke Custis’ daughter Mary Anna Randolph Custis. Lieut. Lee married Mary Custis on A BIT OF HISTORY > PAGE 17
Old Town Crier
A BIT OF HISTORY | FROM PAGE 16
June 30, 1831, and together they lived, on and off, with her parents at Arlington House. The marriage took place 18 months after the U.S. Senate’s Robert Y. Hayne [D-SC]—Daniel Webster [F/Whig-MA] states’ rights debate. “The great scheme of our Constitutional liberty rests upon a proper distribution of power between the State and Federal authorities,” President and former Army Brigadier General Franklin Pierce [DNH] said in his 1853 Inaugural Address. “I believe that involuntary servitude, as it exists in different States of this Confederacy, is recognized by the Constitution. I believe that it stands like any other admitted right, and that the States where it exists are entitled to efficient remedies to enforce the constitutional provisions. I hold that the laws of 1850, commonly called the ‘compromise measures,’ are strictly constitutional and to be unhesitatingly carried into effect.” Jefferson Davis [D-MS] served as Secretary of War. “The views of the President: of the systemic & progressive efforts of certain people of the North, to interfere with & change the institutions of the South, are truthfully and faithfully expressed,” Lee wrote wife Mary from Ft. Brown, Texas, in 1856. “The consequences…& purposes are also clearly Set forth,…In this enlightened age…slavery as an institution is a moral & political evil in any Country. It is useless to expatiate on its disadvantages. I think it however a greater evil to the white than the black race, & while my feelings are strongly interested in behalf of the latter, my sympathies are more strong for the former. The blacks are immeasurably better off here than in Africa, morally, socially & physically. The painful discipline they are undergoing, is necessary for their instruction as a race & and I hope will prepare & lead them to better things. How long their subjugation may be necessary is Known & ordered by a wise & merciful Providence… While we see the Course of the final abolition of human slavery is onward, & we give it the aid of our prayers…we must leave the progress as well as the result in his hands who Sees the end…” The nation divided North-South beginning in 1860. South Carolina seceded from the Union on December 20, 1860; Texas seceded February 23, 1861; Virginia on April 17. Robert E. Lee respectfully resigned his U.S. Army commission on April 20, only to assume a Confederate commission. “I cannot raise my hand against my birth-place, my home, my children,” Confederate Major-General Lee wrote in August 1861. A defeated Confederate Commander-inChief as of April 9, 1865, Lee declined an 1869 request to help mark the positions of the troops in the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg with granite memorials. “I think it wiser moreover not to keep open the sores of war but to follow the examples of those nations who endeavored to obliterate the marks of civil strife….” Nephew Fitzhugh Lee also refused. “If the nation is to continue as a whole, it is better to forget and forgive rather than perpetuate in granite proofs.” Lee was indicted for treason on June 7, 1865; applied for a pardon on June 13 and absolved. University President Robert E. Lee died on October 12, 1870, one month before The Old Town Crier
Arlington House is the nation’s memorial to Robert E. Lee. It honors him for specific reasons, including his role in promoting peace and reunion after the Civil War. In a larger sense it exists as a place of study and contemplation of the meaning of some of the most difficult aspects of American History: military service; sacrifice; citizenship; duty; loyalty; slavery and freedom. Robert E. Lee Monumental Association of New Orleans was incorporated; a decade before The New York Times described The Lost Cause Regained. In 1880 the political worm had turned. In Virginia 72.7%, eight of the eleven Congressional office holders had Confederate roots. Of the eleven Southern States 75.8%, seventy-two of the ninetyfive Congressional officer holders were exConfederates. “The memory of the Confederate soldiers who fell in the Battle of Manassas…has at last been perpetuated by a monument, which today was formally turned over to the Ladies Memorial Association,” The Washington Post reported in 1889, President George Washington’s Centennial year. Said U.S. Senator, speaker and former Confederate Major John W. Daniel (D-VA) of the Revolutionary War: “Through eight years of war the fathers of the republic gained their independence, and rendered the name of rebel forever the proudest name in history….” Senator Daniel continued: “There was an irrepressible conflict between the freelabor system of the North and the Africanlabor system of the South. That northern sentiment was growing very rapidly because of immigration and the addition of new States, and in excess of the Southern sentiment, it was apparent that it was bent upon destroying slavery and that the fight must come….” The War Between the States lasted four years [1861-1865]; took 700,000 lives and devastated the South. “Northern politicians do not appreciate the determination and pluck of the South,” Lee said, “and Southern politicians do not appreciate the numbers, resources, and patient perseverance of the North. Both sides forget that we are all Americans, and…if it comes to the worst we must do everything in our power to mitigate its evils.” Sarah Becker started writing for The Economist while a graduate student in England. Similar publications followed. She joined the Crier in 1996 while serving on the Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association Board. Her interest in antiquities began as a World Bank hire, with Indonesia’s need to generate hard currency. Balinese history, i.e. tourism provided the means. The New York Times describes Becker’s book, Off Your Duffs & Up the Assets, as “a blueprint for thousands of nonprofit managers.” A former
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January 2018 | 17
POINTS ON PETS
SARAH LIU
Fostering Adoptable Dogs with dog-lover Megan Kremer Barlow
A
s a “cat lady” and cat rescue organization volunteer, it’s easy to gravitate to cat-centric articles for our monthly Points on Pets column. Last month, though, I found myself in a heart-toheart with fellow rescue volunteer and dedicated dog lover, Megan Kremer Barlow. Sharing our foster experiences made me curious how canine fostering compares with the feline equivalent. First, a little bit about Megan, who’s been a dog lover since before she could walk: Megan’s first dog, was a golden retriever who wouldn’t let anyone near her puppies except Megan. Wee Megan grew up, got married, and two weeks after buying a house, she and her husband adopted their first puppy. They named him Fenrir. About nine months after acquiring Fen, Megan’s neighbor brought over a puppy. Freyja was supposed to stay for the day, but she never left. Little Freyja was from a kill shelter in North
ADOPTION CALENDAR FOR DETAILS & MORE INFO website: www.kingstreetcats.org email: contact@kingstreetcats.org Are you or someone you know free during weekday mornings? King Street Cats is looking for weekday morning caregivers and vet taxis to transport our cats to the vet. Please email: contact@kingstreetcats.org for details. King Street Cats is looking for foster homes! You provide the spare room and TLC and we can provide food, litter and all vetting. Please email: contact@kingstreetcats.org for details.
18 | January 2018
Carolina, sadly malnourished with a distended belly. With every reason to be bitter and mistrusting, Freyja was as sweet as could be. With help from the neighbor, an experienced foster parent, Megan got Freyja on the right track. At the same time, she put herself on track for future fostering. As soon as her dogs were old enough, and well trained, Megan and her husband volunteered. To date, they have had two long term fosters, work with dogs at various events, and volunteer at the adoption center for a local rescue. I asked Megan:
How does fostering adult dogs compare with fostering puppies? “Fostering adult dogs can be tricky because they may have acquired unwanted behaviors through past experiences. They also require more structured activities, like walks, or KING STREET CATS 25 Dove Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 Every Saturday and Sunday from 1:30pm-4:30pm PETVALU Bradlee Shopping Center, 3652 King St, Alexandria, VA 22302 Every first and third Sat/Sun from 1pm-4pm PETCO UNLEASHED 1855 Wisconsin Avenue, Washington, DC 20007 Every fourth Sat/Sun from 12pm-3pm
may have medical conditions that require medication or regular checkups. Adults are also generally bigger than puppies, so it’s important to have experience with proper training techniques to ensure safety. Older fosters also tend to stick around for a good chunk of time, as not everyone wants to adopt an older dog. On the positive side though, an adult dog can be home alone longer than a puppy, without having accidents. Puppies can be easier because you know what you are getting. They eat, use the bathroom, play and sleep. However, they typically require a stricter schedule in order to get them potty trained. This means waking up in the middle of the night to let them outside, kind of like having a toddler that doesn’t wear diapers. They can only hold it for about four hours, so long outings aren’t ideal. On the upside, most medical care for a puppy is routine vaccinations, which rescues
have on hand and do not require a vet visit. Also, puppies tend to get adopted quickly, so your commitment is likely to be much shorter.
Which is better for the firsttimer? “This is really more about the person than it is about the age of the animal. If you have raised a puppy, or know what you are getting into with a puppy (the chewing, potty accidents, teething) then I would say start with a puppy. They get adopted quickly, so if having an extra four legged friend in your home is not for you, you are not stuck in a situation where the dog has nowhere else to go. However, if you are comfortable working with possible behavioral issues and are willing to make a longer commitment, adult dogs can be much easier on your sleep schedule. They POINTS ON PETS > PAGE 19
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Old Town Crier
POINTS ON PETS FROM PAGE 18
can also have wonderful personalities that have already been developed.
PETS OF THE MONTH
What are the benefits of fostering a dog vs. volunteering at a rescue organization? “Fostering can be more rewarding than just volunteering in that you get to build a relationship with the animal. However, fostering is more time consuming, requires work in terms of cleaning up any accidents, and possible damage to your property if you have a chewer. Working adoption events or in a rescue facility is a great way to limit your time commitment and still make a huge impact. My families schedule changed, such that we were unable to properly supervise a foster, so I now volunteer at adoption events where I work with people to find a pup that is a good fit for their family. While it is not the same as caring for an animal 24/7, it is rewarding when you are able to match a pup with a family.”
Can you recommend any organizations that need help with fostering? Homeward Trails Animal Rescue is always looking for fosters. They are one of the few that has an adoption center where dogs can stay until they find a good home. However, by state law the dogs there have to have their rabies vaccination and puppies cannot have those until a certain age. Additionally, they bring in dogs from all over the world, Thailand, where dogs are saved from the meat trade, Kuwait, Puerto Rico, and from kill shelters around the US. Since they bring in so many animals, space is at a premium in the adoption center, and foster homes are always needed. Other organizations include A Forever Home, which is an entirely foster-based area rescue; HART is a great local rescue that always needs fosters; and Bully Paws Pit Bull Patriots is fully supported by fosters.
What advice would you share with potential foster parents? Fostering is not an easy job, but the rewards far outweigh the downsides. My most rewarding experience was finding a home for our older foster, who had behavioral issues and a medical condition that was going to require lifetime treatment. I feel like the stars aligned when we found her adopter and the dog has done very well in her new home. Do your research so you know what you are getting into and make sure the rescue offers good support. Ask lots of questions to make sure the particular dog will be a good fit in your household.
Beloved pooches, Cobain and Link (a rescue).
CORONA
Chihuahua Black/Tan, Spayed Female, 15 years old
ROZ
Domestic Shorthair Grey Tabby, Spayed Female, 1 year old
Corona’s spirit animal is Sophia from the Golden Girls. The way to this feisty lady’s heart is food, respecting her space, and playing along when she tells you a tall tale. Like most dogs of a certain vintage, Corona prefers the company of adults and is not looking for friends of the canine variety. Corona loves going for walks and running around the yard. She has a serious case of the zoomies out in the yard. Corona is looking for a home that will give her the time to develop trust and will indulge a quirky older lady. Corona is ruling the roost in a staff office, please ask a staff member to meet with her! No, Roz isn’t giving you a non-stop wink. From an injury before coming to AWLA, she lost her right eye. All the more reason for a kind and loving human like you to welcome her into your home and let her be a part of your life. She’s a small girl and
ERAGON
Bearded Dragon, Female, 4 years old
quite tidy. Roz may only see with one eye, but her heart and personality are huge. She sees just fine with one eye. She doesn’t worry about it and once you get to know her, you won’t either. Her soft gray fur and charm will win you over in a heartbeat. Roz has so much to offer to her new humans and will be a little love to you. She just needs someone like you to say yes to her. She’ll take it from there. Neither she nor you will ever look back. Eragon is a beautiful bearded dragon looking for a home to call her own this holiday season! This sweet little lady has become quite the celebrity here in Alexandria and has even been a guest star on The Pet Show with Dr. Katy! Eragon enjoys being held and would be a great pet for anyone looking to bring a little beauty and adventure into their lives.
4101 Eisenhower Avenue • Alexandria, VA 703-746-4774alexandriaanimals.org Mon-Fri, 1-8 pm • Closed Wed • Sat & Sun, 12-5 pm
Lauren Fleming
Resources HOMEWARD TRAILS ANIMAL RESCUE HOMEWARDTRAILS.ORG A FOREVER HOME RESCUE FOUNDATION AFOREVERHOME.ORG/# HART FOR ANIMALS HARTFORANIMALS.ORG/ BULLY PAWS PIT BULL PATRIOTS BULLYPAWS.ORG/
Old Town Crier
January 2018 | 19
CARIBBEAN CONNECTION JEFF MCCORD
“Old Year’s Night,” New Year’s Day
A
s years go….2017 will be remembered by many Virgin Islanders as the worst of their lives. It provides little consolation that the cause of the grief was Mother Nature rather than the usual culprits of war and greed. This December 31st, the West Indian notion of an “Old Year’s Night” needing to be ushered out seems particularly apt. The hope offered by a “New Year’s Day” is spreading throughout the islands with the return of electricity to many households. Cruise ship passengers and tourists are slowly, steadily coming back to enjoy the majestic scenery and virtually empty, pristine beaches. Still, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands are struggling. Tourism income remains depressed, while living costs and reconstruction expenses have never been higher. No doubt, this year some old folks introduced youngsters to the simple pleasures of traditional “Old Year’s Night” observances. The joys of preparing and serving kallaloo while sipping island-produced cane rum are ageless. We learn from patriarch Guy Benjamin’s classic book, “Me and My Beloved Virgins,” that kallaloo is “a mixture of edible leaves cooked together with fish, crab meat, pig’s tail and flour droplets seasoned to taste and eaten with a ball of fungy.” Fungy, still a staple of island 20 | January 2018
dinner plates, is properly made from “boiled corn meal stirred to a thick consistency with butter, salad oil, lard and salt and rolled into balls.” Eating kallaloo on “Old Year’s Night” grants good luck for the New Year, especially for lovers. Serving this dish to your loved one that night means there will be a wedding in June. Many religious West Indians mark the final night of the year with prayer – a tradition dating to the Watch Nights of slavery times. Prayers then focused on freedom and maintaining the continuity of families in an era when slaves were often auctioned in the Caribbean (and U.S.) on New Year’s Day. For less religious folk (but, those still anxious about the new year), a multi-day carnival-like celebration is held on many Caribbean islands. On St. Croix, a Christmas festival dating to Danish colonial times begins on December 26 (“boxing day,” when servants celebrated Christmas). The traditional slogan of the festival, which ends “Old Year’s Night”, is “Kill Ting Pappy.” It’s also a partying song with this refrain: “A time to be merry, a time to be gay. A time to celebrate and have fun all day. So come on out and make it snappy Cause we’re going to have a grand time and kill ting
pappy.” The “kill” may refer to the old name for rum (“kill devil”) while “ting” means “thing” and “pappy” is likely the old year. Kill ting pappy, then, may translate to “kill the old year” with rum and don’t worry about the future. People interested in learning more about Virgin Islands traditions should contact the V.I. Department of Tourism. It will direct you to books and articles. Unfortunately, Hurricanes Irma and Maria require a new chapter in any V.I. history books. This year, the hurricanes also mean Watch Night anxieties for the future likely focus on tourists, the key to financial survival. Sadly, a modern diaspora of sorts is taking place as those without the means to wait for visitors to return (or to rebuild) move to mainland U.S. This diaspora is not limited to African Americans, proving the truth of the West Indian proverb: “Hurricane does blow all skin one color.” Despite today’s unwelcoming political environment in Washington, DC, U.S. Virgin Islanders are able to seamlessly gain refuge and employment on the mainland. That’s one advantage of the one hundred year union with the United States commemorated during 2017. And, desperately needed disaster relief provided by U.S. government
agencies including FEMA, the Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Navy is another obvious blessing of the union. Beyond federal help, the USVI received irreplaceable assistance from state and local governments including visiting fire and rescue squads, emergency medical teams and law enforcement officers. Even before governments could respond, private individuals such as country western star Kenny Chesney and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg stepped up with immediate life-saving help that arrived within hours or days of Irma and Marie’s devastating strikes. Non-governmental electric utilities from the mainland are providing hundreds of linemen and other resources
to help restore electricity to V.I. households and businesses suffering through four months without power – the longest power outage in American history. (Puerto Rico lost power when Maria struck on September 20, a full 14 days after Irma devastated St. John and St. Thomas on September 6 and most of Puerto Rico remains in the dark.) Beyond help from American governments and private entities, it is loyal U.S. tourists and part-time property-owning residents who return to the islands generation after generation who provide the only continuing support for the V.I. economy. The unsurpassed CARIBBEAN CONNECTION > PAGE 21
Escape to paradise Hillcrest Guest House is located within a residential area, rising two stories above Cruz Bay, on the crest of a hill and minutes from the beach and the US National Park, Virgin Islands. Six suites available, $185-$235/day Call 340-776-6774 or 340-998-8388 hillcreststjohn.com
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Old Town Crier
CARRIBEAN CONNECTION FROM PAGE 20
and undiminished natural beauty of our islands and the rule of U.S. law are important factors in tourist decisions to visit and invest, surveys find. This year’s hundredth anniversary of the transfer of the V.I. from Denmark to the U.S. led some islanders to focus on our imperfect union and yearn for independence. The hurricanes and Americans’ generous response and continuing support should be a wake-up call. It’s a night and day choice.
MYSTERY READING AT ITS BEST by Virginia author Jeffrey Roswell McCord
k
Ann Street Gardens
y
ey west getawa
Jeffrey R. McCord is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Gannett newspapers and Truthout.org, among other publications. For more than 20 years he’s called Northern Virginia home. Jeff is the author of two fact-based Caribbean novels available on Amazon. com: “Undocumented Visitors in a Pirate Sea,” a quarterfinalist in the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest; and, “Santa Anna’s Gold in a Pirate Sea,” a finalist in the 2016 Next Generation Indie Book contest. He now divides his time between Virginia and St. John, USVI
CARIBBEAN MYSTERY AND INTRIGUE A dead Marine washed ashore on a Caribbean island leads investigators to otherworldly perpetrators in historic pirate waters and high level abuses in Washington. An intrepid maritime historian working the case for U.S. Naval Intelligence discovers a 60-year record of extraterrestrial activity in the Caribbean basin. History and national security politics meet science fiction in this mystery based on exhaustive factual research and informed conjecture.
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CARIBBEAN hISToRY AND ADvENTURE Where did the villain General Santa Anna of Alamo infamy retire? Is time travel possible? What was it like on the ground in the worst hurricane of the 19th century? Can a band of rogue sailors from Coral Bay, St. John, defeat ruthless corporate mercenaries? These questions and more are answered in Jeffrey Roswell McCord’s new fact-based novel “Santa Anna’s Gold in a Pirate Sea.”
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Old Town Crier
January 2018 | 21
FROM THE BAY …
BOB TAGERT
Jess and Janel - The Pier
Chris Donaldson-Island Hideaway
Cori Erin -Ruddy Duck
Myron Nelson-Charles Street Brasserie
Issy - Kingfishers
Solomons Island… Open Year Round!
E
ven though the internationally known Tiki Bar on Solomons Island closes for the winter the rest of the town is pretty much open for business. The restaurants might alter their menus to include some cold weather items but that crab cake is always a great choice year round. The cold weather months are when the oysters are at their best and caught daily. In this short piece we are going to inform you about Solomons and introduce you to some of those who will be serving you. The island is about an hour and a half drive from Washington D.C. and Baltimore. As you approach the island from the west you will cross the impressive Governor Thomas Johnson
22 | January 2018
Bridge. The bridge is 135 feet from the Patuxent River. You will get a nice birds eye view of Solomons, but I recommend the driver keep his eyes on the road. Solomons is the home of the Calvert Marine Museum, a popular day trip destination plus the Annmarie Garden Sculpture Gardens and the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory. The town is also just a nice place to go enjoy some seafood and the waterfront setting. If you follow the Riverwalk boardwalk along the Patuxent River, you can enjoy waterfront view and have access to man of the town’s restaurants and shops. Even though it is winter you might see some sailboats the water. Sailors are a hardy breed. The Chesapeake Bay Biological Lab is
located a little beyond the southern of the boardwalk and next to Charles Street Brasserie. Their welcome center is open to visitors Friday through Sunday. Other places to visit nearby include Annmarie Gardens and Sculpture Park where you can enjoy outdoor sculptures in a 30acre park. Annmarie also hosts many special events throughout the year. Fossil hunters will enjoy a rip to Calvert Cliffs, where tall beachfront cliffs have d away to expose fossils, which can be found on the beach. Most of the quaint shops are open all winter although some may close from time to time. When the cold gets you down, take a drive to Solomons and pretend that it is summer again! Old Town Crier
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FOSSILS
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Open Daily: 10am - 5pm
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PASTA SPECIALS Monday and Wednesday
STONEY’S KINGFISHERS SEAFOOD BAR & GRILL 14442 Solomons Island Road Solomons, Maryland 20688 SolomonsKingfisher@gmail.com
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EVERY WEDNESDAY JAZZ AND HALF PRICE WINE
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ROAD TRIP
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A
2017: A Whirl
s most of our readers know, every January I take a look back at the Road Trips of the previous year, and like our cover has said for 30 years… ”From the Bay to the Blue Ridge”. Knowing full well that there is no better place to be than in Old Town Alexandria, from time to time we all just want to get away. This column can give you some good ideas and some good information every month of the year.
FEBRUARY
Cambridge Maryland and the Hyatt Chesapeake Resort
24 | January 2018
Our first adventure last February took us to Cambridge, Maryland and the impressive Hyatt Chesapeake Resort on the banks of the Choptank River. We usually like to keep the waterfront trips closer to the warmer months, but spring was right around the corner and the Chesapeake Resort makes for a great winter escape. Getting to Cambridge is easy. Take the Beltway to Route 50 and head
east. Within two hours you will cross the bridge that spans the Choptank River into Cambridge. The Choptank is a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay and the largest river on the Delmarva Peninsula. The $155 million Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa & Marina is situated on the east shore in Cambridge. Completed in 2002, the resort is the only one of its kind in the Mid-Atlantic. Settled by the English colonists in 1684, Cambridge is one of the oldest colonial cities in Maryland. During the colonial years, the English colonists developed farming on the Eastern Shore. The town was a trading center for the area. Cambridge was designated a Maryland “Main Street” community on July 1, 2003. In town there are many fine restaurants and shops…our favorite was the Portside Seafood Restaurant. Originally an oyster house, Portside has been a family owned and operated restaurant since 1997. In this neck of the woods, oysters are king. The oysters produced from the waters of the Choptank are some of the best around. Old Town’s own Fish Market Restaurant has partnered with a local oyster company to supply the Old Town eatery with Eastern Shore oysters. The Hyatt Resort sits on 342 acres leaving plenty of room for their 18-hole golf course designed by Keith Foster, a 150-slip marina and a full service spa. There is a path that winds its way through the property making for a relaxed stroll or a bike ride. The path meanders over wooden bridges that span the wetlands below your feet. Here you are likely to see Blue Heron, Bald Eagles and a few of their resident deer. Other wildlife abounds in this natural wildlife rookery. The 400-room hotel is massive, but because of the crescent shape you feel like you are in the midst of something special. The infinity pool in the courtyard sits dead center in the crescent and from ground level it appears to overflow into the Choptank River, which lies beyond the pool. There are fire pits and fireplaces scattered around for that cool spring or fall evening. There is also a huge indoor pool that lies adjacent to the infinity pool. There is also an indoor/outdoor Jacuzzi (for those of you who have been to the Boardwalk Hotel in Rehoboth, this is a mini version of theirs) that was a welcome at the end of the day! Something else that we found to be a lot fun was that they show Old Town Crier
m W ca pl yo
M
An
A W ou B Ju tr 50 “N To to Eg is fir an
ANNAPOLIS
SOLOMON'S ISLAND
WOODSTOCK
lwind Year!
movies on a huge screen at 6pm and 8pm at the far end of the pool. While the little kids are watching the movie on a floaty, the big kids an enjoy an adult beverage from the poolside bar and grill. This lace is user friendly and they most certainly want you to enjoy ourself.
MARCH
nnapolis Maryland
Like Alexandria, Annapolis is a seaport town, and like Alexandria there are many great shops, museums and restaurants. We timed our trip to Annapolis so that we would be there when ur good friend, Kevin Brooks and his band The Eastport Oyster Boys, were playing their music at Castlebay, a traditional Irish Pub. ust like Cambridge, getting to Annapolis is very easy although raffic can be heavy around rush hour. Get on the Beltway to Route 0 and head east. In less than an hour you will hit the turn of for Naptown”, a favorite moniker used by the locals. Also like Old Town Alexandria, the main drag in Annapolis runs perpendicular o the water. The main street is one way so all traffic begins around go Alley, the canal that runs from Spa Creek into the city. Here s where you will find all of the sailboats and powerboats that are rst come first served at City Dock. Others will be on moorings or nchoredOld in the harbor. Town Crier
There are numerous shops, restaurants and bars in Annapolis and we usually begin on the waterfront and the Annapolis Market House, a food court of sorts with open vendors. Opened in the 1780’s the old Market House was destroyed by hurricane Isabel in 2003. It took 10 years to reopen and is thriving today. Next to the Market is a favorite, McGarvey’s Salon and Oyster Bar. Mussels and little neck clams are always a favorite in this popular restaurant, which was established in 1975. Next to McGarvey’s is Middleton Tavern, which has always been a popular destination. This tavern is one of the oldest continuously operating taverns in America and was originally established in 1750. As it is with a lot of places in Annapolis, there is usually live entertainment to be found. Other restaurants along Ego Alley include Mission BBQ, Dock Street Bar & Grill and Pusser’s Caribbean Grille, situated on the other side of Ego Alley, is a great place to people and boat watch and home to the famous Soggy Dollar Pain Killer! Get the Pain Killer here because Hurricane Irma Wiped out the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke. The 74-foot Wooden Schooner Woodwind is usually docked next to Pusser’s. Woodwind offers day and evening cruises during warm weather.
APRIL
The Secret of Havana The April road trip to Havana was written by Adam Morel and the photos by his brother Glenn Morel. It was probably one of the best pieces written all year. Here are some excerpts: An old woman living in a tiny home, working slavishly over a hot stove, making strong coffee for three strangers. A middleaged man with a tattered shirt and bloodshot eyes, giving a bear hug, speaking emphatically in a language his newfound friend cannot understand.
ROAD TRIP > PAGE 26
January 2018 | 25
ROAD TRIP FROM PAGE 25
A single mother with bright eyes writing directions in broken English to a neighborhood gathering later in the evening. A plump, optimistic neighbor serving bread and eggs, fruit and ham, walking gingerly through a buckling hallway without a ceiling, to a table set with pewter and lace. An old man laughing in the street, refusing to help with directions until the lost soul first “makes friendship” with him as he shows off prized photographs hung carefully on the splattered walls of his collapsing cantina. An elderly, well-to-do couple, pointing with pride from building to building, watching the reaction of their esteemed guests, eyes misting as they describe the loss of their beloved Fidel. A busy driver with a tiny American flag hanging from his mirror, lustily sharing his black market successes, talking politics while racing between towns to show off the countryside. A gangly, weathered farmer nervously clutching a cardboard box in a dilapidated barn, fearfully selling clandestine cigars for three pesos each. A tourist with a make-believe beard and an anxious heart, overwhelmed. You can read all the books, look at all the photographs and watch all the documentaries. Nothing prepares you for Havana – or reveals its true nature. Yes, the classic automobiles, the majestic colonial architecture and the pulsing music are there, all of it more vibrant, more splendid, more everything than depicted. And yes, the cobblestone streets and the crumbling asphalt ones too, literally teem, day and night, with life - the local poor, wide-eyed tourists, friendly hustlers, hookers, joyful children, multitudes of dogs and cats, purveyors of bread and goats and cheese and nuts, all that life undulating as one, ribbonlike, down narrow, dusty streets, tree-lined boulevards and along the gulf-soaked sea wall, the furtive, famous Malecon. If Havana is anything in mid-February 2017, it is anxious with a bounce in its step. Walk its neighborhoods from Miramar to Vedado, from Cojimar to Habana Vieja. Stop and look. And listen. Like the cafecito which rivals rum as the most popular libation for residents and visitors alike, you can hear Havana percolating with ambition. Spend a little time with them. Don’t worry about the language barrier. Extend your hands and your heart to them. They’ll tell you the secret of Havana with their eyes.
MAY
Frederick Maryland and Beyond The Merry Month of May took us to visit Frederick, Maryland. We were already headed that direction to attend the Frederick Craft Spirit Festival organized by the Maryland Distillers 26 | December January 2018 2017
Guild so decided it would be a good idea to combine it into the column. Frederick is the gateway to the Blue Ridge Mountains heading west. Located where the Catoctin Mountain meets the rolling hills of the Piedmont region, the Frederick area became a crossroads even before European explorers and traders arrived. Founded before1730, Frederick has survived revolutions and wars and today is a beautiful revitalized town. The single most dynamic feature that ties the heart of Frederick’s historic district together is Carroll Creek Park. The park began as a flood control project in the late 1970’s. After the Great Frederick Flood of 1976 left parts of Downtown Fredrick under three feet of water, it became clear that something had to be done to remove Frederick from the 100-year flood plain. The creek was rerouted underground in 1993 and has eliminated any future flooding from the streets. A 40-foot wide canal waterway was created that runs 1.3 miles rough the heart of town. This beautiful centerpiece has water features, brick pedestrian paths and bridges and a 350-seat amphitheatre. Among the historic buildings and tree lined brick-paved sidewalks, visitors will find a bustling downtown. Frederick’s main streets are Market Street and the perpendicular running Patrick Street. These are the prime areas for shopping and dining. East of downtown you can find Everedy Square and Shab Row, downtown Frederick’s largest cluster of special shops, eateries and services housed in beautifully restored 19th century buildings. After our spirit sipping and walk about and a visit to the fantastic Visitors Center, we decided to discover the Monocacy River and its three covered bridges. The Utica Mill Covered Bridge was built around 1850 and is located on Utica Road over Fishing Creek. The bridge originally spanned the nearby Monocacy River but was washed away during a severe storm in 1889. Local citizens gathered the remains and reconstructed the 101-foot long Burr arch truss bridge at its present location. If you try and stay off of the interstates and take the back roads you will discover a beautiful area of farms, fields and mountains.
JUNE
Camp Runaway So you remember those days long ago when your mom and dad would drop you off for summer camp? I do… whether it was Boy Scout camp or Safety Patrol school camp. It was always a wonderful adventure and I always came home with cuts and bruises and memories.
I thought that those days were gone, until our friend Shannon Koprivich told us about a camp for adults that she and a friend were organizing…Camp Runaway…how appropriate! Shannon and Co-Camp Organizer, and longtime friend, Cristin Moor were campers at Tall Timbers Campground in West Virginia when they were in the 5th grade. The two of them as well, as other former Tall Timbers campers have remained in contact to this
day. Camp owner Glenn Smith was the camp director back in those days. Glenn’s father had established the camp in 1970. In May these organizers brought to fruition the first Camp Runaway at Camp Tall Timbers in High View, West Virginia. At the age of 70 I thought that I might be biting off more than I could chew and may not be up to those physically challenging days of yesteryear. I was right! Although the desire was there, immobility is not a strength in dodge ball. The average age of the 25 campers was probably in the mid to late 30’s and all in good shape. As I mentioned earlier, some were former kid campers who came back from as far as California, Colorado and Florida. Old friendships were rekindled and new ones made. After registering on Friday we all just kind of hung out, introduced ourselves and had a few adult beverages – this is a huge benefit of “adult” camp – until someone brought up the idea of dodge ball in the pavilion. The weather didn’t really cooperate with us – rained off an on the whole time so events that would normally be held outdoors were taken to the pavilion. This didn’t stop the fun. Several of the guys and gals headed up the hill to arrange the benches in a circle for a tame game of dodge ball. It didn’t take long before I saw the ladies coming out of the pavilion door and heading back to their cabin and I resigned myself to the fact that they had enough. How wrong I was! They all emerged a few minutes later changed into their workout/fitness attire and double-timed it back to the pavilion. I grabbed my camera and followed.
JULY
Keepin’ it Cool in the Mountains The expression “A picture is worth a thousand words” appeared in a 1911 newspaper article quoting newspaper editor Tess Flanders discussing journalism and publicity. I applied that principle to this month’s Road Trip. I attempted to limit my words and let you enjoy the scenery. With ROAD TRIP > PAGE 37
Old Town Crier
TO THE BLUE RIDGE
JULIE REARDON
PUREBRED or Pound Pet? I
f a new dog or cat is in your plans for the new year, you might be wondering if you should adopt from a shelter or rescue, or purchase a pedigreed purebred from a breeder. The short answer is, it depends on what you want and since a new pet is something you’ll have for 12 to 15 years, it makes sense to study and learn as much as possible before venturing out to look. We do this with other major purchases, seeking a reputable company with a track record that stands behind what it produces. Don’t let the preaching rescue types guilt you into buying a shelter dog (yes, those adoption fees can be equal or greater to the sale price of buying a purebred), if you have your heart set on a specific breed or type. You are not a bad person because you didn't rescue a shelter dog. While bad breeders and puppy mills do exist, most of us who breed and raise dogs, do so because we love our breed. We care
Old Town Crier
deeply about our dogs and constantly try our best to improve on what we have in order to produce a better quality puppy with predictable looks, temperament and healthy longevity. We know what genetic problems our breed is prone to, and we test all our dogs but especially ones we breed, to ensure they do not have and will not produce inherited genetic flaws. We don't breed dogs with poor or unstable dispositions. Many of us offer a genetic health guarantee. Shelters, by their very nature, usually are rehoming someone's discard. While good ones will have evaluated any dogs they adopt out, often the dog’s background is unknown. Good breeders send their puppies to new homes with the best start in life we can give them. Most of us strive to educate potential buyers about our breed, including the bad as well as the good. We try to screen buyers and make sure they understand
our breed, or even suggest another breed if it's a better fit for the family. We do this to ensure none of our dogs end up in rescue, a shelter, or worse. We take back any puppy we breed, at any age, for any reason, at any time to ensure we're not contributing to shelter overcrowding. And we put our money where our mouth is: we foster and help rehome dogs of our breed that do end up in shelters, and network with other breeders who get a returned adult, to help rehome it. There's a widespread myth spread by animal rights activists: for every purebred purchased from a breeder, a shelter dog will die. This is absurd. Dogs end up in shelters because people bought in haste, and weren’t committed to the idea of caring for a living being for a month, let alone years. The sad reason shelters stay full is because of today's musthave-it-now, instant gratification, disposable mentality. Too many
people buy things, including pets, on a whim and with no understanding of the commitment they require. And the moment that dog becomes inconvenient, it's discarded like yesterday's cheap electronics. Animal rights activists are big on shock value, and few of us are immune to the horrific images of stacks of euthanized pets or starving, filthy puppies crammed in small cages full of their own feces. The shock value of these images are cleverly incorporated into fundraising campaigns in magazine, TV and direct mailings tugging at our heart and purse strings to financially help unwanted and abused animals. Sadly, not one dime of your donation actually gets used for dog food or veterinary care, spay/ neuter programs, nor to the shelters that actually do house and care for FROM THE BLUE RIDGE > PAGE 28
January 2018 | 27
Discover Woodstock Let us lure you away to Shenandoah County for a winter weekend adventure...
The only thing you have to be on time for is the Saturday evening wine dinner. Everything else is at your leisure...sample the wines at three of our outstanding vineyards and the beer at the downtown brewhouse. Take your time and explore this historic area. You will take home good memories of a pleasant weekend and you will want to come back! Accomodations at the Hampton Inn are included in the package. Optional limo service available.
Woodstock Cafe v
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January 27/28 Package • Italian Wine Dinner at the Woodstock Café, 8 courses/8 wines, Sat at 7pm • Wine tastings at Cave Ridge and Muse, wine and hard cider at Kindred Pointe, Sat & Sun. • Enjoy craft beer at the Woodstock Brewhouse and receive a complimentary pint glass, Sat & Sun • Saturday night accommodations at the Hampton Inn.
$139 Per Person plus tax ($151.26) based on double occupancy. Single occupancy rate, $149 plus tax ($161.26). Extra night - $99 plus tax CafeShoppes.com • MuseVineyards.com • CaveRidge.com • KindredPointe.com • WoodstockBrewhouse.com • WoodstockSuites.HamptonInn.com
Reservations: The Woodstock Cafe • 540-459-8888 Info: woodstockcafeva@gmail
Woodstock Virginia
TIckets for this package are extremely limited and go fast. Please note that they are not refundable except in the case of an extreme weather condition ~ one that would close the interstate or make local roads impassable. Light snow or rain doesn’t count. We hope you would persevere. It’s worth it for a lovely weekend in the middle of winter.
28 | January 2018
FROM THE BLUE RIDGE FROM PAGE 27
discarded animals. Animal rights groups use the shock value of these images because they work, and they're more likely to elicit donations than the truth: these groups are powerful lobbies that focus on getting laws passed that make it harder for people to own pets. Their own manifesto, rarely posted publicly, calls for a meatless, petless, society; their agenda is for no one to own any animal. Do not confuse animal rights with animal welfare— the latter advocates fair and humane treatment of all animals. The former think a Norwegian wharf rat or Madagascar hissing cockroach should have the same rights as a human child. If you're moved by their photos and exposes, send a check to your local shelter or better yet, volunteer there. While AKC papers and breed descriptions are no guarantee of quality, they’re the best starting point for researching dog breeds. They have a Breeder of Merit program, which has strict requirements and makes an ideal starting point to seek out a puppy or information about the breed you’re interested in. Ask questions, and don’t be surprised when the breeder grills you, too. Those that question their buyers are doing their best to ensure their pups won't be casually discarded; they care about their puppies having good homes more than any money they might make. Ask if they offer a guarantee. Ask if they're available for help or with questions, or if they'll replace a genetically or temperamentally unsound puppy. Learn about diseases and genetic conditions common to the breed you're interested in, and what kind of screens for these conditions the breeder performs on their dogs. In sum, recognize that a dog or cat is a commitment for its lifetime, so buying one should be researched as carefully and thoroughly as any other major purchase. More dogs end up in shelters because of bad buyers than bad breeders. The author hunts, trains and competes with purebred Chesapeake Bay Retrievers and is an AKC Breeder of Merit. Email her at hopespringsfarm@gmail.com about this article.
Old Town Crier
DINING OUT
THE GASTRONOMES
TOKYO JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE 66 CANAL CENTER PLAZA OLD TOWN ALEXANDRIA 703-683-8878 TJSH.COM
L
Teppanyaki Anyone??
et’s start out with the basics. What exactly is teppanyaki? According to the gurus I consulted via Google, it is a style of Japanese cuisine that uses an iron griddle to cook food. The word teppanyaki is derived from teppan, which means iron plate, and yaki, which means grilled, broiled, or pan-fried. In Japan, teppanyaki refers to dishes cooked using an iron plate, including steak, shrimp, rice, and vegetables. Well, here at Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse (TJSH), as in most modern day Japanese Steakhouses, the iron skillet consists of a large stainless steel grill surrounded by 8 chairs on three sides with room for the tableside chef on the other. This setting provides for the perfect place to “entertain” guests at the restaurant. It really is a show, however, this is not a place you want to go if you are in a hurry. We decided to dine at TJSH for the January column since it is a bit different than what everyone has been eating during the holiday season and it is a fun way to start out the New Year. The food offerings tend to be a bit more on the healthy side – well..maybe with the exception of the tempura – and we thought our readers might want to get a jump start on those weight loss resolutions. TJSH has been in operation since 1995 and they have sister locations in Woodbridge and Hampton, VA. The Old Town location on Canal Place isn’t exactly on the beaten path to anywhere and if you
Old Town Crier
don’t have a GPS or haven’t downloaded Waze, the easiest way to get there is from North Fairfax Street and either way you are coming from turn toward the river on Canal Center by the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Look for the little sign on the left. There are a few off street parking spaces in front of the restaurant but street parking is fairly plentiful. When this fun place first opened up we were invited to a “media” dinner with several other literary types and lots of real “foodies”. Needless to say, it was a fantastic time and the food was good. It was a good introduction and a welcome food venue to the city. Over the years, we had sort of forgotten about it until a friend of ours was in town from Belize this summer. He was looking for sushi and some Japanese cuisine and the light went on and we ventured over to TJSH. It was then that we discussed reviewing the restaurant for an upcoming column. We were pleasantly surprised to see such a crowd on a Tuesday night – was barely 30 degrees out as well - and almost regretted not making a reservation, who knew?? That being said, it is a good idea to make one if you want to eat teppanyaki. If you are there for solely the sushi there is plenty of space in the small dining room where the sushi bar is located. We lucked out by being a party of two because they sat us with a group of four that had been waiting for quite some time to be seated since they like to have the tables full before the chef starts
doing his thing. Our dining partners were a family of four who were visiting the big city from a small town in North Carolina and it was there first time here. Was fun to visit with people who were first timers to the DC area. We asked where they were staying and they told us “near the Lincoln Memorial”. We looked at each other and asked in tandem, “How in the world did you find this place?” They found TJSK via some app one of the kids had on their iPhone. The wonders of being connected. Anyway, we all ordered various combinations of noodles, fried rice, steamed rice, vegetables, chicken, shrimp and steak. It is amazing how these guys keep track of who had what and always seem to have the portions measured out to the last bean shoot. Each meal starts out with a house salad and miso soup that a server brings to the table. We treated ourselves to the house hot saki and it was a nice compliment to the food. As far as the menu is concerned, we decided that we weren’t going to regale you with it since I am sure most of you have the technology to check it out online. TJSH is not a cheap place to dine but you are paying for the entertainment at your table on top of the eats. We think it is worth the money – especially if you get the really funny chef that works there! January 2018 | 29
BEHIND THE BAR
Mumtaz Rauf How did you get started in the bartending business? High hopes of money, women and fame.
What is your biggest bartender pet peeve? When I say “Hello, how are you?” and they say “Vodka and tonic.”
What is the cleverest line anyone has ever used to get you to give them a free drink? Dropping the big boss’s name. Not exactly clever.
What is the best/worst pickup line you have overheard at the bar? “Wanna make out?” Now, I’ve seen this one go both ways.
Tell us about an interesting encounter you have had with a customer(s). New Years Eve – the ball just dropped in NYC and a very attractive bar guest turns to me and says,“Wanna make out?”
If you could sit down and have a drink with anyone in the world, past or present, who would that be? Bob Marley….and I am pretty sure we would do more than just have a drink. Mumtaz is behind the bar on Monday and Wednesday nights. If you would like to see your favorite mixologist featured in this space, send contact information to office@oldtowncrier.com.
30 | January 2018
MUMTAZ RAUF HUMMINGBIRD 220 SOUTH UNION STREET OLD TOWN ALEXANDRIA 703-566-1355 HUMMINGBIRDVA.NET
Mumtaz conjures up the Hummingbird Dark and Stormy with Thrashers Tonics & Elixers.
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dine out!
SPENT BROKE!
YOU ALL YOUR MONEY ON CHRISTMAS AND NOW YOU’RE
THERE’S HOPE...
50% OFF
FROM A SELECT LIST OF BOTTLED WINES
SUNDAY - THURSDAY
ALL OF JANUARY DON’T FORGET, FREE WINE TASTINGS EVERY SATURDAY FROM 2-4 PM WE HAVE AN OFF LICENSE FOR BOTTLE OR CASE PURCHASES
7966 Fort Hunt Road • 703-347-7545
RiverBendBistro.com
Fine Seafood, Historic Setting Outdoor Seating • Happy Hour • Private Events 119 King Street • Old Town Alexandria 703.836.2836 • wharfrestaurant.com
Old Town Crier
January 2018 | 31
CHEF’S SPECIAL
CHESTER SIMPSON
CHEF ANTHONY GITANGU
C
hef Anthony Gitangu moved to America from Kenya in 1996. In 2007, he graduated from L’Academie de Cuisine culinary school in Gaithersburg, MD. Gitangu then went to work and train at Vidalia restaurant in Washington, D.C. under chefs Jeff Buben and RJ Cooper. Gitangu joined Marriott International, Inc. in 2008, where he successfully worked his way up in the kitchen holding a variety of chef positions at area Marriott properties. In 2016, he joined Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center as the Senior Sous Chef at the resort’s signature restaurant, Old Hickory Steakhouse.
CHEF ANTHONY GITANGU OLD HICKORY STEAKHOUSE GAYLORD NATIONAL RESORT NATIONAL HARBOR 301-965-4000 GAYLORDNATIONAL.COM
CHEF'S SPECIAL > PAGE 34
(L to R) Baby Kale Salad, Short Rib, Roasted Sea Bass, Signature Steaks & Chops: Tomahawk Steak, and Fall Harvest: White Chocolate Carrot Mousse.
32 | January 2018
Photos ©Chester Simpson
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GRAB ABITE
The Whiskey Bar & Cocktail Den Wednesday through Saturday starting at 5 p.m. “Over 150 whsikeys & cocktails dedicated to the adventurous” Whiskey Wednesday’s! “Enjoy a taste of the rare & interesting” weekly beginning at 5 pm
Now open for BRUNCH Saturday & Sunday brunch Saturdays at 10AM 11am-3pm,& $3Sundays bloody’s & mimosa’s 121 South Union Street, Old Town Alexandria 703.548.1785 unionstreetpublichouse.com
Air-Conditioned in Summer
Fireplace in Winter
Piano Bar every Saturday Night
A local favorite since 1978 American comfort foods and over 250 wine & beer from around the world
January Roasted Chicken! See our website for details
Specials Every Day Saturday & Sunday Brunch Wine Bar and a Sports Pub Private Party Room
RampartsTavern.com 1700 Fern St, Alexandria 703.998.6616 Old Town Crier
Italian food can take you to a different place... Let us take you to a different time.
LA TRATToRIA RESTAURANT AND PIZZERIA Luncheon • Dinner • Cocktails Open 7 Days 305 S. Washington Street
703-548-9338
January 2018 | 33
CHEF'S SPECIAL | FROM PAGE 32
When did you first become interested in cooking and what made you choose a culinary career? I first became interested in cooking at 5 yearsold. I was a young boy in Kenya and was always fascinated by food. I would watch my mother cook and she taught me how to prepare goat. I originally went to school for finance. My first job in the USA was in the kitchen as a dishwasher. I would watch the chefs cook, then go home and try to duplicate what I had learned. I would also watch a lot of cooking shows and read cook books. From there, I realized I wanted a career as a Chef.
Who or what has been your biggest inspiration during your career? I have always been passionate about French cuisine, so my biggest inspiration during my career has been Chef Michel Richard. I had the opportunity AMERICAN ASHLAR RESTAURANT AND BAR 116 South Alfred St. 703-739-6090 BILBO BAGGINS 208 Queen St. 703-683-0300 BLACKWALL HITCH 5 Cameron St. 703-739-6090 CAFE 44 44 Canal Center 571-800-6650 CARLYLE CLUB 411 John Carlyle St. 703-549-8957 CHADWICKS 203 Strand St. 703-836-4442 chadwicksrestaurants.com An Old Town tradition since 1979 and an original Georgetown pub and restaurant since 1967. CHART HOUSE One Cameron St. 703-684-5080 CITY KITCHEN 330 South Pickett St. 703-685-9172 fatcitykitchen.com USA City inspired menu choices that bring together traditional American and global cuisine with their own personal touch. Casual dress. $30 and under. Lots of free parking. Open 7 days a week with brunch on Sat & Sun 11-3. AMEX, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
to work with him and always appreciated his simple, yet elegant culinary style. Chef Marcus Samuelsson has also been an inspiration. He has as similar style of cooking to me in that he likes to bridge African food with other styles to create a unique sense of flavor.
I consider myself a fusion cuisine chef, where I bridge together my different culinary traditions, specifically French and African cuisine. I incorporate a variety of African spices in my dishes including cardamom, juniper, curry and cumin. They are very flavorful without being spicy.
What dish on your menu reflects your personal style?
If any chef in the world (past or present) could prepare your meal, who would you want that to be?
Guests at Old Hickory Steakhouse will find my personal flavors best represented on the restaurant’s specialty menus. We always use fresh, local and seasonal products. On our winter menu, we have a braised short rib with kohlrabi and sweet potatoes; butter poached lobster with leeks and fingerling potatoes; sea bass with chanterelles and chick peas; roasted carrot and kumquats salad; and a kale and persimmons salad. Each dish was created by me and offer unique flavors paired with fresh, seasonal ingredients.
What do you feel sets your cuisine apart from others in your field?
FLAT TOP BURGER 529 East Howell Ave. 571-970-1006
MAJESTIC CAFÉ 911 King St. 703-837-9117
FOSTERS GRILLE 2004 Eisenhower Ave. 703-725-1342
MASON SOCIAL 728 Henry Street Old Town Alexandria 703-548-8800 mason-social.com
GADSBYS TAVERN 138 N. Royal St. 703-548-1288 HARD TIMES CAFE 1404 King St. 703-837-0050 HEN QUARTER 1404 King St. 703-684-6969 HUMMINGBIRD 220 South Union Street 703-566-1355 HUNTING CREEK STATION 801 King St. 703-836-5126 JACKS PLACE 222 North Lee St. 703-684-0372 JACKSON 20 480 King St. 703-842-2790 JOE THEISMANNS 1800 Diagonal Rd. 703-739-0777 KING STREET BLUES 112 N. St. Asaph St. 703-836-8800 LAPORTAS 1600 Duke St. 703-683-6313
COLUMBIA FIREHOUSE 109 S. St. Asaph St. 703-683-1776
LIVE OAK 1603 Commonwealth Ave. 571-312-0402
EVENING STAR CAFÉ 2000 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-549-5051
LOST DOG CAFE 808 North Henry St. 571-970-6511
FIN & HOOF 801 N. Saint Asaph St. 703-836-4700 FIVE GUYS 725 King St. 703-549-7991
34 | January 2018
MOUNT VERNON INN Mount Vernon, Va 703-780-0011 MURPHYS IRISH PUB 713 King St. 703-548-1717 murphyspub.com Old-world Irish pub featuring a roaring fireplace, serving a variety of imported, domestic and nonalcoholic beers in a friendly atmosphere. Serving robust American-Irish meals at fair prices. Favorites include fish and chips and Irish stew. Irish-style entertainment nightly.
I would love to have Chef Stephen Stryjewski from the restaurant Cochon in New Orleans, Louisiana prepare me a meal. The meal would be roasted goat and fried boudin.
What is your guilty food pleasure? My guilty pleasure is definitely braised pork belly. It’s flavorful and is one food I can never turn down! If you would like to see your favorite chef featured in this space, send contact information to chester@ chestersimpson.com.
RIVER BEND BISTRO 7966 Fort Hunt Rd. Hollin Hall Shopping Center 703-347-7545 riverbendbistro.com ROCK IT GRILL 1319 King St. 703-739-2274 RT's RESTAURANT 3804 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-684-6010 rtsrestaurant.com SAMUEL BECKETTS IRISH GASTRO PUB 2800 S. Randolph St. Villages of Shirlington 703-379-0122 SHOOTER MCGEES 5239 Duke St. 703-751-9266 SNACK BAR 2419 Mt. Vernon Avenue 703-566-1283
MYRON MIXON PITMASTER BBQ 220 North Lee St. 703-535-3340
SOCIETY FAIR 277 S. Washington St. 703-683-3247
NECTAR COFFEE & WINE BISTRO 106 Hume Avenue 571-431-6150
SONOMA CELLAR 207 King St. 703-966-3550
NICKELLS AND SCHIFFLER 1028 King St. 703-684-5922
SOUTHSIDE 815 815 S. Washington St. 703-836-6222
NORTHSIDE 1O 10 East Glebe Rd. 703-888-0032
SWEETGREEN 823 King St. 571-319-0192
OCONNELLS RESTAURANT & BAR 112 King St. 703-739-1124 danieloconnellsrestaurant.com
T.J. STONES GRILL HOUSE & TAP ROOM 608 Montgomery St. 703-548-1004 tjstones.com American cuisine with libations from around the world. Bar specials MonFri, 4-7 pm. Brunch served Sat & Sun.
PORK BARREL BBQ 2312 Mount Vernon Ave. 703-822-5699
MACKIE’S BAR AND GRILL 907 King St. 703-684-3288
RAMPARTS 1700 Fern St. 703-998-6616 rampartstavern.com
MAGNOLIA’S ON KING 703 King St. 703-838-9090
REYNOLDS STREET CAFÉ 34 S. Reynolds St. 703-751-0830
TRADEMARK 2800 Jamieson Ave. 703-253-8640
UNION STREET PUBLIC HOUSE 121 South Union St. 703-548-1785 unionstreetpublichouse.com Old Town’s favorite neighborhood tap and grill. Southern style menu, fine steaks, fresh seafood. Sunday brunch, private parties, happy hour. VERMILLION 1120 King St. 703-684-9669 VIRTUE GRAIN & FEED 106 South Union St. 571-970-3669 VOLA’S DOCKSIDE GRILL & THE HI-TIDE LOUNGE 101 North Union St. 703-935-8890 THE WAREHOUSE BAR & GRILL 214 King St. 703-683-6868 ASIAN ASIAN BISTRO 809 King St. 703-836-1515 MALAYA 1019 King St. 703-519-3710 MAI THAI 9 King St. 703-548-0600 NASIME 1209 King St. 703-548-1848 RED MEI 602 King St. 703-837-0094 STREETS MARKET AND CAFE 3108 Mt. Vernon Ave. 571-431-6810 THAILAND ROYAL 801 N. Fairfax St. 703 535-6622 TOKYO JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE 66 Canal Center Plaza 703-683-8878 CAPHE BANH MI VIETNAMESE 407 Cameron St. 703-549-0800
Old Town Crier
“The Finest Lebanese Cuisine” –Washington Post, 2001 Family Owned & Operated Come and Enjoy a Cozy Candlelit Dinner Carry-Out Available • Free Delivery Open 7 Days for Lunch & Dinner
719 King St. Old Town Alexandria 703.684.9194 • thepitahouse.com
G GERANIO RISTORANTE Redefining Italian Cuisine in Old Town Alexandria Dinner Entrees from $14 722 King Street Old Town Alexandria 703.548.0088 www.geranio.net
O’CONNELL’S
TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC SESSIONS MONDAYS AT 8 PM
RESTAURANT & BAR
A MODERN IRISH RESTAURANT IN AN ANCIENT IRISH SETTING Make O’Connell’s a part of your tradition. Our restaurant features 250-year old furnishings from Irish castles, monastaries, churches and estates as well as magnifient fireplaces on two levels!
112 King St. • Old Town Alexandria 703.739.1124 • oconnellsrestaurant@gmail.com Old Town Crier
January 2018 | 35
KAI ZEN TAVERN 1901 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-836-1212
FONTAINES CAFFE & CREPERIE 119 S. Royal St. 703-535-8151
THE SUSHI BAR 2312 Mount Vernon Avenue 571-257-3232
LA MADELEINE 500 King St. 703-729-2854
CONTINENTAL BRABO by Robert Weidmaier 1600 King St. 703-894-3440
TWO NINETEEN RESTAURANT 219 King St. 703-549-1141
BRABO TASTING ROOM 1600 King St. 703-894-5252 CEDAR KNOLL INN GW Parkway at Lucia Ln. 703-799-1501 RESTAURANT EVE 110 S. Pitt St. 703-706-0450 TEMPO 4231 Duke St. 703-370-7900 temporestaurant.com Northern Italian, French provincial & American cuisine featuring fresh seafood, meats and pasta served in a contemporary, romantic atmosphere. FRENCH BASTILLE 606 N. Fayette St. 703-519-3776 bastillerestaurant.com
YVES BISTRO 235 Swamp Fox Rd. (in Hoffman Ctr.) 703-329-1010 LA BERGERIE 218 N. Lee St. 703-683-1007 labergerie.com ITALIAN BUGSYS PIZZA RESTAURANT 111 King St. 703-683-0313 bugsyspizza.com FACCIA LUNA 823 S. Washington St. 703-838-5998 THE ITALIAN PLACE 621Wythe St. 571-777-8981 GERANIO RISTORANTE 722 King St. 703-548-0088 geranio.net Still Old Towns highest-rated Italian
t.j. stone’s
restaurant (Zagat). Discerning Old Towners flock here for refined cuisine in this comfortable, yet sophisticated restaurant. With entrees from $14, there is no reason not to enjoy a selection from their Wine Spectator award-winning list, while being attended by the friendly staff of seasoned professionals. Reservations recommended and casual attire welcomed. HANKS PASTA BAR 600 Montgomery Ave. 571-312-4117 IL PORTO RESTAURANT 121 King St. 703-836-8833 LA TRATTORIA 305 S. Washington St. 703-548-9338 LANDINI BROTHERS 115 King St. 703-836-8404 landinibrothers.com Elegant, classical Italian cuisine served in a lovely historical setting. Fresh veal, homemade pastas, and fresh fish are some of the daily choices. An extensive list of wines and champagnes served in a sophisticated and friendly atmosphere. LENA’S WOOD-FIRED PIZZA & TAP 401 East Braddock Rd. 703-960-1086
HAPPY HOUR
celebrating american cuisine with libations from around the world
BRUNCH
70” wood burning fireplace private event room over 300 beer & wine
tjstones.com 608 Montgomery St Alexandria 703.548.1004 36 | January 2018
ERNIES ORGINIAL CRABHOUSE 1743 King St. 703-836-0046 THE WHARF 119 King St. 703-836-2834 wharfrestaurant.com "Its All About the Seafood," traditional and creative coastal cuisine.
PINES OF FLORENCE 1300 King St. 703-549-1796 RED ROCKS FIREBRICK PIZZA 904 King St. 703-717-9873
FISH MARKET-CLINTON 7611Old Branch Ave. Clinton, MD 301-599-7900
MEDITERRANEAN LA TASCA 607 King St. 703-299-9810 TAVERNA CRETEKOU 818 King St. 703-548-8688 tavernacretekou.com
INDIAN BOMBAY CURRY COMPANY 2607 Mount Vernon Ave. 703-836-6363
PITA HOUSE 719 King St. 703-684-9194 thepitahouse.com Family owned and operated; carry out available and free delivery.
DISHES OF INDIA 1510A Bellview Blvd. 703-660-6085
DELIAS MEDITERRANEAN GRILL 209 Swamp Fox Rd. Alexandria, VA 703-329-0006
MEXICAN LATIN SOUTHWESTERN DON TACO TEQUILA BAR 808 King St. 703-988-3144
SEAFOOD HANKS OYSTER BAR 1026 King St. 703-739-HANK
NAMASTE 1504 King St. 703-970-0615
LOS TIOS GRILL 2615 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-299-9290
FISH MARKET-OLD TOWN 105 King St. 703-836-5676 fishmarketoldva.com Internationally known and locally owned! We serve shrimps, a few crabs, tall people and lots of nice people, too! Live music and lively food!
LOS TOLTECOS 4111 Duke St. 703-823-1167 TAQUERIA POBLANO 2400-B Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-548-TACO (8226)
$10 LUNCH SPECIALS
grill house and tap room
Beef Skewers Month!
PARADISO 124 King St. 703-683-5330
3-7 PM AT THE BAR SAT & SUN 11-3
MIMOSA & BLOODY MARY SPECIALS
FOR CONNOISSEURS OF GOOD FOOD, GOOD FRIENDS AND THE PERFECT STEAK, MACKIE’S IS WHERE YOU’LL FIND ALL THREE AT THEIR UNCOMPLICATED BEST
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LE REFUGE 127 N. Washington St. 703-548-4661
SANG JUN THAI 300 King Street 571-312-3377
VOTED BEST17 BURGER IN 2RI0A ALEXAND LE BURGER BATT
907 KING STREET OLD TOWN ALEXANDRIA 703.684.3288 MACKIESBARANDGRILL.COM Old Town Crier
ROAD TRIP FROM PAGE 26
the warm summer months upon us I took a drive down I-66 through Northern Fauquier County wine country into Front Royal and across the mountain to Rappahannock County. The drive begins west on I-66 to Marshall and Route 55 to Barrel Oak Winery in Delaplane. This winery is a very popular destination with mountain views, a wide selection of wines and, for beer lovers, the Farm Taproom that opened this spring. A couple of miles down Route 55 to Route 17 and across Crooked Run Creek you will discover Three Fox Vineyards. The winery has out door seating on the mountain as well as down by the creek with a few hammocks by the stream. Other wineries on this drive include Aspen Dale Winery, Naked Mountain Winery and Philip Carter Vineyards. The drive continues down Route 55 past Fox Meadow Winery and into Front Royal. Taking Route 522 out of Front Royal will take you through the quaint village of Flint Hill and on to Little Washington and Sperryville, Va. Where you can enjoy the likes of the Griffin Tavern, Tula’s Restaurant and the Little Washington Theater as well as Copper Fox Distillery and Pen Druid Brewery in Sperryville.
AUGUST
Solomons Island, Revisited We received a submission from one of our loyal readers, Beth Jannery, asking if we had an interest in publishing her take on her own Road Trip to Solomons and we said sure. Here is an excerpt: We are a disconnected nation. It’s summer and there is no wacky, oddly fun ice bucket challenge happening on social media to connect us all. We are tired, torn and frustrated. We are fighting one another. I suggest a road trip. We need an adventure. Something to relight our inner American flame before she flickers out. I propose disappearing to quiet Solomons Island, Maryland embracing an American Adventure. Road trips give me a sense of freedom and I’m off, leaving the rest of my hectic world behind to renew my spirit. I wonder what it will take to renew our countries’ spirit. I find the simple answer for all of us on Solomons Island. It’s the tip of the iceberg, but it is a start. I make my way toward a restaurant on the pier and devour a dozen raw oysters with extra lemon There s plenty to do – if I have the desire to go,go,go – boat rides, fishing excursions, you name it. But I don’t. I want to keep it simple. Anything I do on shore involves fresh seafood. There are fresh oysters from The Pier at Solomons as well as very tasty rockfish bites and crab cakes to be eaten. Food connects us. But this isn’t enough. I’m still feeling the grip of my torn America. I explore an offering of fresh crabs (medium and large size) covered in old Bay with hot drawn butter, lemon and vinegar as tasty options. I talk to locals about their unease in our divided America. I soon discovered a little known monument hidden away on the island dedicated to those who trained here and served. I ask to be taken to see it even in the dark. I get into the local’s car and we drive onto the island’s back roads and make our way to the “Protector”. That’s what I Old Town Crier
decided to call it – the lone man keeping watch –the Protector. It is the On Watch statue that I never knew existed. In the moment I jump out of the car, leaving the door open and my purse on the floor mat where my flip flops sit. There is a single spotlight shining on the monument and I walk up to him and feel a sense of obligation to be silent and respectful.
SEPTEMBER
Baltimore Museum of Industry We were invited to attend the Distillery Showcase presented by the Maryland Distillers Guild on June 25th. We had tickets to see the Steve Miller Band and Peter Frampton perform at the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons that Sunday so we decided to make a two-day excursion…Saturday at the Museum and Sunday in Solomons. As it turned out, I misread the information. The Distillery Showcase was also on Sunday. The embarrassment grew as we reported to the museum receptionist that we were there to taste and write about whiskey. All was not lost. We had discovered the Baltimore Museum of Industry by mistake. Last month we went back to the Museum as our September road trip. What a cool place! Even though we who live in the Washington D.C. area have access to the greatest museums in the world, this one about industry in Maryland brings the experience so much closer to our lives. I have heard of these names. I use Maryland inventions like Sweetheart straws every day. I remember some of these exhibits from when I was a boy. I can’t remember a World War I tank, but I do remember the AM radio in my dad’s car. I knew about the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, America’s first railroad. I had heard of Stieff Silver, Crown Cork and Seal Company and Black & Decker, and it is all here. The entire museum is a hand’s on experience. In addition to early electric cars, trucks and fire engines, you will find galleries that recreate parts of a cannery, a garment loft from 1900, a machine shop from 1900, a print shop, Dr. Bunting’s Pharmacy (where Noxzema was invented), as well as exhibits on the food industry in Baltimore (McCormick Spices, Domino Sugar, Esskay). Who can forget Cal Ripken’s commercials for Esskay ballpark franks? In the Decker Gallery, the Milestone Wall documents inventions and processes discovered first in Baltimore and other parts of Maryland.
OCTOBER
Exploring Winchester, Virginia With the season changing to fall, we thought it a perfect time to take a drive to the mountains of the Blue Ridge and the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. Our destination was Winchester, Virginia and the beautifully restored George Washington Hotel, a Wyndham Grand Hotel. The drive from Alexandria is also a beautiful journey this time of year as you pass through small towns, rolling hills and Virginia Wineries along Route 50, where travelers from the ports of Alexandria and Georgetown followed it to Winchester at the lower end of the Shenandoah Valley for trade. As with any new and growing area, the history of the Shenandoah has been steeped in conflict, turmoil and growth, from the Shawnee and Iroquois Six Nations,
the arrival of European settlers, the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Today this history still lives on in Winchester, and waits to be discovered. Winchester is the county seat of Frederick County. The rolling hills and rich farmland makes for absolutely beautiful country, particularly in the fall. If you plan to make the trip I would recommend spending at least one night and there is nowhere better to stay than the George Washington Hotel. Situated in the heart of downtown Winchester, it is close to many historical landmarks as well as old Town Winchester’s pedestrian mall...the first of its kind in Virginia.
NOVEMBER
Woodstock, Virginia The November road trip really worked to our advantage. With the leaves beginning to turn yellow we drove at the beginning of the fall season to Woodstock, Virginia to hear our friends “The Eastport Oyster Boys” play their music at the Woodstock Café. Our tag line on the cover has always been “From the Bay to the Blue Ridge” and after almost thirty years it all came together…our friends from the “Bay” entertained our new friends in the “Blue Ridge”. Our buddy Kevin Brooks and founder of the EOB’s happened to stop in the Woodstock Café while visiting the Blue Ridge last spring. He met Coe Sherrard, the owner, eventually the conversation turned to Kevin’s band and their music. Coe invited Kevin to bring the band back in the fall and that was the beginning of “Bay Days in the Blue Ridge”. On the last weekend in September the Woodstock Café was alive with music and a wonderful Bay-style dinner including oysters on the half shell, Chesapeake chowder, crab cakes and a seafood boil. It was great! Kevin mentioned his friends who own the Old Town Crier and that they may want to write about the event…thus it became our November road trip. Route 11 runs parallel to I-81 and passes through the small towns of Strasburg, Toms Brook, Woodstock, Edinburg, Mt. Jackson and New Market. Valley Pike or Valley Turnpike is the traditional name given for the Indian trail and roadway which now approximates as U.S. Rote 11 in the Shenandoah Valley. Route 11 runs down the middle of the valley with the Appalachian Mountains to the west and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east. On this stretch of Route 11 you can visit each of the five towns and each has a story. Note: The East Port Oyster Boys will be coming back to the Woodstock next fall. Check the Crier for dates and in the meantime check out the Woodstock Café ad about other entertainment packages this January, February and March.
DECEMBER
Home for the Holidays…Old Town Alexandria. I always write about Alexandria in our December issue. It is a great town and you are already here. To read the whole article or the complete article of each month please go to our web site at oldtowncrier.com and check out the archived issues. January 2018 | 37
GRAPEVINE
NANCY BAUER
Warm up in wine country Loudoun wineries that will warm your soul this winter Steve Carell’s hot wax scene in the 40-YearOld Virgin is an apt metaphor for 2017, but it wasn’t all misery: Finally, Virginia’s long-suffering grape growers were rewarded with a copious crop and, for many, a vintage year. It is seasons like 2017’s that inspire dreamers to invest in the industry with new vineyards, and that salves the wounds of old hands still smarting from the widespread losses of chardonnay and other early bloomers during the late frosts of 2016. As for the rest of 2017, let’s toast to leaving that one in the rear-view. Later, Bucky. Buh-bye, Felicia. It’s time to focus on 38 | January 2018
rejuvenation, Virginia-wine style, with a full winter’s worth of backroad drives and welcoming hearths. So we asked an expert to help us kick off 2018’s Grapevine column. Jennifer Buske works in the Loudoun County tourism office, and she’s rounded up some Northern Virginia wineries with big fireplaces and homemade soup. Warm thanks to Jen for the travel tips, and warm wishes to all of you for a happy, healthy, cheer-filled new year. While winter brings colder weather and occasional wishes for warmer days, there are so many wonderful aspects to this blustery season. For starters, there is nothing better than sitting by a cozy fire, listening to the crackling of the wood and soaking in the warmth of the dancing flames. It’s also the perfect
time of year for enjoying red wine while watching the snow fall and for savoring the flavors and smells that come along with a warm bowl of soup. This winter season enjoy toasty fires, hot soups and true Southern hospitality in Loudoun, VA where many of the county’s 40 wineries stay open year-round, offering award-winning wine by the fireplace and homemade comfort foods. Here are five places to warm up in Loudoun’s wine country this winter.
8 Chains North Settle into the oversized cushion chairs in front of the fireplace at this winery located just minutes from both historic Leesburg and downtown Purcellville. The winery offers six wines for a tasting plus an optional
chocolate pairing where visitors can indulge in specialty truffles created specifically to pair with winemaker Ben Renshaw’s wines.
Stone Tower Winery At Stone Tower, visitors will feel like they are relaxing in their own living room as the winery is filled with cozy couches, chairs, coffee tables, rugs and both indoor and outdoor fireplaces. Located on top of Hogback Mountain, visitors can enjoy stunning views of the Virginia countryside while sipping a Bordeaux-style blend or their Blanc de Blancs sparkling, which is 100% Chardonnay and created in the traditional méthode champenoise style.
GRAPEVINE > PAGE 40
Old Town Crier
EXPLORING VA WINES
W
hen the weather gets colder and the leaves have fallen off the vine, the grower gets a chance to take a nice slow, deep breath. Another season is in the books and the vines are not susceptible to the diseases that we scouted for over the last 7 months or so. We get the chance to evaluate the process,
DOUG FABBIOLI
the quality of the vintage and the vines themselves. Over the past few years, there has been a lot of die back in the vines. We have been able to train up some new shoots from the base in order to rebuild the structure of the vine. There are a number of metaphors that I can tie to this process. Man has been training grapevines
for thousands of years in order to get a productive and flavorful harvest. Mother Nature continues to challenge us with changes that we learn to dance through. Specifically, we will cut away older, low productive sections of a vine and train up new shoots to a position where the fruit will be protected and managed in our system. This process
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is slow and thoughtful. An inexperienced pruner will always leave many trunks as a “just in case.” An experienced pruner knows that too many trunks will lead to a crowded and confusing canopy that will be very inefficient to tame during the growing season. None of this is easy, but making the right cuts along the way will prove fruitful in the end. Many folks think that the winter time at a winery is for resting. The cellar is always working on some level. Our bottling schedule is batch based. When the bottling truck comes here in February, we will have 7 wines to bottle. In April, we will do it again with another 8 wines. We also have apple ciders to ferment and bottle with the other bottling line. That will happen in January. We are also working with a number of clients to make wines, train staff and upgrade their vineyards. This is an activity that many other operations don’t do, but we continue to try and help the industry grow in quality and stature by EXPLORING VA WINES > PAGE 40
January 2018 | 39
EXPLORING VA WINES FROM PAGE 39
consulting. And we make a job or two by doing this. The tasting rooms are a great place to visit in the winter, especially if they have some indoor space for chilling and warming. Many will have extra food offerings, special events and different tasting experiences in order to attract customers. It is the time where visitors can get a little extra attention because the crowds are less. I always feel I see my best customers in the winter because they have learned this aspect of the business. I am always impressed with the fact that when we have a big snowstorm, we get a number of visitors coming out virtually right behind the snow plows. Many are the adventurous ones enjoying the snow and others just need to get out of the house. We have learned to shovel, clear and warm ahead of the rush. So as the New Year begins, we may adjust and rethink, but we continue to work through. The opportunities to renew and refresh are there. We continue to keep our staff employed and our home fires burning. Enjoy this time of year as those needy green solar panels will show up on the vines sooner than you know it.
Northgate Winery GRAPEVINE FROM PAGE 38
Winery 32 While Winery 32 has an indoor fireplace, it is known for its warm soups and homemade chili that are perfect for a blustery winter day. Winemaker and Owner Michael Moosher is also a chef and the winery prides itself on being one of the few in Loudoun to offer a menu on site. Despite the name, this winery is not the 32nd to open in Loudoun; instead it gets its name from a series of other coincidences in the owners’ lives. The winery is located on 32 acres of land, there are 32 peach trees growing along the driveway up to the tasting room and the owners planted their
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Giant Firepit at Hiddencroft vines on their 32nd wedding anniversary.
Hiddencroft Vineyards Located in a circa 1850s farmhouse, this winery just celebrated its 10th vintage in May 2017. Visitors love Hiddencroft in the winter for the oversized fire pit surrounded by chairs on the outdoor patio. People also visit this time of year to purchase their specialty wines like Grandma’s love potion (blueberry wine) and Grandpa’s Fantasy (Blueberry port), which make great holiday gifts. Return in spring for the new progressive history and wine tour, which takes visitors through the 19th century smokehouse, springhouse and other historic buildings on site.
Otium Cellars Otium Cellars is a unique Loudoun winery as it uses the Virginia terroir to grow traditional German varietals including
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Tasting Room Hours - Open Year Round Thursday-Saturday, & Monday 11-5 pm • Sunday 12 pm (noon)- 5 pm
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Stone Tower Fireplace Dornfelder, Lemberger and Grau Burgunder, which is a German clone of Pinot Gris. Savor a glass of Dornfelder- a red wine, with hints of plum, cherries and blackberries, while sitting by the brick fireplace. Visitors can also get a glimpse of the beautiful horses that are at neighboring Goose Creek Farms, a private equestrian facility. Whether looking for a place to spend time with friends or somewhere to connect with family, these five options are just a small sampling of wineries to visit this winter season offering fireplaces and comfort foods. Below are more options to consider and, don’t forget to share your Loudoun experience on social media with #LoveLoudoun.
Photos Courtesy of Visit Loudon County
ENJOY A GLASS BY THE FIRE AT ONE OF THESE FANTASTIC LOUDOUN WINERIES Breaux Vineyards Bluemont Vineyards The Barns at Hamilton Station North Gate Vineyard Casanel Vineyards Corcoran Vineyards and Cidery Doukenie Winery Fabbioli Cellars Tarara Winery The Vineyards & Winery at Lost Creek Zephaniah Farm Vineyard
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Old Town Crier
FITNESS
DAVID EDELBERG, M.D.
Are You Feeling the Wintertime Blues?
Ten Easy Steps to Turn Them Around
I
f you live in a sunny place like Florida then you probably won’t know what I’m talking about. The wintertime blues, also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), usually begin when the days start getting shorter and the sky clouds over into perpetual gray. People with SAD dread October because the clocks move back an hour and, in a single day, autumn twilight becomes dark night. Symptoms of SAD include depression, brain fog, easy sleepiness, carb craving, and weight gain. At the very heart of the wintertime blues is a lack of the feel-good brain chemical serotonin. When the gray winter days in the Northern Hemisphere arrive, the serotonin you stored up in the sunny summer months starts declining. At the same time, your brain’s stores of sleep-inducing melatonin increase, making you feel like a hibernating bear. Women are the major victims of wintertime blues because all women start life with less serotonin in their brains than men. But if you’re someone trapped in a SAD life, with no immediate prospects of wintering on the Costa del Sol, you can beat the wintertime blues and get your life back. Basically, you’ll need to pull out the stops and do everything you can to stimulate your brain to make more serotonin. This includes lighting up your life, exercising, taking a couple common supplements, and timing your intake of good carbohydrates throughout the day. Here are 10 low-cost steps you can take right now to banish the wintertime blues: 1. Go outside and walk briskly with your face in the light -- even if it’s gray outside -- for 20 minutes every day. Both the light and the exercise will kick up your feel-good serotonin.
Old Town Crier
Of course, if the wind-chill outside will deep-freeze your face, find a health club with windows, locate a treadmill or a stationary bike in the brightest light, and hop on. 2. Keep your curtains or blinds pulled open all the way so sunlight (or daylight, even on cloudy days) can pour into your living/work space. 3. Paint your walls light colors -- they’ll reflect the light. 4. If your car has a sunroof, let in the light while you drive (singing along to your favorite songs is optional, but I recommend that too). 5. Increase the wattage of your light bulbs to between 5,000 and 10,000 lux (units of light). Choose subcompact fluorescent bulbs, a bit more expensive but mine have lasted 7+ years. The newer bulbs don’t have the annoying flicker and strange light the old fluorescent tubes once had, use 25% less energy than a standard bulb, and fit in most fixtures. If you have any sort of a desk job, buy a full spectrum light box (available online) and aim it at your languishing self for an hour a day. 6. Add the raw materials your body needs to make more serotonin by taking these supplements every day: 2 grams of fish oil and one B complex 100. 7. Eat a small amount of high-quality carbohydrates with every meal and as snacks throughout your day. Fruits, nuts, veggies, and whole grains are among the best choices, as are beans, soups, and oatmeal. You need a little carbohydrate at every meal for your brain to produce serotonin. In fact, craving comfort foods in the winter is your body’s cry for more carbs to boost serotonin -- but, please, if
you want to keep your weight stable, make good food choices most of the time. 8. Premenstrual aggravation of wintertime blues is very common. If you notice a worsening in the week or so before your period, understand that your hormones are taking your serotonin levels on a rollercoaster ride: when your estrogen drops, as it does in the week before your period, your feel-good serotonin goes right along with it. Get your PMS under control by following the healing path in The Triple Whammy Cure. 9. Try alternative therapies: acupuncture and Chinese
herbal remedies -- together called traditional Chinese medicine -- have a seasonal component that make them effective for mild wintertime blues. Flower essence therapies like honeysuckle, mustard, and sweet chestnut all have antidepressant and energizing qualities. And bodywork therapies such as massage and Reiki allow your chi to flow freely thought your body, reducing symptoms of wintertime blues. 10. If after trying the ideas in items 1-9 your symptoms haven’t budged, consider taking St. John’s wort or 5HTP, both of which increase
serotonin levels. David Edelberg, M.D., the author of The Triple Whammy Cure, is a practicing physician for more than 30 years and was chief medical adviser of WholehealthMD.com. In 1993, he founded American Wholehealth (AWH), a network of health care centers that combines conventional and alternative medicine. He teaches alternative and integrative medicine to medical students and residents from the University of Chicago. This column provided courtesy of Health Castle Nutrition Inc. Please visit their website and healthcastle.com.
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January 2018 | 41
FROM THE TRAINER RYAN UNVERZAGT
START THE YEAR OFF I t’s time to start putting those New Year’s fitness resolutions to work again. If you were lucky enough to receive a “fitness gift” as I recommended in my last article, now is the perfect time to put it to good use. Did you know fifty percent of people who decide to start exercising will drop out within the first six months? Why does this happen? Because it does take a little effort and worth-while time to develop a habit. I have a few ideas that can set you up for success this year.
Use the SMART Principle to set Goals: (SpecificMeasurable- AttainableRealistic- Time oriented) When setting your goals, be sure to consider all five of these principles, especially the time oriented one. If you don’t nail down a time frame, you are not holding yourself accountable and that’s when your exercise routine begins to fade away. Keep an Exercise Journal: Writing down every workout may seem like a lot of work, but it will pay off in the long run. This provides a visual so you can actually look back at all the hard work you put in and bring you a sense of pride and accomplishment. Your journal should include specific things such as your goals, the time and date of the workout, list of exercises or lifts, amount of weight used, sets, repetitions, duration and 42 | January 2018
ON THE RIGHT FOOT
intensity of your workouts, as well as how you felt that day. Another great asset of keeping an exercise journal is that you can track your progress (or lack of progress) to help you stay on track of your goals. You may discover that a change is warranted if you are not progressing toward your goal and that’s ok. Expect Bumps in the Road: Nobody is perfect. Don’t get down on yourself just because you missed a few workouts. Whether it’s due to sickness, injury, or laziness, there will be bumps in the road. I can guarantee that these things will plague you once in awhile. There will be days that you will not want to workout, but my next suggestion can alleviate this problem.
work in the morning. The most common excuse I hear is, “I’m too busy to workout.” Everyone has 24 hours in a day, so it’s a matter of organizing and prioritizing your schedule.
mind knowing that you won’t need to workout after work. Another common excuse is, “I’m not a morning person.” The solution to this barrier is simple. Go to bed earlier!
Exercise in the Morning: I prefer morning workouts because it eliminates the, “I’m too tired after work” excuse. Exercising early can help wake you up, sharpen your mind, and prepare you for the day. You will also have peace of
Try Personal Training: Personal trainers can help you set realistic goals, hold you accountable, provide safe and effective workouts, and keep you motivated through those bumps in the road. They can help you identify barriers and
provide solutions to transform you into that regular exerciser you always dreamed you would be! Unverzagt holds Bachelor of Science degree in Wellness Management from Black Hills State University. He is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength & Conditioning Association and a Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer through the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography.
Exercise with a Friend: This is the easiest way to stay on track. If you know that your buddy is waiting for you at the gym, the more likely it is that you will actually show up. You can hold each other accountable by motivating and inspiring one another through every workout. No Excuses: Identify any possible barriers and find solutions to break through them. Pack workout clothes the night before so you don’t forget to take them with you to Old Town Crier
GENEVIEVE LEFRANC
FIRST BLUSH
Scullery Secrets
COMMON KITCHEN ITEMS THAT BOOST YOUR BEAUTY ROUTINE
I
t’s January and more than a few of us are feeling completely spent from the holidays. Literally. The winter season is tough on our skin, hair and our wallets. After weeks of shopping and stacks of bills piling up, January is a time for thrifty resourcefulness. Smart beauty means never paying too much. Knowing a few do it yourself beauty remedies can really help you save money. This month it’s about taking a break from all the holiday madness—the overindulging with rich food and alcohol, and the staying up and out way too late—things that wreak havoc with our skin and hair. With dry, flaky skin and flat, static-stricken locks, it’s time for a little DIY at-home, selfpampering using inexpensive,
common items you have around the house. After a season filled with honey-glazed ham, Christmas cookies, and approximately two thousand peppermint lattes, the fridge is probably the last place you want to turn to. However, there are more than a few excellent beauty ingredients hiding in your kitchen. Avocado acts as a great moisturizer and skin softener due to its high, unsaturated fat content. Mash the pulp into a paste for a quick and easy hydrating facial treatment. You can also combine plain yogurt and oatmeal to make a hydrating mask. Yogurt is especially good for dry, sensitive skin. Leave this concoction on for about 10 minutes for a wonderful skin softener.
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Legs can be a ghastly sight after suffocating under jeans and tights all winter long, so show your gams a little TLC by sloughing off the dry, excess skin. Add oatmeal or sea salt to your favorite body wash or gel for a really effective exfoliator. Or for an invigorating citrus scrub, dip half of a lemon, pulp side, into common table salt and rub over rough spots like elbows, feet, and knees. The lemon contains acid that rejuvenates and revives skin while the salt detoxifies by helping draw waste out of the skin. Tip: Don’t use sugar, it dissolves much faster in water than salt! Try olive oil as a hair conditioner, or heat it up for an at-home hot oil treatment. It also works great as a makeup remover, and you can even rub it on your cuticles to keep them from peeling and hang nails at bay. Add a quart of full-fat milk to your bathwater for velvety skin. Relax and soak away in the tub while the lactic acid smoothes skin and acts as an anti-inflammatory agent. Cleopatra used to do this! You can also add baking soda to a warm bath. Add one teaspoon with two teaspoons of salt and 3-4 drops of your favorite essential oil, like lavender or sandalwood. Baking soda creates an alkaline solution in the bath, which tends to make the body release dead skin cells. If your cupboard is bare of all but a can of Who Hash, there are other common household or inexpensive drugstore items you can work into into your beauty regimen. Vaseline. It’s one of the cheapest, most versatile, and all time greatest beauty products that actresses and models swear by. The oils in Vaseline help to keep it slick and spreadable so that it flows into the many surface cracks and crevices of the skin, forming a protective barrier that seals in moisture. Rub it all over your feet at night and wear cotton socks while you sleep to smooth out rough spots, or slather your hands with it before wearing your
gloves to help retain hands’ natural moisture. You can even use it as brow gel to keep thick brows in place and as a cure for ultra-chapped lips. My personal favorite Vaseline trick is to mix a small amount with any powder makeup to make a cream formula of the original. Creamy products are ideal for dry, winter months, so combine Vaseline with your favorite eyeshadow or blush to create a dewey, youthful, glowing complexion. Essentially, Vaseline will do the trick effectively and cheaply, no matter which way you choose to implement it into your beauty regime. Witch Hazel. Use it as a toner. It is the perfect astringent because it doesn’t strip the skin, but does remove traces of oil while making the skin smoother. It will also reduce the inflammation that comes with the occasional pimple, often a result of holiday
overindulgence. Try this at-home facial that will help gently clean out blackheads: Put your head over a bowl of hot, steaming water and cover with a towel. Allow the steam to work its magic on your face for several minutes, taking care not to burn your face. Follow with a mild face wash and finish with a splash of cool water to close pores temporarily. This can also help clear a stuffy nose! Over the counter products from your favorite drugstore rival many upscale department store versions; continue to improve with better quality ingredients; and won’t turn your budget upside down. For the ultimate in fun and savings, host an at-home day spa with a friend or two using these techniques and recipes. After a season of overindulging, an inhome treatment with your best gal pals will leave you feeling refreshed and relaxed. January 2018 | 43
SPIRITUAL RENAISSANCE PEGGIE ARVIDSON
W
Sign?
e all want a “sign” to tell us to take a job, leave a relationship or even invest in the stock market. The challenge of course is to figure out if what we’re getting is actually a sign or simply wishful thinking. According to Dr. Adrian Calabrese, author of Sacred Signs, “A sign is a direct manifestation from the spirit world in material form.” What does that mean exactly? As humans our understanding of what is manifested can be a bit fuzzy. We all have the tools to connect with the Heavens/God/Angels/Universal Wisdom at any time. However, our ability to trust this truth has eroded over time. My ability to trust my intuition is directly tied to reading and responding to signs. As a kid my first experience of a sign came after my Grandfather passed away. I found a penny on the street and decided it was from Heaven and from my Grandfather specifically. I can’t tell you if I made this connection because an adult had told me it was true, or simply because it “came” to me. Either way, I’ve always taken pennies to be signs from my loved ones who have crossed to the other side. The pennies show up whenever I’m stuck trying to make a decision or worried over a potential outcome. The sign, for me, is that they’re telling me “chill out – everything is going to be okay. We’re with you.” There are various types of signs and some are kick-you-in-the-pants obvious and some are subtle like a scent wafting on the wind. This can make it hard for us realists to recognize a sign, much less trust one! Signs can be in answer to a question you’ve asked or help you make a decision and they can seem to be coincidences. For instance, at a particularly trying time in my client’s life she felt lost, scared and very alone. After a tough divorce, she left her secure job to pursue what she felt was her passion. Within a few months she had no clients, was living off her savings and realized that she’d neglected most of her friends during her marriage because she was so lonely. As she pulled up to her condo on a cold Spring night she sat in the car to cry. Just then she heard Natasha Bedingfield sang these words on the radio, “Staring at the blank page before you/Open up the dirty window/Let the sun illuminate the words that you cannot find/Reaching for something in the distance/So close you can almost taste it/ Release your inhibitions.” These are the lyrics to the song Unwritten. My client took it to be a sign that everything was going to be okay if she stopped wallowing and started taking some action. Turns out, she was right. 44 | January 2018
Is it Really a
Could the song on the radio have been a coincidence? Not for her. My client told me she was at her lowest point and when that song came on she knew that it had meaning specifically for her at that time. As a result she made some changes, hired a coach and took action to write the story that she wished to live. On the other hand, sometimes no sign is the sign. If you’ve ever asked for a sign to let you
know that it’s okay to quit your job, marry that fella you just met, or buy a new house and then gotten nothing, you know what this is like. This is where the doubt creeps in. When you can’t find a sign it means one of two things. Either you phrased the question in a yes/no way, as in, “Please send me a sign to let me know if Bob is the one!” and the lack of a sign is your “no.” Or your timing is open-ended and the answer is still forthcoming. You have free will in all things, which means that you can still choose to run off to marry Bob or not. The sun will still rise and set and the Earth will continue to spin on its access. It’s all part of your journey. Here’s a tip to clear up this type of sign confusion: Be specific with your wording. Feel free to ask for something in particular to show up and within a certain time frame. Then you won’t be left wondering if the sign is still in transit or not. At the end of the day, it’s a great idea to use your own ability to create a personal lexicon between you and the Spirit world. With my penny example, I’ve worked with Spirit to create the agreement that pennies out of the blue mean my departed loved ones are watching over me. For you, pennies out of the blue may mean you’re going to get a windfall, or speak to an old friend, or go for a trip. Make your conversation a two-way street and have fun learning to use signs in 2018!
Are you at a crossroads and need to make some serious decisions? If you’re feeling stuck at work, in love or in general, it can feel impossible to get out of your own way. Peggie helps you assess your situation, using ancient and modern tools to help you move forward with a specific plan of action. Private Sessions are available by phone or Skype.
PeggieArvidson.com Peggie@peggiearvidson.com Old Town Crier
GO FISH
STEVE CHACONAS
Major Expansion at National Harbor
N
ational Harbor and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources have teamed up to increase and restore habitat for largemouth bass in National Harbor. Since 1985, when Subaquatic Vegetation (SAV) peaked, MD Tidal Bass Manager Joe Love says, “The submerged grasses in this largemouth bass nursery have virtually disappeared over the past decade and the spawning success of these fish has consequently declined.» This 10-year cycle of grass loss has put reproductive activities of largemouth bass in National Harbor on hold. Catch rates were less than half of what they were before when grass was established. Today, while the Potomac River bass population is in pretty good shape, the loss of these spawning grounds is of concern. When fish move into shallow flats, SAVs offer cover for spawning beds and for hatched fry to grow to juvenile size. Without grass, nests and fry are exposed to predators. The Potomac River axiom, “No grass, no bass” rings true for future largemouth generations. Sheltered from North winds, National Harbor (formerly known as Smoot Bay) has been an important area for largemouth bass reproduction. The sand and gravel bottom combined with generally clear water made this former quarried land ideal for spawning. Nearly all of the SAVs in the National Harbor and that section of the
Potomac are gone. Options to address the loss of SAVs included a creel limit, no possession, fishing closures or stocking. Enhancing or protecting existing grass habitat wasn’t practical or achievable. Enter bass matchmakers Civil Engineer Dick Berich and retired MD State Trooper Scott Sewell. Avid anglers, they saw the need for replacing the lost cover. Over lunch they began laying plans for adding other sources of habitat. They brought the idea, over 5 years ago, to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Black Bass Roundtable meeting. Even after this group disbanded, Dick and Scott kept the concept alive. A two-stage project was hatched. But housing doesn’t come cheap. The Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative, MarylandNational Capital Park and Planning Commission, Wetland Studies and Solutions Inc., Fish America Foundation, Pro-Formance Fishing, and the Maryland Bass Nation were supporting partners in this project. Funding from National Harbor ($10,000), MDDNR Fisheries ($5,000), and an additional $5,000 was obtained through a grant from Fish America and social media. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation has been successful in creating habitat for the Bay’s bounties, including crabs, oysters, and fish. Reef balls were constructed by volunteers. CBF
supplied fiberglass molds that were bolted together to a piece of plywood. Large rubber balls were inserted and inflated to create hollow caverns. The balls were deflated and removed to leave various hollow spots in the concrete structures. Cranes and barges planted 80 2.5 ft. wide, 1.75 ft. high, 200-pound reef balls. Love said. “These reef balls will provide important protective habitat for juvenile fish.” Some of the reef balls were adorned with driftwood, but was often soft or rotting. Next phase, larger fresh oak timbers were brought in, 14-foot lengths with 10-inch diameters, to enhance the reef ball zones. These logs, which will last longer and provide better fish cover, were bolted together and then lashed to 200 pound concrete weights to secure them through tides and storms. MD DNR secured permits from the Army Corps of Engineers and others. Roger Tregaser’s MD Bass Nation took the organizational lead. Located on the north bank of National Harbor, there are two areas with the submerged fish houses marked by large white buoys. Anglers and boaters can easily locate these areas. These habitat enhanced areas will be monitored to measure water quality, grass availability, and fish abundance. If all goes as planned, the MD DNR is looking for an increase in bass relative abundance which dropped to low levels
and remained low, even at a time when elsewhere in the Potomac River the fishery was great (2007 - 2009). Project success will also include greater grass growth and diversity of fishes and macro invertebrates. Aerial images from Virginia Institute of Marine Science will assess submerged grass growth. Recorded grass data during bass surveys will also be factored. Prior structure plantings have not been all that successful, however Love says this project could be different. “This project at the National Harbor is larger in scope and uses materials that are used by bass (concrete, wood).
I’m hopeful that project will create a diversity of habitat that brings back the fish.” This project is a win for National Harbor, MD Bass Nation, conservation restoration, and bass anglers who remember how the good the area used to fish. The next project being tossed around is improving access on MDs upper Bay with more launch facilities, which will also address tournament stockpiling. Author Capt. Steve Chaconas is Potomac bass fishing guide & contributing writer for BoatU.S. (BoatUS.com) Potomac River reports: nationalbass.com. Book trips/purchase gift certificates: info@NationalBass.com.
Potomac River Bassing in January Very cold water now, around 35-40. Days are slowly getting longer. Dress appropriately; wear a PFD, Hanz Extremity wear socks and gloves keep hands and feet warm. A few warm water spots around Blue Plains and Four Mile Run have more active fish. Using Lucky Craft Pointer 78 suspending jerkbaits, make long casts on 10 pound Gamma Edge fluorocarbon line. Otherwise, get some ½ ounce Silver Buddy lures, silver for sunny days and gold for cloudy. Tie to 10-pound Edge on casting reels. Cast to 3-foot depths and slowly burp and allow to flutter to the bottom. Fish in areas with deep water close to the shore. Also try Mizmo tubes with insert heads, Mann’s Stingray grubs on ¼ ounce ball head jigs, and drop shot with a 1/8 ounce Water Gremlin BullShot weight and 2/0 Mustad Mega Bite hook. Use 15-pound Torque braid with 6-pound Edge leader. Soak all soft plastics in garlic Jack’s Juice Bait Spray.
Old Town Crier
January 2018 | 45
OPEN SPACE
T
he last of the sugar cookies have been eaten, and the decorations stored away. The holiday presents have been stuffed into their respective drawers, closets and cupboards. The Amazon deliveries are back down to a respectable three times a week vs. 19 times a day. Sigh. Another year has bid us adieu, but as much as we hate goodbyes, oh how we love a fresh slate on which to pin our hopes and aspirations—especially of a slimmer, happier and better version of ourselves. But hey! What was wrong with the 2017 version of me? Bah humbug. After 12 months of too many carbs coupled with too much caffeine and alcohol, the ol’ internal operating system (aka IOS) had slowed down to a crawl. Excessive cursing, judging and gossiping had begun to corrupt the processing files, and let’s face it—last year’s CPU is a dinosaur. Yes, my dear, an update is in order, but what will be different? Will I recognize this better version of myself or will the changes be subtle? The same, but slightly sleeker? Similar, but faster? Thank goodness that every January, we are able to download the latest, greatest version of ourselves. Welcome to iNY v.2018. Lori iNY v.2018 will be slimmer, streamlined and operate at peak levels. Due 46 | January 2018
LORI WELCH
to her new, improved IOS, she will be faster, have more bandwidth, and should be at peak performance once the initial bugs are worked out. Lori iNY v.2018 won’t require carbs or gluten and will automatically recharge when plugged into any gym or yoga studio. She will no longer be able to access fourletter files or apps that require anger or jealousy to open as those apps take up too much storage space and slow the system down exponentially. Warning: Lori iNY v. 2018 will experience weakened service levels if exposed to sugar or alcohol. In order to achieve peak performance, the following maintenance program is encouraged: • Meditate every morning for 15 minutes (this will help to clean out old, repetitive and nonessential files).
minutes upon waking every morning.
every day to someone in your contact list to enhance performance.
• Be sure to put aside your device for a minimum of one hour each day to recharge.
Lori Welch Brown is the owner/ founder of JCL Services, Ltd., the area’s premiere personal concierge/professional organizing company serving clients in the DC/NOVA area since 2001. She is also an aspiring artist and wannabe best-selling novelist/Oprah bff who has lived in the Alexandria area for 25+ years. Most importantly, she is the proud momma of her fur babies, Dozer & Macey.
Whatever version you are working with, just remember to be good to yourself in 2018! Happy New Year and best wishes for health, happiness, joy and love.
If you have comments on or suggestions for this column, feel free to email Lori at office@ oldtowncrier.com with Open Space in the subject line.
• Clean your external drive by abstaining from more than 2 units of alcohol per day.
• Eliminate social media apps and/or restrict usage to 15 minutes per day.
• Eliminate viruses and bugs by drinking a green smoothie once a day.
• If the IOS still feels sluggish, clean out a closet and organize your pantry.
• Increase storage space by deleting past resentment and hurt files. • Download .joy apps by helping fellow users with their maintenance programs—especially those with older versions. • Text “IMGRATEFUL”
• Air out the IOS by taking it for a daily walk. • Expand the .GRAT file by opening a gratitude log and recording things you are grateful for each day. • Delete extra sugar from your file intake to speed up the search engines. • Expand your network by reaching out to one friend a week via phone or handwritten note. • Run a daily diagnostic check by stretching for 15 Old Town Crier
NATIONAL HARBOR
LANI GERING
A
s I write this the day after Christmas, it is barely 30 degrees outside. A little nippy to take in the last of the holiday hoopla here in the Harbor as far as I’m concerned but looking out my balcony window I see lots of people coming out of the Fleet Street garage and heading toward the Plaza. Guess the lure of the tree and the Capitol Wheel along with our fabulous restaurants and shops - and maybe the fact that maybe they just needed to get out of house after being cooped up with their families all day on Christmas – are bringing these hardy souls out! January is a historically slow month in general in most municipalities and National Harbor isn’t much different. Even though it is technically a “resort” area, the only place
AC LOUNGE 156 Waterfront Street 301-749-2299 BOND 45 149 Waterfront Street 301-839-1445 BRASS TAP 164 Fleet Street 301-965-9116 BROTHER JIMMY’S BBQ 177 Fleet Street 301-909-8860 CADILLAC RANCH 186 Fleet Street 301-839-1100
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that really has anything going on is the Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center with MAGFest 2018. This is one whacked out gathering to say the least. I don’t really know how to explain it. After all, I am 64 years old and the only “video” games I know how to play are the likes of PacMan, Ms.PacMan, Centipede and Frogger. I never even got in to
CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL 158 National Plaza 301-749-2016 CRAB CAKE CAFE 140 National Plaza 240-766-2063 ELEVATION BURGER 108 Waterfront Street 301-749-4014 FIORELLA PIZZERIA E CAFFE 152 National Plaza 301-839-1811 GRACES MANDARIN 188 Waterfront Street 301-839-3788
the Mario Brothers craze and I don’t think I have ever sat at a Play Station. Do you sit at Play Stations?? My friend Mitch, who is in his late 30’s and has been sort of a “gamer” for several years, has tried to explain the lure of this event to me more than once. My only exposure has been seeing the “participants” walking around the Harbor in sort of a daze – lots of baggy jeans, plaid shirts and flip flops (not that there’s anything wrong with that) in the middle of the winter. The age group is definitely the 20 and 30 somethings with a few 40+ hard core video game/ music fans tacked on. I took it upon myself to find out exactly what MAGFest entails so I turned to the interwebs and came up with the following: “MAGFest is short for “Music and Gaming Festival”. It is a four day (January 4th – 7th) event dedicated to the appreciation of video game music, gaming of all types and the gaming community.
The event runs 24 hours a day and offers consoles, arcades, tabletop, LAN, live video game cover bands, chiptunes, vendors, guest speakers and much more.” Ummmm, I need to find out what “chiptunes” are. According to MAGFest. org, “the Fest is unique in that it is a non-profit event “run by fans for fans”. They don’t solicit corporate sponsors and there are no over-crowded show floors and no top-secretbehind-closed-doors showings. It is built from the ground up to focus on community and fan creations.” I take this to mean that if you or your kids or grandkids (our readership is a bit older audience) have a video game that you have created this is a place that you may be able to introduce it to other gamers and get feedback, etc. The organizers garner income to pay for the convention space from the sale of “badges” that gain you entrance into the gaming rooms and unlimited play, etc. A single badge for the 4 day event is $85 with others discounted for kids under 12
NATIONAL HARBOR DINING GUIDE GRANITE CITY FOOD & BREWERY 200 American Way 240-493-3900 IRISH WHISPER 177 Fleet Street 301-909-8859 MASON'S FAMOUS LOBSTER ROLLS 156 National Plaza 410-298-7850
McCORMICK & SCHMICK 145 National Plaza 301-567-6224 McLOONES PIER HOUSE 141 National Harbor Plaza 301-839-0815 NANDO’S PERI-PERI 191 American Way 301-567-8900
NATIONAL PAST TIME SPORTS BAR & GRILLE Gaylord Resort 301-965-4000 gaylordnational.com OLD HICKORY STEAKHOUSE Gaylord Resort 301-965-4000 gaylordnational.com
and anyone who puts a group of 8 or more together. While they don’t exactly have one day passes, the price goes down as each day goes by. For instance, Jan 4th – full price of $85, 5th drops to $70, 6th drops to $55, 7th drops to $20. I might just fork over the $20 on the 7th just to see exactly what it’s like on the inside! MAGFest’s inaugural year was 2002 and was originally called the “Mid-Atlantic Gaming Festival”. It originated in Baltimore and is operated by volunteers and the funds that they garner with. Starting out with only 300 attendees in 2002, it pretty much sold out at 20,000 in 2017. They are looking at an even bigger attendance this year. Amazing to think that this many people from the DMV - and now all over the country - come to National Harbor to play video games, enjoy musical concerts and drink beer for 24 hours a day for 4 days straight. That explains that “dazed” look I mentioned above! For complete information check out their website at MAGFest.org.
PIENZA ITALIAN MARKET Gaylord Resort 301-965-4000 gaylordnational.com POTBELLY SANDWICH WORKS 146 National Plaza 301-686-1160 PUBLIC HOUSE 199 Fleet Street 240-493-6120 REDSTONE AMERICAN GRILL 155 National Plaza 301-839-3330
ROSA MEXICANA 135 Waterfront Street 301-567-1005 SAUCIETY AMERICAN GRILL 171 Waterfront Street 240-766-3640 SUCCOTASH 168 Waterfront Street 301-567-8900 THAI PAVILLION 151 American Way 301-749-2022 WALRUS OYSTER & ALE HOUSE 152 Waterfront Street 301-567-6100
January 2018 | 47
Thank You Happy NewYear!
&
As we Celebrate our 30th Year of publishing, Bob & Lani thank you for the fun, excitement and privilege of bringing you the Old Town Crier. We couldn’t have done it without you — our loyal readers and advertisers.
Since 1988 • Priceless
January 2017
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THE SECRET OF HAVANA
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND The Nation’s Sailing Capital
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KING’S JEWELRY Beauty, Quality, Integrity & Value
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BLüPRINT CHOCOLATIERS Artisan Chocolate in Old Town
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WORLD WAR I: THE CENTENNIAL
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WAXING THE CITY Smooth Operators
HOWELL CRIM Wooden Boat Builder, Mechanic & Captain
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R. KEVIN BROOKS Sailor, Singer, Songwriter
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JUNE IS
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BLUE & WHITE’S ALEX TRUITT
Historic Cambridge, Maryland
Qaulity Seafood in a Nautical Setting
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DAWN RICHARDSON A True Beach Babe
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VIRGINIA IS FOR WINE LOVERS!
KENNETH WIDHALM
Since 1988 •
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From the Bay
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An Old Town Original
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to the Blue Ridge
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Celebrating Alexandria’s 268th Birthday and Our Nation’s 241st!
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HOME FOR THE HOLIDAY
Road Trip Road Trip We Are Southern Maryland Bound! Personality Profile
HUNTER J. LANG From Politics to the Piano! Business Profile
YOUR DOGS BEST FRIENDS “Home away from Home” for your Pooch! Road Trip “Keepin’ It Cool in the Blue Ridge”
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Old Town Waterfront Dining at it's Finest!
THE OLD TOWN SHOP “OTX-Celebrating Old Town Alexandria”
Across the River
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Staying Cool in the Casino!
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HAUTE DOGS AND FRIES
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BALTIMORE MUSEUM OF INDUSTRY Join the Industrial Evolution!
Visitor! Business Profi le
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IMAGINE ARTWEAR Wearable Art At Its Best!
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Football Fare - Something for Everyone! Grapevine
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FALL INTO VIRGINIA WINE MONTH!
48 | January 2018
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SPÊCS-NY
HANKS PASTA BAR
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Rustic Chic Italian In Old Town Alexandria
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Veteran & Volunteer “Passin’ It On!
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Holidays Harbor Style!
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HORSE-N-HOUND IN FLINT HILL, VA Everything Equine, Canine & More
The Ravages of Irma & the Resilience of the Residents
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WOODSTOCK, VA
A Rare Gem of a Place
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Caribbean Connection
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S!
ALADDIN
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“A Gourmet Version of an American Favorite”
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CIDER WEEK VA Old Town Crier
Apple Juice with a Kick!
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But the fire is so delightful… Come in from the Cold this New Year and Feel the Warmth of Our Fireplaces and Hospitality
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