Washington Life Magazine - Summer 2008 by Washington Life Magazine

L U X U R Y T R AV E L

t o p m e m b e r s - o n ly r e s o r t s , r oya l i n d i a , a n I r i s h C a s t l e , a n d t h e Q u e e n M a r y 2

TOTALLY SILVERDOCS! spike lee SOUNDS OFF 15 DOCUMENTARIES you simply must SEE JANET LANGHART COHEN REMEMBERS ROBERT F. KENNEDY

Boutique Chic The Glover sisters DO donovan house. plus More stylE-MAKERS aT hip hotels

hot summer Reads SUSAN MARY ALSOP’s “Elegant deceptions” Howard Fineman debates “The Thirteen American Arguments”

plus: Betsy Fischer remembers Tim Russert ARTISTS ON VACATION

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WHERE THE SOCIAL set SUMMERS

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contents summer 2008

WELL-TRAVELED

SUMMER LUXURY TRAVEL

Get out of town for an exotic summer escape: mingle with maharajas, explore the green hills of Ireland’s castle district, sail aboard the Queen Mary 2, or pick up your own piece of paradise.

LIFESTYLES

BOUTIQUE CHIC

These are places to stay ... and be seen. Washington’s jet-set glitters in the lavish lobbies and stylish suites of some of the best Beltway boutique hotels.

pollywood

silverdocs shines

This famous documentary film festival and celebration of cinema lights up the region by highlighting the ongoing romance of non-fiction film and the importance of gutsy, grass-roots material.

on the cover: Clockwise from top left: Kristen, Juleanna, Elizabeth, and Rebecca Glover at Donovan House. Style by Lana Orloff. Make-up and Hair Direction by Jocelyn. (Photo by Len de Pas) left: Amanda Polk at Hotel Monaco (Photo by Len de Pas) top right: Ashford Castle in Ireland’s castle district. BOTTOM right: Silverdocs lights up the AFI Silver Theatre.

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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2008

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80 LIFE OF THE PARTY

WASHINGTON SOCIAL DIARy

WL exclusives

wl insider

Joint Center Annual Dinner......................................29

Helen Hayes and Kander & Ebb.................................. 77

fyidc

Saks Fifth Avenue Beach Party.................................81

NIGHTLIFE

WHO’S NEXT Isaac Lidsky..................................... 17 SOCIETY POP Where the A-List summers............ 18 social calendar International events............ 19 The insider’s guide This month’s must-dos... 20

WL sponsored

LIFESTYLES

Vineyard Vines Opening Party .................................... 79

EDITOR’S LETTER................................................ 12 CONTRIBUTORS.................................................. 14

LUxury travel special feature d.c. boutique hotels Beltway boys and girls check-in .................................... 49 resort living Member clubs, fractionals, and time shares...................... 56 irish you were here Town & Country style in Ireland’s castle district. .......... 60 majesty at sea A connoisseur’s guide to the Queen Mary 2.................. 64 in the realm of the raj The prince welcomes you to India.................................. 67 local escapes Top regional getaways redefine luxe relaxation . ............ 70 summer sojourn Artists on holiday; snapshots from the Archives.............. 72

Jamaican Women of Washington Fundraiser................... 28

NARSAD Gala.......................................................... 24 Freer-Sackler Gala........................................................ 25 Trust for the National Mall Luncheon. ......................... 26 Once Upon a Prom....................................................... 27

On the world’s stage...................................................... 76

Woo a mate with a creative date ................................... 78

what’s hot

Summer cocktails........................................................... 80

around town

Social solstice................................................................. 82

hollywood on the potomac

PARTIES! PARTIES! PARTIES! ......................... 83 art & auction Dear Mr. President........................................................ 86 Foundation for the Preservation of Art in Embassies...... 87 over the moon Hunt Country angels............ 88

DIPLOMATIC DANCE

home life

pollywood Silverdocs Film Festival ...................................... 31 Hellos and goodbyes...................................................... 38 Ambassadorial farewells................................................. 39

media spotlight Howard Fineman on13 American arguments. ............... 42 Arianna Huffington’s book party . ................................ 43

re news Meet the new neighbors............................ 89 open house What’s on the market.................................................... 92 historical landscapes A gypsy curse and a secret society.................................. 95

Summer READS

Bill Patten on Susan Mary Alsop........................... 44 Summer reading recommendations.......................... 47

in memoriam

Tim Russert.................................................... 98

clockwise from upper left: Bedford Springs Resort. PAGE 70. / Jeff Zucker, Tim Russert, and Steve Capus at the MTP 60th Anniversary. (Photo by Tony Powell) PAGE 98 / Ultimate Escapes’ Los Cabos property. PAGE 56. / Beefeater Basil Berry Gimlet. PAGE 80. / Annelise Montone and Rob Vary and the Helen Hayes Awards. PAGE 77

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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Wa s h i n gto n ’s P r e m i e r e Luxu ry L i f e st y l e M aga z i n e S i n c e 1 9 9 1

Editor in Chief

Nancy Reynolds Bagley Executive Editor

Michael M. Clements

editorial Director

senior EDITOR

Katie Tarbox

Kevin Chaffee

deputy EDITOR

associate EDITOR

Christina Wilkie

Beth Farnstrom

Copy Editor

Claudia Krieger columnists

Renee Drake, Donna Evers, Mary Mewborn,Vicky Moon, Gail Scott, and Donna Shor Contributing Writers & Editors

Janet Langhart Cohen, Janet Donovan, Michelle Fenty, Howard Fineman, Betsy Fischer, Ann Nitze, Bill Patten, Joel Sparks creative Director

J.C. Suarès

art director

Bridget Manifold contributing Graphic Designers

Elizabeth Demers, Anas Ruhman photo editor

Paul Simkin Contributing Photographers

Jim Brantley, Len Depas, Jonah Koch, Mary Kate McKenna,Tony Powell, and Kyle Samperton stylists

Jocelyn and Carola Myers Advertising Director

Kelly Ginter

Luxury brand manager

Krista Bullion Senior account Executive

Alexandra Misci Account Executives

Anna Croll, Sara Padob, and Theodore Wilhite Bookkeeper

Kevin Smoot web technologies development

Ernesto Gluecksmann, Infamia, Inc. interns

Carrie Brody, Anfon Ha, Caroline Markoski, Jessica Martinez, and Laura-Chase McGehee Founder

Vicki Bagley Chairman, Executive Board

Gerry Byrne

Chief Executive Officer

Soroush Richard Shehabi

Washington Life magazine publishes ten times a year. Issues are distributed in February, March, April, May, June, July/August, September, October, November and December and are hand-delivered on a rotating basis to over 150,000 homes throughout D.C., Northern Virginia and Maryland. Additional copies are available at various upscale retailers, hotels, select newstands and Whole Foods stores in the area. For a complete listing, please-consult our website at www.washingtonlife.com. You can also subscribe online at www.washingtonlife.com or send a check for $49.99 (one year) to: Washington Life Magazine, 2301 Tracy Place NW, Washington D.C., 20008. BPA audited. Email us at info@washingtonlife.com with press releases, tips and editorial comments. Copyright ©2008 by Washington Life. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial content or photos in any manner without permission is strictly prohibited. Printed in the United States. We will not be responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs.

W H er e f u l l body Wor kou t M eets f u l l body W r A p.

relax. rejuvenate your body and mind. the I-spa and Health Club at the Willard InterContinental® offers a soothing escape. from 30-minute express treatments to specialized packages, the I-spa can accommodate any request. We offer cardio and weight training, facials, manicures, pedicures, body treatments, men’s grooming, and 11 different massages. outside memberships and gift certificates are available. Come meet the new you at the I-spa at the Willard.

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editor’s letter

Summer in the City

ummer is not Washington’s best season. A cloud of humidity settles in like jelly over the Reflecting Pool; lines at museums resemble those at the Magic Kingdom’s flashier rides (tourist influx!); the most optimistically crisp linens and cottons become sad, limp rags by mid-morning. One of the best ways to beat the heat is to travel to cooler shores, glamorous resorts, and other exotic spots like those in this issue’s list of luxe getaways. There’s plenty of ground to cover, by air, sea, and land in our Luxury Travel special. Executive editor Michael Clements visits Ireland’s castle district; Ann Nitze shares her experiences in India; Smithsonian Archives of American Art director John Smith provides a look back at artists’ long-ago summer vacations; and senior editor Kevin Chaffee takes us aboard Cunard’s Queen Mary 2.Traveling can also be as effortless as a stay at one of the many historic hotels less than a day trip away, so check out our guide to local and weekend escapes. Want more of a commitment from your favorite holiday spot? Membership clubs and fractional ownership are back in a big way for those who vacation in style. Within city limits, we’ve also got quite a selection of top-notch boutique hotels – take a look at the local jetsetters who stay … and play … in our feature photoshoot, captured by Len de Pas.While things heat up at the hotels, cool down with the best summer cocktails in What’s Hot. Art and Auction turns up the heat on the New York art market, where Abraham Lincoln’s letters fetched a cool $3 million. Documentarians – unless they’re filming a study of American Idol – are usually not in it for the cash. However, the contestants and organizers of the Silverdocs film festival partied with WL like rockstars; from our kickoff party at Chi Cha Lounge to the closing celebration of Robert F. Kennedy. Pollywood celebrates these original “reality television producers” with contributions from Joel Sparks on Spike Lee and Janet Langhart Cohen on RFK. If a good documentary can touch people’s lives, this month we celebrate the life of a man who did just that: Tim Russert. Many thanks to Betsey Fischer for her heartfelt tribute to the media legend. Our Summer Reads Special features Newsweek’s Howard Fineman commenting on his most recent literary effort and William S. Patten, the son of Georgetown grande dame Susan Mary Alsop, who discusses his

quest to discover the truth about his parentage. Meetings and partings lead the story in our Diplomatic Dance, where we bid farewell to a number of popular ambassadors, including Russia’s Yuri Ushakov and Egypt’s Nabil Fahmy. We work less, we play more, and the light lasts longer, which makes summer a great time to be social. In Washington Social Diary, WL Insider returns with a personal tour through the city’s thriving theater scene; Nightlife asks you out on some very creative dates; Around Town takes you to the best balls and galas; and Over the Moon, always outdoorsy, shines in the sun with horses and horticulture in hunt country. Our events calendar has been rising along with the temperature this summer – in this issue we make a splash at the Freer Sackler Gala, the NARSAD Gala, the Jamaican Women of Washington Tea-Off, the Trust for the National Mall Luncheon, the Vineyard Vines opening, the Helen Hayes Awards, and Once Upon a Prom, just to name a few. That’s it for our summer issue. Kick back with a cool beverage by the pool and we’ll hope to see you in September at the National Hispanic Foundation Noche de Gala on the 9th, the Washington National Opera’s opening night on the 13th, the Ambassadors Ball on the 16th, the America’s Cup of Polo on the National Mall on the 20th, and the CharityWorks Dream Ball on the 27th. In the meantime, we’re toiling on an unprecedented fall editorial line-up - including a beautiful photo feature with the chairs of the city’s most elegant balls and galas for our September issue, interviews with the town’s most intriguing ambassadors for the October diplomatic directory, and exclusive looks into breathtaking private homes and embassy residences in Washington throughout the fall. There’s so much to look forward to, and luckily, you’re invited.

Nancy R. Bagley Editor in Chief Readers wishing to contact Nancy can email: letters@washingtonlife.com

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MOWASgenericad.revised_hires.pdf

6/30/08

10:42:41 AM

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Waterfront hotel with monumental views.

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contributors

1 Photographer Len DePas went back to his roots as a creative commercial photographer to create this month’s local boutique hotel spread. He is a food, art, and portrait artist based in Washington. 2 Renee Drake’s diverse career in the arts brought her to Washington, where she curated the U.S. Department of State’s Art in Embassies Program. She next became the managing editor of Sotheby’s Preview magazine. She contributes to “Art and Auction.” 3 Michelle Fenty is a corporate lawyer and the wife of Washington’s mayor, Adrian Fenty. She contributes to our coverage of the Jamaican Women of Washington benefit.

her boss Tim Russert in this issue. 6 Janet Langhart Cohen is a journalist, author, and CEO of Langhart Communications. She has written two memoirs, My Life in Two Americas; From Rage to Reason, and Love in Black and White, which she co-wrote with her husband, former Secretary of Defense William Cohen. In this issue, Langhart Cohen recounts the impact of Robert F. Kennedy’s message of peace. 7 Ann Nitze is a private art dealer in New York, Washington, and Aspen. She recounts her trip to India in our Travel Feature.

4 howard fineman is Newsweek’s senior Washington correspondent, columnist, senior editor, and deputy Washington bureau chief. He contributes to this issue’s summer reading feature.

8 WillIAM S. Patten, author of My Three Fathers And the Elegant Deceptions of My Mother Susan Mary Alsop, is a real estate and venture capital investor who lives Worcester, Mass. and in the Pyrenees region of France. He writes about living in Georgetown in the ’60s and ’70s with his mother and stepfather, Joseph Alsop.

5 Betsy Fischer has been executive producer of NBC’s number-one-rated Sunday morning public affairs program, “Meet the Press,” since July 2002. She fondly remembers

9 Gail Scott is the author of Diplomatic Dance:The New Embassy Life in America and covers diplomats for WL, The Washington Times and The Washington Diplomat. She also produces

Smithsonian Associates’ “Top Embassy Chefs” and is co-director of The Brookings Institution’s new three-day “Embassy Associates Program.” 10 Donna Shor is an internationalist who has lived in five countries on three continents, climbed the Great Wall of China, tracked tigers in Bangladesh, raised twins in a Provençal mas and a Bordeaux wine chateau, and hobnobbed with greats from Peck (Gregory) to Picasso (Pablo). She has written widely, from National Geographic to the Paris-based International Herald Tribune and our “Around Town” column. 11 John Smith is the director of the Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American Art. He contributes to “Summer Sojurn” in this issue’s Travel Feature. 12 joel sparks has been working in marketing and advertising in the Washington since 1992. He has conducted interviews everywhere from high government offices to the D.C. Jail. He contributes to our coverage of Silverdocs. Correction: The photo of Dondi and Mark Schoenfeld at the Corcoran Ball on page 28 of the June Issue was taken by Tony Powell.

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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28TH ANNUAL

Baltimore Summer Antiques Show we added one day

Thursday, Aug. 28 – Sunday, Aug. 31, 20 0 8 Labor Day Weekend B A LT I M O R E C O N V E N T I O N C E N T E R Downtown at the Inner Harbor One West Pratt Street — 2 main entrances — West Pratt Street Lobby & Charles Street Lobby

28TH YEAR WITH 55O INTERNATIONAL DEALERS INCLUDING A 60-DEALER ANTIQUARIAN BOOK FAIR SILVER • ASIAN ART & ANTIQUES • FURNITURE • PORCELAIN • CERAMICS & POTTERY OBJETS D’ART • ANTIQUE & FINE JEWELRY • PAINTINGS • TEXTILES • WATCHES • CLOCKS • SCULPTURE BRONZES • ORIENTAL CARPETS • ART GLASS • OTHER ANTIQU ITIES & 20TH CENTURY DESIGN

F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N 5 6 1 - 8 2 2 - 5 4 4 0 W W W. B A LT I M O R E S U M M E R A N T I Q U E S . C O M

FYIDC

The Insider’s Guide to Washington | Where the Social Set Summers, International Event Calendar and Ultimate Insider Travel

Who’s Next Isaac Lidsky

Isaac Lidsky’s career trajectory began at the age of six months with a diaper commercial, the first of many show biz breaks that included playing geeky teen Barton “Weasel”Wyzell in the ’90s TV hit, “Saved By The Bell.”Then it was Harvard, a successful internet startup, a U.S. Court of Appeals clerkship, a stint on the Justice Department’s civil division appellate staff, and, most recently, a Supreme Court clerkship (for retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor).We wouldn’t have mentioned his invitation to pitch the first ball at the Marlins-Cubs game last September except for the fact that Lidsky, 29, has suffered from retinitis pigmentosa since he was 15 and has been legally blind for five years. How did the big pitch turn out? I’m told that I threw a strike. Do you get teased about the Barton Weasel role? At a Jones Day cocktail party they played one of the episodes. Afterwards some of my colleagues told me that they now understood why I was an appellate lawyer instead of a criminal prosecutor. You are nothing like his character in real life. He was a socially awkward, geeky pest whereas I, of course, am cool and socially advanced. You’ve raised millions to help the blind. I’ve tried to turn a negative into a positive. Medical science is so close now in its search for treatments and cures: retinal transplants, pharmaceutical approaches, stem-cell research, gene therapy ... It’s not a question of whether we’ll cure blindness, but when. How confident are you that your sight will be restored? I have no doubt about it. I will see again.

FYIDC | society Pop

WHERE THE

SOCIAL SET SUMMERS

July and August see Washingtonians fleeing to second homes, from Maryland’s Eastern Shore to Maine. Here’s where they stay:

MAINE George and Barbara Bush, Chris and Patricia Camalier, Tucker and Susan Carlson, Dick and Patricia Carlson, Aldie and Dolly Chapin, John and Ann Dickerson, C. Boyden Gray, Gilbert and Ann Kinney, John and Caroline Macomber, Liz and George Stevens, and Jamie and Phyllis Wyeth

cape cod Ethel Kennedy, Vicki and Sen. Ted Kennedy, Bunny Mellon, Norman and Winifred Portenoy, Tricia and Frank Saul, and Frank and Dawn Saul

Newport

Nantucket

Wiley and Janice Buchanan, Ruth Buchanan, Britty Cudlip, Bernard and Sarah Gewirz, Rusty and Nancy Powell, Tommy Quinn, and Nina Straight

Smith and Elizabeth Bagley, Max and Heidi Berry, Joan Bingham, Robert and Mary Haft, Evan and Cindy Jones, Chris and Kathleen Matthews, Bob and Laurie Monahan, Maureen Orth, Bill and Alison Paley, John Pyles and Barbara Harrison, Molly Raiser, and David and Alice Rubenstein

hamptons Ben Bradlee and Sally Quinn, John Damgard, George Stephanopoulos and Ali Wentworth, and Maurice and Joan Tobin

martha’s vineyard Ann and Vernon Jordan, Olga Hirshhorn, Finlay and Willee Lewis, Robert and Diana McNamara, Tony and Buffy Miles, and Agnes Williams

rehoboth beach Morton and Grace Bender, Mel and Suellen Estrin, Estelle Gelman, Winton and Wallace Holladay, Carol Schwartz, Mary Ann Stoessel, and Christine Warnke

Eastern Shore Dick and Lynne Cheney, Baba Groom, Margot and Gilbert Hahn, Joyce and Donald Rumsfeld, and Tony and Jill Snow

bethany beach Anne Camalier, Edwin Feulner, Craig and Karen Fuller, and Chris van Roijen

FYIDC | international calendar

Prêt-à-Passport International events of note

AUSTRIA SALZBURG FESTIVAL JULY 1 - AUGUST 31

Performances of music and drama are given in multiple venues, from festival halls to the residential palace of the archbishop. The “Everyman” morality play is enacted in the elegant 17th-century square in front of the cathedral (a tradition since 1920). www.salzburgfestival.at FRANCE TOUR DE FRANCE July 12-July 17

This celebration of the bicycle will start in Figeac-Toulouse and ending in Lavelanet-Narbonne. Exhibitions and concerts will be arranged especially for the Grand Boucle (Big Loop )www.letour.fr

Courchevel have long been a mainstay for European royalty. Enjoy the morning parade of riders through the streets of le Praz, a lakeside feast, and the blessing of the horses before this elite riding competition. www. courchevel.comg germany BAYREUTH WAGNER FESTIVAL JuLY 25 to AUGUST 28

Wagner himself masterminded the idea of the Bayreuth Festival, at which his Ring Cycle is traditionally performed. It’s the predecessor of modern music festivals such as Lollapalooza. 0870-1999-742P MONACO MONTE-CARLO RED CROSS GALA BALL first weekend of august

FÊTE DU CHEVAL AT COURCHEVEL July 20

The Trois Vallées and resort

Held under the patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert at the Sporting d’Eté Club in the Salle des Etoiles. Elegantly prepared meals, top

entertainers and a dazzling display of ballgowns. 377-92-16-36-36 spain BARCELONA SUMMER FESTIVAL JuNE 1 to august 31

One of Europe’s top cultural festivals, featuring the finest international theater, dance, and music performances. Email bcnfestival@mail.bcn.es SWeden GÖTEBORG FESTIVAL august 12 to august 17

A vibrant mix of culture and music with two giant stages, one beside the Opera House on the waterfront and the other at Götaplatsen Culture Centre.Visit the Liseberg amusement park while you’re in townl; it’s right next door. www.goteborg.com

SNDSWeden AUSTRIA FESTSPIELE JULY 26 to AUGUST 31

Special concerts, exhibitions and performances are held throughout Zurich in venues such as the famous Opernhaus Zurich, Kunsthaus Zurich,Theater am Neumarkt and some stunning open-air venues. www.salzburgerfestspiele.at UNITED KINGDOM GLYNDEBOURNE FESTIVAL OPERA Through August 31 Cyclists from all over the world will compete in the Tour de France.

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Try a gourmet champagne picnic on the Glyndebourne Estate

Performers at the Barcelona Summer Festival in past years

grounds before a stop at this essential component of opera’s summer season. www.glyndebourne.com BRITISH OPEN GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP July 17 to July 20

The 137th Open Golf Championship is hosted by one of Britain’s finest golf clubs. Royal Birkdale has been voted the No 1 course in Britain, and is among the best in the world. www.opengolf.com GLENEAGLES august 28 to August 31

The Johnny Walker Championship takes place at this Scottish golf course as part of the European PGA Tour. www.europeantour.com

FYIDC | THE Insider’s Guide

Summertime Fun Editor’s Pick Kastles in the Capital World Team Tennis arrives in Washington this summer for a three week run of high-octane, evening exhibition matches featuring some of the sport’s biggest stars. The brainchild of Washington native and tech entrepreneur Mark Ein, the Washington Kastles team roster is led by Serena Williams, and will compete against WTT league teams led by champions John McEnroe and Anna Kournikova, each of whom will headline three nights of match play between their respective teams. Seats in the open-air Kastles stadium on 11th and H Streets NW range in price from $25 on non-marquee nights to $4,500 for VIP season box seats with table service. Visit www.washingtonkastles.com for dates and details. Serena Williams hits the WTT courts July 8-10.

Ready for Take-Off Next Generation of Travel Sites New websites that use cutting edge search technology to deliver better options than ever before: JetCombo.com mines a huge database of private jet service and commercial flights to create a single itinerary of the most efficient routes anywhere in the world. They also offer a large inventory of empty legs on private jets. Once you’ve landed, check in to a room you found using Vibeagent.com. This Charlottesville,Va.-based company has created software that searches for hotels on 30 different travel sites, including Hotels. com, Priceline, and Hotelbook.The results of one VibeAgent.com search are exactly what you’d find if you spent hours searching each of the other sites one at a time. Cutting edge technology can offer travelers more choices in less time.

The Jockey Club’s maitre d’hotel, Martin Garbisu

On the Radar JOCKEY CLUB TO REOPEN The Jockey Club, where Jackie Kennedy and Nancy Reagan dined discreetly with friends, and Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando held court when they came to town, is set to re-open in late-September after a ten-year hiatus. Although the dark paneling of the old space will be replaced by a brighter, more open atmosphere, the famed numbered booths and hunting prints will make a comeback, as will many of their signature dishes. Even more important: the return of Martin Garbisu, the restaurant’s swoon-inducing maitre d’hotel. 2100 Massachusetts Avenue, NW; 202-293-2100.

Staycations: minivacations where you relax at home

OUT

Gas guzzling road trips

YOUR HOME THIS EXIT

Celebrities like Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and Catherine Zeta Jones visiting the Smithsonian African History Museum

Celebrities visiting rehab every couple of months

The corks in Orioles legends Brooks Robinson and Eddie Murray’s new wines.100 percent of the proceeds go to charity

Corked bats

Babymooning: taking one last vacation before the birth of your first child

Hiding out during your last three months of pregnancy

Clothing that converts solar rays into UV therapy, at

Converting your greenbacks into Euros (ouch!)

renudc.com

Blogging chefs like Eric Ripert, at aveceric.com

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Blogging party-girls

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HOT TICKET Virgin Mobile Festival VIP Passes Spend the weekend in Baltimore with Bob Dylan, Kanye West, Jack Johnson,Wilco, and others at the 2008 Virgin Mobile Festival (August 910) where theVIP Passes ($250) are the way to go, providing you with all of the summer music fest fun with none of the headaches (like porta-john lines and parking nightmares). VIP Pass-holder perks include special viewing and party areas at both stages, complimentary cocktails and tastings from local restaurants, shuttle service, real restrooms, an air-conditioned Chill tent, goody bags, and premium parking. www.virginmobilefestival.com

By the Numbers

800,000

Foreigners who will visit China for the Beijing Summer Olympic Games (est.)

$13

Daily cost of travel for a family of 4 in 1950

25,000

American tourists who violate the U.S. travel ban to Cuba each year (est.)

Local kids who will go to camp this summer in Jackson Hole,Wyo., thanks to the donors of the City Kids Wilderness Program; www.citykidscamp.org Sources (top to bottom): Shanghai Daily, American Automobile Association, Havana Journal, City Kids Wilderness Program

Hint: The view is better from the VIP tent

Aristotle Onassis’ former yacht, the Christina O, is fully refurbished and available for weekly rentals.

Travel-Ology Ultimate Insider Travel Want to book a private yacht, French chateau or luxury safari for yourself and a dozen pals? Frosch Travel’s Jackie Rush handles every exquisite detail for a hush-hush list of highly discriminating clients who wouldn’t dream of using anyone else. Here’s her current “to die for” list of vacation hotspots: • Wilderness

NEW IN TOWN

coming soon

TangySweet-tastic Foodie blogs are abuzz this month over the District’s latest must-have dessert: guilt-free, authentic frozen yogurt from Tangysweet in Dupont Circle. Owner and native son Aaron Gordon modeled the menu on Californiastyle fro-yo, and he offers three flavors (classic, green tea, and pomegranate) with a variety of fresh toppings. The shop’s ultra-sleek modern interior features fluorescent light tables, a partitioned “yogurt lounge” and limited outdoor seating, but be prepared for lines that stretch around the block during peak hours. 2029 P Street, NW; 202-822-2066; www.tangysweet.com

Calling All Shutterbugs! Join world-class amateur and professional photographers for FotoWeek DC, a new photo competition that will bring together all aspects of the area’s photo community in an inaugural photo festival which includes exhibits, seminars, and awards from Nov. 15-22. Highlights: multiple awards for amateurs and pros • tens of thousands of dollars in cash and prizes • judges include Tipper Gore, Chase Rynd, and Joyce Tenneson • participants include National Geographic, Discovery,The Smithsonian, galleries, and more. Visit www.fotoweek.ORG to submit photos and enter the contest online by August 18.

Quotable “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” St. Augustine

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Safaris. “Simply the best ecotourism guides, planes, vehicles, camps and food. I’ve been with them 30 times.” www.wilderness-safaris.com • the christina o, Aristotle Onassis’ former mega-yacht. Formerly called the

Christina, she has been completely refitted with luxurious amenities, and is available for those who like a taste of history. Accommodates 30 guests in 18 staterooms. www.christinayachting.com • villa Michaela, Lucca, Italy: “Twelve

local couples recently rented this magnificently frescoed property with pool, tennis court and olive groves nearby, for $200,000 a month.” The villa also offers short stays and vacation packages for two to forty guests. • HOT TIP: Opens December 15. Book

Now: The Resort at Pelican Hill, near Laguna Beach, Calif. “Stunning property and fabulous management.” Can’t wait until December? The resort features two Tom Fazio-designed golf courses that are currently available for play. Frosch Travel, 888 17th St. NW, Suite 304; 202-298-7100; www.froschtravel.com

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life OF THE party WL-sponsored, Hosted, and exclusive events | Freer Sackler, Once Upon a Prom, NARSAD, and the Trust for the National Mall

Coventry Burke and Annie Van Meter on the Kennedy Center rooftop at the Once Upon a Prom benefit. (Photo by Jonah Koch)

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Putting Thought into Mental Illness NARSAD, one of the world’s leading mental health research charities, tackles PTSD in the military

What is PTSD?

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a type of anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a violent or terrifying event, such as sustaining a combat injury, seeing a friend injured or killed, or finding dead or seriously injured civilians. The more severe the trauma, the more serious the outcome will be for the person who develops PTSD. Who’s affected?

The Rand Corporation recently estimated that 20 percent of returning soldiers, or 300,000 in all, have PTSD or major depression, and new statistics from the Department of Defense reveal a 50 percent jump in PTSD in 2007 over the prior year.The increase is linked to a variety of factors –

the recent troop build-up, an increase of violence in both Iraq and Afghanistan, the extension of tour lengths, and the increase in troops who are serving second, third or fourth tours of duty. Signs and Symptoms

People with PTSD have persistent flashbacks and nightmares. They may feel emotionally numb, especially towards people they were once close to, and easily become irritable, more aggressive or even violent. Not every traumatized person gets full-blown PTSD, or experiences it at all. PTSD is diagnosed only if the symptoms last more than a month. Some people recover within six months, while others have symptoms that last much longer. In some cases, the condition may be chronic.

Treatment

Only an estimated 25-50 percent of soldiers with PTSD seek treatment, for a variety of reasons, chief among them the fear that it will hurt their military careers. Untreated, people with PTSD are likely to have problems functioning at work and in relationships; are at high risk for depression and substance abuse; and could become suicidal. Effective treatments for PTSD are available, including medication and psychotherapy. Research is yielding new understanding of the disorder and improved treatments. For information on the latest developments in research on PTSD and other mental health disorders, visit www.narsad.org or call 800-829-8289.

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NARSAD Gala The House of Sweden Kyle Samperton and Abby Greenwalt

John Hollister, Jack Allen, John Backus, and Caren Braun1

Marilyn and George Pederson

Graciela and George Adeler, Greg Hall and Wendy Adeler Hall, and Val Adeler Armour and Jeff Armour

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Sen. Mike Enzi and Tom Rabaut

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life

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Mariko Ikehara and Jeffrey Cunard

Frank Wisner with Gwen and Stuart Holliday

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Richard Fairbanks with Samia and Huda Farouki

wl sponsored

Freer and Sackler Galleries’ Gala Smithsonian Institution Photos By Kyle Samperton

THE EVENT: The Freer and Sackler Galleries’ gala dinner featured an Indian theme, a chance to preview Mughal masterpieces on loan from the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin and plenty of opportunities to meet a real maharaja and his entourage amid tented garden splendors. THE SCENE: His Highness Gaj Singh II Maharajah of Marwar-Jodhpur didn’t mind being ogled by the intimate crowd of 150 guests at the $1,500-a-pop event – after all he was wearing a colorful turban on his head and (what else?) jodhpurs with no boots, in the Indian style. Patrons did finally hush down, however, when he gently admonished them for rudely chatting during his earlier introduction by Freer and Sackler director Julian Raby. THE GUESTS: Gala chairwoman Grace Bender, former Ambassador to India Frank G. Wisner II (whose wife, Christine de Ganay, is French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s stepmother), Ann and Bill Nitze, Aniko Gaal Schott, Calvin and Jane Cafritz and former Freer/Sackler director Milo Beach.

Amb. Brandon Grove and Jill Sackler

Grace Bender, His Highness Gaj Singh II, and Alexandra de Borchgrave

Christine Wisner and Graham Wisner with Rania Hand

Bill Nitze in a traditional headdress

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Leila Castellaneta, John Pyles, Giovanni Castellaneta, and Barbara Harrison

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Neeta Kumar and Amishi Saraiya

life

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party Frederica and George Valanos

Chip Akridge

Caroline Cunningham and Mary Bomar

Darcy Jones and Nathaniel Fogg

Ronit Ziswiler, Linda Sonnenreich, and Annette Polan wl sponsored

Trust for the National Mall Benefit The National Mall Photos by Tony Powell

THE EVENT: The inaugural luncheon to support the restoration of the Mall was a huge success, raising more the $600,000 for the newly formed public/private partnership, the Trust for the National Mall. More than 500 supporters braved the rain dressed in their springtime finery to have lunch in the shadow of the Washington Monument. THE SCENE: Uniformed Boy and Girl Scouts escorted guests into adjoining circus tents, where they were greeted by actors dressed as Martha Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Pierre L’Enfant. Boxed hedges cleverly prevented curious passers-by from the sight of guests imbibing “Arnold Palmer” martinis. Trust chairman and avid runner Chip Akridge recounted how he first noticed the sorry state of the Mall while on a jog, and National Parks Director Mary Bomar delivered a message of thanks and encouragement from First Lady Laura Bush, an outspoken supporter of the restoration project. THE GUESTS: Sen. Susan Collins, Swedish Amb. Jonas Hafstrom, Alma Gildenhorn, Abbie Stubbs Burke, Susan and Lanny Griffth, Leslie and Joe Fogg, Kindy French and Emanuel J. Friedman, Ellen and Kenneth Marks, Geryl and Frank Pearl, Mary and Jeffrey Zients, and George Chopivsky and fiancée Clara Brillembourg.

Lydia Logan, Mexican Amb. Arturo Sarukhan, and Sally Akridge

Rusty Powell Ruthie Leffall and Wilma Bernstein

Charlotte Buxton

Monica and John Thompson

Trish Vradenburg and Frank Raines

Rep. Jim Moran

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Pirooz Sarshar and Lacey Kirstein

Ben Azzam, Sam Azzam, Amy Holmes, and Ivan Bibi wl sponsored

Once Upon A Prom The Kennedy Center

Lauren Mason and Ashley Taylor Laura Evans

Photos by Jonah Koch

THE EVENT: Thirty restaurants including: The Source, Blue Duck Tavern, and The Hay Adams hosted small dinners for guests who then made their way to the Kennedy Center Restaurant Terrace for dessert and dancing. THE SCENE: Ideal weather pushed everyone outside to sip Veuve Clicquot, while the sounds of the band the Leg Warmers and deejay Manufactured Superstars kept people dancing. With the help of Michael Saylor, the committee raised over $100,000 for Once Upon A Prom, which collects and distributes prom dresses to girls who could not otherwise afford them. THE GUESTS: Michelle and Ande Grennan, Juleanna Glover, Mark Ein, Bill Coleman, Lisa Sun, Sarah Elder, Joanna Block, Sarah and Matthew Abbott, Patti Cumming, and Tripp Donnelly.

Courtney Caldwell, Michael Saylor, and Jaclyn Gower

Brad Rouliler, Arash Shirazi, and Shawn Sabo

Chris Rothstein, Rick Rickertsen, and Kathryn Minor

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Veronica Cajigas and Brian Stolz

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Tea-Off to Good Health The Jamaican women of Washington unite to prevent obesity BY Michelle fenty

drian and I were honored once again this year to serve as honorary co-chairs of the sixth annual Jamaican Women of Washington, Inc. (JWoW) Tea-Off to Good Health. JWoW is a charitable organization that raises funds to improve the health and wellbeing of underserved women and children in Jamaica and Washington, D.C. My family roots can be found in both the District and Jamaica, and as a board member of JWoW, I am grateful to have the opportunity to make a significant impact on important health and social issues in both regions. This year’s theme, “Obesity Prevention: Promoting Wellness and Healthy Lifestyles,” is a relevant one, because obesity has reached endemic proportions in the District and in many

other parts of the world, including Jamaica. Of particular concern to us is the impact the epidemic is having on women and children in both regions. Led by its founder, Dr. Jacqui Watson, president of Health Concepts International, JWoW has raised over $500,000 since its inception, and donated to several deserving organizations in Washington and Jamaica. My husband, Mayor Adrian Fenty, recognizes that obesity is a critical public health issue and his administration is working tirelessly to effectively address it on a number of levels. Adrian holds himself to high personal fitness standards and serves as an excellent role model for Washingtonians, but all of us need to become personally involved and take the necessary steps to live healthier lifestyles.

JWOW Founder Jacqui Watson and Michelle Fenty

Jamaican Women of Washington Tea-Off The Four Seasons Hotel Photos by Tony Powell

Lisa Mallory-Hodge and Irie Harris

Hayley Gordon-Pivato and Jan Fenty

Simone Williams and Karen Archer

Jamaican First Lady Lorna Golding, with Mayor Adrian Fenty

Andrea Edmonds and Karlene Wright

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Loveâ&#x20AC;? Cirque du Soleil performers at opening night (Photo Kyle Samperton)

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From the film “Chevolution”

The Nexus of Politics, Hollywood, Media, and Diplomacy | Silverdocs, Diplomatic farewells, and Summer reading Patricia Finneran*

John Hendricks and Bob Gazzale General Wesley Clark

From the film “Theater of War”

AFISilver Theatre

Béla Fleck and Malian N’goni player Cheick Hamala Diabate

Shin-Wen Kuo and Courtney Armour

Sheila Johnson and Jean Picker Firstenberg

George Stevens and Speaker Nancy Pelosi*

Spike Lee and Grace Guggenheim

A Silver Lining SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival shines a light on the region’s ongoing romance with non-fiction films

* PH OTOS BY TON Y POW EL L

f not him, who?” questioned AFI President & CEO Bob Gazzale during his introduction of Guggenheim Symposium honoree Spike Lee. The same could be said for the film festival itself: “If not Silverdocs, where?” Where else could midAtlantic residents view such a profound collection of non-fiction storytelling without having to fly to Utah’s Sundance Film Festival or halfway around the world to Venice, Berlin, or Cannes?

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a world-class opener Three weeks before the start of the festival, excitement was palpable at the press preview at the Old Ebbitt Grill. Festival director Patricia Finneran and programming director Sky Sitney outlined a formidable line-up that would include 108 films representing 63 countries selected from 1,861 submissions. On June 16 the festival kicked off with the U.S. premiere of the musical All Together Now, a

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documentary of the historic collaboration of the Cirque du Soleil, George Martin, Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, Olivia Harrison and Apple Corps on the Las Vegas show Love. The extravaganza’s artistic director, Dominique Champagne, filmmaker Adrian Wills, and Apple Corps CEO Jonathan Clyde were on hand to field questions after the screening. Guests wondered how difficult it was for Champagne to be the first person to collaborate with the Beatles

Patricia Finneran, John Ross, Melissa Leebart, Rosemary Reed, and Diana Ingraham

Jake and Hillary Perry

Brian Komar and Kimball Stroud Lisa Clark and Jessica Gibson

Lindsey Christian and Tannesha Gordon

Nazanine Atabaki wl sp o ns o r e d

Festival Kick-off Party Chi Cha Lounge

Jody Arlington, Franck Cordes and Cindy Miller

Photos by Kyle Samperton

on their music in 25 years in addition to handling festival to take place, but it can’t match the cost of keeping the festival centered.” the “Yoko factor.” Seeing George Martin get back global cachet of Washington. Should the in the studio to dig for unreleased material and festival expand to include screening venues in From All Things ’60s to Do the Right Thing watching this titanic creative collaboration unfold the capital is a question Silverdocs has been Robert Kennedy Remembered brought together a made for gripping viewing. grappling with since it began six years ago. powerful Pollywood crowd, and speakers included The music continued the second night of the The Newseum was tapped this year as a George Stevens, Jr., Janet Langhart Cohen, Rep. festival with Throw Down Your Heart, a film that screening venue for Charles Guggenheim’s classic Patrick Kennedy, RFK’s former press secretary followed banjo virtuoso Frank Mankiewicz, and Béla Fleck as he traced Grace Guggenheim, daughter “D.C. is one of the world’s most dynamic cities the roots of his beloved of the late filmmaker Charles for documentary filmmaking, so it’s not surprising to me that instrument to Mali, Guggenheim. The film – Gambia, Tanzania and made during the two month [three local] films rose to the top of our selection,” said Sitney. Uganda. Afterwards, period between Kennedy’s Fleck performed live assassination and the 1968 with Malian N’goni player Cheick Hamala 1968 bi-op Robert Kennedy Remembered. “It’s not Chicago Democratic convention, where it was Diabate, who was featured in the documentary. the first time we’ve screened in Washington,” screened, is a time capsule back to a period when The film received a standing ovation and won said Sitney. “Last year we had a program at the America was searching for its soul. the festival’s Music Documentary Award. National Archives. It’s quite important to be The year 1968 played a secondary, yet critical, Finding world-class quality films is not centered in Silver Spring; but we see these major role at SILVERDOCS 2008.The special festival SILVERDOCS’ only challenge. Silver Spring events in D.C. as a way to enhance the program sidebar 1968 & Beyond allowed film lovers and provides a nice, self-contained area for the here.We will continue to do that, but not at the baby boomers a chance to revisit RFK, as well as

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Murray Horwitz and Gene Jankowski

Bernard Bell, Mark Ein, and Mauricio Fraga-Rosenfeld

Vans Stevenson, Tom Pedas and Dan Glickman

Carrie Passmore, Alexa Verveer, Catherine Batavich and Jack Gerbes

Todd Flournoy and PJ McCann with Ed An wl sp o ns o r e d

MPAA SILVERDOCS Reception Motion Picture Association of America

Grace and Marion Guggenheim

Photos by Tony Powell

the ode to the end of the summer of love, Gimmie Shelter – featuring the now infamous footage of the Rolling Stones free concert at Altamonte Speedway. Book-ended with What’s Happening! The Beatles in the U.S.A., the Maysles seamlessly captured the twilight of an idealistic decade, and the beginning of a harsher, more realistic age. Other films in this series included Generation 68, In The Year of the Pig, and Law and Order. It was fitting that a Charles Guggenheim film closed the festival. Each year, Silverdocs honors a filmmaker of extraordinary achievement at the symposium named for the famous documentarian. Spike Lee was honored this year.The perennially relevant director’s docu-oeuvre includes the Academy Award-nominated 4 Little Girls (1997) – which screened at Silverdocs this year – The Original Kings of Comedy (2000); the biography of Jim Brown: All American (2002); We Wuz Robbed (2002), an unflinching 10-minute deconstruction of the 2000 presidential election; and his Peabody

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Award-winning HBO documentary When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2006), a 6-hour chronicle of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. The interviewer, Denver Post film critic Lisa Kennedy, had her work cut out for her during the Q&A with Lee. Like the subject matters his films uncover, Lee’s interview was challenging but rewarding. In the end, Kennedy, a New Orleans native, who commented in her opening remarks that Lee’s Levee opus Broke her Heart, held her own.

Bringing it Back Home and It’s a Wrap A number of local filmmakers helped carry the documentary torch this year for the capital region. Sheila Johnson’s film A Powerful Noise was an audience favorite. The entrepreneur, philanthropist, media pioneer and now filmmaker was the featured speaker at the 2008 International Documentary Conference, where she spoke

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Mario Rocha and Susan Koch

about the power of storytelling to inspire change locally and globally. Most people don’t think about spending their time in seminars and small breakout sessions when they attend film festivals, but for the scores of industry professionals who made the trek to Silver Spring, the conference series provides an invaluable forum for networking and the exchange of ideas. From Storytelling in an ‘Always-on’ World and Commissioning Trends & Broadcast Slots, to Distribution Essentials, conference producer Diana Ingraham put together a strong and practical program. Johnson is also one of the local producers of the documentary Kicking It, which, along with War Child, rounded out Washington’s trifecta of local festival entrants. All three films received less desirable afternoon and morning screening times but still drew enthusiastic audiences. “D.C. is one of the world’s most dynamic cities for documentary filmmaking, so it’s not surprising

pollywood | SILVERDOCS

2008 Silverdocs Award Winners Sterling U.S. Feature Award The Garden Rising up from the ashes of 1992’s devastating L.A. riots is a 14-acre oasis in one of the country’s most blighted neighborhoods. Now, as bulldozers are poised to level it, the farmers won’t give up without a fight. Sterling World Feature Award The English Surgeon British neurosurgeon Henry Marsh resides in South London, but he spends several weeks a year in Ukraine performing surgeries with the crudest of tools in a country where neurosurgery barely exists.

Kassim The Dream

The Garden

Music Documentary Award Thrown Down Your Heart American banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck travels to Africa to explore the little-known roots of the instrument and record an album. Fleck’s riveting journey takes him through Uganda,Tanzania, Gambia, and Mali. American Film Market/ SILVERDOCS Award Kassim The Dream Kassim Ouma was born in Uganda, kidnapped by the rebel army and trained to be a child soldier at age 6. After a decade of warfare, he defected and began a new life in the U.S., quickly becoming a world champion boxer. Cinematic Vision Award The Order Of Myths

The English Surgeon

Thrown Down Your Heart

WITNESS Award Pray The Devil Back To Hell Writers Guild of America Documentary Screenplay Award Forbidden Lie$

Pray The Devil Back To Hell

to me that [their local] films rose to the top of our selection,” Sitney said. “The bottom line is that we are looking for quality films regardless of where they come from. Having said that, it’s important to us to nurture and continue to build relationships with local filmmakers and producers.” The festival’s closing day featured three highly engaging projects, starting with Megumi Sasaki’s in depth look at Herb and Dorothy Vogel, perhaps the 21st century’s most important collectors of minimalist and conceptual art. Herb & Dorothy intimately follows the lives of this unlikely and unassuming postal worker and librarian duo, who over 30 years amassed a collection of nearly 5,000 works of art – 2,000 of which were donated to the National Gallery of Art. Sasaki and the Vogels were on hand after the film as part of a filmmaker Q&A. Theatre of War served as the festival’s official closing night film.The documentary intertwined the making of Tony Kushner’s adaptation of the classic Bertolt Brecht play Mother Courage and her Children with an historical overview on the famous German writer and poet’s life.Two deeply moving and personal narratives – one focusing on actress Meryl Streep’s process as an artist, and another on the world events that led Brecht to craft such a powerful meditation on war and those who hope to profit from it, made the film a heavy lift, but well worth it. Director John Walter was on hand afterwards for an audience Q&A. After Walter finished, Sundance Film Festival darling American Teen lightened the mood. Minor sound issues aside, the film did not disappoint the capacity crowd. Shot in the course of one school year, the film follows four high school teens through their senior years, revealing the emotional highs and lows of this pivotal year and reminding us all that some things don’t change. SILVERDOCS is constantly evolving, as more films are added to the line-up, and the non-film programming is expanded. Said Finneran, “This year’s festival was more consistently successful than ever before, with more sold-out screenings, and special events scheduled throughout the week, and yet the program was more diverse than ever. Another hallmark of the Festival is the neighborhood feel you can walk from every venue to the other and consistently run into other festival attendees, and with expanded parking and restaurants, as well as Metro accessibility, Silver Spring has become a real destination.”

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pollywood | SILVERDOCS

The Complexity of Spike Lee It wasn’t easy, but guests at the Charles Guggenheim Symposium got a courtside seat with one of the era’s most important documentary filmmakers B y J o e l S pa r ks

to watch selections from 4 Little Girls (1997), The Original Kings of Comedy (2000), Jim Brown: All American (2002), We Wuz Robbed (2002), and When the Levees Broke:A Requiem

the press isn’t really talking about is the mental state,” he added, citing “crazy” rates of suicide, self-medication, and other social ills. Even before Katrina and the current election cycle, Lee’s work has always focused on divisiveness in American society. 4 Little Girls described the victims of the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham.

“I had to show the effects of those 100 sticks of dynamite.”

t’s safe to say that filmmaker Spike Lee is looking forward to an Obama presidency. “It’s gonna be a new day,” he exclaimed to 400 movie fans at the American Film Institute’s Charles Guggenheim Symposium on June 19. “It’s gonna be a better day.” The Emmy-winning Lee was on hand to accept the 2008 Guggenheim Award for his documentary work.The award, previously given to Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Demme, and Barbara Kopple, is named for seminal documentarian Charles Guggenheim and was presented by his daughter Grace. “Spike Lee is truly a master storyteller,” AFI President Bob Gazzale commented. “He uncovers the deep truths and unhealed wounds of the American experience while celebrating our resilience and passion.” Lee joined attendees of SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival

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in Four Acts (2006). Afterward, Denver Post film critic Lisa Kennedy engaged Lee in a conversation about his work. Chilly at first, Lee came to life when talking about politics, music, sports, and the work of filmmaking. Kennedy asked about Obama becoming President. “There’s no if,” Lee insisted, “It changes everything. It puts us back at how the world thought of us at the end of World War II. Some folks need to get used to this. They’re still clinging.”When Kennedy wondered if having a black president might help America focus more on class differences instead of race, Lee reflected on his experience filming When the Levees Broke in New Orleans:“St. Bernard’s Parish got hit just as hard as the Ninth Ward, and that’s predominantly white. Bush didn’t care. If you’re white and you ain’t got money, you’re in the same boat.” When the Levees Broke, originally planned as a two hour piece for HBO, expanded to four hours on the air, and totals six hours in the DVD version. And it’s still not done. “I’m going to go back, not just to New Orleans but to other areas affected, because it’s not over,” Lee said. “What

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The movie, and the clip shown on the 19th, included some shocking images. “I had to pray on whether to include those post-mortem shots,” Lee admitted. But, he decided, “I had to show the effects of those 100 sticks of dynamite.” For the same film, he was surprised to secure an interview with former Alabama Governor George Wallace, who, Lee speculated, may have been trying to “make amends, because he knows he did dirt in this world.” Lee gave credit to his collaborators, especially researcher Judy Aley, cinematographer Ellen Kuras, and editors Barry Brown and Sam Pollard. Pollard is currently working on an Ed Norton documentary about the Obama campaign. Spike Lee documentaries in the works include a day in the life of Kobe Bryant and a piece on Michael Jordan’s last season with the Chicago Bulls. He also gave attendees a sneak peek at his next feature, Miracle at St. Anna based on the James McBride novel about the all-black 92nd Division stationed in Tuscany during WWII. Despite hardships and hard subjects, Lee declared, “It’s all fun. I’m doing what I love, so it’s fun.” He then joined filmgoers for a New Orleans-themed reception at the Discovery Channel headquarters.

pollywood | SILVERDOCS

Remembering a Time That Changed the World B y J an e t L angha r t C o h e n

ost people of my generation have their “Bobby Kennedy moment.” Mine came on April 4, 1968, the day that my mentor and friend, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated. I was in New York when I heard the news. I was seized with grief, rage and thoughts of retribution. What rescued me from despair was a newscast that showed Bobby in Indianapolis, Indiana, my hometown. He was standing on a platform in my old neighborhood, speaking to a crowd that had come to hear his message of hope. Instead, he announced that Dr. King had been assassinated. Bobby called for calm and restraint. He urged the people who had just lost their hero

not to engage in violence, not to seek revenge, but justice. He spoke as a man who knew much about pain, having lost a brother at the hands of another assassin. He invoked a poet’s words about “the pain that cannot forget and falls drop by drop upon the heart.” His words did not go unheard. While other cities exploded with riots, Indianapolis remained calm. Just two months later, Bobby would meet the same fate as his brother, John, and Dr. King and the “savage world that he wanted to tame and make gentle” would be set loose upon us once again. But the dreams of dreamers do not die. Assassins may kill the man, but not his message. Bobby, I still see you, still golden, still alive in my mind and heart, still urging us to reach for the

Local filmmakers make a splash War Child Local Connection: Director Karim Chrobog. Former Sudanese child soldier Emmanuel Jal is an international rap artist on the rise. Kicking It Local Connection: Director Susan Koch; cinematographer Neil Barrett; producer Ted Leonsis; executive producers Rick Allen, Mark Ein, Raul Fernandez, Jack Davies, Sheila Johnson, Nigel Morris, Russ Ramsey, and Soroush Shehabi. Follows teams from six nations as they prepare for and compete in the 2006 Homeless World Cup. A Powerful Noise Local Connection: Producer Sheila Johnson We follow extraordinary women through Kosovo, Vietnam and Mali, watching their extraordinary achievements as they go about the daily business of seeking justice in the world.

From “Robert Kennedy Remembered”

light and not give in to darkness, reminding us of all the might-have-beens that still might be. Bobby, I still hear you.

WL Favorites Chevolution A vibrant study of the image that has outlived the man: launched by a revolution, adopted by worldwide rebellion, and exploited by capitalism.

War Child

Kicking It

Herb & Dorothy He’s a postal clerk. She’s a librarian. Despite their modest means, the unassuming pair are the most important contemporary art collectors you’ve never heard of. Head Wind This fascinating film reveals a fast-growing subculture determined to gain access to Western media by any means necessary.

Chevolution

Head Wind

American Teen The documentary hit of this year’s Sundance Film Festival follows the lives of four teenagers in small-town Indiana as they traverse the highs and lows of their senior year in high school.

A Powerful Noise

American Teen

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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Howard Gilman Foundation Chairman Natalie Moody, Holly Page, and Beth Mendelson

Senator Bill Nelson and wife Grace with Rep. Steve Cohen

wl sp o ns o r e d

Robert Kennedy Remembered VIP Screening The Newseum Photos by Tony Powell

The Event: A powerful Pollywood love-fest brought together some of the

Janet Langhart Cohen and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top politicos as well as media top brass at the SILVERDOCS-sponsored screening of Charles Guggenheimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s classic documentary Robert Kennedy Remembered. The Scene: A pre-screening VIP reception gave guests a chance to reminisce about Bobby before hearing heartfelt words from Rep. Patrick Kennedy, Janet Langhart Cohen, and Grace Guggenheim. The Guests: Scott Dreyer, Stephen X. Graham, Martin Frost, Susan and Chris Koch, Rep. Jim Moran, Harold Ford, Jr. and Doug Wilson of the

Eric Holder and Tammy Haddad

Howard Gilman Foundation, which helped make the program possible.

William Cohen and Bruce Jacobs

Frank Mankiewicz

Nathan and Jill Daschle

Toya Giacomini, Aniko Gaal Schott and Jill Gore

Jo Cooper and Bob Barnett

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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Harry Thayer and Marion Guggenheim

pollywood | diplomatic dance

Peace and Politics Change is in the air By gail scott

a Nuclear Weapon-Free World? There was standing-room only at the newly refurbished Italian Residence to hear Senator Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) and Ploughshares board member and actor/producer Michael Douglas discuss the prospects of a nuclear weapon-free world. “I was hoping for a high level discussion, covering some of the big issues,” said the senior senator and author, “We need to get out of the

Italian Ambassador Giovanni Castelanetta, Lila Castelanetta, and actor Michael Douglas at Ploughshares’ event. (Photo by Gail Scott)

cheap political underbrush…If we squander this opportunity, we won’t have many more.” Douglas recounted his father, Kirk Douglas’ family background before they made it in Hollywood. “They were from near Chernobyl and today nothing is left,” he said, “I’m so excited to hear this serious discussion. It gives me hope.” During the Q & A period, one distinguished audience member stood up and told Hagel, “I nominate you for secretary of defense.” Hagel’s quick retort, “Only if Michael Douglas agrees to be secretary of state.” The crowd ate it up. Founded 25 years ago by San Francisco philanthropist and activist Sally Lilienthal, the Ploughshares Fund has given over $50 million

in grants, making it the largest American foundation focusing exclusively on peace and security issues. Supporters like to say that Ploughshares “enables the smartest people with the best ideas to build a more peaceful world.” new faces on embassy row The huge exodus of Washington diplomats this summer is not just for vacations; many won’t be here in the fall and that means a whole new playing field.The Russian and Japanese ambassadors have already left; the Egyptian, Slovenian and Spanish will be gone by summer’s end. Others packing their bags include the ambassadors of Bulgaria and Austria -- both of whom have asked for extensions so they can attend our political conventions before going home. “Your political conventions are important to witness first hand,” says Bulgaria’s departing emissary Elena Poptodorova, who observed this political tradition four years ago in Boston and New York. “America is the world power that is critical in all major international issues…and this time, there are expectations of change since there is no incumbent.” At least three new ambassadors are women: Renée Jones-Bos of the Netherlands, Mirjana Mladineo of Croatia and the most unusual, Huda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo of Bahrain, the island nation in the Persian Gulf. Now,Washington will have a second female Arab ambassador to join Omani Ambassador Hunaina Al Mughair, the first and until now the only female envoy to represent an Arab nation here. (Al Mughair, an economist, has been widely accepted and appreciated by her male colleagues who are impressed that she won a free-trade agreement with the U.S. ) Bahrain’s Nonoo will also be the first

Jewish person from the Arab world to become an ambassador. A lawmaker, business owner, secretary-general of the Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society, legislator in Bahraini Shura Council and mother of two, Nonoo brings great diversity and experience. With regard to her religion, she has told reporters, “First of all, I serve as a Bahraini.” The Jewish community in Bahrain dates back to ancient times and the country contains the only synagogue in the Persian Gulf, but it has been closed since 1948 after anti-Israeli riots. Today, there are between 30 and 50 Jewish citizens among a population of some half a million, compared to nearly 600 Jews before the state of Israel was established. According to an American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise report, Nonoo once said,“When my son had his Bar Mitzvah, I flew a rabbi over from London for it.” Readers wishing to get in touch with Gail Scott can email: columns@washingtonlife.com.

Do You Know

THE WORLD? If you think it’s hot and humid here, just consider: • • • •

Hottest Place in the World: El Azizia, Libya, where the highest recorded temperature was 136°F. Death Valley has only gone to 134°F. Wettest Place in the Summer: Bangladesh, where summer monsoons engulf one fifth of the country due to rains that start in May and continue until September: Best Skiing in the Summer: Bariloche, Argentina, between mid-June and October; or go further south and ski the slopes of high country Victoria in Australia. Best Surfing in the Summer: Uluwatu, Indonesia, the southernmost village on Bali. Its reef break makes surfing manageable for all levels.

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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2008

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POLLYWOOD | DIPLOMATIC DANCE

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THE EVENT: A colorful celebration of Russia’s national day and an unofficial going away party for Ambassador Yuri Ushakov and his wife Svetlana, who returned to Moscow in June after nearly a decade of service. THE GUESTS: French Amb. Pierre Vimont, Van Cliburn, Commerce Secretary Carlos Guttierez, Donald Rumsfeld, Tom Pickering, Susan Eisenhower, and Laotian Amb. Phianne Philakone.

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| summer

2008

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POLLYWOOD | DIPLOMATIC DANCE Rep. John Dingell and Sen. Ted Stevens

Lebanese Amb. Antoine Chedid

Eileen Zogby and Omani Amb. Hunaina Al-Mughairy

Samia Farouki and Grace Bender

Rita Braver and Mel Estrin

Farewell to Ambassador Fahmy The Source Photos by Tony Powell

THE EVENT: Samia and Huda Farouki hosted a dinner in honor of departing Egyptian Ambassador Nabil Fahmy and his wife Nermin, who will return home this summer after nine years and many contributions to the city. THE GUESTS: Albert and Shirley Small, Rep. Ed Markey and Susan Blumenthal, Diane and John Rehm, Martin Indyk, Lucky Roosevelt, and Shannon Fairbanks.

Mel Estrin, Rep. Jane Harman, and Egyptian Amb. Nabil Fahmy

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2008

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pollywood | media spotlight

Instigating the Argument Howard Fineman’s book underscores the importance of productive political debate By Howard Fineman

n the literal sense, I wrote The Thirteen American Arguments because Susan Mercandetti told me to. A friend for years, now a top editor at Random House, she called me in the spring of 2005 and declared that it was time for me to start writing books. I had plenty to do at Newsweek, on NBC and MSNBC, and on the web. In Susan’s view, that was all the more reason to write a book. People would want to read my “take.” A producer who had helped make Nightline a powerhouse, Susan would not accept “no” for an answer. So, I said “yes.” I had other reasons, of course. I like to look for patterns in history. As it happened, I’d been mulling for years a way of looking at my beat: politics. From my earliest years as a reporter in Kentucky, I had been hearing (and covering) the

same disputes over and over on taxes, environment, the nature of leadership, you name it. America, I came to see, is defined by the very act of argument and by the substance of a series of endless arguments. This is far from a bad thing – it is a unique, miraculous, and invaluable thing, however messy it may be. It keeps us free and moving forward. This isn’t some theoretical construct (at least I don’t think so), but rather the result of the years I’ve spent covering the country from Seattle to South Beach, and politics from Jimmy Carter to Barack Obama. Even so, I have to admit that my view is no doubt colored by my background. Arguments about politics, fueled by the Vietnam War and led by my late father, were a staple at my hometown dinner table in Pittsburgh. I was in college and graduate school in the late 1960s and early 1970s

– enough said about that! And I topped off my formal education by earning a law degree. So, I’ve been bred to cover the arguments, and the result is the book I wrote that Random House has published. In a way, it was a ludicrous enterprise: an attempt to cover and explain 400 years of American public life in 300 pages! In the process of writing it, I realized just how many obstacles impede productive debate – the kind we need to renew ourselves. I cringe when I look back on how little we (and I include myself) pressed the debate on how to proceed after 9/11. And yet I finished the book – in a sense, the world’s longest Newsweek cover story – with a deepened sense of wonder at the gift and the responsibility we have been given as a country. I don’t think there is any argument about that.

Howard Fineman’s book party David and Katherine Bradley’s Residence Photos by Betsy Spruill

THE SCENE: Man of the hour and MSNBC/Newsweek honcho Howard Fineman signed copies of his book, The Thirteen American Arguments, at the beautiful Embassy Row home of David and Katherine Bradley.

Amy Nathan, Howard Fineman, Nicholas Fineman, and Meredith Fineman

John Fox Sullivan, Amy Hartman, and Rome Hartman

Jonathan Martin and Hilary Rosen

Laura Handman and Jane Mayer

Dal LaMagna and Juleanna Glover

Grover and Samah Norquist

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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pollywood | media spotlight

Andrew Oros and Steve Clemens

Molly Raiser

Susanna and Jack Quinn

Beth Dozoretz and Rhoda Glickman

Arianna Huffington Book Party Dozoretz Residence by janet donovan Photos by Kyle Samperton

Arianna Huffington and Diana Negroponte

Full circle: When Arianna Huffington sold her palatial northwest home to Beth and Ron Dozoretz in the late ’90s, she probably didn’t expect to be ensconced in the upstairs guest room years later. The former right winger probably didn’t have much in common back then with mega Democratic fundraiser Beth, a longtime Clinton insider. By way of Arianna’s serial political incarnations, though, she landed in a place compatible with her host, well in time for her 12th book. In town promoting her latest tome, Right is Wrong: How the Lunatic Fringe Hijacked America, Shredded the Constitution, and Made Us All Less Safe, The Huffington Post cofounder and editor-in-chief ’s soirée was also jointly hosted by Hilary Rosen, Debbie Dingell, Rhoda Glickman and David Brock.The mostly Democratic guests praised the revival of her senses and hoped it was her final political destination.THE GUESTS: Ann and Lloyd Hand, David Corn, Wolf and Lynn Blitzer, Eleanor Clift, Judy Woodruff and Al Hunt, Donna and Mac McLarty, Lucky Roosevelt, George Stevens, Dan and Rhoda Glickman, Michael Feldman, and Walter and Cathy Isaacson.

James Alefantis, Izette Folger, and David Brock

Nico Pitney, Sam Stein, and Tom Edsall Jonathan and Vlatka Landy

Terry Neale and Jill Hudson

Rep. Jane Harman and Debbie Dingell

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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Laura and Mary Haft

pollywood | summer reads

A Mother’s Elegant

Deceptions senior editor kevin chaffee INTERVIEWS william s. patten

n 1996,William S. Patten helped to convince his mother, the accomplished historian and Georgetown grande dame Susan Mary Alsop, to seek help for her alcoholism at a substance abuse clinic. In the course of the family intervention she grudgingly revealed a family secret: his father was not Bill Patten, who had died when William was 12, but the noted British diplomat Duff Cooper. William Patten was 47 when he learned the truth of his parentage, but that was merely the beginning of what was to become a four-year quest to discover his identity. His journey, chronicled in “My Three Fathers And the Elegant Deceptions of My Mother Susan Mary Alsop” (Public Affairs Press), is a fascinating glimpse of the privileged but troubled world in which he grew up: English and American boarding schools, high level socializing among the crème de la crème of society on both sides of the Atlantic, and the legendary machinations of Joseph Alsop, the powerful syndicated columnist who became the third of his “fathers” just as the Kennedys were sweeping into the White House.

Susan Mary Alsop, circa 1960. This photograph was used on the cover of her 2004 funeral service program.

Washington Life: Why did you write such

a revelatory book? WillIAM Patten: It was an adventure and it was cathartic. I cleaned out a lot of old cobwebs and ghosts and identified pieces of a puzzle. It may sound absurd to say, but it helped me define my own sense of identity. WL: Did you exorcized the bad spirits from

your childhood? WP: I had a sense of being excess baggage as a kid growing up. My mother tried very hard to do the right thing but she was never really

comfortable with me. I always had a feeling that something was not right and that I could never measure up to whatever the unknown giant was that loomed in the background. When I discovered who this giant was, everything fell into place. Now I could understand why she felt a certain amount of shame about what she’d done and why I was a physical reminder of what was essentially a careless mistake. WL: You refer to your mother as a prisoner of

her mannered background and upbringing. WP: That’s right, but that was the defensive

part. … She also had an intellectual curiosity that came out when she left Joe and started writing her books. She had finally come out of the shadows, shed the men in her life and could stand on her own feet. WL: You didn’t know two of your “fathers”

very well at all. Bill Patten and Duff Cooper both died when you were a boy. And Joe Alsop was a bit of an enigma. WP: The most important of the three was Bill Patten, who had what I call “nonheroic courage” to smile throughout the

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pain of life, not to be well known or have WL: Did they have a mariage de convenance or and this was just the final confirmation. It was accomplished anything of great importance. was there more to it than that? why I asked her to do a DNA test – because she He accepted things with grace. The more I WP: The timing was not a coincidence. could have changed her mind six months later read his letters, the more I realized what an [John F.] Kennedy was coming into power and said “No, you weren’t related to Duff.” extraordinary qualities he had as a caring, and Joe wanted to solidify his position in his loving, compassionate human WL: She was also angry because being.The others were gentlemen you had insisted on putting her but he was gentle with people. through the horror of an alcoholic Joe Alsop was an extraordinarily intervention. very hard to do the right thing but she was tortured soul. I felt it during those WP: She never openly expressed her evenings when he sat by the fire anger so we never know how angry never really comfortable with me.” with his head in his hands asking she was. … She was aware of the me questions that he wasn’t fact that she was trapped by her own particularly interested in hearing feelings. my answers to. But he needed company. And administration. Having his own wife made it yet we never talked about his homosexuality easier to be a Kennedy family intimate. WL: You portray an age that doesn’t exist or any of the really important things in his life. WL: There was this major sexual code of anymore, especially the privileged few who There was an emptiness and loneliness there. silence in “Camelot.” were part of the Georgetown international He was hidden behind his defenses WP: They both had enough on each other. set in the ’60s and ’70s. Although you don’t mention them by name, you leave a pretty broad WL: You write that your mother initially felt WL: When you found out Duff Cooper was hint that you absolutely “loathed” your mother’s she could “cure” him of his homosexuality. your biological father you were shocked, but friends, David and Evangeline Bruce. WP: She thought she could change him … were you also angry that you seemed to be the WP: The fact that they had children at all was even though she wasn’t exactly a femme fatale last person to find out? the height of irresponsibility verging on the in the physical sense. WP: My mother lived in this world of deceit, criminal.

“My mother tried

Left: Duff Cooper and Susan Mary Alsop, Volpi Ball, Venice, 1951; Above: Bill Patten and Duff Cooper, Venice, September 1951.

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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pollywood | summer reads WL: Have you warm memories of anyone

else? WP: Some of mother’s friends were more down to earth: Polly Kraft, Sherry Geyelin, Oatsie Charles, Lorraine Cooper,Tish Alsop.

Joe Alsop in the Garden Room at 2720 Dumbarton Avenue N.W, 1960s.

WL: At one point you must have been

rather proud that such a distinguished man was your biological father even though you learned about it long after his death. WP: I was [proud] … I was able to find out what he was really like largely because of the amount of personal information about him in his diaries. WL: When you called Duff ’s son, your half

brother John Julius Norwich, he must have known why. WP: I don’t know him very well but he was very helpful and courteous. WL: He doesn’t have another brother, does he? WP: Not that we know of. [Laughs]. Duff ’s

sexual energy was quite enormous. He kept having affairs as long as he could. He admitted he wasn’t about to change. WL: It is amazing how much his wife, Lady

Diana Cooper, facilitated his affairs. What did your mother say about that? WP: She loved Diana almost as much, if not more, than Duff. When we were doing the intervention, my mother spent the first five minutes talking about Diana until her counselor had to break in and ask her to get to the point:“Oh, by the way, Duff is your father,” like he was just some addendum to the story. WL: Did you ever meet her? WP: She came to visit my mother in Paris

after Duff had died and I was called into the living room to see her. I remember her looking at me as if I were some repulsive little toad … Obviously I wasn’t exactly her favorite reminder of her husband’s affair with my mother. WL: Were you able to forgive your mother’s

“elegant deceptions”? WP: I forgave her before she died. Things fell into place at the end.

Quintessential Georgetowners: Joe and Susan Mary Alsop BY W I LLI A M S . PAT T E N

“M

y memories of the house where my mother and step-father lived at 2720 Dumbarton Avenue N.W. are mostly based on my role as a self-taught, partly invisible bartender mixing drinks in the corner of the living room for the Best and the Brightest, and always “one more VERY weak Scotch and soda” for Joe towards the end of the evening. At one of the birthday parties Kay Graham gave him I snuck in a rather lame toast describing myself as Pip the cabin boy in Moby Dick, one of the very few people on board the ship to whom Captain Ahab (Joe) showed any mercy. I was never quite sure at the time why Joe was always so gentle with my sister Anne and me while he could be so violent with the rest of the world, especially towards presidents, senators and members of the Cabinet. As Phil Graham warned my mother in a letter before she moved in with Joe, “He is the most impossibly possible man alive.” But having heard what a monster he could be, I noticed how once in his presence people were often surprised to be seduced by his humor and charm. But I think my book, which reflects his sensitivity and loneliness, helps explain that.

For adults he was obviously the kind of person it’s easier to write about than live with. It was almost like dealing with a temperamental baby you didn’t want to see cry because you sensed that if he started to it would never end. In fact I never saw him cry but others told me they saw him do so at Arlington Cemetery after long lunches with plenty of martinis. Next to this huge character, it might have been easy to underestimate my mother. Going over the hundreds of letters from her, many so far unpublished, and Duff Cooper’s private diaries (which he never wanted published), it became clear to me that in the long-run Joe never had a chance of dominating her. She could handle much more pain than he could and her self-effacement and exquisite manners were far more potent than his bombastic outbursts. The beauty of it is that they both had a second chance — having restored their partnership on more equal footing by living in separate houses for the last 15 years of Joe’s life, each respecting the literary accomplishments of the other and tottering around Georgetown on their favorite walks with my mother still driving Joe to their dinner parties.”

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pollywood | summer reads

reads

politics in prose

for the

Beach

perfect vacation escapes – even if you never leave home Fiction

after the fact

Thrilling revivals of the genre

famous authors’ final works

The Boat

Armageddon in Retrospect

Nam Le

Kurt Vonnegut Short-stories of breathtaking eclecticism from a first-time author. Among them are a thriller set in Iran; the tale of a 14-year old Colombian hit-man; and an aging New York painter’s relationship with his Carnegie-Hall-debuting daughter.

The posthumous early prose of a young soldier and budding literary icon, edited by his son Mark. The haunted images which would later appear in classics like Slaughterhouse Five took shape during Vonnegut Sr.’s time as a P.O.W. in Dresden.

Say You’re One of Them

Havanas in Camelot

Uwem Akpan

William Styron This well-crafted and chilling short story collection from a Nigerianborn Jesuit priest explores the fate of modern Africa. Entertainment Weekly calls it a “collection of five stories so ravishing and sad that [EW] regret[s] ever wasting superlatives on fiction that was merely very good.”

Life lessons after death from one of the late 20th century’s most respected American novelists. Includes wry takes on presidents (JFK, Mitterand), pets (an unpublished essay about Styron’s dog), and fellow writers (James Baldwin, Terry Southern).

Just the facts, ma’am – filtered through funny and clever mouthpieces Right is Wrong Arianna Huffington What effect has the right-wing faction had on America’s core political traditions and values? The establishment media and the Beltway leaders of the Dems get hit the hardest in this clever critique.

The Thirteen Arguments: Enduring Debates That Define and Inspire Our Country Howard Fineman The veteran Newsweek columnist taps into his decades of experience – he’s covered every presidential campaign and major candidate since 1983 – to examine some of the fundamental questions Americans have wrestled with since the country’s founding.

Machiavelli’s Shadow: The Rise and Fall of Karl Rove Paul Alexander Did you know that Dubya allegedly fired Rove in a church? Delicious bits of insider-information round out this political, psychological, and personal portrait of the man behind the president.

non-fiction MINDERS OF MAKE BELIEVE

THE LEGEND OF COLTON H. BRYANT

When You Are Engulfed in Flames

Leonard Marcus

Alexandra Fuller

David Sedaris

Research for The New Yorker introduced Fuller to the world of Wyoming oil field workers and provided an iconic cowboy-hero for the modern era.

Takes readers from the first children’s book to originate in the New World – The NewEngland Primer of 1689 – up to the Harry Potter phenomenon.

DINNER PARTY DISASTERS: TRUE STORIES OF CULINARY CATASTROPHE

Bonk

The Billionaire’s Vinegar

Mary Roach

David Wallace

Harry Abrams The authors saw their book’s thesis live in action at a recent dinner party when fists flew over the presidential election just as guests were finishing their entrées.

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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Sedaris claims his stories are drawn from life, even when they’re as wince-worthy as lancing boils or catching crabs from thrift-store pants. He returns with his sixth collection of clever compositions.

| washingtonlife.com

Life literally depends on the science of sex. Those who enjoyed Roach’s earlier effort, the macabre but spellbinding Stiff (an exploration of what happens to our bodies after death) should grab this one.

Did a 1787 bottle of Château Lafite (sold at auction for a record-setting $156,000) come from a bricked-up cache formerly belonging to Thomas Jefferson? Was it part of a Nazi stash? Or was it a fake? Wallace investigates the famous sale.

lifeStyles special luxury travel features | Resort Living, Irish Town & Country, Realm of the Raj, Cunard’s Queen Mary 2

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WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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2008

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lifestyles | boutique chic Amanda Polk (previous page) Occupation: Mother/philanthropist Style: Van Halen meets Prada Summer Plans: “Spending time with my daughter, Cheyenne, and my husband, Curtis, at our home in Park City, Utah” Travel Must: My BlackBerry Memorable travel moment: “My wedding in Lake Como, Italy” Fashion by David Meister from Saks Fifth Avenue (model’s own) Location: Hotel Monaco Alexandria Address: 480 King Street, Alexandria,Va., 703-549-6080. Opened: January 2008 Style: Decadently eclectic and whimsical. Room rates: Start at $179 for standard rooms. WL Tip: Mingle with guests and locals at the über-popular doggie happy hour, a cocktail party for animal lovers on the hotel’s terrace. Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-8 p.m. from April to October.

THE GloveR SISTERS (this page, clockwise from top) Juleanna Glover Occupation: Political and government affairs strategist Style: Functional, fitted, and below the knee Summer Plans: Rehoboth, Denver, and Minneapolis Travel Must: SPF 80 Memorable travel moment: Super Tuesday at the Arizona Biltmore the minute the networks called California for McCain.

Elizabeth Glover Occupation: Owner of Bikram Yoga Capitol Hill, and video producer for Wonkette, BlackBook Style: Gena Rowlands-meets-Missy Elliott-meets-Little Bo Peep Summer Plans: D.C.-New York, New York-D.C., rinse, repeat Travel Must: A chaperone Memorable travel moment: A flight from London to Dulles – bad turbulence without air bags

REBecca Glover Occupation: Management consultant Style: Stolen-from-sister chic Summer Plans: Mount Desert Island, Maine Travel Must: iPhone Memorable travel moment: New Year’s Eve 2007 on a boat filled with great friends in the British Virgin Islands.

Kristen Glover Occupation: Writer, teacher, and rider Style: Street market finds Summer Plans: I will be working, but I would love to volunteer at an elephant rehabilitation center – anywhere. Travel Must: Clean white shirt Memorable travel moment: Fishing in El Beni, Bolivia, and noticing that our little boat was filling with water… we were fishing for piranha. All fashion available at Urban Chic, 1626 Wisconsin Ave. NW, 202-338-5398. Styled by Lana Orloff. Location: Donovan House, a Thompson Hotel Address: 1155 14th St. NW, 202-7371200 Opened: March 2008 Style: Understated with clean lines and Euro sensibility. ROOM RATES: Standard rooms start at $250. WL TIP: If you want to enjoy the ever-so-chic rooftop pool and bar you have to be a guest, which is not such a bad thing, especially if you book the Donovan suite with its amazing view of Thomas Circle.

Lisa Sun Occupation: Consultant Style: Paris meets New York meets Washington, D.C. Summer Plans: Milan, Paris, Shanghai and Thailand Travel Must: Running shoes and a great iPod mix Memorable travel moment: I had the opportunity to travel down the Yangtze River before the Three Gorges dam was completed. I was on a small boat that traveled the entire length of the river over the course of two weeks. Jacket and dress by Gucci (modelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own). Make-up and hair direction by Carola Myers.

Location: The Liaison Capitol Hill, an Affinia Hotel Address: 415 New Jersey Avenue NW, 202-638-1616 Opened: April 2008 Style: Classic Hill meets boutique chic Room rates: Start at $379 for standard rooms WL Tip: Book a table at the hotelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new restaurant (opening in Fall 2008) with famed Oprah chef Art Smith. Make sure to get up to the rooftop bar for cocktails and unparalleled views of the U.S. Capitol. W A S H I N G T O N L I F E | s u m m e r 2 0 0 8 | washingtonlife.com 52

Nicholas Carlin-Voigt Occupation: Assistant soccer coach, George Mason University Style: Quiet resolve and a killer kick Summer Plans: Beach time at Narragansett, R.I., and the shores of Lake Michigan Travel Must: iPod Memorable travel moment: Snorkeling off the coast of Kho Phi Phi island in Thailand. Etro shirt ($149), Barker Black shoes ($525); both Saks Fifth Avenue Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Store, 5300 Wisconsin Ave. NW 202-3632059. Trousers ($79.95), United Colors of Benetton, 1666 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-232-1770.

Location: Hotel Palomar, Arlington Address: 1121 North 19th Street, Arlington,Va., 703-351-9170 Opened: November, 2007 Style: Urban chic with minimum luxury and a minimal look Room rates: Standard rooms start at $159-$339; suites $629-$1,900 WL Tip: Ask for one of the Waterview rooms with a telescope for panoramic views of the Potomac and Georgetown

John and Paul Thornley (from left) Occupation: Musicians in U.S. Royalty Style: John: Cary Grant meets Robert Redford on the set of Endless Summer; Paul: Whatever was in my grandfatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s closet Summer Plans: Playing shows in Washington, New York, and Florida Travel Must: Paul: Old English literature Memorable travel moment: John: Two-week family vacation when I was 13 to Big Sky Country; we did a lot of driving and cowboy re-enactments All fashion by G-Star RAW, 1666 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-333-9792.

Location: Ritz-Carlton, Georgetown Address: 3100 South St. NW, 202-912-4100 Opened: April 2003 Style: Minimalist urban chic meets classic modern Room rates: Start at $349 a night WL Tip: The ultra discreet rear entrance makes this a favorite spot for A-list celebs like Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, and Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner.

H E A D R O O M. L E G R O O M.

Visit downtown DC’s largest outdoor patio,

We’re centrally located on 6 Wilson Plaza, at the Ronald Reagan Building. Aria Fresca opens at 4pm, Monday through Friday, and we offer nightly drink specials and live entertainment at least once a week. Feel like lingering? Order something “delicioso” from Aria Trattoria and let your afternoon crescendo to an uptempo evening.

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NEW YORK CITY

ROOM. U N W I N D I N YO U R C O M FY SEAT

On the Plaza at 13th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue Restaurant parking in the Ronald Reagan Building

AROUND

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Schedules and fares subject to change without notice. Amtrak, Acela and Quiet Car are registered service marks of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation.

lifestyles | luxury travel

SECOND HOME HEAVEN

In the current real estate market, affluent homeowners find themselves searching for other options to full ownership of a vacation home – including equity clubs, fractional ownership and destination clubs. Which one is right for you?

Tucker’s Point, Bermuda Resort Type: Fractional and whole ownership residences Style: Breathtaking beauty and British charm Overview: Community properties (Ship’s Hill, Shell’s Point, The Residence Club at Tucker’s Point and Harbor Court) boast guest rooms and suites with balconies or terraces with stunning water views. Two-, three-, and four-bedroom residences overlook Harrington Sound, Castle Harbor, and the Atlantic Ocean. In April 2009, the Tucker’s Point Hotel & Spa will open providing members with even more amenities. WL Take: The island’s world-class beaches, top notch shopping, clean streets and high security – all with a British pedigree – lend major cachet to this enormous (by Bermudian standards) 200-acre property, which might explain why it is 85 percent sold out. There are 275 fractional owners on site, one-tenth of whom use their unit five times a year. Owners can make a reservation during the week and if its available, fly over for the weekend. Perks: 12,000-square-foot spa, plush lounges with outdoor daybeds, 2,600-square-foot fitness center, lawn for yoga, Pilates and tai chi, coffee shop, 6,361-yard par 70 newly re-designed golf course, Har-Tru clay tennis courts, beach club, water sport center and many dining options. Residence membership includes full membership to the Tucker’s Point Golf, Beach & Tennis Club, currently priced at $95,000 with annual dues of $6,300. Cost: Whole ownership condominiums run in the $2.5 to $5 million range; fractional condominiums (one-tenth share) start at $355,000 for two-bedrooms and $455,000 for three-bedrooms. Contact: 441-298-6915; www.tuckerspoint.com 56

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Exclusive Resorts Resort Type: Destination club Style: Über luxury leisure Overview: Spacious residences have an average value of more than $3 million and include 24/7 personalized onsite concierge service and privileged access to resort amenities. Hundreds of destinations all over the world with an additional 120 residences under construction. Members choose destinations based upon personal interests. Offers “once in a lifetime” experiences for families or the adventure bound, including biking through France’s Loire Valley, Mediterranean cruises, African safaris, Antarctic adventures, and South American skiing. WL Take: Destination clubs offer choices, and having priority will cost you: specifically a one-time fee of $75,000 for peak holidays and $49,000 for select holidays. Membership is based on the number of days you wish to use your home, which provides flexibility to cater your membership to your schedule. Perks: Pre-arrival groceries, personal chefs, cleaning services, kid’s toys, video games, white water rafting, fitness centers and spas, and extended family sharing that allows children, parents and siblings to enjoy club benefits. Cost: Based on days – smallest package (10-nights at $140,000, plus annual fee of $14,000) up to the largest package (60-nights at $480,000, plus annual fee of $60,000. Contact: 866-863-2688; www.exclusiveresorts.com

Bovey Castle in England where Exclusive Resorts members can stay in one of eight private stone lodges .

QUINTESS, THE LEADING RESIDENCES OF THE WORLD

The Quintess Amangani in Jackson Hole, Wyoming is the first destination in the United States to feature an Aman Resort. WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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Resort Type: Destination Club Style: Jaw-dropping, jet-set comfort Overview: With destinations such as Aspen, Cabo San Lucas, Florence, Hawaii, Jackson Hole, and Paris, Quintess, LRW might be one of the most international of destination clubs. with 51 designed residences at 27 destinations. Members pay a one-time deposit, which is completely refundable during the first year of membership. More than 30 of the properties are valued at more than $4 million each. With slightly over 450 members, the club provides one of the lowest member-to-home ratios in the industry at six-to-one. WL Take: Great for those with a travel bug or who like the freedom to choose from a wide variety of attractive destinations that include world capitals and top resorts. Perks: Schedule a father-son fishing trip in Los Cabos and a mother-daughter shopping weekend in New York at the very same time or two houses at the same destination. Quintess has also added a 70-footViking yacht to its offerings. Cost: Prices depend on number of weeks desired; smallest plan membership deposit (20 non-holiday nights) $210,000 plus $18,750 in annual dues; largest plan membership deposit (75 non-holiday nights) $690,000 plus $66,500 in dues. Contact: 800-550-0324; www.Quintess.com

lifestyles | luxury travel

The Residences at the Chateaux Resort type: Equity residence club Style: Deer Valley decadence Overview: Located within the all-season resort of Deer Valley, Utah, residents have access to first-class amenities, services, and activities, including: worldclass skiing, hiking, fishing, mountain biking and horseback riding. Each member receives a one-sixth, undivided, deeded interest in a residence, plus access to all amenities and services during their stay. Owners are guaranteed four weeks of planned vacations each year (14 days each in summer and winter.) WL Take: For $379,000, owners can walk from their back doors to ski at DeerValley – homeowners in Aspen are paying up to three times that amount to slog through daily resort traffic to get to the slopes. Are you a film buff? There is no better place to stay during Sundance Film Festival. Prefer sun to snow? Members can exchange via the ELITE Alliance with various “The Residence Club” properties, including Tucker’s Point in Bermuda (see previous page). The only downside is that you are in a condo, not an individual home. Perks: Ski valet, pre-arrival grocery service, concierge, Marc Raymond’s Tranquility Spa & Salon, award-winning Bistro Toujours restaurant on-site, private in-town shuttle service, and great staff. Cost: Three-bedroom residence $379,000; fourbedroom residence $469,000; four bedroom penthouses are sold out. Contact: 866-658-8555; www.chateauxesidences.com

The interior of a Penthouse suite at The Residences at the Chateaux in Deer Valley, Utah.

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Ultimate Escapes Resort Type: Destination club Style: Global luxe Overview: Forged recently from the merger of Ultimate Resort and Private Escapes, Ultimate Escapes (UE) offers the comforts of home with the service and amenities of a luxury hotel.Access by 1,300 members to 140 private multi-million dollar homes and 130 affiliated properties in 150 global destinations in a family of three luxury clubs: UE Premier Club (residence value $3 million), UE Signature Club ($2 million), and UE Elite Club ($1 million). Each club has five membership levels (bronze, silver, gold, platinum and corporate) with varying degrees of included days, Advanced, Holiday Advanced, and Space Available reservations, membership fees and annual dues. WL Take: Destination clubs like UE are for travelers who like to spend vacations in various locations. Each club provides generous availability by limiting occupancy to 65-70 percent. Entry level membership is $70,000, which gives members 14 days per year in the Premier Club with access to more than 25 extraordinary properties UE’s corporate packages allow frequent business travelers to remain in the lap of luxury. Perks: Members have their own local host at all destinations. Private homes have fully-equipped chef’s kitchens, wine cellars stocked with favorite vintages, spa-inspired bathrooms, flat panel TVs, WiFi, etc. Cost: Varies by club and level. For example: membership fee/annual dues/included days for Elite Club Platinum membership are ($350,000/$32,500/42); Signature Club Gold membership ($205,000/$18,500/28); and Premium Club Silver membership ($95,000/$9,500/21). Contact: 877-955-1900; www.ultimateescapes.com Ultimate Escapes’ dreamy Nevis property.

Epiphany clubs & resorts Resort Type: Equity residence club Style: Rocky Mountain A-List Overview: Rather than taking reservations, Epiphany has built a capacity management system limiting its members-toresidence ratio to 5:1, so that availability is assured even during peak seasons. Members can choose between two vacation destinations: the Club at Solaris in Vail Village (opening in 2010) and the Club at Tristant in Telluride. There is a guarantee of 10 weeks in the specific home of one’s choice. With less than 30 days notice, a residence can be reserved on a space-available basis.Telluride home values average $3 million; Vail homes average $7 million. WL Take: Epiphany CEO and President Tom Fulton says his “big epiphany” came from researching businesses such as Net Jets. “Why buy the whole plane,” he says, “when you can have a seat anytime you want?” Because the property-to-member ratio is so low, club officials predict high season demand and use built-in membership fees to rent equal quality homes for all of its members to deliver on their always available guarantee. The sticker price is higher than most, but for those who like being first in line, it’s worth it. Not a club for globetrotting adventurers. Perks: Access to top golf and tennis clubs in the area, luxury SUV’s, annual ski pass benefits, daily housekeeping, private ski, golf and personal storage and pre-arrival and vacation planning services. If members cannot use all their time they are able to either send someone else or trade the time for later use. Cost: Telluride $799,000 membership fee/$20,000 annual fee; Vail $1.9 million/$45,000 annual fee. Contact: 970-476-7885, www.ClubatSolaris.com

A membership fee of $799,000 will put you inside Epiphany Club & Resort’s Tristant property in Telluride.

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lifestyles | luxury travel

IRISH

Town & Country Six days, two historic properties, and countless ways to experience the best of Ireland from idyllic County Mayo to bustling Dublin B Y M I C H AEL M . C LE M E N T S

Ireland is green, but not in the cliché lucky four leaf clover way. Literally, it’s green – everywhere: the trees, the rolling hills, the countryside. The scene is particularly emerald driving northwest from Ireland’s Atlantic Coast gateway, Shannon International Airport, through Galway into County Mayo. Known for its wide-open spaces and dramatic cliffs that extend finger like into the brooding Irish Sea, County Mayo is the ideal location to experience country luxury at its finest, starting with the magnificent Ashford Castle on the shores of Lough Corrib, which cuts like a jigsaw through the heart of the pastoral landscape.

Left: The Connaught Room offers an intimate culinary experience highlighted by chef Stefan Matz’s French cuisine served in innovative seasonal five- and seven-course tasting menus. Right: The Oak room near Ashford’s entrance is part of the castle’s original 13th century structure. The warm oak wood panelling is typical of the design motif which runs throughout the castle hotel.

n the northeast shore of Ireland’s second largest lake, Lough Cor r ib, stands Ashford Castle, the ultimate in Ir ish country opulence. Presiding formidably at the peninsula where the lazy River Cong meets Lough Corrib, and hidden deep within over 350 acres of wooded parkland, this 13th century castle hotel is a monument to a fascinating history of a bygone age. Once the estate of the Guinness brewing clan, the property opened its doors as an exclusive hotel in 1939 and is currently a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. Staying at Ashford Castle means stepping back in time without losing the finest that modern comfort has to offer. Castle hotels might conjure up medieval images of stone halls, wooden banquet tables, and suits of amour, but nothing could be farther from the truth here (although, a few suits of armor can be found quietly standing guard in selected corners.) And while the weathered exterior remains a foreboding vestige of 700 years of Irish sun, wind, and rain, inside, warm dark panelling adorned with intricate carvings, cavernous but cozy fireplaces, fine tapestries, and plush carpets provide a welcoming bed and breakfast atmosphere.

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Its impressive list of guests includes: politicos Tony Blair, Mary Robinson, President Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Sen. Ted Kennedy, and George V of England; Hollywood A-Listers Brad Pitt, Barbara Streisand, Jack Nicholson, Pierce Brosnan (who held his wedding here in 2001), John Travolta, Omar Sharif, and Bob Hope; and musicians U2, Rod Stewart, Johnny Cash, and Liam and Noel Gallagher. The property has received numerous awards including Travel + Leisure’s “Top 100 Hotels of the World,” 2006; Condé Nast Traveler’s Gold Lit, “Best Places to Stay,” 2006, 2005, 2003; and Wine Spectator’s “Award of Excellence,” 2001-2005.

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ROOMS and AMENITIES Ashford Castle has been expanded numerous times throughout the years. Its current form houses 83 guest rooms, including six state rooms and five suites. Each is individually designed and includes such touches as marble fittings in Italiandesigned bathrooms, antique furniture, interactive TV, high-speed Internet access, and a decanter of sherry or an Irish liqueur to help warm up on chilly nights.We recommend the state rooms located in the sections of the castle dating back to the 13th and 17th centuries. State room prices vary depending on the season ($954/night Jan. 1 to March 21 and Nov. 1 to Dec. 22; and $1,278/ night from mid May to end of September.)

Falconry, the sport of kings, has been around since 6,000 B.C. At Ashford Castle, guests have the opportunity to see a variety of species up-close – such as the even-tempered and sociable Harris Hawk – at Ireland’s School of Falconry, which offers a 45-minute introductory course (US$95) and a 90-minute Hawk Walk (US$140). The walks take you and your fine-feathered companion through some of the ground’s lush forests. Your falcon flies off into the woods and patiently waits perched on a tree branch. Your guide will then place a small piece of raw meat on your thick falconer’s glove. The raptor swoops down, maneuvering with grace and precision through the gauntlet of branches, and quickly nabs the meat from your out-stretched arm. It’s exhilarating – and somewhat frightening – but it’s something you won’t soon forget.

lifestyles | luxury travel RESTAURANTS and BARS Award winning executive chef Stefan Matz overseas all of Ashford’s restaurants. His “modern- Irish-meets-internationalcuisine” emphasizes locally grown ingredients. “The Atlantic Ocean, the lake and surrounding farmland provide fresh fish and the best Connemara lamb and succulent Irish beef anywhere,” says Matz, who worked at Michelin-starred restaurants for 17 years before helming the castle’s kitchens. The George V Dining Room is Ashford’s main dining room and provides an elegant table d’hôte culinary experience that encompasses seasonal menus and classic cuisine. Signature dishes include Connemara lamb, fillet of turbot on black seafood pudding, and lobster-baked monkfish on a light bisque sauce. Dinner in The Connaught Room, arguably the most spectacular space in the castle, is more intimate yet equally as gourmet as in the George V. Here, guests can enjoy Matz’s French cuisine served in innovative seasonal five- and seven-course tasting menus and paired with wines specifically chosen by sommelier Robert Bowe. The restaurant is open for dinner from May through September only. While “gents” are requested to wear suit and tie in both the George V and the Connaught rooms, Cullen’s at the Cottage, just a short stroll across the river provides a more casual gastronomic experience. And what would castle living be without a spot of tea? The Drawing Room, overlooking Lough Corrib, is the perfect place to imbibe in Lord and Lady Ardilaun’s afternoon tea. There are several options for cocktails on the property (this is Ireland after all) at both the Prince of Wales cocktail bar and The Dungeon Bar.The medieval ambiance of the latter is great, but the watered down entertainment is, appropriately enough, torturous. If you’re looking for a nightcap and some fun, it’s best to stroll into the nearby village of Cong to enjoy a pint and croon with the locals at a pub.

WHEN IRISH EYES AREN’T SLEEPING clubbing The Ashford Castle Golf Course is a nine hole, 2,996 yard parkland course set between Lough Corrib and Ashford’s mixed woodland grounds. Numerous other courses are close by, making the castle a perfect homebase for avid golfers. CruisING Nicknamed “St. Patrick Island,” Inchagoill Island is where you can find Europe’s second oldest Christian inscription written in 470AD by St. Patrick himself. GallopING With one of the most advanced equestrian centers in all of Ireland, Ashford’s facility includes a sand floored arena, changing rooms, show jumping rings, and a crosscountry course. By appointment only. FISHING Lough Corrib is one of the most famous fisheries in Ireland thanks to its trophy wild brown trout and local salmon stocks.The season runs from February until July but the best time is during the Mayfly hatch in May and June.Ask for Orvis-endorsed fishing guide Frank Costello to find the best spots. SHOOTING In line with the hunt and hound culture, guests can choose clay shooting or archery. STROLLING Walk the grounds of the Walled Gardens of Lady Ardilaun and the famed Guinness Tower, former viewing point for famous lovers Lord and Lady Ardilaun. SPA-ING Ashford’s pampering options are performed usingYon Ka products, which “offer visible results after each skin treatment.”

the Town & Country getaway The Leading Hotels of the World offers three different customized six-night trips that include accommodations and activities at Ashford Castle and The Merrion Dublin. The Silver Experience (US$2,450 per person), The Gold Experience (US$3,364 per person), and The Platinum Experience (US$7,825), which features helicopter ferry service and three spa treatments per property. 1-800-223-6800.

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The Merrion Dublin

ou’ve had enough of the country. It’s time for some hustle and bustle, but you want to maintain the luxury you experienced at Ashford Castle. Occupying four masterfully refurbished Georgian brick townhouses and centrally located opposite “Government Buildings” – the home of the Irish Parliament – The Merrion is Dublin’s most luxurious five-star accommodation. You’ll ease right into city life as you become acquainted with the property’s 200 years of history, stroll the city’s most exclusive neighborhood and view the hotel’s collection of contemporary Irish art – one of the nation’s most important.

RESTAURANTS and BARS Ireland’s most award-winning restaurant, Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, boasts views overlooking the garden and combines French style and all regional ingredients with Irish charm. The duck was exquisite and the recommended wine pairings were lovely. The Cellar Room features local favorites such as the Irish beef and locally harvested salmon. Seafood chowder and Irish stew are ubiquitous in Dublin, so save these dishes for jaunts around town. The Terrace is perfect for tea or brunch on sunny days, while fireplaces in The Drawing Rooms will keep you cozy on rainy afternoons. The Cellar Bar is in a stone basement where “fine dining in a dungeon atmosphere” could be a marketing slogan. Bar No. 23 offers cocktails and nightcaps for sophisticated Dubliners.

ROOMS and AMENITIES The 120 rooms and 20 suites are in line with five-star standards.Ask for suites in the Garden Wing with a view of one of the two 18th century-inspired gardens. The decor is simple and underscores the Georgian elegance of these former townhouses. Classic marble baths are appointed with locally commissioned Garden of Ireland amenities. Guests can look forward to a Bose sound system, an Irish music CD, complimentary shoe polish service, a travel eye mask in refrigerator,Villeroy & Boch china, and an umbrella by the door for the unpredictable Irish weather.A Garden Wing deluxe room for double occupancy runs US $772 per night. A night in The Merrion suite will set you back US $1,850.

THE GUESTS A well-tailored politico and business set by week. Upscale international visitors by weekend. In the evenings, the restaurants and bars draw Dublin’s most sophisticated patrons.The summer sees an influx of North American visitors.

DUBLIN in a day (or two) within walking distance: St. Stephens Green, National Gallery of Ireland, National History Museum, Trinity College, and the Gaiety Theater – located in one of the main shopping districts of Grafton Street/Stephen’s Green on the Southside center.

SERVICE From the moment the top-hatted doorman greets you by name, you know you will be well taken care of. But a number of very experienced staff are mixed with young hires, who have the Dublin all-is-well personal communications down pat, but sometimes miss the small details (half empty glasses of our complimentary Bailey’s Irish Crème sat on the coffee table for almost three days before I requested they be taken away.)

HEALTH and BEAUTY The Tethra spa on property is an E’SPA branded facility with a full range of massage, facial and full-day treatments – over 30 in total. The 75minute Swedish massage with aromatherapy (US

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$187) is a cure-all for days of walking the city and over-imbibing Guinness and soda bread (the de facto national dish). The indoor pool is a nice touch although it gets overrun with families between 4 to 7 p.m. on the weekends.

CAN’T MISS: Trinity College and Dublin Castle. If hen and stag nights and boisterous pubs unleashing well-oiled clientele into the night are your thing, then you’ll enjoy The Temple bar area. During the day, it’s tamer and reminds one of strolling New York’s Lower East Side. Above, top to bottom: The entrance to The Merrion resembles other townhouses lining exclusive Upper Merrion Street; the entrance-hall is adorned with art from the hotel’s world-class collection of contemporary Irish painters; and Bar No. 23, is an upscale location for late night rendezvous and cocktails.

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OVERRATED: The Guinness Brewery tour, a.k.a., “if Disney did beer.” Experience the joy that is Guinness the way it was intended – go to a pub and drink it while watching rugby and listening to Dublin’s local musicians.

lifestyles | luxury travel

Majesty At Sea A Connoisseurâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Guide to the Queen Mary 2 By Kevin Chaffee

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s an inveterate ocean liner buff who fell instantly in love with the three transatlantic leviathans I have boarded (the old Queen Mary, S.S. France and Queen Elizabeth 2), I eagerly anticipated a summer crossing from Southampton to New York on the new Queen Mary 2, touted as the largest (1,132 feet, 148,500 tons), most expensive ($780 million) and most luxurious ship ever built. I admit to a few reservations after friends who had already sailed in her described the pride of the Cunard Line as “too big,” “decorated like a Marriott,” or not having a glitzy enought passenger list. Yes, QM2 is enormous, and while that meant I wasn’t gently rocked to sleep by the incessant hum of the engines as we plowed through the Atlantic, it also ensured that most landlubbers aboard slept through a powerful maelstrom with Gale Force 11 winds and 33-foot swells. If “too big” translates to extra safety and comfort, to say nothing of an onboard planetarium, a library that a mid-sized town would be proud of, and numerous extra dining options, so be it. In beauty terms, there can be no question that the ship is as sumptuously decorated as it is luxurious. Many of the public rooms (the Art Deco Britannia Restaurant, the Royal Court Theatre) breathtakingly recall the 1930s heyday of the Normandie, Rex and other famed superliners. Staterooms and suites occupied by those booking passage, as I did, in the ship’s top level Queens or Princess Grill accommodations (the equivalent of “first class,” although no one calls it that), range from 381 to 2,249 square feet and boast every plush amenity imaginable: private verandahs, butler service, Frette linens, and the like. As for one’s shipmates, let me point out that those expecting to rub elbows with movie stars, financial titans or glamorous contessas in the grand salon will be disappointed. (News flash: these folks travel by private jet.) QM2’s passengers are overwhelmingly British or American and run the gamut from golden Beverly Hills families in the penthouses and honeymooners in the hot tubs to elderly couples who have saved for a lifetime to take passage in the lowest-price cabin. It is a mostly low-key, conservative crowd. If you like wet-T-shirt contests and wild, all-night carousing, Queen Mary 2 is not for you.

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Think of her as a top notch resort at sea, get spa treatments, dine superbly, enjoy numerous onboard activities, see a show, gamble in the casino, and maybe even connect in a meaningful way with family members and friends.You’ll have plenty of time for all of the above, and it sure beats dealing with airports, airlines and jet lag. “Getting there,” as the Cunard Line’s ad once put it, can still be “half the fun.” Here are a few very personal recommendations to help you enjoy the voyage: PACKING TIPS: Formal wear is de rigueur for three of the six nights of the crossing, so take an extra suitcase for dinner jackets, evening gowns and cocktail frocks (only a few ladies wear long dresses or major jewels). One night is informal, i.e., jacket and tie for men and dress or suit for women.Attire on the two “elegant casual” nights (especially in the Grills), tends toward skirt or slacks with sweater or blouse for women, and jacket sans tie for men. If you like jogging or promenading on deck in cold or rainy weather (generally the caseven in summer), you’ll want a waterproof jacket, cap and

sturdy sneakers or deck shoes. FAVORITE PUBLIC ROOM: No need to pack heavy books when 8 Deck’s extraordinary library, the largest and most beautiful at sea, boasts more than 8,000 volumes ranging from Tolstoy to Jackie Collins. Make sure to visit the adjacent bookshop, especially if you’re a nautical freak. BEST SPOT ON DECK: Avoid the crowds clustering near the retractable dome pool on 13 Deck where the teak deck chairs get claimed early and are rarely relinquished. For quiet reading or dozing with an incomparable view of the ship’s massive wake, stretch out with pillows and a steamer rug on the Queen’s Grill Terrace, restricted to Grill passengers, at the stern end of 9 Deck. AFTERNOON (definitely not “high”) TEA: Take it once in the grand Queens Room while the ship’s orchestra plays Elgar and show tunes; then repair to the (also restricted) Queen’s Grill Lounge where white-gloved attendants provide quicker, quieter, more sumptuous servings.

A Princess Grill category stateroom with private balcony, sitting area, walk-in closet and bath with shower and tub.,

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lifestyles | luxury travel BEST BAR: For pre-dinner cocktails, definitely the Queen’s Grill Lounge. The Commodore Club, overlooking the sleek bow on 9 Deck, is a great spot for postprandial champagne and chatting up fellow passenger while listening to the smooth sounds of a jazz pianist. (Make sure to notice the detailed scale model of QM2 behind the bar.) Cognac and Cohiba aficionados won’t want to miss the Churchill Cigar Lounge right next door.

Top to bottom: Passengers promenade on one of Queen Mary 2’s open decks; the superbly stocked library; the Canyon Ranch at Sea’s thermal pool.

Queen Mary 2 sails transatlantic between April and November. Prices in the Queens and Princess Grills levels range from $3.695 to $24,645 depending on the season. Britannia Restaurant category fares range from $1,195 for the smallest inside cabin to $3,180. All fares are per person based on double occupancy. Cunard Line 800-7CUNARD; www.cunard.com

DINING: Both grills offer single-seating dining in more intimate settings than the lavishly appointed two-story Britannia Restaurant (which recalls first class dining salons on the 1930s liners Normandie and Queen Mary). Although the unlimited rations of caviar are no more, Grill passengers still enjoy classic haute cuisine (vichyssoise, escargot, châteaubriand, canard à l’orange, lobster thermidor), plus diet conscious fare (salads, grilled fish, vegetable medleys) and dishes appealing to more progressive palates (lamb chops with pomegranate molasses and red snapper in kumquat vinaigrette come to mind).Another grill class plus is the ability to order “off menu” as much as one likes (which I did at almost every meal).The chefs strive to prepare whatever one’s heart desires and all of my challenges were met, including a Madeiraand-foie-gras-drenched Chicken Souveroff, Clare Boothe Luce’s beloved Cumberland House orange pancakes and a flaming bombe Vesuvius that was the envy of every surrounding table in the Princess Grill. Room service is also commendable, with an extensive menu, much of it available 24 hours. Even so, I never missed the huge grill breakfasts where I was miraculously served exquisitely fresh raspberries even on the fifth day out! The acclaimed extra-tariff Todd English Restaurant is worth a visit although I wasn’t overly impressed with the food or service. DAYTIME DIVERSIONS: Skip the scarf-tying lessons, bingo and bridge for the financial seminars, computer and digital photography classes or art and history lectures from Oxford dons.Actors from The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) did a great job with “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and two Alan Ayckbourn one-acts on my voyage. Highly recommended: all three films about the universe in the massive Illuminations planetarium (Note: tickets go quickly).

A few things I missed • Mid-morning bouillon or “elevenses” on deck; • Reserved deck chairs; • Glass-enclosed promenade decks; • Cabin stewards who iron a garment immediately rather than referring you to the self-service laundry; • Special invitations to cocktail parties hosted by the captain or purser in their private quarters.VIPs and “repeaters” (longtime clients of the line) dine with top officers in the Britannia Restaurant at least once during the voyage; • Shooting skeet – too scary in these times of heightened security. Shuffleboard, anyone?; • The ship’s pool. Global positioning devices have put an end to wagering a bundle on each day’s mileage. • The gala masquerade ball. Passengers are no longer interested – or imaginative enough – to create costumes for prizes. SPA … AAAH: The top-rated Canyon Ranch at Sea offers state-of-the art massage, body and skin care treatments (aromatherapy, ayurvedic, acupressure, mud, seaweed, etc.), an aquatherapy pool, deluge waterfall, steam rooms and saunas, plus a full gymnasium and weight room. Chill out in the private rest area and have fun watching passengers promenading past on the other side of the shaded windows. (Note: spa services book up quickly. Reserve prior to sailing or do so immediately upon boarding.) EVENING ACTIVITIES: Usually the first to shun live shipboard extravaganzas, I must admit that the attractive troupe of chorus girls and boys from many lands sang and strutted their stuff with great panache in the Royal Court Theatre’s somewhat over-amped extravaganzas. Older Cole Porter lovers will love the fully orchestrated cheek-to-cheek action in the Queen’s Room. The younger (i.e., anyone under 50) set is known to stomp until the wee hours to rather tame disco action in the G32 nightclub.

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lifestyles | luxury travel

IN THE

REALM OF THE RAJ The Maharaja of Jodhpur hosts friends of the Freer Sackler in Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s magical state of Rajasthan By Ann Nitze

The gardens at the Rambagh Palace Hotel in the capital city of Rajasthan, Jaipur. The hotel served as the home of the royal family of Jaipur until 1957.

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lifestyles | luxury travel

The Mehrangarh Fort rises above the blue city of Jodphur in the state of Rajasthan, India. Founded in 1459, its seven palaces have comprised the seat of the principality of Jodphur for more than 500 years.

t the invitation of His Highness, Gaj Singh II, maharaja of Marwar-Jodphur, my sister Jane Richards and I had the pleasure of joining a merry group of Friends of the Freer and Sackler Galleries for a unique trip to India led by museum director Julian Raby. Our visit to Jodphur was of special interest, as the Sackler is exhibiting the Maharaja’s family’s collection in Washington in October. Immediately upon arrival in Delhi, we hurried over to the Imperial Hotel for Sunday lunch with Washington’s favorite India connoisseur Helen Philon and her husband, former Greek Ambassador Alexander Philon and their friends, including Carol and Landon Butler.The Philons were fêted by noted hostess Mani Mann later that evening, where I met the dashing Prince Richard Holkar, who invited us to the annual music festival in his princely state of of Indore. We all enjoyed our stay at the Taj Hotel in Delhi, a historic spot nestled in the garden district. After a day of learning about Mughal architecture, we joined India raconteurs William and Olivia Dalrymple for dinner. Another day

Jane and I explored Delhi’s contemporary galleries and were amazed, not only by the quality of work, but the great energy of the contemporary art scene. The next day we flew to the blue desert citadel of Jodphur in northwestern Rajasthan. I adored the monumental Umaid Bhavan palace, which was built between 1929 and 1943 to provide jobs for 3,000 artisans during a severe drought. The palace is a magnificent example of Indo-Saracenic architecture, and simultaneously functions as a royal residence, hotel, and museum.After a lunch on the terrace we made our way to Mehrangarh Fort, one of the most impressive fort museums in India, and toured with the chief curator, Prince Karni Singh Jasol.The rooms were filled with treasures, ranging from jewels and swords to elephant chairs (called howdahs) and Mughal miniatures. I particularly remember a room of gold, bejeweled cradles and children’s seats with gold embroidered cushions. The mughal rulers certainly knew how to impress their rival princes! On our first evening in Jodphur, the Maharaja organized a musical performance

in the marble pleasure pavilion in his garden, followed by dinner and fireworks. I was delighted to see former U.S. Ambassador to France Howard Leach and his wife Gretchen from San Francisco, who were also at the palace. The next night’s entertainment was composed of spectacles unlike anything I have ever seen. Elaborately dressed trumpeters, standard bearers, and mounted horse guards heralded the arrival of our host, Gaj Singh II, the maharaja of Jodhpur and his family, who pulled up in two Bentleys. The family greeted all 150 guests and led the group in an hour-long cocktail procession up the candle-lit ramparts to dinner in the former harem quarters. At each turn we were greeted by snake charmers, dancers, musicians, fire throwers, and decorated attendants. Once we had arrived at dinner we were joined by former Freer and Sackler director Milo Beach and his wife Robin, as well as YoYo and Jill Ma. Even after these extravagant displays, I have to admit that the true highlight of my trip was a stop at the annual camel fair, en route to Nagaur. Camels have never been of that much interest to

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me before, but these particular animals changed my mind.There were hundreds of them, magnificently dressed and groomed, buffed up for the occasion and on their best behavior. From the camel fair, it was on to Nagaur Fort, which has recently been restored by the World Monuments Fund and the Getty Foundation. Our stay at the royal tent encampment within the fort might best be described as “luxury camping,” and I ran into my friend Paula Cassi from Paris in a nearby tent, keeping warm in her sable coat.The tents were very much in the British Raj tradition, but with such amenities as electric heaters and fans and private bathrooms. Turbaned attendants brought tea, drinks and “hot water for bathing in traditional style” in buckets left outside. That night we left our tent oasis to attend a concert with amazing Sufi music, part of a festival sponsored by Lady Helen Hamlyn of London. Jane and I left the next day for our own tour of Udaipur and beyond. We stayed at the Taj Lake Palace Hotel, which is owned by His Highness Arvind Singh Mewar, who is the only person in India with the special title of Maharana. Over cocktails with him and his delightful daughter Princess Padmaja Jumari Mewari at their Shir Niwas palace we discussed the upcoming U.S. elections. On to the pink city of Jaipur, where we had lunch at the magnificent Rambagh Palace Hotel, where the bar is decorated with trophies and souvenirs of the prince, who is one of the world’s great polo players. After an elephant ride up to the Amber Palace, we did a little shopping at Marie Helene de Taillac’s shop, “Hot Pink,” before venturing on to the Amanbagh Resort in Alwar, previously the hunting ground for the maharaja of Alwar. After the fast pace of the past week, we relaxed for a few days at the Mughal Palace/spa situated along a river a scenic valley, where we took daily hikes, practiced yoga, and received an assortment of creature comforts along with sensational meals. The former warden of the nearby Sariska Game Preserve took us out for an afternoon safari, after which we drove to the World Heritage site of Bargarh. Once a bustling medieval city, the citizens of Bargarh completely abandoned it one day in the 16th century, due to rumors of fatal black magic.

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Clockwise from top: The royal tent encampment within the desert Fort of Naguar; The Polo Bar at the Rambagh Palace Hotel is decorated with memorabilia and trophies won by the late Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II of Jaipur; Author Ann Nitze, the Maharani of Jodphur, and Paula Cassi.

I am currently planning my next trip to India with Jane, and hoping to catch a glimpse of more well-dressed camels, along with tigers in Rathambore National Park near the Amani-Khas Resort. In the meantime, The Freer and Sackler galleries continue their India celebration with an exhibition of Mughal miniatures from the Chester Beatty Library in

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Dublin, which is on view until August 3. Later this year we’re looking forward to the much anticipated collection of 18th- and 19thcentury monumental paintings from Jodphur, and to a grand light festival (Diwali) dinner on October 16 in honor of the Maharaja and his family. I encourage you to join us in our continuing explorations!

lifestyles | luxury travel

NEMACOLIN WOODLANDS RESORT

BEDFORD SPRINGS RESORT

Escape this Weekend! Get out of the city for a blissful stay at one of these top regional getaways

RITTENHOUSE 1715

LAMBERTVILLE HOUSE

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Bedford Springs features an indoor, heated spring water pool, one of the country’s first. (Photo by Richard Nowitz)

A luxury suite at Lambertville House

The indoor pool at the Woodlands Spa. (Photo by Jeff Green.)

Though built in the early 1900s, all rooms at Rittenhouse 1715 have modern amenities such as plasma televisions.

Bedford Springs

Lambertville House

Nemacolin

Rittenhouse 1715

HISTORY: Pittsburgh industrialist Willard F. Rockwell established a private game reserve in the Laurel Highlands on what is now Nemacolin Woodlands 3,000 acre resort.

HISTORY: Within walking distance of the best Philadelphia has to offer – from museums to cheesesteaks.

BEDFORD, PA

LAMBERTVILLE, NJ

FARMINGTON, PA

HISTORY: Dignitaries and presidents have bathed in these natural springs for over 200 years.

HISTORY: Traces back to the early 1800s with Presidents Jackson and Grant on the roster of guests.

TRAVEL TIME: Two hours

TRAVEL TIME: Three and a half hours

accomodations: Traditional patterns and textures with an updated appeal. Many rooms include a porch or balcony with rocking chairs. All rooms include flatscreen televisions, iPod docking stations, and wireless Internet.

accomodations: Separate tiled lounge area (complete with huge, jetted tub) with doors opening to a verandah overlooking hotel courtyard; in-room fireplaces.

PAMPERING: Tea and fresh baked cookies in the lobby every afternoon. The Eternal Springs spa offers a can’tmiss Bedford Bath Ritual.

PAMPERING: Turndown service, continental breakfast, and top-notch staff who will keep a bottle chilling until you’re ready to walk to the B.Y.O.B. restaurant.

LEAVING THE ROOM: Grab the walking sticks provided in each room and take a hike on the grounds to view eight natural springs. During the day, golf one of the oldest courses in the country or relax by the outdoor pool. At night, sit and enjoy the open sky at the fire pit.

LEAVING THE ROOM: Neighboring town New Hope is home to the “New Hope School” of landscape painting, also known as “Pennsylvania Impressionism.” Ergo, galleries galore, as well as shops filled with designer goods, unique books and jewelry, and mid-century modern furniture.

signature touch: One of the country’s first indoor pools, renovated with tiles from the original and filled with natural spring water.

signature touch: Be sure to stop at Hamilton’s Grill Room, which has wonderful steaks, chops and seafood.

Bottom Line: Rates from $259 a night, 2138 Business Route 220, Bedford, Pa., 15522, 814-623-8100. www.bedfordspringsresort.com.

Bottom Line: Rates from $300 a night, 32 Bridge Street, Lambertville, N.J., 08350, 888-867-8859, www. lambertvillehouse.com.

–Bridget Manifold

–Clay Gaynor

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TRAVEL TIME: Four hours accomodations: “Club Level” is key-access only and features 24hour butler service and lounge with breakfast, afternoon tea, and evening cocktails. Rooms are modeled after the Ritz in Paris – vaulted ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and French doors opening onto wrought-iron balconies. PAMPERING: The Woodlands Spa offers a three-step thermal mineral kur (an organic rhassoul clay wrap, a seawater bath with pressure-point pounding jets, and a full-body massage). LEAVING THE ROOM: Shooting academy, golf, the Adventure Center and Wildlife Academy, the Off-Road Driving Academy.

PHILADELPHIA, PA

TRAVEL TIME: Three hours Accommodations: “Deluxe” offers fireplace, flat screen plasma television, bathroom stocked with Molton Brown amenities, and waterfall showerhead. pampering: Complimentary wine tastings in hotel drawing room. In the morning, don’t miss the lavish continental breakfast featuring muffins, pastries and coffee. leaving the room: Shop until you drop on Walnut Street (Ralph Lauren, Tiffany and Co., Burberry, Coach). Capogiro (117 South 20th St.) has 27 flavors of gelato made fresh each morning. Sonny’s Famous Steaks (228 Market St.), slings authentic Philly cheesesteaks.

signature touch: Tea room, cigar bar, wine academy (Nemacolin has over 17,000 bottles) and tours of a $45 million dollar art collection.

signature touch: Literally in the heart of the city; enjoy the indoor retreat-style comfort contrasted with the outside vibrancy of an urban landscape.

Bottom Line: Rates from $300 a night, 1001 LaFayette Drive, Farmington, Pa., 15437, 800-422-2736, www.nemacolin.com –Beth Farnstrom

Bottom Line: Rates from $310 a night, 1715 Rittenhouse Square St., Philadelphia, Pa., 19103, 877-791-6500, www.rittenhouse1715.com. –Clay Gaynor

lifestyles | artists on vacation

Ç JACKSON POLLOCK Abstract Expressionist painter, 1912–56 Photograph (left to right) of Jackson Pollock, unidentified child, Clement Greenberg, Helen Frankenthaler, and Lee Krasner at the beach on Long Island, New York, ca. 1952. Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner papers, ca. 1905–1984.

Å MARY CASSATT Impressionist painter, 1844-1926 Photograph of Mary Cassatt dozing on a houseboat on the Nile, Egypt, 1911. Research material on Mary Cassatt and James A. McNeill Whistler, 1872–1975. Cassatt’s trip to Egypt turned out to be a traumatic one. Her brother, who was accompanying her, fell ill during the journey and died in Paris a few months later.

SUMMER SOJOURNS Images from the Archives of American Art’s recent exhibition, “Wish You Were Here: Artists on Vacation,” document how noted American artists escaped from their everyday lives

or those who have yet to plan a summer vacation, these rare photographs gleaned from the collections of the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art may provide some inspiration and allow you to travel the globe vicariously with artists such as Mary Cassatt, Jackson Pollock and Fairfield Porter. Much like the rest of us, artists view vacation as a time to get away from the grind, to set out for the beach, mountains, or foreign lands. Getting away, however, does not mean leaving the canvas or sketchbook behind. Artists are always on the job, and vacations are opportunities to paint, draw and study.

The Archive’s unparalleled collection of 16 million holdings spanning 200 years of American art history include many items that show artists on vacation, from snapshots and sketchbooks to letters and postcards. The public may view original documents at the Archives headquarters in Washington, D.C. or in our reading room in New York, or see them online at www.aaa.si.edu/collectionsonline. John W. Smith is director of the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution. All items from the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

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Ñ FAIRFIELD PORTER Painter, critic, 1907-75 Right: Porter with his dog Bruno, Great Spruce Head Island, Maine, ca. 1972. Fairfield Porter papers, 1888–2001.

Å ESTHER G. ROLICK Painter, educator, Born 1922 Above: Photograph on board the S.S. Saturnia, 1948. Right: “on board the S.S. Saturnia, in a wrestling match with an Italian girl (much fatter than I). I won out and so, apart from being the ship’s artist, also the one who directed everyone in morning gymnastics. I was dubbed Miss America–S.S. Saturnia for that trip!” Esther G. Rolick Papers, 1941–1985.

É HARRY BOWDEN Abstract painter, photographer, 1907-65 Left: Photograph of Betty and Harry Bowden on the beach at Carmel, Calif., ca. 1940. Harry Bowden papers, 1922–1972.

Ñ HENRY BACON Painter, 1839-1912 Top: Watercolor sketch of a desert landscape, Cairo, Egypt. Bottom: Photograph of Bacon at his easel in Egypt, ca. 1897. Henry Bacon papers, 1849–1931.

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S ELLING

THE

A REA ’ S F INEST P ROPERTIES

Private Waterfront Estate in Leonardtown, MD Just 90 Minutes from the DC Metro Area www.20485quailsnestway.com Property includes: Main Residence, Pool House & Guest House • Six Bedrooms, Six Full Baths, Two 1/2 Baths • Impressive, Comfortable Entertaining Spaces • 24 Acres with Private Beach & Pier • Heated Lap Pool, Steam Room, Elevator, Alarm • Golf, Shopping & Restaurants: 10 Minutes

$3,170,000 Chris McNelis, Broker chris.mcnelis@comcast.net Office: 410-394-0990 Cell: 410-610-4045 www.mcnelisgroup.com

Washington so c ial d ia r y Night Life, Over the Moon, Around Town, and exclusive Parties, Parties, Parties!

Vineyard Vines Co-founders Shep Murray and Ian Murray with “The Bachelor” Andy Baldwin at the opening of the new Georgetown Vineyard Vines location. (Photo by Tony Powell)

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Washington so c ial d iar y

WL insider

All The World’s A Stage And in Washington there are great theaters and plenty of players By Michael M. Clements

have a problem. I’ve been addicted to theater ever since I played “Seal #3” in my kindergarten circus. I took a twoyear acting sabbatical in Los Angeles before I came to Washington Life. (Note to actors: never tell a potential employer you’re an actor; there’s no faster way to get rejected, including checking “yes” to “Have you ever been convicted of a felony?”) Ironically, my last role before coming to Washington was playing one of Alan Alda’s staffers on the The West Wing. I remember running into Ron Silver at the Kennedy Center Honors my first day on the job. “What are you doing here?” he asked me. “I kicked the acting habit,” I replied, “I’m in publishing again.” This is why I have feared Washington theater for the past two years. Not because of the quality. Don’t get me wrong. I was afraid I’d become a thespian junkie again. But this year’s Helen Hayes Awards knocked me off the wagon.The raucous ceremony, full of proud actors cheering on their colleagues and capped by the region’s largest “cast party” kick-started all my dormant Stanislavski synapses.That night reminded me that the capital region has a pulsating theater scene, with 67 active professional companies (as of print time). I also learned that some of the smallest companies can be among the best. Synetic Theatre (4041 S. 28th Street, Arlington, Va.), for example, was nominated for 16 awards, won six, and stole the show. The entire theatrical scene, I was also told, is in the middle of a renaissance of youth. Perhaps all the 30-to-40 something actors, comme moi, have packed it in to become journalists. I was clearly getting hooked, and soon became obsessed with the reportorial rabbit hole at The Studio Theatre (1501 14th

Street NW). First off was Anne Washburn’s The Internationalist. Unfortunately, Washburn’s writing didn’t live up to its hype. The plot got stuck somewhere near the end of the first act and the resolution didn’t affect me. The acting, however, was top-notch, starting with James Konicek, whose dual portrayal of Paul and Simon was

uninitiated, countertenors are men performing with essentially a female mezzo-soprano’s role.We know that when Handel composed Tamerlano, men preformed the women’s roles; thus, the need for a counter tenor. Adding to the gender bending aspects, Irish mezzo-soprano Patricia Bardon portrayed Prince Andronico, who, in the opera, is in love with Asteria (played Left: Michael Clements. Below: Artistic Director by soprano Sarah Coburn, daughter of Eric Schaeffer and Frank Galati at the Signature Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn), creating Theatre’s Kander & Ebb-themed gala. (Photo by Tony Powell). an interesting female-to-female dalliance. Who knew Handel was so bi-curious? I agree with the general consensus that WNO’s production of Electra was a more enjoyable and will be going through opera withdrawal until La Traviata opens on September 13. Hopefully, my opera counselor, Ina Ginsburg, will have the patience to walk me safely through this classic production. My friends finally intervened after I almost overdosed on works by John Kander and Fred Ebb (the longestrunning songwriting partnership in Broadway musical history) thanks to signature theatre’s (4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, Va.) four-month masterful.Then came The History Boys – easily the salute to the duo that featured new productions best performance I’ve seen in Washington. It blew of Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Happy Time, away everything I saw in LA, including shows at and the East Coast premiere of new musical the Mark Tapper Forum.The energy, focus and skill The Visit, starring Chita Rivera and George it takes to engage an audience for two and a half Hearn. I’m in self-imposed drama rehab at hours has a narcotic effect. My “hit” for summer? the moment but plan to finish just in time for Studio Theatre’s Jerry Springer:The Opera. Signature’s sizzlin’ “Summer Nights Concert Speaking of opera, the Washington Series,” starting July 16. It features three weeks National Opera’s run of Handel’s 18th of music and performances in the intimate century Baroque work Tamerlano proved that ARK Theatre. That’s music, though. Not really general director Placido Domingo is still in theater, right …? full command of his craft. The WNO debut of counter tenor David Daniels in the title role was, Readers wishing to get in touch with Michael can however, a bit of a bad trip. For the operatically email: columns@washingtonlife.com.

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Washington so c ial d iar y

WL INSIDER

Joy Zinoman and Reggie Ray

Helen Hayes Awards party JW Marriott Pennsylvania Avenue Photos by Tony Powell

Anne Ashmore-Hudson

Robert and Ida Prosky

Victor Shargai, Sir Derek Jacobi, and Linda Levy-Grossman

Kate Eastwood Norris and Cody Nickell

Michael Antonio, Cyana Cook, Philip Fletcher, and Greg Marzullo

Bonnie and Kenneth Feld

Kander & Ebb Celebration Gala Signature Theater Photos by Tony Powell

John Kander

Milton Corn

Christian Holder, Ann Reinking, and Gary Chryst

Andrea Cecchi, Tammie Collins, and Beth Dunkenberger

Terrence McNally and Chita Rivera

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Sarah Valente and Clair Kettler

Washington so c ial d iar y

nightlife

Think Outside of the Boîte Take a vacation from the standard date fare of dinner, drinks, and a movie

t was acceptable, during the sluggish months of a slushy Washington winter, to set the bar low for date night – Tivo, a homecooked meal, a few drinks at the local pub’s quiz night: that’s par for January. Not so in June – spring, as Robin Williams once said, is Nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!” And, with the surge in sap and sociability, the animal kingdom adjusts: The Capitol Steps offer political commentary and comedy

dressing for show rather than for sheer protection against the elements; leisurely strolls on balmy nights replacing grim, frozen speed-walks from points A to B; and, overall, a world of after-hours possibility opens up in the wake of the earth’s, well … waking up. Let’s say you want to impress that arty National Portrait Gallery intern.Why not make a tactical first strike at the Torpedo Factory Art Center (105 North Union St., Alexandria, Va.), which is home to over 165 artists working in 82 artists’ studios which are open to the public … and, on the second Thursday of every month,

By Ed I E VAN H O R n

stay open till 9 p.m. Or, enjoy listening to gallery staff and guest lecturers delve into Diebenkorn and others at the Phillips Collection (1600 21st St. NW) every Thursday at 6 and 7 p.m. at the popular “Artful Evenings.” Having delighted the eyes, expand the ears at one of the myriad musical performances which spring’s balmy nights encourage. Legendary jazz club HR-57 (1610 14th St. NW) serves up live jam sessions every Wednesday and Thursday from 8 p.m. to midnight; the picturesque Sculpture Garden (7th and Constitution Ave. NW) of the National Gallery of Art hosts outdoor jazz concerts ranging from Brazilian to Caribbean to vocal. To cap off this classy date, try a stroll down to new Crepes-a-Go-Go (2122 P St NW) for a melty banana-nutella creation, or a stop at lengendary creamerie Larry’s Ice Cream (1633 Connecticut Ave. NW). Make sure to have your choice at the ready, as the affectionatelycalled “Scoop Nazis” will move on to the next customer in the face of untoward hesitation; it’s easy, however, to find a gem among the more than 40 homemade flavors (and there are 20 more available in the back, like Tequila Sunrise Sorbet). Or how about a date for the young-atheart? Start off with The Capitol Steps (www.capsteps.com), a musical political satire

troupe whose performers, taken together, have worked in a total of 18 Congressional offices and represent 62 years of collective House and Senate staff experience. Enjoy their ribald songs, skits and parodies every Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Thirsty from all that political popculture, drop in to The Brickskeller Dining House & Down Home Saloon (1523 22nd St. NW) for an overwhelming selection (read: over 1,000 bottles) of local microbrews. This will give you the liquid courage for our next activity: singing in public. Café Japone (2032 P St. NW )’s owners hail from Japan, where singing “My Way” drunk has become a tradition. Sample beef negimake and sake from 8 p.m. to midnight at what’s been voted the “Best Adult Karaoke” in town. The ultimate romantic evening could start with a couple’s class at L’Academie de Cuisine (5021 Wilson Lane, Bethesda, Md.) Tie on an apron and choose from “Best of the Bayou,” “French Café,” “Tuscan for Two,” and more, all from 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. Classes come in “demonstration” (let the chefs drive) and “participation” (have giggly flour fights) designations. You get to enjoy the fruits of the labor in both classes, accompanied by wine and a sense of satisfaction. On an evening where you don’t mind a bit of a drive, take in the stars at Sky Meadows State Park (11012 Edmonds Lane, Delaplane, Va.), or, for another kind of Virginian voyage, take the ferry across the Potomac to Alexandria. If you’re in that gray area between sleepover and not, an intimate drink at the Tabard Inn (1739 N St. NW) may be the middle ground. Live jazz, overstuffed leather chairs, and bottle service by the fire can easily segue into room service, depending on where the night takes you… Have a comment or know a great nightlife event? Let us know: columns@washingtonlife.com.

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Washington so c ial d iar y

fashion event

Sarah Bontempo, Sara O’Keefe, and Lindsay Stroud

Andrew Mitchell, Ian Murray, Russ Mitchell and Bob Mitchell

Amanda Little and Kate McGovern

Marc Adelman

wl e x cl u si v e

Vineyard Vines Boutique Opening Vineyard Vines Photos by Tony Powell

THE EVENT: The Young & The Guest List crowd donned sun dresses and pastel neckties to celebrate this popular preppy label’s Georgetown debut. Founders and part-time Martha’s Vineyard residents Shep and Ian Murray presided over a full house until 10 p.m., when the party continued at – where else? – Smith Point. THE SCENE: Buzz was focused on 31 year-old naval officer Andy Baldwin, star of the 2007 season of ABC’s hit The Bachelor, and a recent Washington transplant. Baldwin dressed the part in a pale blue blazer, and seemed at ease chatting with young ladies (including a striking set of identical twins). THE GUESTS: Becca Glover, Caroline Stouffer, Costa Gogos, Marybeth Coleman, Maisie Branson, Sally Lynch, Wright Sigmund, Crosby and Schuyler Haynes, Roby Penn, Hadley Gamble, Buck Sexton, and Ashlee Reid.

John Cecchi, Jackie Wright, and Ray Regan

The nautical theme runs through the clothes and the décor

Betsy Carstensen, Taylor Price, Erin Regan, and Elizabeth Hodgson

David Kassir and Stephen Harrell

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Josh Overbay, Lauren Anicelli, and Ian Bennitt

2008

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Chris Coleman and Megan Hood

Katherine Kennedy and Nicole Modica

Washington so c ial d iar y

what’s hot

sweet Summer Sips Don’t dare to be caught poolside with a boring cocktail… get creative camper!

Beefeater Royal Garden

Wild Turkey 54 Julep

Ingredients:

Directions:

Ingredients:

2 parts Beefeater Gin 1 tsp. Pernod 0.5 part fresh lime juice 1 tbsp. simple syrup Fresh mint

Fill a shaker with ice and add ingredients. Shake vigorously and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with fresh mint leaves.

2.5 oz. of Wild Turkey 101 3 springs of Mint (6 to 8 mature-sized leaves) 1.5 tsp. brown sugar 0.5 cup crushed ice Directions:

In a traditional silver julep cop or double-old fashioned glass, mull two springs of mint with the brown sugar and one ounce of Wild Turkey 101 for a few minutes, crushing the mint leaves with a spoon. Add the crushed ice, the rest of the bourbon, and garnish with sprig of mint.

Stoli B&B (Blakberi & Basil) Ingredients:

Directions:

1 part Stoli Blakberi Top off with Italian sparkling lemonade Basil to taste ™

Muddle basil with Stoli Blakberi™. Serve on the rocks and top off with Italian sparkling lemonade. Garnish with additional basil leaves. A great option for warm-weather pitcher drinks.

Surreal Pimps Daddy Ingredients:

Directions:

.05 oz fresh-squeezed Hawaiian ginger root 1 oz. fresh-squeezed lemonade 2 oz. of Surreal Ginger Peach Vodka 1 tall glass of crushed ice

“Pimps Daddy” was created by Chef Maziar Farivar for their specialty cocktail list at both Peacock Grand and Peacock Café, so if you want it done right, go see the man who invented it.

HPNOTIQ’s “Bubbles n’ Blue” Ingredients:

2 oz. HPNOTIQ 2 oz. Champagne

Snow Queen Rouge Ingredients:

Directions:

1.7 fluid oz./50 ml. Snow Queen Vodka Dash of sugar syrup 0.85 fluid oz./25 ml. of lychee juice 6 raspberries

Tumble raspberries into a Boston shaker. Add all the ingredients into the shaker with a handful of ice cubes. Shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Strain and pour into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a raspberry.

Directions:

Pour Chilled Hpnotiq and champagne into a champagne flute and let the rest of the wedding party know that you mean business!

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Washington so c ial d ia r y

Fashion Event

A “lifeguard” watches over the guests

Debbie, Alana and Ed Heller

Julie Davidson

Dianne Rhee and Mohcine Mountaki wl sponsored

Saks fifth Avenue Beach Party Saks Jandel Photos by Tony Powell

The Event: A “girl’s night out at the beach,” complete with beauty treatments and designer hand massages, but minus the sunburn. The Scene: Not every shopping experience comes with a steel band, hunky lifeguards on to-scale wooden platforms, and limited-edition Havianas flip-flops designed by makeup gurus Bobby Brown, Trish McEvoy, and Laura Mercier. The beach blast was sponsored by Smart Water and SurReal Vodka; guests nibbled on guac and chips courtesy of Rosa Mexicano.

Kheira and Badra Benkreira Toni Ready, Ricky Anderson, and Nono Girma Jaclyn Gower, Amber Adams, and Priscilla Cooney

Jessica Metivier and Jessica Grant

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Yun Chong and Ashley Mangan

2008

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Washington so c ial d ia r y

around town

Social Solstice

Juggernaut hostesses, priceless porcelain, and Tom Hanks’ socialite crush By Donna Shor

THE “WISE” OF TEXAS A group of legendary ladies from Dallas arrived for Bonnie McElveen-Hunter’s luncheon honoring philanthropist Ruth Altshuler, one of that town’s leading movers and shakers. The event, a triumph of planning and charm, included 40 brilliant and high-powered women. Lucky Roosevelt, one of the local guests who knows a thing or two about effective organizing, said, “Everything Bonnie does is flawless. It started on time and ended on time, and she kept it moving and fun.” Actually, the event reflected Bonnie’s life. She’s ten women rolled into one, juggling service as the first female chairman of the American Red Cross with running Pace Communications (which publishes most of the U.S. in-flight airline magazines); finding time for family life with her husband, son, and mother; and maintaining a busy social life. Guests included Margot (Mrs. Ross) Perot, Lucky’s houseguest; Elaine Agather of J.P. Morgan; Gene Jones, chairman of the Dallas Cowboys and major sponsor of the Jefferson Library at the Library of Congress; Jean Baderschneider, a vice-president of ExxonMobil; PR whiz Laurie Peat; Peggy Sewell; Nancy Dedman; Marcia Mayo; Rae Evans; Melanie Schelhaus; Ann Korologos of the Rand Corporation; and Susan Sherwin, vice president of The Aspen Institute. Among D.C. philanthropists present were Catherine Reynolds, Mary Mochary, Alma Gildenhorn and Shirley Small.Also present were two ambassador’s wives, Laura Colless (Finland, where Bonnie served as U.S. ambassador) and Shamim Jawad (Afghanistan); Billie Holladay and daughter-in-law Winton; Wilma Bernstein; JoAnn Mason; Debbie Dingell; Liz Dubin; Lorraine (Mrs. Chris) Wallace; Ruthie Leffall; Ann Hand; Aniko Gaal Schott; Michelle Krisel of the Washington National Opera; Isabel Ernst; Grace Bender; Diane Bodman; and Bonnie’s

vivacious mother, Madeline McElveen; her sister, Tweed McElveen-Bogache; and her niece, Pendleton Bogache. One guest who fascinated all those assembled: famed designer Anna Weatherly, whose exquisite (and pricey) porcelains grace the best-dressed tables in America and abroad. Even more fascinating: each was given a piece of her beautifully patterned work as they left. Right: Bonnie McElveen Hunter and Alma Gildenhorn; Below: Lucky Roosevelt and Margot Perot. (Photos by Tony Powell)

KALEIDOSCOPE As Ford’s Theatre is being renovated, its annual gala moved to the National Theatre this year. The completed Ford Theatre complex, including nearby historic buildings, will have a very grand opening next February. Stay tuned …. Veronica Valencia Sarukhan, the wife of the ambassador of Mexico, was given a baby shower by Julia Hopping and Anna Maria Via at the Via home. The baby girl, due in August, will be called Ani, reflecting her father’s Romanian roots.

JOANNE DOES D.C. Petite, dimpled, and curvaceous blonde Joanne Herring definitely does not resemble Julia Roberts, who played her skillfully in Charlie Wilson’s War. The film shows Joanne’s determination to help the weaponless Afghans defend themselves against the heavilyarmed Russian invasion. She enlisted wild, quick-witted Texas Rep. Charlie Wilson (who was for a time her fiancé), and, with rogue CIA agent Gust Avrokotos, brought off the biggest covert arms operation in U.S. history. This Houston socialite and former talk hostess is an excellent raconteuse. She spoke at the dinner hosted by the ambassador of Afghanistan, introducing Thomas Stauffer, the president of the American University in Afghanistan (for which she helped raise funds); spoke the next day at a luncheon (where Dan Glickman honored her at the MPAA); and spoke that night to 70 guests at a dinner in her honor hosted by Esther Coopersmith. Each time, Joanne won the audience over with her selfdeprecating sense of humor. Upon hearing that the studio planned to insert a bogus scene showing her phoning Charlie Wilson while in bed with her husband, Joanne said, “I threatened to sue unless they removed it. Then, on the set, I met Tom Hanks. Well, he came rushing up saying ‘I’ve been in love with you forever.’ So what could I do – I dropped the law suit!” Readers wishing to get in touch with Donna Shor can email: columns@washingtonlife.com

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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2008

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Washington so c ial d ia r y

around town

Parties, Parties, Parties! Dee Dee Meyers Book Fête, Mindy Weiss at the Hay Adams, and the Ayenda Gala

Decatur House Exhibit Opening Aaron and Alexine Jackson previewed the Decatur House’s exhibit The Half Had Not Been Told TO ME; African Americans on Lafayette Square, 1795-1965. / Buck and Sally Chapoton with tricia and Frank Saul at a celebratory dinner at the Decatur House. (Photos by Tony Powell).

Passport DC Linda Harper, Mr.and Mrs. Lawrence Dunham, Imran Mizra, and Jan Du Plain at the Moroccan Embassy celebrating international tourism in Washington (Photos Courtesy of Passport DC).

FÊte for Dee Dee Myers Dee Dee Myers and Gwen Ifill celebrate the

release of Myers’ book Why Women Should Rule the World. / Christopher and Jennifer Isham at the Dozoretz residence (Photos by Kyle Samperton).

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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2008

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Washington so c ial d ia r y

around town

Cocktails at Ceviche for Autism Speaks Autism Speaks director Ann Gibbons, Sydney Garchik, Jesse Garchik and Marla Garchik kicked off Ceviche’s new

self-serve wine bar. / Ceviche and Latin Concepts owners Mauricio and Nesrin Fraga Rosenfeld (Photos by MK McKenna).

The Hay Adams Toasts Mindy Weiss Wedding planner Mindy Weiss and Jon GottLieb gathered on the roof of the Hay Adams hotel in honor of Weiss’s new release The Wedding Book. / DIANA DEBRITO and CAROLINE GOTTLIEB (Photos by Jonah Koch).

Ricky Martin Visits Ricky Martin and Innocents at Risk founder Deborah Sigmund at the Inter-American Development Bank (Photo by Tony Powell).

Ayenda Gala

Senator Harry Reid’s The Good Fight Book Signing Senator Harry Reid and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi celebrate the publication of Reid’s autobigraphy at The Source restaurant. (Photo by Tony Powell)

Michael Wilson with Shamim Jawad and Afghani Ambassador Said Jawad at the Canadian

Embassy for a dinner in honor of the Ayenda Foundation, the Afghan Children Initiative. (Photos by Zaid Hamid).

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Capital Partners for Education Kavelle Bajaj, Michel Richard, Marie Retourne, and Ken Bajaj at Capital Partners for Educationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Visions for the Future event. Over 250 guests enjoyed dinner cooked by Richard at the Bajaj home and helped to raise over $300,000 for the organization (Photo by David Hamilton).

Cultural Alliance Gala Clockwise from right: Betti Brown and

Victor Shargai

/ Septime Webre,

Jennifer cover Payne and Anne Ashmore-Hudson / Elvi Moore, Ralph Beyer, with Winnie and Norman Portenoy (Photos by Tony Powell).

Bulgariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sister to Sister preview party Alex Lord, Irene Pollin, and Roya Kingdom (Photos provided by Bulgari)

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Washington so c ial d iar y

art and auction

Dear Mr. President Lincoln’s letters sell for over $3 million By Renee Drake

ollector s of impor tant manuscripts had a thrill at the beginning of April when Sotheby’s offered Presidential and other Manuscripts from the Dr. Robert Small Trust at auction. Rarely has a group of political manuscripts such as those in the Small collection ever come to auction, and the extensive collection, comprised of 111 lots, offered an unusual look into the public and private sides of many of America’s major historical figures. One of the most interesting things about the Small Collection as a whole is the insight into American politics of days past and the issues those politicians grappled with that are present in our own political arena today. In this election year, which has proved so far to have a particularly heated race in the Democratic Party, the candidates are experiencing many of the very same problems that faced candidates over one hundred years ago. The tedium of the campaign trail, barbs from other candidates even insults aimed at sitting presidents were also part of the political landscape back then and are documented throughout the collection in many of the rare examples of political correspondence collected by Dr. Small. For example, in a letter written by former President Millard Fillmore in 1862 he rails against President Lincoln and calls him a “tyrant” who “makes my blood boil” and Lincoln’s predecessor James Buchanan wrote a letter in which he washes his hand of any responsibility for the Civil War writing, “No act or omission of mine has produced this terrible calamity.” The echoes of these statesmen sound eerily familiar today. On a more inspiring note, one of the most important highlights of the Small collection is Abraham Lincoln’s impassioned answer

Above: Lincoln’s petition from school children in Concord, Mass. serves as a personal example of Lincoln’s work to abolish slavery. (Photo courtesy of Sotheby’s). Right: Abraham Lincoln.

to “The little People’s Petition” which was written to him in 1864 by a group of Concord, Ma. schoolchildren who asked that the president free all the little slave children in the country. Lincoln’s eloquent response, addressed to their teacher Mrs. Mann but penned clearly for the ears of the youngsters, 195 little boys and girls under the age of eighteen, was heartbreakingly simple. “Please tell these little people I am very glad their young hearts are so full of just and generous sympathy, and that, while I have not the power to grant all they

ask, I trust they will remember that God has, and that, as it seems, He wills to do it.” Lincoln wrote frequently about the issue of slavery but was particularly touched by the appeal of the schoolchildren and his personal response to their letter remains today as an example of his determination to abolish slavery. The Small Collection features the greatest concentration of important Lincoln letters to appear on the market since the Collection of Philip and Elsie Sang, which was sold at Sotheby’s over several years beginning in 1978. The letter was estimated to achieve between $3 and $5 million dollars and was expected to go down in auction history as the most expensive Lincoln manuscript ever sold. In a packed salesroom at Sotheby’s on April 3rd, the Children’s Petition to the President sold for a record price of $3,401,000.00. The letter, which was the centerpiece of the auction, sold to an Amer ican pr ivate collector who was bidding via telephone. Selby Kiffer, a Senior Vice President in S o t h e by ’s Books and Manuscr ipts department stated post-auction, “ it deserved to make a record price and it did, not only for Lincoln, but also for any Presidential or American manuscript at auction.” The grand total for the entire collection of Presidential and Other Manuscripts from the Dr. Robert Small Trust was $5,649,330.00. Readers wishing to get in touch with Renee can email: columns@washingtonlife.com.

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Washington so c ial d ia r y

art and auction

Jo Carol Lauder and Jon Baldassari wl EXCLUSIVE

ART IN EMBASSIES DINNER State Department Photos by MARY HILLIARD

THE EVENT: Dinner for the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies (FAPE) hosted by Deputy Secretary of State John D. and Diane Negroponte. THE SCENE: Original prints donated by Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg and Ellsworth Kelly stood out amid portraits by Gilbert Stuart in the State Department’s Diplomatic Reception Rooms as donors discussed ongoing efforts to beautify U.S. embassy properties abroad. THE BUZZ: This year’s acquisition by California artist Jon Baldessari raised a few politically-correct eyebrows among those who viewed it as a picture of a black-faced secretary taking orders from two white bosses. Others begged to differ. Noted a FAPE board member: “The way I see it, the woman is the one in power. She’s making the decision.” The blackened face is “just the contrast in the picture,” collector Marc Leland noted of the soon-tobe-redubbed screenprint (whose original name seems to be a state secret).

Polly Kraft, Nancy Rubin, Ann Jordan, and Liz Stevens

Stuart Bernstein and Nancy Brinker

John Whitehead with Marc and Jacqueline Leland

Marion Rosenthal and Carol Price

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catering by design 703.979.9400 • WWW.DESIGNCUISINE.COM

Washington so c ial d iar y

over the moon

Garden of Equine Horticultural magic and horse-racing tales heat up Hunt Country BY vicky moon

FROG AND FRIENDS ’Tis the season for garden parties. First, Donna and Jim Hackman’s Highland Spring Farm held “A Garden Party to Save Virginia’s Countryside,” given by the board of directors of the Land Trust of Virginia. About 400 concerned residents from Fauquier and Loudoun counties turned out for an evening out of The Great Gatsby. Instead of Nick Carraway, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, and Jay Gatsby strolling through a garden in East Egg, we had Missy and Bill Janes, Elaine and Childs Burden, Christine and Turner Smith, Sally Hosta and Edie and Bruce Smart. Donna Hackman’s horticultural skills are legendary. Her formal, English-inspired gardens spill over with masses of flowers in eye-popping hues and have been featured in several magazines. A flock of exotic chickens call a nearby log cabin home not far from the main house. And Donna’s goal of providing a habitat for birds and butterflies

Billy, William and Mary Swift at the Upperville Colt and Horse Show.

has been more than achieved in the form of a small frog-held court on the edge of a luscious pool of water lilies. ALL IN THE FAMILY More than 1,800 horses entered the 155th edition of the Upperville Colt and Horse Show (June 2-8). While the $100,000 Budweiser Jumper Classic caps off the competition, there is another event which is every bit as competitive. On Saturday afternoon, tiny equestrians and their “handlers” (parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, trainers, and grooms) congregate at the gate waiting for the leadline class to begin. This event has become so popular through the years that it is now divided into two section: ages 1-3 and 4-6. While waiting for the first class to begin, little Billy Swift (of Washington and Upperville) caught the eye of at least a half a dozen photographers. He and his brown and white spotted pony, Twinkie, had a grand time posing as the cameras clicked. Then it was time to enter the ring, and Billy had second thoughts.There were tears. The other 20 “riders” made their way into the great enclosure, filled with giant old oak trees. Someone offered Billy a piece of candy. “No.” Someone else told him he would see his mother, Claire Swift, and his grandmother, Mary Swift, a lifelong equestrian who rides with the Piedmont Hunt. Finally, led by his father, William Swift, Billy gave it a go. While Billy did not come away with the blue ribbon (that went to Francesca Calamari) he did receive a multicolored ribbon. We feel certain the blue is within his reach next year. Meanwhile, Monica Greenberg, who won many blue ribbons riding side-saddle in the horse show, presented the blue ribbon and Rutledge Farm Perpetual Trophy to Susan Sisco, on Warranty, in the Ladies Side-Saddle Hack class.

Lou Kennedy watches the competition in the main ring at the Upperville Colt and Horse Show.

NAME THAT TUNE Later that evening, Monica and Hermen Greenberg hosted a garden party and candle light dinner at their Rutledge Farm for the American Friends of the Paris Opera & Ballet.” Those in attendance included 29 dancers in the troupe of the Paris Opera Ballet School. Earlier that afternoon, they had performed at the Kennedy Center as part of “Proteges II,” their biennial showcase of the world’s greatest ballet academies. Other guests and patrons included Washington interior decorator Reginald Wolfe, Judy Esfandiary, Elisabeth Platel (director of the Paris Opera & Ballet) and Hal J. Witt, director of the American Friends of the Paris Opera & Ballet. Speaking of opera, we forgot to mention this year’s winner of the $100,000 Upperville Jumper Classic: Pavarotti, ridden by 2007 Pan American Games bronze medalist Todd Minikus, took first place. Second place went to a horse named Sinatra. Readers wishing to contact Vicky Moon can email: columns@washingtonlife.com.

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2008

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home life inside homes, real estate news, histrorical landscapes, and open house

The French chateau-style house at 3905 44th Street has sold for $4,995,000.

Summer Homesteads The local real estate market heats up By Mary K. Mewborn

The District The magnificent Kalorama estate at 2475 Kalorama Road NW was on the market for quite a while with various agents before Washington Fine Properties’ Jim Bell finally closed the deal. Situated on a corner lot with a swimming pool and a two-car garage, the mansion now belongs to out-of-town purchasers who reportedly want to redo the house and remain anonymous until they take up residence in about a year. Readers may recall that the property was rented to Mack and Donna McLarty – during a portion of Mack’s stint in the Clinton White House – and was sold in 2001 for $2,995,000

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2008

by then-owner, realtor Michael Rankin of Tutt, Taylor & Rankin (now Tutt, Taylor & Rankin Sotheby’s International Realty). The current seller is Jeanne S. Campbell, president and CEO of Jeanne Campbell Consulting, a government relations and public affairs firm. Campbell was asking $3,795,000 for the six-bedroom home with six baths. In Washington’s Palisades neighborhood, 5400 Macomb Street NW has been sold by IAD, LLC. for $1,295,000. The four-bedroom home with three baths was listed at $1,350,000 by Washington Fine Properties agent Kara K. Sheehan. Suzanne Monnier, also with Washington

| washingtonlife.com

Fine Properties, represented the purchasers, Michael and Samantha Chappell, both of whom are political consultants. Man-about-town Robert M. Higdon now resides in Unit #42 at The Dresden, having given seller William Kircher $1.04 million. Located at 2126 Connecticut Avenue NW in Kalorama Heights,The Dresden was built in 1909 by Harry Wardman and is considered one of Washington’s best addresses. Converted in 1974 from rental apartments to condominiums, the Georgian Revival-style building currently features sixty-two units, all with rich architectural detail.Well-known in international social circles, Higdon is a director

home life | real estate news

of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. He also ran the D.C. office of Lady Margaret Thatcher’s foundation and, more recently, hs made news as the executive director of the Washington-based Prince of Wales Foundation – a role in which he succeeded handsomely, despite the fact that he has been criticized in Britain for earning almost the same amount ($600,000-plus per year) as the foundation has handed out to various causes.

Maryland Long and Foster realtor Nancy Itteilag has helped sell unit 1102 at the Parc Somerset at 5630 Wisconsin Avenue in Chevy Chase for the second time this year. In May, WL reported that the property was purchased by Leslie Westreich, with Nancy Itteilag serving as the selling agent. In this latest transaction, Ms. Itteilag was Ms. Westreich’s listing agent.The new owner of the two-bedroom, three-bath condominium is developer Sydney Polakoff, who paid $3.3 million for the 3,400square-foot unit, boasting a large balcony off the living room, a formal library, a gourmet kitchen, high ceilings, granite and marble finishes, and a gas fireplace. Polakoff was assisted by realtor Zelda Heller, also with Long and Foster. Gerry and John York of Canal Builders, a company responsible for constructing $5 million luxury homes in the Wesley Heights and Spring Valley neighborhoods, have sold 9714 Beman Woods Way in Potomac for $1.9 million. Located at Prescott in Avenel, this four-bedroom colonial was totally renovated by Canal Builders in 2006. It features high ceilings, an architecturally exquisite kitchen, opulently appointed baths, golf course views, a custom-designed wrap-around deck, and a swimming pool. Appropriately, the new owner is golf guru Hilary Bruggen Fordwich, a contributing editor for Capital Golf, a nine-handicap player, and the president and founder of Strelmark, LLC, a nationally recognized business development firm. A graduate of the University ofVirginia’s McIntire School of Commerce, Ms. Fordwich is also an active member of the Ivy Society, which promotes mentoring, networking, and philanthropy among the McIntire School’s female students, alumnae, and friends. At a recent Ivy Society seminar entitled “Business Golf 101,” Ms. Fordwich counseled that, like men, women should hit the links to help grow their businesses and further

In Washington’s Palisades neighborhood, 5400 Macomb Street NW has sold for $1,295,000.

their careers. Ms. Fordwich also supports First Tee, a charity that provides local youngsters affordable access to golf facilities. Long and Foster’s Nancy Itteilag represented Ms. Fordwich in her purchase. Ted Gossett with Washington Fine Properties was the listing agent. Nancy Itteilag also helped facilitate the sale of 7925 Sandalfoot Drive in Potomac.This newly constructed 6,000 square foot residence in Prescott in the heart of Avenel was built by Hemingway Homes and has five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a media room, a library, an elevator, a fireplace, an alarm system, a covered porch and a two-car garage. The buyers are Paula and Sam Strickland, a senior vice president with Booz Allen Hamilton and the leader of the firm’s Global Operations Team. In years past, Strickland served as a financial projects manager for Arabian Business and Management Services in Al Khover, Saudi Arabia. He began his career working for Price Waterhouse in the District. Nancy Itteilag represented the Stricklands. Wendy Banner of Long and Foster was the listing agent.The property went for $1,960,000.

Virginia In McLean, 3905 44th Street has sold for $4,995,000. The French chateau-style house features hickory floors, high ceilings, custom finishes, and the finest craftsmanship. Architectural accoutrements include several balconies and terraces affording stunning views of the Potomac River rapids. The house was listed by Washington Fine Properties’ William F. X. Moody and Robert Hryniewicki at $5,875,000 for seller David Decker of Decker Development. Victoria Kilcullen with Washington Fine Properties represented the buyers, Steve Martin and Kimberly A. Kuryea. Ann C. Page with Randall H. Hagner & Co., Inc. sold 7416 Old Maple Square in McLean to Jae Hong Ahn for $1,525,000. The 3,796 square-foot home was built in 1997 and has five bedrooms and four baths. Please send real estate news items to columns@washingtonlife.com.

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LONG & FOSTER REALTORS ®

Potomac MAJESTIC STONE MANOR in Falconhurst. 2.18 Acres, Turkish limestone/slate construction. 27,000 interior SF over 4 levels w/elevator. Stone floors, detailed ceilings, 2-story Great Rm/Fam Rm. 10 BR, 10 Full BA, 3 Half BA, 8 FPs. 2 Master Suites w/stone BAs. Morning Rm, Library, Galleries, incredible details. 4-Car Carriage House Garage and Staff Quarters with Kitchen. $8,500,000 Dianne Bailey 301-980-5354 Chevy Chase Office 202-363-9700

caPitol hill/olD citY caPitol hill oasis

BRAND NEW TOWNHOMES! New community of 10 four-level brick townhomes near the H Street corridor and Galludet. Each features an elevator, granite and cherry kitchen, 4 bedrooms, 4 1/2 baths and basement. 2 parking spaces. Perfect for home, professional office or non-profit. $1,200,000 Donice Jeter 202-262-6962 Bethesda Gateway Office 301-907-7600

total PErFEction in ovErlooK!

Extraordinary light, additions and up-grades make this 3 BR home one of the best to come on the market in awhile! Sweeping views overlooking the lush tree lined backyard facing west towards Little Falls Park. Fabulous flow make this a great entertaining house with terraces on first and lower levels. Separate DR, 2 master bedrooms! 1,350,000 Susie Maguire 202-841-2006 John Schoenfeld 301-654-1400 Georgetown Office 202-944-8400

ForEst hills

DRAMATIC PRIVATE SETTING Newly priced! Stunning 5BR 4 1/2BA on almost 1/2 acre! Versatile floorplan w/formal LR & DR., gourmet t/s kitchen & adjoining family room, walls of glass & 2 decks overlooking landscaped lot. 3-story addition with MS w/fpl & Waterworks BA. Bright LL with BR, BA, 2nd kitchen. Lifetime location w/ quick access to Rock Creek Park & minutes to downtown. Greatly Value. Newly priced. MOTIVATED SELLER. $2,499,000 Terri Robinson 202-966-6223 Georgetown Office 202-944-8400

Georgetown 202.944.8400 Chevy Chase 202.363.9700 Chevy Chase/Uptown 202.364.1300

B e t h e s d a G a t e w a y 3 01.9 0 7.76 0 0 Friendship Heights 202.364.5200

washington, Dc Handsome brick and stone, circa 1928, in pristine condition. Luxurious swimming pool on private level lot with treetop views of Rock Creek Park. Six bedrooms, four full baths, two half baths with au pair suite. This residence is open and bright with custom plantation shuers and recessed lighting throughout. $1,895,000 Terri Robinson 202-966-6223 Denise Waner 202-487-5162 Georgetown Office 202-944-8400

BEthEsDa/Burning trEE BRAND NEW HOME– Stunning new custom home with spectacular finishes in private, treed setting. Features over 12,000 finished square feet with elevator and flexible floor plan designed for casual and formal entertainment. 4-car garage plus additional off-street parking. $4,175,000 Wendy Banner 301-365-9090 Bethesda Gateway Office 301-907-7600

BEthEsDa KENWOOD PARK CLASSIC Nothing short of fabulous, this elegant brick home has every accoutrement for large, lavish gatherings and embassy-style entertaining. A circular drive introduces the sophisticated living spaces including a sensational family room, library, great room, spectacular owner’s suite and finished lower level. A rotunda and walls of glass overlooking an enchanting pool add the perfect luxury-oriented accessories.$2,250,000 Sharyn Goldman 301-529-7555 Bethesda Gateway Office 301-907-7600 sharyn.goldman@longandfoster.com

chEvY chasE/somErsEt Timeless Design and Elegance! Victorian-style beauty on a legendary street. Welcoming front porch, living room with period fireplace, library, butler’s pantry, sensational kitchen open to family room and dramatic screened porch. 4 BRs & 3 BAs up including beautiful master suite. Finished LL with rec room, bedroom, full bath & garage. Walk to Metro, Crescent Trail, neighborhood pool & tennis courts. $2,195,000. Virtual tour: www.4808CumberlandAve.com Phyllis Wiesenfelder 301-215-6915 Cindy Chambers 301-332-6200 Bethesda Gateway Office 301-907-7600

Call Prosperity Mortgage 202-339-9218

Downtown ElEgancE BEthEsDa 1950 sq. ft with extra 280 sq. ft of private terrace. 3 bedrooms/3 full marble baths. Floor-to-ceiling windows. Open large space for entertaining. Gourmet kitchen with top-of-the-line appliances. Cherry cabinets and granite countertops. Separate laundry room, Fitness room, Garage parking for 2 cars. Walk to metro, Trader Joe’s, elegant dining, boutiques and theatres. Sports Club in building offers special membership for classes and use of heated pool. Offered at: $1,199,000 Angela Eliopoulos 703-989-5989 Georgetown Office 202-944-8400

BEthEsDa/BattErY ParK

Short walk to all that Bethesda offers. New Home with appx.. 6,000 sq. ft. of exceptional craftsmanship and style on 3 levels, 5-6 bedrooms, 5 full baths, 6 fireplaces, 10’ ceilings on main level, cherry floors, Viking kitchen with large island adjoining breakfast room and family room with coffered ceiling. Master Suite with custom his & her closets, Bubble tub, separate shower & white Carrara marble. 2 car detached garage on landscaped corner lot. $2,299,900 Maggie O’Reilly 301-367-8220 Bethesda Avenue Office 240-497-1700

chEvY chasE

Circa 1926. TOTALLY RENOVATED - Center Hall Colonial - 4 Finished Levels.High Ceilings, Hardwood Floors. Ceramic & Granite Bathrooms. Shower Stalls with Glass Doors & built-in Seats. Jacuzzi Tub. Chef’s Kitchen with Granite Counters, Tile Floors, Stainless Appliances, Butlers Pantry! Recessed and Spot Lights Galore. Huge Deck accessible via French Doors from Kitchen & Living Room. Family Room plus Rec.Room and Finished Playroom. 4 BRs & 4 1/2 BAs. Patio & Garden. Close to Chevy Chase Circle& Metro. $1,395,000 Julie Burfield 301-452-8901 or 202-895-7277 Office 202-363-9700

home life | open house

Relax on the River Rare opportunities to own property along the Potomac and beyond

“Forrest Landing” 28248 Forest Landing Road Easton, MD 21601

An early 1900’s Georgian home on 605-plus acres. Spacious home features 6 bedrooms including 5 suites and servants’ quarters, 6 ½ baths, 7 fireplaces, living room, expansive dining room, kitchen with butler’s pantry, den, and sitting room. Property includes beautiful gardens, pool, tennis court, dock with boat house, outbuildings including barn, stable, fenced pasture, kennel, greenhouse, shed, corn barn, guest house, and tenant houses. Asking: $19,685,000

Listing agents: Cliff Meredith 410-822-6272 Lacaze Meredith Real Estate, A Division of Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.

Riverfront Reward 636 Chain Bridge Road McLean, VA 22101

This six and a half acre estate was designed by renowned architect John Carl Warnecke for a U.S. Senator and his family, and spans two waterfront lots along the banks of the Potomac on McLean’s gold coast. The 10,000 square-foot residence was built to accommodate large groups for formal and informal entertaining, and the property’s grounds include a lighted courtyard with a fountain, a gated circular drive, and a heated pool and tennis court which all overlook the waterfront. Asking: $13,500,000 Listing agents: William F. X. Moody 202-243-1620

Robert Hryniewicki

Washington Fine Properties, LLC

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

| Summer

2008

| washingtonlife.com

uxurious Waterfront Estate with breathtaking views on Potomac Creek at historic Pratt Point. Exquisitely decorated and set on 10 private acres, this spectacular custom build colonial personifies resort-like estate living. Attention to detail throughout, this elegant residence epitomizes everything one seeks in a luxury home - peace and quiet, stunning natural beauty, and extraordinary amenities with meticulous attention to details. Hand-carved marble for exterior of the house. Hardwood and/or marble flooring throughout. Not another site like this in the entire area. Words do not adequately portray the elegance and flow of this rare opportunity - call for a private showing appointment. $8,500,000

Other exclusive offerings...

McLean - $1,200,000

McLean - $2,199,000

Great Falls - $1,299,900

Anna Zillow Broker-Owner/Regional Director Direct: 202.731.0103 Office: 703.533.2200 WPI International Fax: 866.280.6232 Washington D.C. Metro Region www.GoToWPI.com 140 Little Falls Street Suite 101 www.JoinWPI.com/dc Falls Church, VA 22046-4321 Email: anna@wpidc.com

Anna Z illow

home life | open house

Historic Mount Vernon 4005 Belle Rive Terrace Alexandria, Va 22309

Situated on a bluff rising 40 feet above the water’s surface, this residence offers wonderful views from every room. The two-acre property includes 360 feet of river frontage with 180 degree views of the Potomac River and beyond.The circa 1930 main house has original wooden floors, four wood- burning fireplaces, numerous bedrooms and baths, two balconies, two decks and a screened-in porch. Above the detached garage is the “clubhouse” apartment, and the property includes an old log cabin guest house. A private drive leads to the water and a private 300 foot boat dock. Asking: $4,500,000 Listing agent:

Greg Gaddy 202-421-4734

Tutt, Taylor & Rankin Sotheby’s International Realty

waterfront farm 49940 Elizabeth Drive Dameron, Md 20628

Enjoy unspoiled beauty at St. Elizabeth Manor Farm in St. Mary’s County. This rare 327 acre property sits at the head of St. Jerome’s Creek, and was originally granted by Lord Baltimore. There is a pond, swimming pool and small horse track and barns. Reduced to $5,000,000 with owner financing available. Asking: $5,000,000 Listing agent:

Terri Robinson 202-607-7737

Long & Foster Georgetown

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

| Summer

2008

| washingtonlife.com

home life | historical landscapes

The Secret of the Cosmos

The early mansionization of Dupont Circle … and how one “palace builder” avoided a gypsy’s curse BY Donna Evers

n the late 1800s, at the advent of Washington’s Gilded Age, a group of developers got together and began buying land around what is now Dupont Circle, for the bargain price of 60 cents a foot. At that time, the area was a marshy wasteland nicknamed “The Slashes” after foul-smelling Slash Creek, which ran through the area and served as a general dumping ground. This “California Syndicate” of wealthy investors became interested upon hearing that Boss Shepherd, head of the Board of Public Works, planned to build roads, streets, and infrastructure there. Over the next 20 years, the area went from mud flats in the middle of nowhere to the social center of the city, as the Western gentlemen who followed Shepherd’s lead settled in to build their dream houses. Curtis Hillyer was one of the group who built his opulent home at 2121 Massachusetts Avenue. NW This street became known as the “street of palace builders,” as famous families from all over the country were drawn to the area, hiring the most prominent architects and using these new homes to wine and dine each other and the powerful people who ran the country and gave funds and favor to whichever regions and companies seemed most deserving. Mary Scott Townsend and her husband, Richard were palace builders.The couple, both of whom possessed huge railroad fortunes, decided to build a home that would make a statement. In a move that could be described as “early mansionization,” they purchased the Hillyer House and its acre of land and hired renowned architectural firm of Carrere and Hastings to tear it down and start over. John Merven Carrere and Thomas Hastings were “rock stars” of architecture in the early 1900s. They built everything from the New York Public Library to the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill to the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond,Va.

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

| Summer

2008

Above: Mary Scott Townsend’s living room. Right: Cosmos Club founder John Wesley Powell

Tearing down the house would have been a simple job, except for a particular requirement of Mrs. Townsend. Because Mary Scott had been warned by a gypsy fortuneteller that evil would visit her home and “she would die under a new roof,” she wanted some of the foundation and walls of the old house kept under the new structure. As the house took shape, Carrere and Hastings hired landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., to design the grounds. The magnificent home that emerged was a copy of the Petit Trianon at Versailles. In her heyday, Mary Townsend gave one fabulous, record-breaking party after another in her grand villa. Perhaps because of her special construction precautions, she lived a long life and died of natural causes in 1931. Her daughter Mathilde inherited the house and was soon offered $1 million (about $10 million today) by the French government, but she wasn’t in the mood to sell.When she finally sold the property

| washingtonlife.com

to the Cosmos Club in 1950, it went for just under $365,000! The illustrious Cosmos Club, whose members included the most accomplished leaders of government, science, and the arts, was founded in 1887 by the larger-than-life adventurer, John Wesley Powell.Although he lost an arm in the Civil War, Powell went on to become a scientist, philosopher, and explorer. He was the first to explore and map many parts of the Wild West, including the Grand Canyon, where he experienced deathdefying adventures that would have put Indiana Jones to shame. It’s fitting that the club he founded 110 years ago can claim, among its many honors, to have been the birthplace of the National Geographic Society. On the other end of the spectrum, the most unusual society spawned by Cosmos Club members was the Society for Psychic Research, a group that focused on their own brand of psychology and anthropology, and blended this with then-popular trends in spiritualism and psychic phenomenon. Their meetings featured seances with deceased family members and visits to haunted houses. This quirky society would have been in complete sympathy with Mrs.Townsend’s respect for the occult. It could even be a comfort to present day Cosmos Club members to know that under their building’s tons of stone and plaster ornamentation is a supernatural insurance policy: the remains of the old house. It might not be a bad idea, just in case the gypsy was right. Readers wishing to get in touch with Donna can email: columns@washingtonlife.com.

INTERNATIONAL OFFERING

MClean, Virginia

ForeSt hillS, WaShington, DC

BetheSDa, MarylanD

Custom stone residence with 20,000 +/- sq. ft. of the finest finishes & grandest proportions. Set on 5+ acres close-in to DC. 6-car Garage. $11,250,000

BEECHWOODS – Magnificent in-town estate on over 1.35 acres backing to national parkland with wonderful living and entertaining spaces, 7 bedrooms, 7.5 baths, pool with cabana and shared tennis court.

EDGEMOOR - Rare opportunity to purchase this major Edgemoor Estate, White Chimneys. Exquisite English-style manor home sited on 1 acre double lot with pool and tennis. 6 bedrooms, 5.5 baths, 7 fireplaces, 4-car garage. $6,750,000

Victoria Kilcullen William F. X. Moody Robert Hryniewicki

703-915-8845 202-243-1620 202-243-1622

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Bonnie Wimsatt Matthew B. McCormick

202-262-2560 202-728-9500

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potoMaC, MarylanD

Extraordinary features of this 10,000 sq ft home on a 1.67 acre include a 30’ living room, gourmet kitchen with sitting area & fireplace, a master suite occupying entire wing of the first floor & indoor 48’ glass enclosed pool with vaulted ceiling & skylights. $4,999,945

Sited on six spectacular acres, this fully renovated house offers the best of everything. Only the finest materials have been used and all with a designer’s eye. Don’t miss the barn with the indoor basketball court, batting and golf cages. This one is a real prize! $4,400,000

Marsha Schuman

301-299-9598

INTERNATIONAL OFFERING

Sherry Davis

Anne Killeen

301-706-0067

301-996-3220

INTERNATIONAL OFFERING

potoMaC, MarylanD Peace & tranquility surround you in this Estate located on 6 Private Acres. 10,600+ sq ft of living space! Magnificent 2 story Foyer, paneled Library, 2 Master Suites, Add’l 3/4 large BRs each with En-Suite Bath, LL w/ English Pub & 3BR Guest house/Home office. $3,998,800

Michael Matese

INTERNATIONAL OFFERING

301-806-6829

INTERNATIONAL OFFERING

Spring Valley, WaShington, DC

CheVy ChaSe, MarylanD

potoMaC, MarylanD

Truly exquisite 5BR/4.5BA with large Living Room, Library, formal Dining Room, Den overlooking flagstone patio and pergola, gourmet table space Kitchen opening to the large FR, beautifully finished baths and 1BR/1BA LL with Kitchen and separate entry. $2,875,000

Magnificent Georgian Masterpiece in exclusive Chevy Chase Village! 8 bedrooms, 7.5 baths, elevator. Approximately 9,000 square feet of living space on four finished levels provide ample space for casual living and formal entertaining. $3,500,000

Breathtaking contemporary has dramatic marble floored gallery, 5 bedrooms, 6.5 baths and stunning main level master suite. Entertainer, art lover’s dream on close-in 2 acres with tennis court. $2,295,000

Nancy Taylor Bubes

202-256-2164

Sherry Davis

301-996-3220

Ruffin Maddox Colleen Cayton

INTERNATIONAL NETWORKS • LOCAL AFFILIATE

301-922-4443 301-922-4444

WASHINGTON, D.C. GEORGETOWN BETHESDA/CHEVY CHASE POTOMAC NORTHERN VIRGINIA WFP.COM

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202.944.5000 202.333.3320 301.222.0050 301.983.6400 703.317.7000

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lanGley FaRms, mclean, ViRGinia

K aloRama, WasHinGton, dc

mclean, ViRGinia

NEW LISTING! Custom-built Georgian Colonial on half-acre+ lot with pool! Great architectural details, gracious entertaining and family spaces, 6 bedrooms, 5 full and 2 half baths, 3 car garage! Wonderful! $5,900,000

EMBASSY LIFE STYLE – Grand-scale rooms and exquisite architectural details blend in this beautifully restored large house with multiple car parking and separate carriage house.

New custom residence full of old world charm, recently added finishes & amenities. Surrounded by parkland. 3-car Garage. $5,195,000

W. Ted Gossett

703-625-5656

Bobbie Brewster

INTERNATIONAL OFFERING

202-588-5816

Victoria Kilcullen William F. X. Moody Robert Hryniewicki

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703-915-8845 202-243-1620 202-243-1622

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FoRest Hills, WasHinGton, dc

Wesley HeiGHts, WasHinGton, dc

BetHesda, maRyland

Fantastic Value! Situated on 1.25-acre lot overlooking Rock Creek Park, this 1929 Tudor estate has a stone pillared entrance, 7 Bedrooms & 6.5 Baths. $3,195,000

Set on park-like grounds, this gracious 1928 residence boasts classic English Architecture & offers elegant principal rooms with wonderful proportions. 7 BRs & 3.5 BAs. Only 2 owners in home’s history. $3,450,000

Welcome to this special home located on a spectacular two acres lot in the Greens, a private enclave of homes across from Avenel and backing to the 17th hole at Congressional Country Club. Gracious southern plantation living at its best.

Ellen Morrell Patrick Chauvin Matthew B. McCormick

202-728-9500

William F. X. Moody Robert Hryniewicki

202-243-1620

Marsha Schuman

301-299-9598

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West end/Ritz Residences

Potomac, maRyland

GReat Falls, ViRGinia

Luxurious living at the Ritz Residences. 1-3 BR floor plans available with 1000-2775 sq. ft. perfect for downtown living and entertaining!

Enjoy fabulous sunsets overlooking the C&O canal and Potomac River! Amidst towering trees, this 7,000 sq ft private haven was custom built by Jeffrey Robins for this exceptional and rarely available riverfront setting.

Stately home with all the “bells & whistles”. Extensive moldings, hardwoods, 3 fireplaces, Master Suite with Sitting Room, luxurious Bath & large closets, 3 add’l BRs with en-suite Baths, Kitchen with Morning Room, yard with terraces, pool & landscaping! $1,675,000

Ellen Morrell Patrick Chauvin Matthew B. McCormick

202-728-9500

Anne Killeen

301-706-0067

Michael Matese

INTERNATIONAL NETWORKS • LOCAL AFFILIATE

301-806-6829

Remember the Titan By B e t sy F i s c h e r Executive Producer, Meet the Press

Almost every morning for the last ten years,Tim would call me at 9 a.m. and say,“Hey Bets, whatdaya know? “ His voice always beaming with excitement, ready to start the day preparing for Meet the Press. What I wouldn’t give for one more phone call. I’d happily suspend all talk of news, politics and Washington gossip and I’d tell him some things I’ve come to know since the horrible Friday afternoon of June 13. I’d say: there’s a nation mourning the loss of a great man and extraordinary journalist. I’d say: there are millions who feel they’ve lost a trusted friend. I’d say: there’s a son - your son - who has comforted us and lifted us up with his strength. He is your true legacy.You’d be so proud, as you always are of him. And after you heard my morning rundown, you’d say: this is all part of life. That we have to move forward, lean on each other, cherish all the good times, and live every day to its fullest - but live it with honor and integrity. And always take the time to reach down to help someone else up. You’d say: take those incredible “lessons of life” that I’ve left with each of you and live them as you remember me. And I’d believe every word. Because in the 17 years that I’ve had the great honor to work with and learn from you, you never once steered me wrong.

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

Clockwise, from top left: Tim Russert on the steps of the U.S. Capitol as the chief of staff for late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynahan, 60th Anniversary Celebration of Meet the Press at the Newseum in November, 2006, Pope John Paul II greeting Tim on his U.S. Visit, Tim on the set of “Meet” with his own dry erase board, Tim with executive producer Betsy Fischer at the show’s 60th anniversary celebration (Photo by Tony Powell), President Bill Clinton on his first appearance for Meet, Tim on the field of his beloved Bills, President Ronald Reagan greeting the former NBC Washington bureau chief, Tim Russert with Bob Schieffer and Al Hunt. (Photos courtesy of NBC News) | s u m m e r 2 0 0 8 | washingtonlife.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. GEORGETOWN BETHESDA/CHEVY CHASE POTOMAC NORTHERN VIRGINIA WFP.COM

202.944.5000 202.333.3320 301.222.0050 301.983.6400 703.317.7000

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K aloraMa, washinGton, DC

west enD/ritz resiDenCes

ClevelanD ParK, washinGton, DC

NEW PRICE! Rarely Available! Spectacular renovation of a large Kalorama residence with removed one bedroom guest house and garage. Large pool size garden and pool house. $3,495,000

Ritz Carlton Residences. Excellent floorplan of a 2BR, 2BA condo with balcony & fireplace. Sumptuous Master Suite features marble bath with soaking tub. Large Kitchen, Private Balcony, cherry floors, & 1 parking space. Ritz Residences and Hotel services. $1,150,000

Spectacular Cleveland Park residence. New renovation includes expansive & light-filled Kitchen with Family Room. Master Suite features upper level loft and en suite bath. Fully renovated lower level with BR & new Kitchen. Glorious gardens, detached garage. $1,595,000

Jim Bell

202-607-4000

BethesDa, MarylanD

GeorGetown, washinGton, DC

All brick Colonial features over 5,000 square feet. Six bedrooms, five full and one half baths, lovely master suite, absolutely gorgeous oversized family room and outstanding architectural details. $1,995,000

Located in Georgetown’s coveted East Village, this ideal 4BR/3BA Victorian boasts spacious bedrooms with large closets, Open Family Breakfast area, sunny upper balcony overlooking Private garden/terrace, custom storage and beautiful detailing throughout. $1,850,000

Alden Byrholdt

Cecelia Leake

202-255-6793

202-256-7804

202-607-4000

BethesDa, MarylanD WESTMORELAND HILLS - Spacious, updated Colonial on large, beautifully landscaped level lot. 4 BR, 3.5BA. Generous light-filled LR w/fpl, large DR, bright Sunroom & Breakfast area overlooking Garden, FR & home office open to Patio & beautiful Garden. $1,475,000

Sherry Davis

301-996-3220

GeorGetown, washinGton, DC

BethesDa/DeerfielD, MarylanD

GeorGetown, washinGton, DC

Pristine and light-filled 2BR/2.5BA Federal with wonderful details throughout, renovated table space Kitchen opening to rear patio and garden and a fully finished 1BR/1BA Lower Level with 2nd Kitchen and separate entrance. $1,450,000

Tremendous curb appeal and elegance define this 5 BR, 4.5 BA recently renovated Colonial. Updated Kitchen w/ granite & center island opens to a spacious Family Room, complete w/ flat screen TV, Intricate moldings, 4 fpls, refinished hardwoods & designer touches. $1,395,000

Sun-filled elegant Federal ideally located in Georgetown’s West Village features 2BR/3.5BA w/ Garage Pkg! Living Room w/French doors opens to landscaped patio. Classic architectural details & flexible floor plan. $1,395,000

Nancy Taylor Bubes

Michael Matese

202-256-2164

301-806-6829

Nancy Taylor Bubes Suzanne Monnier

INTERNATIONAL NETWORKS • LOCAL AFFILIATE

202-256-2164 202-360-2054