MidCity-DC-Magazine-December-2011

DECEMBER 2011

MIDCITY

CONTENTS DECEMBER 2011out and about08 Hit the City • Joy Hopkins

10 Calendar • Kathleen Donner

18 Retail Therapy’s Holiday Gifts • Scott Fazzini

22 Insatiable • Celeste McCall

24 Jazz Avenues • Steve Monroe

your neighborhood25 The Nose • Anonymous

26 District Beat: The Incumbents’ Advantage • Martin Austermuhle

27 Note to the Editor: Democracy Cannot Operate in Secret

28 The Numbers: Making Sencse of the Dollars Spent • Kwame Boadi

30 Logan Circles • Mark F. Johnson

31 Shaw Streets • Ralph Brabham

32 The Triangle • Amanda Wilson

33 Giving to Charities

kids and family34 Kids and Family Notebook • Kathleen Donner

38 St. Francis Xavier • Alice Ollstein

at home40 Home/Style: Logan Circle at its Holiday Best • Mark F. Johnson

42 Changing Hands • Don Denton

46 Classifi eds

18

40

22

COVER: A Bartender at Jeff Black’s Pearl Dive. Photo: Andrew Lightman.

6 ◆ Midcity DC | December 2011

EDITORIAL STAFFMANAGING EDITOR: Andrew [email protected] & ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Maria Carolina [email protected] NOTES EDITOR: SUSAN BRAUN JOHNSON

[email protected]

KIDS & FAMILY NOTEBOOK EDITOR: KATHLEEN DONNER

[email protected]

ARTS, DINING & ENTERTAINMENT ART: Jim Magner • [email protected]: Celeste McCall • [email protected] THE CITY: Joylyn Hopkins • [email protected]: Karen Lyon • [email protected]: Mike Canning • [email protected]: Jean-Keith Fagon • [email protected] THERAPY: Scott Fazzini • [email protected]: Barbara Wells • [email protected]: Maggie Hall • [email protected] WINE GUYS: Jon Genderson • [email protected]

CALENDAR & BULLETIN BOARDHILL RAG, MIDCITY DC & EAST OF THE RIVER:CALENDAR EDITOR: Kathleen Donner [email protected], [email protected]

GENERAL ASSIGNMENT Michelle Evans • [email protected] McCall • [email protected] Schoell • [email protected] Avniel Spatz • [email protected] Waldron • [email protected] Donner • [email protected] Deutsch • [email protected] Sunukjian • [email protected] Holloway • [email protected] Ollstein • [email protected] Abrahams • [email protected] Kiefhaber • [email protected] Weiner • [email protected] Jones • [email protected] H. Muller • [email protected]

BEAUTY, HEALTH & FITNESSPatricia Cinelli • fi [email protected] Bresnick Hauss, LCSW • www.quietwaterscenter.com [email protected] Sherer • [email protected]

KIDS & FAMILYKathleen Donner • [email protected] Johnson • [email protected]

SOCIETY & EVENTSMickey Thompson • [email protected]

HOMES & GARDENSRindy O’Brien - Hill Gardener • [email protected] Thomas • [email protected] Capen • [email protected]: Mark Johnson • [email protected]

NEWS & NEIGHBORHOOD REPORTSANC6A, 6B, 6C, 6D: Roberta Weiner • [email protected]: GWYN JONES • [email protected] ROW: [email protected] STREET LIFE: Elise Bernard • [email protected] NOSE: [email protected] CIRCLE • [email protected] • Ralph Brabham: Ralph • [email protected]: Eleanor Gourley • [email protected] & U: Catherine Finn • cathefi [email protected]

PRODUCTION/GRAPHIC DESIGNASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR: Jason Yen202.543.8300 X21 • [email protected] DESIGNER / WEB MASTER: Jason Nickens202.543.8300 X17 • [email protected]

ADVERTISING & SALESSENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Deborah Bandzerewicz 202.543.8300 X13 • [email protected] EXECUTIVE: Kira Means 202.543.8300 X16 • [email protected] ADVERTISING: Maria Carolina Lopez202.543.8300 X12 • [email protected] ASST.: Giancarlo Fagon

DISTRIBUTIONDISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Andrew LightmanDISTRIBUTORS: Southwest DistributionDISTRIBUTION INFORMATION: [email protected]

DEADLINES & CONTACTSADVERTISING: [email protected] ADS: 15th of each monthCLASSIFIED ADS: 10th of each monthEDITORIAL: 15th of each month; [email protected] BOARD & CALENDAR: 15th of each month;[email protected], [email protected]

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Capital Community News, Inc.224 7th Street, SE, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20003 202.543.8300 • www.capitalcommunitynews.com

We welcome suggestions for stories. Send queries to [email protected] are also interested in your views on community issues which are published in the Last Word.Please limit your comments to 250 words. Letters may be edited for space. Please include your name, address and phone number. Send Last Word submissions to [email protected] employment opportunities email [email protected].

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Live, Reno 911, Night Writer, NPR’s Rewind, HBO’s Hung, Bravo’s Th e Great Th ings About Be-ing…, VH1’s Best Week Ever, Curb Your Enthusi-asm, and Talk Show with Spike Feresten.

“I’ve done standup, but it’s not what this is to me,” she says. “Th e last two shows I’ve been focused on trying to make a narra-tive—plot-driven, charac-ter-driven, semi-autobio-graphical, fast-paced dark comedies.”

Bust runs through December 18, Tuesdays through Sundays at 7:30 p.m., with weekend mati-nee performances at 2:30 p.m. Tickets range from $35 to $60.

Studio Th eatre 1501 14th Street NW 202-332-3300 www.studiotheatre.org

Multmedia Exhibit atCurator’s Offi ceExplores Spirituality

Artist and musician Breck Omar Brunson returns to Curator’s Offi ce for his eighthexhibit there.

Th e exhibit, Churchin’, includes collage, sculpture, video and sound and uses found mate-rials to explore religion and spirituality. Brunson was raised in a unique combination of Catholic and Southern Baptist traditions, but is commit-ted to seeking beyond them.

He summarizes: “Churchin’ is an abstract view of an abstract understanding of an invisible proposition made physical. Th e material choices are local choices. I feel the world is already talk-ing to me and I only need to respect the puzzle before me.”

As part of his exhibition, you can hear a sound fi le of Brunson singing churchbells (note: not sure about this; does she mean vocalizing to sound like bells?) every 33 minutes; the number

33 is a mystically signifi cant number and the age at which Christ died.

Churchin’ runs through December 22. Cura-tor’s Offi ce is open Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. and by appointment.

Curator’s Offi ce 1515 14th St NW Suite 201 202-387-1008 www.curatorsoffi ce.com

Winner of NBC’sThe Voice at Lincoln Theatre

Th is year, NBC debuted a new singing com-petition, Th e Voice. Th e winner of the inaugural season was singer-songwriter (is he local?) Javier Colon. Infl uenced by artists from James Taylor to James Brown, Colon developed his own stylethat he calls “acoustic soul.”

Prior to appearing on Th e Voice, Colon toured with Th e Derek Trucks Band for two years, then released two major label albums via Capital Re-cords—Javier in 2003 and Left of Center in 2006. Finally, he released Th e Truth – Acoustic EP on his own label, Javier Colon Music, in 2010.

In many ways, Th e Voice, was a last shot for Colon. Having tried to succeed both indepen-

by Joy Hopkins


Studio TheatreGoes Bust

Studio Th eatre closes 2011 with the one-woman show, Bust. Th e brainchld of comedic actor, author and playwright Lauren Weedman, Bust is the sto-ry of her struggle to balance the narcissism of life inHollywood by volunteering with an advocacy program at a women’s jail. Th e ride is a bit bumpy, but Weedman faces it with humor and honesty – like when she tells her orientation group that she wants to work with the program “because a women’s jail is the only place in LA where I have a shot at being the prettiest girl in the room.”

Weedman has received numerous honors for Bust, as well as previous works such as Rash and Wreck-age. In addition to her stage work, she has severaltelevision credits, including Th e Daily Show, Almost

Lauren Weedman in Bust.Photo by Owen Carey

Breck Omar Brunson, Uncover: Church (detail), 2011, shaved album cover


Javier Colon on the set of his music video, “As Long As We Got Love”

dently and as part of a major label roster, he wasn’t sure what his next move would be. But he knew he couldn’t stop making music.

He says, “I connect emotionally to the songs I write, especially if they have anything to do with my wife or my little girls. As a re-sult, music can happen at any time. I’ve had in-stances where I’ll wake up in the middle of the night with two full verses of lyrics that I hardly even have to think about. I hope people con-nect to that.” His latest album, Come Th rough for You, was released on Universal Republic Records earlier this year.

Javier Colon takes the stage at Lincoln Th eatre on Wednesday, December 12 at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $29.50 to $39.50.

Lincoln Th eatre 1215 U Street, NW 202-328-6000 www.thelincolntheatre.org

Bonus Picks: A Trio ofHoliday Fun

Washington Improv Th eater performs Seasonal Disorder at Source Th eatre through

December 31. Th e Kinsey Sicks return to Th eater J with Oy Vey in a Manger for four performances, December 24 through 26. Keegan Th eatre presents An Irish Car-ol, a new twist on the Dickens classic, also through December 31.

Source Th eatre 1835 14th Street, NW 202-204-7800 www.sourcedc.org

Th eater J at the DCJCC 1529 16th Street NW 202- 518-9400 www.washingtondcjcc.org

Th e Keegan Th eatre at Church Street 1742 Church St NW 703-892-0202 www.keegantheatre.com

Joy Hopkins has been a resident of the Dis-

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CHRISTMAS,CHANUKAH AND KWANZAA Black Nativity at H Street Playhouse. Dec. 5-Jan 1. Langston Hughes’ retelling of the Christmas story from an Afro-centric perspec-tive, infused with rich gospel, blues, funk, jazz music and dance with griot style story telling from an ensemble cast. Now, today, here in this place, nineteen centuries re-moved from Bethleham--in a land far across the sea from Judea--we sing His songs and glorify His name. Tickets on sale now at $35.

Discounts for under 18, students and seniors. theateralliance.com

“Season’s Greenings” at the US Botanic Garden. Through Jan. 2, 10:00 AM-5:00 PM. The US Botanic Garden invites you to remem-ber that the best things in life are free--the fragrance of a freshly cut fi r tree, the magic of holiday lights and sumptuous decorations, and the delight of a child discovering the make-believe world of model trains. There is live holiday music and extended hours un-til 8:00 PM every Tuesday and Thursday in December. Free. 100 Maryland Ave. SW. 202-225-8333. usbg.gov

Holiday Comedy Jam at Lincoln Theatre. Dec. 10, 7:00 PM. Hayes Entertainment presents the 2011 Holiday Comedy Jam. Featuring The DC Comedy Dream Team with Mike Brooks, Tony Woods, and Teddy Carpenter. Hosted by Lazee Lamont. $25-$30.

St John’s Christmas Toy Drive. Through Dec. 14. You can be an angel by donating gifts, books, or gift cards for any age child. If you have ques-tions, contact Patty Cole at [email protected]. 202-347-8766. St. John’s Church, Lafayette Square, 16th and H sts. NW. stjohns-dc.org

US Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting. Visit the tree through New Years Day. The US Capi-

tol Christmas tree is considered by many to be the most beautiful Christmas tree in the city. Capitol west lawn. capitolchristmas-tree2011.org

Downtown DC Holiday Market. Through Dec. 23, noon-8:00 PM. The annual Downtown DC Holiday Market offers seasonal outdoor shop-ping with a festive atmosphere. It features nearly 180 rotating exhibitors and artisans with approximately 50 each week, offering distinctive gifts for sale including fi ne art, crafts, jewelry, clothing, accessories, pottery, photography, clothing and specialty foods. Centered at Eighth and F sts. NW. downtown-holidaymarket.com

DECEMBER★ ★

★

calendar

Photo: Courtesy of Minor Thoughts

Minor Thoughts Quartet Presents Holiday JazzDec. 15, 5:00-7:00 PM. Who couldn’t use a little more jazz and pizzazz in their holidays? This local DC quartet includes Jerome Meltzer on key-board, Gary Hacker on drums, Dan Griffi n on bass, and Joey Whitney on sax; Maureen Mullaney provides the vocals. The group’s festive tunes and fresh Latin take on some of the season’s favorite songs make it impossible to resist the holiday spirit. Free. American Art Museum, Eighth and F sts. NW. 202-633-7970. americanart.si.edu

Mount Vernon by Candlelight. Dec. 10, 11, 17 and 18; 5:00-8:00 PM. Experience includes a can-dlelight tour, singing around a campfi re, costumed characters, hot cider and cookies. $14-$20. Mount Vernon, VA (at the southern end of the George Washington Memorial Parkway-16 miles from DC). 703-780-2000. mountvernon.org

Honor an American Hero at Arlington National Cemetery with a Holiday Wreath. The National Remembrance Ceremony will be held on Satur-day, Dec. 10. Wreaths Across America, a non-

Rprofi t organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, is working hard this holiday season to fulfi ll its goal to honor every veteran buried at Arlington — 220,000 in total — with a memorial wreath. The organization continues to seek donations and volunteers and encourages in-dividuals to visit WreathsAcrossAmerica.org. BZB Holiday Gift and Art Show. Dec. 10, 17 and 23; 10:00 AM-7:00 PM. Two fl oors of shopping at the largest African-American Department Store on the east coast. Shiloh Family Life Center, 1510 Ninth St. NW. 202-610-4188. bzbinternational.com

National Museum of the American Indian Holiday Tree. Arrives Dec. 6. The Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians from Tuolumne, CA are bringing the offi cial NMAI holiday tree to Washington, D.C. The public, representa-tives from Congress and museum staff are invited to decorate the tree with provided ornaments and enjoy a dance performance by members of the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians. Fourth St. and Independence Ave. SW. 202-633-1000. nmai.si.edu

O Magnum Mysterium-Christmas Music from Renaissance Spain. Dec. 9-18. Fol-ger Consort celebrates the holidays with the rich treasury of Christmas music from 16th-century Spain, including stunning works by Victoria, Morales, and Guerrero. Ethereal motets, brilliant instrumental pieces, and spirited peasant songs offer a fresh and fes-tive celebration of the season in the Folger’s beautifully decorated theatre. With Piffaro the Renaissance Band, singers Roger Isaacs, Rosa Lamoreaux, François Loup, William Sharp, and Aaron Sheehan, and instrumen-talist Joseph Gascho. $45. Folger Shake-speare Library, 201 E. Capitol St. SE. 202-544-7077. folger.edu

“It’s All About the Little Things” Art Exhi-bition. Dec. 9-18. Tiny, diminutive, miniature, but not microscopic. Show features 8”x10” or smaller artwork in 2- and 3-dimensions. Ray Artisans Gallery, 2704 Mount Vernon Ave., Al-exandria, VA TheDelRayArtisans.org

Fort Dupont Ice Arena Holiday Show. Dec. 10, 11:30 AM-1:00 PM. This year’s holiday show will feature guest performances from Olympic Ice Dancers Melissa Gregory and De-nis Petukhov, up-and-coming international champion Emmanuel Savary, holiday num-bers by FDIA’s Kids on Ice® Learn to Skate



students, and the 2011Grassroots to Cham-pions (G2C) Young Artists Showcase (YAS) choreographer’s competition fi nals along with other surprise guest stars. $5 suggested donation. 3779 Ely Pl. SE. 202-584-5007. fdia.org

Holiday Caroling at the National Gallery of Art. Dec. 10-11 and 17-18; 1:30 PM and 2:30 PM. Caroling in the seasonally decorated rotunda has become a favorite family activ-ity of the holiday season. Guest choirs lead afternoon sing-along caroling. Singers and listeners of all ages are welcome. Free. West Building Rotunda, National Gallery of Art, Sixth St. and Constitution Ave. NW. nga.gov

Zoolights. Fri.-Sun., through Dec. 11; Dec. 16-Jan. 1, except Dec. 24, 25 and 31; 5:00-9:00 PM. Don’t miss your chance to mean-der through the Zoo when it is covered with thousands of sparkling lights, attend special keeper talks, and enjoy live entertainment. Free. National Zoo, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW. nationalzoo.si.edu

Stories and Carols at Congressional Cem-etery. Dec. 11, 2:00 – 4:00 PM. Following the mission of celebrating the American her-itage represented by those interred here, the Association for the Preservation of Historic Congressional Cemetery will hold a Christmas celebration featuring stories from the past. Cemetery “residents” will arise for the oc-casion to share stories of their Christmases past. Caroling and hot chocolate. Congres-sional Cemetery on Capitol Hill1801 E St. SE. 202-543-0539. congressio-nalcemetery.org

Holiday Soiree at International Spy Mu-seum. Dec. 14, 4:00-8:00 PM. The mission of the Community Night program is to spread goodwill and reach underserved communi-ties. These free, fun-fi lled events are offered the last Wednesday of each month. Each month offers a different theme. In addition to the museum visit, guests have an oppor-tunity to win prizes and test their spy skills with fun fi lled activities like the super-size cipher wheel, SPY trivia and much more!. Each month, the Spy Museum hosts a local organization co-sponsor to promote com-munity unity. 800 F St. NW. 202-393-7798. spymuseum.org

Celebrate Light-Celebrate Freedom. Dec. 15, 8:00 PM. A unique holiday concert with special guests--The Soldiers Chorus and The Pentagon Winds of the US Army Field Band, A taste of klezmer, ancient Sephardic songs, stunning spirituals, dreidels, Handel, and a woodwind quintet. Free but reservation sug-gested. Washington Hebrew Congregation, 3935 Macomb St. NW. 301-963-3462. zemer-chai.org

Minor Thoughts Quartet Presents Holiday Jazz. Dec. 15, 5:00-7:00 PM. Who couldn’t use a little more jazz and pizzazz in their holidays? This local DC quartet includes Je-rome Meltzer on keyboard, Gary Hacker on drums, Dan Griffi n on bass, and Joey Whit-ney on sax; Maureen Mullaney provides the vocals. The group’s festive tunes and fresh Latin take on some of the season’s favor-ite songs make it impossible to resist the holiday spirit. Free. American Art Museum,

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28th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast

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Eighth and F sts. NW. 202-633-7970. ameri-canart.si.edu

Gay Men’s Chorus “Red and Greene”. Dec. 16-18. DC’s perennial favorite is back with a very special guest, Broadway and televi-sion star, Ellen Greene (Little Shop of Hor-rors, Pushing Daisies). Whether you’ve been naughty or nice, there’s no place like homo for the holidays. Bold production numbers and glittering holiday songs from a Chorus of more than 250 men will make your days mer-ry and bright. Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University. gmcw.org

Carols by Candlelight at National Cathe-dral. Dec. 17, 6:00 PM; Dec. 18, 4:00 PM. (Choral prelude starts about 20 minutes be-fore the service.) Bible readings are inter-spersed with Christmas music, candle-light-ing, and prayers in this holy service inviting the peace of the season. Washington Nation-al Cathedral (intersection of Wisconsin and Massachusetts aves. NW). 202-537-6200. cathedral.org

Remembering Christmas Variety Show. Dec. 18, 9:30 AM, 11:00 AM and 6:00 PM. Travel back in time this holiday season and remember Christmas in the era of 50’s rock n’ roll bands and Sinatra-toned melodies. You’ll experience the style of Mad Men and the musical excitement of Glee in this family-friendly production. Free. Atlas Performing Arts Theater, 1333 H St. NE.

Chanukah on the Ellispe. Dec. 20, 4:00 pm. Enjoy potato latkas and donuts, Dreidelman and The Macabees and fun for the entire family on the Ellipse. Free tickets are re-quired and available online at nationalme-norah.org. 202-332-5600

Hanukah Happy Hour on the Hill. Dec. 20, 6:00 PM. Don’t miss out on all the Hannukah fun! Join more than a dozen organizations for the biggest party of the year that brings in hundreds of Jewish young adults from all over the DC area. Be sure to bring winter gloves, socks, scarves, hats, shampoo, lotion and hand sanitizer (travel sizes). All items will be donated to the December 25th Day of Service at the Washington DCJCC and given as holiday gifts to the DC homeless commu-nity. $5. The Pour House, 319 Pennsylvania Ave. SE and Capitol Lounge, 229 Pennsylva-nia Ave. SE.

Matt Wilson’s Christmas Tree-O at the At-las. Dec. 21, 8:00 PM. It was a snowy day in May when Matt Wilson, Jeff Lederer and Paul Sikivie gathered at Maggie’s Farm re-cording studio to spread Christmas cheer. The result of that gathering is Matt Wilson’s Christmas Tree-O, a collection of everyone’s favorite holiday tunes that’s destined to be added to holiday music collections all over the globe. $25. Atlas performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. 202-399-7993. at-lasarts.org

Latkes & Learning at Sixth and I. Dec. 22, 7:00 PM. Study text and refl ect on the mir-acles of Chanukah over a holiday-themed dinner. For those in their 20s and 30s. $8. Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, 600 I St. NW. 202-408-3100. sixthandi.org



Kennedy Center Messiah Sing-Along. Dec. 23, 8:00 PM. Join the Kennedy Center House Orchestra, a 200 voice choir, a professional soloist and fellow audience members in a glorious “sing-along” of Handel’s beloved masterpiece. This is Washington’s most pop-ular free holiday event. One ticket per per-son available two hours before performance (6:00 PM) in front of Concert Hall. kennedy-center.org

Seven Nights of Light at the Francis-can Monastery. The luminaries (seven-day candles) will be lighted in the churchyard on Christmas Eve and continue glowing for seven days and nights until New Year’s Eve. Franciscan Monastery, 1400 Quincy St. NE. 202-526-6800. fmgg.org

Christmas at Washington National Cathe-dral. Dec. 24, Lessons and Carols, 6:00 PM, Midnight Eucharist, 10:00 PM. (Both services require free tickets but there will be a stand-by line that usually gets in.). Dec. 25, Festive Eucharist (televised), 9:00 AM; Festive Eu-charist, noon; Christmas vespers (Evensong). 4:00 PM; Christmas organ concert, 5:00 PM. Intersection of Wisconsin and Massachusetts aves. NW. 202-537-6200. cathedral.org

Celebration of Christmas at the National Shrine. Dec. 24, Children’s Mass with Gospel Pageant, 5:00 PM; Musical Meditations on the Nativity, 10:00 PM; Solemn Vigil Mass, 10:30 PM. Dec. 25, Masses, 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM, 10:30 AM and 4:30 PM; Solemn Mass, noon; Spanish Mass, 2:30 PM. 400 Michigan Ave. NE. 202-526-8300. nationalshrine.com

Christmas Dinner For Those Who Are Alone or In Need. Dec. 25, 12:15-2:00 PM. Din-ing Room of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. This is a walk-in meal. Just show up. To Volunteer, call: 202-526-8300. 400 Michigan Ave. NE. 202-526-8300. nationalshrine.com All Star Christmas Day Jazz Jam. Dec. 25, 6:00 PM. December 25 always brings this popular annual event. Free. Kennedy Center. 202-416-8340. kennedy-center.org

Chinatown Restaurants are Open Christ-mas Day.

National (White House) Christmas Tree. Through Jan. 1. In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge walked from the White House to the Ellipse to light a 48-foot fi r tree deco-rated with 2,500 electric bulbs in red, white and green, as a local choir and a “quartet” from the US Marine Band performed. 89 years later, this American holiday tradition contin-ues to bring citizens together to share in a message of hope and peace. Musical groups perform nightly, weekdays, 6:00-8:30 PM; weekends, 4:00-8:30 PM. The Ellipse (south of the White House). 202-208-1631. the-nationaltree.org

New Holiday Model Train Display at Union Station. Through Jan. 2, in the main hall. The model train displays are made up of O Gauge trains from the steam and modern eras. Every train is outfi tted with state-of-the-art electronics capable of recreating the sounds, lights and smoke of their real-life counterparts and each display is controlled

by the MTH. DCS Digital Command System pro-viding hands-free control of the railroad by starting, stopping and running the trains inde-pendent of a human “engineer”. mthtrains.com

A Christmas Carol at Ford’s. Through Dec. 31. Join the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future as they lead the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge on a journey of transformation and redemption. Originally conceived by Michael Baron, this music-infused production captures the magic and joy of Dickens’s Yuletide clas-sic. Acclaimed Washington stage actor Edward Gero returns to play Scrooge in the production The Washington Post hailed as “musically high-spirited” and “infectiously jolly.” $35-$75. 202-347-4833. fordstheatre.org

Ford’s Theatre Partners with Miriam’s Kitch-en. The Ford’s Theatre Society announced that the cast of the production of “A Christmas Car-ol” is partnering with Miriam’s Kitchen to cre-ate a donation drive inspired by the themes of charity in Dickens’s holiday classic. During the curtain calls for performances of “A Christmas Carol”, the cast will collect monetary donations on behalf of the Washington-based non-profi t Miriam’s Kitchen. Patrons can also make dona-tions through the Ford’s Theatre Box Offi ce. All donation checks should be made payable to “Miriam’s Kitchen.” “A Christmas Carol” plays at Ford’s Theatre though Dec. 31. miriam-skitchen.org

The Garden of Lights (Winter Garden Walk) at Brookside Gardens. Through Jan. 8, 5:30-9:00 PM, weekdays; 5:30-10:00 PM, Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday. 940,000 twinkling colorful lights shaped in imaginative displays throughout the gardens. $20-$25 per car. It’s a walk-through, however. Brookside Gardens Wheaton Regional Park, 1800 Glenallan Ave.,Wheaton, MD. montgomeryparks.org/brookside African Heritage Dancers & Drummers Kwan-zaa Celebration. Dec. 26, 7:00-10:00 PM. Event features traditional candle lighting cere-mony, guest speakers, performances by African Heritage Dancers & Drummers and guest art-ist. Free. Donations accepted. African Heritage Center, 1320 Good Hope Rd. SE. 202-399-5252

A Kwanzaa Celebration. Dec. 29, 10:30 AM-noon. Beginning with a drum call, the Farafi na KanYouth Ensemble brings to life a festive Kwan-zaa celebration. The program offers a historical overview of this special holiday season and audience participation that includes a libation, naming ceremony, interactive drumming, and a family and community values observance. A 30-minute concert includes a seamless fusion of traditional African music and dance, infused with the creative genius of the music of the African Diaspora: reggae, blues, jazz, funk, and hip hop. For reservations, call 202-633-4844. Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, 1600 Morris Rd. SE

Kwanzaa Arts Workshop. Dec. 30, 10:30 AM-12:30 PM and 1:30-3:30 PM. This two-hour craft workshop will focus on designing and produc-ing your own Kwanzaa gift. All materials will be provided. For reservations, call 202-633-4844. Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Pl. SE. 202-633-4820. anacostia.si.edu

Cut-Your-Own Christmas Tree Farms in Mary-land, Virginia and West Virginia. Visit pic-

kyourownchristmastree.org for farms and direc-tions. Then follow the prompts.

AROUND THENEIGHBORHOODSACRE: Imperfect Dancers Company of Italy in Concert. Dec. 10-11. The music of Antonio Vivaldi and Igor Stravinsky meets the beauty and passion of one of Europe’s most highly regarded and technically gifted dance com-panies. Company E’s American premiere of the Imperfect Dancers Company promises to be an event that should not be missed. $18. Lans-burgh Theatre, 450 Seventh St. NW. 202-547-1122. shakespearetheatre.org

Javier Colon--Winner of NBC’s The Voice. Dec. 13, 8:00 PM. Winner of the fi rst season of NBC’s The Voice, Javier Colon has been singing and writing songs since the age of 13. $29.50-$39.50. Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. 202-328-6000. thelincolntheatre.org

David Broza at Sixth and I. Dec. 15, 8:00 PM. For decades, singer-songwriter David Broza has been steadily gaining a reputation throughout the world as one of the great international songwriters and performers. With 19 albums to his name, Broza has been likened to superstars such as Bruce Springsteen, Leonard Cohen and Jackson Browne. The multi-platinum Israeli artist will perform his globably renowned folk-rock. Free but RSVP required. Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, 600 I St. NW. 202-408-3100. six-thandi.org

BUST at Studio Theatre. Through Dec. 18. Written and performed by Lauren Weedman. With one foot in Hollywood and the other in jail, the former Daily Show correspondent ca-reens wildly between the two worlds, taking us on a hilarious, poignant, and completely un-forgettable ride. Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW. 202-332-3300. studiotheatre.org

Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare Theatre. Through Jan 1. This holiday season, fall in love with one of the most romantic com-edies ever written. Everyone can see that Bea-trice and Benedick are meant for each other ex-cept Beatrice and Benedick. Hero and Claudio, themselves newly betrothed, conspire to trick them into announcing their feelings and falling for each other. Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F St. NW. 202-547-1122. shakespearetheatre.org

Spoiler Alert: Everybody Dies. Through Jan. 8. Laugh while you can ‘cause things ain’t get-tin’ better. This season, Woolly artists fl y to Chicago to work with The Second City’s classic comedy wizards in an unprecedented collabora-tion. Their mission? Bring back to Washington the most gleeful anti-holiday celebration of doom ever. $40-$75. Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, 641 D St. NW. 202-393-3939. wool-lymammoth.net

The Great American Hall of Wonders at American Art Museum. Through Jan 8. The exhibition The Great American Hall of Wonders examines the nineteenth-century American be-lief that the people of the United States shared a special genius for innovation. It explores this



belief through works of art, mechanical inven-tions, and scientifi c discoveries, and captures the excitement of citizens who defi ned their nation as a “Great Experiment” sustained by the inventive energies of Americans in every walk of life. Eighth and F sts. NW. 202-633-7970. americanart.si.edu

Tom Wolff’s U Street Portrait Project. Through Dec. 17. This is a new photographic exploration of the people and culture of DC’s U St. neigh-borhood. Nationally recognized photographer Tom Wolff is best known for his published work in the Washington Post Magazine, House & Garden, Garden Design, Smithsonian Magazine, and New York Times Magazine. This exhibition focuses closer to home with U Street Portrait Project that captures the local business own-ers, residents, and artists that together make the U Street Corridor a rich and diverse cultural center. Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery,1632 U St. NW. The Gallery is open Wednesday-Friday, 11:00 AM-5:00 PM and Saturday, 11:00 AM-3:00 PM and by appointment. 202-483-8600. smithcenter.org/gallery

The Kinsey Sicks in Oy Vey in a Manger. Dec. 24-26. America’s favorite Dragapella Beauty-Shop Quartet brings its irreverent humor and harmonies back to DC just in time for the holi-days. With gut-busting parodies and raucous schtick, The Kinsey Sicks offers wholesome favorites like “I Had a Little Facial,” “Harried Little Christmas,” and “’Tis the Season to Drink Stoli”! $25-$65. Theater J, 1529 16th St. NW. 202-518-9400. washingtondcjcc.org

By, For, and Of the People: Folk Art and Americana at the DAR Museum. Through Sept. 1, 2012. The DAR Museum has an impressive collection of decorative arts, and much of the published work about the museum stresses that fact. Over the years however, important exam-ples of American folk art and Americana have enlivened the collection. For the most part, these were family objects inherited and do-nated by DAR members. However, as a national interest in folk art grew over the second half of the twentieth century, the museum purchased a few choice examples. Although some of these

pieces may have been displayed in other venues, this is the museum’s fi rst folk art exhibition to present and celebrate these treasures. There will be something for “all the people”: portraits, quilts, furniture, ce-ramics, metals, needlework, and unexpect-ed surprises. Free admission. DAR Museum, 1776 D St. NW. 202-628-1776. dar.org

Washington Improv Theater’s Harold Night at Almaz Upstairs. Every Tuesday, 10:00 PM. Doors open at 9:30 PM. Mul-tiple improv groups will perform two sets of comedic longform improvisation in the structure of Harold, a form created in the 1960s and developed for the last fi fty

years. Almost all shows are followed by improv jams, where you can get up onstage and try your hand at improv. $5. Free for WIT students. Almaz Ethiopian Restaurant, 1212 U St. NW

SPORTS, DANCE AND PHYSICAL FITNESSBallou International 5K. Dec. 10, 9:00 AM. Run around the block and help Ballou students run around the WORLD! All proceeds from the Ballou International 5K go toward Interna-tional Education programs offered at Ballou Senior High School. $50. Ballou Senior High School, 3401 Fourth St. SE. 202-656-9334. active.com

Capital Running Company Jingle All the Way 8K. Dec. 11, 9:00 AM. Seventh annual holi-day-themed event moves out of the parks and

offers a fl at, fast course down Pennsylva-nia Ave. ChronoTrack timing offered with awards to top 10 male and female fi nish-ers, and top 3 M/F fi nishers in 5 year age groups. Fun event also includes colorful long sleeve t-shirts, team competition, and jingle bells to all runners! Jingle All the Way! Near Freedom Plaza, Between 12th & 13th St. on Pennsylvania Ave. NW. $30. All ages welcome. 301-871-0400. runwashington.com

Washington Capitals Hockey. Dec. 13, 20, 28 and 30; 7:00 PM. Verizon Center, 601 F St. NW. 202-266-2277. capitals.nhl.com

Washington Wizards Basketball. Dec. 16, 19, 21, 23 and 26, 7:00 PM. Verizon Center, 601 F St. NW. 202-397-SEAT. nba.com/wizards

Christmas Caper 5K & 10K. Dec. 17, 7:30 AM. East Potomac Park, Hains Point, 972 Ohio Dr. 301-292-1441. pvtc.org

Cuban Salsa Classes at Trinity Universi-ty. Every Saturday, 1:00-3:00 P.M., Alum-nae Hall, Room B1. The classes are open to the public, drop-in, very friendly and informal. $10/class. No dance experience needed, but the class will cover all levels from beginners to advanced. 301-980-6043. DanceInTime.com

Nearby indoor public swimming pools. Turkey Thicket, 1100 Michigan Ave. NE. Open Monday through Friday, 6:30 AM-8:00 PM; Saturday, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM;

closed, Sunday. 202-576-9236. Rumsey Pool, 635 No.Carolina Ave. SE. Open Monday through Friday, 6:30 AM-9:00 AM and noon-9:00 PM; Saturday, 1:00-5:00 PM; Sunday, 10:00 AM-5:00 PM. 202-724-4495. The pools are free for DC residents. Have ID with you. dpr.dc.gov

Ice Skating at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden. Open through Mid Mar. (depending on the weather). Monday through Thursday, 10:00 AM-9:00 PM; Friday and Sat-urday, 10:00 AM-11:00 PM; Sunday, 11:00 AM-9:00 PM. View magnifi cent works of sculpture while skating in the open air and enjoying mu-sic from the state-of-the-art sound system. $7 for adults, $6 for children 12 and under, stu-dents with ID and seniors 50 and over. Skate rental is $3. Seventh St. and Constitution Ave. NW. 202-289-3361. nga.gov/ginfo/skating

Pentagon Row Outdoor Ice Skating. Open daily through mid-Mar. 10:00 AM-11:00 PM. $7-$8. $3 for skate rental. 1201 South Joyce St. Arlington, VA. 703-418-6666. pentagon-rowskating.com

Saturday and Sunday Road Rides. Every Sat-urday, 10 AM and Sunday, 8:30 AM. The Bike Rack. The Saturday ride is more of an intro-ductory ride and caters to road riders who are new to the sport, hybrid riders intimidated by the faster pace of the Sunday ride, and any-one who just wants a shorter (approx. 20 to 30 miles) and slower (12 to 14 mph) pace. The Sunday ride is 40-mile, moderately paced ride that emphasizes group riding techniques, newcomers to the group riding are welcome as riders regroup throughout, so that nobody is left behind. Helmets mandatory both rides.

DAR Museum docent giving tour of period rooms.Photo: Courtesy of DAR Museum

Daughters of the American Revolution Christmas TourDec. 15, 1:00-2:00 PM. Ever wonder what Christmas deco-rating was like before there were plug-in lights, tinsel and stockings? Join the Assistant Curator of Education on a spe-cial tour of the period rooms for a look at early-American Christmas decorating. Available for groups of 5-15. Contact 202-879-3341 or [email protected]. Advance reservation required. $3. DAR Museum, 1776 D St. NW. 202-628-1776. dar.org


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Free. 1412 Q St. NW. 202-387-BIKE. biker-ackdc.com.

Shaw Skate Park. A new 11,000 sq. foot skate park has opened in the Shaw neighborhood. 11th and Rhode Island Ave. NW.

Yoga at NW1 Library. Tuesdays, 6:30 PM. Free, walk-in. There is a sign-in sheet and you must sign a waiver to participate. NW1 Library, 155 L St. NW. 202-939-5946. dclibrary.org/northwest

Kung Fu and Tai Chi at the Historical Society. Every Saturday (rain or shine). Kung Fu, noon; Tai Chi, 1:00 PM. Suitable for all ages. Kung Fu is a broad term that is used to describe all martial arts of Chinese origin. The ancient art of Tai Chi is a style of Kung Fu that empha-sizes internal energy. Free. No RSVP required. Historical Society of Washington, DC, 801 K St. NW (Mount Vernon Square). 202-383-1850. historydc.org

MARKETS Dupont Circle Farmers Market. Sundays year round (rain or shine), 9:00 AM-1:00 PM. The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times of London named the market one of the top farm-ers’ markets in the country. During the peak season, there are more than 30 farmers offer-ing fruits and vegetables, meat, poultry, fi sh, cheeses, fruit pies, breads, fresh pasta, cut fl owers, potted plants, soaps and herbal prod-ucts. 20th St. and Mass. Ave. NW, 1500 block of 20th St. NW (between Mass. Ave. and Q St. in the adjacent parking lot of PNC Bank). 202-362-8889. freshfarmmarket.org

9th and U Flea Market. Saturdays and Sun-days, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM. Ninth and U sts. NW.

Eastern Market. Daily except Mondays and im-portant holidays. Weekdays, 7:00 AM-7:00 PM; Saturdays, 7:00 AM-6:00 PM; Sundays, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM. Flea market and arts and crafts market open Saturdays and Sundays, 9:00 AM-6:00 PM. Eastern Market is Washington’s last continually operated “old world” market. On weekends the market area comes alive with farmers bringing in fresh produce, craft and fl ower vendors, artists, a fl ea market and street musicians. 200 block of 7th St. SE. 202-544-0083. easternmarketdc.com

CVIC LIFE Congresswoman Norton’s NW District Offi ce. Open weekdays, 9:00 AM-6:00 PM. 529 14th St. NW. 202-783-5065. norton.house.gov

Eckington Neighborhod Dog Park Organizing Committee. Persons interested in joining a committee to begin the process of establish-ing a dog park near the Harry Thomas Sr. Rec Center, contact Sylvia Pinkney at [email protected].

All-Ways Mount Pleasant. First Saturday, noon-2:00 PM. LaCasa. All-Ways is a citizen’s association primarily for the tenants of the

larger apartment buildings of Mount Pleasant. 3166 Mt. Pleasant St. NW. aa-ss.org

Chinatown Revitalization Council. Fourth Monday, 7:00-8:00 PM. 510 I St. NW. China-town Revitalization Council (CRC) promoting the Chinatown renewal and the preservation of its cultural heritage. The public is welcome.

Convention Center Community Association. Last Tuesday, 7:00-8:30 PM. Kennedy Rec Cen-ter, 1401 Seventh St. NW. www.ccca-online.

Downtown Neighborhood Association Month-ly Meeting. Second Tuesday, 7:00-9:00 PM. US Naval Memorial Center, 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. [email protected]. dcdna.org

East Central Civic Association (ECCA) of Shaw Meeting. First Monday, 7:00 PM. Third Baptist Church, 1546 Fifth St. NW. Contact: Al Hajj Mahdi Leroy J Thorpe Jr, 202-387-1596.

Eckington Civic Association. First Monday, 7:00-8:30 PM. Harry Thomas Recreation Center, 1743 Lincoln Rd. NE. www.eckingtondc.org

Edgewood Civic Association Meeting. Last Monday, 7:00-9:00 PM. Edgewood senior build-ing, 635 Edgewood St. NE, nineth fl oor7-9pm. They encourage all Eckington and Edgewood residents to come out and take part in the live-ly civic life of our communities. www.theedge-woodcivicassociationdc.org

Logan Circle Citizens Association. Please contact Jennifer Trock at [email protected] for meeting dates and times. lo-gancircle.org

Mount Vernon Square Neighborhood Asso-ciation Meeting. Third Tuesday, 7:30-9:30 PM. Yale Steam Laundry, 437 New York Ave. NW. lifein.mvsna.org

U Street Neighborhood Association Meeting. Second Thursday, 7:00-8:30 PM. Source (sec-ond fl oor classroom), 1835 14th St. NW

ANC 1A Meeting. Second Wednesday, 7:00 PM. Harriet Tubman Elementary School, 3101 13th St. NW. 202-588-7278. anc1a.org

ANC 1B Meeting. First Thursday, 7:00 PM. Reeves Center, 2000 14th St. NW (second fl oor). 202-870-4202. anc1b.org

ANC 1B11 Meeting. Second Monday, 7:00 PM. LeDroit Senior Building (basement community room), 2125 Fourth St. NW. 202-481-3462. www.anc1b.org

ANC 1C Meeting. First Wednesday, 7:00 PM. Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Health, 2355 Ontario Rd. NW. 202-332-2630. anc1c.org

ANC 1D Meeting. Third Tuesday, 7:00 PM. 3166 Mount Pleasant St. NW. 202-462-8692. anc1d.org

ANC 2C Meeting. First Wednesday, 6:30-8:30 PM. Watha T. Daniel Library, 1630 Seventh St. NW (new location). 202-682-1633. anc2C.org ◆


Coming this December: Antonio Parker - Every Fridayin December and 12/23

Thad Wilson Quartet - 12/3

Saltman Knowles Quartet - 12/10

Jimmy Junebug Jackson Quartet - 12/17

John Williams Quartet - 12/30

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Toucan Boutique1911 9th Street NW • www.ToucanBoutique.com • 202.415.0727Somewhat reminiscent of a 1920’s Flapper, this dress ($159), by Canadian designer Jen-nifer Glasglow, is sweet and simple--the perfect casual frock to layer up and wear out to all of those swank holiday soirees.

Federal2216 14th Street NW • www.FederalStoreDC.com • 202.518.3355One of the newest kids on the block, Federal offers a plethora of gift ideas for the gen-tlemen, and ladies, in your life. Filson products, all made in America, are indestructibly chic. (suitcase $265, sportsman bag $300, wallet $98)

Palace 5ive2216 14th Street NW • www.Palace5ive.com • 202.518.3355Palace 5ive is an urban skate shop with a very fashionable twist. For the color enthusi-asts, an assortment of Nixon watches ($60 - 110) and Oakley sunglasses ($110).

Habitat1512 U Street NW • www.habitatstyle.com • 202.518.7222Owner Gustavo Dinucci crafts a unique collection of jewelry on site. The multi-stone necklace ($110) is a nice blend of nature and lady-like sophistication.

GoodWood1428 U Street NW • www.GoodWoodDC.com • 202.986.3640A venerable Washington antique store, GoodWood also offers a huge amount of gift ideas. With the help of owner Anna Kahoe we narrowed it down to the Lubin fragrances ($125 - $145). Crafted in France since the Eighteenth century, Lubin has created scents for none other than Princess Grace Kelly and Marie Antoinette. Fragrances are unisex.

Junction1510 U Street NW • www.junctionwdc.com • 202.483.0261Not only does Junction stock plenty of party dresses, but they’ve loaded up their shop with delicious little gift ideas, too. I’m especially fond of the brass tennis racked shaped bottle opener (only $10!) --very Royal Tennanbaums.

by Scott Fazzini

or some the thought of holiday shopping can quickly lead to a meltdown. For others, however, it’s a sweet time of year fi lled with good memories and nascent opportunities. The difference between the two is knowing where to shop and possessing a disposable income. I can help you with one of these requirements, lending to a happier holiday shopping experience.

My puppy, Louis, and I took advantage of the recent bout of unseasonably pleas-ant weather to get out and fi nd some of the best gift ideas from some of our favorite neighborhood haunts. Although I have a propensity to selfi shly keep such information to myself, Louis has insisted that I share our fi ndings. I hope that this guide might serve as inspiration for at least some procurement of your holiday loot. Happy shopping to all, and to all a good... holiday season.

V V


Ginger Root1530 U Street NW • www.GingerRootDesign.com • 202.567.7668Two of the most adorable shop owners/seamstresses in the District, Erin Derge and Kristen Swenson, stitch together amazing ascots, or “Lady Ties” ($72) from vintage neckties. The perfect gift for that special sartorialist.

Redeem1734 14th Street NW • www.redeemus.com • 202.332.7447The ubercool NYC based CXXVI has hand-etched scrimshaw knives and money clips ($106 and $98 respectively) in ivory, fi lled in with India ink, then sealed with two coats of archival wax. Amazing. If anyone is thinking of a gift for me...

Ben’s Chili Bowl1213 U Street NW • www.benschilibowl.com • 202.667.0909This holiday season send the gift of one of the District’s most beloved gastronomical in-stitutions. “Ship Me Some Ben’s!” is offered so that you can share Ben’s with loved ones around the country.

Artfully Chocolate Kingsbury Confections (ACKC)1529 14th Street NW • www.thecocoagallery.com • 202.387.2626Pondering the annual question of what to get the person who has everything? Might I suggest a custom basket (starting at $50) brimming with tasty chocolates from ACKC.

Timothy Paul Bedding and Home1529 14th Street NW • www.TimothyPaulBedding.com • 202.234.2020This is one of the Districts best sources for bedding and soft-good accessories. Made in Maine, cotton Brahms Mount throws ($236) are a great bit of luxury sure to please anyone on your list.

Rue 141803 14th Street NW • www.Rue14.com • 202.462.6200Rue 14 has within the past year been layering in some vintage fi nds. Part of this new concept is the Mister Vintage brand; a collection constructed from repurposed/recycled items. The bandana scarf ($65) is nicely suited for guys and gals.

Treasury1843 14th Street NW • www.ShopTreasury.com • 202.506.6908The Lithics collection by Treasury consists of rings ($92 - $125) recast from vintage molds of the 1920’s - 1950’s. The graphic designs blur the line between men and women-specifi c jewelry. Custom orders are available.

Home Rule1807 14th Street NW • www.HomeRule.com • 202.797.5544Jack Black grooming products are great gifts for the guys in your life who enjoy pampering themselves (even if they don’t want to admit to it), as well as those simple guys who only go so far as to wash their faces. (Beard Lube $15.99, Face Buff $29.99, Wash $19.99)

Pulp1803 14th Street NW • www.PulpDC.com • 202.462.7857Since 2000 Pulp has been a go-to spot for cheeky greeting cards and trinkets, as well as baby gifts (you’d think that the two wouldn’t go together so well..). They also house a great collection of locally made/designed DC centric gifts by DC Central. Always a favorite of the out-of-towners on your list. (fl asks $14.95, mugs $13.95, passport covers $16.95, card hold-ers $11.95) ◆


Restaurants Combat Juvenile diabetes

Jeff and Barbara Black, chef/own-ers of Black Restaurant Group, have teamed up with the Washington Na-tionals Diabetes Care Complex and Dr. Fran Cogen, MD. For the second con-secutive year, the group is helping raise money to combat juvenile diabetes.

With four fundraising events, the Black Restaurant Group hopes to raise $200,000 to build a state-of-the-art kitchen for the Washington Nationals Diabetes Care Complex at Children’s National Medical Center. Th e Blacks own fi ve area restaurants, four in Mary-landand the latest addition, Pearl Dive Oyster Palace & Black Jack, located at 1612 14th St. NW, near Logan Circle.

Call 202-986-8778 or visit www.blackrestau-rantgroup.com.

Logan Lowdown

We’ve seen lots of action around Logan Circle these days.

Cork Wine Bar has a new executive chef: Robert Weland, formerly with Penn Quarter’s Poste Mod-erne Brasserie. Weland joins sous chef Jenni-fer Flynn, another ex-Postie. (Cork bid adieu to original chef, Ron Taneka, who is mov-ing to New Heights in Woodley Park.) We-land and Flynn have earned kudos for their creative dishes crafted from seasonal and sustainably grown products.

Since graduating from the Culi-nary Institute of America (CIA) in 1988, Weland has worked in kitchens ranging from casual neighborhood bistros to a Michelin two-star restau-rant. Weland wielded his whisk at the Ritz-Carlton in New York; after a year he was granted a sabbatical to work in Lyon at the two-star Michelin res-taurant Pierre Orsi. Returning to the United States, Weland cooked with chef Philippe Reininger at Th e Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia, Adrienne in the Peninsula Hotel and at other up-scale establishments.

As Executive Chef at Larry For-gione’s An American Place, Weland earned critical praise from then-New

York Times Food Critic William Grimes. In May 2004, Weland arrived in Washington to become top toque at Poste Moderne, where he focused on ingredients from Poste’s own garden while working with local purveyors.

Located at 1740 14th St. NW in Logan Circle, Cork Wine Bar is the creation of Logan Circle residents Di-ane Gross and Khalid Pitts. In addition to Weland’s innovative cooking,

Cork off ers about 50 wines by the glass and 250 bottles from small pro-ducers from around the world. For more information call 202-265-2675 or visit www.CorkDC.com.

ZENTAN’s Happy HourKnown for sushi, global Asian

cuisine and chic décor, ZENTAN,

in the Donovan House near Th omas Circle, has introduced a happy hour with rail drinks, draft beers and house wine along with Executive Chef Jaime Montes de Oca’s small plates. Drinks and victuals--including dumplings, vegetarian spring rolls, sweet-and-sour meatballs and Singapore slaw--are just $5 each. Happy hour goes from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. ZENTAN is located at 1155 14th St. NW; call 202-379-4366 or visit www.zentanrestaurant.com/.

GingerbreadMore from a Cork enterprise: On

Saturday December 10, families are in-vited to display their culinary creativity at Cork Market & Tasting Room’s sec-ond annual community Gingerbread

out and about + Dining

I N S A T I A B L EBy Celeste McCall

ZENAN’s Executive Chef Jaime Montes de Oca. Photo: Tyler Driscoll

The Pearl Dive’s downstairs bar. Photo: Andrew Lightman

House Decorating Class. At either session--noon to 2 p.m. and 3 to 5 p.m.-- guests may sip wine, hot cocoa and cider and nibble on cook-ies (baked by market chef Kristin Hutter) while decorating gingerbread houses. A gingerbread kit is $30, which includes the foundation and decorating materials, plus refreshments.

Cork Market & Tasting Room is at 1805 14th St. NW, a block away from the parent Cork Wine Bar. Deadline for decorating classes is December 5. Please email [email protected] and specify desired class time. (note: deadline is today. Maybe this paragraph needs to go?)

Coming Soon to LoganTortilla Coast is due to arrive soon at the

corner of 15th and P Streets NW. Th e Tex/Mex enterprise is a spinoff of Capitol Hill’s Tortilla Coast,the original restaurant/watering hole that has been around since 1988.) Around the corner from Logan Circle’s future Tortilla Coast, look for a French-style bistro in a former dry clean-ing and tailor shop at 14th and Q streets NW.

Brunch BunchHusband Peter and I recently had a nice

brunch at Birch and Barley.. We settled ourselves near the huge open kitchen, where a few lucky customers were perched right in front, watching chefs turn out heaping plates. We started with generous, zesty bloody Marys (diff erent versions were laced with ingredients including choice of Ketel 1 vodka, Maker’s Mark bourbon, and even ale). Our “Muddy Blarney” was garnished with a caper berry, cornichon and lemon wedge.

We passed over huevos rancheros, corned beef hash with fried duck eggs and fried donuts (and donut holes) and decided on a health-

ful chicken Caesar salad. Th e huge Romaine hearts were grilled and sprinkled with garlic rounds and delicious white ancho-vies. Th e kitchen initially forgot the chicken but promptly brought a plate of moist diced white and dark meat when we point-ed out the omission.

Peter’s brat burger (savory sausage formed in a thick patty), was heaped with Emmentha-ler cheese and sauerkraut, all nestled in a bun. Th e two-fi sted sandwich was escorted with tempting, crunchy fries.

Our tab for two came to $52, not bad considering the quality and quantity. Upstairs, we checked out the beer-centric pub ChurchKey, where disgruntled football fans were suff ering through yet an-other Redskin loss. Situated at 1337 14th St. NW, Birch and Barley and ChurchKey are open daily; call 202-567-2576.

More holiday treats(align)At Café Saint-Ex, 1847 14th Street,

NW, pastry chef Alison Reed is off ering home-made pies togo for holiday dinners: Featuring pumpkin ($18), pecan ($22) and apple ($18), the nine-inch pies may be pre-ordered through December 21 and picked up at the restaurant. To order, please email [email protected]. For more information call 202-265-7839 or visit www.saint-ex.com.

Oink oinkTh e Petworth neighborhood will soon wel-

come a charcuterie shop called–appropriately–Th e Th ree Little Pigs. Operated by Jason Story and Carolina Lopez, the eatery/retail store will be located at 5111 Georgia Ave. NW, next to the Petworth Fire Station.

Holidays on UUlah Bistro, 1214 U St. NW, is serv-

ing Christmas dinner December 25. Priced at $29.95, the three-course repast includes a complimentary champagne toast. Th e popular U Street hot spot is also throwing a gala, four-course New Year’s Eve dinner. For reservations and more information call 202-234-0123 or www.UlahBistro.com. ◆


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HomecomingIt was another homecom-

ing for Brian Settles, graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and Howard Uni-versity, when he peformed at the Atlas Performing Arts Center last month with his quartet, Central Union. Th e group dazzled the cozy crowd in the Atlas upstairs audito-rium with avant garde riff s and arrangements, all with a grounding in traditional and blues- based grooves.

Settles, playing with Neil Podgurski, piano, Taurus Ma-teen, bass, and Jeremy Carlst-edt, drums, entertained with long form tunes highlighted by his sonorous tones on tenor sax, soft and langorous sometimes, uptempo and frenetic at other times, over rippling piano mel-odies and an always urgent bass line by Mateen. One highlight was Mateen’s throbbing, insis-tent lyricism on “Gardenia,” a reverie from Settles’ recent CD release, “Secret Handshake.”

Settles took the lead on tunes such as “Soulnimsky,” beginning with quick spurts of notes and chords, pausing, starting again, then fl owing into longer chords and riff s of tenor melodies. Pia-no, bass and drums comped along with their own accents behind him, with Settles doing squeals and honks and oc-casional squawks to accent the tune on his own.

Th e crowd applauded generously for each tune as Settles displayed his maturation as a band leader and solo-ist. Th e native Washingtonian credits much of his success on the jazz scene to his Duke Ellington School of the Arts mentor Davey Yarborough, the noted player and educator who has tutored many of our young lights.

“He was my fi rst saxophone teacher, he introudced me to jazz,” said Settles in an interview last month after his At-las performance. “On my 16th birthday, Stanley Turrentine was playing at Blues Alley and Davey took me there ... and I had my horn and Stanley invited me up to play and that’s when it just bit me, that jazz bug just bit me and said, ‘this is your life.’”

Holiday fareSeason’s greetings from jazz art-

ists include the show Dec. 10 show at the Kennedy Center, NPR’s Jazz Piano event. Top jazz stars such as Barry Har-ris, Jason Moran, Eddie Palmieri and Alfredo Rodriguez( a star in the making recently discovered by Quincy Jones, according to Kennedy Center informa-

tion), and others perform their favorite holiday songs. Moran recently received an impressive “trifecta” in DownBeat’s Crit-ics’ Poll, earning honors as hav-ing the Best Jazz Album, “Ten,” and being recognized as both the top Jazz Artist and Jazz Pianist of the year. Recipient of a MacArthur Foundation fellowship, Moran was recently named jazz advisor to the Ken-nedy Center.

Another homecoming is on the way, this one for tenor saxophonist Tim Warfi eld, the former Howard University jazz ensemble player, who returns to Bohemian Caverns Dec. 9 and 10 to host his annual jazz Christmas show with special guests Terell Staff ord and Jo-anna Pascale. Warfi eld, who has become a top tenor on the scene since his HU days, has performed with Donald Byrd, Christian McBride, Th e Harp-er Brothers, Dizzy Gillespie, Isaac Hayes, Shirley Scott and

many others.

Caught: EC3Ernest “EC3” Coleman brought

his EC3 show to Bohemian Caverns last month. Th e former Las Vegas show drummer led a sterling combo, with his trademark pulsating percussion work on standards as well as jazz, funk and soul fl avored pop tunes in a group that in-cluded Janelle Gill on piano, Lyle Link, tenor sax and Pepe Gonzalez, bass.

One highlight was pianist Janelle Gill. It has been a pleasure to see and hear the maturation of Gill into one of the area’s fi ner pianists. With her el-egant touch, she was superb that night especially on “Take Five,” with her solo a lyrical gem. ◆◆

by Steve Monroe

December highlights:Nasar Abadey and Super-nova, Dec. 9-10, Twins Jazz ... Tim Warfi eld’s Jazz Christmas Show, Dec. 9-10, Bohemian Caverns ... NPR’s A Jazz Piano Christmas, Dec. 10, Kennedy Center ... Holiday Special: Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra, Dec. 12, Bohemian Caverns ... Sharon Clark, Paul Carr, Dec. 16, Westminster Church ... Benny Golson, Dec. 16-17, Bohemian Caverns ... Thad Wilson, Dec. 16-17, Twins Jazz ... Jane Monheit, Dec. 17, Kennedy Center ... Sha-ron Clark, Dec. 17, Manda-rin Oriental Hotel ... Capi-tal Bones “A Stan Kenton Christmas,” Dec. 18, Blues Alley ... “A Redd Christmas” with the Redd Brothers, Dec. 21, Blues Alley ... Lena Seikaly, Dec. 21, Twins Jazz ... Dick Morgan, Dec. 26-27, Blues Alley ... Arnold Ster-ling, Dec. 30, Westminster Church ... A Jazz New Year’s Eve: Patti Austin, Dec. 31, Kennedy Center ... Larry Willis, Dec. 30-31, Twins Jazz ... Monty Alexander, Dec. 31, Blues Alley ... By-ron Stripling, Sharon Clark, Chuck Redd, Dec. 31, Man-darin Oriental Hotel.... December birthdays:Wynton Kelly, 2; Jim Hall 4; Dave Brubeck, Frankie Dunlop 5; Jimmy Smith 8; Donald Byrd 9; Ray Nance 10; McCoy Tyner 11; Tony Williams 12; Clark Terry, Ce-cil Payne 14; Sy Oliver 17; Fletcher Henderson18; Chet Baker 23; Baby Dodds 24; Cab Calloway, Don Pullen 25; Earl Hines 28.

out and about + Music

Among the jazzy season’s greetings at area venues this month will be a special New Year’s Eve show by masterful pianist Larry Willis at Twins Jazz.

Jazz Avenues

by Anonymous

the nose


The District’s Annus Politicus Horribilis is nearly at an end. From the very fi rst of the year, the city’s civic palette has steadily constricted into a de-pressing trifecta of oranges, browns and grays. Political scandal has fol-

lowed faux pas followed by scandal. Th e city’s much maligned council dais has come to resemble a Damoclean farce.

And, Dear Readers, writing this column, Th e Nose is in serious need of a stiff drink.

Will this weary tale of ethical lapses and light fi ngers ever end?Councilmember Muriel “Th e Ethics Empress” Bowser has at long last

brought forward her omnibus, comprehensive, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink ethics legislation. Th is bill, our fair councilmember claims, will put some lead in the wildly spinning moral compasses of her less savory colleagues.

Hey, perhaps, it might even bring world peace!Dear Readers, you might well ask this poor scribbler, “Have you completely

lost your effi ng mind spinning such satiric hyperbole?”Th e answer is a fi rm, “No!”Bowser’s bill is no cure-all for the moral failings that seem to dog our city’s

poor politicians. In her race to fashion a new ethics bureaucracy and trim constitu-ent service funds, Bowser has completely failed to tackle the source of the District’s double dealings, Th e Nose’s own favorite fraternity, Th e Lobbyinistas.

Th e Lobbyinistas are super lawyers, who fund the city’s pols through unfath-omable, bundled campaign donations, while simultaneously bending the civic bu-reaucracy to do their clients’ bidding. Alternatively, they can be found down at the Board of Elections and Ethics, or in Superior Court, defending politicians found with their hands in the cookie jar.

Certain Lobbyinistas can even leap over the Wilson Building in a single bound; Th e Nose has it on good authority.

Well, if you can’t outlaw the Lobbyinistas, Th e Nose suggests that weelect them!

Yes, Dear Readers, the start of 2012 brings with it possibility of a mayoral recall. Here is Th e Nose’s prescription for an ideal administration:

• Dave “Th e Valet” Wilmot for Mayor. Anyone who can operate a city-owned parcel as a parking lot paying minimal taxes and rent, and then develop it into a Walmart, is THE MAN. Dave, you have Th e Nose’s vote.

• John “Bulldozer” Ray for Deputy Mayor for Economic Development.Even in these tough economic times, Ray has true vision. For example, take his plan to redevelop the Union Market into a sparkling new bowling alley complete with matching condos and hotels. Maybe Th e Nose will no longer have to drive to Atlantic City to play the slots.

• Kevin “Full Chartered” Chavous for DC Public School Chancellor. Why waste all that money on public schools? We should task Chancellor Chavous with auctioning off DC public school property to developers. Th e proceeds can then be used to fund independent charters.

• Kerry “Asphalt” Pearson for Director of the DC Department of Transpor-tation. Given his close connections to Fort Myer construction, Pearson can pave the way for a new day in road building. Perhaps, he will even be able to charm

Amtrak into allowing city street cars through its H Street Tunnel.• Fred “Spring Th em” Cooke for Attorney General. After spending many

years saving the district’s politicians from their illegal foibles, Cooke knows exactly where the bodies are buried throughout the Wilson Building. No Councilmember will dare to tread over the line with Fred watching their shiny black shoes.

Having dispensed with the Executive, it is time, Dear Readers, to turn Th e Nose’s attention to our sainted legislature, Th e DC Council. Rather than propos-ing a “Run Against the Incumbents” slate, Th e Nose has rephrased a famous Gil Scott rant:

Th e Dais will not be Occupied!

You will not be able to tweet, blog and or vote.

You will not be able to lose yourself fi ngering your BlackBerry.

You will not be able to balance your check book.

Skip out for latte during the day,

because the Dais will not be Occupied.

Th e Dais will not be Occupied.

Th e Dais will not be brought to you by Walmart

on district cable without commercial interruptions.

Th e Dais will not provide a platform for a lecture about chemistry; or

a venue for Tommy “Light Fingers” Th omas and Michael “Lucky”

Brown to eat half-smokes purchased from Ben’s,


Th e Dais will not provide a cover for trading votes for cash.

Th e Dais will not be closed to the press.

Th e Dais will not provide a place for you to play Angry Birds on your iPad,

because the Dais will not be Occupied, Sucker.

Th ere will be no opportunity for the representative of Lower Caucasia

to suck down mollusks catered by Clyde’s of Georgetown.

Th e Dais will not be watched by bored FBI agents.

Ploktin will not be able predict its occupants months before the election.

Kojo will not invite them on the radio to prognosticate,


iGaming, tax increases, and fully loaded SUVs

will no longer be so damned relevant, and

voters will not care if Tommy fi nally gets down with

Kwame or whether Michael gets lucky, because voters

will be in the street looking for a brighter day.

Th e Dais will not be Occupied.

Th e Dais will be empty.

Look out boys and girls on Th e Council. 2012 is coming. ◆

Can’t Outlaw Them? Elect’Em!


your neighborhood + District Beat

On November 15, candidates for the 2012 races started picking up their nominat-

ing petitions. Over the next few weeks, they’ll be out there gathering signatures to get themselves on the ballot, raising money and sharpening their attacks against the incumbents they seek to unseat.

If history serves as a guide,it won’t be easy.

Like in any other place in the country, incumbency in the District certainly has its advantages. Just by virtue of being an elected offi cial, an incumbent has powers, privileges and access that any challenger could only hope for.

Every hearing they chair, every law they pass, every press conference they hold, every ribbon they cut and every newsletter they send out is a constant reminder to their constitu-ents that they’re there, working for their interests on a daily basis.

Even more importantly, incum-bent councilmembers have at their disposal their Constituent Services Funds, with which they can help pay bills, cover expenses and otherwise help their constituents in troubled times – no matter how close to the election those times may come. All the same, incumbent mayors run the government, and a few renovated playgrounds and clean parks go a long way towards re-election eff orts.

A look at the current composition of the council would seem to indicate that incumbents are particularly hard to beat. A February 2011 report by the Pew Charitable Trusts compar-

ing the legislative bodies of 15 U.S. cities found that councilmembers serve an average of 7.5 years, putting the District in sixth place relative to its counterparts.

More importantly, though, the report found that only 23 percent of the council is made up of new mem-bers, putting us towards the bottom of national rankings.

In 2010, no incumbent on the council lost his or her respective race. (Of course, 2010 saw an incumbent mayor lose; more on that to come.) Th e same goes for 2008. In 2006, the power of incumbency was such that Kathy Patterson’s endorsement of Mary Cheh to replace her as Ward 3’s councilmember sealed the deal for Cheh, even as Patterson lost the race for council chair.

In fact, the last time that incum-bents on the council actually lost it was in 2004, when now Mayor Vince Gray defeated Kevin Chavous for the Ward 7 seat and Marion Barry bested Sandy Allen for the Ward 8 seat. Be-fore that, it was in 2000 that Charlene Drew Jarvis lost to Adrian Fenty.

It should certainly be of solace to the people running in 2012 that all of the recent elections where incum-bents have lost have included races for the wards 2, 4, 7 and 8 seats – the very ones up for grabs now.

So what does it take to beat an incumbent, and how can those les-sons be applied for 2012?

You Can’t Have Enough TimeFirst and foremost – and, at this

point, in shortest supply – is time. In almost every case where a

challenger won, they jumped into the race early. Real early. Fenty was notorious for how far ahead of the primary election he would announce his intentions, both in his 2000 vic-tory over Drew Jarvis and his 2006 mayoral win.

Time allows for fundraising, and it allows for candidates to bet-ter connect with voters. Th e two are intricately linked – the more a can-didate becomes a familiar face, the more likely it is that they’ll receive campaign contributions. For Fenty, time ended up being more important than money, though – his aggressive and time-consuming door-knock-ing campaign bested an incumbent that raised substantially more than he did.

For 2012, though, time isn’t something that many incumbents have. Because of a requirement in a new federal law, the District’s pri-mary was moved from September to April, and few incumbents or chal-lengers even seen to have realized it.

Th e fi rst who did, fi ling his pa-perwork in April? Evans. Had chal-lenger Fiona Greig opted to stay in the race – she dropped out in early November – she would have been far enough behind the curve to make winning even more of an uphill chal-lenge than it would normally be. By October, Evans had raised over $230,000 for his re-election cam-paign; at the time, Greig was still in exploratory mode, severely limiting her fundraising capabilities.

Time is important enough that David Grosso, who is running to unseat Councilmember Michael Brown (I-At Large), made a strate-

gic decision to get himself more of it – he changed political parties. By registering as an independent, Gros-so will avoid the April primary and skip straight to the November gen-eral election, giving him a full year’s worth of campaigning that his Dem-ocratic colleagues won’t have.

Ron Moten, who is running in Ward 7, made much the same calcu-lation when he opted to run against Councilmember Yvette Alexander (D-Ward 7) – or whoever wins the Democratic primary – as a Republi-can. Moten has picked up a Repub-lican opponent in Ron Folden Sr., though, so he’ll still have to expend resources to survive until November, but he’ll be competing in a much less crowded fi eld.

Of course, time alone won’t do it. Presenting a strong alternative to a faltering incumbent is certainly important.

When Gray defeated Chavous, the incumbent was mired in contro-versy. Even worse, he was painted as out of touch. Fenty similarly painted Drew Jarvis as being unaware of the ward’s problems. Th at was a strong message for all the door-knocking he did.

Th is is where we need to stop and consider Fenty the mayor. Even though he had signifi cantly more money than his challenger, Fenty failed to do the one thing that had worked so well for him before – start early. By sitting idly by waiting for a challenger to come along, he al-lowed the narrative of the mayoral contest to be defi ned for him – and lost for it.

The Incumbents’ Advantageby Martin Austermuhle


Looking Forward to 2012At this point, Alexander seems

most vulnerable in 2012. Earlier this summer Th e Wash-

ington Times reported that a group of Ward 7 political honchos were unhappy with Alexander’s tenure and were looking for someone to re-place her. Th ey may not have found that one person yet, but a crowded fi eld of contenders is looking to try – including Chavous’ son, Kevin Jr., and others.

Alexander may benefi t from the sheer number of contenders she faces, though; should they split the vote, she could cruise to re-election with a simple plurality of the votes.

Brown is also a ripe target, though his fundraising prowess and union support will certainly prove a challenge to Grosso. Additionally, though Brown has been dinged for some ethical indiscretions – his outside employer was said to have been linked to fi rms with interests in the District’s online gaming sys-tem – there isn’t much of an outcry for him to go.

Evans doesn’t have a challenger at this point, and even if he got one, time and money will certainly be working against them. With his money and track record of winning elections, Evans has gained an air of invincibility,

Councilmember Muriel Bows-er (D-Ward 4) faces a strong pro-gressive upstart in Max Skolnik, but Skolnik also faces six other contenders for the seat.

Two asides need to be made, though, when considering the 2012 races.

First, Councilmember Marion Barry (D-Ward 8). Th e mayor-for-life hasn’t even fi led his paperwork for re-election, despite already hav-ing racked up a number of chal-lengers. Moreover, he seems about as out-of-touch as you could get – earlier in the fall, he was criti-cized for referring to Ward 8 as the “ghetto.” But still, this is Barry we’re talking about. Th e man hasn’t met a comeback he won’t make or an election he wouldn’t do his damndest to win. He defi es politi-cal predictions.

Second, Councilmember Vin-cent Orange (D-Ward 5). Th ough he’s technically the incumbent, he’s only been in offi ce since May, after he beat Councilmember Sekou Biddle, who was also technically an incumbent at the time, in the April 26 Special Election. Orange has name recognition dating back to his service as a Ward 5 coun-cilmember a repeated citywide candidate; Biddle enjoys his own citywide base, though smaller.

Th e rematch between Biddle and Orange would have been sig-nifi cantly closer had it not been for Peter Shapiro, a former Prince George’s County Councilman and current Ward 4 resident who jumped into the race in mid-No-vember. Shapiro claims to be run-ning as a progressive – as is Biddle – likely tipping the scales towards Orange, the incumbent. (Ironi-cally enough, in September Or-ange complained of “entrenched incumbency” when introducing a bill imposing term limits.)

Orange also enjoys a signifi-cant advantage in fundraising.If the Special Election is to serve as a guide, Orange should be able to attract big money – for the April contest, he raised over $325,000, the majority from out of town, and a good chunk from Jeffrey E. Thompson, a local healthcare mogul and notorious campaign bundler.

All told, incumbency is cer-tainly a huge advantage. But it also has a shelf life, and not just any councilmember can feel im-mune because they possess it. With enough time and the right political context, any challenger can have a real shot. It’s been done before, though not often.

Looking forward to 2012, Al-exander seems most at risk, and should she lose, it will again prove that the years in which the wards 2, 4, 7 and 8 seats are up for grabs are the most volatile – and best for challengers.

Martin Austermuhle is the Associate Edi-tor of DCist.com and a freelance writer. He lives in Mt. Pleasant. ◆◆

Democracy Cannot Operatein Secretby David Grosso

Once again, the conduct of one councilmember has cast an ethical shadow over the entire D.C. Council. Late last year, with scant public notice and no public hearings,

Councilmember Michael A. Brown quietly modifi ed a supplemen-tal budget bill to legalize on-line gambling. Th e fi rst public hearing on the provision, now called iGaming, was not held until months after the bill became law. According to Th e Washington Post and Th e Examiner, Councilmember Brown had a fi nancial stake in the law when he rushed it through, and he did not reveal his fi rm’s fi nancial interests.

As a D.C. native, a former Council staff member, and a candi-date for an at-large seat on the Council, I fi nd this entire episode off ensive. We cannot continue to accept this devolution of the po-litical process a process designed to ensure public involvement into a scheme that prevents public involvement and hides the truth until it is too late. At recent public hearings, I have heard angry demands that iGaming be repealed, requests by Councilmember Jack Evans that the Inspector General investigate, and outrage among those of us who believe it is wrong to pass controversial, self-dealing leg-islation in secret. I can only imagine that the public outcry now resonating throughout the city is exactly the reaction that Coun-cilmember Brown sought to avoid before he quietly changed the law. Behind that outcry is this inescapable point: Councilmember Brown was wrong.

To be clear, the quick, quiet legalization of gambling did not come from public demand for on-line poker. Th is subversion of the political process was not meant to curtail some sort of major under-ground gambling epidemic. Th ere is no evidence that the Council deliberately avoided public comment as a means to increase services for the poor, expand job training, or improve public education.

In fact, the proceeds from iGaming, while likely to generate sig-nifi cant profi t for out-of-state corporations, are insuffi cient to jus-tify this rush to make the District the fi rst in the nation to legalize on-line gambling. We have no independent verifi cation, outside the D.C. government, that this scheme does not violate federal gambling law. We only know that the gambling industry, represented, when the bill was passed, by Councilmember Brown’s law fi rm, stands to benefi t. And when this law is challenged, District taxpayers, not pri-vate gambling interests, will pay the exorbitant legal costs to defend a law we did not ask for. Our councilmembers should know better than to enrich private interests at the expense of D.C. taxpayers.

It is an indictment of the ethics of the Council that a council-member with a fi nancial stake in this law could push it through in secret. Th is is only the latest evidence that we need a strong ethics law, with real penalties, to ensure that councilmembers cannot con-tinue to profi t from their votes. Self-dealing, confl icts of interest, and divided loyalties are inconsistent with the moral and legal duties we require of our elected offi cials. Th is scandal must be investigated fully before the law can go into eff ect. District residents deserve to know the truth.

David Grosso is a candidate for the City Council At-Large seat. ◆

28 ◆ Midcity DC | December 201128 ◆ Midcity DC | December 2011

your neighborhood + The Numbers

How would you feel if you re-ceived a letter from the Dis-trict government informing

you that you didn’t have to pay prop-erty taxes on your home for 10 years? You would probably jump through the roof and immediately start think-ing about how you would spend that money to do things like make over-due investments in your home, save for a child’s college education, etc. If you’re a renter and your landlord re-ceived such a letter, hopefully he or she would be kind enough to pass their savings on to you by lowering your rent.

As residents, we don’t get to peti-tion the DC Council for tax breaks, but businesses do, and they often re-ceive them in the form of property tax abatements and exemptions.

Th is isn’t to say tax abatements are all bad. Th ey represent one of several tools that the District uses to promote economic development in ways that can support job growth or development in under-served areas of the city.

Th is isn’t to say tax abatements are all good, either. Th ey can be very costly. Th e District granted business tax abatements with a future cost of $166.1 million last year. Th e critical question is how do we know if a par-ticular abatement proposal is critical to economic development or just a giveaway to a favored developer? Th e truth is, until now, the District has taken a “fi rst-come, fi rst-serve” ap-proach to business tax breaks, rather than a systematic approach to deter-mine which abatements are worth-

while and which are not.Below are nine key questions

that should be asked every time a commercial property tax break is proposed. Some of them will be an-swered thanks to the “Exemptions and Abatements Information Re-quirements Act”, which was adopted this year. Th e others are not yet part of any formal review process, but should be.

What does DC ask about all abatements?

Under legislation adopted this year, the District will gather informa-tion on the following questions any time a property tax exemption is pro-posed.

1) Does the project need a sub-sidy from DC? How much? Some tax breaks awarded by DC make you scratch your head, like the $6 million awarded to the View 14 residential development in Ward 1, which re-cently was sold as DC’s most expen-sive housing development ever (per square foot). For future proposals, the Exemptions and Abatements Information Act requires the DC Chief Financial Offi cer to determine whether a project really needs fi nanc-ing help. Th at is just common sense.

2) Have the developers sought private fi nancing before seeking assis-tance from DC? In 2008, the District approved a $35 million subsidy to re-develop the O Street Market in Shaw, before the developer had said how much they would put up and before they tried to line up private fi nanc-ing. Th e Exemptions and Abatements

Act now requires the CFO to identify a developer’s eff orts to seek private fi nancing and to assess the factors behind the developer’s inability to obtain adequate fi nancing. In other words, if private market investors are skittish about a project, shouldn’t DC policymakers know why?

3) How much will the abate-ment cost in terms of lost revenue? In some cases, proponents of a tax abatement try to suggest it will not have a cost, particularly when the abatement promotes development on vacant property. However, the Dis-trict has one of the most desirable commercial real estate markets in the country, which means that it is crazy to assume that vacant land will sit around until the District subsidizes its development.

4) What community benefi ts will DC get in return? Th e District should provide tax subsidies for a project only if there are clear ben-efi ts relative to the costs. How many jobs will there be during construction and when the project is done, and will the developer train and hire DC residents? What are the wages and benefi ts, and will they be full-time? Will the project include aff ordable housing or other amenities? Answers to these questions are critical to de-ciding whether a tax break makes sense. Fortunately, developers seeking abatements going forward will have to provide this information before a hearing on their tax break. Th is will have the added benefi t of encourag-ing developers to beef up the com-munity benefi ts they off er.

What should DC ask about all abatements?

Here are some other really im-portant things to know about any tax abatement that the District does not routinely ask, but should.

5) Does this project address an economic development priority? DC ought to get the most bang for its economic development subsidy buck. Will a project jumpstart development in an economically depressed area of the city? Will it promote an industry that will help the city’s economy grow and bring quality jobs? Will it sup-port a specifi c kind of development that DC needs, such as retail or resi-dential?

6) Are any costs of the abate-ment hidden? Some tax abatement proposals are designed to push the full cost beyond the CFO’s four-year fi scal window, which allows sponsors to claim there is no offi cial impact on DC’s fi nances. For example, the Dis-trict approved a $10 million loan to Arena Stage but deferred it for four years. If the costs of any tax subsidy are deferred intentionally to hide the costs, this is reason to oppose the leg-islation or to modify it so that its full costs are refl ected.

7) Does this abatement have a clawback provision? Subsidies are intended to produce results. Some communities include “clawback” pro-visions for property tax abatements, so that if property owners don’t live up to their end of the bargain, they have to repay the subsidy they re-ceived. DC has rarely done that.

Making Sense of the Dollars Spent onBusiness Property Tax Breaks

by Kwame Boadi


8) Is the cost of the abate-ment capped? When a project gets a 100% tax break for a specifi ed number of years, the costs in lost revenue can skyrocket when prop-erty values rise faster than projec-tions. To avoid this, the District should cap the dollar amount of any tax abatement. Th is way, the developer still gets the subsidy they expect and the District is not on the hook for giving away more in tax dollars than it expected to.

9) Does the abatement have a sunset and subsequent review process? Like any other govern-ment spending, tax abatements should be reviewed from time to time to gauge their eff ectiveness. A “sunset” or expiration date would trigger an evaluation of the abate-ment, and can lead to revisions if the abatement is not achieving its stated goals.

Th is may seem like a lot to ask, but in the end it is the best way for city to off er business tax breaks sensibly – and maybe even the best way for developers to actually get them. Th ere is a natural skepti-cism in many people’s minds about “corporate welfare.” Requiring developers or business owners to demonstrate that a tax subsidy will help their project move forward and provide tangible benefi ts to DC residents and neighborhoods may help overcome these doubts.

Getting more informa-tion on the merits of proposedtax subsidies is good public policy that will be good not only for DC residents but also for the business-es that most need public support for their projects.

Boadi is a policy analyst at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute (www.dcfpi.org), which conducts research on tax and budget issues that aff ect low- and moderate-income DC residents. ◆


Suck Face No More??It’s been there for probably thirty or more years

but the two kissy-faced people in the mural on the side of 1830 14th Street, NW may have (nearly) locked lips for the last time! Not only is the large mural fading and peeling from all the years and the outdoor elements, but some people want to see some-thing new on the large wall of the building occupied by Hunted House, Vintage and Modern Furnishings on the upper level and newly arrived Arts at 1830 on the lower.

Gina Miele, owner of Raven Arts, who moved into the building downstairs after her space across the street at 1833 was taken over by Bar Pilar, says that there is interest in creating something new on the concrete canvas. No one knows what would replace the two fi gures that appear to be mutually sucking on something that looks like a nut—or at least no one is saying at this point.

Whether or not the mural gets painted over de-pends on gaining access to the wall, reached only through the adjacent property, which has been fenced in and sitting vacant for some years now. Th e owners, I understand, are absentee.

One thing that’s certain is that, when the “suck face” mural goes, we will know for sure the neigh-borhood has changed. Th en again, if a building rises from what is now a vacant lot, it will cover whatever new art goes up. Since it is likely the vacant lot may not be vacant too much longer, you can bet that any-thing new that goes up will have a much shorter life span than Suck Face?? ◆◆

Logan Circlesby Mark F. Johnson

your neighborhood

A LOGAN CHRISTMAS CAROL

`Twas the weeks before Christmas and all through Mid-CityGood cheer fi lled the air and shop windows were pretty!Th e Christmas high spirits had taken over fi rmly,Residents and visitors eyed each other less sternly.

Yes, parking is worse as restaurants fi lled to the brim, and, as always, Room and Board shoppers parked wherever, on a whim!

A walk down 14th showed what had gone away. No Ruff and Ready or Garden District--can’t buy a tree today.Go Mama Go, gone with the wind? Who will ever carry such novelty stock again? And whoa, no mocha latte from Mid City Café??!! Whatever! Th is new place Peregrine looks okay!

And what do I see as I meander to R? Two more condos coming! Has this gone too far??! Already at S Street, District Condos next year, And further--at U, the Utopia we hear.

Better get those holiday gifts mailed in a few. Th e Post Offi ce at Wallach is soon leaving too.

Now weary and dazed from much neighborhood change, I wander down U Street and see something strange! Dunkin Donuts on the corner? And Subway next door? Mid City, once funky, lookin’ like Georgetown, more and more! Adams-Morgan and the Hill, all gone the same way, New shops and bars, old standbys can’t stay.Change is inevitable, I know this for sure. And much that was here was such an eyesore. Such life in the streets is so great to see! Th is 14th Street re-birth is the new Nativity!

And yet I still long for Christmases past, When transformation moved not quite so fast! When 14th and U had more local color,And mom and pop startups still displayed their fi rst dollar! Th e streets weren’t as glitzy and shiny and chic, Th e nights during winter were sure dark and bleak. But opportunity reigned for those who had dreams, Because of those wise men the streets now burst at the seams.

Now El Centro, Estadio, Pearl Oyster Dive too. You like a wine bar, Cork’s here for you. For holiday treats Taylor Gourmet will arrive, Policy next door is quite busy after 5. On 14th, on U Street, on 11th, on P, Shop and eat local. Show loyalty!

As I move through the crowds this December day I quicken my pace as I go on my way. A tree from Whole Foods now rests on my back, Gifts from the shops bounce `round in my sack.I think to myself as I walk home through the Circle, Th is great place we call home! What a Christmas miracle! Th e Victorian houses, the wreaths and the greens, Th e lights in the windows, what a beautiful scene!

`Twas the weeks before Ch¬ristmas and Logan Circle all through Was fi lled with much cheer! Happy holidays to you!

Suck Face Mural

Reincarnations Xmas display

Whole Foods Xmas Trees

Lobby of Washington Plaza Hotel at Xmas


Dignitaries Cele-brate Constructionand Demolitionat O Street

On November 8, dignitar-ies and developers gathered with neighborhood residents and business owners to cel-ebrate the offi cial construction kickoff of the much-antici-pated mixed-use development CityMarket at O project. Af-ter a brief ceremony under a tent next to the historic O Street Market, honored guests – including Mayor Vincent Gray, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Nor-ton, HUD Acting Assistant Secretary and FHA Com-missioner Carol Galant, D.C. Council Chair Kwame Brown, D.C. Councilmember Jack Evans and Region-al Vice President of Giant Food Chris Paradissis – took turns behind a backhoe commencing the demolition of the old Giant. By the end of the November, workers had completely demolished the old Giant store.

Tweeting #ShawIn 2007, Outside.In named Shaw one of the “blog-

giest” neighborhoods in the United States. Since that time, several Shaw-centric blogs have gone dark, so the neighborhood might not deserve such a title in 2011. But a devoted group of Twitter users make the case for Shaw’s being named one of the most Tweeted neigh-borhoods around.

On November 14, 2011, twelve Twitter afi cionados met for a “Tweet Up” at Beau Th ai (1700 New Jersey Avenue NW). Among the Twitter users present were nigroanc2c, bloomingdame, julooney, ryedodo, shawdc, shawrez, vanessagwall, beauthaidc, and bmiric. AN-C2C04 Commissioner Rachelle Nigro (nigroanc2), one of the organizers, brought a laptop to instruct non-Twitter users about the information platform and even signed up a new user, heidimackey. If you are a Twitter user interested in knowing more about the happenings in Shaw, be sure to follow these new media sources.

New Dunbar High School Breaks Ground

On November 17, Mayor Vincent C. Gray broke ground on the site of what will become an all-new Paul

Laurence Dunbar Senior High School. “Today we celebrate the rich history of Paul Lau-

rence Dunbar Senior High School, and the fi rst step in building a bright, new future for Dunbar’s students, staff and community,” Mayor Gray, a Dunbar alumnus, said. “Th e new Dunbar will be a model of 21st-century educational excellence in the District and beyond.”

Th e design for the new Dunbar has a central atrium, which will be the “heart of the school,” connecting the academic wing, the sports fi elds, the gym, pool, audito-rium and cafeteria seating areas. Like the general design principles used in the building, thisi space will foster more frequent interaction between students and staff .

Dunbar’s roots date to 1870, when it was founded as the “Preparatory High School for Colored Youth” before being renamed the “M Street School.” With the opening of the school’s present (?)campus in 1916, it was renamed in honor of famed African-American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. Known for excellent aca-demics, Dunbar became a prestigious school during the era of segregated public education (note: not just DC but everywhere at the time so thought phrase unnec-essary), when its faculty rivaled that of many colleges in the percentage of its teachers who held advanced degrees in their fi elds. Th e school’s rigorous academic reputation gave many young African Americans un-paralleled access to higher education and the profes-sions. Inspired families moved to Washington specifi -cally so their children could attend Dunbar.

Th e 1916 building was replaced with the present, uninviting, prison-like structure in the early 1970s.

Th e footprint of the new building is on the south-east corner of the site, allowing Dunbar students and faculty to remain in the existing building until the new high school is completed.

Th e construction process is expected to take 20

months, with the new school completed in time for the be-ginning of the 2013-2014 aca-demic year. Demolition of the existing building will begin in July 2013. Once demolition is complete, construction of the new football fi eld and track will follow, to be completed by late fall2013/early spring 2014.

Annual ShawMain Streets

Development ForumLocal commercial revitalization nonprofi t Shaw

Main Streets held its annual development forum on November 17. A handful of developers gave presen-tations about ongoing and planned projects for the neighborhood, and, a few developers made surprising announcements at the meeting.

Perhaps the most unexpected announcement of the night was by Paul Millstein of Douglas Develop-ment. Millstein revealed that Washington-based on-line coupon company LivingSocial will take occupancy of 1005-1011 7th Street NW – known as the Acme Stove Building – in the fi rst quarter of 2012. Th e deal will bring 200 workers to the building on a daily ba-sis, further activating the area around the Convention Center, and Douglas Development is in the midst of a full façade restoration in anticipation of the new ten-ant.

Go Rogue for New Year’s Eve Rogue 24 (922 N St. NW rear/Blagden Alley) is

throwing a New Year’s Eve cocktail party, providing a delicious and unique way to ring in 2012. James Beard award-winning Chef RJ Cooper and his team will serve some of their favorite dishes from Rogue 24’s center-stage kitchen, and acclaimed bartender Derek Brown will sling cocktails and some bubbly selected by Rogue’s General Manager and Beverage Director JP Fetherston from 10pm to 2am. Tickets for the event are $150.

Separate from the cocktail event, Rogue 24 will also serve a 24 course dinner from 5-10pm (the last dinner reservation is at 7pm) on New Year’s Eve.

Call (202) 408-9724 for reservations. ◆◆

Shaw Streetsby Ralph Brabham

Rendering of the new Dunbar “armory,” the central atrium connecting the school’s varied amenities and functions. Photo: EE&K Architects

s, with the new schoolted in time for the be-

ate fall2013/early spring

Annual Shaw

g building will be13. Once demoli

complete construction

monthscompletginningdemic yexistingJuly 20complet

egin inition isof the

d tracketed byg 2014.


Mount Vernon Square Bed and Breakfast Open Two Yearsthis Winter

Th is year marks the second year of operation for the Mount Vernon Square Bed and Breakfast. at 400 M St. NW. Th e B&B is owned and operated by Keith Byrd and Lydia Goring, long-time Mount Vernon Triangle residents who purchased the house in 2000. Th e B&B opened for business in 2009, but really started getting visitors in January 2010.

“Th e house itself is a pretty ornate, large house, so it frequently had been suggested that it would be a good bed and breakfast,” Keith told me. Th en a Safeway came to Mount Vernon Trian-gle, as well as other businesses that, over the last fi ve years, have given the neigh-borhood more of its own shopping and dining destination amenities. “It got to the point where it was feasible,” to open a bed and breakfast, Keith said.

Th e B&B has four rooms with pri-vate baths and counts around 500 to 600 visitors per year. Visitors come from Japan, Singapore, Europe, Eastern Eu-rope, and gets “a regular stream of Aus-tralians.” About half the B&B’s visitor’s are international. Th e owners subscribe to several paid accommodation fi nder

sites on-line, such as B&B Finder and BedandBreakfast.com, and that is one way that visitors fi nd the B&B. A share of the B&B’s business is driven by the Convention Center, and it also gets business travelers who appreciate that the B&B allows one night stays. It also off ers guests the use of a laser printer and wi-fi .

A self-confessed “foodie”, Keith said enjoys recommending area happy hours and resturaunts, even his favorite dishes. For breakfast, the B&B’s most popular dishes are banana pancakes and french toast.

Keith said one surprise from the last two years has been the B&B’s “nice submarket” of parents who come to visit their children who are residents of Mount Vernon Triangle. “Many people [from the neighborhood] stop in and check it out and their friends and rela-tives stay here when they come to visit.” Th e B&B will be closed for vacation through Christmas and New Year’s. Th e B&B is on the web at: http://www.mvsbb.com/

NeighborhoodAssociation andNew Developments

Th e Mount Vernon Square Neighborhood Association, which meets monthly, met on November 15 in the lobby of the Yale Loft Condo building at 437 NY Avenue for a wine tasting. At the association meeting, developers for the new As-sociation of American Medical Col-leges (AAMC) building, planned for the corner of New York Avenue and K Street in Mount Vernon Triangle between 6th and 7th Streets, NW, shared plans for the project. Accord-ing to DC Mud Real Estate Digest, the 285,000 sq. ft. building, devel-oped by Hines Interests, LP, will start construction in 2012.

Another developer shared plans for the develop-ment of 443-359 Eye Street. According to DC Mud, “if all the projects currently in the pipeline for the neigh-borhood are built, Mount Vernon Triangle will more than double its square foot-age of offi ce space, add 1,570 apartments/condos and 380 hotel rooms, and increase retail off erings by 157,500 s.f.”

“Photos with Santa” a Big Success

On December 1, the Mount Ver-non Triangle CID held its second annual, free-of-charge Photos with Santa event beneath the “Lift Off ” sculpture (by artist David Black) at

5th and K Streets, NW. By the end of the week, hundreds of photographs from the evening were uploaded to the CID’s Facebook page. People of all ages from the neighborhood are pictured with the bearded man in red. Tag yourself! ◆◆

Th e Triangleby Amanda Wilson

your neighborhood

Mount Vernon Square Bed and Breakfast. Photo courtesy of Keith Byrd. Jen and Sean Barrie, with their dog Charlie, dressed as Waldo at the

Mount Vernon Triangle CID second annual Halloween pet costume contest. They won second place. Photo courtesy of Jen Barrie.

Map of proposed developments for Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood. Map courtesy of DC Mud at dcmud.blogspot.com

Access Housing, Inc. – CFC #22663 • Access Housing, Inc. (DC) operates the Southeast Veterans Service Center and Chesapeake Veterans House in Southeast DC. This agency provides support and housing to formerly homeless veterans, both male and females. 820-840 Chesapeake Street, SE, DC, 202-561-8387, Accesshousingdc.org Capital Area Food Bank – CFC #30794, United Way #8052 • For 30 years, CAFB has been the D.C. metro area’s hub for food sourcing, distribution and nutrition education - serving over 478,000 people struggling with hunger. Through direct service and a network of 700 nonprofi t partners, the CAFB distributed 27 million pounds of food last year, including 10.8 million pounds of fresh produce. 645 Taylor Street, NE, Washington, DC 20017, 202-526-5344, www.CapitalAreaFoodBank.org

Casey Trees – CFC# 24598 • Casey Trees is a Washington D.C.-based nonprofi t commit-ted to restoring, enhancing and protecting the tree canopy of the nation’s capital. Since 2002, Casey Trees has planted more than 10,000 trees and educated thousands of youth and adults on the benefi ts of trees. Visit www.caseytrees.org.

Coalition for the Homeless – CFC #83436, United Way #8194 • The Coali-tion for the Homeless was established in 1979. Our mission is to help transition homeless and at risk individuals and families in the Washington area to self-suffi ciency through housing programs and supportive services. 1234 Massachusetts Avenue NW., Suite C-1015, DC 20005, 202-347-7279, www.dccfh.org ◆


They helped you, now it’s YOUR TURN to help them!

Hear are some of the ways you can give back:• Fannie Mae Help the Homeless Walkathon

Saturday, November 19th, 2011• Give to the Max Day - November 9, 2011

visit: www.give2max.razoo.com•

To Register to walk visit: www.helpthehomelessdc.orgRegister Under Access Housing, Inc(DC) Code DC002

For more information on how you can assist please call

202-561-VETS (8387) Get Involved!

# 9533# 9533 # 22663

COALITION FORTHE HOMELESS

For more details on our program and services, please visit our website atwww.dccfh.org.

Our mission is to help homeless,at-risk individuals and families return to self-sufficiency and independent living, through a range of residential

and social services.

In 2010 the Coalition served• 440 homeless individuals and families daily• 304 individuals and families were placed into permanent and stable housing• 203 adults were placed in employment• 9 families with children were prevented from becoming homeless

1234 Massachusetts Ave., NWSuite C-1015, Washington, DC 20005

Main Office: (202) 347-8870 / Fax: (202) 347-7279Open Monday-Friday 9am to 5pm

Please support us by donating through theCombined Federal Campaign (CFC) # 83436 or United Way #8194

Rebuilding lives and strengthening communities


by Kathleen Donner

kids and family + Notebook

One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure

One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure follows Sesame Street’s Big Bird and Elmo as they explore the night sky with Hu Hu Zhu, a Mup-pet from Zhima Jie, the Chinese co-production of Sesame Street. Show is every Friday at 10:30 a.m. and the fi rst consecutive Saturday and Sun-day of each month, also at 10:30 a.m. Free. Tickets available at Planetarium box offi ce. Tickets may be ordered by phone at 202-633-4629, however $2 per ticket fee applies for phone orders. National Air and Space Museum Planetarium. airandspace.si.edu

An American Girl Tea:Samantha and theGilded Age

Learn what it was like to grow up during the Gilded Age at this family tea, where excerpts from the Saman-tha books are read and discussed and children design their own ornaments to take home. Dolls are welcome! $5 per person and reservations required. Register online. Saturday, Dec. 10 and 17, 10:30 a.m. Anderson House, 2118 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Contact [email protected] for more information. 202-785-2040. so-cietyofthecincinnati.org

Youth Film FestivalAnnounces ItsSecond Year

Th e Pendragwn Film Foundation announces the second annual Pen-

dragwn Youth Film Festival (PYFF). Created by the Pendragwn Film Foun-dation, PYFF seeks to contribute to society through the power of storytell-ing by helping talented youth grow as artists through fi lm and video. PYFF is an educational experience geared to-wards exciting eleven to eighteen year olds about the arts. Each applicant will receive a graded rubric with feedback from fi lm industry professionals with comments that give the student con-structive criticism about their fi lm. Finalists will be screened at the Festi-val but everyone can participate in the

day’s events. PYFF 2012 will be held at the

Atlas Performing Arts Center on Mar. 24, 2012, 1:00-6:00 p.m. Applicants can submit fi lms three to fi ve minutes in length in the following categories: documentary, narrative, or music vid-eo via mail or email. Applicants may also submit a 30 second public ser-vice announcement in the super-short category. Th e submission deadline is Feb.10. Participation is free. For more information, visit pendragwnyouth-fi lmfest.org. For more information about Pendragwn Productions and

Pendragwn Film Foundation, visit pendragwn.com.

A Nordic Holiday Con-cert with Children’s Chorus of Washington

Th e Children’ Chorus of Wash-ington’s Holiday concerts explore the musical tradition of the Nordic coun-tries, on Dec. 17 and 18 at 4:00 p.m. at National City Christian Church. Th is year, they introduce their newly formed Young Men’s Ensemble. $10-$50. Na-

notebook

Photo: Courtesy of the National Air and Space Museum

tional City Christian Church, 5 Th omas Circle, NW. 202-237-1005. childrenschorus.com

Camp KwanzaaOn Wednesday, Dec. 28, 10:30

a.m. attend this family-friendly pro-gram that celebrates the seven days of Kwanzaa through a variety of performances, hands-on activities, and crafts. Join Culture Kingdom Kids for fun and educational activi-ties that include interactive music, drama, dance, and take-home crafts. Free. For reservations, call 202-633-4844. Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church Panorama Room, 1600 Morris Rd. SE.

Christmas Crafts at DAR Museum.

On Dec. 17, 10:30 AM-12:30 PM, get inspired for the holiday sea-son as you create your own Christ-mas crackers, scrap ornaments and fancy cones fi lled with candy. Con-tact the museum at 202-879-3240 or at [email protected]. Supplies are limited. Advance registration re-quested; drop-ins welcomed. Ages 7 and older. Free. DAR Museum, 1776 D St. NW. 202-628-1776. dar.org

Santa’s Workshop and National Christ-mas Tree Railroad at the White House

During your visit to the National Christmas Tree, visitors are encour-aged to also see Santa’s Workshop and the National Christmas Tree Railroad. Since 1994 the National Christmas Tree Railroad has pro-vided special delight for children and adults, an electric train that en-compasses the base of the tree. Th e trains have expanded each year and now include multiple tracks, trains, bridges and buildings. thenational-tree.org

National WildlifeFederation’s KidsMagazines Go Digital

For over 40 years, National Wildlife Federation’s Ranger Rick magazine has entertained and edu-



cated generations of children about the won-ders of wildlife. Now Ranger Rick, and NWF’s other children’s magazines (Big Backyard and Wild Animal Baby) are going digital so they can be available to kids on their Nook by Barnes & Noble. Th e magazines will continue to be advertising-free, and each one comes with a 14-day free trial. Single issues are available for $3.50–$3.95, with annual subscriptions costing $15 for 10 issues.” Th ese are the same prices as the paper version of the magazines, which con-tinue to be available for those who want that hands-on experience. nwf.org/nookforkids

Knuffl e Bunny: ACautionary Musical atthe Kennedy Center

Th e Kennedy Center production of Knuffl e Bunny: A Cautionary Musical is at the Ken-nedy Center Family Th eater from Dec. 17-Jan. 8. With music by Grammy Award-win-ning composer Michael Silversher, six-time Emmy Award winning author/illustrator Mo Willems adapts his Caldecott Honor winning children’s book Knuffl e Bunny: A Cautionary Tale into a family musical. Knuffl e Bunny: A Cautionary Musical is directed by Rosemary Newcott with choreography by Paige Her-nandez. Knuffl e Bunny: A Cautionary Musi-cal tells the story of toddler Trixie who has a beloved stuff ed bunny, which she misplaces while on a trip to the Laundromat with her slightly disheveled dad. Luckily, she fi nds the stuff ed animal and speaks her fi rst words. Th is is a story about family, best friends, baby steps, and memories that last a lifetime. Recom-mended for audiences ages 4, up. kennedy-center.org

300 Kids Join in Help the Homeless Mini-Walk

On Oct. 25 nearly 300 students from pre-kindergarten to fi fth grade, staff and parents from MV Leckie Elementary School joined together to participate in the fi rst of three Help the Homeless Mini-Walks hosted by the Coalition for the Homeless. Two impor-tant components of the mini-walks are an awareness education program plus 15 min-utes of some physical activity. Th e funds raised through the mini-walks go directly to help the Coalition’s homelessness prevention programs for families with children.

In our region, close to 12,000 people are without homes and more than 40 percentare families. Shockingly, one in four is achild. Fannie Mae’s Help the Homeless Pro-gram raises funds to support organizations working to prevent and end homelessness in the Washington metropolitan area. Since

1988, the Help the Homeless Program has raised more than $85 million. helpthehom-lessdc.org

Joy of Motion Fall Youth Company Concert

On Sunday, Dec. 11, 6:00 PM, Joy of Mo-tion Dance Center presents the annual Fall Youth Company Concert! Join them as they celebrate the season with their joyous youth dance companies performing new and original works in a range of styles. Hip hop will be per-formed by Groove Elements and Urban Im-pact, jazz from Jazz Factor and DanceFusion Jazz Project, tap from Soles of Steel and world dance from Raqs Jameel. Th e concert will also feature the Step Ahead Dance Ensemble, per-forming a traditional West African dance and the award winning Youth Dance Ensemble showcasing contemporary, modern and bal-let performances. $20-$25. Atlas performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. 202-399-7993. atlasarts.org

A Holiday Story for Children of Divorce

As the holidays approach, many children inevitably face the questions and disappoint-ments that come from the fi rst Christmas with their parents living apart. Evangeline’s Gift from Santa by Emily Ezell helps children dur-ing this diffi cult period in their lives through the story of Evangeline, who is going through her fi rst Christmas without her parents in the same house. Santa tells Evangeline that “Th ere are times when the greatest gift that mommies and daddies can give their children is two lov-ing homes where there is no arguing,” asking her if she still gets to see her father and what it is like when she does. Evangeline realizes that the fi ghting has stopped, that she still gets to see her father often, and that he still reads her stories and does the other things that she remembers about when he was living with her and her mother. Once Evangeline realizes that her parents are doing what is best for her, giving her special time with both of them without having to hear the arguing and the fi ghting, Evangeline realizes that they are going to be okay.

Th is children’s book off ers a deep mes-sage in a manner to which children can relate, helping them through their fi rst holiday with-out both parents under the same roof. Evan-geline’s Gift from Santa is certain to become a treasured part of their Christmas libraries, while helping parents to convey an important lesson. $19.95 at Amazon. Reach the author at [email protected]. ◆


3700 Oakview Terrace, NE | Washington, DC 20017 | 202.265.7237

With a French and Spanish immersion program and a dual focus on academicexcellence and community service, Stokes School prepares culturally diverseelementary school students to be leaders, scholars, and responsible citizens

who are committed to social justice.

Upcoming Open HousesJanuary 26, 2012 from 9:30am – 11:00am

RSVP to Ms. Jo-Anne Hurlston, Parent Coordinator, [email protected]

Visit us at www.ewstokes.org

Accepting applications for 2012-13 year, grades PS-6Download your application at www.ewstokes.org

On a Wednesday in late Au-gust, the staff of St. Francis Xavier bustled around the

campus, preparing for the new school year. Grey and maroon uniforms lay in neat piles. Th e classrooms were getting a fresh coat of bright yellow paint. A few parents sat in the lobby fi lling out last-minute applications.

Th e private Catholic school’s prin-cipal, Dr. Gladys Camp, had big plans for fall— including a new comprehen-sive reading program for all grade levels called “Castle in the Classroom.”

As part of this guided reading and emerging literacy curriculum, each teacher has created a “book basket” based on the skill level and interests of his or her students, and classes regularly perform Reading Th eater, where they act out a story while reading it. Even students too young to read learn to be active listeners who can retell a story, discuss the plot and characters,and cre-ate art based on what they’ve heard.

“I call it ‘value-added pre-K.’ It’s more than just learning to tie your shoes,” said Camp. “We’re taking it to the next level.”

“We want them to hear a story and make connections to their own lives,”

added kindergarten teacher Kimberly McKinley.

Th e school also hopes to expand its use of technology, and connect the student’s time in the computer lab to the Castle in the Classroom reading project. Th ey are using the website Starfall.com, where students read and listen to works of fi ction, non-fi ction, poems and plays.

“We want students to experience the story along with the technology,” said Shirley Rice, who teaches technol-ogy to grades 3 through 8. “We want the technology incorporated all the way around.”

From Page to StageTh e teachers at St. Francis Xavier de-

scribed the staff as a family, and said that closeness carries over into their work.

“We believe in collaboration,” said McKinley. “I teach kindergarten, but it’s important that the pre-K teacher and I have a good working relationship. We talk a lot about what we’re doing with our classes, we plan fi eld trips and activities together, and we talk about where our students are. Th at way, we make sure her children are ready for my class. And I talk a lot with the fi rst


St. Francis XavierA Capital

Catholic Schoolby Alice Ollstein

grade teacher, to know what she’s expecting.”At the end of each school year, teachers

sit down and talk about each student one-by-one—discussing their strengths and weaknesses and how they learn best.

“We have a wonderful staff here,” said Camp. “Th ey’re always working together to move the school forward.”

Rice, who teaches everything from basic typing skills to Excel spreadsheets and Power-Point, agreed.

“Th e students really feel a connection with the teachers,” she said. “It’s a home away from home. I get students asking me all the time to pray for their family members.”

Above all, the teachers hope to spur critical, analytic thinking.

“We do a lot of project-based learning,” said McKinley. “It’s amazing to watch our students grow and develop and become more active.”

Furthering the eff ort to make reading excit-ing to students, the school held a storybook char-acter fashion show last year, in which teachers, students and their parents participated. Last year younger grade levels put on a musical of the classic children’s book Peter Rabbit. Every student from pre-K through second grade was in the “Bunny Chorus,” and teachers made each student read song lyrics, rather than just memorize them.

“Th at was the jumping-off point for our whole literacy movement,” said Camp.

Th e school plans to perform the Peter Rab-bit musical again for the public. Th e event will serve as a fundraiser and an eff ort to help the community get to know the school better.

Elements of FaithIn addition to academics, arts and extra-

curriculars, St. Francis Xavier emphasizes a re-ligious experience for the students. Th e whole school attends Mass every Friday at the church just a block away. But teachers try to ensure that values taught during the service carry over

to the classroom. “Our students have a love for God,” said

McKinley. “Th ey aren’t all necessarily Catholic, but they feel the spirit no matter what faith they are. Th ey know how to pray and treat each other with respect. I think you can see that walking through our school, seeing students volunteer-ing to help one another.”

Every year, the students learn a diff erent re-ligious motto. Th is year’s is: “Standing on God’s word, growing in His light.” And this year, the school will also kick off the St. Francis Xavier Project, where students will research the life of the school’s patron saint. Because Saint Francis Xavier was a missionary who traveled all over the world, the school hopes to partner with dif-ferent national embassies in DC to gain a deeper understanding of his experience and the histori-cal context of his travels.

“We want students to make a connection between who our patron saint is, and what we do here as a community,” said McKinley.

Off Capitol Hill, Under the RadarTo apply to St. Francis Xavier, students must

submit their academic record, including test scores, report cards and comments from teach-ers. Principal Camp interviews each student, to get a sense of their personalities and let them

know what the school’s expecta-tions. Older students also write a short essay about why they want to attend the school.

“It plants the seed that the school is all about a high academ-ic focus,” Camp explained. “We’re trying to get students who are highly motivated, highly focused and who are trying to be the best they can be.”

St. Francis Xavier of-fers grades pre-K through 8th, and most students go on to lo-cal Catholic high schools, such as Gonzaga, St. John’s and St. Mary’s.

Th ough many families are from the Anacostia neighbor-

hood, Dr. Camp is trying to get the school’s name out there as a “commuter school”—as par-ents driving into DC each morning can easily pass by the campus, just off Pennsylvania Ave.

“It’s a ‘Kiss and Ride,’” she said. “You can drop your child off and go off to work, and feel assured that they’re in a safe, warm and nurtur-ing environment and well taken care of.”

Camp said that while most parents learn about St. Francis Xavier through the tight-knit parish community, she hopes to reach out to the wider community.

“Th is is the best-kept secret in DC,”she said. ◆◆


Where EveryCustomer is Family!Serving theFinest Cuban,Puerto Ricanand Latin Cuisine.

202-543-5906500 8th Street, SEwww.bananacafedc.com

Banana Cafe & Piano Bar

a taste of Old Havana!a taste of Old Havana!

Call toSchedule Your Holiday Party!


The theme of this year’s annual Logan Circle Holiday House tour was as fi tting as warm woolen mittens! I fully admit that the tour is one of my favorite holiday treats, and

calling it “Restoration and Renewal in Logan Circle” pretty much sums up what this neighborhood is all about.

Logan Circle is one of the sections of Washington, DC that has seen the most transformation over a long and sustained pe-riod. Adams Morgan started to renew at about the same time, but it didn’t need to be pulled from the same depths as Logan. Likewise, Columbia Heights and Shaw are more recent to the renewal party. But Logan Circle, which slowly started its make-over wrinkle by wrinkle in the 1970’s, has emerged into a beau-tiful enchantress, whether dressed in Victorian fi nery or shiny see-through Modern.

Nowhere on the Sunday, December 4 tour was this more evident than #4 Logan Circle. Th is 1885 gem, Victorian in nature with old French infl u-ences as well, was the home of Senator John

at home + Home / Style

Scenes from the 2011 Logan Circle Holiday House Tour

Home/Style

Logan Circle At Its Holiday Bestby Mark F. Johnson

A. Logan, the former Illinois senator for whom the circle itself is named. Th e Logan House, a huge manse stretching back to Kingman Place has probably the most commanding views of the Circle from its various windows and balconied porches. Th e house, near the point of demoli-tion in the mid-seventies, was later transformed into several apartments. Starting two years ago, it underwent its most recent renovation and has emerged into four large and bright two bedroom, two bath apartments most of which are duplexes and all of which have spectacular and dramatic balconies the likes of which you don’t see much

in Washington. Each unit has its own name. My favorite

apartment is named for Fredrick Douglass.

Th e naming is in consonance with Logan’s back-ground as a Civil War Army hero who later re-jected his support of slavery and became an Abo-

litionist and apparently, in the years after the war, welcomed some of Washington’s African Ameri-can community into his home in the late 1800s. No doubt Fredrick Douglass would have been one of them. My understanding is that the apart-ments, full of the de rigeur granite and stainless steel, rent for upwards of $5,000 per month.

Another stop on the tour pinpointed for me the history of Logan Circle’s transformation. A 19th century livery stable in Naylor Court, a working class mostly African-American com-munity at the time, has gone from garage to car repair to printing press, (I may be forgetting the order), to now a combination home-offi ce. Cur-rent home to an architect and his media special-ist wife, the structure is still a work in progress.

Th is space, at 1319, was on the tour a few years back when it was strictly com-mercial. In fact, a few of the properties on the tour made a comeback this year, in order to showcase how far along they

have come in their renovation process. Th e ground fl oor of the Naylor

Court property serves as the offi ce of the architect and the upper level, a large, open space with a modern aesthetic, is their home. Renovations to the down-stairs space, expected to be completed by spring say the owners, include glass doors to separate the offi ce from the

private space that will lead to the high-walled garden which is landlocked from three sides and which still has the iron holds where ropes

were tied to keeping the horses still. I had been to Naylor Court before, but in-between my last visit and my visit to this house, a sandwich shop that apparently operates late into the evening, has sprung up. Th e alley be-tween 9th and 10th has become a bit of a thoroughfare these days.

Many of the properties on this year’s tour showcase the beauty of Logan Circle architecture as well as the eye to design of this community’s residents. One other property that I really liked was at 1740 13th Street. Th e exterior is a rather typical Shaw/Logan Circle style, but it was the in-terior that pressed a button for me. Th e house has been opened up nicely while keeping much of its 1883 in-tegrity. I noticed the small details of local Washington including 1930s era photos of downtown department stores, vintage Christmas ornaments and an old Woodward and Lothrop hat box. Anyone who grew up in Washington as I did might appreciate that throwback moment. Th e modern renovations were made warmer by these touches of old memorabilia.

Th is year’s tour had fewer new constructions than past years. Th e only one, in fact was at the Metro at 14th and Church. Th e apart-ment is a duplex as is true of many of Church Street’s new(ish) devel-opments and it of course keeps up with the industrial stylization that works so well for a street that used to house auto repair shops back in the day. I have seen bigger rooms in condo units on this block, but the upper level terrace, with south-fac-ing views is like the strawberries you go for fi rst on the shortcake.

After 33 years, the Logan Circle Holiday House Tour is unquestion-ably one of the season’s most antici-pated events. Returning Tour chair Dara Duguay told me that this would be her last year as chair because of all the work involved in putting together such a success. At the same time, she mentioned how, at the start of the tour there were already lines of people waiting at the Studio Th eatre to pick up tickets. Maybe after a long winter’s rest she might be persuaded to do it all over again.

Th ose of us who are junkies are already anxious to unwrap the good-ies waiting inside in 2012. ◆



Derek Thomas / Principal - Certifi ed Professional Horticulturist, Master GardenerMember of the MD Nursery and Landscape Association & the Association of Professional Landscape Designers

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Neighborhood Closing Price BR

FEE SIMPLE

16TH STREET HEIGHTS 1331 INGRAHAM ST NW $599,999 54519 ARKANSAS AVE NW $465,000 35215 14TH ST NW $420,000 4

ADAMS MORGAN 2225 ONTARIO RD NW $599,000 2

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY PARK 4916 43RD PL NW $855,000 35012 45TH ST NW $835,000 34416 BUTTERWORTH PL NW $771,000 44357 ALTON PL NW $765,000 34823 YUMA ST NW $690,000 3

BERKLEY 2338 KING PL NW $815,000 32224 49TH ST NW $660,000 3

BRIGHTWOOD 411 OGLETHORPE ST NW $425,000 41355 TEWKESBURY PL NW $382,500 46420 5TH ST NW $330,000 35815 6TH ST NW $300,000 36108 9TH ST NW $294,100 3327 MADISON ST NW $294,000 35821 4TH ST NW $280,000 4

BURLEITH 3722 T ST NW $1,030,000 3

CHEVY CHASE 3722 INGOMAR ST NW $975,000 55130 CHEVY CHASE PKWY NW $850,000 46022 UTAH AVE NW $844,000 43916 LIVINGSTON ST NW $811,000 63238 QUESADA ST NW $800,000 33914 MCKINLEY ST NW $787,500 46339 31ST PL NW $719,395 33706 INGOMAR ST NW $717,000 35428 NEVADA AVE NW $585,000 3

CLEVELAND PARK 3607 LOWELL ST NW $2,937,000 73212 PORTER ST NW $1,000,000 52920 PORTER ST NW $969,000 4

COLUMBIA HEIGHTS 1418 BELMONT ST NW $750,000 73607 10TH ST NW $675,000 41032 KENYON ST NW $645,000 31346 PARKWOOD PL NW $632,250 43513 CENTER ST NW $490,000 3724 KENYON ST NW $479,888 34026 ARKANSAS AVE NW $464,000 3449 NEWTON PL NW $450,000 4766 QUEBEC PL NW $400,000 31340 SPRING RD NW $380,000 33538 WARDER ST NW $375,000 4777 HOBART PL NW $369,000 4721 HARVARD ST NW $354,000 33301 SHERMAN AVE NW $350,000 4775 HARVARD ST NW $300,000 22612 SHERMAN AVE NW $289,900 4420 LURAY PL NW $289,000 54019 14TH ST NW $286,000 3

CRESTWOOD 4204 18TH ST NW $690,000 3

DUPONT 1614 19TH STREET NW $1,350,000 31928 17TH ST NW $1,299,000 81440 T ST NW $901,000 31618 CORCORAN ST NW $775,000 4

FOREST HILLS 4831 LINNEAN AVE NW $950,000 5

FOXHALL 1719 HOBAN RD NW $1,350,000 41617 FOXHALL RD NW $1,150,000 54490 RESERVOIR RD NW $975,000 34421 Q ST NW $600,000 34638 KENMORE DR NW $1,518,750 4

GEORGETOWN 2817 N ST NW $3,950,000 51516 29TH ST NW $2,225,000 32709 OLIVE ST NW $1,975,000 41321 35TH ST NW $1,200,000 23246 PROSPECT ST NW $1,150,000 31553 33RD ST NW $1,015,000 23312 RESERVOIR RD NW $890,000 23312 VOLTA PL NW $759,000 21349 28TH ST NW $655,000 13413 R ST NW #GARAGE $85,000 0

GLOVER PARK 3802 BENTON ST NW $750,000 32054 37TH ST NW $664,500 3

HAWTHORNE 3269 BEECH ST NW $869,000 4

KALORAMA 1845 KALORAMA RD NW $1,025,000 6

KENT 5059 GLENBROOK TER NW $1,695,000 55052 LOUGHBORO RD NW $1,400,000 5

LEDROIT PARK 406 U ST NW $630,000 3144 W ST NW $629,900 4146 U ST NW $553,146 461 BRYANT ST NW $500,000 3

MOUNT PLEASANT 2306 ONTARIO RD NW $789,000 33301 BROWN ST NW $714,000 31875 NEWTON ST NW $710,000 3

MT. VERNON SQUARE 412 M ST NW $569,500 4

NORTH CLEVELAND PARK 3729 VEAZEY ST NW $855,000 43900 ALTON PL NW $840,000 33636 VAN NESS ST NW $700,000 3

OBSERVATORY CIRCLE 2700 36TH ST NW $1,750,000 72709 34TH PL NW $1,292,500 6

OLD CITY 714 16TH ST SE $660,000 31337 EMERALD ST NE $649,500 2

at home + Changing Hands

Changing hands is a list of most residential sales in the District of Columbia from the previous month. A feature of every issue, this list, based on the MRIS, is provided courtesy of Don Denton, manager of the Coldwell Banker offi ce on Capitol Hill. The list includes address, sales price and number of bedrooms.

735 KENTUCKY AVE SE $600,000 3628 L ST NE $579,000 31011 E ST NE $560,000 4515 13TH ST SE $545,070 21018 10TH ST NE $519,900 31405 A ST SE $465,000 31125 3RD ST NE $462,000 2122 18TH ST SE $445,000 31623 GALES ST NE $430,000 31025 7TH ST NE $410,000 4511 23RD PL NE $389,500 2241 16TH ST SE $380,000 31838 BAY ST SE $380,000 3406 TENNESSEE AVE NE $375,000 31429 K ST SE $374,900 2432 24TH ST NE $353,000 31212 HALF ST SW $310,000 3506 25TH PL NE $305,000 31612 MASSACHUSETTS AVE SE $299,900 31654 KRAMER ST NE $245,000 2105 P ST SW $170,149 21518 CONSTITUTION AVE NE $112,500 11120 RHODE ISLAND AVE NW $950,000 61224 11TH ST NW $730,000 61322 WALLACH PL NW $558,000 4515 Q ST NW $550,000 51735 11TH ST NW $535,000 371 P ST NW $489,000 31632 NEW JERSEY AVE NW $450,000 21709 4TH ST NW $410,000 41518 6TH ST NW $323,000 2

PALISADES 5607 POTOMAC AVE NW $987,000 3

PETWORTH 518 TAYLOR ST NW $600,000 44814 KANSAS AVE NW $489,900 4827 ALLISON ST NW $456,000 3622 INGRAHAM ST NW $449,500 3904 HAMILTON ST NW $391,000 44622 NEW HAMPSHIRE AVE NW $375,000 3605 TAYLOR ST NW $370,000 3915 KENNEDY ST NW $369,900 34837 KANSAS AVE NW $325,000 3107 ROCK CREEK CHURCH RD NW $286,500 3313 FARRAGUT ST NW $274,000 45102 NEW HAMPSHIRE AVE NW $270,000 3435 DELAFIELD PL NW $265,000 34713 KANSAS AVE NW $260,000 3739 MADISON ST NW $236,000 368 FARRAGUT PL NW $215,000 35115 8TH ST NW $185,000 2

SHAW 1702 NEW JERSEY AVE NW $615,000 31500 1ST ST NW $500,000 2

SHEPHERD PARK 7405 12TH ST NW $545,000 3

SPRING VALLEY 4824 UPTON ST NW $1,320,000 64813 VAN NESS ST NW $1,067,000 44100 49TH ST NW $845,000 3

TAKOMA PARK 709 DAHLIA ST NW $557,000 3225 WHITTIER ST NW $399,000 3

U STREET 1200 FLORIDA AVE NW $615,000 4

WAKEFIELD 3703 ALBEMARLE ST NW $735,000 3

WESLEY HEIGHTS 4626 GARFIELD ST NW $2,806,000 72929 49TH ST NW $1,800,000 4

WOODLEY 2818 CATHEDRAL AVE NW $1,160,000 7

CONDO

16TH STREET HEIGHTS 4306 ARKANSAS AVE NW #203 $260,000 2

ADAMS MORGAN 2363 CHAMPLAIN ST NW #4 $574,000 22363 CHAMPLAIN ST NW #29 $545,000 22431 ONTARIO RD NW #1 $490,000 21855 CALVERT ST NW #102 $453,300 22630 ADAMS MILL RD NW #307 $325,000 1

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY PARK

4101 ALBEMARLE ST NW #320 $735,000 24101 ALBEMARLE ST NW #641 $425,000 2

BRIGHTWOOD 6425 14TH ST NW #306 $239,000 1

BROOKLAND 569 REGENTS PLACE PL NW $573,255 4

CENTRAL 1010 MASSACHUSETTS AVE NW #210 $592,500 22501 M ST NW #604 $520,000 21124 25TH ST NW #210 $515,000 22101 N ST NW #101 $335,000 11301 20TH NW #307 $275,000 1916 G ST NW #904 $389,000 1

CHEVY CHASE 5410 CONNECTICUT AVE NW #603 $225,000 1

CLEVELAND PARK 3832 PORTER ST NW #386 $460,000 43832 PORTER ST NW #386 $460,000 43621 39TH ST NW #323 $395,000 23851 NEWARK ST NW #460 $379,000 22711 ORDWAY ST NW #103 $370,000 13701 CONNECTICUT AVE NW #203 $225,000 13840 PORTER ST NW #382 $330,000 1

COLUMBIA HEIGHTS 1328 PARK RD NW #H $699,000 21451 BELMONT ST NW #316 $535,000 21390 KENYON ST NW #801 $525,000 23518 10TH ST NW #A $475,000 22910 GEORGIA AVE NW #404 $409,900 21417 CHAPIN ST NW #307 $399,999 22910 GEORGIA AVE NW #403 $394,900 21401 COLUMBIA RD NW #415 $390,000 21401 COLUMBIA RD NW #410 $365,000 21308 CLIFTON ST NW #312 $361,000 11308 CLIFTON ST NW #309 $328,500 11437 SPRING RD NW #32 $325,000 22910 GEORGIA AVE NW #301 $279,900 11438 MERIDIAN PL NW #405 $269,900 21439 EUCLID ST NW #201 $261,590 12910 GEORGIA AVE NW #205 $259,900 12910 GEORGIA AVE NW #C01 $219,900 1648 NEWTON PL NW #03 $165,500 1

MOUNT VERNON TRIANGLE 437 NEW YORK AVE NW #314 $375,000 1

DUPONT 1706 S ST NW #3 $562,500 21619 R ST NW #505 $385,000 11727 MASSACHUSETTS AVE NW #805 $197,500 01727 MASSACHUSETTS AVE NW #803 $177,500 01727 MASSACHUSETTS AVE NW #518 $168,900 01816 NEW HAMPSHIRE AVE NW #201 $199,900 0

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2 S ST NE #XX $278,000 2

FOGGY BOTTOM 2401 H ST NW #311 $295,000 11001 26TH ST NW #307 $285,000 12401 H ST NW #310 $175,000 0

GEORGETOWN 3303 WATER ST NW #F-8 $6,250,000 53303 WATER ST NW #L-7 $4,550,000 31051 PAPER MILL CT NW #1051 $557,000 2

KALORAMA 2029 CONNECTICUT AVE NW #31 $3,100,000 42205 CALIFORNIA ST NW #102 $682,500 31835 CALIFORNIA ST NW #E $515,000 22413 20TH ST NW #1004 $476,000 12032-2040 BELMONT RD NW #308 $359,000 21826 BILTMORE ST NW #5 $348,000 21840 MINTWOOD PL NW #304 $335,000 12227 20TH ST NW #207 $325,088 12032-2040 BELMONT RD NW #302 $324,000 1

LEDROIT PARK 1907 3RD ST NW #303 $250,000 1

LOGAN 1300 13TH ST NW #204 $680,000 21211 13TH ST NW #804 $540,000 11450 CHURCH ST NW #101 $515,000 21010 MASSACHUSETTS AVE NW #503 $495,000 11207 N ST NW #H $395,000 11440 N ST NW #303 $181,000 01101 L ST NW #206 $165,000 01401 CHURCH ST NW #518 $975,000 21535 P ST NW #3 $865,000 21618 11TH ST NW #PH-1 $620,000 21437 RHODE ISLAND AVE NW #704 $599,000 21300 N ST NW #106 $335,000 11300 N ST NW #308 $268,000 01440 N ST NW #805 $185,000 07 LOGAN CIR NW #B2 $371,000 1

MOUNT PLEASANT 2627 ADAMS MILL RD NW #408 $605,000 31615 KENYON ST NW #53 $362,000 1

MT VERNON 1132 6TH ST NW #3 $618,555 31132 6TH ST NW #2 $479,500 21132 6TH ST NW #1 $349,555 21240 4TH ST NW #200 $405,000 2

N STREET LOFTS 936 N ST NW #2 $425,000 2

OBSERVATORY CIRCLE 2828 WISCONSIN AVE NW #112 $553,000 22800 WISCONSIN AVE NW #1011 $165,000 0

OLD CITY 1342 MASSACHUSETTS AVE SE #A $455,000 11342 MASSACHUSETTS AVE SE #B $399,900 1401 13TH ST NE #313 $391,450 12120 VERMONT AVE NW #610 $536,000 2910 M ST NW #412 $520,000 22250 11TH ST NW #103 $495,000 11441 RHODE ISLAND AVE NW #305 $428,500 1936 N ST NW #5 $425,000 21245 13TH ST NW #101 $415,000 2440 L ST NW #708 $387,500 124 LOGAN CIR NW #1 $370,000 11916 17TH ST NW #501 $369,900 11117 10TH ST NW #407 $270,000 01125 12TH ST NW #62 $210,000 11101 L ST NW #105 $164,900 0123 17 TH ST SE #1 $190,000 1

PENN QUARTER 715 6TH ST NW #305 $490,000 1777 7TH ST NW #1006 $474,000 2

PETWORTH 804 TAYLOR ST NW #402 $264,900 1804 TAYLOR ST NW #407 $247,900 1804 TAYLOR ST NW #106 $199,900 1936 MADISON ST NW #204 $194,250 2700 JEFFERSON ST NW #106 $86,300 2

SHAW 440 RHODE ISLAND AVE NW #T-103 $343,000 2

THE ALTA AT THOMAS CIRCLE 1133 14TH ST NW #501 $415,000 1

THE PALLADIUM 1325 18TH ST NW #R-506 $355,000 1

U STREET CORRIDOR 2004 11TH ST NW #237 $493,000 22001 12TH ST NW #110 $405,000 1

WAKEFIELD 4740 CONNECTICUT AVE NW #711 $348,000 2

WESLEY HEIGHTS 3205 SUTTON PL NW #D $527,000 24200 CATHEDRAL AVE NW #609 $185,000 14200 CATHEDRAL AVE NW #602 $158,000 1

WEST END 2555 PENNSYLVANIA AVE NW #704 $625,000 2

WINSTON MEWS 1730 16TH ST NW #9 $459,000 2

WOODLEY 2829 CONNECTICUT AVE NW #601 $370,000 12818 CONNECTICUT NW #202 $859,900 22818 CONNECTICUT NW #302 $825,000 22818 CONNECTICUT NW #4 $240,000 02818 CONNECTICUT NW #3 $236,200 02725 CONNECTICUT AVE NW #PH-806 $600,000 2

COOP

ADAMS MORGAN 1820 CLYDESDALE PL NW #300 $343,000 21860 CALIFORNIA ST NW #201 $316,700 1

CENTRAL 1300 MASSACHUSETTS AVE NW #503 $190,000 0

CLEVELAND PARK 3601 CONNECTICUT AVE NW #722 $572,600 23600 CONNECTICUT AVE NW #403 $310,000 1

COLUMBIA HEIGHTS 1439 SPRING RD NW #202 $274,000 3

DUPONT 1725 17TH ST NW #404 $572,000 21701 16TH ST NW #856 $326,000 11701 16TH ST NW #123 $265,000 11514 17TH ST NW #506 $324,000 1

FOGGY BOTTOM 700 NEW HAMPSHIRE AVE NW #511 $310,000 1730 24TH ST NW #602 $259,900 1

FOREST HILLS 3001 VEAZEY TRL NW #1508 $382,500 23001 VEAZEY TER NW #1213 $270,000 1

KALORAMA 2101 CONNECTICUT AVE NW #21 $2,000,000 4

MOUNT PLEASANT 1736 COLUMBIA RD NW #407 $210,000 1

OBSERVATORY CIRCLE 3900 WATSON PL NW #A-5F $425,000 24101 CATHEDRAL AVE NW #306 $200,000 24101 CATHEDRAL AVE NW #608 $140,000 1

PALISADES 4581 MACARTHUR BLVD NW #301 $200,000 1

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MidCity-DC-Magazine-December-2011

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