Bethesda Magazine: January-February 2023 Digital Edition

EFFORTLESS SERVICE AT EVERY TURN

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BEst of Bethesda

172 great places to go, things to do and more, as chosen by our editors and readers

editors’ picks 76

From heavenly fried chicken and a winery with a view to an envy-worthy work site and indoor pet exercise studios, here are some of our favorite things about Montgomery County

readers’ picks 118

Nearly 7,500 votes were cast in our online readers’ poll. Check out your neighbors’ favorites for dining, shopping, health care and more.

ON THE COVER: PHOTO BY JOSEPH TRAN; MODELS, BRIANA GREER AND RASHEED JIMMI; HAIR AND MAKEUP STYLIST, CRISGER SANTLEY; WARDROBE STYLIST, BRIAN DAVES, ALL WITH THE ARTIST AGENCY. CLOTHING FROM MACY’S.

PHOTO BY DEB LINDSEY

P. 76

Dig in to the Best of Bethesda

FEATURES

150

Still Grappling

A former wrestler and high-powered lawyer, Bob Brams has been fighting for his life—and for other patients with brain cancer

BY MIKE UNGER

156

Henhouse Proud

A trend in raising backyard chickens elicits appreciation for fresh eggs, colorful personalities—and the circle of life

BY JENNIFER TEPPER

162

23 in ’23

There’s a lot to look forward to this year. Here are some of the events we’re most excited about.

BY STEPHANIE SIEGEL BURKE

168

The Buddy System

Open Door Sports aims to create an even playing field—and friendships—for kids with disabilities

BY AMY HALPERN

174

Bethesda Interview

Washington Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. talks about growing up in a basketball family, passing up Wall Street and living amid the wildlife of Potomac

BY MIKE UNGER

182

Weddings of the Year

Four of our favorite celebrations of 2022, with everything from a groom’s grand entrance on horseback to Elvis-in-abathing-suit photo ops

BY DANA GERBER AND KRISTEN SCHOTT

PHOTO BY JIMELL GREENE

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English

221 health

222 | BE WELL

The director of a new mental health clinic in Bethesda wants to reach those intimidated by therapy

224 | ATTENTION, PLEASE Concentration-challenged? Disorganized? Always late? You might have adult ADHD, and your practiced coping mechanisms aren’t the only options anymore. Here’s why— and how—midlifers are starting to address the disability head-on.

237

dine

238 | REVIEW

At Zinnia’s new fine-dining restaurant, chef Danny Wells offers an unpretentious modern American menu in an inviting atmosphere

242 | TABLE TALK

What’s happening on the local food scene

251 etc.

252 | DRIVING RANGE

The pandemic left our writer in knots, so she finally booked that spa getaway

258 | GET AWAY

Your cheat sheet for a weekend jaunt

260 | SHOP TALK

Grab a scrunchie and pull up the sleeves on that oversize blazer—’80s fashion is back in a big way

262 | PETS

In local schoolrooms, pets provide lessons of empathy and responsibility

272 | OUTTAKES

Four

The ’80s are back

Fab finds at Filo Café

PHOTO BY BRENDAN MCCABE; COURTESY PHOTOS

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JANUARY’S REDEEMING QUALITIES

JANUARY CAN BE COLD and dark. I don’t simply mean literally (because it frequently is). I mean psychologically and emotionally. For me, coming offthe flrry of holiday activity can feel like a wait-it-out period until spring, enduring more weeks of waking up in darkness and leaving the office in darkness, grimacing at the thought of a bracing walk around the neighborhood. We’re making plans for warmer months, but I grasp for something to feel excited about now.

Enter Bethesda Magazine’s annual Best of Bethesda edition and its showcase of activities, dishes and creations—most of which can be appreciated regardless of the season.

TheEditors’ Picks (page 76) often highlight newer enterprises and trends in Greater Bethesda. We editors weigh our own experiences, talking with everyone we can—freelance contributors, the Bethesda Beat staff,friends, family members and acquaintances—and checking out the buzz on social media and other outlets to identify some of the most intriguing prospects. Thenwe task our talented corps of contributors with capturing what makes these experiences so distinctive, whether they’re a crunchy assortment of toasts, as tasted by restaurant critic David Hagedorn, or a friendly Zumba class, with writer Alyssa Langer sweating along in sync.

Th Readers’ Picks (page 118) encompass new and returning favorites in dozens of categories that span nearly every facet of life in our community: nail salons, kids menus, dentists, home organizers, school principals, floists and many more.

Thouh I’m well acquainted with plenty of the “BoBs” on our list, many are new to me. Theact of combing through these options injects the thrills of curiosity and anticipation about trying them, whether that’s for an exploration of the tiny-butmighty Edith Thockmorton Neighborhood Park or nibbling through the menu at Bethesda’s newest Parisian cafe.

Keep in mind: Local businesses, nonprofis, agencies and people are represented in the vast majority of these selections. Considering all that the coronavirus pandemic has wrought, plus the Great Resignation, inflation and recession fears, it is heartening to see these enterprises take root, thrive and fin their place in our lives. Establishing a new venture is not riskfree even in “normal” times, and these days don’t qualify as

normal. Even as we compiled our selections, we had to pivot when we saw that a business or nonprofitwas pausing operations. We are grateful for those that survive and contribute to our community.

Best of Bethesda isn’t the only place to pique your interest in getting out and about. In our “23 in ’23” roundup (page 162), Stephanie Siegel Burke thoughtfully curates a year’s worth of events. I’m adding them to my calendar now so they don’t sneak up on me.

Even in an edition that bursts with excitement, we want to acknowledge our neighbors’ struggles and how they are being met head-on. In “Still Grappling” (page 150), Mike Unger talks with onetime high-powered lawyer Bob Brams, who has spent years fihting his own brain cancer and is working to raise awareness and support for others facing this terrifying disease. Writer Rachel Pomerance Berl shares her own struggles with ADHD in “Attention, Please” (page 224); while exploring the increasing number of adults being diagnosed with ADHD and the question of whether and how they seek treatment for it. And in “TheBuddy System” (page 168), Amy Halpern shows how the program Open Door Sports provides children who have disabilities with opportunities to participate in athletics and forge bonds with kids across the community.

As a postscript, I want to revisit Halpern’s story “Life After Dobbs,” which appeared in the November/December issue. Thestory chronicled the impact in Montgomery County of the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, and the feedback to it included both praise and interest in providing finanial support for Cara, the 15-year-old from Tennessee whose family brought her to Maryland in pursuit of an abortion. Although abortion is such a divisive topic, I’ve been impressed by the thoughtful response of readers to the concerns raised in the story.

As ever, thanks for reading. Feel free to drop a line at editorial@bethesdamagazine.com.

Sincerely,

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AKIRA KYLES

LIVES IN: Greenbelt

IN THIS ISSUE: Wrote about the Silver Spring ice rink as well as increased protests at Drag Story Hour events in Montgomery County, and the activists who have been rallying to protect the drag queens.

WHAT SHE DOES: She is a lifestyle reporter for Bethesda Beat and Bethesda Magazine.

HOW SHE GOT HER START IN REPORTING: In Kyles’ sophomore year of high school, she found out about a journalism course that was being offered. She took the course the following year and joined the school paper. She’s been writing ever since.

IN HER DOWNTIME: When she’s not checking out tips on the best places to eat, drink and have fun in Montgomery County, Kyles can be found binge-watching what she calls “comfort TV,” especially detective shows like Castle, iZombie and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. “So much SVU,” she says.

JIMELL GREENE

LIVES IN: Baltimore

IN THIS ISSUE: Photographed Washington Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. for the Bethesda Interview. “Growing up in Northern Virginia and being a big basketball fan, this assignment was an absolute dream!” Greene says. “Coach Unseld was fantastic to work with. Even though he had a million things going on, he was very pleasant and present for the shoot.”

WHAT HE DOES: He is an editorial and commercial photographer and cinematographer.

WHAT HE’S LISTENING TO: “When I’m in the car, I love to listen to hip-hop, R&B or pop. But in person, I love going to the symphony or to the jazz club.”

IN HIS DOWNTIME: “I’m a big fan of going to art galleries, trying out new restaurants, bars or bakeries. And if it’s baseball season, you can always catch me at Camden Yards rooting for my O’s.”

Natasha Nazareth and Ginny Bonifacino provide integrative legal advice to create value, protect your business, and deepen the relationships that matter.

EDITORIAL

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Anne Tallent

MANAGING EDITOR

Kelly Kendall

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Kathleen Seiler Neary

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Kelly Martin

DESIGNER

Olivia Sadka

BETHESDA BEAT MANAGING EDITOR

Jeffrey Lyles

BETHESDA BEAT REPORTERS

Apps Bichu, Ginny Bixby, Steve Bohnel, Em Espey, Akira Kyles

RESTAURANT CRITIC

David Hagedorn

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Louis Peck, Julie Rasicot, Carole Sugarman

COPY EDITORS

Elisabeth Herschbach, Steve Wilder

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Caralee Adams, Jennifer Barger, Rachel Pomerance Berl, Stephanie Siegel Burke, Dina ElBoghdady, Margaret Engel, Robin L. Flanigan, Christine Koubek Flynn, Dana Gerber, Amy Halpern, Amy Reinink, Bethany Rodgers, Kristen Schott, Mike Unger, Mark Walston, Carolyn Weber

PHOTOGRAPHERS & ILLUSTRATORS

Edgar Artiga, Skip Brown, Goodloe Byron, Laura Chase de Formigny, Erick Gibson, Stacy Zarin Goldberg, Lisa Helfert, James Kegley, Alice Kresse, Deb Lindsey, Liz Lynch, Lindsey Max, Mary Ann Smith, Louis Tinsley, Joseph Tran, Michael Ventura

Bethesda Magazine is published six times a year by Z-Pop Media, LLC © 2022-2023

Story ideas and letters to the editor: Please send ideas and letters (with your name, the town you live in and your daytime phone number) to editorial@bethesdamagazine.com.

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good life art. festivals. culture. day trips. hidden gems.

WHAT’S GOING ON

THE ROOMS AT THE new Rubell Museum DC are filled with colorful paintings, photographs, sculptures and installations instead of students and desks. But with the building’s exposed brick and tall arched windows, it’s easy to imagine how it might have looked in its former life as Randall Junior High. The late singer and activist Marvin Gaye was a student at the school in Southwest Washington that closed in 1978. He graduated in 1954 and went on to write the groundbreaking 1971 album What’s Going On. That album and the hit song that shares its name are the inspiration for the inaugural exhibition at the museum, which opened in October.

They also inspired the exhibition’s central work, artist Keith Haring’s Untitled (Against All Odds), a 20-piece series created while Haring listened to Gaye’s album on repeat. The series was dedicated to Steve Rubell, cofounder of famous New York City nightclub Studio 54 and brother of Don Rubell, who, with his wife, Mera, and son, Jason, opened the museum to present exhibitions of their extensive art collection. Haring and Steve Rubell both died of AIDS-related complications more than 30 years ago.

In addition to Haring’s series, the exhibition includes art by 50 artists whose work—like Gaye’s—responds to social and political issues. Many pieces are by artists of color and challenge ideas about race, gender, identity and sexuality. Kehinde Wiley’s Sleep , a massive 11-by25-foot painting depicting a Black man stretched out in repose against a backdrop of green foliage, is one of them. Wiley is also known for painting Barack Obama’s portrait for the National Portrait Gallery. There is also a gallery dedicated to paintings by D.C. artist Sylvia Snowden. The entire What’s Going On exhibition will be on view into 2023.

Rubell Museum DC, 65 I St. SW, Washington, D.C. Museum hours are 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. SaturdaySunday. $10-$15, free for Washington, D.C., residents. 202-964-8254, dc.rubellmuseum.org

—Stephanie Siegel Burke

Another Man’s Cloth (2006) by El Anatsui, made of aluminum liquor bottle caps and copper wire

ICE, ICE BABY

GO FOR A GLIDE at the ice skating rink in downtown Silver Spring. This favorite wintertime destination opened for the season in October, offering guests as small as toddlers a chance to skate along the smooth frozen ice at Veterans Plaza.

The rink offers more than 400 pairs of ice hockey and figure skates, ranging from toddler size 7 to adult 14. It also has skating guides (kind of like walkers) in the shape of penguins for new skaters to clutch for balance (no more clinging to the wall in fear). The rink offers group lessons on Saturdays for adults and youths ages 5 to 15 between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., and one adult group lesson Sundays at 9 a.m. Private lessons are available based on instructor availability for groups of up to six.

Reservations are required and can be made up to two weeks in advance. Tickets are for one hour and 20 minutes of skating. Make an afternoon of it by enjoying the area’s numerous attractions, like movie theaters and restaurants, but don’t dawdle too long over your hot cocoa at the nearby Starbucks—if you’re 10 minutes late, your reservation will be canceled.

The Silver Spring skating rink is open Monday through Thursday from noon to 10 p.m., Friday from noon to 11 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Pricing is $11 for adults, $10 for children and seniors, and an additional $5 for skate rentals. 8523 Fenton St., Silver Spring. 301-588-1221, silverspringiceskating.com.

—Akira Kyles

PHOTO BY LOUIS TINSLEY

BEST BETS good life

Our picks for things to see and do in January and February

BY STEPHANIE SIEGEL BURKE

Jan. 12, 14 & 15

ROLL OVER, BEETHOVEN

Even if you’ve worn out your recordings of A Hard Day’s Night, Revolver and the White Album, you can hear the Beatles in a whole new way when their songs get the symphonic treatment at BSO Pops’ Revolution: The Music of the Beatles. Led by conductor Jack Everly, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra highlights the songwriting brilliance of the Fab Four. The concert also includes projections of rare and intimate photos of the band.

8 p.m., $35-$90, The Music Center at Strathmore, North Bethesda, strathmore.org

Jan. 11-March 12

ART ALL AROUND

Four art shows are on exhibit at VisArts this winter. The Concourse Gallery features a juried exhibition of artwork by emerging adult artists with disabilities who participate in VisAbility Art Lab, VisArts’ studio for neurodiverse artists working toward careers in the visual arts. The Gibbs Street Gallery will show work by 2022 VisArts Studio Fellow Jessica Valoris, a Washington, D.C., artist whose multimedia efforts include painting, sound collage and ritual performance based on traditions of her Black American and Jewish ancestry. The Kaplan Gallery shows work by VisArts Bresler Resident Artist Cecilia Kim, whose art explores the interplay between documentary and constructed image; Alison Kysia, a multimedia artist whose work focuses on Muslims and Islamophobia; and VisArts Bresler Resident Curator Gabrielle Tillenburg. See the VisArts website for the opening and closing dates of the various exhibitions. Gallery hours noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday and Saturday-Sunday, noon to 8 p.m. Friday, free, VisArts, Rockville, visartscenter.org

Jan. 14

GRAPHIC CONTENT

Celebrate comics, graphic novels and fandoms at MoComCon, and don’t be surprised if superheroes, stormtroopers or other costumed sci-fi characters show up. The free event features a costume contest with categories for kids, teens and adults. Other programs include an introduction to manga, a life-size Candy Land, Beat Saber virtual reality video games, and a scavenger hunt. There are also hands-on crafts like button making and Take & Make Kits (while supplies last). Come early for an all-ages superhero-themed story time at 10:30 a.m., before the official event kicks off.

11 a.m. to 4 p.m., free, Germantown Library, montgomerycountymd.gov/library/programs/ mocomcon.html#section0

Alison Kysia, VisArts’ Bresler resident, in her studio

Feb. 10-March 19

FANCY FEET

Inspired by true events and based on the 2005 British film of the same title, the musical Kinky Boots tells the story of the unlikely partnership between a drag queen and a northern England shoe factory owner.

Charlie Price inherits his father’s failing footwear business, but after he meets Lola, a flashy performer with a broken boot, the two join forces to produce a new line of high-heeled boots and save the business, despite the disapproval of many in their closed-minded community. The show features music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper. If the stage production were a movie, it would be rated PG-13, according to the theater’s website.

$42-$85, Olney Theatre Center, olneytheatre.org

BEST BETS

Feb. 2

GUITAR HERO

When it comes to Kaki King, you can take your idea of an instrumental guitar concert and shred it. King, who has been called a guitar virtuoso and was the first woman named a “guitar god” by Rolling Stone magazine, plays in a unique percussive style. She’s known for jazztinged melodies and using multiple tunings. Her energetic live performances often include visual elements, like a light show projected onto the face of her guitar.

8 p.m., $25-$45, AMP by Strathmore, North Bethesda, strathmore.org

Feb. 15-April 8

HOOP DREAMS

Based on the picture book by Thelma Lynne Godin and adapted for the stage by Gloria Bond Clunie, The Hula-Hoopin’ Queen is about Kameeka, who is confident that she finally will beat her rival and become the Hula-Hoopin’ Queen of 139th Street in Harlem, New York. But on the day of the competition, she also has to prepare for Miz Adeline’s birthday party. She’s so distracted that she ruins the cake. Luckily, “the hulahoopin’ itch” saves the day and the party spills onto the street. A joyful block party of a show, The Hula-Hoopin’ Queen celebrates the idea that it takes a village to raise a child. Best for ages 5-11.

$12-$39, Imagination Stage, Bethesda, imaginationstage.org n

Life, Measured in Moments

(not hourly minimums)

There when you need us — that’s how we operate every day. Our highly vetted personal assistants and caregivers are available by the hour, week, or whatever is needed. We help with shopping, household chores, personal care, companionship and everything in between, without 4-hour minimums. Think of us as an extended member of the family who makes life less stressful. We care for people holistically and consider every need: health, emotional, social and family. That way, you can focus on enjoying all life has to offer.

Coming up at

MANDY PATINKIN IN CONCERT

BEING ALIVE WITH ADAM BEN-DAVID ON PIANO

Sat, Jan 28

Limited tickets remain!

VOICES OF MISSISSIPPI

Sat, Feb 4

A visual-musical celebration of Mississippi history.

ALLISON MILLER IN OUR VEINS: RIVERS & SOCIAL CHANGE

Fri, Feb 10

Multimedia jazz homage to American rivers.

AFRO-CUBAN ALL STARS

Fri, Feb 24

Tue, March 7

Thu, March 9

50TH

& FINAL WORLD TOUR with Special Guest The Diva Jazz Orchestra

Fri, March 24

Goran Bregovi´c by Ognjen Babic, Mandy Patinkin by Joan Marcus, Allison Miller by Susan Alzner, The Manhattan Transfer by F. Scott Schafer, Afro-Cuban All Stars

Loston Harris, Mark Lettieri by Hunter Selman, AMP by Jim Saah

people. politics. current events. books.

banter

FANTASY FULFILLMENT CENTER

At the last remaining costume shop in this area, Ginger Ager can hook you up with Andy Warhol wigs, superhero capes and breeches worthy of Bridgerton

BY MARGARET ENGEL

PHOTO BY MICHAEL VENTURA

Ginger Ager at Gene’s Costumes

GINGER AGER STANDS AMID crowded racks of costumes, masks and novelty props in her shop, Gene’s Costumes in Kensington. It’s two days after Halloween—a holiday for costume shops that’s like Christmas, Easter and the Fourth of July all rolled into one—and you can barely see any trace of the store’s flor. Garment and prop returns fill11 gigantic plaid bags sitting under ceiling displays of Mardi Gras masks, devils’ pitchforks and barrister wigs.

“And I’ve just picked up all The Cherry Orchard costumes from St. Andrew’s Episcopal School,” Ager says, gesturing to two of the bags. “Thee’s a lot of theatrical items to clean and sort, too.”

Gene’s Costumes doesn’t have a lot of competition these days, at least not from similarly old-school shops, so the demand for Elvis suits, Bridgerton-style breeches and Marvel superhero capes

has been intense. In addition, Ager and her small staff pull, masure and deliver costumes year-round for theatrical productions at local schools and theaters. Things were so busy this past fall that Ager’s parents drove from Fredericksburg, Virginia, and moved into her Silver Spring home for a week to help customers findjust the right fantasy looks from the thousands of costumes stored on three levels.

Pointing to the neat bags of returns, Ager says, “We’ll just get this all put away, and then it’s Santa suits, elves costumes, Victorian carolers and the Grinch nonstop ’til Christmas.”

Ager, 59, a 1981 Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School grad, had sensible training for her career in masquerade. She worked at her family’s dry-cleaning business in Laurel and later at a Chevy Chase dry cleaner. She knows not to choose vel-

vet or brocade costumes for high schoolers in drama productions, as those fabrics are easily damaged by water or snags, and has turned away customers she senses will not take care of a costume.

“I take any of the damage personally,” she says. “Thse costumes are all of my children.”

This converted house in Kensington is the place to find Andy Warhol wigs, dragon masks with light-up eyes, and plush spiders the size of suitcases. Costumes celebrating steampunk and Day of the Dead, and outfis for superheroes, flappers and Colonial soldiers fillit s racks. Thee are mascot rentals, so oversize heads of both realistic and comic versions of animals line several shelves. Stage makeup, tiaras, wigs and shoes also are on offer. A not-too-elaborate costume can cost $35 to rent. A full getup, including hat and accessories, typically rents for $65 to $70.

The shop was created by Genevieve Showalter in the basement of her Wheaton home in the early 1960s, hence the name “Gene’s Costumes.” The enterprise moved to its current location in the mid-1980s, when Ager began helping out part time. After Showalter died in 1986, an assistant and Showalter’s husband, Chuck, kept the shop going. In 1989, Ager was asked to buy it, and she took the leap.

At that time, the metro Washington area had around a dozen costume shops, some dating to the 1920s, when downtown hotels held costume nights and formal costume parties were part of the social scene.

In recent decades, pop-up Halloween stores, Amazon’s inventory and packaged costumes in big-box stores have shuttered many of the costume shops nationwide, according to Ed Avis, executive director of the National Costumers Association, based in Chicago. “Th numbers have been going down steadily in the last 20 years,” he says, noting the group’s mailing list has dwindled to 1,000, of which 100 are brick-andmortar shops. “But drag, cosplay, comic-

“These costumes are all of my children,” says Ginger Ager of Gene’s Costumes.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL VENTURA

con and new theaters are breathing new life into the costume world,” he says. “Thy’re an enthusiastic bunch—the fun of dressing up is just too vivid.”

At Gene’s, customers can still try on beautifully made costumes of wools and cottons, rather than buying a one-size-fis-all synthetic outfi in a bag. With enough time, alterations are possible. A couple from Laurel recently spent an hour trying on purple velour suits and cheetah print capes for an upcoming 1970s party. Theinitially reluctant husband ended up renting two costumes in order to change halfway through the party. His wife rented three, Ager says. She often gets invited to customers’ parties, but only attends the theatrical productions she costumes.

Artistic Director Darnell Patrick Morris uses Gene’s Costumes for the full schedule of six to 20 yearly produc-

“Her collection is so extensive. We’ve pulled for four to fiveshows in one day.” Ager has bought out the stock of several shops that have closed, is connected to national costume vendors and keeps abreast of European sources for new outfis. At times, she walks two storefronts up the street to Urban Thift for items. “We did a Mary Poppins play and needed multiple pairs of black pants,” she recalls. “A couple of thrift visits did it.”

tions at his Ovations Thatre in Gaithersburg. “I can say the most random item, and Ginger will have it,” he says.

America’s resumption of social events is helping the fortunes of costume shops, according to a survey of the National Costumers Association’s members, Avis said. “People still want fantasy, magic and dressup in their lives,” he says. “Costumes allow people to be something other than their everyday selves.” n

Customers can still try on beautifully made costumes of wools and cottons, rather than buying a one-size-fitsall synthetic outfit in a bag.

GETTING DRAGGED

says Martini, who declines to give her real name because of safety concerns. “I got to my second or third story, and they interrupted me and were just kind of like, ‘Are you OK with mocking God?’ ”

Some protesters left then, but a couple stayed and caused another interruption before security escorted them out, Martini says. Thy weren’t yelling, but they seemed intent on intimidating people, she recalls. “It kind of shook me up,” Martini says. “Like, who’s taking their time out at noon on a Saturday to disrupt an event with children and be ugly?”

“Drag Story Hour has the same essential purpose as any other story hour: to promote literacy while having fun,” says Beth DiGregorio, president of Drag Story Hour DC Metro. “We focus on creating safe and welcoming spaces for queer families. … Having a drag storyteller creates an atmosphere of joy that shows children there is no wrong way to be you.”

BY AKIRA KYLES

D’MANDA MARTINI HAS BEEN performing as a drag queen for about a decade. Not until last summer did she feel she needed protection.

Thetrouble started one Saturday in June, during a Drag Story Hour at the Montgomery County Public Library in Silver Spring. When Martini arrived, families were already there—but even more people were trying to come in, which struck her as odd.

“It was this group of men in the back,”

Since then, protesters—including apparent right-wing Proud Boys—have descended on local Drag Story Hours. It’s a development that’s played out across the country, sometimes violently, in the past year-plus. And in November, an assailant attacked an LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs, Colorado, killing five eople.

Local drag performers and their advocates say the blowback has hardened their resolve and prompted them to organize to protect performers.

Martini is among several who have hosted what is now known as Drag Story Hour, which started in 2019, throughout Montgomery County.

Thereadings are geared toward kids ages 2 to 12, DiGregorio says, and have included titles like Just Add Glitter by Angela DiTerlizzi, a shiny tribute to imagination, and The Kindness Book by Todd Parr, which celebrates the joy of being nice to others.

Conservative critics allege drag events are “grooming” children for sexual abuse and, in other parts of the country, have sought to restrict them. In June, a Texas state legislator announced he was drafting a ban on children attending drag shows, referring to “a disturbing trend in which perverted adults are obsessed with sexualizing young children.”

Some protests at drag events have turned violent, as in an October event in Oregon in which demonstrators threw rocks and smoke grenades, outlets have reported. TheNovember attack in Col-

D’manda Martini at Drag Story Hour in November at Brookside Gardens

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL VENTURA

Performers presenting local story hours have been facing protests—but community support and protection have toughened their resolve

orado Springs has prompted some drag performers who are prominent nationally to turn to armed guards, according to news reports.

After the June run-in at the Silver Spring library, Drag Story Hour DC Metro representatives met Martini at her car and walked her inside to her next three venues the following day. Those events went without a hitch, and Martini says a friend’s child, who is gendernonconforming, helped her remember the importance of this kind of event.

“Her kid came up to me and gave me this huge hug and was so excited to see someone like them,” Martini says. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is why I still do this.’ ”

In response to anti-drag demonstrators, LGBTQ groups like Parasol Patrol, which formed to protect drag performers and attendees at story hours, and other Montgomery County community members, including Kristin Mink, who was elected to the Montgomery County Council in November, decided to organize counterprotests.

“I have seen time and time again how important it is that we … really show up in a big way for the trans and nonbinary community,” Mink says. It’s a priority to not fuel a confrontation, she says, but “to make it a really positive experience for

the kids and the drag queen.”

At the Kensington library in July, Christopher Hefty was in full costume as drag queen persona Bella Naughty to join the Parasol Patrol.

Protesters “were continually trying to get into the event, and they would get in

tini says. But in October, counterprotesters weren’t there—and men showed up in “Proud Boys” baseball caps, with skeleton-face bandanas over their mout hs . They carried signs that said “Science is real boy or girl” and the word “Groomers” with a red X drawn across it.

Afterward, Martini says, the protesters followed her to her car, shouting insults and shooting pictures and videos. She was harassed on Twitter and other social media accounts, she says.

TheProud Boys could not be reached for comment.

Between the Proud Boys and the Colorado shooting, safety has become a high priority for Drag Story Hour events.

your face,” Hefty says. “People got really upset with just the fact that we were physically there and doing something fun.”

The August and September story hours at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton proceeded without incident, Mar-

“We have a really great group of supporters who are committed to showing up to each story hour to ensure attendees are able to get from their vehicles to the event without disturbance,” DiGregorio says. With colorful umbrellas, “We call this our rainbow wall, and it is designed to shield families both from the visual of the protesters, and if necessary, we play loud Disney music to shield them from hate speech. We work with venues who are committed to the safety of families and our storytellers, and each venue will have a different safety plan based on the location and layout.”

Martini fears that she or a family member will be contacted outside of her event appearances. But she has persisted, returning to Brookside Gardens for a November reading. Tht time, the hostile reaction came from a smaller group.

TheBrookside Gardens events are to resume in April after a seasonal hiatus, according to DiGregorio.

Martini, for one, will be there. “If I’m reading to children, it’s to make them happy and have fun,” she says. “I fimly believe in what Drag Story Hour is, and that is reading stories to kids, to, first of all, allow kids to sort of see different kinds of people. ... Being exposed to different types of people and different cultures allows children to then have empathy for all of [them]. Being a person who is LGBTQ in front of kids allows them to then [say], ‘Oh wait, these are people— these are real people.’ ” n

Protesters (in foreground) who objected to a Drag Story Hour in November were met by the ”Parasol Patrol,” a group of volunteers providing protection to anyone who wanted it.

“...Having a drag storyteller creates an atmosphere of joy that shows children there is no wrong way to be you.” —Beth DiGregorio

INTO THE WILD

were put in touch with Amanda Bania, the great-ape keeper at the time. Did she want some more of that hose? Bania said, “It’s like gold!’ We’ll take as much as you have!” Daly recalls.

BY

OLTUSKI

LISA DALY AND HER HUSBAND, Anthony Slamin, were strolling through the National Zoo in April 2014 when they noticed a curious material inside an animal enclosure: fie hose. It was in frayed condition. So the couple, both of whom volunteered for the Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service in Rockville for several years, contacted the zoo and

Soon, the pair rounded up out-ofservice fie hose from local stations and dropped it off at the zoo. Bania was thrilled and suggested that the couple make donating hose more widespread. The result: Hose2Habitat, a nonprofit they founded that helps connect those who care for wild animals living outside their natural habitats with fie stations and other establishments that offer materials that can improve those animals’ welfare. Besides being widely available, used fie hose can be twisted and braided into forms that mimic ones that animals encounter—and need to encounter in order to stay stimulated—in the wild. It can be transformed into a mock piece of four-legged prey in need of catching and slaying just as easily as it can become the crevices of a jungle tree. Animals need to work for their food as part of their wellbeing, say zoological experts.

The next thing they knew, Daly and Slamin were filding calls from all over the country. In turn, they got in touch with fie stations around the U.S. to gather even more resources. Daly, who is in her 40s, and Slamin, who is in his 60s, are quick to clarify that they didn’t come up with the idea of fie hose as an animal enrichment tool. “I like to talk about Hose2Habitat as being more of an idea pollinator,” Slamin says. In the course of running it, the couple brainstorms new things to make out of the material they have and offers workshops that teach caregivers, handlers and institutions how materials like fie hose can benefitwild animals unaccustomed to living in the wild. Thy’ve worked with a dizzying variety of species ranging from elephants, wolves, grizzly bears and rhinos to bats, anteaters, snakes and penguins (which are, per Daly, “hilarious to enrich”). Theirwork, they estimate, has resulted in the transfer of hundreds of tons of materials for animal enrichment purposes. An added bonus: By diverting the old hose to animals, the couple keeps that material out of the waste stream.

FROM UPPER LEFT: PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MARYLAND ZOO;

PHOTO BY LAUREN CULLEY; PHOTO COURTESY OF HOSE2HABITAT

How old fire hose became a passion project for one Rockville couple, who now keeps it out of landfills and in the paws of animals who can use it

ALICIA

A chimp at the Maryland Zoo; a marmoset at Southwick’s Zoo in Massachusetts; Anthony Slamin and Lisa Daly at the North Carolina Zoo in 2020

The impact that the couple has had on the zoo and sanctuary community is “more immense” than they probably even know, Bania says. “Thy are a truly amazing organization.” Board member Mandy Siegel Fahy, who works on the animal behavior team for the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, credits the group for “sharing ideas and inspiration.”

Daly and Slamin both work—Daly as a nonpartisan senior counsel at the U.S. House of Representatives and Slamin as an analyst for the federal government.

Last year, Daly and Slamin took two trips to the Amazon and other parts of Peru, hauling 600 feet of forestry hose in their luggage on one of the voyages, they say. Thy would work with animals “in situ,” or in a managed habitat in their original homeland, the goal being release into the wild. Many have been fed in ways that are not organic to life in the jungle (like eating from bowls) and lack the skills necessary for hunting. On the pair’s most recent trip, a goal was to “work on additional strategies to prepare the animals for planned release into the Amazon,” said Daly in an email. On their firs day, the couple found themselves walking through jungle, watching the monkeys’ expert caretakers pluck fruit from trees. Then,using the forestry hose they’d brought, they wove a contraption that teetered, resembling the swaying branches of a tree. Tht creation served as a prototype that inspired 12 replicas built by the team caring for the monkeys, all of which the animals put to use.

Sometimes, Daly and Slamin’s work has a more immediate impact. In 2016, the couple—armed with fire hose—boarded a cruise out of Baltimore, and during a stop in the Bahamas they built a structure for a primate whose longtime mate had died. “The animal was depressed, and so we were thinking of ways to make her have to think about getting her favorite treats,” Daly says. Theidea was to divert the primate’s attention from her grief. Pulling out a photo of a tall structure of knitted hose with food tucked into its nooks and crannies, Daly recalls how much it helped the animal. She and Slamin love seeing their services in action. Daly says, “It’s like an antidepressant for me.”

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THANK YOU, BETHESDA MAGAZINE READERS FOR VOTING

A COLD CASE HEATS UP

A retired detective plumbs the 88-year-old ‘Car Barn Murders’ of her great-great-uncle and another man

BY DAWN KLAVON

IN 2002, Karen Smith, a rookie cop living in Jacksonville, Florida, was visiting her parents in Hagerstown, Maryland, when her dad dropped a bombshell on her.

“I never told you about Uncle Emory,” her father said before sharing the story of a 1935 double homicide in Chevy Chase at the Capital Transit Co., nicknamed the “Car Barn Murders” by the press at the time. Stunned, Smith learned that her great-great-uncle Emory Smith— a mechanic and the night watchman at a trolley station—was shot in the head and killed. His body was dumped a mile away in Rock Creek, just below what is now the Kensington Parkway bridge. Also killed was James Mitchell, the trolley clerk, shot in the head multiple times and found dead, locked in his office.

Smith recalls her father saying that her grandfather was called in for questioning in the case and released. To date, it remains one of the most high-profil crimes in the region, never solved and still sits in the cold case fileat the Montgomery County Police Department.

Now a retired detective, Smith believes she has solved the case. In October, she finished writing a 51-page homicide report and shipped it off to Katie Ellis Leggett, a cold case detective at MCPD. Leggett says she will review the report and hopes to deliver it to the county attorney for further analysis. Examining a case this old is uncharted territory for the department, she added, and MCPD wants to be careful how it is handled, not wanting to encourage cold case investigations

by unqualifid people. Leggett points out that Smith is “not a layperson—she has tons of experience.” Thedetective says she has “tremendous respect for Karen.”

Smith’s father died in 2018, which prompted her to finally dive in and start investigating the mystery as a way to honor him. A couple of years earlier, NBC4 Washington had aired a story on the Car Barn Murders, and her cousin sent her a link to the report about Montgomery County’s oldest unsolved case.

“Thee was video footage of the case file, which had tons of stuff in it, and I went, ‘Oh my God, I need to see what’s in there!’ ” Smith says. By that point, she had the background and skill set to investigate the mystery—and perhaps bring some closure for her family.

“So I started digging in,” Smith says. “And the further I dug, I went down wormhole after wormhole of information. …It led me to the primary perpetrator and to my conclusion.”

The case got its name from the “car barn” that once sat at the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and the old B&O Railroad tracks (now the Capital Crescent Trail) in Chevy Chase. Trolleys were parked and maintained in the car barn. Mitchell’s killing took place in the trolley office, across the street from the car barn. It was where people waited for the trolley, employees stored their belongings and conductors brought the collected fares to Mitchell, the trolley clerk. Emory Smith was apparently taken from the car barn, where he worked, and was then shot in a car, his body dumped in Rock Creek.

The double homicide occurred around 4:30 a.m. on a snowy Monday in January 1935, says Smith. The$1,249 in weekend receipt money was stolen. Police never found a murder weapon, but Smith says there was a treasure trove of evidence— enough for her to produce a 17-part podcast, Shattered Souls: The Car Barn Murders, that has been released on Spotify,

OF KAREN SMITH

News clippings depicting murder victims Emory Smith and James Mitchell

iHeart Radio and Apple Podcasts. In it, she meticulously lays out her case, naming three men for the crime, all of whom died years ago. She says she examined every name in the case file—lose to 200—and homed in on a trio original investigators considered suspects. They were never vetted, however, and, inexplicably, faded from the picture. Smith chalks it up to corruption. (Bethesda Magazine has not corroborated Smith’s investigation or contacted the suspects’ relatives and is therefore not naming them.)

Smith’s investigation in the age of the internet uncovered more evidence and tied clues together as she researched the suspects. She says the three were friends, and Smith presents compelling circumstantial evidence on the podcast. Her investigation focused on breaking down timelines, checking alibis, doing geographic profilingand findinginconsistencies in statements. Along the way, Smith uncovered what she says are corruption and payoffs in the robbery murders.

In the course of her research, Smith spoke with retired Montgomery County police officer Jack Toomey, the lead detective on the cold case back in the 1970s and ’80s. While on patrol in 1977, he met a middle-aged Black man named Ernest Carter, a security guard at Columbia Country Club, who said he was at the crime scene as a 7-year-old when the killings took place. Carter said he never spoke to police in the 1930s because he didn’t think they would believe a Black child.

Toomey supplied Smith with parts of the case file.After extensive research, she has found no evidence that Carter is still alive; if he is, he would be 95 years old.

But the information Carter gave to Toomey decades ago was vital to the investigation, Smith says, providing details about the suspects and the getaway car he said he witnessed.

“I don’t see any problem with getting

this case closed—not at all,” Toomey says. “All of the proof is there.”

At this point, the best Smith can hope for is to be granted an honorary declaration by the Montgomery County Police Department—officials have the power to close the case. Thee can be no formal court process because everyone involved is deceased. At the time of publication, the case remained open.

“It’s a noble cause, and she did lots of work on it,” Toomey says. “It will defi-

nitely bring a sense of closure to her, and apparently to her family.”

In the meantime, Smith, who now lives in Los Angeles and is a remote lecturer in forensic science at the University of Florida, is shopping a Car Barn Murders book deal and working on several unrelated television projects.

Otherwise, she waits.

“I have no doubt that they’ll close the case,” Smith says. “I would bet my pension on it.” n

Clockwise from top left: Karen Smith; the area where Emory Smith’s body was recovered; Emory Smith (second from right) and his family in 1926; John Smith (Emory’s nephew), who had to identify the body, with his co-worker Vincent Elmore

“There was video footage of the case file, which had tons of stuff in it, and I went, ‘Oh my God, I need to see what’s in there!’ ” —Karen Smith

Growing up in Los Angeles as a fan of the cinema, Bárbara Mujica was curious about the legendary actress Dolores del Río—the first mjor Latina star in Hollywood. Mujica, a Bethesda writer and professor emerita of Spanish literature at Georgetown University, decided the best way to tell her story was through fition. Her novel Miss del Río (Graydon House, October 2022) follows the celebrity’s career, starting with silent films in he 1920s and including her philanthropy in Mexico, where she advocated for a system of day care centers. “Beauty had been defind since the Renaissance as blonde and blue-eyed. She was the exotic beauty who broke those stereotypes,” Mujica says. “She wasn’t just a pretty face. She was a woman who was very aware of the vapidity of Hollywood and always yearned to do something signifiant.”

BOOK REPORT

BY CARALEE ADAMS

After spending more than three years researching the life of Elizabeth Taylor, Bethesda journalist Kate Andersen Brower found the legendary movie star to be even more complex than we knew. Her addictive personality, multiple marriages and abuse at the hands of her father brought her a lot of heartache, as Brower spells out in Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit and Glamour of an Icon (Harper, December 2022). Yet, Taylor was shrewd as a celebrity entrepreneur, and compassionate as an AIDS activist. Brower interviewed and dedicated the book to Taylor’s sixth husband, former U.S. Sen. John Warner of Virginia, who wanted the public to know and respect her story. “She was always fihting to get what she wanted,” Brower says. “The ay she picked herself up after tragedy again and again in her life is inspirational.”

As a prominent champion for women’s rights in Iran and around the world, Mahnaz Afkhami says she owed it to the next generation of activists to share lessons learned in her career. The Other Side of Silence: A Memoir of Exile, Iran, and the Global Women’s Movement (The niversity of North Carolina Press, October 2022) chronicles Afkhami’s work, from serving as Iran’s first minster of women’s affairs to founding the Bethesda-based nonprofi Women’s Learning Partnership, which represents 20 women’srights organizations in the Global South. The 81yearold Chevy Chase resident says engaging in collective action and including men are key. “The only ay that you can have the hopes and goals of the women’s movement realized,” she says, “is to have the other half of the population involved.”

Willard Jenkins says his parents were devoted jazz fans who influened his early love of the genre and decision to write about it. After discovering there weren’t many Black journalists who covered jazz, he arranged to interview those he could find bout their experiences. For years, he posted the interviews on his website, Open Sky Jazz, but eventually realized he had enough material for a book. The esult: Ain’t But a Few of Us: Black Music Writers Tell Their Story (Duke University Press, December 2022).

“Major and recognized historical innovators of the music have largely been Black, and those who have chronicled the music have not. Tht’s a very interesting peculiarity of sorts—and that’s what we explore,” says Jenkins, a Rockville resident and artistic director of the DC Jazz Festival.

Fitzgerald's Auto Mall

JACK FITZGERALD, FOUNDER

We buy cars directly from consumers, whether or not they are being traded in, at attractive prices.

16 locations in the greater D.C. region 301-881-4000

www.FitzMall.com

After executing the sale agreement on a napkin at a Hot Shoppes restaurant in 1966, native Washingtonian Jack Fitzgerald opened his first car dealership in a converted gas station. Colonial Dodge in downtown Bethesda had only one car on the showroom floor, which also served as the office and parts department. This was long before Bethesda was the Bethesda we know today. It was before the dramatic growth of the National Institutes of Health and the National Naval Medical Center. Even before Starbucks!

In the decades since the 1960s, the Fitzgerald automobile family has grown to include 26 showroom locations where hundreds of thousands of new and used cars have been sold. Today, with demand for previously owned cars at a peak, Fitzgerald customers enjoy a full, new car showroom experience when shopping for used cars. They are exploring every kind of car imaginable: domestic and imports, luxury as well as practical, gas, hybrid and all-electric.

“We buy cars directly from consumers, whether or not they are being traded in, at attractive prices,” says Fitzgerald.

Customers have a few categories to consider. Certified pre-owned cars come with warranties after they meet a checklist of requirements such as age and mileage, along with service that must be done before they are sold.

There are also perfectly good and

safe used cars that undergo the FitzWay comprehensive checkout. “I used to call it the 138-point check,” says Fitzgerald, “but now it’s more like over 200. You’ll know as much about the car as we do.” At the entry level end of the spectrum, there are cars known as handyman fixeruppers that are ideal for the mechanically inclined who not only have interest and skill, but also time to do some work.

Transparency and trust have always been at the core of the FitzWay, the company motto that emphasizes honesty and respect, fair dealing, best price guarantees and attentive customer service. Unlike most dealers, Fitzgerald has a posted price on the windshield of every car that you can actually buy the car for. It’s called a “No Hassle, No Haggle” approach.

Committed to building long-term relationships with customers, Fitzgerald Auto Malls offers a Lifetime Buyer Protection Plan for any vehicle purchased, new or used, that includes inspections based on a survey of the top reasons cars break down. Plus, customers get a loaner car for life.

In the dealership’s 57th year, Jack Fitzgerald feels grateful to his employees and customers. "I often quote a famous baseball player named Lefty Gomez,” he says, “who said he’d rather be lucky than good. The truth is, we are lucky because of our customers. We have served three generations of some families. Customer loyalty has given us our longevity.”

Oneness-Family Montessori School

“[Our] families appreciate our community-based environment, balancing a college prep approach with attention to well-being, mental health and community building.”

Oneness-Family School

6701 Wisconsin Ave. Chevy Chase, MD 20815

Oneness-Family Montessori High School

9411 Connecticut Ave. Kensington, MD 20895

301-652-7751

admissions@onenessfamily.org

www.onenessfamily.org

In the 34 years since Andrew Kutt founded Oneness-Family School (OFS), an innovative and diverse learning community for students in preschool through high school, he's watched society succumb to the pressures of standardized testing, AP classes and SAT scores. With such emphasis placed on grade-point averages, test scores and college applications, "everyone has seemingly lost sight of the point of learning."

"Learning how to learn is just as important as what you learn," says Kutt. "Students are under an unprecedented amount of stress. OFS families appreciate our community-based environment, balancing a college prep approach with attention to well-being, mental health and community building. And our high school graduates have all gotten into the colleges of their choice."

OFS students are empowered to be lifelong learners and confident,

independent thinkers. Rooted in studentcentered, interdisciplinary learning and personal growth, the school's Montessoriinspired curriculum is designed to prepare students to meet the complex global challenges of the 21st century.

The school's diverse community (over 60 nationalities) inherently broadens students' perspectives. Its high school leadership program equips students to reach their full potential and contribute to a better world, fostering the importance of community service, collaboration, ethics, racial literacy and social justice.

Small class sizes (12-1 average student-teacher ratio) nurture strong, personal mentor relationships between teachers and students. OFS also values supporting parents, says Kutt.

"It warms my heart that lifelong friendships are forged at OFS," says Kutt. "Many international families come back to Washington and visit us, and many students travel abroad to visit friends."

ANDREW KUTT, FOUNDER AND HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL

Westat

Staff are known as passionate problemsolvers with a strong commitment to data and methodological rigor.

1600 Research Blvd. Rockville, MD 20850 301-251-1500 www.westat.com

Dedicated to improving lives through research, Westat offers innovative professional services to help clients improve outcomes in education, health and social policy. Westat brings together subject-matter experts with best-in-class statisticians, researchers, evaluators, communicators, and technical staff to fi t the needs of each project. Clients include agencies of the U.S. government as well as businesses, foundations and state and local governments.

Sixty years ago, the visionary startup was a partnership between co-founders Edward C. Bryant, Ph.D.; a professor of statistics at the University of Wyoming; and two former students, James Daley and Donald King. Today, with 1,800 employees, Westat is 100 percent employee owned, and its staff are still known as passionate problem-solvers with a strong commitment to data and methodological rigor.

Headquartered in Montgomery County for 55 years, Westat is a dedicated community partner. It sponsors local and national organizations such as Leadership Montgomery, New Futures and Montgomery College as well as Children’s Inn at the National Institutes of Health, RecruitMilitary and United Way.

Leading Westat i n fi nding innovative ways to support the changing needs of clients is Scott Royal, Ph.D., president and CEO of Westat. His career spans over 25 years working in mission-driven, professional services fi rms with increasing levels of leadership. “I couldn’t be prouder of my diverse, engaged and talented Westat colleagues who work so hard to make a positive difference in people’s lives here in our communities and around the world,” he says. “In 2023, we celebrate 60 years in business and look ahead to even greater success.”

Boone & Sons Jewelers

Boone & Sons is one of the Washington area’s oldest family-run jewelers. French Boone founded the store in 1966 and today three generations of Boones run the locations in Chevy Chase, Washington, D.C. and McLean. At any given time, a family member is present to assist customers.

A total of 10 Boones work for the company today. “And most of the nonBoone employees have been with the company for 20 years or more – so they might as well be family,” says Darryl, French’s son and current president. Familiar faces make the experience at Boone & Sons very personal. In most cases a client has the advantage of not only working with someone who knows them, but also their jewelry preferences and purchase history.

French Boone created the store with the quality and service of the world’s

finest jewelers but blended with the intimate, personal feel of a local business. “Not only are we a full-service jeweler, but we strive to have the finest quality at the most competitive price,” says Darryl.

“We’re extremely flexible and service oriented, and really do all we can to make sure everyone who makes a purchase is happy.” French taught his family that it’s more important to keep a relationship than to make a sale.

There’s also a wonderful generational aspect of the business that coincides with their generations of customers.That’s one of the biggest draws for a family business, according to Darryl. “We’re relationship driven. We don’t see people as customers making a purchase as much as they are like friends and family.” Boone & Sons has been voted “Best Jewelry Store” by Bethesda Magazine ’s readers several years running.

Jack Rosen Custom Kitchens

Kitchen design is about the client, not the designer. We pride ourselves on understanding everyone’s needs and providing the best service possible.

12223 Nebel St. Rockville, MD 20852 240-595-6732

BeautifulRosenKitchens.com

Jack Rosen Custom Kitchens has been delivering timeless designs with an emphasis on quality and a superior customer experience since 1982. “There is no doubt that my father, who founded the company, is my greatest influence,” says owner Larry Rosen. “He named the company after himself because he knew he would always do things the right way. We have maintained our excellent reputation ever since.”

At Jack Rosen Custom Kitchens, a talented and versatile team of designers is able to design in every style and size, while being well-versed in the latest trends and improvements. “I am inspired by architectural features in the rest of the house when creating new spaces to fit each client’s lifestyle,” Rosen says. “However, in the end, it is always about the client’s complete satisfaction. We provide quality, creativity and dependability to each client and it is

paramount that they be delighted with their investment.”

The firm puts a premium on comfort and functionality, as well as aesthetics. “A well-designed kitchen is not only beautiful but functions easily,” Rosen says.

“Appliances should be placed logically and safely, there should be ample counter space and storage should be maximized. Food prep should be a pleasure, clean-up should be quick and people should be able to comfortably linger after a meal. If all these needs are met, then we have done our job.”

Geneva Day School

11931 Seven Locks Road

Potomac, MD 20854

301-340-7704

www.genevadayschool.org

Geneva Day School’s 3-year-olds learn about prehistory as they create a habitat with their teacher, Mr. Mondonedo.

“We’re working towards that ah-ha moment. . . This makes all the difference,” he says.

Since 1965, Geneva Day School has been “encouraging a lifelong love of learning” through exceptional classes and extraordinary programs for children aged 2 through kindergarten.

Highly trained staff are known for their enduring presence within the school. Some serve for decades and others provide their children as faculty. (Mrs. Mondonedo granted Mr. Mondonedo!)

Dinosaurs are a beloved aspect of the school’s STEAM-powered curriculum. They might be animated as models, measured for their fossil-prints, or even painted. On occasion, sandboxes transform into “dinosaur bone excavation sites” to facilitate the ultimate “time travel.”

Such innovation is characteristic of the Geneva Method, which promotes studentled discovery of traditional pre-academics. Art, environmental education, mindfulness, music and physical education take place in and around gorgeous Maryland Green School grounds.

Generation after generation, Geneva graduates choose to send their children to their alma-preschool-mater.

“We are dedicated to each child’s growth and development. . . we work towards supporting students’ learning through hands-on experiences and environmental exploration,” says Director Daisy Lizama.

Such positive foundations underscore how the school, a recipient of numerous “best” awards, excels at this heartwarming test of time. Geneva “makes prehistory” not only for its admirable tradition of multigeneration participation, but also for its passionate placing of students and their “ah-ha moments” fi rst.

Triassic! Jurassic! Cretaceous!

STEPHANIE WILLIAMS

Charles R. Grant Insurance Agency, Inc.

One of the Washington area’s oldest family-run insurance agencies celebrates its 70th anniversary. A third generation family business since 1953.

620 Hungerford Drive, Suite 33 Rockville, MD 20850

301-279-7100

www.grantinsuranceagency.com

You can always speak to a Grant at the Charles R. Grant Insurance Agency, where everyone at the office believes that technology is helpful, but some things are still done best the old-fashioned way. Established in 1953 in a small office on F Street in Washington, D.C., the agency celebrates 70 years in business this year.

At one of the Washington area’s oldest family-run insurance agencies, now headquartered in Rockville, thirdgeneration family members, siblings Ashley and Ryan Grant, are helping their dad, Ridge Grant, and uncle, Granny Grant, prepare for the next 70 years.

A highly knowledgeable team of agents, including 40-year agency veteran Judi Godbey, has a proven track record of success, evidenced by generations of happy clients. People who call do not have to choose from a menu of phone routing options. Ashley and Ryan’s mother, Linda Grant, usually greets people on the phone.

As an independent agency, the firm partners with some of the finest insurance carriers in the marketplace. All policies are not created equal, so Grant agents work to determine the best combination of protection, coverage options and claims service for each client.

“We are proud to have been a Chubb Cornerstone agent every year since 2017,” says Ryan. “With over 2,300 Chubb personal lines brokers in North America, only a small percentage of Chubb’s agency partners earn this recognition. Brokers like us, who represent Chubb Insurance, take pride in knowing we are offering some of the best coverage in the industry for successful individuals and families.”

St. Jane de Chantal School

“We want all our students to grow in mind and spirit and feel they are known and loved.”

9525 Old Georgetown Road Bethesda, MD 20817

301-530-1221

office@dechantal.org

www.dechantal.org

St. Jane de Chantal Catholic School is where memories are made.

De Chantal began in 1953 with 49 kindergarteners and first-graders attending classes in a Bethesda farmhouse. Now, the school, a faithcentered educational community with nearly 400 students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, has many thirdgeneration students walking its halls — and former students returning to teach.

"De Chantal's heartbeat is in its community, and our community-focused traditions are what bind us," says Principal Elizabeth Hamilton, one of the school's earliest students. "We foster a warm and welcoming environment where families know one another. Our campus is an inclusive space where all students can feel safe. And our supportive community enables each child to develop a positive self-image, leadership skills and a sense of responsibility toward school, parish

and community."

Committed to meeting students' individual needs through a flexible and innovative curriculum, De Chantal has twice received the National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence award from the U.S. Department of Education. Small class sizes allow teachers to forge deep connections with students and trusted partnerships with parents.

With faith as a constant guide, De Chantal lays the foundation for future success by supporting and nurturing all areas of students' development and learning—from social-emotional and cognitive skills to literacy, math and science, to a passion for the creative fine arts. Though ever-evolving, Hamilton says the school is committed to staying true to the traditions it was built on.

"We want all our students to grow in mind and spirit and feel they are known and loved," she says.

Joseph Greenwald & Laake

DAVID BULITT

My goal is to help clients reach a favorable resolution that protects their rights, their assets and their children.

111 Rockville Pike

Rockville, MD

240 399-7888

dbulitt@jgllaw.com

www.jgllaw.com

For decades, David Bulitt has focused his practice on complex family law cases, zealously and thoughtfully navigating clients through all areas of divorce and family law matters. Clients regard David as a thoughtful strategist and skilled negotiator at the mediation table as well as a staunch advocate in the courtroom.

“Divorce is emotionally draining and can be the most difficult time in a person’s life. I try to be as respectful of that as I possibly can,” David says. “My goal is to help clients reach a favorable resolution that protects their rights, their assets and their children. I started in the 1980s as a trial lawyer. I was in court multiple times a week back then. When settlement is not the best option, I know my way around a courtroom and am fully prepared to try the case as aggressively as is needed to achieve the best result possible for my client.”

In 2020, along with his wife of 35 years who serves as an in house therapist for The Discovery Channel, the couple published their award winning book, The Five Core Conversations for Couples. They have a second book scheduled for release in August 2023. “We have seen relationships from very different vantage points,” David says, “What we have learned about couples and what they can do to stay together can fill a book...or two.”

Gilday Renovations

KEVIN GILDAY, PRESIDENT

Besides leading in industry best practices, Gilday Renovations has published articles that help homeowners make the best renovation decisions. The gilday.com website provides a rich source of information about all aspects of the renovation process.

9162 Brookville Road Silver Spring, MD 20910 301-565-4600 www.gilday.com

What makes a company able to sustain vitality and relevance over time? With Gilday Renovations, it is the company’s ability to adapt to a changing market and stay true to its original vision of providing an exceptional renovation experience for clients.

This is central to the success of Gilday Renovations. For more than 40 years, they have fine-tuned their internal systems and creative processes in pursuit of the next level of “better” with the support of a talented staff of designers and builders.

From the beginning, Kevin Gilday has been personally involved in every aspect of the design and construction process. He implemented a team approach which supports a platform to explore creative design solutions and a seamless customer experience. Today, this process is generally known as “design-build.”

As the demand for Gilday Renovations grew, the company took on more designers and craftsmen to produce larger and more complex projects. They became organized at all levels around an integrated project management system to ensure accuracy and consistent communication throughout all phases of the renovation process. The result is award-winning design concepts that are buildable and on budget.

Kevin remains personally involved. When you work with Gilday Renovations, be assured that the company owner will be guiding your home renovation project to a successful conclusion.

Lerch, Early & Brewer

ROBBY BREWER

I’m proud of be part of an ever-growing, and very dedicated, talented team of attorneys and staff.

7600 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 700 Bethesda MD 20814 301-986-1300

www.lerchearly.com

In 1977, Robby Brewer joined what was then Lerch, Early & Roseman. Then only four attorneys, the firm had just moved to the Ford Building at 7101 Wisconsin Ave. in downtown Bethesda. Starting as a law clerk at the firm before a judicial clerkship, Brewer quickly made his mark. In September 2022, he celebrated 45 years at the community- and client-focused firm he’s helped to build.

"I can’t believe it has been 45 years," says Brewer. "I’m proud to be part of an ever-growing, and very dedicated, talented team of attorneys and staff."

A full-service firm, Lerch Early now has 60 attorneys serving clients all over the region in land use, real estate, commercial lending, SBA matters, employment, labor, community associations, corporate, tax, litigation, trusts, estates, divorce and family law. The firm has been a mainstay in downtown Bethesda, moving to its current location at 7600 Wisconsin Ave. in 2017.

In February 2025, the firm will celebrate its 75th anniversary. Throughout the past seven decades, Lerch Early’s core values—including being technically excellent, engaged with clients, always ethical, strongly committed to community involvement, and invested in each others’ successes—have defined the firm’s culture and reputation.

"Hiring great people and nurturing a selfless, non-hierarchical firm environment devoted to client service have been keys to our success over the years," says Brewer. "I am grateful to be part of our firm’s respected role in our broader community."

Ivymount Organization

“Ivymount is known as a leading special education school, but over six decades it has grown into multiple schools, outreach programs, homebased and professional services and a collaboration center.” - Susan Holt, CEO and executive director

11614 Seven Locks Road Rockville, MD 20854

301-469-0778

www.ivymount.org

info@ivymount.org

"Ivymount saved my daughter. I'm not being dramatic.” "You guys are the PLATINUM standard for special education." These are among the comments that families have posted on social media about their young or now-grown children’s experience with Ivymount.

Founded in 1961 as the Christ Church Child Center, what began with one student and one teacher/director now serves more than 250 families and employs 240 staff as the Ivymount Organization. Across six decades, Ivymount responded to the community’s needs, creating intensive, evidence-based programs and services for unique learners, including autistic children and young adults and those with other disabilities. The nonprofit organization now includes the Ivymount School, The Maddux School, Endeavors Outreach, Ivymount Community Outreach and Services, and the Ivymount Professional Collaborative.

“For six decades, Ivymount has paired excellence with compassion,” says CEO and Executive Director Susan Holt. “To create the highest-quality programs, we invest in staff training and partner with other professionals and universities. But families tell us we’ve transformed their lives because we equally prioritize caring.”

With a passion for the mission and families they serve, close to 40 percent of staff have been at Ivymount for five to 30plus years, helping neurodiverse children grow into young adults with increased academic, social, job training and selfadvocacy skills. “Ivymount teaches [us how] to interact with a non-neurodiverse designed world…and to advocate for changes,” says Ahnya, a high school student. It’s part of the Ivymount philosophy to recognize potential in every learner and design programs and services to help them reach it.

Maplewood Park Place

Maplewood Park Place is one of Bethesda’s most recognizable names in retirement living. Residents own their homes in our community and continuing care is available when, or if you ever need it. Entertainment, dining and recreation can be found “all under one roof.” Come see why Maplewood Park Place has been the right choice for so many.

9707 Old Georgetown Road Bethesda, MD 20814

301-850-1950

maplewoodparkplaceinfo.com

Discover the best of all worlds at Maplewood Park Place, the area's premier resident-owned retirement community, with continuing care. Recreation, dining and entertainment can be found all “under one roof.” Staff and residents agree, life at Maplewood Park Place is like living at a resort. We've redefined retirement living for active adults 62-plus. Enjoy friendly neighbors in a charming community you'll be happy to call home. Making new friends is easy to do with all the smiling faces throughout our corridors. Take part in a broad array of social, cultural, educational and spiritual events each month. Delight in five-star dining, beautiful amenities, outstanding services and attentive staff. As a Life Care Community, Maplewood Park Place is an investment rather than a monthly rental. Owner residents are free to make renovations to their apartments. Dream homes are created in our majestic building with the expert help of our on-site construction team. Let us help you design

your next living space. Life Care Communities also offer peace of mind knowing a full range of health care options are available, when and if you need them. Maplewood Park Place helps you preserve your wealth and enjoy it too with our unique Lifecare Payment Plan and the long list of services provided in our monthly fee. Let this be the year to try new activities and make new friends. Come see for yourself why Maplewood has been the right choice for so many!

Potomac Audiology

GAIL LINN, AUD, CCC-A

Dr. Linn and her associates enjoy a good relationship with many of the most respected medical professionals in the area.

11300 Rockville Pike, #105 Rockville, MD 20852

www.potomacaudiology.com

“I had moved to this area from Iowa where I had a private practice and was starting all over again,” says Dr. Gail Linn. “It was slow going at first, with only one fitting room and one audiologist, which was me!”

Linn opened Potomac Audiology in Rockville in 1998. Today, the practice occupies 3,000 square feet of office space with seven fitting rooms and five audiologists.

During the past 25 years, Dr. Linn’s daughter, Dr. Tricia Terlep, joined the practice, adding pediatric audiology to its services. Terlep had previously worked at the Georgetown University Audiology Clinic and brought with her the skills she learned there. They have mentored, trained and hired talented young audiologists from the University of Maryland and Gallaudet University.

Something that is near and dear to Dr. Linn and the practice is called “Real Ear” or “Probe Microphone” Measures. “This

procedure allows us to put a tiny tube that is attached to a microphone in a patient’s ear at the time of a hearing aid fitting,” Linn says. “We can then measure exactly what the hearing aid is delivering to the ear. This procedure is not widely done but we consider it a vital component of a good hearing aid fitting.”

Dr. Linn and her associates enjoy a good relationship with many of the most respected medical professionals in the area, and with their own devoted patients. These relationships continue to serve them as they go forward into the future of audiology.

Rockville Interiors

TOM, DAN & ILAN FULOP

“Rockville Interiors operates multiple workrooms where we pair state-ofthe-art technology with dad’s old work fabrication techniques. Our interior designers help you imagine the product, our workrooms bring the design to life and our technicians oversee delivery and installation.”

5414 Randolph Road Rockville, MD 20852

301-424-1900

www.rockvilleinteriors.com

Rockville Interiors was founded in 1971 and specializes in the design and fabrication of the finest fabric home furnishings including custom draperies, shades, reupholstery, slipcovers, cushions and more. Clearly, they’ve stood the Test of Time as second-generation Dan and Ilan Fulop can attest.

“When our dad arrived to the United States at 19, he had no money and barely spoke English,” says Dan. “He knew how to handcraft plastic slipcovers though and began knocking door-to-door offering his services in hopes of making ends meet.”

As people invited him into their homes, they were amazed by his exquisite craftsmanship. They quickly began asking “do you do reupholstery?” and “can you make pillows?” He worked tirelessly trying to keep up with demand and hired other artisans to craft custom window treatments, pillows, headboards and more all by hand.

“Today, Rockville Interiors operates multiple workrooms where we pair stateof-the-art technology with dad’s old work fabrication techniques,” says Ilan. “Our interior designers help you imagine the product, our workrooms bring the design to life and our technicians oversee delivery and installation.”

“We have the privilege of watching our dad pour his heart into his craft,” says Dan. “He makes every client feel truly loved while ensuring our work looks gorgeous and lasts a lifetime.” Ilan says, “His passion has inspired us to lead Rockville Interiors into the future with a focus on industry-leading quality, unrivaled service and results that look stunning.”

O'Donnell's Market

ASHLEE EDELBLUT AND BILL EDELBLUT

1073 Seven Locks Road

Potomac, MD 20854

301-251-6355

ashlee@odonnellsmarket.com

www.odonnellsmarket.com

O’Donnell’s is celebrating 100 years this year! Tom O’Donnell founded the first O’Donnell’s restaurant in 1922 in Washington, DC. His daughter Janice opened the Bethesda location in the 1950s and Bill opened the Kentlands restaurant in 1997. Bill and Ashlee are the third and fourth generation to run the business.

The Market is a new concept for the brand, created because Bill and Ashlee wanted to keep the family tradition going but in retail form. Still offering signature crab cakes and rum buns, the Market opened in 2015. "We care about our brand and our name," says Bill. "We prioritize quality, by only buying the best products available and never cutting corners."

"We love what we do and the relationships that we’ve built with our customers!" says Ashlee.

Valley Mill Camp

EVELYN MCEWAN, CAMP DIRECTOR

15101 Seneca Road, Germantown, MD 20874

301-948-0220 | valleymill@valleymill.com

www.valleymill.com

As Valley Mill Camp celebrates its 67th season, many campers will be following in the footsteps of their parents, and even grandparents. Serving families in the Washington metropolitan area since 1956, Valley Mill is conveniently located in Darnestown on more than 60 acres of deep woods surrounding an onsite spring-fed lake. Through fun and challenging open-air activities — kayaking, canoeing, gymnastics, archery, air rifle and more — campers spend days in the rugged outdoors, making friends and learning self-sufficiency and resilience, teamwork and self-confidence. Experienced campers apply these attributes as they graduate to Valley Mill’s Adventure Program and beyond! Counselors are chosen for their character and values, says Camp Director Evelyn McEwan, whose parents Bob and May founded the camp. “Many children attend Valley Mill year after year, finding deepened experiences each time. The bonds formed at Valley Mill become lifelong friendships.”

Maryland Oral Surgery Associates

MALINI IYER, DMD, MD

“In MOSA’s eight locations — covering six Maryland counties — they have successfully performed nearly 1 million procedures over the past 52 years.”

Bethesda Office

10401 Old Georgetown Road, Suite 206 Bethesda, MD 20814

Additional offices in Annapolis, College Park, Crofton, Frederick, Laurel, Rockville and Silver Spring.

1-844-459-MOSA [6672] bethesda@mosa4os.com www.mosa4os.com

Maryland Oral Surgery Associates

(MOSA), the state’s oldest and largest Oral & Maxillofacial Facial Surgery practice, was established in 1969 in Greenbelt, MD. Since 1985, MOSA expanded from two fulltime surgeons to 14 surgeons. In MOSA’s eight locations — covering six Maryland counties — they have successfully performed nearly 1 million procedures over the past 52 years.

MOSA surgeons believe oral surgery needs must be provided to all members of the community. They have delivered more than $150,000 in free surgical care through the Donated Dental Service (DDS) and Holocaust Survivor programs. MOSA surgeons chaired the Maryland State Dental Association’s Mission of Mercy, providing $1.2 million of free dental care to 1,200 patients over two days.

During the last 50 years, MOSA has provided thousands of continuing education hours to the dental community.

Additionally, MOSA surgeons annually participate in hundreds of surgery CE hours to stay fully current.

During the initial outbreak of COVID-19, when most dental offices were closed, MOSA offices remained open treating nearly 1,500 emergency patients, relieving inundated hospitals. MOSA maintains the highest standards of infection control for their patients’ protection.

MOSA’s most up-to-date surgical technology includes CT scanning to create computer-generated implant placements and “Teeth-in-a-Day” procedures. MOSA utilizes full anesthesia monitoring in their offices, which matches that used in hospital operating rooms for all of their IV Sedation/General anesthesia procedures.

Maryland Oral Surgery Associates has been here for 50+ years and with its expanding team of highly trained surgeons will continue to provide first-rate care long into the future.

Fisher Lumber

DICK AND DON HERSHEY, OWNERS

TIM ALLEN, GENERAL MANAGER

525 East Gude Drive

Rockville, MD 20850

301-424-6500

tallen@fisherlumber.com

fisherlumber.com

“We offer amazing products, great service and care deeply about the community,” says Tim Allen, general manager of Fisher Lumber. Founded in 1894, Fisher Lumber is Montgomery County’s go-to source for building supplies—from lumber, doors and windows, to tools, millwork and hardware. With knowledgeable employees, top-notch service, quality products—and friendly conversation—this iconic retailer offers homeowners and contractors a refreshing alternative to the “big box” hardware stores.

Fisher Lumber is committed to the community, offering expertise and products to Eagle Scouts engaged in building projects throughout the area. Their dedicated staff, with several 40-plus-year employees, includes individuals transitioning from incarceration to the work force. “Our employees give me their all, and I give them mine,” Tim says, a win-win for them and their loyal customers.

Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart

9101 Rockville Pike

Bethesda, MD 20814

301-657-4322

www.stoneridgeschool.org

One hundred years ago, the pioneering spirit of Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat inspired the sisters at the Convent of the Sacred Heart on Massachusetts Avenue to open a school, which began with three young women in attendance.

Today, Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart is inspiring more than 700 girls and young women in grades 1–12 (and a co-ed Pre-K through Kindergarten program) to lead and serve through lives of purpose that integrate faith, intellect, community, social action and personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom.

Set atop 35 beautifully landscaped acres in Bethesda, Maryland, Stone Ridge offers a peaceful campus for girls to learn, play, pray, compete and grow. Stone Ridge is more than a school. It is a community of learners, friends, educators and leaders.

Paley Rothman

With our full-service approach Paley Rothman offers clients the personal touch of a boutique law firm while delivering big firm results. Contact us today to speak with an attorney regarding your legal matter.

4800 Hampden Lane, 6th Floor, Bethesda, MD 20814

252 N. Washington St. Falls Church, VA 22046

301-656-7603

paleyrothman.com

For 50 years, effective advocacy and creative solutions have been the cornerstones of Paley Rothman’s approach to serving our clients. Our attorneys are leaders in their fields. They have been selected to lead the Montgomery County and Maryland State Bar Associations and have been elevated to federal and state judgeships. With our diverse workforce and significant community involvement, we pride ourselves on providing innovative solutions and strategic advice and advocacy to advance our clients’ needs.

Our Business Practice groups—which include Litigation, Employment and Commercial Real Estate—focus on helping our entrepreneurial clients achieve their desired results whether through collaborative negotiations or steadfast legal advocacy in the courtroom. We help our international, national and regional businesses clients position themselves

for success and mitigate risk so that they can focus on what they do best.

For the individuals and families that we serve, Paley Rothman’s attorneys take a personalized approach to providing evolving and sophisticated techniques in the face of delicate legal matters. Our Estate Planning and Estate Administration teams combine extensive knowledge to develop multifaceted plans for the disposition of assets with compassion and an understanding of the clients’ goals. Our renowned Family Law practice helps see our clients through the full spectrum of family law issues, from the uncontested to the most complex of cases.

The Markoff Brothers

CALLEVA, INC.

“Calleva makes the outdoors accessible for all, and our program menu has got something for every adventurer."

Retail and Business Office: 19936 Fisher Ave. Poolesville, MD 20837

301-216-1248 | www.calleva.org

For nearly 30 years, Calleva has provided outdoor experiences that inspire personal growth, encourage teamwork and provide a vibrant connecting point for friends and families in the Washington, D.C. area.

Founded as a small summer camp in 1993 by Nick, Alex and Matt Markoff, Calleva has a reputation for excellence and innovation in outdoor education and outdoor adventure. Calleva operates from hubs in Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, offering programs that include weekend and travel programs for adults, overnight wilderness experiences for teens, kayaking lessons, summer camp and farm-to-table events.

“Spending time outdoors is a great way to renew and refresh, no matter who you are,” says Matt Markoff. “Calleva makes the outdoors accessible for all. Our program menu has got something for every adventurer.”

Manion & Associates Architects

TOM AND TIFANY MANION

Manion + Associates Architects, P.C.

P.O.Box 1

Cabin John, MD 20818

301-229-7000

tom@manionarchitects.com www.manionarchitects.com

“I started my firm with one employee,” says Tom Manion. “We took residential jobs, small and large additions and renovations. We developed commercial work with restaurants, office and recreational buildings.” Manion’s work has won numerous AIA local and state awards, Brick Institute and Oliver Owens Kuhn awards. He has been published locally and nationally and has done jobs in Greece and Portugal, among other locations.

Manion enjoys historic preservation, solar work, earth shelters, geothermal and eco-energy projects.

“I truly enjoy meeting new clients, explaining our process and abilities. I am very fortunate to have remained active and in the Top 100 Architects for years. Architecture for me is a creative act requiring cooperation and desire. Architecture is addictive.”

DANNEN HIGGINS

Georgetown Preparatory School

Students come from every background and hail from local neighborhoods, 14 states and 18 countries.

10900 Rockville Pike North Bethesda, MD 20852 301-493-5000

www.gprep.org

Georgetown

Preparatory School

celebrates its 234th year since Archbishop John Carroll opened the doors of his academy, as well as Georgetown College (later Georgetown University), on a site overlooking the Potomac. By the second decade of the 20th century, the Georgetown Preparatory School relocated from the college campus to the Maryland countryside.

Today, the timely and timeless mission of the nation’s oldest Catholic boys’ school and only Jesuit boarding school flourishes—to form men of competence, conscience, courage, and compassion; men of faith for and with others. Students come from every background and hail from local neighborhoods, 14 states and 18 countries.

This year is particularly energizing and transformational as the school opens a new campus center, residence hall and stadium. These new facilities

will impact the life of every student, providing a meeting place for 379 day and 119 residential students, incorporating 16 faculty families into campus life, creating first-class accommodations for athletics programs and fans, and strengthening Prep’s commitment to bring in the best and the brightest.

“The commitment of our faculty and staff to be present to all our students, not only in the classroom but also across the broad spectrum of our activities and athletics programs, coupled with the uniquely rich diversity of our student body, shapes an unparalleled educational experience both within the Jesuit educational network and among our peer schools” says Georgetown Prep president, Father James Van Dyke, S.J.

Glickman Design Build

RUSS GLICKMAN, FOUNDER AND PRINCIPAL

15757 Crabbs Branch Way

Rockville, MD 20855

301-444-4663

Info@glickmandesignbuild.com

www.glickmandesignbuild.com

This award-winning design, remodeling and building firm focuses on building homes for life. The team has specialized experience with aging-in-place, perfecting accessible residential living, and universal design that beautifully and comfortably accommodates clients’ day-to-day needs. Projects include single and multi-level additions, kitchen remodeling, home expansions, custom renovations, bathroom additions and outdoor living solutions. Glickman Design Build ensures that a personal connection is established with clients to understand how they live and what they want to create.

Russ Glickman has over 33 years of expertise in designing and renovating homes with successful and beautiful outcomes. He is deeply committed to helping families with special needs children and aging individuals with mobility issues.

They have a long history of winning numerous industry awards and media recognition going back to 1975.

Kelly Bohi, Realtor

COMPASS

7200 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 920

Bethesda, MD 20814

www.compass.com

kelly.bohi@compass.com

301-580-4991

This December, Kelly celebrated 20 years as a real estate agent in the Bethesda area. Today, she is licensed in Maryland, the District and Virginia—a big advantage for her buyers and sellers, as well as her clients relocating to and from the metro area.

A Bethesda resident for 25 years, she and her husband are raising their three daughters here. Prior to getting into real estate, Kelly worked in tech sales and moved because she wanted to be part of a process that makes a personal difference for people.

Kelly brings valuable relationships and resources for trusted mortgage lenders, relocation services, inspectors, title companies, legal services and contractors. Cheerful and attentive, with a track record of success, she offers great experience working with first-time homebuyers to luxury listings.

MICHAEL VENTURA

HEATHER FUENTES

Stein Sperling Bennett De Jong Driscoll PC

Headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, Stein Sperling’s areas of practice include business, commercial litigation, construction, tax, family law, estates, trusts and probate, employment law, real estate, personal injury, and criminal defense.

1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 700 Rockville, MD 20852 301-340-2020

www.steinsperling.com

Celebrating its 45th year, Stein Sperling is proud of many achievements but especially its attentive and personalized approach to each client, which has earned th e fi rm a reputation for excellence throughout the metro area and beyond.

Starting in 1978 with just four attorneys and three staff members, th e fi rm has grown to 10 practice areas, 54 attorneys, 79 staff employees an d fi ve of fi ces.

“Client service is about listening, empathizing and responding quickly to each client’s needs,” says managing partner Jeff Schwaber. “We understand how legal issues affect clients, often in a very profound and personal way. We want to relate to their challenges, stand in their shoes, and advocate strongly for what’s important to them. That level of understanding helps us create solutions that are meaningful and practical for our clients.”

Stein Sperling’s unique collaborative environment and willingness to step out of traditional boxes underpins its success in handling a broad range of legal matters. The ability to adapt to any circumstance has allowed them to both weather the challenging climate presented by recent times and assist clients facing the same challenges.

Named by Bethesda Magazine’s “Best Places to Work” in 2021 and 2022, Stein Sperling prides itself on a culture of respect—for both its clients and staff. Commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion creates a culture in which all individuals and groups feel welcomed, respected and supported. This is essential to the quality of client service, personal and professional satisfaction of its lawyers and staff, and relationships within the communities served.

172 great places to go, things to do and more, as chosen by our editors and readers

BY CARALEE ADAMS, STEPHANIE SIEGEL BURKE, LIZ FELDMAN, CHRISTINE KOUBEK FLYNN, DAVID HAGEDORN, DAWN KLAVON, AKIRA KYLES, ALYSSA LANGER, LESLIE RICHIN,

PHOTO BY JOSEPH TRAN | TYPOGRAPHY BY LUKE LUCAS

RENEE SKLAREW AND CAROLE SUGARMAN

A Trend to Squawk About

Tough times call for comfort food, and several restaurateurs satisfied tht craving in Montgomery County after the pandemic began with soul-satisfying fried chicken. Among the joints that opened are: Honeymoon Chicken in Ensemble Kitchen Bethesda’s virtual food hall (March 2021); Roaming Rooster in North Bethesda’s Pike & Rose development (June 2022); and Crown Fried Chicken in Silver Spring (June 2022). Virginia-based chainlet Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken opened two outposts (Wheaton in May 2022 and Rockville’s Travilah Square shopping center in August 2022), with two more slated by early 2023, one on Rockville Pike and the other in Gaithersburg. Not enough? Check out Silver Spring Wings, which opened in November, and Fryer’s Roadside, a fried chicken and ice cream stand in Silver Spring that opened in August 2021 but was recently taken over by All Set Restaurant & Bar owners Jennifer Meltzer and Ed Reavis (also the chef).

→ENSEMBLE KITCHEN 4856 Cordell Ave., Bethesda ensemble.co

→ROAMING ROOSTER

11586 Old Georgetown Road, North Bethesda, 240-669-7731 roamingroosterdc.com

→CROWN FRIED CHICKEN

1909 Seminary Road, Silver Spring 410-639-5361

→HANGRY JOE’S HOT CHICKEN 10050 Darnestown Road, Rockville, 242-552-6066 2533 Ennalls Ave., Wheaton, 301-942-0352 hangryjoes.com

→SILVER SPRING WINGS 11335 Elkin St., Silver Spring, 202-876-8000 silverspringwings.com

→FRYER’S ROADSIDE

12830 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring, 443-594-3209 fryersroadside.com

Fried chicken bucket and sides from Honeymoon Chicken

BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ALMONDS

Best Faux Surfside Getaway

As a kid growing up in Brooklyn, New York, Aaron Spencer says he didn’t have access to a lot of healthy food options. “My breakfast every day was a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich from the bodega,” the Silver Spring resident recalls. In 2018, the now-34-year-old job recruiter became a vegan and soon after launched A-Butter, a terrifictasting almond butter that comes in a variety of flvors (original, maple and apple cinnamon are our three favorites). Until 2021, he lived in Boston and had a successful run selling his almond butters at farmers markets and online. Since moving here and switching his production to a commercial kitchen in Takoma Park, Spencer has continued a brisk online business— including national sales. The subtle flvors and thick, crunchy texture pair well with a whole host of recipes and dishes. Spencer likes his A-Butter in oatmeal, protein shakes, pasta sauces and on pancakes—not to mention his homemade dark chocolate almond butter cups.

→A-BUTTER is available online at abutterbyaaron. com and at the Olney Farmers & Artists Market the first Sunday of every month. abutterbyaaron.com

In April, Denver-based Sage Hospitality Group opened Hello Betty on the second level of the Canopy by Hilton hotel in the Pike & Rose development, the second location of the seafood and fish-centric, Baja-meets-surfe-culture restaurant that opened in Oceanside, California, in 2014. The Pacific Ocean i nowhere in sight at the North Bethesda outpost, but we still dig the coastal vibe

of the place, which seats 138 inside and 167 on its roomy outdoor patio. A big lure of the restaurant is a 40-foot retired Deltaville Deadrise, a wooden Chesapeake workboat that has been turned into a kitschy 23-seat bar. When the weather is nice, the boat bar, which is closed in the winter, is the perfect place to set out on a three-hour tour of the menu, sipping on charred chili and cilantro margaritas and surfside fizes (gin, absinthe, lemon, elderflwer tonic and egg white foam) and snacking on lobster grilled cheese, fie-roasted oysters Rockefeller, steamed mussels and crinkle-cut fries.

→HELLO BETTY 940 Rose Ave., North Bethesda, 301-389-5840 hellobettybethesda.com

PHOTO BY DEB LINDSEY; PHOTOS COURTESY OF HELLO BETTY

Hello Betty captures a seaside vibe throughout its interior (above) and its boat bar (top).

Craziest New Way to Eat a Hot Dog

Funkier than their carnival cousins, Korean corn dogs offer far more than meat on a stick. Think deep-fried hot dogs drizzled with spicy mayonnaise and sprinkled with hot red Cheetos crumbs. Or how about fried franks coated in churro-flavored cubed sweet potatoes? A longtime street food in Korea, the social media star has gained popularity in the U.S. in recent years, with franchise locations cropping up in many cities, including our area. While American corn dogs are typically dredged in cornmeal batter before deep-frying, the Korean variety is coated with a thick batter of wheat and rice flours, then rolled in panko breadcrumbs and other toppings. But humdrum hot dogs aren’t the only things that get battered up; filling options include spicy, chicken or plant-based sausages; mozzarella or cheddar cheeses; half meat/half cheese; or even, at one location, spicy glass noodles wrapped in seaweed. The toppings and seasonings run the gamut from rice puffs to ramen. And the whole shebang comes with a dip or two, like spicy mayonnaise or ranch dressing. As for the taste, we can’t speak for every combo. But several we tried, Cheetos-coated included, were inexplicably good.

→KONG DOG

12335-H Georgia Ave. (Glenmont Shopping Center), Silver Spring, 301-933-0614 kongdog.us

→SSONG’S HOTDOG

7101 Democracy Blvd. (Westfield Montgomery mall), Bethesda, 240-743-4311 ssongshotdogus.com

→TWO HANDS FRESH CORN DOGS

11160 Veirs Mill Road (Westfield Wheaton mall), Wheaton, 240-881-0040 twohandsus.com

From left: ramen, hot Cheeto, sweet chili Doritos, churro and rainbow flvors from Kong Dog

Best New Room with a View

As downtown Bethesda keeps booming, there’s no better place to survey the situation than Hip Flask Rooftop Bar on the 13th floor of the nw Marriott Hotel. Opened last May, the stylish, windowed watering hole offers long-range views of Silver Spring and Tysons Corner, as well as closer-in takes of Bethesda (cranes included). Outfitted in midnight blue, its a sophisticated spot to sip a cocktail, watch the sunset and feel transported from life below.

→HIP FLASK ROOFTOP BAR (in the Marriott Bethesda Downtown at Marriott HQ) 7707 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda, 301-276-7707 hipflaskooftop.com

PHOTO BY JOSEPH TRAN

KIND CONFIDENT PREPARED

WINNER:

Best Lower School

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Thank you for your vote!

WES helps students aged 3 to Grade 8 become kind, confident, and prepared global citizens.

www.w-e-s.org/best

Duck Dish Not to Miss

Restaurateur and Clarksville resident Edward Wong, whose Montgomery County businesses include Akira Ramen & Izakaya and Gyuzo Japanese BBQ, both in Rockville, partnered with Chicago-based chain Lao Sze Chuan to open an outlet of that fine-dining Sichuan estaurant in North Bethesda in October 2021. The star of the show there is chef Lin Yong’s delectable Peking duck, which takes three days to prepare. Six- to 7-pound ducks sourced from a Pennsylvania farm are dunked in boiling water, brushed with a secret glaze and refrigerated for a day. On day two, an air compressor is used to separate the birds’ skin from the muscle (this helps the fat render during roasting) before they’re air-dried for another night. The next day, they’re roasted, suspended from hooks in the oven so the fat melts away easily and the skin crisps evenly. Eight squares of the prized skin resting atop a sprinkling of brown sugar crystals are served as an amuse-bouche; then the duck arrives, beautifully sliced and arranged like roof shingles on a special platter with various accompaniments: julienne scallions, slim cucumber batons, cubes of pickled daikon radish and sweet bean sauce. A bamboo steamer holds 20 ultrathin pancakes ready to be filled, olled and savored. ($88 for a whole duck; $48 for half.)

→LAO SZE CHUAN

20 Paseo Drive, North Bethesda, 301-968-2096 laoszechuandmv.com

Peking duck at Lao Sze Chuan

A Toast to Three Great Toasts

Topped toasts (tartines in French; bruschetta in Italian)—basically open-faced sandwiches—are so hot as a trend that they are just as likely to be found at a fine-dining restaurant as they are at a diner or cafe. We adore smoked salmon or avocado toast as much as anyone, but we’ve found three others worthy of attention.

At Bethesda’s Tatte Bakery & Cafe, a thick oblong slice of toasted sourdough bread is slathered with whipped ricotta and goat cheese, draped with several thin slices of prosciutto and topped with basil pesto, a sunnyside-up egg and a cloud of finely shedded Parmesan cheese. The richness of the yolk, the pesto’s olive oil and the whipped cheeses blend with the saltiness of the ham and Parmesan cheese in a conspiracy of deliciousness. ($12.50).

→TATTE BAKERY & CAFE 7276 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, 240-534-2115 tattebakery.com

At Melina, a Greek restaurant in North Bethesda, chef Aris Tsekouras elevates toast to the fine-dining strtosphere on his brunch menu. For his tuna and avocado tartine, he grills housemade einkorn wheat sourdough bread and spreads it with tarama (roe) cream, a mayoless riff on tartar sauce mad with cured gray mullet roe, olive oil, onions, lemon juice, shallots, capers and pickled cucumbers. Tsekouras tops the toast with sliced pickled cucumbers, avocado and raw bluefin tuna, then finish the dish with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. Baby gem salad with lemon dressing completes the dish. ($24).

→MELINA

905 Rose Ave. (Pike & Rose), North Bethesda, 301-818-9090 melinagreek.com

Sweet toast lovers would be in heaven at Sweeteria, a dessert shop and cafe on Colesville Road in Silver Spring. It offers arious iterations of sliced toast and French toast, but the standout is loft toast, an ultrathick slice of toasted bread (similar to Texas toast) brushed lavishly with honey and served with various toppings. Our favorite is crowned with slices of fresh mango arranged concentrically to resemble a rose. It’s served with warm sticky rice, a scoop of coconut ice cream and a fluff of mango mousse ($10.95).

→SWEETERIA 8646 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, 301-328-5877 sweeteria.edan.io

PHOTOS BY DEB LINDSEY

Mango toast at Sweeteria

Best Boards

Making an Instagram-worthy, mouthwatering charcuterie grazing board is an art form, and if you do not have that artistic talent or the time to try it out, rest assured that CheezMD has you covered. Owner Melissa Shear styles her picture-perfect charcuterie boards at a commercial kitchen in Silver Spring, filling pltters with curated gourmet meats, fruit, cheeses, nuts, jam—even chocolate and cookies (why not?). Crackers are thoughtfully kept separate to ensure that they remain crisp, and there is no shortage of creativity when it comes to the designs. (What’s better than Brie? Brie cut into the shape of a tree!) The boards are meticulously wrapped and packaged

for easy transportation, and they come with a note that says what your board contains and provides serving instructions. Each board is unique, and you can specify dietary preferences or allergy restrictions. Sizes range from large trays for holiday gatherings and work parties, to mini boxes and individual snack packs for picnics and smaller meetings. Delivery is available for a fee, and gift notes can be added. Shear also offer classes—virtual and in-person—if you are inspired to hone your own charcuterie board skills.

→cheezmd.com | cheezmd@gmail.com | Instagram, @CheezMD

PHOTO BY BRENDAN MCCABE

A small cheese and charcuterie grazing board from CheezMD

Complex, High-Stakes Divorce Calls for Highly Qualified Counsel

Jeff Greenblatt is family law experience personified. For more than four decades he has guided his clients through complicated divorce, custody, visitation, alimony, domestic violence and division of assets cases.

Recognized for his skilled, passionate representation, Mr. Greenblatt has received numerous accolades such as Best Lawyers® in America and Maryland Super Lawyers®. Additionally he holds the highest rating from Martindale-Hubbell® and was named one of the top 25 divorce attorneys in the metro area.

People who have family law issues benefit from his counsel.

BEST NEW PLACE FOR VINO WITH A VIEW

Savor the sunny side of life—and a field filled wit sunflwers—amid 61 Vineyard’s peaceful vistas of vines and hillsides in Damascus, which was a dry town until 2013. That fact inspired the vintners’ “Drytown” sparkling white. Owners Mark and Pam Giganti began planting a test vineyard of cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon in 2013 and 2014. Two years later they had four generations of family working the first harvest. The “61” in the name is a nod to the year in which the Gigantis were both born. Today, the winery serves an assortment of reds and whites that can be paired with their delicious hummus, pretzel bread, charcuterie and more. The cozy winery offers seting inside, or out on the patio. A wine flight is $15; tasting of five varietals: $20. In autumn, be sure to borrow a pair of snippers to take home a bouquet of sunflwers. Leashed dogs are allowed on the patio.

61 VINEYARD

28712 Kemptown Road, Damascus 61vineyard.com

240.399.7894 / JGREENBLATT@JGLLAW.COM

MARYLAND | JGLLAW.COM

A view of the vineyards (top) and tasting room (above) at 61 Vineyard.

MoCo’s Founding Farmers will satisfy any happy hour appetite with a whopping 15 small bites from $3 to $6. Dig into two hot dog options, ahi tuna bites, glazed bacon lollies, avocado toast, “devil-ish” eggs and much more. Five-dollar beers will seal the deal, or choose wine and cocktails for $7 at this welcoming destination.

Weekdays, 3:30-6 p.m., available at the bar only; 12505 Park Potomac Ave., Potomac, 301-340-8783 wearefoundingfarmers.com/location/moco/

Gringos & Mariachis offers delicioso $6 happy hour dining options. Feast on spicy Mexican meatballs, elote loco street corn, roasted vegetable nachos, multiple types of tacos, and assorted sopes. All that and a basket of warm, salty tortilla chips with fresh salsa for every table. Wash it down with $6 classic house margaritas, red or white sangria, or red or white house wines, or get $2 off all draft beers.

Monday-Tuesday, 4-6 p.m., WednesdayFriday, 3-6 p.m., 4928 Cordell Ave., Bethesda, 240-800-4266; 12435 Park Potomac Ave, Potomac, 301-339-8855 gringosandmariachis.com

You definitely on’t strike out during happy hour at The Eleanor Bowling Lounge, Bar & Grille. For $6 or less, this upscale bowling alley offers “fancy” nachos, four intriguing flvors of wings and elote loco-style hush puppies, as well as wines, house margaritas, single-mix rail drinks, house mules, lagers and draft beers.

Weekdays, 4-7 p.m., 931 Ellsworth Drive, Silver Spring, 240-641-4955 eleanormd.com

Heavenly $6 Happy Hours

Shaking off the workday cares and worries at happy hour requires a welcoming ambience, quality beverages and memorable fare, all for a negligible sum. We found six recommendation-worthy happy hours with excellent food and drink options, each for $6 or less. Cheers!

Three cheers for Barrel + Crow’s expansive happy hour array. Hungry diners can munch on nine skillfully prepared dishes, including smoked beef brisket sliders, blackened salmon sliders, wings seasoned three ways, “Parisienne” gnocchi, fried calamari and sweet beignets, all for $6. To top it off, wine, draft beer and an eyepopping variety of rail drinks run just $5 in this attractive, locally sourced spot.

Tuesday-Friday, 3-6 p.m., 4867 Cordell Ave., Bethesda, 240-800-3253

5 6

Silver’s happy hour earns a gold medal for inventive bites and beverages. Diners at the “New American” brasserie can order $6-and-under chimichurri chicken wings, goat cheese bruschetta, hummus, crispy Brussels sprouts, and ciabatta and ricotta. For $6 (or less), enjoy spiked sodas, wines, draft beers, sangria and house spirits.

Monday-Friday, 3-6:30 p.m., Daily, 9:30 p.m.-close, 7150 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda, 301-652-9780; 3404 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, D.C., 202-851-3199 eatatsilver.com/happy-hours

Yard House at Gaithersburg's rio Lakefront touts great food, classic rock and the world’s largest draft beer selection. Rock out with $6-orunder treats like Wisconsin fried cheese curds, Parmesan truffle fries and mini-cheesecake brulee. Pints of draft beer options are $2 off during happy hour, with popular brews like Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Lite and Michelob Ultra coming in at $6 or under.

Weekdays, 3-6 p.m., Sunday-Wednesday, 10 p.m.-close, 211 Rio Blvd., Gaithersburg, 240-683-8790 yardhouse.com

Best Customer-Fueled Comeback

After Mandalay Restaurant’s lease was up at the end of October 2021, owner Kyaw “Joe” Myint closed the Silver Spring restaurant his family had operated for two decades. The plan was to open a new location of the Burmese eatery on Georgia Avenue. That fell through, and as it turned out, so did the deal for a new tenant to take over Mandalay’s old home on Bonifant Street. So Myint posted a note on the restaurant’s Facebook page on Feb. 19, 2022: “To all Mandalay customers: We would like to know how many people want us to reopen…” He included his email address. Hundreds of customers liked, loved and shared the posting, and wrote heartwarming comments. Myint received close to 700 personal emails, he says. These loyal customers “helped me decide to reopen again,” he says. “One customer said her daughter cried when she heard we were closing, then cried when she heard we were reopening.” In July, Mandalay reopened for carryout and delivery only—and in August, at a grand reopening ceremony, the family was presented with a plaque from the Montgomery County Council, several of its members in attendance. “May Mandalay always be flvorful and spice up each of our days. Welcome back!” it says in part. And on Facebook, the so-happyyou-are-back comments keep coming.

→MANDALAY RESTAURANT, 930 Bonifant St., Silver Spring, 301-250-4078 mandalayrestaurantcafe.com

The green tea leaf salad (top) is popular at Mandalay, operated by (from left) Chef Latt Naing, her husband, owner Kyaw “Joe” Myint, and Myint's brother Saw Myint Jr.

Best New Array of Ice Cream Options

If you have trouble finding dessert option that fit our dietary needs, look no further than The Scoop, a creamery that brothers Mitchell and Timothy Ryoo opened last summer in Cabin John Village. Among the dozens of creative, handcrafted ice cream flvors, you’ll find plenty of gluten-fee and vegan varieties. The vegan fare includes a couple of ice cream flvors made with coconut milk—vegan chocolate bliss, which has a rich chocolate flvor with a mild coconut finish, and egan maple walnut—and all fie of The Scoop’s fruity sorbets: mango, passion fruit, peach mango, piña colada and strawberry. The ice cream shop offers moe than 25 gluten-free options, including those sorbets, a handful of classics (butter pecan, chocolate, mint chip, pistachio, strawberry and vanilla), kid-friendly cotton candy and plenty of contemporary varieties such as Baileys mocha chip, hojicha (a Japanese green tea), pumpkin spice latte, roasted soybean and ube honeycomb. The Ryoo brothers have said they plan to add at least one sugar-free flvor. It (almost) goes without saying that the traditional dairy-rich, sugar-rich glutinous mainstays have been very well received.

→THE SCOOP, 7909 Tuckerman Lane (Cabin John Village), Potomac, 301-296-2159 thescoopicecreams.com

PLANE-FREE FLIGHTS TO MARGARITAVILLE

For the indecisive among us, Java Nation serves flights of margarita that rotate with the seasons. Four 5-ounce mason jars sail to your table on a wooden tray, sweating with ice cubes and topped with fresh garnishes. The classic margarita is always included in the mix. Lime-forward and tart, it sparkles with a hint of heat and a touch of salt. Tiny seeds flot atop the ruby-colored, floral pomegraate version. The mango margarita, the color of sunshine, is smooth and tropical. In cooler months, look for the ambrosial spiced-apple margaritas, and when the weather warms, guava and watermelon are in the lineup. To prep the drinks, Java Nation’s bartenders infuse rail tequila with fresh fruit and housemade fruit purees. Their signature sour mix combines the juices of lemons and limes, plus agave for sweetness. Available at Java Nation’s North Bethesda and new Kentlands locations, our favorite margarita flights ae $20 regularly, $18 at happy hour.

→11120 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda, 301836-6022; 121 Market St. (Kentlands Market Square), Gaithersburg, 240-800-1004 java-nation.com

Besides its variety in gluten-free and vegan options, The Scoop serves a plethora of flvors.

Best Vegan ‘Milkshake’

Vegan food options are expanding at many grocery stores and restaurants throughout Montgomery County, and we’ve found one fully vegan establishment serving a blended variety of vegan shake flvors. Whether you’re a plain vanilla fan or want something fun like s’mores, PLNT Burger has a frozen sweet treat to suit you. The vegan eatery got its start in Silver Spring in 2019, and the menu includes vegan versions of burgers, nuggets and french fries—all the fast-food favorites that are even better when washed down by a delicious shake. The “Oatasty” shakes are made with oat milk and come in chocolate, vanilla, s’mores, chocolate-and-vanilla swirl and mint chocolate chip. The shakes hold the familiar sweetness and thickness a dairy lover might find t their favorite ice cream shop.

→ PLNT BURGER, 833 Wayne Ave., Silver Spring, 240-2669500; 11355 Woodglen Drive, Rockville, 202-933-5414; both are inside Whole Foods Markets plntburger.com

An "Oatasty" mint chocolate chip shake

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Expanding Zone of Fermentation

Since Emily Bruno, Jeff Ramiez and Julie Verratti founded Denizens Brewing Co. in 2014— pioneering craft beer in Montgomery County—Silver Spring has been fermenting goodness. Astro Lab Brewing opened there in 2018, with the aim of being local, inclusive and a part of the neighborhood. Silver Branch Brewing Co. opened in 2019, inspired by European and American beer traditions. But these masters of diverse award-winning brews weren’t the only ones putting yeast to good use. The Urban Winery, stemming from a family tradition, opened in 2015 on Bonifant Street. All four establishments were nestled in downtown Silver Spring before The Urban Winery closed in December of 2020. In search of greater production capacity, owners Damon and Georgia Callis relocated two miles northwest, on Stewart Avenue, and reopened this past fall. The new Urban Winery features a tasting room and patio and offers 30-plus wines vinted on-site, plus a otating assortment of Maryland-made wine, craft brews and local distillery products.

→ASTRO LAB BREWING 8216 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, 301-273-9684 astrolabbrewing.com

→DENIZENS BREWING CO. 1115 East West Highway, Silver Spring, 301-557-9818 denizensbrewingco.com

→SILVER BRANCH BREWING CO. 8401 Colesville Road #150, Silver Spring, 301-264-7111 silverbranchbrewing.com

→THE URBAN WINERY 2315 Stewart Ave., Silver Spring, 301-585-4100 theurbanwinery.com

The patio outside The Urban Winery's new tasting room

The garage doors at Denizens let the downstairs bar open fully to the outside.

Most French Bakeries in One ZIP Code

Is Bethesda turning into Paris on the Potomac? Over the past few years, a new bakery or cafe offering French-style treats seems to have popped up around every corner downtown. What’s behind this trend?

Bethesda is a cosmopolitan community in which many people are familiar with French cafe food and culture, local business owners note. It’s also home to the Rochambeau French International School and a sizable French population.

“People here are highly educated and open-minded. Many have traveled around the world,” says Fresh Baguette owner Florent de Felcourt, who opened his first store in Bethesda in 2013. Travelers are happy to relive Parisian cafe experiences close to home.

Bethesda’s walkability and mix of retail, restaurants and offices is reminiscent of Paris, says Beni Himmich, who opened the cafe Paris in Town with his wife, Diane, in April 2022.

“Whether it is a cappuccino and pastry in the morning, a full lunch at 2 p.m., a business meeting or a little glass of wine with escargots,” he writes in an email, “the French bakery/ cafe concept is a familiar entity that satisfies diverse needs throughout the day.”

All within a few blocks of each other are:

FRESH BAGUETTE, 4919 Bethesda Ave.: The bakery famous for its baguettes and croissants originated in Bethesda and now has locations in Rockville, Georgetown and Northern Virginia.

LADURÉE PARIS, 4808 Bethesda

Ave.: The luxury bake shop focuses on macarons, cakes, eclairs and croissants.

LEVAIN BAKERY, 4844 Bethesda Ave.: Best known for its rich, cakelike cookies, the bakery also sells cakes, breads and pastries.

MAMAN, 7140 Bethesda Lane: The New York-based cafe famous for its nutty chocolate chip cookies also offers beakfast sandwiches, tartines, soups, salads and sandwiches.

PARIS IN TOWN

4903 Cordell Ave.: Crepes, salads, sandwiches and pastries are in the spotlight here.

PAUL

4760 Bethesda Ave.: The French chain prepares an array of breads, crepes, macarons and pastries.

TATTE BAKERY & CAFE

7276 Wisconsin Ave.: Along with more explicitly Mediterranean fare, the cafe offers fesh breads and pastries, tartines, soups and sandwiches, and a variety of coffee drinks.

TOUT DE SWEET PASTRY SHOP

7831 Woodmont Ave.: The grandpere of the bunch, specializing in macarons and cakes and other desserts, the pastry shop opened in 2011.

MAP BY GETTY IMAGES; PHOTO BY JOSEPH TRAN

Most Inventive Take on Tacos

There’s no shortage of good taco joints in our area, but if you haven’t checked out Mexicue, which has locations in New York City, Connecticut and Washington, D.C., we recommend you add its Bethesda outpost to your list. We give them credit for their variety, creativity and seamless fusion of Mexican and barbecue flvors. They offer to types of tacos: regular and grilled (which we’d describe as a taco-quesadilla hybrid). Don’t sleep on the pulled pork, burnt ends brisket, jumbo shrimp and lobster tacos, each served on a 5-inch organic corn tortilla (or 6-inch flour tortilla if ou opt for a grilled taco). With smoky fried eggplant, charred broccoli and fried avocado, vegetarian options are not lacking. For those watching their carb intake, tacos can be served in romaine boats as a tortilla alternative. The casual atmosphere, lively decor and music, and large patio make this space well suited for social gatherings; the menu caters to larger groups (there’s an entire “sharing” section) with taco platters, “dip foursomes” and margarita pitchers. Save some room for the cornbread; their dessert version is prepared like French toast—the perfect sweet ending.

→MEXICUE, 4733 Elm St., Bethesda, 240-540-4900, mexicue.com

EDITORS ’ PICKS

PHOTO BY LAURA CHASE DE FORMIGNY

Fresh corn, cilantro and jack cheese adorn some of the meaty offering in the tres carnes DIY taco assortment.

Most Inclusive Comedy Show

A woman, an immigrant and a gay person walk onto the stage at a comedy show. It sounds like the setup to an old-timey joke, but it’s actually the basis for Improbable Comedy, a production company that aims to transform the stand-up industry by giving the mic to historically underrepresented comedians. Shows feature women, immigrants, people of color, indigenous performers, LGBTQ comedians and those who have disabilities. While highlighting diverse voices is important, says co-founder and Silver Spring resident Kim Levone, what’s equally paramount is that performers are truly funny. Improbable Comedy, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2022, has presented themed shows, such as “The Mother of all Comedy Shows,” featuring women and nonbinary performers, and “Comedy as a Second Language,” with immigrant and firsgeneration talents. Last summer, Improbable Comedy teamed with Montgomery Parks to present comedy in local parks. Catch a show at the monthly “Stand Up Silver Spring” performance at the Silver Spring Black Box Theatre or this February at the Sweet & Sour Valentine’s Day Show at Busboys and Poets in Takoma Park.

→IMPROBABLE COMEDY is based in Silver Spring, 301-804-0806 improbablecomedy.com

PHOTOS BY RASHAWN GOSS WHITE

Paris Sashay entertained at “The Mother of All Comedy Shows,” which featured women and nonbinary performers.

Top photo: Performers (from left) Rallo Boykins, Rahmein Mostafavi, Kim Villamera, Anna Tirat Gefen and Kim Levone appeared in a show starring immigrant and firs-generation comedians.

BOLDEST CASTING CHOICE IN A LOCAL PLAY

With Jade Jones—a curvy, Black woman who identifies as queer—as Belle and Evan Ruggiero—a dance prodigy who lost a leg to cancer and wears a prosthetic—as the Beast, Olney Theatre Center’s production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast made national headlines when it premiered in November 2021. The unusual but thoughtful casting challenged audiences to broaden their thinking about who belonged in leading roles and added dimension to the story’s theme of recognizing beauty that is more than skin deep. It was director Marcia Milgrom Dodge’s intention to “smuggle a little extra meaning into this popular entertainment,” according to Joshua Ford, the theater’s director of marketing and communications. The production also clicked with Olney Theatre’s mission to expand access to theater and invite in new audiences. Though its initial run was cut short by the COVID-19 delta wave, the show, again directed by Dodge, returned to the stage for a second run in November 2022.

→OLNEY THEATRE CENTER

2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, 301-924-3400 olneytheatre.org

BEST NEW PLACES TO SEE AND MAKE ART

Whether you’ve made a resolution to express your creativity this year, are looking for ways to gather and connect with friends, or are just hoping to try something new, two arts-related businesses that opened in Montgomery County last year offer fun and nonintimidating opportunities to see and make art.

Imagine having a night out with friends and capturing all the fun in pictures. But instead of posting them on Instagram, you develop them from old-school 35 mm film and make beautiful black-and-white prints. That’s the idea behind Sip & Develop, a Silver Spring business that opened in March 2022. It combines the nostalgia and novelty of film with the socializing of a sip-and-paint party (though they don’t sell alcohol). Owner Rashon Robinson loves film photography and knws that people want something fun to do. At the studio, customers can shoot pictures with a camera and film povided, or have in-house photographers take pictures of them, then get instructed in developing their images.

→SIP & DEVELOP

8501 Fenton St., Silver Spring sipndevelop.com Instagram @sipndevelop

Kensington artists Sarah Renzi Sanders and Angie

Meche Kilcullen opened Girls Who Paint, their gallery and community art space, last April with a goal of making art more accessible—to the public and to underrepresented artists. The space feels more like a living room than a gallery. Exhibitions regularly feature the work of local women and artists of color. At pop-up shopping events, women-owned businesses sell jewelry, pottery, candles and the like; the welcoming attitude and wide price range lower the barriers for people who feel intimidated in other art-world settings. Hoping to inspire others to make art, Sanders and Kilcullen offer adult sip-and paint events and after-school art classes for children.

→GIRLS WHO PAINT

10419 Fawcett St., Kensington girlswhopaint.com Instagram @girls.who.paint

Best Tribute to Local Sports Heroes

Pitcher Walter Johnson, a baseball Hall of Famer, and Shirley Povich, an award-winning Washington Post columnist, are Montgomery County sports legends. Johnson played for the Washington Senators from 1907 through 1927 and later managed the team. Povich’s career covering sports for the Post began in 1924 and ended in 1998; he was inducted into the National Sportswriters Hall of Fame. Johnson and Povich were friends, and the two are celebrated locally with plaques and building names. Besides Walter Johnson High School, the Bethesda Big Train collegiate summer baseball team honors the right-hander, who earned the locomotive nickname with his size and pitch speed. The team’s home field in Cabin John egional Park is Shirley Povich Field. And in 2021, a memorial statue of Johnson and Povich was revealed there. Artist Toby Mendez’s life-size bronze sculpture depicts them sitting on a stone wall, looking as if they are frozen in the middle of a conversation. It honors the legacy of each man and the friendship they shared.

PHOTO BY BRUCE ADAMS

Best Runs

BEST RACE FOR PERKS: SUDS & SOLES 5K

JUNE 17, 2023

Suds & Soles 5K, launched in 2016 minus two pandemic years, has a fun evening festival vibe. Run the miles that begin and end in Rockville Town Center and you’re handed a beer right after you cross the finish line. The music-filled outdoo party continues post-race with pizza, local brews—fie beer tickets attached to each race bib—and awards to the top male and female finishers in open and masters divsions, plus age group prizes.

→mcrrcsudsandsoles.org

BEST FOR FAMILIES: AUTISM SPEAKS 5K / 1-MILE WALK

JULY 4, 2023

For more than two decades, families and friends have convened at the Potomac Library dressed in festive gear to celebrate Independence Day on the run. Some have grown up attending the race, whether walking the 1-mile course or running the 5K through shady streets that lead to a long downhill finish. Oer the years, runners have raised more than $4 million for Autism Speaks. Participants receive a T-shirt and Autism Speaks 5K medal. Besides overall and age-based winner categories, prizes are awarded to “Most Patriotic,” “Top Child Fundraiser” and more.

→https://act.autismspeaks.org

BEST FOR SERIOUS ATHLETES: PARKS HALF MARATHON

SEPT. 10, 2023

This scenic point-to-point course begins near the Shady Grove Metro and traverses several Montgomery County parks, including Aspen Hill Local Park, Dewey Local Park, Veirs Mill Local Park and Ken-Gar Palisades Local Park, and then finishes near Beach Drive and Grosvenor Lane in Kensington. Experienced pacers guide runners to reach their race goals, which must be under 2 hours and 50 minutes, a 12-minute, 36-second-per-mile pace. Runners receive a shirt, finishers medal, swag from sponsors, and lots of refuel food from Mamma Lucia, including grilled sausage, scrambled eggs, hash browns and fresh fruit at the finishers festial. Awards are given to overall winners, Montgomery County Road Runners Club member winners, masters and age group winners.

→parkshalfmarathon.com

Best Park Renovation

Edith Throckmorton Neighborhood Park is one of the county’s smallest, but a $1.2 million renovation completed in 2022 packs lots of unique features and community involvement into a mere fifth of an ace. Named after civil rights leader and educator Edith Throckmorton, the park is located within the historic Ken Gar community in Kensington. A bright yellow, all-weather pingpong table—only the second in a county park—doubles as a picnic table. A box for a mini library of books serves as a storage bin for pingpong paddles. There’s a paved area with a labyrinth design where kids can ride scooters, lots of seating, and a pollinator garden with native plants. The playground includes two climbing structures, as well as a play area made of boulders and logs. The renovation doubled the usable park space compared with the original layout, added native trees and plants, improved erosion controls and installed a boardwalk through the park.

→EDITH THROCKMORTON NEIGHBORHOOD PARK 3925 Hampden St., Kensington montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/edith-throckmorton-neighborhood-park

Best Zumba Studio

As you approach the sea of neon, spandex-clad dancers and blaring music at Z Sweat Dance and Fitness, there’s no overlooking this high-energy workout space. If you enjoy booming Zumba music (ear plugs are available), want to get your heart rate up (and keep it up for a full hour), can forget that you’re exercising, love a good sweat session, and thrive in a group workout environment, this is the workout for you. The small studio has one raised platform for the instructor, and there’s one hourlong class offeed per day Monday through Saturday (in addition to regular Zumba, the studio offers step classes and Sculpt & Tone classes). Although the studio has a limited number of class times, the tradeoff of this smalle-scale operation is the true community feel; there are plenty of regulars who clearly know the instructors and the choreography—a sign of loyalty and a regular commitment to the studio. If you’re a newcomer, rest assured that this is a lowpressure situation; there’s no emphasis on getting a move “correct” or memorizing the choreography—the goal is simply to have fun dancing (with friends and/or strangers), and if you happen to burn 300-plus calories in the process, that’s a win-win.

→Z SWEAT DANCE AND FITNESS

4834 Boiling Brook Parkway, North Bethesda, 240-480-6602 zsweat.com

Best Places to Take Kids with Mobility or Sensory Issues

All children need to get out of the house, have places to go where they can burn some energy and see and try new things. But for those with special needs, access to such experiences can be challenging. Here are some terrific options.

TO THE PLAYGROUND

Hadley’s Playground, in Potomac’s Falls Road Local Park, was designed to allow children of all abilities to play together. It features play structures with accessible ramps and swings, and a surface that supports the use of wheelchairs and walkers, as well as bikes, scooters and in-line skates. The park also includes accessible baseball and soccer fields, and accessible exercise equipment.

→FALLS ROAD LOCAL PARK

12600 Falls Road, Potomac montgomeryparks.org/parks-andtrails/falls-road-local-park/

TO THE THEATER

The houselights remain dim and volumes are softened, especially for loud or startling sounds, during sensory-friendly performances at Imagination Stage, a local children’s performance center where American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation is offeed during each show’s run and accessible seating is available at each performance.

→IMAGINATION STAGE

4908 Auburn Ave., Bethesda, 301-280-1660 imaginationstage.org

TO THE MOVIES

Film screenings can be dark and loud, but at sensory-friendly showings, lights stay on and volume levels are moderated. With locations at Westfield Montgomery mall in Bethesda, the rio in Gaithersburg and Wheaton, AMC Theatres offer family films in sensor-friendly presentations the second and fourth Saturday of every month. And the Regal theater in Rockville offers such pesentations in the first shw of the day on select Tuesdays and Saturdays each month.

→AMC THEATRES amctheatres.com REGAL, ROCKVILLE regmovies.com

Professional puppet playhouse

TO THE PUPPET SHOW TO THE AIR

The Puppet Co. offers sensorfriendly performances of its larger Mainstage shows. Modifictions include softer sound cues and microphone volumes, audience lights kept on and back doors left open for easy breaks. The performers’ energy levels are also calmer, and effects like strobe lights or fog are cut. Tiny Tots shows have short run times—just 30 minutes— and have no dark rooms or loud noises. Many have gentle interactive opportunities, such as singing or movement. While the shows are meant for ages 2-4, older kids are welcome. The company also offers ASinterpreted performances.

→THE PUPPET CO., 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo, 301-634-5380 thepuppetco.org

Skydiving may seem like an unexpected activity for people with special needs, yet kids of all abilities can still enjoy the feeling of floting weightless in the state-of-the-art wind tunnel at iFly, the indoor skydiving facility in Gaithersburg. Instructors can make accommodations for many types of mobility limitations, sensory issues and developmental disabilities.

→IFLY, 9400 Gaither Road, Gaithersburg, 202-883-4359 iflyorld.com/Montgomery

TO THE GYM

Designed as an inclusive, nonjudgmental place for kids of all abilities to play in their own way, We Rock the Spectrum opened in September 2021. The play gym features equipment tailored to children with sensory issues, such as swings that spin and rock, a trampoline, a climbing wall and a bumpy slide. It offers daily open-gym plytimes and classes, such as a messy art class. Check Facebook or Instagram, or call for hours.

→WE ROCK THE SPECTRUM 7601 Airpark Road, Suite E, Gaithersburg, 301-355-8486 werockthespectrumgaithersburg.com

Coolest High School Courses

CULTURAL STUDIES

Students in a new cultural studies class developed by teacher David Lopilato at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School explore projects beyond the walls of the school. They have conducted Zoom interviews with girls in Afghanistan about their school experiences, have produced podcasts about teen life, and are curating an interactive exhibit about the life of teenagers over the last 100 years that they hope to display at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. “It’s a class where your work matters. Everything we do has the potential to be published, or for others to see,” sophomore Jasmine Ferrell says of the English elective class. “It forces us to put out our best work.”

CLOWNING

Learning the art of clowning at Washington Waldorf School isn’t all about wearing funny costumes and goofing o. Laurent Andre, who has taught the elective art class at the private Bethesda school for nearly 15 years, says students learn how to express themselves, interact with an audience and amplify what comes their way in an improvisational performance. “There is no script,” Andre says. That can be very scary at first, he adds, but students often leve the class more assertive, generous and sensitive: “When they finish, thy are stronger.”

AMERICAN HISTORY THROUGH FILM

What could be better than a class in which you get to watch up to 10 movies? Learning some history along the way. In American History Through Film, students analyze movies and think critically about how they relate to various time periods and societal trends, says Andrew Kozlowsky, a social studies teacher at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda. For instance, on his watch list this semester: Dr. Strangelove and a discussion of the Cold War, along with The Birth of a Nation and an analysis of Reconstruction.

Best Cooking Classes for Kids

Hiding in the back of Pike & Rose’s high-end kitchen store Sur La Table, you will find a large pofessional kitchen space used for cooking classes. Many of these classes have been thoughtfully designed to cater to kids: Duller knives are used, hot items are always handled with assistance, and step stools are offeed for those who need extra height. Ingredients are measured out before students arrive. Dirty dishes are swiftly cleaned up by assistants—minimizing clutter and maximizing cooking time (most classes involve making three diffeent items). Sur La Table programs two types of classes for kids during the school year: kids classes (just for kids, geared for ages 7-15) and “family fun” classes (for kids and parents). During the summer, there are cooking camp sessions (split up by age groups). Be on the lookout for themed classes as well, which are often seasonal and based on upcoming holidays. Getting kids comfortable in the kitchen at an early age has so many benefits. As Brandi Ocutt-Velez, area manager, notes, these classes “prepare them for when they have to start cooking for themselves, whether that starts when they’re a tween, teen or in college. These are life lessons they can utilize their entire life.”

→SUR LA TABLE, 11874 Grand Park Ave. (Pike & Rose), North Bethesda, 301-230-1503 surlatable.com

The professional kitchen at Sur La Table hosts family classes as well as those just for kids ages 7-15.

SHOPPING

Best New Store for Children’s Clothing and Gifts

Co-founders Maddie Kaufmann and Briana Abedi opened Rue + Roe in Gaithersburg’s Kentlands area in August, creating a store that doubles as a welcoming space for toddler yoga classes, book readings, music and the like. “We understand how hard it is for new parents to connect with other like peers,” Abedi says about their intention for Rue + Roe to be more than a brick-and-mortar store. Kaufmann and Abedi’s connection dates to their student days at Winston Churchill High School in Potomac. Many Rue + Roe items are sourced from women-owned sustainable brands that are eco-friendly. Supersoft bamboo pajamas, mini tweed purses and coordinating sibling styles, including onesies, tees, sweatshirts and baseball caps (some say “Little Sis” or “Little Bro”), are customer favorites. Sizes range from newborn to girls 12/14 and boys size 10. Gifts are wrapped at no charge, complete with a tulle ribbon. Purchases also can be made online.

→RUE + ROE

217 Market St. W (Kentlands Market Square), Gaithersburg shoprueandroe.com Instagram @rueandroe

Best Place to Shop for Vintage, Quirky and Fun Finds

You can’t help but smile, and maybe even laugh out loud, while browsing My Big Finds in the Kentlands area of Gaithersburg. Owner Jodi Rapaport—with help from local high schoolers she hires and trains—has created an environment infused with friendliness and fun. “I wanted this to be a place for people to escape their current state of stress and just explore and get lost in history and fun finds” Rapaport says about the store’s eclectic selection of home decor, clothing and gift items that include a “Dude Wagon” pedal car, onesies that read “Speaker of the House,” six-packs of beer-infused soap, and cheekily labeled candles (example: “The Cool Aunt”). Rapaport spent more than two decades in the brokerage industry before opening My Big Finds, initially as a popup shop, in 2014. The store opened in its new home in May 2022.

→MY BIG FINDS

129 Commerce Square Place (Kentlands Market Square) Gaithersburg, 301-704-4091 mybigfinds.co

TOP PHOTOS COURTESY OF RUE + ROE, BY TATIANA DOVE; BOTTOM PHOTO BY BRUNA GENOVESE

The Rue + Roe families include, from left, Rosie Kaufmann, co-founder Maddie Kaufmann, Lucy Kaufmann and co-founder Briana Abedi, plus pups Moo Kaufmann (left) and Rue Abedi.

Best Alternative to Mall Fashion at the Mall

If you’re looking to ditch athleisure wear in favor of trendier garb, you’ll find a shoppin experience at Westfield Montgomery mal to steer you in a new direction. Simin Zhu, owner of Fangyán (it’s pronounced fāng yán in Chinese and translates as “dialect”), is sharing 20 emerging Chinese fashion labels. There’s XUNRUO for one-of-a-kind party dresses and WANGREENxCHENCLEAN (WXC) for pushing the fashion envelope. Look to Limone for sophisticated swimwear such as the Tuberose one-piece swimsuit ($108), and to Fansilanen for officettire, including the camel-colored Nadine bow knit dress ($128). The Bethesda showroom opened last August and offer enchanting dresses, coats, knitwear, accessories—in fabrics from silk to cashmere. It’s unlike anything else a trip to the mall has to offe. Let’s face it: No one is going to ask where you got those sweatpants.

→FANGYÁN

7101 Democracy Blvd. (Westfield Montgomery mall), Bethesda fangyanstores.com

Best New Office We Want to Work at

Leave it to a hospitality company to create a workplace that’s thoughtful and welcoming to its own employees, particularly those with children. Marriott International Inc. opened its bright, 21-story, 785,000-square-foot headquarters near Bethesda’s Woodmont Triangle in September 2022. It’s easy to see why workers might want to go into the office. A 20-fotall ultrahigh-resolution video wall in the lobby displays far-flung destintions, the top floor boasts hightech training areas and views that can stretch to Virginia, and on the wellness floor ou’ll find nurses on staff, treadmill desks, relaxation pods and a 7,500-square-foot fitness center complete with instructors and Peloton bikes. There’s room for 2,800-plus work spaces, all with window views. Among multiple dining options, workers can preorder meals from the food court-style Hot Shoppe. Working parents, particularly, should take note: An expansive day care center that can serve 91 children features a STEM room and a 6,600-square-foot covered outdoor play space. A lactation area includes a refrigerator for breast milk and eight curtain-drawn private spaces that have their own pumping equipment. So, when can we start?

→MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS

7750 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, 301-380-3000 marriott.com

PHOTO BY JOSEPH TRAN

BEST OF THE REST

Best Places for Dogs to Exercise Indoors

If your dog is ready to take the plunge, K9 Aquatic and Wellness Center in Potomac offershalf-hour indoor swim lessons ($60) for dogs 4 months and older. Owners can relax on a bench while a swim coach accompanies the pooch in the water. Dogs will do laps or paddle and play with balls or other fetch toys. The facility’s fie pools are each 28 feet long and 4 feet deep and are heated to 90 degrees. Four of the pools are 4½ feet wide, and one is 9½ feet wide. Dogs from the same family can swim together; otherwise, pools are reserved for just one pet at a time. Reservations are required; towels are provided.

K9 Aquatic and Wellness Center opened its doors in 2016. Owner Dominique Darcis says she’s been swimming her dogs forever and calls it “the best exercise for dogs—it helps build muscle mass that walking does not do.”

→K9 AQUATIC AND WELLNESS CENTER 12948 Travilah Road, Potomac, 240-683-1100 k9aquaticcenter.com

Olde Towne Pet Resort in North Bethesda offers indoor xercise classes for dogs, from a cardio class (that includes running on a pet treadmill) to agility play (with a seesaw, a balance beam and tunnels to explore) to swimming in a 4-foot-deep heated pool. Each class runs about 20 minutes. For an intense workout, there’s an hourlong Iron Dog class for pets to tackle all three activities. Another option: a “Pawlates” class. Trainers work with dogs on their agility and balance as they learn how to use exercise balls and other equipment. Most classes cost $40; the Iron Dog session is $95. Dogs must be spayed or neutered. Most pet owners drop off their pooch for class and return when the session is over. Reservations are preferred.

→OLDE TOWNE PET RESORT, 12230 Wilkins Ave., North Bethesda, 888-475-3580 oldetownepetresort.com

When you’re not in the mood to freeze your tail off, head to these indoor spots to help your pooch burn off some pent-up energy

YEAR IN REVIEW

Newsmakers

BEST BROADWAY DEBUT

Montgomery County’s own Myles Frost hit it big last year. At the age of 22, he was the one of the youngest solo actors ever to win a Tony Award, honored as the Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Michael Jackson in MJ The Musical. Born in Silver Spring, Frost grew up singing and playing piano and drums. At Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville, he acted in productions including Hairspray and performed Jackson’s hit “Billie Jean” at a talent show. In 2017, Frost appeared on The Voice but wasn’t chosen to advance. He left his audio engineering studies at Bowie State University once he landed his professional debut role playing the mega pop star in MJ

BEST RISING STAR WITH MOCO ROOTS

BEST HUMANITARIAN BUSINESSMAN

Chef José Andrés has expanded his humanitarian efforts to support the people o Ukraine through his World Central Kitchen (WCK). Within 24 hours of the Russian invasion in February, his nonprofit helped distribute fee hot meals to refugees along the border with Poland. Andrés, who lives in Bethesda, has organized more than 5,000 volunteers working in 550 restaurants to provide meals in the war-torn country. In August, Andrés met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to update him on the work of WCK and highlight the collaborative network providing food delivery throughout the country.

BEST HOMEGROWN MLB PROSPECTS

BEST BUSINESS REBOOT

Bethesda entrepreneur Seth Goldman is back in the bottled tea business. The Honest Tea co-founder sold that brand to Coca-Cola in 2011, but in May 2022, the corporation announced it was discontinuing the drink. Then last fall, Goldman and celebrity chef Spike Mendelsohn launched Just Ice Tea through Eat the Change, a company the two founded in 2020. The drink (a nod to "justice") is marketed as being produced with organic fair trade-sourced tea leaves and ingredients, and suppliers who are fairly compensated.

Montgomery Blair High School alum Cynthia Addai-Robinson starred in two big productions released last fall. She played Queen Regent Miriel in the Amazon Prime Video series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which premiered in September. Then she was a wealthy British bride in The People We Hate at the Wedding, a comedy-drama film eleased by Prime Video in November. Addai-Robinson was born in London and moved to Silver Spring when she was 4. After Blair, she graduated from New York University with a bachelor's in theater.

Locals are keeping an eye on the rising baseball careers of Matt Mervis and James Wood. Mervis grew up in Potomac, attended Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda and played college baseball at Duke University. The 24-year-old had an outstanding 2022 season as an infielder with sveral minor league teams, including the Triple-A Iowa Cubs in Des Moines. He hit 36 home runs and led minor league baseball with 119 RBIs. Olney’s James Wood finished the 2022 season plying outfield fo the Washington Nationals’ single-A affilte team in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Wood was a baseball and basketball standout at St. John’s College High School in Chevy Chase, D.C., before transferring to IMG Academy, a sports prep school in Bradenton, Florida. The 20-year-old started his pro career with the San Diego Padres organization in 2021 and was dealt to the Nationals’ organization in 2022 as part of the Juan Soto trade.

FROST PHOTO BY REGINA MOGILEVSKAYA; OTHER PHOTOS BY GETTY IMAGES

JAMES WOOD

MATT MERVIS

WORST GOVERNMENT EXIT

There were a slew of unplanned departures at the Montgomery County Planning Board last fall after allegations of misconduct. An internal investigation, prompted by a whistleblower tip, revealed that board Chair Casey Anderson kept a liquor cabinet in his office at the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission headquarters in Wheaton and served colleagues after work hours. Anderson apologized for breaking the policy of having alcohol in his government office. In October, the county council asked the entire board to resign, including Anderson, who had served on the panel since 2011; Vice Chair Partap Verma; and board members Gerald Cichy, Tina Patterson and Carol Rubin.

WORST (ALLEGED) ATTEMPT TO BREACH MEDICAL TRUST

News of a Rockville couple being charged with trying to aid Russia in its war with Ukraine read a bit like a foiled plot in a spy novel. In September, the U.S. Department of Justice charged Jamie Lee Henry , a U.S. Army major, and his wife, Anna Gabrielian , an anesthesiologist at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, with conspiracy and the wrongful disclosure of individually identifiable health information. Prosecutors allege the pair met with someone they thought was connected to the Russian government to pass on private medical notes of Americans in the federal government and military, but that individual was actually an undercover FBI agent. If convicted, Gabrielian and Henry face several years in prison on the charges.

Readersʼ Picks

Nearly 7,500 people voted in our online readers’ poll. Here are the winners and the finalists, listed in order of the number of votes received.

Fitness & Beauty

GYM

Life Time

Equinox

Pulse Fitness

YMCA Bethesda-Chevy Chase

BARRE STUDIO

Solidcore

Barre3 Bethesda

Pure Barre

YOGA/PILATES STUDIO

ExtendYoga

Pulse Fitness

PureFire Yoga

Sweetbay Yoga

SPIN STUDIO

SoulCycle

Senz Yoga, Barre & Cycle

PERSONAL TRAINER

Lisa Platnik

Marian Lally

Debi Schenk

BARBERSHOP

7 Locks Barber

Jack the Clipper

Tran’s Barber Shop

Spiro’s Barber & Hairstyling

HAIR SALON

Bella Bethesda Salon

Progressions Salon Spa Store

Headlines Hair Designers

Aveda Bethesda Salon & Spa

NAIL SALON

Sandy Nails

AcquaNails

Nails by Tammy

DAY SPA

Blu Water

Woodhouse Spa–North Bethesda

Ohana Wellness

Woodhouse Spa–Gaithersburg

Food & Drink

NEW RESTAURANT

Planta

Melina

RESTAURANT IN BETHESDA/CABIN JOHN

Woodmont Grill

Raku

Wild Tomato

Mon Ami Gabi

RESTAURANT IN CHEVY CHASE

La Ferme

Lia’s

Clyde’s

RESTAURANT IN GAITHERSBURG/NORTH POTOMAC

II Porto

Vasili’s Kitchen

True Food Kitchen

Coastal Flats

RESTAURANT IN KENSINGTON/ GARRETT PARK

Black Market Bistro

Frankly…Pizza!

The Dish and Dram

Melina: Best Restaurant in North Bethesda/ Rockville

Bella Bethesda Salon has been a staple in the community for over 15 years. Bella Bethesda is not just a hair salon but a place that inspires fabulous hair while allowing our guests to escape their busy lives. Our services go far beyond standard cut and color. We feature services for straightening & smoothing as well as special occasions such as weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, etc. At Bella Bethesda Salon, we’re not just committed to delivering great-looking, sophisticated and manageable hair. We arm our guests with the knowledge to maintain their “just from the salon” look in between cuts and color.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND WE HOPE TO SEE YOU IN THE SALON SOON!

Readers’ Pick, Best Salon in Bethesda

RESTAURANT IN NORTH BETHESDA/ROCKVILLE

Melina

Summer House Santa Monica

Julii

RESTAURANT IN POTOMAC

Renato’s at River Falls

MoCo’s Founding Farmers

Hunter’s Bar and Grill

Gregorio’s Trattoria

RESTAURANT IN SILVER SPRING

Zinnia

All Set Restaurant & Bar

Parkway Deli & Restaurant

Mi Rancho

RESTAURANT IN UPPER NORTHWEST D.C.

Millie’s Et Voila!

NEIGHBORHOOD RESTAURANT

Woodmont Grill

Wild Tomato

Gregorio’s Trattoria

SPECIAL OCCASION RESTAURANT

The Capital Grille

Mon Ami Gabi

Bistro Provence

La Ferme

PLANT-BASED RESTAURANT

Planta

True Food Kitchen

Shouk

Flower Child

BRUNCH

MoCo’s Founding Farmers

Summer House Santa Monica

Silver

Tatte Bakery & Cafe

SHARED PLATES

Spanish Diner

Cava Mezze

Guardado’s

Hawkers Asian Street Food

OUTDOOR DINING

Old Angler’s Inn

Millie’s

Zinnia

Caddies on Cordell

KIDS MENU

Silver Diner

Millie’s Silver

Mon Ami Gabi

HAPPY HOUR

Gringos & Mariachis

King Street Oyster Bar

Caddies on Cordell

RESTAURANT BEER SELECTION

World of Beer

Owen’s Ordinary

Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

RESTAURANT WINE LIST

Morton’s The Steakhouse

Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant

Mon Ami Gabi

Duck Duck Goose

BAR/RESTAURANT TO WATCH A GAME

Caddies on Cordell

Quincy’s South Bar & Grille

Sports & Social

BAKERY

Fresh Baguette

Tatte Bakery & Cafe

Sunday Morning Bakehouse

Stella’s Bakery

ICE CREAM SHOP

Sarah’s Handmade Ice Cream & Treats

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams

Henry’s Sweet Retreat

Carmen’s Italian Ice & Cafe

Sprinkles

NEIGHBORHOOD MARKET

Grosvenor Market

Balducci’s

The Market at River Falls

MOM’s Organic Market

Health & Wellness

CARDIOLOGIST

Jack Flyer

Scott Shapiro

Daniel Schwartz

Barry Talesnick

COSMETIC SURGEON

Jennifer Parker Porter

Philip Schoenfeld

Roger Friedman

Joseph Michaels

EYE DOCTOR

Rachel Cohn

Harry Huang

James Heltzer

OB-GYN

Lori Kaler

Tobie Beckerman

Jacqueline Apgar

Marilyn Jerome

Robert Footer

ORTHOPEDIST

Christopher Cannova

Robert Buber

Sridhar Durbhakula

Gautam Siram

PEDIATRICIAN

Leila Hall

Giorgio Kulp

Dana Kornfeld

Paul Weiner

PODIATRIST

Ira Deming

Samuel Galitzer

Paul Ross

Lee Firestone

Franklin Polun

VEIN CARE PRACTICE

Center for Vein

Restoration

Capitol Vein & Laser Centers

Blu Water Spa: Best Day Spa

The Halem Group

Compass Bethesda’s #1 team and ranked by The Wall Street Journal in the top 1% of Agents nationwide, the Halem Group is one of the most highly-decorated teams in the DMV. Each year since 2015, they have been named one of the DC area’s Best Realtors and Top Producers by Washingtonian, and awarded as Top Vote Recipient in Bethesda Magazine’s “Best of Bethesda” since 2010. Margie and her teammates Harrison Halem, Courtney Halem, Elizabeth Meltzer, Lori Silverman, Ashley Townsend, Matt Gloger, and Janet Pitt, are licensed in DC, MD and VA and known for their unrivaled knowledge, exceptional service, and tech-savvy approach to real estate. Whether Margie is advising a first-time home buyer or a seasoned seller, her favorite part of the job remains the same: the enduring relationships she cultivates with clients. For more than three decades, Margie’s service-driven approach and passion for helping people have built an extensive network of contacts that she leverages for her client’s benefit. Margie is committed to enjoying her family and grandchildren along with local causes, including volunteering at her synagogue, Autism Speaks, & the American Heart Association. Wherever your next real estate journey may take you, there’s no doubt that you want Margie and the Halem Group by your side.

HOSPITAL FOR CHILDBIRTH

Sibley Memorial Hospital

Adventist HealthCare Shady

Grove Medical Center

Holy Cross Hospital

URGENT CARE PRACTICE

MedStar Health Urgent Care

PM Pediatric Care

Patient First Primary and Urgent Care

AllCare Family Medicine & Urgent Care

GENERAL DENTIST

Jason Cohen

Jay Samuels

Hilari Dunn

Richard Hunsinger Jr.

PEDIATRIC DENTIST

Derek Blank

Heather Sholander

Karen Benitez

Lauren Lewis

INDIVIDUAL THERAPIST

Marjorie Kreppel

Jaclyn Halpern

MARRIAGE & FAMILY THERAPIST

Marjorie Kreppel

Uzma Knouss

Katie Jankowski

IN-HOME CARE

Family & Nursing Care

Corewood Care

Comfort Home Care

Montcordia

Capital City Nurses

SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY

Maplewood Park Place

Ingleside at King Farm

Leisure World

Fox Hill

Asbury Methodist Village

Riderwood

NUTRITIONIST

Jen Silverman

Elizabeth Blumberg

Jessica Murgueytio

PHYSICAL THERAPIST

Lambros Georgallas

Stacy King

Therese McNerney

Liz Kahrl

LUXURY CONDOMINIUMS

Lionsgate

Somerset House II

The Lauren

The Ritz-Carlton Residences

The Darcy

LUXURY TOWNHOMES

The Brownstones at Park

Potomac

Tower Oaks

Quarry Springs

REAL ESTATE AGENT

Margie Halem

Marcela Zoccali

Carolyn Sappenfiel

Cara Pearlman

Dana Rice

MORTGAGE BROKER

Jonathan Okun

Deb Levy

Brendan McKay

Marion Cantor

Masoud Hosseini

ARCHITECT

Carib Daniel Martin

BUILDER

Sandy Spring Builders

Classic Homes of Maryland

Jendell Construction

Douglas Construction Group

Castlewood Custom Builders

INTERIOR DESIGNER

Wendy Danziger

Natalie Nunes

TOBE DesignGroup

HOME ORGANIZER

Margaret Richey Design Sense

Good Order DC

PLUMBER

Leahy Plumbing & Heating

Acker & Sons

Len the Plumber

Mallick Plumbing & Heating

Uneeda Plumbing & Bath

Remodeling

LANDSCAPING COMPANY

Fine Earth Landscape

Pineapple Landscaping

Shorb Landscaping

LUXURY APARTMENTS

The Elm

The Palisades of Bethesda

Flats at Bethesda Avenue

Maizon Bethesda

Architecture + Design

GTM Architects

Anthony Wilder Design/Build

Claude C. Lapp Architects

McHale Landscape Design

NURSERY/GARDEN CENTER

American Plant

Good Earth Garden Market

Johnson’s Florist & Garden Centers

PHOTO BY JEFFREY SAUERS, CPI PRODUCTIONS

The Elm: Best Luxury Apartments

Kids & Schools

PRESCHOOL/DAY CARE

Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church Nursery School

Geneva Day School

Washington Episcopal School

Christ Episcopal School

PRIVATE SCHOOL

–LOWER SCHOOL

Washington Episcopal School

McLean School

Christ Episcopal School

Green Acres School

Bullis

PRIVATE SCHOOL

–UPPER SCHOOL

McLean School

Bullis

Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart

Landon

Holton-Arms School

PRIVATE SCHOOL WITH RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION

Washington Episcopal School

Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart

St. Jane de Chantal School

Christ Episcopal School

Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School

PRIVATE SCHOOL WITH PROGRAM FOR NONTRADITIONAL LEARNERS

McLean School

The Siena School

The Diener School*

SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

Danny Vogelman, Washington Episcopal School

Nicole Stone, Christ Episcopal School

Elizabeth Hamilton, St. Jane de Chantal School

TUTORING FIRM

Learning Essentials

PrepU

PrepMatters

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS

Consulting Service

PrepMatters

Marks Education

Bass Educational Services

SUMMER ADVENTURE CAMP

Calleva

McLean School

Washington Episcopal School

Geneva Day Camp

Kids After Hours

SUMMER ARTS CAMP

VisArts

Adventure Theatre & ATMTC Academy

McLean School

Washington Episcopal School

Creative Summer at Holton-Arms School

SUMMER SPORTS CAMP

Tru2Form Hoops

SummerEdge at McLean School

Landon Summer

Top Rank Soccer Academy Camp

CHILDREN’S THEATER

Imagination Stage

Adventure Theatre MTC

The Puppet Co.

CHILDREN’S DANCE STUDIO

Bethesda Conservatory of Dance

Bella Ballet

Dawn Crafton Dance Connection

CityDance

INDOOR PLAY SPACE

The Little Towns Children’s Museum

My Gym

Sky Zone Trampoline Park

KID Museum

Pets

DOG BOARDING

Dogtopia

Blue Dog Boarding and Daycare

Olde Towne Pet Resort

Bone Jour

DOG PARK

Bark Social

Dog Park at Cabin John Regional Park

Dog Park at Dewey Local Park

DOG WALKING SERVICE

A Walk in the Park (TIE)

DogOn Fitness (TIE)

In Good Paws

VETERINARY PRACTICE FOR CATS

Potomac Animal Hospital

A Cat Clinic

Alpine Veterinary Hospital

Canal Clinic

PHOTO BY LIZ LYNCH

*Editor’s Note: The Diener School was founded by Jillian Copeland, who owns Bethesda Magazine along with her husband, Scott.

Bark Social: Best Dog Park

VETERINARY PRACTICE FOR DOGS

Potomac Animal Hospital

Alpine Veterinary Hospital

Canal Clinic

Bradley Hills Animal Hospital

PET SUPPLY BOUTIQUE

Loyal Companion

Bone Jour

Elysiem

Shopping

NEW STORE

Flex All Day

Bonday

WOMEN’S CLOTHING BOUTIQUE

Belina Boutique

Sassanova

Morley

Flex All Day

Anthropologie

GIFT STORE

The Blue House

Occasions

Red Orchard

SHOPPING CENTER

Wildwood Shopping Center

Westfield Montgomery mal

Pike & Rose

CONSIGNMENT/RESALE STORE

Reddz Trading

New4You Thrift Boutique

Kid to Kid

HOME APPLIANCES RETAILER

(NOT A NATIONAL CHAIN)

Bray & Scarff

ABW Appliances

ApplianceLand

Appliance Distributors Unlimited

PLACE TO BUY GLASSES

(NOT A NATIONAL CHAIN)

Voorthius Opticians

Wink Eyecare Boutique

Colonial Opticians

Apex Optical

BIKE STORE

Griffin Cycle

Big Wheel Bikes

Terrapin Bicycles

Weddings & Events

EVENT PLANNER

Save the Date

Jamie Kramer Events

Michele Hodges Events

CATERER

Fransar Catering Services

Ridgewells Catering

Heckman’s Caddies Catering

Spilled Milk Catering

FLORIST

Bethesda Florist

LuLu Florist

Edge Floral Event Designers

Suburban Florist

Hoover-Fisher Florist

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

Michael Bennett Kress

Photography

Kathleen Marie Ward

WEDDING CAKES

Fancy Cakes Bakery

Stella’s Bakery

Classic Bakery

PLACE FOR BAR/BAT MITZVAH

Woodmont Country Club VisArts

Glen Echo Park

Lakewood Country Club

PLACE FOR A WEDDING RECEPTION

Glen Echo Park VisArts

Strathmore

Woodmont Country Club

PLACE TO BUY A WEDDING DRESS

BHLDN

David’s Bridal

Love Couture Bridal

Fairytale Brides

PLACE TO BUY AN ENGAGEMENT RING

Boone & Sons Jewelers

Mervis Diamond Importers

Tiffany & Co

Kaufmann Jewelers

PHOTO BY JOSEPH TRAN

Flex All Day: Best New Store

The Cara Pearlman Group thanks you and everyone who voted for us in this year’s Best of Bethesda campaign. Our team’s mission is to “help everyone find their place in the world.” With 30 years of collective experience, Cara Pearlman and the team have had the honor of assisting hundreds of buyers and sellers, with the goal of helping them find their place in the Washington, D.C. Metro area.

No matter what your home size, style, or location, we have the team resources to help you reach your Real Estate goals. See one of our most luxurious listings, and the highest priced listing in Washington, DC in 2022, below!

BEST OF THE REST

Best of the Rest

TAILOR

Montgomery Custom Tailor

S.K. Cleaners and Custom Tailors

Bethesda Custom Tailors

Rose Custom Tailor

HOTEL FOR STAYCATION

Marriott Bethesda Downtown

Hyatt Regency Bethesda

Canopy by Hilton Washington DC

Bethesda North

AUTO DEALERSHIP

Chevy Chase Cars

Euro Motorcars Bethesda

Fitzgerald Auto Mall

Ourisman Honda

COMMUNITY BANK

Sandy Spring Bank

EagleBank

United Bank

Founders Bank

ESTATE ATTORNEY

Adam Abramowitz

Frank Baldino

Craig Berk

Gary Altman

WEALTH MANAGEMENT FIRM (NOT A NATIONAL CHAIN)

Vintage Financial Partners

Chevy Chase Trust

Key Wealth Managers

BEST COWORKING SPACE

WeWork

Industrious

Launch Workplaces n

Marriott Bethesda Downtown: Best Hotel for Staycation

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARRIOTT BETHESDA DOWNTOWN BY GREG POWERS

Thanks to all my friends, family, clients, and all of you who voted for me! It’s an honor I do not take lightly!

For the past 20 years, I’ve been totally committed to helping you achieve your real estate dreams and goals, together with my team – the Coleman Group of Compass! I strongly believe in being a fierce advocate for you, in providing unique personalized service, prioritizing quality over quantity, and being an active presence during the process from start to finish. I’m here for you and I look forward to working with you and yours - today and always!

Cheers to a fantastic 2023!

2019 Winner

2021 Winner

Thank you for voting for us Best Pediatric Dentist!!

Harmony Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics in Bethesda offers comprehensive dental care for children and orthodontics for the entire family. We do our best to tailor our treatment to meet the needs and expectations of each family and to create a fun experience that has kids asking to come back!

4818 Del Ray Avenue • Bethesda, MD 20814

www.harmonybethesda.com

Top Vote Getter: Best Private School for Non-Traditional Learners

2009, 2010, 2011*, 2013, 2015

Runner-Up: Best Private School for Non-Traditional Learners

2017, 2019, 2021

*After 2011, the category “Best Private School for Non-Traditional Learners” was limited to every other year

www.TheSienaSchool.org

The Siena School, a national leader in dyslexia education, serves bright, college-bound students with languagebased learning differences.

THE SIENA SCHOOL— SILVER SPRING, MD

Grades 4-12

1300 Forest Glen Road Silver Spring, MD 20901 301-244-3600

THE SIENA SCHOOL— OAKTON, VA

Grades 3-10

2705 Hunter Mill Road

Oakton, VA 22124 703-745-5900

Sandy Spring Builders, LLC

2023, 2021, 2019, 2017, 2015, 2013, 2010, 2008 Winner, Best Builder

2022, 2020, 2018, 2016 Winner, Best Builder for Custom Homes

2020 Finalist, Best Builder for Home Renovations

2014 Winner; 2018, 2016 Finalist, Best Remodeling Firm

2012 Finalist, Best Green Builder

2012 Finalist, Best Remodeler

4705 West Virginia Ave. | Bethesda, MD 20814

301-913-5995 | www.sandyspringbuilders.com

Sandy Spring Builders is the premier custom homebuilder in the Washington, D.C. area. For over 40 years, they have built new and done large-scale renovations of award-winning homes, bringing their clients’ visions to life. They have won the Bethesda Magazine’s Best of Bethesda award for “Best Builder” every year since its inception, and myriad other awards. They are full-service custom builders and their expertise is unmatched in the industry. They are your builder for life.

Fine Earth Landscape

2023, 2020, 2018, 2016, 2014, 2012, 2010 Winner, Best Landscaper

2021 Finalist, Best Contractor for Outdoor Living Spaces

2019 Winner, Best Outdoor Living Area Builder

301-983-0800 | fineearth.com

Fine Earth Landscape is an award-winning designbuild landscape company serving the greater Washington, D.C. area.  In business for over 45 years, we have built our reputation on excellent personalized service. We use our breadth of resources to meet your landscape needs and to create and maintain your beautiful outdoor environment. Fine Earth offers a complete solution from landscape design and landscape maintenance to patios, walls, plantings and swimming pools.

Front Row: Jonathan Hernandez, Fredy Guzman, Makenzie Blocher, Ann CanningSchruben, Jacob Hafner, Joel Hafner, Bernie Mihm, Dorothy Horton, Nathan Leatherman, Larry Reader

Back Row: Heather Walsh, Melinda Boswell, Morgan Hafner, Irene Hafner, Georgette King, Judith Petersen

Andy Alderdice

2019 Finalist, Best Real Estate Agent

4701 Sangamore Road

Bethesda, MD 20816

301-466-5898

andy4homes.com

We are thrilled to be included in Bethesda Magazine’s Best of the Best. We know there are many Realtors to choose from to represent you; we never stop striving to be even better and our clients agree. With a combined experience of over 45 years, we are proven and continue to grow and change with the market. We are always at the forefront of new technology, support, marketing and negotiation strategies. Integrity. Experience. Commitment. Local.

The Banner Team

The Banner Team:

2021, 2019 Finalist, Best Real Estate Team

Long & Foster:

2022 Winner, Best Real Estate Brokerage for Luxury Homes

Wendy Banner:

2021 Finalist, Best Real Estate Agent

4650 East West Highway | Bethesda, MD 20814

301-365-9090

Info@BannerTeam.com

www.BannerTeam.com

Even more than a love of real estate, Long & Foster’s top-producing Banner Team is driven by a love of community and guiding friends and neighbors through the home buying and selling process. The 14-member all-women team is passionate about their Pay it Forward Program, donating a portion of every commission to local charities, hosting community events and serving local organizations. They strive to make buying and selling a home an enjoyable, anxiety-free experience, providing A Team behind every Transaction!

Front row: Emily Moritt, Michelle Teichberg, Wendy Banner, Julia Fortin, Ilene Gordon

Back row: Gail Gordon, Ashley Vonada, Pat Karta, Jody Aucamp

GTM Architects

2023, 2015, 2013, 2012, 2010, 2008 Finalist, Best Architect

2022, 2020, 2018, 2016 Winner, Best Architect for Custom Homes

2021, 2019, 2017 Winner, Best Architect

7735 Old Georgetown Road, Suite 700

Bethesda, MD 20814

240-333-2000

general-info@gtmarchitects.com

gtmarchitects.com

Established in 1989, GTM Architects is a full service, award-winning design firm. “e believe the most important quality of a well-designed home is its ability to perfect the homeowner’s vision. We pride ourselves on being responsive, talented professionals who bring creativity and passion to our work, prioritizing the client’s needs above all else. Our strength at GTM is diversity, both in style and knowledge, which excites our clients and helps bring their concepts to life.”

Deb Levy Team – Chase

2023, 2021, 2017 Best of Bethesda Finalist, Best Mortgage Broker

2015, 2013, 2012 Best of Bethesda Winner, Best Mortgage Broker

NMLS ID 481255

4445 Wisconsin Ave., NW | Washington, D.C. 20016 202-702-3262 | Fax: 844-560-8138

deb.levy@chase.com | homeloan.chase.com/deb.levy

Experience matters. Markets are constantly changing and strategies for purchasing and financing a home change oo. A native of Montgomery County and lifelong Washingtonian with over 36 years of experience in mortgage lending, Deb Levy of Chase has assisted thousands of homebuyers to finance their homes. Deb is licensed to lend in all 50 states. Chase Bank is a full service bank and has branches throughout Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

Disclosure: All home lending products are subject to credit and property approval. Rates, program terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. Not all products are available in all states or for all amounts. Other restrictions and limitations apply. Home lending products offered by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. ©2023 JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Dana Rice Group of Compass

2023 Finalist, Best Real Estate Agent

2018-2021 Finalist, Best Real Estate Team

5471 Wisconsin Ave. #300

Chevy Chase, MD 20815

202.669.6908

danaricegroup.com

Dana Rice Group’s growth has been swift and significant. In just six ears, Dana and her group of fie full-time agents have sold nearly $800 million of real estate placing them in the top 1 percent of residential real estate agents globally.

Armed with a degree in journalism and a deep history of sales success at Fortune 500 companies, Dana Rice brings a storyteller’s touch and reporter’s insight to the marketing of homes. All Dana Rice Group sellers receive complementary staging services—one of the best ways to ensure you’re putting your best foot forward.

Claude C. Lapp Architects

2016-2022 Finalist, Best Architect for Custom Homes

2013-2023 Finalist, Best Architect

2020 Finalist, Best Architect for Home Remodeling

301-881-6856

Info@cclarchitects.com

www.CCLArchitects.com

Claude C. Lapp Architects, LLC is a distinguished and award-winning architectural firm specializing in cusom residential design. For over 30 years we have helped clients in the D.C. area make their dreams a reality.

Our mission is to provide our clients with the highest-quality design suited for their lifestyles, expectations and budget. Whether you are looking to design a custom home, renovation or addition, we would love to earn your business.

The Halem Group of Compass

2023 Winner, Best Real Estate Agent

2021 Finalist, Best Real Estate Team

2010-2021 Finalist, Best Real Estate Agent

Cell: 301-775-4196 | Office: 301-304-8444

Margiehalemgroup.com

Margie@compass.com

The Halem Group has been blessed to live and work in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area since the early 1980s. Margie has built her life in the DMV over the past 38 years: Getting married, raising three children, building a successful company and eventually joining Compass as the Founding agent of the Bethesda office in 2018.

Every day we work to bring our clients the best service possible. Our dedication to our clients has brought us over $1 billion in home sales and has earned us the 2023 Best Real Estate Agent designation from the readers of Bethesda Magazine

Bella Bethesda

2023, 2021, 2012, 2010 Winner, Best Hair Salon

2022, 2020, 2018, 2016 Winner, Best Salon in Bethesda

2021, 2015 Finalist, Best Place for Men’s Haircuts

2019, 2017, 2015, 2014, 2008 Finalist, Best Hair Salon

4733 Elm St., Second Floor

Bethesda, MD 20814

301-718-9111

Bellabethesda.com

@bellabethesda

Bella Bethesda would like to extend a gracious thank you to our clients for voting us the best salon in Bethesda! It is thanks to your support and our community that we can continue doing what we love: providing unforgettable experiences and some fabulous hair! To better serve our loyal guests this upcoming year, we are attending advanced training so that we can grow with our community and continue to provide you with excellence!

Geoffrey S. Platnick

2022 Finalist, Family Law Practitioner

Strickler, Platnick & Hatfield

1201 Seven Locks Road, Suite 360-7A Potomac, MD 20854 240-617-0404 www.modernfamilylawfirm.com

Geoffrey Platnick (“Geoff”) is Managing Partner of Strickler, Platnick & Hatfield in Poomac, which concentrates its practice exclusively in family law in Maryland and the District of Columbia. As an exceptionally skilled litigator and negotiator, Geoff’s singular focus is achieving his clients’ goals. He is respected for his creative problem-solving and strategic approach to complex divorce, custody and other family law disputes as well as his relentless focus on achieving his clients’ objectives in a manner that suits their unique needs.

Family & Nursing Care

2023, 2022, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013 Winner, Best In-Home Care Provider 2020, 2021 Finalist, Best In-Home Care Provider

1010 Wayne Ave., Suite 1100 Silver Spring, MD 20910 301-588-8200 familynursingcare.com

Since 1968, Family & Nursing Care has helped tens of thousands of families by providing access to caregivers who help older adults with activities of daily living—including bathing, dressing, mobility assistance, errands, meal prep, light housekeeping, medication reminders, companionship and more. As a leading resource for private duty home care services, Family & Nursing Care’s mission is to help older adults maintain their independence and quality of life as they age.

KIDS & SCHOOLS

Renu by Dr. Schoenfeld

2023 Finalist, Cosmetic Surgeon

2021, 2013, 2010: Finalist, Best Cosmetic Surgeon 2022 Finalist, Practice/Place for Medical Aesthetics

2010 Finalist, Best Spa

5454 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 1625

Chevy Chase, MD 20815

301-652-7368

www.renudc.com

@drphilipschoenfeld

@renu_drschoenfeld

Dr. Philip Schoenfeld is a double boarded facial plastic surgeon with over 20 years of experience and a nationally known speaker and educator. He specializes in rhinoplasty, revision rhinoplasty, deep plane facelift, facial fat-grafting and eyelid surgery. Patients worldwide seek his care for complex revision cases. He is a consultant for nonsurgical dermal filles and neurotoxin. Dr. Schoenfeld’s practice utilizes PRP, proven supplements and the Neograft follicular unit grafting technology for hair restoration.

St. Jane de Chantal School

2023 Finalist, Best School Principal

2023, 2022, 2014 Finalist, Private School with Religious Affiliation

2021 Finalist, Private School That Did the Best Job with Distance Learning

2020, 2019, 2016 Finalist, Private School — Lower School

9525 Old Georgetown Road

Bethesda, MD 20814

301-530-1221 | www.dechantal.org

St. Jane de Chantal School, located in the heart of Bethesda, offers Catholic education for children Pre-K through grade 8. Instructional strategies are used to ensure learning is interactive, dynamic and effective. Teaching models include cooperative learning, use of textbooks, Chromebooks, iPads and experimental learning in all disciplines. STEM and fine ars programs challenge students to acquire new skills. This is a school where children will grow in spirit and in mind.

KIDS & SCHOOLS

Potomac Audiology

2022 Finalist, Audiology Practice

2020, 2018, 2016, 2014, 2013 Winner, Best Audiologist

11300 Rockville Pike, #105  Rockville, MD 20852  www.potomacaudiology.com

During the past 25 years, Dr. Gail Linn’s daughter, Dr. Tricia Terlep, joined the practice, adding pediatric audiology to its services. Terlep had previously worked at the Georgetown University Audiology Clinic and brought with her the skills she learned there. Dr. Linn and her associates enjoy a good relationship with many of the most respected medical professionals in the area, and with their own devoted patients. These relationships continue to serve them as they go forward into the future of audiology.

Geneva Day School

2023, 2016 Finalist, Preschool/Day Care

2022, 2020, 2018, 2014, 2012 Winner, Preschool/Day Care

2023 Finalist, Summer Adventure Camp

2022 Winner 2020 Finalist, Summer Day Camp

11931 Seven Locks Road | Potomac, MD 20854

301-340-7704 | genevadayschool.org

Geneva Day School encourages a lifelong love of learning through exceptional classes and extraordinary programs for children aged 2 through kindergarten.

Its academic curriculum is powered by STEAM and includes specialized art, environmental education, music, mindfulness and physical education. Staff are passionate and highly trained.

As Potomac’s hidden gem, Geneva is a Maryland Green School with a sprawling campus and nearby creek. An innovative “outdoor classroom” and Monarch Butterfly Waystation invite student-led discovery throughout all seasons.

KIDS & SCHOOLS

Progressions

salon spa store

2021, 2019, 2017, 2015, 2014, 2008 Finalist, Best Hair Salon

2020, 2018, 2016, 2013, 2011, 2009 Finalist, Best Salon N. Bethesda/Rockville

2014, 2008 Finalist, Best Nail Salon

12211 Nebel St. North Bethesda, MD 20852

301-231-8757

progressions.com | info@progressions.com

Since 1984, Progressions has brought the best in beauty to the Bethesda area. Our highly-trained team of professionals provide an exceptional salon experience to all our services, from haircuts and color to nails, facials, lash extensions, permanent makeup and waxing. We love Bethesda, and we believe in investing in our team’s education and giving back to our community. We welcome you to come experience the comfortable luxury of our spa, salon and boutique.

Calleva, Inc.

2023, 2019, 2017, 2015 Winner, Summer Adventure Camp

2022, 2020, 2018 Finalist, Summer Day Camp

2021 Winner, Summer Day Camp

2021, 2020 Finalist, Summer Overnight Camp

2014 Editors Pick, Communal Experience (Dirty Dinners at Calleva)

19936 Fisher Ave. Poolesville, MD 20837

301-216-1248

registration@calleva.org | www.calleva.org

Since 1993, Calleva has provided award-winning day camps for ages 5-14 and weeklong high adventure trips for teens. Campers are outdoors all day: adventures abound on the rivers, trails and forests that surround Washington, D.C. Some focus on a single activity like kayaking, rock climbing, horseback riding, mountain biking or fishing. Othes choose a “sampler” week to try a variety of activities. Pickup-point transportation included. Weekend adventures are also offered for families and adults.

KIDS & SCHOOLS

Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart

2023, 2022, 2020, 2018 Finalist, Private School – Upper School

2023, 2022, 2016 Finalist, 2018 Winner, Private School with Religious Affiliation

2021, 2017 Finalist, Private School for Academics; Finalist, Private School for Girls Sports

2020, 2018, 2014 Finalist, Private School – Lower School

2019 Finalist, Private School for Academics (Lower); Finalist, Private School for Academics (Upper)

2015 Finalist, Private School to get into Harvard; Finalist, Private School for Girls

9101 Rockville Pike | Bethesda, MD 20814

301-657-4322 | Stoneridgeschool.org

Celebrating 100 years of Sacred Heart education, Stone Ridge is inspiring girls and young women in grades 1-12 (and a co-ed program Pre-K through Kindergarten) to lead and serve through lives of purpose that integrate faith, intellect, community, social action and personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom. Set atop 35 beautifully landscaped acres in Bethesda, Md., Stone Ridge offers a peaceful campus for girls to learn, play, pray, compete and grow.

McLean School

2011-2023 Winner, Private School for Non-Traditional Learners

2023 Winner; 2019, 2020, 2022 Finalist, Private School — Upper School

2020 Winner; 2019, 2022, 2023 Finalist, Private School — Lower School

2017, 2019, 2021 Winner, Private School — Music & Arts

2017, 2021 Finalist, Private School — Academics

2018 Winner, Private School — K-Grade 12

2016 Winner, Private School — Grades 9-12

2016, 2014 Finalist, Private School — K-Grade 8

8224 Lochinver Ln. | Potomac, MD 20854

240-395-0698 | mcleanschool.org

McLean School transforms lives. Our small classes and Abilities Model prepare bright K-12 students including those with dyslexia, attention, and organizational challenges for college success. We recognize and teach to individual strengths, responding to areas of challenge, but never defining students by them. Our expert teachers teach the way students learn and recognize that great minds don’t think alike. McLean’s curriculum encompasses engaging, essential academics as well as the arts, athletics and mindfulness.

Bass Educational Services

2022, 2023 Finalist, Tutoring Firm

4229 Cherry Valley Drive

Olney, MD 20832

301-774-5211

info@basseducationalservices.com www.basseducationalservices.com

Learning differently should not be a barrier to success. BES has more than 25 years of experience supporting students who learn differently. Whether you are searching for a new school, a gap year/ transition program, or a college, looking for academic or executive function coaching, or if you need ACT/ SAT prep, our staff is here to assist. BES! Learn Differently, Achieve More!

Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School

2023, 2022, 2020, 2018, 2014 Finalist, Best Private School with Religious Affiliation

2016 Winner, Best Private School with Religious Affiliation

2020, 2016, 2015 Finalist, Best Private School (Lower School)

Lower School

1901 East Jefferson St. | Rockville, MD 20852

Upper School

Annette M. & Theodore N. Lerner Family Upper School Campus

11710 Hunters Ln. | Rockville, MD 20852

301-881-1400 | admission@cesjds.org | cesjds.org

CESJDS is the premier JK-12 Jewish Day School with a thriving, diverse, and caring community where each student grows into a confident, compassionae thinker, engaging the world through Jewish values.

“From the warm welcome each morning, to their amazing teachers who have supported their academic and social growth, to the focus on Jewish values, it has been a fantastic fist year for our children.” -Natalie, CESJDS Parent

Explore CESJDS where Tradition meets Innovation.

Bullis School

2023, 2022, 2020 Finalist, Private School – Lower School

2023 Finalist; 2022, 2020 Winner, Private School – Upper School

2022, 2020, 2019, 2017, 2016, 2015 Finalist, Summer Sports Camp

2021 Finalist, Private School That Did the Best Job With Distance Learning; Finalist, Private School for Academics

2021, 2019, 2017 Finalist, Private School for Music/Arts; Finalist, Private School for Boys Sports

2019 Winner, Private school for Academics (Lower and Upper)

2019, 2017 Finalist, Private School for Girls Sports

2017 Winner, Private School for Academics

10601 Falls Road | Potomac, MD 20854

301-299-8500 | Bullis.org

Bullis is a coed, K-12 independent school that prepares students to be impactful global citizens. Students develop passions and build real-world skills as they explore myriad opportunities in academics, arts, athletics and service. The spirit of joyfulness is evident throughout the Bullis campus as students, faculty and families connect with each other and build meaningful relationships. Students learn in an environment that offers a demanding curriculum and supportive teachers who champion student growth, accomplishment and well-being.

Douglas Construction Group

2022, 2020, 2018, 2016 Finalist, Builder for Custom Homes

2023, 2021, 2019, 2017, 2015, 2013 Finalist, Best Builder

2014, 2012 Winner, Best Green Builder

8429 Fox Run | Potomac, MD 20854

301-983-6947

Doug@dcghomes.com | Dcghomes.com

We have been building and renovating unique homes in local neighborhoods for more than 25 years and we recently completed our 200th home! Our mission is simple: to provide our clients with an extraordinary home building experience. Our dedication to client care and dependable communication provides peace of mind throughout the entire process. You will be confident knwing our unwavering attention to detail, award-winning craftsmanship and commitment to advanced building techniques result in a comfortable and beautiful living space that you will be proud to call home.

Comfort Home Care

2015-2020 Winner, Best In-Home Health Care

2022 Finalist, Best In-Home Health Care

121 Congressional Ln., Suite 201

Rockville, MD 20852

4000 Albemarle St., NW, Suite LL15

Washington, D.C., 20016

www.choosecomforthome.com

301-984-1401

Comfort Home Care extends our heartfelt thanks to the seniors and families who voted for us. Serving you is our greatest honor.

Established in 1999, our family-owned agency is a leader in in-home care, serving Maryland and Washington, D.C. Our caregivers are compassionate licensed professionals trained to help seniors age in place with grace. A multi-year award-winning agency, our reputation is for excellent care, open communications and transparency in working with local families.

Montcordia

2023, 2022 Finalist, In-Home Health Care Provider

Western Regional and Corporate Headquarters  2 Wisconsin Circle, Suite 700 Chevy Chase, MD 20815  240-221-6166  montcordia.com

facebook.com/Montcordia  instagram.com/montcordia

Montcordia is a full-service, boutique home care and care management agency, customized to meet the individual needs of every client. Our experienced and knowledgeable care teams include Care Partners and Aging Life Care Managers who can create short- and long-term care plans, coordinate medical services and assist in evaluating alternative living arrangements. Only one percent of all applicants are hired as Montcordia Care Partners. Montcordia delivers on our mission of providing a fist-class service to seniors.

Left to right: Kiara Wade, Kianna Snowden, Beth Marans, Jodie Stocksdale and Alice Kusi Davies

STILL

GRAPPLING

BY MIKE UNGER | PHOTOS BY LISA HELFERT

Before Bob Brams’ eyelids grew heavy and he drifted offto sleep, he was trying, as always, to stay positive. It was the night of Sept. 14, 2022, and the next morning he was scheduled to undergo an MRI that would reveal whether the tumor in the left frontal lobe of his brain had grown, or whether he could exhale until his next scan four months later.

At 63, Brams is not the athlete he was years ago. That’s understandable. Who among us is? But in his brain—now the venue for a fiht between life and death—he was as strong as ever, plotting a game plan for victory.

“Oddly enough, it’s like prepping for a wrestling match,” he says of his thoughts that night. “You’ve got to win. You’ve got to beat this thing.”

The battle that began in late 2014, after an innocuous fender bender led to the discovery of the tumor, will continue for the rest of Brams’ life. He can accept that. What he won’t do is give in to despair, stop living while he’s still breathing, or fade away without making his mark in the campaign against cancer.

Brams’ successful legal career is over. It was a fatality caused by the tumor and a cavalcade of health crises that followed. He misses his work, but he doesn’t dwell on the loss. Today, he advocates for cancer research. When he’s not raising money to fiht the disease through the sale and signings of his book Forever Optimistic: Fighting Brain Cancer, Finding Your Best Path, and Leading a Life With Purpose, he’s living the mantra laid out in its pages. He revels in life’s little miracles, as he sees them. Enjoying a lively lunch with old friends. Taking in a pleasant evening with his wife, Kim, and their 9-year-old dog, Leo, on the front porch of their Bethesda home. Watching a wrestling match with their 26-year-old son, Garrett.

“I look at miracles differently than I ever did,” he says. “You have to not set your standards too high for miracles, or you might not have one.”

In some ways, Brams already has benefied from several. After two brain surgeries, a hemorrhagic stroke, a coma, a hemophilia diagnosis, radiation and chemotherapy, somehow he’s still here.

And he plans to stay.

A former wrestler and high-powered lawyer, Bob Brams has been fighting for his life–and for other patients with brain cancer

PHOTO BY LISA HELFERT

still grappling

“I’m not going to die. I’m just not going to,” he says defiantly. “You have to just try to keep going. What else can you do?”

After the September 2022 MRI at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., he went home and waited for the results. When they came via a video chat about four excruciating hours later, his relentless optimism had been rewarded.

Stable. Thetumor had not expanded.

“It feels like I’ve been given the opportunity to become more effective in the fiht against cancer,” he says. “It’s like you kind of have a new lease on life.”

BRAMS GREW UP IN Wilmington, Delaware, where athletics played a big role in his life from an early age. He started wrestling in the seventh grade, and immediately was taken with the discipline and toughness the sport requires.

He was a hotshot in middle school, winning most of his matches. Thenhe got to high school and started tasting defeat. Thelosses hardened his resolve, and by his senior year he was captain of the team and posted an undefeated regular season.

“That’s kind of the story of my life,” he says. “I start average and get better.”

He wrestled for two years at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he says he was both a so-so wrestler and student. Despite his middling grades, he became intrigued by the law.

“I saw the competitive aspects of it, winning cases and clients,” he says. “It

just seemed to fitwith the way I thought about life.”

After graduating from what’s now the Quinnipiac University School of Law, he clerked in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C., which led to a career in government contracts and construction law. He eventually joined

trips to the Middle East in the early 2000s. He was heading the legal team for the new international airport in Doha, Qatar. It was a very big job. Multiyear, dozens of vendors, lots of complexity. Bob handled the very difficult negotiations, but he had the human touch. His ability to listen to people and fin a solution has always been one of his strengths.”

Naturally, working on huge cases around the globe was all-consuming. When he was in town, he’d often come home at 8 p.m., grab a bite to eat, then work well into the night.

“We would go on vacation, and the plane doors would be closing, and I would sit in the seat thinking, Is he going to make it?” says Kim, whom he married in 1989. “We would arrive at our destination and there would be file oxes in our hotel room.”

Once Garrett and their daughter, Taylor, now 25, came along, Brams somehow made time for them. He prided himself on never missing a game or a teacher conference. When Garrett started wrestling at age 6, Brams put a mat in the basement.

“We were down there almost every night,” his son says.

the renowned D.C. fim Patton Boggs as a partner, working on high-profilecases like the cleanup projects for Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy.

“Bob got the toughest assignments and always found a great solution,” says Jeff Craven, his friend and former colleague at Patton Boggs. “I remember one of our

Brams was thriving professionally, finanially and physically. He felt great in December 2014 as he headed to a routine cardiology appointment. While he was stopped on Willard Avenue near River Road, just a few minutes from his doctor’s office, a car hit him from behind.

It was such a minor accident that the police weren’t called, and Brams continued on to the doctor. Thedriver of the other

“You have to not set your standards too high for miracles, or you might not have one,” Brams says.

Brams, a former wrestler, keeps a boxing glove autographed by Muhammad Ali. He admires the late champion, noting he “won all his matches in life (in and out of the ring).”

car couldn’t have been going more than 25 mph, Brams guesses.

But in the days and weeks that followed, Brams experienced tingling in his neck and finger. He was inclined to ignore it, but the family was set to vacation in Mexico, so out of an abundance of caution, Kim’s uncle, a physician, recommended that he get an MRI before they left.

On Dec. 19, 2014, Brams drove himself to Sibley for the scan. After it was done, he planned to head home to a Hanukkah party the family was hosting, and in a few days to be sitting on the beach soaking up the sun without a care in the world.

KIM WAS GREETING GUESTS when her phone rang. It was Bob. It’s not a big deal, he told his wife, but the scan had revealed a spot on his brain. You don’t have to come down to the hospital, he said.

“I hung up on him and I came right down,” she says.

Decades earlier, Brams had seen a neurologist after experiencing persistent headaches. An MRI then showed a spot on his brain, which was diagnosed as scar tissue probably caused from his wrestling days. No need to worry, he was told.

But now the spot had apparently doubled in size. The couple’s holiday party went on without them, and doctors kept Bob overnight at Sibley, concerned about a possible seizure. In the ensuing weeks, the Bramses showed Bob’s scan to several doctors, and they received differing opinions on its seriousness. Finally they shared it with a neighbor who was a neurosurgeon. He was sufficiently alarmed that he immediately contacted Dr. Henry Brem, the chief of neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, who told Brams to make an appointment to see him as soon as possible.

During an eight-hour surgery on Jan. 13, 2015, at Hopkins, Brem removed as much of the roughly golf ball-size tumor as possible. But he couldn’t get it all. Brams was diagnosed with a grade 2 oligodendroglioma brain tumor. It wasn’t yet

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still grappling

cancerous, but it was an extremely big problem.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, about 1,200 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with oligodendrogliomas each year. They make up about 4% of all primary brain tumors.

“The problem with these tumors is that they’re intimately involved with the normal brain,” Brem says. “

Th t’s the complicating factor in removing these successfully. As you go beyond where it’s pure tumor and you start to go where it’s brain infiltrted by tumor, there’s a need to get the tumor out, but there’s also a risk of damage to the brain. In that sense, [Bob’s surgery] was extremely difficult.”

Therelative fiveyear survival rate for oligodendroglioma is 74.1%, according to the National Cancer Institute, but factors including the tumor grade and type, traits of the cancer, and the person’s age and overall health affect the prognosis.

Brams was asymptomatic before his surgery, and he was lucid after it. But in the neuro-intensive care unit that night, Kim began noticing some odd behavior.

“Bob just didn’t seem right,” she says. “He grabbed the back of his neck and said, ‘Ow.’ I said, ‘What’s wrong?’ He wasn’t making sense. I knew something was wrong.”

Brams was suffering a hemorrhagic stroke. Despite the fact that the surgery was on the front of his brain, this was occurring in the back. Brams was put on life support for a week, during which Kim was told that he was the sickest patient in the unit.

“We just had to pray,” Kim says.

After a month at Hopkins, Brams was transferred to MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C., where he stayed for three we e ks. He had trauma to his vocal cords, struggled with his balance and had diffic ulty walking.

Although he hasn’t regained much of his memory from the months following

background, both he and Kim believe, played a key role in his resilience.

“We do think everything he went through medically, the nightmare, that discipline of wrestling really helped him with the mindset,” Kim says. “He was so far down he had to come back.”

Despite the fear and anxiety that returned before every new scan, Brams remained staunchly optimistic about his future. But in 2018, an MRI showed that a portion of the tumor had enhanced. It was now grade 3—Brams had brain cancer.

surgery, and his voice remains damaged from the stroke and being intubated, Brams’ condition slowly improved over the next three years. His health issues forced him to retire from his job as cochair of the government contracts and projects group at Greenberg Traurig, the fim he had joined in June 2014. But he was alive. Tht was most important.

Physical, occupational and speech therapy filld his days. His wrestling

A second surgery, this time at the University of California San Francisco, was scheduled. Before it, tests showed that Brams had hemophilia. He wonders if that may have played a role in his stroke following his first sugery. This time, things went more smoothly. The five-hour surgery, performed by Dr. Mitchel Berger, who was appointed to President Biden’s Cancer Panel in July, removed more of the tumor, and hours after leaving the operating room, Brams was standing up. Thee days later he was released from the hospital and walking the hilly sidewalks of San Francisco.

He underwent six weeks of radiation followed by months of chemotherapy. Theradiation damaged his left optic nerve, which affects his sight and depth perception.

Brams, Kim says, is not the same as he was before, and she doesn’t expect that he ever will be. While he looks

Bob Brams at home with his wife, Kim, and their dog, Leo

According to the Cleveland Clinic, about 1,200 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with oligodendrogliomas each year.

to be in great shape, he’s physically weaker and tires easily. He has difficulty reading, focusing and concentrating, and has aversions to noise and sunlig h t. He still struggles with his speech, so when they’re together with others, she often does most of the talking.

The tumor is now stable, according to Brem. But there’s no telling what the future holds. The harsh reality is that years could pass without it growing, or it could grow before the next scan.

“Thehardest thing for me personally was watching the guy that was there for me unconditionally my entire life have to be out there like a wrestler fihting this by himself,” Garrett says. “We’re his teammates; we’re his biggest supporters; we’re going to do everything we can. But at the end of the day, this fiht is between him and cancer.”

BRAMS HAS ALWAYS HAD a way with words, both spoken and written. In his previous life, he wrote a book on construction law, and more than two years after his firstsurgery he began typing his thoughts on his circumstances. Progress was slow, but he f ound the exercise therapeutic, and began emailing what were essentially journal entries to a small group of family and friends.

Four painstaking years later, Forever Optimistic was released. The foreword is written by Sen. Chris Coons, a fellow former wrestler from Delaware. P ar t memoir, part self-help, the book details the ways in which Brams’ life has changed during his ordeal.

“My medical situation has helped to focus my attention on what I believe is important, and my thoughts revolve around a new set of the uncertainties that

have now become very vivid,” he writes. “Hopefully my new-found perspective can help you in thinking about your own life, especially in times of pain, suffering, and uncertainty.”

The legendary wrestler Dan Gable famously said, “Once you’ve wrestled, everything else in life is easy.” Bob Brams has certainly stretched that sentiment to its limit. Nothing in his fiht has been painless, but the challenges he’s faced have not broken him.

“I wrestled for so long, you start to get a mindset that it makes you tougher,” he says. “My father always used to say in high school before a match, ‘Get the takedown.’ Thetakedown is beating cancer. Tht’s my goal.” n

Mike Unger is a writer and editor who grew up in Montgomery County and lives in Baltimore.

Halle Berry, a hen, emerges from the coop at Gaines Hurdle’s Potomac home. Her hens roll out as soon they are greeted with “Good morning, girls,” Hurdle says.

HENHOUSE PROUD

Ihad been gone only an hour, grocery shopping for our weekly staples on a crisp, sunny Sunday morning in late October. I parked and was walking through the backyard to enter my home when I was met by the welcome committee: Angry Bird and Loudy chirping greetings and trying to run through the chain-link fence surrounding their coops to get to me.

There is no warmer homecoming than a chorus of hen cackles and shuffling feet to let you know how happy they are to see you. This greeting may be self-serving—a

BY JENNIFER TEPPER

PHOTOS BY HANNELE LAHTI

A TREND IN RAISING BACKYARD CHICKENS ELICITS APPRECIATION FOR FRESH EGGS, COLORFUL PERSONALITIES— AND THE CIRCLE OF LIFE

begging for scraps, apple cores and leftovers disguised as hospitality—but it has always melted my heart.

Angry Bird and Loudy are two of our four backyard chickens. My husband, Tommy, and I began raising our flck in 2017.

Angry Bird is a 2-year-old Lavender Orpington, a regal, rotund white bird with cream-colored accents and a distinct red comb. She struts around with the confidene of a runway model, and her name commemorates a heinous crime she committed. She is strong and provides us with about fivebrown eggs a week.

Loudy is an Andalusian, an active breed with Spanish roots, who loves to forage. With beautiful blue/gray markings in her feathering, she follows our three younger kids around her coop as if she can’t wait to jump onto their laps. Our 4-year-old son, Union, named her after many nights of struggling to fall asleep due to her incessant chirping. She is a pullet, defind as a hen under a year old, too young yet to lay. If all goes well, we expect Loudy to produce about four white eggs a week as we head into spring.

Our other two girls are Mo’at and Neytiri, named after the mother and daughter duo from the Na’vi tribe in James Cameron’s movie Avatar . They are Light Brahmas whose fluff has just given way to white feathers accented by brown and black plumage around the neck, feet and tail. Mo’at and Neytiri will be very large birds, nearly 30 inches tall and weighing around 8 pounds. Each will produce about four brown eggs a week.

Thy make my husband and me two of nearly 12 million Americans with backyard chicken coops, according to the American Pet Products Association, which reported a 62.5% growth in U.S. chicken ownership between 2018 and 2020, the first year of the coronavirus pandemic. Millennials and Generation Z are leading the trend.

Thereasons for ownership are manifold, according to surveys, experts and

owners. Many people raise chickens for eggs or meat because they want to know and control what’s in their family’s food. People love having chickens as pets because of their vibrant personalities. Other owners pick their breeds solely based on friendliness and having nice dispositions so they can be used as therapy chickens. And even others say they own chickens because they use their manure as fertilizer for gardening.

Jonathan Moyle, a University of Maryland Extension poultry specialist based in Salisbury, conducts virtual and in-person education sessions on backyard farming and small-flck chicken farming. Slots that averaged 20 attendees shot up to 60 to 70 during the height of the pandemic, he says.

“Due to demand, we even offered our sessions twice a day,” Moyle says. Feed stores throughout the state also noted spikes in the sales of chicks, feed, coops and startup supplies, he says.

Demand has fallen from the peak, but the impact remains.

When our family started raising chickens six years ago, we were seeking a more

MANY PEOPLE RAISE CHICKENS FOR EGGS OR MEAT BECAUSE THEY WANT TO KNOW AND CONTROL WHAT’S IN THEIR FAMILY’S FOOD. PEOPLE LOVE HAVING CHICKENS AS PETS BECAUSE OF THEIR VIBRANT PERSONALITIES.

direct connection to our food. We, like others, have discovered the joy that comes with the experience and the distinct personalities of each of our hens. However, there are stark realities. We might have prevented some death and suffering if we knew then what we know now about housing, feeding and protecting them.

Despite having these hens—who dine on organic feed, apples, compostable food waste and the grubs they dig up for themselves—we still end up at the store, buying eggs for our family of eight.

A hen lays best when the weather is warm, sunlight is abundant and she’s not being “broody.” Tht’s when she stays in the coop, neglects her own feeding and sits on unfertilized eggs because she believes she is going to hatch baby chicks—despite the absence of a rooster. (Montgomery County and, in our case, Rockville zoning laws prohibit roosters in backyard flcks.)

Angry Bird will have two or three episodes a year when she is highly broody. To help her readjust, I physically evict her from her coop and lock her out of her nesting area.

Gaines Hurdle relates. Her six hens “pass their broodiness around.” Theoldest three are about 4 years old, and their egg-laying has become less consistent. Backyard chickens have an average life span of six to eight years and usually stop laying around years four and five

Hurdle, 60, an interior designer and small business owner, had long dreamed of having backyard chickens. But she lived in Bethesda and says her husband would not comply because of the size of their yard. When they moved to their farmhouse in Potomac in 2018, she could finally mae her dream come true.

“I not only have the space for my girls, but the house came with a gardening shed that easily converted to a coop and run area for them,” Hurdle says.

Hurdle loves her hens because of their unique personalities. She likes that she controls what her chickens consume and therefore knows what’s in the eggs her family—she, her husband and their two adult children—eat. And now, well, her girls are part of the family.

Hurdle sources her hens as pullets from chicken swaps across Maryland, and she has built a flck of diverse breeds.

“My favorite is Phyllis Diller, a Silkie. She is docile and loves to be picked up and petted. Our ‘alpha female’ rotates between Halle Berry, an aloof but nice Barnevelder, and Madea, our Australorp,” she says. Hurdle also owns Miranda Lambert, a friendly Orpington who likes to be picked up, and Lady Gaga, a skittish Delaware who runs around and squats to signal “succumbing”—deferring to any alpha, human or hen. Angelina Jolie, an Ameraucana, is the lowest hen in the hierarchy in Hurdle’s flck. “Being ‘henpecked’ is no myth,” Hurdle says.

Chicken life, she notes, “isn’t all fun and games. I’ve had several tragedies with my hens, from accidents with our hound dogs or just getting their foot caught up on a coop ramp”—resulting in a fatality.

Hurdle recalls visiting a chicken swap in Southern Maryland before the start of the pandemic to get some new pullets

to replace the hens that had died. She described the untimely deaths to a vendor, and has a distinct memory of a young boy, wearing his 4-H uniform, looking up at her and, with no expression, intoning, “Chickens die, lady. Chickens die.”

Tommy and I had no previous experience before deciding to raise chickens. We learned the hard way that the co op doesn’t provide ironclad protection against predators, and that Marek’s disease, a kind of herpes, can kill chicks despite vaccinations. We discovered that determining a baby chick’s gender is hardly foolproof, forcing us to re-home our hen Luisa, who turned out to be Luis.

Common predators include possums, foxes, raccoons and hawks that swoop down and flyaway with smaller pullets when the chickens are out during routine coop cleanings.

We have even experienced hen homicide. Angry Bird fatally pecked her adult hen coop mate at the time. We have lost 15 chicks and hens since we started.

As parents, Tommy and I find this aspect of chicken rearing helpful in instilling in our children a sense of reality and connectedness to nature. The various ways chickens die show how the world works and allow us direct examples to explain the food chain, the interdependence of humans and animals, and the few similarities and vast differences between domestic and wild animals.

One morning in 2019, there was a silence when Tommy and I were making our coffee; absent was the normal chirping and chicken talk that fils the air. We had our coops properly elevated with two types of wire fencing around them. We thought we had constructed the Fort Knox of chicken living areas. Nevertheless, a raccoon had gotten in overnight. It appeared to have chewed through wiring and dug underground to create enough space to enter and attack the chickens. All five of our hens, including one of our original hens, Shake and Bake, were slaughtered. Ths raccoon wasn’t even hungry. Thy often hunt for “sport.”

Bodhi, one of Jennifer Tepper’s 2-year-old sons, lingers by the henhouses. Angry Bird, a Lavender Orpington, roams and Loudy, an Andalusian pullet, is in her coop.

The experience gave us pause, and we felt nearly every stage of grief. We weren’t ready to try raising chickens again until 2021.

REZA SADEGHY, 71, OWNER of Festival Floors & Remodeling in Gaithersburg, learned early to build a coop and run that are impenetrable. Thelarge coop at his Rockville home is 8 feet wide by 20 feet long, and the attached run is 12 feet wide by 20 feet long. He bought dozens of hens in 2021 for his granddaughter, who was 2 years old at the time. She loves watching them when she visits, he says.

Sadeghy added automated watering and feeding systems, allowing him the luxury of traveling for weeks without worrying about providing for his hens. While he was constructing this state-ofthe-art facility, he did lose a few chickens to possums and other predators, but he says he recognizes that it is also part of the circle of life. Nevertheless, his secure coop has nearly eliminated untimely losses and gives him and his hens a lot of peace.

“Themost relaxing part of my day is when I walk out and into the coop and my girls come and greet me,” he says. “Hey

Hey, my favorite black hen, hops up and sits on my lap. It is the best relaxation and therapy after a day of hard work.”

JeffSchwartz, 52, of Brookeville, owns Ashton Manor Environmental, a landscape company, and is a “hobby farmer.” His 17-year-old daughter, Taryn, and 14-year-old son, Max, show sheep and

goats at county and state fairs, and are active in 4-H.

Like Sadeghy, Schwartz has built a maximum-security coop for his 15 hens with automated watering and feeding systems. Unlike Sadeghy, Schwartz does not name his chickens. He appreciates the healthy eating that comes from the organic eggs his chickens produce and the exercise of packaging and selling eggs with his kids to his neighbors, but they are not pets to him.

“Thechickens are just the chickens, and they serve as my composter since they consume so much of our family’s food waste,” Schwartz says.

Our son Union and his twin 2-year-old brothers, Bodhi and Coda, love feeding the chickens our food waste. Angry Bird runs right up to them when they come holding leftovers. Our boys also enjoy petting Mo’at and Neytiri since they are smaller and can be put on our laps. (We wash their hands thoroughly afterward to prevent disease transmission.)

As much as our hens serve a purpose as composters and egg providers, we treat our girls as pets just like our three dogs. Other than the occasional game of dog vs. chicken tag, the dogs and chick-

“

HEY HEY, MY FAVORITE BLACK HEN, HOPS UP AND SITS ON MY LAP. IT IS THE BEST RELAXATION AND THERAPY AFTER A DAY OF HARD WORK,” SAYS REZA SADEGHY.

Gaines Hurdle’s hens dine on scraps and garden excess in addition to organic feed.

ens leave each other alone. Thedogs will roam the yard and keep predators out.

Montgomery County’s zoning ordinance regulates the placement of chicken coops. They must be in a backyard, at least 25 feet from a lot line and 100 feet from a dwelling on another lot, a restriction that largely prohibits townhouse residents from raising chickens.

Theprospect of backyard chickens was very contentious in Rockville, but a divided city council voted in 2015 to establish rules allowing up to fivehens on single family residences upon permit approval.

Gaithersburg also allows hens, up to six unless 200 feet from neighboring homes.

The state Agriculture Department requires flck registration, but according to Moyle at the University of Maryland Extension, the rule is hardly enforceable. He knows of several flocks in the state that are not registered.

Sadeghy, with a bounty of chickens in Rockville, says he has complied with county zoning ordinances but only recently learned that the city has a separate permitting system and a limit of fivehens—and he is working on achieving compliance.

Rockville Police Lt. Kenneth Matney manages the city’s backyard chicken permitting process. Rockville has 26 permits currently issued for backyard chickens, up from 20 five yars ago, he says.

However, he says, “We are pretty certain there are more than 26 chicken owners in the city.”

It is a chilly November afternoon, windier than most, and we are nearing dusk. Union, Bodhi and Coda are wearing their fur-lined Crocs and are chasing Angry Bird and feeding Mo’at and Neytiri. Coda is bossy, and he’s laughing while yelling, “No chickens, NO! Bad chickens!”

as he tries to stop them from chasing him, the physically smallest of our human tribe. Bodhi is trying to pet and feed Mo’at at the same time, which turns into them playing ring-around-the-rosy, circling the chicken coops. Union is moping around.

A couple of weeks earlier we had found Loudy, the apparent victim of a hawk attack, in the corner of our chicken pen. We had left her and Angry Bird out of their coops for an hour to forage around the pen. We returned to fin Angry Bird with claw marks on her back and Loudy slain.

Today, Union cries. “I miss Loudy,” he says. “I’m mad at the hawks.”

We hug and then walk to Angry Bird’s coop to check for eggs. n

Jennifer Tepper is a freelance writer who lives in Rockville and Sparrows Point, Maryland, as well as New Mexico.

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What do entrepreneurial business owners, individuals arranging their estate, couples navigating partnership planning or coping with divorce, leading builders and developers all have in common? They all choose McMillan Metro again and again for personal, practical, and positive solutions to their legal needs.

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JAN. 28th MANDY PATINKIN IN CONCERT

You might know him as Saul Berenson from Homeland, or as Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride. But before those roles, Patinkin was a Tony Award-winning Broadway performer. In Being Alive, a revue at The usic Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, he performs favorite show tunes and classic American songs. strathmore.org

FEBRUARY

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BY STEPHANIE SIEGEL BURKE

FEB. 11th

MARVEL’S BLACK PANTHER IN CONCERT

Experience Wakanda in a new way at this special screening of the 2018 superhero movie, with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra performing the Oscar- and Grammy-winning score live at The usic Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda. strathmore.org

There’s a lot to look forward to this year. Here are some of the events we’re most excited about.

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MARCH MARCH 11th ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE

Fire trucks, equestrian units and various community groups join Celtic dancers and bagpipers in marching through the streets of rio at Gaithersburg’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. gaithersburgmd.gov/recreation/ special-events/st-patrick-s-day-parade

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MARCH 24th FAIRYTALES ON ICE

See Cinderella, Peter Pan, Rapunzel, Aladdin and other famous fairy-tale fiures dance, glide, spin and jump at the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center in Silver Spring in this ice-skating show set to an original soundtrack. mcblogs.montgomerycollege.edu/ cac/fairytales-on-ice-2023

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MARCH 28th-MAY 7th THE NATIONAL CAPITAL NEW PLAY FESTIVAL

Round House Thatre in Bethesda brings two new world-premiere plays to its stage, On the Far End and Jennifer, Who Is Leaving, in its second National Capital New Play Festival. Audiences also get the chance to hear readings of new plays in development. roundhousetheatre.org

MARCH 25th KITES OVER CLARKSBURG

Bring your own kite or buy one at this annual festival at Ovid Hazen Wells Park, and get ready to let it fl. Thefun also includes games and arts and crafts for kids. Local businesses, clubs and associations will be on hand, and festival-goers are invited to bring their own picnics. montgomeryparks.org/events/kites-over-clarksburg

APRIL (DATE TBD)

APRIL 7

MONTGOMERY COUNTY GREENFEST

For one of the county’s largest Earth Day festivals, Brookside Gardens in Wheaton brings together kids’ activities like tree climbing, plus painting sessions, plant and tree giveaways, a green artsand-crafts fair, exhibitions from environmental nonprofis and an electric vehicle show. montgomerycountygreenfest.org

MAY

9

MAY 20th

GAITHERSBURG BOOK FESTIVAL

Hundreds of writers, including bestselling authors, awardwinning poets and songwriters, gather at Bohrer Park for the annual Gaithersburg Book Festival, which features discussions with writers, readings, Q&As and writing workshops. gaithersburgbookfestival.org

CAROUSEL DAY 8

APRIL 29th

Celebrate the season opening of Glen Echo Park’s historic carousel. In addition to carousel rides, there are things to do throughout the park, including live musical performances, kids’ arts and crafts, and open artist studios and galleries. glenechopark.org

MAY 27th-28th

HOMETOWN HOLIDAYS

Kick off he start of summer at Rockville’s Hometown Holidays at RedGate Park. The two-ay festival features two stages of live music and entertainment by local groups; kids’ activities, such as rides and inflatables; and the Taste of Rockville food festival. rockvillemd.gov/665/ hometown-holidays

JUNE 11

JUNE 17th

SILVER SPRING BLUES FESTIVAL

Expect dancing in the street (really!) at this daylong festival and block party featuring live performances by regional blues bands in downtown Silver Spring The vent concludes a week of kickoff concerts at various venues in the area. silverspringblues.com 12

JUNE 25th PRIDE IN THE PLAZA

Ths free, outdoor pride festival returns to Veterans Plaza in Silver Spring for the third year with food, music, vendors and resources focused on the LGBTQ community and other special events. Last year’s festival included a drag duel and vogueing competition.

doitforyoumc.org

JULY

JULY

(DATE TBD) SUMMERFEST

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Gaithersburg celebrates Independence Day with live music, food trucks, kids’ activities and, of course, fieworks. Th party, which takes place at Bohrer Park, concludes with a SummerGlo After Party featuring a DJ and glow sticks. gaithersburgmd.gov/recreation/special-events/summerfest

AUG.

11th-19th

FELA! 14

JULY

7th-AUG. 13th

Regional stages Round House Thatre and Olney Thatre Center join forces for a production of the Tony Award-winning musical, the first pofessional production of Fela! in more than 10 years. It tells the story and presents the music of Nigerian performer and activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti. olneytheatre.org

MONTGOMERY COUNTY AGRICULTURAL FAIR

The ounty fair truly has something for everyone, from carnival rides, demolition derbies and monster-truck shows to farm animal demonstrations and incredible food you can only get at Gaithersburg’s Montgomery County Fairgrounds. mcagfair.com

SEPTEMBER

SEPT. 15th-17th

WASHINGTON UKRAINIAN FESTIVAL

17 OCTOBER 23 events in ʼ23

19 16

SEPT. (DATE TBD)

SALVADORAN FESTIVAL

OCT. 7th

The anual festival has been canceled due to weather and the pandemic for the past few years, but when it’s on, it’s on, typically drawing thousands to downtown Bethesda to sample offerings from hundreds of local restaurants. It also features multiple stages of live entertainment. bethesda.org

OCT. 8th

GAITHERSBURG OKTOBERFEST

The Okoberfest in Kentlands combines the best aspects of a traditional Deutschland celebration—beer, German music, Bavarian dancers— with favorite American fall rituals such as pumpkin carving and apple cider pressing. gaithersburgmd.gov/ recreation/specialevents/ oktoberfest

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NOVEMBER

NOV. 18th MONTGOMERY COUNTY THANKSGIVING PARADE

On the Saturday before Thansgiving, this parade kicks off the holiday season with inflatable turkeys and penguins, flats, marching bands and dance groups weaving their way through downtown Silver Spring. Expect an appearance by Santa Claus and his elves as well. silverspringdowntown.com

NOVEMBER (DATE TBD) RUN UNDER THE LIGHTS

Ths festive nighttime 5K run/walk takes place among Gaithersburg’s Winter Lights Festival at Seneca Creek State Park. Thecourse takes participants through glittering holiday light displays and sparkling illuminated trees. mcrrcrununderlights.com

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER (DATES TBD) GARDEN OF LIGHTS

Brookside Gardens gets a holiday makeover for this half-mile walk-through event. The rounds and flower eds at the 50-acre Wheaton park are adorned with twinkling lights and one-ofa-kind displays, some with holiday themes and others depicting animals or botanical forms. montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/ brookside-gardens/garden-of-lights

With a cast of more than 100, plus lavish sets and costumes, the Maryland Youth Ballet presents the holiday classic at Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center in Rockville. In the past, students from the Silver Spring-based dance school have gone on to professional dancing careers after being cast in leading roles such as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Flower Queen and Snow Queen. marylandyouthballet.org n

THE BUDDY SYSTEM

Players, peer buddies and assistant coaches take to the field. From left: Anderson Jones, Mahmoud Abrouk, Rory O’Hara, Sammie Cohen, Annie Cohen, Jay McGowan, Max Alexander and Nyan Varma.

Open Door Sports aims to create an even playing field—and friendships—for kids with disabilities

BY AMY HALPERN | PHOTOS BY SKIP BROWN

When Anderson Jones was a little kid, his after-school hours looked a lot different than they do now. He and the other students with disabilities at Bethesda Elementary School were dismissed about 15 minutes before the “regular” general-education students so their paraeducators could get them safely onto their designated special-education buses before the finalbell rang. Most afternoons, Anderson tagged along as his mom, Kirsten Jones, took his sister to her array of sports practices.

But shortly after Anderson started sixth grade at Bethesda’s Westland Middle School, Jones learned about a new after-school program in the county that offered soccer and basketball classes to elementary- and middle-schoolers with disabilities. And the program promised something she’d never heard of: one-on-one peer buddies for each player. Thepeer buddies would be general-education students around the same age who would run after loose balls and make sure their buddies didn’t wander off. And, hoefully, become a friend.

Jones signed up Anderson right away.

FIVE YEARS LATER, on a soccer fild outside Bethesda Elementary, Anderson, now 17, is deftly maneuvering a soccer ball through a throng of players. It’s a crisp October day, and Anderson pauses about 20 feet from the goal, methodically sets up the perfect shot, and kicks the ball fast and straight into the net.

When he raises his arms into a victory sign, nearly everyone on the fild charges over to give him a high-five,even the players he’s competing against. A moment later, a player on the other team scores, and Anderson and others race over to offer him a high-five, oo.

“Let’s remember to pass the ball more!” the coach yells out, but it’s clear that coordinating a winning strategy isn’t the players’ priority.

Like Anderson, many of his fellow players have Down syndrome. Others have autism spectrum disorder, are nonverbal, or have other intellectual or developmental disabilities. One needs help walking. Thy range from kindergarteners through high schoolers, though it seems the age and size distinctions hardly matter when they are on the fild.

Thegame they are playing is part of Open Door Sports (ODS), a local nonprofitfounded in 2016 to offer after-school sports programs for students in the county with physical, emotional or intellectual disabilities. ODS currently runs 11 soccer and basketball programs throughout the school year, and soccer and bocce programs during the summer. About

the buddy system

10% of ODS’s players use wheelchairs or walkers.

Thebrainchild of a Bethesda mom with a disabled daughter, ODS has served more than 1,100 disabled children and teenagers in Montgomery County since its inception. And beginning with its fall 2021 season, ODS programs are free to all participants, thanks mostly to an increase in donations and grants. Some of its programs, particularly at schools in lower-income parts of the county, have more than four times as many applicants as available spots.

On this day, all 10 players and 15 peer buddies are piled into the scrum, including Anderson and his peer buddy, Jimmy Barnard. Anderson and Jimmy have been

ing during the program’s 2017 fall season, he hasn’t missed a session—even during the pandemic. (Theprogram was suspended for the spring 2020 session but started back up in time for the summer session, and continued its programming even as the schools were remote.)

“He does fancy himself a bit of an ODS celebrity,” says Jones, who is usually there to cheer on her son from the sidelines. Some sessions, he plays four days a week.

“We could be out, like in downtown Bethesda, and people come up and say hi to him, and I’m like, ‘Who is that, Anderson?’ ” Jones says. “And he says, ‘It’s a friend from ODS.’ ”

infections. At 18 months, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. She didn’t take her firstindependent steps until she was 3. Now 18, she uses a walker in school and a strollerlike wheelchair on family outings.

Hannah and Libby were 5 when their parents took them and their two older sisters, Grace and Katherine, on the ski trip. Albus had assumed Hannah wouldn’t mind sitting in the lodge while her sisters took a lesson. Sarah and Mark planned to take turns keeping Hannah company and heading up the mountain with her sisters.

But when Hannah asked about skis of her own, Albus knew she had misjudged

friends since elementary school and became peer buddies in seventh grade, when Jimmy signed on to volunteer with ODS. Anderson, Jimmy says, “has always been the happiest person I know.”

Now juniors at different schools— Anderson at Bethesda’s Walt Whitman High School and Jimmy at BethesdaChevy Chase High—they are still paired one afternoon a week during ODS sessions at Bethesda Elementary, and sometimes they get together for dinner and a movie on weekends.

“[Anderson’s] confidence has really increased throughout the years. He used to try to score the goal as much as everyone else,” Jimmy, 16, says. “But now he always says, ‘Nah, I want the younger kids to get a goal.’ ” Anderson says he got the idea of passing to the little kids from watching the peer buddies do it.

Anderson considers himself “the MVP of ODS,” he says with a smile. Since join-

THE IDEA FOR ODS was sparked 13 years ago, when Bethesda’s Sarah Albus was on a family ski trip to Pennsylvania. She, husband Mark and three of their daughters were being fitted for their rental equipment when their fourth daughter, Hannah, tugged on her arm to ask a simple question: “Where are my skis, Mama?”

Albus didn’t know how to answer.

Hannah and her twin sister, Libby, were born nearly four months premature. Thy spent their first12 weeks of life in the neonatal intensive care unit at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. After three months, Libby was thriving and released. But Hannah had suffered a massive brain hemorrhage and r emaine d in the NICU for more than three additional months.

By the time she was discharged, Hannah had survived six brain surgeries, a heart surgery and several life-threatening

the situation. “I realized I had failed her,” Albus says. She promised her daughter that “moving forward, I would work to findfun activities for her to participate in, just as her sisters did.”

Albus, 49, knows the benefits of team sports. A soccer star at Vanderbilt University in the early 1990s, Albus helped her team win two Southeastern Conference championships and earned All-SEC and All-Academic SEC honors. In 1993 and 1994, while still in college, she played on the B team of the U.S. national soccer team. In scrimmages, her role was to guard star Mia Hamm, she says.

After she and her family returned from the ski trip, Albus signed up Hannah for a flury of extracurriculars: Special Olympics, horseback riding, Maryland Youth Ballet. Hannah’s weekends were full of excitement, but her afterschool hours were still unoccupied. She

Under founder Sarah Albus’ model, the coaches and assistant coaches would have experience with children with disabilities. There would be a large pool of peer buddy volunteers, and the focus would be on after-school hours.

would take the bus home from school and wait for her sisters to return hours later from their sports practices.

In 2014, when Hannah was 10, Albus quit her job as a social scientist for a trade association. Soon after, she met some recent American University graduates who had started the Player Progression Academy (PPA), a youth sports program in Washington, D.C. PPA was built around a holistic approach to youth sports rather than the fiece competitiveness of other local leagues, Albus says. She began working with the organization part time.

Once PPA’s founders met Hannah, they started thinking about adding programs for kids with disabilities, and Albus decided to take the lead. Under her model, the coaches and assistant coaches would have experience with children with disabilities. Thee would be a large pool of peer buddy volunteers, and the focus would be on after-school hours, when most kids go offto play team sports while many kids with disabilities sit at home, bored.

Most importantly, she wanted her enterprise to be a nonprofit, she says. (PPA is for-profit.) Having just spent $3,000 on a high-tech stroller wheelchair for Hannah, Albus was sensitive to the costs incurred by families of kids with disabilities. “You can’t charge $250, $300 for a session,” she says, because their expenses are already profound.

Once ODS was incorporated, Albus contacted Hannah’s alma mater, Flora M. Singer Elementary School in Silver Spring. She hoped to offer her new program in the spring of 2017 to kids in the school’s Learning Center, which has selfcontained special-education classrooms as well as opportunities for immersion with nondisabled peers.

To Albus’ surprise, the principal agreed right away. Albus then contacted four more schools in the county, including Tilden Middle School in Rockville, where Hannah was a sixth grader at the time. All four schools signed on for the 2017 fall season. Theprogram has grown to fivepublic and three private schools in the county.

the buddy system

setup nearly earns her a goal. “Thans, Mom,” her daughter replies as her peer buddies lead her back to the sideline, where the other participants and buddies wait patiently.

Each player will take a turn yelling “ball,” and an assistant coach will roll one over to them for a chance to score. Thedrills take up most of the hour, with the last 15 minutes reserved for playing a game.

It’s not just the players who benefit from ODS, but the peer buddies, too, Albus says: Thy earn the studentservice-learning (SSL) hours that are required for graduation from Montgomery County public high schools, and, more importantly, develop empathy, understanding and friendships they otherwise wouldn’t get to make.

Anderson’s sister, who plays basketball year-round on an AAU travel team, is now in her second season as a basketball peer buddy with ODS. Finley, 12, says she’ll never forget when her buddy scored his firstbasket and everyone started to cheer. “I was really proud,” she says.

Most ODS programs are open to all children with disabilities, regardless of where they attend school. ODS also offers four programs a week at Sacred Heart School in Washington, D.C., for finanially challenged kids of all developmental levels.

Though Albus runs most of ODS’s seven-week sessions herself with the help of an assistant coach, the organization now employs a handful of other coaches who lead a few of the sessions. In the spring of 2022, ODS introduced a six-week-long weekend program at Silver Spring’s Sligo Middle School called Game Day, for players ready for a higher level of competition. Anderson is a Game Day regular. “He likes that it’s fast-paced and lots of action,” Jones says.

THE PEER-BUDDY COMPONENT has turned out to be one of Albus’ favorite parts of ODS. She’ll never forget the firsttime Hannah was invited to one peer

buddy’s birthday party. “I bawled,” Albus says. “Tht was a thing I didn’t expect to be so powerful.”

These days, Hannah, a senior at Bethesda’s Walter Johnson High School, still participates in ODS. When she’s not on the fild, she often accompanies her mom to sessions so she can cheer on the players. “It makes them feel good,” Hannah says.

On this fall afternoon, her two peer buddies stand on either side of her, holding her hands while she cautiously moves through the warmup drills and the agility course, complete with flxible low hurdles and hoops to hop through. Like many players, Hannah has a tough time jumping with both feet. “We try to get a bit of physical therapy in,” says Albus, who is known by all as Coach Sarah.

“Good try, Hannah Banana,” Albus says to her daughter during the next exercise, after Hannah’s slow, careful

“We have peer buddies who come in nervous,” Albus adds, recalling a “sweet middle-schooler” who arrived on his first day with his hoodie up, his shoulders shrugged and his body language defensive. Don’t worry , Albus told him, you are just here to be their friend. It’s all about positivity. By the next session, she says, “He was holding his new peer buddy’s hand, because that’s what she needed. She would look for him every day.”

“The students that volunteer, they become a lot more comfortable with the kids with special needs,” says Anderson’s peer buddy Jimmy, who also serves as an assistant coach for ODS.

Sometimes, Jimmy adds, when a peer buddy and player go to the same school, their friendship goes with them. “It just takes down that barrier,” he says. n

Journalist Amy Halpern has worked in print and television news and as the associate producer on an Emmy Award–winning documentary. She lives in Potomac.

Hannah Albus with her mom (and coach), Sarah Albus

Wes Unseld Jr.

THE WIZARDS COACH TALKS ABOUT GROWING UP IN A BASKETBALL FAMILY, PASSING UP WALL STREET AND LIVING AMID THE WILDLIFE OF POTOMAC

BY MIKE UNGER

Basketball is in Wes Unseld Jr.’s DNA, but it wasn’t necessarily his destiny. The 47-year-old head coach of the Washington Wizards knew at a young age that he wouldn’t be following his legendary father’s footsteps onto an NBA court. He was a good player at small-time (when it comes to basketball) Johns Hopkins University, where he was a two-time captain and ranked 15th in program history in scoring when he graduated with a degree in economics in 1997.

The younger Unseld thought he was headed toward a career on Wall Street until his dad, a one-time Hall of Fame player who was then general manager of the Wizards, persuaded him to take an internship with the team. He started on the ground floorbut knew after a few weeks that Wall Street would have to wait.

“I fell in love with the competition,” Unseld says.

Despite his famous name, nothing was handed to him. The elder Unseld, who spent his entire playing, coaching and front office career with the franchise, was a modest superstar who believed in hard work and education. He made sure his son learned every aspect of the business. Unseld Jr. started his professional journey as a scout, then worked as an assistant coach for the Wizards and three other teams in the league for a total of 16 years before Washington hired him as its head coach in July 2021.

The job was the culmination of decades of sweat and perseverance.

“This is truly an honor, to get an NBA coaching job,” he said at his

PHOTO BY JIMELL GREENE

Washington Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. at the team’s practice facility in Southeast D.C.

introductory news conference in July 2021. “Certainly, for it to happen here makes it that much more special. I put in a lot of hours to get to this point. For this opportunity to unfold is so gratifying.”

Unseld’s Maryland roots run deep. He grew up in Catonsville, just outside of Baltimore, where his father started his career as a member of the NBA team then known as the Bullets. (The franchise moved to the Washington area in 1973 and changed its name to the Wizards in 1997.) His mother, Connie, founded a private school in Baltimore, where his sister, Kim, still serves as the principal.

Last year, he and his wife, Evelyn, purchased a home in Potomac, where they live with their 10- and 8-year-old children.

We spoke to Unseld at the MedStar Health Performance Center, the Wizards’ training facility in Southeast Washington, D.C., after a practice in October. He was eager to put last season’s disappointing 35-47 record behind him. Two days later, the team got off to a promising start: The Wizards won their opener, defeating the Pacers 114-107 in Indiana. This interview has been edited and condensed.

We’re 48 hours away from the start of the season. What are your emotions at the moment?

Thee’s a little bit of angst. I think it’s a natural kind of back-to-school feeling. I like where this group is. It’s exciting to see how all the pieces will fittogether. We’ve had a good summer and a good September, a solid training camp leading up to the start of the regular season. Everyone is itching to go. Thy’ve put in a lot of work. Thy want to see the fruits of that labor.

You were raised in Baltimore County. What were the values that your parents instilled in you and your sister?

Very simple: Be a good citizen. Be a good student. Those were the two themes. Regardless of what we were into, what we were doing, just treat people the right way. Just very basic things that sometimes get overshadowed. Although [my father] played a prominent role in his profession, he never overlooked those little things. Be on time, work hard and you’ll get what you deserve.

Was there a moment when you first realized how famous your dad was?

I don’t remember one specificmoment, but there were times when we were kids— obviously this was before social media and everyone had cameras on their phones— but we’d go to dinner as a family and quite often he would be gracious enough to sign autographs and speak to people. …I remember him telling my sister and I, ‘It costs nothing to say hello.’ It’s just a simple gesture. He had an understanding that he was in a privileged position, and within the position came a responsibility to be a good steward of the community and conduct himself in a professional manner. He took that to heart. It was a lesson for us, certainly for me in this business, that humility is not lost.

How involved was he in molding you as a player growing up?

He wasn’t that involved at all. I think he did that intentionally. He was concerned about the undue pressure that would put on a kid. Thee were times I did hear parents of other kids make comments like, ‘You’ll never be as good as your dad.’ I’m 6, 7 years old. So he really tried to step back, let me be coached. He didn’t want to overshadow the coaches, didn’t want

Unseld (from left) looking on at a Nov. 7, 2022, game against the Charlotte Hornets; talking with forward Rui Hachimura as the Wizards played the Dallas Mavericks three days later; reacting during an Oct. 21, 2022, game versus the Chicago Bulls; at the Mavericks game. As one of only 30 NBA head coaches, he says, “I’m blessed.”

to become the center of attention, which I can appreciate now.

You would end up attending Johns Hopkins University. Was that a basketball decision, an academic decision, or both?

I had no intention of staying that close to home, but I had a really good experience as I visited with the coaching staff, with some of the other recruits in my class. I knew at an early age that I wasn’t playing professionally. Just being around it, you had a pretty good insight on what that entails. For me, it was more about education. Thethought was to go through school and be able to play at the collegiate level. I enjoyed that experience.

Your first “job” in basketball was as an intern for the Wizards. What did you learn?

I did everything. My dad, as the general manager at the time, said, ‘You have to learn the business.’ So I interned in every department. The first thing he gave me was the collective bargaining agreement. He said, ‘You’ve got to read it and you’ve got to know it.’ It’s a lot of legal jargon, which gets a little confusing, but I learned the basics. I interned in marketing, sales, PR, human relations

—every facet of the business. Now in the position that I’m in, I have an appreciation for everyone and what they do to help make our jobs easier. It also helps me in my working relationships with those departments because I understand the struggles they have to go through.

When did you start thinking about coaching?

It didn’t start until my fifth or sixth year in. I was an advance scout, basically sending back reports as I’d go out and s e e teams, trying to help our team prepare for their next opponent. You start watching so much film and so many games, you’re kind of pulling in di ff erent philosophies. You look at certain coach-player relationships and think, I like this; I don’t like that. You’re always writing things down and stealing different ideas. You start formulating ideas, even though you don’t really do it consciously.

All of a sudden you have a notebook full of stuff.I think that’s where it kind of clicked for me. Therelationship I had with the [coaching staff] allowed me inroads to jump from the scouting realm to assistant coaching.

You were an assistant coach for 16 years. What’s life like for an assistant coach in the NBA?

Thee’s a lot of filmstudy, a lot of player development work. A lot of it is being prepared for practice, being prepared for opponents. Finding ways to build connections and relationships with players. I think the benefit I had was the st aff s I worked with gave me tons of opportunities and helped me findmy voice. It helps build credibility amongst the players. It gave me confidene to do the job.

It’s a lot of long hours. Not quite as long as mine now, but close.

You interviewed for multiple head coaching vacancies before the Wizards. What did you learn during that process? Some of them are very direct as far as you’re going to meet the ownership, you’re going to be with the president and GM and that’s it. Thee’s others where it’s a large group of people and you have to go through a long vetting process. One takeaway is you have to be prepared for anything. What it boils down to is they already know you. You’re just there to confim what they think they know.

Did you think it wasn’t going to happen for you?

I stopped worrying about whether or not it would happen. I was a lead assistant, I was an associate head coach, making a great living, working with terrificpeople, unbelievable players on a winning team. So if this is the worst it gets, this is terrifi.

What was different with the Wizards? Why was this the right time and fit?

I don’t know. (Laughs.) Tht’s probably a [General Manager] Tommy [Sheppard] question. A lot of it has to do with the amount of success we had in my previous position (as an assistant with the Denver Nuggets). When there’s a coaching change, you look at the landscape, you’re looking at what everyone else is doing. If a team has had success, you want to draw from that and findsome type of commonality. Can we mirror that success here?

Your dad passed away in 2020. What do you think he would say about you being the coach of the Washington Wizards?

I think he would be extremely proud, but he would think I was a bit nuts to jump in and do what he did for a number of years. (Unseld Sr. coached Washington—with limited success—from 1988 to 1994.) It was a struggle for him because I think the mindset of some of the guys he was coaching and his approach were different. He got a lot out of the groups that he had. Thy were tough, they played physical, they were in great condition, but it’s really hard to win in this league. Him as a former elite player, I don’t know if all the players he coached had the same work ethic, had the same mindset. I think that kind of ate at him at times.

What did you learn last year about being a head coach in the NBA?

There are so many other layers that go

ABOUT WES UNSELD JR.

AGE: 47

LIVES IN: Potomac

EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in economics from Johns Hopkins University

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND: Scout for the Washington Wizards (1997-2005); assistant coach for the Washington Wizards (2005-2011), Golden State Warriors (2011-2012), Orlando Magic (2012-2014) and Denver Nuggets (2015-2021); head coach of the Wizards since July 2021

FAMILY: Wife, Evelyn; daughter, Layla, 10; son, Westley, 8

beyond basketball. Thestaffs have gotten much larger. Thee’s got to be constant communication. Managing the players is one thing, the basketball piece is one thing, but making sure that the messaging is the same, that we’re all pulling in the same direction. We have a terrificstaff hardworking, very good at what they do, but you still have to make sure it aligns with your vision and your direction.

Even the best NBA teams lose a solid number of games. How do you deal with losing?

It’s not easy. The one takeaway is how we lost. If we’re not competitive, if we’re not doing the things we’re supposed to be doing, that’s where the frustration comes. If we did everything right, if the process was solid and you just didn’t make shots, or that team excelled, you know, you’re not going to win them all. But if we’re not playing the right way, we’re not moving the ball, we’re not defending, if there are certain tactical things we’re not doing, that’s when the frustration filers in.

We hear the term “culture” a lot in sports. What does it mean to you, and how do you go about establishing your culture in an organization?

I like the term culture, but I think it’s often overused when it comes to sports.

PHOTO BY JIMELL GREENE

I think the assumption is that you can just acquire it. I don’t think that’s the case. It takes years to continue to build. Things can collapse in a moment. For me, I look at culture as an accumulation of your habits. If you’re consistent with your habits, if you care enough to do them, that becomes your culture and what you’re identifid with. It’s not something you just put a stamp on and say, ‘Ths is our culture.’

I’m sure there’s a lot of stress being a head coach in the NBA. What do you enjoy most about it?

Thee is a lot of stress. (Laughs.) Teaching, honestly. When you see that light bulb moment and guys get it and grasp it. Tht’s probably the most rewarding.

Do you have specific goals for this season?

I do have some internal goals that I’ve not shared with anyone. Bottom line,

our goal is to be better than we were a year ago. From top to bottom. Win-loss column, in our efficiency, how we travel, how we practice. Be better in every facet of the game. I think that will help translate to wins. I don’t know what number that is, but I do think that we have a lot of untapped potential.

You live in Potomac with your family. What do you like about living in Montgomery County?

We purchased out there in March and we moved in in June. Just the privacy. We’re in an area that’s tucked away. It’s very peaceful. We’re in a wooded area, so we see deer and fox and animals running around. It feels like a sanctuary. It’s very relaxed. You can step back a little bit from the rat race and relax.

We have plenty of areas for the kids to play. We’ve got a little sport court, a pool, so it’s like their own little park.

TAX UPDATE—WHY THE PANDEMIC WILL COST YOUR FAMILY MORE MONEY

Between a pandemic and a hard place: COVID’s effects on federal and state budgets have left massive shortfalls in federal and state budgets. As governments have been left holding the proverbial bag on COVID relief efforts, they now face the challenge of paying for state largess.

Current budgetary considerations at the federal level have left many individuals wondering what their tax bill will look like in 2023. Long standing estate taxes are now being re-considered to lower effective exemptions and increase taxation on assets. Under proposals currently under consideration in Congress, wealthy individuals face a potential 61% combined estate tax rate on transfers to their heirs.

Under President Joseph Biden’s newest tax plan to raise four trillion dollars in new revenue, the president seeks to raise top tax rates for capital gains, eliminate the long-standing tax benefit for appreciated assets known as the “step-up in basis”, and tax transfers on appreciated assets at the time of transfer.

Additional revenue raising plans such as eliminating other estate tax planning techniques and hiring more IRS revenue agents are also under consideration.

For individuals considering their estates, this might be the last opportunity to utilize established techniques for passing intergenerational wealth. Timing of gifting and implementation of planning is critical for those seeking to maximize their gifting under the current regime for planning.

For individuals who have already begun the planning process, cur- rent plans should be reconsidered in light of the proposed changes. Opportunities may exist to maximize gifting strategies, implement charitable planning, or purchase tax free life insurance which may not exist next year.

Our experienced estate attorneys can guide you through the planning process and assist in the implementation of your plans.

What does the Unseld family do for fun together?

We love movies. It was tough getting through COVID because we couldn’t go to the movies. Movie night, whether out or just throwing something on TV and popping some popcorn, all of us enjoy that.

Do you ever have a moment when it hits you and you think, Wow, I’m the coach of the Washington Wizards?

Quite often. Thee are times when I’m out running errands and people want to stop me and ask for autographs. I’m like, ‘Mine? Are you serious?’ You do sit back and think, There are only 30 of these [jobs] in the world, and I’m blessed to have one of them. I certainly don’t take it lightly. I do understand and realize how fortunate I am. n

Mike Unger is a writer and editor who grew up in Montgomery County and lives in Baltimore.

“Nancy

“

“Nancy

Weddings of the Year

Four of our favorite celebrations of 2022, with everything from a groom’s grand entrance on horseback to Elvis-in-a-bathing-suit photo ops

PHOTO BY SAM HURD

JC and Vannyda Mbimba on May 14, 2022

Leap of Faith

A CHEVY CHASE COUPLE’S NATURE-FILLED WEDDING TOOK EQUAL PARTS INSPIRATION FROM JEWISH AND INDIAN CULTURES BY DANA GERBER

The couple: Emily Mirengoff, 34, grew up in Bethesda and graduated from Walt Whitman High School. She is a communication specialist at the American Institutes for Research in Washington, D.C. Srikanth Damera, 32, grew up in Rochester, New York. He is a medical student at Georgetown University. Thy live in Chevy Chase.

The introduction: In January 2018, Emily and Srikanth matched on a dating app called TheLeague, where one of Emily’s profie photos was a shot of her twirling in the Swiss mountains, a reference to The Sound of Music. Srikanth messaged her, “Is it just me or are those hills alive?” Emily was impressed. “I was like, ‘Hey, he got it!’ ” she says. Soon after, they went on their firstdate at Service Bar in D.C., and the conversation flowed. “It was good back and forth. If you've been on dating apps, sometimes it's very one-sided,” Emily says.

The proposal: On April 17, 2021, on Emily’s dad’s birthday and the day before Emily’s, she and Srikanth went to a family lunch at Emily’s sister’s house in Reston, Virginia. During the meal, Srikanth turned to her and popped the question. “He knew that I would think it would be on my birthday, so he punked me and did it the day before,” says Emily. “And I was sincerely surprised.”

The ceremony: Srikanth and Emily tied the knot on June 19, 2022, at Woodend Sanctuary & Mansion in Chevy Chase with about 150 guests present. “Sri’s ideal was to get married in the middle of the woods. My ideal would be an old historic house or structure,” Emily says. Woodend was the perfect middle

ground. Theceremony took place outside in an area called the Grove. Dinner was a tented affair off the house, and dancing was in the mansion’s foyer. Emily’s high school friend Ashwin Shandilya officiated the ceremony, and the couple recited their own vows on the beautiful, sunny day. “Some guests joked that clearly we needed both the Hindu gods and the Jewish gods to bring about such a miracle of weather,” Emily says.

The cultures: When the couple embarked on the wedding planning process, it was a given that their respective cultures—Emily is Jewish, Srikanth is Hindu—would be front and center. “It was predictably challenging at times to figure out the right balance to strike,” Srikanth says of their effort to create “a union of the two ceremonies, because it's the union of the two of us.” Among the traditions included throughout the day were the signing of the Ketubah, the Jew-

ish wedding contract; the presentation of the mangalsutra necklace to the bride, a Hindu custom that signifis marriage; and a baraat, an Indian ritual where the groom travels to the wedding on horseback. Some customs lent themselves well to both cultures, such as a wedding canopy, which took inspiration from the chuppah in the Jewish faith and the mandap in the Hindu faith.

The dress: Emily picked a Justin Alexander ball gown with tulle, lace and a chapel-length train from Ellie's Bridal Boutique in Alexandria, Virginia. “I liked that it was a little bit more detailed than a classic white dress,” she says. She also donned fresh jasmine flowersin her hair, a tradition for south Indian brides, and henna tattoos of the Ohm symbol on one wrist and the Star of David on the other.

The music: Srikanth curated three playlists: one for the baraat, one for

cocktail hour and one for the reception. “I wanted to DJ the wedding, but I was told that I could not do that,” he says. “So the second best was to hire somebody to press play on my music.” For their first dance, the newlyweds swayed to “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai,” a song from one of Srikanth’s favorite Bollywood filmsas a child, before guests grooved to throwback hits like “Mr. Brightside” by TheKillers and “One More Time” by Daft Punk.

The menu: In keeping with the multicultural theme, the couple turned to both a Western caterer and an Indian caterer. Cocktail-hour appetizers included vegetable samosas and a strawberry-and-goat-cheese crostini, and for entrees, guests had the choice of a curry trio, sauteed chicken breast paired with mushrooms, or pomegranateroasted salmon. Thecouple opted for a dessert bar filld with treats like creme

brulee spoons, fresh fruit skewers and mango mousse. “I just thought it would be more fun than cake,” Emily says.

The flowers: “I knew that his family would be in bright colors, because Indian weddings are bright, famously,” Emily says, so she wanted the blooms to be vibrant and joyful. Florals like flame-orange pincushions, hot-pink freesias and purple veronicas made the bridal bouquet pop with color, and similar blooms appeared in gold vases on each reception table.

The special touches: During cocktail hour, kids and adults alike were entertained by outdoor games of backgammon, Jenga and cornhole. A Polaroid was available during the reception for guests to snap photos, adding “a nice vintage feel,” Srikanth says. Emily, who pours candles as a hobby, whipped up two custom blends to serve as party favors. “I really wanted to give people something personal,” she says.

The honeymoon: Srikanth’s medical school schedule put the honeymoon on hold, but they have a trip booked for January to Patagonia in South America, where they plan to hike the scenic W Trek in Torres del Paine National Park.

The vendors: DJ, Chris Laich Music Services; drinks, Ace Beverage Fine Wines & Spirits; event planner, Kristi Hartig of Glow Weddings and Events; floist, Elegance & Simplicity Inc.; food, Catering by Seasons and IndAroma; hair and makeup, Updos for I Dos; horse, Harmon's Horse Drawn Hayrides and Carriages; photographer, Shelly Pate Photography; rehearsal dinner, Masala Art; venue, Woodend Sanctuary & Mansion.

PHOTOS BY SHELLY PATE

Destination ‘I Do’s’

THIS BETHESDA PAIR TURNED THEIR WEDDING INTO A FAMILY VACATION, THEN CONTINUED THE PARTY BACK AT HOME BY

KRISTEN SCHOTT

The couple: Ariana Kelly, 45, grew up in Bethesda and graduated from Walter Johnson High School in 1994. She represents District 16 in the Maryland House of Delegates and is the vice chair of the Health and Government Operations Committee. Stephen Taylor, 53, grew up in Spring Valley, New York, and moved to Montgomery County after earning his chiropractic degree about two decades ago. He owns Family Back & Neck Care Center in Montgomery Village. They live in Bethesda with their four teenagers, Jordyn, Dylan, Maeve and Leo.

The introduction: Stephen has Ariana’s cousin, Margaret Dayhoff-Brannigan, to thank for bringing them together. Dayhoff-Brannigan was sifting through Ariana’s matches on the dating app Coffee Meets Bagel to findher the “right” man. “Thepeople I was dating were

interested in me because of my work,” Ariana says. “People for whom politics is a hobby fin it glamorous.” Stephen’s politics-free profil made him a prime candidate. The two went on their firstdate at Mon Ami Gabi in August 2018. Thy talked about the past, the future and what wine to pair with steak—Stephen had ordered a white wine, and Ariana teased him that it should be red. “It was a cute little conversation,” he says.

The big move: In the two years before getting engaged, the couple started taking steps to solidify their future. One of the biggest moves was combining households. Thy were purposeful about buying a new house together r a ther than moving into one or the other’s house; they wanted the kids to feel comfortable about the decision, too. “We made sure they

PHOTOS BY KATE LEWIS

looked at the house before we bought it and were excited, and it has a lot of fun places for teenagers to hang out,” Ariana says. “It was perfect because then COVID happened and we were trapped at home.”

The proposal: The couple got engaged in 2020 after living together for a little over a year. It wasn’t traditional: Ariana simply said it was time to get married. Stephen, who is a bit more old-fashioned, according to Ariana, said it was the “man’s job” to propose. Ariana, in turn, called him a sexist. But he got his way and popped the question the next week, getting down on one knee in the living room with a vintage sapphire ring.

The ceremony: As with their home, Ariana and Stephen were intentional with their wedding. First and foremost, they thought of their children. “We wanted them to feel like we were moving forward together,” Ariana says. Th pair also didn’t want to plan a big reception in the middle of COVID. So they decided to do a destination wedding in Hawaii—starting with a trip to the Big Island and ending with a ceremony on a rugged cliff top in Hana on Maui, overlooking the ocean. “I thought it was metaphorically beautiful to get married on a rocky cliff” Ariana says. “Thecliche is the white sandy beach—maybe that’s your firstmarriage. By the time you’re brave enough to go through it a second time, you understand there are challenges that come with the beauty.” On hand for the union, which took place on Jan. 1, 2022, were their four kids and officiant Kameran-James Kealoha Kamalu Fernandez, who doubled as the ukulele player. Right after he pronounced Stephen and Ariana husband and wife, one

of the kids shouted, “Group hug!” It was one of Stephen’s favorite moments.

The reception: On May 1, Ariana and Stephen held their reception at Pinstripes in North Bethesda with 100 friends and family members, plus elected offic ials. “We were going back and forth about whether we should have the reception, but I’m glad we did because it was touching,” Stephen says. “It was the firsttime that my family met her family. It was great to have them all together.” Thetheme? A modi fi ed luau, with tropical flowrs (protea, orchids and others in pink, orange and green hues) and photos from the ceremony as the centerpieces, plus a photo booth with cardboard cutouts of Elvis in a bathing suit and then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi—in honor of Ariana’s daughter, Maeve, a fan of the congresswoman.

The entertainment: Thecouple paid homage to Ariana’s heritage with Irish dancing and music from Celtic Music for All Occasions, which also played the tunes for the Jewish couple’s hora—all while wearing Hawaiian shirts and leis.

The menu: Thebrunch menu included appetizers such as tenderloin sliders and pigs in a blanket. For the main course, guests ordered from the omelet bar and dined on waffles,

breakfast potatoes and bacon. Tropical sangria was the signature drink. For dessert, an ice-cream bar supplemented a giant Napoleon cake by Stella’s Bakery.

The special touch: Thekids led an extended toast complete with a trivia game about their mom and dad. “It was so sweet to see the four kids up there talking about how they liked this family that we built together,” Ariana says.

The favors: Guests went home with mugs bearing what Ariana calls “cheesy resort pictures” of the family in front of an “aloha” sign during their vacation.

The vendors: Cake, Stella’s Bakery; invitations, Evite; catering, Pinstripes (North Bethesda); ceremony florals, Hala Tropicals; reception floras, Petals to the Metal Florist LLC; entertainment, Celtic Music for All Occasions; hair and makeup, Maui Makeup Artistry; ceremony photography, Kevin Brock Photography; reception photography, Kate Lewis Photography; photo booth, Good Vibrations Entertainment Services; bride’s ceremony dress, Sottero & Midgley from Urban Set Bride; bride’s reception dress, Sachin & Babi from Anthropologie; bridesmaids’ dresses, TheDessy Group; groom’s attire, weddingtropics.com and Suitsupply; wedding bands, Tiffany & Co.

Prenups: Who Needs ‘Em?

A prenuptial agreement is like an insurance policy; you hate dealing with it and you hope never to have to use it, but if you wind up needing it, you are very glad to have it. Nobody wants to contemplate the end of a marriage before it has even begun. However, having a prenup in place protects against unforeseen problems by anticipating and resolving certain potential eventualities. This can help in removing anxiety and providing comfort and certainty in a variety of contexts going into a marriage. A few examples follow.

This Is Your Spouse’s Second Marriage. Someone who has said “I Do” before may have strings attached – like it or not. How will your partner finance ongoing alimony payments to his or her first spouse? Does your intended spouse own property with a former spouse or owe a duty of child support? A prenup can address how these expenses will be paid.

You or Your Partner Have Children from a Previous Relationship. Couples with children from previous relationships often use prenups to earmark marital and non-marital assets for those children. In most states, including Maryland, property acquired during the course of a marriage is considered “marital property” and, in the absence of a prenup, is subject to broad-brush rules with regard to asset division at the time of divorce or death. Use of an effective and enforceable prenup can proactively address these issues and significantly mitigate conflict between the children and step-parent – now and in the future.

You Bring Significant Assets, or Your Spouse Brings

Significant Debt, to the Marriage. People who have established their careers and have – or one day will have – significant assets (business interests, savings, retirement or other investments, family inheritance, real property, etc.), may need to consider the degree to which it is important to designate those assets as separate from shared marital property. Similarly, your partner may bring to the marriage substantial

debts (education loans, outstanding mortgage debts, etc.). In either case, a prenup is a crucial mechanism for preemptively addressing how these matters will be handled, and can establish clear rules for distinguishing what is marital and what is nonmarital, without comingling.

You Have Relationship Baggage. Whether your parents divorced or you yourself have been unlucky in love in the past, designing a prenup can bring important comfort to the already anxiety-provoking process of preparing for marriage. As a legal contract, a prenup may give you - and your partner - added confidence, comfort and security as you prepare to walk down the aisle.

To establish a prenuptial agreement, it is recommended that each person retain their own lawyer to represent their individual interests. An experienced family law attorney is helpful in anticipating sources of conflict or disagreement given their detachment from the emotions of the impending marriage. In addition, attorneys who practice in areas of estate planning, tax and business law can add helpful perspective, as each of these professionals will encourage unique and case specific considerations based on their areas of practice. As a full service firm, our clients are able to benefit from the breadth of talent of our attorneys in each of these practice areas.

Monica Garcia Harms chairs the Family Law department at Stein Sperling Bennett De Jong Driscoll PC. Her thorough knowledge and understanding of her clients’ circumstances and needs distinguish her approach to the practice of family law. Monica represents clients in complex matters including pre and post nuptial agreements, divorce, contested custody, support and property allocation. She can be reached via email at mharms@steinsperling.com.

New Traditions

HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEARTS HONORED THEIR CAMBODIAN AND AFRICAN BACKGROUNDS THROUGHOUT THEIR FESTIVITIES BY KRISTEN SCHOTT

The couple: Vannyda Mbimba (maiden name Kong), 29, grew up in Gaithersburg. She is a senior associate in governance oversight at Fannie Mae. JC Mbimba, 29, was born in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo and moved with his family to Gaithersburg when he was 7. He is a clinical pharmacist at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital. Thecouple lives in Gaithersburg.

The introduction: JC was not in a good mood when he met his future bride at her high school lacrosse game. His friend, also a lacrosse player, had dragged him to the match. “I probably didn’t make the best impression,” JC says. Regardless, they hit it off.Thy were friends firstbefore they began dating in 2010, during their junior year of high school. Thei firstdate: mini golf at Bohrer Park and milkshakes at Silver Diner.

The proposal: JC’s plan began to take shape when a mutual friend asked the couple to pose for portraits for his photography portfolio. JC realized it would be a perfect opportunity to propose. He set the occasion for July 2019 at the National Arboretum, after Vannyda returned from visiting family in Cambodia. A twist? “When she was away, she was texting me that she was having dreams that I proposed and she hated the ring,” JC says. But the psychic energy didn’t deter him. He surprised Vannyda by getting their friends and family to hide around the National Capitol Columns and come out once he got down on one knee. Theday before the proposal, he had recreated their first ate.

The cultural ceremony: Thepandemic delayed the wedding twice to mid-2022. It was important to Vannyda and JC to pay homage to their respective cultures. “I always pictured myself having a Cambodian wedding,

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weddings of the year

and he always pictured himself having a church wedding,” Vannyda says. So they did both, beginning with an intimate Cambodian ceremony on May 14 in the Germantown backyard of Vannyda’s sister-in-law, Yolande Mbimba. During the groom’s procession, his family brought gifts for the bride and her kin. During another traditional ceremony, guests pretended to trim the couple’s hair. “It symbolizes getting rid of your dead ends and old life and embracing your new married life,” Vannyda says. Thefestivities ended with a literal knottying—friends and relatives tied a red string around the couple’s wrists and offered a blessing.

The wedding: On June 3, the couple said “I do” at St. Katharine Drexel Catholic Church in Frederick and held an evening reception in Catoctin Hall at Musket Ridge Golf Club in Myersville. Vannyda describes their theme as “romantic summer garden.” Thecolor scheme was coral, gray, cream, pink and green. Tall trumpet vases filld with hydrangeas, cream and pink roses, Italian ruscus and greenery served as the centerpieces. “Guests told us they were the perfect height so they

could have a conversation at dinner,” the bride says. For table numbers, the couple used pictures depicting them at that age. Thesweetheart table was decorated with Vannyda’s bouquet and a neon-sign backdrop that read “TheMbimbas.” And, on a table toward the entryway, the couple placed photos of their grandparents and other family members who had passed.

The menu: Appetizers included goat cheese crostini and chicken and waffles.

Strawberry “Marry Me Margaritas” were

the signature drink. The 156 attendees dined on filet, mushroom ravioli or flounderstuffe d with lobster. And there were not one but two cakes: lemon-raspberry for him and Jamaican coconut rum for her. A dessert table was laden with mini fruit tarts, eclairs, chocolate chip cookies and raisin cookies.

The reception: Thecouple honored their parents during their parent dances. For hers, Vannyda changed into a custom dress of Cambodian fabric, and her dad wore a shirt made from the same material. For JC’s dance, his bowtie matched his mother’s traditional Congolese ensemble. “At one point, I started crying, then she started crying, then the whole room started crying,” JC says. “All the important women in my life came out and danced with us, too.” One of JC’s favorite elements of the ceremony was the exotic rental car—an Audi R8. “It was my favorite car growing up,” he says. “I got to keep it for the weekend, so that was awesome.” For Vannyda, one of the most special moments came as the sun sank from the sky in a spectacular sunset. Theirbest man, Rhyen

PHOTOS BY SAM HURD

weddings of the year

Kinnear, brought the couple outside to see the gorgeous scene. “Thenwe turned around, and all of our guests were on the back patio enjoying the sunset, too,” she says. Th DJ ushered everyone out so Vannyda and JC could have a private dance to Michael Bublé’s “Save the Last Dance for Me.” Afterward? A sparkler exit.

Vendors: Cake and desserts, Classic Bakery; invitations, Basic Invite; catering, Musket Ridge Golf Club; flrals, Events by Jemie; entertainment, Just-Ice the DJ; event planning, Melody Wardak and Victoria Tucker (day-of) of Musket Ridge Golf Club; hair and makeup, Metropolitan Makeup & Hair LLC; photography, Sam Hurd; videography, Paperboys; bride’s dresses, Madison James from Couture Bridal of Maryland (ceremony) and Designs by Victoire (reception and groom’s bow tie); bridesmaids’ dresses, Azazie; groom’s attire, State & Liberty; cake topper, Rawkrft from Etsy; wedding bands, Masica Diamonds (bride) and Georgios Collections (groom).

PHOTOS BY SAM HURD

Hoppy Ending

AFTER YEARS OF DATING LONG-DISTANCE, A GAITHERSBURG COUPLE PLANNED A BARN WEDDING FEATURING AN ABUNDANCE OF FLOWERS, A DESSERT BAR AND A BESPOKE BEER CAN BY DANA GERBER

The couple: Gabby Duff y (maiden name Paolini), 28, grew up in Gaithersburg and graduated from Quince Orchard High School. Zach Duff y, 31, grew up in Boston. Thy both work as government consultants for Booz Allen Hamilton and live in Gaithersburg.

The introduction: Gabby and Zach met through mutual friends in 2012, when Gabby was a freshman at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, and Zach was a junior. The pair kept in touch even after he graduated, enlisted in the Navy and was stationed in San Diego. Thy went on their firstdate in 2016 when Z ach came to Boston while on leave, but they didn’t make their relationship official until Gabby visited Zach in San Diego the following March. Thy dated long-distance for a few years. “You had to really rely on communication,” Gabby says, adding that they exchanged more than 10,000 emails before they moved in to a Rockville apartment together just as the pandemic was starting. “We got to know each other probably more quickly than if we were in person.”

The proposal: Gabby’s family has a longtime tradition of going to Downtown Crown Wine & Beer in Gaithersburg every Friday night, which Zach joined once he was local. In October 2020, Zach arranged with the owners to display “Gabby Will You Marry Me?” as one of the beers listed on tap. Thebrew was described as being a “Maryland IPA with West Coast Flavor,” a nod to their long-distance beginnings, with an ABV of 20.22%, since they knew they wanted a 2022 wedding. “Eventually, she saw it, and she turned around and was like, ‘Oh, wow, this is happening,’ ” Zach recalls.

The ceremony: Thecouple wed on May 21, 2022, at Sweeney Barn in Manassas, Virginia, with about 140 guests present. “I always wanted a barn wedding, but not your rustic, slats, dirt barn wedding—more of a refined, renovated barn,” Gabby says. Her uncle officiated the outdoor ceremony, and the pair wrote their own vows, which included plenty of inside jokes and references to their favorite shared movies and TV shows. “We just spoke to each other's personalities,” Gabby says.

The dress: In search of something “funky, something that you don't traditionally see,” Gabby visited Love Couture Bridal in Park Potomac with her mom to try on dresses. She picked out a blush-pink ball gown with floraldetailing. “My face did get a little red—I think that was the closest to the Say Yes to the Dress crying moment,” Gabby says. To complete the ensemble, she donned a pair of sparkly Keds sneakers, which she kept on even after switching to a long-sleeve, open-back dress for the reception.

The flowers: To achieve Gabby’s “enchanted forest” vision, William Thoms Floral set up a lush arch over the altar, festooned the aisle with flowersand constructed a pergola atop the head table in reception, incorporating blooms like roses, hydrangeas and eucalyptus. “Theonly time the entire wedding that I teared up was seeing the room and the flower,” Gabby says. An outdoor escort wall—with a banner that read “You’re Simply the Best,” a reference to a romantic moment in one of the couple’s favorite TV shows, Schitt’s Creek—guided guests to their reception seats with place cards tied to petite vases of flower.

The music: For the newlyweds’ firstdance, the 10-piece Free Spirit band crooned “Simply the Best” by Noah Reid—a callback to the couple’s escort wall. Afterward, the band got guests grooving with hits like “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “No Diggity.” “It did feel like a concert at one point,” Gabby says. Th bride’s favorite moment from the big day was standing next to Zach just after seeing everybody dancing to a rendition of “Don’t Stop Believin’. ” “He just turned to me and was like, ‘Wow,’ ” she recalls. “Everything had just come together.”

The menu: During cocktail hour, guests munched on passed appetizers of mac-and-cheese bites and Hawaiian tuna poke, plus fare from charcuterie and guacamole stations. Theplated dinner included asparagus and beet ravioli, jumbo crab-stuffed prawns and short ribs with fried shallots. Theself-proclaimed “anti-wedding cake” couple opted for a dessert bar instead, serving up confections like red velvet cake pops, mini cheesecakes and s’mores cups. Thestandout late-night bite was the “pizzarita,” a Clark University delicacy

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weddings of the year

that combines a chicken parmesan and a quesadilla. After the reception wrapped up around 10 p.m., shuttles took guests to the nearby Three Monkeys Pub & Chophouse, where midnight snacks and an open bar kept the party going into the wee hours.

The drinks: Two specialty cocktails named after the couple’s cats (“Th Harry,” a tequila concoction, and “Th Harvey,” a bourbon mixture) were offered at “Bailey’s Bar,” named after their dog. Thecouple’s love of craft beer was also on full display: Aslin Beer Co. in Alexandria designed a customized beer label for the pair, featuring their wedding hashtag, “#TillDuffoUsPart,” on cans of IPA. “It was definiely a talking point,” Gabby says.

The honeymoon: Theday after the wedding, the newlyweds flew to Denver for their honeymoon, spending four days hiking and checking out local breweries. In October, they did a “part two” in Amelia Island, Florida, lounging by the pool and playing golf.

The vendors: After party, Thee Monkeys Pub & Chophouse; band, Free Spirit by Entertainment Exchange; beer, Aslin Beer Co.; catering, Occasions Caterers; dress, Love Couture Bridal; floraland decor, William Thoms Floral; hair and makeup, Georgetown Bride; hotels, SpringHill Suites Gainesville Haymarket and Tru by Hilton Manassas; invitations and menus, Kelly Joyce Design; lighting, Atmosphere Inc.; planning and design, Michele Hodges Events; photography, Steve Canning Photography; rehearsal dinner, The Black Sheep; signage, LeahLetters; suits, Men's Wearhouse; transportation, Reston Limousine; venue, Sweeney Barn; videography, Bowen Films. n

PHOTOS BY STEVE CANNING

BOB GRAVES

Associate Broker

• A Realtor® since 1980

• Taught 34 years at Parkdale High School

• Specializes in listing homes, loves to renovate homes and see them sold

301.538.9337 | Bob.Graves@LNF.com

N Potomac-Rockville Office 301.975.9500

NAJAM CHAUDHRY

Realtor®

• Over 12+ years in Real Estate

• Licensed in Maryland

• Speaks: Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi, English

• Specializes in interior design and finding economical deal for clients

301.537.3328 | Najam.Chaudhry@LNF.com

TERESA BURTON

m 240.285.7493 | o 301.469.4700

Teresa.Burton@LNF.com | TeresaBurtonRealEstate.com

Relocation Specialist Top Agent Network

A full-service Realtor® in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia — nothing is too small or too big. Teresa attributes her success not only to her passion for homes, but also to her intuition regarding the psychology of buying and selling. Her business has grown successfully and consistently thanks to the repeat business of happy clients and their introductions to friends, family and neighbors. This track record is only possible because Teresa delivers both results and an enjoyable experience.

Helping Clients Find and Sell Homes for Over 22 Years!

PHYLLIS PINTO

Realtor®

• Over 10+ years in Real Estate

• Retired from health care industry

• Licensed in Maryland

• Highly recommended, dedicated to client services and attentive negotiations

301.520.3758 | Phyllis.Pinto@LNF.com

KIMBERLY CESTARI

c 202.253.8757 | o 202.966.1400

KimberlyC@LNF.com | kimberlycestari.com

As Long & Foster’s No. 1 agent company-wide, Kimberly Cestari’s name and face are synonymous with real estate. Her reach extends beyond Chevy Chase, the place she’s called home for 25 years, just as her commitment to her clients extends beyond settlement.

Kimberly’s passion for real estate began when she bought her first house after college. Since then, she’s bought and renovated eight homes, and constructed one, so she knows houses — inside and out. Clients benefit from skills she gained as a successful marketing executive and as a former interior designer, her complimentary home staging and preparation is known for creating brilliant before and after effects with stellar sales results.

Recognized as an expert in real estate and home enhancements, she’s the go-to source for current and past clients on everything from A to Z in real estate. From search to settlement and beyond, her vast knowledge and clever negotiating ensures smooth transactions for her clientele every step of the way.

LAUREN KLINE

c 301.518.9005 | o 301.907.7600

lauren@laurenklinehomes.com

With an MBA and 20+ years of experience in market research, Lauren is uniquely qualified to understand real estate market data and translate it into powerful marketing strategies for sellers. A native New Yorker, she has lived in the D.C. area since 1977 and raised three daughters here. Although she specializes in Bethesda, North Bethesda and Potomac, her knowledge of the neighborhoods, amenities and schools throughout the DC Metro area is invaluable to buyers, who are also assisted by her large network of loan officers, inspectors and home contractors. Lauren is a passionate advocate for her clients, tailoring her services to their unique needs and working tirelessly to represent their best interest. With 17 years of real estate experience, she enjoys a steady flow of referrals, repeat business and many loyal clients “for life.”

THE BRITISH ARE COMING

English country kitchens are trending, but you don’t have to be an Anglophile to appreciate their warm, vintage charm

BY CAROLYN WEBER

1 MOODY HUES Darker colors such as charcoal and hunter green are among the favorite hues for heritage-inspired country kitchens. English Green, shown here on the Thornton door from Kraftmaid Cabinetry, is available on maple or an engineered wood called EverCore, which provides the smoothest surface for paint. The approximate cost is $400 per linear foot, through KBR Kitchen & Bath in Bethesda (301-718-2800, kbrkitchenandbath.com)

2 ARTSY ADDITIONS Including artwork in the kitchen makes it feel like an extension of the living spaces. Artist Matt Adrian’s bird portraits are just the thing to display on an open shelf. Find the series of portraits, priced from $68 to $118, at Red Orchard in Bethesda (301-571-7333, redorchard.com)

3 TOUCH OF BRASS Kitchen task lighting doesn’t have to be boring. The Claremont sconce features a pivoting arm to direct light to just the right spot. Each goes for $398 at Serena & Lily on Bethesda Row (240-531-1839, serenaandlily.com)

4 TIMELESS TAPS This antique-inspired faucet, a two-hole bridge kitchen sink version from Kohler’s Artifacts collection, has cottage charm to spare. Choose from eight finishes, including this Vibrant Brushed Moderne Brass for $1,150, at The Kohler Signature Store in Bethesda (240-534-2688, kohler.com) 5 COTTAGE CLEAN Too pretty to be tucked away in a scullery, the Mitzy single-basin fireclay sink from Signature Hardware has a fluted apron-front design and comes in white, black and biscuit (pictured). It’s $1,049 through Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery in Rockville (301-424-1393, ferguson.com) 6 HERITAGE HEARTH The AGA cast-iron range is a British tradition. This one has a glossy enamel finish that comes in 16 colors and retails for $23,000 at ABW Appliances in North Bethesda (301-770-8579, abwappliances.com) 7 FOLKSY FOCUS These 18-by-18-inch tiles feature a weathered matte finish with a folk art-style star motif. They sell for $8.59 per square foot at The Tile Shop in Rockville (301-610-5070, tileshop.com)

WASHROOMS THAT WOW

Four local families remodeled and reimagined bathrooms to better suit their personalities and lifestyles, no extra square footage required

BY CAROLYN WEBER

PHOTO BY STACY ZARIN GOLDBERG

FOREST BATHING

IN 2019, when Hrishi and Amrita Hari firstlaid eyes on the house that would become their family’s home, they were awestruck. Thecouple wasn’t really looking to move but couldn’t resist the striking one-of-a-kind wood and stone structure with flor-to-ceiling windows on a private wooded lot in Potomac’s MerryGo-Round Farm neighborhood. “This home was unlike any I had seen in the area,” Hrishi says. “It’s ensconced in the forest and has a stream and a pond and is out of this world.”

Thehouse had all the elements of a place they could call home forever, but it needed some modifiations to fittheir lifestyle. It only had three bedrooms, and they required more space for their growing family, which now includes a 4-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter, as well as members of their extended family who come and stay for months at a time.

The Haris contacted Jim Rill of Rill Architects in Bethesda, who designed the home 13 years ago. “We nicknamed it the ‘tree house,’ because everything ties to the natural surroundings,” Rill says. Th couple didn’t want to change the aesthetics or the footprint, and found the architect very thoughtful when discussing the possibilities for adding another bedroom and bathroom. Thy all agreed that the light-filld space on the third flor, which the previous owners had used as an art studio and a sanctuary for their pet cockatoos, would make a great primary bedroom and bathroom suite.

The primary bath in Hrishi and Amrita Hari’s home

Theoutstanding feature of the room is a large skylight. “I thought it would be magical to have the shower there,” Hrishi says. Rill designed a generously sized 9-by-4-foot walk-in shower in the space, with a bench tucked into the window dormer. The Haris brought in designer Laurie McParland, who owns an Olneybased design firm, to help with the bathroom finishes. “We used full slabs of Carrara marble on the shower walls and an accent tile to bring attention to the window and bench area,” she says.

A wall of clear glass separates the

shower from the minimalist soaking tub that flats in the middle of the room. TheHaris felt strongly about including a tub so the bathroom could work for the whole family. “We use it every single night,” Hrishi says. “Thelittle kids love playing in the bathtub.”

Thesleek glass and stone elements are tempered by the richness of natural wood on the walnut vanity and in t he open shelving. The vanity is centered opposite the skylight, enabling the two wall mirrors to catch the reflction of trees in the yard. Brass finshes add

warmth and echo those found elsewhere in the home, and nickel faucets add an eclectic mixed-metals style.

The reinvigorated room allows the homeowners to harmonize with nature, enjoying the views and natural light with the luxury of privacy and climate control. “People love the idea of embracing the outdoors while being comfortable,” Rill says. Showering in the skylight is just as magical as Hrishi imagined. “I see birds flyby,” he says, “and in the fall I watch the leaves flat around.”

The walnut vanity in the Hari primary bath

“WE NICKNAMED IT THE ‘TREE HOUSE,’ BECAUSE EVERYTHING TIES TO THE NATURAL SURROUNDINGS.”

PHOTO BY JOHN COLE

THE RIGHT LIGHT

IN HOME REMODELING, one thing tends to lead to another. After Courtney Surls and Mark Caylor entrusted a basement renovation and a living room update to the team at Bethesda-based Anthony Wilder Design/Build, they weren’t quite finshed.

“We thought: If we’ve done all this remodeling and reconfiguring on the lower and main levels, is there anything we want to change about the house upstairs? ” Surls says. The answer was yes. Thecramped and outdated primary bathroom of their 1942 brick colonial in Northwest D.C.’s Kent neighborhood was next on the list.

At just 86 square feet, it’s not a big space, but with some creative planning, designer Kirsten Gable was able to work within the existing footprint. She gave the clients everything they wanted and left plenty of room for two people to use it simultaneously. “It doesn’t have to be bigger to be better,” she says.

The first step was to free up some square footage by removing the gardenstyle soaking tub that was beneath a pair of windows. “We never used it, and it blocked our access to the windows,” Surls says. A cramped water closet was next to go, along with an enclosed shower that was both tiny and dark.

With a clean slate, Gable’s new plan came together. “Thegoal was to keep it as open as possible to capture the natural light,” she says. The new shower, 3-feet-9-inches by 4-feet-6-inches, has a glass door and two types of tile—a largeformat 16-by-48-inch white tile on two walls, and a mother-of-pearl and Thssos marble hexagonal mosaic in the soapand-shampoo niche and wrapping the third wall. Tht wall holds the plumbing and divides the shower and the toilet area, providing privacy to both spaces.

A wood-look tile flor contrasts with all the white and gray in the room. “It’s durable and adds warmth and depth and a textural look,” Gable says. She ran the 8-by-36-inch planks into the barrier-free shower for a seamless transition.

Thenew furniture-style white vanity has double sinks and double wall mirrors. “In a more traditional space, two mirrors are preferable,” Gable says. In addition to overhead lighting, linear wall sconces provide task lighting and pick up on the polished nickel hardware and chrome faucets.

A second vanity on the opposite wall gives Surls a dedicated place to sit and apply makeup and blow-dry her hair, something that was at the top of her wish list. “I like to multitask while I dry my hair,” she says, “so now there is a sightline to the bedroom TV so I can watch the morning news at the same time.” TheCarrara marble-topped vanity has a broad surface and plenty of storage to prevent counter clutter.

Gable didn’t want to stray too far from the overall feel of the house, so she settled on a timeless look with a muted color palette. Benjamin Moore’s Gray Owl paint picks up the tones of the Carrara marble, and the mirrors and shimmery iridescent tile reflct the natural light from the large windows. “My favorite thing is the color scheme, which is a blank slate that changes colors with the seasons,” Surls says. “It’s so relaxing and gives me peace.”

Courtney Surls and Mark Caylor’s sleek, minimalistic bath

washrooms that wow

DOUBLE TAKE

NADIA SUBARAN IS NO stranger to discerning clients. The principal and senior designer at Aidan Design in Silver Spring has created dozens of new kitchens and bathrooms over the years. Her latest project, however, was in her own home, a 1950s ranch house in Bethesda, and the customers were her two teenage daughters.

This was to be the second renovation of the daughters’ bathroom—the f irst was 13 years ago, when the girls were small. Subaran reconfiured and enlarged the space then by stealing some square footage from a closet in an adjoining bedroom. “We did it quickly, because we needed to move in,” she says.

Now 16 and 17, the girls wanted to do something fresh and different and more in keeping with their stage of life. Thei bedrooms are on either side of the shared bathroom, so the redesign was meant to be a bridge between their two styles.

“Thy have their own aesthetics, so they collected tons of Pinterest inspiration photos,” Subaran says. Her younger daughter’s room is fresh and modern, with white and brass and blush-colored accents. Her older daughter favors a more romantic style, with layered bedspreads and a wicker pendant.

With direction from her “clients,” the designer mom wanted to push the envelope a bit and go with two tones of blush-y 2-by-8-inch tile on the shower walls for an ombré eff ect. It’s fun and feminine, but also blends with the midcentury style in the rest of the house.

Rather than use a blush wall paint that would be too matchy-matchy, she

Nadia Subaran designed this Jill-and-Jill bath for her two teenage girls.

PHOTOS BY ROBERT RADIFERA

chose an unexpected neutral in Sherwin-Williams’ Silver Peony. Thepale lavender reads differently depending on the time of day and light, and complements the cool tones of the Carrara marble countertop.

Thenatural stone tops an eight-foot vanity, which has several deep storage drawers and one elegant vessel sink. Subaran isn’t a huge fan of double sinks, reasoning that the large amount of counter space is more valuable than having a second sink. Gold accents on the faucets, mirror and lighting add warm color and shine, and modern flating shelves provide even more storage and display space for accessories.

Subaran saved time and money by keeping the room’s dark gray porcelain floring. It goes with anything, is easy to clean and doesn’t show dirt. “A marble flor would have been too precious,” she explains. “We have big German shepherds with no sense of personal space, so it was a practical choice.”

Her advice on creating bathrooms for children is to consider the goals for the space and to gauge expectations for the life of the remodel. “We got more than a decade out of the firstone, so getting the layout right then was important,” she says. “Ths time was more of a refresh.” Subaran and her girls are thrilled with their updated bathroom, which is perfect for them now and sophisticated enough to stand the test of time.

GOLD ACCENTS ON THE FAUCETS, MIRROR AND LIGHTING ADD WARM COLOR AND SHINE, AND MODERN FLOATING SHELVES PROVIDE EVEN MORE STORAGE AND DISPLAY SPACE FOR ACCESSORIES.

BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL

THERE’S OFTEN A SENSE of joy (and relief) when a major kitchen remodel is completed. But sometimes the nearby rooms can start to look shabby in comparison. Jo and Sri Ramachandran know the feeling. They had ju st finshed renovating the kitchen, mudroom and laundry room of their 22-year-old Rockville home when they started taking stock of the adjacent powder room. “We had invested a lot into the kitchen, and it made sense to address this other visible part of the first flo or now,” Jo says.

She’d been working with designer and architectural specialist Kate Adams of Case Architects & Remodelers in Bethesda, and Adams was ready to keep going on the latest project. Thebathroom was small and plain, with poor lighting and less-thanstylish builder-grade finshes. “It had b e en refreshed recently, but you can only do so much with paint,” Jo says.

Thehomeowner knew she wanted to jazz it up with wallpaper, so she began scouring the internet for the right pattern. “It needed to relate to us and speak to our tastes,” she says, “and

SHE FINALLY LANDED ON THE PERFECT DESIGN, A LARGE-SCALE OVERALL PRINT IN A RICH COLOR PALETTE DEPICTING SCENES FROM A WEDDING PROCESSION IN AN ANCIENT FORT CALLED AMER IN JAIPUR, INDIA.

PHOTO BY STACY ZARIN GOLDBERG

Jo and Sri Ramachandran’s powder room

washrooms that wow

I wanted it to look glam.” She finally landed on the perfect design, a large-scale overall print in a rich color palette depicting scenes from a wedding procession in an ancient fort called Amer in Jaipur, India. “I fell in love with it,” Jo says. “We had vacationed in that region and had a great time, and the motifs were authentic.”

Thewallpaper, called Dara, is by French designer Manuel Canovas and manufactured by Cowtan & Tout. It’s available in three background colors—white, black and taupe. Jo chose black for maximum impact and drama, but second-guessed herself at firs. “My family wasn’t sure, but Kate urged me to go with my instincts, and I am so glad that I did,” she says. It’s a fun contrast to the kitchen, which is light gray and white. “Thekitchen is all serene neutrals, but then you walk into the powder room, and bam!” Adams says.

Thebold print became the jumping-offpoint for the whole room. A bulky sink cabinet would have blocked the wall, so in came a porcelain console sink with a brass towel bar attached and enough surface space for accessories. Adams specifid more gold tones for the faucets, sconces and custom mirror.

Using wallpaper is a relatively easy way to transform a boring powder room. “It’s a good spot to go with something totally different than you have elsewhere in the house,” Adams says. Her client’s powder room is anything but dull now. “It looks so special,” Jo says. “It makes me smile every time I look at it.” n

Carolyn Weber lives in Silver Spring and frequently writes about architecture and home design.

OCTOBER’S MOST EXPENSIVE

HOME SALES

SALE PRICE: $8 million

LIST PRICE: $8.7 MILLION

Address: 9009 Congressional Court, Potomac 20854

Days on Market: 125

Listing Agency: Compass

Bedrooms: 8

Full/Half Baths: 9/3

SALE PRICE: $4.2 million

LIST PRICE: $4.3 MILLION

Address: 9909 Logan Drive, Potomac 20854

Days on Market: 132

Listing Agency: Realty Advantage

Bedrooms: 5

Full/Half Baths: 5/2

SALE PRICE: $2.9 million

LIST PRICE: $3.2 million

Address: 6911 Radnor Road, Bethesda 20817

Days on Market: 88

Listing Agency: Washington Fine Properties

Bedrooms: 5

Full/Half Baths: 5/2

SALE PRICE: $4.5 million

LIST PRICE: $4.5 MILLION

Address: 6223 Kennedy Drive, Chevy Chase 20815

Days on Market: 29

Listing Agency: TTR Sotheby’s International Realty

Bedrooms: 5

Full/Half Baths: 5/1

SALE PRICE: $2.9 million

LIST PRICE: $2.9 million

Address: 8408 Rapley Ridge Lane, Potomac 20854

Days on Market: 15

Listing Agency: Compass

Bedrooms: 6

Full/Half Baths: 7/2

SALE PRICE: $2.9 million

LIST PRICE: $3 million

Address: 6315 Tilden Lane, Rockville 20852

Days on Market: 120

SALE PRICE: $3.4 million

LIST PRICE: $3.4 MILLION

Address: 5605 Midwood Road, Bethesda 20814

Days on Market: 16

Listing Agency: TTR Sotheby’s International Realty

Bedrooms: 6

Full/Half Baths: 5/2

Listing Agency: Washington Fine Properties

Bedrooms: 7

Full/Half Baths: 7/2

SALE PRICE: $2.9 million

LIST PRICE: $3.3 million

Address: 11020 Rosemont Drive, North Bethesda 20852

Days on Market: 75

Listing Agency: The Agency DC

Bedrooms: 6

Full/Half Baths: 6/3

A peek at some of the area’s most expensive recently sold houses

SALE PRICE: $2.8 million

LIST PRICE: $2.8 million

Address: 5619 Marengo Road, Bethesda 20816

Days on Market: 0

Listing Agency: None listed

Bedrooms: 5

Full/Half Baths: 6/1

SALE PRICE: $2.7 million

LIST PRICE: $2.7 million

Address: 4503 Cumberland Ave., Chevy Chase 20815

Days on Market: 0

Listing Agency: TTR Sotheby’s International Realty

Bedrooms: 6

Full/Half Baths: 5/1

SALE PRICE: $2.7 million

LIST PRICE: $2.7 million

Address: 4501 Cumberland Ave., Chevy Chase 20815

Days on Market: 16

Listing Agency: TTR Sotheby’s International Realty

Bedrooms: 6

Full/Half Baths: 5/1

SALE PRICE: $2.5 million

LIST PRICE: $2.5 million

Address: 6307 Huntover Lane, North Bethesda 20852

Days on Market: 2

Listing Agency: The Agency DC

Bedrooms: 6

Full/Half Baths: 6/2

SALE PRICE: $2.4 million

LIST PRICE: $2.5 million

Address: 7000 Natelli Woods Lane, Bethesda 20817

Days on Market: 5

Listing Agency: TTR Sotheby’s International Realty

Bedrooms: 7

Full/Half Baths: 7/2

SALE PRICE: $2.4 million

LIST PRICE: $2.5 million

Address: 10605 Bit and Spur Lane, Potomac 20854

Days on Market: 67

Listing Agency: Long & Foster Real Estate

Bedrooms: 8

Full/Half Baths: 8/1

SALE PRICE: $2.3 million

LIST PRICE: $2.2 million

Address: 3162 Tennyson St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20015

Days on Market: 1

Bedrooms: 5

Full/Half Baths: 4/1

SALE PRICE: $2.3 million

LIST PRICE: $2.3 million

Address: 6401 Marjory Lane, Bethesda 20817

Days on Market: 1

Listing Agency: Compass Bedrooms: 5

Full/Half Baths: 4/1

SALE PRICE: $2.2 million

LIST PRICE: $2 million

Address: 7407 Meadow Lane, Chevy Chase 20815

Days on Market: 6

Listing Agency: TTR Sotheby’s International Realty Bedrooms: 4

Full/Half Baths: 3/1

SALE PRICE: $2.2 million

LIST PRICE: $2.3 million

Address: 6002 Conway Road, Bethesda 20817

Days on Market: 89

Listing Agency: Valu Bedrooms: 6

Full/Half Baths: 6/1

SALE PRICE: $2.1 million

LIST PRICE: $2.1 million

Address: 5928 Cheshire Drive, Bethesda 20814

Days on Market: 0

Listing Agency: Long & Foster Real Estate Bedrooms: 5

Full/Half Baths: 5/1

SALE PRICE: $2.1 million

LIST PRICE: $2.1 million

Address: 5102 Yuma St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20016

Days on Market: 3

Listing Agency: Washington Fine Properties Bedrooms: 5

Full/Half Baths: 4/1

SALE PRICE: $2.1 million

LIST PRICE: $1.8 million

Address: 4208 Yuma St. NW, Washington, D.C., 20016

Days on Market: 6

Listing Agency: TTR Sotheby’s International Realty Bedrooms: 6

Full/Half Baths: 3/1

SALE PRICE: $2.1 million

LIST PRICE: $2.2 million

Address: 7725 Oldchester Road, Bethesda 20817

Days on Market: 9

Listing Agency: Weichert, Realtors Bedrooms: 6

Full/Half Baths: 5/1

SALE PRICE: $2 million

LIST PRICE: $1.9 million

Address: 2913 Terrace Drive, Chevy Chase 20815

Days on Market: 39

Listing Agency: The Agency DC Bedrooms: 5

Full/Half Baths: 5/1

SALE PRICE: $1.9 million

LIST PRICE: $1.9 million

Address: 6711 Landon Lane, Bethesda 20817 Days on Market: 7

Listing Agency: Coldwell Banker Realty Bedrooms: 4

Full/Half Baths: 4/1

Note: Some sale and list prices have been rounded.

home | by the numbers REAL ESTATE TRENDS

BY ZIP CODE

home | by the numbers

Information courtesy of Bright MLS, as of Nov. 15, 2022. The Bright MLS real estate service area spans 40,000 square miles throughout the mid-Atlantic region, including Delaware, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. As a leading Multiple Listing Service (MLS), Bright serves approximately 85,000 real estate professionals who in turn serve more than 20 million consumers. For more information, visit brightmls.com. Note: This information includes single-family homes sold from Oct. 1, 2022, to Oct. 31, 2022, as of Nov. 15, 2022, excluding sales where sellers have withheld permission to advertise or promote. Information should be independently verified. Reports reference data provided by ShowingTime, a showing management and market stats technology provider to the residential real estate industry. Some sale and list prices have been rounded.

May Barnhard Investments is a fee-only financial advisory firm with expertise in investment management, comprehensive financial planning, retirement planning and wealth management consulting. We deliver high-value solutions to high net-worth individuals and those experiencing significant life transitions. MBI understands the key to establishing an outstanding relationship is to provide a team of professionals who are technically competent, innovative, experienced with situations like yours, and timely service. We look forward to hearing from you!

Judith P. Barnhard, CPA, CFP®, CDFA® Chief Compliance Officer jbarnhard@cbmcpa.com

Aleksandr S. Seleznev, MBA, CFP®, CFA Chief Operating Officer aseleznev@cbmcpa.com

William Fastow

One of the DC area’s foremost brokers, William is known for his drive, passion for real estate, love of architecture, and an uncompromising commitment to customer service. A native Washingtonian and current resident of the Spring Valley neighborhood, William’s knowledge of the region stems from his personal as well as his professional experiences. Being from Washington is a special distinction and makes William more than familiar with the history of the different communities and neighborhoods that make up DC and the surrounding metropolitan area. He has worked with buyers, sellers, investors and developers across the city of Washington as well as Montgomery County, Annapolis Maryland and as far as the Eastern Shore. William also maintains contacts and business interests all across the country within the Sotheby’s network which makes him an ideal resource for clients relocating to and from the Washington DC area.

William Fastow

m +1 202 536 7675 | wfastow@ttrsir.com

Georgetown Brokerage | o +1 202 333 1212 enviablehome.com

Donna Leanos

Ranking in the Top 5% of realtors in the DMV, Donna has successfully cultivated her 25+ year career drawing on her knowledge, passion, and talent for understanding current and future property values. In the DC Metropolitan markets where properties move at a fast pace in all market conditions, understanding the financial implications of your home purchase or sale is important. Donna will help you navigate this complex field through honest and concise conversation that will favorably position you and your property in the marketplace.

Donna is committed to the highest level of service and is always available for her clients who range from first time homebuyers, sellers, developers, to seasoned investors. Leveraging the TTR Sotheby’s International Realty brand, she is able to offer quality, refinement and exclusivity on a worldwide platform.

Donna Leanos

m +1 443 841 0512 | dleanos@ttrsir.com

Bethesda Brokerage | o +1 301 516 1212 ttrsir.com

PHOTO BY LISA HELFERT

A cheery sign welcomes patients at the new Ellie Mental Health in Bethesda. For more, turn the page.

A SAFE SPACE

The director of a new mental health clinic in Bethesda emphasizes ‘authentic connection’ to reach those intimidated by therapy

BY ROBIN L. FLANIGAN | PHOTO BY LISA HELFERT

PEOPLE WHO ARE SEEKING therapy often tell Carrie Miller they’re “inherently broken” or that “something is wrong” with them.

Thy don’t yet realize two things, says Miller, 40, clinic director of Ellie Mental Health in Bethesda. One is that the way they respond to stress is what may need improvement—not their brain or body. Th other is that they’re not alone.

Ellie, a new Minnesota-based mental health clinic brand in the midst of a national expansion, uses creativity, humor and “authentic connection” to drive home those points. For Miller, that may mean disclosing something from her own life to help a client solve a problem, overcome adversity or make a transition—an approach not always embraced by the mental health fild.

“A lot of times the firstresponse when you open up and share something is, ‘Tht’s not appropriate’ or ‘Tht’s not professional,’ and I wholeheartedly disagree,” Miller says, referring to past supervisors, peers in the fild and many master’s degree programs. “I just do what feels right. My clients know that I get where they’re coming from, that I’m not just some robotic therapist nodding her head and asking, ‘How does that make you feel?’ ”

Miller, a licensed clinical social worker, tries to normalize mental health treatment. After 22 years in social work and 13 years as a clinician, she joined Ellie, whose Bethesda location, the company’s first in Maryland, opened last fall. She says the goal is to break down barriers and stigma by making the therapeutic space feel more

like visiting a friend’s house than walking into an “uptight, impersonal and intimidating ” office.

That vibe is necessary for creating a safe, comfortable atmosphere in which to learn and grow, according to Miller, who has been in therapy for herself regularly since she was 18.

Miller says demystifying therapy is particularly important for communities wary of mental health treatment. People of color and immigrants, for instance, seek services less often due to historical and cultural factors, she says, adding that firt responders, police officers and veterans often fear career repercussions for soliciting help because it may put their jobs at risk. Miller cites research pointing to barriers that prevent police officers from mental health assistance, for example, the stigma of being perceived as weak or incompetent, concerns about being labeled unfitfor duty, and worry that accessing psychological support will hurt future career advancement. As a result, Ellie requires its therapists to earn continuing education credits in cultural awareness every other year.

Even so, that education only goes so far, which is why the staffof four in the Bethesda office is racially and ethnically diverse.

Says Miller: “You can educate yourself and be knowledgeable, but at the end of the day, if you don’t have some identifiation with [a] group, it can be hard to get buy-in.” n

IN HER OWN WORDS...

CONNECTING TO THE PRESENT MOMENT

“I’ve used a popular app called Insight Timer since it came out years and years ago. If I feel like I’m not in control in some way, I turn to audio recordings I’ve bookmarked because they’re short—just one or two minutes of mindfulness. I use that app every morning when I wake up and every night before I go to bed.”

BEING TRANSPARENT

“I grew up with emotionally abusive people in my life, so I have firsthand experience of what it’s like to deal with depression, trauma and severe anxiety. I think that’s helped me be able to build a strong foundation and rapport with clients. I can legitimately say, ‘I know what you’re going through.’ ”

PUTTING IT ALL OUT THERE

“Being vulnerable is incredibly challenging. It takes a lot of courage and a lot of strength. Over the years I’ve found it easier to be open and transparent about where I’ve come from. But when I’m sitting with someone not trained in this work, they’re afraid. They’re scared of what they don’t understand and tend to freeze up. They need to know it’s OK if they need to get help. We can’t go through life in silos, isolated.”

BUILDING SKILLS

“I feel like things happen serendipitously, and the folks who end up in my space are going through some kind of chaos that I can relate to. I’m able to help them learn the tools and skills to make decisions, to understand that their reality is real, and how to move through life in a way that they feel empowered, autonomous and successful.”

STRESS RELIEF

“I love animals, and have three cats at home—Ruby, Queen Nefertiti (Neffie) and Cinnamon. I go on YouTube and watch funny animal videos and just laugh. That’s my comic relief. I’m on a couple of Facebook groups for cats; specifically, there’s one where you take a picture of your cat and they Photoshop it into a funny scene. It’s hysterical. I also love to read, crochet and hike in nature.”

Carrie Miller (left) with a new colleague, Kellie Olive, at Ellie Mental Health in Bethesda

ATTENTION, PLEASE

Concentration-challenged? Disorganized? Always late?

ADHD,

ALL THROUGH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, that pesky “N” appeared on my report card. “Needs Improvement” in listening. My parents and I laughed it off the endearing sign of a flibertigibbet. Just as we joked about my stance in T-ball, my gaze toward the sky or the action in another fild, immune to the coach’s call to “look alive!” (Not that it mattered in the outfild.)

Any trouble with attention was something to work on, a quirk, we figured. After all, I made and kept friends. And my grades didn’t suffer. Back then, in the ’80s, attention-defiit/hyperactivity disorder was the province of hyperactive boys, not of a girl who managed relatively well. It wasn’t until my late 30s that I firstheard the term “executive functioning,” when a friend’s daughter struggled with organization. “She reminds me of you,” my friend said lovingly.

And this is, very often, how adults come to realize that perhaps ADHD—one of the most common disorders of childhood—helps explain their own life story. A child’s diagnosis or trouble in school will sound strikingly familiar. And because the disorder is highly genetic, parents very often see themselves in their children.

Still, it’s a tough diagnosis to tease out. As we now know, ADHD can show up in a range of ways, whether through inattention or hyperactivity and impulsivity, or a combination of behaviors. It often looks different in kids than adults, and in men as opposed to women. Plus, it’s often

masked by and coexists with other conditions, which tend to exacerbate with age.

“What we’re findingis that ADHD is actually systemically misdiagnosed and underdiagnosed,” says Lauren Finney, a clinical social worker in Washington, D.C.’s Tenleytown neighborhood. “A generation ago, it was the class-clown boys— those were the ones who clearly have ADHD.” Despite a new understanding of the disorder, myths remain. “Even today, I certainly run into parents who say, ‘My child is way too smart to have ADHD. She gets good grades,’ ” Finne y says Finney diagnosed herself at the age of 37, after starting in private practice. “I realized that I fitall of these symptoms for ADHD in women that are not the stereotypical symptoms that I was taught about in grad school,” she says.

Among them, she was accident-prone (even now, Finney doesn’t own nice things for fear of breaking them). She struggled to remember dates and appointment times and would get so overwhelmed by paperwork she’d feel paralyzed to tackle it. As a kid, her ADHD came through as shyness, anxiety and feeling somewhat out of step.

“I learned to hide the feeling that I didn’t always fully understand what was going on or what I was supposed to be doing,” she says. She compensated with a planner so excruciatingly detailed that her friends at Woodrow Wilson High School (now known as Jackson-Reed High School) ribbed her about it. “The older I got,

You might have adult

and your practiced coping mechanisms aren’t the only options anymore. Here’s why—and how—midlifers are starting to address the disability head-on.

BY RACHEL POMERANCE BERL

and especially as I tried to start my own business, I was like, Why is juggling these things so hard for me?” she says.

I GET THAT. For better or worse, what worked when I was younger doesn’t anymore. In high school, I survived by brazenly reading the CliffsNotes of novels, and in college I routinely pulled all-nighters thanks to procrastination and a shockingly bad sense of time. I doubt I could pull an all-nighter now if I tried. And if Cliffhas any notes for life, someone please tell me about them. I thought having kids would force me to get organized. And to some extent, it has. But I just end up dropping the less emergent things—like bathing. Kidding, but you get the idea. Child care trumps self-care. While a new ADHD diagnosis for

adults can feel affir ming, even liberating, it also can spur a sense of grief over lost time. “It’s not uncommon for people to break down and say, ‘I wish I would have known this 20 years ago, and maybe I wouldn’t have beaten myself up,’ ” says Jennifer Reesman, a neuropsychologist with the Bethesda-based Chesapeake Center, which specializes in ADHD, learning and behavioral health.

An estimated 6 million, or 9.4%, of kids in America have a diagnosis of ADHD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data on adults is more difficult to pinpoint, but estimates hover around 4% to 5% of U.S. adults. But diagnoses are climbing by as much as quadruple the rate of children’s, according to a 10-year study lead-authored by a Harvard Medical School professor and published by the American Medical Association in 2019 in JAMA Network Open. Tht’s due to a growing awareness of ADHD, a reduced stigma around mental health issues, and self-proclamations about the condition on social media, Reesman says.

Less than 20% of adults with ADHD were being diagnosed or treated as of a widely cited 2014 study published in the Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders. In part, that’s because adults don’t have a built-in detection system like kids, whose diagnoses often come by way of school referrals. Instead, desperation at work or home drives adults to a counselor for help. Meanwhile, the current diagnostic criteria address symptoms in children, which can differ from those in adults.

A diagnosis first requires ruling out many red herrings, which become more numerous with age. “ADHD lookalikes” include learning disabilities, hearing loss, menopause, poor sleep and, especially, depression and anxiety, Reesman says.

Consider the case of William Stixrud, founder of an eponymous Silver Springbased neuropsychology practice. As an anxious young man, further stressed by the death of his father, Stixrud fluned out of his Ph.D. program at the University of California, Berkeley. “I didn’t turn

PHOTO BY LISA HELFERT

An estimated 4% to 5% of adults in America have a diagnosis of ADHD, according to most studies. But diagnoses in adults are climbing at quadruple the rate they are in children.

Clinical social worker Lauren Finney in her office in Tenleytown in Washington, D.C.

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in a single assignment because I was so anxious,” he says. “I was the most nervous person they’d ever met.” Stixrud’s body shook, his fingerstapped, and he could endure only 12 minutes of reading. When he went home to Seattle, he learned Transcendental Meditation, which essentially cured him, he says. After a month of meditating, his facial tic faded away. In two months, he could read for two hours at a time. Stixrud didn’t have ADHD. But his anxiety appeared exactly like it.

So what does adult ADHD look like?

Theconstellation of symptoms could include “time blindness,” or difficulty tracking time; impulsive behavior; procrastination; taking excessive time to complete a project or not completing it at all; and, along with the struggle to focus on something of little interest, the tendency to hyperfocus on something that is. That’s a mode of becoming so engrossed that a lunch break, or even a fire alarm, couldn’t derail one’s attention. Thehyperfocus piece “trips people up,” says Reesman, who often hears a version of this refrain: “My husband or wife thinks that I have ADHD, but I can’t possibly have ADHD, Doctor, because I can focus on my tennis like it’s nothing else.”

“IF THIS WAS THE path that I had to take as a mental health professional to fiure out that so much of what I struggle with is ADHD,” Finney asks, “then what about everybody else?”

Some argue that we all have a bit of ADHD, given our culture’s sleep-deprived, screen-focused, 280-character tweeting state. As Stixrud says, “People would listen to Lincoln and Douglas debate for six hours. Who among us could do that these days?” And yet, he adds, it’s “also true that some people have much more of a problem than others do.”

Around age 25, with the maturation of the brain’s prefron-

Could you have adult ADHD?

Do you often run out of time? Maybe you’re that friend who’s perpetually late to lunch or can’t stop yourself from giving a project at work one last polish.

Do you get stuck in a state of being overwhlemed?

Sometimes the little things pile up and paralyze you from taking action, perhaps, or you have trouble checking things off your to-do list.

tal cortex, which manages executive function, many people outgrow their ADHD, Stixrud explains. Some get by. Some don’t, jeopardizing jobs and relationships and even their own lives due to distractions or risky behavior.

Others finda way to flouish with the disorder—in careers where the adrenaline rush of an emergency room or courtroom can capture their attention, or as creative entrepreneurs focused on what excites them.

It’s never too late for help with ADHD, according to Kathleen Nadeau, founder and clinical director of the Chesapeake Center and author of Still Distracted After All These Years: Help and Support for Older Adults with ADHD . “A lot of adults mistakenly think, I’ve lived this long. Maybe I have it, maybe I don’t, but why does it matter?” she says. But ADHD seeps into everything, Nadeau says, from the ability to manage one’s career and finanes to relationships and health.

In fact, a lack of treatment can be life-threatening.

Does your desk look like a construction zone? You know the one—piles of magazines and newspapers here, hastily scribbled notes there, half-started projects everywhere.

If a date isn’t written directly in front of you, does it vanish from your brain? Maybe you’re more reliant on Outlook or your trusty desk calendar than you’d like to be.

If you’re nodding right now, you might want to ask your doctor for an assessment, which could be a simple survey of symptoms, says Washington, D.C.-based clinical social worker Lauren Finney.

“When it works, there’s nothing that comes close... for 30% to 40% of people with ADHD, it’s like “turning on a light switch.”

—William Stixrud says of Adderall and Ritalin

Nadeau cites a 2018 study by leading ADHD researcher Russell Barkley, who f ound that ADHD may shorten an adult’s life by as many as 13 years due to impulsive behavior, poor selfcontrol and carelessness. Given the co existing conditions associated with ADHD, treatment rests on a detailed diagnosis, which Nadeau believes remains elusive. Older adults with ADHD are particularly overlooked, she says, noting a Johns Hopkins University findingthat just one in fivememory clinics screen for adult ADHD.

To improve life with ADHD, Nadeau stresses lifestyle changes: meditation, exercise, nutrition, exposure to nature, social connection and sleep.

Stixrud espouses the life-altering prospect of ADHD medication, stimulants such as Adderall and Ritalin. “When it works, there’s nothing that comes close,” says Stixrud, who estimates that for 30% to 40% of people with ADHD, it’s like “turning on a light switch.”

The FDA announced a nationwide shortage of Adderall, also known as mixed amphetamine salts, in October. Th at left more than 26 million people scrambling for the drug this past fall, according to the Los Angeles Times . Many ADHD patients found themselves driving for hours to pharmacies that had the drug in stock, or going without. Reports have chalked up the scarcity to a combination of two things: a labor shortage at Adderall’s main manufacturer, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, and an increase in ADHD diagnoses in recent years, which has driven up demand. Thesupply was projected to return to normal by the end of 2022.

A combination of medication and behavioral strategies has helped Finney enormously. For instance, she sets multiple alarms for appointments and works with a friend who also has ADHD to keep each other accountable. “There are so many ways to compensate, and to practice acceptance and compassion and still lead wonderful, full, successful lives with this,” she told me in a text message.

• Comprehensive Hearing Exams

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• In-Home Hearing Care

Readers’ Pick, Best Audiologist

Dr. Gail Linn, Dr. Tricia Terlep, Dr. Lindsey Wohar, Dr. Caitlin Le

BY THE TIME I recognized ADHD symptoms in myself, I was pregnant or working on it—a time when the medication isn’t recommended. But my case was never terribly problematic. In fact, I somewhat like my ADHD, even though it surely prolonged my finshing this article.

When I was dating my husband, he admired that I was the first“nonlinear thinker” he knew. (Another term I hadn’t heard.) Thepoint was, in a type A town that prizes productivity (to say nothing of whether it succeeds), I tend to consider the beautiful distractions: the way light skips over an angle of a building, or a waiter whose face seems to belong in an impressionist painting. Thse observations delight me, and I indulge them with a slower pace. Ths means I often get sidetracked and run late, which does create stress. Still, I’ve long loved detours, from chatting with strangers to taking the scenic route home. When sending me on an errand, my mom used to joke: “Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200,” which was not to equate home with jail.

Thouh structure maybe what I need, I eschew it, likely to my detriment. (Admittedly, I thought “freelance writer” sounded like a dream job because it had the word “free” in it.) However, forsaking plans for spontaneity has almost always been worth it. I have consistently found that the very best moments on vacation, and in life, happen when open to whim. While

being an incorrigible eavesdropper may merit some journalistic value, I feel bad about getting diverted from my own company to absorb the plot of someone else’s story and imagine where it leads. I also bemoan my unfinshed stories that have stacked up along with the bills, creating a background tug of incompletion. Would life have been easier had I been diagnosed as a kid? Probably. Maybe one day I’ll take ADHD medication and stick to a structure of circumscribed exercise and meditation. I’d become one of those moms who spends Sunday prepping the week’s meals in color-coded containers. Maybe I’d produce photo albums of my kids, organized by year and cuteness, in one productive weekend. Or I’d simply findmatching socks. But to be honest, I don’t want to live in Real Simple magazine, repurposing toilet paper holders to hold my keys or fixed to any one regimen. At this point, it’s not exactly clear to me where my ADHD ends and I begin. But I like my pace, my style and my resistance to seeing success in a checklist. Would a little help help me? Of course it would. I’ll let you know how it goes. Once I get around to it. n

Rachel Pomerance Berl is a freelance writer and editor who lives in Bethesda. She’s currently working on a collection of essays about motherhood.

Look Good Feel Good

Maragh Dermatology, Surgery & Vein Institute

SHERRY L.H. MARAGH, MD, FAAD, FACS, FACMS PART OF ADVANCED DERMATOLOGY AND COSMETIC SURGERY

Dr. Maragh completed her residency at the prestigious Mayo Clinic Department of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery and is a board-certified general, surgical, cosmetic and laser dermatologist. She is the founder and director of Maragh Dermatology, Surgery and Vein Institute, now part of Advanced Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery, the nation's premier dermatology practice (150-plus offices nationwide).

14995 Shady Grove Road, Suite 150 Rockville, MD 20850 301-358-5919

www.maraghdermatology.com

Q Why do you do what you do? What motivates and inspires you?

A As a Mohs skin cancer surgeon and board-certified dermatologist, I am passionate about educating my patients about skin care and sun protection. The effects of sun damage are cumulative; most sun damage that increases the risk of skin cancer and premature skin aging happens in the first two decades of life. Burns heal and tans fade, but the damage to our skin is long-lasting. Educating more people about starting sun protection earlier in life can decrease their lifelong risk of skin cancer and the impact of aging on their skin from the sun.

Q What do you wish more people knew about skin care/ health?

A The importance of getting to know your skin and how your skin care needs change over time. Understanding how your skin changes from summer to winter or from your 20s to your 40s — or even if you are just exercising more — will help you select the right products to use at the right times and avoid such pitfalls as excessive irritation from harsh products or outbreaks from products that clog your pores.

Q What makes your client experience unique?

A We offer comprehensive skin care, from aesthetic services, such as HydraFacial® and chemical peels, to routine acne care and skin cancer screenings, to non-invasive/minimally invasive cosmetic procedures such as body contouring and facial rejuvenation. Our board-certified skin care professionals are experts in medical, surgical and cosmetic dermatology. We pride ourselves on using the most advanced technologies to care for all our patients' skin and aesthetic needs.

STEPHANIE WILLIAMS

Rad Orthodontics

MEHDY RAD, DMD, MS | DAVID RAD, DMD, MS PAGE COLLYMORE, DMD

Rad Orthodontics is a standout practice in orthodontic and dentofacial treatments, offering proactive and state-of-the-art solutions. Drs. Mehdy and David Rad are pleased to welcome Dr. Collymore, a former U.S. Navy lieutenant commander who completed her residency at Medstar Washington Hospital Center. Her areas of expertise include complex craniofacial cases and helping patients with special needs.

7201 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 500 Bethesda, MD 20814

Plus, locations in North Bethesda, Potomac and College Park 301-656-1600 | www.radsmile.com

Q What is unique about your practice?

A Dr. Mehdy: Our team! We have some of the most dedicated, trained and caring team members available; many of our patients keep in touch with them long after their treatment has been completed. We are also a Diamond-Plus Top 1 Percent Invisalign Provider and have always embraced technology to provide outstanding outcomes most ef ficiently and comfortably for our patients.

Dr. Dave: I believe our ability to treat even the most complex cases in less time without sacri ficing quality or results is what sets us apart. We've always stayed ahead of the curve in technology, and our status in the top tier of Invisalign providers positions us among the most experienced providers nationwide.

Q How would your patients describe you?

A Dr. Dave: I hope they see me as a doctor who genuinely cares for everyone around me; my team, my patients and this community. The longer I have been in practice, the more I've realized how important it is to actively participate in the community and the lives of those around you.

Dr. Mehdy: Hopefully, they would say I'm funny! I'm also someone who spends time with patients, discussing all their options so they can make the most informed decisions regarding their treatment.

Q What is one thing your patients should know about you?

A Dr. Mehdy: I have been kiteboarding for 20-plus years; I also race mountain bikes and have played guitar in several bands.

Dr. Dave: My birthday is May 11, and I love cookies! I also paddle board and mountain bike.

Somenek + PittmanMD –Advanced Plastic Surgery

MICHAEL SOMENEK, MD TROY PITTMAN, MD, FACS

Dr. Michael Somenek is one of the nation’s leading rhinoplasty experts and also performs facial rejuvenation procedures including deep-plane facelifts and eyelid surgery. Dr. Troy Pittman is an international authority in aesthetic surgery of the breast and body. Both have been recognized by their peers as top doctors and leaders in their fields.

2440 M Street NW, Suite 507 Washington, D.C. 20037 202-519-8345

www.somenekpittmanmd.com

Instagram: @somenekmd, @drtroypittman

Q Tell us a little about your practice.

A We pride ourselves in being D.C.’s onestop shop for all things beauty. We have specific training in aesthetic surgery and complex revision surgery and have tackled some of the most complicated cases in the area. Our surgical services are extensive—from facelift and rhinoplasty to breast augmentation and tummy tucks. We’re also one of the few practices on the East Coast to offer combination surgeries with both surgeons working simultaneously, allowing for shorter operative time and one recovery.

Q You are known for your ability to connect with patients. How do you do that?

A We’ve put considerable thought into the patient “experience” we offer and have made every effort to create a serene, comfortable and private environment. What’s most important, though, is that

we take the time to get to know and listen to our patients. Our consultations are longer than most to allow us to thoroughly understand the patient’s goals and fully educate them on their options.

Q What specific features distinguish your practice?

A We’ve taken concierge care to the next level in our private, on-site surgical suite, with patient safety and comfort our top goals. On the day of surgery, each patient is escorted through the process by their own surgical nurse and physician anesthesiologist. Our S+P MedSpa, D.C.’s only freestanding medical spa under the direction of plastic surgeons, offers services including laser skin resurfacing, massage therapy, IV hydration therapy and medical-grade skincare—something for patients of all ages.

MICHAEL VENTURA

Lashes by Katie & Skincare

KATIE DONG

7849 Old Georgetown Road Bethesda, MD 20814

301-215-9111

LashesbyKatieandSkincare.com

Q What makes your cosmetology practice unique?

A Our lash and skincare services help clients feel more beautiful and boost self-esteem. We can create a “look” for everyday living, special events—or wild-colored lashes just for fun. We also use modern technology to apply semi-permanent eyebrows and make-up. All our services are offered in the comfort of private rooms. After leaving our shop, clients can skip their time-consuming makeup routines and still look beautiful running out the door.

Our mission is more serious, too. We offer lash and brow services—heavily discounted or free of charge—to area cancer treatment centers, so people living with cancer and hair loss can still feel attractive. And our eyelashes are synthetic—we want to do our part to end animal cruelty.

North Bethesda Periodontal Group

KHALID CHOUDHARY, DDS, MS | JOAN HOWANITZ, DDS, MS

11921 Rockville Pike, Suite 407 Rockville, MD 20852

240-483-0775

contact@northbethesdaperio.com www.northbethesdaperio.com

Q Why is periodontal health so important?

A People forget that oral health is closely related to their general health and can significantly impact how you feel. Periodontal disease can affect your whole body and can lead to tooth loss. People with periodontal disease are at higher risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and pregnancy complications. And as far as looking good goes, healthy gums are vital to a great smile!

Q What makes you different from other periodontists?

A We strongly believe in a team approach to care for our patients. Our surgeons work closely with referring restorative doctors, dental specialists and lab technicians to provide optimal treatment and care. Utilizing the latest technologies, we perform minimally invasive procedures whenever possible. Everything we do is guided by accuracy, safety, comfort and recovery.

LISA HELFERT

RNR Aesthetics | Potomac Performance

MEDICAL DIRECTOR

DR. JONATHAN HODOR, DO, MS PARTNERS

ELISABETH R. SMITH, PERRY J. SMITH, AND DR. LEAH GREENSPAN, DO

We offer a team-based approach for optimal results. Each team member has a unique skill set and area of specialization—and they’re highly caring and compassionate. We want all our clients to know that we’re here to guide and support them in their health and wellness journey.

7400 Nevis Road Bethesda, MD 20817 301-828-9077

info@rnraesthetics.com

www.rnraesthetics.com

Q What is unique about RNR?

A RNR offers innovative, technologically advanced procedures for both women and men to help improve appearance and promote overall health and wellness. Team members have advanced training in neuromodulator and dermal fillers as well as cosmetic medical procedures including microneedling, ultrasound, laser and radiofrequency therapy. Our sister practice, Potomac Performance, also offers bioidentical hormone replacement, along with regenerative and sexual wellness therapies. There is an enormous amount of interest in these treatments— especially post-COVID!

Q How did RNR Aesthetics come about?

A It’s an interesting story. Dr. Hodor began his career as a Maternal-Fetal Medicine physician and has always been passionate about helping his patients achieve optimal health and wellness.

Just a few years ago, he experienced a life-changing injury and retired from his practice. The challenges of living with chronic pain drove him to seek innovative ways to help women and men improve their overall health and aesthetic wellbeing. Founding RNR Aesthetics is the culmination of his journey.

Q How does this translate into RNR’s approach to patient care?

A We offer a team-based approach for optimal results. Each member of RNR has a unique skill set and area of specialization. And from the beginning, Dr. Hodor wanted the practice to be caring and compassionate. Our team members love to spend time with clients, sharing their knowledge and answering questions. We want all our clients to know that we’re here to guide and support them in their health and wellness journey.

Montgomery College Student Leaders Thrive With Support From Southern Management Companies

Athree-year scholarship, The Southern Management Leadership Program (SMLP) supports, develops, and graduates ethical leaders who want to energize and give back to their local communities. Students complete their associate’s degree at Montgomery College and their bachelor’s degree at the University of Maryland, College Park.

In recognition of Southern Management Companies’ renewed investment in Montgomery College, we are pleased to continue providing our students with access to the Southern Management Leadership Program. For more than 10 years, students have been able to begin their education at Montgomery College before transferring to the University of Maryland, where they continue in this innovative program to access mentorship, internships, courses in entrepreneurship, and much more. Thank you, Southern Management Companies, for your continued investment in the future of this community.

students intern at high profile local companies like the award-winning SERVPRO organization, Team Results USA, the Jubilee Organization, and many others. Program graduates can be found working with local industry leaders including Total Wine & More, Deloitte, Accenture, Clark Construction, and IBM and leading the way with their own start-up ventures including Swift Fitness, a personal training facility; Sweets by Caroline, a confectionary; and Noble Uprising, a successful nonprofit.

Because 70% of Montgomery College graduates remain in Montgomery County, graduates of the SMLP will continue to apply the education, skills, and professional networks they gain from this program to their futures with our local business community and ecosystem. Already, graduates of the program have returned to Montgomery College to mentor current SMLP students through internships, informational interviews, and job opportunities. The pay-it-forward attitude they gain through the program has been shown to be a powerful driver of positive change for our students and our community.

herb dumplings with shiitake mushrooms, parmesan soubise and egg yolk at Zinnia in Silver Spring

dine | REVIEW

Swordfish piccata with blue crab butter, lemon, capers, cherry tomatoes, artichokes and kale at Zinnia

in Silver Spring

FLOWER POWER

At Zinnia’s new fine-dining restaurant, chef Danny Wells offers an unpretentious, modern American menu in an inviting atmosphere

BY DAVID HAGEDORN PHOTOS BY DEB LINDSEY

ON AN OCTOBER EVENING that still feels like summer, I’m at Zinnia, the 11,000-square-foot, all-day, multiconcept establishment that a year earlier replaced Mrs. K’s Toll House, the b eloved Silver Spring mainstay whose 90-year run ended early in the pandemic. I’m sitting in the larger of two split-level rooms comprising the 80-seat, finedining restaurant that owner Chris Brown and Zinnia’s chef, Danny Wells, unveiled in September. Ths is the latest in Brown’s Zinnia concepts; he opened the

tavern and vast beer garden in October 2021, a cafe in July 2022 and an upstairs bar a month later. (He laughs when asked if the new restaurant has a specificname. “We have that same conversation at every managers’ meeting,” he demurs.)

Sipping a delightful, well-balanced cocktail made with mint and marjoram-infused gin, green Chartreuse and dry vermouth and nibbling a puffpastry tart of tender smoked lamb, roasted red peppers and whipped feta cheese, I take in the views. Outside, children

Overall Rating: B+

ZINNIA

9201 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring, 301-704-6653, eatzinnia.com

FAVORITE DISHES: Steamed mussels with tomatoes and smoked paprika; duck breast with peaches; herb dumplings with shiitake mushrooms; rainbow trout stuffed with butternut squash, spinach and pine nuts; swordfish with blue crab, cherry tomatoes, lemon and capers

PRICES: Appetizers: $12 to $15; Entrees: $22 to $39; Desserts: $8.

LIBATIONS: Owner Chris Brown enlisted his team from Takoma Bev Co. (Dylan Greer, cocktails; Seth Cook, wine; Mark Rothman, beer) to formulate the beverage program at Zinnia. The restaurant features several rotating craft cocktails ($13 to $16), among them the Bell Jar (gin, Nocino walnut liqueur, Luxardo Maraschino liqueur and fig-infused vermouth) and the Pepino Fresca (tequila, Italicus bergamot liqueur, grapefruit bitters and cucumber).

Thirteen wines are offered by the glass and bottle: two sparklers ($15/$16; $58/$62), two rosés ($14/$15; $50/$52), four whites ($11 to $15; $38 to $56) and five reds ($12 to $16; $48 to $62). Cook favors Old World wines; nine of the 13 are from France, Spain or Italy. Seven beers ($7 to $11) are available, four of them from Maryland breweries: Silver Branch Brewing Co. and Astro Lab Brewing in Silver Spring, Union Craft Brewing in Baltimore and Manor Hill Brewing in Ellicott City.

SERVICE: Informed, pleasant and engaging. Servers, when presenting bills, make a point of informing diners that a 20% service charge has already been added, even though that policy is clearly stated on the menu.

The gardens at Zinnia

run around playing while adults sit in the hilly beer garden at tables outfited with colorful fringed patio umbrellas and painted metal lawn chairs, many of which take me back to my grandmother’s backyard. Inside, stone floors in shades of claret, brick and gray are evidence that the room was once an outdoor terrace. A post in the middle of the room leads to spokes on the ceiling surrounded by light bulbs, the fi xture a reference to the large umbrella that used to shade the terrace. Paned awning windows propped open from the upstairs bar and dining room contribute to the suggestion that the lower dining room is outside.

Perusing the menu’s entrees, I zero in on “tiny herb dumplings, shiitake mushrooms, egg yolk, Parmesan Arborio rice soubise,” soon to discover that, as suspected, they’re spaetzle, squiggly little German dumplings made by scraping wheat flou-based batter through a col-

From top: Steamed blue-shell mussels with roasted garlic, mace and tomato; pan-roasted whole rainbow trout with spaghetti squash, spinach and pine nut stuffing, olive oil polenta and warm artichoke vinaigrette

ander into boiling water. Wells imbues his batter with pureed parsley and basil, turning the spaetzle vividly green, then sautes the cooked dumplings with shiitake mushrooms and soubise (a porridgelike rice sauce) and tops them with a raw egg yolk and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. It’s up t o the diner to toss the lot together so the yolk and cheese thicken the sauce and impart richness throughout. The delicious outcome is the menu’s sleeper hit. More on the food in a bit.

Brown, 40, lives in Takoma Park with his wife, Kelly Mills, and their three children. (Zinnia is their middle child’s middle name.) Theupstate New York native came to the DMV for graduate school, earning a master’s degree in secondary education from George Washington University in 2010 and then teaching biology, advanced-placement environmental science and horticulture at Montgomery Blair High School for eight years. He came to love the hospitality industry when working in it for beer money in college. While teaching, he spent summers and weekends “slinging coffee,” as he puts it, at Northside Social in Arlington. “I loved [the fild of] food and beverage and those weekend shifts!” he exclaims. Tht love, in 2017, inspired him to leave teaching and co-found (with his cousin, Seth Cook)

Takoma Beverage Co., an all-day coffee shop and bar in Takoma Park. When the Mrs. K’s space came on the market, he saw an opportunity to go bigger than Takoma Bev Co. He signed the lease in January 2021.

Wells, a Takoma Park native and Silver Spring resident, came onboard as executive chef in July 2022. He worked

for the Black Restaurant Group for 19 years, six of them at Republic restaurant in Takoma Park, which closed in S e ptember. (Wells had left in 2019.) Republic was near Takoma Bev Co., and Wells and Brown struck up a friendship because they’d often hang out in each other’s workplaces after work.

At Zinnia, Wells brings to the fine-diing restaurant the kind of straightforward, unpretentious cooking for which he was known and appreciated at Republic, adding touches of upscale flair here and there. Steamed blue-shell mussels with roasted garlic cream, roasted tomatoes, mace and hot smoked paprika shine in their simplicity. A hit of sherry brings a touch of refinemet to blue crab, scallops, shrimp and bacon chowder, even if I’d prefer not to eat it from a shallow square bowl.

In addition to the herb dumplings, the swordfish is an outstanding entree. Wells sears a thick chunk of the linecaught fish, then braises it to succulence with cherry tomatoes, capers, lemon and thinly sliced artichoke hearts, fiishing the dish with blue crab lumps. P a n-roasted whole, deboned rainbow

trout stuffed with spinach, pine nuts and roasted butternut squash is another standout. It’s served over creamy polenta and topped with a vinaigrette made with marinated artichoke hearts and pickled peppers.

For meat eaters, a 10-ounce, center-cut ribeye steak with tonka bean (a w r inkled South American legume with vanilla notes) and red wine sauce, roasted potatoes and crispy onion rings hits the spot, but my money is on the duck. Wells sears a breast to medium rare, slices it and serves it with a compote of cooked peaches, spiced pecans and tarragon mixed with shredded confied (braised in fat until tender) duck leg meat. Duck stock reduction flavored with orange zest completes the dish. A side order of “drunken” beech and oyster mushrooms sauteed with Madeira wine and garlic and served over brioche complements the meat dishes nicely.

Desserts at Zinnia, including so-so renditions of cheesecake, creme brulee and chocolate ganache cake, are worth passing up. Tht’s a minor glitch in an otherwise pleasing performance. n

Owner Chris Brown (left) and chef Danny Wells in one of the dining rooms at Zinnia

WORTH THE TRIPPY

IN JULY, 27-year-old Boyd resident Chris Robles opened a Silver Spring brick-andmortar version of Trippy Tacos, his popular Montgomery County food truck specializing in Central American fare. In addition to tacos, look for quesadillas (most $12.50), mulitas (griddled mini quesadillas made with corn tortillas, $4.50 to $5.50), tortas (sandwiches, most $12.50), loaded nachos and fries (most $14.50), burritos (most $12.50), pupusas (stuffed, flattened, cornmeal griddle cakes, $3.99) and extra-large pupusa “pizzas” ($32.99) cut into eight slices.

Themenu standout is the baleada, a Honduran specialty for which a large flou tortilla is griddled, spread with refried beans, avocado, crema (like sour cream,

BY DAVID HAGEDORN

but tangier), queso fresco and scrambled eggs and folded in half. Ours, made with chicken ($12.50), practically fils the entire plate. A firstbite reveals how flaky and delicate the tortilla is. Tht’s because Trippy’s tortillas—flour and corn—are made in house. Theexcellent quality of the corn tortillas is evident in al pastor (spit-roasted pork) tacos and a tasty mulita stuffed with steak and oozy Monterey Jack cheese.

Robles was born in Rockville and grew up in Montgomery and Frederick counties. After earning a degree in business management and marketing from the University of Maryland in 2017, he interned at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Washington; instead

of staying in the fild, he moved afterward to Los Angeles without a job. “I felt I could do more,” he says. He hit the streets looking for a job and took one from the only place that called him back, a taco joint called Tacos Gavilan. There, he put to use the cooking skills he learned from his father, a catering chef. (Robles’ parents hail from El Salvador.)

After a year of working at Gavilan and then another L.A. taco restaurant, Robles decided in 2018 to return to Montgomery County and start his own business. “Th taco scene was blowing up [in Maryland], and if I didn’t do it then, it would be too late,” he says. He got a loan, bought a food truck and launched Trippy Tacos in July 2019. It was so successful that after a year

| PHOTOS BY BRENDAN MCCABE

A taco al pastor at Trippy Tacos

he realized he needed kitchen space of his own rather than operating out of a commercial facility. It took two years to find the 800-square-foot location on Georgia Avenue, south of Randolph Road; it has counter seating for eight. He took over Delicioso Deli, running it as he transitioned it to Trippy Tacos. He carried over the deli menu’s baleadas and pupusas— and some of its employees.

The restaurant’s name comes from Robles’ Instagram handle: @trippyknowledge. “It means trippy, like different, unique, out of this world,” says Robles. “And the knowledge I have is trippy.”

The excellent quality of the corn tortillas is evident in al pastor (spit-roasted pork) tacos.

Trippy Tacos, 12134 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, trippytacos.business.site

Chris Robles, owner of the Trippy Tacos food truck and its brick-and-mortar offshoot in Silver Spring

FILIPINO FIND

IF THERE’S SOMETHING EVEN better than Filipino breakfast, it’s all-day Filipino breakfast, which is one of the features of Filo Café, a family-run restaurant that opened in the Randolph Hills shopping center in Rockville in October. All six breakfast plates come with sinangag (garlic fried rice), itlog (a crispedged sunny-side-up egg) and a protein, among them pork chops, tapa (like beef jerky), longanisa (sweet Filipino sausage), corned beef and fried milkfish.

Filo’s menu also includes noodle dishes; lumpia (spring rolls); combo plates of Filipino specialties such as pork or chicken adobo (sauteed and braised with soy sauce and vinegar), lechon Kawali (crispy-skin roasted pork belly with brown gravy); sweet and sour pompano; dinuguan (pork shoulder braised with pork blood and vinegar) and Filipino desserts. There are several boba

drink s, too. All of the savory plates are around $14. Lumpia are $6.99 to $12.99. Boba is $5.49.

Thee generations run the restaurant: Allaine Hontiveros, 22; her parents, Jaimie and Allan Hontiveros, 44 and 53; and Jaimie’s parents, Romeo and Lydia Ermitano, 75 and 68. Lydia does most of the cooking, having learned the craft from her father when growing up in the Philippines. TheErmitanos immigrated to the U.S. in 2005, settling in Prince George’s County to help a family member run a Filipino market and restaurant there. In 2015, Romeo and Lydia moved to Virginia Beach, where Lydia’s two brothers live, and opened a restaurant, selling it in 2021 to return to Maryland to be close to the Hontiveroses. Thy all share a house in Burtonsville.

The 1,600-square-foot restaurant, which seats 35 inside and eight outside, is bright and cheerful. Allaine is likely to take your order. Don’t pass up noodle

dishes, such as pancit bihon (rice noodles sauteed with cabbage, carrots, celery, chicken, soy sauce, garlic and onions) and mami (pork broth with noodles, vegetables and hard-boiled egg slices). Fried lumpia filld with beef, pork or chicken are irresistible. Save room for dessert ($2.99 to $9.25), be it halo-halo (bananas, jackfruit and sweetened beans over purple yam or mango ice cream) or suman sa lihiya (glutinous rice cake with caramelized coconut cream).

A fun note: Filo Café diners can pay a meal forward by purchasing one for a random future diner. A ticket for the meal is posted on a cork board next to the cashier for anyone to redeem at will. “It’s an act of kindness, or to build community,” says Allaine, whose family’s menu entreats, “Salamat Po!” (“Come again soon!)” We plan to.

Filo Café, 4836 Boiling Brook Pkwy., Rockville, 410-639-5405, linktr.ee/filocafe

Pancit, lumpia Shanghai and fresh lumpia

GOINGS

&COMINGS

The salad chain Chopt is opening a location in Cabin John Village in the first half of 2023, as is the Connecticutbased pizza chain Colony Grill ~~~

Fast-casual seafood restaurant Slapfish closed in Montrose Crossing shopping center in November. In its place, Gaithersburg natives Rahul Vinod and Sahil Rahman will open the first Montgomery County location of their D.C.-based fast-casual Indian restaurant RASA in early spring. ~~~

Nava Thai Restaurant in Wheaton closed in September. ~~~

In October, Bambu Café, which specialized in Vietnamese beverages, closed in North Bethesda. Miller Ale House closed in Rockville after a 10year run. ~~~

K-Town Bistro in Kensington closed in November. In its place, Tacos Don Perez, which operates a food truck in Silver Spring’s Glenmont shopping center, will open its first brick-and-mortar restaurant.

~~~

The owners of Chef Tony’s Restaurant, the seafood-and-Mediterranean mainstay in Bethesda, purchased Amalfi Ristorante in Rockville with plans to blend brands as they reopen the establishment. n

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OPEN E UHO S

The pandemic left me in knots, so I finally booked that spa getaway I’d long dreamed of taking.

TREAT YOURSELF

BY ADRIENNE WICHARD-EDDS

I’VE REACHED THE AGE where I’ve seen enough fancy hotels that it takes a lot to impress me. Keswick Hall is something special.

My visit to the boutique resort near Charlottesville, Virginia, was a long time coming. I firstheard about it in the ’90s from a friend’s well-to-do parents, who’d often snag a room there when visiting their daughter at the University of Virginia, and promised myself I would check it out one day.

Years later, after I’d moved to Arlington, Virginia, and discovered the state’s trove of wineries within driving distance of my new hometown, the Italianate inn always seemed like a good spot for a weekend getaway. But it wasn’t until the pandemic that, in the throes of cabin fever, I moved the luxury resort back to the top of my bucket list after reading that it was undergoing a major renovation.

Tucked into a tree-lined enclave in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Keswick Hall has been many things since it was built in 1912—private residence, country club, boutique hotel—passing through a handful of owners, including Sir Bernard Ashley, husband of Laura Ashley (yes, that Laura Ashley).

When the current proprietors, Molly and Robert Hardie (who also own the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville), took full ownership in 2017, they had a grand vision for the property. Theirplan included expanding the hotel’s capacity to 80 guest rooms and adding a new infinitypool and cabanas, an updated golf course and tennis facilities, a new restaurant helmed by globally acclaimed chef JeanGeorges Vongerichten, and a brand-new spa.

Sparkling and pet-friendly, Keswick reopened to the public in October 2021, reestablishing its reputation as

Keswick Hall's treatment room

not only an excellent home base for vineyard-hopping, but a worldclass destination unto itself.

My sojourn came on one of those spectacular days as summer was cresting into fall—warm enough to sit poolside in the afternoon, but cool enough for a jacket when strolling the resort’s walking trails in the evening. I dropped my bags in my room—a deluxe king with a sprawling view of the property’s 600 manicured acres—then wound my way down a path to the just-opened spa, housed in a fieldstone-and-glass building with soaring windows that make the space feel at one with nature.

I had booked a 60-minute “intuitive” massage ($205) but arrived early enough to browse the boutique, replete with small-batch, org anic cosmetics, hair and skin care products (including the spa’s

signature line from Farmaesthetics), as well as a smattering of c o untry-club-chic clothing and accessories. I contemplated buying a caftan for post-spa pool lounging but dared not look at the price tag. When it was time, I was escorted through a sunny hair and nail salon and into what seems silly to call the women’s “locker room,” because it felt more serene and private than my own home, with its customdesigned furnishings and impeccably stocked towel and beverage stations. I texted my family group chat—In the spa for the next hour. Dad is in charge—donned a fluy robe, stashed my belongings in a locker and emerged into a vast relaxation room overlooking a fild of wildflowersand its attendant butterflis, birds and deer. There I sat—amid weighted blankets and sound-therapy

A view of Keswick Hall & Spa

TUCKED INTO A TREE-LINED ENCLAVE IN THE FOOTHILLS OF THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS, KESWICK HALL HAS BEEN MANY THINGS SINCE IT WAS BUILT IN 1912.

The spa at Keswick Hall calmly beckons.

DRIVING RANGE

SAY SPAAAHHHH

Need some pampering to ease away the stress? These boutique spa resorts are also within a two-hour drive of the DMV— promising an easy day trip, although you may be tempted to stay longer.

SALAMANDER RESORT & SPA

There may be 168 rooms at this elegant English manor in Middleburg, Virginia, but somehow it feels like you have the place all to yourself. Situated on 340 acres with restaurants, an equestrian barn, multiple pools, a fitness center, golf and tennis facilities, lawn games and even a zip-lining park, the resort boasts a spa that’s a slice of serenity. A 60-minute Swedish massage ($205) is all you need to make the world disappear, particularly if Erica is your therapist.

Spa guests are asked to “set their intention” (relax, rebalance or rejuvenate) before their treatment and are sent home with a miniature vial of aromatherapeutic oil to keep the good vibes going.

salamanderresort.com

devices, antioxidant chlorophyllinfused water and fresh fruit— while I waited for my therapist, Shanise, to retrieve me. And that is the last thing I remember.

OK, to be accurate, I do remember Shanise ushering me into one of the spa’s eight treatment rooms, which smelled divine in the way that spas do, redolent of lavender and lack of responsibility. And I remember the massage table, heated and bolstered in all the right spots, and how she went to work untangling the knots that had taken up residence in my muscles in the years since I had last treated myself to a massage.

But all of that became a hazy recollection, melted in a puddle of boneless-ness, swaddled in a cocoon of oblivion. Theonly thing I know for sure is that I unplugged myself for 60 glorious minutes, and when I opened my eyes, I did not want to go back to reality.

Eventually, of course, I had to—a transition that Shanise eased by handing me a glass of freshpressed juice. Opting out of the

TOP PHOTO COURTESY OF KESWICK HALL & SPA; BOTTOM PHOTOS COURTESY OF SALAMANDER RESORT & SPA

Keswick Hall's relaxation room

BOAR’S HEAD RESORT

Another gem of the Virginia Piedmont, this Charlottesville inn is more expansive (168 guest rooms) and less expensive than Keswick (most rooms are in the $175$300/night range), but still feels like a privileged getaway. If you haven’t visited the Boar’s Head in a while, things might feel different: The main building and its guest rooms were modernized in 2018, and two adjacent buildings will follow suit in 2023. The spa was also completely renovated after it was gutted by a fire in 2019. It reopened to the public in August 2021 with an updated menu, offering traditional salon services and specialized facials and body treatments, like the 50-minute Blue Ridge aromatherapy massage ($150). Boar’s Head’s extensive sport and fitness facilities include two pools, a climbing wall and all manner of racquet sports, as well as an 18-hole golf course with an extensive training academy. The resort is a launch point for hot-air balloon rides through Monticello Country Ballooning. boarsheadresort.com

infrared sauna and steam room, I headed for the luxe showers, helping myself to plant-based soaps and shampoos, disposable razors, shaving gel and fluffy towels, and letting my stress wash away as I took another half-step back to consciousness.

Retrieving my belongings from my locker, I noted my husband’s reply to my earlier text (a GIF of the parking lot attendants in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off taking the Ferrari for a joyride) and begrudgingly slipped back into my real-life clothes. Fortunately, what I was going back to, at least for one more night, was the beautiful inn, with its tended gardens and all the trappings of a life of leisure.

My evening plans included dinner with my older son, a student at UVA, at Keswick’s on-site restaurant, Marigold by Jean-Georges. Sitting on the veranda overlooking the meticulously groomed Full Cry golf course, we marveled at our luck—perfect weather, combined with a swanky story assignment that found me a mere 10 miles from his apartment—while splitting dishes of whole roasted cauliflowe, warm shrimp salad, lobster with shoestring fries, and fried chicken with housemade creamed corn. Our server tucked a parting gift of petite madeleines into a craftily folded napkin. I sent my kid back to college with leftovers

THERE I SAT—AMID WEIGHTED BLANKETS AND SOUND-THERAPY DEVICES, ANTIOXIDANT CHLOROPHYLLINFUSED WATER AND FRESH FRUIT.

and returned to my room to findmy bed turned down and a crackling fie on the TV, convincing enough to induce a deep sleep.

Thenext morning, I was in no rush to extract myself from my plush bed (Duxiana mattress, Frette sheets) or leave the comforts of the vast hotel room, with its decadent marble bathroom, stocked snack pantry and walk-in closet that made me wish I’d brought more clothes.

I set up a makeshift office on the terrace and worked for an hour or so before I realized that I was only typing a few lines at a time between long gazes at the green horizon, framed at its edges by a bronze glow. I reluctantly closed my laptop and packed up, making a mental note not to wait another three decades before revisiting this ethereal place.

Now, I am two people: the person I was before I experienced Keswick, and the person I am after. I pity the next hotel that tries to impress me.

Rooms at Keswick Hall start at $375 per night. Spa treatments, including massage, facials, mani-pedis and body therapy, range from $70 to $400 and up. Keswick Hall, 701 Club Drive, Keswick, Virginia, keswick.com n

Adrienne Wichard-Edds is co-founder of The Essay Coaches, which helps college-bound kids all over the world find their voice so they can tell their story.

INN AT PERRY CABIN

If your perfect day involves a spa treatment topped off with a sunset sail, this grande dame of Maryland’s Eastern Shore might be your jam. Offering 78 guest rooms and suites in St. Michaels, the resort keeps guests busy with entertainment for the mind (history lectures), muscles (from golf and tennis to biking and bocce) and taste buds (resident chef Gregory James was recently named Chef of the Year by the Restaurant Association of Maryland). For fun on the water, the inn’s private sailboats and yachts are available to charter. Like its restaurants, Perry Cabin’s spa incorporates the property’s natural resources into its menu—like the Seasonal Botanical Ritual, a 50-minute body treatment ($180) that utilizes freshly snipped herbs from an on-site garden. innatperrycabin.com

LEFT PHOTOS BY JASON VARNEY;

The boutique area at Keswick Hall

BY CHRISTINE KOUBEK FLYNN GET AWAY

BEGIN THE NEW YEAR IN NEW HOPE

SET IN THE HEART of artsy and walkable New Hope, Pennsylvania, the historic Logan Inn reopened in August 2021 after a two-year expansion that added 22 contemporary guest rooms and suites to the original 16-room inn. Ferry + Main, the new open-kitchen restaurant, has a large bar at its center, plus many delicious dishes, from butternut squash soup to arugula potato gnocchi. Themain flor’s warm-toned stone walls, cozy nooks, leather sofas and whiskey lounge with a wood-burning fieplace—plus a small movie theater downstairs—make it easy to fi nd your ideal respite. Framed photos of Freddie Mercury, and coffee tables dotted with books on the Rolling Stones and John Lennon infuse the place with a rockmusicians-on-vacation vibe.

Theswanky new guest rooms and four spacious suites include the vibrant Safari Suite (Room 211), which has a zebra rug, a decorative fieplace and a balcony. Room 202 features Keith Haring art. So-called “annex” king rooms and suites have a retro fridge and mixology station with artisanal spirits and housemade mixers (pricing varies). All rooms include a Lavazza coffee/espresso machine, Sour Patch gummies and chocolate-covered raisins in big boxes ($5), and a “Love Box” ($10) with massage lotion and other intimacy items.

Rates begin at $180. Dogs allowed in select rooms ($100 fee).

Logan Inn, 10 W. Ferry St., New Hope, Pennsylvania, 215862-2300, loganinn.com

FROM UPPER LEFT: PHOTO BY AMESSÉ PHOTOGRAPHY; PHOTO BY ED DANDER;

PHOTO BY AMESSÉ PHOTOGRAPHY; PHOTO BY ED DANDER; PHOTO BY JUAN VIDAL PHOTOGRAPHY

NEW IN NOMA

OPENED IN SEPTEMBER 2022 a short walk from Union Station, the 10-story CitizenM Washington DC NoMa hotel is a study in art, design and efficiency. The colorful and spacious lobby is adorned with works from D.C. artists and has tucked-away booths and comfortable seating areas. Theadjacent bar opens to an interior courtyard. Try CanteenM bar & kitchen’s signature cognac-based sidecar, or their DC Old Fashioned, which includes honey blossom water and locally sourced whiskey.

Sixteen of the 296 rooms are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Theothers are 150 square feet and designed to maximize space. Each includes a compact desk, a safe, an extra-large king bed with underbed storage, and a tablet that controls the TV, lights, blinds, blackout curtains and LED shower lighting.

Visit the lobby barista for coffee 24 hours a day. An $18.95 breakfast buffet includes unlimited espresso-based drinks. Th small hotel gym, open 24/7, includes two Pelotons and two higher-end Woodway treadmills.

Rates begin at $129. Save 6% when you book on the hotel’s

JOIN IN ARMY HISTORY

LOCATED OFF I-95 IN Virginia, roughly 27 miles from Bethesda, the National Museum of the United States Army tells the history of America’s oldest military branch, which was established in 1775. Freestanding pylons—each with an etched image of a soldier and accompanying biography—stretch from the museum’s exterior into the entryway, through the lobby, and to the Army Concourse.

Opened on Veterans Day 2020, the 185,000-square-foot museum was designed for exploring Army history along with the history of our nation through art, artifacts, audio tours, talks with docents and more. Themd exhibit areas include Founding the Nation, Army and Society, Global War, Cold War and Preserving the Nation.

An entire visit could be spent in the Experiential Learning Center, where people of all ages and skill levels can hone

website or app and select the mycitizenMrate. While requests can’t be guaranteed, courtyard view rooms are quieter, and outer rooms on higher flors have a view of the greater NoMa area. Note: The hoel has no parking.

CitizenM Washington DC NoMa hotel, 1222 1st St. NE, Washington, D.C., 202-998-3851, citizenm.com/hotels/united-states/ washington-dc/washington-dc-noma

their skills in geography, science, technology, engineering and math through immersive activities. The“Fort Discover” section is a play space for kids to climb an Army tower, drop cargo supplies, launch a space rocket and drive a jeep. Animated Army mules Buckshot and Blackjack share Army innovations across history, from the creation of interstate highways, to the Panama Canal and satellite com-

munications, via interactive video games.

Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free timed-entry tickets are available online or at the museum’s entrance. Thebuilding is located outside of Fort Belvoir’s restricted area.

National Museum of the United States Army, 1775 Liberty Drive, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, 800-506-2672, thenmusa.org

MATERIAL WORLD

Wrap a scrunchie around your hair bun and pull up the sleeves on that oversize blazer—’80s fashion is back in a big way.

BY ALEXANDRA GOPIN

1. ANIMAL MAGNETISM

Bold pattern plus fur trim equals something Joan Collins would have rocked on Dynasty. Ths Joseph Ribkoff oncho is also a hot item right now. $225 at Ibhana Creations II, Federal Plaza, Rockville, 301-424-0906, ibhana.net

2. BIG HAIR, BIG FUN

You know the drill: Wear these Scünci scrunchies as bracelets until you need to tie your hair back with one (or a few, for that layered look). Even the price feels retro. $8.89 for 10 at Target, Bethesda, 301-781-3725, target.com

3. PURPLE REIGN

Make that pop of color a full-on punch, add dramatic batwing sleeves for good measure, and you’ve got yourself this Kerisma RYU sweater worthy of the MTV generation. $78 at OAK, Kensington, 301-933-0281, oaktheshop.com

4. JACKET REQUIRED

Any ’80s prepster worth her brass buttons had a double-breasted blazer, like this cobalt blue Generation Love “Delilah” style, in her closet. $385 at Morley, Bethesda Row, 301-664-6440, shopmorley.com

5. JUMPSUIT UP!

Back then, they were all about shoulder pads and big belts. Sleek lines and a utilitarian feel bring this Charlotte denim jumpsuit into the new millennium. $228 at Faherty, Bethesda Row, 240-634-3004, fahertybrand.com

6. DRIPPING WITH STYLE

Beat it to Pink Dot Styles to pick up these graffiti-insped Jumper Maybach x Ahdorned crossbody handbags in vegan leather. $125 at Pink Dot Styles, Kensington, 240-558-3474, pinkdotstyles.com

7. DRESS YOU UP Chunky gold jewelry is hot again; find hese locally handcrafted earrings at Nesy, a Rockville-based shop that’s mostly online-only. $34.99 at Nesy, Rockville, 301-712-3354, nesycollection.com

THE CLASS MENAGERIE

BY CARALEE ADAMS

CLOVER AND CHLOE, a pair of Dutch dwarf rabbits, spend most of their day in the pre-K classroom of B’nai Israel Schilit Nursery School in Rockville. But the cuddly sisters are always on call to be dispatched as needed.

Early in the school year, when children struggle to separate from their parents, Assistant Director Elizabeth Carpenter says she goes into “rescue bunny operation mode” and takes a rabbit to wherever she hears crying.

“I come in with the bunny, and the faucet turns offimmediately,” she says. “It really helps to calm children down and give them something else to focus on besides their own tears.” Thoughout the year, Carpenter takes the rabbits on visits to the classrooms of 2- to 5-yearolds, who often jump and squeal as the animals hop around and play.

“The rabbits are real troupers and

lovely with the children,” says Carpenter, who is the animals’ weekend caretaker in her Poolesville home. “What [the children] get is a feeling of empathy toward another living creature. Tht’s what we’re hoping to cultivate at this age.”

Classroom pets—from mammals to reptiles to fi sh—can teach responsible pet care, say local educators, and be reallife examples in lessons about the life sciences, chemistry, engineering and the environment.

Some teachers finane their own pet projects. Others turn to organizations, such as Pet Care Trust—a nonprofitwith finanial support from the pet industry— for grants from its Pets in the Classroom (PITC) program.

Themost popular classroom pets are bearded dragons, fish and guinea pigs, according to Matt Coffi affer, executive director of Pet Care Trust, which

g ive s coupons for 37 different types of animals for teachers to buy at local pet stores. Some of the most unusual have included tarantulas and chinchillas.

“It’s not just about the entertainment; it’s about the education,” Coffiaffer says. “We think that this could be a really important channel to help create more pathways in STEM education, and particularly for young girls.”

At the all-girls Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda, Flavia Huber says having reptiles in her sixthgrade environmental science classroom gives her students a chance to appreciate creatures that aren’t just “cute and fuzzy,” and shows girls that science isn’t just for boys. “I want my students to develop a lifelong sense of wonder about the natural world,” Huber says.

Huber used a PITC grant last year to buy a corn snake, Noodle, which

In local schoolrooms, pets provide lessons of empathy and responsibility

Liri Kalev (above) and Allie Scarpelli (lower left) enjoy the rabbits at B’nai Israel Schilit Nursery School in Rockville

the girls can volunteer to feed tiny dead mice. She also has a three-legged spiny-tailed lizard, Trip, and a bearded dragon, Mushu, who lives in a bioactive terrarium with decomposing fungi and insects to hunt. “When we talk about nutrient cycling and food webs, Mushu comes into play,” Huber says. “Thekids also just like to observe him. We joke that he sits in judgment upon us while we are doing work, because he does seem to stare.”

Students in Lore Neubeiser’s special education class at Watkins Mill High School in Gaithersburg like to watch their classroom gerbils, Mellow and Macchiato, scurry through their tubing and play on a wheel in their enclosure. Some of the students don’t have the opportunity to keep animals at home, Neubeiser says, and the pets provide both emotional support and practical lessons.

“I hope it builds a passion for students to appreciate nature and science. Thy also learn how to take care of an animal,” she says. “Thekids really, really connect with the gerbils. Some of them on the [autism] spectrum who really don’t interact a lot with each other come over and interact with the gerbils.”

A bonus of getting funding from PITC, Neubeiser says, was that her class bought the gerbils at Petco on a class fild trip, where they learned how to ask for assistance, purchase supplies and gauge total costs.

For Jessica Neuringer at Ritchie Park Elementary School in Rockville, two Russian tortoises, Sheldon and Maisy, add a little excitement to her fith-grade classroom. “The kids gravitate toward the tank to watch them,” she says. “Sometimes I take them out to let the kids pet the tortoise shells or let [the tortoises]

walk around on the classroom flor.”

Anna Uehling, a media specialist at Harmony Hills Elementary School in Silver Spring, set up a 10-gallon aquarium in her library and stocked it with one betta fish and three tiny neon tetra schooling fish with a PITC grant, researching on YouTube how to care for them. She has a laminated sheet with facts about the fish next to the tank, as well as a basket with books about fish. Theaquarium is a calming presence, she says, and sometimes students who’ve had a rough start to their day pop by the library to watch the little swimmers.

“I hope it inspires [kids] to be interested in learning more…and an appreciation for nature and to slow down,” Uehling says. “Thee’s a lot of talk about social/emotional learning this year, especially coming after the pandemic, and I feel like this is a great segue into that.”

Barrie Camp

On-site swimming, canoeing, sports, archery, arts, nature, outdoor living skills, STEM, karate, science, theatrics, music and leadership training.

Bullis School

Campers can choose from a wide variety of options including day camp, sports, leadership training, and unique specialty camps such as aviation, fishing, theatre and visual arts.

Calleva

Calleva focuses on empowering kids through exciting outdoor adventure experiences, with Maryland & Virginia locations & transportation pickup points throughout the DMV. Some programs include overnight.

Camp Tall Timbers

Voted Best of Bethesda 2015, 2017, 1019, 2020 & 2021. ACA accredited. Variety of sessions offered & activities. Specialties: aquatics, equestrian, sports programs, challenge & great outdoors, archery, arts and more.

Creative Summer at Holton-Arms

Create your own summer: We offer classes in the arts, crafts, dance, music, outdoor exploration, sports, swimming, tennis, theater, academics, and more. Bus service and aftercare available.

Georgetown Preparatory School

Sports camp with instruction, games and fun on first-rate athletic facilities. Featuring baseball, basketball, football, golf, lacrosse, rugby and soccer.

Glen Echo Park Summer Camp

Sports camp with instruction, games and fun on first-rate athletic facilities. Featuring baseball, basketball, football, golf, lacrosse, rugby and soccer.

Green Acres School

Swimming instruction at our on-campus pool; Create your own path in science & technology, sports, music and art.

KID Museum Summer Camp

Be a KID with us as we invent, explore, and make our way through the summer! KID Museum’s camps are designed and led by our professional maker educators and develop real-world skills through fun, hands-on projects.

Lowell School

Horsemanship, outdoor program, onsite swimming pool, STEM and theater arts programs and extended programs into August including an aquatics camp.

Oneness-Family Montessori School

Daily nature exploration (1st-5th grade), pool trips & water-play, yoga, thrilling creative arts & sciences, low camper to counselor ratio and extended care!

Our Lady of Good Counsel High School

archery, art, baseball, basketball, cheerleading, circus, coding, culinary, dungeons and dragons, entrepreneurship, field hockey, football, forensics, handwork crafting, lacrosse, robotics/STEM, soccer, softball, theatre, volleyball, yoga and jr. day camp. Before/aftercare and lunch available.

Round House Theatre Camp

1-Week and Multi-Week camps for youth and teens. Focus on acting, playwriting, storytelling, design and more. Inspire creativity and explore your imagination!

St. John’s College High School Summer Sports Camps

Baseball, basketball, field hockey, football, lacrosse, soccer, softball, sport performance, track and field and volleyball.

Day Coed4 - 17Olney, MD www.olgchs.org/camps 240-283-3218

Day Coed5 - 18 Bethesda, Silver Spring, MD www.roundhousetheatre.org 301-585-1225

Day Coed 7 - 17 Chevy Chase, D.C.

www.stjohnschs.org/ summercamps 202-363-2316

Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart

Choose your own adventure from over 45 classes including: musical theater, STEM in nature, basketball, soccer, painting, cartooning, jewelry making, sculpture, dance, cardboard boat regatta, cooking, ukulele lessons, swimming, diving, adventure camps and more!

Day Coed4 - 17Bethesda, MD www. stoneridgesummercampus.org 301-657-4322 ll

Camp Dates: June 19th - July 28th

Registration opens January 30th

Earth Keepers (Grades 1-5)

• Daily outdoor hikes to wilderness areas

• Interactive exhibits at nature centers & museums

• Exploring with fossils, animal tracks, & bird calls

• Swimming & climbing time

Peace Weavers (Ages 3-6 ½)

• Unique weekly themes with art, play, & projects

• Fun fitness games, creative movement, & yoga

• In-house entertainment and off-campus field trips

• Water-play and playground trips

For Jennifer Tepper’s reported essay on being an urban chicken farmer (“Henhouse Proud,” page 156), photographer Hannele Lahti captured several backyard shots. Here, Bodhi, one of Tepper’s 2-year-old twins, is chasing Angry Bird, a Lavender Orpington who is also 2. Loudy, a pullet, looks on from inside the coop. “He loves all animals,” Tepper says of Bodhi. “His favorite thing to ask for is videos of cows on YouTube.”

Thechase may be on, but Bodhi and Angry Bird actually have a great relationship, Tepper says: “Thy both came into our lives around the same time. He’s our one kid who would spend his whole day in the coop area if allowed.”

PHOTO BY HANNELE LAHTI