VOLUME 60 NUMBER 19
JULY 2 – JULY 16, 2014
Kristin & John Cecchi in their Georgetown home
REMODELING FOR MODERN LIFE
BID Up for Renewal
MARION BARRY: His Life, His Way REAL ESTATE SPECIAL Sizzling Summer Sales or Not?
SINCE 1954
N EW S
CONTENTS 19
Cocktail of the Month
3
Calendar
4
Town Topics
20
Bastille Day Wines
6
Business
21
RAMMY Winners
8
Editorial/Opinion
IN COUNTRY
9
Marion Barry: His Life, His Times His Way
TRAVEL
22
24
In Brazil for the World Cup
25
Brandywine: Wyeth’s Other World
REAL ES TATE 10
Featured Property
The world’s most desired luxury homes —
11
Auction Block
brought to you by Long & Foster and Christie’s.
12
Sales
11
Historic D.C.
COVER S T ORY 14
Remodeling for Modern Living
FOOD & W I NE 18
Dining Guide
BODY & SOUL 26
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Exposure beyond measure.
Murphy’s Love
DIRECT ORY 27
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Classifieds
28
Ralph Fasanella
29
Fringe Festival
SOCIAL SCENE 30
Service beyond the ordinary.
The Little Washington Spa
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To view our featured luxury properties, see our center spread in this edition.
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July 2, 2014 GMG, INC.
ON THE COVER
Kristin and John Cecchi stand in an archway in their N Street home in Georgetown. John is the founder of IDI Residential, a real estate development company that has renovated eight homes and counting in Georgetown. Photo by Paul Simkin
The Georgetowner is published every other Wednesday. The opinions of our writers and columnists do not necessarily reflect the editorial and corporate opinions of The Georgetowner newspaper. The Georgetowner accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs and assumes no liability for products or services advertised herein. The Georgetowner reserves the right to edit, rewrite or refuse material and is not responsible for errors or omissions. Copyright 2014.
UP & COMING Counting Crows Famous for their hit single “Accidentally in Love,” Counting Crows will perform with Toad the Wet Sprocket at the Filene Center at 7 p.m. Tickets: $35 - $55. For details, visit wolftrap.org/. 1551 Trap Rd., Vienna, Va.
The Aloha Boys Part of the Summer Sunday Concerts in the Park series, The Aloha Boys will play acoustic Hawaiian music in the McLean Central Park Gazebo at 5 p.m. Admission is free. For details, call 703-790-0123. 1468 Dolley Madison Blvd., McLean, Va.
JULY 10
JULY 13
JULY 7
JULY 11
JULY 14
Yoga at Georgetown Neighborhood Library Enjoy free afternoon and evening yoga sessions at the Georgetown Neighborhood Library this month. RSVP to Erika.Rydberg@ dc.gov with your name and class dates you are interested in. For details, visit dclibrary. org/georgetown. 3260 R St., NW.
JULY 9
Shop with a Cause Feel good about giving back while shopping for Stella & Dot jewelry and accessories at Carine’s Bridal at 6 p.m. 50% of all proceeds will go toward St. Jude’s Hospital. 1726 Wisconsin Ave., NW.
JULY 6
Castleton Festival: Madama Butterfly One of Giacomo Puccini’s most famous works of a love story of an American naval officer and his young Japanese bride will be performed at 2 p.m. in the 650-seat Festival Theatre, directed by Tomer Zvulun. For details, visit castletonfestival.org/. 7 Castleton Meadow Ln., Castleton, Va.
IN-HOUSE PERIODONTIST
Harbour Nights: Mike Moniodis Relax by the Washington Harbour with live music every Wednesday evening this summer. This week will feature guitarist and singer Mike Moniodis next to outdoor restaurants on the waterfront in Georgetown. 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Admission is free. For details, visit georgetowndc.com/ events.
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JULY 12
Washington Printmakers Gallery Reception WPG is moving to Georgetown. Visit the new gallery space for a special exhibit and reception from 5 to 7 p.m. at 1641 Wisconsin Ave., NW. For details, visit washingtonprintmakers.com/event/. French Festival at Hillwood Join Hillwood and Alliance Française de Washington for their annual French Festival, complete with 18th-century French art, dance performances, live music, Frenchinspired games and gallery walks. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $5-$18. For details, visit francedc.org/events/.
Bastille Day 4 Mile Run Celebrate the Storming of the Bastille and the beginning of the French Revolution with a 4-mile race on the Capital Crescent Trail, starting at Fletcher’s Cove, 4940 Canal Rd., NW. Online pre-registration is required by noon on July 13. Registration is free to club members and $5 for non-club members. The race begins at 7 p.m. For details, visit dcroadrunners.org/sign-up/ bastille.
JULY 15
Sunset Yoga & Pilates in the Park The Georgetown BID has partnered with local yoga and Pilates studios to host free one-hour sunset classes throughout the summer. Sessions will begin at 6 p.m. in Georgetown Waterfront Park. Pick up free water and light refreshments after the session concludes. Space is limited and RSVPs are required. For details, visit georgetowndc.com.
Hello, Georgetown, We’re Open for You. Once again, the village has its Shell service station back at a familiar corner. We are pleased to continue that history and are ready and honored to serve you. The seasoned professionals at Georgetown Shell specialize in domestic and foreign vehicles. Our capabilities range from regular maintenance, preventative maintenance, factory-authorized maintenance services, to diagnostic repairs, such as check engine lights, ABS faults, electrical failures. We are equipped with the latest preventative maintenance machines, diagnostic tools and scanners.
✁
Expires July 16, 2014
Georgetown Shell, Where Excellence Is The Standard
SINCE 1976
1576 Wisconsin Ave., NW • 202-965-1999 • www.GeorgetownShell.com bobby@GeorgetownShell.com • info@GeorgetownShell.com
WWW.JOHNDRICHARDSONCOMPANY.COM Richardson_AD.indd 1
Shot in the Dark Golf & Dinner Classic Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind’s 2nd annual fundraiser will promote awareness of visual impairments in the community. Events will include a 9-hole golf tournament, dinner, live music and blind golf clinic. Tickets are $195-$375. For details, visit clb.org/. Woodmont Country Club, 1201 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md.
Ride Toward Wellness Join Washington Area Bicyclist Association for a discussion on how biking benefits your health. Admission is free. For details, visit dclibrary.org/georgetown. 3260 R St., NW.
Free tire rotation with oil change
RENOVATION NEW BUILDING DESIGN SERVICES 202-342-7424 1516 34TH ST., N.W. WASHINGTON, D.C. 20007 JOHN@JOHNDRICHARDSONCOMPANY.COM
Capital Fringe Festival Opening Day Enjoy live local music, theatrical performances, comedy shows, food, drinks and pulled BBQ pork at the Fringe Festival July 10 to July 27. For details, visit capitalfringe.org/. 607 New York Ave., NW.
Calendar
JULY 5
10/8/13 11:03 AM
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TOWN TOPICS
NEWS
BY ROBERT DEVANEY
ANC Report: D.C. Sold Part of Alley? BID, Dumpsters, Church Re-use
President Obama at Georgetown Waterfront Park July 1. Photo by Bill Starrels
Obama Speaks at Waterfront Park President Barack Obama brought his motorcade down K Street July 1 and delivered a speech at Georgetown Waterfront Park at
33rd Street, NW, about necessary infrastructure work across the U.S. and especially the Highway Trust Fund. Using Key Bridge again as a backdrop, Obama accused Congress of not acting to get highway work rolling. He made a similar speech in the same spot in November 2011.
The Georgetown-Burleith Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E held its July meeting on June 30, discussing the Hyde School construction (coming very soon), the Taste of Georgetown (on Sept. 13 on K Street), BID five-year reauthorization (approved) and introducing new commissioner Dennis Quinn (for SMD 08). The increasingly hot issue of dumpsters taking up space in the streets and staying in front of houses too long was raised and will be discussed in more length in the next ANC meeting, which will be in September. One part of community comment was the surprising news of alley property sold by D.C. because of a tax lien which the new owner believes allows him to put up a fence around his property – blocking the alley that runs between Potomac Street and 33rd Street, NW. It is parallel to N Street. Homeowners were on hand to protest that idea. Designs for the re-use of the Alexander Memorial Baptist Church property -- to be turned into private residences – were shown by Sassan Gharai of SGA Companies. Neighbors on the 2700 block of N Street expressed their concerns. The rectory and church will be worked on first, while the proposed new house on an adjacent, empty lot has been tabled for now.
Woman Pulled Out of Potomac Ruled a Suicide A woman discovered floating face down in the Potomac River near Georgetown Waterfront Park and Washington Harbour June 23 has died. A source familiar with the case called her death a suicide.
According to a D.C. Fire Department spokesman, “Witnesses reported talking to the woman not long before she was seen unconscious in the river. Land units from the water rescue assignment were able to get a line on the victim and brought her to shore … Fire boats 2 and 3 also initiated a grid search to assure there were no other victims.” Found feet from shore, the woman -- identified as 53-year-old Robyn McShay of Maryland -- was given CPR at the scene and then transported to the hospital where she died.
1914 Model T Pie Truck Takes Drive Through Georgetown
Mike Copperthite, driving the restored 1914 Model T Connecticut-Copperthite Pie delivery truck on Potomac Street, June 22.
Mike Copperthite, descendent of the founders of the Connecticut-Copperthite Pie Company, drove a restored 1914 Model T pie delivery truck into Georgetown from McLean, June 22. Cooperthite has revived the family’s pie business over past few years and is selling pies in different locations. He’s also donating them to various charitable events. He drove his pie truck -- which caught everyone’s attention -- around town from M Street and to Q and R Streets. Founded in 1888, the Connecticut-
Kathleen Battista
(O) 202.338.4800 • (C) 202.320.8700 kbattista@cathedralrealtyllc.com 4000 Cathedral Ave. NW Washington, DC 20016
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July 2, 2014 GMG, INC.
TOWN TOPICS
Copperthite Pie Company had locations in Georgetown and Capitol Hill. It not only was the biggest pie bakery in D.C. but was one of the biggest companies in D.C. The Connecticut-Copperthite Pie Delivery Truck was restored a few months ago and is one of only 119 made in 1914. The Ford Motor Company sold it to the Connecticut- Copperthite Pie Company 100 years ago. The story of the restoration of the pie truck will be told this month on the History Channel’s “Counting Cars.”
Hoyas’ Mascot, Jack, Jr., Turns 1
Taste of G’ Town, Sept. 13
The Taste of Georgetown will return on Sept. 13 and will be held on K Street down near Georgetown Waterfront Park. K Street will be closed between Wisconsin Avenue and Thomas Jefferson Street for the annual restaurant sampling. It is the 21th year of the foodlovers’ event, which is run by the Georgetown Business Improvement District and benefits the Georgetown Ministry Center.
Now, Das Coffee We Love
Das Ethiopian Restaurant at 28th and M Streets held its Ethiopian coffee ceremony June 21 on the outside patio of the restaurant. Invited dinner guests sampled the Das Ethiopian Exclusive roasted Sidamo coffee, which was introduced to the group and is available for sale. Guests delighted in the unique coffee ceremony. After all, coffee originated in Ethiopia.
Jack, Jr., the bulldog, celebrated his first birthday June 29. The mascot-in-training has taken over the job of Jack the retired bulldog, who still lives on campus. Jack, Jr., also stepped in, when another mascot-in-training could not cut the rigorous public duties at Georgetown University sporting events and other attention-grabbing gigs. Nicknamed “J.J.,” the lovable, little guy attended several birthday parties over the weekend.
CommunityCalendar SUNDAY, JULY 6, 3 P.M.
FRIDAY, JULY 11 TO SATURDAY, JULY 12
Bach Festival at Grace Church. Enjoy beautiful music all week at Grace Church in Georgetown, 1041 Wisconsin Ave., NW. This week will feature organs, violins and cellos in pieces composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. Tickets are $20. For details, visit gracedc.org/.
Three-D printer road show at Georgetown Public Library, 3260 R St., NW. Check out the newest printing technology in a variety of free workshops that will take you through the processes of 3D printing, modeling, scanning and jewelry making. For details, visit dclibrary.org/ node/43440.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 8:30 P.M. TO 11:30 P.M. Jane Austen outdoor film series. Georgetown’s Dumbarton House is hosting a free Jane Austen outdoor film series throughout the summer. Austen’s “Emma” will be featured this week on the north garden lawn of Dumbarton House, 2715 Q St., NW. For details, visit cagtown.org/ content/jane-austen-outdoor-film-series-1.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 6:30 P.M. TO 8:30 P.M. Georgetown Business Association July networking reception. The GBA will host its monthly networking reception aboard a pirate ship cruise at sunset on the Potomac River. For details, visit gtownbusiness.com/Events
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BUSINESS
Au Revoir, Café La Ruche; Bonjour, Hilton Brothers
Café La Ruche served its last meal June 29. The Georgetown legend was started in 1979 by Jean-claude Cauderlier. Restaurant owners Eric and Ian Hilton of Thievery Corporation will take over the former Café La Ruche space at 1039 31st St., NW, in early August and open a Georgetown location. Chez Billy Sud will feature authentic Southern French cuisine and French wine. The new place is south of the original Chez Billy in Petworth that Eric and Ian Hilton own – thus, the name, Chez Billy Sud. “We are excited about opening up a new location in Georgetown and carry on the legacy that Café La Ruche has made over the years,” said executive chef Brendan L’Etoile. “We are looking to accommodate anyone that comes to Georgetown and want to enjoy good French food.” “We will miss Jean-claude and Cafe LaRuche,” said Bill Starrels, neighbor to the restaurant and the local advisory neighborhood commissioner. “He has provided years of good food and been a friend to his neighbors. Chez Billy will pick up the French flair and continue the French tradition.”
EastBanc to Buy Gas Station on Entry to Town Anthony Lanier, owner of EastBanc, Inc., said that despite the fact there is a
contract to buy the gas station property at 2715 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, the gateway to Georgetown, there is nothing substantial developing in terms of his company’s plan to redevelop the property. EastBanc is already working on a condo project near Key Bridge near Georgetown’s western gateway. “We have no plans as of now,” Lanier wrote of EastBanc’s intention about the property in an email. As first reported by the Washington Business Journal, speculations have surfaced that there are still plenty of questions unanswered as to whether or not the current owners could stay as joint-venture partners and re-develop the gas station into a residence property. According to the Washington Business Journal, Lanier said he believes that there is potential to create a signature project on the given site for its unique location at the intersection between M Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, which serves as a gateway to Georgetown.
20 Dandy Years of the Dandelion Patch
The Dandelion Patch, one of Georgetown’s favorite stationery company, celebrates its 20th anniversary in July. Since launching in 1994, it has specialized in luxury wedding invitations, personalized stationery and birth announcements and was voted “Best of the Best” by Washingtonian Magazine. In honor of its 20th anniversary, the paper boutique will host several special events and
promotions throughout July, including workshops, raffles, a “girls’ night out” jewelry trunk show and a children’s letter writing campaign for troops. The Dandelion Patch has stores in Vienna and Reston. For details, visit thedandelionpatch.com. 1663 Wisconsin Ave., NW.
BUSINESS INS + OUTS IN: a New Georgetown Dinette
Alas, Emmy and Harry have retired, sold their business and departed Georgetown. While we will surely miss Emmy’s acerbic, loud and curt wit, we will also miss Harry’s French fries and bacon cheeseburgers. The new managers, Nasser and Josh, have renovated and updated the décor of Georgetown’s favorite greasy spoon and added a new menu with a bit of a Persian twist that includes gyros. Harry still owns the property at 3206 O St., NW, and stops by once in a while to check on things.
IN: Pretty Chic
A new boutique – Pretty Chic -- opened at 1671 Wisconsin Ave., NW, and aims to provide the women of Georgetown affordable clothing, shoes, accessories and jewelry. The store offers gently used consignment, vintage and new items available. Say hello to owner Sehvar Bor and store manager Blair Ringo.
IN: All We Art Studio
The art gallery, All We Art, which specializes in contemporary Latin American artists working in a range of mediums, opened last week at 1666 33rd St., NW. Its co-founders, Luisa Elena Vidaurre and Pablo Brito Altamira, are from Venezula. “With our passion for art and our love of Venezuela and its culture, it seems like a natural step to open the space with an exhibition focusing on the art of that country,” said Vidaurre and Altamira. The gallery’s inaugural exhibit, “Tierra de Gracia/Land of Grace: Venezuelan Contemporary Art,” runs through Sept. 7.
OUT: Darrell Dean Space to Become a Quiznos?
After 15 Years at 1524 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Darrell Dean Antiques & Decorative Arts is closing its store in Georgetown and moving to Kensington, Md., where it will re-open in September in a larger space. The store will have a final tag sale during the third weekend of July, Dean adds, featuring items from a “fashion designer client which includes lot of cruise ship items as well as taxidermy, Restoration Hardware dining set, etc. … The sale will also include lots of miscellaneous items from other Georgetown clients.” The retail space – which is near the George Town Club and Café Bonaparte -- is set to become a Quiznos restaurant.
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July 2, 2014 GMG, INC.
BUSINESS
Georgetown BID Up for Renewal, We Want Your Input
END OF SEASON SALE
BY JOSEPH PARK
The Georgetown Business Improvement District (BID) is working to extend its term for another five years, as required by the Business Improvement Districts Act of 1996. The current term expires Sept. 30. The Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development will hold a hearing on the Georgetown BID, at 6 p.m., July 10, in Room 120, the Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave., NW. This public hearing is to inform citizens about the renewal application. All interested parties have an opportunity to present their views on the application in a public forum and ask questions. After the hearing for the Georgetown BID, the participating voting members will vote on whether or not to approve the $17.5 million dollar estimated budget that will impact Georgetown for the next five years. The cost of BID services is financed by a self-imposed tax on the businesses within the community. The Georgetown BID income comes directly from the businesses of Georgetown, its members. It is calculated by the “non-exempt” commercial portions of property at a rate of $.1545 for every $100 of assessed value (see page 21 of the Five Year Renewal Plan). The projected budget proposal has a two percent annual increase in BID tax that will be applied in 2016 (see page 22 of the Five Year Renewal Plan). The expenses of the operating budget will go towards different projects throughout the Georgetown BID which will include: street services, marketing improvements, transportation and destination management. Complete copies of the application will be available, starting Thursday, July 3. The recertification package will also be available at – www.GeorgetownDC.com/renewal. Those who wish to present testimony or present written comments on the application must do so by noon, Monday, July 7, 2014. Send them and direct any questions to Lincoln Lashley at lincoln.lashley@dc.gov. Telephone: 202-741-0814.
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We want your input on the Georgetown BID to help us report on the nature and activities of BID as they relate to your businesses and our community. We hope you’ll take a few minutes to answer the questions below. Please send your responses to editorial@georgetowner.com
1. Are you familiar with the Georgetown Business Improvement District (BID)? 2. Has the Georgetown BID helped you as a local business? If so, in what ways? 3. Are you familiar with the 15-year plan for 2028? Which part of the action agenda are you most interested in? 4. How can the Georgetown BID help your business?
GMG, INC. July 2, 2014
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EDITORIAL/ OPINON
Jack Evans Report
A Question of Leadership You hear a lot today about a political leader’s leadership ability, or lack thereof. You hear about what the American people want and need from their leaders. What THEY really need is for leaders to think about one thing, and one thing only: the greater good for all. Political leaders often confuse working for the greater good for all with winning elections, which is actually all about self-interest. Leaders--be they politicians, elected officials, businessmen or CEOs, presidents of associations or captains of industry--need to find expressions of the greater good. They need to inspire trust. They need to be able to bring people together as a group, in an enterprise or in their community. Too often, the opposite happens. Too often we see leadership through division, setting groups and individuals against each other. Too often, we get leaders
who pursue their own agenda, which clashes with the greater good. Good leaders find common ground, divisive leaders shun it. Good leaders provide opportunity and education. Leaders without empathy deprive people of opportunity and education. These days, we see political paralysis because the people we call our leaders don’t lead, barely speak to each other, and fail in their ability to define the greater good. What we need in leaders is courage, wisdom and imagination. Nelson Mandela showed both vision and courage when, after long years of imprisonment, he reached out to his foes to save his country. Former Mayor Anthony Williams showed imagination and embarked on a journey to transform Washington, D.C., the fruits of which we are seeing today.
Letter to the Editor
Nelson Mandela.
As someone who lives on 29th Street between Olive and M, I cannot disagree strenuously enough with your editorial calling for 28th and 29th to be turned into one-way streets. There is no doubt that traffic flow in the area results in damaged mirrors, but “solving this problem” - which I would argue, having suffered a couple of these incidents myself, is just an unfortunate reality of street parking in an urban area in this manner will only exacerbate a bigger one. My mirrors notwithstanding, I am far more concerned about the threat to life and limb posed by the reckless driving that routinely occurs on both 28th and 29th with cars traveling far in excess of the speed limit and barreling through stop signs without regard to the signs themselves or pedestrians that are in the crosswalks. It is simply a matter of time before we witness a terrible tragedy as things currently stand. Removing oncoming traffic as an obstacle to these wannabe Mario Andretti’s would take away the one thing that actually forces them to slow down. The mirror problem is also a reckless driving problem and the way to address this issue is straightforward: actually enforce existing traffic regulations by issuing tickets to violators. The word would get out.
Dear Georgetowner, Thank you for raising the question of how traffic flows on the streets of Georgetown. I am sure everyone who lives here and those who drive on the streets have opinions, including those who do it for a living. Certainly having more one way streets would make driving here easier and with much less property damage to everyone’s automobiles. Sincerely, Anne Armstrong Thompson
Sonya Bernhardt EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Robert Devaney Please send all submissions of opinions for consideration to: editorial@georgetowner.com
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July 2, 2014 GMG, INC.
FEATURES EDITORS
Gary Tischler Ari Post
BY JACK EVANS On Thursday, June 26, I co-chaired a hearing on a proposed new soccer stadium in the District of Columbia. The meeting brought together residents of the District and representatives of D.C. United, the D.C. Government and other stakeholder organizations. Part of the hearing was to gather stakeholder sentiment about the proposed stadium development, but the hearing was also an opportunity to put the proposal on the public record. I’d like to take this opportunity to share some of those details with you. Thursday’s hearing was the first such hearing on this proposal, so there will be other opportunities to express your views. The new LEED-certified soccer stadium is proposed to be built in Buzzard Point, an under-resourced neighborhood of the city between the Southwest Waterfront and Nationals Stadium. The rationale for locating the stadium in this neighborhood is to create an anchor to help build up this area for residents and build off of the success we’ve seen in other similar projects, such as the Verizon Center and Nationals Stadium, which have helped spur economic development. The new stadium will generate $50 million per year in new economic activity and $14 million per year in payroll in the District. The District of Columbia will acquire and own the land under the stadium and lease the land to DC United, who will design and construct the actual stadium (as well as bear the risk of any increased costs of building). In order to acquire the land in Buzzard Point, the District will purchase land for $85 million. Part of this amount will come from a swap of two city-owned properties for two privately held properties. These swaps are for two properties where the stadium will be built, in exchange for city-owned properties at 14th & U Streets (the Reeves Center) and a smaller property in the Mt. Vernon Triangle neighborhood. The swaps make the process more complicated than a simpler agreement for the city and DC United to split the cost of a stadium, but they give the District an opportunity to maximize our benefit in this project while limiting our actual out of pocket costs. The Reeves Center was built in 1986 and greatly helped the revitalization of the 14th & U Street corridor. However, three separate appraisals have told us that the Reeves building does not maximize the possible community benefits and tax revenue for such a prime location. A private development would provide a more comprehensive and valuable mixed-use building, including office space, retail, affordable housing and other uses. This will build on the success of the U street area, while allowing us to provide the support of government jobs in Anacostia, where a new Reeves Center would be located. This project allows us to provide smart planning for the future of our city and many of our neighborhoods. This development has a few key parts. It will help us spur economic development in two currently under-served parts of our city, Buzzard Point and Anacostia. It will create a permanent, appropriately-sized home for our local soccer team, DC United, and allow us to attract more events and tourism to the District. It will also create new retail and affordable housing at 14th & U Streets. As I see it, that’s three neighborhoods greatly benefitting from this proposal, in addition to the city as a whole. We subsidize lots of things in this city; it is what makes the fabric of our city unique. That rich fabric is why it’s important that we have a soccer team and stadium in this city. The proposal as currently structured isn’t perfect, and I will continue to work with my colleagues on the Council, stakeholders in the project and the residents of Ward 2 to ensure a fair and beneficial deal for the residents of the District of Columbia. I would also like to take a moment to offer my condolences to the family and friends of Tim Hanan, a Foxhall Village and former longtime Georgetown resident, who passed away a few weeks ago. Tim was a lawyer, advisor to Senator Edward Kennedy and Mayor Abe Beane of New York, and a friend to all.
Matthew Perl PUBLISHER
Soccer Stadium Deal
WEB & SOCIAL MEDIA
Charlene Louis ADVERTISING
Evelyn Keyes Kelly Sullivan Richard Selden GRAPHIC DESIGN
Nathan Hill Design Angie Myers
PUBLISHER’S ASSISTANT
Susan Lund
Corrie Dyke PHOTOGRAPHERS
Philip Bermingham Jeff Malet Neshan Naltchayan COPY EDITORS
Richard Selden
INTERNS
Natalie Koltun Joseph Park CONTRIBUTORS
Mary Bird Pamela Burns Linda Roth Conte
Jack Evans Donna Evers John Fenzel Amos Gelb Lisa Gillespie Wally Greeves Jody Kurash Stacy Notaras Murphy Walter Nicholls David Post
Alison Schafer Richard Selden Shari Sheffield Bill Starrels
Marion Barry: His Life, His Way BY GARY TISCHLER
Photo by Paul Simkin.
In the summer of 1978, I attended an alley party, a gathering of neighborhood friends on Capitol Hill near the Eastern Market Metro Station. Toward mid-afternoon, there was a buzz of energy in the crowd and you could see a thirty-forty-something black man in a summer suit making his way through the people, shaking hands, announcing himself. “Who’s that guy?,” I asked a friend. He came our way and stretched out his hand. “Hello,” he said. “I’m Marion Barry, and I’m running for mayor of Washington.” He looked me straight in the eye, no blinking, straight up. Back then, not even Barry—who is neither humble, modest nor shy about his achievements and talents—had any idea of just how far he would go, how much of an impact he would have on his adoptive city, for better or worse, just how far he might rise and how low he might fall, or how much he would seep into the lasting imagination of the city’s residents, black and white. Some 36 years later, here we were again. He walked into the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown, and at first glance—walking care-
fully, but straight up, splendid gray suit and tie—he still had some of that charisma that makes you pay attention. But he was also, at age 78, a little diminished—by health issues and by time. But we were all here together because of the book. There is no end to the story of Marion Barry, or as the title of his book goes “Mayor for Life, The Incredible Story of Marion Barry Jr.” The book—long anticipated and long put off—is what it’s all about now in Barry’s life: interviews, an appearance at the National Press Club, an unusual sit-down, “onthe-record” dinner with journalists at the Look Supper Club on K Street, a forum cum-love fest sponsored by the Washington Informer at the Congress Heights school on Martin Luther King Avenue in Ward 8, all part of a here-there-andeverywhere mini-book tour. The book getting its share of knocks from the media, and others, but also praise from fans. Wherever Barry goes, his story goes with him. If you’ve lived in the Barry age, you get instant flashbacks encountering him. You remember the flamboyant first-time mayoral candidate, the politician in the dashiki, the job-maker for the city’s struggling AfricanAmerican population, presiding over a construction boom, charming some but not all CAG members at their meetings; the infamous crack-smoking Vista Hotel tapes, the trial, coming back from a six-month prison sentence, getting re-elected to a fourth mayoral term, getting elected to the Ward 8 council seat, where he remains to this day, still drawing attention, still getting into trouble, still a force. The book tour is bringing out almost every Barry incarnation we’ve seen—as well as the familiar tropes in reaction to the book by his critics. Modesty is never an issue. At the book dinner he said, “Courage, tenacity and vision, that’s Marion Barry in a nutshell.”
Face to face over lunch, he’s a little quieter, although no less full of certainty. “I don’t want my life to be just about the Vista thing, it was a life of accomplishment, where I helped people get a fair share of what they’ve been denied, in terms of jobs, in terms of work, in terms of participating in the business of this city. When I came here in 1965, this was still a sleepy Southern town. It was segregated, and black people weren’t a part of the economy the way they should have been, and when I was elected mayor I changed all that.” Asked if he had any regrets, he almost scowls. “Sure, of course, I’ve got regrets, who doesn’t,” he says. “When it comes to that, I sure wouldn’t have gone up to that hotel room if I had to do it over.” The book is a kind of freight train, going full speed around the curves, dropping cargo and information, with some empty cars on it. If you want Vista, it’s there in detail, according to Barry, if not according to other accounts and observers, often graphically. But the book, written with novelist Omar Tyree, does touch on his early years, where you get a better sense of what may have formed Barry. He was born in Itta Bena, Mississippi. “I grew up poor,” he will tell you. His father was a sharecropper who died when Barry was four. “I didn’t have a role model,” he said. He grew up in Mississippi, in Arkansas, in Tennessee, during his formative years. Those were also the years of real segregation and Jim Crow in the south, where blacks and whites drank at different water fountains were. “I tried it once, I wanted to see what it was like to drink water from the white fountain,” he says. “You just didn’t do that.” In the end, Marion Barry became his own role model. Barry pursued science, has a master’s degree in Chemistry and became an organizer and leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) during some of the most dramatic years of the civil rights movement. “My mother [Mattie Cummings] picked cotton, but she later became a domestic. She insisted to the people who she worked for that she would come in the front door, not the back door. She said to them “If I’m good enough to
teach and raise your kids then I’m good enough to come through the front door. And she did.” His vision about himself is heroic, in terms of the difference he made in the city for its black residents. “I knew what needed to be done and I did it,” he says. From the moment he came to town as a SNCC organizer with the reputation of a go-getter and firebrand, he kept moving forward. “People liked me, people followed me. I ran for the school board and won, I ran for the city council and won, I ran for mayor and won.” “You want to know why I came back after all that, I was on the council again, but I went to Safeway on Naylor Road, to get some groceries, and I couldn’t get out of there for two hours. It’s true.” People said, “why don’t you run again, Marion? The city, the people need you. So I ran,” he says. That was his last mayoral run, in 1994, when he beat both Council member John Ray and Mayoral incumbent Sharon Pratt Kelly, who ran a distant third. That was also, after his victory, when he told disgruntled white voters “to get over it.” The segregated South framed Barry’s political context. In the book and in conversation, he often refers to white folks and the white establishment as a kind of political antagonist, against himself and African-Americans in general. He is asked about Mayor Vincent Gray’s campaign platform of “One City,” of bringing the city together racially and ethnically. “It’s not real,” he says. “Can’t be done. It’s just not real. It’s a slogan, that’s all, a pipe dream.” Barry endorsed Gray in the Democratic primary earlier this year, in which Gray, operating under a cloud, was beaten by Ward 4 Council member Muriel Bowser. Barry said he’ll be supporting Bowser. Talking about the new demographics of the city and its neighborhoods in which the black population is declining, he says it’s “gentrification, pure and simple, that’s driving people out of the city, the people who made up the backbone of this city. It’s a disgrace. ” “I’m not done,” he said. “I’m going to continue fight for economic empowerment. If you don’t have capital, you don’t have power.”
Who Stands for D.C. Statehood Now? BY MARK PLOTKIN
Todd Purdum has written a highly interesting and compelling book chronicling the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Its title is “An Idea Whose Time Has Come.” Right here in D.C., we have an “idea” which seems far from becoming a reality: D.C. statehood. As we celebrate our nation’s birthday, once again we should be reminded that citizens of D.C. do not enjoy the same rights as every other American. This is very sad. Because at no time has the dream of D.C. becoming the 51st state seemed so poised for a stunning launch. Way back in November 1993, there was a vote on D.C. statehood in the House of Representatives. It received 153 votes. There never was a vote in the Senate. (Even with Jesse Jackson being the elected D.C. Statehood Senator.) Today, the picture is far different. The D.C. Statehood Bill was introduced in January 2013 by Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del. The bill goes to his committee -- Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Being the committee chair, he is in charge. He determines the scheduling of hearings and the mark-up of the bill. Simply put, the bill is his to move or not to move. And this is the crucial point, Carper has not moved his own bill. Two members of Carper’s own committee – Sen. Mary
Landrieu, D-La., and Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska -- have personally told me they will vote for the bill. The other Democratic senators Carl Levin of Michigan, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Jon Tester of Montana, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota have not stated their position. The key senator on the committee is Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark. He is considered to be the most endangered Democrat incumbent in the Senate. Pryor has not stated his view on this subject. I have even contacted his father David Pryor, the former house member, senator and governor. No response. Before I go further, one important person is strangely silent on this issue: the President of the United States, Barack Obama. Not a single word. Not one utterance. He obviously thinks his policy of taking us for granted will go unnoticed and unpunished. So far, he is right. Our local elected officials are even worse. With the notable exception of Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh, no one has raised their voice. District Council Chair Phil Mendelson should be pointed out for his indifference and appalling lack of leadership. Right now, it looks like Sen. Carper will not act until after the November elections.
The time is now, before the November election. The entire Democratic leadership is a co-sponsor of the bill – along with three of D.C.’s neighboring senators (Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin of Maryland and Tim Kaine of Virginia). Senator Harry Reid, the Majority Leader, told me he “would make it happen.” Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton is no help. She sits idly by and refuses to talk to Democratic senators on the committee. This is a stunning case of incumbent malfeasance. There are a few politicians who have spoken up in support of statehood for D.C. MaryEva Candon, the National Committeewoman from D.C., and Arrington Dixon, the National Committeeman, have been vigorous in contacting their counterparts in the National Democratic party. They are to be applauded for these efforts. The citizenry of D.C. must act and raise the visibility of this issue. If we the vote-less and second class citizens don’t care, no one else will. Mark Plotkin is a political analyst and contributor to the BBC on American politics.
GMG, INC. July 2, 2014
9
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The Auction Block
REAL ESTATE BY AR I POST
BRINGING THE HAMMER DOWN Final selling prices for last month’s featured Auction Block items.
BONHAMS
James Edward Buttersworth, (British/American, 1817-1894) “The America’s Cup yacht Vigilant” Oil on canvas Auction Date: June 25 Estimate: $200,000 – $300,000 Final Selling Price: $305,000
DOYLE NEW YORK
Regence Style Walnut Marble Top Commode Auction Date: July 16 Estimate $1,200 – $1,800
FREEMAN’S
Edouard Leon Cortes (French 1882-1969) “Place St Michel” Oil on canvas Auction Date: June 17 Estimate: $20,000 – $30,000 Final Selling Price: $43,750
The popular Doyle at Home auctions attract savvy buyers with an endless diversity of stylish furniture, elegant decorations and attractive works of art from prominent estates and collections across the country. Designers, architects, magazine editors and other trend-setters look to the Doyle at Home auctions as a resource for exceptional objects that combine quality, value and style. These auctions have also become popular venues for the sale of property from designers’ own collections or for furnishings that they have incorporated into projects for their clients. This auction of Fine Furniture, Decorations and Paintings from Prominent Estates and Collections, includes an impressive collection of furniture, prints, porcelain, silver and rugs.
BONHAMS Vasudeo S. Gaitonde (1924-2001) Untitled, 1961 Oil on canvas Auction Date: September 17 Estimate: $300,000-$500,000 Following a record-breaking auction of Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art in March, Bonhams New York announces it will offer two seminal works by one of India’s most important modern artists, V.S. Gaitonde. The masterworks by Gaitonde will headline a special section of Modern South Asian Art and will be on preview in New York from September 14-17. Signed and dated 1961 and 1963, respectively, the paintings stem from the artist’s much coveted and pivotal ‘non-objective’ series. With record prices achieved at auction over the past six months, and an upcoming retrospective opening at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York in October, Bonhams is anticipating strong international interest. This 1961 canvas, estimated at $300,000-$500,000, has a dramatic tonal variation with an abyssal vertical band of blue interrupting the median horizontal line.
SOTHEBY’S
Brian Belott Untitled, 2014, mixed media and reverse glass technique, 40 1/4 by 32 1/4 in. Selling Auction: Hours of Operation Monday – Friday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., and by appointment
SOTHEBY’S
Louis XV Ormolu-Mounted Chinese Lacquer Commode circa 1745, Stamped P. Roussel Auction Date: June 9 Estimate: $150,000 – $250,000 Final Selling Price: $281,000
S|2 is Sotheby’s Contemporary art gallery, offering year-round exhibition programming and bespoke private sales. With dedicated gallery space in New York, London and Hong Kong, S|2 presents selling exhibitions exploring the work of celebrated artists. In collaboration with curator Ryan Steadman, Save It For Later is a selling exhibition of paintings and sculpture created for this show by a group of young and emerging American artists working in a consumer environment of disposable goods. The exhibition features artists that work with salvaged materials and incorporate reuse and recycling in their practice. Featured artists include Brian Belott, Graham Collins, Rachel Foullon, Jack Greer, Dave Hardy, Jo Nigoghossian and Jack Siegel.
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GMG, INC. July 2, 2014
11
REAL ESTATE
Provided by Washington Fine Properties
JUNE 2014 SALES
Address
Subdivision
Bedrooms
Full Baths
Year Built Days on The Market
List Price
Close Price
2915 O ST NW
GEORGETOWN
8
7
1942
0
$7,750,000
$7,395,000
4948 LOWELL ST NW
KENT
7
5
1939
0
$4,650,000
$4,650,000
5016 LOWELL ST NW
KENT
6
4
1938
22
$3,495,000
$3,390,500
5416 SHERIER PL NW
PALISADES
7
5
2004
9
$2,995,000
$2,995,000
3102 P ST NW
GEORGETOWN
4
2
1850
17
$2,950,000
$2,600,000
1242 POTOMAC ST NW
GEORGETOWN
3
4
1830
2
$2,950,000
$2,850,000
1231 28TH ST NW
GEORGETOWN
3
3
2000
5
$2,850,000
$2,620,000
1525 35TH ST NW
GEORGETOWN
5
4
1956
3
$2,795,000
$2,795,000
1230 27TH ST NW
GEORGETOWN
4
4
2000
28
$2,750,000
$2,750,000
3141 O ST NW
GEORGETOWN
3
3
1900
5
$2,495,000
$2,520,000
4865 POTOMAC AVE NW
PALISADES
7
6
2013
49
$2,395,000
$2,395,000
3052 R ST NW #307
GEORGETOWN
3
3
2013
109
$2,390,000
$2,350,000
1624 29TH ST NW
GEORGETOWN
5
3
1900
350
$2,295,000
$2,133,000
4845 FOXHALL CRES NW
BERKLEY
4
3
1999
4
$2,150,000
$2,150,000
5146 KLINGLE ST NW
KENT
5
4
1995
5
$2,150,000
$2,150,000
3323 O ST NW
GEORGETOWN
5
3
1900
57
$1,999,999
$1,900,000
5110 41ST ST NW
CHEVY CHASE
5
4
2014
7
$1,795,000
$1,800,000
3052 R NW #302
GEORGETOWN
2
2
2013
0
$1,690,000
$1,670,000
3420 N ST NW
GEORGETOWN
3
4
1900
7
$1,595,000
$1,700,000
3545 WINFIELD LN NW
GEORGETOWN
4
4
1985
8
$1,549,000
$1,530,000
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HISTORIC D.C.
Lafayette, We Are Here! BY D ONNA E V E RS
When the U.S. sent its army to defend France in the First World War, General John J. Pershing presided over a Fourth of July ceremony in a private cemetery in Paris at the grave of Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, better known as the Marquis de Lafayette. To honor the memory of the remarkable Frenchman who, 140 years earlier, helped us win the Revolutionary War, Pershing’s spokesman ended his speech by saying, “Lafayette, we are here!” Lafayette was born into an aristocratic family. When both his parents died, he became the richest orphan in France. As was the custom then, he married when he was only 16. His bride, Adrienne de Noailles, whose family was related to King Louis XVI, was 14. If history hadn’t intervened, the beautiful young couple might simply have stayed on their estate in Auvergne and lived happily ever after. But two revolutions were to change everything, and both suffering and glory lay ahead. In 1776, Lafayette was at a dinner party when he heard about the Declaration of Independence recently issued by the American colonies. Like many young men of his time, he was much taken with the ideas of “liberty” and the “rights of man.” He described how he felt when he heard of the American uprising: “At the first news of this quarrel, my heart was enlisted.” Even though the king forbade him to go, Lafayette bought a ship and, with Baron
de Kalb and a handful of soldiers, sailed for America. Armed with a letter from the American agent in Paris, Lafayette went to General Washington, expecting to be put in charge of an army. Washington didn’t know quite what to do with the brash 19-year-old who spoke only a few words of English. But when the young man promised to work with no pay and outfit his army, Washington made him a major general. He fought bravely in many battles and spent the hard winter at Valley Forge with Washington. When the colonials ran out of money, Lafayette sailed back to France and, dressed in an American uniform, begged King Louis to intervene in the war on the side of America. The king found the young nobleman’s argument hard to resist. Since he wanted to see the British lose, he finally agreed. The foreign minister at court declared that it was a good thing Lafayette didn’t ask for the furniture in Versailles, as “His Majesty would be unable to refuse it.” Some historians see this episode as pivotal in the downfall of Louis XVI, the move that led inexorably to the guillotine. In any case, the huge influx of soldiers and money turned the tide and helped the Americans win the revolution. Lafayette was at the forefront of the French Revolution in 1789, offering his own version of the “rights of man.” However, as the revolution wore on and extremists took
over, every aristocrat in the country was being hunted down and sent to the guillotine. Fighting for the French in Austria, Lafayette found out he was about to be arrested and fled. He was captured in Germany and spent the next five years in prison. Meanwhile, Adrienne and her relatives were sent to prison and condemned to death. The American envoy in Paris managed to save Adrienne’s life, but her mother, sister and grandmother were killed. Adrienne sent their son, George Washington Lafayette, to America to live with his godparents at Mount Vernon. She then took their two daughters and persuaded the authorities to allow the family to live in prison with Lafayette. When Napoleon came to power and Lafayette was finally released, the family returned to France to find that much of their wealth had been confiscated. They managed to get most of it back over the years, but the hardships Adrienne had endured were too much for her and she died at the age of 47. In 1824, Lafayette made a triumphal return trip to America. He visited each of the then 24 states and was met everywhere with wild enthusiasm and adulation. Congress voted to pay back the $200,000 they owed him for the arms and equipment he had paid for, also giving him land in Louisiana and Florida. In a grand gesture of appreciation, they named the park that stands in front of the White House “Lafayette Park.” Lafayette returned to France with a plot
of soil from Bunker Hill. When he died at the age of 77, his son made sure his father was buried in that soil. Even though Lafayette himself designed the modern French tricolor flag, it is an American flag that flies daily over his grave in a small cemetery in Paris’s 12th arrondissement. It was here, on July 4, 1917, that Pershing’s aide announced that America had arrived to pay a debt. He said, “What we have of blood and treasure are yours,” and ended his speech with a resounding “Nous voila, Lafayette!” French schoolchildren learn that phrase to this day. Donna Evers, devers@eversco.com, is the owner and broker of Evers & Co. Real Estate, the largest woman-owned, woman-run real estate firm in the Washington metropolitan area; the proprietor of Twin Oaks Tavern Winery in Bluemont, Va.; and a devoted student of Washington-area history.
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itteilag@gmail.com www.nancyitteilag.com #1 Agent Foxhall Office Wesley Heights l Washington, DC
Georgetown l Washington, DC
Wesley Heights l Washington, DC
D
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W NE
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LD
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SO
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4400 Garfield Street NW
4815 Dexter Street NW
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$7,500,000
3527 Winfield Lane NW
T
AC
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3545 Winfield Lane NW
R DE
R NT
CO
UN
3318 Reservoir Road NW
$1,698,000 with 2 car parking!
3834 T Street NW
1801 45th Street NW
$1,200,000 with 2 car parking!
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3201 New Mexico Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20016 July 2, 2014 GMG, INC.
13
Remodeling for Modern Life BY Corrie Dyke
PHOTOS COURTESY OF Kristin Cecchi
Photo by Paul Simkin
John and Kristin Cecchi’s life could be a reality TV show. But it wouldn’t involve cameras following them to Peacock Cafe or Fiola Mare. HGTV would hit closer to home, since John is a real estate developer. The 39-year-old, soon to turn 40, has renovated eight houses in Georgetown, the neighborhood where he and Kristin reside. “Georgetown seems to be what’s in,” John said. “It’s the ‘it’ place.” After John’s father, Giuseppe Cecchi, built the Watergate, considered D.C.’s first mixed-use development, he started IDI Group Companies. John began working for IDI after college in 1996, first in customer service. Making his way up through the ranks, by 2008, John was named vice president and project manager of an IDI project in Alexandria. (The project was shelved due to the declining market and economy.) At the same time, he was building his own home on P Street in Georgetown. It was then that he realized there was a market for restoring and renovating historic homes. John launched IDI Residential, a division of IDI Group Companies, in 2008. “I figured it out late,” John said. “I should have been doing this since ’96.” His most recently finished project, 2305 Bancroft Place in Kalorama, was John’s first house outside Georgetown and the first celebrated with an opening party. “The first time we decided to tell people what we were doing, it went big,” John said of Bancroft – a Washington Post house of the week that also appeared in Home & Design magazine. “We like to stay hush-hush about our houses. Just build them, renovate them and sell them,” he said. Historically, Kalorama has been D.C.’s wealthy neighborhood: bigger yards, bigger homes. The elegance of embassies and black cars makes you feel like you’re in an important place, John said. “It’s one class of people, where in Georgetown you have your $8 million house next to two college kids.” Doing a house in Kalorama takes patience, according to John, who is currently renovating another house in the neighborhood. “It’s not so volatile of a market, but things do sell there and second only to Georgetown in the area. It’s not the village feel that Georgetown has.” Back in Georgetown, John has renovated two houses on P Street (with work on a third about to begin), two on Dumbarton, one on 31st and two on N, plus the N Street Condominiums.
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July 2, 2014 GMG, INC.
Photos Left to Right: The back of the Cecchi’s first home in Georgetown at 3268 P Street. The front of 3268 P Street after renovations. The back yard of the P Street home. A close-up of the back yard’s plunge pool and fountain. Below: The informal dining and living space in the back of the home. The interior of the Cecchi’s P Street home designed by Tom Pheasant. Top: John and Kristin Cecchi stand in their current N Street home.
Three homes a year is a good pace, according to John, who describes his business as taking a great house with unrealized potential and working through the Advisory Neighborhood Commission and the Old Georgetown Board to make renovations and sometimes additions. “I try to work within the walls and create a better space.” John and Kristin are currently renting their house on N Street, where John took a deteriorating home and made it livable in a mere 26 days. “It looked like a haunted house that should have been condemned,” Kristin said. “The ceiling was crumbling. It was in disrepair.” John asked for 26 days to whip the house into shape. “Not my kind of finished product, but I did a very heavy lipstick,” John said.
Like an episode of “House Hunters Renovation,” the couple sanded, scraped, painted and fixed up all the rough, superficial parts of the house. “We even had the appropriate arguments,” said Kristin. They added carpet and painted the wood floors white. John changed the upstairs layout, turning a bedroom into Kristin’s closet. Kristin picked out all new light fixtures. They hung artwork from around the world on the large white walls. The couple moved to N Street in December of 2013 with their fivemonth-old daughter Valentina and two-and-a-half-year-old son Antonio in tow. “It’s not as perfect as our old one, on P Street,” Kristin said. “That house was such a jewel, but after kids it was like a tight pair of designer pants.” “Now we’re in a pair of sweatpants,” John said. “It’s comfortable.” Around the time they moved into their home, John purchased another house on N Street to renovate. “John is so artistic,” Kristin said. “These are like art projects to him. I joke that he has laser beams in his head. He walks in a house, scans the room and sees everything in his head. He gets these end results that are absolutely beautiful, but there has to be a profit at the end of the day.” The whole process is envisioning the end product, Kristin says. “It’s a big guessing game, but the more we do it the better business we produce.” The guiding principle is to adapt a house’s layout to the way people live today. That generally means a formal space in the front of the house and an open floor plan in the back – for the kitchen and an informal dining and breakfast area. Sometimes a complete overhaul of the second level and master suite is needed to update the home. The all-important master suite encompasses a his-and-hers walk-in closet, a large bathroom with a toilet closet, a double vanity, a soaking tub and a rain shower. John’s goal is to preserve a home’s historic charm while updating the design and layout and adding state-of-the-art systems. Working with contractors and interior designers, John’s homes are staged and finished to perfection before selling – that is, if they can stay on the market that long. All of the N Street condos were sold before they were finished. John says that the houses he renovates in Georgetown typically sell in 45 days or less. “Each house has its own little story,” John said. “From when you purchase it, what you find when you start gutting it and what it turns out to be, there are parts that you didn’t expect to surprise you.” Transforming Georgetown’s storied homes, one day the Cecchis just might find a camera crew on their doorstep.
GMG, INC. July 2, 2014
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The world’s most desired homes — brought to you by Long & Foster and Christie’s.
Georgetown , Washington, DC
Bethesda, Maryland
$1,995,000
Elegant East Village TH w/ gorgeous original details. Extra-high ceilings, Two large MBR suites, full in-law ste w/second kit and separate entrance. Garage pkg for one car included. Close to all Georgetown has to offer. Linda Low Team/ Foxhall Office 202-363-1800
$839,000
BRING OFFERS!!! Brick Colonial set off Mass Ave w/lrg back yard. 3BR 3.5BA, au pair ste, eat-in Kit, 1-car garage& 4 off street spaces. Home warranty included. Mary Saltzman 609-468-7838 Foxhall Office 202-363-1800
Spring Valley, Washington, DC
$989,000
Bethesda, Maryland
$1,199,000
Arlington, Virginia
$729,000
Pristine home situated in a beautiful & tranquil lot in coveted Spring Valley! Home features 4BR, 3BA ,1half bath, spacious dining room, elegant living room w/wood burning fpl, fam room & library/den. Miller Spring Valley Office 202-362-1300
#1 in Bringing Together Buyers and Sellers At Long & Foster, it’s about more than buying and selling homes — it’s about the total homeownership experience.
#
#1 independent real estate company in the nation
Bethesda, Maryland
$2,250,000
Elegant brick Colonial w/exquisite custom features, spacious living & dining areas, a library/fam rm, luxurious master suite w/Jacuzzi &3 additional bedrooms. The LL offers 2BR, bath & game room. Miller Spring Valley Office 202-362-1300
Bethesda, Maryland
$1,195,000
Move right into this renovated & expanded 4-lvl split in the sought-after Whitman HS cluster. So much to love here from the updated eat-in Kit to the Master Suite addition to the 2-car garage, pool & patio. Cindy Souza 301-332-5032 Bethesda Office 240-497-1700
#1 seller of luxury properties in the Washington Metro
Spacious 4BR/4.5BA totally renovated Colonial w/light & flow! Large Kitchen & Brkfst area opening to Family Room. Luxurious Owners Suite w/ 2 walk-in closets. Chevy Chase Uptown Office 202-364-1300
Best-trained, best-equipped agents Solid reputation for more than 40 years Full service from contract to closing with mortgage, title, insurance and property management services
Potomac, Maryland
$1,900,000
Entertain Potomac style in this stunning brick home on 2+ acres just blocks from the Village! Grand formal spaces, 1st floor Master, expanded chef’s Kit, 2-story Sunroom, gorgeous brick terraces, pool & flat rear yard. The possibilities are endless! Cindy Souza/ Bethesda Office 301-332-5032/ 240-497-1700
Large 5BR , 3.5 BA, Colonial on a .30 of an acre. Updated Kit w/ new SS appliances, hardwood floors & screened-in porch. Master suite w/large walk-in closet & custom shelving. Easy access to the W&OD Trail. Tracy Dillard/ McLean Office 703-861-5548/ 703-790-1990
RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE • COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE • MORTGAGE • TITLE • INSURANCE • PROPERTY MANAGEMENT • RELOCATION SERVICES
LongandFoster.com 866-677-6937 16
July 2, 2014 GMG, INC.
The world’s most desired homes — brought to you by Long & Foster and Christie’s.
Georgetown , Washington, DC
Bethesda, Maryland
$1,995,000
Elegant East Village TH w/ gorgeous original details. Extra-high ceilings, Two large MBR suites, full in-law ste w/second kit and separate entrance. Garage pkg for one car included. Close to all Georgetown has to offer. Linda Low Team/ Foxhall Office 202-363-1800
$839,000
BRING OFFERS!!! Brick Colonial set off Mass Ave w/lrg back yard. 3BR 3.5BA, au pair ste, eat-in Kit, 1-car garage& 4 off street spaces. Home warranty included. Mary Saltzman 609-468-7838 Foxhall Office 202-363-1800
Spring Valley, Washington, DC
$989,000
Bethesda, Maryland
$1,199,000
Arlington, Virginia
$729,000
Pristine home situated in a beautiful & tranquil lot in coveted Spring Valley! Home features 4BR, 3BA ,1half bath, spacious dining room, elegant living room w/wood burning fpl, fam room & library/den. Miller Spring Valley Office 202-362-1300
#1 in Bringing Together Buyers and Sellers At Long & Foster, it’s about more than buying and selling homes — it’s about the total homeownership experience.
#
#1 independent real estate company in the nation
Bethesda, Maryland
$2,250,000
Elegant brick Colonial w/exquisite custom features, spacious living & dining areas, a library/fam rm, luxurious master suite w/Jacuzzi &3 additional bedrooms. The LL offers 2BR, bath & game room. Miller Spring Valley Office 202-362-1300
Bethesda, Maryland
$1,195,000
Move right into this renovated & expanded 4-lvl split in the sought-after Whitman HS cluster. So much to love here from the updated eat-in Kit to the Master Suite addition to the 2-car garage, pool & patio. Cindy Souza 301-332-5032 Bethesda Office 240-497-1700
#1 seller of luxury properties in the Washington Metro
Spacious 4BR/4.5BA totally renovated Colonial w/light & flow! Large Kitchen & Brkfst area opening to Family Room. Luxurious Owners Suite w/ 2 walk-in closets. Chevy Chase Uptown Office 202-364-1300
Best-trained, best-equipped agents Solid reputation for more than 40 years Full service from contract to closing with mortgage, title, insurance and property management services
Potomac, Maryland
$1,900,000
Entertain Potomac style in this stunning brick home on 2+ acres just blocks from the Village! Grand formal spaces, 1st floor Master, expanded chef’s Kit, 2-story Sunroom, gorgeous brick terraces, pool & flat rear yard. The possibilities are endless! Cindy Souza/ Bethesda Office 301-332-5032/ 240-497-1700
Large 5BR , 3.5 BA, Colonial on a .30 of an acre. Updated Kit w/ new SS appliances, hardwood floors & screened-in porch. Master suite w/large walk-in closet & custom shelving. Easy access to the W&OD Trail. Tracy Dillard/ McLean Office 703-861-5548/ 703-790-1990
RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE • COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE • MORTGAGE • TITLE • INSURANCE • PROPERTY MANAGEMENT • RELOCATION SERVICES
LongandFoster.com 866-677-6937 16
July 2, 2014 GMG, INC.
YOUR DINING GUIDE TO WASHINGTON DC’S FINEST RESTAURANTS
1789 RESTAURANT 1226 36TH ST., NW 202–965–1789 1789restaurant.com
With the ambiance of an elegant country inn, 1789 features classically-based American cuisine – the finest regional game, fish and produce available.
Open seven nights a week. Jackets suggested. Complimentary valet parking.
BISTRO FRANCAIS 3124-28 M ST., NW 202–338–3830 bistrofrancaisdc.com
A friendly French bistro in the heart of historic Georgetown since 1975. Executive chef and owner Gerard Cabrol came to Washington, D.C., 32 years ago, bringing with him home recipes from southwestern France. In addition to daily specials, our specialties include our famous Poulet Bistro (tarragon rotisserie chicken), Minute Steak Maitre d’Hotel (steak and pomme frites), Steak Tartare, freshly prepared seafood, veal, lamb and duck dishes and the best Eggs Benedict in town.
BISTROT LEPIC & WINE BAR
1736 WISCONSIN AVE., NW 202–333–0111 bistrotlepic.com Come and see for yourself why Bistrot Lepic, with its classical, regional and contemporary cuisine, has been voted best bistro in D.C. by the Zagat Guide. And now, with its Wine Bar, you can enjoy “appeteasers,” full bar service, complimentary wine tasting every Tuesday and a new private room. The regular menu is always available. Open every day for lunch and dinner. Now serving brunch Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
Reservations suggested.
CHADWICKS
3205 K ST., NW 202–333–2565 ChadwicksRestaurants.com A Georgetown tradition for over 40 years, this friendly neighborhood restaurant/saloon features fresh seafood, burgers, award-winning ribs and specialty salads and sandwiches. Daily lunch and dinner specials. Late-night dining (Sun.-Thu. until midnight, Fri.– Sat. until 1 a.m.). Champagne brunch served Sat. and Sun. until 4 p.m. Open Mon.–Thu. 11:30 a.m.–2 a.m., Fri.– Sat. 11:30 a.m.–3 a.m. Sun. 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Kids’ menu available.
CLYDE'S OF GEORGETOWN 3236 M ST., NW 202–333–9180 clydes.com
This animated tavern, in the heart of Georgetown, popularized saloon food and practically invented Sunday brunch. Clyde’s is the People’s Choice for bacon cheeseburgers, steaks, fresh seafood, grilled chicken salads, fresh pastas and desserts.
Overlooking the new Georgetown Waterfront Park
I-THAI RESTAURANT AND SUSHI BAR
MALMAISON
I-Thai Restaurant and Sushi Bar offers a taste of authentic Thai cuisine and Thai noodle dishes, where quality is never compromised. Using only the freshest ingredients, each dish is carefully prepared by our talented house chefs. With their extensive knowledge and expertise they are able to transform each dish with the perfect blend of herbs and spices into a delightful experience with the boldest and most genuine flavors possible.
Malmaison opened in June 2013 and features elegant French dining in Washington D.C’s historic Georgetown waterfront.
3003 M ST., NW 202–580–8852
Sun.–Thu. 11:30 a.m .–10:30 p.m. Fri.–Sat. 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m.
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July 2, 2014 GMG, INC.
3401 K ST.,NW 202–817–3340 malmaisondc.com
Housed in a majestically refurbished industrial warehouse reminiscent of NYC’s Meatpacking District, the modern restaurant, pastry shop and event lounge features the culinary talents of legendary 2 Michelin Starred French Chef Gerard Pangaud and Pastry Chef Serge Torres (Le Cirque NYC).
DAS ETHIOPIAN 1201 28TH ST., NW
202–333–4710 dasethiopian.com DAS Ethiopian offers you a cozy twostory setting, with rare outside dining views and al fresco patio dining. DAS is located at the eclectically brilliant historic corner of the internationally renowned shopping district of Georgetown. A tent under which all come to feast is the very Amharic definition of DAS. From neighborhood diners, nearby students and journalists to international visitors and performers, all enjoy the casual but refined atmosphere that serves up the freshest Ethiopian dishes from local and sustainable food sources.
MARTINS TAVERN
1264 WISCONSIN AVE., NW 202–333–7370 martinstavern.com Don't let the beer fool you, it's a compliment to your dining experience. Since 1933, the warm atmosphere of Martin’s Tavern has welcomed neighbors and world travelers looking for great food, service and years of history within its walls. Fourth generation owner Billy Martin, Jr., continues the tradition of Washington’s oldest familyowned restaurant.
Celebrate July 4th with us Opening at 9am for Brunch!
THE GRILL ROOM 1050 31ST ST., NW 202-617-2424 thegrillroomdc.com
Tucked up along the historic C&O Canal, a national park that threads through the Georgetown neighborhood, The Grill Room at Capella Washington, D.C., specializes in hand-cut, bone-in, artisan meats, bracingly fresh seafood and tableside preparations. Framed with a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows and fluid geometric lines, the ambiance is one of relaxed refinement. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Brunch Sat.-Sun. 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
ENO WINE BAR
2810 PENNSYLVANIA AVE., NW 202–333–4710 enowinerooms.com Visit ENO Wine Bar and enjoy wine flights, charcuterie, cheese, chocolate & small plates. ENO offers 100 bottles under $50 & 30 wines by the glass starting at $9. Try the ENO Experience for a perfect pre theater meal or our dessert wine & chocolate flights after. Outdoor seating available. Come watch the World Cup & try the Group of Death flight or wines by Lionel Messi. Wine down Sun –Thurs from 5 pm -7 pm & sip wines on tap for $5.
CAFE BONAPARTE
1522 WISCONSIN AVE., NW 202–333–8830 cafebonaparte.com Captivating customers since 2003, Cafe Bonaparte has been dubbed the “quintessential” European café, featuring award-winning crepes and arguably the “best” coffee in D.C.! Other can'tmiss attractions are the famous weekend brunch every Saturday and Sunday until 3 p.m. and our late-night weekend hours serving sweet and savory crepes until 1 a.m.
We look forward to calling you a “regular” soon!
FILOMENA RISTORANTE
1063 WISCONSIN AVE., NW 202–338–8800 filomena.com Filomena is a Georgetown landmark that has endured the test of time and is now celebrating 30 years. Our old-world cooking styles and recipes brought to America by the early Italian immigrants, alongside the culinary cutting-edge creations of Italy’s foods of today, executed by our award-winning Italian chef. Try our spectacular lunch buffet on Friday and Saturday or our Sunday Brunch.
Mon - Thurs 5 pm - 12 am Fri & Sat 4 pm – 1 am Sun 4 pm - 11pm
Open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner.
SEA CATCH RESTAURANT
THE OCEANAIRE
1054 31ST ST., NW 202–337–8855 seacatchrestaurant.com Overlooking the historic C&O Canal, we offer fresh seafood simply prepared in a relaxed atmosphere. Outdoor dinning available. Join us for Happy Hour, Mon.-Fri. from 5 to 7 pm, featuring $1 oysters and half-priced drinks
Lunch Mon.–Sat. 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m. Dinner Mon.–Sat. 5–10 p.m. Complementary Valet Parking
1201 F ST., NW 202–347–2277 theoceanaire.com
Ranked one of the most popular seafood restaurants in D.C., “this cosmopolitan” send-up of a vintage supper club that’s styled after a '40’s-era ocean liner is appointed with cherry wood and red leather booths, infused with a “clubby, old money” atmosphere. The menu showcases “intelligently” prepared fish dishes that “recall an earlier time of elegant” dining. Lunch Mon.–Fri. 11:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Dinner Mon.–Thu. 5–10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 5–11 p.m., Sun. 5–9 p.m.
FOOD & WINE
Cocktail of the Month BY JODY K URA S H
GOOOOAAALL!!!!! It strikes once every four years – World Cup fever. People from every corner of the world (even America) are glued to their television sets watching soccer (or football everywhere else in the world). Sports fans gather at parties or bars for festive celebrations, employees call in sick and in many countries workers get the day off to watch their teams compete. This year’s Cup has already proven to be an exciting one, with surprising upsets and underdog victories in the first round. What also makes the 2014 World Cup special is that it is being held in what is arguably the most football-crazed nation in the world: Brazil. I witnessed the madness in Brazil 12 years ago, the last time they took the World Cup crown. I was staying in an eco-resort, deep in the Amazon. Even in the very heart of the jungle, we would pass by fishermen’s shacks with Brazil banners proudly displayed. For the semi-final match, the resort basically shut down except for three televisions outside, where everyone gathered to watch the game. Since the match was being played in Japan, it started around sunrise. This earlymorning start had no impact on the Brazilians’ party spirit. They gathered with gusto and served free glasses of cachaça (yes, I did imbibe at 6 a.m.). Four days later, the scenario repeated itself, except I was overnighting in Manaus, the capital city of the northern state of Amazonas, before my flight back to the States. When Brazil knocked off Germany for the championship, the entire city erupted into one big party. The streets were filled with revelers and this continued all day and night. Luckily (or maybe unluckily) for me, the airport was still open and I returned to the States, where Brazil’s triumph barely merited a mention. Almost as closely associated with Brazil as soccer is cachaça, a Brazilian spirit made from sugarcane. While most rum is produced by distilling molasses, a byproduct of refining cane into sugar, cachaça is forged from fermented cane juice. One and a half billion liters of cachaça are consumed annually in Brazil. The liquor has a fiery flavor tempered with a hint of sugary sweetness. The most popular way to enjoy cachaça is the caipirinha, considered the national drink of Brazil. The cocktail is a combination of muddled lime, sugar and cachaça served over ice. Cachaça was first consumed in the mid1500s by slaves on sugar cane plantations in the country's northeast. The name caipirinha is derived from the Portuguese word caipira, which refers to someone from the countryside,
loosely meaning hick or country bumpkin. This is coupled to the -inha suffix, a term of endearment denoting little or small (as in the nicknames of famous footballers Paulinho and Ronaldinho). Similar to its Cuban cousin the mojito, the caipirinha is created from muddled limes, making for a fresh and citrusy drink. There are two keys to the traditional Brazilian recipe: one, using superfine sugar, which dissolves much better than regular sugar; and two, muddling the sugar granules with the lime wedges, so that the oils are extracted from the lime zest, enhancing the aroma and flavor. The result is a super-refreshing elixir, perfect for a hot afternoon of watching football. No matter what team you support, give a nod to the hosts of this year’s tournament with a caipirinha toast.
The Caipirinha INGREDIENTS
2 ounces cachaça .75 ounce fresh lime juice 1 teaspoon superfine sugar 1 peeled lime (quartered) DIRECTIONS First, peel the skin of a lime, cut the flesh into eighths and muddle in a mixing glass with simple syrup. Add the rest of the ingredients with ice and shake vigorously. Dump with shaken ice into a glass and serve. Sprinkle with a dash of sugar on top and garnish with a lime wedge.
“Established in 1933 Martin’s Tavern has been family owned and operated for four generations. Celebrating 80 years as the Heart of Old Georgetown.”
(202) 333-7370 www.martinstavern.com 1264 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007 GMG, INC. July 2, 2014
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FOOD & WINE
Wines for Your Own Bastille Day Fête BY SH ARI S HEF F IE L D
Those of us looking for yet another excuse to celebrate independence will round out our July holiday revelry by observing France’s Independence Day equivalent, La Fête Nationale – aka, in the U.S., Bastille Day – on July 14. The French among us (and the French at heart) look forward to enjoying some French food and wines to celebrate the storming of the Bastille in 1789 on that day. In France, there will be firemen’s balls, parties and picnics at Versailles. And, of course, those parties and picnics will include wine. Here are some suggestions to help you enjoy your own celebration of French freedom this month – right on our own true-blue U.S. soil – with wine.
Drink Bubbles Many Frenchmen and Frenchwomen celebrate Bastille Day with red wine. But Washingtonians usually prefer something lighter in the middle of July. Any occasion instantly becomes a celebration when a little sparkling wine is served. Audrey Hepburn said, “Paris is always a good idea” – and so is something bubbly! You can never go wrong with a bottle of true Champagne from France, like a bottle of Bollinger. If you want to take your celebrating to a higher level, go for a bottle of traditional vintage
French bubbles like Bollinger Grande Année 2004. Bollinger always gets high marks from wine raters. (Most of the big Champagne houses usually do because of the high standards of quality and consistency.) Bollinger’s 2004 vintage doesn’t disappoint. But if your celebrating gets a little out of hand – and someone decides he or she wants to celebrate the storming by shaking up the bottle and spraying it at your party guests like they have won the Tour de France – you might want to encourage use of a non-vintage bottle, one that costs less than Grande Année 2004 at $130. If you want to try a French sparkling wine that is just as festive and delicious, as well as a little different, try Lucien Albrecht Rose Cremant d’Alsace Non-Vintage. The coral/light pink/salmon color will entice you. It’s made of 100% Pinot Noir, after all. But it is bursting with refreshing strawberry and red plum flavors. I opened of bottle of it about two weeks ago and couldn’t finish it, so I put a stopper on it and put it in the refrigerator. Two weeks later, I remembered it and pulled it out for a taste, just knowing that it had since gone flat. Normally, Champagnes and sparkling wine turn flat after several days, even with a Champagne saver stopper on the neck. However, this bottle still had fizz and finesse – not sparkling like the day it was opened, but a pleasantly surprising amount. Longevity is a definite plus for a sparkling wine.
Try Château de Fieuzal Blanc 2004, 2012 or 2013. Party with Beaujolais…But Not Nouveau This Time, Please Do you still want a red wine to toast independence here and in France, but even the thought of something heavy on the palate when it’s 90 degrees outside makes you sweat? Then try a traditional Beaujolais. Made from the thin-skinned Gamay grape, Beaujolais has the flavor profile of a red wine, with its red-berry fruit flavors, without the tannin or the heaviness of heartier reds. I always think of Beaujolais as a teenager. The wines, like the kids, show some signs of maturing but don’t take themselves too seriously. They are great picnic, BBQ or outdoor party wines. The region is best known to Americans for Beaujolais Nouveau, but you will find more complexity and sophistication venturing beyond the fruity, banal Nouveau. Producing wines since 1859, the House of Louis Jadot is almost as old as the French Revolution. The Morgon Ch. des Jacques 2011 shows promise for easy drinking up through 2015. And at approximately $19, you can stock up for your next year’s celebration. Tip: Get hold of some 2009 while you’re at it if you like this style of wine. Shari Sheffield is a wine, food and lifestyle writer as well as a Wine Educator and speaker. She can be reached at shari@ sharisheffield.com or on her website: www.sharisheffield.com
Go for Bordeaux…But Bordeaux Blanc The Pessac-Léognan region produces some of the best dry white Bordeaux. Most whites of the region contain 70% Sauvignon Blanc, expressing a range of floral and perfume aromas and honey, citrus, lemon, grapefruit, mineral and spice flavors. The best white wines from the region can age for decades.
3251 Prospect St. NW. Washington, DC 20007
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FOOD & WINE
RAMMYS ANNOUNCE
'Best in Local Culinary Achievement' BY N ATAL IE KOLTU N PH OTOS BY N ESH AN N ALTC H AYAN
T
wenty-one local restaurants were honored at the 2014 Rammy Awards Sunday, June 22. The 32nd annual gala, held at Walter E. Washington Convention Center, highlighted the best restaurants in the metropolitan Washington area in categories ranging from “formal fine dining” to “new restaurant of the year.” This year, several new categories were introduced to recognize the finest cocktail and beer programs, as well as some favorite fast bites and regional food and beverage producers. Only members of the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) were eligible for nomination. Of over 100 nominees, only 21 were selected to represent the local culinary industry, four of which were selected by public vote. And the 21 local winners are… Formal Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year: Fiola Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year: Ripple Everyday Casual Restaurant of the Year: Toki Underground New Restaurant of the Year: The Red Hen Chef of the Year: Haidar Karoum of Doi Moi, Estadio, Proof Rising Culinary Star of the Year: Michael Friedman, The Red Hen Pastry Chef of the Year: Caitlin Dysart, 2941 Restaurant Wine Program of the Year: Ripple Cocktail Program of the Year: Jack Rose Dining Saloon Beer Program of the Year: Birch and Barley/ChurchKey Service Program of the Year: Blue Duck Tavern Restaurateur of the Year: Michael Babin, Neighborhood Restaurant Group Regional Food and Beverage Producer of the Year: Red Apron Butcher Favorite Gathering Place of the Year: Hank's Oyster Bar – Dupont Circle Upscale Casual Brunch: Mintwood Place Everyday Casual Brunch: Pearl Dive Oyster Palace Favorite Fast Bites: Amsterdam Falafelshop Allied Member of the Year: ProFish Ltd. Employee of the Year: Stelios Alexandris, 1789 Restaurant Manager of the Year: Boo Young Kim, District Commons Duke Zeibert Capital Achievement Award: Lynne Breaux
Mike Benson of Bar Pilar and Robert Wiedmaier of Marcels.
Jummy Olabanji, anchors at ABC7 News and Sue Palka of Fox 5, present some of the Rammy awards.
Chef Fabio Trabocchi of Fiola (right) RAMMY award winner of the formal fine dinning program of the year.
Pastry Chef of the Year, Caitlin Dysart of 2941 Restaurant.
GMG, INC. July 2, 2014
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IN COUNTRY
Mixing Health and Hedonism: The Little Washington Spa BY MICHE L L E GAL L E R
Main Street Washington, Va. The mountains in the early summer light were luminescent. The wildflowers swayed in the morning breeze. And the sun cast languid shadows across Main Street in the charming, historic town of Washington, Va. It was one of those perfect days in Rappahannock County that those who live here never seem to take for granted – the days that make visitors wonder why they never discovered the place or why it took them so long to return. A smiling Buddha and the peaceful tinkling of flowing water welcome the lucky spa-goer as she enters Little Washington Wellness and Spa. One thinks, “It doesn’t get any better than this.” But – it did.
Soft greens, blues and lavenders – tones of the meadows, the rivers and the Blue Ridge Mountains outside – reflect the spa’s connection to the land, to naturopathic pursuits and spiritual harmony. The calming, candlelit treatment rooms, smelling of fresh linens, are a prelude to the repose and relaxation to come. The spa’s approach is best described as a union of natural healing and serenity with a hefty dollop of luxury. Spa founder Jackie Meuse wanted to create a retreat where patrons could restore the body as well as the spirit. She is constantly refining, making sure that all of the elements –talented technicians, the best organic products, a setting that is both pretty and restful – coalesce into an
abrasion, waxing and brow tinting – is also excellent spa experience. available. After lots of searching for and testing green, nature-based products, she discovered My Spa Wellness Massage, an hour’s worth of bliss, easily compared to great massages Eminence Organic Skin Care, a Hungarian line I have had in many a far-flung, exotic locathat touts its products as being good enough to tion. Massage therapist Dustin Pennington, a eat. I can attest to being tempted. graduate of the Virginia School of Massage “Having traveled to special healing and in Charlottesville, expertly “read” my muswellness places in the States and in China and cles (including a tightly Thailand, I made it a point clenched jaw muscle, a to notice all the extra consequence of city livtouches that I appreciing) and vanquished all ated in those spots,” said remnants of soreness Meuse. “I was sure that I and stress. The aromas wanted to have a center of warmed herbal and of wellness that draws fruit-based unguents and upon the positive energy oils seeped into my confrom the mountains and sciousness as I surrenfrom the people in this dered to total stress relief. wonderful place that is The Signature Facial, Rappahannock County.” deftly administered by Her team of expeesthetician Ciera Backe, rienced and friendly gently dislodged exhaustspecialists offers a full ed skin cells and toxins menu of spa services and with fragrant strawberry detox treatments, with an rhubarb dermafoliant emphasis on the holistic and soothing chamoapproach. The massage The sign outside of The Little Washington Spa mile tonic. Although I menu includes hot stone was drawn to many of massage, Thai massage the ambrosial sounding hydrating and skinand reflexology, plus romantic and relaxing boosting masques and serums – including couples massages. An array of facials and body Pumpkin Latte Hydration, Apricot Masque, and nail treatments – including microderm-
Escape to the Country. Keswick Hall Less Than 2 Hours From DC
701 Club Drive | Keswick, VA | 22947 | 434-979-3440 | 866-679-4619 | Keswick.com
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July 2, 2014 GMG, INC.
IN COUNTRY
The Foster Harris House offers charming lodging and dining in Washington, Va.
provides mobile spa services to county residents in their homes – including Washingtonians with homes in the county who crawl out through the traffic on weekends. Once they get here, inhome spa services are a very attractive alternative to leaving their country cocoons. Acknowledging its location in one of the most stunning rural counties in the state, the spa offers guided hikes in the gorgeous Rappahannock County countryside and the Shenandoah National Park, located nearby in Sperryville. For those who just can’t bear to leave, there is even a lovely suite available for weekend stays. There is a trove of outdoor activities in the county, notably hiking and horsebackriding, along with beautiful wineries, a local distillery of fine bourbon and rye, terrific restaurants and a number of distinctive galleries, antiques shops and boutiques, including the well-stocked spa shop. Little Washington Wellness and Spa aligns location and setting, making it the perfect spot to unplug and recharge. Even better, there is no need for planes or trains: it’s a pleasant 90-minute drive from Big Washington.
Lime Stimulating Serum and Key Lime Vanilla Cream, redolent of healthy smoothies – I was guided to the Firm Skin Acai Masque, which limbered up my normally very dry skin. My face felt rejuvenated, gleaming and fresh. It is important to Meuse, a county resident with her husband, Joe, and mom to two young boys, Hunt and Bo (plus two dogs, three horses, a few dozen chickens and two baby ducks), to ensure that her business serves the community. “I have always felt so honored to be living where I do,” she said. “I want my neighbors in the county to know that this is for everyone, not just tourists. And I want the talented wellness 261 Main Street, Washington, Va. practitioners who live and work in the county 540-675-1031 to know that together we are creating a place littlewashingtonspa.com where everybody can come to feel happy and balanced. In a tight-knit community like ours, Michelle Galler, a resident of both you have old-timers and newcomers who want Georgetown and Rappahannock County, Va., to know they are equally cherished.” is a realtor with TTR Sotheby’s and an antiques T & T_Georgetowner_7_Layout 1 6/23/14 2:59 PM Page 1 In addition to in-house services, her staff dealer.
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This extraordinary historic Inn (c. 1763)has been beautifully restored and updated ofering accomodations for events, guests, dining and private parties. A gorgeous setting on over 46 acres encompasses 4 private cottages, 9 suites, a ballroom, pub amd several dining rooms. The manicured grounds are spectacular, with gazebo, bridges & brilliant gardens surrounding the elegant stone Inn, overlooking a spring fed pond. $3,800,000
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18+ acres of mostly open and rolling land with the home sited perfectly with vast views from both front and back overlooking the pond, gardens and front fields. Cathedral ceilings, Master on the main floor, huge library/living room, private guest rooms, apartment on lower level w/own kitchen/entrance, sprawling deck w/awning. Perfect location ~ OCH territory ~ VOF conservation easement. $2,195,000
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53+ acres of beautiful, open and gently rolling land with expansive views of the countryside and distant mountains. Located in the coveted Orange County Hunt Territory of Fauquier County, this land provides exceptional ride-out potential. A home-site has been studied including and engineers report verifying a site for a 5 Bedroom septic, well and potential pond site. Open space easement, land cannot be divided. $1,400,000
Wonderful location. Stunning views. Route 50, east of Rokeby Road and the Upperville Horseshow Grounds. 3 bedroom brick home with southern exposure, recently painted. Guest house adjacent to a 9 stall barn. Gently rolling, mostly open land with board fenced paddocks and sand arena. Land Use in Fauquier County, seller will not be responsible for roll-back taxes. Potential division right. $925,000
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TRAVEL
In Brazil for the World Cup: Feeling (and Not Feeling) Like the
Queen of England BY J EN NIF ER A LT EMU S
Sisters Molly Wagman and Jennifer Altemus with Chad Cathers. We arrived in Sao Paulo at 8 a.m. to start our World Cup celebration. It’s the Brazilian winter and it was only 59 degrees. We watched a couple of games with friends from Brazil, Chile and Boston, then left that night for our rumble in the jungle. Our flight to Manaus arrived at 11:30 p.m. We went immediately to our boat, taking us to
our floating hotel in the Amazon. On a jungle hike the next morning, we saw enormous spiders, monkeys, gargantuan poison ants and all sorts of other nature. We left the floating hotel to transfer into town that afternoon to be closer to the stadium. The Portuguese team was staying at our new hotel. Their star player is Ronaldo, considered by some to be the best player in the world right now, and totally hot. Security and paparazzi at our hotel could have been for the president. Our taxi was able to follow their motorcade all the way to the stadium. The blocked-off streets were lined with photo takers. I felt like the Queen of England. The stadium was brand new and beautiful. There were tons of U.S. fans. Our seats were front row, center. My Queen of England feeling continued. The U.S. had a fantastic game until Portugal’s goal in the final seconds of extra time deflated our spirits. But a tie was still better than expected for our team. After the game, literally thousands of people from all over the world were dancing in the streets. The locals from Manaus loved Americans. We had a lot of pictures taken and our dance card was full. The next day, we went out on the Amazon
River to where two rivers – Rio Solimoes (from Peru) and Rio Negro – merge and run next to each other for four miles without mixing. The colors and temperatures of the water are completely different. Pretty wild to see. We spent the evening at the FIFA Fan Fest, where you can watch the matches if you aren’t able to be in the stadium. We and about 30,000 Brazilians watched their team beat Cameroon. That night we had a 2 a.m. flight to Rio. We stayed on the beach at Copacabana, which was like a no-holds-barred South Beach, if you can imagine. After two days, we had to move on to Recife for the next U.S. game, which we hoped would not be the last. We played the Germans in a torrential downpour. Being the fair-weather fan that I am, this was not what I signed up for. It was sort of the opposite of my Queen of England feeling. The roads were like rivers, our very high-end hotel room was leaking, cabs were sparse and I didn’t think to pack a raincoat. We found an intrepid driver to take us to the express bus station. We could hear water lapping at the bottom of the cab. I thought we would float away. The stadium is about an hour outside the city, so we had to join thousands of other wet fans trying to cram onto buses. It somehow all
worked out and we made it the stadium in time to get a beer and find our seats before kickoff. Unfortunately, we had excellent seats again, so no overhang. It was a soggy day. And even though the Germans won, the U.S. advanced to the next round, so the celebration was on. More dancing in the streets. And then a nice hot shower. Of course, the next day the weather was spectacular. We hung out in the sun but didn’t swim in the ocean. Recife is known for its shark attacks (Yikes!). That afternoon, we headed back to Sao Paolo to prepare for Brazil’s first game in the knockout round. I haven’t been to Carnival, but I cannot imagine it is any more festive then what we experienced. Whole areas of the city were cordoned off and mobbed with fans. The Brazilians won in the final seconds and the dancing in the streets continued. But by then we had to fly back to D.C. and catch the games on T.V.
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TRAVEL
Brandywine: Wyeth’s Other World BY RIC HA RD SE L DE N
Andrew Wyeth’s “Wind from the Sea” – the centerpiece of the “Looking Out, Looking In” exhibition at the National Gallery of Art (reviewed in the May 7 issue of The Georgetowner) – was painted a year before and on the same Maine farm as his iconic “Christina’s World” of 1948. Cushing, Maine, where Christina Olson lived, was the painter’s summer home. Andrew Wyeth’s roots were in Chadds Ford, Pa., where the Brandywine River Museum of Art offers scheduled tours of his studio and the Kuerner Farm, both portrayed in several works in “Looking Out, Looking In.” “His art is all about sense of place – things that mean something to him, people that mean something to him,” says Virginia O’Hara, the Brandywine museum’s curator of collections. Upon their marriage in 1940, Andrew and Betsy Wyeth made a 19th-century schoolhouse their home and Andrew’s studio. Restored to look as it did when they lived there, the modest building – white, inside and out – is filled with old furniture, artists’ materials (brushes, a carton of eggs for making tempera paints, large blocks of watercolor paper), books on art, ship models and armies of toy soldiers. The kitchen has “modern” appliances from the 1950s. Part of the studio is set up as the studio of their son James, known as Jamie, as if he were working on his 1967 portrait of John F. Kennedy. A short distance away is the expansive, prop-filled studio of Andrew Wyeth’s father and teacher, famed illustrator N.C. Wyeth, who built it in 1911 with earnings from his work on Scribner’s edition of “Treasure Island.” (The museum also has scheduled tours of N.C. Wyeth’s studio.) Even more evocative is the bleakly beautiful farm of German immigrant Karl Kuerner, designated a National Historic Landmark in 2011 along with the Olson House in Cushing. A square, stone trough in front of two windows in the ancient barn is clearly the motif of the painting “Spring Fed” in “Looking Out, Looking In.” Another work in the National Gallery show depicts the farmhouse attic, with iron hooks from which onions and potatoes were hung. No portraits of Wyeth’s Chadds Ford muse, Helga Testorf, who was Karl Kuerner’s nurse, are part of “Looking Out, Looking In,” but the painter had a way of instilling a human presence in his still lifes (not just art-history talk: in some cases a figure in an initial version of a work was later removed). Much of the credit for preserving the scenic and historic landscape that Wyeth painted goes to the Brandywine Conservancy, founded in 1967 to protect the watershed. Having created the museum in 1971, the organization – based in a former gristmill off U.S. 1 – recently renamed itself the Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of Art. A selection of Andrew Wyeth’s watercolors of Chadds Ford from the 1940s through the 2000s (he died in 2009) is on view at the museum through the end of September. “Exalted Nature: The Real and Fantastic World of Charles Burchfield,” an exhibition of more than 50 paintings by a very different American artist, opens Aug. 23. The only name that looms larger than Wyeth in the Brandywine Valley is du Pont.
Andrew Wyeth’s studio in Chadds Ford, now part of the Brandywine River Museum of Art. DuPont, the chemical company, began in 1802 as Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours’s gunpowder mill on the Brandywine. His little family of Huguenot immigrants from Burgundy expanded in size and wealth in the 19th and 20th centuries to produce some of America’s greatest industrialists and philanthropists. In 1906, Pierre S. du Pont bought the historic arboretum in Kennett Square, Pa., known as Peirce’s Park, making it his private estate and expanding it to more than 1,000 acres of gardens, fountains and greenhouses. We know it today as Longwood Gardens, welcoming roughly a million visitors annually. The latest addition to Longwood is an 86-acre Meadow Garden. Among the upcoming events are Summer Soirées on July 18 and Aug. 22 (free with admission) and Patti LuPone on July 10 ($45-75) and Savion Glover on Aug. 14 ($36-56). Winterthur, the Wilmington mansion of one of Pierre’s cousins, Henry Francis du Pont, is furnished with his exceptional collection of American antiques and surrounded by gardens. It is a suitable setting for an audiencebroadening Winterthur exhibition, “Costumes of Downton Abbey,” displaying 40 historically inspired costumes from the PBS series (through Jan. 4). Other Wilmington cultural attractions include the Hagley Museum and Nemours Mansion, both connected to du Ponts, and the Delaware Art Museum, which features works by the Pre-Raphaelites, John Sloan and illustrators such as Howard Pyle. Good dining choices may be found on State Street in downtown Kennett Square, where there is a monthly First Friday Art Stroll. For a country inn ambiance, try Buckley’s Tavern in Centerville, Pa., on Kennett Pike between Kennett Square and Wilmington. To make an overnight or a weekend of it, there are 11 B&Bs listed on the Brandywine Valley Bed and Breakfast Association website. The landmark 1913 Hotel du Pont in Wilmington displays works by N.C., Andrew and Jamie Wyeth in its elegant public rooms.
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Dear Stacy: My wife reads your column, so I am hoping you and I can work together to convince her that she needs some help. She is a stay-at-home mother to our three kids, and she’s fabulous at the job. To make it possible for her to stay at home, I work long hours in a competitive field. We met when I was in law school. She has always known what kind of career I wanted, and for the most part has always been very supportive of my work. In recent months, she has been very needy. She calls me at work and gets upset when I can’t make room in my schedule to talk to her. I think she is overwhelmed by the demands of her position and it is causing her to be depressed. I think she needs therapy and I am happy to pay for it. She refuses, saying she thinks the problem is our relationship. She is insisting we go to couples therapy, but I know that won’t help her. I want her to feel better and have the support I know she will get with her own counselor. Please put better words to my request. I am completely supportive of her and only want her to feel better. She needs help to do that. - Wanting the Best for Her Dear Wanting, I need to start by saying I do not doubt your good intentions here. Not even a little bit. But you are doing this all wrong. No one ever got
better when her spouse responded to her loneliness by saying, “Go get yourself some help, I’m buying.” She has asked you to join her in couples therapy – what do you have to lose? If you bristle when thinking about that question, then it seems you actually might benefit from that kind of work. With the exception of serious mental health disorders, my experience has been that a couple’s relationship is actually the best space for healing. If Dear Wife leaves your dyad, and finds a gentle and caring counselor to walk with her through whatever she’s experiencing, at the end of the day you are not the one witnessing or inspiring that healing. This will put more distance between you. And if you fall into the category of Ambitious-Law-School-TrainedCompetitive-Field-Dweller that you describe, I’m guessing that more distance is the last thing your marriage needs. Work with her to find a couples counselor with a schedule that fits both of your calendars. Leave the rest of the work to that person. If s/ he thinks Dear Wife will benefit from individual treatment, trust that s/he will say so. In the interim, consider how much you might learn and how much you both could benefit. If you really want the best, that’s the gold standard.
selor and certified Imago Relationship therapist practicing in Georgetown. This column is meant for entertainment only, and should not be considered a substitute for professional counseling. Send your confidential question to stacy@georgetowner.com.
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CLASSIFIEDS / SERVICE DIRECTORY EMPLOYMENT SALES REPRESENTATIVE The Georgetown Media Group seeks an enthusiastic and eager Advertising Sales Representative. As a sales representative, you will sell advertising and marketing programs for The Georgetowner and The Downtowner newspapers, online advertisements, social media ads and events. We offer unlimited income potential with generous commissions and the abilility to work from your home office. You must be motivated and outgoing with an entrepreneurial outlook and the ability to build strong relationships with a wide range of clients. You must also be highly organized and eager to learn all aspects of our business and publications. Email resume to Sonya@georgetowner.com
PRODUCTION/ GRAPHIC DESIGNER The Georgetown Media Group seeks an enthusiastic and eager graphic designer. As a designer, you will assist with production, layout and creating sales/marketing materials for The Georgetowner and The Downtowner newspapers. You must be motivated with excellent communication skills and work well on deadline. Pay commensurate with experience. Email resume to Sonya@georgetowner.com
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ART WRAP
Celebrating Self-Taught Social Realist Ralph Fasanella BY NANCY NE S V E T
complexity begs us to inspect each neighHappy 100th birthday, Ralph Fasanella. A self-taught artist who painted for 30 years borhood and each group of New Yorkers as we follow them across the horizontal before his greatness was recognized, Fasanella (1914-1997) is being celebrated this year with canvas. A homegrown social realist, Fasanella exhibitions that illustrate his dedication to worked as a union organizer and was working people and the America he loved. Here in Washington, the Smithsonian involved with the Abraham Lincoln Brigade protesting fascism in Spain. He American Art Museum exhibition “Lest We Forget” features paintpainted the possibilities ings of strikes, laborers, of Americans, telling “1960s-era youth protest them where they had political events including American involvement in the Rosenberg trial and the gone wrong and showing the Vietnam War, showing them the way to achieve Kennedy assassination and an America that provided members of Fasanella’s the strength of common Italian American famjustice for all. people, real Americans, to Politics is at the ily, such as his father, who effect change” forefront in works delivered ice in the Bronx such as “McCarthy (“Iceman Crucified #4). Era Garden Party,” The show opens with a Ralph Fasanella’s “Gertrude and George” nine-foot-long triptych of New York City that depicting what Fasanella believed was raised stage in the painting – who indicted began as a single canvas, with Broadway at the wrongful execution of Julius and them. Ethel Rosenberg. In “Garden Party,” he shows its center, and grew to include the Queensboro “McCarthy Press” and “American the enveloping ring of protesters and the bridge and the uptown neighborhoods borTragedy” use color and content to let the pubDisneyesque and perhaps Colonial-referencing dering it in Manhattan. The canvas extends lic know Fasanella’s view of McCarthyism palm trees, in pots clearly held by a photogto the waterways bordering the city, the and the assassination of John F. Kennedy as a sightlines forming an outline of the borough rapher and other observers. The Rosenbergs tragic period in American history, dominated of Manhattan from its tip at Battery Park face the crowd of protesters, not the House by the iconic “A” form, representing the shadUn-American Activities Committee – on a up through Harlem to its northern edge. Its ow of the atomic bomb.
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up. Indeed, for thirty years, until he achieved the recognition of the art and wider world, he kept painting, revealing historical events that needed to be witnessed and talked and learned about, “lest we forget.”
Ralph Fasanella’s “McCarthy Press” Farther into the exhibition, “The Great Strike” depicts what became known as the Bread and Roses Strike, which took place in 1912 in Lawrence, Mass. Here, we see people of varied ethnicities protesting together to bring about just wages, much as the protesters seen in “Garden Party” protest. This recurring theme of people demonstrating their beliefs is also seen in “Modern Times,” in which 1960sera youth protest American involvement in the Vietnam War, showing the strength of common people, real Americans, to effect change. These paintings showing the involvement of many people protesting unjust policies and leaders express Fasanella’s faith that justice can prevail if the people do not give
“Ralph Fasanella: Lest We Forget” is on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum through Aug. 3. A complementary exhibition, “Ralph Fasanella: The Art of Social Engagement,” is on view in the lobby of the AFL-CIO Headquarters through Aug. 1.
PERFORMANCE
Fringe Festival Is Back for 18 Days, 15 Venues BY GARY T IS CHL ER
There’ll be over a 150 plays and shows to choose from. Here’s a look at a few we thought might be interesting. Making choices at the Fringe is not always a rational process of course, but here goes. Sometimes the titles and descriptions are worth the ride. DATELINE: MACBETH (Quattro Gatti Theatre Company) and MACBETH; THE INSTRUMENTS OF DARKNESS (The Rude Mechanicals). Two very different takes on the Scottish play. “Dateline” takes place in a tropical setting, with this hook: “As funny as it is macabre, it goes TV mysteries one better.” ANTIGONE (The Wandering Theatre Company) and BITCH: A PLAY ABOUT ANTIGONE (Naked Theatre Company). When’s the last time you had a chance to see not one but two plays about Sophocles’ ancient Greece heroine who defies her father and pays for it. Not ever, except at the Fringe. THE FEVER (Patrick O’Brien, director). O’Brien’s “Underneath the Lintel” was a big hit at last year’s Fringe, and now the director brings Wallace Shawn’s horrific and provoking play to the Fringe. WISTARIA (The Wistaria Project). “A traveling meeting that questions our historical past and present through a hallucinatory amalgam of U.S. texts, traditional song and actions mysterious and banal.” We like it because we have no idea what this meant but it sounds interesting.
THE OLD MAN NEVER LET IT GO (Hector J. Reynoso). A visual adaptation of “The Old Man and the Sea,” with music and dance, starring Reynoso. Hemingway lives! CABARET XXX: EVERYBODY F*CKING DIES (Pinky Swear Producitos). The life and death of Femme Fatales and other matters. Great title. REPORT TO AN ACADEMY (Scena Theatre). An ape named Red Peter presents a thesis on his life in captivity to a scientific academy. From Robert McNamara’s Scena Theatre. DISTRICTLAND (Bucharest Inside the Beltway). For the Millennial in your life, a satire and play about starting your career in the District. “Spoiler: You are Not Your LinkedIn Profile” CONTRAFACT OF FREEDOM (Hunger and Thirst Theatre Collective). We are always interested in anything to do with Francis Scott Key. The Star-Spangled Banner: American history’s most unlikely origin story. By Alex Pappas. DRACULA: A LOVE STORY (Wry Press). Written by DC Theatre Scene critic Tim Treanor, an intensely roman-
It’s back. The theater festival that anticipates changing times and has become a hot bed for everything new in performance art, the Capital Fringe Festival, returns for 18 days of “uninhibited and creative performances” at over 15 venues round the city, July 10-27. Tickets are already on sale at the Fort Fringe Box Office at 607 New York Ave., near the Washington Convention Center. This festival will mark the last year Capital Fringe will be headquartered at this location. The good news is that it will move into a new space at 1358 Florida Avenue currently occupied by the Connersmith Gallery. This year’s venues include a variety of locations in the continually changing downtown world. Performances will be held at several spaces at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, located in the new and hot H Street Corridor area; Caos on F; the Bedroom at Fort Fringe; the Baldacchino Tent Bar; the Dupont Circle Q Street Exit; DC Reynolds Bar; The Shop at Fort Fringe; Gearbox
on 7th Street; the Gallery and Main Stage at the Goethe Institut; Hillyer Art Space; Jet Hair Designs; the Martin Luther King Library; Mountain at Mount Vernon United Methodist Church; Plush Beauty Box; the Fridge; The Source Theater; Union Stylus; the Warehouse; and the Capitol Reflecting Pool. Fringe, under the leadership of founder, president and chief executive Julieanne Brienza, has continually expanded the boundaries of theater and performing arts. The Capital Fringe Festival is one of many around the world, a tradition of cutting edge theater that began in Edinburgh, Scotland. Today, you’re likely to run across a mixture of drama and dance, classical plays and vaudeville acts, stand up comedians, puppets, opera and drama, shows that include Twitter and Facebook, straight forward dramas and not so straight forward plays, musical acts, site-specific plays, one-man and one-woman shows and much more. This is a festival for every generation.
tic take on the all-knowing, ever present vampire of our times. Directed by Christopher Henley with Lee Ordeman. CHESAPEAKE (The Edge of the University Players 2). This magical realist fable is by Lee Blessing, one of America’s best and most evocative playwrights. A tale about a New York performance artist, a firebrand conservative Southern politician and a Chesapeake Bay Labrador retriever. MEDEA’S GOT SOME ISSUES (No Rules Theatre Company and Spain arts & culture). Classy Babe turned ancient Greek temptress tells all. Featuring Lisa Hodsoll. FEISTY OLD JEW (Charlie Varon). A one-man show about Bernie, 83, who hates yoga studios, S6 coffee, young tech millionaires and what they’re doing to San Francisco. THE MONSTER SONGS (Dr. Dour & Peach) Dr. Dour sings and plays 10-string guitar. Peach plays cello and banjo and they sing and tell the personal stories of lovesick mummies, giant lizards and bargain-hunting zombies. Featuring Toby Mulford (composer) and Rachel Spicknall Mulford.
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SOCIAL SCENE
Ford’s Fetes Dingell and Jones BY ERIN SCHAFF
Ford’s Theatre Society hosted a star-studded evening June 22 with appearances by VIPs of politics, business, stage and screen. Rep. John D. Dingell, D-Mich., and legendary actor James Earl Jones received the Lincoln Medal in recognition of their commitment to leadership and service. ★
Record $1.63 Million Raised for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society PHOTO BY NESHAN H. NALTCHAYAN
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society celebrated the close of the National Capital Area Man & Woman of the Year Campaign June 21 with a Grand Finale Gala. Gary DePreta, Director of Civilian Agencies at Cisco, and Evelyn Smallwood, General Manager at Ted Britt Ford, were the night’s big winners. Through 10 weeks of fundraising and relentless dedication to the mission, DePreta and Smallwood led 20 candidates who together raised $1.63 million, a new record for the National Capital Area Chapter of the LLS.★
Cecilia Hart and James Earl Jones.
2014 Man & Woman of the Year winners, Gary DePreta and Evelyn Smallwood. ABC’s “Nashville” actors Lennon and Maisy Stella.
Michele and Jack Evans, Ward 2 Councilmember.
Dancer Melinda Sullivan of Fox’s “So, You Think You Can Dance,” Season 7.
Gardner and Angela Britt of Ted Britt Automotive.
Heartfelt Send-Off for Diana McLellan BY ROBERT DEVANEY
Washington writer, classy gossip columnist and Capitol Hill resident Diana McLellan was laid to rest in Congressional Cemetery June 28. McLellan’s life was celebrated at the cemetery chapel with friends and family reciting poetry and recalling perfect dinners with her. Jokes flew about her being buried among such famous Washingtonians to get the real stories. At the burial, her spreading a little more dirt around was a quip. The repast was at the Capitol Hill Mr. Henry’s one of McLellan’s favorite hang-outs. ★
Stephen Kessler and Heather Podesta. Kasey Nilson and Rep. Joe Crowley, D-N.Y.
At Mr. Henry’s after the memorial service: Diana McLellan’s granddaughter Tara Sullivan and daughter Fiona Weeks.
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SOCIAL SCENE
Family and Friends Applaud Ralph Lauren and the Flag A powerful, emotional slice of America was on display June 17 at a naturalization ceremony at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and presentation of the Smithson Medal to designer Ralph Lauren. On hand was Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State and potential 2016 presidential candidate, along with Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, the Smithsonian’s Wayne Clough and John Gray and Sarah Taylor of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Also on hand were Lauren’s family and 15 new Americans.★ PHOTOS BY PATRICK G. RYAN
Ralph Lauran
Ricky Lauren
CAP_DC Ad_Quarter Page.pdf
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Ricky and Lauren Bush Lauren
Dylan Lauren
Newsbabes Energize Powerhouse
Join us on the terrace... “Drawing on the club-like style of the district's
The Newbabes invaded the Powerhouse event venue on Grace Street June 11. With Jill Biden as a special guest, the party got even more classy and benefited the cancer survivor program, SOS -- Survivors Offering Support -- at Georgetown University Hospital, which helps 800 women annually.
old establishments and forward thinking menus of buzzy new hotspots, it's definitely the city's ” best-kept secret (which is saying a lot in a city full of leaks).” C
— K a l P e n n , Mr & Mrs Smith
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PHOTO BY PATRICK G. RYAN
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Mike Manatos and his wife Laura Evans of Fox5 flank Jill Biden.
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Located at the intersection of 31st Street and the C&O Canal at Capella Washington, D.C., a block south of M Street in the heart of Georgetown.
Jackie Bradford of NBC News4, Lisa Feldman Fleck from NBC News, Denise O’Neil, director of the SOS program, and Eleni Tousimis, M.D., director of Ourisman Breast Center at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital.
1050 31ST ST NW, WASHINGTON, DC • (202) 617-2424 • WWW.THEGRILLROOMDC.COM
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