Dodge Thompson and Colleen Daly
W
ashington is a diplomatic city par excellence, with 176 resident diplomatic missions led by amicable ambassadors unabashedly promoting their art and culture. All of us who live here feel like ambassadors, whether we are working at celebrated cultural institutions, worldclass restaurants or “hot” universities; whether we are entrepreneurs, teachers or taxi drivers. When I started working at the National Gallery 35+ years ago, I had visions of living here for several years and then moving on. Instead I was captivated by the dynamic vitality of an ever-evolving, open-minded and internationally flavored city that seemed to me the very best place to raise two inquisitive daughters. We are both charmed by this place and its denizens and goings-on, by “Evensong” at Washington National Cathedral, the gardens at Dumbarton Oaks, performances at the Kennedy Center, lectures at the Italian Embassy, walks along the Potomac and suppers with friends in our back garden during fig season. What rules of etiquette remain meaningful for you today? Opening doors for others, dinner-table decorum, being cheerful in the face of adversity (at least in public), listening to others with kindness and genuine interest and, yes, thank-you notes. Which social norms have stood the test of time? The art of the wellcrafted guest list, by which two friends who “must meet” each other actually do get together.
Robert Higdon photographed at an interior design client’s residence