Downtowner DC: March on Washington, Eateries, Bedbugs
By • August 24, 2020 0 1076
March on Washington Set for Aug. 28
Though there have been mixed signals given the pandemic, a 2020 March on Washington is currently planned for Friday, Aug. 28, the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington at which Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. The Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network is organizing a Commitment March: Get Your Knee Off Our Necks, originally expected to draw more than 100,000 participants advocating for police accountability, the census and voter mobilization. Meanwhile, the NAACP has launched a website for the 2020 Virtual March on Washington, with activities beginning on Aug. 27.
Kramerbooks Staying Put for a While
Earlier this year, it was reported that Kramerbooks & Afterwords might be leaving its longtime Dupont Circle location on Connecticut Avenue NW. Now, owner Steve Salis has announced that the landmark bookstore and café will be staying put for at least three more years. Despite rumors in May that the business would be relocating, Salis told the Washington Post that he never intended to leave in 2020. There are six years to go on the store’s lease.
Rebel Taco Opening 2 Locations
Rejoice taco lovers! Taco joint Rebel Taco Cantina is coming to 1214 U St. NW this month and to 501 K St. NW next spring. The restaurant sells six different types of tacos made with buffalo chicken, barbacoa, shrimp and other fillings, all on handmade tortillas. Nachos are available as a side and for dessert there are cajetas: vanilla ice cream, toasted coconut, pecans, caramel sauce and whipped cream.
Frozen Treats for Adults in Shaw
Perfect for today’s times, Electric Cool-Aid recently opened in Shaw in a gravel lot off of Rhode Island Avenue and Sixth Street NW, now furnished with 19 socially-distanced picnic tables, murals and five-foot-tall frozen drink machines. The space also sells Good Humor ice cream to fulfill D.C.’s requirement that food accompany drinks, as restaurants seek to reopen safely during the coronavirus pandemic.
Another Controversial Name Is Out
Barkada Wine Bar, at 1939 12th St. NW, is named after a Filipino slang word for a group of friends. However, the establishment is not owned by anyone of Filipino descent, nor does it sell Filipino food. Resisting calls for a name change, one of the owners, Sebastian Zutant, was quoted as saying, “I didn’t want to call it posse or homies or clique.” However, a statement on Barkada’s website currently begins with: “We’re changing the name.”
D.C. Is Now National Bedbug Capital
It’s enough to make your skin crawl. Pest-control company Orkin has named Washington, D.C., the number-one bedbug city in the U.S. We snagged the itchy distinction from Baltimore, which held the top spot for three straight years. One reason, according to U.S. News and World Report, could be the volume of domestic and international travel in and out of the city.
