October 2024 Downtowner
By • October 15, 2024 0 11
The Pandas are Coming!
Giant panda cub Xiao Qi Ji. Courtesy Smithsonian.
They’re baaack! If you’ve missed having pandas at the Smithsonian National Zoo, you’re in luck. Three-year-old pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao were set to arrive in D.C. via a FedEx Boeing 777 Tuesday, October 15. It’s been almost a year since three pandas left the area. Now, zoo guests are eager to get back to visit the giant bears, whose arrival marks the continuation of a program between China and the U.S. for panda conservation.
New Home for GU’s McCourt School
Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy opened a new space on GU’s Capitol Campus in downtown D.C. last month. The new 150,000-square-foot location, at 125 E St. NW, features 20 classrooms, several conference rooms and a 400-seat auditorium. At the ribbon cutting: Provost Robert M. Groves, McCourt School Dean Maria Cancian, Mayor Muriel Bowser, District Council member Charles Allen and artist Maya Lin.
Record Pupusa at Fiesta D.C.
iStock photo.
Iris Veronica Jimenez, owner of La Casita Pupuseria (several area locations), with the help of 80 chefs, broke the pupusa size barrier on Sept. 28, as certified by Guinness World Records. The Big Pupusa, born at Fiesta D.C., the nation’s largest Latino festival, measured 20 feet in diameter. Similar to the arepas of Colombia and Venezuela, the thick griddle cakes are the national dish of El Salvador and also widely consumed in Honduras.
Pickleball Madness on the Mall
Pickleball Weekend in D.C. Courtesy Trust for the National Mall.
The trendy sport of pickleball took to the National Mall late last month for the “National Mall of Pickleball,” a weekend event to showcase health, wellness and the importance of exercise. A whopping 800 people signed up to participate at the start of the festivities, in which pickleball professionals played alongside locals. The event also shined light on the fast-growing sport’s intergenerational nature.
Hmm — a Book or a Bag of Chips?
Vend me a book! Courtesy Kickstarter.
Sure, we’ve seen Little Free Libraries, Sprinkle’s cupcake ATM and many more unique vending machines. Local resident Lauren Woods is aiming to add a vending machine for books — specifically books by local authors. Woods hopes to order a custom-designed machine with 23 slots for books. As of press time, her Kickstarter fundraising project, with a goal of $5,000, was at $3,919 raised.
D.C. Opioid Deaths Going Down
D.C. opioid deaths are notably down for the first time in six years, since fentanyl bombarded the street-drug supply. But officials are not declaring a win just yet. Over 2,000 residents were killed by opioids in the last five years. This year, as of the end of June, 196 deaths were recorded, versus more than 250 in that period in 2023. Possible factors: prevention education, distribution of Naloxone (Narcan) and fentanyl test strips.
