Latest News

Georgetowner • April 15, 2013

Georgetown Visitation Presents ‘Into The Woods’

April 12 at 7:30 p.m. | $10-15 | annie.burns@gmmb.com | Tel: 202-362-3461 | Event Website

Georgetown Visitation’s Award-Winning Theatrical program presents Stephen Sondheim’s whimsical, song-and-dance-studded journey “Into the Woods” on April 12, 13 and 14 at the Nolan Performing Arts Center.
Please join us on this Tony Award-winning trek, beginning on the Nolan Center Stage and running April 12 through 14. (Show times are 7:30 p.m. April 12 and 13, and 2:00 p.m. April 14.) Tickets are $15 adults, $10 students/seniors.

Address

Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School; Nolan Center; 1524 35th St., NW

French Fete at M29 Lifestyle

April 13 at 11 a.m. | FREE | M29@fourseasons.com | Tel: 202-295-2829

A party hosted by M29 Lifestyle and Alliance Francaise with patisseries and crepes courtesy of Paul Bakery and Cafe Bonaparte. Parents will discover treasures galore in the store while children enjoy a storytelling hour, puppet show and activities in and outdoors.

All guest can enter to wine one or two Kiki & Coco in Pairs books or a $25 gift card. Drawing takes place at 3 p.m.

Complimentary valet parking at Four Seasons Hotel with store purchase of $50 or more.

Address

M29 Lifestyle; 2800 Pennsylvania Ave., NW

Washington Fine Properties’ 3rd Annual Home & Design Weekend

April 13 at noon | Free | lauren.hakim@wfp.com | Tel: 202-243-1644 | Event Website

Join Washington Fine Properties in celebrating fine design and home furnishings in the vibrant 14th & U Street corridors. Visit participating merchants and receive free in-store lectures, hands-on demonstrations conducted by industry experts and great home decorating secrets.

Saturday, April 13, noon to 6 p.m.

Sunday, April 14, noon to 6 p.m.

Address

14th & U Street Corridors, Washington, D.C. 20009

Fashion for Paws

April 13 at 6 p.m. | General Admission: $150; Table Seats, $250 | TdeNicolas@washhumane.org | Tel: 202-683-1827 | Event Website

The Washington Humane Society’s Fashion for Paws Runway Show in Washington, D.C., launched in 2007, raising more than $2.2 million dollars for homeless animals so far and receiving a mass amount of national and regional media coverage.

The Fashion for Paws Runway Show will be held on Saturday, April 13, at the National Building Museum. Tickets are $150 per person (general), with individual table seat tickets for $250. (limited)

Address

National Building Museum; 401 F St., NW

ROUTES: A Day of Jewish Learning

April 14t at 10 a.m. | $18 – $25 | lleblanc@pjll.org | Tel: 240-283-6200 | Event Website

From comedy to community, text study to tikkun olam, soul mates to soul searching. Sixty great conversations with inspiring speakers; sponsored by the Partnership for Jewish Life and Learning.

Address

American University, Ward Circle Building; 4400 Massachusetts Ave., NW

Loudoun Hunt Point-to-Point

April 14 at 11 a.m. | Event Website

Held each year at the historic Oatlands Plantation, the Loudoun Hunt Point to Point Races feature some of the most challenging timber and hurdle courses available in Virginia. Riders from across the state and the globe travel to test their mettle in a thrilling contest that always has the crowds gasping to take in that final, thrilling run to the finish line. Gates open at 11 a.m. Post time is 1 p.m. For more information, visit www. loudounhunt.com.

Address

Oatlands Plantation

Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists at St. John’s

April 14 at noon | Event Website

Georgetown Concert Series will present the Washington National Opera: Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists. The Young Artists will perform semi-staged ensembles and arias from popular operas, including music from the upcoming production of “Show Boat.” The performers were personally chosen by Plácido Domingo to train for two years at the Washington National Opera, and they are “poised for major careers.” Visit www.stjohnsgeorgetown.org

Address

St. John’s Episcopal Church on O Street

Tudor Place: Film Viewing & Director Q&A ‘Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North’

April 16 at 1 p.m. | Members, $10; non-members, $12. | Tel: 202-965-0400 | Event Website](http://tracesmovie.eventbrite.com/#)

In honor of D.C. Emancipation Day, join Tudor Place on Tuesday, April 16, at 1 p.m. for a film screening of Emmy-nominated, award-winning documentary “Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North” and discussion with the director/producer Katrina Browne. In the film, Browne discovers that her New England ancestors were the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history. With nine relatives, Browne traced the “Triangle Trade” that enriched her forebears, uncovering the vast extent of Northern complicity in slavery and gaining new perspective on the racial divide.

Address

1644 31st St., NW

Robert Devaney • April 11, 2013

A few floral ribbon-cuttings later, the Georgetown Capella is settling into its intimate spot on 31st Street, next to the C&O Canal. The 49-room boutique hotel aims for the top, as it touts its service, restaurant, amenities and architecture. It already has made a splash with several invitation-only parties and has been open since March 22.

A March 29 debut brought out Mayor Vincent Gray, other notables and business investors. An April 3 reception also invited the media and neighborhood leaders to see the rooms and sample some bites.

The Capella touts its Grill Room and Rye Bar with chef Jakob Esko. The canal-front patio with tables is a standout. Each guest gets a personal assistant; rooms look like perfectly appointed condos.

Founded by former Ritz Carlton COO Horst Schulze, the company has other Capella hotels and resorts in Singapore, Dusseldorf, Ixtapa and Cabo San Lucas. The company has plans for hotel openings in Sochi, Russia, Riviera Maya, Mexico, and Bangkok.
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Gwendolyn Shearman •

The power of a good book and the kindness of others come together with Grace Church’s first ever Little Free Library.

The first Little Free Library in Washington D.C., located outside of Grace Church and Georgetown Ministry Center, was created in an effort to promote literacy, give people easy access to new reading material, and build a stronger sense of community.

Opened on April 3, the effort was coordinated by Georgetown Ministry Center, Grace Church, and the AARP of District Columbia State Office.

The book exchange allows guests of Georgetown Ministry Center, people attending church services or the school, as well as guests and community members that visit the church grounds, to drop off books they want to donate and pick up new books that others have donated.

You can drop by the Little Free Library outdoor kiosk at Grace Church at 1041 Wisconsin Avenue NW. For more information on Georgetown Ministry Center at http://georgetownministrycenter.org or Grace Church of Georgetown at www.gracedc.org. If you have a good idea of another location for a Little Free Library, contact the AARP Foundation at (202) 434-3203 or email pdeloach@aarp.org.

Robert Devaney • April 10, 2013

A manhole cover exploded on 33rd Street near the C&O Canal and flamed briefly mid-morning March 25. As a Pepco crew attended to short-circuited wires, the smell moved up the street. At 33rd and M Streets, a customer at Georgetown Cupcake smelled smoke. D.C. Fire & EMS responded to the report with a show of force, calling out trucks from Georgetown, the West End and U Street. More than 10 fire department trucks, SUVs and a hook-and-ladder lined M Street. Police closed one lane to traffic.

“Maybe they burned the cupcakes,” said one passer-by at the intersection. A fire department official said neither smoke nor any gas leak had come from the bakery or buildings at the corner but was from the blown-out manhole down 33rd Street. Adding to the momentary excitement was NBC4 News’s Pat Collins, who was on the scene, looking for a story to tell. Meanwhile, a small line waited near the entrance of Georgetown Cupcake, where, by the way, Passover macaroons are available through April 2. Soon enough, it was all over, and the shop reopened.
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Robert Devaney •

After Mayor Vincent Gray introduced his Fiscal Year 2014 Proposed Budget and Financial Plan March 28, he was seen around Washington at such places as Georgetown’s new Capella Hotel for a blossom ribbon cutting and Nationals Park for baseball’s opening day. Gray’s view? “D.C. is the place to be,” he said at the Capella.

“This proposal is the District of Columbia’s 18th consecutive balanced budget,” according to the mayor. “As you know, the District’s economy is growing rapidly, with more than 28,000 private sector jobs created over the past two years and an unemployment rate that has fallen nearly three percentage points. To support our growing population and to continue building a more prosperous, equitable, safe and sustainable city for all, my proposed budget makes important investments in three key strategies: (1) growing and diversifying the District’s economy; (2) educating children and preparing the workforce for the new economy; and (3) improving the quality of life for all residents. . . . The $10.1 billion budget leverages the District’s strong financial position to make major investments in expanding affordable housing, strengthening education and workforce development, and safeguarding public safety without raising new taxes or fees.”

While the budget centers on education, housing and public safety, it looks to revamp the main public library, the Martin Luther King, Jr., branch, and expand library hours. Also, within the budget’s fiscal 2014 to fiscal 2019 Capital Improvements Plan, streetcar lines get $400 million. The first one slated to be from Georgetown to Minnesota Avenue for this year. Others include an Anacostia line and a line along Georgia Avenue. Amid other line items: $10.7 million for bike lanes and trails. The new budget also funds 10 new Capital Bikeshare stations beyond the more than 50 DDOT has already funded.

Gray also announced a series of town-hall-style meetings — for each ward — to introduce District residents to, and receive feedback from them on, his proposed fiscal 2014 budget. These meetings include:

Youth Town Hall Meeting: Saturday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., April 20, Sumner School and Archives, 1201 17th St., NW.

Ward 2 Town Hall Meeting: Saturday, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., April 20, Sumner School and Archives, 1201 17th St., NW.

Gary Tischler •

What befits a baseball opening day the most? Well, if you’re a Washington Nationals fan, a perfect opening day would consist of the two young faces of the franchise doing what they do best.

It would be Stephen Strasburg pitching seven innings of shutout, three-hit ball.

It would be Bryce Harper, after picking up his NL rookie of the year award, showing why he got it by hitting not one but two home runs, providing the winning margin of a 2-0 victory opening day victory over the Miami Marlins who floundered at the plate like beached—well, you know—fish.

“He hit that one straight and up,” a Nats employee on the second level told us. “I heard it went straight over center field.”

That it did. Straight, like a Tell arrow through an apple, so sudden you barely had time to wonder if that really happened.

That was in the first inning, on a one-ball count and it happened so fast that it took a second for the roar of the crowd to build to an even bigger roar. My thought was more like “Holy s—” but the guy waving his jacket like a toreador was speechlessly grinning. A smile formed on the face of a white-haired fan up here, spreading out to his beard stubble. He was wearing a Harper jacket.

But even before the Harper fireworks, the methodical Strasburg bearing and pitching, the day was a gift to everyone—fans, officials, players, and, okay, maybe not the Marlin players in their grayish uniforms taking batting practice. But they didn’t know that then.

The Marlins, like everyone else and ourselves, basked in God’s green acres of baseball turf, in outfield and infield, in blues skies and throw and catch warm-ups, and in walking side by side fathers and sons and grandfathers and granddaughters. “I’m being grandpop today,” the grandpop from Fairfax said. “Only thing is, I can’t keep up with her.”

You could see the difference in the air and on the Metro—if somebody wasn’t coming from the zoo on a Monday late morning, they were for sure going to the Nationals game, surging a lot out of Virginia in a sea of red and white, Zimmermans, Strasbergs, Harpers and Desmonds and worthy Werths, boyfriends and girlfriends, and a 14-month-old boy with his dad behind home plate. “First time,” his dad said. At least he wasn’t trading stocks on eBay or selling them to us.

Opening day is the opening of sacred ground and as yet untarnished hopes and the laying to rest of the year before. It was, after all, the grandest of years and the suddenly worst kind of year that had the Nationals, once the losingest team in baseball, rising to the heights of baseball’s best record, only to lose a game they had in hand, a strike away from advancing to the National League playoffs.

The scoreboard celebrated for us—Jason Werth’s walk-off home run was seen again, Strasburg’s easy motions and Harper’s dirty uniform derring-do.

Now, the Washington Nationals are being picked as World Series by Sports Illustrated, a curse in some quarters with historical examples of being so, or just an embellishment of the notion that we have a pretty damn good team here.

We all, we happy few gathered at home plate to see Adam LaRoche, who looks like a ballplayer personified, a grown up still playing a man-child game and Harper, a man child playing like a gutsy grownup. They—and ageless manager Davey Johnson and general manager Mike Rizzo, were all honored with various awards at home plate.

In April in spring, a baseball stadium is a kind of holy place before the grass gets torn up, the dust scattered, —the temples are home plate, first base, second base and third base, the fields of play are green and pristine, and now, before someone hollers the sacred beginnings of ball playing—which is to say “Play ball”—the uniforms, especially the Nats’ white with red names and numbers, seem blindingly washed, like the togas of senators on a stroll—Washington senators. In his uniform, Davey Johnson looked like he was going to the prom.

The bald eagle Screech—who still looks like a chicken by another name—wandered, well, like some other kind of bird, among the gathered folks, television reporters, the odd writer, the photographers, the U.S. Army Chorus, the veteran throwing out the first ball, the ball girls and ball boys. Mayor Vincent Gray, a ballplayer of some renown, showed up to deliver the lineup and when we asked him if he was still playing he said, “You bet.” He sounded so confident that we almost asked him if he was running again for mayor, but we refrained. Because Gray was today like the rest of us a fan glad to be here and politics in Washington stayed outside the gates with no tickets to the game.

Children ran out into the field at one point taking up the position. “America the Beautiful” was heard and country songs and songs I never heard before. They could have been the theme from “Field of Dreams”, or “The Natural”, and why not.

The announcer called out everyone’s name on both team and so many job-holders among the Nats—even the assistant massage therapist got to trout out on to the field—that I started to wait for my name to be called but in vain.

I went to Easter Mass on Sunday—and opening day today. For different reasons, each occasion had the effect of turning me for a second into a small boy again—awed with memory in the first case, happy in the sun in the second.

Happy day. The Washington Nationals are in first place and undefeated. What befits a baseball opening day more than that?
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Nico Dodd • April 8, 2013

Residents gathered Oct. 17 for a ribbon-cutting inaugurating the recent improvements to Rose Park at 26th and O Streets. Georgetown advisory neighborhood commissioner Tom Birch emceed the event.

The new improvements include a new brick walkway, an improved “tot lot,” a new fence and new benches. The benches have been ordered but were not installed at the time of the ribbon cutting. The project began 18 months ago and was finished on time and under budget three weeks after ground was broken. All improvements were paid for by community donations. The new brick walkway includes bricks inscribed with the names of people who donated money to the project. The work was completed by Perez Landscaping & Stonework.

The Georgetown Garden Club donated new sycamore and cherry trees as well as new rose bushes.

David Abrams, who lives across the street from Rose Park, was awarded with a plaque for “15 years of service” to the park. Pamla Moore, founder of Friends of Rose Park Foundation, was also awarded for her service to the park. Abrams is pleased with the improvements, as they make the park “safer” and “cleaner.”

Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans also gave remarks and joked that Birch had been at Rose Park to greet Pierre L’Enfant and George Washington to Georgetown. ANC2E commissioners Jeff Jones and Bill Starrels were also present at the event.

On Oct. 31, a pumpkin festival will be celebrated at Rose Park. A pumpkin parade will begin at 4:30 p.m.
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Robert Devaney • April 3, 2013

According to the National Park Service and DDOT Trees, Canal Road will close between Foxhall Road and Arizona Avenue, NW, beginning tomorrow, March 26, through Thursday, March 28, between 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., for scheduled road work.

A longer project is also slated to begin this week, closing Canal Road between 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., Sundays through Thursdays: repairs at the trail bridge over the C&O Canal and Canal Road at Arizona Avenue, NW, by the NPS. Reconstruction of the bridge will also close the Capital Crescent Trail at times; bicycle traffic will be detoured over a temporary bridge. The NPS reported to cyclists and other users of the trail: “The contractor is working during a night time road closure of Canal Road from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Traffic is re-routed around this closure. If all progresses well, the contract should be complete with all repairs in June. The CCT trail is slated to remain open during most of this process. We required the contractor to install a temporary bridge to serve the commuting public. . . . It is our intention for the daily CCT commuter not to be impacted from 5 a.m. through 9 p.m. time frame.”

Gary Tischler •

The Conservative Political Action Conference — also known as CPAC — was held at National Harbor in Maryland, just south of Washington, D.C., March 14 through 16, instead of the Washington Marriott Wardman Park near my Adams Morgan neighborhood where it was last year. That was a bit of downer, as I couldn’t simply walk into the conservative political lion’s den as I had last year.

I probably shouldn’t be writing about this although I don’t work for MSNBC nor am I a big fan of Bill Maher. But if liberal Democratic strategist Paul Begala and conservative pundit Tucker Carlson can spar more or less good naturedly in CPAC’s popular “Fight Night” event, I can’t resist making a few observations.

In this CPAC, the annual Washington Times Straw Poll—a sort of heated popularity contest for in-the-moment political prom king bragging rights among conservatives—seemed to matter only a little, adding as it did a little more luster to the suddenly red-hot conservative darling Rand Paul, the new senator from Kentucky, and son of eternally and perpetual Libertarian presidential candidate Ron Paul. Rand finished ahead of youthful Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who only a few weeks ago was anointed the savior of the Republican Party in a Time Magazine cover. Although Pope Francis I is currently the cover boy of Time Magazine, don’t be surprised to see Rand on Time’s cover soon. This can be a mixed blessing, of course, somewhere between making the cover of Sports Illustrated and being Playmate of the Year. Look what happened to the first GOP hero of the year to make the Time cover, New Jersey GOP Governor Chris Christie, who not only did not receive a speaking offer from CPAC, but was the butt of a fat joke from still thin-and-mean pundit-author-of-many-many-books Ann Coulter, who also chose to call former President Bill Clinton a “forcible rapist” during her speech.

But I digress, which wasn’t difficult to do during the course of this three-day nearly love fest among conservatives, where defiance, quips, anti-Obama snarks and intramural spats were the order of the day. If you’re a conservative at a thing like this, it’s natural given today’s political climate—or as we call it around here, the eternal frost or the ice age—to express your disagreement with, defiance of, and outright contempt for President Barack Obama, and say things about him that you might not say about your worst enemy or Bill Maher or the North Korean ruler for life, as the ever popular, funny and zinger queen (sit down, Michele Bachman), Sarah Palin did when she called the president a liar in the manner of the infamous shout-out from a GOP congressman during a State of the Union address.

That happened often. But we were also treated to some rumblings in the ranks. Senator John McCain, who must by now feel like a GOP dinosaur or just sour, got so exasperated that he called Sen. Paul and fire-breathing Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, “wacko birds.” McCain later apologized and said “he respected them both.”

Social conservatives who passionately oppose gay marriage rights got a stinging surprise at the convention when Ohio Sen. Rob Portman who once shared their opposition said he was for it after his son came out. Both liberal and conservative pundits piled on.

Possible presidential candidate and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said that the GOP “can’t be seen as the anti-everything party” and urged for more inclusionary stances. In this crowd, that sounded almost liberal in tone.

At CPAC, the GOP and its conservative members seemed to return to its more intransigent stance of being in opposition—they liked Paul’s filibuster on drones not because they agreed with him but because he was defying the president—and they witnessed a bravura performance by former Alaska governor and McCain vice-presidential running mate Sarah Palin. There seemed to be an attitude that Obama and the Democrats shouldn’t actually act like they won the election and that the GOP should stop soul-searching why they night have lost the election. Sen. Cruz said it was not a failure of conservative principles. More and more, the most conservative members there—and they were all there—acted as if an electoral anomaly had occurred (twice), some sort of glitch in the body politic that didn’t need addressing.

Palin was her usual dry, acerbic, one-liner self now that her daughter’s career on “Dancing with the Stars” appears to be at an end. A standup comedy career is an option. Witness her attack on New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s anti-“Big Gulp” campaign. She also took on Karl Rove, once considered the devil by liberals, but now, apparently, a target for the conservative wing of the party, after he questioned some of the tactics of ultra-conservatives.

If the atmosphere at the CPAC was an indicator—and, like polls, they rarely predict the political future so early on—the cold war between the administration and the House of Representatives, between the Republicans and the Democrats, and, between Republicans and Republicans, is bound to heat up. Nobody wins, except Mr. Stalemate, and maybe the future of the country.

Robert Devaney •

The Hoya basketball team–the No. 2 seed in the South Regional of the 2013 NCAA Tournament–is set to play Friday in Philadelphia against Florida Gulf Coast University.

For this March Madness, the Georgetown University men’s basketball team looks strong with coach John Thompson III and star player Otto Porter leading the way.

And, for good measure, there’s a “Jack the Bulldog” inflatable on top of the Prospect Street house of Jack Davies, who has placed Santa Claus and a hockey player atop his river view deck before.

“Yesterday afternoon with the assistance of three young men from Georgetown’s athletic department and my nephew Clarke Williams, we put up the bulldog,” said Davies, businessman and philanthropist, who is a founder of AOL International and part owner of the Washington Capitals and other sports teams. “We were nearly foiled by strong winds but Jack the Bulldog prevailed.”

At first unaware that he and the Georgetown mascot share a first name, Davies said of the high-sitting inflatable — which was provided by the university — “It’s better than an inflatable Jesuit.”

“The Hoyas are my neighborhood team,” Davies said. “I am a big fan of John Thompson III and his wife Monica and of the way Georgetown runs its program. I would like to see Coach Larranaga do well with Miami, but Jack the Bulldog shows my true favorite.”

It seems everyone has a favorite, religiously filling in their NCAA brackets. As he has done since his first year in office, President Barack Obama shared his picks with ESPN: Louisville, Ohio State, Florida and Indiana in the Final Four; Indiana beating Louisville in the April 8 national championship game.

Retired Georgetowner publisher Dave Roffman chimed in from Alabama: “My Final Four, Ohio State, Miami, Louisville and Georgetown.” Roffman commented: “Well, since I spent 42 plus years in Georgetown, I have to root for the Hoyas. But Michigan is definitely tough. I like Miami and Ohio State to reach the finals. They have the best point guards.”

Looking at the brackets, the coverage and marketing of the tournament, the conferences and the number of schools (not even counting play-in schools) and their often obscure names, you realize a lot has changed since March Madness officially became March Madness.

One thing you can practically say with certainty is that there is no clear-cut favorite this year. Indiana, for instance, has a number-one seed in this tournament, but hardly any hoops nut is picking them to win it all—except POTUS.

“Those great upset years with the great oddball schools forging into the regionals and NCAA finals by whooping up on the likes of Duke, Kansas or, yes, sad to say, Georgetown in early rounds may be over,” said Georgetowner arts & entertainment editor Gary Tischler, who began his career as a sports writer years ago in northern California.

“I’m not making a prediction here—bad enough that I filled out the bracket minus the eventual champion—but it looks impossible to try,” Tischler said. “Everybody’s a crap shooter these days even those who think it’s a game where you say crap(s) all of the time. Talk about the old, long-shot guys. Look who’s got a number-one seed—Gonzaga, a small school with a great basketball program which became so consistently good that it became a so-called mid-major.  VCU and Butler, giant killers of yore, are now legitimate contenders right up there with Georgetown, which is playing a school that beat another top seed, Miami, whose coach led George Mason to the Final Four in 2006.”

Tischler’s take-away? “Hate to go against the president: Georgetown and St. Louis in the final in a nail biter.  Don’t know who; just know when.”

Whatever the pick, Georgetown–and the entire Washington area–is enjoying the national attention of being a top seed in the NCAA basketball tournament. And Jack the Bulldog is staring down on D.C. and Virginia. Let’s hope he gets to sit and stay for a couple of weeks.
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