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Robert Devaney • December 1, 2014

Known for its mindful remaking of historic properties, Roadside Development has the old Neam’s Market property at 3215-3217 P St. NW, also known as the Marvelous Market property, under contract.

Roadside — which is the development firm that recast the old Sears and Hechinger property in Tenleytown with retail and residential units and is set to remake Frager’s Hardware on Capitol Hill — is still in the planning stages for what to do with the closed building with a 13-car parking lot at the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and P Street, where the last Marvelous Market stood until the end of April. The legendary Neam’s Market closed in 2001.

“We don’t own the Marvelous Market property,” Richard Lake, one of Roadside’s founding partners, told The Georgetowner. “We have it under contract. We aren’t talking about plans because we haven’t formulated them completely.”

Roadside has listed the property on its website as part of its portfolio: “Prime Georgetown Retail space available. Ideally situated at the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue, NW and P Street, NW, this marquee corner location has 13 dedicated retail parking spaces. The site offers tremendous branding, visibility and unparalleled accessibility.” According to Roadside, the building space totals 5,873 square feet.

“It’s a really cool corner, and it has a lot of history,” Lake said. “Neam’s Market was on that site for years. The corner is a Washington institution. Obviously, it’s a small piece of property. We want to do something neat there, if we are able to.”

Led by founding partners, Lake, Armond Spikell and Todd Weiss, the D.C.-based Roadside also redeveloped the old market hall at 8th and O Streets into the Market at O with a new Giant food store along with a condominium and Cambria Suites hotel. It also has projects in Virginia and Maryland.
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Anders Ohm •

People are getting set for Thanksgiving, even as the sights and sounds of the holidays are about to pop. So, get ready, Georgetown, here are a few selections to begin the season.

Small businesses make up 73 percent of Georgetown’s retail offerings, according to the Georgetown Business Improvement District, and it has switched into overdrive to promote Georgetown as the place to be — and to shop and dine — just days before Thanksgiving and weeks before Christmas arrives.

Small Business Saturday, Nov. 29, is the day after Black Friday, and is an event begun by American Express, to promote small businesses across the nation.

Here is a fun BID project: Brighten up the holiday season with the Third Annual Georgetown Holiday Window Competition, which 19 merchants participated in last year. Throughout the neighborhood there will be light art installations and festive decorations. Windows should be completed by Monday, Dec. 1, and voting will take place from Dec. 3 to 17. Photographs will be posted on the official Georgetown Facebook page, and the shop window that earns the most “Likes” will announced as the winner.

The annual Swedish Christmas Bazaar will take place Dec. 6, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Experience and learn about Swedish Christmas traditions — including St. Lucia Day — and shop from a number of different Swedish vendors. The bazaar is at the House of Sweden at 2900 K St. NW, next to Washington Harbour at the Georgetown waterfront.

The Washington Harbour Ice Skating Rink is open now through March. Washington Harbour — 3050 K St. NW — is the largest skating rink in the D.C. area and will host many events through the season.

The Georgetown Glow Winter Public Art Exhibition is an outdoor display of public art and light installations and sponsored by the Georgetown BID. It will be on display Dec. 12 through Dec. 14. The installations will be lit nightly from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The artwork is by local and regional artists, and the art of international artist Luisa Alvarez of the Spanish art collective, Travesias de Luz. The BID will create a program brochure and map for the weekend that will feature the public art installations as well as local in-store holiday promotions, activities and events.

Anders Ohm •

Not everyone is fortunate enough to dine out on Thanksgiving or to buy all the ingredients for one at home. Here are some opportunities for charity and volunteering to help others in the spirit of Thanksgiving.

Before your Thanksgiving dinner go for a run at the 13th annual Thanksgiving Day Trot For Hunger held by So Others Might Eat. The 5K run/walk will begin at Freedom Plaza at 9 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning. Money raised from the race will benefit homeless families and adults, by providing food, clothes and healthcare. $35 for timed participants.

Another opportunity for a Thanksgiving run will be at the Arlington Turkey Trot, which supports local charities. This 5K race will start at 8 a.m. at the Christ Church of Arlington, 3020 North Pershing Drive.

Capital Area Food Bank’s mission is to provide food the hungry in the Washington metro area and now through November 30, CAFB is running its Thanksgiving campaign Turkey @ Every Table, which provides senior citizens with a turkey and other Thanksgiving foods. 4900 Puerto Rico Ave. NE.

Sign up for a shift to prepare food or deliver meals with Food & Friends on the days leading up to Thanksgiving and on Thanksgiving Day. Food & Friends provides food to people living with life-challenging illnesses like cancer and HIV/AIDS. 219 Riggs Road NE. 202-269-2277.

Meanwhile, looking for a restaurant for your Thanksgiving dinner? Here are a few places around D.C. where you can go to enjoy Thanksgiving 2014.

The Grill Room at Capella — 1050 31st St. NW — has a brunch and dinner buffet available on Thanksgiving. On the menu: pan-roasted diver scallops with pumpkin and carnaroli risotto. The buffet is $95 per person. 202-617-2424.

Martin’s Tavern — 1264 Wisconsin Ave. NW — is one Georgetown classic not to be missed. This is where Jack Kennedy proposed to Jacqueline Bouvier in 1952.

Peacock Cafe — 3251 Prospect St. NW — is another Georgetown classic. While best known for its weekend brunch, the friendly place is ready for Thanksgiving and has excellent vegan selections. And, yes, previous occupants of the White House have dined here. 202-625-2740.

1789 Restaurant — 1230 36th St. NW — is yet another Georgetown classic for dinner. The ’89 tastes and looks the part. This is where President Barack Obama took German Chancellor Angela Merkel for an intimate dinner in 2011. 202-965-1789.

Equinox Restaurant — 818 Connecticut Ave. NW — offers Thanksgiving Day Dinner, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.: $65 per person for three courses – $90 with wine pairing; $35, children 12 and under for three courses. The wide selection includes leek chowder, beet salad, quail, venison, pork, scallops or turkey, along with pumpkin tart, chocolate torte or coconut cake.

Tony and Joes — 3000 K St. NW — where you are skate and dine this year for Thanksgiving. For $20, enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner. Also, enjoy fall cocktails and ice skating at the Georgetown Waterfront. 202-448-8005.

Bourbon Steak– 2800 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — is offering a three-course set menu on this day with seating from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. The set menu is $110 per person and can be seen at www.bourbonsteakdc.com

Cafe Milano — 3251 Prospect St. NW — will offer a sparkling brunch buffet, 11a.m. to 4 p.m. Also, enjoy familiar favorites from the regular dinner menu from 6 to 9 p.m.

Old Ebbitt Grill — 675 15th St. NW — will be having a traditional turkey dinner along with stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. Adults, $25.95; children’s portions, $15.95. 202-347-4800.

Nage Bistro — 1600 Rhode Island Ave. NW — is having a Thanksgiving dinner with Southern favorites. The menu includes Cajun deep-fried turkey, cornbread, mac and cheese and more. 202-448-8005.

Cafe Dupont and Bar Dupont — Dupont Circle Hotel, 1500 New Hampshire Ave. NW — will have a prix-fixe Thanksgiving menu with a choice of appetizers, entrees, sides and desserts. $55 per person. 202-797-0169.

Ardeo and Bardeo — 3311 Connecticut Ave. NW — has a three-course Thanksgiving dinner available, serving gnocchi, sweet potato, apple soup and, of course, turkey. The meal is $45 per person and $23 for children 10 and under. 202-244-6750.

DBGB Kitchen + Bar — 931 H St. NW — is offering a three-course prix-fixe menu: $65 per person; children under 12, $35; noon to 8 p.m.

Gary Tischler •

Almost from the moment he arrived in Washington, D.C., as a young, firebrand civil rights activist, Marion S. Barry, Jr., captured the imagination of the city, as he made headlines and news, for better and worse. He was mayor of D.C. for four terms and dubbed “Mayor for Life.”

He was at the center of a political firestorm in the infamous 1990 drug bust at a downtown D.C. hotel room. He went to prison and returned in a kind of triumph to become mayor again. He would rise again to become Ward 8 City Council member, and time and time again, through sickness and health, a censure by the District Council, and most recently, a controversial autobiography, Barry made news. He was admired and loved and often when spoke, he outraged more than a lot of people. He was a seemingly endless fodder for stories and headlines.

Here is the latest—but not probably not last—headline about him: “Marion Barry, Four-term Mayor of the District of Columbia, Dead at 78.”

Barry, who had entered the hospital over the weekend, died in the early hours of Nov. 23, after being released to his home. He had been battling various illnesses for a number of years. He died at United Medical Center.

The last time we saw Barry, we interviewed him during lunch at the Fours Seasons Hotel in Georgetown about his autobiography, “Mayor for Life: The Incredible Life of Marion Barry Jr.” It is a book which proved revealing about his deep South upbringing that forged his politics and thinking. It also provides some shocking details about that 1990 sting operation that led to his prison term.

Mayor Vincent Gray issued this statement about Barry’s passing: “Marion was not just a colleague but also was a friend with whom I shared many fond moments about governing the city. He loved the District of Columbia, and so many Washingtonians loved him.”

As the Ward 8 Councilmember, Barry supported an embattled Gray in his bid for re-nomination as the Democratic candidate in the April primary, which was won by Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser, who was then supported by Barry and went on to win the general election.

Mayor-elect Muriel Bowser, “shocked and deeply saddened” by Barry’s passing, said in a statement: “Mayor Marion Barry gave a voice to those who need it most and lived his life in service to others. … He has been a part of my family for decades, and he will continue to be an example to me and so many others.”

Former mayoral candidate and the longest-serving member of the District Council, Jack Evans wrote: “Mayor Barry never backed down from the belief that Washington, D.C., should do more, should be more, for every person who lives here.”

Barry is survived by his wife, Cora, and one son, Marion Christopher Barry.

Memorial services are pending. Mayor Gray said that he will speak with the Barry family and the District Council about government ceremonies that would be “worthy of a true statesman of the District of Columbia.”

Robert Devaney •

Rent the Runway, the women’s online service that rents luxury gowns, designer dresses and accessories, opened a store at 3336 M St. NW on Nov. 24. Checking out flashy, stylish outfits and sipping wine, influential women of D.C. flooded the 4,354-square-foot Georgetown space that is larger than its New York store. [gallery ids="101933,136078,136072,136076" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney • November 26, 2014

Scientist, sculptor and arts patron Lolo Sarnoff died Nov. 9 at the age of 98. She was best known later in later as the founder of Arts for the Aging, a nonprofit which provides arts engagement programs for older adults in the greater Washington area.

Lili-Charlotte (Lolo) Sarnoff was born in Frankfurt, Germany, daughter of Willy and Martha Dreyfus, nee Koch. Later, the family moved to Berlin and after 1936 to Switzerland. Her big dream was to be a fashion designer. She studied at the University of Zurich and married her first husband an American doctoral student, Stephen Heineman.

After World War II and serving as a nurse at New York’s Bellevue Hospital, she met her second husband, Stanley Sarnoff.

In 1954, with their young children Robert and Dana, the Sarnoffs moved to Bethesda to work at the National Institutes of Health. The couple co-invented the electro-phrenic respirator, a device that replaced the iron lung in the treatment of bulbar polio. They also formed their scientific research company.

In the 1960s, Sarnoff began to become more active in the arts community. She co-founded the Washington Performing Arts Society Women’s Committee and the Washington Opera Women’s Committee. She is a trustee of the Washington Ballet and involved with the Corcoran Women’s Committee.

In 1971, one of Sarnoff’s sculptures, “The Flame,” was installed at the Kennedy Center’s Opera House. Later, after she taught art at an NIH program for those with Alzheimer’s disease, Sarnoff began Arts For The Aging, Inc., with its arts education programs for those will all forms of dementia.

Sarnoff is survived by her children, Dana Bargezi and Robert and Tricia Sarnoff; four grandchildren, Nick Bargezi, Ivan and Genesis Belanger, Kyle and Patrick Feinson, and by one great-granddaughter, Lily Sophie Bargezi. (Her husband died in 1990.)

Memorial services and burial will be held in Vermont at a later date. The Cabot Funeral Home in Woodstock, Vt., is assisting the family.

Georgetowner • November 24, 2014

2014 Winter Contemporary Show Opening Reception

November 21st, 2014 at 05:00 PM | free | info@oldprintgallery.com | Tel: 2029651818 | Event Website

The Old Print Gallery’s 2014 Winter Contemporary Show will open on Friday, Nov. 21, with a celebratory nighttime reception from 5 to 8pm at the gallery. Works by 12 contemporary printmakers, were chosen for the show. The prints selected are an impressive display of the current eclecticism found in contemporary printmaking. Purposeful and inventive, the prints are successful experiments in medium, color, and scale. Come celebrate with gallery curators, local artists, and art lovers.

Address

The Old Print Gallery; 1220 31st Street, N.W.

Pike & Rose Holiday Tree Lighting

November 21st, 2014 at 06:30 PM | Free to attend | shelby@brandlinkdc.com | Tel: 202-733-5223 | Event Website

Pike & Rose invites the community to celebrate the grand opening of the development with its first-ever holiday tree lighting festival. The evening’s festivities will be emceed by beloved D.C. radio personality, Tommy McFly of The Tommy Show. Additionally, this free to attend event will include a kids crafting station, stilt walkers and live “reindeer” ponies available for photo ops. Live entertainment will be provided by acapella groups.

Address

Pike & Rose, 11580 Old Georgetown Road. North Bethesda, Md.

Quote-Along “A Christmas Story”

November 21st, 2014 at 07:30 PM | Free | evelyn.hill@fairfaxcounty.gov | Tel: 703-790-0123 | Event Website

Put your bunny pajamas on, get your secret decoder rings out, and experience this holiday movie in a totally different way. Go ahead, yell your favorite lines. We triple-dog-dare you! Rated PG, 94 minutes. Free. Reservations are not required.

Address

The Alden; 1234 Ingleside Ave; McLean, Va. 22101

Visitation Fall Play ‘The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940’

November 21st, 2014 at 07:30 PM | $10.00 | dnastal@vsi.org | Tel: 202-337-3350 | Event Website

Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School’s highly regarded theater program will showcase “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940” November 21 and 22 at 7:30 and November 23 at 2 p.m.

Address

1524 35th Street, NW

Frédéric Yonnet Live at Blues Alley

November 21st, 2014 at 08:00 PM | 25 | info@fredyonnet.com | Tel: (202) 337-4141 | Event Website

Frédéric Yonnet performs at Georgetown’s Blues Alley delivering a high energy, urban jazz, funk-filled show that’s guaranteed to blow you away.

Yonnet and his band perform tracks from his current project, Reed My Lips: The Rough Cut, as well as a popular R&B, funk tunes you’d never expect to hear on a harmonica.

Order tickets online today at BluesAlley.com!

Friday, November 21 @ 8PM & 10 PM

Saturday, November 22 @ 8PM & 10 PM

Doors at 6:00PM

General Admission tickets are $25.00

Address

1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW

Speakeasy Shorts: Film Screening

November 22nd, 2014 at 07:30 PM | $20-30 | info@dcshorts.com | Tel: 202-681-1151 | Event Website

DC Shorts and SpeakeasyDC have combined forces for the Speakeasy Shorts competition. Ten teams of filmmakers will be assigned to ten storytellers to create short films based on original stories, all shot and produced in the District.

On November 22, the audience will return to watch the eight minute films and vote for their favorite. The top film team and storyteller will receive a $1,000 cash prize and additional prizes will be awarded to winners of the other categories.

Address

U.S. Navy Memorial’s Burke Theater; 701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Tudor Tots: Turkey and Thanks

November 22nd, 2014 at 10:30 AM | $5 | press@tudorplace.org | Tel: 202-965-0400 | Event Website

Though steeped in tradition, Thanksgiving is always fresh for children. Have fun learning about customs old and new in this program featuring an interactive story, songs, movement, and a craft centered on the holiday. Tots will take home a holiday craft they’ve made themselves. Parents/caregivers remain with children.

For ages 2-4 with accompanying adult(s).

Address

Tudor Place Historic House and Garden; 1644 31st Street NW

Come Write In!

November 24th, 2014 at 07:30 PM | julia.strusienski@dc.gov | Event Website

It’s National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), and the library is supporting participants by hosting weekly Come Write In! sessions, during which we guarantee a quiet, encouraging space for writers to work.

The sessions will take place Monday evenings from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Second Floor Nonfiction Reading Room, where writers will find reserved tables, a small display of relevant books, and the free wifi and tabletop charging stations that are always available for use.

Address

Georgetown Neighborhood Library; 3260 R St. NW

Thanksgiving Eve Dinner

November 26th, 2014 at 07:30 PM | Free | Tel: 202-337-9070

Thanksgiving Eve Dinner at Georgetown Lutheran Church

Address

1556 Wisconsin Ave. NW

Robert Devaney • November 20, 2014

Three robberies on early Saturday morning, Nov. 8, were reported in or close to Georgetown as well as another on Oct. 31 up Wisconsin Avenue, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. The area is not known for many crimes involving guns or knives.

All four crimes occurred in MPD’s Second District, which includes Georgetown, Dupont Circle and almost all of Northwest Washington. Two of the crimes happened within three or four blocks of Second District headquarters at 3320 Idaho Ave., NW.

A robbery occurred at 33rd and P Streets, NW, on 1:40 a.m., Nov. 8. Police are looking for two black males, both with thin build and dark complexion, and at 5 foot 7 to 5 foot 8.

A armed robbery happened 2:26 a.m., Nov. 8, in the 3000 block of Idaho Avenue, NW. MPD is looking for two black males, 5 foot 10 to six foot, slim build, dark clothing. One was armed with a silver gun.

Also, on Nov. 8, just 2 a.m., at Rhode Island and Connecticut Avenues, NW., there was an assault with a deadly weapon — a knife. The suspect was arrested.

An armed robbery was committed Oct. 31, just after midnight, in the 3700 block of Macomb Street, NW, which intersects with Wisconsin Avenue.

Dana Farrior •

There’s no denying the historic appeal of Georgetown and its charming small businesses, such as those on P Street. In fact, the village and stores on the 3200 block of P Street have caught the attention of American Express for its annual Small Business Saturday promotions.

As Small Business Saturday celebrates its fifth anniversary, American Express chose Washington, D.C., along with four other cities to celebrate the businesses that keep these neighborhoods thriving.

On Nov. 29, for the first time, the American Express Main Street Makeover initiative will pair “Main Streets” with a professional designer who will re-do and decorate the door and window fronts of small businesses in time for the holidays and Christmastime.

Interior designer Sheila Bridges will design and execute the makeover for P Street where she will emphasize the following business: Anthony’s Tuxedos & Wedding Creations (3237 P St., NW), upscale consignment boutique Ella-Rue (3231 P St., NW), contemporary art gallery P Street Gallerie (3235 P St., NW), specialty store Just Paper & Tea (3232 P St., NW) and children’s clothing boutique Little Birdies (3236 P St., NW).

“I chose P Street in Georgetown not only because of its obvious historic charm (It is a beautiful tree lined street with cobblestones, trolley tracks and brick sidewalks) but also because of the sense of community that seems to exist amongst all of the small, independent retailers who have businesses on that block,” said Sheila.

“I loved that there were storeowners who had been there for 30 plus years and others who had only been there for a few months. Everyone seemed supportive of one another,” Bridges add.

Bridges traveled to Georgetown last week to talk with business owners and to get a better understanding of her canvas. Once she was able to see her vision, she talked to shop owners and began her planning.

“We were just flattered to even be chosen,” said Krista Johnson, owner of Ella-Rue. “So, I think most of us just let Sheila do her thing.”

Bridges went with a reindeer theme for all five stores, each varying in style. For Little Birdies, the children’s clothing boutique, the reindeers will have more of a whimsical feel, contrasting with Ella-Rue and Anthony’s Tuxedos which will have a more mature look.

In recognition of the holidays and Small Business Saturday, most of the shops will offer holiday-themed merchandise and discounts. Ella-Rue is taking 10 percent off all American Express purchases. With refreshed storefronts and window displays, American Express and retailers hope to attract consumers to shop at these local businesses this holiday season.
Also, if customers register their American Express card on its website, they become eligible for its “Spend $10, Receive $10” sweepstakes. Spend $10 or more on Nov. 29, and receive a statement credit for each qualifying transaction within 90 days thereafter.