Percy Plaza: a Uniting Symbol for Our Time
• April 5, 2012

In the divided, Red State-Blue State, conservative-liberal, right- and left-wing United States of America of today, there are very few proposals that elicit a unanimous, united response.

Here’s one: Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans has proposed a measure that would ceremonially rename the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and K Street in honor of Senator Charles Percy.

We can only say: Yes and yes again. We applaud, we approve, for many good reasons. Wisconsin Avenue and K Street marks the entrance to the finally, fully blooming and operational Georgetown Waterfront Park.

There is probably no single person who was more instrumental in getting the park project off the ground and on its way — as a chairman of the Friends of Georgetown Waterfront Park and as out-and-out booster and promoter for the park’s completion. The park’s non-profit — named “Georgetowners of the Year” for 2011 by this newspaper — advanced the idea of Percy Plaza a few years ago.

Percy passed away at the age of 91 just days after completion of the park.  

Percy was a Republican senator from Illinois of considerable achievement and reputation, counted at one time as a possible GOP presidential candidate.  He also had an illustrious business career before entering politics.

As a politician, a popular senator, he was the kind of man who honored the trade, a true moderate who worked both sides of the aisle with style and aplomb, the kind of Republican that seems today to be as rare as a unicorn in a deeply divided American body politic.

When Percy left the Senate, he took up life as a Georgetown citizen and lived up to the highest standards of community citizenship by taking part with great fervor in the community’s affairs. The Georgetown Waterfront Park is rich evidence of his good works.

So: Name an intersection after Sen. Charles Percy? That’s the least we can do. See you at Percy Plaza.

Metro’s New 7000-Series Rail Cars Coming Soon to a Station Near You
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The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has released a video tour by general manager Richard Sarles about the Metrorail’s new 7000-series rail car.

The video shows off several upgrades which were designed by Kawasaki Heavy Industries Rolling Stock Company of Japan and built in Lincoln, Neb.

What makes these new cars so special?

1. More comfortable seats

2. More poles for straphangers

3. LCD screens detailing when the train arrives at a station and what can be found at that station

4. Overhead displays showing the location of the train in comparison to the rest of the line to help tourists and Metro newbies know just how many more stops they have until they arrive at their final destination

Keep an eye out during the video for a few errors in the car. The LCD display shows stops along the Red Line at “Farrabut North” and “Woodlley Park” (oops).

Fortunately, Metro has some time to fix the small stuff before passengers step on board. WMATA announced the new 7000 series will be on the rail sometime next year.

Benetton’s VIP Fashion Show
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Benetton Spring Fashion Show

Sunday, March 25, 2012 from 6 to 8 PM | Tel: 202-625-2183

A VIP Fashion Show at the United Colors of Benetton Store in Georgetown. See the new spring collections, enjoy refreshments and shop the spring/summer collection, enjoying a 20-percent discount.

Address

The United Colors of Benetton Store

1200 Wisconsin Ave., N.W,

Washington, D.C. 20007.

It’s Not Officially Spring, But the Cherry Blossoms Are Out (photos)
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It was March 17, and spring hadn’t officially arrived yet, but warm weather has caused cherry tree blossoms to mature much more rapidly than usual around the tidal basin. Hurry down before it’s too late. Click on the photo icons below for our slideshow. (Photos by Jeff Malet) [gallery ids="100562,100575,100576,100577,100578,100579,100580,100581,100582,100583,100574,100573,100572,100563,100564,100565,100566,100567,100568,100569,100570,100571,100584" nav="thumbs"]

March is Red Cross Month
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The Red Cross is synonymous with generosity, support and trust. They have been present to offer their assistance during almost every major tragedy of the last decades. And March is the month in which we honor the Red Cross, and the organization uses this opportunity to promote its services to the American public and for fundraising.

For the first quarter century of its existence, the Red Cross held no regular fund-raising drives. Since Clara Barton created the organization in 1881, it was largely dependent for publicity and funds on the spontaneous support of people who learned of catastrophic events and the Red Cross response to them—mainly through the newspapers and word of mouth.

This rather haphazard manner of operating changed abruptly in 1917, when the United States entered World War I. After declaring war, President Wilson ordered the American Red Cross to raise funds to support its aid to the military as mandated by the Red Cross Congressional charter. In response, the Red Cross held its first national war fund drive in June 1917 and set a goal of $100 million, an astoundingly large sum at the time. Under the circumstances, however, the public response was immediate and overwhelming. Within a few days more than $115 million was raised.

In 1943, amidst the turmoil of World War II, the Red Cross, along with its honorary chairman President Franklin Roosevelt, declared the month of March “Red Cross Month,” and set a fundraising goal of $125 million, the biggest amount ever asked for in one campaign by any American organization. Again, the response was overwhelming. It took less than six weeks to reach the target and by June 1943 donations totaled nearly $146 million. Roosevelt called it the “greatest single crusade of mercy in all of history.”

This success caused the Red Cross to repeat the March drive during the remaining years of the war and then to make it the occasion of its annual membership and fund-raising efforts ever since. (As a historical footnote, the last radio speech President Roosevelt gave, a few days before his death, was in support of the 1945 Red Cross campaign.) As part of the tradition, the President customarily issues a proclamation each year declaring March as Red Cross Month.

Over the years, the Red Cross has helped millions of individuals overcome the effects of natural disasters and emergencies worldwide by providing shelter, food and counseling. Today, we continue to celebrate Red Cross Month to fundraise, contribute and honor the organization that continues to save lives worldwide.

To donate and find blood drive locations, visit the American Red Cross website at RedCross.org.

‘Japan Spring’: Unique Trinity of Art Shows on the National Mall
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Mother Nature has messed a little, this year, with the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which is celebrating the centennial of Japan’s gift of cherry trees to Washington, D.C. The unusually mild, near-summer weather has caused the blossoms to hit their peak days much earlier than usual — as well as threatening storm weekend weather that might harm the blossoms.

Nothing, however, can dampen the presence of the festival itself which will run through April 27 with its myriad exhibitions, festivals, celebrations, films and performances.

Especially spectacular are the launching of three major and stellar exhibitions celebrating the finest expressions of Japanese art from the Edo period at two noteworthy venues, the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. The exhibitions are accompanied by a host of special events and programs during the run of the festival and the exhibitions, including films, concerts, performances, lectures, tours, gallery talks and more.

Under the heading of “Japan Spring,” these shows mark the first time any city outside Japan has hosted three major exhibitions of masterworks by distinguished Edo-period Japanese artists.

The National Gallery of Art will host the “Colorful Realm of Living Beings,” a 30-scroll set of bird-and-flower paintings by the renowned Edo-period artist Ito Jakuchu who worked on the scrolls for nearly ten years in the middle of the 1700s.

This exhibition marks the first time that all 30 scrolls have been on view in the United States, but also the first time any of the individual scrolls have been seen here since their six-year long restoration. The scrolls are being lent to the National Gallery for one month by the Imperial House of Japan.

The scrolls—exquisitely detailed and stunning—seem to embrace the larger cosmos of the Buddha nature itself, as they embrace and pull together many strands of East Asian traditions of bird-and-flower painting.

“Colorful Realm” also manages to reunite his masterpiece with Jakuchu’s famous triptych of the Buddha Sakyamuni from the Zen monastery Shokokuji in Kyoto.

“Colorful Realm” will be on view at the National Gallery March 30 through April 29.

The Sackler Gallery will host both “Masters of Mercy: Buddha’s Amazing Disciples” and “Hokusai: 36 Views of Mount Fuji,” both examples of masterworks by two artists whose works reflect and exemplify the interests and identity of 19th-century Edo (now Tokyo).

In “Masters of Mercy,” artist Kano Kazunobo produced a series of phantasmagoric paintings on the theme of the lives and deeds of Buddha’s 500 disciples. The exhibitions includes many paintings from the 100-painting series Kazunobo created over nine years for the Pure Land Buddhist temple Zojozi in the heart of Edo.

These paintings have never been displayed outside of Japan. They imagine the lives of the disciples living in the great wide world performing both mundane tasks and miraculous feats of compassion and mercy. “Masters of Mercy” will be on display through July 8.

Opening March 24 is “Hokusai: 36 Views of Mount Fuji,” works by Japan’s most famous artist, Katushika Hokusai and his most famous works, a print series which include some of the best known works of art in the world, including “Beneath the Wave of Kanagawa,” or “The Great Wave,” and “South Wind at Clear Dawn” or “Red Fuji.” Ten prints were added to this series because of the popularity of the art when it was first viewed, leaving us with 46 images in total—all prints of exceptional quality. The exhibition will be on view through June 17.

For the Love of Cyclists: ‘Street Smart’ Campaign Gets Rolling
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Spring has hit us, hard and fast. In Washington, that comes with a lot of baggage: the National Cherry Blossom Festival swells the streets with tourists from across the world, the spring gala season fills our calendars to the brim, our retail districts overflow with throngs of shoppers eager to replenish their warm-weather wardrobe. Our city parks are also rediscovered. Having lain dormant through the whippings of winter, they spring up with joggers, ball players and picnickers about as fast as with dandelions.

For a good many of us, it’s time to pull the bicycles out of storage and widen the horizons of our recreational and commuting potentials. If you talk to a local cyclist, very little can refresh the senses like the rush of cruising through warm spring winds along the Potomac or through the Mall. Whether biking along the Tidal Basin or the Capital Crescent, the Washington & Old Dominion Trail (W&OD) or Rock Creek Park trails, the very nature of the ride is a signifier of spring.

Unfortunately, those of us who aren’t on bikes don’t always share the elation, and that disconnect can often result in some ugly run-ins—literally. Every spring, bicycle accidents increase significantly, a result of both heightened automotive, pedestrian and bicycle traffic. While it’s easy to blame it all on the cyclists—and in many cases, they are indeed the ones to blame—it is worth trying to understand their situation.

Cyclists are at the bottom of the traffic food chain. Too slow and fragile to share the road properly with vehicles and too fast and precarious to ride along pedestrians on the sidewalk, bikers hunt for safe riding areas in the city like a scavenger: winding around the neighborhood blocks to avoid the congested streets, shooting into pockets of open road when they present themselves, compensating for the cars that never see them and the pedestrians that don’t pay them attention. Even most bike lanes in the city are sandwiched between traffic lanes and parallel parking spots. Bikers are almost constantly at risk when riding through the city.

As a response to the increase of bikers and walkers and runners, the Metropolitan Police Department has kicked off its Street Smart Campaign, an annual mission enforcing pedestrians, cycling and driving laws.

Street Smart is an annual public education, awareness and behavioral change campaign in the Washington area, responding to the challenges of pedestrian and bicycle safety since 2002 through public awareness and law enforcement efforts. The Street Smart program emphasizes education of motorists and pedestrians through mass media as a companion to the efforts of state and local governments and agencies to build safer streets and sidewalks, enforce laws, and train better drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians.

The program is coordinated by the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB), and is supported by federal funds made available through state governments and funding from some TPB-member jurisdictions. Throughout the past week, police have been enforcing traffic laws at major city areas and intersections—they were focused on 14th and U Streets last Tuesday and cleaned up good.

Arlington County has also gotten on board with its own campaign, PAL (Predictable, Alert, Lawful).

Whether in your car, atop your bike or on your feet, now is a good time to be aware of the road—not only to avoid citations but to prevent injuries or worse. And for the sake of greater good, let us all agree not to bring back roller-blades.

Celebrity Sighting: Glenn Close (photos)
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We spotted actress Glenn Close and husband David E. Shaw outside the entrance to the Newseum in Washington D.C. to attend the 60th birthday party for John S. Hendricks, the Founder and Chairman of Discovery Communications on Friday, March 30. Hendricks received a surprise gift, a 1968 full restored white Chevrolet Camaro.

View our photos by clicking on the photo icons below. [gallery ids="100712,120433,120425,120450,120416,120456,120408,120463,120400,120470,120442" nav="thumbs"]

Weekend Roundup March 22,2012
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Grande Fète de la Francophonie

Friday March 23, 2012 at 7 p.m. | Tickets $35 | Event Website.

La Maison Francaise at the Embassy of France will host the Grande Fète de la Francophonie. More than 35 embassies will unite to present their cuisine and culture. Sample their food and beverages and check out their arts and crafts from 7 to 10 p.m, listen to a live concert at 8 p.m. and dance the night away when the volume gets turned up at 10 p.m.

Address

La Maison Francaise at the Embassy of France

4101 Reservoir Rd NW,

Washington, DC 20007

Family Days

March 24, 2012 at 10 AM to 4:30 PM & March 25, 2012 from 11 AM to 3:30 PM |Event Website

This weekend, the National Building Museum will present Family Days, a two-day festival of family entertainment. Experience fun activities, such as creating shoji screens and pop-up architecture, dressing up in traditional Japanese Costumes and interactive lessons on climate change and energy conservation.

Address

National Building Museum

401 F Street, NW

Washington DC

Girl Scouts in Georgetown Day

Saturday March 24, 2012 |10-11:30 AM | Costs $10 for scouts and tag-alongs and $3 for accompanying adults |Event Website

Scouts can explore architectural styles from around the world, tour Tudor Place and the Georgetown neighborhood and be creative in designing their own landscape and building.

Address

Tudor Place

31st Street NW

Washington, DC

Georgetown University’s Annual Spring Charity Fashion Show

Saturday March 24, 2012 at 7 PM | Tel: 734-717-6056 | Email: vmp22@georgetown.edu

Georgetown University will host its annual Spring Charity Fashion show. Proceeds will go towards the construction of a new kindergarten for the children of Roslin Orphanage in West Timor, Indonesia. There will be designer clothes, Georgetown models, raffles, live music and a beauty queen.

Address

Gaston Hall at Georgetown University

37th and O Streets, N.W

Washington D.C. 20057

Springtime Pops!

Saturday March 24, 2012 at 8 PM | Students get in for free; adults, $17; seniors, $11 | Event Website

The City of Fairfax Band will play a concert called “Springtime Pops!,” featuring a program of classical and popular selections in the format made popular by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops.

Address

Fairfax High School

3501 Rebel Run

Fairfax Va 22030.

Cherry Blossom Bike Ride & Cycle Expo

Sunday March 25, 2012 from 10 AM to 2 PM | Event Website

The Cherry Blossom Bike Ride & Cycle Expo will take place in Georgetown. There will be rides along the Capital Crescent Trail and educational demonstrations and vendors in front of Jack’s Boathouse on Water Street under Key Bridge. The event will benefit the American Diabetes Association

Address

Georgetown Waterfront Park on Water Street.

Opening Ceremony

Sunday March 25, 2012 5 to 6:30 PM | The event is free but requires that you register online in advance | Event Website

Opening ceremony for the Cherry Blossom Festival at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The ceremony presents performances that tell the story about how the gift of trees turned into the annual festival.

Address

The Walter E. Washington Convention Center

801 Mt Vernon Place NW

Washington, DC 20001

Benetton Spring Fashion Show

Sunday March 25, 2012 from 6 to 8 PM | Tel: 202-625-2183 | Event Website

A VIP Fashion Show at the United Colors of Benetton Store in Georgetown. See the new spring collections, enjoy refreshments and shop the spring/summer collection, enjoying a 20-percent discount.

Address

The United Colors of Benetton Store

1200 Wisconsin Ave., N.W,

Washington, D.C. 20007.

Pedestrians, Beware: D.C. Considers Banning Your Use of Electronics
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Bright blue skies and sunshine-filled days have most Washingtonians walking or biking to work, leaving their four-wheel gas guzzlers back at home.

With the increase of foot traffic, the District of Columbia government has considered fining pedestrians who use electronic devices, such as cell phones and iPods, while crossing the street.

“Every day in Washington, sidewalks and crosswalks are filled with people who are plugged in to another environment — the ether,” says the Pedestrian Safety Committee of the Council for Court Excellence, a civic group that works to improve the administration of justice in the District.

According to the council, 12 percent of D.C. residents walk to and from work on a normal basis, which is twice the national average. With the unseasonably warm temperatures this month, that percentage is likely to have been even higher.

These walkers are plugged in during their commutes on foot and, according to the CCE’s Pedestrian Safety Committee report, “Walkers using electronics are bumping, slipping, falling and harming themselves through inattention.”

The report recommends that the District Council consider banning the use of electronics not only by walkers but by bikers as well. If people are listening to their iPods at full volume or in the middle of an intense conversation, they are not giving the road their full attention.

The University of Maryland School of Medicine and the University of Maryland Medical Center recently published a study indicating that the number of headphone-wearing pedestrians killed or injured by motor vehicles and trains have more than tripled in six years.

Nothing has been set in stone at this time to prevent more injuries and deaths, but Barbara Harsha, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association, said the time is now to “aggressively enforce pedestrian laws, and pedestrians need to be educated about the hazards of walking distracted.”