The Power of One
• July 26, 2011

It’s been 10 days since the astounding ouster of President Mubarak. Many Egyptians who adopted Tahrir Square as their makeshift home embodied the dignity and resolve that epitomizes human potential. As they abandoned fear and committed their lives to democracy, freedom rang in the streets of Cairo.

Their ripples of hope became a wave to wash Mubarak from banks of the Nile, a peaceful but forceful tsunami overflowing the shores of the Mediterranean and Arabian Seas.

Every day, our screens are filled with images of thousands of youths whose courage evokes great spiritual leaders. They recall Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent movement for India’s freedom and Martin Luther King’s rallies for a united America. These heroes of humanity set remarkable examples, as may be true of the current demonstrators in the Middle East, whose goals may take years to fully achieve.

Still, these movements have unprecedented speed and impact. Middle Eastern youths are re-branding their region from violent terrorism to peaceful activism. They have achieved the near forgotten prophecy of technology to lift up humanity. And they have created the incredible phenomenon of rolling revolutions as individuals become fully empowered.

The vibrant energy of the Arab states recalls the campaign and inauguration that transformed D.C. two years ago. But these Middle Eastern movements, which represent the overthrow of systems rather than the unlikely outcome of one, may be a more powerful inspiration.

They remind us that vast and growing inequality has tangible consequences. In America, the wealthy bask in greater luxury while the poor struggle for food and shelter and the middle class lose rights and income. Workers, galvanized by a plan to end to collective bargaining for most Wisconsin public employees, are taking to statehouses around the country in an unprecedented statement of solidarity.

They remind Washingtonians that demands for fair representation can be taken from the back of our cars to the front of the Capitol.

They remind us that more important than the clothes or houses we live in are the ideals we live by. That the hunger for opportunity, justice, and democracy is universal. And according time to struggle for these cherished ideals, despite daily demands, is to seize the chance to write history.

They show us the power of one and the importance of living life by example. To many in the Middle East, the difference between democratic leadership creating broad economic opportunity and the status quo was the contrast between virtual slavery and exalted freedom. And they won it after one person rose up fearlessly, then another, then another, and many more.

Individually, it is important to champion causes with the power to transform our communities, be it healthy and affordable food, safe and effective schools, greater equality or sustainable industries.

By singly living out our values we can, together, create a brighter future for our country.

Ins & Outs of Local Business
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Over the past few months Georgetown has seen many businesses open, a few close down, and some move to new locations. Be sure to get all the information before embarking on your holiday shopping in Georgetown!

On Wisconsin Ave., Georgetown has added some sugar, spice and everything nice. The walls of Georgetown Candy, located at 1417 Wisconsin Ave., are covered with all different assortments of sweets and treats for the holidays.

The Tea and Spice Exchange, located at 1069 Wisconsin Ave., offers a huge range of different spices and seasonings, perfect for the Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas ham. You can bet they have those rare spices and unique salts that you might see in a cookbook but wouldn’t know where to find. Their tea selection is an international bazaar of flavors and styles.

Muncheez Mania, at 1071 Wisconsin Ave., right next to The Tea and Spice Exchange, offers homemade fare late into the night. Grab sandwiches, salads, wraps and crepes until 4a.m., when they finally close up.

At 1237 Wisconsin Ave., Madewell, a store in the J Crew chain, opened offering great styles at great prices and perfect gifts this holiday season for women.

Ugg Australia opened a store at 1249 Wisconsin Ave. in late September, just in time for the fall boot craze.

Ed Hardy reopened after closing last spring, bringing back their funky styles to 1250 Wisconsin Ave.

Not too far from Wisconsin Avenue in the Georgetown Park Mall, The Dandelion Patch opened, offering designer stationary and much more with which to announce your Christmas party or to spice up your Christmas newsletter to friends.

At 3221 M St., Barbour opened offering clothes for the country lifestyle with great outerwear for the winter. Hu’s Wear expanded their space on M Street, offering more unique designer items for women.

Cadey’s Alley welcomes Alessi, which sells classic designs for household items. They have a Christmas guide to inspire ideas for those on your Christmas list with a keen eye for home aesthetics. Also in Cadey’s Alley, Design Within Reach, at 3306 M St., expanded their space, where they have modern furnishings to update your home for your holiday parties.

City Sports will soon open a DC flagship store at 3338 M. St. in Cadey’s Alley for all your active-wear needs.

At 1211 Potomac St., the infamous headquarters of the controversial Philly Pizza, Go Fresh opened its doors, serving sandwiches and salads, with unique vegetarian options, including choice baked potatoes with assorted toppings. And while the owners of Go Fresh are the same folks who owned Philly Pizza, it’s safe to say this won’t stir up half the commotion.

P Street saw both closings and openings. At 3236 P St. Ella Rue opened, offering overstock or consignment designer apparel at a low cost. Proper Topper, an accessory and gift store, closed, but there is still a location at Dupont Circle for your holiday shopping. Quantum Fitness closed too, so prepare to work off that Thanksgiving turkey elsewhere.

Formerly located at 1614 Wisconsin Ave. Presse Bookstore closed suddenly in early October, but is still selling online. Bandolino, a shoe store focused on comfortable stylish shoes, formerly located at 1329 Wisconsin Ave., has also closed.

Many are still awaiting the opening of Sprinkles Cupcakes at 3015 M St., which is scheduled to open in January, and Serendipity3 for more unique desert options in Georgetown.

At 2101 L St., nutritional chef Annie Leconte, who attained her MBA from GW, has opened her first restaurant, Litestars, which serves up soup drinks, salads and more. The restaurant aims to serve functional, nutritious foods—perfect for lunch while trying to stay trim through the regular holiday gluttony.

And last but not least, congratulations to Rockland’s Barbeque and Grilling Company, at 2418 Wisconsin Ave., for 20 successful years of cooking up their now-famous, fingerlickin’ neighborhood barbeque. [gallery ids="99564,104789" nav="thumbs"]

Utraque Unum?
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The Latin phrase (normally not in the form of a question) is Georgetown University’s motto—”both are one”—first found in St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, regarding Gentiles and Jews together, on coins of the Spanish Empire, and later for the Jesuit school’s unity of learning and faith. Today, this phrase cannot be uttered between the University and the historic neighborhood to describe Georgetown, as the University’s new 10-year plan has moved neighbor groups to protest anew and loudly so.

Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans finds the plan a “disappointment,” while University president John DeGioia believes the campus plan to be “modest.” A recent Georgetown Advisory Neighborhood Commission meeting did not echo such mild words.

The University has argued: “Georgetown’s plan includes a handful of new projects that would enhance on-campus academic and recreational spaces, including pedestrian-friendly walkways, construction that would allow buses to turn around on campus and renovations to the Medical Center. The new plan also carries over some projects not completed from the 2000 plan, including an addition to Lauinger Library, the renovation of the New South building for student space, and construction of a new athletic training facility on campus. The 2010-2020 campus plan reflects more than two years of conversations with the university community and local residents, and includes deliberate efforts to respond to concerns about enrollment, off-campus student life, safety and congestion in surrounding neighborhoods. For example, in response to community concerns, Georgetown removed its proposal to develop on-campus student housing in the 1789 block of 36th Street and decided not to request an extension of the chimney height on the heating and cooling plant.”

Citizens groups still strongly disagreed. They see the addition of more graduate students and lack of any new on-campus housing as threatening to the historic district’s quality of life.

Indeed, the Citizens Association of Georgetown—which acknowledges the immense value of the University, founded in 1789 in a Maryland village established in 1751—has started a Save Our Neighborhood Fund: “CAG has carefully reviewed the G.U. plan and believes it violates D.C. zoning regulations and would negatively impact the quality of life in Georgetown’s residential neighborhoods.”

CAG contends that the plan would increase graduate student enrollment by more than 2,100 students, thus “increasing the total student population from approximately 14,000 to more than 16,000 students, provide no additional undergraduate on-campus housing and add 1,000 parking spaces to accommodate anticipated additional traffic to campus and the hospital.”

Moreover, CAG continues: “We will testify before the Board of Zoning — the ultimate decision-maker regarding the campus plan. We need your help to prepare for this hearing, and to educate our neighbors, our community leadership, the University’s leadership and our city decision-makers about this issue.”

Georgetown student activists have been knocked out of their bubble by the neighborhood response to the plan. “It is definitely possible to understand [the neighbors’] concerns to some degree, but at times [they are] almost irrational,” said one student at an ANC meeting. And in the non-news category, let us affirm that some students have been the university’s worst ambassadors, causing late-night noise, rowdiness and vandalism.

“[The students] cannot follow basic rules of living,” ANC commissioner Tom Birch said at the same meeting. Students are left to ponder that some Georgetowners their parents’ age don’t really like them.

The previous 10-year plan wrought enormous changes within the campus: the Southwest Quadrangle (the University’s largest-ever construction), the Davis arts center and the new business school building, to name the biggest. The university is jammed against its west (Archbold-Glover Park) and south (The C&O Canal and the Potomac) with spillage, pushing north to Burleith and Foxhall and east into the west village of Georgetown. Such geography does not excuse University administrators’ past poor decisions, such as the fumbling of Mount Vernon campus. Indeed, just as the University has a presence in Qatar, and its students volunteer in Appalachia and Anacostia, the nation’s oldest Catholic institution of higher learning would do well to connect even more often and consistently to its neighbors just three blocks away.

The Georgetown ANC will vote on the campus plan at its monthly meeting, Feb. 28. “We’ve gotten the comments from the community organizations and the university. So, it’s time for us to take a position,” said chairman Ron Lewis. Expect lawsuits to follow—just like last time.

Again, Hoya paranoia spreads, and generational resentment grows. Not that anyone is really seeking a “Can’t we all get along?” moment. There need be no call for an idealistic “Utraque Unum.” Nevertheless, both of us are here, in this together, and we can say hello to each other. It is merely a separate peace that we can abide.

NPR: Eyes on the Prize
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There is a new level of irony in Juan-gate at NPR. Senior Vice President for News Ellen Weiss, who spent nearly three decades at NPR, recently “resigned” over the issue, and for CEO Vivian Schiller withholding her bonus. Journalist Juan Williams, whose mishandled firing led to these actions, built a career on brilliant journalism, including a nomination for a Pulitzer and his seminal work on civil rights in “Eyes on the Prize.” The irony is that his case has become a distraction from keeping the eyes on NPR’s true prize.

Lost in the accusations and responses about a news organization gone awry is the bigger existential threat to NPR. Although NPR’s listeners are abundant and loyal (bigger than the combined nightly network broadcasts by some measures), and its endowment flush, we should remember that Vivian Schiller took over an organization with a business model that is fundamentally broken. Schiller’s task is nothing less than reinventing the NPR business.

Here is the problem. NPR is not a broadcaster. For all its own fundraising and other undertakings, it relies heavily on local public radio stations to pay to air its programs. But NPR sees a major part of its future online. Yet if the “big money” broadcasts, such as Morning Edition and All Things Considered, are put live online, then there is no reason for listeners to tune into local stations or their websites to hear them. Obviously, that would eat into the listener loyalty to, say, WAMU (DC’s public radio station) and effect how much listeners will feel compelled to send into the legendary pledge campaigns, which make up a sizable part of their annual budgets and ability to pay NPR’s fees. Furthermore, these local stations control NPR’s board, a development after the stations saved NPR from shutting down in bankruptcy in the 1980s.

Schiller has a history of building new successful media business models, from CNN, to Discovery-Times documentary network, to leading the New York Times newspaper into its current online incarnation. But this is her biggest challenge yet. To be successful at NPR, she needs to find a way to reconcile seeming mutually irreconcilable needs and get the local stations to go along. Withholding her bonus and forcing management changes because of this one personnel issue doesn’t help in that crusade.

NPR has long had a checkered past in its handling of human resource issues. But wherever one stands on Juan-gate, if you are in any way invested in NPR’s existence, there is a far bigger prize to be focused on today. Survival. [gallery ids="99586,104913" nav="thumbs"]

Cherry Blossom Festival Events
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As the dreary winter weather bids Washington its final adieu, the Cherry Blossom Festival lifts the spirits of residents and visitors who come to enjoy the official bloom of spring.

The first day of the festival, March 26, features a number of events and celebrations around town.

Go on a three-mile Cherry Chit-Chat Run around the mall, starting at the Washington Monument, 8 a.m.

Family Day at the National Building Museum is a festival in itself for “kids of all ages.” A number of hands-on activities as well as live music will celebrate and explore Japanese arts and design.

Taking sail at three times throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday, Cherry Blossom River Teas features a full service English ‘high tea’ aboard a classic yacht while cruising by the blossoms. Serving soups, tea sandwiches, scones and teas, the cruise sets off at Washington Maria.

Hear the music of spring floating through the air at Eastern Market as the sounds of springtime jazz, world-beat, Americana, classical, and spoken word accompany Eastern Market’s foods, arts and crafts.

From Eastern Market, jump on the metro and head over to the Smithsonian for the Blossoms Secrets Stroll taking place from 2 – 4 p.m. The walking tour recounts the story and sites of how the Japanese cherry trees came to Washington.

The Opening Ceremony, officially kicking off the Festival, will take place at the Building Museum immediately following Family Day at 4 p.m. A number of performances, including Takehiro Ueyama’s TAKE dance company will start the 16-day citywide celebration.

Monuments-by-Moonlight River Cruises close out the opening day celebrations from the Washington Marina at 7:30 – 9:15 p.m. and 9:30 – 11:15 p.m.

But the Festival continues. Travel to Japan Saturday and Sunday at the Freer Gallery of Art and learn about the art’s importance in Japanese culture past and present. 1 p.m.

The Blossom Kite Festival on the Washington Monument Grounds takes flight March 27, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Enjoy the cool spring air at night with a Lantern Walk guided by the light of festive lanterns as rangers guide an evening stroll around the Tidal Basin. The walks take place Saturday and Sunday from 8 – 10 p.m. at the Paddle Boat Station.

Starting on the 26 and continuing through the end of the festival, a number of farms and gardens open their doors for visitors to encounter the beauty of nature in full bloom. River Farm and Green Spring Garden in Alexandria along with Meadowlark Gardens in Vienna all welcome Festival visitors with a free memento.

An array of diverse talent takes the stage at Sylvan Theater throughout the Festival. Varied genres of music and dance, martial arts exhibitions and marching bands will be featured from 12 – 5 p.m. on weekdays, and 12 – 6 p.m. on the weekends.

Macy’s Metro Center Cherry Blossom Show will host two weeks of in-store special events, including musical and dance performances, fashion presentations and cooking demonstrations.

The Hillwood Museum Estate and Gardens hosts Paul MacLardy, co-author of “Kimono, Vanishing Tradition” and owner of Arise Bazaar, as he presents a brief overview of Japanese kimono traditions, history, textiles, and symbolism. Followed by a trunk show in Hillwood’s Museum Shop. April 2, 2 – 3:30 p.m.

Silver Springs’s Big Cherry Block Party, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. in downtown Silver Spring features a number of art and craft booths, entertainment, food and karaoke.

If you cant make it to Silver Spring, hang around the Potomac and Anacostia rivers for DISC Cherry Blossom Regatta. The sailboat races can be viewed from the water aboard the M/V Patriot II, which will be offering a Cherry Blossom Regatta cruise.

Head down to Gangplank Marina at 2 and 4 p.m. everyday throughout the Festival for a relaxing cruise down the Potomac around Hains Point for a fantastic view of the trees. Then on April 2 jump on board for a dinner cruise where you can catch the fireworks.

The Festival Fireworks Show will light up the sky on April 2 from Waterfront Park. Best viewing of the show can be found at Southwest Waterfront promenade or East Potomac Park. 8:30 – 9 p.m.

The Parade, which runs down Constitution Ave from 7th to 17th Streets, closes out the festival April 9, 10 a.m. – noon. Catch a glimpse of lavish floats, giant helium balloons, marching bands and performers as they make their way down the route.

With a number of other events going on throughout the festival (March 26 – April 10 in its entirety) it is hard to not catch the blossom bug.

Visit NationalCherryBlossomFestival.org for more information on all the festivities.
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The Life of a Clown
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When I was a kid I wanted to run away with the circus.

I would meet the boss clown, I would walk with the ringmaster, be buddies with the guy who trains the big cats, and I would date the girl who gets shot out of a cannon.

I became a journalist instead. Same thing, except for the cannon girl, the big cat guy, the ringmaster, and the boss clown, although I may have spent some time with a contortionist once.

These days, at my age, it’s no good trying to run away with the circus. And “walking away with the circus” doesn’t have that zip thing going for it.

But yesterday I saw pachyderms marching down Washington streets.

And yesterday I talked with the ringmaster and met the boss clown.

They tell me that ladies are no longer shot out of cannons.

Two out of three isn’t bad.

The ringmaster is Jonathan Lee Iverson, and the boss clown is Sandor Eke, and they’re at the head of the pack when the circus come to town. That would be the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey’s 2011 show, “Barnum’s FUNundrum!” celebrating the life and legacy of the founder, P.T. Barnum. The circus is camped at the Verizon Center through March 27, then moves to Baltimore and Fairfax, Virginia.

As always, it’s the greatest show on earth, sparkling like a firecracker with hyperbole: come see 230 performers from six continents, watch the 100,000 pounds of elephants perform, see the cowboys, the pirates, the mermaids, the tigers, the Flying Caceres with their quadruple somersault on the flying trapeze. Watch the Puyan Troupe from China do their bouncy stuff on a two-tiered trampoline, and, there’s the body benders and the Mighty Meetal, the strongest man in the world. And don’t forget Duo Fusion, the married couple of hand balancers, in which the wife does the heavy lifting. Just like in real life.

The elephants and clowns and ponies and performers marched through parts of Washington yesterday for an annual parade that signals the arrival of the circus in town and delights hundreds of children and tourist along the road.

Leading the way was Iverson, decked out in red-white-and-blue and top hat—the man who gets to say the iconic words at the start of each show: “Welcome Children of All Ages to the Greatest Show on Earth.”

Iverson, who started out wanting to be an opera singer but sort of ran away with the circus instead, holds some firsts for the circus: he’s the first African American ringmaster and the youngest ever to hold that high-stepping, master–of-charisma, beguiling cheerleader of all cheerleader jobs.

A New Yorker now in his thirties, he’s performed (at age 11) with the Boys Choir of Harlem and got a degree in voice from Hartford’s Hart School. Shortly after graduating, he was offered a job with the circus.

“I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I know I saw myself as a singer, but to be able to perform in the circus in that kind of role, well, who’s going to say no to something like that.” Not Iverson, that’s for sure. “They kidnapped me,” he quipped.

Watch him work the crowd, picking up little kids, posing with moms, his voice clear over the noises of the downtown city. For a while he left to broaden his horizons, performing off-Broadway and in productions of “The Magic Flute” and “Showboat,” sang with the USO and did some freelance writing as J. Frederick Baptiste.

But now he’s back, this time hitting the rails with family—wife Priscilla and children Matthew Felipe and Lila Simone—in tow.

He’s got the charisma of a ringmaster, a compelling stance and lively face. We asked him if he did anything special to create a persona for the ringmaster. “Are you kidding?” he said. “Look at me—In this outfit, folks are going to pay attention to you.”

That’s true, but he fills the outfit with his persona, as if born to the circus. “You look pretty,” a woman tells him. “I do, don’t I?” he says and preens. Welcome to the circus in Washington. “Great to be in this city,” he says. “I’m sort of like Henry Kissinger with a personality.”

Sandor Eke, on the other hand, looks a little like a crash dummy.

That’s his outfit, his persona, a puff of tomahawk hair on his head, spots of color, loose, colorful, dummy clothing and big, sometimes sad eyes. “I’m a white clown,” he says, explaining clown etiquette. “Like a black clown would be the guy that plays tricks on the white clown.”

But he’s also the circus boss clown.

“Makes me the guy who takes care of the other guys,” he says. “You know, who bunks with whom, dressing rooms, schedules, food, problems, the guy who talks to management on behalf of the other clowns…You wouldn’t believe how important dressing rooms are.”

Eke who is 35, lives in Budapest on the Danube River in Hungary, but doesn’t get to go home much. His parents, both circus folks, live there. “With this schedule, it’s a little crazy. My father was a tentmaker, my mother was a ringmaster.”

Clowns and circuses are time-honored professions and institutions in Europe. It’s where the best of them came from, and it’s why most circuses have an international flavor to them. Eke attended the Hungarian State Circus School—can you imagine that in an American state budget?—and started with a Swedish circus, but eventually made his way to the Ringling Brothers as part of a Hungarian teeterboard act

“Everything that circus performers do is difficult and takes so much practice,” he said. “But it is not very useful on the outside. Imagine explaining your job resume: I was teeterboarder.

“I love this life. I am an acrobat, a clown, I am totally a circus person,” he said. “I would not do anything else. My life is here. My friends are here. They are my best friends, people you can call in the middle of the night.

“I can say I have 50 real friends in the circus. They are not on Facebook.”

Asked about his future plans, he quipped “I have no future.”

“Actually, what I want to do is teach, teach other young people how to be clowns,” he said. “That is my hope, my future.”

Japan Relief in Washington: Get Involved
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Washington’s relationship with Japan is exemplified in the National Cherry Blossom Festival. With the recent Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami devastating Japan, Washington is offering support to the country that planted the seeds for the festival, and the culture that is honored throughout the celebration. Below is a list of things you can do around town to help out and donate to Japan relief efforts.

Red Cross Online Donation
The Festival has joined the Red Cross in supporting the nation of Japan. Online donations can be made at NationalCherryBlossomFestival.org.

Stand With Japan
March 24 6:30 p.m.
Beginning at the Sylvan Theater, walkers will make their way to the Tidal Basin. All donations received during the fundraising effort will go to the National Cherry Blossom Red Cross Online Donation Site.

The walk around the tidal basin will be a time of reflection in midst of the Cherry Blossom trees gifted to Washington by the Japanese in 1912. The evening of hope and perseverance inaugurates the Festival, celebrating the friendship between the two countries.

Online Auction
The National Cherry Blossom Festival Online Auction is open through March 27. Proceeds from the auction will be split between the Red Cross and the Festival’s year-round programs. Items in the auction include, two tickets to OpenSkies Business Airlines to Paris, dining certificate for Buddha Bar, a Weekend Getaway to the Normandy Hotel, dining certificate to II Canale, Georgetown and a number of others.

DC Help Japan Now Auction
A number of DC restaurants are joining the cause in an eBay auction with proceeds benefiting Red Cross. Restaurants include KAZ Sushi Bistro, Perry’s, The Tabard Inn, Oyamel Cocina Mexicana, Passion Food, Masa 14, The Source by Wolfgang Puck, Restaurant Nora, Peacock Café, Marcels, Brasserie Beck/Mussel Bar, and Café Atlantico. More restaurants are joining in to support so check eBay frequently.

Kaz Sushi Bistro Raises Funds
In addition to the eBay Auction, Kaz is supporting Japan with various fundraising events. The restaurant is currently holding a raffle through April 16. Kaz is located between 19th and 20th on I Street NW.

Capital Hearts for Japan
Capital Hearts for Japan will be holding a fundraising night at The Park at Fourteenth (920 14th St. NW) March 26. Doors open at 6 p.m. The night will include a silent auction, performances from local artists and drink specials. All donations will be given to Save the Children, an international aid organization that provides emergency relief for children affected by disaster and devastation. The Park is donating $3 per person that comes to the event. Capital Hearts for Japan is a coalition of diverse organizations in the DC metro area and was formed to help provide immediate and long-term relief for Japan.

DC CityCenter Construction Begins at Former Convention Center Site
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On Monday April 4, Hines|Archstone’s CityCenter broke ground at the site of the former DC convention center, with the simultaneous announcement of a full equity investment from Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Co. (QatariDiar), reports Real Estate Bisnow and The Washington Post. Mayor Vincent Gray and members of the DC City Council met at the area, currently a parking lot, to celebrate the beginning of the site’s construction.

Gray called CityCenter, “one of the most important projects in the history of the District of Columbia,” in a lavish tent where reporters, developers, neighbors, businesspeople and District officials gathered for the celebration.

CityCenter DC is a 10-acre, mixed-use development, located in the heart of downtown Washington on a 4.5-block parcel bounded by New York Avenue, 9th, H and 11th Streets NW. A total of six buildings are to be put up over the next three years as phase 1 of the project, according to the Washington Post, split between apartments, condos and office space, all connected by a public courtyard. Shops and restaurants will line the street level with four levels of underground parking, and 10th and I Streets will be reopened to reconnect the city’s street grid. A second phase of the project is planned to include an upscale hotel, along with additional square feet of retail.

The project is an enormous undertaking for the city, and promises to transform the east end of Downtown, however its history of development troubled financing and development has kept that area of the town in limbo for years. According to the Washington Business Journal, Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans joked about meeting to discuss the project years ago with Bill Alsup (of Hines, based in Houston), George Washington and Pierre L’Enfant.

But with financing plans now in place, Gray is already touting the achievement of CityCenter as “the last piece of the puzzle for downtown Washington.” If successful, CityCenter would accordingly transform Downtown into a more substantial neighborhood, where citizens don’t only work and go out, but live.

Anchor investor QatariDiar is the real estate investment arm of the Qatari Investment Authority. Barwa Bank’s investment banking subsidiary, The First Investor (TFI), financed the project. TFI will co-invest in and manage the dedicated TFI U.S. Real Estate Fund.

“This effort has been almost a decade in the making, and we look forward to the progress that will be made on the site of the old convention center as this last missing piece of our downtown is redeveloped,” Mayor Gray said. “I am excited about the more than 190 District Certified Business Entities that are involved in the planning, design and construction of this project, and the thousands of construction and permanent jobs that it will create. This is a huge development for the residents of and visitors to our city.”

According to the Washington Post, construction is not scheduled to finish until 2014, and phase 2 will not be done until late 2015 (though it is probably fair to assume unexpected delays and hurdles, as par for the course).

Gray, touting the job opportunities within the project, expects it to create 1,700 construction jobs and almost 4,000 permanent jobs. Nearly 100 local companies have already secured contracts with the development team. [gallery ids="99644,105274" nav="thumbs"]

Passport DC Comes Back to Town
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On any given Sunday, there’s always some foot traffic on Massachusetts Avenue along Embassy Row, especially if the weather is ideal and spring-sunny as it was on May 7.

But hey, what was this: crowds pouring into the British Embassy and coming out with tote bags emblazoned with the flag of England? What were the lines of people snaking around the block, making their way to the Embassy of Greece, the Embassy of Ireland, or the Latvian Embassy? And just what was going on at the Embassy of Finland?

It was the beginning of the fourth annual Passport DC celebration, an ever-increasingly popular city-wide event produced by Cultural Tourism DC, with the participation of over 60 embassies, which fling open their doors to the general public in a wildly successful annual event that celebrates the international presence of world embassies in our city.

Looking at the crowds, you could well agree with Cultural Tourism DC Director Linda Harper, who said: “Passport DC is a chance to honor and explore the many cultures that are represented in Washington, DC. There is no better place to have this grand celebration…a truly global city.”

This all began four years ago when member embassies representing the European Union decided, without out much elaborate planning, to hold open houses for most of their embassies, allowing tourists and residents to come in and visit, meet embassy officials, and share in the cultural offerings and history of the respective countries. Some 70,000 people showed up.

The European Union folks knew they were on to something and joined up with Cultural Tourism DC to produce what is now a month-long celebration of international culture and conviviality. Last year, around 160,000 people participated in the events that make up Passport DC.

Round one was another edition spearheaded by the European Unions called Shortcut to Europe, and the British effort looked to be the splashiest affair, like a sweet hangover from the recent nuptials of Prince William and his Katherine. You could tour the English gardens, which included an impressive, essence-of-horse-nobility sculpture of a horse reputed to be a famous British racehorse whose kidnapping was never solved.

British soldiers, real ones and dressed up ones were there. There was whiskey tasting, music and a bit of English pudding, and it was all very English—proving once again that we may have rebelled against the king to form a more perfect union, but we still love our cousins across the pond.

The embassies were far flung: Ireland, the Brits, Iceland, Latvia, Greece, Luxembourg, Portugal, Finland (all along Mass Ave.), and the Embassy of Austria and Slovakia at International Square, France and Germany on MacArthur Boulevard, and the list goes on. From the looks of it, the celebration will probably exceed last year’s crowds, the weather gods permitting.

This weekend, it’s the All Around the World Embassy Tour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. all over the city, featuring 35 embassies from six continents. Needless to say, the embassies won’t just be from all over the world, but will be located all over the city. They included the Bahamas—a very popular destination last year where the annual festivities of Juckanoo will play a key part; Australia where you can hear the didgeridoo, an Aboriginal musical instrument, among other activities; Bolivia, which is now called the Plurinational State of Bolivia; Ghana, with a splendid display of its unique arts and crafts; and the Republic of Iraq, a free democracy. In fact, you can blaze a trail through the countries most affected by recent upheavals from Egypt to Bahrain. History in this city is alive and moving full steam ahead.

There will be shuttles available and special bus stops to the various embassies and residences which are scattered throughout the city

Other upcoming events in May include the National Asian Heritage Festival and the Fiesta Asia Street Fair, May 21 at Pennsylvania Avenue between 3rd and 6th Streets, which also celebrates Asian Pacific Heritage Month. Live music, dancing, Pan-Asian Cuisine

May 21 will also feature the annual Meridian International Children’s Festival, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

There will also be special events on a daily basis at embassies, museums, and international cultural centers like the Goethe Institute and the Mexican Cultural Center, including jazz concerts, Kids World Cinema, Embassy Series concerts, the Eurovision Song Contest, workshop and classical music, film and so on.

For a complete list of all the events, times, schedules and locations for Passport DC, go to the Passport DC section of the Cultural Tourism website at www.culturaltourismdc.org

Washington Humane Society’s $100K Challenge to Save Lives
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Since 1870, Washington Humane Society has been the leading voice for animals in the District, standing as the only animal shelter in the District of Columbia that never says “No” to an animal. They never turn any animal away, and their doors are always open—WHS is the only agency out there open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week rescuing animals off the streets of DC.

Now, WHS is taking part in the ASPCA’s “$100K Challenge to Save Lives,” and if they win the money would help them rescue and save more animals than ever before. In order for them to even get a spot in the competition, they must first be one of 50 groups nationwide that secures the most online votes. This first phase, called the Qualifying Heat, requires voters to cast their votes everyday to secure Washington Humane Society in the final standing.

The competition is stiff—last year over 23,000 people voted for just one agency—and they need you to vote. You can vote online every day until April 15th and encourage your friends to do the same. “Every vote will be critically important!” says the WHS. “We feel confident that once we can secure a spot in the competition that we stand a very good chance at winning the grand prize.”

The Georgetowner strongly supports the WHS as they continue to help the animals within our community, and we encourage our readers to lend a hand. Please vote daily and spread the word about the WHS and the competition.

The Washington Humane Society provides comfort and care to nearly 30,000 animals each year through its broad range of programs and services including: sheltering, adoption, cruelty investigations, wildlife rescue, free and low-cost spay/ neuter services, humane education, human/animal rehabilitation programs, and lost and found services. With your help today, we can save more animals lives and provide for a better tomorrow.

To cast your vote daily go to VoteToSaveLives.org.