02.11 - scamming the scammers
what’s going on in d.c.
It’s going to be in the 60s today and tomorrow (before dropping quickly on Sunday), providing a perfect opportunity to explore that neighborhood or go on that long walk you’ve been putting off (one of my favorite loops is a long P St walk- staring near Logan Circle, then cutting through Dupont and taking the P St Bridge into Georgetown). Or, head to the Wharf tomorrow at 2 for “Wharf Winter Games” with free ice corn hole, curling, sled races, and other events.
Friday: 9:30 Club hosts a 2000s Dance Party tonight beginning at 9 PM (aptly named “Hot in Herre”). Tickets are $16.
Saturday: There’s a “secret” comedy show in the Eastern Market area on Saturday. A Living Room Show production, the event features a TBA lineup and location, although organizers do reveal local comic Denise Taylor will close. Tickets are $15 for the 8 PM show.
Sunday: The Super Bowl kicks off Sunday at 6:30 PM - here’s eight local spots with game-related specials/viewing. If you’re looking to bet in person, here’s a number of sports books in the area (as a reminder, sportsbooks are a newly legal option in the district)
looking ahead: the National Geographic Museum reopens on Wednesday; starting March 17, “The Friends Experience” stops in D.C., giving fans of the show the opportunity to explore and take pics in 12 recreated sets.
let’s talk food and drinks
my weekly best bite: Tirokroketes at 14th St.’s Gypsy Kitchen
Planta, a well-regarded vegan restaurant, opens in Bethesda Row tomorrow. This will be the eight spot for the restaurant, known for its creative takes on traditionally non-vegan options, such as sushi, dumplings, and pizza.
In good timing for Valentine’s Day weekend, a new Georgetown chocolate shop, Petit Soeur, celebrates its grand opening Saturday. Little Acre Flowers will pop-up in the store from 12-4 for those combo chocolate/flower needs. Or, head to Mt. Pleasant’s Each Peach Market as they host a Valentine’s sidewalk market offering cheese, chocolate covered strawberries, and other goodies (10 am - 2 pm).
what’s on our minds?
Metro leadership, facing serious financial struggles since COVID (a $500M shortfall will begin next summer), testified before Congress this week. Most notably, its leaders expressed that “the public transit service that riders were accustomed to before the pandemic is not coming back.”
If you have $14.7M to drop (or want to see how far that money can take you in McLean), there’s a new listing featured in the Washington Post. Quick take - love the pool, hate the kitchen cabinets.
Quick links to other weekly #goodreads:
How Student Journalists Discovered American University Was Handing Out Counterfeit KN95 Masks - per Washingtonian, “Through careful reporting, student newspaper the Eagle confirmed tips that the school had unknowingly purchased bogus masks.”
Vail Resorts Sold a Record Number of Passes. Now Their Ski Areas Are Facing a Logistical Nightmare.- per Outside, “Employees fear the corporate behemoth bit off more than it could chew, while pass holders cry foul about overcrowding and reduced hours.”
‘I More So Consider Myself a Con Artist Than Anything’ - per New York Magazine, “What Danielle Miller learned at Horace Mann and Rikers.”
what are we watching/reading?
Inventing Anna on Netflix. One of my favorite actresses (Julia Garner of Ozarks fame) + the Anna Delvey scammer story? Say no more. The show drops on Netflix today with The Guardian deeming it “pacy, multilayered and gleeful.”
Remember the MoviePass era that we all knew couldn’t last? Side note - the moment I heard a friend of a friend was using the pass to check into a movie every day in NYC with the sole intention of stacking the theater chain’s rewards, I knew the good times couldn’t last. Anyway - it’s backkkk - kind of. MoviePass 2.0 is planning to release this summer with tiered options and a stronger attempt to partner with the theaters themselves (maybe AMC won’t threaten to sue this time?)