03.26 - ducks fly together
what’s going on in d.c.
Take a self-guided walking tour around the Smithsonian Gardens to take in the magnolias blooming across the grounds. Or, if you’re a cherry blossom purist, there are plenty of other area locations beyond the Tidal Basin to see the flowers (including Dumbarton Oaks and the National Arboretum).
If you’re seeking a sedentary outdoor Japanese cherry blossom-inspired activity, head to The Wharf for Anime Movie Days. Over the next few weekends, The Wharf is hosting 13 anime films - including Mirai, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Weathering With You.
looking ahead: Shaw’s Columbia Room will open a Spritz Garden in Blagden Alley on April 7. It’s proving to be popular, with weekend reservations filling up fast. Georgetown is also adding a healthy juice store, Greenheart Juice Shop/
let’s talk food and drinks
my weekly best bite: RASA’s aloo need is love (locations in Mt. Vernon and Navy Yard)
If the Georgetown location of Foxtrot was too much of a westward trek, you’re in luck. Foxtrot’s second location in Mt. Vernon Triangle is open and offering an all-day café with outdoor seating (in addition to its specialty groceries, beer, and wine).
Getting bored of your neighborhood coffee shop? Eater DC is featuring 23 of the area’s “essential” locations, including some newer options such as Lost Sock in Takoma and Cameo in the Roost in Hill East.
what’s on our minds?
For the 47% of D.C.’s children who are identified as “at-risk,” the pandemic’s development effects are particularly acute. Research from Child Trends indicates that access to early interventions, affordable treatments, and medical interventions decreased. Schools and community centers, many closed since last March, are beginning to reopen, but not all children in D.C. public schools are eligible to go back to the classroom (although more children should be able to go back with the new guidance that schools can reduce social distancing from six to three feet).
While nothing can top the infamous Dave Thomas Circle, here are the 9 other most hated D.C. intersections.
Quick links to other weekly #goodreads:
What Happens When Investment Firms Acquire Trailer Parks - per The New Yorker, “The financial industry’s pursuit of profits from mobile-home communities is undermining one of the country’s largest sources of affordable housing.”
The Beauty of 78.5 Million Followers - per The New York Times Magazine, “How social media stars like Addison Rae gave the cosmetics industry a makeover.”
America’s Covid Swab Supply Depends on Two Cousins Who Hate Each Other - per Bloomberg Businessweek, “The pandemic brought the business opportunity of a lifetime to Puritan Medical Products of Guilford, Maine. But even a $250 million infusion from the U.S. government has done little to quell an epic family feud.”
A Bestselling Author Became Obsessed With Freeing a Man From Prison. It Nearly Ruined Her Life. - per The Marshall Project, “After the success of her novel Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen spent years trying to prove a man's innocence. Now she’s ‘absolutely broke’ and ‘seriously ill,’ and her next book is ‘years past deadline.’”
what are we watching/reading?
In a mood to reminisce the 90s? A series remaking The Mighty Ducks premieres tonight on Disney+. Variety calls it a “smart, surprisingly sweet cannibalization of Disney intellectual property.”
Jessica Walter, the incomparable actress best known for playing Lucille Bluth in Arrested Development, passed away yesterday. If you haven’t rewatched (or watched?) the show in a bit, what better time to reminisce on the cost of bananas. Also worth remembering: her bravery in standing up to the abuse Jeffrey Tambor subjected her to on set and the lack of support she received from other cast members in this infamous NY Times interview (shout out to Alia Shawkat - Maeby - as the only cast member who stood up for her in the moment).