05.28 - oops I ... inspired a musical
what’s going on in d.c.
She Loves Me DC is combining puppies and flowers at Milk Bar’s Logan Circle location this weekend. On Saturday from 12-2, peony bunches are for sale next to adoptable dogs from DC Lucky Dog.
looking ahead: a Britney Spears musical is coming to … Shakespeare Theatre Company? Yes, you read that right - Once Upon a One More Time will hit D.C. first on its way to Broadway. Tickets aren’t available yet, unless you’re willing to buy a season subscription.
let’s talk food and drinks
my weekly best bite: Lettuce wraps from Navy Yard’s Gatsby (if you can, schedule your meal during a Nationals game as the dining room overlooks the stadium)
State Fair, a custard spot in Hill East’s The Roost, is reopening for the season this weekend with quite the variety of sundae options.
It’s supposed to rain this weekend (merp) but here are 20 spots with covered outdoor dining (including the cutest of all dog parks/beer gardens, Bark Social). If you’re in town though, Washingtonian compiled a bunch of weekend specials.
looking ahead: Southern fast food obsession Cook Out is headed north, with its first D.C.-area location scheduled to open in Manassas Park
what’s on our minds?
There’s never a good time to mistreat workers, but in the hospitality industry - where workers nearly have their pick of a job - a major staff walk-out feels especially inauspicious. But, that’s the case for The Wharf’s glitzy Del Mar restaurant, where nine staff resigned and another group of staff walked out to protest “a myriad of allegations including toxic management, incidents of racial bias and insensitivity, and complaints over the tipping structure.”
If you’re a D.C. driver, your year+ of no-parking enforcement bliss is about to come to a screeching halt (as are the less congested traffic patterns). On June 1st, the city will resume full enforcement of parking regulations, towing of illegally parked vehicles, and registration renewals.
Quick links to other weekly #goodreads:
Why America’s Gas Stations are Great Dining Destinations - per Eater, “A celebration of eating at America’s gas stations, with all the sweet, salty, crunchy, and caffeinated things you need to top off your tank.” (click through for deep dives on snacks, Wawa, Black-owned gas stations, etc.)
Inside the Diversity-Equity-and Inclusion Industrial Complex - per The Cut, “What are companies desperate for diversity consultants actually buying?…Across the country, consultants in the diversity business felt that same whiplash of pandemic bust turning into protest boom. Practitioners who were collecting unemployment received calls from the CEOs of major corporations looking to spend tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars publicly and fast.”
Gun Church That Worships With AR-15s Bought a 40-Acre Compound in Texas for Its ‘Patriots’ - per Vice, “A religious sect known for worshipping with AR-15s and its MAGA politics has purchased a sprawling, 40-acre compound in central Texas, which it hopes will offer a safe-haven for “patriots” from what they believe is an imminent war brought by the “deep state,” VICE News has learned.” (just your average beachy MDW read!)
The Marathon Men Who Can't Go Home - per GQ, “In the north Bronx, a small group of elite Ethiopian runners struggle to survive. The persecution they fled was far more harrowing.”
what are we watching/reading?
Cruella in theatres/Disney+. Who among us didn’t beg our parents for a Dalmatian puppy after seeing 101 Dalmatians? (in retrospect, good call on the “no” there, parents). Cruella, the most evil villain of the Disney universe in my book, is finally getting her origin story on the big screen. Emma Stone plays the aspiring designer in a funky, chaotic comedy (with mixed reviews)
The Friends Reunion is out on HBO Max, which feels kind of silly to put in here because if you’re a Friends fan, you’ve probably been counting down the days to watch this (NPR review/recap). Or, if you’re like me and never watched Friends, this reunion doesn’t really mean much to you. Relatedly, here’s a well-written essay on how Friends (and other cultural staples like The Office) paint an unrealistic image of effortless adult friendships.