06.17 - oat milk's out?
what’s going on in d.c.
Friday: The Portside in Old Town Alexandria summer festival begins today and continues into Saturday. There will be music and drinks throughout the weekend (6-9 pm, 1-9 pm Saturday) | Catch Space Jam outside as part of the Rosslyn Cinema movie series (8 pm)
Saturday: It’s Columbia Heights Day, offering food, music, and drinks across the neighborhood (11 am - 6 pm) | The Summer Solstice Beer Garden, hosted by Up Top Acres and Nina May, sets up at the rooftop Farm at 55 M (in Navy Yard). Tickets are $50 for unlimited food and drinks (4-6 pm)
Sunday: An all-day block party (The Bl@ck Party) celebrates Juneetenth at the Black Lives Matter plaza (9 am - 6 pm) | A Juneteenth Freedom Day Music Festival heads to Union Stage, with Black Alley headlining (7 pm)
All weekend: Pharrell’s Something in the Water is Friday-Sunday. The event, one of the largest festivals in D.C. in recent memory, sets up on Independence Ave south of the Mall. Three-day passes are available for $450 | “Beyond King Tut” opens at the National Geographic Museum today to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the tomb’s discovery. The exhibit will be open through next February.
let’s talk food and drinks
my weekly best bite: Garlic edamame dumplings at chef Masako Morishita’s pop-up at Destino
Knowing a good taco spot can always come in handy - here’s 25 of WaPo-certified locations.
Beyond the restaurant scene, the Washington Post identified five food trends popping up in grocery stores. Trendsetters include vegetable snacks and more options for alternative milks (think sesame milk or sunflower seeds)
looking ahead: A José Andrés restaurant is coming to the former Trump hotel, with the chef announcing that he will open a Bazaar restaurant at the spot. The Bazaar concept, which exists in Miami, Chicago, and Las Vegas focuses on small plates.
what’s on our minds?
After a long delay, the 7000-series Metro trains are finally back….sort of. Eight of the 93 trains returned yesterday, with plans to add in more in coming weeks. The hope is that as trains are returned, the service levels (currently at 20 minute intervals for the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines) will steadily improve. Also on the transit radar (but a long ways off) - renderings are available for the planned 2040 redevelopment of Union Station. Beyond expanding the station, the plans add accessibility and outdoor park areas.
Good news for DMV’s Lego fans young and old (looking at you, AFOLs) - a $1BN manufacturing facility is coming to Virginia. The spot, Lego’s first in the U.S., will open south of Richmond and is expected to create 1,700+ jobs.
Don’t forget to vote! Early in-person voting for the DC elections continues through Sunday, June 19. Here’s a list of early vote centers - D.C. voters can go to any location. Election day is June 21.
Quick links to other weekly #goodreads:
Photos: This Miami-Style Mansion in Maryland Is a Versace—or Cheesecake Factory—Fan’s Paradise - per Washingtonian, “The nearly $5 million Casa de Amor went on the market last Friday.” (also on the market - a $16M waterfront estate in Severna Park)
The 3-Day Return to Office Is, So Far, a Dud - per Curbed, “the three-day office week — that eminently reasonable-sounding middle ground for which proposals were widely circulated last year, and subsequently was championed by Mayor Eric Adams, office landlords, and CEOs everywhere — is, in practice, kind of a flop.”
White Parents Rallied to Chase a Black Educator Out of Town. Then, They Followed Her to the Next One. - per ProPublica, “Cecelia Lewis was asked to apply for a Georgia school district’s first-ever administrator job devoted to diversity, equity and inclusion. A group of parents — coached by local and national anti-CRT groups — had other plans.”