07.16 - blossom, bubbles, and buttercup
what’s going on in d.c.
The Freer Gallery of Art and the National Museum of African Art reopen today. The Freer Gallery features Asian art, including the rarely shown “Breaking Waves” painting, while the Nat’l Musuem of African Art will premiere Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time: Art, Culture, and Exchange Across Medieval Saharan Africa. Entry is free (thanks Smithsonians!) and timed passes aren’t required.
On Saturday, the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse is hosting Spoons, Tunes and Booze, with a cereal bar, cartoons on the big screen, and specialty cocktails. Tickets are $15 and the cartoons begin at noon.
Lotus blossoms and water lilies are in peak bloom at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in NE DC. Lotuses open in the morning and close by about 2 pm, so head over early if you want to get the most out of your trip.
let’s talk food and drinks
my weekly best bite: Hawaiian vegan sausage sandwich from Just AJ’s Veenies (at the CityCenter farmer’s market on Tuesdays and other locations throughout the week)
Local brewery DC Brau (3178-B Bladensburg Rd. NE) is hosting a free Dock Days of Summer concert on Sunday from 2-5 pm.
Here are nine shaded, beachy, and/or treehouse rooftop spots for a drink or a bite, as well as ten spots for summer treats like popsicles or shaved ices.
what’s on our minds?
The child tax credits, a significant aspect of March’s American Rescue Plan/COVID-19 stimulus bill, began to roll out yesterday across the U.S. Families with qualifying incomes will receive up to $250 or $300 in monthly payments per child (over 90% of U.S. families are expected to qualify). 65 million+ children in the U.S. are expected to benefit, including 86k children in D.C.
Washington City Paper investigated which D.C.-owned restaurants received the highest amounts of recently awarded federal revitalization funding. In first place is the restaurant group that owns Cafe Deluxe and Chef Geoff with $8.2M, followed by Compass Coffee, which received $6.8M - and laid off 80% of their workforce at the beginning of the pandemic (they plan to use 75% of this funding to bring back staff).
A catalog of photos of the “commander in chic” herself, Olivia Rodrigo, at the White House to promote vaccination efforts
Quick links to other weekly #goodreads:
Los Angeles Goes to War With Itself Over Homelessness- per The New York Times, “The pandemic has intensified a bitter, yearslong fight over homelessness in the city — with no end in sight.” (A microcosm of this issue is playing out in a park at 12th and Mass NW - DCist has a deep dive)
The Dark Side of Chess: Payoffs, Points and 12-Year-Old Grandmasters - per The New York Times, “When is a grandmaster’s title less than grand?”
A Banking App Has Been Suddenly Closing Accounts, Sometimes Not Returning Customers’ Money- per ProPublica, “Chime, a ‘neobank’ serving millions, is racking up complaints from users who can’t access their cash. The company says it’s cracking down on an “extraordinary surge” in fraudulent deposits. That’s little consolation to customers caught in the fray.”
what are we watching/reading?
Naomi Osaka on Netflix. This eponymously named docuseries follows the world champion tennis player - most recently both celebrated and villifed for dropping out of the French Open due to mental health concerns related to mandated press conferences - as she manages her athletic career and life outside of the sport.