08.12 - the cats of summer
what’s going on in d.c.
Friday: Pop rock group COIN performs at The Anthem (8 pm) | Union Market hosts their monthly drive-in movie - tonight, it’s Dirty Dancing (8:45 pm) | For those post-Lady Gaga concert withdrawals, the 9:30 Club hosts a Madonna/Britney/Gaga dance part (9 pm)
Saturday: Alexandria hosts their summer sidewalk sale, with 40+ participating boutiques, primarily along King Street | The nationally traversing Hello Kitty Café Truck, posts up at Pentagon Row (10 am - 7 pm)
Sunday: An orchestra will perform the score of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone while the classic film plays in the background (Merriweather Post, 8 pm)
All weekend: The Prince William County fair sets up in Manassas with all of the classic rides, foods, and contests you’d expect from the nostalgic event (tickets are $12)
let’s talk food and drinks
my weekly best bite: Pretzel bread at 16th Street Heights’ Moreland’s Tavern
With weather cooling off a bit this weekend, it’s just about optimal patio weather. Here’s 15 options from Washingtonian, including some of my favs — Dovetail near Logan Circle, Gypsy Kitchen’s roof, and Navy Yard’s Osteria Morini.
Popular Wharf restaurant Mi Vida opened a second location - this one on 14th Street (in the old Matchbox pizza spot). You won’t miss it - the façade of the building now includes a bright pink floral mural.
looking ahead: Popular NYC ice cream shop Van Leeuwen is opening in D.C., with two locations planned - one in Union Market and one in Adams Morgan.
what’s on our minds?
In a win for the DC Attorney General (and public safety), a judge declared a “ghost guns” manufacturer must pay the city $4M and cease all sales of guns to the city. “Ghost guns,” do-it-yourself handgun kits in which the gun, once assembled, become untraceable firearms. Over the past few years, DC police have recovered an increasing amount of ghost guns - confiscating 344 through July.
Casa Ruby, the embattled LGBTQ nonprofit that housed homeless transgender youth and provided additional services, ceased operations last month after the eponymous founder, Ruby Corado, absconded to El Salvador, leaving unpaid employees and contractors in her wake. This week, a judge agreed to appoint an outside party/receiver to “stabilize” Casa Ruby. Casa Ruby has received $9.6M in city grants since 2016 + other millions in funding from donors.
Quick links to other weekly #goodreads:
A ‘Classic Ward 3’ Dispute is Playing Out in Palisades, as Neighbors Battle Over Sidewalks and Street Closures - per Washington City Paper, “Potential traffic changes on University Terrace NW and Chain Bridge Road NW have even national news anchors joining the fray.”
3 Days. 68 Kids. Snapshots of Summer on Coney Island - per The New York Times Magazine
How effective altruism went from a niche movement to a billion-dollar force per Vox, “Effective altruism has gone mainstream. Where does that leave it?”
We’ll be off next week (8/19), so look for MIDC in your inbox on 8/26!