Jaybird's Jottings

Embassy Row

It’s ironic, I suppose.   The better half served her country at five different embassies and I spent time in two.   So you’d think we would have at least taken a car tour along Massachusetts’s Embassy Row.  But, no, we haven’t.

Feeling the need to fill that gap, I decided to pay a visit yesterday to this famed stretch north of the White House.   Once home to barons and aristocrats, “Mass Avenue” was populated by diplomats after World War II.    Now, dozens of embassies fill this fancy boulevard.

Coming on the heels of Shaw, I knew this look see would be a bit of a let down in terms of edgy excitement, but I’ve been interested in architecture lately, and was ready for something regal.   More a fan of Politics and Prose, I’d also never stepped inside Afterwords Café and Kramerworks bookstore.

For my visit, I also knew there would be some serious paring down.   There are a lot of nations represented all along and around this part of Massachusetts Avenue (evidently, DC's longest street), but according to one definition, Embassy Row is a two-dozen block stretch that runs from about three blocks east of DuPont Circle to Observatory circle.    Thanks in part to Monsieur L’Enfant that includes three circles - Scott, DuPont, and Sheridan – lined up symmetrically.       

My walk focused on the stretch from DuPont to Sheridan, up to Rock Creek Park, passing through Kalorama Heights and ending back at DuPont Circle.   The sun had been captive practically this whole past week, so it was good to have a blue sky day.    

Embassy Row doesn't usually show up on travel guide's Day One or Day Two recommendations, but it’s a clean, safe, lovely spot, a great hilly place to walk off that big lunch at DuPont Circle, and where else can you go around the world in less than two hours?

     

Abe Pollin, 1923-2009

 Abe Pollin stood on top of the sports world just once, his Bullets great championship win in 1978, but this beloved, long-time owner helped build many platforms for success here in Washington.   Pollin, the son of Russian immigrants and owner of the Wizards, Capitals and Mystics, passed away yesterday.  

A big-time giver to charity, both in terms of his money and time, Pollin’s footprint was all over the city.   His greatest legacy is the sports and entertainment palace he built downtown. The building Pollin financed helped the remarkable transformation downtown.   It’s called the Verizon Center, but many in the nation’s capital know it should be called the Abe Pollin Center.  

Abe, we'll miss you greatly.   Condolences to family and friends.

U Street/Shaw

Several weeks ago I noted that, so far, I’ve visited six or seven of DC’s historic neighborhoods.   I included U Street in the count, but that was just a couple of cursory walk throughs.   Wanting to see more, and hoping some of the craziness around Ben’s Chili Bowl has subsided, I returned yesterday for a better look.   

Much has been written about U Street and Shaw’s renaissance, but Lonely Planet, as they always seem to do, sums it up best:

At one time the cultural heart of African-American DC, the turf of working-class families, burgeoning rappers, rum-guzzling bums, and gun-toting gang-bangers, today it feels like an episode of Extreme Makeover Home Edition, where the mission is gentrification. 

That cultural heart was a big one.  In his Images of America book, Greater U Street, author and historian Paul K. Williams writes:  

Known by many as the Black Broadway, Greater U Street was unique in that many of it institutions were designed, financed, owned, and built utilizing the talents of such emerging African-American professionals as banker John Whitelaw and architect John A. Lankford. 

In their book, The Guide to Black Washington, Sandra Fitzpatrick and Maria R. Goodwin list over 60 sites for Shaw and U Street, both active spots and those that are now nothing but memories of a time when “Before Harlem There Was U Street.”   Duke Ellington grew up and performed here, James Brown, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, and a long list of Who’s Who entertainers packed them in at the Howard Theater, which rivaled Harlem’s Apollo Theater in cache.  Influential black churches such as the John Wesley AME Zion and economic protests against discrimination helped pave the way for future Civil Rights actions.   Since 1958 and still today, Ben’s Chili Bowl feeds all who come to the culinary mecca.

My stops yesterday included Logan Circle (a terrific comeback in its own right), the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House (the first headquarters of the National Council of Negro Women and her last home in DC), the Center for Jazz and Blues, the AME Zion Church, the Thurgood Marshall Center (located in the historic Twelfth Street YMCA building, which was the home of the first full service YMCA for African-Americans), and Ellington’s home before finishing up on U Street at Ben’s and the African-American Civil Museum. 

I’ve had a rewarding time so far with my DC visits but this one tops them all.    You can’t know Washington without having an idea what happened and is taking place now in Shaw and U Street.

Couscous and Crowns

Silver Spring is a bit of hike for Roberta and I, and it’s no fun driving on the Beltway after dark, but this urbanized satellite city has its rewards.    Last night we had a great time, eating at Taste of Morocco (delicious couscous that put us back in Tunis), and then taking in The Young Victoria at the AFI Silver Theater.

The days of movie theaters might be numbered but last night’s audience packed the 400-seat refurbished beauty to see this movie about a month before the rest of the nation.   It was closing night for the European Film Festival, which meant two speakers and the appropriate hand clapping, but as hoped for and much to our delight, the curtains opened straight to the start of the movie.   

Our girl Emily Blount is excellent, as is the music, costumes and coming-of-age story.   Is it enough for an Oscar nomination for Blount?   She won’t win, but we would like to see her on the red carpet. 

If you get a chance, go see a movie at AFI, especially at their largest theater.   You’ll enjoy the leg space and ambience, maybe a beer with your popcorn, and hopefully a flick as good as The Young Victoria.

 

State Dinner

Excitement (and nervousness) are building in Washington as the city and the White House prepare for the Obama’s first State Dinner on Tuesday night for Indian Prime Minister Singh.  Comparisons are being drawn to the red carpet at the Oscars (The G channel?)  

The Washington Post has a special section, and I’m sure The Reliable Source will let us know if Oprah is coming.   The Post’s 44 Blog has trivia and tidbits of dinners past and Obama Foodorama is always worth checking out. 

Capital Weather Gang promises seasonal temps (upper 50s) and gradual clearing, and I bet this blogger gets a hefty traffic bump.

Pizza Paradiso Coming to Old Town

If you love pizza (me!), and you think Alexandria could use a really good pizza place (yea, Rustico is not bad), then you’ll be pleased to know Pizza Paradiso is coming to Old Town.   I saw the application today at 118A King Street.   

Pizza Paradiso has locations in DuPont Circle and Georgetown and gets stellar reviews.    Maybe this will be the place pizza lovers have been waiting for in these parts.  With a lower King St address no less!

 

Congrats to Lincecum!

Jonathan Sanchez tosses a no-hitter.   Tim Lincecum becomes the first pitcher to win back to back Cy Youngs in his first two full seasons.   What’s next for Giants fans, Juan Marichal discussing his career? 

Yes, Bob Costas of MLB Network will sit down with Wonderful Juan on Tuesday, November 24 at 8 pm EST and then again at 11.   MLB Network has a link to a preview.

Sunday in Old Town

Don’t know if anyone is keeping track of such things,  but yesterday was one of the best this year weather-wise.    Washington and much of the East Coast had not seen the sun since Tuesday.  Wednesday, Thursday and Friday produced rain and soggy leaves.    The stubborn nor’easter even made Saturday dreary too.  

A cool start but the mercury soared in to the mid 70s, sunny skies with little or no wind.  After my visit to Brookland, Roberta and I ate lunch at La Fontaine in Old Town.   I’m officially a fan of their Tuscan crepe -sausage, white beans, delicious.  We chatted up the owner who told us she originally wanted to name her place Fountainhead, that being one her favorite books, but she settled on La Fontaine.         

Tummies satisfied, we took a walk along King Street.    Everybody was out, having a great time just being out.  

Speaking of King Street, it shows off its crown in the latest issue of Northern Virginia magazine, which has a cover piece on their 50 Best Restaurants.   Bragging rights go to Arlington who tallies, if my count is right, 11 of the 50.  But smaller Old Town Alexandria can also boast.   Nine of the city’s 10 spots on the list are in the historic district.   Better yet, King Street rules with five located there and two more within a block.    Add one more within a block and a half, and it adds up to NOVA’s best-concentrated location for good eating.  Not even making the list is Eammon’s Fish and Chips, and La Fontaine.   

After our stroll, we sat on the bench at the docks.  Just glorious.

Still not completely satisfied, I squeezed in a quick visit to Gravelly Point to try and get my All Modes of Transportation shot.  The Mount Vernon Trail was full of activity, but no train and the planes were not in the direction I needed.   

Can’t complain though, yesterday was one of those banner days. Redskins fans even enjoyed it!

Brookland

Wanting to see some more of Northeast DC, and reading where re-development is planned for parts of it, I visited Brookland and the Catholic University area today.    Brookland is an historical neighborhood as designated by Cultural Tourism DC.    The railroad and then streetcars helped make it a middle-class suburb.    Queen Anne and Victorian homes are part of the neighborhood.   Prominent African-Americans who lived here include Pearl Bailey and Ralph Bunche.   The Bunch house, built in 1941, was designed by the famous architect Hilyard Robinson. 

Great weather and I found it to be a lovely place to take a walk, very quiet with no plane noise or anything.    Talked to a resident who said the neighborhood has friendly neighbors and good diversity.  

Some beautiful places of worship there, including the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and the Franciscan Monastery.   The latter is tucked away in the northern part of the neighborhood.    My favorite photo from today was there.  A lady with an exquisite hat stepped up with perfect timing.  

The house with a round window was Bunche’s home.    The other one is a Queen Anne style home.

 

2112, The Movie

First of all, apologies to RUSH fans.  2112 is not being made into a movie (Wouldn’t that be the coolest damn thing ever?).   For now, we’ll have to settle for an excellent piece by Open Salon’s Bob Calhoun, who wishes 2012 director Roland Emmerich would have made 2112 instead.

Calhoun writes:

One way to give this film an extra century of shelf-life would have been for Emmerich to scrap the whole Mayan-tsunami mishmash altogether and instead make a film adaptation of the rock band Rush’s dystopian, sci-fi album According to Mercury Records’ ad copy, the first side of the Canadian power trio’s 1976 opus takes us to a time of “Templevision, Megadon, twin moons, atmospheric domes.” While “Rush’s chilling vision” of a 22nd Century where “city and sky merge into a single plane” would give a director like Emmerich plenty to digitally project onto an IMAX screen, 2112 is also more topical than the seemingly more pressing 2012.

By the way, in Calhoun’s article, there’s a photo of a stereo set similar to the one he had when he was a teenager.   The stereo is equipped with an 8-track.  I remember having an 8-track tape player in my car, and 2112 was heavy in my rotation at the time.   Grand Finale, which Calhoun mentions, is the dramatic last song on Side One of the album.   Unfortunately, on the eight track version, the song’s momentum is ruined somewhere near the middle when the music dubs down and the tape clicks to the next track.        

A bummer of course, but not the end of the world….