Jaybird's Jottings

Finding Francis Scott Key

Needing to take a break from my neighborhood visits, and feeling a desire to understand the War of 1812 better, I have decided to start taking a look at Francis Scott Key.

I’m hoping to visit the major sites associated with his life.   These include his birthplace in Maryland, the Key Bridge, Memorial Park and Key House site in Georgetown, the two houses he lived at in Washington, the Francis Scott Key Bridge near Baltimore, the original Star Spangled Banner which flew over Fort McHenry and is on display at the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington D.C,. and of course, Fort McHenry.   

I had hoped to order my visits in chronological sequence, but that would really slow things down.   So let’s get started with a visit to Georgetown, where Key spent most of his adult life years, and where he is honored with both a bridge and a memorial park.

And before I forget, I’d like to welcome two new books  –  Sam Myer’s “Paradoxes of Fame: The Francis Scott Key Story,” and Ralph Eshelman’s, “A Travel Guide to the War of 1812 in the Chesapeake.”   The latter was published this year.

Francis Scott Key Bridge and Memorial Park

The official name is the “Francis Scott Key Bridge,” but everyone in Washington just calls it the “Key Bridge.”   Built in 1923 in the Classic Revival style, the span replaced the Aqueduct Bridge.    In his book, Meyer rightfully notes that tourists and even Washington residents may not know the bridge was named after Key.

Hundreds of thousands have crossed it, but one has to wonder how many have taken the time to visit the park that rubs against its northern end.  In fact, unless you are walking or biking by, it’s hard to notice it’s there, at least when the leaves are on the trees.

I count myself among those who knew the Key Park was there, but every time I drove by I was paying attention to the turns and traffic in front of me.   Crossing the bridge the other day I was excited to know I had finally made up my mind to visit the park.

I knew the only parking would be down by the river so after the slog along M Street, I turned right on to Wisconsin, drove downhill to K Street, made a right, and parked near the bridge.   The walk uphill is as steep as they come, but you can catch your breathe by the pedestrian bridge across the C&O canal.   This approach also provides a somewhat dramatic entry into the park (Georgetown is safe, but you might not do it this way at night).

A cold wind blew the day I went, prompting regret for not coming in the summer or fall.   Still, the half-acre park, dedicated on September 14, 1993 (the anniversary of Key writing the Star Spangled Banner) is impressive with a concrete pergola, landscaping, the winding footpath, three interpretive markers, a bust, the 14-star flag, benches, a stone marker and a concrete marker on the bridge.    

The three interpretive markers suffer as others do from the wear of time and are hard to read.   Still, they convey excellent information on Key.   

The first has a map of the area, showing where Key lived, about 75 yards west of the park.   (I'll have more on the Key Mansion next time).  

The middle marker talks about the flag that flew over Ft McHenry.   Mary Young Pickersgill sewed it.  The flag was made large so the British could see it.   

Marker 3 is a short bio on Key.   Key carved out a unique life as a poet-lawyer-patriot.   

The bronze bust was sculptured by Betty Mailhouse Dunston in 1985.   The flag reflects the number of states in 1812.   

 

A Better Map of Washington, DC

The other day I wrote about the “Ork” posters website, which sells typographic maps of cities and their neighborhoods.    I love the creativity behind them, but I noted the feelings I had about how the District’s boundaries don't tell the full story of the people who live here.

Motivation to make my own map came out of those thoughts, so I went at it the other day.    At first, I googled DC metro region, and found a map showing the counties that are officially together in this regard.  But it was way too big to put on a single sheet of paper.

After some other ideas, it occurred to me that the Beltway would be perfect for what I was trying to achieve.   Not exactly iconic in its shape, but it satisfied my need for a distinctive boundary, while still getting in a lot of neighborhoods.

So here is my effort.  I’m not much with drawing, and I know my placements are not always spot on.    I thought about filling in the map more with neighborhoods, but I actually liked leaving some space, especially in the suburbs, to give it that contrast with the urban neighborhoods. 

Hopefully this will inspire others, including Ork, to do something similar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unbuilt Washington

Several years ago “Washingtonian” magazine listed 26 reasons to love living in the nation’s capital.   Impressive list, but they forgot one – winter.

That sounds wrong, but the cold weather means shorter lines at the museums.   There’s no official kick off to the season, but this year it seems to be at the National Building Museum, which unveiled a new exhibit this week.   “Unbuilt Washington,” looks at what architectural ideas that never made it past the drawing board.

The NBM website has an interactive site, and the Post has an excellent slide show.   My humble opinion says the Kennedy Center drawings look impressive, better than what’s there now.

The Building Museum itself makes for a good discussion on architectural tastes.   Originally built in the 1880s for clerks processing military pensions, the brick colossus was not beloved by all.   Army engineer General Montgomery C. Meigs designed and built the structure.    Some called it "Meigs Red Barn."  Perhaps apocryphal, General Philip Sheridan said, “Too bad the damn thing is fireproof.”

The “Unbuilt Washington” exhibit is open until May 28, 2012.

 

 

 

Michael Ondaatje Speaks at Historic Synagogue at Sixth and I

In the big city, with a seemingly endless array of places to go to and things to do, one desire is easily put aside to meet another.    For example, I’ve wanted to visit the Historic Synagogue at Sixth and I for the longest time.    I waited for the right moment and it finally arrived on Wednesday night.    The better half and I went to see Michael Ondaatje read from and discuss his latest novel, “The Cat’s Table.” 

About 400 of his fans packed the sanctuary for the event, co-sponsored by Politics and Prose.   The famed bookstore typically holds their author talks here for the bigger names.

Speaking first, Esther Safran Foer, the director of this non-traditional synagogue on the outskirts of Chinatown gave a brief history of the building.   When its fate seemed it would become a nightclub, three developers intervened and restored the building as a synagogue.   Looking around at its serene beauty, I can’t imagine anyone in the audience thinking anything other than - thank goodness.

Lisa Muscatine, a new co-owner (along with her husband) of Politics and Prose spoke briefly and promised more big time authors for 2012.  She thanked the synagogue’s leadership for maintaining a place that values culture and community (the director nodded in agreement) and noted Diane Keaton was speaking the next night.

Soft-spoken and seemingly shy, Ondaatje, who lives in Toronto by way of his native Sri Lanka and London, read from his novel for about 20 minutes, then answered about a dozen questions.   

I’m not a reader of Ondaatje, but loved the film version of “The English Patient.”   And listening to him, I came to understand why his readers often describe his prose and poetry with words like - beautiful, luscious, vivid and spellbinding.    

The setting for his appearance dovetailed perfectly with the mood he put us all in.   Many desires were satisfied on this memorable night.  

 

 

The New Potomac Avenue: It’s not a speedway folks…

A little birdie has been flying around the new Potomac Avenue, which we wrote about last weekend.   He told me some people are going much faster than the posted 25 MPH speed limit.   And sure enough, he saw someone get pulled over by the Alexandria police the other night.

Be careful out there.  Birds are fast but other creatures of the night are not.

 

Beltway Books

For the last couple of months, the focal point at Freedom Square at 14^th and Pennsylvania in downtown Washington DC has been the “Occupy DC” protestors that have set up camp there.    A century ago, bars and newspapers occupied this part of the city.   “Rum Row” and “Newspaper Row” went together like gin and vermouth.

As Garrett Peck notes in his new book, “Prohibition in Washington, DC, How Dry We Weren’t,” about all that is left now from those smoke-filled days is the National Press Club, a few steps away from the corner of 14^th and F.   Liquor still flows up on the 13^th floor, but instead of getting hammered at happy hour, journalists now write books.   And once a year, this private Washington institution opens its doors to the public for its annual “Book Fair and Author’s Night.”

The 34^th annual event took place last night.   Over 90 authors appeared.   The lineup featured two Senators (Joe Lieberman and Bob Graham), a pair of veteran journalists (Jim Lehrer and Marvin Kalb), a famous public radio voice (Bob Edwards), a firebrand political commentator (Ann Coulter), TV reality show stars (sisters Sophie LaMontagne and Katherine Kallinis), a leading authority of politics and baseball (Curt Smith), a prolific author of more than 50 books (Paul Dickson), a pair of DC sports writers (Leonard Shapiro and Dave Elfin), and a hot, new novelist (Chad Harbach).

I spoke briefly with Dickson, who told me his new book on Bill Veeck will be out next April (“Bill Veeck:  Baseball’s Greatest Maverick.”)  Baseball fans will want this one, as Dickson is a first-rate author with a special knowledge of baseball.

I also spoke with Amanda Smith, whose new book is titled, “Newspaper Titan, The Infamous Life and Monumental Times of Cissy Patterson.”   This is her second book, and the author is making a name for herself.   The book would make a great movie.   In the 1940s, Patterson became a titan, the first woman editor-in-chief and publisher of a major daily newspaper.   She first bought the sagging “Washington Herald,” and then the “Washington Times” (not the current one).   Under her leadership, the Washington Herald-Times became the number one daily in the nation’s capital.    Patterson produced many a great quote including, “I’d rather raise Hell then vegetables!”

According to trend experts, pies were supposed to replace cupcakes this year.    Not so in Georgetown, where those two sisters founded their bakery, Georgetown Cupcakes.   Despite the colder weather, long lines of tourists still extend up 33rd Street to nibble on their award-winning cupcakes.   Commensurately, the glamour pair clogged the aisles more than any other author last night. Their cheeriness sprinkled an air of lightness to the evening that had felt a bit straight-laced.

Leaving the event, I walked past the “Occupy DC” tents once again, admiring the protestors for leaving behind the comforts of home to be a part of something they think important.   Similarly, I admire writers for their sacrifices.   In salute, I raise my cup of coffee to you – cheers!

 

 

 

 

Come Together, Right Now, Washington, DC

Forgive me for channeling the Beatles, but I sometimes think of songs when I’m reflecting on something.    It happened to me the other day when my thoughts turned to Washington.  I was looking at the “Ork” posters website, which sells typographic maps of cities and their neighborhoods.  

Naturally, I clicked on DC first.   Looking at the map, I was reminded of the district’s iconic shape.   My eyes went to the chunk of the diamond carved out to the west of the Potomac.   This part of Northern Virginia, Alexandria and Arlington, used to be in the District.   That piece of history does not bother me, but at this particular moment, I had arrived with a sense of pride as someone who lives within eyesight of the District.   This time the map made me feel left out (we live in Alexandria).  

 I’m guessing others have had similar thoughts with their cities, but the DC area is unique with this situation.   There are neighborhoods in Arlington that are closer to the center of the District than some of the ones in the District itself, and the Maryland suburbs hug DC in one continuous wrap of urban and suburban areas.      

Perhaps I’m being too sensitive about this, but I have had similar feelings before.   They occurred a few weeks ago when I was reading “Washington at Home.”   A wonderful book, but they chose to write about only neighborhoods in the District.    That decision left out Alexandria whose founding goes back to 1749, 42 years before the City of Washington was created.   The first District cornerstone was laid there on Jones Point, and during those years the town was called Alexandria, DC.

I understand there are often practical reasons for limiting one’s coverage of Washington to the District, and the attempt to re-brand the area as “DMV” is a step forward in promoting area unity.   But I think we can all agree we need more togetherness in a place where our two rivers often seem more like obstacles to our sense of being one diverse community, and where our three different license plates sometimes evoke the wrong kind of sentiment against each other.

So one more time, if you’ll forgive me, let’s turn to the Beatles, or in this case, John Lennon.   In Washington, D.C., let us “imagine” there’s no boundaries…

 

 

 

 

 

Opus Debuts at Politics and Prose

“Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

We’ve all considered the wisdom of this saying and found it to be true in many ways.    With the advent of on-demand book printing, the advice is getting an updated meaning.    Earlier this week, Politics and Prose rolled out “Opus,” a portable book printer.    

Quite frankly, the machine, designed so you can see the internal operations, is unattractive.  “Opus” shines, however, with its technology and performance. Officially called “The Espresso Book Machine,” it can print both manuscripts and out of print books at a rate of 105 pages per minute.   Customers choose from over several million titles, which includes Google Books in the public domain and copyrighted titles released by major publishers.   While the book is printing, you can stay and watch the EBM in action, or wait with a cup of coffee downstairs in the store’s “Modern Times” café.

Politics and Prose’s printer is the first in the Washington region; others are stationed at almost a dozen stores across the United States with more to come.    

Bill Leggett, a store manager at the celebrated independent bookseller in the nation’s capital, said prospective authors can bring in their manuscript in either paper or digital file form.   Prices are still being set, but for now run from $8 to $20 per book.

Politics and Prose is also supporting National November Writing Month (NaNoWriMo, pronounced “nan-o-rhyme-o”).   Launched in San Francisco in 1999, this movement nurtures and helps aspiring writers.    Last year, 30,000 participants worldwide put the required 50,000 words to paper.

The venerable store also continues to host book groups and writers each night, with some big time names appearing this month.   Chad Harbach (The Art of Fielding”), spoke before a SRO audience at the store earlier this week.  Joan Didion (“Blue Nights”) sold out The Avalon Theater, and Michael Ondaatje (“The Cat’s Table”) will likely do the same at the Sixth and I Synagogue on Wednesday night. 

These are tough times for traditional retail sellers, but some independents, like Politics and Prose, remain popular by catering to bibliophiles who cherish the sense of place and old-fashioned page turning.    After all, at this temple of reading and others like it, what really counts is what’s inside the book.

 

 

 

 

Civil War 150: The Grand Review

In the summer of 1861, the Union and Confederate soldiers fought the war’s first big battle by a creek called Bull Run in Manassas, Virginia.    The Union’s defeat served as a wake up call.    President Lincoln appointed Major General George B. McClellan as the overall commander of the army.   In November, 70,000 of the built up Army of the Potomac marched as one at Bailey’s Crossroads.

Today at Fort McNair in southeast DC, the "Lincoln at the Crossroads Alliance" re-enacted the grand review.    The original plan, to hold the commemorative event at Bailey’s Crossroads, was scraped due to concerns over the potential “logistical nightmare.”    The turnout this morning was something like 500.

Having the event six miles away from the historic grounds might have left some feeling empty, but there are connections between the Civil War and Fort McNair.   Less than a mile to the south of the parade grounds where the re-enactors marched, lies the spot along the shore of the Anacostia River where the Pearl sailed away in 1848 with 77 escaped slaves.   The ship was captured, but the powerful political message had been sent.

Almost 20 years later, the four convicted Lincoln conspirators were executed by hanging.   The location was near Building 20 (Grant Hall), about 100 yards to the south of where we were standing on the parade ground.

150 years ago, the troops marched in front of President Lincoln on a cold and wet day.   We felt the morning chill but were fortunate to have clear skies.   Jim Getty, the tall Lincoln reactor stood out with his stovepipe hat and black coat.    Joining the small element of re-enactor soldiers were the Joint Forces Color Guard and the Continental Fife and Drum Corps of the Third Infantry Regiment.

The review was grand 150 years ago, but significant numbers of those boys and men who marched at Bailey’s Crossroads were injured or never came home.    The quiet and reverential grounds of Fort McNair served the event quite well.

 

Potomac Avenue and Long Bridge Park Open

What if I told you, dear reader, that there now exists, a brand spanking new, two-lanes each way, almost two-miles long road in between Old Town Alexandria and Crystal City?   What if I went one better and said the green lights stay green, and next to no one is using it thus far?    

In this traffic-choked city and region one does not kid about such things, so don’t worry.    Although part of it has been in use for a while, there really is such a new road.   It’s Potomac Avenue, which runs behind the Potomac Yard Shopping Center and the new houses you see springing up at the new Potomac Yard development.   The City of Alexandria opened the new street last month.    First users like myself who didn’t get the official tweet, proceeded gingerly.   

How long the lights will stay green is unknown, but for now, this new stretch makes for some cool cruising.    Work has also begun on the new park, which will run alongside Potomac Avenue.

And speaking of parks, the Long Bridge Park on the north side of Crystal City is also now open to the public.   The new views are fantastic and the soccer fields pristine.   I didn’t see a baseball field, but I sure did fantasize about hitting home runs over the Esplanade and on to the railroad tracks...