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Roberta and I visited Senator Kennedy's gravesite this morning at Arlington National Cemetery. It's to the left of President Kennedy's site. Bobby is there too, now in the middle.
I am currently reading Grand Avenues: The Story of Pierre Charles L'Enfant, the French Visionary Who Designed Washington, DC., an excellent book by Scott W. Berg. I somehow missed its release in 2007, but learned about it watching CSPAN’s Book TV.
Washingtonians know that L’Enfant laid out the plans for the city, and that one of Metro’s busiest stations, and the tucked away plaza are named after him. What’s lesser known is that that he is buried at Arlington Cemetery, and the story of how his name and reputation were restored.
When L’Enfant died at the age of 70 in 1825 at Green Hill (Chillum, Maryland, just outside the District near Takoma Park), there was no CNN special to look back at his forgotten life. It wasn’t until the turn of the century that he began to get some recognition. In conjunction with the city’s Centennial, the McMillan Commission’s plan to build the National Mall brought attention to the visionary plans L’Enfant had drawn out for the Federal capital in 1791.
A few years later, the French Ambassador persuaded President Roosevelt to honor the French-born American who had been wounded serving his adopted country in the Revolutionary War. L’Enfant had even insisted on being called Peter instead of Pierre.
In April 1909, his remains were exhumed from the cemetery at Green Hill. L’Enfant lay in state at the Capitol rotunda, the first foreign-born person so honored and the seventh overall. His casket was then taken by caisson to Arlington Cemetery. He was buried on a spot high on the hill overlooking the city whose destiny he helped shape.
One of the challenges in reading this book is trying to gain an understanding of what Washington was physically like when Major L’Enfant got on his horse in March of 1791, and explored the area of forests, streams, and tobacco and corn fields (Berg notes it “was never a swamp”).
For one thing, the Potomac was wider and came up to 17th Street where a canal went eastward along what is now Constitution Avenue. Pennsylvania Avenue was just a cleared out path to Georgetown named Ferry Road.
The book provides maps but I just couldn’t fully get the today/back then visual in my mind’s eye. A search of google led to DC: 1791 to 2008, a special published by the Washington Post last August. It’s the perfect companion to the book. Berg writes about some time he spent with Don Alexander Hawkins, Washington historian and expert on the city’s topography.
Also provided are interactive, then and now maps of Washington created by a team of students from UNC-Chapel Hill. The Q&A session is worth a look too.
Note: L’Enfant’s grave and memorial are just outside the Arlington House and clearly marked once you get there. If you are in good shape, the walk up the hill is doable. If not, take the trolley.
Haven’t written since Friday and it feels like a week. Been doing the legwork for a couple of posts I’m working on, and I don’t know, sometimes you just lose your voice, you know?
Backing up to Sunday, I watched the Solheim Cup. One of those where the final tally doesn't match the closeness. At one point, we were only up 1 in three key matches. If my stomach was turning, imagine how they felt.
How about the play of Christina Kim and Michelle Wie??
Yesterday, listened to Scott Rosenberg, author of Say Everything: How Blogging Began, What It's Becoming, and Why It Matters, on the Diane Rehm Show. Steve Roberts subbed for Diane, who is still out with an injury to her pelvis. Diane knows a thing or two about interviewing, but Steve is more web savvy than Diane. Having said that, he did tow the mainstream line a couple of times, saying things like, the mainstream media edits first, then publishes, whereas, bloggers don’t always.
I was very impressed with Scott. He took the high road and gave some great answers. His book is getting great reviews.
A blog to pass along. From Komi to Marvin is Ashley Messick’s visits to the restaurants that made the Washingtonian Top 100 list. Warning, eat before you read this fun blog.
Photos below are from a
walk we took this weekend on the eastern edge of Carlyle. The City of Alexandria has done a
nice job with the African American Heritage Park. So often times, we talk about the history in this fine city,
but don’t remember this part.
It is very important than we do.
Some info on some upcoming books on Willie Mays and the
Giants.
Willie's Boys: The 1948 Birmingham Black Barons, The Last Negro League World Series, and the Making of a Baseball Legend by John Klima is due out August 31. Klima has some thoughts at his blog.
On a related note, Rickwood Field, where the Barons and other teams played, and the oldest still-in-use ballpark in the U.S., will be restored. A museum will also be built there that will honor the city’s baseball history, which includes the Negro Leagues and the Southern League.
Willie Mays: The Life, the Legend by James Hirsch.
Much-anticipated authorized biography on Mays. Due out Feb 9 and comes in at a whopping 624 pages!
The First Fall Classic : The Red Sox, the Giants and the Cast of Players, Pugs and Politicos Who Re-Invented the World Series in 1912 by Mike Vaccaro
Amazon shows a release of October 6, 2009.
Also, Brett Friedlander, author of Chasing Moonlight: The True Story of Field of Dreams' Doc Graham will sign copies at Nationals Park this Sunday.
Georgetown. Bethesda. The Penn Quarter. Carlyle.
Carlyle?
Well, no, Carlyle (also known as Eisenhower East) will never be mentioned in the same breathe as those fabulous places, but among Washington’s up and comers, this growing urban neighborhood just west of Old Town Alexandria is a player. Residents there benefit from two Metro stops, a VRE/Amtrak station, multiple bus options, Beltway improvements that already include a convenient slip ramp, employers such as the US Patent and Trademark Office (8,000 employees) and The Motley Fool, a restaurant row, a new farmers market, a Whole Foods and a 22-screen movie theater complex.
All good things, but a new neighborhood needs something bold to herald its arrival. For Carlyle, that could be a four tower, (22 and 19 stories for residential, 15 and 13 for office and 5700 SF ground floor retail), mixed-use project just a few hundred feet from the Beltway and a couple blocks from the Eisenhower Metro station (corner of Eisenhower Avenue and Mill Road). DC Mud has some details, although no groundbreaking date has been set. As they note, the city of Alexandria “lauded the architecture and landscape design.”
Carlyle is not among the set of places Roberta and I frequent, but we do live nearby and are keeping an eye out for what’s new there. In fact, drawn in by rave reviews, we dined at Delia’s last night and were impressed. Her review is at yelp.
Note about photo below: I’m not sure, but I believe the rectangle-shaped building in
between the trees and Carlyle’s existing buildings is the old American Trucking
Association HQ. It will be torn down to make way for the
new towers.
Slaters Lane. It sounds like a pleasant enough place to live, but for many years, this street in the northernmost part of Old Town Alexandria was mostly just a quarter-mile long stretch of pavement that connected hurried motorists to and from Route One and the GW Parkway.
Today the cars still whiz by, but within the last several years, some new mixed development has turned Slaters Lane into more than just a commuter cut through. Housing has sprung up, landscaping improves the appearance, and new businesses include a dog groomer, boutique, spa/beauty salon, Russian Gourmet shop and Tropical Smoothie.
Slaters Lane’s two brightest spots are Buzz (Bakery, Coffee and Lounge) and Rustico (Restaurant and Bar). In a pairing like this, the main player is usually the restaurant, but Buzz is making quite a name for itself. Step inside on a weekday morning and you’ll likely find the place buzzing (sorry, I couldn’t resist) with young professionals busy behind their laptops, pairs chatting, and depending on the hour, children playing. On a recent morning I sipped coffee outside and spoke with a middle-aged man who lived in the area. The noise from the cars and trucks was an annoying distraction, but he said he liked the “nice, open feel” and drew a comparison to Europe’s outdoor cafes.
Strong points for Buzz are their hours, 6 am to midnight seven days a week, and the quality of their menu. They go far beyond the run-of-the-mill, offering illy coffee, martinis, beer, wine, tea, ice cream, baked goods and deserts, cupcakes and cakes, Belgian waffles and daily specials. The staff is well-trained and can handle the lines with grace and ease. They even take good care of their furry customers with a special area outside and doggie biscuits.
Across the street from Buzz is Rustico. I’d like to give them the four star rating I give Buzz, but a handful of visits have convinced me they are worthy of just three (hey, that’s still pretty good). I’ve enjoyed their pizzas, and have had fun choosing from their great selection of beers, but the food has disappointed us on occasion. A new chef is on board but apparently, he’s still tweaking his team. This past Wednesday night, Roberta ordered a steak and the results were very disappointing.
Rustico gets an 80% rating at Urban Spoon and some good reviews elsewhere, so maybe we’ve just been unlucky. They pack ‘em in even on weeknights, so consider making reservations if you go.
Slaters Lane has indeed come a long way. The Potomac Green town homes continue their northward push and the new Monroe Avenue Bridge is fully open.
Now, if the city would just let us turn right on red at Route One…
Note: Both Buzz and Rustico
plan to open up a second location in Arlington next June.
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