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Morewith Qorvis' Partner Stan Collender
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By Page Zakas
Washington D.C. is home to many attractions from museums to restaurants to shopping. While many areas of Washington D.C. offer a wide variety of brand name stores, one market stands out as a spot for unique finds. The Eastern Market, located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood offers a range of goods including jewelry, produce, art, and more.
The Eastern Market opened in 1873, and it was the first city-owned public market system. Initially, the Eastern Market opened to draw new residents to the city as well as set Washington on the path toward urbanization.
While the Eastern Market is thriving today, it has not been without its share of obstacles. At one point, the Eastern Market was forced to close its doors because of competition from surrounding grocery stores, but the residents of the neighborhood came together and rallied for the re-opening of the Eastern Market. In addition to the closing of the Eastern Market, a fire occurred on April 30th, 2007 early in the morning. The fire destroyed the South Hall building, but the Eastern Market never fully closed. By 2009, renovations to the Eastern Market were completed.
During the week, the market hosts many vendors selling fresh produce, bakery items, meats etc. Every weekend, the Weekend Outdoor Market opens and local artists gather to sell jewelry, antiques, art, and handcrafted goods. The Eastern Market has a unique set of offerings that cannot be found at the average mall. Do not miss all that the Eastern Market has to offer.
By Page Zakas
Oktoberfest originated in Munich, Germany in 1810. When Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen, the people of Munich gathered for five days of celebrations. In 1811, a horse race was added to conclude the festival, which continued through 1938. In addition to the horse race, the festival included an agricultural fair in 1811, and in 1818, beer pubs were also added.
Oktoberfest lasts about two weeks, and in recent years, has moved from October to September because of the milder temperatures. Oktoberfest has a wide variety of attractions for tourists and locals alike. At Oktoberfest, an attendee can expect fairs, food, beers from local beer halls, carnival rides, and music. Now, many German festivals similar to Oktoberfest take place all over the world including Canada, Argentina, Chile, and the United States.
Washington D.C. hosts its own Oktoberfest celebrations yearly, and this past Saturday, September 22nd kicked off the start of Oktoberfest. H Street and National Harbor are both known for their Oktoberfest revelry where German culture is celebrated. From food to music to dancing, D.C. offers many of the attractions similar to the original Oktoberfest.
The Biergarten Haus, a Bavarian pub, serves 12 German drafts as well as 11 drafts for Oktoberfest as well as food and music. Other areas of D.C. hosts their own Oktoberfests including the Frederick Oktoberfest, Fort Belvoir Oktoberfest, Oktoberfest Reston, Oktoberfest at Capitol City Brewing Company and many others. Check out this site to see all the Oktoberfest opportunities around the area.
By Page Zakas
On Thursday, September 20, 2012, the Washington Nationals secured a berth to the playoffs for the first time in 79 years. They won 4-1 over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
They have not clinched the National League East title yet, but they have ensured at least a wild card spot. Being a wild card means they would compete in a play-in game before the first official round of the playoffs.
The Washington Nationals have been in first place of the National League East division for much of the season. Currently, the Washington Nationals have a record of 91-58, and they are 5 and ½ games ahead of the 2nd place team, the Atlanta Braves. Other teams have attempted to dethrone the Nationals, but to no avail. The Braves are currently in second place of the National League East, and the team even made a solid attempt during a series in July when the Braves came back from an 11-1 lead by the Nationals to win the game. The Braves were then only 2 and ½ games behind the Nationals.
Certainly, the team celebrated after the win over the L.A. Dodgers, but they understand that their job is not finished yet. With 13 games left in the season, the Nationals want to win the National League East so they secure a spot in the playoffs without a play-in game. First basemen, Adam LaRoche says, “This is no doubt a big day for this organization and this city. Not to downplay the day at all, but guys aren’t satisfied at all. We don’t look at this like mission accomplished.”
While they are proud of what they have accomplished thus far, the Nationals want to win first place in the National League East. They are also currently competing for the best record in Major League Baseball. The win last night put them half of a game ahead of the Cincinnati Reds. The season is far from over, and the Washington Nationals have some tough games ahead of them. This weekend, the Nationals will continue fighting for the division title and the overall winning record in MLB. They will be playing a series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday through Monday. Be sure to get your tickets to watch this dominating team!
Focus Washington and John Reid take a look at the 2012 design of the White House Christmas Ornament.
By Page Zakas
Are you looking for an exciting way to spend your Saturday? This Saturday, September 15th, marks the return of the H Street Festival. The neighborhood festival is filled with food, drinks, and performances. In addition to the usual street fare, one of the designers from DC Fashion Week will hold a fashion show as a preview for Fashion Week, which officially begins Monday, September 17.
The celebration begins noon at the Biergarten Haus with traditional German food and beverages as well as a German band. If German music is not your cup of tea, DJs Sam “The Man” Burns, Jon H, and Frank will all be spinning electronic music in the 1100 block. If you are planning on staying late into the evening, do not miss the Rock and Roll Hotel, which will offer three floors of dancing for free!
Of course eating is an important part of any street festival, and H Street Festival has a wide variety of choices. Whether you want to try restaurants that are opening soon such as Impala Cantina y Taqueria, or participate in an eating contest, H Street has the options. Popular hoagie shop, Taylor Gourmet, will host an eating contest. Contestants will have to see how many hoagies they can eat in 15 minutes! If you are interested in entering send and email to dr@taylorgourmet.com.
The H Street Festival is an event that should not be missed. There is something for everyone at the festival from foodies to art connoisseurs. Let us know what you think of the Festival!
By Page Zakas
Washington D.C. may be known for traffic, slow progress, and even a corrupt government, but D.C. the results of a study conducted by The Kauffman Foundation may surprise you. D.C. is not known as an area that promotes business growth due to taxes and certain restrictions, yet the Kauffman Foundation recently released a report stating that the Washington D.C. area has the most fast-growing firms.
The Kauffman Foundation gathered data from 1982 to 2011 to determine which areas of the United States have experienced considerable growth measured by the number of fast-growing businesses. While areas such as the Silicon Valley and the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy region are known for fast-growing companies, the Washington D.C. area beat both with a total of 385 firms making the Inc. 500 lists in the 2000s. The Inc. 500 measures the fastest growing private companies by collecting each the percentage of revenue growth over the past 4 years and giving companies rankings based on the data.
Many of the firms that made the list provide materials or services to the federal government. Dane Stangler of the Kauffman Foundation says, “Despite all the talk about downsizing and shrinking, the fact is the government expanded under Bush, then again under Clinton, then again under Bush, and now again under Obama, and that creates more opportunities for companies in and around Washington.” In addition to government services, the area is also known for life-sciences and bio-med firms.
Every four years, Republicans and Democrats hold political conventions to nominate candidates for president and vice president. In recent years, the reporters and pundits who cover the conventions are quick to argue that the party gatherings are irrelevant. But are they?
With the exception of one hour at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, the television networks all but ignored the recent conventions this year. Though television coverage was limited, each network—well aware that viewership is much greater than the media executives would like to admit—sent a bevy of reporters, television crews, and the usual talking heads to each convention. Committing only one hour was more about not taking too much time away from lucrative prime time advertising.
There were pundits who lamented how unfortunate it was for the Democrats that President Clinton’s speech Wednesday night coincided with the N.F.L. season opener. The football game had some impact on the viewers, but according to the Nielson ratings, more people tuned in to watch the former president’s speech than tuned in to watch the New York Giants-Dallas Cowboys game.
To a lesser extent, Ann Romney, the wife of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, also attracted a large audience at the Republican Nominating Convention. Michelle Obama attracted 26.2 million, while Ann Romney drew 22.3 million viewers. Those numbers are not bad by any Nielson standards.
It is true that the historic combativeness of past political conventions with floor fights, favorite son candidates, brass bands hoopla, and the backroom wheeling and dealing are gone forever. They were great fun and the few television channels before cable devoted the entire day to the sometimes crazy and always colorful events taking place in the convention halls. The circus had come to town and it was irresistible. It was democracy in the rawest, best form.
The “political reforms” that took the nominating process out of the smoked filled rooms, did take the excitement out of conventions where something was actually accomplished and argued over: the party platform and the candidates who would be assigned to represent the respective parties. No one was ever certain who would win the roll call of the states, and there were conventions that went on for days with exhausting vote after vote before a candidate was selected.
There was not much real business at the recent conventions: the two parties confirmed who the party standard bearers would be (big surprise there) and platform planks were generally hammered into place before being offered pro forma to the delegates.
While there might not have been a lot of decision making, these two recent conventions were important and represent a significant part of the democratic process. If nothing else, the conventions expose the vast electorate to the differences in the two parties; this election year there are clear differences. These conventions also introduced the voters to the political stars and future stars many voters had never seen or often never heard of. A not widely known President Obama, for example, first was noticed when he gave the Keynote Address in 2004 and it was quickly seen that he had a great political future. Years earlier, a similar thing happened to then Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton.
If you hadn’t watched the Republican and Democratic conventions, you would have missed the remarkable speech of First Lady Michelle Obama and the effective address of Ann Romney. Both women set out to humanize their husbands and both succeeded. The view came away with a better understanding of the two men.
The Republicans had the opportunity to introduce their vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, who wasn’t widely known, and the Democrats fielded a number of young candidates with a future. What was obvious at both conventions was that the party faithful—and the conventions exist for the party faithful—left excited and energized. Parties need to have that strengthening of support for the chosen candidate so they can get out the vote.
Although it is argued that most people have known who they plan to vote for in November, the conventions still introduce new people to the political process. There may have been a 15-year-old boy or girl watching for the first time who became inspired to get involved in the political process and might run for office one day.
Presidential nominating conventions may not be as exciting as they once were, but they are still significant and relevant.
From concerts to festivals, Washington D.C. is filled with exciting things to do on the weekends. This weekend you can have your pick between the figure skating show, Ice Champions LIVE!; the grand opening of the Union Market; the Black Cats 19th Anniversary; and many others. With so many options, making a decision is no easy feat. Washington D.C. is hosting one event that you do not want to miss, the DC Shorts Film Festival.
The DC Shorts Film Festival is the largest film festival in the country with a screening of over 140 short films. This weekend (September 6th-8th), the films will be screened then followed by a question and answer sessions with the producers. In case you missed the screenings this weekend, the films will be rescreened throughout the week. To conclude the festival, the “Best of DC Shorts” will be screened next weekend (September 15th and 16th).
Different events are held throughout the week, which includes multiple parties such as the City View Party at Carroll Square and the Grand Bash at the U.S. Navy Memorial. The week closes with the Closing Party at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. All the party tickets include an open bar and appetizers, but make sure to buy your tickets here before they sell out!
This year, the DC Shorts Festival is branching out by partnering with Whole Foods and The Coterie to properly showcase food-themed films. Certain films will be paired with a chef who will prepare small plates for the members of the audience. The film Tastes Like Chicken will be paired with chef Jacob Hunter from Matchbox, a restaurant located in D.C. He will be serving a dish inspired by the movie, cornbread with organic honey and homemade whipped butter. He believes that it is a dish that chickens would want to eat.
Enjoy your weekend, and make sure that you check out the DC Shorts Film Festival!
Two years ago, construction began on the Lincoln Memorial reflection pool. Obama put $34 million toward restoring this national landmark as part of the economic stimulus package. This endeavor turned out to be one of the largest projects ever occurring on the National Mall.
The Lincoln Memorial is an important location for our Nation’s history. Many influential leaders have given speeches at the Lincoln Memorial including Martin Luther King Jr’s famous, “I Have a Dream” speech. Many political rallies and celebrations have also taken place at the Lincoln Memorial.
Originally, the water in the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool did not circulate causing leakage. Now, engineers have redesigned the pool to include a circulation and filtration system. The water, which initially came from D.C.’s drinking water source, will now come directly from the Tidal Basin. By not using a natural source for the water, they will save over 20 million gallons of drinking water. The pool is also lined with pathways improving accessibility for the many tourists that visit the site each year.
The Lincoln Memorial stands as a symbol for our nation. It is a culmination of history, hard work, and democracy. The rededication of the Lincoln Memorial will be held on September 29th.
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