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Embassy tours, Jazz in the Garden and other May highlights are back

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Embassy tours, Jazz in the Garden and other May highlights are back


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As any pedant will let you know, Could is just not technically summer season. Nonetheless, for a lot of Washingtonians, it’s the standard starting of the season. After the cherry blossoms and sudden April chilly snaps, however earlier than the crushing humidity arrives, we collect below the celebrities at out of doors motion pictures or groove at after-work live shows and weekend festivals.

After the misplaced summer season of 2020 and the chaotic summer season of 2021, when the easing of coronavirus-related restrictions gave approach to restaurant reopenings and the cautious, fitful return of some occasions, the subsequent few weeks look — dare we even give it some thought? — as if issues are heading towards one thing resembling regular.

The Across the World Embassy Tour and the European Union’s Open Home day are excessive on the checklist of “solely in Washington” occasions. Earlier than the pandemic, dozens of embassies threw open their doorways on consecutive Saturdays to welcome guests for dance and music performances, tastes of conventional dishes, and cultural exchanges similar to style exhibits and artwork exhibitions. About 40,000 individuals visited embassies from India to Cameroon to Argentina in 2018 and 2019, says Steven Shulman, the chief director of Cultural Tourism DC, which organizes the Across the World Embassy Tour, however the variety of taking part nations might be decrease this 12 months.

“Normally, we’ll have 50, perhaps 55 embassies. This 12 months, we’re most likely going to be within the 35-to-40 embassy vary,” Shulman says. A part of that’s as a result of three years between occasions, as Cultural Tourism rebuilds relationships with embassy workers who’ve cycled out and in of Washington, however “candidly, there are embassies which have made the choice that they’re not opening whereas the pandemic continues to be obvious, and we actually perceive that a number of the embassies really feel that approach.” As a substitute, search for extra actions to happen open air, in embassy gardens or on sidewalks.

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The Nationwide Gallery of Artwork’s Jazz within the Backyard live shows have been a D.C. fixture for greater than 20 years, a well-liked Friday night time vacation spot for music lovers in addition to interns and younger professionals who may be extra the setting — spreading out picnic-style amongst works by Louise Bourgeois and Mark di Suvero and gossiping over pitchers of sangria — than listening to the featured band. The collection was canceled in 2020, and 2021 introduced an abbreviated schedule of 4 live shows — three of which had been known as off as a result of climate. However Jazz within the Backyard returns Could 20, with a couple of restrictions, together with restricted capability and advance registration for tickets. The schedule is extra various, with bluegrass and “world psychedelia” within the combine, although jazz stays on the coronary heart of the whole lot, with a July 1 live performance by the Delfeayo Marsalis Sextet one of many highlights.

For those who want proof that Could is bursting on the seams with occasions, simply have a look at the calendar under. Whereas not each favourite has introduced its return — we miss you, Kingman Island Bluegrass Competition — there’s greater than sufficient to remind you why that is the very best month of the 12 months.

On the lookout for extra concepts for issues to do that summer season in D.C.? Ship us your questions.

Nationwide Harbor’s Motion pictures on the Potomac: Heat summer season evenings flip parks and squares into open-air cinemas. Whereas the vast majority of weekly collection get stepping into June and July,a couple of are underway in Could, and be sincere — you’d a lot relatively unfold out a blanket below the celebrities when there’s an opportunity of a chill than on a muggy August night. Nationwide Harbor boasts one of the enticing settings for out of doors movies, with the Capital Wheel and the Potomac River serving as a backdrop for the 18-by-32-foot digital LED display. Nationwide Harbor exhibits household motion pictures on Sundays with “Babe” (Could 8) and “The Lion King” (Could 29) among the many upcoming highlights, whereas Thursdays carry “date night time motion pictures” similar to “Finest in Present” (Could 5) and “Should Love Canines” (Could 26). The alternatives comply with a month-to-month theme: After Could’s animal motion pictures, June highlights journey, and July options meals. Could 1 by Sept. 29. Sundays at 6 p.m. and Thursdays at 7 p.m. nationalharbor.com. Free.

Broccoli Metropolis Competition and Black Change Weekend: Over the past decade, the homegrown Broccoli Metropolis Competition has showcased a number of the largest names in music — suppose Cardi B, Migos, Lil Wayne and Future — whereas additionally retaining a give attention to well being and conscious dwelling. This 12 months’s two-day occasion, again on the grounds of RFK Stadium after a short go to to FedEx Subject in 2019, has Summer season Walker, Ari Lennox and 21 Savage atop the invoice, however it’s about greater than leisure. The accompanying BroccoliCon options applications and panel discussions protecting monetary literacy and learn how to launch a small enterprise, whereas the BC Match Fest brings a 5K run, yoga classes and different wellness actions to Anacostia Park earlier than the pageant begins. Competition: Could 7-8 at 1 p.m. bcfestival.com. $109.50-$499.50. BroccoliCon: Could 5-6. Free-$200. broccolicon.com.

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Flower Mart: The primary Flower Mart at Washington Nationwide Cathedral was held on the Pilgrim Steps in Could 1939. After a two-year pandemic hiatus, the two-day pageant is again, with distributors promoting crops, reduce flowers, plant-related equipment and different merchandise. For individuals who’d relatively have a look at crops than develop them, there’s the Worldwide Floral Show, with designs sponsored by embassies from world wide. 13 participated in 2019; Ukraine is among the many entrants this 12 months. Flower Mart’s enchantment extends past gardeners, although: There’s the Nineties carousel, with music from a brass-piped Wurlitzer; reside music and dance performances; carnival video games; meals distributors; white elephant and ebook tents; and a live performance carried out on the cathedral’s 53-bell carillon. Could 6 from 10 a.m. to six p.m., Could 7 from 10 a.m. to five p.m. allhallowsguild.org. Free; further expenses for carousel and different rides.

Across the World Embassy Tour: Take a look at a map of the embassies that participated within the Across the World Embassy Tour in earlier years and also you’ll perceive why Massachusetts Avenue is named Embassy Row. “Washington is so fortunate that its embassies congregated” alongside and simply off the boulevard, says Cultural Tourism’s Shulman. “The density helps us” by making it simpler for guests to spend a day hopping between tightly clustered buildings, he says. “You’ll be able to’t do that wherever else on the planet.” Whereas Shulman says this 12 months’s programming gained’t be as packed as earlier occasions, “there’s quite a lot of curiosity from nations that haven’t participated on this lately. They’re inquisitive about, in impact, constructing relationships with People,” he says, pointing to nations like Algeria, a first-time participant. Every embassy is totally different, however music, dancing and style shows are frequent. In any case, these nations try to make their greatest impression: If in case you have time tasting rum and studying bachata steps on the Dominican Republic, you may take into consideration heading to the Caribbean island when planning your subsequent trip. Two vital ideas: Be certain that adults have a photograph ID, simply in case, and convey money. Whereas many embassies supply free samples of foods and drinks, some cost for meals or alcohol. Could 7. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. culturaltourismdc.org. Free.

D.C. Funk Parade: The D.C. Funk Parade began as an anything-goes parade and celebration of U Road, with marching bands and conga traces and costumed dancers banging pots and pans. Earlier than and after the parade, there have been performances on out of doors levels and late-night events at neighborhood golf equipment. This 12 months, although, the parade itself is on ice. (Organizers the MusicianShip have already introduced that the occasion is altering its identify to the D.C. Funk Competition in 2023.) The Day Competition on Could 7 options 17 artists, topped by go-go bounce beat trailblazers Essential Situation Band (CCB) and the Naptown Brass Band. The main target is on three “activation areas” with music and dancing alongside the center of U Road: the primary stage on the African American Civil Battle Memorial at Vermont and U, an “R&B/Soul Nook” at Lee’s Flower Store at eleventh and U, and a Neighborhood Tradition Middle on the Reeves Middle at 14th and U. Earlier than the pageant arrives, there’s the release of the parade’s official beer, the Magic of Music blonde ale, at Proper Correct Brewing on April 30 from midday to 4 p.m., and a free tour of U Road murals with historian Briana Thomas on Could 4, with pop-up musical company. Competition: Could 7 from 11 a.m. to five p.m. funkparade.com. Free.

Kinetic Sculpture Race at American Visionary Artwork Museum: Essentially the most mesmerizing race on the East Coast options “human-powered, all-terrain, suave contraptions” rolling by downtown Baltimore, taking a dip within the harbor and slogging by mud and sand in Patterson Park. Greater than two dozen sculptures on wheels competed in 2019, together with an enormous pink poodle, a 35-foot-long crocodile and a hand-pump rail automotive with an enormous tree erupting from its platform. The 15-mile race begins and ends on the American Visionary Artwork Museum, however there are viewpoints all through the town, together with Canton Waterfront Park, the place colorfully dressed spectators watch the sculptures splash not so gracefully into the drink. Could 7. Opening ceremonies start at 9:30 a.m., and the race begins at 10. A tough schedule with viewing ideas is offered on the race’s web site. kineticbaltimore.com. Free.

Union Market Drive-In: Pop-up drive-in theaters grew to become a phenomenon throughout the pandemic, providing a socially distanced various to watching motion pictures in your sofa. Union Market has been providing a modern-day drive-in since 2013, letting clients watch from vehicles in its car parking zone or the patio space exterior the Northeast meals corridor. This 12 months’s collection, held on the second Friday of the month from Could to October, is heavy on classics, similar to “Area Jam” (Could 13) and “Soiled Dancing” (Aug. 12), but additionally options newer household movies, similar to “Encanto” (Sept. 9). There are 175 parking areas out there for every screening; tickets are usually not required for many who carry garden chairs or blankets and sit exterior the market. Month-to-month from Could 13 by Oct. 1. Film instances differ with the sundown. unionmarketdc.com. $20 per automotive; free for pedestrians.

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European Union Open Home: The European Union’s Open Home, which launched in 2007, is the older of the 2 embassy days in D.C. It operates a lot the identical as Across the World, solely with a tighter geographic focus. Every nation performs to its cultural strengths: Croatia gives tastes of its wine and talks up its scenic position in “Recreation of Thrones”; Hungary has a meet-and-greet with vizsla canine; Finland, ranked because the world’s happiest nation, guarantees to point out “the constructing blocks of a contented, abnormal day in Finland” by nature, meals and music. Strains are sometimes longest at France and Germany’s joint celebration, held this 12 months on the German Embassy on Reservoir Street NW, however with the always-popular British Embassy not taking part, it will likely be attention-grabbing to see which nations appeal to probably the most guests. The good cash is on Eire, which is opening the ambassador’s residence for excursions for the primary time, or Sweden, with its rooftop deck on the Georgetown waterfront and displays protecting girls’s financial empowerment and artwork by Indigenous individuals. Could 14. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. euopenhouse.org. Free.

Maryland Craft Beer Competition: The best approach to discover Maryland’s craft beer scene with out placing 1000’s of miles in your automotive, the Maryland Craft Beer Competition brings greater than 60 breweries collectively for a day on the banks of Carroll Creek in downtown Frederick. Whereas massive names like Union, Denizens and Flying Canine are all pouring, the rationale to go is to pattern breweries you don’t see all over the place, similar to Sapwood Cellars and Nepenthe. Past beer, the day options music on a number of levels, a fleet of meals vans and a vendor market. VIP tickets add early entry for 90 minutes of additional consuming time. Could 14. Midday to five p.m. mdcraftbeerfestival.com. $45-$65; $15 designated drivers; children 12 and below enter free.

Jazz within the Backyard: The excellent news is that the Nationwide Gallery of Artwork’s Jazz within the Backyard live performance collection is again for a 10-week run. There are some things to bear in mind: Everybody has to have a free ticket, which will be reserved on the gallery’s web site at midday one week earlier than the scheduled occasion. (For instance, if you wish to see jazz violinist Nataly Merezhuk on opening night time, you need to get on-line earlier than midday on Could 13.) As much as 5,000 tickets might be out there, which is half the dimensions of the common crowd in pre-pandemic days. Organizers anticipate the group to fluctuate all through the night as individuals come and go, so it shouldn’t really feel as crowded as in earlier years — however when you have a favourite spot within the grass close to Roy Lichtenstein’s “Home I” or across the fountain, you continue to may need to arrive early. Lastly, whereas the identify says “Jazz within the Backyard,” the schedule consists of sounds as various as Hawaiian ukulele virtuoso Daniel Ho (June 10) and bluegrass band Sideline (July 22). That’s one thing else to debate over a pitcher of sangria. Could 20 to July 22. Fridays from 5 to eight:30 p.m. nga.gov. Free.

Fiesta Asia Road Honest: The Asia Heritage Basis’s avenue pageant, working since 2006, boasts that it has greater than 1,000 contributors representing 20 cultures — “actually an amalgamation of the various Asian cultures and heritage,” as the web site says. Current years have included Indian and Nepalese dance troupes, Indonesian and Chinese language musicians, Thai martial arts demonstrations, Korean barbecue meals vans, parades of cultural organizations, hands-on crafting for kids and a market in the midst of Pennsylvania Avenue NW, just some blocks west of the Capitol. Could 21. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. fiestaasia.org. Free.

Bourbon and Bluegrass at President Lincoln’s Cottage: Abraham Lincoln’s summer season escape was a modest home on the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement House. Spend a day there, with a picnic blanket unfold on the grass, listening to bluegrass and folks music and sipping a whiskey cocktail or two, and it’s straightforward to know why he so cherished the place. The annual fundraiser for Lincoln’s Cottage is as soon as once more in individual after final 12 months’s digital live performance with Dom Flemons. It has returned to the pre-pandemic format, with three artists performing per day — Driftwood headlines each Saturday and Sunday — in addition to bourbon and beer tastings, guided excursions, garden video games and, appropriately for an occasion celebrating Lincoln, a beard grooming station. Meals from Timber Pizza, Rocklands Barbecue and Goodies Frozen Custard is offered for buy. Could 21-22. 1 to five p.m. each days. lincolncottage.org. $35-$80; free for kids ages 6 and youthful.

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Washington, D.C

It was 90 in D.C. on Saturday, but it was also a great day.

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It was 90 in D.C. on Saturday, but it was also a great day.


It was 90 degrees in the District on Saturday once again, but it demonstrated how delightful even a 90-degree day can be when the sweet summer air is totally lacking in humidity.

Saturday was also notable for the coolness of the morning, when the mercury in D.C. descended to a pleasant and comfortable level that had not been encountered here in weeks.

A few minutes before sunrise, the thermometer proclaimed that the temperature in Washington was only 68 degrees. It was a July milestone of minimalism.

Even in the strictly numerical sense, that 68 proclaimed a definite victory over the steamy forces of summer.

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Although it may have occurred too suddenly to organize a celebration, that 68-degree reading marked the first time in a substantial period of punishing heat that Washington had been cooler than 70 degrees.

On July 2 the low was 66 degrees. Since then the low temperature each day had been in the 70s. That is, when it was not in the 80s.

One of the best techniques for summertime survival in an often-steamy city like Washington is to enjoy the consolations of cool shelter at night. But high nighttime temperatures frustrate that effort.

Thus, Saturday’s morning low of 68 degrees seemed enough in itself to make the day worth welcoming. That reading is the average low temperature in D.C. in the middle of June, a month with a far better meteorological reputation than July.

Among the other delights, large and small, offered by Saturday was the sight of the moon during morning daylight. Waning, but still more than half full, it rode high in the west, an almost ghostly apparition in a blue sky.

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Around 9:30 a.m., it seemed to be an isolated presence, unaccompanied by any cloud in an expanse of sky that showed the barest hint of summertime haze.

The temperature was in the low 80s. A dew point on the border between the 50s and 60s confirmed a suspicion that humidity had temporarily abandoned the Washington area.

It suggested the start of long sunny hours of summertime pleasure, of a kind of day that seemed to represent late July at its atmospheric pinnacle.

It seemed benevolent and beguiling, filled with luxuriant but benign warmth. Clouds eventually gathered, but they drifted in a lazy, almost dreamlike way.

Saturday seemed to be close to the peak of July enjoyment, and almost everything about it combined to dismiss even the possibility that summer could ever be fearsome or disagreeable.

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For some District ANC commissioners, a difficult decision to run again

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For some District ANC commissioners, a difficult decision to run again


At a recent meeting of the Chevy Chase Advisory Neighborhood Commission, the body of elected officials was set to vote on how to oppose the planned use of synthetic turf on a new athletic field.

By the time it ended, the meeting devolved into shouting, interruptions and even profanity. Commissioners repeatedly implored attendees, and one another, not to interrupt. Lisa Gore, chair of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3/4G, voiced her disappointment with an email that had circulated in the community, accusing her of abusing her power and “shutting off the mic on anyone she does not want to hear.”

Gore is among the hundreds of Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners (often shortened to “ANC”) across the District. The unpaid role is one of the most important yet accessible positions in local politics, requiring just 25 signatures to make the November ballot. But data from the D.C. Board of Elections shows that as of Friday, 117 out of 345 commissioner seats did not yet have a single interested candidate.

Kent Boese, director of D.C.’s Office of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission, which provides oversight and technical assistance to all ANCs, said in an interview that this number should not be a cause for alarm. Some incumbent commissioners may be waiting until closer to the Aug. 7 deadline to pick up petitions and turn in signatures, which can be done in a day, he said. Those who aren’t on the formal ballot can also launch a write-in campaign during the general election, as dozens of ANC candidates did two years ago.

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But Boese said a “much bigger concern” is a recent spate of commissioner turnover, which erodes the transfer of institutional knowledge. Sixty-three percent of commissioners who won election in 2022 were new to the job, he said — a likely sign of fatigue among incumbents.

In interviews, veteran commissioners said that it wasn’t an easy decision to run again for a position that has sometimes made them a target for angry neighbors. Others, describing the role as fulfilling yet thankless, say it can be difficult to perform well as an ANC while also juggling day jobs and familial obligations — renewing discussions about whether District lawmakers should consider more incentives, like a stipend, to fuel interest and more competitive races. A D.C. Council bill that could change that got a hearing last year.

Gore, who has twice run unsuccessfully for D.C. Council, said she hesitated before deciding to pick up paperwork this month to run for a third two-year term as an ANC, pointing largely to balancing the job with family commitments.

“Some community members are like, ‘Why put yourself through it?’ But at my core, I’m a public servant,” Gore said. “It seems like there’s more hesitancy than in the past. This is the first time we’ve had to scramble to ensure people are comfortable taking the seat.”

‘Why did I do this?’

Legal analyst Michael Zeldin, another two-term commissioner in ANC 3/4G, is done with it.

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Zeldin, 73, said he found the job largely rewarding, but noted the role has also kept him busy for an average of 20 hours per week on issues that residents care about deeply, from the long-stalled Connecticut Avenue bike lane project to addressing “potholes the size of New Jersey.”

“There are moments where you think, ‘Why was I so unlucky to have won?’” Zeldin said. “When things affect people, sometimes those frustrations come to you in a very difficult way. And when I hear about other commissioners who are leaving because of that, I can say, ‘I get it.’”

City code instructs many D.C. government agencies to give “great weight” to recommendations and concerns raised by the city’s 46 Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, which represent about 2,000 residents and may contain anywhere from two to 10 commissioners depending on population density.

The commissions are tasked with keeping up regular public meetings, managing modest budgets, and frequently draft resolutions to indicate support of or opposition to local zoning decisions, liquor license renewals and more. But these elected officials are also often the eyes, ears and voices of their neighborhoods. And for some, the role is a first foray into local politics; some of the city’s most prominent leaders got their start as a commissioner, including Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D).

Tricia Duncan, who chairs the seven-person commission that represents Ward 3 neighborhoods including Foxhall, Kent and the Palisades, said she’s at times been treated harshly by neighbors during her tenure, particularly as the commission facilitated conversations on contentious proposals involving a marijuana dispensary and new school building. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to run again, if I’m being honest,” said Duncan, a well-known community advocate who ran unsuccessfully for the Ward 3 Council seat two years ago.

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“Seventy percent of the things that people say to me are wonderful. They thank me for keeping an eye on the neighborhood, updating the listserv, and that’s what keeps me in this,” Duncan added. “But I also get shouted down when I go to my farmers market … I’ve had people scream at me that I should be ashamed.”

Former Ward 4 commissioner Zach Israel declined to run for a second term in 2022 after the birth of his second child, believing he wouldn’t be able to balance the role while caring for his growing family. But while some parts of the job were frustrating, Israel said he found even the tedious bits to be rewarding.

While no longer an elected commissioner, Israel still uses his social media to break news to residents and keep tabs on ANC vacancies, reminding anyone who will listen to pick up a petition. He is a proponent of legislation introduced by council member Christina Henderson (I-At Large) and backed by a majority of lawmakers that would stand up a task force to make recommendations on compensation for D.C.’s many elected officials, boards and commissions.

The legislation notes that there are nearly two dozen city boards and commissions whose members receive pay for their work.

“A lot is asked of ANC commissioners, and the mayor and ward-level council members often refer their constituents to their ANC,” Israel said. “There needs to be some level of monetary compensation for people engaged in these public services.”

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‘Exhausting, to be frank’

Boese, the head of D.C.’s Office of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission who served as an ANC for 12 years, said that while he is confident that more residents will pick up petitions to access the ballot in the next couple weeks, he remains focused on how best to support the city’s high number of rookie commissioners.

“The other thing that played a big role in turnover last term, it was not easy to serve during the pandemic — it was exhausting, to be frank,” he said. “And for those who chose to continue, there may be a lingering effect as well.”

Many commissioners don’t find their stride until the closing months of their first term, Boese said. To support the newbies, Boese’s office offers a boot camp and trainings throughout the year. And after early challenges during the pandemic, virtual and hybrid meetings are a mainstay. His office is now better equipped to provide technical support.

Until the council takes up the issue of pay, Boese’s office is also pushing for ways to make notoriously complex commissioner roles, like treasurer, more accessible to residents. Until recently, he said as an example, ANCs could only make payments through checks and debit cards; but a change to the law his office pushed for creates more flexibility for electronic payments.

“We need checks and balances still, but we need paths for guidance so commissions aren’t hamstrung trying to do the basics,” Boese said. “It’s not sexy stuff, but sometimes the problem is in the details.”

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Across the Anacostia River, the Rev. Wendy Hamilton, chair of ANC 8D, hopes more of her neighbors will show interest in joining her. Her ANC has two vacancies, and while some incumbents have shown interest in returning, none except Hamilton have picked up a petition to run.

She expects the seats will be filled — but recently spoke to one incumbent co-commissioner who made it clear they didn’t have the energy for a second term.

“They told me, ‘People don’t understand that we don’t get paid to do this,’” Hamilton said. “And they’re right. We don’t get paid, not only for the work we endeavor to take on, but even for some of the not-so-friendly, borderline abusive behaviors that we get subjected to.”

Whenever she does have negative encounter with a resident, Hamiltonwho has run unsuccessfully to become D.C.’s nonvoting delegate to Congress said she draws upon her background in ministry.

“I try to just let people be heard,” Hamilton said. “A lot of times, they just want to be validated.”

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‘A slap in the face’: Two competing airlines challenge San Antonio’s bid for direct flight to Washington, DC

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‘A slap in the face’: Two competing airlines challenge San Antonio’s bid for direct flight to Washington, DC


SAN ANTONIO – The fight for a direct flight from San Antonio to Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. has intensified.

Several airlines, including American Airlines, are trying to secure one of five nonstop routes.

San Antonio leaders have pushed to secure a spot for years.

“We’re still having conversations,” said Rep. Chip Roy, a Republican congressman representing Texas’ 21st Congressional District. Roy is part of a group of bipartisan lawmakers making the push.

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Leaders, including Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce president Jeff Webster, have been making yearly trips to the nation’s capital to gain support.

“For 25, 30 years, this has been a priority for us,” Webster said. “We’ve worked extremely hard. Not because it’s just a dream, but because we need it.”

Webster said securing this flight to Reagan would not only help with tourism but also business and the military community.

“We are the seventh largest city,” Webster said. “One of the largest insurers of military staff and personnel is USAA, headquartered right here in San Antonio. You better believe we deserve that flight.”

American Airlines isn’t the only airport fighting for a spot.

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United Airlines is trying to land a flight to either San Francisco or Los Angeles.

In comments filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation, United Airlines said San Antonio is a smaller metropolitan area than others trying to get a nonstop flight to Washington.

“Yeah, it’s absolutely absurd,” Roy said. “It’s a slap in the face, and it’s even worse to try to diminish the size and the importance of San Antonio as United is done by saying, ‘Oh, it’s just a small city, really.’ Why don’t you come down and explain that to the people of the seventh-largest city?”

JetBlue Airlines, which is also pining for a flight from D.C. to Puerto Rico, said in its comments that “people in San Antonio can drive to Austin for the existing non-stop service to DCA.”

“What Austin is not is Military City, USA,” Webster said. “What Austin is not is the largest Hispanic community in Texas that oftentimes needs to travel for a variety of reasons.”

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