For the vacationing Portlander, Washington DC won’t instantly stand out as a vacation spot, regardless of its direct flight standing from Portland Worldwide Airport, courtesy of each United and Alaska Airways.
As a substitute of seashores, there are bureaucrats. As a substitute of assured solar or mountain snow, there may be the East Coast’s particular model of humidity or frigidity, relying upon the time of 12 months.
And but, particularly for the various Portlanders of a specific political persuasion who might have averted the nation’s capital from 2016-2020 given the then-occupant of the White Home, there are many causes to hop a a flight, together with new museums and refurbishments of outdated favorites, one of the best Ethiopian meals this facet of Addis Ababa, and administrative and legislative branches which are extra politically in tune with many a die-hard Oregon liberal. (Act quick although—the voters is stressed, and who is aware of what the November midterms would possibly convey?).
Each customer to DC winds up on the Nationwide Mall sooner or later, particularly on condition that the Washington monument is seen from nearly each vantage level on the town. Hire an electrical bicycle from Limitless Biking (998 Maine Avenue SW) or go old-school with one from the Capital Bikeshare system, with docking stations throughout city, to achieve all of the monuments in a well timed style.
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Sure, the enormous World Warfare II Memorial spearheaded by the late U.S. Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kansas) is as jingoistic as you’ve heard, however the accordion-like unfolding of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial is quietly efficient, and even in spite of everything these years, Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial stays a masterpiece. DC residents advise returning to the mall at night time, when the memorials are lit up.
The Smithsonian’s arsenal of museums fan out from the mall and want some culling relying in your pursuits. Reserve timed admissions tickets for the fantastic Museum of African American Historical past and Tradition (1400 Structure Ave., NW), housed in a constructing based mostly on the crowns worn by the Yoruba folks of West Africa, a significant hub of the slave-trading financial system. Professional tip: Seize the earliest potential admission time you will get, to reduce time ready on inner strains to see the flagship historic reveals.
If any children in your celebration are upset that the Nationwide Air and Area Museum is closed for badly wanted renovations, head slightly off the crushed observe to the brand-new, all-things-language Planet Phrase museum (925 13th Road NW), housed in a historic former schoolhouse. It’s a way more interactive and immersive museum expertise than any of the Smithsonian choices, whereas sneakily educating a good bit about etymology, fact in promoting and even the cadence of a profitable joke.
For an solely in DC expertise, e book an early morning non-public tour on the Nationwide Archives (701 Structure Avenue NW)—it’ll be simply you, a number of others, an informative information and a few safety guards, standing over originals of the US Structure and the Declaration of Independence within the hushed rotunda. One other can’t miss: The Nationwide Museum of American Historical past, (1300 Structure Avenue NW) which is chock-a-block with Americana, from a rebuild of Julia Baby’s iconic Cambridge kitchen to the assertion inauguration clothes worn by almost ever first woman to a meticulous re-enactment of NE Sandy Boulevard c, 1950, as a part of an exhibit on automobile tradition and transportation in America.
Public excursions ofthe White Home (1400 Pennsylvania Avenue NW) are beginning again up once more on April 15 after an extended pandemic hiatus. (However don’t simply present up—prepare your admission upfront through your native Congressional representatives.) The Capitol and the US Supreme Courtroom are nonetheless closed to guests, so as an alternative, bask in some retail remedy over in Georgetown which has an absolute plethora of preppy temples for the looking, from J. McLaughlin (3278 M Road NW) to Winery Vines (1225 Wisconsin Avenue NW).
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Don’t miss DC’s most interesting impartial bookstore, Politics and Prose (5015 Connecticut Avenue NW) both (examine their occasion listings beforehand—this can be a de rigeur cease for high-profile politicians with marketing campaign manifestos to flog). Or, pop into the unique department of the Capital’s most beloved deli, Name Your Mom, (3428 O Road NW) for shiny bagel sandwiches. If you happen to’re actually hungry, take the blue line from Foggy Backside and switch to the purple line at Metro Heart, then get off on the Florida Avenue cease and make your option to Union Market, (1309 5th Road NW) DC’s indoor reply to our meals cart pods, with branches of a number of the metropolis’s finest eating places—our vote goes to the roasted vegetable/yellow lentil dosa with cilantro-sesame dipping sauce from DC Dosa.
Must you be unable to get an influence lunch desk at Le Diplomate —and belief us, except you might be President Obama, you’ll most likely not be getting that reservation—good faster lunch choices across the downtown core embody Teaism’s (400 8th Road NW, amongst different areas) a lot better-than-they should be bento packing containers and steaming bowls of udon noodles and Prime Chef contestant Spike Mendelsohn’s grab-a-slice joint on Capitol Hill, We, The Pizza (305 Pennsylvania Avenue SE).
At dinner, don’t miss the Michelin-starred Chercher (1334 9th Road NW), an Ethiopian restaurant within the hopping Shaw neighborhood—the vegan particular, a steal at $14.99, comes with nearly every little thing that may be scooped up by injera bread, together with cut up peas cooked with ginger and garlic, simmered and chopped collard greens, and lentils in home particular berbere sauce. (Carnivores might desire the meat ideas, cooked with onions, garlic, jalapeño, and patent-pending “unique spices.”)
As for the place to remain, choices are thick on the bottom. You possibly can go opulent on the White Home adjoining Intercontinental, however our decide is the freshly opened Resort Zena off Logan Circle (1155 14th Road NW), a temple to femininity that features a pointillist impressed mural of RBG comprised of tampons, plus wellness courses and potent cocktails on the cheekily named Figleaf, the in-house restaurant.
American Airlines and the union which represents tens of thousands of flight attendants at the carrier have been summoned to a rare Saturday meeting of the National Mediation Board (NMB) in Washington DC as a decision looms over whether flight attendants will be allowed to go on strike.
The NMB is an independent federal agency which oversees labor relations in the railway and aviation sectors. The NMB’s three-person board of members selected by the President gets the ultimate say over whether transport workers are allowed to go on strike.
Despite the overwhelming majority of flight attendants at American Airlines voting to back strike action back in August 2023, the NMB has so far blocked the union’s request to take ‘self-help’ action and has been pushing the two sides to reach a compromise deal in protracted contract talks.
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Those negotiations entered a new make-or-break phase several weeks ago, but despite intensive bargaining sessions, which even involved Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su meeting flight attendants, the talks ended in failure.
Since then, the NMB has been mulling whether to finally allow American Airlines flight attendants to go on strike.
That decision may be announced after the agency summoned representatives from American Airlines and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) to the NMB’s headquarters in Washington DC, on June 29.
“After weeks of intensive mediation broke off last week, your APFA Negotiating Team has continued to aggressively press our case that American Airlines Flight Attendants need a contract that addresses our concerns,” the union said in a statement.
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“The time is long overdue for American Airlines management to resolve these negotiations and agree to the contract we deserve.”
If the NMB does approve the union’s request to take self-help action, the agency will declare an impasse in negotiations and release the two sides into a 30-day cooling-off period, after which flight attendants would be allowed to go on strike.
The flight attendant union has already indicated that it wouldn’t call an all out strike but instead adopt the so-called CHAOS system which was pioneered by sister union, the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA).
CHAOS, which stands for ‘Create Havoc Around Our System’, involves calling out flight attendants from seemingly random flights at the last minute. The tactic means that the airline wouldn’t have enough time to restaff affected flights while passengers would have no idea if their flight were about to be hit by a walkout.
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Of course, the tone of the union’s Friday afternoon memo also suggests that the two sides may be nearing a compromise deal and strike action could be averted.
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Mateusz Maszczynski
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Mateusz Maszczynski honed his skills as an international flight attendant at the most prominent airline in the Middle East and has been flying throughout the COVID-19 pandemic for a well-known European airline. Matt is passionate about the aviation industry and has become an expert in passenger experience and human-centric stories. Always keeping an ear close to the ground, Matt’s industry insights, analysis and news coverage is frequently relied upon by some of the biggest names in journalism.
Looking for a show in the sky to celebrate America’s birthday? Here are some of the best D.C.-area spots to see fireworks in the next week.
The West Lawn of the Capitol opens at 3 p.m. for the audience of the free A Capitol Fourth concert, hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro, which begins at 8. Performers include Smokey Robinson, Fantasia, Darren Criss, Fitz and Noelle of Fitz and the Tantrums, Sheila E., the National Symphony Orchestra and various military bands. The fireworks display begins at 9:09 p.m., and the concert is timed so the NSO performs Tchaikovsky’s “1812” Overture while the fireworks are booming over the Washington Monument. Visitors will be required to go through security screenings to enter the Capitol grounds or public viewing areas on the Mall west of 14th Street. (There’s a map of closures, first aid stations, restrooms and other important landmarks on the National Mall website, nps.gov/nama.) If the crowds or the lines are too much, there’s usually more room to spread your picnic blanket closer to the Smithsonian Castle.
Mount Vernon’s An American Celebration gets underway at 9:30 a.m. with a reading of the Declaration of Independence and features an 18th-century magic show, Revolutionary War music and Army encampments, talks with reenactors, and, to the delight of all ages, daytime fireworks that create billowing puffs of colorful smoke over the Potomac River at 1 p.m. Admission is $26 for adults, $13 for kids, and free for children age 5 and younger.
Fireworks beyond the Fourth
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Love shimmering pyrotechnic displays but can’t swing it on July Fourth? Fear not: The fun isn’t limited to Thursday night. Here are more events taking place throughout the week leading up to the holiday.
Saturday: Fireworks, Food and Family Fun at Lake Fairfax
Fairfax County’s annual celebration kicks off at noon June 29 with live music and food trucks, while fireworks begin at 9:15 p.m. Tickets are $15 per car in advance, which does not include admission to the Water Mine Family Swimmin’ Hole; those tickets are sold separately.
Tuesday: Vienna’s Independence Day Celebration
The town of Vienna’s annual party fills George C. Yeonas Park with a mix of live music — Latin American from Cantaré, pop and funk from Thunderball — as well as family activities, food trucks and picnicking on baseball fields. The event runs from 6 to 10 p.m., with fireworks beginning around 9:30. Free parking is available off-site.
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Wednesday: Baseball and fireworks
Fireworks illuminate baseball diamonds across the region on Independence Day Eve. The Nationals, who won’t have fireworks after their July 4 day game, will launch “Freedom Fireworks” after the last out of their 6:45 p.m. game against the Mets on July 3. The Bowie Baysox, who regularly host fireworks after weekend games at Prince George’s Stadium, promise their biggest show of the year after the Orioles’ AA affiliate’s 6:35 p.m. game against the Richmond Flying Squirrels. The single-A Fredericksburg Nationals, home of the regular “Fireworks Friday” promotions, host a “patriotic edition” of the popular event following a 6:05 p.m. game against the Delmarva Shorebirds.
This French Colonial-style house at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac in D.C.’s Massachusetts Avenue Heights neighborhood is somewhat deceiving. Its out-of-the-way location, two miles from downtown Washington, helps camouflage the role it has played as a gathering spot for high-powered business, political and sports leaders.
Seclusion is part what attracted owners Michelle Fields and Jamie Weinstein to this white, painted-brick house, built in 1966, as the venue for their much-discussed (in some circles) off-the-record dinner parties.
Weinstein, a journalist and political commentator, runs the flagship podcast for conservative digital media company the Dispatch. He began hosting soirees at his Ritz-Carlton Georgetown corner unit in 2012, pairing young reporters with their sources — and subjects — for evenings of privileged discussion. Since 2020, the parties have been held at 3115 Normanstone Terr. NW, now on the market for $3.29 million.
The get-togethers, Weinstein said, sometimes last four or five hours. There are no planned topics of conversation for the reporters and notable guests, who recently have included New York Mayor Eric Adams, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, businessman and TV personality Mark Cuban and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Weinstein declared the dinner with Sanders “particularly fiery” in an Instagram post.
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Such parties were “top of mind,” Fields said, when she and husband Weinstein bought the house. They wanted one that had plenty of entertainment space and that was removed from the bustle of downtown.
“It helps [guests] open up a little bit more because you’re not in the center of the work world in a certain way,” Weinstein said. “When you’re in D.C., you see the buildings all around and feel work, work, work, work, work. And when you’re here, you feel like you’re in the country.”
Another consideration favoring a larger house was their growing family. The couple had a year-old child, and Fields was pregnant with a second. They made some child-friendly renovations, including closing off a spiral staircase.
Before Weinstein and Fields lived here, the house was owned for decades by Stanley Rabinowitz, a long-serving rabbi at the Adas Israel Congregation in Washington, where he led services attended by members of Congress, White House officials and visiting Israeli prime ministers.
The house was built in 1966 and has two floors above a finished lower level and more than 5,000 square feet of living area. The front door opens to a foyer with marble floors. On one side is a dining room with hardwood floors and crown molding. The other side has a living room with a fireplace and French doors that open to a rear terrace. The kitchen — with an island, wine storage and a breakfast area — connects to a family room with oversize paned windows and a vaulted ceiling. This level also has a powder room and a gym.
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The second floor has a primary bedroom suite with a fireplace, a balcony, a walk-in closet and a bathroom with a two-sink vanity. There are three more bedrooms on this floor, one with an en suite bathroom and two that share a bathroom, one of which has a balcony.
On the lower level, a recreation room with a fireplace connects to an office. This level also has a bedroom with an en suite bathroom, and it has a laundry room and access to a covered terrace.
The property includes a detached two-car garage across the street.
3115 Normanstone Terr. NW, Washington, D.C.
Bedrooms/bathrooms:5/6
Approximate square-footage: 5,000
Lot size: nearly half an acre
Features: This 1966 house has several fireplaces, crown moldings, French doors, paned windows and several outdoor spaces. The property includes a detached two-car garage.
Listing agent: Michael Rankin, TTR Sotheby’s International Realty
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