1. Subscribe Now
  2. Follow Us
  3. Follow us on Facebook Follow us at Twitter Subscribe to our global feed
  4. |
  5. Advertise

Your guide to the region's top events, mixed with some commentary about life, media, gossip and politics in Washington, DC.

Category: Photos

Drew Barrymore and Vinessa Shaw Stop in DC for “Big Miracle” Premiere

By Carol Ross Joynt

The “whale movie” was inspired by real-life events—and a real-life local love story.

Drew Barrymore with her new fiancé, Will Kopelman, at the premiere of Big Miracle. Photograph by Jeff Martin.

The so-called “whale movie” came to town last night with a splashy screening and a Potomac waterfront after-party for some 1,400 people. Big Miracle is the film’s official name, and it has an interesting, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting local angle. First, you need to know the name Bonnie Mersinger Carroll.

It was 1988, and Carroll—then Bonnie Mersinger—was working at the White House as the executive assistant for Cabinet affairs. President Reagan stopped by her West Wing office to inquire about an incident that was unfolding in Alaska, where three whales (two adults and a baby) had become trapped in the Arctic Circle by rapidly forming ice. The drama was receiving national media attention. “He saw that the National Guard was involved,” says Carroll, “and he wondered what the White House could do to help. And that’s how I met Tom Carroll.”

Read More

Category Tags: Power Players, Nightlife, Photos

Book Party for Sally Bedell Smith’s New Queen Elizabeth Biography (Photos)

By Carol Ross Joynt

A book-signing party for Smith’s new book on the Queen attracted quite a crowd.

Chris Matthews with author Sally Bedell Smith. Photograph by Jeff Martin.

There are book parties—and then there are va-va-voom book parties fit for a queen. That’s what Sally Bedell Smith got this past weekend with the Washington celebration of her new biography, Elizabeth the Queen. I daresay even the Queen herself would have been gobsmacked.

Hosts Bernard and Joan Carl—he seriously rich with private equity money, together the owners of the French luxury linen company D. Porthault, and with homes in the Loire Valley, London, and Southampton—filled the rooms of their Kalorama mansion with the prettiest spring flowers, candles, and framed photos of the royal family at work and at play, and served a comforting Anglo menu. There was even a receiving line at the front door, as Joan Carl welcomed Washington’s version of aristocracy, high and low.

Smith, for her part, never budged from the library, where she sat near a fire signing copies of the book. Her husband, Washington Examiner executive editor Stephen Smith, worked the other rooms on her behalf. There were many rooms—even a carpeted tent—and many friends.

Read More

Category Tags: Power Players, Photos

An Inside Look at Opening Night of the Washington Winter Show

By Carol Ross Joynt

Wares on display this year include a one-of-a-kind porcelain plate used by both JFK and Jackie.

Alice Cowie, Carolyn Jones, Doug Jones, Leslie Jones, Gouverneur Siegel, and Lauren Duffy. Photograph by Jeff Martin.

Even with 44 exhibitors offering antique wares for sale, probably the most talked-about item at the Washington Winter Show on opening night was a plate that’s not on even the market. The one-of-a-kind Lenox porcelain dish, white with a yolk yellow border, has a historic and intriguing backstory—had President Kennedy not been assassinated it could well have been the chosen pattern for the Kennedy White House china service.

Both JFK and First Lady Jackie Kennedy ate off the plate, taking turns, as they decided whether it should be their White House pattern. The legend is they liked it and wanted to go with it. But due to the President’s death in 1963, the full service was never made, and only this one plate remains.

Read More

Category Tags: Scene, Power Players, Nightlife, Photos

Inside Juleanna Glover’s Holiday Party

By Carol Ross Joynt

Photos from the intimate Kalorama cocktail party celebrating the season.

Who: Juleanna Glover, Elizabeth Glover, Kristin Glover, Christopher Reiter, Pepper Watkins

What: The “night before the night before Christmas” cocktail party

Where: Juleanna Glover’s Kalorama townhouse

When: Friday, December 23, from 8 PM on

 

Read More

Category Tags: Scene, Power Players, Nightlife, Photos

A Subjective List of Washington’s Best Parties of 2011

By Carol Ross Joynt

Our picks for (and pictures of) the year’s ten most fabulous soirees.

The "Wedding Belles" exhibition party at the Hillwood Museum. All photographs by Carol Ross Joynt.

The "Wedding Belles" exhibition party at the Hillwood Museum. All photographs by Carol Ross Joynt.

For better or for worse, I was a guest at more than 100 parties in 2011. Here are the top ten standouts:

1) The Washington Winter Show at the Katzen Arts Center (January 6)

An event that pulled together real Washington society—the elder cave dwellers and their younger counterparts—amid interesting (and a few affordable) decorative arts, good music, and good food.

 2) The Tudor Place Garden Party (May 4)

It always seems to take place on the prettiest spring evening. Lush food, great drinks, sweeping lawn, beautiful flowers, women in hats, and much camaraderie among Georgetowners young and old. For anyone who wants to mingle with Georgetown, this is the party.

3) The “Wedding Belles” Exhibition Faux Wedding Reception on the Lawn at Hillwood Museum

Caterer Susan Gage re-created a post-wedding lawn party as though it were scripted by Marjorie Merriweather Post herself, including a many-tiered wedding cake. On a beautiful, softly warm evening, guests got to sip, dine, and tour the gardens and the mansion.

4) David and Katherine Bradley’s Pre-Party for the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner (April 30)

Essentially every party the Bradleys host is a winner. They have that gift. But they throw a doozy of a true foodie dinner the eve of the WHCA bash. The exclusive guest list is “A” all the way: corporate, political, media, social, and some Hollywood.

Read More

Category Tags: Scene, Power Players, Nightlife, Photos

The Washingtonian Excellence in Nursing Awards

By Washingtonian Staff

Photos from the first annual ceremony honoring extraordinary individuals for their contributions in the field of nursing.

Read More

Category Tags: Photos

March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction of DC (Pictures)

By Brooke McEwen

A lineup of culinary all-stars served up good eats to benefit a great cause.

Read More

Category Tags: Photos

Click to download our new iPhone mobile app

 

  1. 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (60 Entries)
  2. Academia (2 Entries)
  3. Blogger Beat (94 Entries)
  4. Dating Diaries (50 Entries)
  5. DNC Convention (8 Entries)
  1. More
  1. February 2012 (26 Entries)
  2. January 2012 (65 Entries)
  3. December 2011 (41 Entries)
  4. November 2011 (42 Entries)
  5. October 2011 (24 Entries)
  1. More
Find A ...
Find A Restaurant







  1. Only show Delivery
    Only show Kid Friendly
    Only show Late Night
    Only show Party Space
    Only show Weekend Brunch
Find Events




Find A Happy Hour





  1. search_finda.gif
Find A Spa




  1. search_finda.gif
Find a Home





  1. search_finda.gif
  2. Powered by  
Find A Hotel


  1.   


  2. Reviewed by Washingtonian
  3. Kid Friendly     Valet Parking
    Handicap Accessible    

  4. Childcare
    WiFi
    Pet Friendly
    Bar/Lounge/Dining
    Airport Shuttle
    Salon/Spa
    Swimming Pool
    Fitness Room
    On-site Drycleaning
    Meeting Rooms
    Golf
    Tennis Courts
    Game Room
  5. search_finda.gif
Newsletter Signup
  1. Washingtonian Deals
  2. Bridal Party
  3. Dining Out
  4. Kliman Online
  5. Shop Around
  6. Where & When
  7. Photo Opps
  8. Learn more sign_up.gif
 

What to Do This Weekend: February 9 to 12

Woo at the Zoo, the opening of “Genesis Robot” at Synetic Theater, and the Washington DC International Wine & Food Festival. more

Music Picks: Jack’s Mannequin, All Things Gold, Steve Aoki

Our recommendations for the best in live music over the next seven days. more

Follow Us Follow us on Facebook Follow us at Twitter Subscribe to our global feed
Get the Magazine Washington Lives By

It's your source for dining, nightlife, news, health, shopping and more in Washington.

Subscribe to Washingtonian

Washingtonian Magazine provides the best insights on:

Subscribe today for only $29.95 for 12 issues.