About Washingtonian Today
Washingtonian Today is not just another political news roundup. Instead, this daily morning brief provides local context on national news, catches you up on what’s happening at Washingtonian, points you toward super duper awesome things to do around town, and lets you in on some special events going on in-house. Sign up here to receive Washingtonian Today in your inbox every morning.
A very good morning and welcome to Friday. Last night, we at Washingtonian hosted our Whiskey & Fine Spirits Festival, where we sipped some wonderful liquors including an indulgent white rum from Cottom & Reed, gave our best one-two step on the dance floor, and rolled our own cigars. It’s always a hoot and a half to mingle with people who both enjoy our magazine and a good party. There was also a whisky vendor in full kilt dress—with his own ax. (Note to the events team—Can we have him at all our parties, please?)
But while we were dancing the night away, something was going awry on DC journalist Twitter. A Washington Examiner journalist shared a photo of freshman Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, insinuating that because she was wearing business attire to work, she does not struggle financially. I don’t want to devote much airtime to the now-deleted tweet, so here’s a link to the Washington Post story that describes the incident in full. And while I won’t pontificate much in this newsletter, I’d like to offer a thought: this is the kind of casual sexism that women in DC are forced to endure day after day. Lawmakers, reporters, lobbyists, strategists, volunteers—it happens to all of us, regardless of party alignment or Beltway pecking order. It’s reprehensible and preventable. So I ask for you, reader, to think of how you can treat your women colleagues with conscious respect this morning.
Here’s a tweet from Examiner reporter Siraj Hashmi that sums my feelings up well:
https://twitter.com/SirajAHashmi/status/1063236536018190336
Something you may have missed: Some saddening news…according to the White House Historical Society, Irvin M. Williams, the longest-serving White House gardener in history, passed away last week.
And now for something completely different: Here is a video of Bei Bei the 3-year-old giant panda playing in the snow yesterday.
It’s almost time for Ann Limpert‘s Friday chat! You can leave a question now and she’ll answer as many as she can at 11 AM.
What we have cooking at Washingtonian:
•Need a new breakfast place? We got you covered, duh. Here’s 12 caw-fee spots around the area with great food.
• Maybe we all need to escape the city for a weekend. Williamsburg’s a dandy destination, and we’ve got a handy guide.
• I’m super chuffed for this new British bar and private Scotch club opening in Penn Quarter, mate!
• Yes, I’m still talking about HQ2 and yes, this is where you can work out around NaLa (I will make this nickname for National Landing happen).
•Look, I get it: Who wants to cook Thanksgiving food? Who even cooks anymore? Do it like the Shepherds—eat out for turkey day at one of these hot spots. Gobble gobble.
Our pick for things to do around town:
BEER Belgian and Belgian-style beers are quite popular, because of their centuries-long tradition and because their flavor profile tends to stay away from the bitterness that can be off-putting to a novice beer-drinker. Smithsonian Associates has teamed up with Philadelphia’s legendary Monk’s Café on a presentation about Belgian Beer at the S. Dillon Ripley Center. Become a Belgian brew connoisseur following this conversation between Belgian beer expert Charles “Chuck” Cook (who has visited over 175 of Belgium’s breweries) and Monk’s owner Tom Peters, aka the “Godfather of Belgian Beer.” The evening will also include a tasting of a collaboration between Monk’s and Brussels brewery Brasserie de la Senne, plus a more traditional saison. $50, 6:45 PM.
Good reads:
•Enough politics. It’s Friday. Please read the riveting Sam Anderson profile of my new favorite show, The Good Place, which begins with a lovely anecdote about Ted Danson’s hands. (New York Times Magazine)
Big events from Washingtonian
Every other dog but yours is ugly and you should prove it by submitting the pup for DC’s cutest dog contest.
If you have local friends/family with pets, please tell them to take our pet care survey!
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Brittany Shepherd covers the societal and cultural scene in political Washington. Before joining Washingtonian as a staff writer in 2018, Brittany was a White House Correspondent for Independent Journal Review. While she has lived in DC for a number of years now, she still yearns for the fresh Long Island bagels of home. Find her on Twitter, often prattling on about Frasier.
