Day 34 of the partial government shutdown. Yesterday, furloughed workers took to Capitol Hill to protest. Our photographer Evy Mages was there to capture the entire scene. Congress and the White House seem to have few opportunities for reconciliation. Workers have been re-furloughed by their agencies, forced to slog ankle-deep through political mud and slop in order to hitch up a federal government that’s as sturdy as a Fyre Festival tent. I’d say, for once, “the swamp” is an adequate descriptor of our times.
Look, I know you’re all champing at the bit for our 100 Very Best Restaurants list. Stop DMing me. The issue hits stands today. And here’s the Top 25, including our No. 1 pick for 2019: Minibar. You can join our food critics tomorrow at 11 to discuss the list.
Hello, I’m your author, Brittany Shepherd. Welcome to Thursday. Email me with comments or questions and follow me on Twitter. Sign up for this newsletter here.
In case you missed it: Gritty, my orange king, is coming to Capitol Hill. Hopefully, the government will be open by then so we can get legally married.
What we have cooking at Washingtonian:
- Big new projects in Shaw, Navy Yard, and the H Street Corridor: We’ll be watching these six real-estate developments closely this year.
- Waiting for the early edition of the newspaper used to be a job. Scott Kerman tells stories from the alley where he used to wait for newspapers to “come flying out of a hole in the wall.”
- The five best-looking open houses this weekend.
- After a ten-year run, Penn Quarter’s all American Proof is closing.
- People in DC are actually stylish—just look at this stand-up comedian.
- Run through to the Blind Whino for a pop-up hip-hop museum.
Our picks for things to do around town:
FILM Can’t get enough of Planet Earth? If you’re an avid nature fan, head to the Wild & Scenic Film Festival at Landmark’s E Street Cinema. Film subjects include nature, conservation, climate change, wildlife, and environmental justice; the festival is a fundraiser for Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, a nonprofit that seeks to restore the Chesapeake and its rivers and streams. $30, 6 PM.
BENEFIT If these brisk winter temperatures don’t faze you, try dunking into the chilly Chesapeake Bay during the 2019 Polar Bear Plunge, which takes place near Annapolis at the Sandy Point State Park. The event, sponsored by the Maryland State Police, benefits nearly 8,000 Special Olympics Maryland athletes. Through January 26. $75; plunge times vary depending on group registration.
Good reads:
Are you male-identifying and find yourself telling your friends that you’re, “like, such a huge feminist”? You might be what Kat Rosenfield calls a “Cool Guy”—the sort of dude who “writes a several-thousand-word New York Times op-ed flagellating himself for having ogled the butts of his teenage classmates once upon a time, in a quest to ignite a public movement of male confession with himself at its center (suggested hashtag: #IAmSexist)—or just fantasizes about a world where women have all the power and men simply cease to exist.”
This is a gripping read from Tablet and one you should not overlook.
Big events from Washingtonian
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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.
