Watergate Pastry #2

We recently made another return pilgrimage to Watergate Pastry, this time with Susan's sister Sally and her husband Rob when they visited D.C.

They had heard the story about brother Sam buying end boxes in the late 70's and sharing the broken pieces with Susan.  They also heard our recent stories about enjoying delicious pastries there.  So, we stopped in for a late afternoon snack before heading next door to the Kennedy Center.

The snack was delicious as evidenced by the smiles in the post-snack photo below.

Sally thinks a Watergate Pastry gift certificate is a GREAT idea.

Music in D.C.: Wolf Trap #2

We recently visited Wolf Trap to hear Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.  That's right.  Frankie Valli is alive and well and touring the U.S.  

Pop Quiz:  How old is Frankie Valli?  Please keep reading for the answer.  

Before attending the performance, we wondered two things--whether Frankie Valli would sing a lot and whether he would sound like the old days.

We were happily surprised.  Frankie sang strong for two nearly two hours and he sounded very good, singing the high notes just like the old days.  To hear for yourself, click here for an a capella version of Sherry from a performance earlier this year.

Frankie was backed by four talented young singers, the Four Seasons, and a strong band, including a small horn section.  

The crowd, as you might guess, was on the older side, but the crowd came alive once the music started.  The cheers and applause were very loud and the crowd was deafening when singing along with Frankie.   

How old is Frankie Valli?   He was born Francesco Stephen Castelluccio was born in 1934, which makes him 84 years young.  Despite the mileage on his pipes, his singing voice was strong.

Thanks for visiting Wolf Trap with us.  

P.S.  Below is a bio for Frankie Valli, plus the set list for the Wolf Trap performance.

Set List:
Working My Way Back to You

Dawn (Go Away)

Our Day Will Come

Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'Bout Me)

Tell It to the Rain

I've Got You Under My Skin

Beggin'

Silence Is Golden

Swearin' to God

Grease

My Eyes Adored You

Who Loves You

Spanish Harlem

My Girl

Groovin'

Stay

December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)

Can't Take My Eyes Off You

Sherry   

Big Girls Don't Cry

Walk Like a Man

Bye, Bye, Baby (Baby Goodbye)

Rag Doll

Let's Hang On!

Street Art in D.C. #5

Street art is where you find it.

While roaming around the DuPont Circle neighborhood recently, we spotted some street art, a very large mural on the side of a building.  

The mural, painted by Peter Waddell in 2011, is titled The Toy Theatre Mural.  According to PeterWaddell.com, the mural on Sunderland Place, NW, depicts a giant toy theatre showcasing the DuPont Circle neighborhood at the beginning of its development in the 19th century.  

• "Beneath the monumental proscenium arch, 40' high, the stage is set with scenery representing the first two great mansions of Dupont Circle. The British Legation on Connecticut Avenue and “Stewarts Castle” on the Circle arose from the area's rough farmland in the 1870s."

• "These grand houses marked the beginning of Dupont Circle as a fashionable neighbourhood for the rich."

The buildings depicted in Waddell's mural were amazing in their day.  Both buildings (pictured below) were large and ornate but they were not long-lasting, since they were demolished to make way for more development.  

The British Legation (completed 1872, demolished 1931)

Stewart's Castle (completed 1873, demolished 1931)

DuPont Circle Farmers Market

Every Sunday, DuPont Circle hosts a farmers market, the FRESHFARM DuPont Circle Market.  

A friend who lives nearby frequents the market and recommended it to us.  We visited the market this past weekend and were impressed.

Established more than 20 years ago, the FRESHFARM DuPont Circle Market is a genuine farmers market, featuring fresh vegetables and fruit from farms in the region, plus other food products like apple cider, spirits, wood-fired pizza bread, coffee, and French pastries.  Oh là là!  

Here is a virtual photographic tour of the market.  Enjoy!

One of the vendors, Supreme Core, offers District-made draft cider.  We enjoyed the play on words and the artistic scene of Key Bridge and Georgetown University on their truck.  

Susan found some fresh sweet corn.  We enjoyed it at dinner.  It was flavorful and juicy!

Our friend Steve highly recommended the French pastry chef at the market, Pâtisserie Poupon.  Apparently, Steve knows French pastry because we sampled the pain au chocolat and it was delicious!

Below is a photo of Chef Poupon.  Please note his grey hair.  Does that make him Grey Poupon?

After visiting the market, we strolled through DuPont Circle and spotted two things--an artistic fountain and furry-tailed rat.  

Thanks for visiting the DuPont Circle farmers market with us.

Museums: National Gallery of Art #8--UPDATE

Previously, we shared a photo of a priceless masterpiece in the National Gallery of Art:  Leonardo da Vinci's Ginevra de' Benci.

The other day, we enjoyed a docent-led tour of the museum's many Italian Renaissance paintings.  

The tour included the da Vinci and our docent shared something very interesting about the painting:  Leonardo da Vinci used finger painting to create the masterpiece.  No joke.  

The docent explained that sometimes painters like da Vinci revise what they have painted wit a brush by using a finger to move the wet paint around.  The proof, in this instance, are fingerprints discovered when the painting was studied using high-tech equipment.  

According to NGA.gov, "Leonardo da Vinci . . . used his fingers to smooth oil paint for the perfect skin of his teenage model, Ginevra de' Benci. Da Vinci first used small brushes to paint Ginevra's face. He applied the paint in very thin layers. But in the end, he needed his fingers to get the clear look and smooth shadows that form her face. How do we know? Art specialists looked at Ginevra's face with high tech equipment to discover the traces of da Vinci's fingerprints (pictured below). Scholars believe he used his fingers to smooth and soften the edges and surfaces of her face while the paint was still wet."

"If you stand close enough . . . , you can see his fingerprint just to the right of Ginevra’s jaw, where her ringlets of hair blur into the background juniper tree and a distinct little spiky sprig juts out. Another can be found just behind her right shoulder."  --Walter Isaacson, Leonardo da Vinci.

da Vinci's fingerprint

So, da Vinci used a technique that he, like many of us, learned as a child.  Who knew?

Only in D.C. #2

It's a hot summer day in D.C.  The sky is blue, the sun is shining, the humidity is high.

What can do you do to beat the heat?

One thing you can do is paddle boarding on the Potomac River.  The other day, it was hot and we saw lots of people on the river--in boats, in canoes and on paddle boards.

One person (pictured below) caught our attention.  The person was reading a book while her dog was watching the river go by.  

Below is a close up photo. 

Only in D.C. 

Key Bridge

One of the bridges spanning the Potomac River is Key Bridge, linking Virginia and D.C. 

Francis Scott Key Bridge at dawn

The bridge was completed in 1923 and is named for Francis Scott Key, a lawyer who lived nearby in Georgetown and wrote the lyrics for the Star Spangled Banner. 

While taking a National Park Service tour of Georgetown, we learned that Key Bridge has a nickname. Can you guess what it is?

Here is a hint:  During rush hour, the bridge is filled with cars.  

Traffic on Key Bridge

Key Bridge is also known as the Car Strangled Spanner. 

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

You might remember the classic 1939 Frank Capra film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.  The film tells the story of Mr. Smith, played by Jimmy Stewart, who is a newly appointed U.S. Senator who fights against political corruption in Washington, D.C.

Another Mr. Smith recently came to Washington.  Rob Smith is Susan's brother-in-law, married to Susan's sister Sally.  Rob and Sally recently visited us here in D.C.  So, it was a case of Mr. & Dr. Smith Go to Washington.

The story continues.  While visiting D.C., we dined with the Smith's at a D.C. branch of The Smith restaurant.   

The Smith's at The Smith

We enjoyed dining with the Smith's at The Smith.  

P.S.  For dessert, we opted for Cherry Chocolate Pie, instead of the Granny Smith Apple Tart.

Museums: National Gallery of Art #15

Visiting the National Gallery of Art many times during Year 3 has been a great pleasure for us.  

Typically, each time we visit, we select specific galleries, such as the Rothko gallery in the East Building.  

A recent visit was different.  Instead of focusing on a specific group  of paintings, we rambled around the museum and even outside.  A few works of art caught our attention and we are sharing them here.

Below is a recent acquisition of a modern work.  The painting came to the National Gallery when it inherited most of the art collection from the now defunct Corcoran Gallery of Art.  

The painting caught Greg's attention because it is very large with a spectrum of blended colors that seem to pulse when stared at.  

To create the effect of a spectrum of shifting colors, the artist painted thin stripes of slightly different shades whose width narrowed as the colors grew darker.  Like a Claude Monet lily pond painting, the painting is simple and static when viewed up close. Viewed at a distance, the painting comes alive.

Close up view of The Hard White Edge

Another painting that caught Greg's attention was Jean DuBuffet's abstract painting pictured below.

DuBuffet's painting is fairly dark and monochrome.  Yet, after viewing the painting for a short while, three-dimensional shapes start to appear.       

Another work of art that caught our attention was in the museum's outdoor sculpture garden.  You might remember the Pop Art image LOVE by Robert Indiana.  Below is a variation on LOVE.  

Thanks for rambling around the National Gallery with us.

Cars in D.C. #3

While strolling in Georgetown recently, we spotted the classic car pictured below.  

The car is a 1967 Mercedes Benz 250 SL Roadster.

The car itself was eye catching. 

What also caught our attention?  The vanity plate--"250SL67"--and the bumper sticker--"Kennedy Johnson".   

Of course, the bumper sticker predates the car by several years, but we thought it was a nice touch for the classic car.

In case you want to see the front of the car, here is a borrowed photo of a '67 250 SL.

Music in D.C.: Millennium Stage--Charles Covington

We recently visited the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage to hear jazz pianist Charles Covington perform.

Charles Covington performing at the Millennium Stage (8/18/19)

The performance started on a high note, with a musical tribute to Aretha Franklin.  As the performance progressed, Charles Covington added a string quartet to accompany his experimental jazz compositions.  You can hear for yourself by clicking here. 

The performance was a bit out of the ordinary.  At the midpoint, Charles Covington came to the edge of the stage and performed magic tricks with large coins.  He made the coins disappear and reappear. The magic show lasted about 5 minutes.  Since we have not seen Charles Covington perform before, we don't know whether magic tricks are a usual part of his shows or not.  Although odd for a jazz performance, the magic tricks were amusing.

Who knew we were going to a magic show?  

P.S.  Before the performance, we ventured to the terrace on the top of the Kennedy Center, with visitors Sally and Rob.  Sally is Susan's amazing sister and Rob is husband extraordinaire.  

Cars in D.C. #2--UPDATE

In our April 2 post this year, we featured a vintage car that we spotted in our building's garage, a Citroen CX Pallas.  

We recently met the car's owner, who lives in our building.  Because of the special license plate and stickers ("MC" means Monaco and "CD" means diplomat), we had speculated the owner was perhaps a diplomat from Monaco living in D.C. in our building.

We asked the owner and learned that he is a born-and-bred American who collects exotic cars.   He said he currently has a dozen cars stored in parking garages around the neighborhood.  So, we were wrong about the owner being a diplomat.

Here's where the story, if true, gets interesting.   We learned from our neighbor that the car was once owned by some people named Grimaldi, as in Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco.

The Prince and Princess supposedly kept the car in Paris and used it when they visited their home there.  Eventually, the car was sold and our neighbor bought it to add to his collection.

Although the car is not flashy, it has history.

Who knew?

Only in D.C. #1

While enjoying a stroll along the riverfront in Georgetown, we were shocked to see pirate ship coursing its way upriver.  We were afraid at first but, after taking a closer look, the motley crew told us there was nothing to fear.  It was probably some members of congress enjoying a booze cruise. 

Only in D.C.

Everyday Life in D.C. #4 (Part 3 of 3)

More about the 12th Street Y.M.C.A.

Susan teaches adult literacy at the Washington Literacy Center, which is housed in the 12th Street Y.M.C.A.

The building, located in the historically African-American neighborhood of Shaw, was completed in 1912, after John D. Rockefeller, Sr. pledged matching funds for the building's construction.  The building was the new home to Shaw's Y.M.C.A., which was started in 1853 and was the first African-American Y.M.C.A. branch in the United States.  

Architect William Sidney Pittman, one of the first African-American architects and the son-in-law of Booker T. Washington, designed the building in the Renaissance Revival style.  

Facade of the 12th Street Y.M.C.A., with a Tuscan style portico

During the first half of the 1900's, the Shaw neighborhood around the 12th Street Y.M.C.A. was a thriving middle- and upper-class African-American community and cultural mecca.  The Y..M.C.A. likewise thrived during that time and was home to notable persons, such as famed poet Langston Hughes, who lived there while working around the corner as a busboy in the Wardman Park Hotel.  

When Shaw residents relocated to other city neighborhoods and to the suburbs following WWII, the Shaw neighborhood slowly declined and then was devastated during the April 1968 riots following the assassination of the the Rev. Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.  Many stores and homes were boarded up and abandoned after being burned and looted.  The Y.M.C.A. survived the fires and looting and reopened after the riots.  It continued to operate despite the unfortunate condition of the neighborhood, which became known as a drug haven around 14th and T Streets. 

The 12th Street Y..M. C.A. in the 1970's 

The Y.M.C.A. closed in 1982 and the building was shuttered.  Fortunately, the building was designated a national historic place in 1983 and a national historic landmark in 1994 and was restored.  In 2000, the building reopened as a community center, the Thurgood Marshall Center for Service and Heritage.  Future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall had previously met with his colleagues at the Y.M.C.A. while developing the legal strategy for overturning the precedent of "separate but equal" education.  

Today, the once devastated Shaw neighborhood has been gentrified.  The main thoroughfare is U Street and it is lined with bars, restaurants and new condominium buildings filled with Millennials.  Still, the neighborhood's history is evident and is celebrated.  For example, the 12th Street Y.M.C.A. is featured on the Greater U Street Heritage Trail.  You can read more below.

Thanks for visiting the 12th Street Y.M.C.A. with us.  

P.S.  A fun fact:  John Thompson, Jr., coach of the 1984 NCAA National Champion men's basketball team, once played youth basketball at the 12th Street Y.M.C.A.  Go Hoyas!