A quick getaway in distance and time

Plus some other updates on goings on in that vicinity

Sing a song of celebration for rapid transit

With apologies to those who came here for something light and bright

In which the aspirational crashes up against reality

One of the most embarrassing moments of my early professional life was when an excerpt of a speech I wrote for my boss, a congresswoman from Rhode Island, was picked up by the Providence Journal. Why ...

aka my cucumber conundrum

A curious renovation honoring the spirit of 1776

Kudos to Lonny Bunch for this thoughtful and uplifting exhibition

It's hot and humid and just the right conditions for a BLT

The Fourth is about more than fireworks

What's on your TBR list?

For those who take their art big and abstract

Part II on Trump's makeover of our capital city

Part 1 of several

Trying to keep it all straight

On December 23, 1884, my great grandfather Julius Friedlaender (father of my grandmother Irma whom I wrote about here) arrived in New York after a 16 day trip in third class aboard the steamship, Gellert, from Hamburg, Germany.

Monumental and yet intimate

A presidency cut short and a mini series worth watching

A presidency cut short and a mini series worth watching

State flowers and a whole lot more

A random reminder of tragic events far away from DC

A local take on a national phenomenon

Sometimes you go halfway around the world and something reminds you of home

Here's one Washington attraction I bet you never knew about

Take one, leave one, maybe put one in front of your house

In which I respond to reader suggestions

A hopeful sight amidst the chaos and cruelty

January was the month that lasted a year and February is not off to an auspicious start.

A little bit of history and quite a bit of green (in season)

Much ado in advance about what turned out to be a big mess

Windows by Kerry James Marshall at the Washington National Cathedral