This Month
4 Journaling Toward
Sanity
6 All the Self-Help
You’ll Ever Need
8 Fitness for the
Spirit…Amen, anda
two, anda three
10 Quitting, Quitting…
and Quitting. Giving
up the Evil We e d .
12 Integrating Mind
and Body
14 Put Up Your Dukes!
16 Trekking in Tibet
and Getting in
Shape Closer to
Home
D e p a rt m e n t s
Vo i c e M a i l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Spencer Says . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 0
Business Bits . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 3
Business Serv i c e s. . . . . . .2 7
D o w n L o a d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 9
S p o rt s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 7
Capital Kids. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 8
Kids’ Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . .4 2
H o ro s c o p e. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 3
Community Calendar . . .4 3
C l a s s i f i e d s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 5
Vol. 2 No. 12 March 16 2001
o f
T h e
H i l l
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709 12th Stre e t , S E
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Monday-Friday 9am-5pm
S a t u rday 10am-2pm
709 12th Stre e t , SE
on Capitol Hill
F ree off-street parking
Convenient to Eastern
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very grateful to the church for
being our host, the church is not
our sponsoring organization.
Participants in our program are
diverse with respect to race, religious
background and preference, and even
gender in the case of our Venture pr ogram.
As an organization, we have always
valued diversity and have welcomed any -
one who was interested in becoming a
part of the program we have to offer.
Why We Exist: Capitol Hill Scouts has
always valued and worked to realize what
we believe to be the traditional positive
goals of scouting. Among the principal
goals and attributes as we see them:
1. An opportunity to learn about and
practice responsible citizenship.
2. An opportunity to acquire skills
which can develop into deeply rewarding
lifetime pursuits.
3. An opportunity to develop leadership
skills.
4. Healthy fun.
5. A personal sense of accomplishment
that comes from either the development
of new skills or through formal recognition
that comes from advancement and
awards.
Each scout troop tends to take on a
personality of its own, and Capitol Hill
Scouts has been noted for its commitment
to an active camping and outdoor
program. In our short history we are
proud of the fact that six young men have
attained scouting’s highest rank of Eagle
Scout. Finally, we are proud of having
made use of scouting’s provision for co-ed
programs at the venture level. Our venture
program has made outdoor and
camping experiences available to teenage
men and women alike.
Our Position: We find ourselves deeply
troubled by the position that the BSA
National Council has taken with regard to
sexual orientation. As a troop that values
diversity and non-discrimination we are
sincerely disappointed by the National
Council’s selective interpretation of some
of the scout laws in an effort to justify
their position. We believe their interpreta -
tion of specific aspects of the scout law
to foster a particular moral or political
agenda is not in the best interest of
scouting. Further, we are committed to
operating a program that we believe is
reflective of the values of our families and
the community in which we live.
It has always been the position of
Capitol Hill Scouts that we insist that our
leaders, members and families behave in
a responsible fashion. We subscribe to
the National BSA policy that adults
always interact with youth in pairs (“twodeep
leadership”) for the safety of the
boys and the adults. The personal sexual
preference of leaders has never been a
topic of discussion in our program and we
frankly question the appropriateness of
such discussions. Capitol Hill Scouts is
insistent that all connected with the program
behave in ways that respect all concerned.
Should anyone in our program
behave in a way that is inappropriate,
intrusive or violates the rights of others,
they will no longer be involved and the
appropriate actions will be taken.
Our Future Intentions:
We remain committed
to the positive
attributes that
scouting has to
offer. Our families
and supporters
have a considerable
self-investment in scouting
and for the most part believe that
investment has served them well. We
continue to believe that scouting has significant
value and therefore will remain an
officially chartered unit within the scouting
movement. It is our intention to take
the following actions:
1. We will make our position on these
issues public and known to our community,
and seek a meeting with the National
Capital Area Council to discuss this matter.
2. We will not adopt a policy that discriminates
against participants based on
sexual orientation, race, gender or reli -
gious affiliation.
3. We will work actively with other
troops and councils across the country to
attempt to influence the National Council
to re-think and change its policy of
excluding homosexuals.
4. We will continue to sponsor and
engage our youth and community at large
in dialogue and educational events that
promote a greater understanding, toler -
ance and acceptance of diversity.
Finally, we look forward to the continued
support of our community, our local
council and our families. We welcome
your feedback, involvement and suppor t
as we strive to conduct the best program
possible.
Sincerely Yours,
CAPI TOL HILL SCOUTS
Rick Rutherford, Capitol Hill Scouts
Institutional Representative
Jeff Serfass, Troop 500 and Venture Crew
500 Committee Chair
Michael McCabe, Scoutmaster Troop 500
Gary C. Barbour, Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 500
Rob Corder, Assistant Scoutmaster Troop
500 and Assistant Advisor, Venture Crew
500
Mark O’Donnell, Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 500
Merle Van Horne, Assistant Advisor,
Venture Crew 500
This letter was posted to www.voiceofthe -
hill.com the week of March 5, and is
drawing many pleased and supportive
comments in the Hill Talk section.
www.voiceofthehill.com 3
Vo i cem a i l
The Voice of the Hill is published and
distributed monthly to Capitol Hill
residence and business locations.
The focus is on the community and
includes contiguous neighborhoods
from Gallaudet University to the
Navy Yard and from the Capitol to
the Stadium Armory Complex.
Publication and distribution is the
third Friday of each month.
Advertising deadline is the first of
the month preceding publication.
Voice of the Hill
120 11th St., SE, Rear
Washington DC 20003
Editorial: 242 Kentucky Ave., SE
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Staff
Stephanie Cavanaugh,
Editor
Bruce Robey
WebMaster
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Graphic Design and Production
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Phoenix Graphics, Inc.
T/A Voice of the Hill
and Stephanie Cavanaugh
Publishers
Community Action Group:
Distribution
Contributing Writers
Judith Capen
Shirley Cochrane
Alan Donovan
Kristen Hartke
Memberships
Printing & Graphic Communication
Association
Printing Industry of America
Capitol Hill Association of
Merchants and Professionals
Art Directors Club of Metropolitan
Washington
Barracks Row Business Alliance
Independent Free Papers of America
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VOICE o f
T h e
H i l l
Celeste McCall
Kathleen Milanich
Duncan Spencer
To the Editor:
I regret to inform you that the evidence
has not yet been processed….
These are the words that Lt. John
Hedgecock, has reported to residents of
PSA (Police Service Area) 109 on Capitol
Hill since last fall.
The evidence he refers to is DNA material
taken from the scene of a rape that
occurred in our neighborhood in
September of last year. The blame in this
case apparently does not lie with the
Metropolitan Police Department, but
rather with the FBI. As the District does
not have a forensic lab, the FBI processes
such evidence for MPD, when they
don’t have more pressing matters. In this
particular case, the FBI has had the evidence
in their possession since
September, but have yet to conduct the
analysis.
According to Lt. Hedgecock, the police
have a good idea of who committed the
crime, but without the analysis, this
rapist walks free. As a District resident
who lives approximately 100 yards from
the crime scene and as a frequent pedestrian,
this blatant inaction both galls and
infuriates me. I can only imagine the victim’s
emotions.
This same scenario must play itself out
repeatedly across the District, for any
number of crimes. I hear that DC will
eventually acquire its own forensic lab,
but have heard no timeline for this. What
can be done to speed up the processing
of such evidence in the meantime? How
can we get these criminals off the street
before they commit more violent crimes?
C ATHERINE PLUME
An Open Letter To The Capitol Hill
Community and Friends and Families
of Capitol Hill Scouts, T roop 500 and
Venture Crew 500
Dear Friends and Neighbors:
As many of you may be aware over recent
months there has been considerable con -
troversy and discussion concerning the
position that the National Council of the
Boy Scouts of America has taken with
respect to the participation of homosexuals,
particularly homosexual leaders, in
scouting. This very public discussion and
resulting events have caused many indi -
viduals in our community to ask the leadership
of Capitol Hill Scouts to not only
explain the situation but also to express
our position on the matter. We cannot
fully address the motives of the National
Council, and frankly have no idea what
the future will bring. After much dialogue,
education, and careful consideration we
have chosen to write this letter in an
effort to make public our thoughts and
position.
Background: Capitol Hill Scouts is an
independently chartered, parent led
scouting organization that cur rently sponsors
Boy Scout Troop 500 and the co-ed
Venture Crew 500. Capitol Hill Scouts
has no specific religious or faith-based
affiliation. Although meetings are held at
Capitol Hill Baptist Church, and we are
Correction: While John Imparato
offered general praise for the stor y
about the Navy Yard expansion in the
February issue of the Voice, he pointed
out “one minor er ror: My role at the
Navy Yard is a Spokesman/Community
Liaison about the Navy Yard and its
growth, role in the neighborhood, etc. I
am not ‘in Charge.’” Duly noted.
On the cover: Eddie Lay (left) and
Shawn Hunt spar.
4 www.voiceofthehill.com
In the Capitol Hill literary com -
munity, mostly poets but also
some prose writers keep journals
that serve both as records
of their inner lives and as raw
material for their writing.
Patricia Gray, who created the
popular series Poetry at Noon at the
Library of Congress, and is herself a
poet says, “I use a stream of con -
sciousness mode, not worrying
about punctuation and other style
matters—trying to tap into my subconscious.
There’s a huge reservoir
of material, and I use it as some people
use their dreams.”
After a period of letting the journal
entries steep, she reviews them
and puts asterisks at spots that seem
particularly significant. These passages
do not yield poems so much as
essays. But mainly they let her “see
what’s going on in my life.”
James L. Nash, on the staff of
Trover’s Capitol Hill branch, says:
“I frequently use my journals in
poetry-writing. Although my poems
are written more on-the-spot, my
journals are reflected in them. As for
mining old journals for poems, my
new chapbook is just such a work.”
For Explanations, he looked “back
into my past. As I grow older, it is
such a joy to reflect upon earlier days
and years—the anger, the pain, the
joy, the love, the...well, whatever.
What’s so special about these recor ded
events is that I can read, in my
own words, what my feelings were.
Particularly interesting to me are the
changes that have taken place in my
poems and in my journals over the
years.” A sampling of his lines:
There are no mirrors
in hell
tortured souls
reflect the same image.
Where is tomorrow?
...locked in a package we don’t possess.
Some local psychotherapists use
journal-writing techniques to help
their clients understand themselves
J o u rn a l i n g
To w a rd
S a n i t y
BY SHIRLEY COCHRANE
www.voiceofthehill.com 5
and their emotions. Dr. Lewise
Busch of the Capitol Hill Center for
Individual & Family Therapy is one
of these. “I use journal writing with
people who frequently feel overwhelmed
with feelings between sessions,
or those who seem to be having
difficulty contacting or expressing
their feelings.”
Dr. Busch uses a variety of exercises
“to increase access to, or integ ration
of, feelings.” One such involves
writing for thirty minutes a day
about anything—free association,
not stopping to consider what one is
writing, just letting the words flow.
“Do not stop to consider,” she advises.
Another technique involves the
patient writing to persons living or
dead with whom they have had difficulties
or unresolved business.
Such letters are not designed to be
mailed, but rather to help the
patient clarify his or her feelings
about a person or situation.
One more is to write “dialogues
with rejected...aspects of the self.”
Intriguing, this last exercise—an
exploration of the roads not taken.
Sometimes, Dr. Busch says: “...to
increase the likelihood of honest
emotional dialogue, I might ask that
the writing be done with the nondominant
hand.” If right-handed,
use your left hand and vice versa.
An exercise that anyone might be
tempted to try out to see what effect
this switch would have.
Another psychotherapist who uses
journaling as a therapeutic tec hnique
is Jane W. Yoder, also at the
Capitol Hill Center. “I usually ask
my clients to keep a dated dream
journal with…a record of events,
thoughts, feelings, personal relationships,
etc.” Whether the person is in
therapy or not, journaling “can be a
tool for reaching inner depths not
accessible before.” She recommends
Ira Progoff’s book, At A Journal
Workshop.
The Reverend W. Benjamin Pratt,
a pastoral counselor and “imago
therapist” who maintains an office
at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church on
Capitol Hill, believes in journalkeeping
as a therapeutic aid and recommends
it to patients for help in
focusing on their problems in a new
way. Some of them refuse— It’s not
who I am—but others find it helpful,
especially cancer patients.
He urges patients to write in a
notebook (not keep a collection of
journal scraps) and to make their
entries at the same time each day. If
patients are concerned about privacy,
Pratt suggests they create their
own journal language, indecipherable
to others.
Dr. Pratt cites a Texas study in
which the results indicated that not
only does deep journaling affect
mental health but physical health as
well. “Journaling,” he says, “is one of
those spiritual disciplines that can
aid in the healing of the body and
the soul.”
Journal writing on Capitol Hill is
not confined to poets. In his latest
project, long-time Hill writer Tom
Kelly is coming close to journal writing
in creating a memoir of his
Capitol Hill boyhood, The Twentieth
Century as Seen from My F ront Porch.
His childhood house still stands
(minus front porch) in the same
block as his present large home
where he and his wife Marguerite,
also a writer, welcome visiting children
and grandchildren—and
friends. In his memoir, Tom is winding
up the 1920s and moving into
the 1930s.
Judith Harris, whose latest book of
poetry is Atonement, published by
the Louisiana State University Press,
has turned to prose in her cur rent
work, Signifying Pain: Constructing
and Healing the Self through Writing.
Her sources include Sylvia Plath,
Anne Sexton, and John Keats. She
describes the work as “a book of collected
essays about the therapeutic
uses of writing in a post-F reudian
age, in which the talking ‘cure’ has
become a writing cure.” The book is
under contract to State University of
New York Press.
Robert Sargent, a distinguished
Capitol Hill poet, has kept a journal
since 1940 and continued the practice
until this past fall, when macular
degeneration interfered with his
vision. He feels that journal-keeping
has contributed to his mental and
emotional health. “It is important
to catch stray thoughts” in a journal,
he says. One of his most moving
poems, “Monody for Bowie,” grew
out of journal entries written when
he faced the loss of a close friend:
Bowie died in the time of the stretchedout
year,
In the month of falling leaves.
Curling, withering, they finally fell from
the tree.
So too he....
From the days of the slow terrible
revelation,
All was kept locked, no burden shared.
At times one might have thought him
unaware,
But for a certain intonation, tension,
When quoting certain lines:
“Do not go gentle into that good
night”...
And a flash from calm eyes behind
horn-rimmed glasses,
And a certain tilt to the head.
No more said.
Jean Nordhaus, whose poems
appear regularly in Poetry has had
four books published. She finds a
close connection between journal
writing and poetry-writing. “No
matter how hectic life is, as soon as I
sit down with paper and pen, the
whole world quiets around me. It’s a
way of centering, the way potters
do.... a warming up exercise.” The
first draft of a poem frequently
derives from part of a journal entry.
She also records dreams and sometimes
draws on this dream material.
Although she values her older jour -
nals for “historical purposes,” it is in
the recent journal entries, “the place
where I am right now, that the payoff
is.”
“I segue from journal writing into
poetry, condensing, expanding, and
reshaping, until I have up to fifty
revised versions...” Her poem,
“Wanting Red Hair in October,” is
closely related to journal jottings
(shown below in italics):
Why is time so heavy? Whose are the
baker’s hands pouring it out, engineer -
ing it? Who manufactures and dispens -
es it? Why does it pool so around our
ankles, in the chambers of our hearts,
making us want to lie down, to sleep?
And some lines from the poem
growing out of that entry:
Why is love so heavy? Who are the
engineers
designing it? The devil-cooks who mix
and pour?
Why does it pool so, in the heart’s
sealed chambers, in the eye-wells’ nar -
row sluices?
The poem weaves back and forth,
building upon journal material,
until it reaches a climax in the final
verse:
I want to be lifted.
I want to wave in beauty like a flag,
flare
and ripple in the wind, before the snow
comes visiting with needles full of anes -
thesia,
and I crawl into the cave of sleep and
sleep.
A founding member of the Capitol
Hill Poetry Group, Nordhaus meets
every Wednesday night with other
poets who live on the Hill or have
ties here. Meeting for twenty-five
years, they have published two chapbook
anthologies of their work, The
Other Side of the Hill, I and II.
On Capitol Hill today poetry and
other literary forms are alive and
well, moving resolutely and even
jauntily into the new millennium.
And the journal takes its place
among them.
Writer, poet, teacher, Shirley Cochrane,
lives on Capitol Hill
As I grow older, it is such a joy to reflect upon earlier
days and years—the anger, the pain, the joy, the love,
the...well, whatever. What’s so special about these
re c o rded events is that I can read, in my own word s ,
what my feelings were.
6 www.voiceofthehill.com
front of me, but because the old stuff
is in the way I don’t see it.” One message
was particularly crystallizing:
“If you need to write it, someone
needs to read it.”
The Artist’s Wayhas lots of advocates
—though many of them laughingly
say it took several attempts,
sometimes years apart, to get
through the book. Others confess
that they’ve never managed to complete
the 12-week course, which
BY KATHLEEN MILANICH
Someone must be reading self-help
books. Amazon.com lists more than
16,000 titles in that category—and
that’s not including thousands more
“how-to” books that teach you how
to get ahead in business, love, buy a
house or (fill in the blank).
They’re best sellers too. Take a
glance at the New York Times or the
Washington Post bestsellers. The Post
list for the week of March 5 includes:
Who Moved the Cheese?; The Worst-
Case Scenario Survival Handbook; A
Short Guide to a Happy Life; Body for
Life; and even a novel about self-help
books, Bridget Jones: The Edge of
Reason, in which, the reviewer says,
“our heroine turns to self-help book s
for support.”
In conducting extensive research
for this article, I contacted friends
and acquaintances to learn what
self-help books have done for them.
A few offered embarrassed recognition
that they had read Passages or
The Sensuous Woman back in college
when they were kids.
Many more stated, and rather
huffily, that they “don’t believe in
that stuff”—much like someone
would say she doesn’t believe in
astrology or Santa Claus.
But several brave souls admitted
they read them because they found
something in the books worked for
them—though there was frequently
a qualifier: “Someone at church,
work, or the gym told me how it
changed his life so I read it…”
It broke down rather neatly into
three camps: the true believers, the
dabblers, and those who would
rather drink Drano than admit to
reading them. While attempting to
reconcile the difference between
these three groups I explored personality
differences, asked for prison
records, and kept an ear peeled for
dysfunctional family tales. I reached
no conclusions. Self-help books suck
in just about everyone.
Once past the embarrassed confession
that they’d leafed through a
few, most admitted they’d found
some help, even had a little
epiphany or two.
Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t
just women who read these guides.
When asked if he could recommend
one of the books that helped make
him a successfully produced
Washington playwright, Roy
Berkowitz replied, “One that would
not make you throw up?”
That said, a title that Berkowitz
admits had a major impact was The
Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. He
credits the book with helping him
work through old fears and hesitations,
to stop procrastinating and
look for opportunities. “I was stuck
in being perfect,” he says. “I learned
that what I desire is usually right in
“It’s a dangerous book for artists,”
says Jeffery, “We spend so much
time trying to avoid ourselves so we
can get on stage.”
Still, Watson wants to finish—last
time he quit was in Week 4, when
you’re not even allowed to read your
cereal box for 7 painful days: “Maybe
in a support g roup, like AA, I could
get through it. But I don ’t have the
strength.”
Baldwin Tom, Capitol Hill entrepreneur
and sage, who has made a
career of helping organizations and
individuals move from “chaos to
control,” feels that spirituality is key
to personal development, but selfhelp
books frequently miss that spir -
itual side.
Manuals that are task-oriented,
such as those dealing with time or
career management, losing weight or
finding the ideal mate often languish
on the shelves. The skills and
techniques they teach may be excellent,
but they fail to reach—the soul.
For an individual to grow, Tom
maintains, “the body-mind-spiritrelationship
needs to be nurtured
and sustained.”
You might compare it to a spinning
gyroscope, says Tom: one ring
is the body, with its state of physical
and mental health; another ring is
the mind with its need for continu -
ous learning; the third ring is spirit,
with its own needs for metaphysical
relationships; and the fourth ring is
relationships, which require nurturing
through other social interactions.
When all four rings spin in har -
mony people feel balance in their
lives. But if one or more of the rings
has been neglected, the gyroscope
shakes, resulting in stress.
Patrise Henkel, President of
Graphics and Communications of
the Stafford Institute advocates the
book, Flow: The Psychology of
Optimal Experience by University of
Chicago Professor, Mihaly
Csikszentmihalyi.
Flow can be described as that
exhilarating, effortless feeling experienced
when you lose yourself in
the process of some activity. While
you are usually unaware of how it
happens, you know the moment
you’re there. It’s when writing comes
effortlessly, when you lose yourself
in dance, or as you experience the
“runner’s high” that makes your
body seem to fly across the road.
While in flow you are joyous, creative
and totally involved. The trick
to entering this delightful state, per
Csikszentmihalyi, is to focus on setting
personally determined goals—
even little ones that inch you toward
accomplishment. “Flow,” says
Henkel, “provided an academic and
philosophical explanation of the
creative experience that validated
many of my own thoughts.”
relies heavily on journaling. Yet they
believe that if somehow they could,
creative windows would fly open.
“Exactly,” says Jeffery Watson,
Executive Director of the Capitol Hill
Arts Workshop. “I want to complete
the book, the fir st weeks were very
revealing and the writing was powerful.
But it was overwhelming.”
Cameron’s course strips away layers
of excuses and fears that bedevil
creativity.
Helping
Your S e l f
w i th
S e l f - H e l p
B o o ks
www.voiceofthehill.com 7
Capitol Hill business woman,
Alice Wilson of Antique and
Contemporary Leasing, began a
quiet movement among several
members of the Hill’s business community
when she told us about Write
It Down, Make It Happen, Knowing
What You Want and Getting It by
Henriette Anne Klauser.
At first analysis, Write It Down
Make it Happen seems almost too
easy. The premise is that as the read -
er commits his or her wants or
desires to paper, these requests are
made known to the universe which
will in turn help make the wishes a
reality. Alice said as soon as she
began to list her wishes, they began
to come true. A trip she’d dreamed
of fell into her lap within weeks. A
friend she shared the book with
landed a vacation in Thailand. Both
trips were free.
Wilson, a self-help book devotee,
has picked up lots of tips. One she
shared with me recently was absurdly
simple. Don’t fight anxiety and
worry. Indulge yourself—for five or
ten minutes. Really let yourself go:
rant, rave, whine all you want. But
stop on schedule. Incredibly, this
does clear the head, and you can
move on with your life.
Another idea that works for
Wilson seems contrary to everything
that our fast paced instant-gratification
world demands. When things
appear to fly out of order, the natural
inclination, especially for Type A
personalities, is to immediately fix
them. Alice has learned that when
you set the issue aside, even for a
very brief period, solutions often
bubble up effortlessly. Problems
sometimes even solve themselves.
Lots of people have told me about
the importance of “affirmations” in
their lives. Even the most accomplished,
self-confident types attribute
daily affirmations—really morning
pep talks—to be a comforting
and very empowering part of their
lives.
Baldwin Tom offers that self-help
books are here to assist in life, which
is a continuous improvement program
that starts at birth, continues
forever and constantly needs attention.
Take what rings true from the
self-help genre then, as they say:
“Just do it.”
Kathleen Milanich is the President of
B u rnham Communications, which pro -
vides marketing and public rel a t i o n s
s e rvices to businesses and not for pro fits.
private parties • celebrations • special events
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8 www.voiceofthehill.com
What is spiritual fitness? I chatted
Gabrielle Hill, a woman who
concerns herself with such things,
and here is what she has to say: “It’s
a sense of well-being and connection
to all created things.”
Hill is a spiritual coach on East
Capitol Street. After a career as a
journalist and educator, including a
stint at the World Bank, she took
time off to be with her two daughters.
(They were much younger then,
but so were many of us.) Instead of
returning to a “conventional” career,
she began studying “energy healing”
with gurus Barbara Brennan and Dr.
Robert Jaffe. Gabrielle has developed
a special interest in working with
clients who are seeking emotional
and spiritual therapy to help them
work through physical illness.
“The only sin is the belief that we
are separate from everyone and
everything else,” says Hill. “We deny
our connections to others—often
simply by saying, ‘Oh, it has nothing
to do with me!’ When we deny those
connections, we’re cutting ourselves
off spiritually.”
So how does one become spiritually
fit? Are there exercises for this?
Says Hill: “The universe constantly
presents each one of us with a customized
textbook. The lessons start
with whatever pisses us off.”
S p i ritual fitness? Spiritual fitness?! I can
see it now: fo u rteen soul sit-ups, th i rt ys
even meta p hysical squ a t - th ru sts, and
t wenty minutes of supern a t u ral jogging
in place. Eve ry day. Guaranteed to
b u rn off that midriff ring of sloth and
d ev i l ’s food cake in th i rty days or yo u r
m o n ey back. See our info m e rc i a l !
Amen, and-a-two, and-a-th re e . . . .
Amen,
anda two,
anda three
BY GENE MILLER
www.voiceofthehill.com 9
But, she explains, the idea isn ’t
learning to cope with ir ritations, or
living our lives in spite of them;
rather, things that annoy us are sig -
nals that there is some unacknowledged
piece of ourselves that needs
addressing.
“When we examine and take
responsibility for what pisses us off,
we begin to recognize that the struggle
arises from a deeply-repressed
part of our self. Developing our spiritual
muscles means owning our triggers
—the hot buttons. When our
buttons get pushed, we have to learn
to own that process and not let them
push us into a blaming or victim
mode. The more we own our triggers,
the more we develop our spiritual
muscles. Marriage, particularly,
brings the opportunity for the sacred
work of reconnecting because it provides
us the opportunity to own
what our spouses trigger in us.”
Gabrielle makes clear that she
doesn’t consider her work to be particularly
religious, but does see it as
being deeply spiritual. “The essence
of what I do with my work in connectedness
is the essence of all religion
and of divinity itself. Religion
in the sense of theology and dogma
is the mental accretion around our
intuitive sense of this deep connec -
tion between ourselves and the rest
of creation. I’m not interested in
working with mental accretions, so I
don’t call what I do ‘religious.’ I do
call it spiritual. But the work isn ’t
easy and it isn’t fun.”
No, ma’am, it isn’t. As I leave
Gabrielle’s sunny sitting room, I’m
reminded of the old couple who
were celebrating their 50th wedding
anniversary. A reporter asked them
“Did you ever think of divorce?” The
wife looked at the husband and said
“No, not divorce. Murder, yes, but
not divorce.” Amen, and-a-two, anda-
three....
In search of more views on spiritual
fitness, I chatted with Ajai, who
writes the “Starry Days” column the
Voice carries in its back pages. Ajai’s
astrological advice is unlike anybody
else’s I’ve seen. Where Sydney Omarr
might write something like,
“Communications aspects favorable
for Aquarians,” Ajai writes, “Call
your mother tonight.”
Ajai is also known as Jeffrey
Stiehm (pronounced “steam”) and
isn’t even from California: he’s a
Wisconsin native who grew up
north of Green Bay and had a pretty
conventional education at the
University of Wisconsin at Madison.
He got a degree in radio/tv/film and
started working for an MGM satellite
office in Minneapolis.
Jeffrey had been raised as a good
Lutheran—altar boy and everything
—but says that about the time
he went to college, he started getting
skeptical about everything having to
do with religion and spirituality. His
skepticism continued until one day
in a restaurant, he found an article
about astrology in a free magazine.
Intrigued, he got in touch with the
astrologer who wrote it—several
times, in fact—and the astrologer
suggested a career change. It was the
beginning of a new life for Ajai.
As his interest in astrology developed,
he found himself in conversation
with a friend who was a yoga
teacher here in Washington. Ajai
ultimately ended up at the Kripalu
yoga ashram in western
Massachusetts where he stayed for
nine years. He moved to Capitol Hill
a number of years ago—mostly in
search of warmer weather—and continues
his astrological and yogic pursuits
here.
“Astrology is all about the harmo -
ny and connectedness of the movements
of the sun and the moon and
the planets and all our lives,” Ajai
says. “For me, the positions of the
planets are like the letters of the
alphabet. They move around all the
time and as they do, they form different
words. My job is just to put
them together and read the words.”
When asked how yoga ties in, he
continues: “Yoga is also about the
natural harmony and connectedness
in the world. I use my astrological
awareness to contribute to my spiritual
fitness, and my yoga to bring
my mind, body, and spirit into alignment.
Once I started studying yoga,
these inter-relationships became
much clearer. I’m now much calmer
than I was before. My sister told me I
used to be a real pill. We get along
just great now.”
“Kripalu yoga is meditation in
motion,” explains Ajai. “It flows
from one posture to another in a
compassionate, meditative, and not
a painful way. I do it every morning
because before I start the day, I want
to be in balance.”
Aha! Yoga is obviously more than
just taking your left toe, inserting it
in your right ear and saying “Om.”
Spiritual fitness indeed!
After talking to Ajai, it occur red to
me that we often tend to look far
away for advice on spirituality—as if
we can only see ourselves properly
from a considerable distance. So I
decided to look closer to home: I
called Virginia Spatz, the twelve-year
Capitol Hill resident who is Director
of Washington’s Jewish Studies
Center—they offer classes at the
William Penn House on East Capitol
Street—and asked her about
Judaism’s take on spiritual fitness.
“Judaism has wrestled with spiritual
fitness ever since our beginnings
thousands of years ago, “ she replies.
“Our spiritual fitness exercises start
in the morning when we awaken: we
bless God who removes the sleep
from our eyelids. Our prayers and
blessings connect all our
daily actions to God and
to the community.”
Once again, the theme
of connectedness
returns. Jewish spiritual
exercise aims at more
than inner awareness.
“Our practices require
that we become aware of
our surroundings and
our community, “ Spatz
continues. “Our tradition
is one of actively studying, discussing,
and arguing with ourselves
and each other over understanding
God’s voice in the texts and their
commentaries. The wrestling itself is
a part of the tradition,” she says.
Thus the old squib that has long
delighted me: “Where you have two
rabbis, you will have at least three
opinions....”
And the payoff for all this effort?
“You’ll start benefiting right away
from your studies and exercises,” she
comments. “But your wrestling can
last a lifetime.”
Judaism’s sense of connectedness
also includes the world outside of
what we think of as Judaism proper.
“Our spiritual exercise calls us to
righteous action in the world,”
explains Spatz. “And that means
addressing issues of injustice and
inequity wherever they are found.
When we look around the world and
see all the evil in it, one way of
engaging the issue is to think of creation
as a vessel that has been broken
into pieces and scattered. From
this vantage point, we say that
Judaism contains a call for Jews to
help heal the brokenness of this vessel
that is all creation.”
Talk about connectedness. First
I’m pissed off, then my Moon is in
Aquarius with my left toe in my
right ear while I’m chanting “Ow,”
and now I have to help heal the brokenness
of all creation while
wrestling. It sure takes a lot of work
to be spiritually fit. Guess I’ll have to
put down the remote and get at it.
Amen-and-a-two, and-a-three.
Gene Miller is the Voice of the Hill’s
Religion Editor
“For me, the positions
of the planets are like
the letters of the
alphabet. They move
around all the time
and as they do, they
form different words.
My job is just to put
them together and
read the words.”
Ajai
10 www.voiceofthehill.com
person might not necessarily work
for another. What follows is an
incomplete and unscientific list of
potential avenues of approach.
If you do stop, look at the positive
side—you’ll no longer have to spend
all your time at the Tune Inn.
…you must realize, smoke
gets in your eyes.
J. Kern, O. Harbach
Online Chat Rooms. I logged on to
American Online in search of support
from former smokers, thinking
that this would help strengthen my
resolve to quit.
There are several such chat rooms
on AOL. However, each time I
entered one I found myself totally
alone. I chatted with myself for
some time, then logged off and went
out and had a cigarette.
…choking smokers, don’t
you think the joker laughs
at you.
John Lennon
There I had it. I kept hearing that
familiar refrain over and over in my
head whenever I lit up. I’d been
hearing it for years, but was able to
rationalize my nicotine habit—I was
still young, I could stop anytime if
wanted, I wasn’t really smoking that
much, etc., etc. But there finally
came the time when I had to honestly
face my addiction. It was simply
and finally time to stop, once and for
all. But how?
The key to quitting, I learned, is
that one must simply want to stop.
Once you’ve made the decision,
there are various routes and
resources available to help make it
easier—though what works for one
I’ve got you under my skin.
Cole Porter
The patch. It can be effective, but
one continues to receive nicotine
through the skin, so that portion of
the addiction remains. And you will
want to avoid the embarrassment of
wearing it at the beach, unless you
put it on your butt (which doesn’t
work at all with a thong bathing
suit).
On the positive side, you no
longer need a doctor’s prescription
to obtain the patch, so you won’t
have to listen to the accompanying
lecture on the dangers of smoking.
Doctors tend to be quite smug on
this issue, but I for one am old
enough to remember that they all
used to smoke.
Does your chewing gum
lose its flavor on the
bedpost overnight?
L. Donnegan
The gum. Pretty similar to the patch.
It doesn’t taste very good, and the
prescribed method of chewing doesn’t
provide a release from the accom -
panying stress, either. I have a friend
who’s been on the gum for more
than three years and shows no sign
of stopping.
…that’s how is begins,
needles and pins.
J. Nitzsche, S. Bono
Acupuncture. Here’s the experience
of a local writer, who after a year is
only now able to speak about her
experience:
“It was just over a year ago that I
heard about Marilyn Adams—an
In retrospect, I can’t imagine that
this would have been a great help –
what could the chat been like anyway?
ACD32: I want a cigarette.
JulieR: Me, too.
But at least they are out there and
might be useful to some seeking to
quit.
Oooh, I’m a fool for a
cigarette.
Sidney Bailey, as sung
by Ry Cooder
Cold turkey. The classic method,
and for many, the only one that real -
ly works.
If you’re tough and single minded,
this might be the method for you. It
is best, however, to spend at least several
days apart from your loved ones
during the initial phase.
My friend David, a Hill resident
and the best public relations special -
ist I know, took this approach four
years ago. He fir st tried the patch,
but then went on vacation to Paris,
where smoking is apparently mandated
by government decree. After
his return home, he decided to bite
the bullet and stop altogether.
Luckily, his wife, a non-smoker, was
highly tolerant of the tremendous
mood swings he experienced.
In the end, he says, it was not all
that difficult a thing to accomplish,
but there is still that part of the habit
he misses until this day. “The thing
is” he laments, “is that no matter
how you look at it, smoking is ‘cool.’
I mean, it is so cool. There was nothing
I liked better, back in my punk
rock days, than to pop open a beer,
light up a smoke, and sit back with
my feet on a table. It was so cool,
and I miss it. A lot.”
A Swan Song fo r
C i ga ret t e s
BY ALAN DONOVA N
Up in Smoke:
www.voiceofthehill.com 11
acupuncturist recently moved to the
neighborhood. I went, figuring I’d
dare her to make me quit—and then
I’d write about it.
“Each day for three days she stuck
me with an increasing number
pins— which don’t hurt at all, really.
The final set, the ones in the upper
chest, were the pins that did it.
When I left that day the smell of
smoke was suddenly foul. Passing
another smoker on the street made
me gag.
“In the next weeks I fought
valiantly to continue my habit, but
could no longer inhale. She’d done
something to block my throat.
“Still I refuse to quit completely.
Do that and the next thing you
know you’re a vegetarian. A year
later and I’m puffing on around five
a day. While I probably could inhale
if I tried, I got out of practice and no
longer do.
“On the plus side: I’ve saved however
much money [indeed, a pack a
day habit now costs upwards of
$1,500 per year]; my skin is a whole
different color (I used to think it was
naturally kind of yellowish. It’s not);
my teeth are white; and my family
has found other sins to whine about.
“On the negative side: it took
months to get over the craving; I
gained about ten pounds, which I’m
only now beginning to get off; and
I’m more sensitive to odors, particu -
larly heavy perfume, which I find far
more irritating than cigarette
smoke.”
Seems like a dream,
they’ve got me hypnotized.
Bob Welch
Hypnosis. This is the method that
worked for me. I’d made the deci -
sion to stop, but felt unable to do it
without some outside help.
I was paging through a copy of
Pathways (a free alternative health
magazine) and came across an advertisement
for hypnotherapy with the
heading, “Change Your Life!” Well,
I thought—that’s what I want. As far
as smoking was concerned, the ad
stated that it was “guaranteed” that I
would stop. I picked up the phone
and called.
The therapy, it was explained,
consisted of three consecutive onehour
sessions. The cost was $200.
The “guarantee” was a promise that I
could return for additional no cost
sessions once per month for the next
year if I should resume smoking or
feel the urge to do so.
My therapist was a small, elderly
man working out of his apartment in
Bethesda. I smoked my last cigarette
in the complex parking lot, took a
deep breath, and knocked on the
door. My initial impression was not
a good one. The décor was something
out of a Bronx co-op, circa
1955. The apartment was small,
cramped, and dark. Nevertheless, I
decided to give it a try.
There are many misconceptions
and myths about hypnosis. As the
advertisement stated, it is not “mind
control.” My therapist took me
through a number of stages designed
to put me into a state of total relaxation
—similar to that wonderful
moment when you are on the verge
of going to sleep. His words were
soothing and I found myself sinking
deep into my chair. When I reached
the desired state, he challenged me
to raise my hand off of the armrest. I
did not. In retrospect, perhaps I
could have, but I did not. Maybe
this stuff works, I thought.
While in this relaxed state, he gave
me a series of suggestions, which he
explained, reached my subconscious
as well as my conscious levels. (You
are not asleep—you hear everything
the therapist says and are aware of
your surroundings).
The two points that I recall most
vividly and that had the stronges t
effect were, “Smoking is something
you used to do but you no longer do
it because you choose not to” and,
“Smoking is a childish activity but
now you are an adult and you no
longer need to smoke in order to try
and act like an adult.”
When the session was over, he
invited me to crumple up my last
pack of cigarettes. I did, and walked
out as a former smoker. The two
remaining sessions were somewhat
anticlimactic, though they served to
reinforce the message. I’d done it—I
was clean!
I’ve smoked ‘em all my life
and I ain’t dead yet.
T. Williams, M. Travis
True enough. After all, it ’s a roll of
the dice in the end. But as many a
dead gambler realized a wee bit too
late, “them dice is loaded, pardner.”
Call for Phillip Morris—he’ll tell
you. Good luck.
Alan Donovan is a frequent contributor
to the Voice of the Hill.
GA B R I E L L E HI L L
Spiritual Coach
202/544-4386
hillhouse@erols.com
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are an integral part of The Infinite
Body because Vant feels that kids
have the purest sense of movement:
“Watch a child in a playground.
Children have a lack of fear, a sense
of abandon, that allows them to
have truly free movement. They can
spin around endlessly, and they
don’t care if they are dizzy. It’s the
movement that drives them, rather
than fear that stops them.”
A former Capitol Hill resident who
was once a professional dancer,
Kristy has a loyal following that
attend her classes at the Washington
Sports Club.
Beginners are taught the four pil -
lars on which The Infinite Body is
based: Posture; Breath; Balance; Core
Strength. “In my workshops, I
always start by watching people
walk, to assess their posture,”
she says. “I work with them
on how to adjust their posture,
sometimes in very
minor ways, to instantly
relieve pressure they have
been feeling in their lower
back or shoulders.”
Kristy laughs and
says that she
sometimes
shows her
clients a picture
of a person
with
really bad
posture
and
then
has
BY KRISTEN HART K E If you’re sitting down to read
this, good. Now, let’s try a little
experiment. Stand up.
When you stood up, did you
push yourself up using only
your legs, or did you put your
hand down to help you get up out of
the chair? Do you have some kind of
back injury that makes this assistance
necessary, or was it something
you simply did out of habit?
Kristy Vant observes these kinds of
unconscious habits in her clients
and then works to help correct
them. She encourages people to use
their bodies more effectively by
thinking through their movements.
The developer of a technique which
she calls “The Infinite Body,” Vant
teaches people how the different
parts of the body work together,
providing a deeper awareness of
their bodies overall.
“Unfortunately,” says Vant,
“society has given people a
false idea of what they should
look like and what they should
like to do. I have to start with
my clients by working
with them to forget
learned behavior—
like doing abdominal
crunches—
and trigger their
childhood memories
of movement.”
These
childhood
memories
ing against gravity,” says Cohen.
“Think about your head—it’s so
heavy, and you’ve got this tenpound
weight sitting on top of all
these delicate vertebrae. That pushes
your vertebrae down further into
your tailbone, and before you know
it, you’ve got neck pain, shoulder
pain, lower back pain. The
Alexander Technique is there to
show you how to ease that tension
by using your conscious mind to
direct your movement.”
Although the Alexander
Technique does not involve specific
exercises like The Infinite Body,
yoga, or other methods, Cohen does
advise her students to lie down on a
carpeted floor each day for fifteen
minutes, with knees bent and the
head resting on a small book, to help
reverse the effects of gravity.
Then she works with students to
use their minds before moving their
bodies. “Before you answer the
phone,” says Susan, “take a moment
to stop, free your neck, let your spine
lengthen and widen. It’s okay to
answer the phone on the third ring
instead of the first, and you’ll feel
better when you do.”
When working with individual
clients, Cohen is often accompanying
them to the golf course or the
office, to watch how they use their
bodies at work or play. “I spend a lot
of time helping people learn to work
more comfortably at their desks,”
she says. “I have one student who
has a horse and I’ve gone with her
out to the stables where I can watch
her ride, then I work with her to correct
the problems she has which end
up causing her some discomfort.”
Both Kristy Vant and Susan Cohen
concentrate on helping their clients
to use their diaphragms more effectively.
Cohen uses the Alexander
Technique with actors at the
Shakespeare Theater and Arena
Stage, teaching them how to move
more freely—in a way that does not
restrict their diaphragms when
speaking. Vant finds that the breathing
techniques commonly found in
them walk around the room imitating
it, “Within a minute everyone is
saying ‘Please, don’t make us walk
like this—it really hurts!’”
Vant describes her technique as a
kind of melding of several other
well-known concepts, including
Pilates, Alexander, and yoga. The difference
between The Infinite Body
and other techniques, she says, is in
its “sense of flow. I work with people
to help them integrate their movements
while also working to isolate
different sections of the body—the
torso, the ribs—and I try to do all of
this by infusing the movements with
a sense of dance.”
Susan Cohen, a long-time Capitol
Hill resident who teaches the
Alexander Technique, outlines the
differences between how she and
Kristy Vant work with their respective
clients.
“Kristy Vant’s technique has more
emphasis on posture from the beginning,”
says Cohen. “In the
Alexander Technique, I am definitely
looking at how someone sits or
stands, how they get out of a chair,
but then I teach them how to correct
these problems through reeducating
their bodies and reversing bad
habits.”
The Alexander Technique was
developed by H. Matthias Alexander,
a Shakespearean actor during the
early 20th century who was trying to
figure out why he kept losing his
voice. When doctors could offer him
no explanations, he set up a system
of 3-way mirrors so that he could
watch himself delivering oratory.
What he discovered were a series of
bad habits in the way he stood and
used his body, which were causing
restriction of his diaphragm. The
technique he developed is so
important to classicallytrained
actors, musicians, and
singers that it is required curriculum
at Juilliard and Yale, as
well as at both Howard and
Catholic Universities, where
Cohen teaches.
“Our bodies are constantly fight-
Standing Up for a
Healthier Body
Two diff e rent approaches to
integrating the mind and body
www.voiceofthehill.com 13
yoga help her clients to lengthen
their bodies, allowing them to have
a deeper and more satisfying stretch.
“I call it the Infinite Body,” says
Vant, “because I’m trying to help
people find that place where the
body doesn’t just stop at the tips of
your fingers and toes. If you can center
your body, and breathe properly
into a good stretch, then you begin
to feel your body flowing out beyond
its physical confines. You end up
feeling longer, taller, lighter, less
restricted by your muscles and
bones.”
Cohen agrees, saying that the
Alexander Technique should let you
feel freer, lighter, and easier in your
movements. As a former freelance
photographer who suffered from
chronic back pain as a result of lugging
heavy equipment around,
Susan knows what she’s talking
about. “I started doing the
Alexander Technique because I was
looking for a way to feel better,” she
says. “What I found out was that
once I stopped interfering with my
mechanisms, my body began to
work in the way it was originally
designed to work. You have to
become consciously aware of what
you’re doing to have that result.”
“The key to maintaining youthful
movement in the body is all in the
joints,” says Kristie. “We tend to
focus on muscles, which are really
there to move the bones. I tell people
that what they need to do is to
strip away the muscles and concentrate
on their skeletal body. That’s
where the real movement lies.”
When she recently taught a workshop
called “Conscious Abs” at the
Oxford Academy of the Arts, Vant
says she had to work against the fitness
industry’s obsession with “sixpack
abs” and teach people to get
movement into their torso, which,
in turn, helps create strength and
fluidity. (And, by the way, a pretty
nice stomach.)
Currently, Vant is developing a
series of exercises using the physio
ball, a giant balloon that is used for
stretching, strengthening and balance.
Kristie feels that the only two
tools anyone needs to stay fit and
maintain that fluid movement are
the physio ball and “anything you
can hang from.”
Once she polishes this new tec hnique,
she’ll probably begin teaching
it to other fitness professionals—
although she says they are usually
the most difficult to teach.
“Whenever I teach The Infinite Body
to fitness people, I find out right
away that at least half the class doesn’t
even breathe correctly, so I have
to start right from the beginning.”
Vant’s clients range in age from 35
to 80, and many have been studying
with her for 15 years. Cohen works
with a lot of younger students at
Howard and Catholic, and says
younger students can usually correct
their problems more quickly than
older ones. “Basically,” quips Susan,
“you don’t need the Alexander
Technique up to age 5. But once you
go to school and start sitting at a
desk, you need it.”
And how should you be getting up
out of your chair anyway? According
725 8th St, SE • Washington, DC 20003 • Tel. 202-547-6540
to both Vant and Cohen, using your
legs only, because your body is specially
equipped with its strongest
muscles in your thighs and hips—
these are meant to help you get up
and out of your chair without using
your hands.
Finally, a free kernel of advice
from Susan Cohen: The next time
you go to the movies, sit in the back
row. That way you won’t have to
crane your neck during the show,
which means you’ll be more comfortable
while you eat your large
popcorn with extra butter. Hey—you
can’t give up all your bad habits in
one day!
For more information about The
Infinite Body, call Kristy Vant at
703/768-5846.
For more information about the
Alexander Technique, call Susan
Cohen at 544-2448.
Kristen Hartke is a regular contributor
to the Voice of the Hill
Susan Martin Cohen What if you
missed a BIG
d e d u c t i o n ?
We’ll make sure that you don’t .
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• Tax experts who will maximize your deductions
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Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at Washington Sports Club.
14 www.voiceofthehill.com
Finley’s Boxing Club is not for the
feint of heart. Between the “décor,”
the thud of bags being slapped, the
background music, the grunts and
chatter it’s like being inside a pinball
machine.
Club owner Jim Finley is quick to
say this is “not the Waldorf Astoria
or the Hyatt Regency.” Those accustomed
to cushy health club accoutrements
like juice bars and saunas
are in for a shock.
At the top of those s tairs is a single
open space covered wall and ceiling
with neon colored fight posters—
the boss quips that the posters eliminate
the cost of repainting each year.
Punching bags hang from the ceiling
like sausages at a deli. A couple of
exercycles, listing from serious use,
are tucked against the walls,
“Do you need to get your
message across? Don’t put
it on a posted sign.”
Tucked away on the edge of Capitol
Hill, invisible to most of the neigh -
borhood’s residents, is one of the
country’s legendary boxing gymnasiums.
Unless you know that it
exists, it is very easy to miss. The
front of the building at 518 10th
Street, NE is a jungle of cars in various
states of disrepair. Ask one of the
mechanics at Finley’s Auto Repair
where the club is and he’ll motion
you around the side of the building
and down the alley. The shop’s back
door opens to a steep narrow staircase
leading up to the gym.
borrowed them from him to scatter
throughout this story.
“A good name is rather to
be chosen than great
riches”
Finley’s is a place for those who ar e
serious about getting in shape, staying
in shape and training. Modest it
may be, but it attracts top-ranked,
world-renowned boxers.
Mike Tyson stopped by last week
for a workout, though the only red
carpet the former World Champion
saw was the well-worn rug that covers
the gym’s floor. Finley says the
Champ asked that the club be closed
for his workout, but the boss shuts
his doors for no man (or woman).
Tyson was advised to come during
he club’s “slow time,” the hours
between 1 and 3 on weekdays. This
he did, returning the next day for
another session and bringing his sis -
ter along. Finley has the photos to
prove it.
Finley’s gym has produced some
of the biggest names in boxing history.
Bobby Foster, who held the world
light heavyweight championship for
seven consecutive years before retiring
in 1974, trained here. Foster is
arguably one of the best pound-forpound
boxers ever, fighting both
Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier during
his career.
Hometown bantamweight wonder
Clarence Vinson got his start at
Finley’s, and picked up a bronze
medal at the 2001 Olympics Games
in Sydney, Australia. Former
and there’s a slant board upholstered
in matted carpeting. That’s your
equipment.
At the far end of the room—which
is no broader or longer than the
ground floor of the average Capitol
Hill row house—a modest section of
space is cordoned off with ropes: the
boxing ring.
To reach the dressing area you
have to clamber through the ropes.
Posters cover every surface here as
well. There are no lockers, though
there is a finely calibrated scale. The
single bathroom sports the basics,
plus a combination washer/dryer.
Surprisingly, a colorful dish of potpourri
graces the toilet tank.
Posted everywhere are the owner’s
favorite sayings—some are his own
invention, others are borrowed. We
Put ’em up…Put ’em up
— T H E C O WA R D L Y L I O N
BY SARAH GODFREY
The master of his universe…Jim Finley.
Father Kevin Wilds of
Georgetown University.
www.voiceofthehill.com 15
International Boxing Federation flyweight
champion Mark “Too Sharp”
Johnson still trains at the gym.
“He who builds the better
mousetrap, the world will
beat a path to his door.”
Jim Finley opened the gym above his
auto repair business in May of 1960.
A former amateur boxer, Finley says
he was never a very “skillful” fighter,
despite an impressive record. In 75
fights he had 72 wins, 2 losses, and 1
draw. Converting the loft-like space
over the garage was the per fect way
to combine his work and his
“hobby,” as he likes to refer to the
club.
Though he sold the auto repair
business that still bears his name
some time ago, the gym remains
right where it’s been for the last 41
years.
Finley, a sprightly 72 years old, has
a sharp wit, and a sharper tongue.
He pulls no punches and is fond of
speaking in “puns, parables, and
metaphors,” a verbal style that has
made him a favorite guest on radio
sports shows.
Pointing out an amateur competitor,
Finley delivers one of his famous
verbal jabs, “He has the whole club
to himself now, so I guess you could
say he’s the best fighter we’ve got
here!”
It’s not surprising to learn that
Finley is a voracious reader—and
eternal student. Books are stacked on
nearly every flat surface: Mario
Puzo’s The Sicilian, a sociology text, a
biography of the painter,
Caravaggio. There’s also a chessboard
at a small table near a window.
The man puts a premium on learning.
While he’s proud that he g rew
up the son of a sharecropping family
in South Carolina, he’s pretty much
self-taught: “I’ve got several degrees
in common sense, although I
haven’t found any frames that
they’ll fit in.”
Club members: Bring your
tapes, we will watch them
with you—only if you
promise not to brag about
your wins.
To critics who say boxing is a barbaric
s p o rt, Fi n l ey has st rong wo rd s .
“ B oxing is one of the most love ly
sports to ever exist.” It’s true, he says,
that “it is the only sport that seeks to
maim the opponent. But sports like
football, where maiming is not the
goal, have more serious injuri e s .
Besides, you can take a spill in the
bathtub.”
Once you come to love the sport,
you never get it out of your system.
The “old-timers,” as Finley refers to
retired boxers, continue to come to
the club to share their knowledge
with the younger generation. That
camaraderie is one of the things that
attracted Finley to the sport.
While boxing, he says, is a lucrative
business, he’s in it for the love of
the sport, not the money. Finley’s,
says the owner, is “the only independent
club in the world…Most
clubs that cater to boxers are run by
promoters looking to reap the harvest
from professional fighters.”
“You are not here because
of the gym, the gym is here
because of you.”
Boxing has recently become a hot
ticket with fitness connoisseurs—
largely because of the success of Billy
Blanks, who started the “Tae-Bo”
craze. This highly choreographed
blend of traditional aerobic movement
—a mix of Jane Fonda, martial
arts, and boxing—has been getting a
lot of media attention, and a lot of
consumer dollars. Anyone can pick
up a $19.99 videotape or trot over to
their local gym to participate in a
similar workout.
However, much as spinning bears
little resemblance to an outdoor bike
ride, Tae-Bo pales in comparison to
the real thing. Finley says that Tae-
Bo is actually a “very good” workout,
and mentions that his niece works
out with the tape. But he considers it
no substitute for a boxing program,
which requires extreme skill and discipline,
and mastery of technique
and stance.
Tae-Bo, says Finley, “can give similar
results, but boxing speeds it up.”
Give him six months, and you’ll
have real abs of steel.
The club has become increasingly
popular with fitness students. They
come from every imaginable background
—including a Jesuit priest, a
professor at Georgetown University,
who trains regularly.
The club has ten trainers—nearly
all volunteers—who offer their services
out of sheer love for the sport.
Each individual’s workout is tailored
to his or her own preference and fitness
level. Workouts usually last
approximately 1 to 112 hours, but
Finley is quick to note, “We don’t set
a clock.”
Workouts usually consist of hitting
bags, shadow boxing, practicing
stance, hitting mitts, and hitting the
speed bag, or some combination.
While there are no “personal train -
ers,” there’s plenty of personal attention.
It’s a pretty heady atmosphere. As
the club’s owner says, “You may be
standing next to one of the greatest
fighters in the world and you’re both
working on the same thing.” Finley
warns, however, that one should not
confuse the terms “boxing program”
or “boxing workout” with actually
going round for round. Students in
the fitness program go through the
motions and reap the aerobic benefits,
but do not actually fight—unless
they catch the boxing bug.
“Invite your mother to
watch you work out. She’s
never seen you fight
(except your sister).”
Though there’s no place to set the
hot rollers, the club has become popular
with a lot of women. The popular
website www.girlbox.com—a
resource for women interested in
boxing—maintains a list of gyms
across the country that welcome
women. Finley’s Boxing and Fitness
Club is on that small, but rapidly
growing, roster. Even the club’s business
cards have “Women Members
Welcome!” printed in bright red le ttering.
Chris Ray, one of the club’s trainers,
hosts special evening sessions
where the club is opened exclusively
for all-female training sessions, but
women are welcome at all times.
Most are here to shape up—there are
only four, says Finley, who actually
put the gloves on.
Finley opened his doors to women
about 5 years ago. He was reluctant,
because of the club’s single dressing
room and shower, but the demand
proved overwhelming. He finally
knuckled under when he received a
call from a woman who said that she
didn’t care about the facilities, she
just wanted to box. He figured that if
the women didn’t mind, he didn’t
mind, and the club became co-ed.
There have been “absolutely no
problems” with the shared bathroom
and dressing room. He says, “If
someone wants privacy, they close
and latch the door…Besides, it ’s
2001, not 1801— people aren’t really
concerned with that sort of thing.”
If you are completely confused
after reading the
signs, ask me. Then you’ll
be more confused. Smile!
Enjoy your day!
For those in search of a little “Sugar”
Shane Mosley to add to their usual
exercise repertoire, Finley’s Boxing
Club is open Monday through
Friday, 6 AM to 8 PM, Saturday’s
from 8AM to 2PM and Sundays by
appointment. Chris Ray’s all-female
sessions are held Monday-Friday
from 8PM to 10PM. Working out
with the help of a trainer is $15 per
day or $110 per month. If you go it
alone, it’s $10 per day, or $80 per
month. For more information call
544-9132.
Sarah Godfrey is the Voice of the Hill’s
writing intern.
LIFE
St. Mark’s on Capitol Hill off e r s
you more than a spiritual commun
i t y, more than a theology. St.
M a r k ’s helps you discover the
inner tools you need to live life
m o re fully, with greater understanding
and insight. Thro u g h
Sunday School classes for childre n
and young people and adult courses
such as those listed to the right,
we offer a rich education pro g r a m
that helps make sense out of life.
We explore the link between life
experience and church teachings.
And, along the way, we build
c o m m u n i t y, supporting one
a n o t h e r. Come visit us. Be a part
of us. Our door is open.
LIFE, COMMUNITY
AND FAITH
THE BOUNDARIES OF
OUR TOLERANCE
LIFE AND RISK
LOSSES AND
NEW BEGINNINGS
THE RECORDS OF
THE LIFE OF
JESUS OF NAZARETH
RELATIONSHIPS
DRAWING ON THE SPIRIT
THE STING OF DEATH
THIRD AND A STREETS, SE, JUST BEHIND THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. SUNDAY S E RVICES AT 9:00 AND 1 1 : 0 0 .
w w w. s t m a r k s . n e t
2 0 2 . 5 4 3 . 0 0 5 3
of caffeine) in the morning. Larry
drinks half decaf and half regular.”
H a rri et’s a cre a t i ve cook who ra re ly
fo l l ows recipes: “For dinner, I might
g et flank st e a k – the leanest cut—fro m
E a st e rn Market and have it ground. I
st i r- f ry it with fresh ve g etables, using
l ow-fat ch i cken sto ck instead of oil. I
also make a cream sauce without th e
c ream, with ch i cken broth, skim
milk and corn sta rch as a th i cke n e r
i n stead of white flour. I add diced cele
ry heart s — for cru n ch and a hint of
s we etness. I pour this sauce ove r
b rown rice or pasta .”
Pritikin has made her a careful
label-reader: “You’d be amazed at
the levels of sodium, sugar and fat in
many packaged foods. Both of us
have to watch our blood pressure, so
we cut down on salt. For snacks, we
buy unsalted pretzels.” Unsalted?
“You get used to them. Your mind
and body learn to adjust to healthy
eating.”
Capitol Hill journalist Ann
Geracimos, sums up her philosophy
for keeping fit in three brief phrases:
Set a goal; eat only a half a muffin
rather than the whole thing; walk a
dog. Ageless Ann has a 24-year-old
son, Zeno, who lives in California
and plans to attend law school.
Geracimos’ loftiest goal materialized
last fall when she and a friend
decided to go trekking in Nepal.
Since this Himalayan nation looms
12,000 feet above sea level, visitors
had better be in good shape.
“You have to work up to it,” says
Ann, who is naturally slender and
blessed with a lightening-fast metabolism.
Still, she watches what she
eats, always stopping before she feels
full, and drinks “lots of water, at all
hours.”
16 www.voiceofthehill.com
It’s that time of ye a r
a gain: the hardy ones,
already stripped down to
t-shirts and shorts, jostle
past their parka-clad neighbors.
The day begins at freezing,
and by noon the daffodils are nodding
off in the warm sun.
Ah, springtime in Washington,
when thoughts turn swiftly from
cherry blossoms to the beach, and
from the beach to…. bathing suits.
Oh my. It’s back to the treadmill.
Sound gloomy? That depends.
Three Capitol Hill residents and one
fitness guru share their slick strategies
to beat those fitness blahs.
Muriel Martin-Wein readily
admits to being 60 but doesn’t look
it. And she’s a grandmother twice
over. The retired nurse has two
grandsons, Ryan, 17 and Tyler, 11.
“They call me G.O.I.—Grandma Of
Iron,” she laughs, as we visit in her
cozy den.
Twice a week, Muriel visits the Old
Town, Alexandria home of a friend,
Diana Sypolt, a federal judge. There
they work out for an hour with personal
trainer—and former Miss
Texas—Sinceria Elliott. “She’s gorgeous,”
whispers Muriel.
explains. “You have to modify your
diet. Most people don’t usually eat
too much, but they eat the wrong
things. Also, we’re used to supersized
portions in restaurants; we’ve
forgotten what a single serving really
is. People will eat a whole box of
cookies out of habit. People should
eat only when hungry, not by
impulse.”
Some people manage to get—and
stay—in shape without health clubs
and personal trainers. Harriet
Pressler, a realtor with ReMax,
prefers to do her rigorous treadmill
and stretching exercises in the privacy
of her Capitol Hill townhouse.
“At home, I don’t need competitive
clothing,” she explains,
although she looks terribly chic in
white designer sweats as we visit in
her office. Besides that, “My body
doesn’t have to be perfect, and I can
watch any TV show I want and can
stay on the treadmill as long as I
want.”
Pressler, who admits to “50-something,”
prefers her high-tech treadmill
to other machines. “On a treadmill
you can read, watch TV and/or
do arm exercises. I had an exercise
bike, but I hated it and I gave it away
to Goodwill.”
This winter Pressler had a break in
her regimen, while she was recovering
from minor surgery. “I missed
three and a half weeks of exercise,
and I was climbing the walls! And
since I was recuperating at home,
the kitchen was right there!”
H a rri et and husband Larry Pre s s l e r,
fo rmer Senator from South Dakota
(R), have almost always been health
conscious. Over the past seve ra l
ye a rs, th ey have visited the Pri t i k i n
Center in Califo rnia and Flori d a
th ree times. It’s a
S p a rtan pro gram, allowing
only 10 perc e n t
d i eta ry fat and esch ewing
all caffeine and alcoh
o l — though not eve ryone
is willing to go to
s u ch extremes. “A
Fre n ch woman in our
class insisted on a gl a s s
of wine with dinner,”
H a rri et says. And, she
c o n fesses, “Larry and I
h ave wine occasionally.”
Breakfast for the couple
might be oatmeal
with skim milk, a half
banana, and a half
bagel with sugar-free
jam. Forsaking caffeine
was difficult, says
Harriet. For three days
she suffered headaches
and other withdrawal
symptoms: “Pritikin
offers a coffee substitute
but it tastes awful. I now
have two cups of decaf
(which still has a trace
“Diane had to talk me into doing
it,” says Muriel, a trim123 pounds at
5 feet 4 and a half. “I didn ’t think I
wanted to work out—it’s a lonely
thing to do.”
They’ve worked up to 125 stomach-
flattening crunches, doing 25 at
a time with 20-second breaks. Muriel
flops on the carpeted floor to
demonstrate the technique. Feet up
in the air, hands behind her head,
she shows me how to “lift from your
torso, don’t pull your head up.” This
is not as easy as it sounds.
“We also lift 10-pound weights,”
she adds. “The idea is to firm your
muscles, not bulk out.” You do
weight lifting slower than other
exercises, she adds. It builds momentum
and strength.
“When I started this six months
ago, I was already on a diet,” says
Muriel. “I started in nice weather,
when you could get fresh vegetables
at Eastern Market. I ate lots of salads
and seafood—I’m crazy about fish.
No desserts. The weight just fell off!
At one point I was too skinny! I also
drank lots of water and cut down on
alcohol. I never drink after dinner.”
Exercise though, really makes a
difference. “Muscles weigh more
than fat,” says Muriel. “So you can
be the same weight but drop a dress
size.”
Muriel plans to do even more to
keep fit. Last Christmas, husband
Jim, who belongs to Bally Total
Fitness health club downtown, gave
her a year’s membership at Results
the Gym II, which will be opening in
the old Giddings School at 315 G St.
SE, by early summer.
Results’ Group Fitness Director
Harold J. Sanco Jr. offers his own
healthful suggestions. “My regimen
is mainly cardio-vascular,” he says. “I
do four or five 45-minute workouts
each week.” The variety alone is
breathtaking: step classes, dance
(urban funk), stationary bikes, treadmills
and a new-fangled contraption
best described as a cross between a
treadmill and a stair master.
Sanco, 39, looks the part of a fitness
expert. The Houston native and
former track and field and tennis
player, has been doing aerobics for
10 years. He arrived in Washington
in 1990, and helped launch the original
Results Gym at1612 U St. NW.
There, he manages 40 fitness instruc -
tors and schedules 65 classes a week
in the gym’s two studios.
To keep your energy level up while
peeling off pounds, Harold suggests
combining an aerobic program with
a diet high in carbohydrates and
lean protein: cereals, grains, beans,
fruits and vegitables, chicken, turkey
and fish. And limit the sugar and
alcohol—if you have wine with dinner,
skip dessert.
“People want to lose weight while
gaining muscle tone,” Harold
TREKKING IN
T I B E T
And Other
Tips fo r
Getting in
S h a p e
BY CELESTE MCCALL
H a rriet and husband Larry Pre s s l e r, former Senator fro m
South Dakota (R), have almost always been health cons
c i o u s .
www.voiceofthehill.com 17
Many weeks before the trip, the
women started a fitness regimen.
“The best way for an urban girl to get
in shape is to climb the s tairs at
Metro stops,” she says, singling out
the steps at Capitol South, Dupont
Circle and Woodley Park/National
Zoo. (Finding Metro steps to climb
should not pose a problem; it seems
that most of the escalators are out of
commission these days.)
The Nepal adventure was led by a
former Sidwell Friends teacher, Lila
15,000 carefully selected
volumes and growing.
Most of them reasonably priced
although you will find several
that are dramatically overpriced
& some that we seem to have
inexplicably undervalued.
All worth reading
See you there
Every day until just past dark
202-543-4342
Paul Cymrot Steve Cymrot
riverby@erols.com
Founded 1889
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N O W O P E N
Your neighborhood used book store at
417 East Capitol Street, SE
Bishop, who’s familiar with the
country—her husband actually
climbed Mt. Everest. After flying to
Katmandu, the group of 10 took a
bus to a remote region and began
their two-week hike: “We carried
everything with us: our tents, water
and food. We had a private chef, and
the food was terrific.”
She’s still trekking. “I walk everywhere,”
says Ann. An 8-mile hike
through the Shenandoah Valley, is
just the thing to shake the “midwinter
doldrums.” Frequently in tow
is Lucky, her 16-year-old Norwegian
elkhound: “She’s still quite active,
even if she sleeps a lot.”
The journalist also puts in a plug
for the recently renovated Capitol
Hill Natatorium—the popular
indoor swimming pool by Eastern
Market. “It’s polite and accessible,”
she says. “But it also helps to know
when to go—Sunday mornings at 10
are great. Ann, a strong, graceful
swimmer, goes to the pool several
times a week for half-hour sessions.
“That’s as long as I can take it,” she
admits. “Then I hit my boredom
threshold.”
Celeste McCall is a regular contributor
to the Voice of the Hill
Results’ Group Fitness Director Harold
J. Sanco Jr.
Dear Judith:
I have one of those nice old brownish concrete sidewalks
that is in mostly good repair except for some
broken corners. I’ve seen lots of places where people
have just poured some new concrete in those
corners, but it is always really different and glaringly
ug ly. Can I fix my old sidewalk or do I have to
pour a whole new one?
PAT C H E S
Dear Patches:
Thinking about this question, I got to thinking
about design. A lot of people talk about design as
problem solving, but this undervalues the glory of
good design, reducing it to something more like the
rules of arithmetic: if you follow the steps, you
should get the right answer.
Design, at its best, has the Eureka! quality. It’s like
Tiger Woods. It’s nailing it. Most of the time we
professional designers chug along in craft mode,
particularly those of us that have been doing it for a
long time. We can put an accessible restroom in the
least space, figure out how to double the closet area,
solve the roof leak, or make a sensible
building elevation in nothing flat.
E u re ka ! b re a k th roughs are ra re .
O ften th ey fo l l ow Edison’s rule of
99% perspiration and 1% inspiration.
After doing the numbers, and thinking
about it, and making piles of
c a n a ry tracing paper sket ches, suddenly
it all comes together!
Now, to the introduction to th e
answer to your question.
A lot of the advice I give in this column
is technical in nature, which is
somewhat subject to empirical verification,
although sometimes it takes
decades to realize that some product
or process does or does not work.
In the past, I have described ways to
get new concrete sidewalks to look
more or less like the old ones. But, the
process of replication is still more hit
or miss than I like to think about.
You may get a contra c tor whose
craft is up to it or you might not. Your
contractor may do a really good job of
getting that nice brownish color—or he may not.
You won’t know until it is really too late to do much
about it.
So, in a case like yours, where so much of the
walk is in good shape, it breaks my heart to yank
out all that sound material. But, patches, as you
observe, are often problematic.
This is where the glory of design comes in. As I
was walking up my Editor’s sidewalk to deliver the
diskette of my column that AOL had refused to
deliver, (this constitutes foot mail, another category
to add to E-mail, snail-mail, and ear mail), I
noticed she has the same problem you describe.
However: she had a Eureka! breakthrough. She
did an end run around the problem, considering
and rejecting the patch or replace choices. Instead,
she elevated her little sidewalk repair problem to
the realm of glory.
What’s her solution? As you can see in the
accompanying photo, she has selected a bunch of
wonderfully rounded pebbles, laid them tightly in
the broken spot, and will next set them in a bed of
concrete.
In case you’re underwhelmed (don’t get it) I will
explain the brilliance of this. First, in preservationby-
the-book terms, she’s winning. She has retained
the maximum amount of original fabric and—per
Re h a b i l i tation Commandment #9, “…new wo rk
will be differentiated from the old and will be compatible
with the historic materials…”—she is clearly
showing what is original and what is not.
An obvious patch would have done the same
thing, so the brilliance here is re a l ly aesth et i c .
What she has done is make a beautiful Band-Aid.
She’s not trying to deny the fact of this little patch,
but has turned it from a liability into an asset, with
humor and whimsy.
Her patch is made out of exactly the same components
as the original concrete: Portland cement,
sand, and aggregate. But this patch has a little fun
with the order of assembly (a setting bed with the
a g gre gate/pebbles on top instead of all mixe d
together). The whimsy of it makes me smile while I
say, “You go, girl!” [editor’s note: aw, shucks.]
The down side of this, of course, is that although
it looks easy to do, she actually spent quite a bit of
time finding and arranging the pebbles so they fit
so nicely. Besides the brilliant idea, craft is still
required. Still, it really looks like the perfect do-ityourself
job. A bag of concr ete, pebbles, some time
on your knees and Voila! Actually, it is hardly the
sort of job you want to try to contract since it is
unlikely your basic contractor will futz with the
stones until he gets a mosaic-like fit.
For me, this sidewalk patch ranks right up there
with my all-time faves on the Hill (many of which,
I confess, are a bit tongue in cheek…)
Dear Judith:
What’s your feeling about bars vs. security systems?
N E RVOUS NEL LIE
Dear Nellie:
Given the choice between really ugly security bars
and an electronic security system that only shows
up as stickers on the doors and windows, I have to
weigh in on the side of the aesthetics
of a security system.
H oweve r. As with eve ry thing in
l i fe, the adva n tages and disadva ntages
of electronic vs. iron security
are more complicated than that.
Electronic security systems are definitely
lower first cost for an entire
house than the equivalent level of
protection from decent looking security
bars, properly installed.
But, once the security iron is in
place, the only continuing expense is
occasional painting—whereas with
an electronic system you have the
monthly expense of monitoring, if
you opt for that, as well as continuing
service.
Granted, our personal experience
w i th electronic security systems is
limited to only four or five systems
b et ween our own and clients, but
what we have found is that the little
electronic components fail and have
to be replaced pretty regularly—some
bit of the system goes out about once or twice a
year.
That means expense as well as arranging for a
security system house call, and time wasted waiting
for the technician.
Next in the list of advantages and disadvantages
is the degree of involvement required.
With bars, you walk out of the house, lock the
dead bolts, and that’s it.
18 www.voiceofthehill.com
Ask Judith
With security systems you have to turn the system
on every time you leave the house, turn it off
eve ry time you ret u rn, turn the first floor and
perimeter protection on when you go to bed, and
off again in the morning. You also have to remember
not to stagger downstairs for a midnight snack
without turning off the system.
Further complicating the issue of arming and disarming
are the people who have regular access to
your house. There’s the cleaning person, the house
sitter when you’re away, the painter, etc. etc. You
either have to let all these people in and out, train
them with the system, or leave it off when you
expect them—thus pretty much defeating the purpose
of the security sy stem in the first place.
This all becomes pr etty automatic after you have
lived with a security system for a while, but still, it
is there as a fact of life.
The third area of difference between electronic
and iron security systems may or may not be relevant
to your personal situation. It is ventilation.
If you keep your house pretty much sealed up
year ’round, switch from heating to cooling and
back as our weather does its daily dance from summer
to winter to fall to spring, opening windows is
not an issue.
However, if you do not have central cooling, or if
you prefer to use your cooling system as a sort of
emergency fall back on those 95°/90% re l a t i ve
humidity Washington days, being able to open
windows and leave them open can be a real concern.
With an electronic security system you generally
must close windows to achieve a secure perimeter.
That means when you go to bed, just as the temperature
is dropping into the cooler ranges, you have
to close windows and seal up the house with all its
daytime warmth trapped inside.
With security iron, you can leave windows open,
knowing the opening is protected.
Finally, I’ve never heard of a false alarm with
security bars. Think about those balmy summer
nights when you ’re kept lying awake listening to a
neighbors’ system in the midst of a major breakdown.
While all of the above seems to weigh in on the
side of security iron—let’s return to aesthetics. All
you have to do is look around you, even a little.
Ugly security iron is all over the place—ugly is totally
the rule, not the exception.
Unfortunately, people panic after a break-in and
will take anything as long as it can be put in, “right
now.” Then, once it is up, the principle of construction
inertia takes over: the junky iron work,
often poorly ins talled so that it causes irreparable
damage to brick, stays on the house for decades.
Other people just do dumbly ugly things with
their security iron. They add curlicues that just
look stupid, or they pick out New Orleans-over-thetop
iron. Finally, some people uglify their houses
just because ugly is almost always cheaper than not
ugly. To get ugly ironwork, poorly installed, all you
have to do is call up four ironworkers for prices and
take the lowest bid.
So, the bottom line is, if you want quick, cheap
(first cost), and pleasing to the eye, go with an electronic
system.
If you’re not in such a hurry, stroll around the
neighborhood and take a look at all of the beautiful
and creative security bars that are out there. Then
call an ironworker for even more ideas and estimates.
Judith Capen, AIA, practicing restoration architect, is
the author of many of the Capitol Hill Restoration
Society’s award-winning guidelines for work on Capitol
Hill homes.
www.voiceofthehill.com 19
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BY DUNCAN SPENCER
Two men once did it. There was Chad
Glasgow, the quiet one in black rubber
boots, collecting fees along the Farmer’s
Line, and brother Richard Glasgow, the
chatty one, busy on the phone arranging
trash pickup, collecting South Hall rents, and dealing
with a 130-year old building that the city just
forgot.
They held meetings now and
then, and decided things in private.
But now, under legislated,
regularized, reordered and pres
u m a b ly imp roved East e rn
Market management, there are
literally dozens of players where
only two had been before.
Not only players, but layers.
E ve ry week seems to expose
a n other one. There is th e
u m b rella appointed gro u p ,
E a st e rn Market Citizens’
Advisory Committee, with its
9-member Board. Within that is
the group which, according to
some, re a l ly calls the shot s —
the EMCAC executive committee,
consisting of Ellen Opper-
We i n e r, Dick Scully, Monty
Edwards, and Jean Marie Neal.
T h e re are only two elected
officials in the EMCAC structure:
David Sheldon, who represents
Ad v i s o ry Neighborh o o d
Commission 6B, and the southeast side of the Hill;
and Ronald T.T. Nelson, who represents ANC6A,
and the northeast side of the Hill.
The other Board members were appointed by various
neighborhood organizations. Opper-We i n e r
and Neal, neither of whom are voting members of
the EMCAC Board, re p resent the Mayor and
Councilmember Ambrose, respectively.
Then th e re ’s the newly installed manageri a l
“entity” consisting of Eastern Market Joint Venture
President Stuart Smith, his “market manager team”
of Bruce Cook and as yet unhired employees for
security, on site management, and cleanup.
Then there’s the city, still represented by departing
Office of Property Management Chief of Staff
Andrew Reece. Reece, who has been involved with
the reorganization of the market for years, will continue
to oversee the managerial transition even
though City Councilman Jim Graham (D) has hired
him to a full time staff job. Is it important that
Reece (according to co-workers at OPM) will not be
replaced? On past evidence, the city is quite ready
to ignore its responsibility as landlord of the market
building—just look at the exterior.
Then there’s the latest player, a Tenant’s Council,
which is being pushed hard by some EMCAC members,
particular ly Lar ry Gallo, who
re p resents arts ve n d o rs, and by
some South Hall merchants who
have long feared their voices will
sound unheard among the many,
many others.
Also new are unnamed “facilitators”
and a “liaison,” suggestions of
Stuart Smith and EMCAC execut
i ve committee member Monty
Edwards, respectively, who would
s u p p o s e d ly smooth the way to
finding a “common vision—or,
where do you want to go in the
future,” as Reece put it at a recent
EMCAC meeting.
E M CAC ’s latest move was to
appoint “team leaders” to accomplish
va rious planning ta s ks in
concert with Smith’s people, as if
this intellectual exercise could take
the place of deciding which
repairs—the painting or the paving
or the patching of leaks— should
come first.
As for a business plan, it’s not
clear whether Smith will be able to coerce merchants
into giving him correct figures for gross
receipts and expenses—or whether he can get a reli-
20 www.voiceofthehill.com
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able reading from the D.C. gross re c e i pts ta x
records that businesses must file. Without a solid,
accurate accounting of these facts no business plan
is valid.
An elegance of players, yes?
Yet, not one of these people that are now responsible
for the market’s future has ever emptied an
Eastern Market trash can, opened a door at 6:30,
hunted down the rats, cleaned the clogged drains,
arranged the deliveries or done any of the hundreds
of daily market chores. Much less have they painted
the windows, or repaired the doors, or made a single
highly visible improvement to the place in the
two years since Sharon Ambrose pushed legislation
g ove rning the administ ration of East e rn Market
through the City Council.
So far, the “where do you want to go” has meant
nothing at all to the merchants or their customers,
who have seen only gradual small changes, such as
the installation (by the Glasgow’s) of an enlarged
South Hall bakery, or the realignment of the selling
stalls (also by the Glasgow’s.)
City money has financed the replacement of an
unseen skylight over the largely invisible Eastern
Market pottery, while a botched “rehab” of the
unseemly, unsightly restrooms near Market Lunch
proved an expensive eyesore.
Meanwhile EMCAC is embroiled in a “seven step
p ro c e s s ,” wo rking towa rds a business plan—a
process that no one expects to be finished in the 60
days that have been allocated, even though the
Smith-led Eastern Market Joint Venture team is due
to take the reins April 1.
And also in the meanwhile, the Internet—that
great over-rated immensity—is alive with anonymous
character assassinations and personal vendettas,
agendas and judgments aimed at East e rn
Market players. The longer it takes to install new
leadership for the market, it seems, the harder it
becomes to gain consensus for that leadership.
While our Eastern Market fiddles, others move
ahead.
A bold group of entrepreneurs, two women and a
man, have leased the huge (four and one-half acre)
former Levitz furniture warehouse off the Beltway
at Exit Nine near Andrews Air Force Base in Prince
Georges County.
G e rald Dickenson, Gina Hawk and Pa u l a
Diatsintos have cleaned it, cleared it and leased it
out to flea marketeers, produce vendors, and furniture
sellers. The y’re set to open with close to 1,000
vendors March 16, if a county inspector approves
their sprinkler system.
They’re calling it Greater Eastern Market. And
there’s only three of them.
Duncan Spencer is a regular columnist for the Voice of
the Hill and the Hill newspapers. His views are occa -
sionally shared by one or another of the publishers.
Spencer invites you to rant back to:
Dcspencer9@aol.com
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22 www.voiceofthehill.com
Can there be a better time to be living in the
District of Columbia? With its economic revival
and encouraging signs for future optimism,
Capitol Hill is an example of business development,
professional interest as well as personal
excitement for the residents. In promoting the
Hill as a good place to do business and live, CHAMPS, the
Capitol Hill Association of Merchants and Professionals, is the
business organization for more than 275 people who do busi -
ness on Capitol Hill.
Since 1983, CHAMPS has been a strong voice for the business
community and partner with other Capitol Hill civic
groups as well as other business and professional organizations
throughout the city.
CHAMPS members keep a strong presence on the Hill
through community-directed committees, Economic
Development, Legislative Af fairs, Planning and Zoning, Public
Relations, Public Safety and R etail & Restaurants.
While CHAMPS most visible presence might appear to be
the illuminated snowflakes the organization hangs to dress
the Hill in winter finer y, CHAMPS takes an active roll in many
areas of business promotion such as economic de velopment of
the Hill, safety, planning and zoning, transpor tation, tourism
and marketing.
Working with other community organizations, CHAMPS is
deeply involved in the Capitol Hill Business Improvement
District (BID). Through this wide-sweeping project, the BID
will enhance the Hill’s image, provide cleaner streets, creat e
beautification projects, and provide additional security to the
areas of the Hill that are part of the BID.
The potential for greater economic growth is a source of
much community pride. “There’s been a surge in membership
numbers as well as activity,” says Rob Gabany, Executive
Director of CHAMPS. “Many business people are joining
CHAMPS because they sense the excitement of the Hill’s
growing economic momentum and good heal th. It’s a good
time to do business on Capitol Hill.”
Destination Capitol Hill Promotes Our Nation’s
Neighborhood™
While many Capitol Hill residents take the neighborhood’s
favored DC location for granted, one of CHAMPS most active
committees is dedicated to making certain that Capitol Hill is
a major destination for Capitol Hill residents, those who live in
the Metropolitan Washington area and those who live in other
parts of the country and the world.
Chaired by Lisa McClure of Jones Lang Salle, the manage-
CHAMPS: A Strong Community Voice for a Growing Capitol Hill
ment arm of Union Station, Destination Capitol Hill is a committee
of Capitol Hill organizations including historic properties,
restaurant and retail establishments, museums, bed and
breakfasts, hotels, Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, Old Town
Trolley, marketing and advertising professionals, and the professional
soccer teams, DC United and Washington F reedom.
In other words, community groups that all ha ve vested interests
in the growth and de velopment of Capitol Hill are invited.
This amazingly diverse group of professionals recognizes
that as a group they can impact the success of their own
organizations as they work together to grow the success of
Capitol Hill. The combined ef fort appears to be working.
The committee began four years ago under the direction of
Bob Maurer, now Vice President at Jones Lang Salle, the management
company that oversees the operations of Union
Station. Originally formed to market Capitol Hill as a major
tourist attraction by planning and promoting special events,
tours and retail establishments and restaurants the committee
now takes on wide reaching, inno vative projects that raise the
public’s awareness and acceptance of Capitol Hill’s charm.
It is through the work of this committee, that each new
Congressman and Senator as well as new administrations get
information about their work neighborhood, their staff assistants
learn about Capitol Hill in order to help their constituents,
and concierges learn the assets of Capitol Hill as
well as bring in new cus tomers.
At its most recent meeting the group learned about the
various promotional opportunities for the Hill. With the relocation
of more than 4,000 Naval Sea Systems Command
(NAVSEA) employees from Crystal City to the Navy Yard businesses
are encouraged to develop ways to promote the Hill to
Navy Yard employees and to the hundreds of future contract
workers who will be moving into office buildings along M
Street.
(Note: An Information Fair will be held at the Navy Yard
on March 22, from 11:00 – 2 pm. Interested Capitol Hill busi -
nesses are encouraged to attend.)
One of the more delightful facets of the committee is to
create and promote ways to encourage tourists to Capitol Hill.
Tourists don’t have to be from other states or cities; anyone
who could enjoy an event or a dinner on Capitol Hill qualifies.
The DC Chamber of Commerce has graciously made a grant to
Destination Capitol Hill Committee to develop a walking tour
of Capitol Hill that will combine historic information with the
hospitality of the neighborhood. CHAMPS will work with the
DC Heritage Tourism Coalition, experts in this field to create
the tour.
Holiday Inn Capitol Entertains 80 CHAMPS
Members in Style
If the number of new businesses moving to and opening on
Capitol Hill isn’t evidence enough of the momentum growing
in the community, then the CHAMPS Winter Gathering on
February 7 surely gave people a tas te of the excitement. Mor e
than 80 people attended the Winter Gathering at the Holiday
Inn Capitol in Southwest Washington.
The night promoted goodwill across many fronts. By invit -
ing the of ficers of the Washington Waterfront Association, a
business group in SW Washington, to participate in the
evening, CHAMPS encouraged even greater member outreach.
A special recognition was paid to former CHAMPS board
member, Alice Wilson for her work on the annual Silent
Auction last December, an event that exceeded all previous
records by grossing almost $10,000 to fund CHAMPS projects.
CHAMPS’ newest members, soccer teams DC United and
Washington Freedom raffled off tickets for their upcoming
seasons beginning in April. Bo th organizations, offering cor -
porate and family programs to the Capitol Hill community,
demonstrate the far-reaching diversity of businesses on the
Hill and CHAMPS membership.
CHAMPS in the News 1…Cable News Network
On February 6, 2001, Dennis Bourgault CHAMPS president
was interviewed for CNN regarding his opinions on how businesses
would be affected by President Bush’s tax plan. A
strong representative of businesses, Dennis represented his
business, “Doolittle’s Pet Supplies and Grooming” but spoke
for other businesses as well in his interview, which was aired
twice that day. Additionally, Steve Shuman of Trover’s Books
was also interviewed regarding the tax plan. The following
day CNN went to Sizzling Express to interview people eating
lunch about their opinions as well.
CHAMPS in the News 2… Members Dominate
Metro Connection
Honorary CHAMPS member and DC Councilwoman Sharon
Ambrose hailed the Navy Yard development as “the biggest
economic development opportunity in the City” on February
10 during Metro Connection on National Public Radio station
WAMU’s Weekend Edition.
Along with Ambrose, CHAMPS members Don Denton of
Pardoe Realty, John Imparato, US Navy Director of Corporate
Information, Advisory Neighborhood Commission Chairman
Ken Jarboe, and Julia Bowens former CHAMPS President and
Executive Director of KidSafe also provided valuable vie wpoints
on the radio segment.
The show emphasized the need for coordination and hard
work by the City, business leaders, the N avy, social service
agencies and the citizens to work together to ensure that the
economic rebirth of M Street will work to everyone’s benefit.
CHAMPS Sponsored Calendar
Second Saturday Arts Program
April1 14, 4 – 7 pm
Various Capitol Hill arts organizations and retail shops in the
Capitol Hill Arts District
CHAMPS Breakfast Seminar: Insurance and
Investment Planning Strategies for Small Business
Owners
March 29, Chad Harlan and Mike Sweet of the Northwestern
Mutual Financial Network
$10 Members $15 Non members. Location: To be determined
Call 202-547-7788 or email champs@capitolhill.org for more
information
CHAMPS Legislative Committee Presents: New
Perspectives on the future of the Economic
Development of Washington
Councilman Harold Brazil, Chair of the Committee on
Economic Development
April 5 or 10. Location: To Be Determined
Call 202-547-7788 or email champs@capitolhill.org for more
information
A sampling of the activities promoted by Destination Capitol Hill
Members include the following:
Spring daffodil distribution to benefit
the American Cancer Society
Appalachian Spring, Union Station
Beginning March 15 while supplies last
202-682-0505
Opening reception for Group show
• Ceramic art by Brenda Townsend
• Photography by Elizabeth Marshall
• Paintings by Alan Braley
April 1, 12 pm – 5 pm
The Village, 705 No. Carolina Avenue SE
202-546-3040
CAPITOL HILL ARTS WORKSHOP
PROGRAMS
545 7th St, SE 547-6839
Ukrainian Egg Painting Workshop
with Raphael Aguon
April 2 6pm - 9pm
Art League Gallery Show,
“Garden of Eden”
April 3 through April 27
Gallery Talk for “Garden of Eden”
April 5 7:30pm-9pm
Films on the Hill: Homeless Flea
and Alexander’s Ragtime Band
April 6 7:30pm
Egg Art Decorating Workshop with
Jeffery Watson
April 7, 10am-12pm
Raku Workshop with Amanda Stulz
April 7 9:30am-2pm
For more information on the Capitol Hill
Arts Workshop call 202-547-6839
www.chaw.org
2001 season opener
DC United vs. Kansas City Wizards
RFK Stadium, April 7, 7:30 pm
703-397-5454
www.dcunited.com
Ole’ Experience Spain: Surround
yourself in Spanish art, dance and
music
Union Station
April 11 through May 15
www.unionstationdc.com
Washington Freedom Inaugural
Game
Washington Freedom vs. Bay Area
CyberRays
RFK Stadium, April 14, 2 pm
202-547-3137
www.washingtonfreedom.com
Korea 1950-53: The Navy in the
Forgotten War
The Navy Museum’s Annex
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of
the Korean War.
Washington Navy Yard; Building 76
It’s like Christmas morning (before we got all
white light tasteful), when the pine boughs
twinkled with colored bulbs, and the candy
cane and Santa wrapping shocked with wonder.
And there, glittering in the midst of the pile of gifts,
stood the bike of your dreams, handlebars wrapped
w i th the wo rlds biggest, shiniest red ri b b o n .
Happiness.
“That’s the greatest thing about running a bike
shop,” laughs Laurie Morin. “People come in and
they’re happy. They want to buy a bike, and it’s fun.
It’s exciting. I love that part of the business,” she
laughs again. “Sending people out all excited.”
Laurie is one half of the couple that opened
Capitol Hill Bikes just one year ago. The other half
is Denise D’Amour, who’s out of town for a few
days. Unusual that. She’s usually hovering somewhere
nearby.
The bike ladies, as they’re affectionately known,
are living a fantasy—a fantasy shared by all who’ve
dreamed of ditching the day job and opening a little
shop.
Both women are lawyers. Denise was a staff council
with the National Labor Relations Board. Laurie
continues to teach four days a week at UDC Law
S chool. “I re a l ly like my wo rk ,” she explains,
though she spends weekends and holidays peddling
bikes.
While Laurie claims no background in retailing,
she’s always been something of the entrepreneur,
selling antique clothing at flea markets, and publishing
a series of “how to” books for the artists she
used to represent: how to get a book contract, how
to get a record contract, and so for th.
Denise, however, had retailing in her blood. Her
f a m i ly owns superm a rkets in Connecticut and
Massachusetts, and she moved from g runt work to
management before heading to law school. Her
father and uncle opened the business, which started
with one small store at the intersection of three
Boston streets. They called it the Big Y.
Why a bike shop?
Laurie says the simple answer is, “We wanted to
create something toge ther, and spend a lot of our
daytime working together.”
And both love biking. Denise was originally the
more avid. She got into it about five years ago, after
a good friend died of AIDs and she participated in
the first DC AIDs ride. She rode a borrowed bike.
Laurie got interested because of Denise and found
she enjoys it too, though she says, “Denise hops on
a bike and goes like crazy. I’m more the meandering
type.”
There were a few twists en route to the bike shop.
At first they considered an athletic clothing business
geared toward “normal sized” bikers—not jus t
whippet thin pros. They knew their niche. Denise
needs women’s sizes, while 5’2” Laurie needs things
scaled down. Those tights with the zippers on the
bottom—they’re too long.” Her 6’4” ex-sister-inlaw
has the opposite problem. Biking tights fit her
like peddle pushers.
They did a lot of research on manufacturing a
line—had even picked out a company name. But
one night, driving home from wo rk along 8th
Street, they passed by Metropolis Bikes, which had
closed a few months before, and thought: “’Ohhh.
Maybe that would be a good way to start!’ We can
sell the bikes, the clothing, make our connections
and then branch off.”
T h a t’s still the plan. In the meantime, says
Laurie, Denise has fallen in love with having “an
actual physical store…She enjoys talking to people
all day long, not just the customers, but all the suppliers
and manufacturers.”
And Laurie has gotten “very involved in what’s
happening on the street, being part of the community…
it makes me feel more rooted here than I did
before.”
Talk about involvement. The two now co-chair
the Barracks Row Business Alliance (BBA), a business
organization for 8th Street. They also serve on
the Barracks Row/MainStreet Board of directors,
and have been asked to serve on the Board of the
C a p i tol Hill Association of Merchants and
Professionals (CHAMPS). Then there are community
meetings. They attend as many as they can.
Were they caught off guard by the amount of
community invo lvement? Laurie laughs, re a l ly
hard, “Yeah,” she says, then laughs some more. “I
was…I didn’t know I was signing on for it just by
hanging out a shingle here.”
She laughs again, “I think it’s a g reat opportunity.
This street has potential, but it needs work. If
we’re going to be here we might as well help shape
it—although sometimes Denise and I are ready to
kill each other for all the things we’ve taken on.”
For all their love of biking, the irony is they have
little time for road trips. They’re glued to the store.
Mostly they ride around the Hill—it’s a great place
for biking.
We have a lot of bikes around here. Lucky for
them. Customers came knocking weeks before the
store opened, wanting tune-ups and parts. And
there was none of this—we’re not open yet—business.
Rob Dorsey, a mechanic who used to be with
Metropolis, started fixing before the first bikes were
delivered.
To get, at last, to those bikes: there are 94 of them
on the stands that line the walls, and space for
another dozen or so on the floor. Even more are
stored in the basement. They range in price from a
reasonable $250 to an eye-popping $2600.
The high-end models, most of them made by
Cannondale, are for “someone who does serious
road trips, or racing,” says Laurie. She shows me an
acid green bike shot with rays of stoplight yellow
that’s marked $1800. It has the finest, smoothest
components—the gears and such. The frame is an
extremely lightweight aluminum alloy, which is
also extremely strong.
She points out the joints: they’re invisible. The
bike looks to have been made from a single twisted
tube of metal. We compare it to a model that’s
about half the price. Weld marks ripple under the
gloss of paint.
But the best selling bike in the shop is a $250
mountain bike, the Schwinn Frontier. Mountain
bikes, Laurie explains, have fat ridged tires, which
make for a plushy ride. You can’t get a decent road
bike, the skinny tired jobs that are built for speed,
for less than $599 she tells me.
But Laurie’s no snob, her own bike is a modest
$300 number. “Our philosophy,” she says, “is that
this should be fun, and fun for everyone. We’re not
www.voiceofthehill.com 23
Business Bits
Meet the Bike L a d i e s
24 www.voiceofthehill.com
No house is too old or
too large for cent ral air
MD: 301-927-7100
VA: 703-527-9100
DC: 202-554-4800
TDD: 301-927-5763
LICENSED • BONDED • INSURED
here just to serve racers. Anyone who comes in here
should be able to find a bike that makes them
happy. And we will help them find it.”
Hybrids take up a lot of rack space. “They’re not
as wide as mountain bikes, or as tre a d y,” she
explains. “But th ey’re upright and comfo rta b l e .
People buy them to ride the canal path s .” She
shows me a Silk Path hybrid, and I get engaged with
its cute, chubby, heart-shaped seat.
“You know,” Laurie says, “that’s how people buy
bikes. Those who know a lot about them, buy on
components—but most buy on looks: the bike that
reminds them of what they had as a kid.”
I notice that the Silk Path has this really easy
shifting system. You just turn a dial instead of fidgeting
with gear levers that, in my experience, are
handy for holding keys and not much else. If I try to
use mine, I get derailed.
“They don’t really make those anymore,” laughs
Laurie. “Rapid fire shifters are the newest kind—all
you do is push a lever.”
She shows me a mean machine, all matte black,
with sculpted black rubber handles, and a black
leather seat (it has that little “genuine leather” tag
dangling from it). The Cannondale Bad Boy, it’s
called, and it’s brand new this year—and already a
popular seller, even at $800. It’s got this cool feature:
you can switch out the tires from wide to narrow,
so it’s good off-road and on.
Besides Cannondale and Schwinn, the shop’s
best sellers, they car ry several other brands.
Terry Bicycles is a line that’s engineered for
women. Laurie shows me their hybrid, the Susan B:
“You’ve gotta love that name, right?” The bike has
been engineered for a woman’s shorter torso, and
smaller hands. You don’t need to stretch so far from
seat to handlebar, and it’s easier to reach the shift
lever.
A whole section is filled with squat BMX bicycles,
which Laurie calls the “sports cars” of the bike
world. Their twenty-inch wheels are designed for
trick riding, wheelies, that sort of thing. She points
out the lethal looking rods that stick out of the centers
of the front and rear tires. You’re supposed to
stand on them somehow. They sell a lot of these
bikes to guys in their 20’s.
There’s a cute little row of kid’s bikes and trikes
on the floor (and scoot e rs too). From Sch w i n n
there’s the black and orange striped Tiger, and the
pink and white st riped Ti gress—a little sexist
maybe, but Laurie says, “I would encourage any girl
who wanted it to buy the black and orange.”
Besides bikes, the store’s packed with accessories.
Figuring a way to describe the selection defeats me.
“I’ll tell you in categories,” she offers.
“Hydration,” is first. Back packs and fanny packs
that can be filled with water so you can drink and
drive. The new “slingshot” model drapes over the
shoulder and can hold your water, and your cd
player.
“Storage,” is next. They’ve got messenger bags,
handlebar bags with a transparent map pocket on
the top, teeny tool bags, and panniers that fit over
the rear wheel and can carry a briefcase load of
work, or a weekend wardrobe.
Bike locks are a given. The “best one, is the New
York Lock from Kryptonite,” says Laurie, showing
me a $100 lock. “The reality is, given enough time,
anyone can get through anything.”
Saddles are a huge seller. Men concerned about
fertility are buying cutout saddles, no pressure on
the prostate. “We sell TONS of cut out saddles,” says
L a u rie. “We also sell saddles for comfo rt ,” she
shows me one that molds to your shape and then
springs back, and a delightfully squishy one that’s
filled with gel.
Moving on to helmets, Laurie looks at me sideways:
“We insist that people buy a helmet when
they buy a bike—as I say this to someone who rode
in here with only a pair of sunglasses on her head.”
They offer protection for all size brains, including
little ones, who can get theirs covered with duckies,
stars and flames.
The tour keeps going: child seats and trailers, tour
books and maps, sunglasses, tool kits, and all sorts
of safety stuff like lights, mirrors and flashers. If
you’ve got a sense of humor (or need something for
a kid), there are aooga horns, and horns made of
rubber that are shaped like parrots and whales. And
those plastic tassels that stream out of bike handles,
and spokies, the discs that clip on wheels and make
Remember la st summer!
Now there’s Spacepak, the time-proven concept that makes
the installation of a central air system practical in any type
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uses much less space than conventional units, while
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Remember la st summer!
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psychedelic patterns when your wheels spin.
Finally, we get back to clothes, which was sort of
where we started. There’s a goodly selection in the
center of the store. About them, Laurie says, “If
you’re just riding around, you don’t need anything
special. But if you’re going any distance,” she rolls
her eyes, “get padded shorts.”
“Also,” she continues, pointing out a shirt, “this
hi-tech fabric that wicks the moisture away is so
m u ch more comfo rtable for a ride. Denise has
turned me into a believer. I thought it was all kind
of silly. But there’s nothing like a soggy t-shirt on a
hot day. These jerseys don’t get soggy. It’s really
amazing.”
The staff is beginning to ar rive, an extraordinari-
www.voiceofthehill.com 25
w i th saunas, tanning beds, steam and massage
rooms.
Results, which will occupy the old Giddings
S chool at 3rd and G, SE, will also fe a t u re fo u r
International squash courts, volleyball, basketball,
weight rooms, a muscle numbing selection of aerobics
classes, and a rock climbing wall that reaches
38 feet at its peak.
This gym promises to be at least as fabulous as the
original, at Dupont Circle. Which is saying a lot.
When it opened, the downtown Results was named
the Best Designed Gym in the Country by Fitness
Management Magazine. It was also pronounced
one of the “Five Greatest Gyms on the Planet,” by
that hautest of women’s magazines, W. Call 234-
5678 for details.
Find Me a Find. We’ve told you time and again that
Antique and Contemporary Leasing and Sales has
furnished the homes, temporary and otherwise, of
everyone from Cher, Jack Nicholson, and the occasional
princess to the new folks that just moved in
around the corner. If you haven’t been yet, now’s
the time to go. Beginning March 17, and for 10-days
only, you can catch some deep discounts on sofas,
lamps, paintings—all manner of housewears. Ask
nicely, and the staff will point out the stuff of stars.
ACL is at 709 12th Street, SE. 547-3030.
Jos. A. Bank Pulls Into the Station. If you were planning
to scribble in the name Jos. A. Bank on your
business survey, save your ink. The near-century old
men’s clothier will be opening a branch at Union
Station, just in time to buy your Easter suit.
Jos. A. Bank has built a reputation for well-made,
c l a s s i c a l ly st yled clothing without the designer
price tags. While some of their bigger stores offer
shoes and formal wear, PR person Patrick Donovan
says suits, sport coats and casual wear will be the
focus on the Hill.
One thing you can count on being hyped in a big
way is “The Trio,” which is a zippy way of repackaging
an old fashioned notion: a suit with two pair of
pants.
In case you’re too young to remember, it used to
be commonplace to get an extra pair of trousers
with your suit jacket—it extended the life of the
suit. The Bank’s twist is to give you one pair that
matches the jacket, and a more casual pair that
coordinates for a sportier look. The pitch is that it’s
particularly handy for the business traveler, says
Donovan. (Our thanks to Jim Simpson for passing
along this tip!)
Starbucks Progress Report. More than the usual
amenities are being planned for the Hill’s first
Starbucks, coming in early April to the corner of 3rd
and Pe n n s ylvania Avenue, SE—right across th e
street from Xando, our other mega-java joint.
T h ree spaces are being combined, says
spokesman Todd Shugarman: Frenchie’s Cleaners
on the corner, Christine the Psychic next door, and
the rear of the old Sherrill’s Bakery—the front of
which is now Ritz Camera. “We want to make it
more of a neighborhoody place,” he adds. “There’ll
be drapes, which we haven’t tried before, a fireplace,
and soft cushy chairs.”
There’ll also be a sidewalk café on the corner—if
the permits come through. “We’re extremely excited,”
says Shugarman. “This is a market we’ve been
trying to get into—It’s a good opportunity.”
Business Bits is written by Voice Editor-in-Chief,
Stephanie Cavanaugh
26 www.voiceofthehill.com
T HOM BURNS
Knowledge and Integrity
Celebrating 24 Years
in the Capitol Hill
Real Estate Market
605 Pennsylvania Ave., SE • 202-546-7000 x305
EQUAL HOUSING
OPPORTUNITY
ly friendly cr ew. “We’ve been blessed,” says Laurie.
They met Mark Noecker, the store manager, when
he was working at Xando on Pennsylvania Avenue
and “knew from the beginning that if we did this,
we wanted him.”
Jack Nevins is the service manager. A true bikebuff,
he builds recumbents in his spare time.
There are 7 on staff now; they’ll gear up to a
dozen for the summer. The shop is open every day
but Monday.
Repairs and service, the bike lady tells me, are
actually the biggest part of the business. Parts and
accessories come next. “People need tubes, they
need a pack, they want to put a rack on the bike.
Parts wear out.” It’s endless, grins Laurie.
Capitol Hill Bikes, 709 8th Street, SE, 544-4234
Results Update. Chris Carnecchia, of the soon-tobe
Results the Gym, says that unless the city does a
quick hustle with the permits—we may have to
wait ’til next season for the promised 5-lane swimming
pool with aqua aerobics area.
Buck up. Chris promises that you’ll be able to
drown your sorrows in the whirlpools when the
club opens this June or July. There’ll be Jacuzzi’s in
both the men’s and women’s loc ker rooms, along
www.voiceofthehill.com 27
Hotel
Capitol Hill Suites
200 C St., SE 543-6000
See our ad on page 20
Income Tax Services
Jackson Hewitt Tax Service
8th St., SE 554-8840
Internet Provider Services
DC Access
118 Kentucky Ave, SE 546-5898
www.dcaccess.net — a local ISP
Mason
Michaliga Masonr y
321 C Street, SE
544-4484
Mortgage Lenders
Apex Home Loans
301-474-7100
See our ad on page 9
Jeffrey A. Love, Loan Officer
Federal Funding Mortgage Corp
202-210--7106 jlove@ffmcorp.com
Pet Supplies
Doolittle’s Pet Supply
224 7th St., SE 544-8710
See our ad on page 21
Office Supplies
Capitol Hill Innervision
Art and Office Supplies
701 8th St., SE 544-4664
Photography
Motophoto
666 PA Ave., SE 547-2100
See our ad on page 7
Picture Framing
Frame of Mine
522 8th St., SE 543-3030
See our ad on page 35
Newman Gallery and Custom Frames
511 11th St., SE 544-7577
See our ad on page 31
Plumbing & Heating
Leakbusters Plumbing & Remodeling
202 544-5000
Accounting
Marina Martin, MBA
Innovative and versatile range of services for
small business and non-profits 547-9536
Antiques
Antiques on the Hill
701 North Carolina Ave., SE
See our ad on page 29
Astrology
Ajai
Good advice since 1979
543-9053
Attorneys
Rick Halberstein & Karen Byrne
705 D St., SE 543-1110
Arts Center
Capitol Hill Arts Workshop
545 7th St., SE 547-6839
See our ad on page 40
Association
CHAMPS
621 PA Ave., SE 547-7788
Bank
National Capital Bank
316 PA Ave.,SE 546-8000
See our ad on page 17
Bed and Breakfast
Bullmoose B&B
5th and S Sts.,NE 547-1050
See our ad on page 19
Doolittle Guest House
504 E. Capitol Street, SE 546-6622
See our ad on page 20
Bicycles
Capitol Hill Bikes
709 8th St.,SE 544-4234
See our ad on page 35
Books
Capitol Hill Books
657 C Street, SE, 544-1621
Good Used Books Bought & Sold.
Riverby Books
419 E. Capitol St., SE 547-3228
See our ad on page 17
Chimney Cleaning
Winston’s Chimney Service
Washington DC (301)571-8546
See our ad on page 28
Church
Christ Church Washington Parish
620 G St., SE 547-9300
See our ad on page 45
St. Peter’s Church
2nd & C Street, SE 547-1430
See our ad page 40, 44
Clothing & Gifts
Art & Soul
225 PA Ave., SE 548-0105
See our ad on page 32
The Village
705 N. Carolina Ave., SE 546-3040
See our ad on page 19
Computer Consultant
Better Computer Solutions
623 N. Carolina Ave., SE 546-8084
See our ad on page 31
Drug Store
Grubbs Care Pharmacy
326 E Capitol SE 543-4400
See our ad on page 19
Electric Repairs
Bob Willett / K&W Electric
301-283-4004
Service work small jobs
Funeral Services
Pinckney-Spangler Funeral Home
524 8th St. NE, 544-7720
A full service funeral home. Traditional burial
or cremation services. Burial or cremation
can be accompanied by a viewing and/or
funeral or memorial service.
Garden and Landscape
Gingko Gardens
911 11th St., SE 543-5172
See our ad on page 32
Frager’s Garden Center
1115 Penna Ave., SE,
543-6157
Ornamental Garden
544-7831
District Cityscapes, Inc
202-544-4886
Hardware
Fragers Hardware
1115 Pennsylvania Ave., SE 543-6157
See our ad on page 15
Health & Fitness
GI Jane
645 Pennsylvania Ave., SE 547-7906
Results the Gym
3rd & G Sts, SE, 234-5678
See our ad on page 33
Finley’s Boxing Club
518 10th St., NE 202-544-9132
Women Members Welcome!
Home Furnishings
Woven History
311 7th St., SE 543-1705
See our ad on page 46
Home Repair
Handyman on the Hill
Washington DC 206-7185
See our ad on page 35
Business Directory Listings:
Voice of the Hill is including a yellow-pages style directory of businesses and services that cater to the Capitol Hill community.
To be included in the directory businesses must commit to a one-year contract, payable in advance by check, Visa or
Mastercard. The annual fee is $250. Display advertisers on annual contracts will be included in the directory at no additional
charge.
Each business will be given three lines in the directory; two must be used for the company name, address and phone number.
An extra line is available for your name, a description of your business or service, or a direction to see your ad. Additional
lines may be added at an annual cost of $60 per line (per year). If you would like to be included in the next directory, please
fill in the following form and send it, along with your check or payment information, to: The Voice of the Hill, 120 11th St., SE,
Washington, DC 20003. If you have questions please call Bruce Robey at 544-0703.
Your Name:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Company Name: ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Address:_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Phone: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Business Description: (30 character maximum) ____________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Please charge my Mastercard or Visa
Name on Card: _________________________________________________________________________________________________
Card Number: _______________________________________________________________________Expiration Date:____________
Business Serv i c e s
Real Estate
Valerie M. Blake
Prudential Car ruthers Realtors
5025 Wisconsin Ave, NW 202-362-1348,
x111, www.DCHomeQuest.com
Thom Burns
Coldwell Banker Real Estate
109 8th St. NE 547-5805
Larry C
Pardoe Real Estate
605 PA Ave., SE 546-7000
Tom & Alice Faison
REMAX Real Estate
220 7th St., SE 546-5881
John C. Formant
John C. Formant Real Estate
225 PA Ave., SE 544-3900
Pardoe Real Estate
605 PA Ave., SE 546-7000
See our ad on the back cover
Jackie von Schlegel
REMAX Real Estate
220 7th St., 547-5600
Phyllis Jane Young
Pardoe Real Estate
605 PA Ave., SE 546-7000
John Parker
Pardoe Real Estate
605 PA Ave., SE 546-7000
Real Estate Settlement
Congressional Title
650 PA Ave., SE 544-0800
See our ad on page 31
Eastern Market Title
210 7th St., SE 546-3100
See our ad on page 28
Restaurants
2 Quail
320 Massachusetts Ave. NE 543-8030
See our ad on page 7
Banana Café
400 8th St., SE 543-5906
See our ad on page 31
28 www.voiceofthehill.com
Business Serv i c e s
Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream
327 7th St., SE 546-CAKE
See our ad on page 34
Bluestone Cafe
327 7th St., SE 547-9007
Café Berlin
322 Mass. Ave., NE 543-7656
German American Cuisine
Hawk ’n’ Dove
329 PA Ave., SE 543-3300
See our ad on page 34
Sheridan’s Steak House
713 8th St., SE 546-6955
Stompin’ Grounds
660 Pennsylvania Ave., SE, 546-5778
See our ad on page 32
Salons
Randolph Cree
325 7th St., SE
See our ad on page 11
Social Services
Capitol Hill Group Ministr y
421 Seward Sq., SE 544-0385
Schools
Capitol Hill Day School
210 S. Carolina Ave., SE 547-2244
Winston’s
Quality Service since 1976
Cleanings • Repairs • Relinings
Expert second opinion
Air duct cleaning
301-571-8546
Licensed • Insured • Certified
202-CHIMNEY
(244-6639)
Recommended by
Washingtonian Magazine
1984-1987
DCHIC #3615
Chimney Ser v i c e
Edmund Burke School
2955 Upton St., NW 362-8882
Levine School of Music
2801 Upton St., NW 686-9772
St Peter’s School
422 3rd St., SE 544-1618
Spiritual Advisors
Corrin Bennett
920 G St., SE 543-5825
Gabrielle Hill
639 E. Capitol SE 544-438
See ad on page 11
Vacation/Travel Consultants
Jan Cammarata
Judiciary Express Travel
7th & Penn SE, 547-3007
Workshops
Writer’s Way Workshops
Make time for you! 547-3506
www.dcwritersway.org
Yoga Studio
Dancing Heart Center for Yoga
221 5th St., NE 544-0841, www.dancingheartyoga.com
See our ad on page 11
St. Marks Yoga Center
3rd $ A St., SE 546-4964
www.us.net/edow/1/stmch/yoga.htm
Computer We e n i e s
• Repairs, Upgrades, Troubleshootong
• Network & Lan Installation
• Internet Web Page Development
• Quality Work at Reasonable Rates
202-543-7055
Eggs-traordinary
Capons • Turkeys •
Ducks • Cornish Hens
Eggs-traordinary
Capons • Turkeys •
Ducks • Cornish Hens
Mel, Sr. Mel, Jr.
MARKET POULTRY
Eastern Market
225 7th St., SE 202-543-7470
MARKET POULTRY
Eastern Market
225 7th St., SE 202-543-7470
Maids-N-Things
www.maidsnthings.com
HOUSE CLEANING/
ERRAND SERVICE
202-547-7557
Visit our website for your
FREE estimate or call
202-547-7557.
Mention this ad and receive a 15%
discount for all Capitol Hill residences.
We’re Open Again!
We apologize for any inconvenience that
was caused while we were closed due to
electrical problems. We appreciate the
support of our Capitol Hill patrons
and hope to see you soon.
322 Massachusetts Ave., NE 202/543-7656
C a fe Berlin
Business Survey Results
What’s Hot? What’s Not? Read On
It’s been a few weeks since we posted a business survey
at www.voiceof thehill.com, and a hundred or
so have already ta ken a whack at it—hundre d s
more have taken a peak.
Seven days into the tallying, with fifty ballots in
the hopper, the big vote getters were another supermarket,
a bookstore café, tapes and cd’s, a New
York-style deli, a bagel shop, a bakery, an eat-in
pizza place, and a big screen movie theater a la The
Uptown.
While a number of respondents said East e rn
Market suits them fine, the overwhelming majority
craved a Fresh Fields or Trader Joes—and in almost
equal numbers. A few stray votes were cast for Harris
Teeter and Magruders.
Kramerbooks and Afterwords and Borders were
neck and neck for favorite bookstore café. Several
noted that they preferred Kramers because it is an
independent—a theme repeated many times by
survey takers. Bringing up the rear were Politics and
Prose and Olsson’s. A lover of the latter was pretty
emphatic, “Olssons, only if it’s Olssons.”
The emphatic one repeated “Olssons, only if it’s
Olssons,” for tapes and CD’s (maybe he/she has
stock?). But the favorite of our music lovers was far
and away Tower Records.
A NY Deli hits a nerve. Comments included: “DC
has none. Why not be the first?” “Anything would
be an impr ovement.” “Yes! Great bagels, pastrami,
cheeses.” Most of the suggestions had us importing
a real one from Manhattan. Field trip anyone?
We also want our bagels back. “Chesapeake
(sniff)” was one comment. But again, most want
the hard-core New York stuff.
Fi rehook was the bake ry fro n t ru n n e r, with
Marvelous Market close behind—“But they MUST
bake on site,” we were told. Several people thought
we were doing ok between Bread and Chocolate
and the Fine Sweet Shoppe at Eastern Market.
A joint for eat-in pizza had about as many advocates
as the NY Deli—and the suggestions were all
over the map: Pizzaria Paradiso; Lost Dog Café;
Coppis; Blondies in San Francisco; Anconia in
Valley Stream, NY; Faccia Luna; a “decent NY-style
place”; and a number of votes for an independent—
something home baked.
While a lot of people would like an Uptown
Theater of our own: “That would be marvelous,”
said one. There were no takers for a multiplex:
“Leave them to the suburbs,” was the concensus.
A drug store was also at the top of the wish list—
but the wish was to run CVS off the Hill. Over and
over the same re m a rk: “A N YTHING but CVS ,
please!” Both branches of the drugstore provoked
tirades on service and stock: “I HATE the CVS at
Eastern Market, especially the windows,” said one.
“My mother thought it had gone out of business.
Can’t they put artwork or photos in the windows,
or something? (And hire civil help).” Grubbs Care
Pharmacy on East Capitol Street got applause, but
they can’t fill all of the neighborhood needs.
Hardware too was a heavy favorite—and the supplier
of choice was Frager’s. As one person put it,
“Small is nice.” Still, many would also like to see a
Home Depot, preferably at Hechinger Mall.
Men’s and women’s clothing, shoes, housewares,
home furnishings, craft and sewing supplies, office
supplies, galleries and antiques, cards and gifts, and
donuts would be nice, we were told, but not essential.
Clothing preferences were remarkably uniform.
The women favored Ann Taylor and Nordstrom, the
men favored Banana Republic and Nordstrom. Both
liked J. Crew. We pass along a specific request to the
Village: “More FLAX please!” There was a lone vote
for Target.
There were some simple wishes in the housewares
department. “A place to buy an ice cube tray,”
was one pathetic note. Is this true?—I’m asking
you—Doesn’t anybody sell ice cube trays anymore?
O th e rwise, housewa re wants we re all over th e
kitchen, from Sur le Table to Target.
Home furnishings had Crate and Barrel and
Pottery Barn in a bottleneck at the top.
We could do with some combination of a
sewing/fabric and art/craft supply shop it seems—
not enough call, so far, for one or the other. Pearl’s
is the preference for craft supplies, and G Street
leads for fabric.
To the person who said we should be supporting
the craftspeople at Eastern Market: the question
was whether we need an art and craft supply shop. It
is very unlikely that we will all forsake the vendors
to spend weekends weaving baskets or whatever.
Also near the top of the tier are more antique
shops and art galleries. People adore Antiques on
the Hill, but as one said, ”I’d love more in this category,
and I think it would draw people too.”
Staples was the clear favorite for office supplies,
though many felt Trover did an adequate job. One
noted, “There’s plenty of opportunity to do this
with style.” Trover was also found adequate for
cards and gifts.
Krispy Kreme was sticky hands down the favorite
donut, though Dunkin’ Donuts showing wasn’t too
shabby. Not sure about one comment: “Too many
calories.” Was this a lament, or a message from the
food police?
What the Hill doesn’t need—or need more of—
are: Cosmetics. Department stores seem to do it for
you; Toys and games. Fa i ry Godmother wo rks
enough magic; A jewelry store. Though someone
said, “Someplace to have a watch fixed would be
nice.”
“No more Mexican restaurants!” leads the writein
list. Lots screamed tió over that. But just about
eve ryone wanted more re sta u rants, pre fe ra b ly
upscale. Legal Seafoods racked up quite a few votes,
though th e re was general disintere st / d i s l i ke fo r
chains. The big vote was for more variety: A steak
place, Italian, tapas, Cajun, ribs, and Indian.
Other write-in favorites included a bowling alley,
a skating rink, decent take-out (food again), and “A
big clean gym on the NE side of the Hill.” Someone
wants that last real bad, they repeated it four times.
Did they prefer shopping in malls? NO! Wow, did
this bunch hate to travel, drive, park, deal with traffic,
be indoors, shop at chains (and quite a few
expressed an immoderate aversion to Virginia, in
particular. Oh, I love this stuff).
Whenever possible they shop at Hill stores, and
www.voiceofthehill.com 29
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walk or bike to get there. But malls were called “a
necessary evil” for bulk items like paper goods.
They can’t be beaten for price, variety and convenience.
Could existing businesses improve? “Clean it
up!” was the most repeated comment. The sidewalks
and windows were found particularly in need
of sprucing. There we re also complaints about
“service,” though only one business was singled
out (again) for brickbats. You got it: CVS.
Longer hours and Sundays would be fantastic,
said many. “It would also encourage people to be
out on the street,” added one. And wouldn’t that be
lovely.
Care to add a few choice words of your own? You
have plenty of time to comment. The business survey
will remain on line for the next month—nonwebbies
may use the paper ballot included on page
36 of this issue. Please fill it in! We’re building a fascinating
portrait of this community.
Developer Approved for Kentucky
Courts
IDS, Suman Sorg, Get the Nod
March 1. The DC Housing Authority has begun polishing
the wrecking ball. This summer the walls of
the Kentucky Courts public housing development
will fall, and a mixed income townhouse community
will begin to rise.
Jessica Franklin, DCHA project manager, said
Innovative Development Solutions, Inc. (IDS), has
received the nod for their proposal to build 20
homes at Kentucky and 14th Street, SE. This is good
news. Of the plans presented to the community
over the past year, IDS has been the clear favorite.
While the exterior design has not been finalized,
Andy Botticello, president of IDS has promised that
the development will “not look like a cookie cutter
p ro j e c t — th e re will be not one repeated façade.
We’ll cluster different types of stylistic facades, as
they do on the Hill and in Georgetown. It will be
almost impossible to tell the difference between the
old and the new.”
Suman Sorg, of Sorg and Associates, will be the
project’s ar chitect. Sorg specializes in urban infill,
and has won numerous awards for projects in the
District. Pricing for the two-story condominiums at
Ke n t u cky Courts will begin at $235,000. The
English basements will start at $145,000.
The number of units reserved for low-income residents
is part of the negotiations that are now going
on between DCHA, IDS and HUD, said Franklin.
The initial proposal called for ten, but that may be
slightly increased.
Also being negotiated is “who gets to live there,
and what kind of home ownership plan will be used
for the lower income units,” said Franklin. The
property is owned by HUD, which needs to approve
the final deal. F ranklin explains that they’re “making
a mixed-finance application. Meaning, we’re
using public housing funds along with pri va t e
financing. The housing authority has committed
up to a million dollars to make the lower income
units affordable.”
Once the fundamentals are out of the way, additional
meetings with the community will be scheduled.
That, said Franklin, should happen fairly
soon. IDS is hoping to complete demolition by
early summer. Construction of the townhouses will
take about 18 months.
Lennox School Sold!
Apartments and Townhouses Planned
March 1. Stanton Development Corporation and
Dayton Investments have formed a joint venture
that plans to purchase and renovate the Lennox
School at 5th and G Streets, SE for rental apartments
and a small townhouse development.
The Fe d o ra School, a facility for emot i o n a l ly
troubled youth, was given a lease with option to
buy the building some years ago, prior to the transfer
of surplus schools from the DC Public School
system to the city’s Office of Property Management
(OPM). Jeff Coudriet of Councilmember Ambrose’s
office said that Cynthia Arnold of OPM has told
him that Fedora has exercised its option to buy—
and, as the owner, has the option to sell.
There was immediate grumbling from neighbors
of the school that the sale was awfully sneaky. But
Frank Reed, President of Sta n ton Deve l o p m e n t ,
said there was a lot of competition for the property,
so they “worked quickly to get it under contract.”
Which means right now they have a concept, but
there are a lot of details to be smoothed out.
Reed said the historic portion of the school will
be preserved for rental apartments. At the moment
they’re planning on twelve—four apartments on
each of the three levels.
The newer wing of the school, which was built in
the 1960’s, is not considered a “contributing structure”
in the historic district, said Reed. The partners
plan to raze and replace it with between eight and
twelve “good-size” townhouses.
Parking will be provided for both the townhouses
and the apartments, and they “expect to provide
more than the required amount.”
30 www.voiceofthehill.com
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If we can’t find it you don’t need it.
Reed said he hopes that Architect Amy
Weinstein, who is currently “on sabbatical,” will
advise on the designs. Weinstein has worked with
Stanton Development on many of their projects,
including the National Association for Homecare
across from Eastern Market, and Yes! Natural Foods
on Pennsylvania Avenue, SE. She was also the architect
for the Ellen Wilson townhouses, the mixed
income development adjacent to the Fre eway
between 6th and 7th Streets, SE.
“All of this,” stresses Reed, “is very early in the
planning stages.” Reed said he plans to have a “productive
and informative meeting with the neighbors
as soon as we can provide specific answers.” If
all goes smoothly, settlement on the school should
take place sometime within the next 30 days.
Parking, Round 6,412
Nightmare on G Street
BY SARAH GODFREY
March 9. The tension was palpable at the March 8
meeting of Police Service Area (PSA) 112. The subject
was development around G Street, SE between
3rd and 6th Streets. Between the soon to open
Results Gym, the Polk Court apartment complex a
block away, and the redevelopment of the Lennox
School [see above], residents are already having
parking nightmares.
The evening began with neighbors going head to
head with developer Drew Scallan, President of
D ay ton Inve stments, the man behind the Po l k
Court project. Parking, as has become usual, was
the rhinoceros in the goldfish bowl.
Polk Court, which begins construction in May,
will occupy the south we st side of 6th St re et
between G and I Streets. Scallan is razing the existing
buildings to construct 24, 1100 square foot, twobedroom
luxury apartments. Rents will be $1800 to
$2000 per month. The developer is also planning
underground parking for 20 cars, though zoning
only requires 12 parking spaces.
Still, neighbors of the soon-to-be-built complex,
who say they are already forced to park blocks from
their homes late at night, feel this concession is not
enough. Commuters from the suburbs, some said,
park their cars in non-zoned spaces and then walk
to the Metro and go to work, occupying valuable
parking until 6 or 7 PM. Others complained that
parking after 10 or 11 PM, when most people are
typically in for the night, is impossible. And more
than a few noted that residents with cars that are
registered in other states commandeer the few nonzoned
spaces, leaving guests to scramble for spaces.
When residents grilled Scallan about park i n g
issues he remarked, “I’m a real estate developer. All
I do is build, and follow the rules.”
Ad v i s o ry Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6B
Commissioner Julie Olson said that she is dedicated
to wo rking with neighbors to imp rove parking conditions.
Olson told the crowd that many st re ets in
the neighborhood are, in fact, zoned park i n g —
though th ey have no posted signs. She urged police
to “wa t ch for and enfo rce” parking re g u l a t i o n s
i n stead of “re lying on residents to re p o rt violations.”
After that feisty start, the meeting became more
collegial, with Scallan taking various suggestions
into consideration and urging citizens to call the
police if there are any noise and time violations
during construction of Polk Court.
If parking was an issue, development in general
was not. Most were in favor of the coming improvements.
Frequent reference was made to the rubble
that once existed where the Ellen Wilson homes
now stand. Residents appeared eager to rid their
neighborhood of vacant lots and unused buildings
—as long as they don’t have to park their cars
on the Freeway to do so.
Frank Reed, President of Stanton Development,
who will be partnering with Scallan on converting
the Lennox School, answered what questions he
could about that project.
Meeting-goers, however, continued to press him
for details—while Reed insisted that additional dis -
cussion is pre m a t u re. He mentioned that he’d
promised Councilmember Sharon Ambrose that he
would hold a community meeting when plans are
further along. Everyone will be kept fully informed.
Sarah Godfrey is the Voice of the Hill’s editorial intern
Block That Boys Town!
Angry Residents Pack “Community” Meeting
Fe b ru a ry 27. If Ad v i s o ry Neighborhood Commissioner
(ANC) Kalimah Abdul Sabur and Fa th e r
F l a n a ga n’s Boys Tow n’s Connie Wa s h i n g ton and
S h a ron Robinson thought th ey we re doing an end
run around residents that are opposed to the home
for 40 neglected and abused teens that is about to be
built on Pe n n s ylvania Avenue, SE, th ey had anoth e r
thing coming. The meeting th ey called for Fe b ru a ry
2 6 — though in tru th it was more whispered th a n
c a l l e d — to fo rm a “community advisory committ
e e ,” was dominated by prot e sto rs, seve ral of whom
held tape re c o rd e rs high th roughout the session.
S a b u r’s intent appeared to be to pack the seats
w i th support e rs of the project, and avoid those who
might ask st i cky qu e stions. Councilmember Sharo n
www.voiceofthehill.com 31
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A m b rose, who has lobbied hard aga i n st the home,
was not invited. Nor we re ANC6B Commissioner
Will Hill and Ellen Opper We i n e r, leaders of th e
S o u th e a st Citizens for Smart Development (SCSD), a
n e i g h b o rhood organization that was fo rmed to
fight Boys Tow n .
ANC6B Chair Ken Jarboe was invited, though the
ANC voted—with one exception, Sabur—to oppose
the project.
The Voice first heard of the meeting a few hours
before it was to take place. A notice was posted to
the website. Others in the community were notified
by telephone.
While she must have realized that the Friendship
House auditorium was filled with opponents Sabur
appeared unruffled. The Commissioner welcomed
those who came, even her uninvited guests: “It’s
great to have you all here,” she said.
Sabur acknowledged that there are “differences
of opinion” about the project, but stressed that the
intent of the meeting was to “focus on how are we
going to get along.”
That was about the last time “getting along” was
mentioned. It was also the end of sticking to the
agenda, which had the formation of the Girls and
B oys Town Capitol Hill Community Ad v i s o ry
Committee listed as item two.
Local developer Larry Brailsford’s hand was in
the air before Sabur’s opening remarks were comp
l ete, and his wo rds fo rmed the eve n i n g ’s new
agenda. Brailsford wanted a status report. “Is this a
fait accompli?” he asked.
S h a ron Robinson, Boys Tow n’s PR pers o n ,
replied, “I can’t speak to opportunities for those
opposed to the project…Construction has started.”
“Then why are we sitting here?” said Brailsford.
With that, resident after resident stood to protest
the home, repeating themes that are familiar to
anyone who’s been following the near year-long
s a ga of the purchase of the tract of land at
Pennsylvania Avenue, SE and Potomac Avenue for a
residential facility for troubled teens.
Most of the attempts by Sabur and the Boys Town
representatives to respond to the objections were
cut short by the ang ry and determined crowd.
Brailsford, like many on the Hill, and many at last
night’s meeting, still feels that there’s a fighting
chance to get Boys Town to reconsider the site, or
that someone, somewhere, can be roped in to stop
them—though even the Mayor’s offer to swap the
parcel for another plot elsewhere in the District was
turned down.
Councilmember Sharon Ambrose has said that
the only hope now is to shame the organization
into giving up on the location. They bought the
land and can build on it as a matter of right—it is
outside the Hill’s Historic District, and there are no
zoning laws that prohibit this use.
Still, the neighbors battle on.
A central issue is the wisdom of locating the
home in an area that is already plagued with crime
and drug dealing, instead of looking for a place
that, as one man put it, “is away from problems.
Where [the youngsters] can be supervised and get
good clean fresh air.”
Several of the speakers identified themselves as
teachers, educators, and social workers with a background
in working with inner city youth. Each
spoke out against the location.
One, a soft-spoken woman who described herself
as an educator who works with “at risk” kids, said
she is concerned about crime in the neighborhood.
Her home has been broken into several times during
the day by teens that are delinquent fro m
school—and she noted “40% of the students at
Eastern High School are truant on any given day.”
The young people housed at Boys Town would be
surrounded by temptation. “I don’t want to be victimized
by any more dysfunctional youth,” she
said.
Which was part of another criticism: that most of
the teens that will be served at the Capitol Hill Boys
Town do not come from this neighborh o o d .
According to the “community update” distributed
at the meeting, “54% …are from Wards 6, 7 and 8,”
the rest come from other areas within the District.
All are referred by the DC Child and Family Services
Agency’s neglect and abuse system
T h e re was also plenty of doubt expressed about
32 www.voiceofthehill.com
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B oys Tow n’s ability to control the young people in
their care. Neighbors have collected info rm a t i o n
about calls to the police from the orga n i z a t i o n’s
other DC facility, near St. Anselm’s Ab b ey in
No rth e a st. A Met ro p o l i tan Police Department pri n tout
of “calls for service” bet ween December 18, 19 9 9
and July 2, 2000 lists 70 incidents at that facility,
including re p o rts of missing persons, disord e rly conduct,
and 3 suicides. The neighbors allege that th e
community around the north e a st home is extre m ely
displeased with the way the facility is ru n .
Boys Town was also called to task for the secret
i veness of their dealings with the Capitol Hill
community—the stealth in which this meeting was
planned was offered as a case in point.
Until the Voice of the Hill broke the story last
March, no one but the property owner and the real
estate broker had any idea that Boys Town was
shopping the neighborhood. And then it wa s
done—to the tune of $8 million.
That purchase price, and the additional millions
that will be spent on the building, were problematic
for plenty. Victor Smith, another re s i d e n t ,
remarked that what Boys Town paid raises questions
about their competency as an organization.
Calling it a blighted property that no one else
would buy, Smith said, “You purchased 9 lot s
assessed at $3.4 million…you paid three times what
the property was worth…And the opinions we got
were that the lots were worth $2 million tops.”
Hours into the meeting 20-year resident Douglas
Shadd acknowledged some rightness—and wrongness
—about the project and cut to the bottom line
issue. “This is,” he said, “a resource that’s vitally
needed—but th e re is a disconnect. This is th e
wrong place. This is really hurting our community.
But if there’s no alternative, there has to be some
strong discussion. You need to put some measures
in place for when things go wrong. For they will go
wrong.”
Abdul Sabur said that those that signed th e
attendance sheet would be contacted about future
meetings.
Calls to Sabur and Boys Tow n’s site dire c to r
Connie Washington have not been returned.
34 www.voiceofthehill.com
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At St. Mark’s on Capitol Hill,
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Small business planning as well as individual
insurance and investment planning.
Chad Harlan and Mike Sweet of the Northwestern
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Group benefits—Are my company’s group benefits adequate?
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Thursday, March 29 at 8:30 AM
Bluestone Café, 327 7th St., SE
$10 for members; $15 for nonmembers.
RSVP if attending to CHAMPS office by phone or email.
202-547-7788 or champs@capitolhill.org.
SPNA Scholarships
A Capital Rite of Spring
Fe b ru a ry 28. Last year the Sta n ton Pa rk Neighborhood
Association (SPNA) raised $8400 to help
out six college-bound DC high school seniors. This
year they’ll be doing it again. Preference will be
given to students living in the Stanton Park neighborhood
and on Capitol Hill. If you know of a child
with college dreams who needs some help, please
urge them to apply for a scholarship—and maybe
offer a hand with putting a request together.
Applications are due by April 15, 2001. Fo r
details, students should contact their high school’s
guidance counselor or scholarship coordinator. For
additional information, they can call or write to
S P NA- S ch o l a rship Committee, P.O. Box 75 0 8 5 ,
National Capitol Station, Washington, D.C. 20013-
5085 or call Jeff Johnson at (202) 872-6072 (days) or
546-0908 (evenings).
The scholarship fund is supported by the SPNA’s
annual dinner, which will be held March 24 from
6:30 to 9:30 pm at Christ Church , 620 G Street, SE.
Tickets are $25 for adults ($20 for SPNA Members),
and a buck for kids 12 and under—and for that you
get dinner, live music and dancing. Downoad a
reservation form at www.voiceofthehill.com.
Strategic Planning
Workshop Set for March 17
Fe b ru a ry 28. There will be no parades this St .
Patrick’s Day. For some mysterious reason both the
District and Old Town have scheduled the march of
the bagpipes and step dancers for the first two
weekends in the month. That means your March 17
calendar should be clear—at least until it’s time to
line up for the bands and brew at the Dubliner.
Fill it with this: The Capitol Hill/Capitol Hill East
Neighborhood Planning Workshop.
Karina Ricks, Neighborhood Coordinator for the
DC Office of Planning, is inviting “community
m e m b e rs, business ow n e rs, yo u th and seniors ,
n o n - p rofit organizations, inve sto rs and deve l o pers”
to share your visions of the future of the Hill
from 9:30AM to 12:30 PM at Payne Elementary
School, 15th & C Streets, SE.
Ricks is calling the workshop a “visioning meeting,”
an opportunity for residents to come and say,
“What you like and don’t like. What are the Hill’s
essential ingredients—what makes it special, and
what could make it better…Then we’ll put together
a laundry list of what people feel the neighborhood
is, and could be, and begin to prioritize—decide
where we need to focus our energies.”
E ve ry th i n g ’s up for consideration: Housing, business
and economic development, the env i ro n m e n t ,
public safet y, arch i t e c t u re, histo ric pre s e rva t i o n ,
s chools and education, re c reational opportunities.
The priority list that neighbors establish will be
used in the creation of next year’s budget. It will
also become the basis for legally required Ward
plans. For more information, contact: Karina Ricks,
DC Office of Planning, 442-7600.
Heads Up!
Meeting on Halfway House Planned for March 20
March 10. A meeting about the 200-bed pre-trial
h a l f - way house that the DC Department of
Corrections (DOC) proposes to open in Building 25
of DC General Hospital has been tentatively scheduled
for Tuesday, March 20 at 6:30 PM, at the
Watkins School, 420 12th Street, SE. The meeting is
being sponsored by Councilmember Sharo n
Ambrose and ANC 6B. Odie Washington, Director
of the Department of Corrections, has agreed to
attend. Mayor Williams has been invited.
The Download section of the Voice of the Hill is just a
taste of the news that’s been posted to www.voiceofthe -
hill.com over the last month—articles and newsbites
that are still timely, and worth including. The date pre -
ceding each article is the date the piece appeared on the
site. Unless otherwise noted, all Download articles are
written by the Voice of the Hill’s Editor-In-Chief,
Stephanie Cavanaugh.
www.voiceofthehill.com 35
H a n d y m a n
on the Hill
Masonry Brick & Stone
Concrete Brick Pointing
Carpentry Decks & Fences
Roof Repairs Painting
2 0 2 - 2 06 - 718 5
709 8th Street, SE
Washington, DC
202-544-4234
capitolhillbikes@aol.com
We’re open Tuesday—Friday, 11-7
Thursday ’til 9 Closed Monday
Saturday 10-6 Sunday 12-5
Perfect for longdistance
charity rides.
Come ride the
N EW
Cannond ale
Road Warrior.
Come ride the
N EW
Cannond ale
Road Warrior.
Hours:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
10-9
Friday, Saturday 10-6
Sunday 12-6
522 Eighth Street, SE
202.543.3030
• Drymount & Lamination
• Conservation Framing
• Pre-framed gifts
• Commercial Discounts
• Calligraphy
Major Credit Cards Accepted
Frame of Mine offers custom
framing…but we specialize
in do-it-yourself picture
framing. We cut all the
materials and work with you
to put it all together.
You leave with a picture
that’s ready to hang!
www.frame-of-mine.com
Fresh Fields, Trader Joe’s—a café bookstore. Mmmmm, lobster. Gap kids? Ooooh,
bagels. Aaaah, a big screen movie theater!
Presenting: The Capitol Hill Business Survey
E v e ry o n e ’s talking about the kinds of businesses we want (and don’t want) in the neighborhood, and no wonder: the Hill’s commercial and residential climate is red hot!
“DT” summed it up for many when he posted the following to the Voice website: “I hate leaving the Hill for anything. I don’t want to drive 20 minutes across town
to do personal or gift shopping, dinner or drinks, to sit in a park and relax watching droves of people walk b y. I don’t like to leave the Hill even for an afternoon or
evening of entertainment. Basically, I really would like to see the Hill as a complete enclave unto itself... Its own city within a city .”
Dreaming is one thing, and making things happen quite another .
The Capitol Hill Association of Merchants and Professionals (CHAMPS),and the Barracks Row/MainStreet folk are willing to help get us what we crave. Commercial
realtors, developers, planners and bankers are in place,and demographic studies have been done. The missing link is a strong and specific expression of interest
from the community, which a survey can provide.
Maybe nothing will do but a Borders of our very own. But maybe an existing business can revamp to fill the gap—or an entrepreneurial type will sa y, Hey!,and develop
something unique. Let’s see…
Please use the line next to the category to indicate the extent of your interest in having a business of this type—or more businesses of this type—on Capitol Hill:
with 1 being the most important to you (yes,you may have several number one choices): and 2 being something not essential,but it sure would be nice; and 3 being
of no interest whatsoever. Then,use the next line to write in your favorite store(s)—on or off the Hill!
www.voiceofthehill.com 36
Men’s Clothing ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Women’s Clothing ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Shoes ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sportswear ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hardware: ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Housewares ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Office Supplies ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Computers & Electronics ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Home Furnishings ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Art & Craft Supplies ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Fabric and Sewing Supplies ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Food Market ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Antiques ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Art Galleries ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Jewelry ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Cosmetics ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Drug Store ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Toys and Games ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Bakery ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Pizza—Eat In ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Bagels ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Donuts ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
New York Deli ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Bookstore Café ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tapes and CDs ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Gifts and Cards ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Movie Theater (big screen) ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Movie Theater (multi-plex) ______ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Have we missed something? Maybe a bowling alley—or a place to buy blinds and curtains? Clydes, or Legal Seafood? Chuck-e-Cheeses? Write it/them in here:
________
Do you prefer doing your shopping at suburban malls and chain stores? Tell us why:______________________________________________________________
________
Do you prefer doing your shopping at neighborhood independents? Tell us why:
________
________
How could existing businesses better serve you? Tell us here:_________________________________________________________________________________
________
If you don’t mind being quoted in an analysis of this survey, or would like to participate in a Capitol Hill business focus group, we’ll need to know who you are.
Please be assured that this information will not be shared,loaned,traded or sold.
Name: __
Address:______________________________________________________________________________Telephone:_________________________________________
Fax form to: 202/547-5133 or mail to Voice of the Hill editorial office,242 Kentucky Ave.,SE,Washington, DC 20003. Survey can also be completed on line at
www.voiceofthehill.com
BY LARRY KAUFER
Wanted: some ‘big’ kids (aka adults) who are interested
in playing soccer.
Maybe you’re still lugging around a few extra
kilos of holiday indulgence (compounded by the
winter months of “flying your desk”). Maybe you’re
daydreaming about your old soccer days, in the
playground, or in high school
or college.
Opportunities to relive those
days seem slim? Well, soon you
can air-it-out with that gre a t
cross…. or finish it with a solid,
satisfying left-footed goal.
David Pritchard is looking for
some ‘big’ kids to get together
on the weekends at a Capitol
Hill field for a social and therapeutic
game of soccer. Gender,
age, and experience (or lack of)
are open.
Currently a coach with Soccer on the Hill, David
grew up with the game in the UK and moved to the
Hill a few years ago. Now he is itching for an opportunity
to work up a weekend sweat—and get to
k n ow more neighborhood soccer- b u f fs. Who
knows, it might even lead to tea or a pint afterward.
Don’t delay, give David a call at 546-3213 or email
d av i d . j . P ri t ch a rd @ u s . p wc global.com —then sta rt
cleaning your cleats!
Soccer On the Hill Season Begins
March 19
Team Play for Kids, from 4-18
I t’s time for another of our great rites of spri n g —
Soccer on the Hill (SOTH), is about to resume.
SOTH practices begin the week of March 19, and
games will be every Saturday from March 31 to June
2 — e xc e pt Easter and Memorial Day
Weekends.
For those who registered for the Fall
2000 season, the coach will notify you
of your ch i l d ’s practice and ga m e
schedule.
New players need to be registered.
The fee is $50 except the U6 (under 6
years-old) program, which is $15. A
re g i st ration fo rm can also be dow nloaded
from www.voiceofthehill.com.
To re qu e st a copy by mail call 544 -
5385.
For newc o m e rs: SOTH offe rs coed
soccer for kids from ages 4 to 18, and girl’s soccer
from 8 to 18. The age date is July 31, 2000.
Girl’s teams practice on Capitol Hill and play
their games with the Stoddard league on Saturdays
in northwest DC. Those interested in the girls program
should call Vira Sisolak at 663-4762.
The U6 coed program is for kids less than 6 yearsold
and meets once per week on Saturd ays at
Providence Park from 9AM to 10:15AM. The commissioner
is Patrick Coyne. Registration can be
done on arrival and the fee is $15.
The U8 coed program is for kids less than 8 yearsold
and practices two evenings per week with games
on Saturday mornings at Kingman Field, 13th and
D St., NE. The commissioner is Mike Godec, 547-
2477.
The U10 coed program is for kids less than 10
years-old and practices two evenings per week at
Providence Park with games on Saturday mornings
at Tyler Field, 10th and G St., SE. The commissioner
is Hugh Hughley, 398-1265.
The U12 coed program is for kids less than 12
years-old and practices two evenings per week at
Providence Park with games on Saturday mornings
at Anacostia Pa rk. The commissioner is Larry
Kaufer, 543-4582.
The U14 coed program is for kids less than 14
years-old and practices two evenings per week at
Anacostia Park with games on Saturdays in the
Suburban Friendship League. Home games are at
Ke n i l wo rth Pa rk. The commissioner is Luis
Granados, 547-2583.
S OTH is a volunteer run organization and is
always in need of coaches and assistants, and field
maintenance help. Please contact them at 544-
5385 or email to so1th@hotmail.com. Donations
of time and money are always welcome.
Larry Kaufer is the Voice of the Hill’s Sports Editor. He
can be reached at 543-4582
37 www.voiceofthehill.com
S p o rt s
Soccer for Big Kids
PLAY BALL!!
• Babe Ruth Baseball 9-10 & 11-12
• Girl’s Fast Pitch Softball 10-12
• Register now for Spring Season
202.546.7000 ext.251
John Parker, Commissioner
A Patchwork of Lessons
Reggio Students Explore the Art of Quilting
When Sheryl Segal was contemplating how she
would fulfill her commitment to doing an art project
in her son’s kindergarten class, she thought of
her love of quilts—their art, their history, their
beauty. “I’ve long been interested in quilting—it
has such an emotional pull for me,” she said.
So every F riday for the past four months, Sheryl
and a troop of friendly neighbors, ranging from a
home-schooled fifth grader to a doctoral student in
early childhood education, have been stitching and
sewing with the students of John Burst’s kindergarten
class at the Reggio Emilia School-within-a-
School Charter at Peabody.
Sheryl said she had no idea how influential quilting
would be on the classroom. Based on the
enthusiasm of the children, Burst and his assistant,
Keira Gladstone, have used quilting to teach concepts
and skills all across the curriculum.
“The mathematics applications are endless—the
children learn about shapes, sequencing, and patterning,”
Burst said.
In January, the class went on a field trip to th e
Re nw i ck Museum to view an exhibit on the qu i l t i n g
t raditions of Afri c a n -A m e ricans and the Amish,
w h e re the astute five- and six-ye a r-olds amazed th e
docent by identifying and naming quilting pattern s
th ey’d learned from their discussions with Segal.
Literature has also played a big part in their study.
“We read the book Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt,
which is the true story of a slave who makes a quilt
that is a map of the Underground Railroad,” Bur st
said. “Then the kids made their own quilt-like map.
Each child went into a classroom and drew a map of
that room. When we put it all together, we had a
map of the entire school.”
Then there’s the actual sewing. Talk about finemotor
skills! Each child is stitching a four-patch
square that will be sewn together to make a class
quilt.
Sheryl stresses that the students are doing the
actual stitching with this project. “Many times kids
get involved with quilting by designing a square,
which the adult then sews. Our kids are actually
stitching and sewing, which, I think, makes this
project a bit unique.”
All this sewing takes time and guidance, so every
Friday morning, Segal and her helpers, neighbors
Lynn Ringenberg, who is a docto ral student at
C a tholic Un i ve rs i t y, and Tracy O’Brien, a fifth -
grade student who is home-schooled on Capitol
Hill, show up to help the children stitch. (This kind
of community involvement in school programs is
an integral part of the Reggio Emilia philosophy
employed at the charter school.)
To extend the project even further into the com -
munity, the children have agreed to donate their
quilt to their school’s fundraising auction being
held March 31 (see next article).
The “Bug Quilt,” whose theme reflects the classes’
year-long study of insects, will be up for auction,
as will four additional wall hangings, all made of
kid-designed, bug-inspired panels.
“Seeing the kids enthusiasm for this project, and
seeing them learn how to stitch has been so rewarding,”
Sheryl said. “I can’t quite face not coming in
each Friday morning. I have two boys and four girls
who are really interested, so I’m thinking of starting
a kids’ quilting club.”
Make room on your calendar, Hill families!
Peabody Charter School Jazzes It Up
for 4th Annual Auction
Jazzmen Patrick de Santos and Ricardo Miller will
be the featured entertainers on Saturday, March 31
at the Fourth Annual Jazz Concert and Auction to
benefit the School-Within-School (SWS) Charter at
Peabody.
The gala will take place at the historic Sewall-
Belmont House and feature fabulous music, food
donated by the BET On Jazz Supper Club, and an
open bar with wine and beer. The all-inclusive
advance ticket price is $15.00 for supporters and
$25 for patrons; tickets will be available at the door
for $20.
When your feet get tired from dancing, the joint
will be jumping with both a live and silent auction
featuring a five-day vacation to St. Lucia (travel and
accommodations included)—which was also
donated by BET—a one-week stay at a villa in
Puerto Rico, a weekend getaway to the Blue Ridge
M o u n tains, tickets to the National Symp h o ny
Orchestra, tickets to sporting events and theater
productions, original art, meals at a number of
Washington’s top restaurants, a wide variety of gift
baskets and more!
Proceeds from the event support the funding of
special projects at the SWS at Peabody, a DC public
school. Last year’s event raised over $25,000.
Established in 1995, the SWS is a teacher-directed
school inspired by Italy’s Reggio Emilia preschools.
Although there are hundreds of Reggio programs
through the U.S., the SWS is one of just a few that
are part of the public school system. The program
e mphasizes a collabora t i ve relationship bet we e n
children, teachers, and parents, and is part of the
Capitol Hill Cluster Schools, which serves children
from pre-school to 8th g rade.
Ti ckets are available at the Trover Shop, 221
Pennsylvania Ave., SE, Antiques on the Hill, 701
No. Carolina Ave., SE, or by calling (202) 689-3283.
Derby Days on Capitol Hill
Car designing Cub Scouts raced their hearts out in
two recent Pinewood Derby’s, held by Capitol Hill
Boy Scout Packs 230 and 380.
For the first time in recent histo ry, both Pa cks
widened their slate of ra c e rs to include girl s — s o m e
we re siblings of Scouts, oth e rs we re specially inv i t e d
m e m b e rs of the Hill’s Junior Girl Scout Troop 120 8 .
For the uninitiated, the Pinewood Derby is the
pinnacle of a boy’s Cub Scout years. Each year,
Scouts are given a kit consisting of a block of
pinewood, four wheels, and four nails; from this
they must fashion a car that can weigh a maximum
of five ounces and cannot exceed seven inches in
length. The rest—design, shape, and color, is left up
to the scout, which is where the fun really begins.
Fernando Snellings of Pack 380, Den 5, raced a
bright yellow car in the shape of a lightning bolt.
But not just any lighting bolt. “I wanted to do
something to represent Harry Potter, so I came up
w i th the Scar Car. It took a lot of sanding,”
Fernando said.
Dave Massey, Pinewood Derby coordinator for
Pack 230 said that, “as long as your car doesn’t
e xceed dimensional re qu i rements, you can add
anything you want to.”
Some add drivers (Jar Jar Binks rode to victory in
one race this year); others adorn their cars with
everything from Lego blocks to lug nuts and the
ubiquitous flame-like decals.
Pack 320 held three workshops in anticipation of
their derby, with a focus on helping Scouts who
hadn’t made a car before. “We helped them pick a
shape, mark the car for being cut, and helped the
38 www.voiceofthehill.com
C a p i t a lK i d s
BY PAT TY CURRAN
Lynn Ringenberg and Martin DeAnda sewing squares
for the class patchwork quilt.
younger ones with the cutting. Then they sanded
and painted and decorated on their own,” Massey
said.
The Hill Scout troops have been joining forces
when it comes to Pinewood Derby’s for the past several
years.
The track used for the derby is owned and maintained
by Pack 230, and it is a marvel to behold.
Made up of six, eight-foot sections, the track has six
lanes and is twelve feet high. When the gate is lifted,
the cars careen down the track to an electronic
placing system that records the time of each car,
which has proven indispensable in many a “photo
finish.”
Running races on such a long and impressive
track requires quite a bit of room—and that’s where
Pack 380 comes in, by offering the expansive hall of
their sponsor, St. Peter’s Church, on derby day.
Pack 380 held their derby on Friday evening,
February 19. Scouts from three dens participated,
and this year their siblings—brothers and sisters—
were invited to design and enter a car as well.
Each car was given the opportunity to race at
least six times; the fastest cars then raced against
each other until a final “fastest car” was declared.
Ian Curran’s “Red Rocket” was the car to beat all
night long. He’s a Scout sibling who will be ready
for Tiger Scouts in 2002.
Among the Scouts, the top three winners for
speed were: Keith Curran, Den 4, first place; Miles
Ray, Den 4, second place; and Alex Freeman, Den 2,
third place.
After giving the track an evening to cool off, the
Scouts were at it again as the five dens and two Tiger
Cub groups of Pack 230 held their race. Pack 230
gives awards for design as well as speed, and a special
award for the den with the most participants.
The top three winners in the Style Category were:
Tom Ab e rn ethy, Den 2, first place; Connor
Snellings, Den 2, second place; and Andrew
Melendy, Den 1, third place.
The top three winning cars in the speed category
were: Alex Massey, Den 1, first place; Ryan Garikes,
Den 2, second place; and Cannon McCra cke n ,
Tiger Cubs, third place. The Scouts of Den 1: Boyd
G a rd n e r, Will Hirzy, Michael Law rence, Alex
Massey, Andrew Melendy, Nate Taylor, and Owen
Weinstein, took the overall speed award.
Junior Girl Scout Troop 1208 then took over the
track and handed out their individual awards. Jane
Abernethy, who was inspired to get the Junior Girl
Scouts involved after watching her brother Tom
race in last year’s derby, won the first place for style
w i th her entry the Ru by Red Slipper; Elanor
S o n d e rm a n’s Golden Angel came in second fo r
st yle. Rose Ad e l st e i n’s Flower Power and The
Golden Angel tied for first place in overall speed,
and Celena Dopart’s Speedy Spoon came in second.
Stuart-Hobson Cheerleaders Triumph
Again!
The ch e e rleading Pa n th e rs of the Capitol Hill
Cluster School, Stuart-Hobson Middle School campus,
have a lot to cheer about these days. The talented
team of 21 fifth, sixth, and seventh graders,
plus one fourth grader from the Watkins Primary
Campus, are building on their outstanding record
of last year by taking titles at competitions all over
the country.
The team has claimed top accolades in many
competitions, including D.C.I.A.A. East Division
Title, (two years in a row), Maryland Youth Classic
Champs, Central Mid-Atlantic Regional Champs,
Canam International Regional Junior Pom Grand
Champs, and their most impressive showing: A
Universal Cheerleaders Association national ranking
of eleventh in the nation for their age group.
With all this success in only two years, who knows
what the future holds? One thing’s for sure: the
Panthers are ready for any challenge—bring it on!
The Panthers practice five days a week for three
hours, with a Saturday thrown in every now and
then. The team’s pro grams are collegiate st yl e :
high-flying tosses, ground-up liberties, heel stretches
and arabesques, as well as transitional pyramids
and creative tumbling.
Coached by four-time national ranked cheerleading
coach and performer James Vene y, the team is
well on its way to new heights. Stay tuned for more
news of their victories throughout the spring.
M e m b e rs of the St u a rt - H o b s o n
Pa n th e rs Cheerleading and Dance
Team for 2000 /2001 are Diane
Woods, Camille Presbury, Samantha
D a n d ridge, Jennifer Darl i n g to n ,
Jessica Creek, Candace Po i n t e r,
Tyeisha St u ckey, Ti f f a ny Malone,
Tiffany Bond, Jessica Garrett, Maya
G u d g e r, Akaela Mich e l s - G u l t i e ri ,
D o m o n i que Horton, Jazmine
B rown, Julia Bryl awski, Eboni
J a rmon, Shannon Hall, Bri t ta ny
Ransom, Ra chel Burrows, Tre n i s e
Little, and Chantel Wimbush.
Reading Across America—
and Capitol Hill
BY PAT TY CURRAN
You have brains in your head
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
Any direction you choose
—Oh, The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss
For most of us, March 2 was just another bluster y
day in the waning weeks of winter. But for the
younger set, it was a day to celebrate the birthday of
one of their favorite authors. Theodore Geisel, better
known as Dr. Seuss, would have been 97 on
March 2, and schools all over the country, including
those on Capitol Hill, celebrated his birthday by
participating in Read Across America.
Now in its fourth year, Read Across America is
sponsored by the National Education Association
(NEA). Their website declares, “On March 2, NEA
calls for every child to be reading in the company of
a caring adult.” Their call didn’t go unheeded, as
c a ring adults ranging from Senato rs and
Representatives to councilmembers and captains
filled the halls of two Capitol Hill schools to take
part in the festivities.
Students at Watkins Elementary, the elementary
campus of the Capitol Hill Cluster Schools, celebrated
Seuss in a variety of ways. The library’s windows
were decorated with a painting of Hor ton the
elephant done by Stuart-Hobson students Megan
Arias, Polly Pfeiffer, and Helen Rush. In the first
grade, Mary Rush’s students were eating Sam-I-Am’s
favorite dish: green eggs and ham.
The fourth grade students of Kim Sakai and Fran
Ewart, who have been studying Hawaii through the
National Geographic’s JASON Project, hosted a visit
from Hawaiian Senator Daniel Akaka. The Senator
read Hawaiian legends to the students and then was
the guest of honor at a performance of four island
legends featuring “Maui,” the trickster of island
folklore.
Third grade students showed off their research
skills and command of African-American history by
p resenting a “Black Histo ry Wax Museum.”
Watkins librarian Cathy Pfeiffer said the children
chose leading figures in African-American history
and researched their lives and times. During the
wax museum performance, children became their
chosen figure and “came alive” to tell his or her
story when an imaginary button was pushed.
Pfeiffer said Watkins is extending their special
focus on reading beyond March 2 with a read-athon
tied into “The Journey North,” a study of the
migration of the Monarch butterfly north from
Mexico. Participants will post their own butterflies
along a route from the school’s cafeteria at the
south end of the building to the Texas milkweed
field habitat designed by the school’s Montessori
www.voiceofthehill.com 39
Junior Girl Scouts and their Pinewood Derby Cars, from left to right:
Lucy Church, Mary Woodward, Celena Dopart, Annie Dineen, Eliza
Shaw, and Hanna Schlang. Not pictured, but participating in the
event were: Jane Abernethy, Rose Adelstein, Alex Bergman, Kerry
Garikes, and Elanor Sonderman.
The Cub Scouts of Pack 380, Den 5, at their Pinewood
Derby. Left to right, Christopher Ackerman, Fernando
Snellings, Nicholas Ludwig and Connor Coughlin.
classes, located at the north end of the building.
Each time students complete a book, their butterflies
will progress further toward their final destinations.
Inventive programs like Pfeiffer’s Journey North
give reading a high profile in a school and encourage
all students to take more time for reading. Read
Across America doesn’t prescribe specific methods
for celebrating reading, so the celebration of the
day can be as unique as each individual school.
Students arriving at St. Peter’s Interparish School
on March 2, knew it was a special day. Multicolored
balloons festooned the block around the school,
and instead of settling down to their usual subjects,
the children put on their bedroom slippers and
grabbed their favorite stuffed animal. Throughout
the day, visitors from Congress, the DC government,
the Marine Barracks, and the Navy Yard wandered
in and out of classrooms holding armfuls of
books awaiting eager listeners.
T h i rd gra d e rs we re treated to Councilwo m a n
Sharon Ambrose’s reading of Seuss’s Oh, The Places
You’ll Go, the theme book for this year’s Read Across
America.
In the Kindergarten class, half the students were
listening to parent Charlotte Romero read while the
other half were coloring pictures of the Cat in the
Hat. Mercy Choi, their teacher said, “My kids are
having a ball. They are always captivated when
someone reads to them, so this has been heavenly
for them!” Kinderga rten student Sam Holliday
affirmed: “I’ve been a fan of Dr. Seuss since I was
two, and my favorite book is Cat In The Hat.”
Among the many guests, Re p re s e n ta t i ve Joe
Knollenberg of Mich i gan read to the sixth gra d e ,
while Re p re s e n ta t i ve Betty McCollum of Minnesota
was a guest of the seve n th grade.
Janice Delaney, administ ra tor of the PEN/
Faulkner Awards, talked with the junior high students
about writing and litera t u re, while
Representative Robert Underwood of Guam shared
some of his favorite poetry with the eighth grade.
Special performances in honor of the day were
given by the second and sixth grades. Sporting very
jaunty replicas of the hat worn by that famous cat,
the second grade recited lines from some of their
favorite Seuss books and sang “Dr. Seuss, We Love
Yo u .” The sixth grade perfo rmed two my th s :
Freaya’s Golden Necklace, a Nordic tale, and Why
Bears No Longer Talk, a Native American myth.
And each class had a chance to partake of a huge
birthday cake, lit up in honor of Dr. Seuss’s day.
The event also marked the culmination of a reada-
thon organized by St. Peter’s Interparish librarian
Barbara Ochmanek. Students set a goal of reading
499 pages (by themselves or with an adult) during a
thirty-day period. Those who accomplished their
goal were entered into a drawing with—what else—
books as the prizes.
“The Prekindergarten and kindergarten winners
received a Dr. Seuss book.” said Ochmanek. “The
f i rst th rough eighth grade winners will get J.K
Rowling’s new books, Quidditch Through the Ages,
and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them hot off
the presses on March 12, or as soon as Amazon can
ship them to us,” she said. The prizes, and funding
for the day in general, was helped by a mini-grant
from the Capitol Hill Association of Merchants and
Professionals (CHAMPS).
The day ended with a school-wide DEAR—Drop
Everything and Read—period. St. Peter’s third grader
Nina Vore had a great time during Read Across
America, and admits there may even be a lasting
effect on her: “I used to watch TV a lot, and when
my mom would say, ‘Read!’ I would say, ‘I don’t
want to!’ But now I just like reading so much!”
Hmmm, sounds like just what the doctor ordered.
Capital Kids is compiled by Patty Cur ran, section edi -
tor. Let her help you brag about your kids! Please send
news from your school, or news about your children, to
Patty at: 1371 A St., NE, Washington, DC 20002, or
via e-mail to pdtki@erols.com. The deadline for sub -
missions is the last Friday of the month prior to publi -
cation.
40 www.voiceofthehill.com
545 7th St., SE /Washington, DC 20003
call for info!
202-547-6839
Swing Dance (Mondays, begins
April 9) • Ceramics (Mondays,
begins April 23) • Scene
Study/Acting (Tuesdays, begins
April 10) • Ballet (Tuesdays,
begins April 10) • Beginning
Ballroom Dance (Wednesdays,
begins April 11) • Ceramics
(Wednesdays, begins April 11) •
Oil Painting (Wednesdays,
begins April 11) • Intermediate
• Ballroom Dance (Thursdays,
begins April 12) • Papermaking
(Thursdays, begins April 12) •
Photography Classes every
night, M-TH!
ALSO:
BALLROOM DANCE INTENSIVE
WORKSHOP
Saturday, March 31, 11:45 -
2 p.m.
EGG ART!
Fun for the whole family!
Saturday, April 7, 10 - Noon
UKRANIAN EGG PAINTING
Monday March 26 or Monday,
April 2 6-9 p.m.
THEATER ALLIANCE
Theater for Young People:
WINNIE THE POOH. FINAL
PERFORMANCES: March 16 &
18, 7:30 p.m. Christ Church
Stage, 620 G St. SE $10/$5
CAPITOL HILL ART LEAGUE
Gallery Talk: GARDEN OF EDEN
Thursday, April 5, 7:30 p.m. FREE
FILMS ON THE HILL/
ENVIRONMENTAL FILM
FESTIVAL
OVER THE TOP(1915), TURKSIB
(1929), THE WINNING OF BARBARA
WORTH (1926) silent films
with live piano accompaniment!
Friday, March 16, 6:30 p.m. FREE
MOODS OF THE SEA (1950),
RANGO (1931), SOS ICEBERG
(1933)
Friday, March 23, 6:30 p.m. FREE
WRITERS ON THE HILL
A New Program featuring monthly
readings by local writers!
April 14: Shirley Cochrane,
Poetry & Fiction; David Kresh,
Poetry. 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. $5
includes reception
THIS
WEEKEND
!!
LOG ON
for FULL
DETAILS!
www.
chaw.org
NEW EVENING CLASSES FORMING FOR ADULTS
CALL (202) 547-6839 to register/www.chaw.org for details!
MARCH 7
A Still, Small Voice: Discerning God’s Plan for You
Fr. Scott Hurd
God has a unique and special plan for each person’s life. This
presentation will explore practical, concrete ways to hear God’s
call and discern his purpose.
MARCH 14
Spirituality in the Workplace: What is God up to
in Organizational Life?
Fr. Brian McDermott, SJ
An exploration of dynamics and leadership in the workplace
and how to partner with God.
MARCH 21
That All May Be One: On Commitment to
Ecumenism
Brother Jeffrey Gros, FSC
Strengthening Christian unity through dialogue with others.
MARCH 28
Catholic Social Teaching: A Compass on the
Pilgrimage of Life
Marie Barry and Michael Scott
The 7 basic principles of Catholic Social Teaching in our every -
day lives.
APRIL 4
The Seamless Garment of Life: The Key to
Informing Our Consciences on Life Issues
Jennifer Bader
How the sacredness of human life applies to the issues we face.
ST. PETER’S CHURCH ON CAPITOL HILL
Second and C Streets, SE
Washington, DC 20003
202-547-1430
2001 L E N T E N
DI S C U S S I O N
SE R I E S
Informing Our
C o n s c i e n c e :
Being Catholic
in a New
M i l l e n n i u m
6:30 p.m.
Mass
7:00 p.m.
supper - homemade soup
and bread
7:30 p.m.
presentation with
discussion following
8:30 p.m.
closing prayer
Fully accessible via elevator,
entered at the far left of the
church entrance
www.voiceofthehill.com 41
Exhibit
Healthy Soil, Healthy Food, Healthy People
An interactive, challenging exhibit at the Capital
Children’s Museum shows kids what they can do to create
a healthy lifestyle for themselves and their families.
Kids assume the role of “health detectives” to uncover
the connection between the soil, our food and personal
health.The exhibit is comprised of interactive
workstations, hands-on science explorations, games,
quizzes, models, illustrations, videos, computer simula -
tions. Through May 27. 800 3rd Street, NE. Admission.
Monday, March 19
Elephant Walk at 1PM! The greatest beasts on earth
arrive at Union Station and strut to the MCI Center
where they’ll appear in the Ringling Bros. Circus starting
March 22. (Circus comes to the Armory, 4/4).
Tuesday, March 20
Toddler Story Time: Stories, songs, films and more for
3-5-year-olds. 10 AM. NE Librar y. 7th and Md., NE 698-
3299.
• Craft Night at the SE Library. 7th and D SE.
Wednesday, March 21
Enjoy filmstrips after school! 4 PM. NE Library. 7th and
Md., NE 698-3299.
Saturday, March 24
There’s something fishy at the Children’s Museum:
Learn about sushi! 11 AM and 2 PM. Capital Children’s
Museum. 800 3rd St., NE. 675-4133.
• Films for 3-10 year-olds based on children’s literature.
11:30 AM. NE Librar y. 7th & Md., NE. 698-3299.
Tuesday, March 27
Toddler Story Time: Stories, songs, films and more.
Ages 3-5. 10 AM. NE Librar y. 7th and Md., NE 698-
3299.
Craft Night at the SE Librar y. 7th and D SE.
Wednesday, March 28
Enjoy filmstrips after school! 4 PM. NE Library. 7th and
Md., NE 698-3299.
Saturday, March 31
Kite Festival on the Mall! 10AM at the Washington
Monument.
• “Cut-Out” animation: Explore an animation technique
using paper cutouts. 11 AM, 12 PM, 1:30 PM
and 3 PM. Space is limited. Capital Children’s Museum.
800 3rd St., NE. 675-4133.
• Films for 3-10 year olds based on children’s literature.
11:30 AM. NE Librar y. 7th and Md., NE. 698-
3299.
• 4th Annual Jazz Concert and Auction to benefit
Peabody. Fabulous food, music, dancing, and great
items, including tropical getaways, at the auction.
Check the Capital Kids section for all the details.
Sunday, April 1
Scienterrific Sunday: Learn about optical illusions and
how our brains work to process them. Ages 4-7, 11AM
and 2PM; Ages 8 and up, 12PM and 3PM. While you’re
at it: Play with your food! Come push, smoosh, and
squash your food and find out if you can really make a
cartoon with food. 10:30AM and 2 PM. Capital
Children’s Museum. 800 3rd St., NE. 675-4133.
Tuesday, April 3
Toddler Story Time: Stories, songs, films and more.
Ages 3-5. 10 AM. NE Librar y. 7th and Md., NE 698-
3299.
• Craft Night at the SE Library. 7th and D SE.
Wednesday, April 4
Ringling Brothers Circus. The Greatest Show on Earth
comes to the DC Armory at RFK Stadium.
Performances through April 16. 432-7328.
• Enjoy filmstrips after school! 4 PM. NE Library. 7th
and Md., NE 698-3299.
Saturday, April 7
Living Dirt: Learn how plants eat, test different soil,
learn how healthy food helps food grow. 11 AM. Capital
Children’s Museum. 800 3rd St., NE. 675-4133.
• Films for 3-10 year olds based on children’s literature.
11:30 AM. NE Librar y. 7th and Md., NE. 698-
3299.
Sunday, April 8
Living Dirt: Learn how plants eat, test different soil
samples, and learn how healthy food helps food grow.
11 AM. Capital Children’s Museum. 800 3rd St., NE.
675-4133.
Tuesday, April 10
Toddler Story Time: Stories, songs, films and more.
Ages 3-5. 10 AM. NE Librar y. 7th and Md., NE 698-
3299.
• Craft Night at the SE Library. 7th and D SE.
Wednesday, April 11
Enjoy filmstrips after school! 4 PM. NE Library. 7th and
Md., NE 698-3299.
Saturday, April 14
Three days of special Spring activities at the Children’s
Museum. Break a piñata in celebration of Easter!
11AM, and 2 PM, and 4 PM. Use Japanese paper to
create a cherry blossom picture. 11 AM and 2 PM. Kids
7 and up create short cartoons celebrating Spring!
10:30 AM and 2 PM. 800 3rd St., NE.
• Films for 3-10 year olds, based on children’s literature.
11:30 AM. NE Librar y. 7th and Md., NE. 698-
3299.
Sunday, April 15
Scienterrific Sunday: Investigate the strength of eggs
and learn some of their important properties. Ages 4-7,
11AM and 2PM; Ages 8 and up, 12PM and 3PM.
Capital Children’s Museum. 800 3rd St., NE.
Monday, April 16
Easter Egg Roll on the White House Lawn. Is anything
more Washington? 10AM to 2PM. Get free timed tickets
beginning at 7AM at the visitor pavillion on the
Ellipse.
• African American Family Celebration. Annual festival
of music art and dance at the National Zoo. Free.
673-4717.
Tuesday, April 17
Craft Night at the SE Librar y. 7th and D SE.
Sunday, April 22
Shakespeare’s Birthday Open House. Jugglers and
jesters, music, song and dance, stage combat workshops,
and birthday cake for everyone! Noon – 4PM.
Folger Shakespeare Librar y. 201 E. Capitol St., SE.
42 www.voiceofthehill.com
PROUDLY SPONSORED BY Jackie
PEACHES AND POOH BEAR
K i d s ’ C a l e n d a r Activities of Particular Interest to Kids and Their Pare n t s
Jackie von Schlegel, CBR, GRI
Capitol Hill and Chesapeake Beach are our neighborhoods, we hope you’ll make them yours.
202-547-5600 (W) • 202-543-4296 (H) • 301-855-6443 (H)
email: jackiev@realtor.com / Licensed in DC, MD and VA
REMAX Capital Properties
ARTS CALENDAR
April 14 is Second Saturday!
Capitol Hill’s gallery walk is
this and every first Saturday
of the month. Watch for the
orange balloons and catch
new exhibits, entertainment,
more! 4-7 PM. Check in at
www.voiceofthehill.com for
details.
Eye-Figure-Ground, it’s
called. The latest show at
the Newman Gallery features
intense pastel and charcoal
dreamscapes by C. Michael
Turpenoff. Through April 12.
513 11th St., SE. 544-7577.
February 27 - March 30,
at the Capitol Hill Ar t
League: “Something Old,
Something New, Something
Borrowed, Something Blue.
New show opening April 3-
27: “ Garden of Eden.”
Gallery Talk: Thursday, April
5, 7:30 - 9 PM. Free at
CHAW. 545 7th St., SE. 547-
6839.
Closing March 31.
“Internal Landscapes” at
Bird-In-Hand. An exhibit of
color pencil drawings by
artist Marcelo Novo runs
through March 31. 323 7th
St., SE. 543-0744.
The National Arboretum
presents: The first American
exhibition of original cher ry
blossom and nature paintings
by renowned Japanese
botanical illustrator and
artist, Mieko Ishikawa.
Lobby of administration bldg.
through June 30. The
Arboretum is at 3501 NY
Ave., NE. 245-2726.
EXHIBITS
National Postal
Museum
Closing March 28!
Presidential Mail: On
Official Business
Special exhibit features the
h i s t o ry of the pre s i d e n t i a l
franking privilege. Congre s s
established the “free frank”
in 1776 so that govern m e n t
o fficials could readily communicate
to their constituents
by using their signatures as
an indication of postage.
Since then, the privilege has
been restricted, expanded,
abolished and continued.
Highlights include: A
franked letter cover fro m
1802 signed by Thomas Jefferson;
An 1862 letter cover
rimmed in black ink with
M a ry Todd Lincoln’s signat
u re, “Mrs. L,” as postage;
Jimmy Carter’s special Inauguration
Day cover from 1977
featuring cartoon likenesses
of the new President and
First Lady, sent by frank to
then-Speaker of the House Ti p
O’Neill. Through March 28.
The Library of Congress:
Closing March 31! Al
Hirschfeld, Beyond
Broadway
An exhibition of 23 drawings,
prints and illustrated books,
selected from original works
recently given by Al
Hirschfeld to the Library as a
Bicentennial “Gift to the
Nation,” is on view in the
Swann Gallery. The exhibition
moves beyond the famil -
iar ground of Hirschfeld’s
theatrical work to explore
less well-known aspects of
his legendary 80-year career.
Thomas Jefferson Building.
By Securing to Authors:
Copyright, Commerce, and
Creativity in America
Exhibition features a wide
range of items that have
been copyrighted in America,
including original Ken and
Barbie dolls, Martin Luther
King, Jr.’s I Have a Dream
speech and the statue of the
“Maltese Falcon” that was
used in the film of the same
name. Madison Building.
Open indefinitely
Here to Stay: The Legacy
of George and Ira Gershwin
The George and Ira Gershwin
Room is a permanent exhibi -
tion area for materials from
the Library’s George and Ira
Gershwin Collection, the
world’s preeminent resource
for the documentary legacy
of the Gershwin brothers.
Includes: George’s piano and
desk, Ira’s typing table and
typewriter, a self-portrait oil
painting of each brother,
handwritten musical manuscripts
and other documents
that chronicle their lives and
careers. Jefferson Building.
Open indefinitely.
American Treasures of the
Library of Congress
240 “American Treasures”
represent the breadth and
depth of the Library’s
American historical items.
Thomas Jefferson Building.
For additional information,
call 707-3834.
Folger Shakespeare
Library
Opening March 22:
Designer Bookbinders in
North America
Designer Bookbinders is the
principal bookbinding society
in Great Britain and one of
the foremost in the world
devoted to the craft. It has
been many years since
Designer Bookbinders has
exhibited the work of its
members in the United
States. Their current ambitious
exhibition begins a
seven-venue tour with this
exhibit at the Folger Librar y.
Over forty bindings, representing
the best of British
fine bookbinding, are on dis -
play. Through August 2001.
EVENTS
Thursday, March 15
Virtue (Columbia, 1932),
with Carole Lombard. Part of
the Library’s depression-era
actresses series. Library of
Congress. Pickford Theater.
7 PM. Reservations may be
made by phone, beginning
one week before any given
show. Call 202-707-5677
during business hours.
Reserved seats must be
claimed at least 10 minutes
before showtime, after which
standbys will be admitted to
unclaimed seats. All programs
are free, but seating
is limited to 64 seats. The
Mary Pickford Theater is
located on the third floor of
the Madison Building.
Friday March 16
Dancing at Lughnasa. Brien
Friel’s Tony award-winning
drama. Poignant, lyrical
memories of rural Ireland in
the 1930s. 8PM. St. Mark’s
Church. 3rd and A, SE. 546-
9670.
·Films on the Hill and the
Environmental Film Festival
present “Over the Top,”
“Turksib,” and “The Winning
of Barbara Worth.” $5. 6:30
PM at CHAW. 545 7th St.,
SE. 547-6839.
·World premiere! Song
cycle by Wm. Bolcom and
Sandra Seaton, “From the
Diary of Sally Hemming.”
With mezzo-soprano Florence
Quivar. 8PM. Library of
Congress. 707-5502.
· “Kiss Me, Stupid (UA,
1964). Dean Martin/Kim
Novak flick, condemned by
the Catholic Legion of
Decency in ‘64. It still
bombed. Wanna see it? 7
PM. Library of Congress,
Pickford Theater. 7 PM. See
March 15 listing for details.
b The Capitol Hill Arts
Workshop presents Winnie
the Pooh. A.A. Milne’s classic
story as a musical. Christ
Church Stage. 7:30 PM. 620
G St., SE. Admission: $10
adults, $5 under 16. For
more information call 547-
6839 or visit www.chaw.org.
b An all-day public symposium
commemorating the
250th anniversary of the
birth of James Madison
takes place today in the
West Dining Room of the
Madison Building. Library of
Congress. For more informa -
tion call 707-5383.
Saturday March 17
St. Patrick’s Day
b SE Hill, Community
Planning Workshop, arranged
by the DC Office of Planning.
9:30AM to 12:30PM. Payne
Elementary School. 15th and
C St.s, SE. Info? See the
Download Section or call
Karina Ricks, Office of
Planning, 202-442-7600.
b Dancing at Lughnasa.
Brien Friel’s Tony award-winning
drama. Poignant, lyrical
memories of rural Ireland in
the 1930s. 8PM. St. Mark’s
Church. 3rd and A, SE. 546-
9670.
Sunday, March 18
Soccer: Our new women’s
soccer team The Freedom
hosts an appreciation party
for fans. 12 - 3 PM. RFK
Stadium, Lot 4. For mor e
information call 547-8351
ext. 104.
b Last Chance to see The
Capitol Hill Arts Workshop
Winnie the Pooh. A.A.
Milne’s classic story as a
musical. Christ Church
Stage. 7:30 PM. 620 G St.,
SE. Admission: $10 adults,
$5 under 16. For more information
call 547-6839 or visit
www.chaw.org.
Tuesday, March 20
Half-Way House Summit.
www.voiceofthehill.com 43
S TA R RY
DAYS
Your Astrological Guide
to the Pursuit of
Happiness
BY AJAI ©
Got something you want
to do? This calendar
helps you get things
done, and it works for
everyone! There are more
Planets in Astrology then
just your Sun Sign. The
pull of all of the Planets
impacts every one of us
regardless of our birthday,
and using this calendar
can help us all in our
Pursuit of Happiness.
Friday 3.16.00
As this day ends, and the air
leaks out of your party balloons,
plan tomorrow’s todos
and you’ll feel better.
Saturday 3.17.00
Eat lightly. Giving your full
attention to each task cr eates
a nice flow for the day.
Sunday 3.18.00
Again, small simple meals,
challenging work, and an
unusually long walk make a
mellow day.
Monday 3.19.00
Give yourself to Love.
Tuesday 3.20.00
Pretend you’ve never been
here before. Let your eyes be
open. See with brand new
eyes.
Wednesday 3.21.00
Like hair gets snarled,
thoughts sometimes get tangled.
Patience is a comb.
Thursday 3.22.00
Dream awhile.
Friday 3.23.00
Gaze with soft eyes upon a
flower ‘til your eyes experi -
ence the texture of the blos -
som.
Saturday 3.24.00
Start new projects.
Sunday 3.25.00
How would you feel today if
last year you’d run a
marathon?
Monday 3.26.00
Tonight plan to start a
sprout garden.
Tuesday 3.27.00
Big thoughts might get you
up and going early.
Wednesday 3.28.00
Journal about last nights
dreams late this afternoon.
Thursday 3.29.00
Light reading draws pleasure
closer.
Friday 3.30.00
A nice chat can be like crazy
glue.
Saturday 3.31.00
Chew your food and assimilate
your feelings
Sunday 4.1.00
Write Love letters with confidence
tonight.
Monday 4.2.00
After lunch, swagger.
Tuesday 4.3.00
Smile.
Wednesday 4.4.00
Start your diet with this
evenings meal. No snacking
after 3:46 this afternoon.
Thursday 4.5.00
Do a ‘Dear Diary’ just before
bedtime
Friday 4.6.00
Love is in bloom after 5 PM.
Pluck those blossoms!
Saturday 4.7.00
Let the Full light of the Moon
be a spotlight on your feet.
Dance!
Sunday 4.8.00
Later tonight act silly.
Monday 4.9.00
Allow your heart to grow
wings and soar
Tuesday 4.10.00
Genius arrives just about
9:30 AM.
Wednesday 4.11.00
Giggling is good.
Thursday 4.12.00
Eat moderately.
Friday 4.13.00
Enjoy getting things done
today, and have fun tonight.
Saturday 4.14.00
Get up early and attain your
potential.
Sunday 4.15.00
Let your friends grow you
some smiles tonight.
Monday 4.16.00
Have lunch with the most
unusual person you know.
Tuesday 4.17.00
Wear a baseball cap.
Wednesday 4.18.00
Before bed, read limericks.
Thursday 4.19.00
Plan tomorrow’s todos
tonight.
Ajai once lived nine years in
a yoga ashram. Now he lives
on Capitol Hill, teaches
yoga, and studies astrology
and cats.
May you be happy,
Ajai
Going bonkers at the thought
of a 200-bed pre-trial halfway
house at DC General?
Bend the ear of Odie
Washington, Dept. of Corrections
chief. Sponsored by
Councilmember Ambrose and
ANC6B. 6:30 PM. Watkins
School, 420 12th St., SE.
b Super Tuesdays at SE
Library: Author Margaret
Roberts Drucker discusses
her book Mangoes and
Chappaties about life in India
and Goa. SE Librar y. 7:30
PM. 403 7th St., SE. 698-
3372. Free.
b Fang and Claw (RKO,
1935) and Tiger Fangs (PRC,
1943), two of Frank Buck’s
adventures in the jungles of
Asia. Library of Congress,
Pickford Theater. 7 PM. See
March 15 listing for details.
Wednesday, March 21
Treasure Talk: Janice Grenci,
of the Library of Congress
Prints and Photographs
Division, discusses the
WPA’s poster collection.
Southwest Gallery of the
Jefferson Building. Noon. Call
707-9203 for info.
b “The President’s Own”
United States Marine Band
Chamber Orchestra performs
works by Arthur Foote and
others. Library of Congress,
Coolidge Auditorium. 8 PM.
All Library of Congress concerts
are free, but tickets
are required (max: 2/person).
Five weeks before an
event, free tickets are distributed
by Ticket Master
(432-SEAT) for a nominal
service charge. Tickets for
popular events are claimed
quickly, but there are often
empty seats at concert time.
You can standby for seats at
the will call desk in the Jefferson
Bldg. by 6:30 p.m. on
concert evenings. 707-5502.
Thursday, March 22
The Fighting Chance
(Republic, 1955) and The
Arizona Raiders (Columbia,
1965), two of director
William Whitney’s action/
adventure films. Library of
Congress, Pickford Theater.
7 PM. See March 15 listing
for details.
Friday, March 23
Comus. Exquisite poetry by
John Milton, music by Henr y
Lawes. A rare presentation
of the 1634 theatrical
masque featuring the Folger
Consort and guest artists.
544-7077.
b Washington Premiere of
Steven Gerber’s Spirituals,
also Barber’s Dover Beach,
Brahms Sextet, op. 36.
Features the Concertante
Chamber Players. Library of
Congress. 8PM. 707-5502
Saturday, March 24
Plants for Shade. Let Mart h a
O l i v e r, owner of The Primro s e
Path, a specialty nursery in
Pennsylvania, show you a
trick or two about brightening
your garden’s gloomy corners.
National Arbore t u m .
F ree. Admin. bldg., 10-11AM.
3501 New York Ave., NE.
b Comus. Exquisite poetr y
by John Milton, music by
Henry Lawes. A rare presentation
of the1634 theatrical
masque featuring the Folger
Consort and guest artists.
544-7077.
Sunday, March 25
Comus. Exquisite poetry by
John Milton, music by Henr y
Lawes. A rare presentation
of the 1634 theatrical
masque featuring the Folger
Consort and guest artists.
544-7077.
b Film: Save the Tiger
(Paramount, 1973), Jack
Lemmon’s Oscar-winning portrayal
of a morally conflicted
businessman. Library of
Congress, Pickford Theater.
7 PM. See March 15 listing
for details.
Monday, March 26
Poet Les Murray has been
called, “as electrifying as
Dylan Thomas and as earthy
as Seamus Heaney.” Hear
him read at the Folger
Shakespeare Librar y. 5:30
supper, reading at 8. 544-
7077
Tuesday, March 27
Film: The Great Sinner
(MGM, 1949). Part of the
Library’s National Film
Registry series. Library of
Congress, Pickford Theater.
7 PM. See March 15 listing
for details.
b Super Tuesdays at SE
Library: Virginia Spatz, contributor
to the book All the
Women Followed Her , discusses
stories of women in
the book of Exodus. SE
Librar y. 7:30 PM. 403 7th
St., SE. 698-3372.Free.
Wednesday, March 28
Treasure Talk: Rosemary
Plakas, of the Library of
Congress’s Rare and Special
Collections Division, talks
about the women’s suffrage
movement. Southwest
Gallery of the Jefferson Bldg.
Noon. 707-9203 for info.
Thursday, March 29
Film: Three on a Match
(Warner Bros., 1932) and
The General Electric Theatre:
A Star in the House (Revue,
1955), part of the depression-
era actresses series.
Library of Congress, Pickford
Theater. 7 PM. See March
15 listing for details.
Friday, March 30
Film: Thoroughly Moder n
Millie (Universal, 1967), producer
Ross Hunter’s spoof of
the Roaring 20s, stars Julie
Andrews. Library of
Congress, Pickford Theater.
7 PM. See March 15 listing
for details.
b PEN/Faulkner Reading
Series: Tonight’s reading features
novelists James D.
Houston, author of Conti -
nental Drift , and Maxine
Hong Kingston, author of The
Woman Warrior . 8 PM. 201
E. Capitol St., SE.
Admission: $13. Call 544-
7077 for more information.
Saturday, March 31
Native Plant Symposium and
Sale! Take a cue from
nature: don’t force it. Lear n
what works in our home turf,
then pick up choice specimens
from some of the
area’s best native plant nurs -
eries. Symposium, 8:30 to
4PM. $65, includes lunch.
Register: 245-4523. Plant
sale: 10AM-2PM. 3501 New
York Ave., NE.
b Women make a “stamp
on history.” The United
States Postal Service honors
many famous women on
postage stamps in areas
such as writing, medicine,
art, theater and politics. Join
actress Kathy Sewell as she
highlights some of these
women’s lives.1-2PM.
National Postal Museum. 2
Mass Ave., NE.
b 4th Annual Jazz Concer t
and Auction to benefit the
School-Within-School (SWS)
Charter at Peabody.
Fabulous food, music, dancing,
and great items, includ -
ing tropical getaways, at the
auction. Check the Capital
Kids section for all the info.
Tuesday, April 3
Super Tuesdays at SE
Library: An Evening of Poetry
with F.D. Cooper in celebration
of National Poetr y
Month. SE Librar y. 7:30 PM.
403 7th St., SE. 698-3372.
b The Bard Turns 437 This
Year. Shakespeare’s Birthday
Lecture: James Shapiro, pr ofessor,
and author of
Shakespeare and the Jews,
speaks on “Jessica’s
Daughters” (alluding to
Shylock’s daughter in The
Merchant of Venice ) followed
by a reception in the Great
Hall. Folger Librar y. 201 E.
Capitol. 8PM. 544-7077.
b The Glass Menagerie
(Warner Bros., 1950).
Gertrude Lawrence, Arthur
Kennedy, Jane Wyman, Kirk
Douglas. Tennessee Williams
abhorred this adaptation.
7PM. Library of Congress.
Pickford Theater. Free. See
March 15 listing for details.
Wednesday April 4
Ringling Brothers Circus. The
Greatest Show on Earth
comes to the DC Armory at
RFK Stadium. Performances
through April 16. 432-7328.
b The Eastern Market
Community Advisory Commit -
tee (EMCAC) will meet to -
night at the Northeast
Branch Library, 7th and
Maryland Ave., NE. 7 PM.
The meeting will be open to
the public.
b Preservation Café. The
Capitol Hill Restoration
Society presents a discussion
of the Hill’s fascinating
network of alleys. Trattoria
Alberto, 507 8th St., SE.
6:30PM
Thursday, April 5
ANC6A meeting. Check with
the ANC office for location,
time: 547-8741. Or check for
an update at wwwvoiceofthehill.
com on the 5th.
b Frank Capra’s Forbidden
(Columbia, 1932). Barbara
Stanwyck, Adolphe Menjou,
Ralph Bellamy. Stanwyck as
a sacrificing mother. 7PM.
Library of Congress. Pickford
Theater. Free. See March 15
listing for details.
Friday, April 6
Trio Wanderer, 3 young
Parisian artists present
works by Schubert and
Chausson at the Library of
Congress. 8PM. 707-5502.
b Pre-Revolutionary
Russian Films: Daydreams
(Khanzhonkov, 1915) and
“The Queen of Spades”
(Ermolev, 1916). 7PM.
Library of Congress. Pickford
Theater. Free. See March 15
listing for details.
Saturday, April 7
Azaleas 101. Just in time for
spring planting. Pick up a
degree in azalea basics, how
to pick ’em, how to care for
’em. National Arboretum.
Admin. bldg., $10. Register:
245-4565. 3501 New York
Ave., NE.
Monday, April 9
Books and Beyond: Rober t
M. Sapolsky discusses his
new book, A Primate’s
Memoir. Library of Congress.
6:30 PM. Call 707-5221 for
more information.
Tuesday, April 10
Drought Gardening. Gardening
expert Shirley Nicolai,
tells how to plant for suc -
cess during hot, dry conditions.
Capitol Hill Baptist
Church, 5th and A NE, rear.
7PM refreshments, Program
at 7:30 sharp.
b Super Tuesdays at SE
Library: An Evening of Poetry
with Andrea Wyatt in celebration
of National Poetr y
Month. SE Librar y. 7:30 PM.
403 7th St., SE. 698-3372.
b Two prizewinning poets,
Billy Collins and Ann Duffy,
read at the Folger Librar y.
Eavan Boland says of Duffy,
“[she’s] one of the freshest
and bravest talents in British
poetry—any poetry—for
years.” 8PM. 544-7077. 201
E. Capitol St., SE.
b ANC6B Meeting. 7PM at
921 Pennsylvania Ave., SE.
Agenda will be posted at
www.voiceofthehill.com the
week before the meeting.
b Pre-Revolutionary
Russian Cinema. The Fall of
the Romanov Dynasty
(Sovkino, 1927). Includes
archival news footage of the
last gasp of the 300-year
Romanov empire. 7PM.
Library of Congress. Pickford
Theater. Free. See March 15
listing for details.
Wednesday, April 11
Soccer: The women’s soccer
team The Freedom hosts a
Freedom Rally at Freedom
Plaza. 4 PM 14th and Penn.,
NW. For information call 547-
8351 ext. 104.
b Marine Band Chamber
Concert. Free program in
Coolidge Auditorium, Librar y
of Congress. 8PM. 433-4011
Thursday, April 12
Save Our Street Trees!
James Urban discusses
methods of planting and car -
ing for our trees—so they
survive. Presented by Stanton
Park Neighborhood
Association. 7 - 9 PM, Mar -
ket 5 Gallery (Eastern Market),
7th and N. Carolina
Ave., SE.
b Back Street (Universal,
1932). Stars Irene Dunne,
John Boles, ZaSu Pitts. On
the Beach (Screen Gems,
1956). Stars Irene Dunne,
Richard Denning, Jo Ann
Lilliquist. Irene Dunne
starred in everything from
musicals to melodrama during
the Thirties and Forties.
Here, two of her best. 7PM.
Library of Congress. Pickford
Theater. Free. See March 15
listing for details.
Friday, April 13
The Phenix City Stor y (Allied
Artists, 1955). Richard Kiley,
Kathryn Grant, John McIntire.
Semi-documentar y
urban thriller is an expose of
the crime and vice rackets in
Phenix City, Alabama. 7PM.
Library of Congress. Pickford
Theater. Free. See March 15
listing for details.
Saturday, April 14
Camellia Show. Spectacular
camellias in their full glor y
at the National Arboretum.
Admin. bldg. Free. 3501 New
York Ave., NE.
b Second Saturday. The
Hill’s arts walk cum pubcrawl
begins at 4PM and
continues ‘til 7 with galler y
openings, special treats.
Watch for the orange balloons
on 7th and 8th St.s,
Pennsylvania, and other locations.
Details will be posted
at www.voiceofthehill.com
the preceding week.
b Writers on the Hill: A
new series of monthly literary
readings by professional
area writers. Tonight’s reading
will feature poet David
Kresh and poet/fiction
author Shirley Cochrane.
(Shirley writes on journaling
in this issue of the Voice). 4
PM. 545 7th St., SE.
Admission: $5. For more info
call 547-6839 or visit
www.chaw.org.
b Soccer: The Women’s
United Soccer Association
Inaugural game. DC Freedom
vs. Bay Area CyberRays. 2
PM. RFK Stadium.
Tuesday, April 17
44 www.voiceofthehill.com
www.voiceofthehill.com 45
Call us at
2 0 2 - 5 4 3 - 3 6 3 5
www.ramassociates.com
classifieds, etc • classifieds, etc •
La Strega
Italian Classes
Native Professor offers Private and
Semi-Private Courses
Special Travel Course over two weekends
Call 202 547-9536
email: lastrega@hotmail.com
Khan El-Khalili
321 7th Street, SE
202-543-5295
1-800-397-9441
Mohamed & Venetta Khattab
Owners
????Hand Made Egyptian Gifts & Oils
Imported from Cairo
email: maisonorln@aol.com
bbonline.com/dc/maisonorleans/
Application Service Providers to Capitol Hill.
In the Business of Supporting Local and National
Organizations for 11Years.
We do:
• Web hosting, development, email
• eCommerce, powered by InterShop
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• Portal development, featuring LivePublish search engine
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RAM has development and hosting plans available for small and
large clients, come be the next.
Ra d i a tor Ca b i n et s
Du ra bl e ,Be a u ti ful and Prot e ctive
Don’t paint, adorn!
RADIATOR ENCLOSURES WILL:
Improve Appearance
Decrease Heat Loss Through Walls
Enhance Circulation
Custom Wood Radiator Cabinets
Cane or Metal Grills
Stain or Painted
Also…
A Complete Line of Window
Treatments & Custom Bedding
Interior & Exterior Window Treatments
LL O Y D’S
WINDOW PRODUCTS
301.599.8684
620 G St., SE ??Eastern Market Metro
(202) 547-9300 ??www.washingtonparish.org
CH R I S T CH U RC H
C A P I T O L H I L L
PALM SUNDAY: Holy Eucharist, 8:15 am; Procession
of Palms from Eastern Market, 10:45 am, Holy
Eucharist, 11 am
MONDAY, Holy Eucharist, 7:30 am
TUESDAY, Holy Eucharist, 7:30 am
WEDNESDAY, Holy Eucharist, 7:30 am,Tenebrae
Service, 8 pm
MAUNDY THURSDAY, Holy Eucharist, 7:30 am,
Dinner & Service at 6:30 pm
FRIDAY, Good Friday services at 7:30 am and 12:00
pm. Also dinner and reading of Archibald
MacLeish’s play JB, beginning at 6:30 pm
HOLY SATURDAY, The Great Vigil of Easter, 8 pm
EASTER SUNDAY SERVICES at 8:15 am and 11 am
Writers
on the
Hill
A P R I L 1 4
Shirley Cochrane, Poetry and Fiction;
David Kresh, Poetr y
M A Y 1 2
Diana McLellan, nonfiction and Journalism;
Frederick Reuss, Fiction
J U N E 9
Megan Rosenfeld, Journalism; Duncan
Spencer, Journalism
Sponsored by Trover Shops and Riverby Books
www.chaw.org for more info or call 202.547.6839
A new program of
the capitol hill arts
workshop
4 - 5:30 p.m.
with reception to
follow
in conjunction with
capitol hill arts
district second saturday
series
$5 donation
Capitol Hill Arts
Workshop
545 7th Street, SE
CHI
BODY AND MIND EXERCISE
How to discover your body’s natural ability
to heal itself.Works for all ages.
Under 6 year-old classes forming
HOMEDO Founder • Master Dong 202.544.9537
Pre-Revolutionary Russian
Cinema. The Dragonfly and
the Ant (Khanzhonkov,
1913). The Lily of Belgium ”
(Skobelev, 1915). Child of
the Big City (Khanzhonkov,
1914). Yurii Nagornyi (Khanzhonkov,
1916). A tribute of
sorts to A. Khanzhonkov and
Co., the most notable (and
versatile) of the early
Russian film producers. 7PM.
Library of Congress. Pickford
Theater. Free. See March 15
listing for details.
Wednesday, April 18
Azaleas by Twilight. Tour the
breathtakingly beautiful azalea
collections at the
National Arboretum. If you
haven’t seen these, you
haven’t seen azaleas. 3501
NY Ave., NE. $7. Register:
245-4523. (Tour repeats on
April 25).
Thursday, April 19
Appointment with Danger
(Paramount, 1951) stars
Alan Ladd, Phyllis Calvert,
Jan Sterling. A hard as nails
crime drama photographed
by one of the legendar y
Hollywood cameramen, John
Seitz. 7PM. Library of
Congress. Pickford Theater.
Free. See March 15 listing
for details.
Friday, April 20
Charles Baxter, author of
seven works of fiction,
including Harmony of the
World and Through the
Safety Net, and Francine
Prose, novelist, essayist and
reviewer, read at the Folger
Librar y. 201 E. Capitol, SE.
8PM. $13. 544-7077.
Log on!
www.voiceofthehill.com
46 www.voiceofthehill.com
• classifieds • classifieds • classifieds •
Positions
Nanny Available
Loving nanny available fulltime
beginning mid-late June
2001. Has cared for new -
borns to 3-year-olds, prepar -
ing and feeding formula and
meals, dressing children,
walks, outdoor activities at
local parks, playgrounds and
librar y, participation in play
groups, reading to children,
developmental game playing,
light housekeeping. Good
with pets. Call Terri 202-889-
9114. (3/01)
Help Wanted
Great Opportunity in the
Neighborhood. Stanton Park
political and public policy
commmunicatins firm seeking
part-time and full-time
telephone representatives to
call on behalf of national
association and political
clients. Excellent base pay,
incentives and full health
benefits for politically astute,
well spoken individuals with
fundraising or sales skills. No
cold calling. Please call
Janice at 202/546-6874 or
fax resume to 202/546-
3871. info@captel.net. EOE
(3/01)
Help Wanted
Medical Equipment Repair
Techs: 40 hrs/wk, ever y
other Saturday. Looking for
organized individual with
flexible personality to organize
and maintain wheelchairs,
hospital beds, scooters,
etc. and to evaluate,
repair and service client
equipment. Training and
career opportunities available.
Grubbs Pharmacy
202/543-4400. (1/01)
Help Wanted
Customer Service & Billing:
Capitol Hill pharmacy looking
for motivated, organized,
friendly individual to answer
phones, work cash register,
data entry. We will train to
bill Medicare, Medicaid for
medical equipment. Grubbs
Pharmacy 202/543-4400.
(1/01)
Sunday Morning
Childcare Needed
Capitol Hill Presbyterian
Church seeks two childcare
providers for infants and
young children on Sunday
mornings. Must be loving,
caring and reliable. CPR
training and experience caring
for young children
required. Call 202/547-1338
or 202/547-8676 (2/01)
Services
Domestic Help Full Time
Responsible Hill resident
available for elder care/child
care/cleaning/cooking. Full
time, live out only. Donna,
202/543-4859 (1/01)
Writing
Ace rewrite man, manuscript
doctor. More than commas,
substantive editing.
Speeches, books, proposals,
grants. Often published;
recommendations. See
edxcel@aol.com (3/01)
Buy, Sell, Rent
Beach Vacation/Golf
Reserve for next season or a
fall golf outing. Cher ry Grove
Section, No. Myrtle Beach,
South Carolina. 3BR 2BA
home, 1 block from beach
with dock and channel at
back door. Over 100 golf
courses nearby, and more
mini-golf than you can play.
Rent the Robeys’ beach cottage.…
call 202/546-7410
for rates or www.voiceofthehill/
cricket
Classified Ad Placement Form
First Name __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Last Name___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Address _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
City/State/ZIP _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Phone Number________________________________________________________________________Email_________________________________
Category
hApartments/Rooms hAutohBookshChildren’s Items hElectronics
hFurniturehOffice hMarketplace hOther _________________________________________________________________________________
hPersonals hPositions hServices hTools
h Website h Newspaper h Both
Classified ads are $25.00 and appear both on the Web and in print unless otherwise specified. Visa and MasterCard are accepted.
Please describe the item and please be concise, there is a 200 website character limitation (there is no limit to print ads)_______________
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Please enclose payment with ord e r. Mail to Voice of the Hill, 120 11 th St re et, SE, Wa s h i n g ton, DC 20003. Or fax info rmation
(credit card payment only) to 202-547-5133. Telephone 202-544-0703.
Credit Card Number (Visa and MC only)_________________________________________________Exp. Date _____________________________
Name on Card _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Signature____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Miscellaneous
Cultural Exchange
Seek host family(ies) with
teenager(s) who want to welcome,
accommodate and
entertain German young lady
for one week in July/August.
A fun, easily adaptable, flexi -
ble and travel experienced
15-year old, who likes
nature, photography, literature,
music, and rollerblading.
Empties a dishwasher
without being grumpy.
Interested? Call Katrin 544-
8453. (3/01)
Let’s play!
Guitarist, 40-something, ISO
amateur musicians for jazz,
standards, blues and swing.
Call Jeff, 547-9256. (3/01)
Books
Want to purchase
Quality used books. Single
volumes or entire library!
Call Steve at Riverby Books
202/544-1925
Books Bought and Sold.
We want what you can give,
we pay what we can afford.
Capitol Hill Books. Capitol
Hill’s only used bookstore
across the street from
Eastern Market. 657 C
Street, SE 202/544-1621
Two Treasures - One Gate, On Capitol Hill
at Eastern Market Metro
Vegetable Dyed, Hand-Spun Wool
Tribal and Village Rugs
Tribal & Village Art
Open Tue-Sun 10-6
311-315 7th St., SE • Washington, DC
www.wovenhistory.com
202.543.1705
Appraising • Repairing • Cleaning •
Acquiring
Bi-monthly shipments from our own looms
®
FIESTA!
Full Service Catering for
Parties of 20 to 50
Authentic Tex-Mex & Latin Cuisine
202-723-3617 or 202-236-2316 HIGH
SCHOOL
GIRL SOCCER
PLAYERS:
Soccer on the Hill
Express, U16 seeks
committed players
in all positions for
Spring season, high
level rec league. 4
games in DC,
4 in VA plus
tournament.
Call Marcia at
202-547-8999
Submit your
classifieds online at
www.voiceofthehill.com
1April Fool’s Day!
Daylight Savings Time
Begins. This is NO joke.
2Play Ball! It’s the Baltimore
Orioles season opener
against the Boston Red Sox.
Camden Yards. 410-685-
9800.
3Celebrate National Librar y
Week
Tonight at the SE Librar y: An
Evening of Poetry with F.D.
Cooper. 7:30 PM. 403 7th St.,
SE. 698-3372.
4Ringling Brothers Circus
comes to RFK Stadium.
Through April 16. 432-7328.
Eastern Market Community
Advisory Committee (EMCAC)
meets at the NE Librar y, 7th
and MD. NE. 7 PM.
Preservation Café on the Hill’s
fascinating network of alleys.
Trattoria Alberto, 507 8th St.,
SE. 6:30PM
5
8Palm Sunday
Full Moon
9 10 Drought Gardening. Expert
Shirley Nicolai, tells how to
plant for success in our long
hot summers. C. H. Baptist
Church, 5th and A NE. 7PM.
Poets Billy Collins and Ann
Duffy, read at the Folger
Library. 8PM. 544-7077. 201
E. Capitol St., SE.
ANC6B Meeting. 7PM at 921
Pennsylvania Ave., SE.
11 Rally for Freedom! The
women’s soccer team The
Freedom is at Freedom Plaza.
4 PM. 14th and PA., NW.
547-8351 ext. 104.
Marine Band Chamber
Concert. Free program at the
Library of Congress. 8PM.
433-4011
12 Save Our Street T rees!
James Urban discusses
methods of planting and caring
for our street trees—so
they survive. 7 - 9 PM,
Market 5 Gallery (Eastern
Market), 7th &
N. Carolina
Ave., SE.
13 Good Friday
Thomas Jefferson’s 258th
Birthday . Noon celebration
with honor guard, guest
speakers and wreath laying at
the Tidal Basin. 619-7222.
14 Second Saturday . The Hill’s
arts walk cum pub-crawl begins
at 4PM and continues ’til 7 with
gallery openings, special treats.
Watch for the orange balloons!
Soccer: Women’s United
Soccer Assn. inaugural
game. DC
Freedom vs. Bay
Area CyberRays. 2
PM. RFK Stadium.
15 Easter Sunday 16 Easter Egg Roll on the
White House Lawn. Is anything
more Washington?
10AM to 2PM. Get free
timed tickets
beginning at
7AM at the
visitor pavilion
on the
Ellipse.
17 19 20 Francine Prose, novelist,
essayist and reviewer, and
Charles Baxter, author of
seven works of fiction,
including “Harmony of the
World” and “Through the
Safety Net”, read to the
Folger Library. 201 E.
Capitol, SE. 8PM. $13. 544-
7077.
21 Celebrate Spring! The
National Arboretum’s annual
Garden Fair and Plant Sale is
a blooming wonder. Free
admission, free parking.
9AM to 4 PM. 3501 NY Ave.,
NE.
22 Earth Day
Shakespeare’s Birthday
Open House. Jugglers,
jesters, music, song, dance,
stage combat workshops,
more. The one day when the
Folger Reading Room is
open to all—plus, birthday
cake for all! Noon – 4PM.
Folger Shakespeare Library.
201 E. Capitol St., SE.
23 Cure for a Blue Monday .
Play hooky with the
Pandas (the house is open
from 9-4:30) Stuck at your
desk? Catch all the panda
play at www.pandas.si.edu.
24 25 For the Byrds. Chris
Hillman, a founding
member of The Byrds
and The Flying Burrito
Brothers, and a grandfather
of country/rock,
headlines at The Barns at
Wolf Trap. 703-218-6500
26 Opening Today: the
Smithsonian Craft Show!
120 of the finest artisans in
the nation, plucked from a
field of 1600 applicants.
Show and sale, through
April 29, at the Building
Museum. 357-2700.
27 Plant a tree for Arbor Day 28 International Migratory Bir d
Day at the National Zoo.
Welcome back the Birds of
Summer (there are millions of
them), with a festival that
includes interactive exhibits,
family activities, Latin
American music and presenta -
tions with live birds. Today
and tomorrow. 673-4717.
29 Rare Breed Dog Show . The
American Rare Breed
Association presents singular
sensations on the national
Mall. 8AM-5PM, between 3rd
and 4th Sts. Yesterday and
today. 426-0950
30
18 Washington Intl Film Festival
Begins. Dozens of films
screen at theaters across the
city. Call 724-5613
Azaleas by Twilight. Tour the
breathtakingly beautiful azalea
collections at the National
Arboretum. If you haven’t seen
these, you haven’t seen azaleas.
3501 NY Ave., NE. $7.
Register: 245-4523. (Tour
repeats on April 25).
6World of Wheels. Custom
cars, monster trucks, dragsters
and other wild stuff.
Thru the 8th at the DC
Convention Center. 296-
7200.
Remember “Paint by
Numbers?” Exhibit on the
fad of the ’50’s opens at the
Natl Museum of American
History.
EQUAL HOUSING
OPPORTUNITY
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
7Azaleas 101. Just in time for
spring planting. Pick up a
degree in azalea basics, how
to pick ‘em, how to care for
‘em. National Arboretum.
Admin. bldg., $10. 3501 New
York Ave., NE. 245-4565.
Passover Begins at Sundown
PHYLLIS JANE YOUNG
PARDOE Real Estate ERA
Office 202.262.7253
Home 202.544.4236
email:
phyllisjaneyoung@realtor.com
Licensed broker in DC, MD and VA.
304 No. Carolina Ave, SE
$495,000
410 6th St., NE
$649,000
218 Maryland Ave., NE
$1,195,000
213 9th St, SE
$529,000
This hot market has put me on
the runway because I need houses!
If you’re thinking of selling, call
me and let’s take off!
920 Penn. Ave. SE
$495,000
326 10th St., SE
$359,000
605 Pe n n s y l vania Avenue, SE / 202-547-3525 / www. p a rd o e . c o m EQUAL HOUSING
OPPORTUNITY
Timing is Ev e ryt h i n g
i t’s time to sell!
The Hill market is hot from the Capitol to the river!
At only eighty-four, listings are at an all time low on the Hill.
Prices are at an all time high—sales prices in 2000 averaged nearly $240,000
(and many sales were from $400,000 to $1.2 million).
This market won’t last forever! If you are thinking of selling for any reason in the
next 36 months (retirement or investment sale) don’t miss this opportunity.
Like the stock market, prices can fluctuate wildly and do! Timing is everything.
Make this market work for you.