Swimming in Quicksand

Winter

SPOTTED IN FRONT OF A HOUSE ON RESERVOIR ROAD (a tree leaf tried to grow in Georgetown)

All I can say is 65 days until spring!

Christmas in Georgetown on New York Social Diary

THE BRIGHTNESS OF IT ALL, ON A GEORGETOWN DOOR

Last weekend was beautiful and a great opportunity to walk around Georgetown with all my cameras (Canon Rebel aka "the big boy," Sony Cybershot, iPhone 4s), shooting the holiday decorations. Principally wreaths, but also garlands and other artful decorations. The results appear on New York Social Diary today, a special Christmas in Georgetown edition. Please give it a look. Lots of coloful, happy pictures showing off the village to its best advantage.

Spotted In Georgetown, But Who Is This Gorgeous Creature?

NOT A ROUTINE BIRD SIGHTING IN GEORGETOWN, BUT WHAT IS THE SPECIES?

I may be bird nerd, but my expertise does not go much beyond Conure parrots, Pigeons, Doves and the little fellers who perch on my fence. So, I'm asking any bird afficianadoes out there to please help identify this gorgeous creature spotted this morning on the edge of the Georgetown University campus, overlooking the Potomac River. Very still. Not much bothered by me and my camera. 

LATER: More than a few readers report it is a Peregrine Falcon and may have lived in Georgetown for 4 years. Could there be more than one? Also, I've heard from readers who say it is a hawk. If you recognize this bird, please let us know: caroljoynt. 

Here's the bird's view. Can't really blame him/her for just sitting and staring. So nice to have the sun up early. This was 7:30 a.m. and the camera used was the iP4s w/ the Dynamic Light app.

Georgetown Waterfront Park: Fountain Fun

They need to 86 the planters that box it in, or maybe that's on purpose to create more of a "swimming pool" feel, but the new Georgetown Waterfront park fountain is - as expected - a hit with children. This evening they were splashing in it while wearing street clothes, pajamas and even diapers. Some barefoot, some not. A few parents jumped in, too. Here are some pics. I apologize for the quality, but all I had was the Blackberry:

From Austin to Vicksburg to Chicago and Home, on NYSD Today

 UNDER "THE BEAN" IN CHICAGO'S GREAT MILLENNIUM PARK

My weekly New York Social Diary column today is the wrap up to our Texas road trip, this leg bringing us home ... through Shreveport, Vicksburg, Jackson and Chicago. There was so much to cover: the beauty of the open road, touring a historic Civil War battlefield in Vicksburg, "the best" fried chicken, some real Coca-Cola, an interlude in Jackson and a glorious day in Chicago. Read it here. Apologies to the Daley family for confusing Richard and Bill. It will be corrected. 

My Night; More Later

 AT THE NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM, THURSDAY, 9:30 PM, THE CAPITAL CLUB'S 17TH ANNUAL SINATRA PARTY

Who says Washington is all about the budget crisis? Not the 1,000 20-somethings partying at The National Building Museum tonight. I'll have more pics and an explanation of who, what, why and how on Monday's New York Social Diary. 

Reagan Airport Pictures and Musings

 THE INFORMATION DESK

I may be a white knuckle flyer but I love airports, especially good airports. Reagan National, since being made over, is an airport gem. I wish they had apartments in the terminal. I would live there. Dulles was a gem, but its owners ruined it with overdevelopment. Back in the "Come Fly With Me" era, Dulles was actually a dinner destination for Washingtonians. At the rear of the main concourse, between the docking bays for the shuttle buses, they had a sleek and sophisticated restaurant that overlooked the airport. At night the runways were up close (there was no mid-field terminal) and they were marked with lights that included white but also dazzling cornflower blue and fire engine red. It was possible to sit at a window table, white tablecloth, flowers, crystal wine glasses, silver flatware, excellent food and service, and the entertainment was to watch 747's land and take-off. It was romantic, especially if seeing someone off or meeting someone. Or, even just for the fun of it.

 CHECKING OUT THE ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES

Quietly, but effectively, flight announcements could be heard in the dining room. "Air France to Paris, boarding now;" "British Airways to London, boarding now;" "Pan Am to Rome, boarding now;" "TWA to Los Angeles, boarding now." And so on. Whenever I had a dinner date at Dulles I always brought along my passport -- just in case.

 SOOTHING CLEAN LINES AS PASSENGERS APPROACH THE TERMINAL 

They also had very swanky private clubs and lounges, especially the Concorde lounge, where Dom Perignon was the house drink. Sigh. I was fortunate to fly the British Concorde a half dozen times, and the French a couple of times. Memorable, exceptional experiences. Those were the days. But even subsonic flying was a treat. I remember TWA having actual menus in the back of the plane, not just up front, and the menus had choices among steak, chicken or fish. I remember wine lists, cocktails in actual glasses (again, in economy), and nice blankets and pillows. Flying was hot, not just transportation, not the ordeal it is today.

But back to Reagan. Even though I didn't sell piles and piles of books at the Borders there yesterday (we sold some) it was still a treat to spend a few hours in the concourse, observing. I watched the human comings and goings, the rituals, the pace of those passing through mixed with the ambling of those with jobs in the building, going about their business. So much about an airport is well-oiled, smooth, calm, as it should be. The psychology is very clear: soothe the passenger, prepare the passenger to step aboard a metal tube and zoom through the air at hundreds of miles an hour. The calm creates a sense of security.

 THE VIEW FROM MY SIGNING TABLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CONCOURSE

There are distractions, of course. The shops and restaurants, which are welcomed. The scent of Cinnabon, which overwhelms and should be called Sinabon. The Transportation Security Administration checkpoints, irritating but unavoidable, a fact of modern life. Reagan offers soaring architecture, too. The floors shine like fresh ice. I want to skate on them in socks. Or do cartwheels from one end to the other. Or be the person who runs the buffer. How rewarding.

I've always thought Reagan would be a great place to produce a TV talk show. Back when I was one of the show's producers I thought Larry King Live should have moved its studio there. I'd still like to see a daily syndicated "live" talk show originate from there and, yes, I wouldn't mind at all being the producer and host. The guests would be all those marvelous people passing through, each with stories to tell, each coming from something, going to something, and mixed in with them would be the usual suspects, the notables, the newsmakers. 

Jon Moss and I once looked into opening The Q&A Cafe at the airports. It would serve both as an airport bar, modeled a little on Nathans, but also a media-centric restaurant packed with TV's broadcasting the news from every global network, ipad like devices  built into the tables (much like the juke boxes of old), where patrons could call up whatever media they wanted to read or watch. Youtube terminals, and racks of old school newspapers and magazines. We'd also use it for taping my show and re-running past interviews. It was a good idea. Why didn't it happen? Money, of course. I had none. 

PEOPLE WITH A DESTINATION

Yesterday at my signing table, with my "Please Buy My Book" plea before me on the table (after I had to take down from the glass), I spent time talking to passengers, pilots, airport staff, but in between I let my mind wander to all the possibilities of interesting ways the concourse could be used to communicate. Ooooh, that would be a fun job, and it would be almost living there.   

A Washington Evening In Photos, With Captions

THE SIMPLE PLEASURE OF LIFE IN GEORGETOWN: A RED ROW BOAT, NO DOUBT LAUNCHED FROM JACK'S

My evening began at 5 o'clock, with a meeting to talk about my future. Then Scott Sforza picked me up and we drove downtown to a party on the rooftop of the Hay-Adams Hotel hosted by Jim Justice, owner of the Greenbrier Resort. They served excellent Woodford Reserve Mint Juleps. The purpose was to introduce new train travel between Washington and the Greenbrier. One guest said, "I hope they'll use an Acela engine." I don't know about that, but however you get there the Greenbrier is a great getaway.

After I returned home and changed there was time for a walk along the Potomac. That's when I caught the pic at the top. It's the photo of the day.  

 VIEW FROM 600 NEW HAMPSHIRE AVENUE

 ABOUT TO BANK RIGHT ON APPROACH TO REAGAN NATIONAL

 VIEW FROM THE OFFICE OF A VERY SMART MAN, WHO TALKED TO ME ABOUT MY FUTURE

 PICTURE OF MY MINT JULEP AT A HAY-ADAMS ROOFTOP PARTY HOSTED BY THE GREENBRIER RESORT

 LOOKING UP 16TH STREET

 THE ROOFTOP BAR OF THE W HOTEL

 MY GOOD FRIEND SCOTT SFORZA, SNAPPING A PIC OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH

 THE "PRESIDENTS CHURCH," ST. JOHN'S; ALSO WHERE MY SON WAS BAPTIZED

 THE MONEY SHOT AND, REGARDLESS, A BEAUTIFUL VIEW OF WASHINGTON

Of Interviews, Photo Shoots and a Heatwave; The Day in My World

NY PHOTOG MARTHA CAMARILLO ASKED ME TO "LOOK SERIOUS," AND SO I OBLIGED

First off, thank you to the folks who made today's Q&A Cafe a sell-out. And thank you for buying so many books. And thank you for coming out in the brutal heat. And very big thanks to neighbor and friend John Donvan. 

 MARTHA FUSSES WITH ME AS I MELT IN THE 100 DEGREE HEAT

My day began with a walk, a work out, a blow dry and then an early arrival at the Ritz Georgetown to be photographed by USA Today, which was easy and fun, especially thanks to the air conditioning. Then we did the Q&A, and mucho mucho thanks to the smooth as silk Mr. Donvan for such an engaging interview (audience opinion, too.)

 MARTHA: "GOTTA GET THE HAIR OUT OF YOUR FACE." I'M THINKING: "WHAT ABOUT THE SWEAT?"

Then on to the challenging part of the day: an outdoor photo shoot with the London Sunday Times with New York photographer Martha Camarillo.  They wanted to shoot me with the Nathans building in the background. I wasn't crazy about that idea, but it was their shoot and so long as I didn't have to stand in the same block as the Nathans building I was like, whatevs. However, Martha and her team arrived at Dulles and got set up outside Benetton and did not exactly factor in temps of 100 degrees. But they were so dedicated and sweet and into it I just stood there trying not to faint.

 I'M NOT ANGRY, ONLY LOOKING AWAY, THINKING, "IN TEN SECONDS I'M GOING TO DROP FROM THE HEAT." PLEASE NOTE: NO BOTOX!

Thank you to the Benetton staff for letting me duck into their shop for a/c breaks between "poses." Gave me an excuse to invest in a couple of discounted rockin' tank tops. 

Martha and her team were out in the heat more than I was ... but, man oh man, look how cool she is?

MARTHA CAMARILLO, LOOKING COOL, GETTING THE JOB DONE IN DC IN A HEAT WAVE

All the above photos, except for the last, are by Sally Hosta ... spotted in background above. 

NYSD Today: LEARNING TO DRIVE

THE DAY WE ARRIVED AT THE PACIFIC OCEAN, JULY 2005

Life forced me to learn how to drive, at age 47, but learning how to drive gave me new opportunities and personal strengths, and made possible the best summer trip ever, driving cross country and back with my then 13-year-old son, Spencer.

From LEARNING TO DRIVE: "By the time this long-haul journey happened we were veteran road-trippers, a mother-son team who found emotional recovery and an eternal bond on the highway and, in particular, in a car. It was a milestone on many levels, but especially because I was in so many ways a new driver."

Read more here. 

Happy Easter, Bunnies

I love sunrise on Easter. It stirs childhood memories of singing in the church choir, freezing outdoors at dawn services, which I did not enjoy, but then getting fresh donuts, which I liked a lot. Here's what it looked like today, April 24, on the Chesapeake Bay as viewed from the Western Shore, beginning at 5:30 am ... I craved donuts but couldn't find any. 

NYSD Today: Making Something Old New Again

 AT THURSDAY'S OPENING OF THE WASHINGTON WINTER SHOW

The photo above may be one of my all time favorite party pics. I don't know the names of the dudes, and I'm not sure they were aware of the painting, but it is the quintessential lucky shot. One of them asked, "Did you get your photograph?" I smiled demurely. "Yes, I hope so." 

The event was the opening night party for the Washington Winter Show, which formerly was known as the Washington Antiques Show. It is the focus of my column today on New York Social Diary. Please read it here.

This photo now joins a small collection of my favorite party pics.  

Down IN The C&O Canal

THE C&O CANAL FROM "SEA LEVEL"

If it seems like I spend a lot of time wandering Georgetown and taking photos its because I do spend a fair amount of time doing just that. Its what I do between bouts of writing and job hunting. Sometimes I go out with a real camera, but most times it is only my Blackberry, as with the photos here of the C&O Canal. At the moment it is nearly drained and the canal bed is frozen, making it easy to jump down into it and take a walk, as I did today. Fascinating what you see. Lots of shells (I assume deposited by birds), and lots of human detritus (a shoe, a pair of eye glasses, a plastic bracelet, and so on).

I recommend this walk. I found an easy place to crawl down into the canal near the Key Bridge crossing. There are a couple of other places, too, and near Wisconsin there is a ladder. While the bed is firm it is not rock hard. You don't need mud boots but you do need sturdy hiking shoes. 

 LOOKING TOWARD WISCONSIN AVENUE BY THE WATER STREET APARTMENTS

In some patches you may have to scramble over ice or stay close to the wall, but for the most part there are wide swatches of canal to walk upon. Its fun. Do it. A unique Georgetown experience. 

Georgetown, New Year's Day 2011

The photo above is of Washington, Roosevelt Island and Virginia from Key Bridge at just about the intersection of Whitehurst Freeway. It was shot at approximately 9:45 a.m. New Year's Day. The new decade dawned quiet and cloudy but mild. 

Here's the gorgeous Whitehurst Freeway and the city beyond. The high rise highway may be useful but it is certainly an eyesore. Fortunately, those of us in Georgetown don't have to look at it from this point of view.

An eery view, one to be seen only through the lens of a camera. Its looking straight down into the Potomac from the middle of Key Bridge. 

Looking back toward the Georgetown waterfront, banked by the icy Potomac. The ice and the gloomy sky belie what was, in terms of weather, an encouraging start to the New Year. 

When I look at Georgetown with the C&O Canal drained, especially in winter, it has a bleakness thats probably comparable to its appearance in the 19th Century when it was more industrial port town than high priced hub for boutiques, bars and luxury homes. Though in this shot, on the right, is an apartment building with units that start above $1 million and go up to upwards of $4 million.

Georgetown New Year's Eve 2010

Some shots around the neighborhood in the couple of hours before midnight, New Year's Eve. It was a balmy night. Streets relatively quiet, restaurants relatively humming, and a long line outside George on Prospect Street. 

WISCONSIN AND DUMBARTON 

  MARTIN'S TAVERN

ALL QUIET AT FIVE GUYS

 OUTSIDE CAFE MILANO AND MORTON'S

 DOMINO'S

LINED UP AT GEORGE

 RELATIVELY QUIET AT WISCONSIN AND M

 INSIDE LEOPOLD'S

OUTSIDE LEOPOLD'S

WORKING THE HOLIDAY LATE SHIFT AT ALTMAN'S PARKING 

OPEN FOR BIZ, GEORGETOWN TOBACCO

 ALSO HAAGEN DAZS

STEVE FELDMAN AT POTOMAC WINE & SPIRITS

 OUTSIDE IL CANALE

 THE ACTUAL CANALE

ARRIVING AT THE LATHAM

LOOKING UP WISCONSIN

 GLOWING AND QUIET ON A GEORGETOWN SIDE STREET

 CATCH YOUR BREATH, BECAUSE...HERE COMES VALENTINE'S DAY

Swimming in Quicksand

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