CarolJoynt.com

Historic Moment In DC; How Will You Celebrate #LegalWeed?

 IN DC, AS OF THURSDAY, YOU CAN LEGALLY HAVE SIX OF THESE PLANTS IN YOUR HOME 

I'm not a pot smoker, at least not in the last decade or so, but often I wish I could be. I see it as no different than alcohol but less violent. Yet weed and I don't agree with each other, especially not the modern extra potent buds. That's why I believe in marijuana legalization. Regulation will create more managed cultivation and more managed cultivation will lead to more varieties and higher quality strains, which will lead to a strain for lightweights like me. Also, edibles, which are a great alternative to almost anything humans ingest to alter their moods. 

This step for DC, legalizing marijuana, is a big step for a city that basically is denied its rights on most issues. I'm impressed with the way our elected officials have stepped up to Congress on this one, though I imagine Congress will try to have the last word. Until then, let's all appreciate 12:01 am on Thursday, February 26, when something the DC voters approved of -- and majorly -- goes into effect. You don't have to smoke a joint or eat a candy, but at least celebrate the self-assertion it represents.

If you do like to puff and nibble, I wish you the happiest high. Honestly, shouldn't Thursday be a day of blissed out amnesty in offices throughout the city?  I mean, the federal government closes for less. Go to work high, which does not mean being irresponsible. For some it just means not being in pain. Hallelujah. 

Please take a moment to check out this Washingtonian "behind the scenes" I produced about a DC marijuana grow house.

I'm not going to preach now, but I do believe the technology, the growing, the marketing and the business of marijuana will define fortunes to be made in the next 10-20 years. 

Ice Hockey On The C&O Canal in Georgetown, 2015

I came upon a similar moment a year ago, also on the C&O Canal -- ice hockey. Here, it's under the Wisconsin Avenue Bridge, but I've seen enthusiasts having a go with the puck at various spots on the ice between Georgetown and Fletcher's Boat House. 

While I didn't see anyone hiking on the Canal, there were some footprints in the snow that covers the ice ... presumably thick ice. 

Crisis Cocktails, Fully Realized

For better or worse, in this photo Shane Harris and I look like the student council co-presidents, but neither one of us behaves that well. Nonetheless, we have a good time together, as we did this evening for a #CrisisCocktails edition of The Q&A Cafe. It will air next Friday, Feb. 27 at 8 pm on Comcast channel 16. The focus was his book, @War, but we delved especially into the mysteries of ISIS, cyber warfare, the SONY hack, cyber security in general and how to be Internet safe (not entirely possible).

After the taping, Shane, Joe de Feo, Lyndon Boozer, Jerry Hagstrom, Luke Mullins and I (plus various others at intervals) gathered in the pub of The George Town Club for dinner and general merriment. This dinner-after part of the show made the late start time -- 5pm -- quite appealing. 

A Pretty Picture of the $22 Capella Manhattan, And a "Mad Men" Recipe

Should a cocktail cost $22? Apparently, it depends. This barrel-aged Manhattan at the Capella Hotel bar brings that price, and it sells. It also makes a pretty picture. 

It's not difficult to make at home, btw. Here is the recipe from the "Mad Men" cocktail guide:

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 oz bourbon

3/4 oz sweet vermouth

1 dash aromatic bitters

1 maraschino cherry

INSTRUCTIONS

-Select mixing glass

-Add bitters

-Pour bourbon

-Pour sweet vermouth

-Stir

-Select cocktail glass

-Strain

-Garnish with a cherry

When I make this recipe I add a dash of the cherry juice, too.

History: This drink got its name in the 1870s, when it was first poured at the Manhattan Club.

 

The Nathans Building, Going Forward

It was interesting to read the reports this week about the plans for what many call "the Nathans building," at the corner of Wisconsin and M, where my family owned and operated Nathans bar and restaurant for 40 years. Soon enough we'll all be calling it the Under Armour building. They are the building's owners now, having bought it from the family who inherited it back in the early part of the last century.

According to Topher Mathews at The Georgetown Metropolitan, Under Armour's renovation plans have merit. Anything would be better than what the interim tenants (Serendipity) did, covering up the red brick with white paint and adding black and purple trim. They made it an eyesore and a very sad end for the space as a restaurant. People brought their complaints to me, as if I could do anything. I couldn't. I could listen, and sympathize, but that was it. My family never owned the building. Obviously, my story would be different if we had.

People would also ask me what I thought of Serendipity. In truth, I never set foot in the building again after I closed Nathans. Part of it was out of respect for my husband and part of it was just not wanting to deal with the ghosts. I preferred to remember it as it was.  And, by the way, I quite like Serendipity in New York and have patronized the ice cream parlor since the early 1970s. It was always a great stop after a night of partying, and once I became a parent a great place to take my son. Unfortunately, from every account I heard, the version they opened in Georgetown compared very poorly to the New York original. 

But that's gone now. All those chapters are closed and the building will begin a new chapter as a retail hub. Under Armour first started coming round and asking about the building soon after I inherited Nathans in 1997. But the first most interested retailer was Ralph Lauren - himself - who liked the space a lot. He sent his architects to look it over, we got as far as talking (not drawing up) a long-term lease and renovation, but the owners of the building did not take the offer seriously, the economy turned, the offer faded, and when Lauren next looked at Georgetown he opted for a space up the street. 

Under Armour has been in my life since soon after the company started in the mid 1990's. As a parent, and a lacrosse parent at that, I bought a lot of their athletic apparel -- for my son and myself. Also, as I built my son's college fund, I bought him Under Armour stock. That was a smart move. As a member of the Tewaaraton Foundation board of directors, I heard a lot about Under Armour founder Kevin Plank. All of it good. 

If you were a regular at Nathans you may recall that in its last years I converted the bar decor from sailing to lacrosse. Part of the reason was financial. I sold the valuable marine art to raise needed funds, but part of it was because lacrosse, like sailing, is  a popular sport in our region and has its own art, too. I found antique lacrosse prints. Jesse Hubbard, the lacrosse superstar, helped me collect helmets from all the major league lacrosse teams. I also found antique sticks and gloves. All of this went up on the walls. 

I've joked with friends -- such as Topher -- that wouldn't it be fun if Under Armour included a little Nathans tribute bar in the new retail operation. It is unrealistic, but they do have a liquor license (or they should have, if it conveyed with the purchase of the building). 

Everybody asks me, and often, if I miss Nathans. I miss having a bar at the corner of Wisconsin and M. I miss Nathans as a customer, but not as the owner, at least not in its bankrupt form. That is not a fun way in which to be a small business owner. If you want to know the details, please just read Innocent Spouse.