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DowntownDC Digest
 
 
 
 
 
improving the pedestrian experience in downtown; theatre week returns; and much more
September 21, 2023
 
 

You know the large public space on I Street, next to Chinatown Park, that we created for Park(ing) Day? We’re not only keeping it, we’re making it better. And a few blocks east of that, down Massachusetts Avenue, you’ll now find a new hotel and French bistro. If you’re a lover of the arts, then you’ll be excited to know about a new show on a major D.C. artist and the return of Theatre Week. Or you can head to Franklin Park to celebrate Carribean-American culture. For the little ones, there’s an interactive bilingual exhibit and the chance to get hands-on with construction trades. Looking for a heartwarming story? Find out how our SAM Ambassadors helped reunite a stolen dog with its owner. Into Chinese American history? Reserve your spot at an upcoming conference. And Rock the Park WKNDR is now just a month away! 

 

There’s a lot going on, and it’s all below, along with the latest news in the DowntownDC Digest. 
 
 
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A year ago, the DowntownDC BID announced the launch of our Pedestrian Safety and Experience Study. This effort was developed with the goal of finding key places to create temporary interventions that would improve things for those who traverse downtown on foot. And now, we’re pleased to say, those interventions are almost here! In the next few weeks you’ll see activity around Chinatown Park and along 7th Street, next to the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Once completed, these interventions — which include beautiful artwork — will remain in place for 18 months. 
 
 
prepare for a better experience
 
 
 
 
 
Located at the eastern end of DowntownDC, near the Smithsonian National Postal Museum and Union Station, the newly opened Royal Sonesta Hotel at 20 Massachusetts Avenue NW has 274 rooms and one of the District’s largest average room size: 480 square feet. Amenities include a penthouse conference center and state-of-the-art fitness suite. On the ground floor you’ll find the second D.C. location of Bistro Du Jour, which offers classic French fare for lunch, brunch, and dinner, as well as pastries and coffee all day. Bon appetit! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In the mid-1960s, D.C.-based Alma Thomas created a painting style distinctly her own, characterized by the dazzling interplay of pattern and vibrant color. The Smithsonian American Art Museum has the largest public collection of her works in the world. Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas draws on these extensive holdings to offer an intimate view of Thomas’s evolving practice during her most prolific period, 1959 to 1978. (Afterward, be sure to stop by the northeast corner of 13th and G streets to see the callbox artwork that celebrates her legacy.)
 
 
experience a master of modern art
 
 
 
 
 
Theatre Week, which taking place September 21 through October 8, celebrates the launch of the stage season in the D.C. area, with numerous dramas, comedies, and more at low prices, as well as other fun social events. Enjoy a performance for $20, $40, or $60 in 22 venues, and be sure to see what’s on at participating DowntownDC destinations: Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company; Shakespeare Theatre Company (Sidney Harman Hall); Ford's Theatre Society; and the Washington Stage Guild. 
 
 
check the show schedules
 
 
 
 
 
The Diaspora Arts & Music Festival is a celebration of diverse Caribbean-American cultures, where the community will come together at Franklin Park on September 30 from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. to embrace its roots, share stories, and groove to music from DJs and live performers: Freetown Collective, Lokal, Rae, Eclipse Band, I&I Riddim Band, DC Casineros, GNice, and DJ Majestic. 
 
 
learn more 
 
 
 
 
 
Now open at the National Children’s Museum through the end of 2023: the bilingual Spanish/English exhibit AlegreMENTE | Happy Brain. Developed and produced by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, this immersive, interactive experience lets kids play and adults learn about how simple, everyday interactions build social-emotional, language, cognitive, and motor skills for a lifetime. 
 
 
aprende más aquí
 
 
 
 
 
Days after D.C. resident Stephanie’s pet, Klaus, was dognapped near U Street, quick thinking by one of our Franklin Park SAM Ambassadors — he’d seen her flyer and noticed people with Klaus near the park — helped Stephanie track the pup down on a Circulator bus. It’s a heartwarming example of the many ways, small and large, our SAMs serve the community seven days a week. 
 
 
leaRn THE DRAMATIC STORY
 
 
 
 
 
The 1882 Foundation is excited to announce the second Chinese American Women in History Conference, which will take place October 5–7. Themed “Locating Kinship Across Space and Time,” the event aims to explore how Chinese American women, both as historical subjects and contemporary practitioners of history, have forged interpersonal connections, fostered care, and facilitated community. Set in cultural institutions across the District, including DowntownDC, the conference utilizes the breadth and depth of the 1882 Foundation’s partnerships with institutions, organizations, and individuals alike pursuing Asian American public history in the District and nationally. 
 
 
SEe THE FULL SCHEDULE AND RSVP
 
 
 
 
 
On October 14, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., children and adults will learn side-by-side with roofers, plumbers, designers, artisans, and more at The Big Build, a free, hands-on festival at the National Building Museum celebrating the world we design and build. Kids of all ages will explore a wide variety of unique, interactive activities at the dozens of booths filling the museum’s Great Hall. Everyone will have the opportunity to use real tools and even climb inside construction equipment at the outdoor Truck Petting Zoo. 
 
 
don't forget your hard hat
 
 
 
 
 
Are you getting excited for a fall weekend of incredible dance music in the District’s largest downtown green space? The popular Rock the Park DC WKNDR, produced by the DowntownDC BID in partnership with veteran producers and curators Abby O’Neill and Adrian Loving, returns to Franklin Park on October 21–22. Headlined by internationally renowned DJs Moodymann and Miguel Migs feat. Lisa Shaw, this event will also showcase local performers and DJs from across the country spanning go-go, funk, hip-hop, house, and more. There will also be limited event swag available!
 
 
what's your favorite dance music?
 
 
chery blossom yoga
 
 
 
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ABOUT US
The DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID) is a private non-profit organization founded in 1997.
 
 
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