Culture

Culture https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/culture Culture en-US Fri, 30 Oct 2026 09:15:00 GMT George Pelecanos Shows Off His D.C. Roots Yet Again https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/culture/george-pelecanos-blue-flame-dc-novel Nora Krug His latest novel is a portrait of the city in 2026 (minus Trump). Fri, 30 Oct 2026 09:15:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/culture/george-pelecanos-blue-flame-dc-novel George Pelecanos.

Illustration by Owen Freeman for The Washington Sun

George Pelecanos is a neighborhood guy. He is also my neighbor. We live near downtown Silver Spring and frequent the same car mechanic, coffee shop and Vietnamese restaurant. I have never actually run into Pelecanos, the prolific crime novelist and writer and producer on “The Wire,” at any of these establishments, but I was thrilled to see him name-drop all three in “The Blue Flame,” his first D.C.-based novel in 10 years.

This is his 24th work of fiction set in the city, and, like his previous books, it is heavy on specifics as it pays homage to the DMV. Pelecanos was particularly keen on making sure he rendered accurately the site of the book’s climactic scene, a house on Gallatin Street Northeast near 6th Place. To be certain the building could be approached stealthily from an alley in the dark, he cased the place one night.

For Pelecanos, the goal is not just achieving verisimilitude in fiction. It’s about creating a historical record. His D.C. Quartet series — four books published between 1996 and 2000 — took readers from the late 1940s to the 1990s, capturing the ’68 riots, the go-go ’70s and the drug-related poverty of the ’80s and ’90s. In his subsequent novels, Pelecanos has taken readers through the 2000s and into the present with this most recent release. As he explained in a phone interview last month: “When I’m gone, if anybody’s still reading my stories, they can read this book and say, ‘This was what D.C. was like in 2026.’ ”

There is an important caveat: Readers won’t find any mention of President Donald Trump. But Pelecanos has never been interested in that Washington — and he’s never more uninterested than now. He acknowledges Trump’s impact on Washingtonians, but he also thinks residents have been resilient as the president has big-footed D.C. “I feel like they’re tougher than most and they shake it off,” he said. “They go about their lives despite the lies that are told about them and their city.” He added: “I don’t want Trump’s name in any of my books.”

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Instead, his eye is turned toward the hard workers who aren’t just passing through town because of an election. They are here for the long haul. For this novel, Pelecanos returned to his favorite character: Derek Strange, a detective-turned-PI who has been hired to solve the murder at the center of the book. Strange, Pelecanos explained to me, is someone “I’ve known all of my life, whether in the form of a mentor, or coach, or just the kind of guy I’ve talked to on the street.”

Strange was 12 years old in the 2004 novel “Hard Revolution,” and Pelecanos always intended to tell the full arc of his story. In the latest book, Strange is in his twilight years but has never lost touch with his roots. He keeps an office in Petworth, not far from where he grew up. Though he does much of his detecting from his car and on his feet, Strange, Pelecanos told me, wants to maintain his presence in the neighborhood, so that “young men and women, many moving out of Roosevelt High School on Georgia Avenue, could see a Black man turning the key of his front door, in his own shop, every day.” (Pelecanos, who is white, shakes off those who might criticize him for writing a Black character: “I think if you write the characters well, then it shouldn’t matter.”)

Like Strange, Pelecanos’ roots in D.C. run deep. He was born here, in 1957, and now lives two miles from his childhood home. He spent his early years in Mount Pleasant, living with extended family and working at his father’s diner, the Jefferson Coffee Shop near Dupont Circle. (It was sold in the early ’80s and became the late, lamented C.F. Folks.)

His memories of the diner sound like scenes from his novels: a dishwasher nicknamed Butterball who taught him how to shoot 3-pointers in the alley; a Daily News delivery guy who came in every day at 3 p.m. “to slam a stack of the tabloid newspapers atop the cigarette machine”; his father, Peter, manning the grill, “always at his happiest when he was working his business, what Greeks called the magazi.”

Dupont Circle was a very different place when the Jefferson Coffee Shop opened its doors in the ’60s. It was not lined with boutiques and overpriced restaurants; it was a hotbed of political demonstrations and civil unrest. Delivering food in ’68, just after the riots, was a pivotal moment in Pelecanos’ growth as a person — and as a writer. The author would travel by foot or bus, through corridors where looting and violence had devastated communities. “There was a lot of hardship for people at that time,” he said. But for someone with a bright imagination, it was like “being a kid in England during the war. It was exciting.”

Even after his family moved to Silver Spring, Pelecanos continued to be exhilarated by the city. “I rode the bus downtown to get to work but rode home with my dad after we closed. I looked forward to this ride in his ’68 Dodge Monaco every day,” he told me. “My father’s radio was set on WWDC 1260, and the drive-time DJ was Fred Fiske. The songs by Blood, Sweat and Tears, the Youngbloods and the 5th Dimension were in heavy rotation. My father was quiet, but the quiet was comfortable between us. It was our time.”

Pelecanos is both reverent toward the city’s gritty past and accepting of the metamorphosis that he charts in his series. “I try not to be nostalgic about what it was,” he said. H Street, for example, was one of the last riot corridors that remained burned out and disconnected from the Metro. “If you had gone down there 20 years ago, there was a lot of darkness in those buildings, and now the lights are on,” he said. “What that means is that people have jobs in that neighborhood, and that’s a big deal. I understand concerns about gentrification, but the upside is pretty good.”

Still, the city’s past will always inform Pelecanos’ storytelling. When Strange appeared in the 2004 novel, he was hanging out in an alley demonstrating a three-point stance to his companion, a Greek kid who works at his father’s diner. (Sound familiar?) Now, in “The Blue Flame,” Strange likes to listen to Frankie Beverly and Maze while grilling food for friends in his yard. A true neighborhood guy. Kind of like the Greek kid he befriended in that alley.]]> Talk to Tom: How to Get a Reservation at Albi https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/albi-reservations-dc-restaurants-tom-sietsema Tom Sietsema Plus: Recommendations for a 10th anniversary dinner and where to eat in Dublin. Thu, 29 Oct 2026 09:07:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/albi-reservations-dc-restaurants-tom-sietsema

Tom Sietsema with a menu and graphic that reads

(Photo illustration by Kainaz Amaria/The Washington Sun)

Welcome to Talk to Tom, the dining-advice column that aims to point you toward good meals, steer you from the dross and solve your pressing restaurant queries. Look for a fresh Q&A every Thursday in this space.

Questions and comments can be submitted to TalkToTom@washingtonsun.com. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity.

Now that everyone and their mother has glowingly reviewed Albi in Washington, how is a mere mortal supposed to get a reservation?

“Truth is,” texts William Simons, the director of operations and wine director, “it’s the same as it ever was, really. If people plan ahead and try when the reservations window opens, there are generally spots open.” For December, the window opens at midnight Nov. 1, for example.

The Palestinian restaurant, launched in the Navy Yard in 2020 by chef Michael Rafidi, was my No. 1 pick in my last annual dining guide for The Washington Post, a rating my successor gave the establishment earlier this month. In June, The New York Times awarded it four stars — its highest rating ever for an out-of-Manhattan review. Two years ago, Rafidi won the James Beard Award for outstanding chef in America.

Simons says that it “helps to be open to times out of the prime-time rush and non-weekends” and guides wanna-be diners to the notify list on Resy. “When we see cancellations, they’re generally two days prior to the date which will open the occasional last-minute spot.”

A friend who went twice recently says his second dinner was easier to access when a pal booked Albi’s (covered and heated) Garden Table, available for groups of 10 to 14, and promptly rounded up a posse to fill the seats. “Meal was fabulous,” reports my discerning friend. “They’re cooking beautifully.”

What now-shuttered D.C. restaurants do you miss the most?

I appreciate this question, and not simply because it offers a stroll down memory lane. Washington benefited greatly from dozens of restaurants that no longer exist but helped put the city on the national culinary map.

High on my list would be Komi in Dupont Circle, the starry modern Greek restaurant from chef Johnny Monis; Yanyu in Cleveland Park, to my taste the best source of Peking duck, carved tableside, ever in D.C. proper; Kinkead’s, the top-notch seafood purveyor from chef Bob Kinkead in Foggy Bottom, so popular it once had a dedicated telephone number just for people soliciting charitable donations; Michel Richard Citronelle in Georgetown, the glam underground oasis with visionary Michel Richard, a trained pastry chef, in the glass-fronted kitchen; Zuki Moon, the pan-Asian dining room within a ticket’s toss of the Kennedy Center and helmed by the forward-thinking Mary Richter; and Palena from former White House chef Frank Ruta, whose combination a la carte restaurant and tasting room in the rear addressed the different wishes of his fan club. (A lot of us considered Ruta’s hamburger and roast chicken to be best in class.)

Going back even further, there was Sichuan Garden on 19th St. NW, starring master chefs from China, and Red Sage, with its then-trendy Southwestern menu and simulated thunder and lightning design. (You read that right.)

I was too young and too poor to afford the Watergate Hotel's legendary Jean-Louis Restaurant, but my predecessor at The Washington Post, Phyllis C. Richman, told me the French chef Jean-Louis Palladin, whom she called "perhaps the most famous French chef in America," made her career in its heyday in the ’80s and ’90s.

You’re celebrating your 10th anniversary. Where do you go?

The 10th is a milestone, traditionally represented by tin or aluminum — symbols of resilience and strength.

I’d spring for a restaurant with some nice age on it. The well-regarded Centrolina and The Dabney represent the class of 2015 and offer Italian and Mid-Atlantic flavors, respectively. But they’re babies compared to some of the area’s longer-lived establishments: Obelisk in Dupont Circle, Perry’s in Adams Morgan, the Bombay Club near the White House, Il Pizzico in Rockville, La Ferme in Chevy Chase, L’Auberge Chez Francois in Great Falls and the fabled, nearly-50 Inn at Little Washington in Washington, Virginia.

The most senior of the bunch, though, is Old Ebbitt Grill, whose revolving door never seems to stop and whose hospitality remains something to emulate even at … 170 years.

Do you consult with anyone on food from cultures with which you’re not super-familiar?

One of the advantages of living in a world capital is access to a lot of smart, well-traveled, discerning residents. At this point in my career, I’ve been fortunate to travel widely around the world, but if I ever had a question about, say, the food in Singapore or Brazil, I know I could reach out to someone from an embassy, or a representative from the World Bank or the Peace Corps, for an answer. Also, there are knowledgeable chefs and cookbook authors, here and elsewhere, I might contact.

Even now, I like to invite people from different parts of the world to join me in a meal that might offer them a taste of home. And I never take a Lyft or Uber where I don’t ask anyone who says they’re from Ethiopia where they go for their native food. Their answers vary widely, which makes me frustrated, in a good way: I don’t think I’ll ever be able to try them all, much as I aim to. (I love Ethiopian cooking. Right now, Beteseb in Silver Spring is a favorite.)

My wife and I will spend three nights in Dublin next month. Do you have any favorites there?

My two, tried-and-true picks share literary connections. One is the casual, long-running Winding Stair, named after a Yeats poem and located above a bookshop. Picture (very good) Irish comfort food, a chalkboard menu and a cozy dining room whose windows overlook the River Liffey.

The other is the luxe, Georgian-style Chapter One, tucked in the lower level of the Writers Museum on Parnell Square. While the top chefs have switched since my last visit, Chapter One’s menu continues to highlight prime Irish ingredients — Clare Island salmon, Donegal lobster, roast pigeon — using French techniques. Don’t say good night before sampling the best Irish coffee anywhere. The signature drink is prepared tableside by a server who pours a spiced syrup into a hot pan, caramelizing the sweetener. Brazilian coffee, whiskey finished in beer barrels, and a finish of whipped Irish cream complete the dream.

I haven’t been, but food pals sing the praises of the historic, Art Deco gastropub Davy Byrnes and the refined Sole, acclaimed for its seafood.

Sign up for The Washington Sun Metro newsletter for essential coverage of the D.C. region.]]> What to Do in the D.C. Area This Weekend (Oct. 29) https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-events-listing-oct-29 Rebecca Ritzel Go-go with the Washington Ballet, cheer on Charo and dance at dueling Día de los Muertos parties. Wed, 28 Oct 2026 09:10:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-events-listing-oct-29 Dia de los Muertos celebrations at the Wharf

Dia de los Muertos celebrations at the Wharf

Sunday's Día de los Muertos celebration at The Wharf will include live music and performances. (Courtesy of The Wharf)

Thursday

D.C. By Foot: Ghosts of Georgetown and Exorcist Steps Walking Tour

3051 M St. NW (Old Stone House), 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., $49

Spooky season is an opportune time to play tourist in your own town. Learn some history, listen for the screams of Civil War amputees and end your night at the steps featured in the 1973 film.

“Beatrice Likes the Dark” closes at Adventure Theatre MTC

7300 MacArthur Boulevard, Glen Echo, 11 a.m., $27

Local playwright and actor Dani Stoller adapted the popular children’s book about an amateur spellcaster for Adventure Theatre MTC, the youth playhouse at Glen Echo Park. Performances continue through Sunday and are aimed at brave children 5 and up.

More to explore: New England folk rockers Griffin William Sherry and Jesse James DeConto at Pie Shop

Friday

Charo at Montgomery College’s Cultural Art Center

7995 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, 7:30 p.m., $35-80

It’s entirely possible that you know who Charo is without knowing what she’s famous for. The Spanish actress, singer and comedian was a queen of ’60s and ’70s American television, appearing on “Laugh-In,” “Fantasy Island” and other shows. But she was a flamenco artist first and will have a guitar in hand for this show aimed at nostalgic TV watchers and queer fans way too young to have seen her on the Johnny Carson show.

The Washington Ballet’s Go-Go 50 at the Warner Theatre

513 13th St. NW, 7:30, $166 to $202

Singaporean choreographer Choo San Goh helped put the Washington Ballet on the map when he became the company’s resident choreographer in the 1980s. This weekend, the company celebrates 50 years of dancing in the District by performing Goh’s 1981 classic “Configurations,” as well as a piece by current artistic director Edwaard Liang and a new ballet set to go-go music by choreographer Chanel DaSilva. The program continues through Sunday; best seating availability is Saturday night.

More to explore: Classical Arts Society of Washington presents “The Devil’s Trill”

Saturday

Dupont Fall Festival, Pumpkin Patch and Bluegrass Jamboree

Dupont Circle, 1 to 4 p.m., free

The fifth Dupont Circle fall fête gives city dwellers a strong incentive to don their costumes early. Winners in the adult, kid and pet categories will each take home a $100 gift certificate good at Dupont-area restaurants. Plus everyone gets a pumpkin (while supplies last) to decorate while Shannon Leigh and the Good Bygones play bluegrass.

The Miss Adams Morgan Pageant at the Washington Hilton

1919 Connecticut Avenue NW, 8 p.m., $25 cocktail party, $100 for the whole evening

Mirror, mirror on the hotel ballroom wall, who’s the fairest drag queen of them all? Since 1988, the Dupont Social Club has celebrated queer rights with an annual drag contest where both the contestants and the audience are invited to come in costume.

More to explore: ’80s Mayhem Halloween Dance Party at the Black Cat

Sunday

Día de los Muertos Celebration at The Wharf

M Street Landing SW, 3 to 6:30 p.m., free

Since 2019, The Wharf has become the District’s place to see and be seen with dancing skeletons, elaborate Catrina flower crowns and mariachi bands. The Day of the Dead celebration features two stages: one for music and one for folklorica dance troupes, plus a kids’ pier with sugar-skull painting and snacks. The revelry begins at 3 p.m. and concludes with a candlelight procession.

Día de los Muertos Celebration at MOCA Arlington

3550 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, 5 to 8 p.m., free

On the Virginia side of the Potomac, Arlington’s Museum of Contemporary Art is hosting an evening picnic. Bring your own dinner, or buy tacos from on-site vendors. Music begins at 5:30 p.m., there’s a Catrina parade at 6:20 p.m. and crafts for kids all night long. All attendees are invited to bring a deceased loved one’s photo and contribute to an altar created by Arlington artist David Amoroso.

More to explore: Violinist Daniel Hope plays music of the Gilded Age at The Barns at Wolf Trap.

Sign up for The Washington Sun Metro newsletter for essential coverage of the D.C. region.]]> Is Your Home Budget Around $500,000? Three Options to Consider in D.C., Maryland and Virginia https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/homes-around-500000-dc-maryland-virginia Michele Lerner Our weekly column compares home listings across the DMV. Tue, 27 Oct 2026 09:05:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/homes-around-500000-dc-maryland-virginia A row of D.C. homes.

1638 Kramer St. NE, Washington, D.C. (Redfin)

For many first-time homebuyers in the DMV, it’s the price that drives everything, rather than a particular home style or neighborhood. Depending on where they work or where they want their kids to attend school, they may be willing to look at homes in D.C., Maryland and Virginia as long as the price is right.

Buying a home priced at $500,000, which is below what Bright MLS says is the median sales price of $610,000 in the D.C. region, requires a minimum income of about $150,000 to $160,000. However, you need to talk to a lender who can help you estimate how much you can borrow based on your other debt, the size of your down payment and associated costs such as a homeowner or condo association fee, in addition to taxes and insurance. We found two townhouses and a condo priced between $499,000 and $600,000 to consider.

Which would you choose? Or, have a comparison you’d like to see in an upcoming column? Let us know at metro@washingtonsun.com.

D.C.

Untitled

The listing: 1638 Kramer St. NE

The price: $565,000

The specifics: This 960-square-foot townhouse, built in 1900 and renovated in 2022 and 2025, has two bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms.

The vibe: Updated city living.

What makes it special: While this rowhouse is a bit above $500,000, it doesn’t have an HOA fee that would increase your monthly costs. Located in the Kingman Park neighborhood not far from H Street Northeast, the two-level townhouse has a fireplace flanked by built-in bookcases in the living room, French doors leading to a fully fenced yard with a deck, an updated kitchen, a powder room and a separate dining room. The two bedrooms are upstairs, along with a renovated full bathroom, a stacked washer and dryer and multiple closets. The roof was resealed and a skylight installed in 2025, while the heating, air conditioning and water heater were upgraded in 2022.

Agent: Andre Margutti, Redfin

Maryland

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The listing: 232 Urban Ave. #232, Gaithersburg

The price: $499,000

The specifics: This 1,868-square-foot townhouse, built in 2011, has three bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. Monthly HOA and condo/co-op fees: $378

The vibe: Amenity-rich community.

What makes it special: Located in the Parklands at Watkins Mill, walkable to a MARC train station and shops, this community has a pool, tennis, playgrounds and a gym. It’s also a short drive to the Kentlands and Downtown Crown for more shops and restaurants. The main level of the house has an open floor plan kitchen, living area and dining area, hardwood floors, big windows, a powder room and access to the one-car garage. Upstairs, the primary suite has two walk-in closets and a private bathroom, plus there are two additional bedrooms (one with a balcony), another full bathroom and a laundry room.

Agent: Meaghan Miller, TTR Sotheby’s International Realty

Virginia

Untitled

The listing: 1570 Spring Gate Drive, Unit 7408, McLean

The price: $499,000

The specifics: This two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo, which includes a garage parking space, was built in 1997. It’s the largest floor plan at the Gates of McLean, with 1,169 square feet. Monthly condo fee: $720.

The vibe: Walkable condo with amenities.

What makes it special: This top-floor unit in an elevator building has a balcony accessible from the living room and one of the bedrooms, and a gas fireplace. The floor plan includes a separate kitchen with an adjacent laundry room, and an open living and dining room with bedrooms on either side for privacy. The primary suite has a walk-in closet, a second closet and a private full bathroom. The kitchen and bathrooms have been renovated. Community amenities include a pool, clubhouse, fitness center, business center and playgrounds. Shops and the McLean Metro station are within 10 minutes’ walk.

Agent: Tim Hursen Jr., RLAH @Properties]]> D.C. Dispensary Consumption Spaces Are Rising Social Hubs https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-cannabis-dispensary-consumption-spaces Torrie Herrington With drinking on the decline, people are finding community within cannabis dispensary walls. Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:15:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-cannabis-dispensary-consumption-spaces Blunt Sluts storefront

Blunt Sluts in Adams Morgan is one of several D.C. dispensaries with consumption spaces where customers can use cannabis on-site while attending events. (Torrie Herrington/The Washington Sun)

On a Friday evening in Adams Morgan, about two dozen people gathered inside a cannabis dispensary to watch drag queens perform.

Many smoked. Others chatted over drinks — nonalcoholic ones — while Sapphica Star and Lexxus Star performed at Blunt Sluts, a dispensary that has become more than a storefront. To the right of the sales counter is the “giggle room,” an event space where customers can use cannabis products.

The drag show is one of a growing number of events at D.C. dispensaries that are aimed at building communities around cannabis consumption, from “puff and pilates” to comedy shows.

Blunt Sluts’ co-owner Shelby Fountain said the events grew organically from conversations with customers. “They started forming their own kind of community,” she said.

Blunt Sluts and Higher Ground, a Northeast D.C. dispensary, both operate consumption spaces where customers can use cannabis on-site while attending events. Other dispensaries around the city are experimenting with similar models.

D.C.’s cannabis consumption spaces were made possible by a law that went into effect in 2023, creating a safe-use treatment facility endorsement that allows licensed medical cannabis retailers to offer on-site consumption areas for patients.

Customers and employees at the dispensaries said the appeal is largely about giving people an alternative to the traditional bar.

“What's wrong with the little joint at the end of the day?” Fountain said. “I mean, it's kind of like our glass of wine, honestly. It's just something social to bring us all together and talk about our days and personal lives and other things.”

That dynamic was on display at the Blunt Sluts drag show. Sapphica Star said some people enjoy queer nightlife but may not want to spend an evening in a packed, loud bar.

“The people that come to this event are people who are really genuine, down to earth,” Sapphica Star said. “I think everyone's looking for community and looking to connect on a deeper level.”
Blunt Sluts drag show (6000x4000, AR: 1.50)The shift comes as alcohol consumption has been declining among U.S. adults.

Gallup reported in August that only 54% of American adults said they drink alcohol, matching the record-low level measured in 2025. The share stood at 67% in 2022.

Fountain described the “Cali sober” lifestyle — abstaining from alcohol and other substances while continuing to use cannabis — as increasingly visible among her customers.

“There are people who come into Blunt Sluts all the time who have just bad incidents with alcohol or bad memories or associations,” she said. “A lot of people are just trying to get away from alcohol in general.”

Sapphica Star, who said she stopped drinking, said younger people are increasingly questioning the traditional drinking-centered nightlife model.

“There are reasons that contain multitudes for why our generation has sort of abandoned the notion of the party drinking culture and sort of embraced weed,” Sapphica Star said, pointing to the effects of alcohol and its rising cost.

The shift is also visible at Higher Ground.

“People are still looking for social stuff to do,” said Robbie Martin, the dispensary’s general manager and president of the D.C. Cannabis Business Association. He boiled the question down to: “If I'm going to drink less, where can I still find social things to go out and do?”

Higher Ground, which soft-opened in January and began hosting events in April, is trying to answer that question.

The dispensary hosts magic shows as well as yoga and sound bath classes. Martin said the goal is to make the space appealing even to people who might not consider themselves stereotypical cannabis consumers.

“It's not just ‘Hey, I have to be a stoner to go to Higher Ground,’” Martin said. “We want to put on enough different varieties of community events that enough people see this as a home base.”
Robbie Martin (6000x4000, AR: 1.50)That idea is also attracting people from the hospitality industry who are looking for an alternative to serving alcohol. Martin said many of the people involved with Higher Ground came from hospitality and nightlife backgrounds.

Clint Leonard, who works as a budtender at Higher Ground, is one of those people.

“I've been a cannabis user for a long time, and so I thought that my skills in hospitality could transition to a place like this really well,” Leonard said.

At Higher Ground, he said, the same skills that make a bar or restaurant function — welcoming customers, creating an atmosphere and fostering conversation — can be applied to dispensaries.

“We are cultivating here a community space that can be used in a lot of the same ways that a bar venue could be used or a restaurant venue could be used, but obviously just without the alcohol aspect,” Leonard said.

Higher Ground is also trying to make cannabis itself part of the experience. The business grows cannabis on-site, allowing customers to see the plants behind the products they consume.

“To be able to put somebody at that bar, and they're five feet away from 300 plants, is a really unique opportunity for education and to just normalize the conversation as a whole,” he said.

The concept is spreading beyond the two businesses.

Blunt Sluts recently opened another location in Capitol Hill. Wash Hydro in Adams Morgan operates a consumption space that customers can rent hourly or access through an annual $420 pass. Love 420, which opened near Nationals Park in September, plans to offer four private consumption spaces.

“It's food, it's music, it's arts, it's culture — and that's really the driver behind that,” Martin said. “We feel strongly that cannabis does live in all of these different communities. There just hasn't really been a venue for that gathering.”]]> Talk to Tom: Wine Etiquette, Pre-Opera Dining and a Fancy Filet-O-Fish https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/tom-sietsema-dc-dar-opera-restaurants Tom Sietsema Plus: How I pick which restaurants to review. Thu, 22 Oct 2026 09:25:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/tom-sietsema-dc-dar-opera-restaurants

Baan Mae Chef Seng Luangrath's Fi-Lao O’Fish is served with a brioche bun, cilantro chile sauce and tofu mayonnaise. (Kainaz Amaria/The Washington Sun)

baanmae_102126_0024.jpg (8027x5352, AR: 1.50)

Lots of chefs use squid ink in pasta and paella for color and flavor. Should I worry about staining my teeth?

I investigated your concern for another reader eons ago, turning to the guy to whom I trust my mouth: D.C. dentist Keith Progebin. “It depends upon how porous the teeth are,” he said at the time. Plastic dentures, for example, discolor easily. Tooth enamel and glazed porcelain “are not so easy to stain, and if they do, they’re polishable.” Progebin added that “duration and dose” also determine whether a food might tint teeth.

I had occasion to see my dentist recently (for a crown! After my tooth cracked in a restaurant!) and asked if I needed to update my response. “The science stands,” Progebin said. He reiterated that surface texture (tiny pits and such) and food quantity play a role in how much a food can stain teeth. Duly noted, says this daily coffee and berry consumer.

I’m a longtime reader from The Washington Post and now follow you at The Washington Sun. Since the Washington National Opera is performing at DAR Constitution Hall, I am looking for dining recommendations nearby.

Thanks for following me to my new home! Let me suggest you sup pre-performance at Rasika West End for modern Indian cooking, Old Ebbitt Grill near the Treasury Building for solid American fare (and great oysters) or Casa Teresa near Farragut Square for very good Spanish. The more rustic the dish at Casa Teresa, the more I’m inclined to try it. Go, then, for the coarse pork sausages with navy beans, and the golden chicken croquettes, based on the chef’s mother’s recipe.

The recommended venues are about 10, seven and five minutes away by car, respectively.

How do you choose restaurants to write about?

When I was reviewing full-time for The Post, where I wrote for a general audience and ate out as often as 10 meals a week, I aimed for a balance from week to week by mixing up new and old restaurants and city and suburban places. I was also mindful of covering different cuisine styles and price ranges.

It was important to me to throw in some surprises now and then, too. I was the first food critic to review the dining room atop the CIA in Virginia, for instance. And one of my more meaningful subjects was the nonprofit Miriam’s Kitchen, dedicated to ending homelessness in D.C. I visited the social services provider three times, as I would with any restaurant, and left marveling at the restaurant-quality food and genuine hospitality I encountered. Miriam’s Kitchen referred to those coming for free meals as “guests.”

My mission here at The Sun is a little different, and evolving. My first essay looked at the private Ned’s Club, and I followed that with roundups of my favorite budget dinners and breakfasts in the area. Restaurant news also appears in The Sun’s Metro newsletter. Did you catch my recent dispatches on the once-a-week a la carte dinners at Rose’s Luxury or how a popular D.C. restaurant is serving a controversial dish by other than its name? The Sun has plans to include more dining reviews on a regular basis. Stay tuned. I, for one, am very excited for readers.

I'm going to be in Tenerife in December. Do you have any suggestions for places to eat there?

For the curious, Tenerife, which is part of Spain, is the largest of the Canary Islands and sits off the northwest coast of Africa. My food-loving tipsters suggest La Mordita (“the nibble”) for lunch on the square for Spanish tapas; Kiki Restaurante for creative Japanese; Bodegón El Puntero for prime fish and seafood — fresh octopus, shrimp, sardines — in a rustic, no-reservations tavern; and Etéreo by Pedro Nel. The last offers modern fine dining — a fusion of Canarian and Latin flavors, with a focus on premium meats — from a Colombian-born chef. (All the establishments are in Santa Cruz, the capital of Tenerife.)

Sign up for The Washington Sun Metro newsletter for essential coverage of the D.C. region.]]> What to Do in the D.C. Area This Weekend (Oct. 22) https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-metro-events-listing-oct-22 Rebecca Ritzel Giddyup at the Washington International Horse Show, sing out with One-Day Choir and celebrate a new Southwest D.C. arts center. Wed, 21 Oct 2026 09:10:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/dc-metro-events-listing-oct-22

A children's hobby horse jumping competition is one of several free activities for families at Washington International Horse Show's Kids' Day. (Courtesy of Alden Corrigan Media)

Thursday

Strašidla: Czech Legends and Mythical Creatures

Embassy of the Czech Republic, 3900 Spring of Freedom St. NW, 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., free, registration required

The Czech Embassy redefines diplomatic scare at its fourth annual Halloween gathering. Introduce kids to the Headless Knight, Forest Demon and Water Goblin at this combined story time and forest walk through the darkened embassy grounds. Cauldrons will also be bubbling, courtesy not of witches but The Science Guys, who conduct hands-on experiments in honor of spooky season.

DMV One-Day Choir at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial

101 Callahan Drive, Alexandria, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., donations requested

For those who will always love Dolly Parton, show choirs and a room with great reverb, the Gaia Music Collective hosts a sing-along where participants will be assigned parts, form a choir and film a video of “I Will Always Love You,” all in one night. Going viral isn’t guaranteed, but having a good time harmonizing is.

More to explore: Emei’s “Night at the Opera” tour comes to the Lincoln Theatre

Friday

“Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?” at Arena Stage

1101 Sixth St. SW, 8 p.m., $97 to $117

“Theater to make the blood boil” is how a New York Times critic praised Eric Bentley’s play about the House Un-American Activities Committee when this show opened off Broadway in June. A very similar staging — a less starry cast but still helmed by Juilliard dean Anna Shapiro — opens at Arena Stage on Thursday and runs through Dec. 6.

Avery, Gottlieb and Rothko: By the Sea opens at The Phillips Collection

1600 21st St. NW, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., preview free for members; $20 for public starting Saturday

Three seminal artists of the mid-20th century savored spending their summers on the North Shore of Massachusetts, where they painted and, presumably, ate lots of fried quahog clams. Now the Phillips has gathered more than 90 paintings, drawings and watercolors by Milton Avery, Adolph Gottlieb and Mark Rothko into one groundbreaking show, including some works never publicly exhibited. The exhibition is open to members Thursday and Friday, while general public entrance begins on Saturday.

More to explore: Art Bites gallery talk at the Smithsonian Museum of American Art

Saturday

Kids’ Day at Washington International Horse Show
Prince George’s Equestrian Center, 14900 Pennsylvania Ave., Upper Marlboro, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., free

Gone are the days when Sixth Street NW closed down to become the Washington International Horse Show stable. Since 2022, the annual elite competition has been held at Prince George’s Equestrian Center. While less Metro-accessible, at least there is less manure downtown? Kids’ Day activities include pony rides, a hobby-horse jumping course and pony kissing booth. For $10, adults can stay to watch a Grand Prix jumping competition at 1 p.m. (Kids are free.)

The Revada Arts Center grand opening

340 Maple Drive SW, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., free

Two homeless performing-arts companies and an independent cinema are moving in together in Southwest D.C. Theater Alliance, IN Series and 4EYE Film Center celebrate the opening of the Revada Arts Center with a community open house. The day kicks off at 11 a.m. with a sing-along screening of “Frozen.” Tours and other family-friendly activities continue through the afternoon.

More to explore: Final “Late Skate” of the season at Anacostia Park

Sunday

“In Search of Home” sung by the Choral Arts Society of Washington

Church of the Epiphany, 1317 G St. NW, 5 p.m., $60

The Kennedy Center’s closing has displaced not only the venue’s resident ensembles but also other DMV arts groups that have long rented out the Concert Hall and other spaces. Rather pointedly, the Choral Arts Society of Washington has titled its first concert of its itinerant 2026/27 season “In Search of Home” and programmed music about “humanity, displacement and belonging” by Bernstein, Brahms and Buxtehude.

“Fallen Angels”

Screenings of the Broadway play at various theatres; times and prices vary

Rose Byrne (“Bridesmaids”) and Kelli O’Hara (“The Gilded Age”) both earned Tony nominations for their performances in the 1925 Noël Coward show briefly revived on Broadway in the spring. On Thursday and Sunday, area movie theaters will screen a version captured for Broadway HD. DMV viewing options include AFI Silver, Alamo Drafthouse and the Angelika Film Center in Merrifield.

More to explore: Robin Maril and Charlotte Clymer at Politics and Prose

Sign up for The Washington Sun Metro newsletter for essential coverage of the D.C. region.]]> Homes With Garages for Less Than $900,000 in D.C., Maryland and Virginia https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/homes-with-garages-dc-maryland-virginia Michele Lerner Our weekly column compares home listings across the DMV. Tue, 20 Oct 2026 09:15:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/homes-with-garages-dc-maryland-virginia 6300 Hickory Bend, Clinton

We found options in D.C., Maryland and Virginia for single-family homes priced under $900,000 that include parking for at least three cars. (TruPlace)

Whether you’re a tinkerer, a collector or just have a household full of drivers, your wish list may be topped by a big garage. Unlike car culture meccas like Los Angeles, where there are about 80 properties currently listed for sale with garage parking for six or more cars, the D.C. region isn’t overflowing with garages. (That is, unless you happen to have $29.95 million to spend on an estate like 1288 Ballantrae Farm Drive in McLean, which has six garage spaces.)

Still, it’s possible to find a home with extra parking. This may mean a three-car garage or a two-car garage with extra off-street parking, or perhaps a garage with a lift or tandem parking to fit more cars into a smaller footprint.

We found options in D.C., Maryland and Virginia for single-family homes priced under $900,000 that include parking for at least three cars.

Which one would you choose? Or, have a comparison you’d like to see in an upcoming column? Let us know at metro@washingtonsun.com.

D.C.

Untitled

The listing: 3000 Alabama Ave. SE

The price: $849,000

The specifics: This 4,227-square-foot single-family home, built in 1920, has five bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms.

Car capacity: Four parking spaces: two in a detached garage with extra storage and two in the driveway.

What makes it special: Located in the Hillcrest neighborhood, this house includes a one-bedroom rental unit with a private entrance, hardwood floors, 9-foot ceilings, a separate kitchen and a full bathroom, with a certificate of occupancy for income potential. The house includes a deck, a porch and a grassy yard with a picket fence. Inside, there’s an open floor plan with oversized windows and glass doors, room for a grand piano, a quartz kitchen with a big island, a wood burning fireplace in the living room and French doors from the dining room to a deck.

Agents: Taylor Irwin and Joel Nelson, Keller Williams Capital Properties

Maryland

Untitled

The listing: 6300 Hickory Bend, Clinton

The price: $875,000

The specifics: This large two-level single-family home has 7,180 square feet on a six-acre lot. Built in 1988, the brick house has five bedrooms and four bathrooms.

Car capacity: Three parking spaces in the attached garage.

What makes it special: This home is set at the end of a cul-de-sac with no nearby neighbors. The main level has an open concept layout with skylights, large windows for natural light, and new sliding glass doors to a new deck. The main level includes an office, a fireplace in the living room, and a primary suite with two walk-in closets and an upgraded bathroom with a freestanding tub, marble floors and a modern shower with a paneled wall and two showerheads. The lower level features an expanded in-law suite with a bedroom, a walk-in closet and private bathroom.

Agent: Ali Velasco, RLAH Properties

Virginia

Untitled

Listing: 8725 Lea Lane, Alexandria

The price: $884,900

The specifics: This five-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom home, custom built in 1993, has 2,239 square feet of living space on a nearly half-acre lot in the Mount Vernon area.

Car capacity: Seven parking spaces: three in an attached garage and four in the driveway.

What makes it special: The two-level house has space for a large family with four bedrooms on the upper level including two primary suites. This level also has an updated kitchen with a center island, quartz counters, stainless steel appliances, a breakfast area and glass doors to a deck. A separate living room and dining room are also on this level. Downstairs are a recreation room with a built-in bar, an office, a full bathroom and a bedroom with access to a patio. The garage includes a workshop, storage and a laundry room.

Agent: Lee Braun, Long & Foster Real Estate

Sign up for The Washington Sun Metro newsletter for essential coverage of the D.C. region.]]> Tom Sietsema’s 5 Favorite Breakfasts in the D.C. Area https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/tom-sietsema-dc-breakfast-restaurants Tom Sietsema From can’t-miss breakfast tacos in Mt. Pleasant to stellar pancakes in Arlington, each of these restaurants makes for a great start to the day. Tue, 20 Oct 2026 09:12:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/tom-sietsema-dc-breakfast-restaurants Breakfast meals

(Illustration by Kainaz Amaria; Tom Sietsema/The Washington Sun)

Like making your bed first thing in the morning, taking time for a sit-down breakfast is one of those gestures that instantly improves your day. No matter what lies ahead, you’ll come home to a straightened nest or go forth with fuel in your tank, respectively.

Breakfast is also the most democratic meal of the day, typically less expensive and performative than dinner, and a nice balance to the usual rush. I like to think of the morning meal as a satisfying act of resistance against a prepackaged protein bar at your desk or a container of yogurt knocked back in your car.

Those are among the lessons I learned as I spent the last month identifying some of the D.C. area’s best breakfasts away from home. As diverse as they are, each venue offers the bonus of a sense of community along with their menus — reason enough in my book to rise and shine.

La Tejana

Ana-Maria Jaramillo moved from Texas to D.C. for love eight years ago and promptly encountered heartbreak: Where were the breakfast tacos?

“I was very disappointed in the breakfast scene,” says Jaramillo, who missed her daily habit from back in McAllen, where she grew up, and Austin, where she went to college. Thus began a journey to fill the void, which started with Jaramillo peddling breakfast tacos from her stoop in Mt. Pleasant in 2019 and eventually opening a brick-and-mortar shop called La Tejana four years later.

Along the way, she also perfected the vessel for her tacos. To visit the storefront these days is to chomp into a flour tortilla that relies on vegetable shortening and olive oil for moisture and manages to be simultaneously thin, malleable, fluffy and tasty, even without a filling.

The fillings are fab, though. The best-seller is 956, the area code for McAllen. Inside the bundle await refried beans, custardy scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, cilantro and bacon — a lot to like. Make mine a 512, the area code for Austin and meaty with another D.C. favorite: chopped brisket from 2Fifty Texas BBQ. Very good meatless breakfast tacos, one with tomatoes and poblano, are offered as well.

You can buy a single taco, but most requests are for three or six. Everything is homemade, sauces included. The tangy crowd-pleaser blends Greek yogurt, cilantro, lime juice and more.

Honestly, I adore everything about La Tejana, save for the lines when I’m hangry. (The kitchen, headed up by Gus May, Jaramillo’s husband, turns out as many as 1,800 tacos on the weekend; a dedicated team of egg-crackers goes through an estimated 180 cases a month.) Rickety stairs lead to a spare, second-floor dining area dressed with blue tables and curtains for windows facing the street, a space available to rent for a gathering.

The name of the business and the faceless woman depicted on the packaging pay homage to the strong Latina women Jaramillo says inspired her back home. “It’s a symbol of what I want to represent,” says the entrepreneur, who gives away leftover tacos to her neighbors and has plans to expand. Without revealing too much, she teases that No. 2 will be in the District and open in “under a year.” I see more lines in her future.

3211 Mt. Pleasant St. NW
202-621-8509
latejanadc.com
Breakfast tacos $4.75 (for one) to $26 (for six)

The Market Lunch

If you want to know what distinguishes the eye openers at The Market Lunch inside Eastern Market from so many of its peers, just ask Tom Glasgow. “Everything we make is real,” says the owner of one of the most beloved institutions on Capitol Hill.

Sure enough, only fresh blueberries go into his signature, fluffy buckwheat pancakes, and never too soon to prevent the fruit from bursting on the griddle. Genuine maple syrup makes the best topper; coffee from Rise Up provides a potent chaser.

The crab cake platter with a choice of eggs shows off plenty of goodness, too. Eggs over easy are textbook definitions, and they’re served alongside potatoes that are boiled, chopped, deep-fried and tinted with (surprise!) Accent. The star of the plate, though, is the crab cake, shaped from jumbo lump crab from Cambridge, Md. Parsley, mayonnaise and mustard inform the mix, but mostly what you taste is local crab that’s brightened with a splash of fresh lemon juice at the end. A house-baked bun, crisped on the griddle, allows you to create your own breakfast sandwich.
Market_lunch.jpg (969x640, AR: 1.51)Another prize is the aptly-named “brick” that packs in a roll a choice of eggs, meat (go for the spicy sausage), fried potatoes and melted American cheese. Have extra napkins handy.

Customers join a line beneath a big chalkboard menu, give their order to a friendly face behind a counter, then wait for their names to be called. The process may take a few minutes; be patient. Sure, you can take your breakfast to go, but the better plan is to sit at Market Lunch’s long, worn, wood counter and soak up the scene as you eat. (The attraction unfolds in a Victorian building designed by Adolf Cluss, also responsible for the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building.)

A sign on the wall, testament to the institution’s popularity, lays out some rules: “No saving seats” is one. “No reading of newspapers or laptops when we are crowded,” reads another.

Sound strict? It’s not. Glasgow, who’s watched over the place since 1978, turns out to be a softie who encourages tourists to try something they’re unfamiliar with (fried oysters, maybe) and shared that he shed a real tear the day the late civil rights activist and statesman John Lewis appeared in line.

“I enjoy what I do,” says the owner, 70, who adds that “the neatest people in the world” come through his place — and work there, I’d add.

225 7th St. SE (inside Eastern Market)
202-547-8444
marketlunchdc.com
Breakfast dishes $7.95 to $26.95

Parkway Deli & Restaurant

Breakfast for dinner is always an option at this popular Silver Spring storefront. So is dinner for breakfast. Which means one of you can be tackling eggs, pancakes and bacon during morning rush hour while another is slurping chicken soup, crammed with the obvious but also carrots, onions and egg noodles. Each spoonful goes down like a hug.

Launched in 1963, Parkway Deli, which opens with a food store, is in the hands of Danny Gurewitz, a third-generation owner. He reports an average of 300 diners visit each day. His recipe for success: “We have a large menu and people can pretty much get what they want.”

No problem if you want your bagel scooped out. The vibe is relaxed. A glance around the dining room — a sea of booths and bands of mirrors at eye level — finds lots of demographics, including kids sporting paper crowns and coloring with crayons provided by the restaurant.

For breakfast, I head for bronzed potato pancakes topped with eggs over easy and nova lox, or sometimes an omelet that’s a smidge smaller than an iPad, packed with green peppers, ham and melted cheese. Huge mugs of coffee make them feel bottomless.

Helping to keep the place busy are a popular pickle bar and a steady kitchen. Head chef Rene Santos has been a presence for 32 years. “He’ll never leave,” jokes his boss.

8317 Grubb Rd., Silver Spring
301-587-1427
theparkwaydeli.com
Breakfast dishes $10 to $18

Ruthie’s All-Day

Craving pancakes? You want the golden buttermilk saucers at this family-friendly dining room in Arlington Heights, where the order comes with a knob of butter that melts in the heat and a chunky apple compote lightly sweetened with maple syrup.

As much as the food, the sunny setting says “good morning,” thanks to green wainscoting, white subway tile, windows that look onto an umbrella-shaded patio, and an open kitchen. (Unlike at night, at breakfast you order at the counter, find your own seat, and pour your own water. Works for me!)

Ruthie’s list is just nine dishes long, but the treasures include one of the finest breakfast sandwiches in the area, scrambled eggs and herby pork sausage slipped between Ruthie’s craggy biscuits. Best to eat the construction with a knife and fork — and watch out for the warm rush of aioli. Prepare to cancel your lunch plans, too. Named for a long-ago food business at the same location, “Mr. W’s” biscuit amounts to a lot of fuel.

Speaking of generous, the $18 “big plate” brings together a palooza of two eggs, house-made bacon, beef sausage, chive-flecked hash browns and biscuits baked on site. Small wonder two diners often opt to split the largesse. That’s never an issue with the restaurant, which in the a.m. fills with parents (some with babies in tow), Pentagon types and the occasional critic in search of a meal deal. (Ruthie’s is where I sometimes direct mourners after services at Arlington National Cemetery, less than 10 minutes away.)

Good news for Fairfax: A spinoff, from chef Matt Hill and general manager Todd Salvadore, opened in April, giving locals fresh reason to rise and shine and the owners a chance to “make some new friends,” says Salvadore.

3411 5th St South, Arlington
703-888-2841
ruthiesallday.com
Breakfast dishes $8 to $18

Seasons

Here’s where bold-face names and power brokers like to start their day, and not just because the tables in the light-filled, carpet-softened dining room in the Four Seasons hotel are surrounded by pools of space. (One strains to eavesdrop, in other words.) There’s the warm reception at the host stand, a spread of newspapers for those who want their information from dead trees, and such niceties on the broad tables as fresh flowers and those tiny jars of marmalade that may or may not end up in a purse or pocket by meal’s end. I couldn’t help but smile when I looked up to see light fixtures framed in sunbursts.

Water and coffee come quickly – welcome touches when you might be getting billed by the hour by a tablemate.

Seasons’ menu checks all the breakfast boxes. What I appreciate is the unexpected ground the list also covers. A Turkish-inspired plate found a poached egg atop eggplant-tomato confit in a ring of sesame-seeded simit bread — an artful and delicious combination that transports you to Istanbul in every bite. When two of us were debating dishes, our attendant volunteered to split them both on our respective plates. And so it was that we both got tastes of finely minced corned beef hash and chorizo molletes (an open-faced Mexican sandwich with refried beans and Oaxacan cheese).

Watching your diet? Seek out the keto plate, bulked up with grilled halloumi, wagyu beef and sauerkraut, among other accompaniments. The purple-colored smoothie powered with berries, yogurt, soy milk and oat bran helps out, too.

As befits the Four Seasons, the service and extra touches are tops. Expect an elegant biscotti on your coffee saucer and a skewer of blueberries garnishing your smoothie. When I ordered a fruit plate in addition to another breakfast dish, my server talked me down to a half-portion, which was still generous for a solo diner. No fewer than eight different fruits arrived, beautifully arranged in their bowl. Leftovers were packed in a bag that included compostable utensils. “A sword for your hash,” said a server who set down a big carved knife for the corned beef hash. Seasons has a sense of humor to boot.

2800 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
202-342-0444
fourseasons.com
Breakfast entrees $24 to $72

Sign up for The Washington Sun Metro newsletter for essential coverage of the D.C. region.]]> The National Zoo Is Asking the Public to Name Its Red Panda Cub https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/national-zoo-red-panda-cub-name Justice Covert The cub with a coat of many colors could be named after Dolly Parton. Fri, 16 Oct 2026 14:34:46 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/metro/national-zoo-red-panda-cub-name New zoo red panda

The cub was born in June at a conservation campus in Front Royal, Virginia, to 3-year-old female Keahi and 7-year-old male Rocket. (Brooke McDonough/Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute)

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo is asking the public to vote on one of three name options for a red panda cub, including one that pays homage to the Queen of Country.

The cub was born in June at a conservation campus in Front Royal, Virginia, to 3-year-old female Keahi and 7-year-old male Rocket.

The 4-month-old female cub has already “distinguished herself with bold and feisty behavior,” officials said. Still, the cub is unnamed, and the zoo is looking for help deciding what to call her.

The three name candidates are “Pyra,” which the zoo says means “heat” in Greek, “Dolpa,” a region of Nepal home to wild red pandas, and “Dolly,” inspired by country music legend Dolly Parton.

Two weeks before the cub’s birth, two other red panda cubs were born on the campus. Since the births, keepers and staff have closely monitored the three. Red pandas generally have low survival rates, the zoo said in the birth announcement.

“The cubs are really just balls of fur that eat and sleep right now,” said Jessica Kordell, assistant curator of carnivores, in an August news release.

The public can cast their ballots online until Saturday, and the winning name will be announced shortly after.

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