🌸 Celebrate your heritage

Good morning, DC. 44 years ago today, the Smithsonian fired up to world’s oldest working steam engine right here in DC. At 150 years old, we’re hoping its working life is much, much longer than ours.

In today’s District Download:

Let’s get to it.

DC's theaters are kicking off their fall seasons with a collection of bold revivals and adaptations. Sometimes the best way forward is to look back with fresh eyes. Signature Theatre's "Play On!" transplants Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" to 1940s Harlem with Duke Ellington's jazz standards, while Arena Stage's updated "Damn Yankees" features a mostly POC cast and new lyrics that somehow blend seamlessly with the 1955 original. GALA Hispanic Theatre marks its 50th anniversary by revisiting "Kiss of the Spider Woman," the same production that earned their late co-founder Hugo Medrano DC's first Helen Hayes Award for a Spanish-language performance back in 1994. Local theater veteran and queer director Ian Anthony Coleman calls this season's approach "creating something new from something familiar," noting that these reimaginings reflect both where theater has been and where it's heading. With Theatre Week starting September 18th offering tickets at just $25, $45, and $65, catching these shows won't require selling your soul to Mr. Applegate.

Hispanic Heritage Month starts today, and if your September calendar looks empty, the region's Latino communities have you covered with everything from lowrider exhibits to bomba dancing lessons. The heavyweight event lands September 27-28 when Fiesta DC takes over Pennsylvania Avenue between 3rd and 7th streets, transforming downtown into what organizers call the nation's largest Latino festival, complete with pupusa competitions and a Sunday parade down Constitution Avenue. The Smithsonian's getting in on the action with "Corazón y vida," a new lowrider exhibit opening September 26 at the American History Museum, while Cuba Libre in Chinatown offers free rum snifters all month when you order their anniversary menu. For families, the Portrait Gallery hosts "Fotos y Recuerdos" on September 27 with Latino author storytimes and kids' crafts, though honestly, watching adults compete for the best pupusa crown at Fiesta DC might be entertainment enough. Most events are free, but if you're feeling fancy, Amparo Fondita's six-course fundraising dinner on September 24 supports at-risk Mayan youth in Mexico for $175, considerably more than the free scavenger hunt at Takoma's library, but your choice.

The city's most exciting cooking is happening at spots where bartenders outnumber line cooks, like Providencia's 22-seat hideaway in an H Street alley serving mezcal-pandan cocktails alongside root vegetable tamales with Japanese curry. Michelin-starred chefs are leading the charge: Michael Rafidi turned a Union Market back alley into La' Shukran (complete with escargot hummus and Arabic hip-hop), while Lutèce's Matt Conroy just opened a three-story wine bar in Adams Morgan with tiger-striped carpet and eel croquettes. With lower overhead than full restaurants and better profit margins on cocktails, these bar-first spots can take the kind of culinary risks that give a dining scene its spark. Though good luck snagging one of those 22 seats at Providencia without showing up at opening.

Danny Meyer's Daily Provisions has colonized the old Foxtrot space in Dupont with a DC-exclusive "half smoke" egg and cheese sandwich (plot twist: it's a spiced patty, not an actual sausage), while Pentagon City workers finally get relief with Filipino spot Lapu Lapu opening today at 7 AM sharp. The range runs from Pike and Rose's fancy Bouboulina serving smoked salmon eclairs and lobster Benedict to Georgetown's new Argentinean cafe Flor, which combines wellness vibes with vigilante pastries filled with quince paste. Nothing says mindful morning quite like South American sugar bombs and a bookshop.

Here’s what’s going on around DC this week:

Nationals Park | Washington Nationals vs. Atlanta Braves | The Nats host the Braves in their final homestand of the season | 6:45 PM

Union Stage | Cochise with PRADABAGSHAWTY | Rising hip-hop artist brings his tour to The Wharf's intimate venue | 8 PM

Room 808 DC | Monday Night Comedy Showcase | Free stand-up featuring comedians from Netflix and Comedy Central (BYOB) | 8 PM

National Gallery of Art | Monday Morning Gallery Tours | Free guided tours through the permanent collection and special exhibitions | 11 AM

Kennedy Center Concert Hall | Disco Nights with the NSO | Break out your bellbottoms for Bee Gees hits with the National Symphony Orchestra | 7:30 PM

The Anthem | Papa Roach & Rise Against | Nu-metal meets punk rock at DC's waterfront concert hall | 7 PM

Nationals Park | Nationals vs. Braves Doubleheader | Catch afternoon baseball at 1:05 PM or evening with $5 beers and hot dogs at 6:45 PM | 1:05 PM & 6:45 PM

Howard Theatre | Louie TheSinger: One For The Hometown Tour | DC native returns to the historic U Street venue | 8 PM

Monday

80 🌡 64 | 🌧️ 0% | 💨 3 mph

Tuesday

72 🌡 62 | 🌧️ 55% | 💨 16 mph

The Atlantis | Waylon Wyatt | 6:30 PM

The Atlantis | Waylon Wyatt | 6:30 PM

The Anthem | Papa Roach and Rise Against with Underoath | 7 PM

Birchmere Music Hall | Girl Named Tom | 7:30 PM

The Howard Theatre | Louie TheSinger | 8 PM

Jiffy Lube Live | Hozier with Gigi Perez | 8 PM

Lincoln Theatre | TV on the Radio with Combo Chimbita | 8 PM

The Commanders' trip to Wisconsin Thursday night went about as well as ordering a cheesesteak in Green Bay, you're going to leave disappointed. After their convincing Week 1 win over the Giants, Washington managed just 11 yards in the entire first quarter against the Packers, eventually falling 27-18 in a game that wasn't as close as the score suggests. Quarterback Jayden Daniels spent most of the night running for his life (sacked four times) while the defense watched Packers tight end Tucker Kraft rack up 124 yards like he was playing against traffic cones. The silver lining? They're still 1-1 and get 10 days to ice their wounds before hosting Las Vegas on September 21—though losing running back Austin Ekeler to an Achilles injury might have them searching the waiver wire.

Till next time,