🌸 A new DC Michelin Guide

Good morning, DC. On this day 137 years ago, DC's first experimental electric trolley rolled from 7th and New York Avenue to 4th and T Street, launching the city's love affair with public transit that continues at Metro stations across the District today.

In today’s District Download:

Let’s get to it.

The District's Halloween offerings span the full spectrum this year, from a 50-animatronic dance extravaganza at DC Water headquarters in Navy Yard to a family-friendly pumpkin patch at Canal Park, where the first 150 arrivals score free cider donuts and seasonal drinks. Partygoers can choose their vibe across three weekends of costume contests and themed bashes, including Morris American Bar's masquerade on October 30, Black Cat's '80s Ghostbusters jam on Halloween proper, and Clarendon Ballroom's three-night dance fest running through November 2. The cultural scene delivers its own brand of spooky with Lincoln Theatre screening the 1922 silent horror film Nosferatu, accompanied by live orchestral music on October 29, while Keegan Theatre opens a punk-rock musical about the Lizzie Borden axe murders on Halloween night itself. For locals who prefer their scares mixed with neighborhood spirit, Del Ray's parade along Mount Vernon Avenue on October 27 welcomes costumed pets, decorated strollers, and a business-district scavenger hunt that shows Alexandria knows how to commit to the season. Tickets range from free community events to the $275 upscale Sinister Séance at Ned's Club, showing DC's Halloween game accommodates every budget and tolerance for fog machines.

The October 2025 government shutdown has shuttered the usual go-to spots for DC families, including all Smithsonian museums, the National Zoo, the National Gallery of Art, and the U.S. Botanic Garden, while National Park Service sites remain accessible but unstaffed with limited facilities. Locals are redirecting to non-federal alternatives like the National Building Museum and Phillips Collection, both offering free admission to federal employees during the shutdown, along with Planet Word's interactive language exhibits and the International Spy Museum's espionage adventures. County and city parks remain fully operational since DC government facilities haven't closed, meaning playgrounds, disc golf courses, and spots like Yards Park and Watkins Regional Park are business as usual for families needing outdoor space. For those willing to venture slightly farther, Baltimore's museums operate independently of federal funding, keeping the Maryland Science Center, American Visionary Arts Museum, and National Aquarium open while Washington waits out the impasse. The silver lining for monument enthusiasts is that the National Mall and Tidal Basin remain accessible for strolling among memorials, just without Park Rangers, visitor centers, or bathrooms, so plan accordingly.

Author Lauren Woods launched LitBox in May at Western Market food hall near the White House after watching award-winning local writers struggle to get shelf space at DC bookstores, creating a book vending machine that sells smaller press titles alongside Big Five publishers at equal rates. The project gained urgency after federal arts funding cuts that Woods calls "incredibly dispiriting," turning a European-inspired experiment into a necessary platform for DC's often-overlooked literary scene. Woods raised nearly $7,000 through crowdfunding to launch the machine and now plans to expand to other DC locations, with early sales data showing that local books move just as well as mainstream titles when given equal visibility.

The 2025 DC Michelin Guide added eight restaurants spanning everything from Your Only Friend's cheeky gastropub sandwiches to Raw Omakase's exclusive two-party-per-night sushi service, with the full star and Bib Gourmand designations dropping at a ceremony on November 18. The newcomers lean heavily on international flavors, including Elmina's Ghanaian chop bar concept in Northwest, La'Shukran's escargot-meets-Maryland-crab Middle Eastern fusion in Northeast, and PhoXotic's butcher-driven Vietnamese pho featuring torched bone marrow. DC now boasts 115 Michelin-recommended restaurants, with 24 holding at least one star and 26 earning Bib Gourmand status for high-quality meals at reasonable prices.

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

Middleburg Film Festival | Jay Kelly | Noah Baumbach's Netflix film starring George Clooney and Adam Sandler opens the festival | 7 PM

Former Motel 6, Union Market | Union Market by Design: Room Service | Twenty-seven designers transform 16 motel rooms into design showcases | 5 PM

Dock 5, Union Market | DC Wine Fest | Forty-plus wineries pour samples alongside live music and food vendors | 12 PM

Shakespeare Theatre Company | The Wild Duck | Henrik Ibsen's tragic study of a family torn apart by secrets | 7:30 PM

Pennsylvania Avenue NW | Turkish Festival | Folk dance and music performances alongside Turkish cuisine vendors | 11 AM

The Wharf | Below Deck Mediterranean Cruise | Sandy Yawn and Hannah Ferrier share behind-the-scenes stories over dinner | 6 PM

Get your name in front of thousands of DMV area locals 3x/week.

Friday

66 🌡 43 | 🌧️ 0% | 💨 6 mph

Saturday

71 🌡 49 | 🌧️ 10% | 💨 7 mph

Sunday

76 🌡 56 | 🌧️ 10% | 💨 16 mph

9:30 Club | BETWEEN FRIENDS | 6 PM

The Atlantis | Clay Street Unit | 7:30 PM

Birchmere Music Hall | Shaun Cassidy | 7:30 PM

Capitol Turnaround | Dylan Scott | 7:30 PM

The Howard Theatre | Grandaddy | 8 PM

The Anthem | Disclosure with Fcukers | 8 PM

The Fillmore | Streetlight Manifesto with Cosmic Joke | 8 PM

Music Center at Strathmore | Chris Thile | 8 PM

Lincoln Theatre | Andy Bell | 8 PM

Soundcheck | TOM & COLLINS | 10 PM

Berhta | jigitz | 10 PM

Center for the Arts George Mason University | Laurie Berkner | 11 AM

9:30 Club | Odeal with Money | 6 PM

The Atlantis | Good Neighbours with Nicky Youre | 7:30 PM

Birchmere Music Hall | The SteelDrivers | 7:30 PM

The Anthem | Modest Mouse with Built To Spill | 8 PM

The Fillmore | Rico Nasty | 8 PM

Lincoln Theatre | Andy Bell | 8 PM

The Hamilton Live | Sam Burchfield | 8 PM

9:30 Club | Ravyn Lenae with KeiyaA | 10 PM

Echostage | Matroda with San Pacho | 10 PM

Blues Alley | Alfredo Rodriguez | 5:30 PM

The Atlantis | Catie Turner | 6:30 PM

Tally Ho | Mushroomhead with Psychostick | 7 PM

The Fillmore | Cannibal Corpse with Municipal Waste and Fulci | 7 PM

9:30 Club | Watchhouse | 7 PM

Birchmere Music Hall | The SteelDrivers | 7:30 PM

The Anthem | Yung Lean | 8 PM

Pearl Street Warehouse | Billy Raffoul | 8 PM

Blues Alley | Alfredo Rodriguez | 8 PM

The Washington Spirit locked up the No. 2 seed in the NWSL playoffs after an impressive 12-4-8 regular season that included a remarkable 12-match unbeaten streak heading into their final home game Saturday against Orlando Pride, a championship rematch at Audi Field. Star forward Trinity Rodman leads the team with five goals this season and has been making history with three career stoppage-time game winners, while reigning Rookie of the Year Croix Bethune continues to shine with 11 assists in just 26 career matches, and goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury has tallied eight shutouts to anchor a defense that's propelled the Spirit back to the postseason. The club broke its single-season attendance record this year, welcoming over 181,000 fans across 12 home matches at Audi Field, averaging more than 15,100 per game as DC embraces its NWSL powerhouse ahead of quarterfinal action beginning November 7.

Till next time,