🌸 A weekend for the ages

Good morning, DC. On this day 65 years ago, the first-ever televised presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon was broadcast from Chicago, forever changing how Washington conducts politics. The debate reached 70 million viewers, with Kennedy's telegenic presence helping propel him to victory while Nixon learned the hard way that in the television age, image matters as much as policy.

In today’s District Download:

Let’s get to it.

DC's pandemic-born streatery scene faces a reality check as the free ride ends November 30, with restaurants now staring down a $20 per square foot annual fee that's turning outdoor dining from lifeline to luxury. Of Adams Morgan's 33 temporary streateries, only three restaurants plan to make them permanent, while Georgetown sees just 10 of 67 willing to pay up for what once cost nothing but plywood and hope. Tryst's assistant manager Zain Imdad called the math simple: at $5,000 to $6,000 monthly for their 18th Street setup, "that's not worth it for most of the businesses around here." The program that saved restaurants when nobody could eat inside now asks them to fork over fees plus permits, barriers, and accessibility upgrades while they're already juggling Initiative 82's labor costs and inflation's grip on everything else. Restaurants have until November 1 to request free debris removal for their makeshift patios, though many are already saying their goodbyes to what one owner called the best thing that happened to DC dining since happy hour.

The Bank of Presidents gets a second act as DC's newest museum dedicated to the American Dream, which opened September 20 in the former Riggs Bank building steps from the White House with free admission and a gold tree that turns visitors into digital leaves. The Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream transforms the historic space where Lincoln kept his checking account into five floors of interactive exhibits, including holograms of Serena Williams and Sanjay Gupta who chat about success in multiple languages. Museum director Emily Metzner says the space explores what Gallup polling shows most Americans really want: "freedom of choice, the ability to live the way they want to, to have enough to provide for their family." Built in the same vaults that once held $7.2 million in gold for the Alaska Purchase, the museum now teaches bite-sized finance lessons while celebrating stories from Virginia Ali of Ben's Chili Bowl to Washington Spirit owner Michele Kang in a 270-degree theater. Tickets are free but the fancy "holodeck" experience runs $15, and the museum's open daily except Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., though cynics might note founder Michael Milken knows something about achieving the American Dream after his journey from junk bond king to federal prison to presidential pardon.

After a 10-month, $1.2 million renovation that expanded its footprint by 1,700 square feet and doubled its bar size, Bethesda's 23-year-old French bistro Mon Ami Gabi reopened in March with 260 seats, new private event spaces, and a controversial 3.5% surcharge that management says helps pay for staff benefits but diners can request to remove. The Lettuce Entertain You restaurant impresses with skate wing Grenobloise and a $74.95 bone-in ribeye topped with leek-shallot butter, though one reviewer's experience with overcooked bacon lardons literally cost them a back molar and subsequent crown work. The renovated space at 7239 Woodmont Avenue now features a forest green facade, antique bronze accents, and a new corner entrance that management hopes will capture Bethesda's "youth movement" with a martini program and the bistro's first-ever happy hour.

Dreaming Out Loud's Marion Barry Avenue Market opens September 27 at 1303 Marion Barry Ave SE, bringing Ward 8 only its second full-service grocery store and fourth between Wards 7 and 8 combined, compared to 46 in the city's other six wards. The 4,770-square-foot market includes a cafe, demo kitchen for cooking classes, and community event spaces, with the nonprofit prioritizing local hiring from Ward 8 and sourcing from Black and women farmers across the East Coast. The $10 million project, still seeking its final $5 million in funding, honors the late mayor's legacy of economic empowerment while addressing what organizers call "food apartheid" in a community where life expectancy remains the lowest in DC.

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

Merriweather Post Pavilion | All Things Go Music Festival | Catch Lucy Dacus, Doechii, Noah Kahan and others perform live | 3:50 PM

National Museum of Women in the Arts | Women Artists from Antwerp to Amsterdam, 1600-1750 | Discover paintings, sculptures and embroidery by 40+ Dutch and Flemish women artists | 10 AM

Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building | Smithsonian Craft2Wear Show | Shop unique jewelry, purses, scarves and clothing from artisan vendors | 10 AM

National Museum of American History | Lowriding Family Festival | See lowrider cars and bikes, listen to live music, watch documentaries and join panel discussions | 10:30 AM

Constitution Avenue | Fiesta DC | Express Latino culture with ancestral fashions, Latin music, folk dance and parade | 11 AM

National Portrait Gallery | Fotos y Recuerdos Festival | Enjoy bilingual bingo, Selena-themed coloring, crown-making inspired by Frida Kahlo and Fernando Valenzuela book preview | 11:30 AM

Wheaton | Wheaton Arts Parade and Festival | Watch art parade and shop vendors | 10 AM

DAR Constitution Hall | Eckhart Tolle Lecture | Renowned author and inspirational speaker leads a lecture | 7 PM

Mosaic District | Mosaic Fall Festival | Buy autumn produce from Freshfarm vendors and shop handmade items and vintage products from URBNmarket | 11 AM

Friday

81 🌡 68 | 🌧️ 0% | 💨 5 mph

Saturday

73 🌡 65 | 🌧️ 70% | 💨 8 mph

Sunday

76 🌡 65 | 🌧️ 15% | 💨 5 mph

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Birchmere Music Hall | The Wallflowers | 7:30 PM

The Atlantis | The Backseat Lovers | 7:30 PM

EagleBank Arena | Los Tigres del Norte | 8 PM

Capital One Hall | Killer Queen | 8 PM

The Anthem - DC | Viagra Boys with Die Spitz | 8 PM

9:30 Club | Elbow | 8 PM

Warner Theatre - DC | Marisela | 8:30 PM

The Fillmore - Silver Spring | Boots 'n Beats | 9 PM

Echostage | Dillon Francis | 10 PM

Soundcheck | Calusso | 10 PM

Birchmere Music Hall | The Wallflowers | 7:30 PM

9:30 Club | The Stews | 8 PM

Warner Theatre - DC | The Revivalists with Nolan Taylor | 8 PM

The Vault at Capital One Hall | Chuck Brown | 8 PM

Jiffy Lube Live | Tyler Childers with SOMA and Medium Build | 8 PM

The Anthem - DC | David Byrne | 8 PM

The Fillmore - Silver Spring | Odetari | 8 PM

Echostage | Tchami with AC Slater | 10 PM

Soundcheck | NOTD | 10 PM

The Vault at Capital One Hall | Jesse Ruben | 6:30 PM

The Atlantis | The Jayhawks | 6:30 PM

9:30 Club | Max McNown | 7 PM

Warner Theatre - DC | Wardruna with Chelsea Wolfe | 7:30 PM

Capital One Arena | TOMORROW X TOGETHER | 7:30 PM

The Anthem - DC | David Byrne | 8 PM

The Fillmore - Silver Spring | Geoff Tate | 8 PM

The 2-1 Commanders travel to Mercedes-Benz Stadium Sunday at 1 PM to face the reeling 1-2 Falcons, who are coming off an embarrassing 30-0 shutout loss to Carolina while Washington cruised past Las Vegas 41-24 with backup QB Marcus Mariota filling in for the injured Jayden Daniels. Daniels' status remains uncertain with a knee injury, but Washington showed they can win without him as Mariota threw for 207 yards and rushed for 40 more against the Raiders, while Atlanta's struggling rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. threw two interceptions in his fourth consecutive loss when opponents score more than seven points. This marks the fifth straight year these teams have met, with Washington holding an 18-10-1 all-time advantage and looking to start 3-1 for the first time in consecutive seasons since 2007-08. The game airs on FOX5 locally at 1 PM, with plenty of DC sports bars ready for the Sunday crowd including The Prospect, Walters, and Mission Navy Yard.

Till next time,