🌸 New business coming to Friendship Heights

Good morning, DC. Happy Wednesday, let’s see what’s happening around the city.

In today’s District Download:

Let’s get to it.

The Residences at Mazza is filling its street-level retail spaces with an ambitious lineup that includes Total Wine & More opening this fall (the company's 15th District location) and Wonder, a "mealtime platform" arriving next year that reimagines the food hall concept. Unlike traditional food halls with separate vendor stalls, Wonder operates a single kitchen that prepares dishes from an array of restaurants and celebrity chefs, including Bobby Flay and Bethesda's own José Andrés, allowing diners to order from multiple concepts for delivery, pickup, or dining in. The timing is notable given that The Heights food hall in nearby Chevy Chase shuttered in late August after less than two years, suggesting the DMV's appetite for communal dining spaces remains selective. The mixed-use building at 5300 Wisconsin Avenue represents a complete transformation of the former Mazza Gallerie, which spent decades as a retail and dining destination before its two-year redevelopment that wrapped up earlier this year. An unnamed fast-casual salad chain will also join the tenant mix next year, continuing the trend of Friendship Heights positioning itself as a serious dining destination rather than just a Metro stop between Bethesda and Tenleytown.

DC's dogs are getting the full costume contest circuit this month, with 13 events across the DMV ranging from Wednesday's Howl-O-Ween Bar(k) Crawl at The Yards (where Emmy Squared and La Famosa open their patios for bandanas and specialty cocktails) to the Fairmont Georgetown's 14th annual bash on October 30. The lineup includes everything from baby alpacas at PumpkinPalooza in Northeast to LGBTQIA+ vendor markets at Atlas Brew Works in Alexandria, proving that dog Halloween has evolved far beyond a simple pumpkin bandana. Old Town Alexandria's Doggy Trick or Treat on October 26 lets dogs hit 45 King Street shops for treats between noon and 4 PM, while Lincoln Park's Howl to the Chief competition features categories like "best pet and owner look-alike" and "scariest" for those willing to commit to matching ensembles. Most events are free, though costume contest categories lean heavily toward creativity over terror, suggesting DC dogs prefer whimsical over frightening. Your move is picking which neighborhood's celebration matches your dog's personality, whether that's Navy Yard's patio scene or Capitol Hill's more formal competition structure.

Over 50 new dispensaries have opened across all eight wards in the past year, transforming DC's medical marijuana landscape from a sparse network into a neighborhood-by-neighborhood operation that's now testing whether the District can actually support this many cannabis retailers. The rapid expansion follows the city's March 31 deadline requiring unlicensed "gifting economy" shops to either get proper medical dispensary licenses or shut down, effectively converting what was once a semi-regulated gray market into a crowded licensed marketplace. Both industry newcomers and longtime operators are now wondering whether DC's patient base is large enough to sustain this many storefronts, or if the cannabis business is headed for the same consolidation wave that's hit other newly regulated markets.

Henceforth, a brewpub on H Street NE, is slashing its operating hours as the government shutdown drags into its third week, opening later and closing earlier due to what co-owner Mike Spinello describes as a "confluence of events" including federal workers uncertain about their jobs and backpay. The impact extends beyond just the shutdown itself, with Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo closed to tourists and what Spinello characterized as an increased federal law enforcement and ICE presence affecting the typical street activity that drives foot traffic. Other hospitality operators across the city are reporting similar downturns, with the usual September bounce back after summer doldrums never materializing this year.

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

Denizens Brewing Co. | Mother of All Comedy Shows | A lineup of women comics brings the laughs to Riverdale | 7 PM

The Yards | Howl-O-Ween Bark Crawl | Dogs and humans can try Halloween-themed treats and drinks at Navy Yard spots like Emmy Squared and La Famosa | 5:30 PM

The Phillips Collection | Artist Descending a Staircase | American University professor Aaron Posner directs a sold-out staged reading of Tom Stoppard's '70s play about three artists in a love triangle | 6:30 PM

Former Motel 6 | Union Market by Design: Room Service | An artsy interior design pop-up displaying works from several local creatives in transformed motel rooms | 5 PM

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Wednesday

71 🌡 49 | 🌧️ 0% | 💨 6 mph

Thursday

63 🌡 44 | 🌧️ 0% | 💨 11 mph

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The Atlantis | Ruston Kelly with Sam MacPherson | 6:30 PM

9:30 Club | Ravyn Lenae with KeiyaA | 7 PM

Birchmere Music Hall | Joshua Radin with Brendan James | 7:30 PM

The Anthem | The Psychedelic Furs with Gary Numan | 8 PM

Lincoln Theatre | Jessie Reyez | 8 PM

Warner Theatre | The Cult with Patriarchy | 8 PM

Soundcheck | Barely Alive | 10 PM

9:30 Club | The Oh Hellos | 6:30 PM

Birchmere Music Hall | Young Gun Silver Fox | 7:30 PM

Union Stage | Madi Diaz | 8 PM

The Theater at MGM National Harbor | StayC | 8 PM

Echostage | Disclosure | 9 PM

Soundcheck | Will Sparks | 10 PM

The Commanders dropped a devastating 25-24 decision to the Chicago Bears on Monday night after a botched handoff between Jayden Daniels and running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt with just over three minutes remaining set up Jake Moody's game-winning 38-yard field goal as time expired. Daniels threw for 211 yards and three touchdowns but also tossed his first interception of the season and lost that crucial fumble, while the Bears' D'Andre Swift dominated with 175 total yards, including a 55-yard touchdown catch that sparked Chicago's comeback from a 24-16 fourth-quarter deficit. The loss drops Washington to 3-3 and into a pattern of alternating wins and losses all season, squandering a golden opportunity to tie the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) atop the NFC East standings. The Commanders were without top receivers Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown due to injuries, and now face a critical divisional showdown at the Dallas Cowboys (2-3-1) next Sunday to stay in the thick of the playoff hunt.

Till next time,