🌸 Get the bike out of storage for this local ride

Good morning, DC. It’s Wednesday, which means it’s a good time to start thinking about visiting that new restaurant you’ve wanted to try, before the week is over.

In today’s District Download:

Let’s get to it.

Arlington's cutest critters just pulled off the fundraising feat of the summer—the Animal Welfare League of Arlington and The Board Room Game Bar raised over $53,000 through June's Rescue Brew Contest, where 180 pets competed for crowler immortality. Winners include Jack Jack (a 90-pound Great Pyrenees lap-dog wannabe), Bambi the senior cat, Cilantro the guinea pig influencer, and rock-stealing golden retriever Popcorn, whose adorable mugs will grace limited-edition New Zealand IPA labels. The $1-per-vote contest smashed its $50K goal with over 1,000 participants proving Arlington folks will absolutely pay to declare their pet superior. Catch the winners' label reveal party August 14 at The Board Room (dog-friendly, naturally), where crowlers run $8—because nothing says "I love my community" quite like drinking beer with your rescue pet's arch-nemesis on the can.

The DC Public Library's Punk Archive is bringing the noise back to the MLK Jr. Memorial Library rooftop with free shows on August 13 (featuring Erasergirl, Heaven Forbid, and Home Remedies) and September 4 (The Goons, Tosser, and Keep Your Secrets). Now in its 11th season, these all-ages concerts run 6-8:30 PM and celebrate DC's underground music scene that's been rattling the establishment since 1976—from Bad Brains to Bikini Kill. The archive, founded in 2014, doesn't just preserve flyers and recordings; it keeps the DIY spirit alive with shows that invest in the next generation of DC punk musicians. Rain or shine (they'll move to the 5th floor if it pours), it's your chance to headbang where you usually whisper—proving libraries can shush you and rock your face off in the same building.

Diosa just transformed the old Sotto jazz club basement into a 200-person Latin cocktail lounge that's part music venue, part mezcal shrine, with 20 varieties of the smoky spirit and bottle service ranging from $80 cava to $650 Don Julio. The MXDC sister spot pairs empanadas and (surprisingly) sushi with Thursday dance classes, Friday Latin DJs, and a pink-lit mural of a golden warrior goddess that screams "feminine power." Open Thursday-Sunday with cocktails topping out at a reasonable $16, it's bringing serious Miami-meets-Mexico City energy to the 14th Street corridor—just don't expect many seats when the dance floor heats up.

Aura Indian Food Paradise in Ashburn is making waves with its chandelier-lit dining room where a wobbly robot server delivers dishes from the 150+ item menu alongside human staff, creating dinner theater with your Desi poutine and crispy anchovies 65. The massive 7,800-square-foot space (former V Eatery) combines a casual bakery-cafe with pan-Indian fine dining, plus fusion creations like fries drowning in creamy sauce and cheese that prove Indian comfort food transcends borders. Owner Viswanath Vasireddy (who also runs Inchin's Bamboo Garden) opened in May with ambitions to be a culinary emporium for any occasion—from grabbing the area's best Indian layer cakes to lingering over Indo-Chinese specialties in private dining rooms.

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

Spread a blanket on the Carnegie Library Lawn (801 K St NW) for a summer‑evening screening of Disney’s new Mufasa: The Lion King (2024). The family‑friendly evening runs 6‑10 p.m., with movie snacks, a DJ, raffle giveaways and community resources; the film starts around 8 p.m. and admission is free.

This community ride departs Dupont Circle at 7:30 p.m. for a six‑mile loop through the city, ending at Lamont Plaza. Organized by Free DC, the ride highlights civic engagement; riders can grab drinks or food along Mt. Pleasant Street after cycling and learn how to support D.C. statehood.

Kids aged ~18 months to 7 years can enjoy a storybook reading program followed by hands‑on art activities that explore the legacy of Black arts education in Washington. The free one‑hour session runs 10:15–11:15 a.m. at the Anacostia Community Museum (1901 Fort Place SE).

Planet Word’s living language lab invites visitors to participate in real research: play a survival‑themed “Word Island” game, wear a brain‑monitoring headband while listening to stories, test your skills with imperfect AI translation and learn how context clues shape conversations. The drop‑in program (10 a.m.–4:30 p.m., free with museum admission) is run by researchers from the University of Maryland, Gallaudet University and Howard University.

At the National Housing Center (1201 15th St NW), this independently organized TEDx event features nine speakers selected from more than 570 applicants. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., they’ll share stories of bravery and resilience under the theme “Rethink Courage”; the event is open to the public with tickets available

89 🌡 74 | 🌧️ 50% | 💨 6 mph

88 🌡 74 | 🌧️ 20% | 💨 7 mph

The Atlantis | Ocean Sleeper with GARZI | 6 PM

Jiffy Lube Live | Toto, Christopher Cross & Men At Work | 6:45 PM

9:30 Club | Spike and the Gimme Gimmes | 7 PM

Capital One Hall | Toad the Wet Sprocket with Sixpence None The Richer | 7 PM

The Miracle Theatre | Santiago Cruz | 8 PM

Soundcheck | Codd Dubz | 10 PM

The Atlantis | Hotline TNT | 6:30 PM

9:30 Club | The Fleshtones | 7 PM

The Vault at Capital One Hall | Road to the Ramble Festival | 8 PM

Washington’s baseball week got off to a rough start: on Monday the Nationals lost 7–4 in Kansas City after the Royals' Salvador Pérez and Kyle Isbel smashed sixth‑inning two‑run homers to overturn a 4–2 Washington lead; earlier, Josh Bell’s 15th homer and Paul DeJong’s two‑run shot had put the Nats up. The clubs met again Tuesday, but by the fifth inning the Nats trailed 4–1 as Kansas City’s Vinnie Pasquantino had already blasted a three‑run homer and Washington’s only run came on a Luis García Jr. triple. There was better news for the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, who rallied from a double‑digit halftime deficit on Sunday to beat the Dallas Wings 91–78 behind rookie Kiki Iriafen’s 23‑point, 10‑rebound double‑double and Sonia Citron’s third‑quarter spark. On the gridiron, the NFL’s Washington Commanders staged a Burgundy‑vs‑Gold intrasquad scrimmage Tuesday in which quarterback Sam Hartman led the Gold team to two scoring drives and the defense sacked Jayden Daniels three times.

Did You Know? There’s no J Street in DC—18th-century planners treated I and J as the same letter, so the grid jumps straight from I to K.

Till next time,