🌸 Residents take to the streets

Good morning, DC.

In today’s District Download:

Let’s get to it.

The District's Halloween scene offers more than just costume parties, with options ranging from Frankenstein's "cocktail lab" at Penn Quarter's Puttery (complete with neon drinks and fake eyeballs through November 7) to Alexandria's Nightmare on the Avenue pop-up serving tequila cocktails with black salt rims amid haunted carnival decor. Ghost tours provide the classic DC date experience, whether you're strolling Old Town Alexandria in colonial garb or hitting Georgetown's Exorcist steps while learning about the neighborhood's true crime past. Film options include Suns Cinema's spine-chilling classics series in Mount Pleasant with a cocktail bar for post-scare debriefing and free outdoor screenings of Ghostbusters at Union Market and The Addams Family at the UDC Amphitheater. For the literary-minded, Drunk Shakespeare Society is performing Drunk Dracula through November 9, while Blagden Alley's Calico hosts a free Late Harvest Festival on October 19 with pumpkin painting and hot cocktails, proving romance and Halloween aren't mutually exclusive.

Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to Pennsylvania Avenue on Saturday as part of a nationwide day of action against what organizers called the Trump administration's escalating abuses of power, with DC organizers estimating over 200,000 attendees near the Capitol building. The protest was part of more than 2,700 rallies held across all 50 states and even overseas, with organizers citing concerns over immigration raids, the ongoing government shutdown now in its 18th day, and what protesters view as attacks on constitutional rights. Speakers included Senator Adam Schiff and scientist Bill Nye, who told the crowd at the DC rally that "rather than abandoning a war against an elusive, perhaps sometimes imaginary foe, we are confronting the possible end of our republic." The peaceful demonstrations drew furloughed federal workers, union members, and residents from across the region, including one retired Michigan woman who drove to DC specifically to celebrate her 70th birthday at the protest. The crowds chanted "no kings" along Pennsylvania Avenue while Republicans in Congress labeled the nationwide protests "hate America rallies," highlighting the deep political divide over Trump's governance approach.

Penn Quarter's Rasika landed on Eater's "All-Time 38" list recognizing the most essential and influential restaurants in America over the past 20 years, with the publication crediting chef Vikram Sunderam and restaurateur Ashok Bajaj for redefining Indian dining in the United States since opening in 2005. The restaurant's now-iconic palak chaat, crispy spinach with yogurt and tamarind, became a cultural touchstone that helped pave the way for contemporary Indian cooking to gain national prominence, earning praise from critics including The Washington Post's Tom Sietsema who once called it "the restaurant I could eat in every day." The recognition places the Penn Quarter original and its 2012 West End sibling among celebrated establishments from New York to San Francisco that have shaped American dining trends over two decades.

Two new gardens outside CASA's headquarters in Langley Park are tackling a drainage crisis that's been sending runoff into residents' basements and sewers, with one rain garden designed to collect and absorb water from the building's roof while a community garden adds native plants and gathering spaces to a neighborhood lacking greenspace. The project, funded by a grant from Natural Forward including contributions from the Klingenstein Family Foundation, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and Chesapeake Bay Trust, will train members of CASA's Workers Co-op Without Borders in maintaining the gardens while providing garden kits for local residents. With volunteers installing picnic tables and children painting new log seats on Friday, CASA officials hope the success will inspire similar cleanups across the community, proving that sometimes the best recipe for healing is a generous helping of neighborhood support.

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

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center | DC Startup & Tech Week | DMV's largest entrepreneurship conference kicks off | 9 AM

Punch Bowl Social Ballston | Monday Funday Happy Hour | Happy hour specials and community gathering | 7 PM

Kennedy Center Concert Hall | National Symphony Orchestra | Baritone Matthias Goerne and pianist Daniil Trifonov | 7 PM

Metropolitan Park Arlington | Dog Costume Contest | Pet polaroids, portrait drawing, vendors, live DJ | 5 PM

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

Monday

65 🌡 46 | 🌧️ 0% | 💨 11 mph

Tuesday

72 🌡 45 | 🌧️ 0% | 💨 9 mph

The Atlantis | Bassvictim | 6:30 PM

Union Stage | Pouya | 7 PM

The Atlantis | Nourished By Time with Zsela | 6:30 PM

9:30 Club | Richy Mitch and The Coal Miners with Field Medic | 7 PM

Birchmere Music Hall | Squirrel Nut Zippers | 7:30 PM

The Anthem | DOECHII | 8 PM

The Fillmore Silver Spring | Lamp | 8 PM

Lincoln Theatre | Tommy Emmanuel | 8 PM

The Commanders fell 44-22 to the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, dropping to 3-4 and sliding to third place in the NFC East. Rookie QB Jayden Daniels left the game in the third quarter with a hamstring injury after already missing his top three receivers Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel, and Noah Brown, and backup Marcus Mariota threw a pick-six to Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland on his first possession. Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott threw three touchdown passes while CeeDee Lamb returned from injury with 110 yards on five catches, and kicker Brandon Aubrey made NFL history as the first kicker with five career field goals from at least 60 yards. The Commanders face a quick turnaround with a Monday night game at Kansas City next week, with coach Dan Quinn emphasizing that injuries aren't an excuse for the team's struggles.

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Till next time,