🌸 The best Fall town in the US

Good morning, DC. On this day 238 years ago, the U.S. Constitution was signed by members of the Constitutional Convention, establishing the framework that would create the District as the nation's capital. Today marks Constitution Day, with the National Archives displaying all pages of the founding document through October 1st for the first time in history.

In today’s District Download:

Let’s get to it.

DC's restaurants and bars are going full autumn mode this September, transforming into seasonal playgrounds where pumpkin spice cocktails share menu space with unexpected treats like boozy sundae bars and "Thaitalian" fusion nights. From Maison Bar à Vin's Parisian-inspired fall menu in Adams Morgan to coffee shops crafting house-made apple butter syrups, the city's pop-up scene is serving nostalgia with a twist this season. Industry insiders note that these limited-time experiences create urgency while letting chefs test concepts before committing to permanent menus, explaining why spots like Hill East Burger host everything from Palestinian-inspired burgers to cake-and-cocktail afternoons. The trend reflects DC's growing appetite for culinary adventure, where diners chase chef collabs and themed nights with the same enthusiasm they once reserved for Restaurant Week reservations. Most pop-ups run through October, with many requiring advance bookings or Instagram stalking to catch announcements, so spontaneous dining is officially on fall break.

DC residents can test-drive the European wellness craze coming to Anacostia next month when Bathe-ing DC transforms Sandlot into a mobile sauna village October 18-19, complete with aufguss rituals (think towel-waving sauna theater), go-go movement classes, and six different saunas for hourlong sweat sessions. The free festival is organized by Therme Group, the Austrian company building a $500 million "wellness destination" at Poplar Point that promises thermal baths, waterslides, and dozens of saunas when it opens, though locals are still waiting on that 2026 environmental assessment before getting too excited. The sauna trend has been heating up across DC with spots like Pure Sweat + Float in Georgetown and the Korean-style King Spa in Chantilly, but this weekend festival brings the Nordic wellness movement directly to Southeast, historically left out of the city's self-care boom. Book your sauna slot on Eventbrite or try walk-ins, but bring your own swimsuit, robe, and two towels (one for sitting, one for drying), because apparently Americans still haven't figured out the whole communal bathhouse thing yet.

After closing their upscale Adams Morgan izakaya, James Beard Award-winning chef Darren Lee Norris and wife Candice just launched a fast-casual reboot of Shibuya in a former Roti space on Willard Avenue, bringing their scratch-made ramen broths and aged kimchis to the "Think Cava, but Japanese" model. The pivot reflects Norris's adaptation to DC's brutal restaurant economics (rising costs, Initiative 82, complex politics), joining a growing exodus of city spots expanding to Maryland suburbs where Salt Line, Chiko, and All-Purpose have already planted flags. After 40 years in fine dining, Norris is keeping the same quality but ditching the tablecloths for counter service, betting that diners care more about value than ambiance when their tonkotsu costs what a steak used to.

Six years after losing their Dupont Circle lease, Buffalo Billiards owners Geoff Dawson and Curt Large just dropped $4.5 million to buy the old Source Theatre building on 14th Street, betting on DC's nightlife future while others retreat to the suburbs. The new two-story, 8,000-square-foot space will resurrect the original mural and bronze bear statue alongside century-old Art Deco bar fixtures and restored 1950s pool tables when it opens spring 2026, though theater advocates who tried to save the Source lost out to nostalgia for a place that sold 10.8 million beers over 25 years. "Too often, D.C. gets painted with a negative brush," says Dawson, a DC native doubling down on his hometown with shuffleboard leagues and state-of-the-art sports screens while everyone else heads for the exits.

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

Downtown | NMWA Nights | Experience art installations on radical feminism after hours | 5:30 PM

National Mall | Films on the Green | Watch the French romance Amélie outdoors between the National Gallery and Air & Space Museum | 7:30 PM

George Washington University | Corcoran School Exhibitions | View four new exhibitions at the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design | 4 PM

Anacostia | Anacostia Community Museum 58th Birthday | Celebrate with a late-night museum party | 7 PM

Downtown | Immutable Documentary Screening | Watch a coming-of-age story about students from the Washington Urban Debate League at Planet Word | 7 PM

Wednesday

67 🌡 62 | 🌧️ 0% | 💨 12 mph

Thursday

80 🌡 65 | 🌧️ 20% | 💨 6 mph

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Jiffy Lube Live | Hozier with Gigi Perez | 7:30 PM

Birchmere Music Hall | The Hot Sardines | 7:30 PM

Lincoln Theatre | TV on the Radio with Lael Neale | 8 PM

The Anthem | Garbage | 8 PM

Kennedy Center Concert Hall | Stayin' Alive - Tribute to The Bee Gees | 8 PM

The Atlantis | Isabella Lovestory | 6:30 PM

The Bullpen | Easton Corbin | 7 PM

Birchmere Music Hall | James McMurtry | 7:30 PM

The Wolf Trap | Ziggy Marley with Burning Spear | 8 PM

The Howard Theatre | Madison Ryann Ward | 8 PM

The Theater at MGM National Harbor | Maxwell with Yola | 8 PM

Soundcheck | Hoang | 10 PM

Maryland (3-0) continues rolling after crushing FCS opponent Towson 44-17 Saturday at home, setting up a tough Big Ten road test at Wisconsin this Saturday afternoon. Navy (3-0) kept their perfect start alive with a dominant 42-23 win at Tulsa Friday night, running wild with their signature triple-option attack before hosting Rice on September 27. Howard (1-1) bounced back from their season-opening loss to Rutgers by defeating Morehouse 38-20 at MetLife Stadium in the HBCU NYC Classic, while Georgetown (2-1) fell short in their Patriot League opener, losing 42-37 to Lafayette despite a late comeback attempt. The Hoyas hit the road Saturday to face Brown, hoping to regroup after letting their home opener slip away.Retry

Dmitri from Takoma Park - Sarah from Capitol Hill - Bianca from Rockville - Jamal from Arlington

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Till next time,