🌸 The Botanic Garden Made a T-Rex Out of Plants

Good morning, DC. It's the second week of December, which means you're simultaneously behind on holiday shopping and ahead of schedule on sports-related disappointment.

In today’s District Download:

Let’s get to it.

The U.S. Botanic Garden's annual Season's Greenings display went prehistoric this year—and yes, that means a T-Rex made entirely of moss and bark. The "Dino-Mite!" exhibit features 11 life-sized dinosaur models crafted from plant materials: Triceratops, Velociraptor, Ankylosaurus, and more, surrounded by cycads and ferns that looked nearly identical 66 million years ago. It's the first themed outdoor exhibit since 2019, and it runs free through January 4. Extended evening hours (until 8pm) happen on select dates—December 9, 11, 16, 18, 23, and 30—with live music and seasonal food vendors. Two sensory-friendly sessions offer early access and quieter spaces for those who need them (December 20 evening and January 3 morning, registration required). If you need a free family outing on the Mall that doesn't involve waiting in line for a Smithsonian, the dinosaurs are waiting.

Step Afrika! is back at Arena Stage with their "Magical Musical Holiday Step Show," running through December 23. The 90-minute performance showcases stepping—bodies as percussion instruments, intricate footwork and clapping building into synchronized thunder. The tradition traces back to African American fraternities and sororities in the early 1900s, with deeper roots in South African Gumboot Dance, born in 1880s gold mines as resistance and communication. This company has carried that heritage since 1994, setting a Guinness World Record in February with 268 dancers at the National Building Museum. Standout performers this season include Ericka Still—described in reviews as "magnetic, oozing generosity and fierceness"—alongside Terrence Johnson and Conrad R. Kelly II. Fair warning: the show includes audience participation, so you might find yourself learning to step.

Café Unido, the Panamanian roaster treating coffee with wine-country reverence, is opening a third DC location at The Stacks in Buzzard Point next spring. The brand already runs a coffee-and-cocktail bar in Shaw (908 W St NW) and a café inside Union Market's La Cosecha—and sources directly from over 50 farms in Panama's Boquete and Volcán highlands, including producers of Geisha coffee—a variety so prized it sells for $100+ per pound at auction. You can get a solid drip for $4 or go full enthusiast with the $45 "coffee omakase," a guided tasting that pairs single-origin pours with cocktails and snacks.

Robb Report just released its list of America's 100 Greatest Restaurants of the 21st Century, and four DMV establishments made the cut. The Inn at Little Washington landed at #49 (still pilgrimage-worthy despite its recent demotion to two Michelin stars); Minibar by José Andrés at #73 (two stars, avant-garde tasting menus); Navy Yard's Albi at #89 (chef Michael Rafidi, 2024 James Beard Outstanding Chef); and Jônt at #98 (chef Ryan Ratino's 16-seat French-Japanese counter on 14th Street, two Michelin stars). The rankings came from 250 judges—chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers, and serious diners—evaluating influence, staying power, and peak quality. Chicago's Alinea took the top spot, but DC's four entries represent a city that spent the century building culinary credibility.

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

DowntownDC Holiday Market | Holiday Market | 115+ vendors on F Street, free entry near the Portrait Gallery | 12 PM

National Zoo | ZooLights | 1 million LED lights, glowing animal lanterns, hot cocoa and treats | 5 PM

Ronald Reagan Building | Winternational Embassy Showcase | 70+ embassies, global marketplace, food and crafts, free (registration required) | 11 AM

Woolly Mammoth Theatre | ho ho ho ha ha ha ha | Julia Masli solves your holiday problems via improv, different every night | 8 PM

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

Monday

32 🌡 19 | 🌧️ 10% | 💨 11 mph

Tuesday

35 🌡 10 | 🌧️ 10% | 💨 9 mph

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The Atlantis | Jay Som | 6:30 PM

Echostage | JID with Young Nudy | 7 PM

Birchmere Music Hall | Musiq Soulchild | 7:30 PM

The Fillmore Silver Spring | Raekwon and Mobb Deep | 8 PM

Capital One Hall | Allman Betts Family Revival | 8 PM

9:30 Club | The Beths with Phoebe Rings | 7 PM

The Theater at MGM National Harbor | 80's Live | 7:30 PM

Birchmere Music Hall | Musiq Soulchild | 7:30 PM

Eight straight losses. A 31-0 shutout. And Jayden Daniels back in the injury tent. The Commanders' Sunday in Minnesota was a disaster on every level—Daniels, playing his first game since dislocating his left elbow in Week 9, re-injured that same elbow after getting shoved to the ground while chasing down his own interception in the third quarter. He didn't return, Marcus Mariota finished the game (2-of-4, 30 yards, another pick), and J.J. McCarthy carved up the defense with three touchdown passes. Washington falls to 3-10 and heads to the Giants next Sunday—at this point, they're just trying to avoid setting franchise records for futility.

Till next time,