🌸 The October guide is here

Good morning, DC. On this day 37 years ago, Union Station was rededicated after a $160 million restoration, transforming the deteriorating train terminal into the vibrant shopping and transportation hub we know today. The grand Beaux-Arts building had fallen into such disrepair that a roof collapse in 1981 nearly doomed it to demolition.

In today’s District Download:

Let’s get to it.

October arrives Wednesday with 57 ways to keep you busy, from Chris Brown's three-night stadium takeover at Nationals Park to wiener dogs racing at The Wharf's Oktoberfest. The month kicks off with polka lessons and stein-hoisting competitions on Saturday at The Wharf, where dachshunds will sprint for glory while their owners nurse Sam Adams in dirndls. Washingtonian's culture guide spans everything from Jane Goodall's lecture at Lisner Auditorium to the National Archives' reopening with Washington's original copy of the Constitution. Between the spooky Capitol Hill cemetery tours and Hispanic Heritage celebrations stretching through mid-month, this October feels less like fall settling in and more like summer's last hurrah with better weather. Tickets range from free community festivals to $151 for Chris Brown's Breezy Bowl XX shows (October 5, 8, and 9), though finding parking at any of these events might be the real Halloween horror story.

Fall's music festival lineup reads like DC couldn't pick a lane and decided to throw everything at October instead. This Saturday, the Home Rule Music Festival transforms Alethia Tanner Park into a free, eight-hour celebration of go-go with Junkyard Band headlining the city's homegrown sound that somehow survived gentrification. The following weekend brings two wildly different crowds: comedy fans drop $47+ to watch Jay Pharaoh and Sommore at The Wharf's Because They're Funny festival while beer nerds pay $75 to sample 450 craft brews at Snallygaster on Pennsylvania Avenue. Between the West African rhythms at Home Rule and the comedy showcases highlighting BIPOC talent, this October feels less like a music lineup and more like the city asserting its cultural credentials before everyone hibernates for winter.

DC's French brunch scene is having a moment, with nine spots now competing for your weekend euros, including the July-opened Brasserie Royale in Sterling where lobster omelets and house-made sticky buns join the suburban French revolution. Georgetown leads the charge with five options ranging from Apéro's champagne-and-caviar morning service to La Bonne Vache's cozy no-reservation space that replaced the old Booeymonger, while Le Diplomate remains the 14th Street standard-bearer opening at 9:30 AM for those who can't wait for their steak frites. Between Lutèce's brioche doughnuts with huckleberry jam and Pastis bringing Meatpacking energy to Union Market, the biggest challenge isn't finding French brunch but deciding whether you want your morning carbs in croissant, crepe, or croque madame form.

Resy just dropped its annual list of America's 100 favorite restaurants and DC landed three spots, with Georgetown's Lutèce claiming the #3 position for what the platform calls "the quintessence of the neobistro" with duck hearts and gnocchi that apparently justify the cramped storefront. H Street's Tapori secured #7 for bringing Mumbai street culture to DC with bison momos and frozen jackfruit cocktails from the team behind Daru, while U Street's St. James rounded out the local winners at #31 with its Trinidadian jerk wings and rum-heavy bar program. The list notably only includes restaurants on the Resy platform, but two top-10 finishes suggest DC's dining scene is punching well above its weight class against cities with triple the restaurant count.

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

National Archives | Full U.S. Constitution Display | View all 27 amendments plus the rare "fifth page" for the first time in history | 10 AM

International Spy Museum | OSINT Digital Exhibition & Collection | Explore spy tradecraft and the first Open Source intelligence war in new permanent exhibits | 10 AM

Politics & Prose | Tom Johnson Book Talk with Judy Woodruff | Former LBJ Press Secretary discusses "Driven: A Life in Public Service and Journalism" | 7 PM

National Harbor Plaza | Just Dance Fitness Class | Free energetic cardio dance class combining global movement styles with Onelife Fitness | 7 PM

Monday

79 🌡 66 | 🌧️ 0% | 💨 4 mph

Tuesday

77 🌡 61 | 🌧️ 20% | 💨 5 mph

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The Atlantis | Peach PRC with Madelline | 6:30 PM

9:30 Club | Bad Suns | 7 PM

The Anthem | Iggy Pop | 8 PM

Warner Theatre | Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Charlie Sexton | 8 PM

The Fillmore - Silver Spring | Jeremy Zucker with Sydney Ross Mitchell | 8 PM

EagleBank Arena | P1Harmony | 8 PM

The Atlantis | Aidan Bissett | 6:30 PM

9:30 Club | Natasha Bedingfield with Leanna Firestone | 7 PM

The Theater at MGM National Harbor | Raphael Saadiq | 8 PM

The Howard Theatre | Jesse McCartney | 8 PM

The Fillmore - Silver Spring | NxWorries | 8 PM

The Anthem | Addison Rae | 8 PM

Echostage | Lil Tecca | 8 PM

The Commanders fell to the Falcons 34-27 in Atlanta yesterday, dropping to 2-2 on the season despite a valiant effort from backup QB Marcus Mariota filling in for the injured Jayden Daniels. Mariota kept things competitive, connecting with Luke McCaffrey for a touchdown, but couldn't overcome Drake London's dominant 110-yard receiving performance for Atlanta. The loss leaves Washington looking up at the undefeated Eagles in the NFC East standings, making next Sunday's road matchup at the Los Angeles Chargers even more critical. With Daniels expected to return from his knee injury for the West Coast trip, the Commanders will need to rebound quickly to keep pace in what's shaping up to be a brutal divisional race.

Till next time,