🌸 Spirit Lose Championship + Korean BBQ to 14th St

Good morning, DC. Thanksgiving is 72 hours away, and according to the forecast, you'll spend Wednesday convincing yourself that 38 degrees and drizzle builds character while you wait for that carryout order.

In today’s District Download:

Let’s get to it.

Washington, DC finalized adoptions for multiple families during National Adoption Day celebrations on Saturday, November 22. The citywide event brings together courts, attorneys, child welfare professionals, and adoptive families on the Saturday before Thanksgiving—timing that lets new families spend their first Thanksgiving together as legal relatives. The celebrations mark permanent placements for children who've been in DC's foster care system, with judges finalizing adoptions during special weekend sessions. Courts across the city participated in the annual tradition, which started as a way to expedite adoptions and shine light on the thousands of kids waiting for permanent homes. The collective court sessions turn what's typically bureaucratic paperwork into a community celebration, with families walking out with finalized documents and a reason to mark the date every year.

Emmy winner Jane Lynch brings "A Swingin' Little Christmas" back to Strathmore Music Center in Bethesda this season, singing holiday standards with a jazz band and the deadpan humor that made Sue Sylvester a cultural icon. The cabaret-style show has become a touring production since Lynch developed it, mixing classics with commentary between songs. This marks a return engagement at Strathmore after previous sold-out performances. Lynch's career spans from Christopher Guest mockumentaries to "Glee" to hosting game shows, but the holiday cabaret lets her combine all those skills into one evening of singing and commentary. The show runs through the holiday season—check the Strathmore box office for dates and tickets before Lynch's fan base claims every seat.

Refer the most new subscribers this month and score a $200 gift card to DC's most iconic French bistro—your referral link is below. We’ll count all verified, unique signups from now through November 30.

Ingle Korean Steakhouse is hiring staff and hanging signage at 1926 14th Street NW ahead of its opening in the next few weeks. The restaurant will offer both prix-fixe and a la carte options built around Korean grilling culture, with oysters, mussels, and noodle dishes filling out the menu beyond the tabletop grills. The space joins a 14th Street dining corridor that's already packed with concepts competing for weekend reservations. No exact opening date yet, but active hiring signals the restaurant is close to service.

Plant-based Vietnamese restaurant Vegetarian Paradise Chay is expanding with a second DMV location, growing beyond its original spot on the strength of meat-free versions of traditional Vietnamese dishes. The restaurant uses plant-based proteins to recreate pho, banh mi, and other classics for the city's vegetarian and vegan crowd—a demographic that keeps growing in DC. Specific location details for the second restaurant haven't been announced yet, but the expansion shows how DC's plant-based dining options continue to move from niche to neighborhood staple.

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

Ford's Theatre | A Christmas Carol | Craig Wallace returns as Scrooge in opening week of Victorian musical tradition | 7 PM

F Street NW | DowntownDC Holiday Market | Open-air market with local vendors and seasonal goods through December 23 | 12 PM

Kennedy Center | Shamrock Tenors: Christmas in Belfast | Irish holiday concert featuring Christmas classics | 8 PM

RFK Campus | RFK Farmers & Flea Market | Weekly farmers market with local vendors and artisans | 7 AM

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

Monday

56 🌡 39 | 🌧️ 10% | 💨 4 mph

Tuesday

56 🌡 41 | 🌧️ 70% | 💨 7 mph

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The Fillmore - Silver Spring | Blind Guardian with Ensiferum | 7:30 PM

The Anthem | KATSEYE: The Beautiful Chaos Tour | 8 PM

The Howard Theatre | Vedo | 8 PM

Union Stage | Hurricane Wisdom | 8 PM

Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater | Shamrock Tenors | 8 PM

The Washington Spirit's championship quest ended Saturday night with a 1-0 loss to Gotham FC at PayPal Park in San Jose—the second consecutive finals defeat for a team that keeps reaching the title game but can't finish. Rose Lavelle scored the only goal in the second half, giving Gotham its first NWSL championship and capping an unlikely playoff run that saw the No. 8 seed knock off defending champion Orlando and top-seeded Kansas City before Saturday's final. The Spirit (12-8-6) dominated possession and created chances throughout but couldn't break through Gotham's defensive setup. This marks DC's fourth championship appearance in franchise history and raises the question of what it takes to actually win one. The Spirit had sold out Audi Field for their semifinal win over Portland two weeks earlier, showing DC's appetite for women's soccer remains strong even when trophies stay out of reach.

Till next time,