No July 4 picnics on the Mall

First Up

The Trump administration has promised a record-breaking fireworks display in the skies above Washington on July 4. But do they want anyone around to see it on the ground below?

A NOTUS story about the security arrangements suggests the answer may be no. Visitors should prepare to show ID and pass metal detectors, and forget about bringing backpacks or coolers. D.C.’s semiquincentennial has been declared a National Special Security Event.

Familiar perches will also be inaccessible. The Reflecting Pool — once a spot to picnic ahead of the fireworks — will be off-limits, along with the entire stretch of Mall between 14th Street and the Lincoln Memorial. It’s now one of the spots where the 860,000 fireworks will launch.

People looking to watch from further away may also have trouble. Large chunks of the Potomac will be off-limits during the extravaganza, foiling kayakers who once enjoyed the unobstructed view from the water. Ditto the trail along the Anacostia, which was closed as of yesterday.

There was once something delightfully low-fi, and very American, about the Mall on July 4. Crowds of cooler-toting families — like mine — jockeyed for a place to picnic, then ran for cover when the inevitable thunderstorm started. It was easy. The changes didn’t all happen this year, but clearly, it’s not so easy anymore.

For all the talk about politics, and all the liberal ire about Trump’s supposed hijacking of the holiday, this may be what really keeps the D.C. crowds away: the hassle.

What D.C.'s Talking About

Council OKs Budget. Will CFO? The D.C. Council unanimously approved a more than $21 billion budget yesterday, restoring some of the social services cuts that Mayor Muriel Bowser had proposed, City Cast’s Ben Brasch reports. That sets up two potential battles: One with Bowser, who has warned against adding back spending, and another with city Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee, who must certify that the city’s spending is balanced. In a letter this week, Lee warned against using rainy-day funds to undo Bowser’s cuts. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson responded with a letter of his own, saying doesn’t believe Lee has the authority to stop him. Look for all this to be hashed out soon, possibly behind closed doors, and possibly in a courtroom or a Congressional hearing room.

Independents’ Day. The Council also voted yesterday to let independents vote in party primaries, City Cast’s Emma Uber reports. Voters approved the change by referendum last year, but lawmakers declined to fund it — an irony that came up frequently during the mayoral campaign, since some Kenyan McDuffie supporters thought independents could help him win. In the end, Janeese Lewis George’s margin of victory was big enough that it probably didn’t matter. Lewis George was one of the nine lawmakers who voted for the measure, flipping her vote from last time.

Beltway Bandits Diversify. Trend alert: Washington Business Journal reports that federal contractors — a major sector of the DMV economy — are scrambling to diversify their businesses amidst Trump-era federal cutbacks that led to massive layoffs in the industry. So far, the pivot seems to involve more marketing than actual new money. “They are redesigning websites to highlight services applicable beyond federal agencies, pursuing certifications required to compete for state and local contracts and building new partnerships to break into commercial markets,” the story says.

JLG on Trump. In a New York Times interview, Lewis George played both nice guy and tough guy about how she’ll handle Trump. The nice guy: flattering to his background as a builder. “I absolutely plan on appealing to the president on some of the great work we could do around Union Station and Southwest,” she said. The tough guy: getting her union allies to pressure anti-D.C. members of Congress back in their home districts.

NIMBY Suit Dismissed. D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb announced that a lawsuit to stop a mixed-income, multi-unit project on Upper Connecticut Avenue had been dismissed, Urban Turf reports. The project, in Chevy Chase, has drawn fire from some neighbors who don’t want the bucolic stretch of Northwest to get more urban density. “We’re fighting for more homes to drive down costs for everyone in DC,” Schwalb said on social media.

Data Center Disclosures. As Northern Virginia’s data centers have become a political target, Washington Post editorials have energetically joined in their defense. The refrains dovetail with the new free-market-absolutist posture of Jeff Bezos’ publication. What’s missing? According to a Washingtonian piece by former Post media writer Paul Farhi, the editorials keep neglecting to mention that the newspaper’s owner chairs one of the world’s top data-center operators.

What about Bub? The downtown D.C. sandwich staple Bub and Pop’s, which had been among the local eateries listed as participating in the Great American State Fair, says it will do no such thing. Owner Jon Taub tells Axios’ Anna Spiegel that he never agreed to participate. He said he thought he was joining a different semiquincentennial event sponsored by the local restaurant industry. When he realized the confusion a few weeks ago, he called the State Fair’s organizing group to pull out. Nonetheless, he wound up on the promotional material.

Finally: Cars Cause Mosquitos? A Greater Greater Washington piece blames automobiles — and, specifically, underground parking garages — for earlier and earlier arrivals of mosquitoes in the District. Before you dismiss this as just another anti-car broadside from the urbanist website, consider the source: A 2021 article from the Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association where a pair of University of Maryland entomologists specifically studied below-ground parking in D.C.

Did someone forward you this email? To subscribe, visit https://dc.citycast.fm/newsletter

First Look: The Museum of Exploration

The new National Geographic Museum opens Friday. But City Cast’s woman about town, Kaela Cote-Stemmermann, got an early look. Her verdict: Go!

Some excerpts from Kaela’s review, which you can read here.

Like many Washingtonians, I have vivid memories of the old National Geographic Museum: a small, dark maze of rooms with rotating exhibits and old artifacts that never seemed worth the $20 ticket price. But folks, we’re not in Kansas anymore. The renovations have rendered the museum unrecognizable. The bright and open space inspires rather than depresses. Soon I found myself investigating niche bugs and maps I would otherwise pass by…

This is a museum built for the modern era; technology is woven into its DNA. The entire front of the entrance hall is made of smart glass which can be used as a screen, displaying projections both inside and out. This is used nightly to display a “Wonders of Our World: Oceans” exhibit in the museum's courtyard…

The museum is doable in one afternoon. I’d recommend 2-3 hours to wander around the museum. Then reward yourself with some food or cocktails from the museum's “Explorers Eatery,” which has five stalls dedicated to different cruises around the world.

What To Do