Those who have taken my Wives Who Won the Cold War tour have heard me talk about how the women of the era exerted power through their roles as masterful organizers of cocktail hours and dinners. The term “hostess” had a somewhat diminutive, sexist overtone that makes it sound like all they did was throw parties. Even back in the 1950s and 60s, Evangeline Bruce, wife of Ambassador David Bruce, hated the word and never liked that the magazines and articles written about her re

If you follow my page on Facebook, you have noticed that I was recently in New Orleans for an all-too-short visit. This was the fourth time that I’ve gone to “The Big Easy,” and every time I fall more in love with it. Something about the wrought iron filigree that adorns the patios and balconies of the buildings, the smell of jasmine on nearly every street, and, of course, the music. New Orleans is also the birthplace of jazz, and it’s still one of the best things to experien

I am so very shamefully behind on my blog writing this month, and it's doubly shameful because it's Women's History Month, when I should be inspired! All I can say for myself is that it has been busier now that the weather is improving, and so most of my extra energy has gone towards the actual business of tour guiding. This leaves me with less energy for blogging. That's my only excuse: business is getting better. However, I cannot let Women's History Month end without a sto

In honor of the International Women's Day, I want to devote a post to some of the incredible women who have impacted my life personally. I want to caveat that this is just a limited selection, but the complete list is quite long. I've been very privileged for many reasons, and one of those is living in a city that attracts a multitude of intelligent, driven, and passionate women. Even beyond my life in DC, I've been lucky enough to meet women who have inspired me to strive fo

Yesterday, February 27th, marked the birthday of Patrick Francis Healy, the first, and thus far the only, Black President of Georgetown University. Although he passed for white, he was in fact the son of an Irish immigrant who owned slaves and married one of them. It took Georgetown University more than sixty years after Healy’s death to recognize his heritage. Patrick Francis Healy was officially born a slave on a cotton plantation in Macon, Georgia, on February 27, 1834. Hi

This blog post is just a small snapshot into my Historic Alleyways tour, the last of the first four Off the Mall Tours that I developed. The idea came from a friend, and once they suggested it, it just seemed obvious that the alleyways would be a phenomenal subject for a walking tour. They are a key feature of historic DC, and they played an enormous role in its development as the "Chocolate City." They were places where escaped slaves could arrive and thrive, or at least sur

On the corner of S and 15th Street is a pretty grey-and-white house that once belonged to the woman who was responsible for one of the most active intellectual “salons” in the black community in the 1920s, at the height of the Harlem Renaissance. This is the house of Georgia Douglas Johnson, also known as “Halfway House” because, as she said, “I’m half between everyone and everything, and I bring them all together.” She was a wife and mother of two, but she also was a prolif

Navy Yard is one of those neighborhoods in DC that is essentially 90% unrecognizable from even just ten years ago. The modern multi-story glass buildings that now adorn almost every block between M St SE and the Navy Yard Waterfront started springing up as soon as the National Stadium was completed in 2008. For a few decades before that, the neighborhood had been more known for its red light district and rave clubs (RIP Nation). Now you can find a Vida Fitness (a very upscale

Oh the 80s, a decade that defined a generation who spent it separating themselves from its Baby Boomer parents; a decade that saw the final sudden end of the Cold War; and a decade that had innovative, rebellious new styles of music. Two forms of music emerged in DC during this era. One was Go Go, a funky sound birthed by local DC musician Chuck Brown that has elements of Caribbean, funk, and reggae, and has become inseparable in from the city. The other is Punk. Though Punk

If you’ve been to any major city in Europe you may have come across the old central markets, many that are still in use today. Typically indoor/outdoor structures, large and airy, with a variety of vendors, some date back centuries. I LOVE visiting these markets! They hold so much history and so many delicious things. A couple of my favorites are Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid and the Central Market Hall in Budapest. Since the dawn of the “supermarket” and major commercial c

These days it's not too hard to find a drag show in the District. There is Perry's in Adams Morgan, one of the most well known drag brunches around, and where I spent the morning of my 40th birthday while very hung over. Nellie's is a perennial U Street Favorite, with drag brunch and bingo. And dare I forget Freddy's Beach Bar across the river in Crystal City, VA. That place was the site of many a girls' Sunday morning out, with the most gloriously kitschy decorations you cou

Something I love about DC is that no matter how long I live here, there always seems to be something new to discover. Sometimes it's the background of an obscure statue, or a small church. Or, the subject of this post: the story of what could have been an amazing feature of the city who's chance was wasted because of poor planning. For those not familiar with this particular piece of DC lore, I'd like to inform you that there used to be a canal in DC. Most people in the regio

Reflecting on this year, strange and challenging as it may have been, I still feel a sense of gratitude this Thanksgiving. At the beginning of the year I was full of optimism, in particular in regards to Off the Mall Tours. I had so many plans and a laundry list of things to do, but I was certain that I would see it through. I had two tours written and tested, the Madams of DC tour and the Ladies of the Georgetown Set Tour. I was working on a marketing plan. I was writing my

At the intersection of 7th and T Street NW currently stands a school, a bank, a CVS and a Chinese restaurant. In the summer of 1919, dubbed the "Red Summer" by civil right activist James Wheldon Johnson, that intersection was one of the flashpoints where DC's black community took a stand against an angry mob who were on a rampage after an alleged assault on a white woman by two black men. The event was the catalyst for violence after months of tension following the end of WWI