Mayor and Council meets in Twinbrook
For the first time in a very long time (John Tyner can perhaps assign a precise date), the Mayor and Council held one of their regular meetings at the Twinbrook Recreation Center since, as Mayor Marcuccio stated, “you can’t come to see us, so we’re coming to see you.” It was a regular meeting, so no agenda items were Twinbrook-focused, but half of the people who spoke at Citizen’s Forum were from Twinbrook and raised the following concerns: Continue reading →
Great Places to Take a Date in Rockville?
With Valentine’s Day coming up, Washingtonian magazine has just listed the 158 great places for a date but Rockville barely gets a mention. The only places that made the grade are:
- Mayorga Coffee Roasters (801 Pleasant Drive in King Farm)
- Spice Crossing (100-B Gibbs Street in Town Square)
- Music Center at Strathmore (okay, that’s really not in Rockville, but I’m grasping)
Really? Really? Are there no other great places to get a drink, listen to music, see a show, go dancing, have fun, enjoy a meal, do something different, or even pop The Question in Rockville? Here are my suggestions:
- Lots of romantic restaurants in town, including La Tasca or Cava (fun to share small dishes of food)
- Take a stroll along Rock Creek (trailhead at Linthicum Street and Marcia Lane in Twinbrook)
- Go rock climbing on the indoor wall at the Civic Center Park.
Any other suggestions to help out the romance-impaired?
Council Retreat Uninspiring
Rockville City Council Retreat at Glenview Mansion, January 2010.
The Rockville Mayor and Council held a retreat this past weekend to establish a vision for the city and along with goals for the near future. Friday evening and all day Saturday, the entire City Council along with the City Manager, City Attorney, and City Clerk worked with a professional facilitator to complete a SWOT analysis, review and adjust the existing vision, and determine priorities. Gajewski videorecorded the retreat and a handful of observers attended. I sat in for about an hour and despite the opportunity to consider Rockville’s future in the beautiful setting provided by Glenview Mansion, I left uninspired.
During the portion of the meeting I observed, the Mayor and Council went through four of the seven elements of the Vision: Quality Built Environment, Distinct Neighborhoods, Business Friendly, and Exceptional City Services and Amenities. For each topic, the group was expected to brainstorm and list their goals–everything the City is currently doing or should be doing to achieve that vision. Given the short time available, I expected a rush of ideas. Instead, they were Continue reading →
Three of the Very Best Restaurants are (mostly) in Rockville
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| Rockville’s Spice Xing |
The January 2010 issue of Washingtonian magazine lists a couple restaurants in Rockville among the “100 Very Best” in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. They are part of an exclusive club that includes Komi (#1), the Inn at Little Washington (#11), and 2 Amys (#28). We’re delighted that the restaurants in Rockville are being recognized and that a few of them are meeting an extraordinarily high standard for quality. Here are the gems in our fair city:
45. Cava, 9713 Traville Gateway Drive (west of Fallsgrove). “If all you know about Greek food comes by way of family-style diners trading on heaping portions of mousaka, this cozy mezzeteria—the creation of three Rockville natives and longtime friends—will be revelatory. It straddles the lines between authenticity and modernity, between lightness and heartiness.”
52. Spice Xing, 100-B Gibbs Street (Rockville Town Square). “The sibling restaurant to chef Sudhir Seth’s Passage to India [Bethesda] trades the elegance and formality of its big sister for a more casual and vibrant experience. It’s a looser operation but the profusion of flavors emanating from the kitchen—complex, vivid curries, lovingly rendered street snacks, well-blistered breads—is testament to the commitment to authenticity. A tantalizing roster of cocktails complements—and balances—the heat in the dishes.”
77. Addie’s, 11120 Rockville Pike (across from the White Flint Mall). “What has come out of the kitchen at Jeff and Barbara Black’s folksy first restaurant can best be described as uneven. But now it’s a different story with Nate Waugaman behind the stove. Gone are the scattered attempts at fusion fare and in its place are house-made charcuterie (plus a whole lot of excellent Benton’s ham from Kentucky) and rootedly American roasts and fish dishes. Finally, the food has one personality, not 15.”
Rockville has very porous boundaries and only Spice Xing is actually inside the official city limits, but these three restaurants call Rockville as their home, so we’ll welcome them. Do check them all out since they’re so close (Addie’s is one of my favorites for a special occasion, Spice Xing for an inexpensive lunch downtown, and although I’ve never been to Cava, I’ve heard lots of good things).
Glenview Mansion art exhibit attracts large crowd
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| Glenview photography exhibit |
The opening reception for an exhibit of photography attracted a large crowd to Glenview Mansion this afternoon. In honor of the 150th anniversary of the City of Rockville, the City sponsored a juried photography competition. On view are the final selections and it’s great fun to see how differently people see our town and what attracts their interest. The exhibit also includes images of Rockville past and present, often next to each other, so you can see what’s survived (and how much was lost!). The gallery also included a dozen collages by Patricia Zannie, an art instructor at Montgomery College and a trustee of the Rockville Art League. Mayor Marcuccio welcomed the standing-room-only crowd (which included council members Mark Pierzchala and Bridget Newton) before a concert by the U. S. Navy Band Chamber Ensemble. Click on the photo to open an album of pics from the reception today or visit yourself before it closes on February 2 (that three weeks away!).
Twinbrook House Brightened with Mosaic Tile Walkway
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| 1708 Farragut, Twinbrook |
Walking is often the best way to explore a neighborhood–zooming by in a car just doesn’t give you enough time to look (and you should be watching the road, not the houses). A couple months ago while I was walking precincts for my council campaign, I discovered a house at 1708 Farragut that first drew me back because it bordered on another example of “McMansionism” in a Twinbrook neighborhood (it even had the symptomatic Palladian window!). On closer inspection it turned out to be much nicer, especially because it had a fabulous mosaic tile walkway. I’m not talking about the typical 1 x 1″ squares or hexes of colored tile–that’s definitely ho hum. But this is a walkway decorated with all sorts of durable materials, including polished stones, glass pebbles, copper pipe, opalescent glass, marble, and glass bottles, arranged in a charming and beautiful manner. It really is fantastic and worth a look if you’re into architectural crafts or tile. I don’t know the artist, but it is signed “Jane 09” in one spot (can someone help identify?). In the meantime, click on the picture or the caption, and you’ll see a photoalbum of a dozen images.
New Year Opens in Rockville with a Peerless Brunch
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| Peerless Rockville Brunch 2010 |
The Peerless Rockville New Year’s Day Brunch at Glenview Mansion was the first official event celebrating the 150th anniversary of the City of Rockville and everyone enjoyed a beautiful day, a nice mix of members and friends, and of course, lots of good food. Although it’s a holiday, the event always draws a good crowd of community leaders, including State Senator Forehand; State Delegates Barve, Simmons, and Gilchrist; Rockville Mayor Marcuccio; Rockville Councilmembers Gajewski, Newton, and Pierzchala; and City Clerk Funkhouser. This year’s event invited people to wear something vintage and among the standouts were Bill Forehand (with a Civil War sailor’s uniform) and Cindy Cotte Griffiths (with an amazing vintage dress–satin and velvet?). Peerless also encouraged everyone to submit their nominations for Places That Matter in Rockville (standing or not) and Peerless will be using it as a guide for events and activities for the upcoming year (Phyllis Marcuccio was actively supporting the Pump House). Glenview Mansion is an ideal place to hold the brunch–it’s almost perfectly suited to this type of event–and it was wonderfully decorated for the holidays. Rockville is very fortunate to have such a marvelous historic venue for community events (so much better than a high school gym!). If you want to see a photoalbum from the day, click on the picture or caption.
Walking Tour of African American Places in Rockville
In October, the City of Rockville unveiled the new markers for the historic places around downtown associated with African American history. It was a beautiful day and a long trail of people followed along to visit the many sites, so if you missed it, Channel 11 now has it available online (it won’t be the same as doing it yourself, but you can get a sense of the fun we had that day).
Inauguration Marks New Beginning
The new Mayor and Council were elected on Sunday at the Fitzgerald Theater on a beautiful day. The auditorium was nearly filled and the inauguration started with great music from the Madrigal Singers. Eileen McGuckian did a wonderful job as the Master of Ceremonies, and as expected, integrated a bit of Rockville history whenever possible. The Rockville Police Department Color Guard presented the flags and we pledged allegiance to the flag and sung the national anthem. Then the Mayor and each of the Councilmembers were sworn into office, joined by their family and friends (John Britton’s daughter joined remotely by cell phone from her college in St. Louis). I was watching from the rear of the auditorium in the row with Carl Henn, Virginia Onley, Tom Moore, and Susan Hoffman–not sure how we all happened to be in the same place. Afterwards, a reception with food and punch in the foyer allowed the new Mayor and Council to mingle and celebrate (I ran into Waleed Ovase there, but didn’t see Trapper Martin–he’s in the restaurant business, so he was probably working). Here are a few snap shots from the day and you’ll probably spot some familiar faces.
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- Guests arriving for the inauguration of the Rockville Mayor and Council.
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- Bridget Newton at the inauguration reception for the Rockville Mayor and Council.
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- Councilman John Britton and “standout” candidate Virginia Onley.
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- Mark Pierzchala at the inauguration reception for the Rockville Mayor and Council.
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- Inauguration reception for the Rockville Mayor and Council.
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- Inauguration reception for the Rockville Mayor and Council.
Council Campaign Ends, Community Building Begins
The results of the 2009 Mayor and Council election came in much later than usual on Tuesday night, and I had already left the parties at but by the time I went to bed I had learned I was not elected. And it was only this morning that I saw the tallies and saw that I came in last with 780 votes or 3 percent of the vote. But I don’t feel horrible or depressed. I knew that this campaign would be very difficult to win: Continue reading →
