👋🏼 Cuneyt here, with Town Talker. My weekly column on politics and power is back after a summer break. Here I look at the icy ties between the two people leading D.C., ahead of a return to politicking this fall.

With expected wins in November, Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson come January will continue to hold sway over the Wilson Building — their third term at the top. But no one expects them to start getting along.

• Their rocky relationship is an open secret, and it’s perhaps never been so poor at such a pivotal moment.

🧊 Why it matters: The iciness is a barrier to building anything at the RFK site, with time running out because Congress may flip to the Republicans. As the council returns next week, the conflict threatens to limit progress on reducing crime, implementing a massive new agency called the Department of Buildings, and making roads safer.

What I’m hearing: Wilson Building wags don’t see the two moderate Democrats being able to accomplish much on issues where they ideologically agree, let alone topics where they disagree.

• The genesis of the feuding isn’t clear. Some speculate it’s due to friction around seniority, with one looking down on the other. Mendelson, 69, is from Cleveland and got his start here through neighborhood activism in upper Northwest. Bowser, 50, began her political career in the footsteps of her civically minded North Michigan Park parents.

🏳 The intrigue: They talk through disagreements with emissaries, including former council members Charlene Drew Jarvis, Jack Evans, and Bill Lightfoot.

• Evans used to broker diplomacy in his Wilson Building office. The chair and mayor would sit opposite each other and talk to Evans at the head of the table, using him as a conduit to the rival sitting right across. (“I do think Jack was good at that,” the mayor told me at a post-election press conference in June.)

Read the full column.

👋🏾 Hey, Paige here!

Folks who live south of Reagan National had been dreading Sept. 10 for a while — the day they lost Metro service for six weeks due to work on the new Potomac Yard Station. 

• Plus, it’s the day the entire Yellow Line shut down until May 2023.

There are a few alternate transportation options, including several new Metro shuttles and free Virginia Railway Express service for the month of September and between certain stations in October.

I tested it out and took the VRE to Alexandria from Axios' Clarendon headquarters on Monday and the journey took me about 45 minutes, which is roughly the same amount of time it would’ve taken before the Metro shutdown.

🗺 Here’s a look at my journey:

• I rode from Clarendon to Rosslyn on the Silver Line.
• I transferred at Rosslyn to the Blue line and rode to Crystal City.
• I walked five minutes from the Crystal City Metro station to the VRE station.
• From there, I rode VRE’s Fredericksburg line to Alexandria.

Driving is still the faster option, but the VRE is a solid choice if you’re not in a rush or don't have a car. Plus, many stations have free parking.

• Of note: VRE generally only runs northbound in the mornings and southbound in the evenings, with trains running much less frequently than on the Metro. 

Something to watch: A potential freight train worker strike could affect service on VRE and MARC lines.

Stay tuned: I’ll also try out Metro’s new Yellow Line shuttle and report back to share how it goes.

• A D.C. agency that oversees prisons sent 88 incarcerated people from D.C. to a prison in Illinois that was the subject of a major mistreatment investigation. Now, local advocates want to see reform. (Washington City Paper)
• Overflow from a pool killed nearly 100 fish in Four Mile Run last week. Drain your pools properly, people! (ARLNow)
• A new American bistro with a six-course option for $85 has opened on H Street in the former Le Grenier. (Eater DC)
• Montgomery County’s school superintendent is defending the decision to award a $2.37 million STEM learning contract to the spouse of a school board member. (Washington Post)

Parking spots across the District will be transformed into pop-up parks on Friday when D.C. Park(ing) Day returns.

Why it matters: The event is a reimagination of public spaces, sparked by a 2005 San Francisco protest when urban designers decided that parking spots were under-appreciated and under-utilized public spaces, per Bloomberg.

What’s happening: This year’s Park(ing) Day will run from 9am to 7pm at thirteen parklets across wards 2, 4, 6, and 8.

• This year’s parklets will include fitness classes, popcorn, cornhole, and chalk murals.
• An interactive map and proposed bike route are available here.

The big picture: The popular event echoes similar citywide efforts to reclaim space for pedestrians that is used by cars.

• Adams Morgan, for example, is piloting a program where parts of 18th Street are closed to cars one Sunday each month.

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Every once in a while our team likes to break bread together, so last week we all got lunch. After a surprisingly difficult search, we landed on Cranes in Penn Quarter.

Another surprise: All five of us got the same thing! The bento box with cucumber, smoked trout roe, a gem lettuce taco, tempura, duck gyoza, and pork belly yakitori. It was packed with flavor but not too heavy.

We also shared fresh churros with caramel and chocolate dipping sauces and ordered a variety of cocktails.

• 🍸 Cuneyt’s wagyu beef Manhattan was easily the most intriguing drink on the table.

Where should we lunch next? Send us your suggestions.