Happy Tuesday!

☀️ Today's weather: Sunny, high around 70, low 48.

👠 Situational awareness: Dupont's High Heel Race is tonight — expect parties and traffic disruptions.

🎂 Happy birthday to our members Michael Savelli and Kristie De Pena!

Today’s newsletter is 1,043 words — a 4-minute read.

November and December are crunch time for President Trump's D.C. projects.

Why it matters: Several projects face construction milestones and design reviews in the coming weeks, as critics worry the admin will accelerate plans before Republicans potentially lose control of Congress.

What they're saying: "Prepare for a tsunami of activity," Charles Birnbaum, head of the Cultural Landscape Foundation, which has joined groups suing the Trump administration over the Kennedy Center and other projects.

What's coming:

• Arch de Trump: Construction could begin on Nov. 5, the admin said in a court filing last week — the same day the National Capital Planning Commission could give final approval.
• West Potomac Park: A proposed redesign for part of the Tidal Basin area goes to design review on Nov. 19, then heads to the NCPC on Dec. 3. Preservationists worry the changes could pave the way for Trump's long-proposed Garden of Heroes, with life-size statues of George Washington and Elvis Presley.
• East Potomac golf course: Trump has said he wants construction to begin on Nov. 15, sharing a design that appears to wipe out the island's perimeter running and biking paths and potentially its iconic cherry trees. Federal Judge Ana Reyes, who grilled Trump officials over tree removals, has ordered advance notice before major work can begin.
• Eisenhower Executive Office Building: The administration is accepting public comment through Nov. 16 on a proposal to paint the historic granite building Trump's favored white, so it can look more like the White House. Preservationists warn the paint could damage its iconic façade, while a government study admits it would diminish the 19th-century building's character.

What's next: There's a quickly advancing national permitting reform bill in the Senate, which critics worry will allow Trump to move faster on his projects.

• The legislation would reduce historic preservation reviews (some Democrats support the broader package as a way to speed up clean-energy projects nationwide).
• Preservationists — with 1,000 organizations and Tribal Nations across the country in support — are rallying against the bill on Nov. 9, the day it's expected to get a full Senate vote.

Share

Kramers bookstore — a Dupont Circle institution — is celebrating 50 years.

Why it matters: Many of D.C.'s beloved local businesses have shuttered over the years, but Kramers has been there through nine different presidents, the birth of the Metro, financial crises, a pandemic and countless headlines.

Driving the news: Kramers — originally known as Kramerbooks when it opened in 1976 — has been marking its anniversary this month with parties and special merch.

• Mayor Bowser even decreed Oct. 22 as "Kramers Day."

What they're saying: Kramers has stood the test of time because of its historical heft and significance as a cultural hub, says restaurant and real estate magnate Steve Salis, who bought the business from its founders 10 years ago.

• "It's the smallest business I own as far as size," says Salis, who's also behind spots like Ted's Bulletin and Federalist Pig, "but it's arguably the most important."

Flashback: Kramers has no shortage of only-in-D.C. stories — fitting for a place that was once open around the clock.

• In 1998, independent counsel Kenneth Starr subpoenaed records of Monica Lewinsky's book purchases during his investigation into President Clinton.
• That sparked a First Amendment firestorm, with librarians protesting outside the store and Kramers clerks wearing T-shirts reading "Subpoenaed for Book Selling."
• And who can forget the time Washingtonians descended upon the store at midnight in 2018 to grab Michael Wolff's Trump tell-all, "Fire and Fury"?
• Its famous visitors include President Obama, Andy Warhol, Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou.

The intrigue: The city went into mourning in 2020 when word got out that the store might move out of Dupont. It ultimately stayed put.

• Salis says he'd like the store to remain there "for as long as humanly possible" — but that he also pays $1.2 million annually in rent, a number he calls "exorbitant."

The bottom line: "We don't take anything for granted," Salis says of making a successful venture out of what he calls two of the riskiest industries: retail and food and beverage. "We have to earn it every day."

⬇️ In photos...

Take a peek into Kramers' history via old photos and ads shared with Axios ...

A GoFundMe has raised around $60,000 for longtime youth coach Amaury Monsalve — known as "Coach A" at Deal Middle School, Jackson-Reed and beyond — after he was detained by ICE and transferred to Louisiana. His attorneys are appealing his immigration case, according to the fundraiser.

🚨 A detainee was stabbed to death Sunday at the D.C. jail, the third reported stabbing at the facility this month. The killing comes amid a federal investigation into conditions at the troubled facility. (WaPo)

🍺 Last call for Shipgarten? Tysons' popular outdoor beer garden could make way for a senior living development with restaurants, retail and parkland. Developers are discussing relocating Shipgarten. (FFXnow)

Caviar-topped churros and $10 martinis arrive in Navy Yard tomorrow with the opening of Bar Nuestro, an ambitious neighborhood restaurant from Colada Shop founder Daniella Senior.

Why it matters: Senior wants to give the neighborhood more than another game-day hangout. Think date nights, celebratory splurges and weeknight burgers — all under one stylish roof.

The inspiration: Senior grew up in the Dominican Republic, savoring restaurants that combined European cooking with Caribbean ingredients.

What to order: Senior's favorites include hiramasa crudo with soursop, truffled yuca beignets and tamarind-glazed chicken.

Drink up: The bar serves customizable martinis, including a $10 olive oil-washed "Tiny Tini" designed to whet palates while guests peruse menus.

The deal: Happy hour (Monday-Friday, 4-6pm) includes $11 cocktails and a unique splurge: a seven-course, $120 dinner for two — an early indulgence that's more wallet-friendly than a big night out at $60 a head.

Share

☀️ Anna is working on her roof deck.

📕 Cuneyt is finishing reading "The Gods of New York."

🍭 Mimi is eyeing the Halloween candy in her pantry…

Today's newsletter was edited by Alexa Mencia Orozco.