Williamsburg

Distance from DC: 151 miles

The holiday happenings in Colonial Williamsburg are all about history. Programming includes military drills, a chance to “meet” the Founding Fathers, music and marching by the Fifes & Drums, and more patriotic events. The day ends with a concert celebrating the country’s 250th birthday and fireworks, best viewed from the Palace Green. Tickets are required. 

Annapolis

Distance from DC: 32 miles

In Maryland’s capital city, the Fourth of July festivities begin in the evening with a community parade through the downtown area at 6:30 PM. The US Naval Academy Band is performing a concert in Susan Campbell Park after the promenade. The night concludes with a fireworks display over Annapolis Harbor at approximately 9:15 PM. See the show from City Dock, the Naval Academy Bridge, and nearby waterfront parks.

Mount Vernon

Distance from DC: 16 miles

George Washington’s estate is celebrating Independence Day with reenactments, patriotic tunes, a naturalization ceremony, and family-friendly activities. (Ever play an 18th-century lawn game? Now is your chance.) Evening fireworks are sold out, but you can still attend a pyrotechnic show over the Potomac River at 1 PM. Purchase tickets online. 

Frederick

Distance from DC: 46.5 miles

This town is celebrating the holiday with an afternoon festival in Baker Park starting at 12 PM. The party includes live music, food vendors, a bounce house, rock climbing wall, and more. A fireworks show begins around dusk.

Leesburg

Distance from DC: 40 miles

The annual parade kicks off at 10 AM, with the American Originals Fife & Drum Corps leading the charge. Spend the day exploring the lovely town, then head to Ida Lee Park at 6 PM for live music, classic fair foods such as funnel cakes and hot dogs, and a fireworks show at 9:30 PM.

St. Michaels

Distance from DC: 80 miles

Events span the weekend in this Eastern Shore town. There’s a parade on July 4 followed by kid-friendly activities outside the St. Michael’s Museum. On July 5, head to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum for Big Band Night ($12) and fireworks over the Miles River.

The post Fourth of July Escapes: 6 Celebrations Away From DC Crowds first appeared on Washingtonian.

The Oak Room in Georgetown wants you to feel like you’ve been transported to a Gilded Age private club in New York or London, where you can feast on prime rib, Dover sole, and fancy fish sticks with caviar beurre blanc. Upstairs is Bernadette’s, a candlelit, red-velvet-draped “supper club” with a focus on champagne and live music. Both—opening Friday, June 26—come from the hospitality group behind Union Market’s Desert 5 Spot, although don’t expect them to be anything like the country-western bar.

“The idea for Oak Room came from a pretty simple observation, which was: There were no great American dining rooms in Georgetown,” says Ten Five Hospitality managing partner Dan Daley. “We wanted to design something that made people feel like they were in a different time and place. It’s meant to feel worn and lived in, that it’s been around for 100 years.”

Asked how the Oak Room would compare to other American dining rooms in Georgetown like Clyde’s and Martin’s Tavern, which has actually been around nearly 100 years, Daley says they’re great restaurants but “we want to elevate the cuisine and the hospitality to a level that’s not been experienced in Georgetown in a long time.”

Leading the kitchen is chef Timothy Hollingsworth, who was the youngest chef de cuisine at the French Laundry. He’s also a chef-partner in an American brasserie in Belmont, New York and soon, Atlanta. Daley says Hollingsworth was tasked with creating the best version of familiar dishes, whether it’s a crabcake with Old Bay aioli or a Caesar salad with torn croutons and anchovy dressing.

Although they’re not branding the Oak Room as a steakhouse, the menu has plenty of steaks, plus steakhouse sides like creamed spinach and mashed potatoes. “We have tried no less than 100 variations of different steaks from different farms, globally, domestically,” Daley says. Four or five staple cuts—primarily sourced from Brandt Beef, a Holstein-only ranch in southern California—will be available at any given time, along with a rotation of steaks. But one of the meat centerpieces is a koji-and-pepper-rubbed prime rib ($68 to $94 depending on the size of the cut) with jus and horseradish creme fraiche.

A plentiful raw bar selection includes seafood plateaus, clam ceviche, and Daley’s favorite: a chilled seafood cocktail with poached shrimp, raw scallops, lump crab, Clamato, lime, and avocado. Larger seafood dishes include a classic Dover sole with lemon, brown butter, and capers for $105.

A cocktail menu likewise focuses on classics, including five different variations on an old-fashioned and a martini. A wine cellar stores 400 different bottles from Burgundies to Napa Cabs. Daley says bottles start around $85 and go up for bigger splurges.

Upstairs, with a separate entrance, is Bernadette’s, which Daley describes as a “post-war European, Parisian supper club, something that you’d find in the back alleys of Rome or Paris.”

The menu is similar to the Oak Room’s but smaller, and includes steak au poivre, chilled seafood, and a wagyu cheeseburger. A French dip will be unique to Bernadette’s. There’s also a lot of crossover on the cocktails, but the focus is on champagne, with 40 different options available.

The supper club will also have live entertainment, whether a pianist and a vocalist or a jazz trio playing “fun, modern twists on old school songs.”

Already, Ten Five Hospitality is eyeing further expansion in DC. They recently signed a lease to take over the former Rí Rá Irish Pub space in Georgetown, but Daley says they haven’t officially decided what they plan to do there yet.

“We’re trying to do as much as we possibly can in Georgetown,” Daley says. “It’s just, it’s one of my favorite neighborhoods in America, regardless of city.”

The post A Nostalgia-Invoking American Grill Brings Prime Rib and Seafood Plateaus to Georgetown first appeared on Washingtonian.

Pre-Fireworks Parties

Fiola

601 Pennsylvania Ave., NW

This luxe Penn Quarter Italian restaurant will host a pre-fireworks soirée that includes snacks, food stations, and cocktails like Limoncello spritzes. Tickets ($250 each) let you hang out at Fiola from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, and the restaurant is a very short walk from the National Mall.

Fish Shop

610 Water St., SW

The Wharf’s Mid-Atlantic-focused seafood restaurant is debuting its crab feast series—it’ll run monthly through October—on Independence Day. Tickets ($90) will include half a dozen steamed crabs, plus crab hushpuppies, cornbread, salad, and kohlrabi slaw. There are four seatings starting at 5 PM—grab your tickets here.

Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab

750 15th St., NW

This popular stone crab and steak destination near the White House is hosting a pre-fireworks party with passed hors d’oeuvres, a chilled seafood bar, wine, cocktails, and miniature pies. The party will run from 5:30 to 8:30 PM, and tickets ($250 per person) are available here.

Fireworks Watch Parties

Fiola Mare

3050 K St., NW

Fabio Trabocchi’s Italian seafood restaurant sits right on the Georgetown waterfront, and it’s throwing a party that will include DJ sets, an open bar, summery fare (crabcakes, lobster rolls), and postcard views. Grab tickets, which start at $295, here.

Hotel Heron

699 Prince St., Alexandria

Good Fortune, the rooftop bar at this Old Town boutique hotel, is throwing a celebration starting at 4 PM. A $250 ticket will get you AYCE barbecue and ice cream, access to an open bar, and nice views of the fireworks. Reserve tickets here.

La Vie

88 District Sq., SW

A la Rihanna, this Wharf rooftop lounge is celebrating with “Diamonds in the Sky,” a DJ-fueled party overlooking the water. The party starts at 3 PM, and runs until the fireworks. There will be an open bar for the first hour. Grab your tickets ($61.49) here.

The Line DC

1770 Euclid St., NW

If you want to see the fireworks while avoiding the craziness of the National Mall, this Adams Morgan hotel’s rooftop is a good option. Expect a DJ, plus cocktails and snacks. Tickets start at $25 (they include one cocktail), while the $75 option buys you canapés, guaranteed seating, and a drink. Grab a ticket here.

VUE Rooftop

515 15th St., NW

Feeling splurgy? This enclosed rooftop bar atop the Hotel Washington is hosting an adults-only celebration featuring an open bar with Moet bubbles, food stations, a band, and panoramic fireworks views. The rub: tickets are either $5000 or $10,000; they’re available here.

The Watergate

2650 Virginia Ave., NW

Another ultra-luxe option: the swanky festivities at rooftop bar Top of the Gate. Tickets start at $4000 (and go up to $30,000 for a table for four) and include an open bar and a buffet, plus tough-to-beat views; book them here.

The post How DC Restaurants and Rooftop Bars Are Celebrating the Fourth of July first appeared on Washingtonian.

The draft will begin on the night of Thursday, April 29, and run through the afternoon of Saturday, May 1. Round one will take place on Thursday, rounds two and three will happen on Friday, and rounds four through seven will wrap up the draft on Saturday.

The last time that DC hosted the draft was in 1941 at the Willard Hotel. This time, the draft will take place at iconic places across the District, with the “Draft Theater” in front of the Capitol building anchoring the television coverage.

“We are thrilled to welcome the 2027 NFL Draft to the Sports Capital,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a press release. “We saw the enthusiasm from fans at this year’s Draft, and so, we want people to start planning their trips to D.C. now. We have world-class hotels and restaurants, spring is a beautiful time to be in D.C., and we’re a city that loves to celebrate sports. So, mark your calendars for April 29, and we’ll see you in D.C.”

The NFL also announced today that the “NFL Draft Experience,” which will include pop-ups and activations for fans, will take place on Pennsylvania Avenue between 3rd and 7th streets, NW. There will be a youth-focused Play 60 Zone, exclusive NFL merch for sale, and chances to pose with the Vince Lombardi trophy. Bud Light will also host the Draft Entertainment Series nearby, with additional activities spread across the National Mall.

DC can likely expect huge crowds. The 2025 draft in Green Bay drew 600,000 attendees, and the 2026 draft in Pittsburgh had 800,000. Both set attendance records. During last year’s announcement of the draft location at the White House, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell projected over a million attendees at the DC draft.

While the NFL might have used a photo of the cherry blossoms in their announcement, the draft craze is unlikely to coincide with DC’s cherry blossom season, which also draws huge crowds. This past spring, peak bloom was from March 26 to April 2.

It’s early, but top prospects for the draft likely include University of Texas quarterback Arch Manning, Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, and University of Oregon quarterback Dante Moore. We won’t know the Commanders’ draft position until after their NFL season concludes (hopefully with a Lombardi trophy), but as the host team, they’re sure to be the stars of the show regardless.

The post It’s Official: The NFL Draft Is Coming to DC This April first appeared on Washingtonian.

Fireworks are currently scheduled to kick off at 10:30 PM, according to Freedom 250, the Trump-backed organization that is running the event in lieu of the National Park Service. In an attempt to break the record for the longest fireworks show, this display is expected to last approximately 40 minutes. The pyrotechnics are slated to include 850,000 fireworks sent from 10 locations: the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, eight Potomac River barges, and West Potomac Park.

Visitors can get to the entry point on 14th Street NW via Constitution Avenue NW or Independence Avenue SW. Security opens at 1 PM. Be sure to check the list of prohibited items in advance. (Sorry, no metal water bottles or pets allowed.)

Parking is limited, so public transportation is encouraged. The nearest Metro stops are Federal Triangle, L’Enfant Plaza, Smithsonian, and Federal Center SW. Expect road closures, including some on the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge and Arlington Memorial Bridge.

Trying to avoid the large crowds? There are plenty of places to watch the fireworks away from the mall.

To get some elevation in DC, try the hilly area at Cardozo Education Campus, the slope at Meridian Hill Park, or the lawn overlooking the city at the Washington National Cathedral.

For views on the water, Embark DC Boat Tours, City Cruises and Sea Suite Cruises are running firework-viewing voyages along the Potomac River. Georgetown Waterfront Park is a riverside spot that doesn’t require climbing aboard a boat.

There are also plenty of places to watch from Northern Virginia. Areas of the Mount Vernon Trail from the 14th Street Bridge to Theodore Roosevelt Island offer views of DC’s fireworks. Gravelly Point and Lady Bird Johnson Park are located along the trail. Long Bridge Park has green spaces, and there are standing-only views on the Key Bridge. Other advantageous vantage points include the Netherlands Carillon and the Marine Corps War Memorial.

The display on the mall isn’t your only option in the District. NPS is still organizing a fireworks show that’ll run at the same time in Anacostia Park. You can watch from the there or see the display in Navy Yard. Entrances to the park are on Marion Barry Avenue SE, Nicholson Street SE, and the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail near the Skate Pavilion.

The post Where to Watch the 2026 Fourth of July Fireworks Away From the National Mall first appeared on Washingtonian.

“I didn’t want to post on Father’s Day. It was emotionally draining that day,” she says. “We made the post, and then I didn’t really check it.”

Because she was distracted and distraught, Chersevani says she didn’t closely examine the slop image the AI spit out: the a man’s arm was twisted backwards holding a bag of bagels, and he was wearing a baseball cap generically reading “BAGEL PROVIDER EST. ALWAYS.” Meanwhile, ChatGPT hallucinated New York skyscrapers along DC’s skyline.

“One of my regulars came over to the store and was like, ‘You know you’re getting slammed on Reddit right now? And I’m like, what are you talking about?,'” Chersevani says. The Reddit post amassed more than 100 comments making fun of and dissing the post. Chersevani says she also started getting DMs, including one calling her a “fucking loser.”

“People went bananas. Attacking me, attacking each other, like I caused all the issues for AI that ever happened,” she says.

The incident is just one more example of local businesses getting caught in the crosshairs of the greater AI debate. In an industry where margins are notoriously thin and staff are are overstretched, it’s a tempting and often helpful tool, especially for mom-and-pop operators who have to wear multiple hats and do their own social media and marketing. At the same time, some are finding they also risk getting attacked for not supporting local creatives, contributing to environmental harm, or being lazy and taking shortcuts.

Chersevani promptly deleted the ChatGPT image from Buffalo & Bergen’s Instagram. She later posted about the backlash, saying “Fortunately, the internet stepped in to remind me that after 14 years of running a small business, employing people, supporting the community, and serving millions of bagels, I should never attempt to learn anything new.” (That prompted a second Reddit post with more than 400 comments.)

Chersevani notes she works with countless artists in her stores, and she says she hasn’t been following the larger cultural conversation around AI. “I didn’t know it was a hot topic. I live in a bagel world. I make food all day. I’m in a kitchen. I don’t live in social media land,” she says.

Buffalo & Bergen is far from the only local restaurant experimenting with AI on its social media feeds.

“It’s not like a virus or a disease, but it is everywhere now,” says one local restaurant social media manager, who uses ChatGPT to produce graphics and posters when he’s in a time crunch. (He requested anonymity for fear of the same backlash Chersevani faced.) Still, he says he tries to incorporate original photos within the posts, and he’ll often tweak the content using Canva, a graphic design tool, to make it look less generic. Sometimes he’ll even prompt AI to make the design “less AI.”

“Everyone wants to turn out good work, original work,” he says. “But you’re under the budget restraint, under the time constraint, so you do the best you can with what you’ve got.”

Corynn Gonçalves, an independent Toronto-based marketing manager whose clients include the new Caribbean-inspired DC restaurant Isla, says she will sometimes use AI for light photo editing—like removing an ugly exit sign from a beautiful interior shot. But she says Isla draws a red line at altering or creating images of food.

For her, the issue isn’t so black and white. She says she doesn’t stand for AI slop and she believes the role of restaurants in creating culture means they should elevate artists, whether in the kitchen or on social media. But she’s also sympathetic to small businesses that don’t have a lot of time and resources.

“It’s bad for the environment, it isn’t ideal, but this is a tool that’s coming out in the hospitality industry over and over again. We have hostesses that are now completely AI, OpenTable is using more AI-based communications. You kind of need to use it as a tool, but still respect that the hospitality industry is based in human connection,” Gonçalves says.

Others would rather not touch AI at all if they can avoid it. In an industry full of artists and creators, “why on earth would you rely on a robot? For efficiency? That’s an excuse,” says Chris Van Jura, whose Catalyst Hot dog business includes two food trailers in Montgomery County.

The way he sees it, restaurants depend on having their own voice. AI-generated content mutes that individuality. “They all look the same. They’re all cookie cutter. You can spot one a mile away,” he says.

Some of the food events that Catalyst Hot Dogs has participated in have used their own AI flyers, and he’s seen other operators refuse to participate because of that. His own stance is he won’t share the flyer, but he’ll still go to the event. And ultimately, he doesn’t think small businesses should be trashed online if they do choose to use AI.

“Sometimes you’ll take the shortcut. I’m not justifying it any way. And again, I don’t agree with it, but I don’t believe they deserve to get roasted for it,” he says. “I don’t think it’s fair to to hide behind a keyboard and assault that person.”

The post This Bagel Shop Used ChatGPT for a Father’s Day Promotion. Then It Got Roasted Online. first appeared on Washingtonian.

We’re going to be updating this as new information becomes available, but if you see something that isn’t updated that should be, let us know!

What roads are closed?

The National Parks Service has published all of the semi-permanent road closures through July 24 for the Great American State Fair here. Your best resource on road closures for the day-to-day is the DC Department of Transportation, who provide up-to-date information on their website and social media. 

What upcoming events might impact walkability and driving on the Mall?

With the Fourth of July, America’s 250th birthday celebrations, and general summertime activities, a lot is going on on the Mall. Events to be aware of include the Great American State Fair (June 25 – July 10), the FIFA Fan Zone (June 11 – July 19), the Giant BBQ Battle (June 27-28), Fourth of July fireworks (need I specify the date?), and plenty of others.

Will the Metro be affected?

According to WMATA, they are not currently expecting station closures in the general vicinity of the Mall, but they will communicate if anything changes. As for the State Fair, they say they are going to adjust based on the crowds: “Extra Metro staff and Transit Police will be on hand to help manage crowds at stations near the National Mall. Some busy stations, like Smithsonian, may become exit-only after 5 p.m. to accommodate crowds traveling to the National Mall, and entry-only after 9 p.m. Additionally, Metro Transit Police will be at station entrances to help with crowd flow and may, at times, meter entry to prevent overcrowding on the platforms.”

Your best bet for real-time information is the WMATA website or app.

The post Map: Navigating the National Mall first appeared on Washingtonian.

Several companies running kayak and boating excursions in DC tell us that while routes have changed, boaters should still be able to see the National Mall fireworks from the water.

Adventures Unbound is one of the largest cruise and boat rental companies in DC. They are an official partner of America 250 in creating on-the-water events for visitors. District Operations Manager Gabi Muskett said that the announced river closures have required Adventures Unbound to cancel one of their annual kayak paddle-outs.

Every year Adventures Unbound takes folks out on the water from both their Key Bridge and Thompson boat houses. This year, the closures span from Key Bridge to the 14th St. Bridge Complex on the Potomac, and between Fredrick Douglas Bridge and the 11 St. Bridge on the Anacostia. After the announcement, Adventures Unbound had to refund bookings for the trip planning to leave from Thompson boathouse.

“It did send us back to the drawing board a little bit,” Muskett said. “But we are very excited for what we have now been able to turn around and provide.”

Adventures Unbound is still sending a few hundred kayakers and canoeists out of the Key Bridge boathouse for skyline fireworks viewing, but with the waterfront closed in front of Thompson, that boathouse will now be hosting a viewing party on land. 

Muskett said that they’ve had lots of interest so far and Adventures Unbound still expects to meet their sales goal. It helped, she said, that the announcement came two weeks out—they had time to pivot and, besides, people tend to make fireworks plans at the last minute.

“So while there’s definitely still room to sign up now, we pretty much will see all tours and experiences fill up in that last 48 to 72 hours,” Muskett said.

Lavert Phillips is the CEO of GoBoat, which offers boat rentals in the Washington Channel. Phillips said that companies operating on the waterfront are familiar with closures. 

Last year when President Trump hosted a military parade in honor of his birthday, waterfront closures were announced at the last minute—forcing GoBoat and other businesses to offer refunds for Father’s Day weekend.

“That was exactly a year ago, so it does bring back bad memories,” Phillips said.

Yet, because of GoBoat’s smaller operating area, the announced closures won’t impact their bookings. Even so, Phillips said he remains anxious about the possibility of further last-minute closures. A City Cruises spokesperson said that they also are monitoring area closures to finalize routes in the coming days, and demand is still high.

The post You Can Still Be on the Water for DC’s Fireworks first appeared on Washingtonian.

Gates opened at 10 AM, and I feared my noon arrival would relegate me to the back of a winding security line. Getting to the bag check wasn’t easy: Tall fences flank the entire Mall, and I walked well over a mile from Federal Triangle station just to reach an entry point. But when I finally make it, already sweating through my shirt, there is no line to speak of. (Later, a vendor tells me that nobody really trickled in for at least an hour after the start time.) A guard glances into my purse, ushers me through the metal detector, and off I go.

Of all the bombastic 250th anniversary programming planned by the Trump administration—a UFC fight that chewed up all the grass on the Ellipse, an Indy car race slated for August that’s expected to mangle downtown traffic for days—the state fair seemed like it was going to be the most benign. Organizers promised exhibits from all 56 states and territories, a quaint showcase of Americana that wouldn’t involve a gas leak or LED octagon lights blinding pilots en route to National Airport. And honestly, who doesn’t love to eat a funnel cake and take the Ferris wheel for a spin?

But the tender sheen over the event quickly dissipated last month when a hodgepodge of musicians booked for live performances backed out at the last minute, saying they were not informed that the Freedom 250 festivities would have a political tilt. Several states also announced they would not participate. In the eleventh hour, the president declared he would headline the fair himself: He was introduced at a rally Wednesday night by transportation secretary Sean Duffy, who started by dogging on the “libtards that canceled on us.” When Trump finally took the stage, he lauded America as the “hottest” nation in the world. “Nobody’s laughing at us anymore,” said the man filling in for Milli Vanilli.

Despite the event’s unseemly visage, I truly believed I might have an okay time. I am nothing if not nostalgic, and I grew up loving my small town’s annual fair. If I can at least drink some allegedly “fresh-squeezed” lemonade out of a plastic cup with a corrugated jumbo straw, I tell myself, I will feel content.

The crowd beyond the gates is meager. Upon entry, the Ferris wheel smacks you in the face—it’s not very big, but the slow-moving line boasts the highest concentration of people anywhere on the Mall. One couple toward the back tells me they’ve been waiting for 20 minutes already and they haven’t even seen the ride run yet. (City Cast reported around 6 PM Thursday night that the wheel had broken down due to generator issues and was expected to be out of commission for an hour or two. We reached out to Freedom 250 for specifics and are waiting to hear back.) A few days ago, I might have been reluctant to hop on, given how the administration’s last construction project resulted in a potentially toxic algae bloom in the Reflecting Pool. But recent reporting confirmed the wheel was inspected both by DC safety officials and a third-party company, so I am tempted to join the queue. No single passengers are allowed, so I consider asking to join another group. A beaming woman swimming in American flag apparel saunters past, and she seems like she’d be a good time. I ask if she’s ridden yet. “No,” she says firmly, gesturing at the enclosed gondolas. “It looks like a hot box.” If she’s out, so am I.

Across from the Ferris wheel is a scaled-down replica of Trump’s victory arch, planned for Memorial Circle near Arlington National Cemetery. A couple folks pose for photos in front of it, while others slump underneath for some shade.

I decide to check out the state exhibitions, which are housed in rows of makeshift structures draped with tarps designed to look like Tuscan columns. The spaces are cramped, so the programming is simple: Mississippi reminded everyone it was the birthplace of Elvis Presley, Nebraska offered a truck simulator and a braggadocious placard about its invention of “modern center pivot irrigation,” Puerto Rico played a salsa-dancing tutorial video on loop. Visitors are invited to pick up state fair “passports,” and each tent offers a unique stamp.

DC’s tent is in shockingly good spirits: Plastic cherry blossoms dangle from the ceiling, and children are invited to draw magic-marker pictures on the walls. When I see a flag flying for my home state of Connecticut, I’m oddly relieved: Our governor is among those who declined to send representatives to the fair, so I guess something must have been thrown together. But the room is empty except for two wicker chairs, a stamp, and the box the stamp came in. Poking my head into the barebones booths of the other opt-out states, my nostalgia officially feels irrelevant.

The main attraction turns out to be Florida, where a line snakes out the door. “They giving away citizenship, or what?” hoots a woman passing by, her bright-red America 250 tank top competing with the sun. After a few minutes of waiting, I start to wonder if she might be onto something. If any state was going to veer into political gimmicks, I assume it would be the one where the president spends so much of his time. But I’m greeted by a wall of “Famous Florida Men and Women” that boasts Jimmy Buffett and Tom Petty, two famously anti-Trump celebrities, and the rest is a children’s museum-style explainer of the state’s wildlife and agriculture. The final room smells like oranges, which is the most whimsical touch I will encounter all day.

“God forbid you die today,” is the salutation of a young man who approaches me as I’m collecting myself between Georgia and Tennessee. “Are you absolutely sure you would go to heaven?” Caught off guard, I’m honest: “It’s a 50/50 shot.” He proceeds to say a prayer for me, and asks me to recite one in return. In dodging that request, I learn that he’s visiting from Tampa with an evangelical Christian group called Celebrate America DC, founded by a pastor who was arrested in 2020 for refusing to close his megachurch during the Covid pandemic. The ministry will be around the District through mid-July, an effort “to shake a city, to plunder hell and populate heaven.”

Shortly after this encounter, an urgent voice booms from the opposite end of the Mall. The siren song calls me, and I’m halfway to the main stage when I realize the featured performer is an evangelical preacher. “Glory, glory, hallelujah, His truth is marching on,” he orates, sounding more like Lin-Manuel Miranda than Jerry Falwell. “Onward, Christian soldiers marching forth.” He hasn’t been introduced and there is no signage, so I ask the handful of other spectators if they know who he is. They don’t. Save me, Vanilla Ice, I think, probably the first person on Earth to utter such a prayer. He’s not playing until tomorrow.

An hour into my excursion, I have already been the subject of two exorcism attempts and my constitution is starting to falter. There can’t possibly be a better time for my lemonade. I step into the food hall, where I see a single vendor: Express Hibachi, which is an unusual name for a purveyor of personal pizzas and chicken Caesar salads. I skip the dining and head straight for the beverage stand. At this moment, I realize it’s all over: The only available lemonade is Minute Maid, sold by the plastic bottle. Feeling bamboozled and stupid for believing that I might find something beautiful at this garish perversion of an American tradition, I consider purchasing three $14 Cutwaters and passing out in the middle of the grass. But I already appear to be emanating a demonic energy to my fellow fairgoers, so I settle on a $5 water. In the meantime, another performer has taken the stage, a 14-year-old singer named Reagan Oliver who has traveled here from Arkansas and croons a sweetly timid rendition of “Delta Dawn.” Most of the attendees ignore her, and only a few clap when she’s done.

The only remaining entertainment for today is the rodeo, a cobbled-together production that isn’t set to start until later in the afternoon. (Our staff photographer attends later in the day and notes that prerecorded videos are played between the riding acts, which wind up comprising about half the performance.) I really hate to see horses in compromising situations, but when the cowboys start warming up in the small pen shortly before 2 PM, I watch because there’s nothing else to do. “Don’t micromanage him,” a trainer warns a rider who is struggling with her horse. “Just let him figure it out.”

Two men, one donning a “Stand for the Flag, Kneel for the Cross” T-shirt that feels like the most authentic state fair token I’ve seen all day, stand alongside me. They’re visiting from Ohio, and it’s their first time in DC. “We’re disappointed,” they tell me of their fair experience. They’re traveling with a group that includes children, and they planned to scope out the scene and hopefully invite the rest of the family to come along. But they don’t see how a kid could possibly have fun here, with the lackluster attractions and the conspicuous absence of cotton candy. Plus, they had a hard time finding the entrance; they wandered for more than an hour before they found the security line. I tell them I got lost, too. “And you live here,” one points out. “How do you think we feel?”

Maybe we’re all just Debbie Downers. A number of fairgoers apparently had a great time, finding a sense of American unity and encountering corndogs that I somehow missed. There were a number of hands-on activities for children at the state exhibitions, including a dinosaur bone-digging site in Montana and a mini-golf station in Indiana. My own nostalgia remains untapped, but what if 50 years down the line, one of these kids spends the tricentennial relishing the memory of the time they traveled down to DC for the Great American State Fair? That feels worthwhile, even celebratory. On my way out, I spot a mother and her young son standing under the shade of the wheel. “Have you gone for a ride yet?” I ask the little boy, thinking that if he offers a rave review, I’ll siphon some of his joy and stomach the line before I leave. “No,” he croaks back, sweat beads pooling on his cheekbones. The thing hasn’t broken down yet, so maybe he still has a chance.

The post I Went to Trump’s Great American State Fair. It Was Bleaker Than I Expected. first appeared on Washingtonian.

In 2020, the institution launched Smithsonian Open Access, which released millions of digital images from its collection into the public domain. Lisa Sasaki, the Smithsonian’s deputy under secretary for special projects, says the Smithsonian approached Anadol about using the collection for this project. The artist is no stranger to machine learning in his work and recently opened AI art museum Dataland in Los Angeles. 

From there, Anadol developed the concept. His guiding question: What would it would look like if the Smithsonian Castle could dream? After all, the building has been around for 171 years and seen its fair share of history. 

The projection show includes digitized fossils from the Museum of Natural History’s paleontology department, images of orchids from the Smithsonian Gardens, and more items, interpreting them as washes of color, moving mosaics, and 3D model building blocks.

According to Sasaki, there’s hope the display will create conversation about the use of AI as an art tool. Given the vast amount of data in the Smithsonian’s collection, she says the project wouldn’t be possible without technological tools.

Still, AI usage—particularly in creative fields—is subject to spirited debate. Sasaki points out the AI tools only used non-copyrighted material in the Smithsonian’s collection, and Anadol remains the artistic mind behind the project. In terms of environmental impact, Sasaki says Anadol worked with data centers that minimize their footprint.

“Having somebody like Refik who seems to be at the forefront of the use of AI was really intriguing for the Smithsonian,” says Sasaki. “What does it look like as we go into the next 250 years of the Smithsonian as an institution but also in these different areas of art history, culture, science?”

In addition to the projections, there are accompanying events at the Arts and Industries Building from 6 PM to 11 PM on July 17 and 18. Visitors can enjoy music, drinks, and snacks ahead of the projections. If you’re curious about the role data played in Anadol’s creative process, the artist is discussing the topic during a conversation at the National Museum of Asian Art  museum director Chase F. Robinson.

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