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Tag: events dc

  • Round-the-world racing yachts dock at The Wharf in DC — see them up close – WTOP News

    Round-the-world racing yachts dock at The Wharf in DC — see them up close – WTOP News

    Eleven clippers will remain docked at The Wharf for a week, before setting off on the race’s final leg back across the Atlantic.

    Supporters gather in the early morning to cheer on the D.C. team.
    (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

    WTOP/Neal Augenstein

    Skipper Hannah Brewis (far right) and a first mate are the only professional sailors on the yacht sponsored by Events DC.
    (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

    WTOP/Neal Augenstein

    The yachts will remain docked at The Wharf all week.
    (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

    WTOP/Neal Augenstein

    The more than 40,000 mile “Clipper Round the World Yacht Race” made an impressive arrival before docking at The Wharf in Southwest D.C. Monday morning.

    Eleven clippers will remain there for a week before setting off on the final leg back across the Atlantic Ocean.

    Hannah Brewis and a first mate are the only professional sailors on the yacht sponsored by Events DC, which was the first of 11 identical 70-foot racing yachts to dock at The Wharf on Monday morning.

    “The rest of the crew is made up of total amateurs, with a wide difference, variety of sailing experience,” Brewis said, standing on the dock, shortly after the D.C. team was welcomed by several dozen early-morning supporters. “Some have never sailed, some have sailed a little bit.”

    The trip began Sept. 3, 2023, in Portsmouth, U.K., where the race will finish.

    “We’ve been to Spain. We’ve been to Uruguay, South Africa, Australia, Vietnam, China, Seattle, Panama — that’s our route so far, and now, finally into Washington, D.C.,” Brewis said.

    The race leg from Panama ended near the Woodrow Wilson Bridge on Friday and Saturday. Monday morning’s travels to The Wharf was a short commute for the yachts, which also caused an approximately 15-minute delay for commuters in vehicles.

    “We had to wait for it to be opened. The tricky part was we had to make sure the fleet was there at exactly 4:45 in the morning,” Brewis said. The Virginia Department of Transportation has warned commuters to expect a brief delay.

    “We got there with perfect timing. We all transited through, no stress. It was really great, it was really cool,” Brewis said.

    The yachts will remain docked at The Wharf all week. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, “you can actually come onboard, and see what it’s like to be on one of these big ocean racing yachts,” Brewis said.

    On Tuesday, the clippers will set off on the race’s final leg across the Atlantic, heading toward Portsmouth, U.K. The send-off will be open to the public and include fireworks.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    Neal Augenstein

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  • RFK Stadium cleared for demolition after 5 years of sitting empty – WTOP News

    RFK Stadium cleared for demolition after 5 years of sitting empty – WTOP News

    D.C.’s Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium has been cleared for demolition after the National Park Service found that the demolition would have no negative impact on the environment surrounding RFK campus.

    The old structure of RFK Stadium (WTOP/John Domen)

    D.C.’s Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium has been cleared for demolition after the National Park Service found that the demolition would have no negative impact on the environment surrounding RFK campus.

    The 63-year-old stadium has been in serious disrepair for years and has not been used since 2019.

    While Events D.C., the organization responsible for the management of the stadium, had cleared it out, the city had been waiting as NPS evaluated if the stadium on park land could be safely taken down.

    The next step is for NPS to issue a permit for the D.C. government to demolish the stadium. Then both administrations will need to sign an agreement that the District can continue to use the property, according to the 1957 District of Columbia Stadium Act’s requirements.

    The act first established that the Armory Board could establish and maintain a stadium in D.C. for “holding athletic events and other activities and events.” The Amory Board finished building RFK Stadium in 1961 and named it after Robert F. Kennedy following the assassination of the senator.

    The 1957 act was amended in 1993 so the District could use land around the stadium for parking and create a new stadium. The new amendments made it clear that the D.C. government would be responsible for building, maintaining, naming and operating the new stadium.

    The House passed a bill in February that would allow D.C. to redevelop the old RFK site, a move widely seen as opening the door for construction of a new stadium for the Washington Commanders. The RFK Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act, which would enter D.C. into a 99-year lease of the site, passed the House on a 348-55 vote and is headed to the Senate.

    Local residents have been discussing how they’d like to see the city develop the 190-acre RFK campus since the stadium’s last home team game with D.C. United in 2017.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    Emily Venezky

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  • After Wizards and Caps announce move, Washington Convention Center is assessing how it uses its space – WTOP News

    After Wizards and Caps announce move, Washington Convention Center is assessing how it uses its space – WTOP News


    The Washington Convention Center is taking a close look at how it is using its 2.3 million square feet of space. The goal of this assessment is to bring in more revenue and to lure more people to downtown D.C.

    The Walter E. Washington Convention Center. (Courtesy Events DC)

    The Washington Convention Center is taking a close look at how it is using its 2.3 million square feet of space. The goal of this assessment is to bring in more revenue and to lure more people to downtown D.C.

    “We have to look at our square footage, making sure that we’re utilizing it to the best of our ability, identifying if there are ancillary spaces that can be converted into other opportunities,” said Angie Gates, president and CEO of Events DC, which oversees the meeting space.

    This deep dive into what could be done comes at an important time, when the downtown area stands to lose a lot of foot traffic if Monumental Sports and Entertainment follows through with plans to move the Washington Wizards and Capitals to Alexandria, Virginia.

    According to Gates, this assessment has been in the works and is “routine,” and recently has led to new additions such as two new dining areas which were created not only for convention traffic, but also residents and workers in the downtown area.

    One anchor at the recently added “Downtown Dining District” is another location of the iconic D.C. restaurant: Ben’s Chili Bowl.

    “When you add in a Ben’s Chili Bowl, everyone wants a half smoke,” Gates said, referencing the restaurant’s signature version of a hot dog.

    She also said a previous assessment resulted in the addition of a FedEx Office Print and Ship Center location which was opened in unused space at the convention center.

    Assessments typically take about six months to complete.

    Conventions continue to be a big part of what they do, with the center seeing more than 700,000 attendees enter its doors last year — that’s up more than 300,000 from 2022. The economic impact of those events, according to the organization, was almost $356 million.

    Winning a convention in downtown D.C. comes with its challenges. Just over 2 million square feet may seem like a lot, but Las Vegas’ convention center is a million square feet bigger, and the Orange County Convention Center outside of Orlando, Florida, boasts 7 million.

    Gates said winning over organizers of conventions sometimes involves working with neighbors such as the Marriot Marquis hotel with which the Convention Center is connected. Even the Carnegie Library can be used.

    “Sometimes, they’re looking at other larger venues, and it gives me an opportunity to highlight venues along all eight wards as well. … [It] could be anywhere from the Wharf up to the Palisades,” she said.

    Gates said they are also seeing success with other events, such as the Washington Auto Show which brought in thousands of people in January. Thousands more are expected for the 2024 Capitol Hill Volleyball Classic, which will take place Feb. 17 through Feb. 19.

    After the announcement by Monumental Sports, Mayor Muriel Bowser started the Gallery Place/Chinatown Task Force which is tasked with looking at possible future uses for the area around Capital One Arena if the two teams leave.

    Gates is a member of that task force and said the Convention Center is a key player in bringing people into the downtown region.

    “I’m looking at other opportunities where receptions can be held, where seminars can be held, especially when it comes to breakout spaces,” Gates said.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.



    Mike Murillo

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