Mmmm, Mmmm Good
Taste of DC Sizzles In the City
Charlene Carter
Issue date: 10/16/03 Section: VARIETY
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Potts, a Long Beach, N.J. native, came to visit a girlfriend in Herndon, Va. and decided to check it out.
"I'll probably be back next year. It's fun and not too expensive," Potts said.
This weekend, the annual event drew close to one million District residents and visitors to Pennsylvania Ave., between 7th and 14th Streets Northwest.
More than 40 District restaurants set up shop, offering delectable treats from fried oyster sandwiches to funnel cakes. The only haze in the sky came from smoke rising from the grill at the Tropicana Eateries. Nearby, the USA Dancers, a street theater team from the Bronx, N.Y. amazed the crowd with break dancing and back flips over four audience members.
Charles Smith,a member of the soft drink sales staff said that while there are lots of crowds and lines the Taste of DC is never stressful.
"It's about being able to bring people to D.C. and show them that we're not just about running around and shooting people," Smith said referring to the sniper shootings that kept crowds away last year.
Beginning in 1990, under the leadership of Brian Tate, executive director of the now defunct D.C. Committee to Promote Washington, the Taste of DC emerged as a way to showcase D.C.'s businesses, image, climate and attractions. It also highlights the District's positive energy, cultural diversity and neighborhood spirit while developing a sense of fun, community and common purpose among travelers and metro area residents.
With wine tasting, musical performances, and a kids' area, the Taste of DC provides a family atmosphere.
"We're trying to make it more family- oriented. In the past few years the [focus of] the activities have shifted just slightly away from family," Smith said.
Malcolm and Charlita Jordan didn't seem to notice any change in the family oriented activities.
The Northwest DC couple strolled through the KidsQuest area with their four children and nephew.
"It's great for kids and adults," Malcom said. "The only thing that would have topped it off would have been a carousel ride."
The Taste of DC also provides various organizations with the opportunity to get raise their visibility
