B&P between U&V

There’s no cure for middle age like heading to the hipsters’ hangout. Twice now I have journeyed (a few stops on the Green line) to Busboys and Poets – the branch along the U Street corridor, home to jazz clubs, night spots, and coolness all around. Once I went for the launch of a nifty new news channel on cable television. They wanted to demonstrate their stylish street cred and picked B&P to show it off. The second time I went to hear a friend play in a band. It sounds so groupie-ish, I know. But I am middle aged, and my friend – Music Minister by evening – is chief so-and-so of the inspector general’s office by day. Both times I arrived and there were lines out the door. The young people knew you had to arrive early (wear the right look, and so on) to get in. Twice I got turned away. Still, the chicken pizza there is good, even if you miss the TV show launch and the jazz session.