By Lani Gering

If you read this column last month, you know I was banging out holiday stuff before Halloween had rolled around. Not quite as bad this month since Thanksgiving is only 2 days away as I bang this column out. All of the DMV tree lightings happened last weekend and the holiday decorations are starting to appear on storefronts en masse. I have to admit that I probably get a bit more fired up about the decorations and the music than your average 72 year old this time of year. I have tried to curb my urge to tune into the Hallmark Channel and have vowed to wait until the day after the turkey left overs are in the fridge. No decorations around our place until December 1st!

Lots of activity takes place each year in the Harbor, with the nightly tree lightings on Waterfront Street and in the Gaylord Atrium, special offers on Capital Wheel rides, movies on the Plaza Screen and much more including this year’s ICE exhibit at the Gaylord. I had the pleasure of experiencing “The Polar Express” at a press event a week or so ago with our designer. It is spectacular this year. We went down the two story slide, did some ice tubing and snowball throwing as well. Something not to miss is the Cirque Dreams Holidaze performance taking place in the Theater at the MGM Grand. This performance runs on the 19^th and 20^th. For a full slate of events in the harbor and at the Wheel check out their website at nationalharbor.com and thecapitalwheel.com or follow them on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

We Bid a Fond Farewell to Bond 45

Saying a permanent goodbye to an old friend is never easy. And that’s just how I feel about the closing of Bond 45 on New Year’s Eve. We were at the invitation only opening of this fantastic establishment in January of 2010 and have been regular customers since that day, more specifically, me. I moved into the Harbor in the summer of 2011 and Bond became my “Cheers” bar. From the beginning, the people, the food and the drink have been top notch regardless how many times managers, bartenders, chefs and servers have changed in these last almost 15 years.

I have developed close friendships with many of these people and stay in touch with several who have moved on to other adventures. You might say that they made me feel like “family” and I’m not the only one that feels that way. Meeting my condo neighbors from One National Harbor for drinks and some good gossip was one of the reasons I loved living there so much. It has been a few years now since I moved back to Old Town and I still get a little teary eyed when I look up at my old balcony on Potomac Passage on the way to/from the parking garage.

I guess why this hits a bit hard is the reason that they are closing. It appears that money is more important than honoring partnerships and agreements. In conversations with the National Harbor Division of Fireman Hospitality Group Director of Operations, Al Green and the General Manager, John Edward, Bond’s numbers are exceeding pre-pandemic figures and they were on a roll. They were looking at making some infrastructure updates when Peterson Companies – currently a partner in the Harbor Bond 45 – was made an offer they couldn’t refuse for the prime space that Bond occupies by the Baltimore based mega million dollar Atlas Restaurant Group and “did the deal” basically behind the Fireman Groups back. In fact, the Director of Operations found out about it at a party from a customer who was also in attendance. It was evident that the cat had been let out of the bag but the powers that be at Peterson Co. failed to let anyone at Fireman in on the secret.

All of this being said, the team at Bond 45 is still welcoming and serving customers with the same warmth and professionalism as though they were about to celebrate their 15^th anniversary instead of closing their doors on New Year’s Eve. If it has been a while since you’ve been in or if you would like to check out what you’ve been missing, stop in and enjoy yourselves one last time. Bond45nh.com, Facebook and Instagram.