FEATURES Working Dogs Photograph by Hannele Lahti. From foraging for valuable truffles to helping heal wounded warriors, meet some dogs with bona fide jobs–who are laboring to make our lives better. By Washingtonian Staff.   Alone Time Illustration by Sally Deng. Scattered, fatigued, and bingeing on screen time to cope, the author needed an escape from the relentless demands of life. Would two days of solitude at a Brookland hermitage help her reconnect with herself–and find some elusive peace? By Sylvie McNamara.   Learn Something New Ever fancy yourself a fencer? Or considered picking up knitting needles? How about making pasta, writing jokes, or playing guitar? If you’re looking to master a skill or start a new hobby, here are 50 great classes. By Washingtonian Staff.   CAPITAL COMMENT Photo-illustration by Omari Foote. Photograph courtesy of Netflix. Love Is Bland: Takeaways from the (dull) DC season of Love Is Blind. By Kate Corliss and Molly Szymanski. Tales From the Desk: Hotel-concierge war stories. By Kate Corliss. Why Lattes are Pricey: Why your latte has gotten so pricey. By Molly Szymanski. Some Like It Hut: Second lives for former Pizza Hut buildings. By Jennifer Albarracin Moya. Barry’s Berries: Marion Barry and marionberries–discuss! By Jessica Sidman.   THINGS TO DO Photograph by Jeremy Soma. Our ten picks for the month in culture. By Pat Padua.   IQ Photograph by Magdalena Papaioannou. The Interview: Trauma surgeon Christine Trankiem’s advice? Do not get hit by a dump truck. By Sylvie McNamara. Stages of Grief: For years, the author refused to engage with his family’s Holocaust story. Then Tom Stoppard’s play Leopoldstadt came to town. By Rob Brunner.   LIFE, TRAVEL & HEALTH Photograph by Ekaterina Bolovtsova/Pexels. Rest for the Weary: Hotels and getaways with sleep on their minds. Plus–strategies for better slumber. By Daniella Byck, Kate Corliss, Kathryn Streeter. Holiday Gift Guide: Looking for one present that’ll delight several people on your list? Here are ten ideas. By Amy Moeller. Doing Good: Want to make a difference in someone’s life? We’ve rounded up 20 organizations recommended by Spur Local, an annual catalog highlighting area nonprofits. By Daniella Byck. Top Lawyers: The area’s best legal talent, from divorce attorneys to criminal defendants to estate planners. By Damare Baker.    TASTE Photograph by Nina Palazzolo. Dishes of the Year: 21 great things we ate in 2024. By Ann Limpert, Jessica Sidman, and Ike Allen. Readers’ Favorite Restaurants: The results of our 47th annual poll. By Ann Limpert. Hidden Eats: A Sinaloan seafood restaurant in Takoma Park breaks all the sushi-purist rules. By Ike Allen.   HOME Photograph by Townsend Visuals. Real Estate Trends: We crunched the numbers–here’s what was hot (and not) this year. By Eric Wills. Off The Market: Some of the region’s recent high-end residential transactions. By Washingtonian Staff.   FIRST PERSON Photograph courtesy of Milken Family Foundation. Former NIH head Francis Collins on bringing people together to sing. By Sylvie McNamara. FEATURES Working Dogs Photograph by Hannele Lahti. From foraging for valuable truffles to helping heal wounded warriors, meet some dogs with bona fide jobs–who are laboring to make our lives better. By Washingtonian Staff.   Alone Time Illustration by Sally Deng. Scattered, fatigued, and bingeing on screen time to cope, the author needed an escape from the relentless demands of life. Would two days of solitude at a Brookland hermitage help her reconnect with herself–and find some elusive peace? By Sylvie McNamara.   Learn Something New Ever fancy yourself a fencer? Or considered picking up knitting needles? How about making pasta, writing jokes, or playing guitar? If you’re looking to master a skill or start a new hobby, here are 50 great classes. By Washingtonian Staff.   CAPITAL COMMENT Photo-illustration by Omari Foote. Photograph courtesy of Netflix. Love Is Bland: Takeaways from the (dull) DC season of Love Is Blind. By Kate Corliss and Molly Szymanski. Tales From the Desk: Hotel-concierge war stories. By Kate Corliss. Why Lattes are Pricey: Why your latte has gotten so pricey. By Molly Szymanski. Some Like It Hut: Second lives for former Pizza Hut buildings. By Jennifer Albarracin Moya. Barry’s Berries: Marion Barry and marionberries–discuss! By Jessica Sidman.   THINGS TO DO Photograph by Jeremy Soma. Our ten picks for the month in culture. By Pat Padua.   IQ Photograph by Magdalena Papaioannou. The Interview: Trauma surgeon Christine Trankiem’s advice? Do not get hit by a dump truck. By Sylvie McNamara. Stages of Grief: For years, the author refused to engage with his family’s Holocaust story. Then Tom Stoppard’s play Leopoldstadt came to town. By Rob Brunner.   LIFE, TRAVEL & HEALTH Photograph by Ekaterina Bolovtsova/Pexels. Rest for the Weary: Hotels and getaways with sleep on their minds. Plus–strategies for better slumber. By Daniella Byck, Kate Corliss, Kathryn Streeter. Holiday Gift Guide: Looking for one present that’ll delight several people on your list? Here are ten ideas. By Amy Moeller. Doing Good: Want to make a difference in someone’s life? We’ve rounded up 20 organizations recommended by Spur Local, an annual catalog highlighting area nonprofits. By Daniella Byck. Top Lawyers: The area’s best legal talent, from divorce attorneys to criminal defendants to estate planners. By Damare Baker.    TASTE Photograph by Nina Palazzolo. Dishes of the Year: 21 great things we ate in 2024. By Ann Limpert, Jessica Sidman, and Ike Allen. Readers’ Favorite Restaurants: The results of our 47th annual poll. By Ann Limpert. Hidden Eats: A Sinaloan seafood restaurant in Takoma Park breaks all the sushi-purist rules. By Ike Allen.   HOME Photograph by Townsend Visuals. Real Estate Trends: We crunched the numbers–here’s what was hot (and not) this year. By Eric Wills. Off The Market: Some of the region’s recent high-end residential transactions. By Washingtonian Staff.   FIRST PERSON Photograph courtesy of Milken Family Foundation. Former NIH head Francis Collins on bringing people together to sing. By Sylvie McNamara. The post December Issue: Learn Something New first appeared on Washingtonian.