Tag: DC

WOMEN IN RED

It’s International Women’s Day—a time for red-robed women around the world to demonstrate what the economy would be like without our money. Can you imagine if women don’t buy anything for an entire day? Now that’s a shot heard round the world. I have a small marcomm agency and demanding clients who deserve attention, so we’re working today, but my… Read more →

WHAT’S FOR DINNER? …whatever takes 2 minutes or less to make

I grew up in a comfortable community where my mother always had dinner on the table by 6:30 every night.  There was salad, a rotation of chicken and lamb chops and rib eye, and baked potato or rice.  To this day my mom claims she isn’t “the best” cook in the world, but I pretty much licked my plate before grabbing an apple or scooter pie and heading upstairs to finish my homework.

I’m not sure what went sideways between those home-cooked meals and my adult life in the kitchen (or not in the kitchen), but I have a good guess.  First, I never cooked in college and grad school.  I was always on some meal plan and even when I lived in Boston with roommates, they preferred to cook and I preferred to eat, so it was a perfect relationship.

Then, as a reporter and correspondent I never seemed to have the time to cook.  I was either getting beeped to cover some airline strike or sent overseas to cover some big sports events (someone had to do it).  In those days I’d grab a corned beef sandwich in NYC or some fish and chips in London and call it a day.

Back in DC as a mom I was lucky enough to have a lovely woman help me out with my daughter while I worked.  The fact she could roast a chicken and make rice for everyone’s dinner iced the cake and allowed my daughter (and her parents) to have a home cooked meal while I worked late.

And now, as a working adult who’s out and about most of the week, whenever I come home and am hungry there’s only one priority…how fast can I make dinner?  Yes, I shop at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, but it’s a slice of pizza here, a container of fruit or a side dish of pasta there.  It’s never those six, heavy bags filled to the brim with food that my mother used to schlep into the house.  So, my at-home menu is as follows:  peanut butter & (grape) jelly on whole wheat bread, tuna sandwich with tomato and mayo (the real stuff) on whole wheat toast or sardine sandwich with tomato and mayo on whole wheat toast.  Dessert is an apple or container of apple sauce and maybe potato chips if I crave salt that night.

The ultimate irony?  I love The Food Network and could hypnotically watch Guy Fieri eat his way through every diner, drive-in and dive from Trenton to Sacramento while I eat my pb&j (creamy not chunky).  When not watching Guy, it might be Chopped, or Beat Bobby Flay, Knife Fight or Andrew Zimmern munching on some grilled squirrel kidneys.

Feel sorry for me?  Don’t.  Most of the week I’m out with friends or clients eating everything from lobster ravioli to steak frites.  And I’m even considering cooking school.  If I can go to Tuscany, pull on an apron and sip some chianti while my classmates perfect their brown butter gnocchi, I’ll book the very next flight.

ZCOMM CEO Risë Birnbaum’s Power Pad Featured In The Washington Post


Everything about the Watergate, the town within a city on the banks of the Potomac, was revolutionary when it was conceived five decades ago. The Watergate was the largest privately funded renewal project in Washington, DC – and the city’s first mixed-use project, not to mention its unique, European design.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the now famous Watergate, the Washington Post featured apartments that have acquired some ‘Mad Men’ chic. Our CEO Risë Birnbaum’s power pad was one of those featured in the article.

We snapped some pictures the same day the Washington Post was there to capture the beautiful, modern interior of Risë’s renovated apartment inside the Watergate, with a fantastic view of the Potomac. Take a look at the article below, check out Risë’s sweet digs and help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic Watergate complex.

 

Check out the Washington Post article here and for a behind the scenes look at the Washington Post cover shoot, take a look at the pictures below!

 

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McBREAKFAST

Risë Birnbaum   Everyone likes breakfast.  Hey, if I could eat pancakes dripping in syrup every day for the rest of my life, I’d be one happy camper.  And that’s what McDonald’s is banking on.     Starting October, the fast food chain best known for its Big Mac, is rolling out an all-day breakfast menu to over 14,000 spots… Read more →

Cocktails with Clinton

Risë Birnbaum Hillary Clinton and I are soooo tight.  OK, strike that, maybe not “soooo” tight, but, I did get a chance to chat a bit, shake hands, look into those intense blue eyes and see her in action, up close and personal.  This all took place at a beautiful home in Washington, D.C., under sunny skies with ample glasses… Read more →