February 26, 2025 • 10 mins
Inquires: 301 651 7921
In Ep.3 of RideShare RoadTalk we engage in conversation with a business woman visiting DC and discuss education policy, Fed layoffs, U Street, food joints and the Library of Congress happy hour. Let's drive!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Welcome to another episode of Rideshare Road Talk
Conversations in Motion, apodcast where we create
unfiltered talk space thatexamines the meaningful lives of
my passengers, while engagingin personal and topical
discussions.
I'm your host and driver, JohnFondas, and we're cruising the
streets of Washington DC.
Buckle up, let's drive.
(00:31):
How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:35):
I'm all right.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Good, good, good, I'm hanging in there, I'm done with
work.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Bullshit, how are you Excellent?
Speaker 1 (00:42):
I am your unlikely rideshare driver.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
I like it.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Let's do it.
Nice digs, do you have dinnerhere Hanging out?
Speaker 2 (00:50):
There was like a reception on the rooftop.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Lovely.
I've been on that rooftop inanother life.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Nice view.
Yeah, I do education policyCool, so I have like 15 states,
and so my job is to like work onhigh quality instructional
materials okay, are peoplewriting, you checks or you're
just doing some type of policystuff.
Yeah, okay, education okayeducation policy is maybe not
(01:18):
where it's at.
If you wanna, sometimes I'llsee job or like, like salaries
or stuff from like the other I'mlike, oh it's different if
you're in tech or energy or Sure.
Like no.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
So you get to DC often, then I would imagine.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Yeah, I just started doing federal stuff in September
, so that's cool.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
What a great time to be in DC.
That's cool.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Yeah, what a great time to be in dc.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
I would think especially like in dc you're
getting like some reallyinteresting, like people you're
picking up can't tell you howmany people had just been let go
or furloughed with all thecraziness going on like at that
at that reception.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Lots of the people there.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Their spouses work in federal stuff and yeah, they've
all gotten like the emails.
I drove one lady who worked atSBA and her boss was one of the
inspector generals the maininspector general that got laid
off.
He's the one that penned thatfamous kind of resignation
letter.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
And they're all just like despondent.
A couple of career lawyers I'vedriven around that got laid off
and the real crisis ofconscience is, you know, let's
just do air quotes, do-gooders,right.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Career do-gooders yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
On the right side of the V.
Yeah, as I like to say.
Now this lady has tocontemplate going to the private
sector to make money in turnselling her soul.
Yeah, and it's like you thinkabout that.
It's like all of a sudden nowyou've got to represent the bad
guy.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Yeah, in theory.
Well, you think, like I wantthere to be inspector generals,
like I want there to be peoplemaking sure my food is safe and
my you know, like, yeah, youwould think, yeah, I mean, a
certain amount of regulation isimportant.
Yeah, yeah.
I think that's the fabric of afunctioning society is checks
and balances.
Like I'm not saying there'sprobably some fat to be trimmed.
Sure, it's the federalgovernment, but like it doesn't
(03:17):
seem we're being reallydiscerning in what we're doing.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Well, here's the thing.
And you know it's hard not totalk about politics in DC, right
?
But with all this stuffhappening in the news cycle
about fraud and waste and allthat, well, it all starts
upstream on Capitol Hill, fromall this pork bill spending that
they all stuff into the billsto get what they want for the
constituents so if you want toreally stop the waste, go to the
(03:49):
source no, it's.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
It's like kind of scary and so like I feel like
like where I live it's likepeople haven't like felt it yet
right, but I have felt it likeit's been the longest month of
my life.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Yeah, I'm sure it's been.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Every executive order , like all the like DEA, like
it's all of that's been like.
It's like just like really likeschools and curriculum and
states and content and just likeI'm like I don't think I've
ever worked harder.
But like most of my like goodpeople I know are like whatever
you know, yeah, but like most ofmy people I know are like
whatever you know, yeah, likethere's too many people that
(04:26):
work in the air, like no, likethis is, this is, but you're
like you don't want it, it'shard, you don't want to get so
bad that people like lives are,but it's like, yeah, it's good
no-transcript part of this whole.
They're like wait, but it wasn'tsupposed to do anything to me
(04:47):
right I didn't care when it wasimmigrants or whatever.
But you know not me beingtargeted.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
I had coffee.
I had a coffee date with uh, itwas like a work thing with
someone.
She's been out of work sincenovember.
Highly highly educated, jobskills.
She, she can't find work andnow, with everything this now
well, dc again.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Your market must be crazy like just flooded it's
crazy it is crazy that's likereally stressful to think about
anyways.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Yeah, besides that, mrs lincoln, how's the play?
Exactly anything else.
Uh, fun and exciting going onfor you this weekend, hopefully
um, well, now I'm.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Now I'm done.
This place service bar was onlike the james beard award which
one uh service bar.
I've never been, that's whereI'm going.
Okay, uh, but they won a jamesbeard award for best bar in the
nation okay so I'm excited toget to try it out.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
I learn something new every day.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
What part of town is that in?
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Wherever you're taking me.
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Perhaps I should pay attention to what I'm taking,
Whoever we're going you can tellme what part of town are we
going to?
Speaker 2 (06:02):
That's so funny.
Yeah, so that's it, that's yeah, you're going to um.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Oh okay, you're going to ninth and u okay um?
U street's kind of fun.
It gets a little nutty at nightwhich is fine, um, there's a
famous music venue there called9 30 club, which is very cool,
um, and there's a cool pizzaplace.
So if you want to eat latenight, it's called andy's and
it's right across the streetfrom 9 30 club.
(06:29):
So ninth and v okay, reallygood pizza.
I'm part italian, I wouldn'tsteer you wrong.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
It's pretty good okay , oh, where else are, like, some
of your favorite places to eat?
Speaker 1 (06:39):
I'm gonna be coming to dc a lot more well, I don't
know about eating, but but rightin this neighborhood.
Yeah there's a place calledCapo Deli.
Ooh, I love an Italian deli,okay, but here's the thing.
It's just like you know.
You go in there and get africking cold cut right, big
deal, that's nice.
There's a walk-in freezer andif you open up the door to the
(07:00):
walk-in freezer it opens up intothis secret little bourbon bar
with like crushed velvet coucheswait what?
Crystal chandeliers and likethat oh, that's so cool.
I mean, the cold cuts look greatin these photos I'm seeing, but
also good so that place is cool, okay, um, yeah, so you could
(07:26):
do the service bar.
Have a few there yeah get aslice of pizza yeah, that sounds
great, andy's.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
I'm going to andy's and then do a nightcap at uh
kappa.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
What could be, could be fun what kind?
Of food.
Do you like to eat?
Speaker 2 (07:40):
oh, all of it, you like can't.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Yeah, like he isn't known for anything like it's got
great food spots, but it's notlike Really cool international
options yeah.
I mean it's Ethiopian, if youknow Afghan.
Like Adams, morgan is aninteresting area to go, but I
went to Albi, which was likeMiddle East, Lebanese.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
That was great.
And then I went to the Red Hen,which was really good.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Italian, italian, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Yeah, that place was great.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
How long are you in town for?
Speaker 2 (08:06):
So I go home tomorrow .
But I'm going to be coming likeevery other month.
Okay, I got you, or at leastthis year, probably.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Union Market is a really fun area.
St Anselm is good.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Yeah, yes, st Anselm is good, very cozy.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
And La Dip you have to Melodip yes, that room is so
cool.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
It is like like I know, it's kind of like oh,
everyone goes there, but it'slike, yeah, but it's like, have
you been like?
It's like, if you've been, ofcourse, yeah, it's cozy.
The ambiance is fantastic.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Unless you get stuck in one of the little side tent
rooms.
No, I don't.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
No, but St Anselm I really liked too when, like you
have people come visit you, likewhere, like things to do, what
places to go like where do youtake people?
Speaker 1 (08:50):
The Library of Congress has a late night happy
hour in the main room.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Um, okay, fine, it's free.
I'm doing this the next time Icome, it's free.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
You gotta go online and get a ticket, but it is free
and it's like one of the mostspectacular rooms obviously.
Obviously you know it's thelibrary that's so cool yeah, um
yeah, that's great, that's agood one, and they have like
little cocktail bars set up andlight music.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
You kind of wander around a little bit so yeah yeah
, plus I just love the libraryof congress yeah, who doesn't
like books.
Yeah, exactly, well, well, okay.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
We are close.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Yes, okay, that's 900 .
And I think we're going to 928.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Yeah, so it's going to be on the right.
Yeah, I just want to get you ina safe spot to drop you off
here.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Yes, I appreciate that, just like that away.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Great.
Thank you so much.
Excellent this was really cool.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
Excellent, it was nice chatting with you.
Yeah, you too, have a goodnight.
And then all that stuff wetalked about Not Dirty Club is
just right behind us on theother side of you.
Uh-huh, that way.
And then the Capo place is thatway.
Ah, perfect, all right, enjoyyour stay.
Welcome to another episode of Rideshare Road Talk
Conversations in Motion, apodcast where we create
unfiltered talk space thatexamines the meaningful lives of
my passengers, while engagingin personal and topical
discussions.
I'm your host and driver, JohnFondas, and we're cruising the
streets of Washington DC.
Buckle up, let's drive.
(00:31):
How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:35):
I'm all right.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Good, good, good, I'm hanging in there, I'm done with
work.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Bullshit, how are you Excellent?
Speaker 1 (00:42):
I am your unlikely rideshare driver.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
I like it.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Let's do it.
Nice digs, do you have dinnerhere Hanging out?
Speaker 2 (00:50):
There was like a reception on the rooftop.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Lovely.
I've been on that rooftop inanother life.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Nice view.
Yeah, I do education policyCool, so I have like 15 states,
and so my job is to like work onhigh quality instructional
materials okay, are peoplewriting, you checks or you're
just doing some type of policystuff.
Yeah, okay, education okayeducation policy is maybe not
(01:18):
where it's at.
If you wanna, sometimes I'llsee job or like, like salaries
or stuff from like the other I'mlike, oh it's different if
you're in tech or energy or Sure.
Like no.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
So you get to DC often, then I would imagine.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Yeah, I just started doing federal stuff in September
, so that's cool.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
What a great time to be in DC.
That's cool.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Yeah, what a great time to be in dc.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
I would think especially like in dc you're
getting like some reallyinteresting, like people you're
picking up can't tell you howmany people had just been let go
or furloughed with all thecraziness going on like at that
at that reception.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Lots of the people there.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Their spouses work in federal stuff and yeah, they've
all gotten like the emails.
I drove one lady who worked atSBA and her boss was one of the
inspector generals the maininspector general that got laid
off.
He's the one that penned thatfamous kind of resignation
letter.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
And they're all just like despondent.
A couple of career lawyers I'vedriven around that got laid off
and the real crisis ofconscience is, you know, let's
just do air quotes, do-gooders,right.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Career do-gooders yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
On the right side of the V.
Yeah, as I like to say.
Now this lady has tocontemplate going to the private
sector to make money in turnselling her soul.
Yeah, and it's like you thinkabout that.
It's like all of a sudden nowyou've got to represent the bad
guy.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Yeah, in theory.
Well, you think, like I wantthere to be inspector generals,
like I want there to be peoplemaking sure my food is safe and
my you know, like, yeah, youwould think, yeah, I mean, a
certain amount of regulation isimportant.
Yeah, yeah.
I think that's the fabric of afunctioning society is checks
and balances.
Like I'm not saying there'sprobably some fat to be trimmed.
Sure, it's the federalgovernment, but like it doesn't
(03:17):
seem we're being reallydiscerning in what we're doing.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Well, here's the thing.
And you know it's hard not totalk about politics in DC, right
?
But with all this stuffhappening in the news cycle
about fraud and waste and allthat, well, it all starts
upstream on Capitol Hill, fromall this pork bill spending that
they all stuff into the billsto get what they want for the
constituents so if you want toreally stop the waste, go to the
(03:49):
source no, it's.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
It's like kind of scary and so like I feel like
like where I live it's likepeople haven't like felt it yet
right, but I have felt it likeit's been the longest month of
my life.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Yeah, I'm sure it's been.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Every executive order , like all the like DEA, like
it's all of that's been like.
It's like just like really likeschools and curriculum and
states and content and just likeI'm like I don't think I've
ever worked harder.
But like most of my like goodpeople I know are like whatever
you know, yeah, but like most ofmy people I know are like
whatever you know, yeah, likethere's too many people that
(04:26):
work in the air, like no, likethis is, this is, but you're
like you don't want it, it'shard, you don't want to get so
bad that people like lives are,but it's like, yeah, it's good
no-transcript part of this whole.
They're like wait, but it wasn'tsupposed to do anything to me
(04:47):
right I didn't care when it wasimmigrants or whatever.
But you know not me beingtargeted.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
I had coffee.
I had a coffee date with uh, itwas like a work thing with
someone.
She's been out of work sincenovember.
Highly highly educated, jobskills.
She, she can't find work andnow, with everything this now
well, dc again.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Your market must be crazy like just flooded it's
crazy it is crazy that's likereally stressful to think about
anyways.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Yeah, besides that, mrs lincoln, how's the play?
Exactly anything else.
Uh, fun and exciting going onfor you this weekend, hopefully
um, well, now I'm.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Now I'm done.
This place service bar was onlike the james beard award which
one uh service bar.
I've never been, that's whereI'm going.
Okay, uh, but they won a jamesbeard award for best bar in the
nation okay so I'm excited toget to try it out.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
I learn something new every day.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
What part of town is that in?
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Wherever you're taking me.
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Perhaps I should pay attention to what I'm taking,
Whoever we're going you can tellme what part of town are we
going to?
Speaker 2 (06:02):
That's so funny.
Yeah, so that's it, that's yeah, you're going to um.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Oh okay, you're going to ninth and u okay um?
U street's kind of fun.
It gets a little nutty at nightwhich is fine, um, there's a
famous music venue there called9 30 club, which is very cool,
um, and there's a cool pizzaplace.
So if you want to eat latenight, it's called andy's and
it's right across the streetfrom 9 30 club.
(06:29):
So ninth and v okay, reallygood pizza.
I'm part italian, I wouldn'tsteer you wrong.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
It's pretty good okay , oh, where else are, like, some
of your favorite places to eat?
Speaker 1 (06:39):
I'm gonna be coming to dc a lot more well, I don't
know about eating, but but rightin this neighborhood.
Yeah there's a place calledCapo Deli.
Ooh, I love an Italian deli,okay, but here's the thing.
It's just like you know.
You go in there and get africking cold cut right, big
deal, that's nice.
There's a walk-in freezer andif you open up the door to the
(07:00):
walk-in freezer it opens up intothis secret little bourbon bar
with like crushed velvet coucheswait what?
Crystal chandeliers and likethat oh, that's so cool.
I mean, the cold cuts look greatin these photos I'm seeing, but
also good so that place is cool, okay, um, yeah, so you could
(07:26):
do the service bar.
Have a few there yeah get aslice of pizza yeah, that sounds
great, andy's.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
I'm going to andy's and then do a nightcap at uh
kappa.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
What could be, could be fun what kind?
Of food.
Do you like to eat?
Speaker 2 (07:40):
oh, all of it, you like can't.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Yeah, like he isn't known for anything like it's got
great food spots, but it's notlike Really cool international
options yeah.
I mean it's Ethiopian, if youknow Afghan.
Like Adams, morgan is aninteresting area to go, but I
went to Albi, which was likeMiddle East, Lebanese.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
That was great.
And then I went to the Red Hen,which was really good.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Italian, italian, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Yeah, that place was great.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
How long are you in town for?
Speaker 2 (08:06):
So I go home tomorrow .
But I'm going to be coming likeevery other month.
Okay, I got you, or at leastthis year, probably.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Union Market is a really fun area.
St Anselm is good.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Yeah, yes, st Anselm is good, very cozy.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
And La Dip you have to Melodip yes, that room is so
cool.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
It is like like I know, it's kind of like oh,
everyone goes there, but it'slike, yeah, but it's like, have
you been like?
It's like, if you've been, ofcourse, yeah, it's cozy.
The ambiance is fantastic.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Unless you get stuck in one of the little side tent
rooms.
No, I don't.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
No, but St Anselm I really liked too when, like you
have people come visit you, likewhere, like things to do, what
places to go like where do youtake people?
Speaker 1 (08:50):
The Library of Congress has a late night happy
hour in the main room.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Um, okay, fine, it's free.
I'm doing this the next time Icome, it's free.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
You gotta go online and get a ticket, but it is free
and it's like one of the mostspectacular rooms obviously.
Obviously you know it's thelibrary that's so cool yeah, um
yeah, that's great, that's agood one, and they have like
little cocktail bars set up andlight music.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
You kind of wander around a little bit so yeah yeah
, plus I just love the libraryof congress yeah, who doesn't
like books.
Yeah, exactly, well, well, okay.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
We are close.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Yes, okay, that's 900 .
And I think we're going to 928.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Yeah, so it's going to be on the right.
Yeah, I just want to get you ina safe spot to drop you off
here.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Yes, I appreciate that, just like that away.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Great.
Thank you so much.
Excellent this was really cool.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
Excellent, it was nice chatting with you.
Yeah, you too, have a goodnight.
And then all that stuff wetalked about Not Dirty Club is
just right behind us on theother side of you.
Uh-huh, that way.
And then the Capo place is thatway.
Ah, perfect, all right, enjoyyour stay.
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