Off The Mall Tours

09/22/2024

Yesterday, tour guide colleagues came together to celebrate Carolyn Crouch and for 25 years of guiding people through Washingtonian history! Carolyn was the first person I consulted with when considering starting a walking tour company. She has become a colleague and friend. Great seeing another influential colleague in the tour guide world of at the festivities too! Women run the tourguiding world, trust me. :) Check out their tours at www.washingtonwalks.com and www.atourofherown.com. Let's all get walking this Fall! #

09/20/2024

Off the Mall Tours is a proud sponsor of Project Sentinel, run by . Project Sentinal is a non-violent protest recreating historic efforts to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. We are looking for volunteers to help stand as "Silent Sentinels," in front of the White House, to help with logistics, etc starting this weekend. See more in the slides here or check out thefeministuprising.com for more information. Let's go!

09/20/2024

Tonight we have the Madams of DC walking tour! In this fascinating exploration of Civil War Era s*x work, we are discussing the lives of several women who lived in Hooker's Divison, which today is Federal Triangle. Tour is $30 and starts at the Willard Intercontinental, finishing at the National Museum of the American Indian. Tickets still available at link in bio, or head to www.otmdc.com to purchase! *xworkisrealwork

09/13/2024

New Blog Post - Did S*x Workers Own Property in 19th Century DC ?

Did S*x Workers Own Property in 19th Century DC?

09/13/2024

I made a very brief, non-talking appearance (hint, I'm in the blue dress) on NBC 4's blurb on Walking Town DC, which is starting on the 14th! Check out the clip here:

D.C.’s “Walking Town” tours helps people discover history by exploring around neighborhoods on foot starting Sept. 14 through Sept. 21. News4’s Tommy McFly talks to Jim Byers about the magic behind seeing people uncover something new in the city after 21 years of volunteering.

09/11/2024

It's been 23 years, and I still remember my friend banging on my dormroom door to wake me up and tell me that we were under attack. I arrived in DC less than a year later and watched them rebuild the wall of the Pentagon that had been punched in. I remember what the world was like before, and what it felt like afterward. There is an entire generation who does not know what "pre-9/11" was like.

09/10/2024

This year Off the Mall Tours is participating in Walking Town DC! 8 days, 8 wards, 1 city, from September 14th through the 22nd, you can take dozens of walking tours for free! On the 16th I will be guiding the Madams of DC tour at 12:30pm and the Women of Cold War Washington Tour at 5:30. Register through the link in bio!

09/06/2024

MmmmmMmm enjoy this beautiful fall-like weather, AND tickle your brain with a walking tour by Off the Mall Tours! We have a great lineup for you this weekend, starting with our story of Civil War Era s*x workers in Madams of DC. This tour winds through Federal Triangle exploring the historic quarter known as "Hooker's Divisiok." Then on Saturday we are taking a new look at the National Mall, with Mall Beyind the Museums at 10am, a tour that mixes the Native, Black, Women and Labor history of DC's most visited landmark . Then, at 3pm same day, we are celebrating DC's jazz heritage with District of Jazz, an exploration of the U Street neighborhood, aka "Black Broadway." We round out the weekend with a foray into Brookland, and Idyllic and Ideal neighborhood, where Catholic institutions took hold and DC's black elite had their homes. It's a cornucopia of DC history y'all! Tickets and full descriptions of tours available at www.otmdc.com, or go to links in bio to book your tickets now!

08/19/2024

Out of the many tours over the weekend, I only got pics of two. Thanks to the for partnering with me on a District of Punk tour, before having a blast at the free rooftop Punk concert at the . I also had an amazing History of Black Georgetown tour, with descendents of the Fleet and Barker families present. I love my job.:)

08/16/2024

Today marks the 200 year anniversary of the kick-off to the Marquis de Lafayette's Grand Tour of the United States, starting in New York on August 16th, 1824, ending with his departure from the City of Washington, DC, on September 7, 1825. In honor of his visit, Ary Schaffer painted his portrait. The original hangs in the House of Representatives. The American Friends of Lafayette have organized a recreation of the famous tour, starting with his visit in New York TODAY! He will be arriving in Washington on October 12th, with events occurring that weekend. I'll be offering the French Connections tour that weekend as well, to celebrate his arrival. Stay tuned for more details. Check out www.lafayette200.org for more information on events happening throughout the country celebrating the bicentennial. Lafayette.

08/16/2024

Forgive me while I nerd out to you all for a minute. I've been diving into the DC Archives' Recorder of Deeds records to prove that some of the Madams I talk about on the Madams of DC tour, in fact, owned their property. AND PROOF FOUND!!! I have at least TWO examples of Deeds granted to women who ran brothels: Jane C. Malord, aka Jennie Malord, and Ellen Reynolds, aka Ellen Wolf of the Wolf's Den. It's so exciting to my historian heart. Want to learn more? I'm giving my Madam of DC tour TONIGHT 6/16 at 7pm. Tickets still available. Purchase through link in bio or at www.otmdc.com. See you there! *xworkhistory

08/12/2024

I've been away the last couple of weeks, hence the lack of posts, but I'm back and jumping nto it with a packed tour schedule this week! First up, on Wednesday I'm offering a special off-schedule District of Punk tour in partnership with the , ending at MLK Library just in time for their FREE rooftop Punk concert series! Then we're back to our first weekend schedule, with Madams, the Mall our way, Black and Women of Cold War Washington. The weather forecast is gorgeous, so let's make the most of the last month of summer! Tickets available at www.otmdc.com! *xworkhistory

07/31/2024

The August Schedule is up! We have a couple of special tours in addition to our usual lineup. First, on August 14th, OTM is collaborating with the center on presenting the District of Punk tour, which will end at the MLK Library in time for the FREE rooftop Punk concert performance! Then, we're beating the heat and heading indoors for a Taste of , our special take on a food tour. Find more info and book tickets at www.otmdc.com.

07/25/2024

This Sunday, 7/28 at 6 pm, is the rescheduled Q***r Black Broadway walking tour in partnership with the ! We celebrate Pride all year long after all. This tour explores the LGTBQ history of the famed U Street corridor, aka "Black Broadway." Weather is supposed to be gorgeous! Tickets are available through link in bio.

07/17/2024

We are approaching a cooler weekend, so let's get back outside for a fun and educational walk through DC history! From our one-of-a-kind tour on Civil War-era s*x work to the stories of women who were making an impact from the social salons of Georgetown, we are covering a variety of fascinating stories and people. Tours are 2 - 2.5 hours, $30 per person. See full descriptions and get your tickets now at www.otmdc.com or through links in bio! *xworkiswork

07/15/2024

Un grand Merci Beaucoup to everyone who braved the heat and came out to French Connections Georgetown and French Connections Lafayette Square in honor Bastille Day. Beh oui, we still had a great time. A la prochaine mes amis!!

07/11/2024

I recently visited the and came across a fantastic exhibit "Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris 1900-1939." Part of the exhibit highlighted African American women who found fame in the city of light, including, of course, Josephine Baker (painting) and Ethel Waters (bronze bust). It brought to mind another woman who was not mentioned, but also benefitted from a sojourn in France: Lilian Evanti. She was a DC native who graduated from Howard U with her degree in Opera in the early 20th Century. She struggled to find work in America as a black opera singer, so she moved to Europe to find success, as did many African Americans in the post WWI era. I discuss her and how France embraced black America after WWI on my upcoming Bastille Day French Connections tour of Lafayette Square, July 14 at 3pm. It will be hot, so cold water will be provided for all guests. Tickets available through link in bio or at www.otmdc.com!

07/09/2024

This Sunday, July 14th is Bastille Day, or the French Independance Day. Did you know that DC was designed by a Frenchman? Or that the Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette visited DC in 1824? Or that Julia Child launchrd her cookbook writing career while living in Geirgetown? Learn more on TWO walking tours celebrating French influence on the nations capital. Cold water will be provided to guests, as well as a sweet treat at the end of each tour! Tickets available through links in bio or at www.otmdc.com.

07/07/2024

DC's alleyway system has a very unique history. Explore the Blagden Alley and Naylor Court historic district and learn about the different roles aleyways played in the city's past. Go to link in bio for tickets, which are $30 per person. Sales end at noon.

07/03/2024

In today's issue of "fun things I find in old newspapers," here is a report of the death of Jane, aka "Jennie" Malord, a famous DC Madam of the post-Civil War era, from the Washington office of a German newspaper "Der Deutsche Correspondent" on March 31, 1881. Born into a free black family in 1841, Jane Malord would go on to fame and fortune as the proprietor of Mahogany Hall, one of the top brothels in the city of its day. Loosely translated, the passage reads, "This day the owner of a prostitution house in the so-called Mahogany Hall, Jane Malord, a Negress, died here. She was buried the day before yesterday in a truly grand manner. Yesterday her will was opened and it revealed that she had bequeathed her rather substantial estate to her sisters and her employees." She was so well known, that she was of international interest! Fascinating. Want to know more? The Madams of DC tour is kicking off our July schedule this Friday the 5th at 7pm. Tour begins at the Willard Hotel and ends in front of the National Museum of the American Indian. Tickets available through link in bio or directly at www.otmdc.com. *xworkiswork

07/01/2024

The July schedule has dropped! In addition to our awesome monthly tour offerings, we are featuring two tours in honor of Bastille Day, the French Day of Independence. DC has a multitude of French influences, from architecture to politics, to the city's planner himself! For Francophiles or history lovers alike, these tours offer a unique perspective on the nation's capital. In the morning of Bastille Day, Juky 14th, we explore the many French influences on Georgetown, then we are moving downtown to Lafayette Square at 3pm. In addition, we have rescheduled Q***r Black Broadway, in partnership with for July 28th, so those who wanted to take the tour last weekend but were worried about the heat have another opportunity. Tickets for all tours available at links in bio, or at www.otmdc.com. A bient tot!