Capitol Riverfront: Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood?

Capitol Riverfront is home to an active community of residents. The neighborhood is friendly, with plenty of ways for people to meet and congregate including great outdoor restaurants, waterfront views and dog parks aplenty. Here are the stories, hidden talents and best neighborhood tips from just a sampling of those who call Capitol Riverfront home — the folks you could meet each day.

Samantha Testa
Testa owns Painted Palettes and is a full-time watercolor artist and calligrapher in D.C. 

Samantha Testa. Photo courtesy of subject.

What attracted you to the Capitol Riverfront?
My partner and I have lived in the neighborhood since 2017. We initially started looking to move to the area because we wanted to be in close proximity to 695 for his job. The fact that Cap Riv had so many amazing restaurants and amenities, not to mention being so close to my favorite sporting event (go Nats!), really sealed the deal.

Tell me about your art and what you offer through Painted Palettes.
I have a retail line of D.C.-themed watercolor goods and paint custom art for clients, specializing in architecture and house portraits. Workshops are natural offshoots of these skills, and I enjoy interacting with the community to help people realize their creativity. 

What are some of your favorite things to do in the area?
I’ve played softball since I was 8 years old and currently play at Ryan Zimmerman Field on Sundays with [my] DC Fray league. I love going to Nationals games. Whether it’s the first game of the season or my 20th, it’s something I always look forward to. I will never forget watching the World Series Game 7 at Nats Park. It was a once in a lifetime experience, and I’m so happy I got to live that out in my own neighborhood.

What are your favorite food options in the neighborhood?
Our weekends almost always include a breakfast sandwich and a coffee from Lot 38. We have a handful of old faithful establishments we frequent including The Salt Line, All-Purpose, Albi, District Winery and Bluejacket.

@painted_palettes on Instagram // www.paintedpalettes.com

Sara Quinteros-Shilling 
Quinteros-Shilling is co-owner of Shilling Canning Company, with a focus on hyperlocal and sustainable food. 

Sara Quinteros-Shilling. Photo courtesy of subject.

How long have you been part of the Capitol Riverfront community and what brought you here?
I’ve been living in Capitol Riverfront since 2019 when we opened our restaurant Shilling Canning Company, but we really fell in love with the area in 2017 when we were looking for a space for the restaurant. Although my family and I made the transition to Capitol Riverfront to open our business, we had been interested in this area because of its community feel — and lots to see and do nearby, including the ballpark.

Tell me a bit about what makes Shilling Canning Company special.
We celebrate the flavors and products of the Chesapeake Bay Region. We are family-owned and hyper-locally focused. Our name comes from the Maryland canning and farming business that my husband’s family operated from the 1930s to 1950s. My husband and partner, Reid Shilling, is the executive chef and creative director behind our menu and food. His family was known to be meticulous, not only about what they grew but also about what they ultimately canned. You’ll find a lot of that attention to quality and detail still lives on in the restaurant’s mission. 

What are some of your favorite things to do in Capitol Riverfront?
I love that there are so many small business shops and restaurants. I love taking my dog and daughter to the various parks. There are so many activities throughout the year for different age groups such as Rosé All Day, music in the parks or Noon Yards Eve — there’s always something going on.

@shillingcanningcompany on Instagram // www.shillingcanning.com

Adam Lazoff
Adam Lazoff and his partner Matt Weintraub are pet parents to 10-month-old Winston, a French bulldog who won the annual Mutt Madness Bracket Contest in March. Lazoff currently works for design consulting firm Street Sense, while Weintraub is a consultant for pharmaceutical companies. 

Adam Lazoff + his partner Matt Weintraub. Photo courtesy of subjects.

How long have you been part of this neighborhood?
We moved in September last year from Woodley Park and decided to move down here to be [closer to] the happening crowd. We moved into the Maren, an awesome building that has a dog park for [Winston] and great amenities.

Winston has had a successful year with Mutt Madness.
It happened during a time I was unemployed, so I was able to market my dog. It was the first contest we were ever a part of, and we wound up winning. We had a lot of friends and family who helped support the cause.

What do you appreciate most about the neighborhood?
We love that it’s very dog-friendly here and we’re able to walk to a lot of different restaurants. We go to The Salt Line probably once a week. We made a lot of friends through the dog park itself, as it has a great community of dog lovers. Just being able to take the dog and walk the bridge over to District Winery is great.

@realstreetsense on Instagram // www.streetsense.com

Tori Collins
Collins is a USDOT employee and a rising poet who won several local competitions this past year.

Tori Collins. Photo courtesy of subject.

What brought you to the area?
I moved here from Chicago in November 2014, relocating for a job with the Department of Transportation. When I was doing my final interview, I drove around and realized Capitol Riverfront was a great neighborhood. It wasn’t as redeveloped as it is now, but I saw a lot of potential in it. I really liked the history of the area and connecting with people in the community has really taught me a lot about D.C.’s rich history.

What is your background as a poet?
I won a poetry contest in eighth grade, but I totally had forgotten about that. I journaled as a hobby in high school and college, and always have been in love with words. There is a lot of power in poetry and expressing yourself. It’s something I started doing again just last year with everything going on in the world: the pandemic, people losing jobs, police brutality and all the emotions going on in the world on the political front. This was a very cathartic way for me to release emotion. My first one was “From Pandemic to Protest,” and it was published in the Hill Rag and won an award. 

How would you characterize the dining scene in the area?
Eateries are what makes people want to come to the area. I live on New Jersey Avenue, so my quintessential “Cheers” is Scarlet Oak, which is attached to the building I live in. I also like the new restaurants popping up like District Winery and Bammy’s. If I want to venture a little further, I love to get the best burger in the Capitol Riverfront at The Salt Line. 

@frompandemic2protest on Instagram

The State of My Statehood
Ward 6 Dems Poetry Matters contest winner

Words By Tori Collins 

Like unfinished wood, the District of Columbia can survive indoors or outside of the House.
We prefer to be on the inside, to be included.
We prefer to vote and have it count.
It isn’t a question of politics.
It is answering the question of politics with basic fairness,
Solving issues that taught us civics.
Statehood means being seen in America, being heard in America and,
Growing with Americans.
Simply put, it is Freedom, Equity, Honor, and Respect.
Acquiring these truths is and has been a self-evident uphill battle and often,
an unlikely climb up the ladder through the rings of Congress.
Nevertheless, those like me in the ‘hoods named after Barracks for Marines, Yards needed for the Navy, Hills with no Caps, Triangles with many corners and all things George;
We’ve remained Diligent, Empowered, Long-Suffering Tax-Paying Citizens.
It is because we have hope.
It is because we are diligently waiting for the door to open.
I am patiently waiting for the state of my hood to one day be 51 shades of statehood good.
And we will continue to make down payments on policies, elections and decisions without representation until we have proper documents which will transcend evolution.
Statehood for me is like a big blockbuster movie set to premiere on Independence Day, the whole world can stream it, watching it from handheld flat screens.
It is our next Emancipation Day, our newest April 16th, 1862.
It is the result of merging just action with the right vision to leave behind a country better than the one we were given.

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