Diego's

            The average human’s hair grows about half an inch per month. Normally nobody cares about a fact like this, but when you’re going to a new place, especially a place where appearance and proper grooming is so heavily emphasized, facts like this start to have meaning. I had to find a place to get my haircut and after Googling barber shops in the area and reading all of the respective reviews, I found a place called Diego's Hair Salon. It’s located in Dupont Circle and was founded in the 1960s by Diego D'Ambrosio. The salon has become a neighborhood institution that's frequented by politicians, religious leaders, diplomats, and Supreme Court Justices. In recognition of Diego's contribution to the local business community, a neighborhood street has been renamed in his honor. Diego's customers have included Supreme Court Justices Warren E. Burger and William Rehnquist, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former British Prime Minister John Major, and former Italian ambassador Giovanni Castellaneta. By Diego’s count, he has cut the hair of 75 ambassadors, 17 presidents and prime ministers, and other officials representing a total of 135 countries.

            As of this weekend, I’ve been added to the list of people who have had the good fortune of meeting Diego and getting one of his great haircuts. The thing I found most impressive about Diego was not the collection of autographed pictures that covered the walls of his shop, nor the amazing haircut he gave, and not even the way he spoke Italian with his equally fluent coworkers, but the way he was so kind to every person that came in and out of his shop. He said hello and goodbye to every patron and was sure to thank each customer for their visit. You would assume a guy as accomplished as him would mandate call ahead appointments and be as self-absorbed as a lot of people in DC, but he didn't and he wasn’t. It was a good experience and a great haircut. So I recommend that if you need a haircut while you’re here, go to Diego’s.

-Anthony DeThomas