3200 block of Volta Pl.
Georgetown’s Vintage Wall Advertisements
It was recently suggested to GM that he go out and document the vintage wall advertisements that are scattered around Georgetown. (A topic that has attracted plenty of attention in other cities). GM could only find three still around Georgetown, but here they are preserved for posterity.
The one above is located on Wisconsin Ave. just south of Dumbarton. It is for the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., a concern better known as the A&P. It’s still around, but they’re struggling and recently filed for bankruptcy protection. Where they used to spread from New England all the way to the south, the few remaining stores are mostly in the north. GM’s not sure if there ever was an A&P in Georgetown.
The next ad is on the side of 3112 M St. It appears to GM to be an ad for Quaker (as in oats). The line across the top appears to say “The World’s Greatest” (although the last word looks at lot more like “Greanast”). Continue reading
Filed under History
The Morning Metropolitan
Photo by USC Alumni Club of Washington.
Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:
- Building collapses in collapsed building-owner’s history.
- That’s it, no more reviews can use the expression “Unum in a million“, because one is too many.
Filed under The Morning Metropolitan
This Is How Bad Transportation Decisions Are Made
At the last ANC meeting, the issue of the south exit of the Safeway was discussed. GM discussed this after the meeting, but he thinks it’s worthwhile to walk through the story of the changes to this intersection because it demonstrates how too often bad transportation decisions are made.
Prior to the construction of the new Safeway, and shortly after it opened, there were three different phases for the lights and crosswalks of this intersection:
During the first phase (which is 60 seconds), car traffic on Wisconsin Ave. had a green light and pedestrians were allowed to cross the curbcut at the Safeway exit. Cars leaving Safeway and pedestrians crossing Wisconsin were shown a red light.
During the second phase (which is 20 seconds now, but was much shorter before the changes), pedestrians were allowed to cross Wisconsin, but pedestrians were not allowed to cross the curbcut, nor were cars allowed to exit the Safeway, either north or southbound. Car traffic on Wisconsin was obviously also stopped. Continue reading
Filed under Transportation
The Morning Metropolitan
Photo by Jim Malone.
Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:
- Pro-union rallies at GU.
- This is what politicians are talking about when they throw out the “Georgetown cocktail party” trope. (But hey, look Dan Tangherlini was there! Maybe he’ll come back to the Wilson Building after his Treasury run is over.)
Filed under The Morning Metropolitan
Hey Restaurateurs: There are Some Georgetown Liquor Licenses Available
Georgetown has a moratorium on new liquor licenses. So unlike the rest of the city (with the exception of the other moratorium zones) a restaurant or bar that wants to open up in Georgetown can’t simply go downtown, apply for a new liquor license, and pay a small fee. Rather, a new Georgetown restaurant or bar needs to buy an existing license off the secondary market. And for all intents and purposes, that means buying one of the licenses that are held by restaurants or bars no longer in business. The going rate for these licenses has reported to be as high as $75,000.
This barrier to entry has been frequently cited by restaurateurs as a significant reason not to open a restaurant in Georgetown. But GM’s hear to say: act now and this won’t be a problem!
You see, last year the ABC Board authorized the issuance of seven new liquor licenses in Georgetown. This was done partially in acknowledgement that since the moratorium was put in place, at least seven liquor licenses had left Georgetown, so the number of available licenses was actually lower than when the moratorium was put in place. Additionally, there was a sense that Geogetown’s restaurant scene has grown a little stale and that new licenses might inject a little blood back into the scene. Continue reading
Filed under Restaurants, ABRA
The Morning Metropolitan
Photo by Ehpien.
Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:
- Another look at the new Unum restaurant.
- A little bit more behind the story of the Lee’s retirement from Scheele’s.
Filed under The Morning Metropolitan
