Author Archives: Topher

Photo by Victoria Pickering.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Easbanc offering its portion of the historic Georgetown post office for sale.
• The construction of this house was a pain in the ass for the neighbors nearby, but it sure looks nice now.

Photo by Joe.

Way back in 2011, I wrote an article about the old Key Theater that stood in the building recently vacated by the Wawa. Writing about old establishments like that often inspires people to share their memories in the comments section. And one individual left such a long and interesting comment that I posted it as its own article several days later: Plucked From the Comments.

That article itself has attracted its own long string of comments, and I’d like to once again pluck a recent one out to make sure everyone sees it. A Mr.LLoyd1964 writes:

I used to work at the Biograph Theater (1967-1996) in the mid seventies and early eighties. Hot Diggity Dog was a hot dog restaurant in a repurposed gas station next door with ample table seating out front. Their fries were oval potato slices which I drowned with malted vinegar that they had in bottles. The place was only open from May 1977 to August 1978. On the other side of the Biograph used to be a club in the sixties called Emergency that utilized the concrete ramp going down under the auto dealership where the Biograph was. People would sit on the ramp and watch shows on a stage at the back of the club, or so I heard. On M between 30th and 31st, Harold’s was a working class deli serving thin sandwiches and chili in a waxed paper cup. In the middle of that block was the Charring Cross, named after a London subway stop, serving Italian food, run by Iranians. A little farther up the block was Kemp Mill records. At 31st and M was Food Mart (Mood Fart to those in the know) that was a small grocery store with great sandwiches. Woolworths did have a lunch counter with circular stools that you could spin around on. Between Wisconsin and Key bridge, a large video game arcade appeared in the mid to late seventies on M street where I parted with many quarters. A bit farther west on M Street was Stetsons, a bar with live jazz music and a small pocket of outdoor seating in the back. At the end of the block near Key Bridge (across from the Cellar Door) was Max’s a dive bar with red and white vinyl checker board table cloths that got damp with beer by the pitcher. Below the C&O canal were abandoned block-long concrete factories that were empty, except for homeless people and curious teenagers like myself. I had heard there used to be a glue factory along the Potomac in Georgetown well before my time.

As always I love to receive comments and personal stories like this, so please consider adding your own below!

Photo by Thomas Hawk.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Some great Winter Restaurant Week options around Georgetown.
• How Georgetown real estate sales stacked up last month.

One consolation I have long taken from intense cold snaps Iike the one we are experiencing now is that it would kill off more mosquitos and lead to a less buggy season next summer. If you have also had this understanding, I am sorry to inform you that we’ve been wrong.

It is true that mosquitoes become less active when the temperature drops below 50 degrees. And many do die with the onset of freezing temperatures. But they long ago evolved as a species to handle cold winters. Depending on the species, they either enter hibernation or lay eggs. And in both cases the creatures are able to withstand much colder weather than we’re dealing with right now.

And really, that makes a lot of sense, seeing as places like Alaska or northern Canada have huge swarms of mosquitos, despite also having bitterly cold winters.

The good news? There is one climate phenomenon that actually can reduce the mosquito levels. As insect expert Dr. Daniel Markowski told WUSA a few years ago: “consistent cold isn’t as bad for mosquitos as cycles of warm and cold days that keep waking them up throughout the winter. Waking up burns energy, and if it happens often enough, it can be deadly for the insects.”

So if we get a nice midwinter thaw, followed by another freeze-up, not only will that give us a respite from the cold, it may actually make our summer gardens a bit more pleasant!

Photo by Jonathan E. Hendley.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• What some students are hoping GU will look for in its next president.
• Osteria Mozza is already taking its place as a magnet for extremely bold-faced names. Hopefully us hoi polloi also get to enjoy it once in a while too…

Located at the corner of Volta and Wisconsin, Georgetown Lutheran is currently undergoing an large scale renovation project to restore and modernize their historic parish. As part of that project they are working on the church bell tower, using scaffolding to access the the top.

Taking advantage of the limited opportunity to access this view, the church is opening it up to the community to climb up to the top and take in this unique and short-lived view. More details below:

Our pictures don’t do it justice (we were focused on the repair work) but the scaffold high over our bell tower has the most incredible view of our beloved Georgetown. So when we’ve been up there, we thought of you – and want to invite you, neighbors and friends who join us with a donation to this “People for the Steeple” campaign – to join us for this special view and a history tour for those interested.

It is truly a once in a lifetime view and opportunity. Come learn from and support Georgetown’s oldest congregation, founded 1769 here on this corner. We’re proud to be your neighbor and a community partner that serves and shares. This restoration and renovation work has come a long way to improve our corner: we’re proud of it and want to celebrate it with you. 

Click here to register your RSVP/interest to join us for the view and tour, this Sunday, January 19!

We’ll welcome small groups escorted up the scaffolding pointing out architectural and interesting history along the way. Wear sturdy shoes and bundle up as needed, but know that the scaffold is very safe and easy to ascend: five or so ladder rungs at the start lead you to a secure, five story fully enclosed with full regular staircases and railings throughout. Then join us in the church for some light refreshments and more history, art, and architecture to see and learn about as you’re interested!

Project Lead Charles Bushman, Pastor Brett Wilson, GLC President, Mark Robbins  – Questions? Want to connect? Contact: office@georgetownlutheran.com

Photo by Bryan Alexander.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Georgetown community predicts what’s in store.
• Scout is apparently closing its retail store.

It’s been cold long enough that the Potomac has started to freeze over. If there were water in the canal, that would surely have frozen over too. But go up the canal a few miles and there is water enough for it to be frozen. So I thought I would reprint an old article where I dug in to the legality of doing just that:

As the days finally get colder, I start to think back to his childhood days skating on a tiny frozen pond behind my friend’s house in Connecticut. (The fact that the pond was only about 25 feet across helps explain why I never really learned to stop on skates; I hardly had room to start). It was this nostalgia for outdoor skating that led me to wonder: why not build a waterfront rink? My question was answered in the affirmative shortly afterwards when MRP Realty announced plans to bring an ice rink to the Washington Harbour.

But that won’t get built in time for this winter (ed: obviously that’s not true anymore!). And what if you want to skate on a natural body of frozen water? Well we’ve already got one of those: the C & O Canal.

While it hasn’t been cold nearly enough for the canal to freeze yet this winter, by late January, February at the latest, it should ice over. And guess what? You are allowed to skate on it if you want. I just assumed the NPS would prohibit such a fun activity since, lets face it, they can kinda be killjoys. But according to C & O Canal National Historic Park:

It’s that time of year and weather when Park visitors may go ice skating.

The ice skating issue is addressed in the Park’s rules (reprinted in the C&O Canal NHP Volunteer Manual):

“Ice skating is permitted at your own risk park-wide, except where prohibited by signage.”

There are signs at Widewater, where the water is so deep it never freezes enough to be safe.

Our role is to advise visitors of unsafe conditions when we become aware of them.  Do so nicely.  Elsewhere, the canal is usually safe because it is so shallow.  People may get wet feet and be cold, but this is rarely a life-threatening emergency.  If you are not sure, telephone dispatch and talk to them about it.

If person goes through the ice at Widewater or other deep water area, call 911.  No heroics; without the right gear, you will just be another casualty.   If an animal goes through the ice, no humans should be put at risk to save it, but you could call dispatch and ask what they recommend.

So keep an eye on the canal, and when it looks good and frozen, grab your skates!

The Old Georgetown Board’s material is always the best place to learn about new stores coming to Georgetown. And this month is no exception. Here are several new stores that appear to be forthcoming:

First up is Mejuri. It is a jewelry store that is taking over 3225 M St. Last year I wrote about how the current occupant is taking over the location next door. I wondered whether they were expanding into both spaces or were moving. This answers that question.

The next entrant is some place called Sweaty Betty. It’s taking over 3251 M St. It is a yoga/sweats shop. Opening yet another yoga pants store in Georgetown is approaching “bringing coal to Newcastle” territory, but the demand seems fairly bottomless right now.

Lastly, coming in to the former Peet’s Coffee shop at 33rd and M is The Salty. It’s a donut shop, which should really help fill the (ahem) hole that was left when District Donut closed up shop.

It will really cement this stretch of M St. as the sugar capital of the neighborhood, with this shop, Georgetown Cupcake, Jubilee Ice Cream and (soon) the Amorino gelatos shop at 34th and M.

Actually more yoga pants sounds like a great idea once you think about it…

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• A complete list of the business ins and outs last year.
• Sezanne pop-up to last at least another season.