Category Archives: Not So Long Ago

March 7, 2011 · 10:00 am

Not So Long Ago: Wisconsin & Q

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After a week off, GM returns to Not So Long Ago, this time a bit further up Wisconsin again. What’s notable for this location is not what it’s become, but what it hasn’t become.

The 7-11 you see in 1993 closed in 2005 (or 2006, GM can’t remember exactly). Absolutely nothing has happened to this property since then. Is it a bad location? Is it a stubborn landlord? How can a space like this sit empty in Georgetown for over five years? Something’s wrong here.

Anyway, here are the photos if they don’t show up above: Continue reading →

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February 22, 2011 · 10:00 am

Not So Long Ago: Wisconsin and Q

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This week at Not So Long Ago, GM moves up a block from last week at stops by the excellent Dolcezza.

Dolcezza is an absolute gem of Georgetown. It has been selling its excellent Argentinian gelato since 2003. They have since opened two more locations in Bethesda and Dupont. But they still make their gelato in the basement of their Georgetown store.

In 1993, this space was apparently home to a fortune teller named Mrs. Dean. Fortune tellers still dot the Georgetown streetscape, but it seems the days of fortune tellers taking up an entire building are gone.

GM couldn’t find any information on Mrs. Dean. Nor can he remember what was in that space before Dolcezza. Anyone remember?

Here are the photos if you can’t get Flash to work above: Continue reading →

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February 15, 2011 · 10:00 am

Not So Long Ago: Wisconsin and P

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This week on Not So Long Ago, GM stops by one of his favorite restaurants in Georgetown: Cafe Bonaparte.

GM’s been living in Georgetown long enough to remember when Cafe Bonaparte opened. It was 2003. It’s been a very popular destination for neighbors and visitors alike since then.

GM can’t remember what was in that space before Bonaparte. The photo shows what appears to be a cafe named Espresso Allegro. The sign says: Cafe – Espresso Bar – Patisserie. GM couldn’t find much about this place other than this listing in the Post from 1991:

ESPRESSO ALLEGRO – 1522 WisconsinAve. NW. 202-338-3848. Open: Sunday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to midnight. MC, V. No separate non-smoking section. Prices: coffees $.90 to $3.25, sandwiches and salads $2.75 to $5.75. Continue reading →

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February 8, 2011 · 10:00 am

Not So Long Ago: Prospect and Wisconsin

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This week in Not So Long Ago, GM takes a look the corner of Prospect and Wisconsin. Nowadays it’s a Restoration Hardware. In 1993, it was a Roy Rogers of all things.

This is the first of several fast food restaurants in GM’s pile of old photos. In many ways this is Exhibit A in terms of arguing that a lot of people look at Georgetown’s recent past with some rose colored glasses. It wasn’t all Olsson’s and Neames.

Here’s a static version of those shots: Continue reading →

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January 31, 2011 · 10:00 am

Not So Long Ago

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Today GM is introducing a new and exciting feature to the Georgetown Metropolitan. You’ve all seen the “Then and Now” blogs and articles that show an old photo next to a modern day photo to demonstrate how much has changed, or hasn’t.

Most of the old photos on those sites are from a long, long time ago. This is great, but sometimes it’s more surprising to see how much has changed in a much shorter time period. That’s what GM is going to do for Georgetown.

Recently GM came into possession of a pile of photos taken of Georgetown storefronts by the Citizens Association of Georgetown in 1993. The photos were taken as part of an effort to clean up the signage around Georgetown. It’s an effort that GM is trying to repeat, which is why he was given these photos. Continue reading →

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