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By the end of this week, the air will be filled with the amazing scent of saucer magnolias blooming. To celebrate, GM is re-running his piece from 2017 about magnolia trees. Enjoy!:

This week for Know Your Trees, GM will consider a group of trees known primarily for their flowers: the magnolias.

While there are a wide variety of species and sub-species of magnolias throughout the world, in Georgetown you are likely to see three basic types: southern magnolias, saucer magnolias, and the Yulan magnolia.

The southern magnolia is quite different from the other two. It is easier identified by its big waxy green leaves with cinnamon brown undersides:

Despite having a deciduous look, southern magnolias are actually evergreens. They keep their leaves through the winter, and only start shedding them once new leaves are ready to replace them. (The shedding is a feature that leads many to dislike this tree.)

In the early summer they sport large showy white flowers, although typically they appear only a few at a time on the tree:

There are not a ton of southern magnolias in tree boxes along the sidewalks in Georgetown, but they are everywhere around Georgetown and DC.

Other than the fact that the flowers are similar, the other two magnolias are quite different. Continue reading →

Photo by Ted Eytan.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• L’Annexe cocktail bar plans comeback.
• Shaw’s Green Almond Pantry plans to reopen in Georgetown following a fire last year.

1000 block of 33rd St.

ANC 2E will meet for its April session next Tuesday (note the change from its normal Monday night). It will be via zoom at this link at 6:30 pm.

Some interesting items on the agenda include:

• Discussion of a bike lane on 37th st. in Burleith
• Potential renovations for Jelleff Rec Center
• Inclusionary zoning in Georgetown (this is the provision that requires the construction of affordable housing in some situations)

But the item that jumps out to GM is a discussion on the approach DDOT takes to maintaining the brick sidewalks in Georgetown. They are lovely and add to the neighborhood’s charm, but they can be hazardous when not well maintained. GM is interested to hear what sort of solutions came come from this discussion! Continue reading →

Photo by Jeff Vincent.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Former Georgetown ANC commissioner, Monica Roaché, makes the case for DC statehood.
• Positive Covid tests jumped back up last week (from 14 to 25) among students living in the surrounding communities. Watch parties around the Hoyas men’s basketball team probably didn’t help!

Montrose Park

This week for Georgetown Time Machine, GM is taking you to the punk years of the early 1980s. The image is of a concert poster from the DC Punk Archive. It was for a concert at Scandals in Georgetown featuring the Teen Idles, as well as other bands listed simply as “others”. The concert was May 19, 1980.

Scandals was a club at the northwest corner of Wisconsin and Prospect st. The poster helpfully described club’s location as “near Roy Rogers” and “next to Tramps”. The Roy Rogers was were the Wawa is now:

Tramps was a disco club in the same building as Scandals. It was opened in 1975 by Mike O’Harro, and lasted until 1982:

Continue reading →

Dumbarton Oaks Park

Photo by Jeff Vincent.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Jack Evans is late in paying $20,000 in fines and the Attorney General’s office is considering suing him to obtain payment.
• A bit more on the new Duly Noted stationery store.

1800 block of 34th St.