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3100 block of Dumbarton St.

This week for Georgetown Time Machine, GM is considering a sadly relevant topic: a Georgetown hospital in a time of crisis. Specifically it’s a photo from the Library of Congress of the Seminary Hospital on Washington and Gay (30th and N nowadays).

The building was originally Miss Lydia English’s Finishing School for Girls. As this writer recounts:

From 1820 to 1861 this was “Miss English’s Seminary for Young Ladies”. Many of the daughters of Washington’s elite families were educated here under the direction of Miss Lydia Scudder English.

Miss English wrote in her brochure that she would provide girls with “that amount of mental and moral culture necessary to render them amiable, intelligent, and useful members of society”.

About 140 girls boarded each year at Miss Lydia English’s Georgetown Female Seminary. One of the most famous was Harriet Williams, the teenage bride of the middle aged Russian nobleman whose marital home is at 3322 O St. NW. Continue reading →

Photo by Kevin Dooley.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• ANC Commissioner Elizabeth Miller has begun a nightly ritual where people on her block stand on their porch each night at 6:00 and cheers each other, to lift spirits and check in. Sounds like a great idea for other blocks!
• If you’re a business and want to spread the word about your current operations, reach out to the BID. GM will be sharing that information shortly.

1300 block of 31st St.

Normally GM publishes the same article every year around St. Patrick’s Day, giving suggestions for how to explore Georgetown’s Irish past on the day. Well obviously today isn’t normal.

But at the heart of GM’s normal advice is to raise a pint at Martin’s. You can’t do that this year, but you can still enjoy their food. As described below, they are offering curbside takeout:

“We have a ton of great food and we are prepared for curbside pickups. We didn’t set up food service through Apps – these companies take a cut and we can’t afford to give money away at a time like this. Give us a call on the phone the old-fashioned way to order your food and we will meet you at the curb for drop off. Gina, Lauren, Billy, and I appreciate all the support.”

Give Martin’s Tavern a call to place an order for curbside pick-up at 202-333-7370. Full Menu is available starting at 11:00am. The menu also includes daily specials – Corned Beef & Cabbage and Shepherd’s Pie. Check out the full menu at Martinstavern.com

GM will try to gather information about other Georgetown restaurants and how we can support them in the coming days. But today is a great day to support a local institution. You’ll have to raise the pint at home, but your heart will be warmed all the same.

Photo by Kevin Dooley.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Hopefully you got to visit your favorite restaurant recently, because you won’t get another chance for a while.
• Apropos to GM’s advice yesterday, Tudor Place is now closed too.

2600 block of P St.

So, yeah. Things are weird right now. And they’re going to get weirder and harder before they even begin to return to head back towards normal. But you don’t need GM to tell you that! But what he can do is give you tips for how to not go absolutely stir crazy while still observing the need to exercise social distancing.

It may get to the point that we are encouraged (or required) to stay literally inside bar trips to get food or medicine. But at least for now, it is fine to go outside and get fresh air, as long as you keep a safe distance from others. (And then wash your hands when you get home).

Our public parks will obviously remain open for these purposes. Georgetown is blessed with four of them: Rose, Montrose, Volta and the waterfront. Bring a book, grab a bench and just enjoy being outside. Additionally, while Dumbarton Oaks gardens are sadly closed, but Dumbarton Oaks Park is not. Continue reading →

Photo by Kevin Dooley.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the deal:

• On one hand, it seems ridiculous trying to continue publishing this right now. How could there possibly be anything less important? Sure, GM can try to publish Georgetown-specific news as it relates to Covid-19, but frankly you should be getting that news from elsewhere! He’s not really set up to deliver that.
• On the other hand, this is going to take a while. And we’ve got to keep doing whatever normal things we can. So GM will keep plugging away. There may be some more days without news, but the site is not going to go dark.
• Wash your hands, and practice social distancing!

Dumbarton Oaks