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1200 block of 31st St. (also, check out their new album!)

As GM has pointed out before, people (mostly journalists and realtors) love to describe Georgetown as having cobblestone streets. But the amount of streets that are actually cobblestoned is really small. It’s really just O and P streets, west of Wisconsin, and one block of 34th St. below M. Asphalt covers the vast majority of streets.

So GM got another laugh about it looking at this new real estate listing:

2 level brick townhouse. 1 BR, 1 bath All upgraded Fenced back yard. Beautiful townhouse on the cobbled streets of Georgetown, located just 2 blocks from Georgetown University

35th St. is not cobblestoned. Maybe they mean the sidewalks are bricked? Continue reading →

Photo by Plum Pine.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• A reader pointed out to GM that he accurately predicted the closure of Cusp last March.
• Georgetown still has a couple of the best pizza places in DC, despite all the new competition.

1500 block of 35th St.

This week on Georgetown Time Machine, GM is visiting Wisconsin Ave. in the 1930s. The photo comes from a large framed print in the Citizens Association of Georgetown’s offices (the same photo, colorized, is displayed on a wall at the TD Bank).

This is a wonderful photo. It’s taken from above the street looking north from just above the intersection with Prospect. It shows the curve in the road that gives this stretch such a nice attractive quality.

And while the buildings look quite different from those today, most of these buildings are still up.

The row of buildings are the far left are still here, but look quite different now:

The capital on the top of the bigger building to the left is gone, and the paint scheme is far lighter these days, but the biggest difference is at the street level. It once have a wooden porch sort of facade. This is long gone.

The smaller structures next to it have also changed a lot. There’s a balcony on one of them, and it also looks like it had clapboard siding. Continue reading →

Photo by Bill Starrels.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• The Four Seasons is the 15th best hotel in the country.
• Georgetown University remains the largest private employer in DC.

1700 block of 32nd St.

Georgetown is a neighborhood with a rich history of live music. At historic and long-gone venues like the Cellar Door, the Bayou and Desparado’s, Georgetown once hosted legends like Miles Davis and John Denver. But while these places are long gone, there are still some solid chances to hear live music in Georgetown.

The granddaddy of live venues in Georgetown right now is of course Blues Alley. Tucked away on its eponymous alley, Blues Alley is a legitimately great jazz supper club. It attracts top jazz talent and delivers an intimate experience. (GM once saw the Count Basie Band here and the bass player invited GM to reach up from his table and strum his bass for a few bars in the middle of a song.) There are shows practically every night, with styles spanning the jazz spectrum from smooth jazz to hard bop, and beyond.

At the far other end of the age range is Gypsy Sally’s. Opened in 2013, the club attracts more of the jam band/retro rock artist. Located at the far end of a dark road, the club probably has benefited a lot from the age of Uber. Either way, it’s a fun place enjoy some rocking sounds, whether in the flesh on stage or in the vinyl in the back room. Continue reading →

Photo by MV Jantzen.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Via Umbria will tell you what cheeses to stock up for Valentine’s Day.
• Here’s your chance to live in GM’s former apartment! (Funny story: GM installed the crown moulding himself because he was bored one weekend and was watching way too much This Old House.)

1300 block of 33rd St.