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Dumbarton Oaks

Today GM is going to continue his attempt to help you lose your tree blindness by teaching you a little bit about some of the mightiest trees around: oaks.

Oaks are one of the larger groups of trees that you might find on Georgetown streets. They range from towering giants to far more modest species. This list probably won’t cover every single variety you’ll find, but it will cover most.

The first thing to look for to identify an oak is acorns. But if it’s not the right season for acorns, look for the leaves. The basic oak leaf is fairly easy to identify. It looks like this:

Different variations on this basic shape distinguish between many of the more common oak species. But some oak leaves look nothing like this. They are identifiable by other features described below.

The first thing to say is that all oaks fall into two large groups: white oaks and red oaks. This isn’t really something you need to know to identify specific species, but it’s helpful in understanding how they break down.

White Oak

There are dozens of tree species within the white oak group. But only a handful of those are likely to show up in Georgetown. Confusingly, one of those species is called a white oak (which is different than the larger white oak group). Like the larger white oak group, the white oak species has rounded lobes like this:

White oaks are slow growing giants. Between this and their massive mature size, they don’t get planted in street tree boxes very much. Continue reading →

Photo by Geoff Livingston.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Stabbing at the British School, but no arrest due to diplomatic immunity.
• Hoya soccer jokingly targets millenialls.

1500 block of Wisconsin Ave.

This week on Georgetown Time Machine, GM returns to a similar spot from last week’s inaugural edition. It’s an aerial shot from near the intersection of K and Rock Creek Parkway. But today’s shot is looking west, and from a much later date.

The shot from last week was from about 1947. Today’s shot is not dated on the DDOT website from where it came. It is clearly after that date because the Whitehurst is shown, which wasn’t built until 1949. And at least one building change that GM recognizes would put this photo well into the 1950s, if not 1960s. The blurry cars even look more like 1970s cars.

Here are a few interesting things to notice from a closer look:

Continue reading →

Photo by Ehpien.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• What’s worse: An apartment building or parking garage? The complaints of a 1920s Georgetown nimby.
• 101 year old Washingtonian confirms with his eye-witness testimony the legend of JFK proposing to Jackie at Billy Martin’s.

3000 block of R St.

Photo by Marc Andre.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Great story of the 63 year old woman who descends from a slave who was sold by Georgetown University, who has now enrolled at the school.
• Speaking of GU, student activists have successfully pushed for the school to sign a contract with Nike that attempts to ensure worker rights and safety through an outside monitor.

GM heard back in July that the incoming tenant for the old Georgetown theater was a Foot Locker spinoff. He didn’t report on it because he hoped it wasn’t true. But it looks like it was true. Signs are up in the window of the theater showing the proposed signage for the new store: a Footaction.

Footaction is, as mentioned above, a spinoff brand of Foot Locker. It is more about athletic style than genuine athletics. It sells fashion oriented sneakers and sports apparel. It is primarily a store you’d likely find in a mid-level mall in the suburbs, snug beside a Boost Mobile and an Orange Julius stand.

As GM has mentioned, athletic fashion is doing well in Georgetown. But it can’t help but feel like a disappointment that this store is taking over such an iconic property like this. This huge space could have hosted a great restaurant. Or perhaps a grocer or food market. Continue reading →

Cady’s Alley