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GM has written about Airbnb several times in the past. The service enables people to rent out a room or a whole house on a nightly basis. GM first wrote two years ago about how the service had arrived in Georgetown. Later that year GM wrote about how it appeared that more investors were buying Georgetown properties with the intention of renting them out on Airbnb. And then last year, GM wrote about how the city was taking its first steps towards cracking down on the service.

Not too much has changed since. But GM has been hearing increased complaints about the service from residents who don’t like seeing neighboring properties rented out this way. GM hasn’t heard any stories of houses being rented out as party houses, but people still object to the steady stream of new people appearing then disappearing on their block. Continue reading →

Photo by Raemissigman.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Tudor Place is 200 years old. Crazy to think that for most of its lifetime, it was owned by the same family.
• The interior of the old Nathans building has been gutted. (GM thinks it looks better gutted than it did when it was Serendipity 3).

3000 block of M St.

According to the ANC agenda, a new skin care shop called Aesop will be opening in the old Subway space at the corner of Potomac and M.

It’s from Australia and it seems to sell very expensive elixirs that probably have marginal benefits over CVS brand stuff. Like, for instance, here’s a half ounce bottle of “Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Facial Treatment” that they’ll sell to you for $60. (“Anti-Oxidant” is the modern day version of snake oil). But hey, it’s probably better for you than spending $60 at Georgetown Cupcake.

Here is the rest of the agenda for next Monday’s meeting:

Continue reading →

Photo by Marc Andre.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Huge commercial building up for sale.
• Come to Rosslyn on July 7th to learn more about the gondola study.

3200 block of M St.

This week on Now and a Long Time Ago, GM returns to the Willard R. Ross postcard collection and finds one of the Georgetown University gatehouses.

It’s unclear exactly when this postcard is from. But given the era of the other postcards in the collection, it is probably from the 1920s. The gate houses are about twice as large as the present ones and are much closer together. Continue reading →

Photo by Alan Kotok.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Wingo’s closed for health violation (but it will only be one day).
• New building at Penn and M would cause the Capital Bikeshare station to be moved, slightly.

1500 block of 33rd St.

A bit of crowdsourcing here: GM is curious to know if other gardeners around Georgetown have found the dirt here to be unusually alkaline?

GM likes to garden in his modest little backyard. One thing he particularly like to grow are hydrangea. And he especially likes to grow perfectly blue hydrangea flowers. Continue reading →