Category Archives: Uncategorized

Photo by aerial_m.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Amazon Andes is closing soon. It’s supposed to be replaced by a pizza shop.
• If you must go to an Irish pub today, make it Martins!

Dumbarton Oaks

Photo by Julia Taylor.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Rutta Burger returns.
• Jack Evans, Paul Cohn icons.

3000 block of R St.

In what is sadly becoming an annual occurrence, DDOT has included the intersection of M and Wisconsin in its list of most dangerous intersections for pedestrians. And it’s no surprise given the current conditions. But doesn’t make it acceptable.

Many factors contribute to the intersection being so bad. It handles an enormous volume of both pedestrian and automobile traffic (in fact, on the weekends, the pedestrian traffic far exceeds the auto traffic). The attitudes of the drivers using the roads is mostly that of entitled suburbanites who think nothing of slamming on the gas to “beat” a red, even when they still remain stuck behind a long line of cars. What that often results in is them not actually beating the red, i.e. running the red, or simply slamming on the brakes and blocking the intersection. Neither of which is safe for pedestrians at the mercy of the driver’s urgent conviction that They Need To Be Somewhere.

Recent policy changes designed to assuage this entitlement has only made the situation worse for pedestrians. Several years ago, the city began to allow left turns at Wisconsin for eastbound M St. traffic. While this might be a good idea in theory (it takes cars off 33rd and 31st) the way it was implemented is obviously dangerous to anyone who stands at that intersection at rush hour. The turning cars are given a leading green arrow. During this phase the pedestrians are not to cross Wisconsin. Fine so far. Continue reading →

Photo by Elvert Barnes.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• The death of a cemetery.
• People take a lot of cell phone pictures of their food in Georgetown.

1300 block of 31st St.

There is an alley that runs through the center of the block contained by Potomac St., 33rd St., N St. and O St. It has been there at least 100 years (and probably more).

It is a private alley, meaning that the land that comprises the alley itself is privately owned. (Notwithstanding the private ownership, landowners abutting the alley typically can use private alleys under some sort of an easement or covenant relationship.)

Also, typically with private alleys, the alley land is connected to one or more of the abutting properties. For this alley, however, at some point the land that comprised the alley was broken off from the street facing lots. As such, these lots are basically worthless. Owning them, you have all the burden of keeping the alley in useable shape, but none of the privileges-most importantly the privilege of exclusive use-that comes with land ownership. Continue reading →

Photo by Brownpau.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• GM’s house now officially borders Georgetown’s newest named alley: Cashell Alley!
• Urban Outfitters, Wink and Steve Madden remain closed due to the fire last week. (Although, it should be said that Urban Outfitters was already closed, supposedly for renovations).

3200 block of P St.