The Georgetown Metropolitan

Photo by Mike Maguire.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Georgetown-born Sweet Green is taking a huge step by guaranteeing five full months of paid leave for new parents.
• A reader replied to GM yesterday with a long defense of soft shelled crabs and advised that the best place to get them in Georgetown is La Chaumiere, but to call ahead to make sure they’re fresh.

Georgetown Visitation

This week for Know Your Trees, GM is exploring the catalpa. While the city’s records indicate that there is only a single catalpa in Georgetown (on 28th across the street from Evermay) there are actually a handful of beautiful catalpas on the campus of Georgetown Visitation (just down the hill from the tennis courts). They are in bloom right now and are quite a sight.

Catalpas come in two varieties: southern and northern. Both are indigenous to the United States, with the northern being native to the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys in the midwest, and the southern being native to the deep south. The northern catalpas tend to be bigger and have leaves with longer points. They’re not very easy to distinguish though. (The catalpa on 28th St. is identified as a southern catalpa, for the record).

The most distinguishing feature of the catalpa (whether northern or southern) is the leaf shape:

They have large elongated valentine heart shapes. The leaves in this picture (from Georgetown Visitation) are at least nine inches long. GM believes they are southern catalpas, but he’s not certain. Continue reading →

Photo by Mike Maguire.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Dean and Deluca was temporarily shut down again, leading some to speculate about its future. Interestingly, even if they leave, it’s required under law that the building (which was once owned by the City of Georgetown, and is still owned by DC) must be used as a food market.
• Soft shelled crab is sort of a bizarre thing to eat, but if it’s your thing, here’s where you can find them around Georgetown (and elsewhere).

Georgetown Waterfront Park

After many years of planning, fighting, and two years of construction, Hyde-Addison Elementary School is set for its homecoming this fall. The terracotta exterior of the new building has gone up and you can now get a good sense for how the new wing will mesh visually with the original two buildings. Georgetown is getting its school back.

Of course, the school didn’t close during the two years of construction. It was moved across town to swing space at the former Meyer Elementary school in Pleasant Plains on 11th St. just north of U St. This was a move that the neighborhood fought unsuccessfully. But that is water under the bridge now.

The new facilities will be gorgeous and will likely help bring Georgetown families back to Hyde who may have opted out of following the school to the swing site. Continue reading →

Photo by Mike Maguire.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Greenworks is closing by the end of May.
• Water returned to the canal.

3300 block of P St.

This Saturday, GM will be again assisting in a walking tour from Dumbarton House to talk about trees. He had a great time doing it last year and looks forward to doing it again. Here’s the info:

Welcome spring and warmer weather with a tour highlighting the trees that line the idyllic streets of Georgetown. We’ll celebrate spring as we peep at a wide variety of species and enjoy the beautiful flora of the neighborhood. Continue reading →

Photo by Bill Starrels.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Catching up with the woman who got a full-ride to GU while living in a DC homeless shelter on the ocassion of her graduation.
• Bharati, the Indian restaurant that moved into the former Dolcezza space closed. (GM believes they closed up after the French market).