The Georgetown Metropolitan

Photo from NYTimes.

The seemingly impossible appears to be imminent in New York City: Congestion pricing is coming to Manhattan. Inspired by working systems in cities like London and Singapore, Gotham will designate a large portion of lower Manhattan for the program. During rush hour, it will cost some (as of yet undetermined) fee to drive a car into the zone. The proceeds of the program will be directed to transit improvements.

Congestion pricing has worked well before, and hopefully it will work well in New York. This would set a good precedent for future programs in the U.S. Because ultimately it is the only genuinely effective tool to cut congestion. And someday we will have to import some form of it to DC. Continue reading →

Photo by Bryan Alexander.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Some adorable “tree gnomes” along the canal (although they look more like tree rabbits to GM).
• The Hoya reviews Mono Diner.
• Jonathan Alder store will close by Easter.
• Tudor Place hired some goats for lawn care!

GM’s off to Jamaica for the week! See you in April!

(But before he goes, GM had promised to pass on that there will be a community day event at Mt. Zion at 2:00 pm on March 31st. Come over to 1334 29th St. for a lively service with gospel choirs and step dancing troups!)

Dumbarton Oaks

Well, if you were planning on taking up GM’s idea and restoring the Little Tavern to Wisconsin and N St., too late. Word is that a Smoothie King is taking over the space.

Ehh. Could be better, but could be worse. Georgetown is not exactly drowning is smoothie shops, so this will probably satisfy some hankerings. But a chain restaurant is still a chain restaurant, and brings yet more genericism to the neighborhood.

GM has no information on when they will open, but would guess summertime.

Photo by Beyond DC.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• The Kitten Cafe’s got commercials now. (Did you know there’s a “kitten season”? It’s way more depressing than it sounds!)
• If the city finally builds this (after years and years of planning) it could seriously improve transit connections for Georgetowners to downtown.

3100 block of R St.

One of GM’s favorite things about spring in DC is the blossoming of the saucer magnolias. These beautiful pink flowers sprout out with the first real warm days of March. But their early appearance also makes them susceptible to late frosts, which can wipe out the blooms overnight. Luckily the forecast looks good for a solid season this year.

Just two years ago, we had an early warming spell followed by a hard frost. And it did ruin the season’s magnolia bloom. The warming spell we received last week certainly triggered the pink blossoms to emerge, but the ten day forecast indicates that there is no hard frost on the horizon. So it should be smooth sailing! Continue reading →

Photo by Bill Starrels.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• GU expands its footprint downtown.
• French Market coming back April 26th.

Dumbarton Oaks Park