The Georgetown Metropolitan

This week for Georgetown Time Machine, GM is checking out an aerial shot from DDOT’s archives. It’s from over lower Georgetown and it was taken April 3, 1963. Check out some of the cool details below:

It has a striking shot of one of GM’s favorite long-lost Georgetown building, the Capital Traction Power Plant:

Here is the smokestack that is now in the center of the Ritz:

(GM has heard that when they took down the old incinerator, entire colonies of rats scuttled away up the hill.):

Continue reading →

Photo by Mike Maguire.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Plans to erect dozens of historical markers charting Georgetown’s African-American history.
• GM hears through the grapevine that Johnny Spero’s Reverie will open in September.

Dumbarton Oaks

Some changes coming to Capital Bikeshare that Georgetown riders will want to know.

The first was mentioned by GM yesterday. Starting this week, there will be corral service at 30th and K St. by the Washington Harbour. What this means is that the station will be manned by Capital Bikeshare staff who will take your bike regardless of whether the dock is full. This is done at high volume stations to avoid “dock-blocking” (when you arrive to a full station and can’t dock your bike).

Second, starting today Capital Bikeshare is rolling out brand new electric bikes. These are normal bikeshare bikes but with an electric motor. It works by adding horsepower to your strokes (not simply by twisting a throttle). They are a ton of fun to use, and make biking up hills or in the heat a total breeze. There will be 80 e-bikes, at least to start. And they will cost the exact same that normal bikeshare bikes cost. You will be able to recognize them by their black paint jobs. Continue reading →

Photo by Daniel Lobo.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Check out the Book Hill galleries this Saturday night.
• One of those pedal pub things is coming to Georgetown, but in the form of a boat.

Georgetown University

During GM’s late summer absence, the longtime restaurant Paolo’s closed. This came as only a slight surprise to GM, as he had heard that it was struggling. But it does offer a unique opportunity to restore a vintage restaurant.

What was Paolo’s is actually the combination of two restaurant spaces. The north side has been open as Paolo’s since the 1980s, when it replaced a French restaurant called Maison de Crepes, known for its, um, attractive waitresses. Continue reading →

Photo by Mike Maguire.

Good morning Georgetown, hope the end of summer was good for you! Here’s the latest:

• Lots of people had some issues with the Jack Ryan television show that showed the character biking really out of the way to get from Georgetown to the CIA. (He also docked his shell the wrong direction at PBC, which is a major faux pas….)
• Georgetown is now host to a new world class modern art gallery.
• A new Capital Bikeshare corral is opening today at the Washington Harbour (this is a manned station that will accept the bike without concerns about the dock being too full).

GM’s heading out of town for a late summer beach vacation. He’ll be back at the end of August. See you then!

Photo by Brother Ralphie.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• People behind the new Dyllan’s Raw Bar want to open more restaurants in Georgetown.
• The story behind Simply Bahn Mi