The Georgetown Metropolitan

Photo by Joe Flood.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Five myths about aerial gondolas.
• The early reviews for Church Hall are positive.

Dumbarton Oaks

As first reported on DC Urban Turf, local DC coffee company, Compass Coffee, will be taking over at least a part of the Georgetown Theater space. According to the report, they will seek zoning approval for 112 seats.

So, yup, even more coffee in Georgetown! In just the past couple years we’ve added a Peet’s Coffee, Blue Bottle, Bluestone Lane (that’s a really new one), Ladurée, Dogtag Bakery, Grace Street Coffee and Boulangerie Christophe. That’s on top of the three Starbucks we already have (and another on the way), Saxby’s and the Dean and Deluca coffee bar. Of course, some of those are not primarily coffee shops, but they certainly do sell a lot of coffee. And in the case of Dog Tag Bakery, it’s Compass Coffee that they sell. Continue reading →

Photo by Streets of Washington.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• More fallout from the residency fraud scandal at Duke Ellington School.
• Spinal Tap’s Derek Smalls coming to the Q & A Cafe.

Dumbarton Oaks

Right now you have a rare chance to buy a house that is both famous for what it looks like and what happened in it. It’s Joe Alsop’s former house at 2720 Dumbarton St. and it can be yours for a mere $5,990,000.

The house is first famous for what it looks like, and that is like practically nothing else in Georgetown. The stark modern appearance, achieved with cinder blocks instead of bricks, was said to have so horrified the neighborhood that it led to the passage of the Old Georgetown Act. Here’s what the Georgetown Ladies’ Social Club had to say:

Continue reading →

Photo by Bill Starrels.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Hey garden fans, the wisteria is already blooming at Dumbarton Oaks.
• Some of the drinks you can get if you’re a member or guest of the Wing.

Tudor Place

The Washington City Paper reported that Chaia, the vegetarian taco restaurant on Grace St., would be opening a second location this fall.

As Laura Hays wrote:

At long last, the creators of Chaia are branching out. Founders Suzanne Simon and Bettina Stern will open a second location of their popular vegetarian taco restaurant in Mount Vernon Triangle later this year at 615 I Street NW.

Is this the first step towards a wider expansion? If so, it would follow a grand tradition of restaurants (and other businesses) that got their start in Georgetown. Continue reading →

Photo by Joe Flood.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Live in the very house that…errr….stands near where the house once stood that…errr…maybe once housed Bill Clinton when he was at GU.
• Speaking of Bill Clinton, a couple weekends ago, GM walked out his house and practically into the former president who was walking down the street.