The Georgetown Metropolitan

Photo by Robert Mathews.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• It sounds like a sunglasses store, but Shades, a windowshade store, is coming to Cady’s Alley.
• The New York Times is really closely following this story about Georgetown reckoning with its slave selling past.

A reader pointed out to GM the other day that there is a for lease sign in the Sports Zone storefront at 3140 M St. GM has no information beyond that suggesting if the store is going to close or what could replace it.

But GM would like to point out that if the store is closing, the building’s owners should try to restore the building to its previous state as seen in the 1960s:

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Montrose Park

This week for Now and a Long Time Ago, GM stops by the car barn at M just west of Key Bridge. The old photo is care of Old Time DC and shows a Capital Traction streetcar leaving the station.

At first consideration, it would seem that this photo was taken before 1933, the year Capital Traction merged with Washington Railway and Electric Company and became Capital Transit. But the history of these two cars suggest it could be from basically anytime up to the end of streetcars in 1962.

The cars are 303 and 1512. They were both created in the early 20th century. But they were used as late as 1960 on a nostalgic fan trips. Here’s some more info on car 303 from the Shoreline Trolley Museum that explains: Continue reading →

Photo by Ehpien.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Nice writeup of the gondola meeting last week.
• Free outdoor movies at the waterfront on Tuesdays.

1500 block of 35th St.

GM couldn’t make it to the Gondola study meeting last night, but he was able to get a copy of the presentation that was given. It provides some of the basics behind what the experts are considering. There are still many, many questions unanswered at this point, but that’s the reason the study is being conducted.

Photo by Jim Barton.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• The Graham Hotel sells for $37 million.
• An interview with the experts looking into the gondola.

Georgetown University

GM was recently given one of those Georgetown-themed tote bags that J.Crew has been selling for the last couple years. It was the first time GM actually looked at it up close, and he realized it’s covered in icons for various spots around the neighborhood. But some are a bit of a mystery to GM.

The first thing that caught GM’s eye was the alarming face of Linda Blair near the corner of 36th and Prospect, the ostensible location of the Exorcist house:

A little below that you see crew oars for the Tombs restaurant and the profile of some runners for the C & O Canal:

Further down M St. you’ll see a trumpet for Blues Alley and a cupcake for Baked and Wired. Teddy Roosevelt bestrides his island.

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