The Georgetown Metropolitan

3400 block of M St.

Did you hear the news? The long troubled DC Streetcar is finally going to start taking passengers on February 27. That comes after an endless series of delays, driven by incompetence in the project management and not a little obstinance on the part of the DCFEMs to apparently stop the project from ever starting. But all that is water under the bridge, the service can finally start. And it should be pointed out that the city’s plan to extend the streetcar all the way to Georgetown is still in the plans.

Those skeptical of the entire project will continue to be skeptical of any extension. But many of those who question the utility of the project point to its short length. By extending the line through downtown and on to Georgetown, it will connect a whole slew of neighborhoods with a single line.

And the primary complaint about the existing line is that it does not have its own lane. This was probably a mistake in planning, but similar European system have long segments of streetcar lines in shared lanes (e.g. Amsterdam and Munich). Nonetheless, the expansion through downtown in DC will have transit-only lanes (i.e. lanes that only the streetcar or buses will be allowed to use). This will significantly improve the utility of the line. Continue reading →

Photo by Joe Flood.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Another nice profile of Dog Tag Bakery.
• Over $3 mil gets you a hot tub with a view and a sauna to boot.

1400 block of Wisconsin Ave.

There are some people who tear down their Christmas decorations the morning of December 26th. In GM’s household, though, Christmas has much more of a staged withdrawal. GM only just took down the lighted garland last weekend, because frankly he was getting a little self-conscious about it. Walking home the other night, GM was relieved to see that his had not been the last house still lit up. So how do people feel about this? Continue reading →

Photo by Bex Walton.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Chez Billy Sud’s new wine bar, Bar à Vin, opens Feb. 29th.
• Popular bulldog from the Westminster Dog Show is owned by Georgetowner, Ellen Charles.

1600 block of Avon Pl.

Photo by Travis Wise.

Recently Arlington approved funding to contribute to the Georgetown BID-organized effort to study the possibility of constructing an aerial gondola from Rosslyn to Georgetown. Having secured funding for the whole study, the BID has just released an RFP seeking a party to actually conduct the study.

In light of this progress, GM thought it would make sense to re-publish his article from last May arguing why this study is a good idea:

As mentioned earlier, buried in the $13 billion budget adopted by the DC Council was a measure providing $35,000 to contribute to a study proposed by the Georgetown Business Improvement District to analyze the feasibility of constructing an aerial gondola from the Rosslyn Metro stop to M St. in Georgetown and terminating at the Georgetown University campus. This proposal has generated biting contempt from several quarters, but this criticism is misguided and ill-informed. We should absolutely study the possibility of constructing an aerial gondola between Rosslyn and Georgetown.

As documented by the Post, this idea is the brainchild of the BID’s CEO Joe Sternlieb. Having seen an aerial gondola in action in Portland, Oregon, Strenlieb became entranced with the idea of bringing this idea to Washington.

After taking charge at the BID, Sternlieb was quickly able to persuade all the relevant stakeholders that the idea was worth pursuing. It was adopted as a particularly eye-catching action item in the Georgetown 2028 long term planning study produced by the BID with significant community-input two years ago. Funding the study is a significant step towards completing that action item. The BID has raised $130,000 from donors and is seeking an additional $35,000 each from DC and Arlington to fund the anticipated $200,000 study. While Arlington has not officially approved its contribution, a county spokesperson stated that it was working towards it. (Full disclosure: GM served on the steering committee of the Georgetown 2028 study). Continue reading →

Photo by Bex Walton.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Fiola Mare judged to be the best restaurant in DC last year. (Hmmm, GM hasn’t been to Fiola Mare or Rose’s Luxury, but the later’s reputation seems much stronger.)
• Eastbanc’s bandaid for their M and Penn. project could have far reaching implications for development around the city.

1300 block of 30th St.