The Georgetown Metropolitan

Now beginneth GM’s annual plea to neighborly decency: Shovel Your Sidewalks!

And this year, GM has a bit more of the force of law behind him. Starting this winter, DC will start fining residents who don’t shovel the sidewalk in front of their house within 24 hours of the end of the storm. The fine will be $25 for residents and $150 for businesses. It’s long been the case that the law mandated the shoveling, but the process of actually obtaining a fine against the scofflaw was so cumbersome that it was literally never used.

But you shouldn’t shovel your sidewalk because of the fine. You should shovel the sidewalk because you’re a decent human being, or at least aspire to be one. Not shoveling can impact the mobility of your neighbors or other people trying to pass by. Elderly residents and families with strollers are particularly affected by such selfishness.

But the thing is, not everyone has the physical strength to move the snow (particularly the amount they’re now forecasting). The city will not fine elderly people for failing to clear their sidewalk. That’s where you healthy people come in. If you’re under 40 and don’t have a chronic injury that limits you, don’t stop at your own sidewalk. Clear your neighbors too. And your neighbors’ neighbors while you’re at it. GM typically tries to do his whole block if someone doesn’t beat him to it.

You don’t have to do that if you don’t want to, but if you’ve got elderly residents or vacant houses on your block, just try to organize with your neighbors to make sure the path gets cleared. It’s the right thing to do.

Photo by Zach Stern.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• “Sampler” created by Georgetown native born in 1795.
• Permits making their way through for the new Turkish breakfast spot on lower Wisconsin.

1700 block of 32nd St.

A good blow of snow is in the forecast for this Friday. And if it is strong enough, you might be looking for a place to sled. But if you’re new to town, you might not know the best sledding hills. GM will help you out (at least for areas in and around Georgetown).

Probably the best location in Georgetown proper is the hill off the north side of Montrose Park (seen above). It’s fairly steep. The only tricky part is avoiding the giant tulip poplar that stands at the bottom of the hill. Steering ability is a must here.

The hill off of Reservoir Rd. just west of Georgetown Hospital also gets some use on snowy days. It’s not nearly as steep as the Montrose Park hill, but it’s much longer (if you can get your speed up). Continue reading →

Photo by Ehpien.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Zannchi, which is replacing Yummi Crawfish, is apparently Korean.
• GM missed this, but Dianne Rehm is coming to the Q & A Cafe in February.

3200 block of N St.

In the process of drafting the Georgetown 2028 report, the committee (on which GM served) was presented with data that demonstrated that despite the fact that the “millennials” were still relatively early in their careers, they carried huge buying power. And while Georgetown has always had some intrinsic appeal to younger generations, attracting this particular cohort is a particular challenge for Georgetown, especially considering how much competition for their dollars is sprouting up around town.

And don’t look now, but a mini-hub of stores and restaurants that practically screams “millennial bait” has sprung up in lower Georgetown. And in this case it appears that millennial women will be the primary target. Continue reading →

Photo by Marc DUPUY.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• The Georgetown story behind those Scout bags.
• GM walked by Baked and Wired Saturday night and there was a line at least fifty feet out the door. Basically it’s become Georgetown Cupcake.

3200 block of M St.

After 10+ years in Georgetown, the Five Guys is closing this Sunday. GM has heard rumors of this impending closure for at least a year, and the rumors picked up a lot more in the last couple days as the employees started informing the customers.

GM spoke with one of the employees who said that he believed that the lease was up and that the company was making a business decision to close. He (rightly) complained that the company, which more than likely has known about the closure for a long time, only informed its employees last week. He also said that they were all being let go and the company was making no attempt to find them positions at the millions of other Five Guy locations around DC. Booooo. Continue reading →