The Georgetown Metropolitan

On Wisconsin Ave. north of Book Hill there is a pocket of commercial development that–despite being in Georgetown and in the shadow of a brand newish Safeway–has struggled to thrive. And as the years go on with persistent vacancies being joined by new vacancies, the questions really must be asked: what is wrong with this part of Georgetown?

Some might argue that this isn’t really Georgetown in the first place. This is wrong. Georgetown has a legislated northern boundary line along Wisconsin Ave: Whitehaven. So all the stores between R St. and the Safeway are within Georgetown’s boundaries.

What boundary it’s not within, however, is the BID’s. Does that matter? GM will consider that below.

Anyone familiar with this stretch should be familiar with its ills. Several storefronts have been vacant for years, including the old P.O. Boxes Etc., the old Spiral Flight Yoga building (which was a Homemade Pizza Co. for a short while), the old Adams Bank building, and the frame shop next door.

When the Safeway was reconstructed with a more pedestrian friendly design, it brought hope that this strip might improve into a bustling corner of Georgetown. Ther move to redevelop the lot south further increased the potential for the area. Continue reading →

Photo by Cuzco84.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• GU agrees to change name of dorms.
• Suburban banks coming for your money.

Montrose Park

Today for Now and Long Time Ago, GM is merging the past with the present at the southeast corner of 30th and M. What is now Pier 2934, was once the Georgetown Branch of the Gospel Mission.

Founded in 1906, the Gospel Mission was a charity organized to provide care for poor mothers and children. It was based in Judiciary Square (at the no longer existing address of 214 John Marshall Place). It had branches across the city. The one for Georgetown was in this building. Continue reading →

Photo by Joe Flood.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Farmers Fishers and Bakers offering their own custom tiki cups. Warning: those tiki drinks are crazy strong.
• Speaking of booze: Check out the Q&A Cafe with alpha bartender Tom Brown.

The Potomac River

Photo courtesy of the Georgetown Voice.

This week the Georgetown University Transportation Shuttle (the “GUTS” bus) began its new route for the Dupont Circle-to-campus line. Rather than using a more direct path from the north exit of campus, the bus now leaves out the Canal Road exit.

This change was not done to make things easier for the students and staff of the school. Hardly. It was done pursuant to the approved campus plan. Some neighbors, particularly along Reservoir Rd., had long complained about the buses passing by their homes. It was an early demand from the neighbors during the campus plan negotiations that the bus start using the south exit.

There really can be no argument that this change is not to the detriment of the students and staff that rely on the GUTS bus. There is little to no congestion along the route the bus was taking, which was this:

Continue reading →

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• While you’re renting the runway, you can now score some cheap samples.
• While two other Cooke’s Row homes had some trouble being sold, this one sold right away. (Maybe sharing a party wall with Bob Woodward helped?)

Potomac River

There’s a beautiful new mural on P St. It’s on the side of the Just Paper & Tea at 3232 P St. It appears to be a woman drinking tea with a giant pencil on her back (presumably in keeping with the store’s wares).

GM noticed the artist spray painting the mural Sunday night, but was rushing to a birthday party and couldn’t inquire about it. It looks like the work of Aniekan Udofia but that’s just a guess. Continue reading →