The Georgetown Metropolitan

Photo by MsSarahKelly.

In this world, there are unusual sights that would bewilder your senses and stupefy your logical mind. One of those is a thing called a cat cafe. It sounds fake, and to make a Portlandia joke at this point would just be cliche. But they are real; they even have a Wikipedia page.

As you probably have never even heard of a cat cafe, let alone visited one, GM should explain. It’s a cafe that has cats. Ok, maybe that was self-evident. What’s perplexing is why they open and how they pass health inspections. (Questions the Post has tried to answer.)

Which is all a long segue into the news: DC’s first cat cafe is coming to Georgetown. The Post interviewed the owner, Kanchan Singh, last week about her plans to open Crumbs and Whiskers. But when pressed to reveal the location, she wouldn’t budge:

Where are you in the process? Have you signed a lease on a place?

We’ve basically signed on the place, we’re not advertising it yet because a legally bound document has not been signed yet.

Can you tell me the general neighborhood?

I can’t.

What about the quadrant?

I’m just going to say D.C. for now.

Continue reading →

Photo by Daniel Lobo.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Nice recap of Georgetown 2028 update.
• Review of Orange Anchor.

1800 block of Wisconsin

GM passed this bike yesterday. It’s a nifty bike. If it were GM’s, he sure wouldn’t want it to be stolen. But nonetheless, he wouldn’t do what this bike owner did: lock it to a tree.

It might not seem like such a big deal to have a lock wrapped around a tree trunk. But it doesn’t take much to rub away the bark and give an opening to infection. It can significantly shorten the life of a tree. Continue reading →

Photo by Daniel Lobo.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• The time a GU prank turned deadly.
• Now’s the time to make Valentine’s Day reservations.

2900 block of M S.

Sometimes it’s fun just to pass along some fun rumors. Here are a few GM’s heard recently (keep in mind, that none of them are verified!):

• The empty Subway shop on Wisconsin was going to be a Dolci Gelato, but they pulled out.
• Roadside Development is pulling out of its plans to buy the old Marvelous Market.
• Glover Park Hardware, recently kicked out of its space in Glover Park, is considering spaces in Georgetown.
• Eataly really wanted to come to Georgetown, but was insisting on way too low a price per foot.
• Malmaison doesn’t serve dinner anymore (this one is confirmed, just not a lot of people know it)
• The condo in 1055 High that is already on the market is being sold because the owners decided it was too small.

Photo by Daniel Lobo.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• An argument for gondolas.
• CBS hits Jack Evans on his parking habits.

1300 block of 33rd St.

Last year the Georgetown Business Improvement District issued a dramatic plan charting out what Georgetown will need to look like in fifteen years if it will remain a viable commercial district. It was full of eye-catching details-like two new Metro stations and, yes, aerial gondolas-as well a more mundane improvements, like signage and repair to the canal. (Catch all disclaimer: GM was on the steering committee of the plan representing the Citizens Association of Georgetown.)

Coinciding with the first year anniversary of the plan Lavanya Ramanathan of the Washington Post reviewed the plan anew, and came away with a distinct case of cognitive dissonance:

One year after the plan’s splashy launch, the first palpable elements of Future Georgetown are coming after a series of government approvals: a dock on the C&O Canal could be installed by this summer. Micro leisure areas, known as “parklets,” are slated to open as soon as this summer.

So, why is it that we can’t quite square the European-style courtyards and contemporary light installations of Future Georgetown with Current Georgetown, a strange mosaic of wealth, history and buttercream-hungry tourists?

…

A gondola in Logan Circle or Shaw or on H Street NE, sure…This almost never happens in Georgetown, where the houses still go to buyers of a certain stratosphere and the sidewalks are still brick, never mind that it’s hell on the stilettos of today’s well-heeled Georgetowner. It’s a quarter that, depending on your vantage point, is either admirably quaint or kind of oblivious.

Perhaps expecting to find Nimby resistance to the radical ideas, Ramanathan reached out to various likely suspects. But she didn’t find it. The Citizens Association backs the effort. The University backs the effort. Even the stodgy Old Georgetown Board is open to ideas such as the aforementioned gondolas or the idea to use dramatic LED lights to illuminate the Key Bridge or the underside of the Whitehurst: Continue reading →