The Georgetown Metropolitan

Having obtained all the necessary approvals, work has finally begun on the long-needed restoration of the old Georgetown Theater. While the end result will not satisfy those pining for a return of an actual theater, the vision being put forward is nonetheless positive and will hopefully spark a revival of that stretch of Wisconsin.

For those unfamiliar, the theater was purchased from the Heon family by Georgetown architect Robert Bell. Bell is about as perfect a custodian for the landmark property that you could imagine. Even years before he bought the building he was spearheading efforts to restore the legendary neon sign. Now that he does own it, his vision for the property and the block around it can come to fruition. What’s that vision? Bell lays it out in a letter posted in the window: Continue reading →

Photo by Mark Manguerra.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• GU’s new athletic center breaks ground.
• Hey, when celebrating the 200th anniversary of the writing of the Star Spangled Banner remember that Francis Scott Key was a Georgetowner!

Dumbarton Oaks

Tomorrow is the 21st Taste of Georgetown festival. It starts at noon and runs till 5:00. Proceeds will again benefit the Georgetown Ministries center run out of Grace Episcopal.

For a change, the festival will be held on K St. under the Whitehurst. GM thinks this is a great idea. The cover provides shelter from both the heat and rain. While it looks like we’ll cool off by Saturday, there is a chance for some showers.

There are a bunch of vendors and events scheduled, but rather than summarize, GM will just post the release. See you there!:

Join us for the 21st annual Taste of Georgetown this weekend, featuring a new location, and signature dishes from more than 35 of Georgetown’s top restaurants! The Noon – 5:00 p.m. all-afternoon event will feature sizable samples of sweet and savory tastes, a beer & wine pavilion, a live music stage curated by music venue Gypsy Sally’s, an Iron Chef-style Chef Showdown, a giant cupcake-eating competition from Baked & Wired, kid’s activities, bocce ball by Pinstripes, and much more!

The exciting new event location is located on the 3000 – 3200 blocks of K Street, NW between Thomas Jefferson Street and Wisconsin Avenue, where traffic will be blocked from 12 AM to 8:30 PM.  For a listing of open garages and the many ways to get to Georgetown click here. 31st Street will be closed just below South Street with no parking on the West side of South Street. The taxi lane will move to the 1000 block of Thomas Jefferson Street, just above K Street. The Union Station to Georgetown Circulator bus route (westbound) will operate on a modified route using M St. for the entire day.  The K St stops will be replaced by stops at M & 30th and M & 31st.  All other stops along the westbound route and the Eastbound Georgetown to Union Station route will not experience any changes.

What began on the lawn of Grace Church in 1993 has grown into the  premier food and wine festival in Washington, D.C. to help raise both  awareness and additional money to  fund the homeless assistance  programs of the Georgetown Ministry Center (GMC). The Taste of Georgetown is one of the largest and longest running charitable events in Georgetown and we are so pleased to have you join us!

Avoid the lines and get a great deal! Tickets are on sale now with a special discounted rate only available for presale! Skip the long ticket line and pick up your tickets at will call! Get your tickets now to take advantage, only a few days left! Click here to purchase!

Continue reading →

Photo by Elvert Barnes.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• More on the new Georgetown Piano Bar opening in the old Modern space.
• House on P St. recently sold for $500,000 over list.

Tudor Place

Octoberfest is coming to Cady’s Alley! The weekend of September 27-28, the alley will be transformed into a bavarian fall fest, with a two story beer hall, polka music and pretzels. (GM’s genuinely curious to know what space this two story beer hall is, and why we can’t just have that all the time?)

The heart of the party will be Leopold’s, which is technically Austrian (as is the alley’s visionary, Anthony Lanier), but why quibble when there’s marzan to be drunken? Continue reading →

Photo by Kenya Allmond.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Baked & Wired and Dolcezza are opening in CityCenter. Or as GM put it: Georgetown Bakes, the World Takes.
• Georgetown definitely has soul (or at least charm) but should Arlington be judged poorly by comparison?

Dumbarton Oaks

The Subway restaurant on Wisconsin just south of O St. has been abandoned. GM learned that the operator simply left the shop. Apparently his business has plummeted since the new 7-11 opened across the street. The suspicion is that they both offer similar food, it’s just that 7-11 offers even more. (GM doesn’t eat at either, but would probably settle for a Subway sandwich way before eating the junk from 7-11).

Restaurant tenants that just walk away are more common than you’d think. Just down the block, the family running the Pink Smile frozen yogurt shop simply abandoned the property last year. They had already broken away from the IceBerry franchise to become Pink Smile. Avoiding the franchise fees helped, but it didn’t stave closure. Continue reading →