The Georgetown Metropolitan

May 16th is Bike to Work Day here in DC. And as it first did last year, Georgetown is participating in the festivities.

Bike to Work Day was started way back in 1956 by the League of American Cyclists. Recently it has grown in popularity, particularly in cities like DC that are putting serious efforts into encouraging those that can to consider riding around town on a bike.

How it works is that you register here and select a pit stop to stop at during your trip on Friday. These locations will have on hand “bike ambassadors” to answer any questions you have about biking and how to incorporate it more into your routine. Also, you’ll be entered to win prizes, such as a free bike. Plus there’s free food and drinks to help power your ride into work.

This year Georgetown will have two pit stops: along the waterfront, and at the intersection of M and Pennsylvania (which is apparently called “Meigs Park”). It will be open from 7:30 to 9:30.

Last year GM participated, and he got some nice schwag from the pit stop:

The shirt and water bottle were pretty cool, but the best bit was probably the free Hippy Crack from Baked and Wired. Let’s hope the goodies are just as good this year. Continue reading →

Photo by Via Tsuji.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Georgetown DMV reopens tomorrow.
• Some info on I-Thai, the new Thai place where Garrett’s used to be.

Tudor Place

The French Market returns this weekend to Book Hill.The festivities start Friday and run through Saturday. Each day it is from 10 am to 5 pm.

This is always a great opportunity for huge crowds to descend on Book Hill, with stores from Q to Reservoir out showing their wares on the sidewalk. Like last year, this will also be a great example of temporary sidewalk widening, as the parking lane is shut down. Continue reading →

Photo by Via Tsuji.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• I-Thai finally open.
• A closer look at the Heiner Contemporary building, which is for sale.

Dumbarton Oaks

As reported by the Washington Business Journal last week, the trendy men’s clothing store Lost Boys will close down in the next few weeks. The small shop has been tucked away on 31st St. south of M for six years (it attracted early attention for offering free booze for the customers).

The owner, Kelly Muccio, states that she has been given an opportunity she couldn’t refuse and decided to close the shop. And perhaps that’s all there is to take away from the story. But it’s probably worth noting that Lost Boys is basically the model of what the Georgetown BID is hoping to encourage over the next 15 years. Continue reading →

Photo by Via Tsuji.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Fodor’s names Baked and Wired one of the top ten bakeries in the country.
• One bedroom in Georgetown for under $100k! Ok, the bedroom is for a car.

Montrose Park

Next monday, the ANC meets for its May session at 6:30 pm at its normal location, Visitation School. If you’re interested in big dramatic projects, this is the meeting for you.

The projects have been in the review pipeline for a while, and have been mentioned here before. First there is the new condo building where the Key Bridge Exxon is. It appears that Eastbanc has largely won the war with the neighbors over the size of the project, regardless of its impact on their views. Now it just appears to be a case of finding the right design aesthetic for the Old Georgetown Board to approve.

The other big project is the potential conversion of the Alexander Memorial Baptist church on N St. to residential use. GM had earlier reported that an individual had hoped to turn the entire property into a single family building. However, GM has learned that that bid has fallen through. Now several competing bids are seeking design approval, each one contemplating a multi-family project. Continue reading →