Dumbarton Oaks Park
Record Store Coming to Georgetown, Seriously
The Washington Citypaper’s Ally Schweitzer broke some unbelievable news yesterday: Georgetown will soon get a new record shop. No, not a CD store. A record shop. As in vinyl.
She writes:
Well, it’s actually a little more than a record store. Hill & Dale—no relation to the upscale Lower East Side gastropub nor Hillandale, Md.—will specialize in new vinyl records, photography, and posters. The shop, currently under construction, is located in the 1,200 square foot space formerly occupied by Parish Gallery. Norton, a 44-year-old who lives near Politics & Prose, plans to host a grand opening during the first week of February.
(Hill and Dale is probably a reference to the grooves on a vinyl record.)
If you think this is a crazy idea, you’re right. It is. But it’s not completely insane. People still buy vinyl records. In fact last year vinyl records had one of the best years it’s had in decades, posting a 38% jump.
Technologically, vinyl was surpassed a long, long time ago, first by tapes, then by CDs. Despite claims by audiophiles that the sound was superior, the iron law of convenience-over-sound-fidelity meant it was relegated to a niche market starting in the 90s. But something seems to have shifted in recent years. Certainly the retro-hipster aspect of vinyl helped it along. But the appeal is growing beyond the types of people who probably had a college radio show. Continue reading
Filed under Music
The Morning Metropolitan
Photo by Vpickering.
Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:
- Qdoba closed. GM’s first thought is: does Georgetown Cupcake want to expand?
- Reporter from the National Journal takes GM’s advice and skates on the canal.
- All Marvelous Markets are closing, except the Georgetown one, which is undergoing its nth revamp.
Filed under The Morning Metropolitan
Waterways Freeze Over
It shouldn’t be a surprise, what with all this cold weather, but the waterways in and around Georgetown have frozen over. This includes the canal and the Potomac itself.
GM hasn’t had a chance (or particularly much of an inclination) to venture out and see it for himself. But Will Handsfield did:
https://twitter.com/WHands80/status/421028164371234816
He reported that as of the middle of the afternoon, the ice appeared about two inches thick and could support him. It appears that others have taken the rare opportunity to skate on the canal:
Filed under Uncategorized
The Morning Metropolitan
Photo by Tedeytan.
Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:
- Sale of Washington Harbour one of the largest deals in DC last year.
- Don’t forget the Mayoral Debate tonight at Dumbarton House!
Filed under Uncategorized
The Georgetown Metropolitan Hits Five
It seems to get worse every year; GM just keeps forgetting the Georgetown Metropolitan’s birthday (December 13th). And if you can believe it, last month brought it to five years.
Most of these things burn out way before five years; facing the inevitable slowing, then puttering, then just radio silence. If anything, a fear of becoming that cliche is mostly what drives GM to keep at it. It certainly isn’t the non-existent pay.
Well, GM’s been so forgetful he forgot to buy himself a birthday present. So instead he’ll do what he does every year: revisit the five most popular articles from the year before (you’ll quickly see a theme).
#5 – WMATA Recommits to a New Potomac Crossing
In anticipation of the decision it announced later in the year, last January WMATA long term planners presented a plan to its board calling for a new Potomac crossing at Georgetown. This wasn’t the first time the idea has been floated (as early at 2001 WMATA was discussing the need for a new crossing) and the board was most concerned about funding, but getting it to this profile was a great step.
#4 – Historic Church to be Converted to Single Family Home?
In November, GM reported that the historic Alexander Memorial Baptist Church on O St. was under contract with an individual who planned to convert it and the adjacent buildings into one giant home for his family. That man was later reported to be race car driver(!) William Langhorne.
The plans got some push back from the Old Georgetown Board (namely for the requested garage) and so the fate of the project is currently up in the air. Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
The Morning Metropolitan
Photo by pinelife.
Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:
- Owner of the dearly departed Georgetown Bagelry has a cookbook out.
- Speaking of the Buffalo Bridge, until April there is a very interesting exhibit at the Met in New York about western-theme bronzes. The work of Alexander Phimister Proctor, including a small scale model of the buffalo from our bridge, is on display. If you’re up there soon, you should check it out.
Filed under Uncategorized
The Georgetown Metropolitan 
You must be logged in to post a comment.