Photo by Ehpien.
Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:
- Are you an artist? Want to have your work displayed at the House of Sweden?
- The cutest way to learn to skate.
The Morning Metropolitan
Filed under The Morning Metropolitan
Save Jack’s Boathouse
Photo by TrailVoice.
Over the holiday, unless you were totally checked out from DC news, you probably heard about the sudden eviction notice sent to the owner of Jack’s Boathouse from the National Park Service (which owns the land the boathouse sits on).
Despite the busy time of year, hundreds of devoted customers came to the defense of their cherished summertime haunt. In response to the outcry, NPS put the eviction plans on hold. This gave hope to Jack’s owner, Paul Simkin, but it hardly lifted the cloud of uncertainty.
After the stay was granted, NPS began to explain their side of the story. Apparently the lease is old and outdated. Simkin isn’t even on it. (Simkin took over control of Jack’s after his previous partner, Frank Baxter, passed away in 2009. Frank’s father was Jack Baxter, an ex-DC cop who started the boathouse in 1945.)
NPS explained that they were simply reviewing the contract and trying to “regularize” boathouse services. What that means is that NPS generally uses a concession-style agreement for its parks. So unlike Jack’s, which simply leases the space and runs its business, most business on NPS land don’t pay rent but pay a portion of their revenues to NPS.
NPS explained that it wants to keep a boathouse here (although they didn’t specify the exact location), it’s just that they want to shift it to a concession contract. But it’s not a simple matter of changing Simkin’s relationship with NPS; it would need to be bid out.
And there’s the rub.
Filed under Parks and Rec
The Morning Metropolitan
Photo by Ehpien.
Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:
- GM got an up close look at their house during the garden tour this year, but you can check out Anna Fuhrman’s and Joe Kerr’s awesomely designed house here.
- The owner of the infamous Watergate Exxon is supposedly the new owner of the Q St. gas station (soon to be a Shell).
Filed under The Morning Metropolitan
ANC Round Up: Pinstripes Edition
Last night the ANC met for its first hearing of the new year. And there’s no need to beat around the bush: the proposed bowling alley was front and center.
Pinstripes
A representative of Vornado attended the meeting to present his company’s plans for the mall, generally, and the bowling alley, specifically. The presentation was interesting for GM since it was the first time in a long time that Vornado has said anything publicly at all about the project (particularly the interior elements).
The plans for the bowling alley call for a company called Pinstripes to operate it. Pinstripes is a company founded in 2006 by Dale Schwartz in suburban Chicago. Mr. Schwartz was on hand last night to present his vision.
The phrase “high end” was used a lot.
Specifically the phrase “extraordinarily high end wine and food coupled with a bowling and banquet experience” was used. Moreover, the food promised is going to be “Four Seasons” and “Ritz Carlton”-level quality. In a bowling alley. Yeah, GM’s skeptical too.
But unbelievably audacious promises of food quality were not the primary focus of the discussion. That was instead the issue of noise.
Physically, Pinstripes would be located on the southeast corner of the building. You would enter the top of two floors along the canal just south of the old firehouse (soon to be the Frye Company).
On the top floor would be some restaurant and bar space as well as some banquet rooms (more on that later).
Downstairs would have the bowling lanes themselves, along with more tables and bar space and a bocce court. There will be twelve lanes.
Filed under ANC, Development
The Morning Metropolitan
Photo by Ehpien.
Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:
- Third Edition sold.
- GM thinks its sad how fast people take down their Christmas trees around here, but the city wants you to get on with it anyway. Tree pickup ends January 12.
Filed under The Morning Metropolitan
ANC Preview: Lets Go Bowling Edition
Tonight, wasting no time the ANC will meet for its first session of the new year. And it should be a good one!
Mark It Dude
The most interesting item on the agenda is the proposed bowling alley for the redeveloped Georgetown Park mall. This will be the first chance for the public to see first hand what Vornado has in mind for the bowling alley. And in a larger sense, this is the first time Vornado will have to come before the public to talk about the interior of the mall period (they’ve been to the ANC multiple times for proposed exterior changes).
So far GM hasn’t heard too much of a negative response to the bowling alley from Georgetowners. But the Georgetown Park condo dwellers might not be so sanguine. They have struggled to get any information at all out of Vornado and are probably not in the mood to trust Vornado that all sound issues will be addressed.
And who knows, maybe Vornado will finally open up on their other plans for the mall? (Actually, GM knows: they won’t.)
Moving a Bikeshare Station
As mentioned here back in December, some people are angry at DDOT for eliminating a few parking spots on Wisconsin Ave. south of the canal in order to relocate the Capital Bikeshare station there.
The ANC is scheduled to take this matter up tonight. Expect them to take a position asking DDOT to move the station somewhere else and restore the parking spots. Continue reading
The Morning Metropolitan
Photo by Carol Joynt.
Happy New Year Georgetown! Here’s the latest:
- If you missed it while GM was gone: Jack’s Boathouse is in trouble. GM will have more on this later this week.
- The fancy new hotel on 31st St. will open next month.
Filed under The Morning Metropolitan
The Georgetown Metropolitan 
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