The Georgetown Metropolitan

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Showfields is now open at 31st and M.
• Nice updated eating guide for the neighborhood.

Tomorrow night the ANC will meet for its December session. The meeting begins at 6:30 and can be accessed via Zoom. This will be the last ANC meeting of the year. And with it marks the end of several commissioners’ times on the ANC. This includes Lisa Palmer, Jenny Mitchell, and Rick Murphy.

As is the custom of the Commission, it will consider a motion to issue a commendation to the departing Commissioners. It is a small token, and can’t really reflect the amount of work these individuals have performed over their terms. As I take office next year, I’m sure there will be plenty of times I wish they were still around! (Of course I will still not hesitate to bug them with emails in their “private” life…)

The meeting will cover additional topics as well, including:

• Updates on Jelleff, streateries, and MacArthur High School
• Some information on a new restaurant called L’Avante Garde finally taking over the old Guards space.
• And THE TRANSFORMERS!

This will also, of course, be the last meeting for a while where I won’t be a Commissioner myself. I will endeavor to keep readers informed of the doings of the ANC despite the fact that I will obviously be coming at it from an entirely new perspective! This will inevitably nonetheless change the tone of my coverage a bit, starting with the fact I’m dropping the third person “GM” style (at least while discussing ANC matters.) I’m always happy for feedback, so please let me know how I’m doing as I figure this stuff out.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• You missed your opportunity to buy Betsy Devos’ penthouse and set up a teachers union office there instead.
• A GU professor nominated for a Grammy.

As you get ready for Thanksgiving this week week, it’s important to take some time to think about those that have much less than us to be thankful for. And to turn those thoughts into action, please consider giving to Georgetown Ministry Center.

The institution, based right in the heart of Georgetown, offer services and programs to the area’s homeless. And in cold winter nights, it offers a place to sleep, which can be a question of life or death.

If you’re a federal employee who participates in the Combined Federal Campaign, please add the center (CFC# 31661) to your list of charities. Then pass the gravy!

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Looks like a smoothie/acai bowl shop is moving into the old La Jolie Blue space.
• How to shop around Georgetown conscientiously this Small Business Saturday

3300 block of N St.

A new Indian restaurant is coming to 1639 Wisconsin Ave., in the Book Hill section of Georgetown. It is called Herbivore and it is taking over the space that was Pho Asian Bistro until about six months ago.

The sign in the window states that the restaurant will be 100% vegetarian, which makes sense given its name. (For what it’s worth, the online menu includes lamb and chicken dishes as well. GM suspects that’s more a result of a stock website design than a change in approach.)

Here is a bit more about the establishment:

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Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• More details for the Stephen Starr Italian concept for the old Dean and Deluca.
• How good is GU Law? Don’t ask US News anymore…

Dumbarton Oaks Park

In honor of the passing of Alan Rubin, co-founder of the Biograph, GM is re-running a piece from 2013 about all the old defunct movie theaters around Georgetown. Enjoy:

Jonathan O’Connell of the Washington Post ran a fantastic feature yesterday on the history of theaters in DC, with a map showing where historic theaters were and existing theaters are. Definitely check it out. What struck GM when reading it is that all the buildings that once held movie theaters in Georgetown are to a large extent intact from their movie days. Of course, none of the historic theaters still are theaters, but it’s still a good excuse to tally them up!

Above you see a photo of the Key Theater. Of the historic theaters, it was on the young side. It was opened in 1969 and closed in 1997. Nowadays it (along with the former Roy Rogers next door) is occupied by Restoration Hardware.

Photo by Joe.

Here is the Biograph. It was even younger than the Key Theater. It was built in 1976 in a former car dealership and lasted until 1996. Like the Georgetown Theater discussed below, in its later years it mixed art house with adult fare, but was unable to stave off closure. Like many former theaters in DC, it now houses a CVS.

Photo by Tony.

Of course, we all know that the Georgetown theater building, gutted and decrepit as it may be, is still around. The facade as we now know it, however, is thankfully not long for this world. Architect Robert Bell has a contract to buy the building and plans to restore the neon sign and rip off the ugly formstone (and maybe send it Baltimore where they can’t get enough of it). (UPDATE: Of course you are likely familiar with how well that turned out:

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