May 26, 2009 · 10:58 pm

June ANC Preview – The Gay Marriage Edition

The June ANC meeting will be held next Monday June 1st, in the normal Heritage Room of Visitation. The agenda has been released and one item stands out like a sore thumb. Of all the issues you’d expect to see on an ANC meeting agenda, GM is pretty sure that Gay Marriage is pretty low on people’s list. But no matter, the ANC has apparently set out to pass some sort of a resolution.

But on what side?

GM is assuming, or at least sincerely hopes, that they are for the legalization of gay marriage. Or maybe they’ll be for it as long as it doesn’t affect parking. Although either way it seems awfully futile for the ANC to weigh in on this issue. But if they want to pitch in to the cause, GM says bully to them. It should create a fun debate either way.

So what else? Apparently Georgetown Billiards closed (which is sad news to GM; it was a nice off-beat place to hang out). The new management has plans for the space and will present them for the ANC’s approval on Monday. Perchance they will still incorporate air hockey?

Finally, Agraria will return to present their revised plans for a Tiki Bar. The ANC was not particularly excited about the plans presented last month. The Agraria reps tried to assure the commissioners that Agraria attracts a different crowd than its fratty neighbors. But Tiki bars are like the 60’s versions of Irish bars: they can turn an ordinary bar into an ordinary bar with louder drunk people. Are neo-Tiki bars different? We’ll see.

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May 25, 2009 · 11:06 pm

And We’re Back…

GM is back from his two week honeymoon and completely unready to dive back into the daily humdrum, but no matter: the neighborhood blogger never rests!

So what did GM miss over the last two weeks? A quick  read through the normal sources reveals this:

City Council Gives Mixed Messages on Jellef: As GM discussed a while back, the Mayor’s proposal to buy the Jellef Branch of the Boys and Girls Club was never a done deal. The Council sent the first shot across that plan’s bow when it struck the $15 million set aside in the Mayor’s budget to purchase the property. CMs Evans, Cheh and Medelson have all said encouraging words about the likelihood that the Council will eventually find money for the transfer, but for now it’s in flux.

CAG Elects New President: The Citizens Association of Georgetown elected a new president to replace Denise Cunningham. Jennifer Altemus will take the helm.

Georgetown Library Plans Announced: The plans for the Georgetown Library were presented to a group while GM was away. From the Current’s account, it sounds like the designers tried to solve the problem they were facing earlier with trying to have a community meeting room in the basement level by moving it to the second floor. Either way, GM is a little surprised they went ahead and announced the plans before bringing them back before the ANC.

Five Guys Shuts Down Temporarily: The Georgetown Five Guys apparently shut down for a short time in an attempt to “get ahead” of the bad press reporting on a rodent infestation. It seems to GM that you could probably set up a camera outside any DC restaurant and find a few mice or rats scurry by, but it’s best just not to think about it…

Cannon’s Owners Sentenced: Robert Moore Sr. and Robert Moore Jr. were sentenced to three years probation for their role in illegal fish trafficking. Senior must stay out of the fish-monerging biz for three years and Junior must post a sign at Cannons door announcing that the store won’t sell any Rockfish. Earlier reports said that they would also pay a combined$150,000 in fines and $53,000 in restitution.

That’s it so far as GM’s jet-lagged eyes can see. The June ANC agenda was released tonight, but that’ll have to wait until tomorrow.

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May 22, 2009 · 11:00 am

Favorite Things #1 – The History

While GM is on his honeymoon, he’s publishing his top ten favorite things about Georgetown. Today we’re finally at number one: the history.
Georgetown is an old place. People have lived here since the mid-eighteenth century. Over the 250 or so years it’s existed, Georgetown has seen many people and stories pass through it. First it was a rough and tumble port. Eventually it grew to be a finely built and respectable municipality. With the decline of the C&O Canal among other factors, the village became the location of poor Irish and African American slums. Roosevelt’s new dealers started the gentrification ball rolling, and now it’s almost uniformly expensive (although GM insists there are still deals to be found if you look hard enough).
That’s the broad-brush history of Georgetown. And yes, frequently the history of Georgetown is told like a walking tour of which famous politician lived in what house. That’s all fine and good, but GM is more interesed in the more obscure history, like how our streets used to be called something else, and the fact they used to make rope in Montrose Park, or the fact that according to the 1920 census, GM’s block was full of cops, government clerks, and tradesmen.
Is that a trait unique to Georgetown? No, of course not. Neighborhoods across DC have their own unique histories as well. And if GM lived in those neighborhoods, it would probably be his favorite thing there too. But as it is, he lives in Georgetown, on a street that was once called “Road Street”, in a home that once housed an Irish draftsman, and discovering odd things like that (or that 31st street used to be a hippy hangout) is by far his favorite thing about living here.
Sadly for GM, his honeymoon is over this weekend. He’ll be back Tuesday to cover all the things he missed while he was traveling on the rails through Europe. Thank you for bearing with him.

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May 21, 2009 · 12:32 pm

Favorite Things – The Architecture

While GM is on his honeymoon he is publishing his top ten favorite things about Georgetown. Today number two: the architecture.
According to the rules of real estate lingo, every single home in Georgetown is a “federal” home. That’s simply not true. This ignorant and broadbrush depiction of Georgetown’s architecture ignores the fact that the village is actually a wonderful cross-section of 19th century architecture.
From pre-federal Georgian buildings, to legitimate Federal homes, through to the vast majority of homes, which are mostly Victorian, Georgetown has it all.
The variety is in style as it is in depth. We’ve got the mansions and grand homes in multiple styles, but we’ve also got a large variety of more modest homes whose original owners couldn’t even afford a “style” (many have had colonial decorations added over the years, which now seem as old as the house despite the fact that they’re probably 50-75 years newer).
GM loves walking through Georgetown gawking at the architecture, and that’s why he selected it as his second favorite thing about Georgetown.

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May 20, 2009 · 8:07 am

Favorite Things #3 – Montrose Park

While GM is on his honeymoon, he’s counting down his top ten favorite things about Georgetown. Today it’s number 3: Montrose Park.

Montrose Park lies along R St. between Oak Hill Cemetery and Dumbarton Oaks. It’s got open and shady fields, four tennis courts, winding paths, and a playground, all within its 10 acres.

And it’s basically an off-leash dog park to boot. (Just don’t tell NPS that…)

Montrose Park regularly appears on various “best kept secrets” but in GM’s view, the park is no longer a secret. During the mornings it’s full of dog-walkers and early strollers, by the afternoons it’s full of birthday parties and whiffle ball games. Not to mention more dog walkers and the late strollers.

Yet despite all this use, it’s still idyllic and and a peaceful spot is not hard to find. Whether it’s the gas-lamp lit Parrot Walk, the hedge maze, or a bench on the hill overlooking Rock Creek Park, Montrose Park offers a place to quietly read the paper, even when the rest of the park is packed.

We can all thank Sarah Louisa Rittenhouse, who with a group of women who petitioned Congress to buy up the land and preserve it for “the recreation and pleasure of the people”. Now that the secret is completely out, her wish continues to be fulfilled.

Previously:

4: Nathans

5: The Georgetown Current

6: Greater Dumbarton Oaks

7: Sara’s Market

8: Bistro Lepic

9: Q St.’s Elms

10: Abundance of Stores

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May 19, 2009 · 8:07 am

Favorite Things – #4 – Nathans

While GM is on his honeymoon he is publishing his top ten favorite things about Georgetown. Today at number 4 is Nathans Restaurant.

Nathans is not the nicest restaurant in Georgetown. It’s not the oldest restaurant in Georgetown. And it’s not the most popular restaurant in Georgetown. But what it is is the most improbable restaurant in Georgetown.

Why improbable? It’s sitting on one of the most expensive and sought after corners in Georgetown. It’s constantly surrounded by tourists and suburbanite teens out shopping at stores they could probably find in the suburbs.

Yet despite all of that, it still continues as a quiet and peaceful refuge and a local favorite. Saddle up the the bar on a Sunday and you’ll eventually see someone you recognize come through the doors. Better yet, come to a Q & A Cafe and you’ll probably recognize your fellow diners from the neighborhood and the guest from TV (and perhaps also from the neighborhood).

So yes, some may prefer other places like Clyde’s or Martins for the tavern needs, but none of them is quite as improbable as Nathans. If Nathans does eventually close, we’ll finally see how improbable its continued existence was when some bland and generic chain snaps up the space, rips out the bar, tears up the well-worn floorboards, and turns it into just another place to buy shoes or phones or whatever.

Previously:

5: The Georgetown Current

6: Greater Dumbarton Oaks

7: Sara’s Market

8: Bistro Lepic

9: Q St.’s Elms

10: Abundance of Stores

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May 18, 2009 · 8:07 am

Favorite Things – #5 – The Georgetown Current

While GM is on his honeymoon he’s listing his top ten favorite things about Georgetown. Today is number 5: The Georgetown Current.

GM grew up in a small town with a weekly newspaper that devoted as much ink to the local soccer league as it did to the zoning board. So GM gets a nostalgic joy from reading a weekly paper focused exclusively on the village he lives in.

No other outlet in town would devote so much space to issues like whether there will be lights on a Chevy Chase ballfield. That issue alone has produced a series of unbelievable long letters to the editor. For someone as obsessed with local politics as GM is, this is manna.

And despite its narrow focus, the Georgetown Current still takes its job seriously and produces solid reporting, particularly on development issues. GM looks forward to every Wednesday night when he can get home and read about all the local stories and issues he missed. (He can normally get one to two posts per week piggybacking on their work). 

On top of its solid local reporting, the Current covers high school sports, gives you a weekly calender, and runs Tom Sherwood’s excellent column.

For all these reasons, the Georgetown Current is always sitting on GM’s coffee table and is his fifth favorite thing about Georgetown.

Previously:

6: Greater Dumbarton Oaks

7: Sara’s Market

8: Bistro Lepic

9: Q St.’s Elms

10: Abundance of Stores

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May 15, 2009 · 2:06 pm

Favorite Things – #6 – Greater Dumbarton Oaks

While GM is on his honeymoon, he’s publishing his top ten favorite things about Georgetown. Today number 6: Greater Dumbarton Oaks.

What does “Greater Dumbarton Oaks” mean? It’s meant to refer to all the aspects of Dumbarton Oaks, including those that get ignored in preference for the gardens. So for the record, this is what GM means:

  • Dumbarton Oaks Gardens
  • Dumbarton Oaks Park (the part of Rock Creek Park just north of the mansion that is open and free all the time)
  • The Byzantine Collection
  • The Pre-Columbian Art wing designed by Phillip Johnson
  • The Friends of Music Series

There’s a lot to Dumbarton Oaks. But as GM has complained in the past, Harvard does a terrible job engaging the institution with the wider population. Whereas Tudor Place hosts holiday parties and Easter Egg hunts, Dumbarton Oaks maintains overly restrticted hours and runs few special programs. The buildings and grounds are maintained almost exclusively for the benefit of the lucky few Harvard landscape architecture students who are resident there.

But that criticism aside, Dumbarton Oaks truly is an incredible collection of spaces and natural and manmade beauty. And one exception to the general rule that Dumbarton Oaks doesn’t host many special events is the aformentioned Friends of Music. Once a month from November to April, the ridiculously grand Music Room of the mansion is turned over to its intended purpose. The series invites top notch musicians to play in an intimate and unique space. GM’s been a subscriber for about six seasons, and it’s absolutely worth the price.

Add the artwork of the two collections and the formal gardens to the rambling and overgrown faded glory of Dumbarton Oaks Park and you have a priceless treasure. If it weren’t for their stand-offish attitude towards the public, Dumbarton Oaks would be much higher on GM’s list. As it is, they remain at number six.

Previously:

7: Sara’s Market

8: Bistro Lepic

9: Q St.’s Elms

10: Abundance of Stores

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May 14, 2009 · 8:06 am

Favorite Things – #7 – Sara’s Market

While he is on his honeymoon, GM is publishing his top ten favorite things about Georgetown. Today is number 7: Sara’s Market.

Sara’s Market is one of the stars in Georgetown’s neighborhood market constellation. It’s been “Sara’s” for over 80 years and shopping at a store like Sara’s is what makes living in a city so enjoyable. GM normally hops off the D2, walks across the street, grabs milk or whatever else he’s lacking, and walks a couple blocks home. No driving to a huge parking lot. No lines. No huge loads of groceries. Just what you need for a couple of days to get you to your next unpleasant trip to Safeway wherever your going to for the next year.

Proprietors Andy and Suk Yang Johnson are on a first-name basis with many customers and are happy to chat about the comings and goings in the neighborhood. As the lower East Village fears the potential loss of their neighborhood market Scheele’s, GM is happy to note that the Johnsons own their property and are thus in control of their destiny. Also, they are proposing to add a dry cleaner drop-off service, which will only increase the store’s utility to its neighbors.

For these reasons, GM selects Sara’s Market as his seventh favorite thing about Georgetown.

Previously:

8: Bistro Lepic

9: Q St.’s Elms

10: Abundance of Stores

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May 13, 2009 · 8:05 am

Favorite Things – #8 – Bistro Lepic

As GM is away on his honeymoon, he is publishing his ten favorite things about Georgetown. Today is number 8: Bistro Lepic.

Bistro Lepic is an authentic French restaurant perched on Georgetown Heights. It has an intimate dining room on the first floor and a stylish wine bar on the second. Between the French accents from the waiters and the wrap-around Toulouse Lautrec mural, you could easily believe you’ve slipped away to Paris.

For GM, the appeal to Bistro Lepic is as much is locality as its food. Nestled up on Wisconsin between R and S, the restaurant offers those living in upper Georgetown fine dining without having to trek all the way down to M St. For that reason, it’s a favorite of locals.

So for these reasons, GM has select Bistro Lepic as his eighth favorite thing about Georgetown.

Previously:

9: Q St.’s Elms

10: Abundance of Stores

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