February 9, 2009 · 11:40 pm

Jaffe to Georgetown: Drop Dead

One of these days, there will be an Apple store built somewhere in the District. GM looks forward to that blessed day so he can stop writing about it. As it is, every day there’s no Apple store somewhere there’s more and more blame directed at Georgetown residents, primarily from journalists who should know better.

The latest bit of it comes care of Harry Jaffe, hands down one of the most knowledgeable journos on District matters. But sadly, even he can catch a case of Georgetown bashing as he displayed last Friday. How wrong is Jaffe, let GM count the ways:

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February 9, 2009 · 1:00 pm

Is Georgetown Cupcake Really Worth This?

Georgetown Cupcakery's Line

Georgetown Cupcake turns a year old on St. Valentine’s Day, and there are still crazy long lines out the door to buy $3.00 cupcakes. Are they really that good that you’ll sit in line for a half an hour?

GM’s been by and it was damn good (it was the Chocolate Mint) but there wasn’t a line at the time. There’s no way GM would wait in a line for them (particularly when Baked and Wired makes equally, if not superior, cupcakes without the wait). How about you? Do other Georgetowners wait in line for them, or has it just become a tourist thing?

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February 9, 2009 · 7:32 am

Champions Comes Back from the Dead

Blue Gin is Dead

This isn’t terribly newsy news, but GM only just noticed this: Blue Gin closed recently and re-opened as its old incarnation: Champions Sports Bar.

Blue Gin opened to sizzling press back in 2004. It took over Champions’ space after the bar and its notoriously lenient ID-checking habits had its liquor licensed pulled.

Well then was then and now is now, and apparently after a steep decline Blue Gin closed up shop sometime last November. GM can’t report on the ID leniency of the new Champions (he’ll leave that to Vox Populi), but according to first-hand accounts, Champion’s has quickly reverted to its loutish ways. It’s like it’s the 90’s all over again; if you close your eyes you can almost hear the 3rd Eye Blind.

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February 6, 2009 · 3:44 pm

Flickr Tags

GM received several photos of Georgetown in the snow recently from a reader, and it occurred to him that it would be a good idea to encourage readers to submit their Georgetown photographs to Flickr and tag them with “Georgetown Metropolitan”. That way GM can share them with the readers and select particularly nice shots like the one above.

Yeah, it’s just copying DCist, but so what? It’s a good idea…

Image by Flickr User spectreman.

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February 5, 2009 · 8:35 pm

Oh, Never Mind

The Post is reporting that the Old Georgetown Board rejected Apple’s most recent design concept. Apparently they don’t read a certain neighborhood blog that predicted:

The design will be heard before the Old Georgetown Board on Thursday where it will probably be approved. No timetable for construction has been set (they haven’t even knocked down the old building yet, so it probably shouldn’t be expected until early 2010 at the earliest).

Oops. Cue the shiny white pitchforks and tastefully colored torches and follow GM as he performs the post-mortem:

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February 5, 2009 · 12:00 pm

Have You Seen This Dog?

Lost Newfee

From reader Jarryd:

Thanks for mentioning my lost newfoundland, saw the quote in the Express. Would you mind posting her lost blog findmydogalli.blogspot.com on your blog? We miss her a ton, and I promise once I find her I will personally take down every sign I have put up.

Done and done. If you see a large black shaggy dog with a white patch on her chest, contact Jarryd at jcommerford@gmail.com.

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February 4, 2009 · 11:08 pm

WaPo Retells the Apple Saga

The news was first broke by us bloggers, but it was The Washington Post that pulled all the strings together to retell the whole Apple store saga, with more photos to boot. Paul Schwarzman’s article and the DC Wire’s post show the evolution of Apple’s designs. The most interesting point for GM was that WaPo reached out to the U.S. Fine Arts Commission and got copies of Apple’s previous proposals.

First of all, how close was GM’s Photoshop sight-unseen hacksaw job to the actual proposal? Surprisingly close:

 

Apple's on the left, GM's on the right

Apple's on the left, GM's on the right

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February 3, 2009 · 9:10 pm

ANC Gets Fox 5 Treatment

Last night at the ANC meeting, there was a presence you don’t see too much at the meetings: a local news film crew. It’s not clear whether they were there just to report on whatever, or whether they had something in mind. Either way, Fox Five reporter Roby Chavez latched on to the fire hydrant donnybrook and ran with it. Check it out here. (Sorry for the lack of embed, Fox Five doesn’t seem to allow it).

Update: Roby Chavez points us to Fox 5’s new website that allows embeding:

Vodpod videos no longer available.

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February 3, 2009 · 8:48 pm

The Approved Apple Designs

While Vox Populi may have gotten the DCist link love it’s the Georgetown Metropolitan that has the actual approved most recently rejected* designs for the new Apple store at 1229 Wisconsin Ave. Check them out:

The Approved Apple Store Design

Courtesy of ANC2E

As described in GM’s ANC round up, the approved design fits in with the 19th century buildings around it. The roofline matches the building housing Nine West and is decorated by dentil mouldings, echoing its neighbors. Hopefully the actual structure won’t be the blinding white light that the designs make them out to be. More after the jump:

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February 3, 2009 · 12:45 pm

Lost Pets on the Rise?

Lost Pets on the Rise?

Is it GM, or have there been a spate of lost pets notices up recently. Above are notices for a lost cat and a lost beagle. Specifically, a lost “shy” beagle (as if the story of a lost dog wasn’t sad enough). GM has also seen a sign for a lost Newfoundland. A Newfoundland! Those guys are the size of a small moose. How does a Newfee get lost? Is someone stealing pets?

Lost pet signs are one of saddest common sidewalk scenes. GM thinks there ought to be a law that requires owners who have been reunited with their pets to put up signs saying “Found him. Don’t worry about it anymore.”

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