January 21, 2009 · 8:28 am

Late Hours – The Coda

So after all that Sturm und Drang over the late hours at the restaurants and bars around town, the inaugural fest is over. According to DCist, crime was actually relatively low for the weekend. 4 AM is way past GM’s bedtime, so he didn’t get to verify whether those establishments identified as night owls would take advantage of the relaxed rules or whether M St. was turned into a all-night noise machine. So did anyone stay up till 4 pounding beers at Clyde’s, martinis at Bodega, and, err, baguettes at Le Pain Quotidien? What was M St. like?

Just no one try to claim they won a beefcake contest at Modern. We know you’re lying.

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January 20, 2009 · 7:18 am

48 Years Ago Tonight

Joe Alsop's House

It  was exactly 48 years ago tonight that the resident of 2720 Dumbarton Ave. heard a knock at his door and opened it to find John F. Kennedy standing there in the falling snow, less than 14 hours after being inaugurated President. That resident was journalist and socialite Joe Alsop and his was the only private residence Kennedy visited that evening. Some stories claim that Kennedy stayed there till dawn smoking cigars and talking with his friend Alsop. More stories, however, state that Kennedy stayed only for a few hours, had a bowl of terrapin soup, and headed back to the White House around 3:00 AM. (Although, yet another line of stories state that he stayed long enough for a brief liaison with Angie Dickinson, or some other young starlet).

Some in Georgetown may insist that the neighborhood is still at the center of the DC political universe; but there will be no doors in Georgetown knocked upon by Obama tonight. Maybe that shows how far Georgetown has fallen, or maybe it just shows how special that night was 48 years ago.

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January 19, 2009 · 7:38 am

Explore Georgetown’s African American History

According to the 2000 Census, Georgetown’s population is only 3% Black. However, this was not always the case. Through the 19th century and into the first half of the 20th century, Georgetown had a substantial African American population (reaching around 50% of the population at the turn of the century). The majority of these residents were descendants of slaves that lived in Georgetown or emigrated there shortly after the Civil War.

This day being Martin Luther King’s birthday, GM suggests you take a stroll through our neighborhood and visit some of the landmarks of Black Georgetown. Some suggestions are listed below.

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January 16, 2009 · 7:32 am

Why Not: Allow Some Streets to Revert to Cobblestones?

Streetcar Tracks in the West Village

Last week we asked why not switch back to the old Georgetown street names; this week GM stays on the nostalgic side of our streets and asks: Why not allow some of the smaller and quieter streets in Georgetown to replace their asphalt streets with cobblestone or brick? There are many benefits to cobblestone or brick streets beyond aesthetics. Find out after the jump:

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January 15, 2009 · 12:33 pm

Georgetown’s Inaugural Balls

Calvin Coolidge's Inaugural Ball 1925 - Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Calvin Coolidge's Inaugural Ball 1925 - Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Most of us are probably sick and tired of all the inaugural festivities before they even begin. But if you still have the energy, the lack of plans, and a desire to keep local, what are you to do? Well GM has identified three Georgetown balls (well, two Georgetown balls and one “Georgetown” ball) that you might be interested in. Find out more after the jump:

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January 15, 2009 · 7:31 am

From the Department of Peculiar Voluntary Agreement Clauses

The Georgetown Current this week chimes in on the late night bar issue (which, by the way, GM covered extensively already). Doing the things that real journalists do, Carol Buckley dug a bit deeper into the issue and discovered that some of the bars that have voluntary agreements will nonetheless be able to stay open late since the agreements say nothing about hours. That apparently includes Le Pain Quotidien, Neyla, and Modern.

Buckley found another priceless nugget. For whatever reason, the ANC didn’t think to insist on setting hours for Modern’s voluntary agreement. But what did they ban in the agreement?

Wet tee-shirt contests and “beefcake” competitions.

Seriously.

It truly bares repeating that at some point our elected officials apparently expressed a concern that M St. was turning into Venice Beach. Not mentioned in the article, but Rhino Bar’s voluntary agreement bans “kicking sand in our faces” and/or “breaking our nerdy glasses and stealing our girlfriend”.

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January 14, 2009 · 4:09 pm

Thomas Crown Loose in Georgetown?

From the (temporarily continued) MPD2d blotter:

Theft occurred in the 1600 b/o 31st St. NW between 9/2007- 2/2008.
Citizen reports 2 water color paintings stolen from the storage area by unknown suspect.

This is the sort of crucial information we’re probably going to lose with a crime map-only information feed. Sure, it may say something was stolen, maybe even say it was artwork, but will it tell us what style?!

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January 14, 2009 · 12:13 am

Fisher to Georgetown: I Want My Shiny Plastic

Apple's Proposal - As illustrated by the Georgetown Metropolitan

Apple's Proposal - As illustrated by the Georgetown Metropolitan

The other day, Washington Post columnist Marc Fisher weighed in on the decision by Georgetown’s ANC and the Old Georgetown Board to reject Apple’s second design for their proposed store at 1229 Wisconsin. Anyone who follows Fisher shouldn’t be surprised that he’s inveighing against the city’s preservationist Mandarins. Unless you’re talking about baseball or radio, Fisher typically has no time for historicism. But does he have a point? Read more:

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January 13, 2009 · 12:30 pm

Ghosts of Georgetown’s Past

Kids On Georgetown Street

1935 Photograph from Library of Congress - Label "Poor children playing on sidewalk, Georgetown, Washington, D.C."

A scene you just don’t see that much more: groups of kids playing on the sidewalk, barefoot, and without adult supervision. More street kids after the jump:

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January 13, 2009 · 7:35 am

WMATA Tries Out Bus Only Lanes For Obama Day

The Washington Post is reporting that there will be bus-only lanes through Georgetown from Wisconsin Ave. to Washington Circle in Foggy Bottom on Inauguration Day. They write:

Although widespread bridge and street closures will restrict personal vehicle access, Metrobuses will be allowed to use both and will use special bus-only lanes through Georgetown from Wisconsin Avenue to Washington Circle (23rd Street and Pennsylvania Avenue), for example, bypassing regular traffic.

It’s a little unfortunate that the Washington Post feels the need to explain to its readers where Washington Circle is. But that aside, what they don’t do is say what road will have the bus-only lane. It could be either M St. or K St. Which is it? Find out that and how you might want to get used to the lane for the future, after the jump:

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