The Georgetown Metropolitan

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Paul Maysak announces write-in candidacy for ANC seat currently with no other candidates.
• The first election allowing black men to vote in DC was held in Rose Park.

It’s that time of year again, when people start to wonder what the hell are those giant grain brain-shaped fruit around Georgetown. As in past years, GM is ready with the answer, as reprinted below:

This time a year, if you wonder around Montrose or Volta Parks you’re bound to find on the ground weird softball-sized green fruit like the one above. People are often so struck by the sight of the fruit, they pick up one or two of them and bring them home. But what are they, you ask?

Despite their green color, they’re oranges. Osage oranges, to be specific. They are grown by Osage trees, which line the Parrot rope walk. These trees are prevalent in the Great Plains states, where they are often planted along hedgerows. Traditionally, the pliable but strong nature of this tree’s wood made it valuable for fence posts and archery bows.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Apparently there is going to be an informal bike race up the extremely steep Cecil Place this Friday.
• Genuinely good “trip hacks” for Georgetown, and the first hack is alone worth the click: just because a hotel has “Georgetown” in the name doesn’t mean it’s in Georgetown.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• GU renovates Healy Hall’s basement.
• Celebrating some of the centennials around Georgetown and beyond.

The dawn of modern electric cars is great for the environment. But they need to be charged. While most Americans can simply charge them in their suburban garages or driveways, people living in neighborhoods like Georgetown face a much steep challenge adopting this new technology. Since most Georgetowners don’t have a garage or off-street parking spot, they have no natural place to charge their cars while at home.

This is an issue GM first flagged way back in 2019. That was when GM first started noticing residents who simply ran a charging cord across the sidewalk and to their car. This practice presents a host of problems. The most obvious is that it is a big tripping hazard. Even when residents try to cover the cord, it still can bunch up and catch the toe of an unsteady walker. Additionally, over time the cord can easily become torn and a shocking hazard. And beyond these safety concerns, they’re just really ugly strewn about. They also open the door to the possibility that homeowners begin to feel entitled to always park immediately in front of their house, which is simply not a right we can logistically recognize in Georgetown.

And until recently, this practice was illegal although it’s unclear whether the city ever tried to enforce the law. Earlier this year, WAMU ran a piece showing the lengths one driver on Capitol Hill went to run cables up and through trees to charge his cars. Although he received one note from a neighbor complaining, the city had taken no action against him.

But this summer, the city did finally take action. But not to stop him, but to give him a green light. This summer, DDOT issued guidance that permits residents citywide to string cables across the sidewalk. The only substantive requirement is that the car-owner puts a cover over the cable and remove it from the sidewalk when not using it.

My ANC campaign is underway! If you live in northwest Georgetown, you’ve hopefully seen some of my signs around. I hope you like them!

If you’d like to support my campaign, I’d be hugely grateful if you would be willing to display one of these lovely signs in front of your house. Signs in front of neighbors’ houses are so much more persuasive than yet another one up on a lamppost. If you’re willing, shoot me an email at mathewsforanc@gmail.com and I’ll bring one by!

Better yet, if you’d be willing to gather some of your neighbors over to your house sometime for a meet and greet, I’ll bring the wine, it’ll be fun!

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• The crazy story how the ashes of a legendary DC journalist ended up in Jack Evans’ basement.
• GU commits to supporting its undocumented students.