This week on Not So Long Ago, GM swings by 31st and M. Nowadays, the stretch in question houses L’Occitane, Qi Spa, and P & C Fine Arts.
In 1993, none of those stores were open. GM couldn’t figure out what the store on the left is. There’s no sign large enough to be able to read on the old photograph. Anyone remember?
To the right is the Marquis de Rochambeau. Described by the Washington Post as the “hottest spot in town” and the “last refuge of the clever”, the Marquis de Rochambeau was a French cabaret run by Max De Lafayette. According to one account:
This French-style cabaret looks like a cross between a French bordello and a yard sale. The walls are swagged and draped, the French paintings hang in gilded frames. The Marquis has live entertainment until 2:30 am on Friday and Saturday (with a $5 cover), until 1:30 am weekdays. The live entertainment on the first floor features European music, an imported chanteuse de maison, and international dancing. The second floor is a haven for American oldies and showtunes. Champagne flows freely here–on Tuesday and Wednesday, ladies’ nights, it is free. Some people find this place zany and decadent; others want to go home and shower.
Sounds like a fun place.
It seems like the restaurant closed sometime around 1999.
Here are the static photos: Continue reading
The Georgetown Metropolitan 