Robert Devaney • December 30, 2011

For sheer size and sense of fun, the big winner in Georgetown’s Christmas decorations has to go to Jack Davies of Prospect Street. His 20-feet-tall, inflated Santa Claus waves, “Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas” from the back of his house with its grand vista of the Potomac River to all entering D.C. from Virginia. While many Georgetown homes are trimmed from evergreens, red ribbons and small lights, Davies’s Santa makes for a happy surprise.

The Santa on his rooftop, overlooking Canal Road and M Street, can be seen by Key Bridge commuters stuck in traffic. And it is up there, Davies says, to make people smile. Davies, founder of AOL International, is a philanthropist and businessman who is part owner of the Washington Capitals, Wizards and Mystics.

Drivers and pedestrians enjoy the sight, illuminated at night, as does Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans who says he loves it, too.

Davies first began positioning a Santa a few years ago on a back balcony and discovered how easily the wind can bring it down. This year, with the advice of friend Michael Murphy, an environmental engineer, Davies erected his winning St. Nick the week after Thanksgiving. “The best $700 I ever spent,” he says — and quite a Christmas present from one of our neighbors.
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Robert Devaney • December 22, 2011

Rock/jazz pianist ELEW (Eric Lewis) held court with his mighty piano in the studio hall of Halcyon House Dec. 13 to benefit Sasha Bruce Youthwork, which provides shelter and counseling to runaway, abused and neglected children and their families. The D.C. non-profit – which began in Georgetown’s Christ Church – was enlarged by donations from Evangeline Bruce, wife of Ambassador David Bruce, following the death of their daughter Sasha who had helped troubled youths as a volunteer.

Jasmine Williams, a Sasha Bruce success story, saved from her abusive stepfather, told the crowd in John Dreyfuss’s studio that she was preparing to go to college. ELEW said he felt at home at the Sasha Bruce house. Even Mayor Vincent Gray showed up to praise the group and its founder, Deborah Shore: “We share the same values.”

Then, it was time for the main event. The expressive, high-energy ELEW pounded the ivories and plucked the cords with such tunes as “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Fireflies,” “Paint It Black” and more, along with his own “Thanksgiving” – and some Christmas riffs, too. (ELEW’s new album debuts soon.)
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Robert Devaney •

The Hamilton, Clyde’s Restaurant Group’s new 37,000-square-foot restaurant at 14th and F Streets, is making the scene in no small way. It is as big in space and in time as the ambition of the first Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, whose federal department is but a block away with the White House nearby.

The same goes for the food and the music. Under the care of executive Brian Stickel, the menu is an expansive mix: steaks, seafood, salads, munchies, muffulettas and burgers, too. (Too much to name right now.) It changes for the time of day, there is a breakfast, brunch and lunch menu and more. There is an Eggs Hamilton on the late night menu. It will be the first Clyde’s joint (the original opened 1963 in Georgetown) ever to serve sushi. Oh, did we add that, as in 24/7, the Hamilton which opens Sunday, Dec. 18, never closes?

In keeping with the restaurant designers of Clyde’s, the artwork is custom, the woodwork perfection and the look and details contemporary but classic. Check out the Lady Liberty hanging lamps.
The Hamilton is in the old Borders space, where before that was the flagship of Garfinkel’s department store. It is the 15th Clyde’s restaurant; Old Ebbitt Grill, owned by the group, is one block away on 15th Street.

A lot of patrons can show up: first floor restaurant areas, 400 seats; upstair Loft private dining room, 80 seated/100 standing; live music seating, 260 seats, 100 bar stools. Downstairs, the sound-proofed, high-tech music space has its own menu for “quiet food,” such as sliders, pizza or sushi. It will display pictures of the likes of Dylan, Hendrix and Elvis. Musical acts are just getting scheduled.

At presstime, The Hamilton Burger was “to be determined.” Singer Mavis Staples will headline the grand opening celebration on Jan. 19. And, that’s right, no duels allowed.
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Robert Devaney •

A man discovered on the towpath beneath Key Bridge after 5 p.m. and a United States Park Police officer responding to the emergency both died Dec. 16.

U.S. Park Police Sgt. Michael Boehm suffered a seizure 5:30 p.m. on the scene while first responding to the man on the towpath and working with D.C. Fire & EMS personnel. Boehm died of a cardiac arrest, according to Kevin Kornreich of the D.C. Homeland Security & Emergency Management Agency. He was pronounced dead at Georgetown University Hospital. The 45-year-old Boehm had been with the Park Police for 19 years and was an Army veteran.

Two joggers running on the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal’s towpath halted when coming upon the so-called jumper. Prospect Street resident Andy Kline and his female running companion were stunned at the sight and the pool of blood, he said. The woman, who requested anonymity, said she called 9-1-1 at 5:05 p.m.

With Key Bridge at least 35 feet above, the man on towpath was attended by D.C. Fire & EMS personnel and later pronounced dead at Georgetown University Hospital. He has not been identified by police who have also not confirmed whether he jumped or fell from the bridge.

U.S. Park Police were on the scene at 34th and the C&O Canal, next to Francis Scott Key Park, as it is part of the National Park System. Along with the D.C. Fire Department, the Metropolitan Police Department were also on the scene. With the call, “Officer Down,” there were many Park Police cruisers on the streets and a helicopter flying overhead.

The emergency snarled Friday night rush hour traffic. Police stopped M Street traffic for a time, closed Key Bridge at M Street and in Arlington for at least 20 minutes and re-routed eastbound Canal Road traffic to Virginia. Police also blocked the intersections of 34th and 35th Streets at Prospect Street for about 30 minutes. Shortly after 6:30 p.m., fire trucks, ambulances and police cars began to drive off, and roads were opened to regular traffic.

Boehm is the only line-of-duty death this year for the U.S. Park Police, one of the nation’s oldest law enforcement agencies. He is survived by his wife Corrina and son Christopher. As of yet, a memorial service has not been announced.
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Robert Devaney •

The Georgetown Business Association held its annual meeting and awards presentations for the holiday season Dec. 14 at Dumbarton House on Q Street. The mood was festive in tune with the Christmas season as Mayor Vincent Gray and councilmen Jack Evans and Vincent Orange addressed GBA members and friends. Noting that he had been in Georgetown a lot lately, Gray seemed in high spirits as he teased advisory neighborhood commissioner Ed Solomon (“Ed, I am here because of you.”) and Ward 2’s long-serving councilman Jack Evans (“How do you get to that stage without an opponent?). Gray also said he and the council were working to get the Washington Redskins back in D.C. and complimented the Citizens Association of Georgetown for their recent gala and the Right On Band.

The incoming GBA president Rokas Beresniovas proclaimed the state of the association strong and said that lobbying for local interests would a top goal, and GBA secretary Janine Schoonover introduced the presenters and awardees. The Art Schultz Communitarian Award was presented to Karen Daly on behalf of Dumbarton House by last year’s awardee John Dreyfuss of Halcyon House. The Joe Pozell Public Safety Award was given to the Metropolitan Police Department’s Second District Commander Michael Reese and officer Roberto Corchado as well as to Chip Dent for his work on high-tech videocams. The Business of the Year Award went to Serendipity 3 – presented to co-owner/restaurateur Britt Swan by last year’s awardee Judith Beermann of the Georgetown Dish. Lawyer Joel Bennett certified the election of new board members. Outgoing GBA president Joe Giannino was also thanked with an award but could not attend. Yes, Santa Claus did stop by.
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Robert Devaney • December 19, 2011

Georgetown University held its annual “Holiday Open House” Dec. 7 in historic Riggs Library at the south tower of landmark Healy Hall. Each Christmas season, neighbors, business and community leaders and university officials gather for conversation, food, drink and music. And, despite heavy rain, it looked like everyone showed up, including the Mayor of Washington, D.C., who had visions of streetcars, a GU-GWU basketball game and town-gown peace in his head.

Georgetown’s president John DeGioia and his wife Theresa welcomed everyone — from little girls with their moms to Mayor Vincent Gray — during the popular party put on by the university’s Office of External Relations and Office of Student Affairs. Young students from the Holy Trinity School Choir and Georgetown students from the Gospel Choir entertained the well-wishers.

DeGioia introduced Mayor Gray to the crowd in the grand, multi-storied room which one guest described as something out of “Harry Potter.” Gray thanked DeGioia, commended associate vice president Linda Greenan and Brenda Atkinson-Willoughby of Georgetown’s external relations office and mentioned Georgetown’s hot town-gown issue, the 10-year campus plan now under consideration by the District’s zoning commission. “Can you imagine working on one every year?” asked Gray. As for working on disagreements about it, he added: “I would not say it’s delightful. You will get to a conclusion.”

Gray envisions the District becoming a leader in high technology, he said, as well as using the collective minds of the universities in D.C. As if needing to clarify, he said: “I have no intention in taxing universities.”After touting new light rail routes in the city, Gray said, “We ought to bring streetcars back to Georgetown. We already have the tracks.” One more item on Gray’s wish list: a basketball game between Georgetown University and his alma mater George Washington University (the college teams do not play each other).

Among the guests: Councilman-at-Large Vincent Orange, the Metropolitan Police Department’s Deputy Chief Patrick Burke and Second District Commander Michael Reese; advisory neighborhood commissioners Ron Lewis, Ed Solomon and Bill Starrels, the Citizens Association of Georgetown’s Barbara Downs and Ray Kukulski; the Georgetown Business Association’s Rokas Beresniovas, Sue Hamiton, Janine Schoonover and Beth Webster.
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Robert Devaney •

Residents and business persons met Nov. 29 at the old Georgetown Theater, now emptied of its jewelry stands, to discuss the commercial potential of Wisconsin Avenue in the center of the village. The brainstorming session, sponsored by the Citizens Association of Georgetown, was headlined by Councilman Jack Evans, real estate developer Herb Miller and retail broker John Asadoorian, a board member of the Georgetown Business Improvement District, with CAG secretary Topher Mathews of the Georgetown Metropolitan as moderator.

The former theater still sports its rusty old sign, now famous, but also stands as a reminder of the loss of a once lively mix of nearby retail businesses at Wisconsin Avenue and O Street. Along with it vanished the Georgetown Pharmacy, Little Caledonia, Au Pied du Cochon and Neam’s Market, which was frequented and beloved by residents for decades.

“I would love to see that sign re-lit,” said Angie Heon Nys, one of the Heon family owners of the Georgetown Theater property at 1351 Wisconsin Ave., which has been for sale for more than two years. Others thought the idea of re-lighting the sign – not a new idea – could be a catalyst for this commercial stretch of the avenue. “I remember when Wisconsin Avenue was more important than M Street,” said George Heon.
While chains get the attention, Mathews offered a break-down of Georgetown retail businesses, showing that more than 70 percent are independents. Of all retail, roughly 25 percent are restaurants and 25 percent are clothing stores.

Asadoorian cautioned that statistics can mislead, saying that “chains are the bricks, and independents the mortar” of local retail. He said the market was the main decider of which businesses would choose to set up shop and added that Georgetown might be getting the reputation as “a hard place to do business.”

“Instead of sticks,” Asadoorian said, “we need carrots.”

Evans reminded those in attendance that he has lived in D.C. since 1978 and in Georgetown since 1993: “I think it is the best community in the U.S. and the world.” He also recalled all the work done to improve the town’s infrastructure. With the increasing interest and leadership on fixing the avenue, Evans said that a plan ought to be agreed upon and not left to chance.

Miller said that there needs to be a vision for Wisconsin Avenue “from Safeway to the waterfront.” And with $11 million left over from the Tax Incremental Financing that was paid for by Ward 2 for Penn Quarter’s and Gallery Place’s redevelopment, Miller suggested that the money might be moved for use anywhere in Ward 2 – specifically, Georgetown – to assist new retail tenants. (Such loans downtown helped the Spy Museum, which has promptly re-paid its loan, Evans said.)

Ideas bounced around during the meeting in the broken-down theater with a standing-room-only crowd. There is a lot of work and collaboration to do, all agreed. One sign of the future was the provider of refreshments for the group: the newly opened Paul Bakery, located near the intersection of Wisconsin and M. Paul is an international chain eatery of French breads, pastries and food that fits in perfectly with Georgetown’s present and past.
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Robert Devaney •

Mayor Asks for Town-Gown Peace

Georgetown University held its annual “Holiday Open House” Dec. 7 in Healy Hall’s Riggs Library, where neighbors, business and community leader and university officials gathered for conversation, refreshments and music. Among them was Mayor Vincent Gray, who had visions of streetcars, a GU-GWU basketball game and town-gown peace in his head.

University president John DeGioia introduced Mayor Gray to the crowd in the grand, multi-storied room which one guest described as something out of “Harry Potter.” Gray commended associate vice president Linda Greenan and Brenda Atkinson-Willoughby of Georgetown’s external relations office and mentioned Georgetown’s hot town-gown issue, the 10-year campus plan under consideration by the District’s zoning commission. “Can you imagine working on one every year?” asked Gray. As for working on disagreements about it, he added: “I would not say it’s delightful. You will get to a conclusion.”

Gray envisions the District becoming a leader in high technology, he said, as well as using the collective minds of the universities in D.C. As if needing to clarify, he said: “I have no intention in taxing universities.”After touting new rail routes in the city, Gray said, “We ought to bring streetcars back to Georgetown. We already have the tracks.” One more item on Gray’s wish list: a basketball game between Georgetown University and his alma mater George Washington University (the college teams do not play each other).

Pie Sisters on M Street Plans to Open Dec. 20

Hold on to your pie pans; the gas line has been connected at last.

Pie Sisters is ready to open its first store at 3423 M St., N.W., on Dec. 20, just in time for Hanukkah and Christmas and Kwanzaa, too. With ovens, coolers and counter ready for action, Allison, Cat and Erin Blakely will feed the town’s new taste for pies, sweet, creamy and fruity — and a few savory ones, too.
“The word is spreadiang,” Allison said. “People are excited. They have been so nice.”

Bakers and businesswomen, the Blakely sisters hail from Great Falls, Va., two having gone to Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington and also played college basketball. Allison worked at the State Department and finance section of NBC in New York; Erin at BCBG Max Azria. Cat still works at the State Department. They are parishioners of St. John’s Church on O Street.

Already known around town for their pies for weddings and social and charitable events, the Blakely trio said they chose the site because of its closeness to Georgetown University and its visibility – you can’t miss it turning off Key Bridge from Virginia – and that “the location is not too small and not too big.”
Erin added: “We’ve had Georgetown students contact us for part-time jobs.”

The shop will sell pies in three sizes, the hand-held “cuppie,” seven-inch and nine-inch, and flavors include apple caramel crunch, pecan, key lime and banana, coconut or chocolate cream.

They will also be offering gluten-free pies for the first time. The big pie can cost up to $35, but return the glass plate for $5 off next purchase – which appears irresistible. The sisters are also checking out chicken pot pie and BBQ pie recipes. There will also be chairs and tables in front for about 20 with a coffee counter as well.

Bank St.’s First Electric Car Charging Station

Get free energy for your electric or plug-in hybrid car for three months, while you shop or visit friends.
Sponsored by Eastbanc and Jamestown developers, the electric station is within a Bank Street PMI garage – at 3307 M Street, N.W. After three months, a charge for your car will cost less than $2.00.

(This is the town’s first public spot for electric car chargers; Georgetown University has had two for a few months.)

The car’s specific connection is to a SemaConnect’s ChargePro with Level 2 (240 VAC/30 amps); it can charge electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles with a J1772 inlet.

Boathouse plans to Get Fresh Look by Park Service

Now that the Georgetown Waterfront Park is completed, the National Park Service has turned its attention to another old riverside dream: a new boathouse on the Potomac River.

Specifically, according to the NPS, it is “examining the feasibility of implementing a non-motorized boathouse zone within the District of Columbia along the Potomac River waterfront upstream of the Georgetown Waterfront Park.

“The project area includes the waterfront land from immediately upstream of the Georgetown Waterfront Park at 34th Street, to approximately 1,200 feet upstream of Key Bridge, including federal properties north of Water Street / K Street. The purpose of this study is to identify specific ways NPS can enhance access to the river for user groups, and complement the riverside experiences provided by the Georgetown Waterfront Park, part of Rock Creek Park, and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. Through this feasibility study, NPS will be studying what structures and facilities can potentially be accommodated within this non-motorized boathouse zone (project area). The study will look at potential scenarios related to the waterfront that are consistent with the necessary and appropriate uses for this zone. This study will lay the groundwork for future decision-making regarding

“(1) further planning and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)/National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) compliance as necessary to implement the non-motorized boathouse zone; and

“(2) potential development/improvement of NPS facilities.”

The feasibility study will be completed next summer after discussions with key stakeholders. Then, the study will go before the public in autumn 2012. Among the key stakeholders along the shoreline: Georgetown University, which has lobbied for a boathouse for years.

Currently, according to the NPS, “there are existing facilities within the non-motorized boathouse zone, including the Washington Canoe Club, Jack’s Boathouse, and the Potomac Boat Club. There is also riverfront green space and a site historically occupied by Dempsey’s Boathouse, which washed away in a flood in the 1930s.”

The Park Service held an informational meeting and open house Dec. 13 to talk about the study and answer questions at Washington Harbour.

Iraq’s Maliki Stops by G.U.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki visited Georgetown University Dec. 13 to meet with its president John DeGioia along with school deans and faculty members.

As the U.S. withdraws its last troops from Iraq by Dec. 31, Al-Maliki flew to Washington to confer with President Barack Obama Dec. 12. Al-Maliki’s drive-by held up traffic near the university’s Canal Road entrance.

No press was allowed at the meeting, according to the campus media, and much of Healy and Copley Lawns was cordoned off for security reasons.

Robert Devaney • December 2, 2011

If one could have spied on a singular event illuminating America’s awesome firepower in intelligence, surely it was the OSS Society’s annual awards dinner last month. The Mandarin Oriental Hotel was electric with civilian and military leaders, young soldiers, sailors and marines, old spies, patriots and a trace of media. The main event: The 50th anniversary presentation of the William J. Donovan Award to Adm. Eric Olson and an off-the-record speech by CIA Director David Petraeus.

Olson, retired commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command, whose last big mission was taking out Osama bin Laden, and the popular Gen. Petraeus, newly appointed U.S. spymaster, joined 600 others and the likes of such soldiers as the Masson brothers, Sgt. Thomas Costello, wounded in Afghanistan, and his wife Jennifer. Led by Maj. Gen. Victor Hugo, the night’s master of ceremonies, they saluted those who hold and have held America’s tip of the spear against her enemies. All rose to toast the U.S.A., the commander-in-chief, allies, the OSS, Bill Donovan, lost and missing comrades — and the ladies.

Maj. Gen. John Singlaub, who received the Donovan award in 2007, presented it to Olson, who spoke of the “OSS Simple Sabotage Manual” (Good read; check it out). The man of the night — who had been the longest serving SEAL on active duty, “a bull frog” — took part in Desert Storm and Somalia. His actions during the Battle of Mogadishu, recounted in “Black Hawk Down,” earned Olson a Silver Star. The admiral said the “New Normal” required clever people and solutions. He certainly was in the right place to find them.

The OSS Society is dedicated to those who served during World War II in the Office of Strategic Services, predecessor to the Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. Special Operations and honors the memory of legendary Gen. “Wild Bill” Donovan, OSS founder. Tributes to Donovan are not overstated: “What a man! We have lost the last hero,” said President Dwight Eisenhower. Donovan’s OSS men have been described as “PhDs who could win a bar fight.” The OSS’s influence on today’s spies and special ops also cannot be overstated. Others awarded the Donovan prize include Presidents Eisenhower, Reagan and George H.W. Bush as well as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Lord Mountbatten, William Casey, William Colby, William Webster, Ross Perot — and Petraeus two years ago.

The society works to continue that influence, as it educates the public on “the continuing importance of strategic intelligence and special operations to the preservation of freedom in this country and around the world.” During the Oct. 15 gala, the non-profit debuted designs for the National OSS Museum — “telling America’s greatest untold story.” The OSS Society is hunting for locations — especially in Northern Virginia. Says its serious president Charles Pinck, tongue not entirely in cheek: “I’m responsible for a group of very dangerous senior citizens.”

Oh, and Petraeus’s speech? Not to worry: he basically thanked everyone and . . . well, the rest is off the record. [gallery ids="100407,113338,113330,113307,113322,113315" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney • November 28, 2011

On Nov. 16, the board of directors of the Georgetown Business Association elected its officers for 2012 and held its networking reception at F.Scott’s restaurant on 36th Street.

Succeeding Joe Giannino as president will be Rokas Beresniovas of HSBC Bank USA. The new vice president will be Riyad Said of Wells Fargo; treasurer, Karen Ohri of Georgetown Floorcoverings; secretary, Janine Schoonover of Serendipity3. They begin their one-year terms Jan. 1.

“Building on great leadership for the past two years, the GBA has new energy and is getting younger members,” Beresniovas said. “We have to sustain that, and we have built better relationships with many community groups.” The GBA — which also acts as a lobbyist for small businesses — works closely with the Georgetown Business Improvement District, which is not allowed to lobby.

The GBA’s Dec. 14 annual meeting on Dumbarton House will elect new members to its board and celebrate the holiday season.