Latest News

Juliana Zovak • March 10, 2016

More businesses are opening in Georgetown, some completely new and others simply redesigned and improved.

Bar à Vin

Bar à Vin will open Monday, March 7, at 1035 31st St. NW, next to and part of French restaurant Chez Billy Sud. The wine bar will feature an extensive list of mostly French wines and will be open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Brothers Eric and Ian Hilton, who own the 31st Street places began the original Chez Billy in Petworth. opened the bar to be an expansion to their restaurant in addition to serving wine enthusiasts. A fireplace in one of the rooms accentuates the comfort and coziness the owners are hoping to cultivate.

Glover Park Hardware

Glover Park Hardware owners Gina Schaefer and Marc Friedman reopened a new 7,500-square-foot location at 2233 Wisconsin Ave. NW on Feb. 25, taking the place of the neighborhood hardware store that closed in January of 2015. The store is in the lower front level, next to the bar, Breadsoda. After losing its lease after 10 years, the business left its old location at 2251 Wisconsin Ave. NW, which now houses a Rite Aid. The store’s general manager is Noe Delgado, who began working at since 2010.

T.J. Maxx

On March 3, clothing discounter T.J. Maxx will celebrate a grand re-opening, with a ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled for 7:30 a.m. The store will be open from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. — the first 1,000 customers will receive reusable bags. At 3222 M St. NW since, the store is expanding into space previously shared with Home Goods, a T.J. Maxx company.

Bangkok Joe’s

Bangkok Joe’s, a Thai favorite on the waterfront for 10 years, announced on Feb. 25 that it will return in March to its old location at 3000 K St. NW, where the short-lived Mama Rouge restaurant used to be. Both restaurants are owned by chef Aulie Bunyarataphan and proprietor Mel Oursinsiri, and while Mama Rouge offered an Asian/French fusion menu, Bangkok Joe’s will return to a more traditional Thai menu. Old favorites like the dumpling bar will still be on the menu, complemented by new creations.

This article was updated March 2. [gallery ids="102261,128764" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney • March 7, 2016

Former D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray announced today that he is running for his old District Council seat—ending the guessing game on the least-kept secret about one of Washington’s local election campaigns in 2016. He will be vying to be Ward 7 Council member against incumbent Yvette Alexander.

Seeking reelection in 2014, the former mayor lost the Democratic primary to now Mayor Muriel Bowser amid indictments and guilty pleas of several of his political associates for what U.S. Attorney Ron Machen called a “shadow campaign.” Gray himself was never indicted and has always maintained that he knew nothing about any illegal activity done in his name. Two months ago, federal prosecutors said they were formally closing the case.

The 73-year-old Gray made the announcement on WAMU’s “Kojo Nnamdi Show” Feb. 4. “I’ve made a decision . . I’m going to run for the Ward 7 seat,” said the longtime Ward 7 resident during the interview on the radio show. “Ward 7 is home.”

Gray said after the WAMU interview that he did not make his decision to run as part of a strategy against Mayor Bowser. “There’s no way I would do this to seek retribution,” he said. It was the decision by Walmart not to build its store in Ward 7, as previously agreed to when he was mayor, that has caught Gray’s ire. “It was a dastardly act to do to the people of the District of Columbia,” he said. “Folks on the east end got shafted.”

Ward 7 lies east of the Anacostia River and borders Maryland on its east. It is north of and borders Ward 8 along Nicholson and 25th stress and Naylor Road. Its population in 2010 was 71,000. The highest poverty rates in Washington, D.C., are in Wards 7 and 8, where one-in-three residents lived below the poverty line in 2012.

D.C.’s Democratic Primary is June 14. While behind Alexander in fundraising, Gray’s new website—VinceGray2016.com—went live yesterday and is seeking donations.

See the Georgetowner’s Jan. 13th column on Vince Gray by Mark Plotkin for additional insight.

Lexi Rodencal •

Ward 2 Council member Jack Evans, the longest serving council member since 1991, was unanimously elected chairman of the board of directors of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Jan. 28.

Evans takes up the reins as the transit agency continues to struggle and is under criticism for operational and financial problems. A new full-time general manager for Metro, Paul Wiedefeld, started in November.

With an extensive past in working for the District, Evans also serves as Chair of the Council’s Committee on Finance and Revenue, as well as serving on the Committee on Transportation and the Environment and the Committee on the Judiciary. Previously, Evans served as chair for both the Board of Directors of WMATA and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

Evans lives in Georgetown, which does not have a Metrorail station.

The 16-member WMATA board is made of appointees from Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland — as well as the federal government.

Georgetowner • February 18, 2016

Equus

JANUARY 14TH, 2016 AT 08:30 PM

Alan Strang is a troubled teenager whose dangerous obsession with horses leads him to commit an unspeakable act of violence. Psychiatrist Martin Dysart investigates to uncover the motivation behind Alan’s shocking brutality, and finds himself drawn in by the devotion and desire that fuel his young patient. Ritualized worship and sexual ecstasy entangle in this theatrical masterpiece featuring a chorus of human horses.

Address

Source DC: 1835 14th Street NW

Falu’s Bollywood Orchestra

JANUARY 15TH, 2016 AT 08:00 PM | $22-$27 | WOLFTRAP@WOLFTRAP.ORG | TEL: 703-255-1900 | EVENT WEBSITE

Fronted by one of India’s most influential musicians—who’s collaborated with masterminds including Yo-Yo Ma and A.R. Rahman—this ethereal ensemble combines the timeless elegance of Bollywood’s musical golden age with an inventive modern style. Catch Falu’s highly acclaimed vocals backed by an orchestra of Eastern and Western instruments for a one-of-a-kind performance.

Address

The Barns at Wolf Trap; 1635 Trap Road; Vienna, VA 22182

Workhouse Cabaret Series: Welcome to the Speakeasy

JANUARY 16TH, 2016 AT 08:00 PM | $20-25 | JOSEPHWALLEN@WORKHOUSEARTS.ORG | TEL: 7035842900 | EVENT WEBSITE

One of our most popular titles of 2013 is back! Join us for a raucous ramble through the Jazz Age as our talented performers tackle the tunes inspired by the gin-joint atmosphere. Take one part Broadway, add a dash of hot jazz, shake well and you’ve got the perfect musical martini, served up by a sizzling cast of singers. Featuring both classic and contemporary songs that echo the spirit of the speakeasy! Join us for the music and laughter, and soon our risque hideaway won’t be secret for long!

Address

9518 Workhouse Way Lorton, VA, 22079

Steven Beck: The Goldberg Variation

JANUARY 16TH, 2016 AT 08:00 PM | $30-$35 | OFFICE@DUMBARTONCONCERTS.ORG | TEL: (202) 965-2000, EXT. 100 | EVENT WEBSITE
Steven Beck, “one of New York’s finest pianists (The New Yorker) and a renowned interpreter of Bach, has made his Barge Music performance of J.S. Bach’s masterwork, The Goldberg Variations, a New York institution. Steven will be taking time out from his work as pianist with the New York Philharmonic, and his distinguished solo career, to bring one of the greatest works of the chamber canon to DC. He will also perform Bach’s Italian Concerto BWV 971, and the Concerto in D minor (Marcello).

Address

3133 Dumbarton Street NW

E-reader Rescue Weekend

JANUARY 16TH, 2016 AT 01:30 PM | FREE | JULIA.STRUSIENSKI@DC.GOV | TEL: 202-727-0232 | EVENT WEBSITE

Did you receive a new e-reader, tablet, smartphone, or other digital device over the holidays? Want to use it to access streaming and downloadable library resources, including ebooks, audiobooks, and electronic versions of popular magazines?
Then join us for a special hands-on instructional session from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., where library staff will provide one-on-one assistance with all of your digital library resource needs.

Address

Georgetown Neighborhood Library; 3260 R St. NW

Miniature Wargaming: The Battle of Cowpens Writ Small

JANUARY 17TH, 2016 AT 12:00 PM | FREE | INFO@SPYMUSEUM.ORG | TEL: 202-393-7798 | EVENT WEBSITE

Ever wanted to watch a battle unfold from above? The Battle of Cowpens will come to life at the Museum…in very small scale. 235 years ago today, the Continental Army won a dramatic victory over the British Army near the town of Cowpens, South Carolina. Drop in as David Fisher, owner of Your Hobby Place, leads a miniature re-enactment of the Battle of Cowpens. The Spy Museum’s historian, Dr. Vince Houghton will answer questions.

Address

International Spy Museum; 800 F Street, NW

ART TALK: Conserving Your Collection

JANUARY 19TH, 2016 AT 06:30 PM | FREE | CONTACT@APROOF.NET | TEL: 2028032782 | EVENT WEBSITE

The art of properly caring for your collection will be made simple by this panel of prominent conservators and appraisers. Learn how to protect the value of your works of art by sitting down with our moderator, Blair Wunderlich (Fine Art Insurance Specialist, Huntington T. Block) and our distinguished panelists: John Jacobs (CEO, Artex), Tiarna Doherty (Chief Conservator, Smithsonian American Art Museum), and Jessica Wessel (Vice President, Business Development, Gurr Johns).

Address

1533 Wisconsin Avenue NW

Robert Devaney •

The blizzard of 2016 has come and gone—now the digging and melting start. The Jan. 22-23 snow storm hit a big part of the East Coast and left snow totalling about 18 to 24 inches in Washington, D.C., and more in the suburbs—and a record for Baltimore.

Georgetown fared better than most and enjoyed the snow—with some restaurants and stores open, such as Martin’s Tavern, Scheele’s Market, il Canale Ristorante, Ri Ra Irish Pub, Via Umbria, Clyde’s and the Tombs. [gallery ids="102373,124215,124210,124205,124197,124181,124189,124161,124171,124222" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney •

After serving Georgetown and the nation’s capital since 1978, The Georgetown, a 92-unit, assisted-living facility at 2512 Q St. NW, will be renovated for use as luxury apartments.

The Georgetown’s owner, Holladay Corporation, will present its plans for the Q Street residential complex to the Georgetown-Burleith Advisory Neighborhood Commission at its Feb. 29 meeting, according to Rita Bamberger, senior vice president of Holladay Corporation, based in Washington, D.C.

Bamberger told The Georgetowner that nearby residents had been contacted by the company about the conversion.

The property was set to undergo a multi-million-dollar building renovation last May, and the retirement home residents were moved out early last year.

One neighbor indicated that he would be “calling the city to explore if the seniors rights were violated since what they were originally told has changed.”

Built as an apartment building in the 1920s, The Georgetown was “one of the city’s first retirement facilities to address the growing needs of its elderly population, offering both housing and an array of social services,” according to Holladay. Many of its residents were well known locally as well as nationally, such as Sen. Eugene McCarthy, Betty Friedan and Emerson Duncan.

Juliana Zovak •

The Arlington County Board will vote tonight on whether to approve a Multiparty Memorandum of Agreement for a study on the feasibility of a gondola between Rosslyn, Va., and Georgetown, D.C., according to its website.

The project was conceived by the Georgetown Business Improvement District, which, according to the website Arlington Now, will pay $75,000 toward the study. The county, if the MOA passes, is expected to contribute $40,000, which the Arlington County Board report listed as 16 percent of the total cost.

The Georgetown BID proposed the gondola in its Georgetown 2028 15-year Action Plan, in which it recommended a “feasibility study on the use of a gondola lift to provide a fast, reliable, and exciting transit link between the Georgetown Commercial District, Georgetown University and Metrorail.”

That long-shot proposal got a lot of buzz in the local press and real estate blogs.

Christopher Slatt, chairman of the Transportation Commission, wrote in a letter to the Chair of the Arlington County Board that the Commission recommends the approval of the MOA.

“The majority of the commission felt that without a study, it is hard to say whether the gondola could be a worthy project that solves a real transportation issue in a cost-effective manner,” Slatt wrote. “The gondola would bypass Key Bridge congestion and is, perhaps, uniquely suited to handle Georgetown’s topography.”

According to the Arlington County Board’s report, those not in favor of the gondola are concerned it would simply be a tourist attraction and not assist in transportation issues.