One of the Georgetown Cuddlers Gets a New Trial
• February 15, 2013

The D.C. Court of Appeals overturned the 2010 conviction of “an Arlington man accused of breaking into homes and sexually assaulting male Georgetown University students as they slept,” according to the Washington Examiner. The court ruled Jan. 31 that Todd Matthew Thomas “can get a new trial because prosecutors were allowed to tell jurors that he was previously convicted of sexually assaulting another man in Virginia.” Thomas had been sentenced to 26 years in prison for burglary and assaults on five male Georgetown students between 2007 and 2008. The assaults occurred on 33rd and 35th Streets near the university’s main campus. During the trial, Thomas has claimed another “Georgetown Cuddler” had committed the crimes, because there were similar attack on female students — and he had been wearing an electronically monitored ankle bracelet at that time.

Students Plan Own Pub at New South Center
• February 14, 2013

A student-run pub at Georgetown University’s New South Student Center was agreed upon by the university’s student affairs vice president Todd Olson and its student government Feb. 7.

According to the news blog, Vox Populi, “the new campus bar will serve beer, wine, and liquor on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and will include 18+ nights or a system of wristbands for underage students, according to the agreement. The vendor will also be required to hire Georgetown students for part-time positions in addition to creating a committee to guide the business.”

Confident of student involvement on many levels, such as menus, beverage selection, advertising, programming and scheduling, student association president Clara Gustafson told the blog, “We are confident [the location] will be a new hub of student life for underclassmen and upperclassmen alike, [and] will draw more students to the space.”

The new student center at New South will cost $15.5 million. The pub is part of the university’s campus plan, agreed upon by Georgetown residents, to keep more student activity on the main campus. It also recalls the beloved Healy Hall pub, began in the 1970s as a coffeehouse, that became a campus hang-out that served beer and sandwiches.

Kennedy Center Unveils Bold, $100-Million Expansion
• February 1, 2013

In a bold, interactive plan, which links people, gardens, river, president and the performing arts, the Kennedy Center announced its first major expansion since it opened in 1971. Rehearsals will be seen with monuments in the background; plantings will honor the center’s namesake, the 35th president, John F. Kennedy; as stage will float on the river. It is not a done deal, as the designs must pass muster from regulators, and the project will cost $100 million, not the $450 million required for a 2005 design that called for steps coming from the main esplanade to the edge of the Potomac River. Also, this new project will be privately funded.

At press time, here is the information from the Kennedy Center:

“Each year, millions of people nationwide take part in innovative, inclusive, and effective education programs initiated by the center, including school- and community-based residencies and consultancies, age-appropriate performances and events for young people, career development for young actors, dancers, singers and instrumentalists, and professional learning opportunities for teachers, teaching artists and school administrators. The expansion project will provide much-needed classroom space and multipurpose rooms for lectures and symposia”.

“After careful consideration, the selection committee unanimously recommended the firm of Steven Holl Architects to the full board.”

“Holl’s initial concept for the project includes three connected pavilions that will house classrooms, rehearsal rooms, education for arts managers, lecture space, multipurpose rooms, and limited office space. In the initial concept, one pavilion will float on the Potomac River and offer an outdoor stage. Public gardens will fill out the space, fusing the Kennedy Center with the landscape and river. The exteriors will utilize translucent Okalux, glass, and Carrara marble, the same Italian marble which clads the original facility. The silhouette of the current building will be preserved by connecting the new structure underground and via the main plaza. A formal design will be created and announced in the coming months.”

Letter to the Editor: Jack Wills Union Jack Doormat ‘Disrespectful’
• December 14, 2012

To the editors:

This is written to express my concern that a business on Wisconsin Avenue, the first block south of M Street, chooses to use as their doormat at their front entryway, The Union Jack, the national flag of Great Britain. I am writing to say I think this is disrespectful and distasteful — and should be replaced.

Perhaps my point could be better made if the reader considers this: suppose a business in the heart of Georgetown were to use a Stars & Stripes as its front doormat. How long do you think that would last?

Maybe the merchant could shrug in response and reply, “We were trying to complement the historic feel of [Francis Scott Key] Park just up the street.”

Whereupon, I rest my case. Now come on, guys. Really! Doormats are for trodding upon. National flags for honor.

Trevor S. Goodchild
Washington, D.C.

D2 Bus Operator Caught Reading Newspaper While Driving
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Hey, we love to see people reading a newspaper . . . but safety first, right? Traveling west of Dupont Circle into Georgetown on Q Street Dec. 3, a commuter at Metrobus’s D2 route photographed the driver of the bus reading the newspaper (looked like the Washington Post or Post Express) with it on the steering wheel as he operated the vehicle. The rider contacted the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority, responsible for the bus in question, and then posted this entry on blog, Unsuck D.C. Metro:
“During my commute last Monday morning on the D2, the bus driver was reading a newspaper for a long stretch of the route, both while the bus was stopped and while it was in motion. I emailed WMATA about this and asked for a specific response, which I thought was reasonable given the seriousness of the safety issue (I mentioned that I’d like to provide them with the attached photos and video). This was a westbound D2, leaving Dupont at 7:30 a.m., bus #3077. [It took a while, but WMATA finally got back to the rider.] I got a call from someone in WMATA customer service this morning, telling me they’d started a proceeding against the driver in question. The guy gave me the name and number of the person in charge of investigating the driver, and an email to send photos and video to. So, at this point I’m satisfied with the response. It sounds like they’re actually taking this seriously, and I’d like to give them credit for that.

Council Approves Sunday Liquor Sales, Greater Say for Neighbors
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Soon, after attending Sunday mass at Holy Trinity in the new year, you will likely be able to stop at nearby Dixie Liquor and buy that special cognac. The District Council has approved Sunday sales at D.C. liquor stores among other changes to the alcohol beverage control bill.

The move to open on Sunday is resisted by some stores because they are small business run by families. Sunday is the only day they can take off, as Steve Feldman of Potomac Wine & Spirits told the Washington Examiner: “Basically, none of us want to work on Sunday. By Sunday, people have already done most of their partying for the weekend. . . . How much scotch and vodka are you going to buy on Sunday when you already have a hangover from Saturday night?”

“If they are going to let us open, we will open,” said Sean Clark of Dixie Liquor at 35th and M Streets.

“If I don’t open on Sunday, I might lose a customer who comes in during weekdays.”

While advisory neighborhood commissions have priority in governmental or legal comment, D.C. residents may organize into a group of at least five to protest any liquor license application. An increase in the number of ABC inspectors is proposed as well as new training programs for bartenders and waiters. The council also approved the use of growlers – half-gallon refillable containers used to carry beer home from a brewery or bar.

Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham led on the alcohol bill changes especially the compromise on Sunday sales instead of extending bar hours to 4 a.m, all in a bid to increase sales tax revenue for the District. Nearby Arlington and Montgomery counties already have sold liquor on Sundays for a few years now.

You Get to Choose the Colors for D.C. Taxis
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Four different color schemes for District taxis were announced by Mayor Vincent Gray Dec. 10, as part of the new taxi law, passed by the Council. The four choices are on display on vehicles that can be viewed at the Verizon Center and will later be seen at Washington International Auto Show. Visit the Taxicab Commission website for more information: DCtaxi.dc.gov.
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Conan O’Brien Visits Martin’s, Cafe Milano, Four Seasons
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With Sunday’s TNT taping lined up for “Christmas in Washington,” and participant South Korean hip-hop artist Psy getting most of the advance attention because of his anti-American comments made eight years ago, show host Conan O’Brien had a chance to chill in Georgetown. The comedian, who has his own show on TBS, was first spotted at the bar in the Four Seasons Hotel. Later, O’Brien was at Cafe Milano and finished up the night around the corner at Martin’s Tavern on Dec. 8. Staged at the National Building Museum, the annual Yuletide show benefits the Children’s and includes attendance by the president and the first family. This year’s other performers included Diana Ross, Demi Lovato and “American Idol” winner Scotty McCreery. The show will air Dec. 21.

Ins & Outs 12.12.12
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OUT — Yves Delorme, the classic bedding and bath linens shop, that seemed to fit in perfectly with Georgetown, will be leaving Cady’s Alley. It has other nearby locations in Bethesda, Md., and McLean, Va. The store’s 1,000-square-foot space will serve as a Bonobos Guideshop location, opening late January.

MOVED — Alessi, the equally classic Italian-designed houseware store has left its space near Cafe Leopard and L2 and moved into Contemporaria a few doors east in Cady’s Alley. It is now known as Alessi at Contemporaria — 202-338-0193; alessi@contemporaria.com.

IN — As reported in our previous issue, online men’s clothier Bonobos Guideshop will arrive at the south end 3320 Cady’s Alley retail space in late January. EastBanc, Inc. and Jamestown confirmed last week that the “popular online men’s clothier Bonobos has signed a long-term lease. … Bonobos is the largest apparel brand in the U.S. that sells its product exclusively over the Internet, and the company prides itself on offering exceptionally tailored apparel to fit men and their lifestyles. Bonobos’s brick and mortar Guideshop sites were conceptualized to transform the customer shopping experience with personalized, realistic impressions of online inventory and to register clothing measurements for future Internet purchases. Currently there are six Guideshop locations in the U.S., including a holiday pop-up in Bethesda.”

IN — Also in Cady’s Alley is the pop-up clothing store, Muleh, in the old Alessi space next to the entrance of L2 lounge. It plans to be there until April 2013. Reports the company: “Established in 1999, Muléh is a highly curated, fashion and home furnishings showroom with locations in New York City and Washington, D.C. … In addition to carrying well known labels, such as 3.1 Philip Lim and Mulberry, Muléh’s design selections of out-of-the-mainstream brands attempt to expand the availability to obtain such critically acclaimed but hard to find designers such as Vivienne Westwood’s Anglomania and Red Label, Jean Paul Gautier, Smythe, MM6, Ter et Bantine, Sea, Hache, By Malene Birger, Faliero Sarti, LD Tuttle, Chie Mihara, Lizzie Fortunato, Paula Mendoza, Coclico, and foundation-building knit lines Majestic and Autumn Cashmere.”

Does Secondhand Rose Have An Imposter on Wisconsin Avenue?
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Secondhand Rose of Georgetown, the well-regarded vintage, consignment clothing store at 1516 Wisconsin Ave., NW. Although the sign on the building has remained, the business itself, owned by Lynn Boynton, continues as an online business. The Wisconsin Avenue retail space appears to continue as “Secondhand Rose,” and that has created confusion and a problem.

Owner of the business, Secondhand Rose, Lynn Boynton, contacted this newspaper last week. In an email, she wrote, “I purchased the business 11 years ago from four women who had owned the business for 25 years. I had become weary of the condition of the building and decided it was time for a new location. I gave notice and moved on Nov. 14. The landlord Bok Hwang advertised the space in the Korean newspaper and found a new tenant, Susan Ro. Ms. Ro is using the name Second Hand Rose. DCRA has assured she cannot use my name. I am a corporation in good standing, and I have filed an official complaint. I am curious as to why Ms. Ro cannot give her business a unique name and feels a need to pose as Secondhand Rose. I worked hard for 11 years and have a faithful following. My customers became my friends and are confused and upset by this turn of events. I am still doing business, and my name is Secondhand Rose. Krista Johnson, owner of Ella Rue on P Street, went into 1516 Wisconsin Ave., and Ms. Ro told her she had purchased the business and it is under new management. Ms. Ro did not purchase my business. She offered me $5,000 and told me ‘That is my number, think about it.’ One item in my shop is worth more than $5,000, so there was nothing to think about. The landlord and his wife have told me on many occasions how important they believe the name Secondhand Rose is. I know he has encouraged his new tenant to use the name.”