Originally Posted by
jlb3
For those interested in staying here, be aware it isn't actually in Georgetown. It's in an area called West End, and is actually closer to DuPont Circle than G-town. You can walk to G-town in about 15-20 mins from this property, or take the circulator bus for $1.
Just to be clear, the hotel is in a great area with lots of shops/restaurants/bars within easy walking distance. But it isn't Georgetown.
Agreed that this is now a good area, but that wasn't always the case. Two rambling stories...
First: I lived in that area from 1983-86, and specifically on N St a block away during the summer of 1983. The area to the west of the Marriott over to Rock Creek Park and down to Pennsylvania Ave was about to be revitalized, but at the time, there were abandoned buildings, most of which used to be mechanics' garages. It was an easy area to find parking, but there was only a single streetlight in the middle of each block. One night, I parked over there. While walking home, I could see two people walking towards me. I slowed down so as to hit the light at the same time, thinking they might be potential muggers. Turned out it was Mike Nichols and Diane Sawyer. They seemed as relieved that I wasn't going to mug them as I was that they weren't going to mug me. A couple days later, around noon, I was waiting for the walk sign at K St, near the Mayflower, which is across the street from ABC News. Diane Sawyer walks to the corner, says how nice it is to see me again and walks on. Everyone was looking at me wondering who I am that she was talking to me. I was wondering when did she realize I was just the guy who had not mugged her a couple days earlier.
Second: That Marriott used to house Blackie's Steak House. My parents would stay there when they visited and we would always eat a meal there. We once sat next to Ted Kennedy and Daniel Patrick Moynihan. They and their party were quite enjoying themselves.
For those that don't know, Blackie's was repeatedly raided by INS. The restaurant would be tipped off ahead of time so employees would stay at home or quit. At one point, the restaurant had to close for a couple days while it hired and trained new staff because of the number of employees impacted. A restaurant I worked in at the time was also raided. We also knew ahead of time. Each employee had to go into a room where three INS agents quizzed us about where we were born, where we grew up, etc. I brought my passport with me to work that day and showed it to them.