Colorful Georgetown Townhouses

This cheerful little row of townhouses in Georgetown (DC)

might surprise the original residents.

Ya think?

These structures are probably at least 150 years old.

Who could have expected a Japanese Restaurant?

The one in the middle is the most eye-catching, though.

Painted with at least four colors;

and I cannot make out the name of the business;

and,

what's up with the STOP sign?

One wonders.

Taken 19 November 2010.

Belfry

The clear blue sky

creates a stable cyclorama

to enhance the scrumptious

details of this stately dome.

The brickwork

and the red, gold, and white

trimmings;

the arched openings

with faux columns

and headers.

Gorgeous.

Taken 17 November 2010 in Washington, DC.

Random Decor

This is simply

about random decor

in a Washington, DC,

hotel lobby.

The giant chess pieces

are eye-catching in their chrome-like glory...

next to cowhide side panels on a leather armchair...

on top of a madly modern print carpet...

Interesting.

Taken 15 November 2010.

Holiday Atmosphere in Georgetown

A tiny glimpse

at the beautiful

but elegantly understated

holiday touches

bestowed upon

the already classic

style and ambience

of

The Shops at Georgetown Park.

Taken 19 November 2010.

Georgetown Canal and Towpath

Conjunction of old and new;

Stone walls, bridge, canal, towpath, lampposts;

cars, lights, pedestrian texting...

Georgetown,

Washington, DC

Taken 19 November 2010.

Corner Store, DC

I found no clear evidence

of the age of this building,

but I was struck by the details -

multi-colored ceramic tile faux roof,

the 'tower' effect with molded concrete medallion,

the verdigris patina of the rain gutters,

the 'checkerboard' brick -

despite the modern windows

and the garish signage,

this building nevertheless says,

"Distinguished Elder Statesman."

Taken in Washington, DC,

18 November 2010.

Canal and Towpath

Chesapeake & Ohio

Canal and Towpath

in Georgetown, DC.

Two people walking on the path

help provide some sense of scale.

This is near the southeastern terminus

of an unusual National Historic Park.

Go HERE and HERE to read more about it!

Photo taken 19 November 2010.

Public Library, Washington, DC

The Public Library

Washington, DC.

Built between 1899-1902.

Paid for by Andrew Carnegie.

Gorgeous architectural details.

And this, um, interesting sculpture out front...

beautiful and striking from an artistic standpoint,

fiercely evocative.

The chief relationship I can discern

to the bastion of learning

upon whose lawn it stands

is:

"I have a question."

Wonder and curiosity.

Asking questions is how we learn.

Wouldn't you agree?

Taken 18 November 2010.

Autumn Reflection

Towpath along canal

in Georgetown

(Washington, DC).

Taken 19 November 2010.

Street Art #16: Washington, DC

Sculpture

somewhere in Washington, DC.

I made several attempts

trying to get a sharp image,

but my rudimentary

instrument

hampers me somewhat.

Flash completely ruined it

because of the light stone building

and the wet sidewalk in the foreground;

plus the effects of the uplighting on the sculpture

were utterly destroyed.

So I did the best I could to hold still

without a tripod

and use available light

to capture the image.

All things considered,

this one is OK, eh?

Taken 16 November 2010.

Henry's Soul Cafe

A little free advertising

for Henry's Soul Cafe

in Washington, DC.

The food was fabulous!

The proprietors wonderful.

AND the price was right, too!

The building itself is a delightful

study in brick and paint,

windows and a/c units,

iron grates and neon.

Dig those glass bricks around the entryway.

And I could sure go for

a nice big piece of

that sweet potato pie right now!!!!

The fella coming in the door

with his bicycle

is their delivery man.

Taken on 18 November 2010.

Street Art #13: Washington, DC

Spotted these wood carvings

out front of one of DC's

classic old brownstones.

There is a whole world

of conversation

inspiration

declaration

celebration

determination

motivation

toleration...

Taken on 18 November 2010

Street Art #10: Washington, DC

I was just walking to the Safeway (grocery store) from my hotel.

In fact, I got lost because I was looking for a big ol' parking lot;

most Safeways I have experienced over the past forty years or so

have LARGE signage and parking lots that take up more space

than the store itself.

This Safeway did not even have it's own parking lot at all,

and it had a rather unassuming entrance

at the corner of a high-rise apartment building.

I finally found it, though, and snagged some snackage.

BUT

this photo is not of the Safeway store (really?)

This art installation grabbed my attention.

It is done in grafitto style,

but it is sheet metal

cut, layered, and painted.

Study in Shadows

I saw so many interesting things for my eyes to linger on in this setting:

brickwork, tile, awning, molded concrete,

but the most interesting aspect to me was the depth and character

of the shadows;

especially the details in the brick part of the column,

and the triangles created by the shapes in the concrete

base of the columns.

This is an entrance to the Shops at Georgetown Park

in Georgetown, Washington, DC.

Taken 20 November 2010.