If you have an iPhone, iPad or any other Apple product, chances are, you’ve set foot in an Apple Store … and if you live in Georgetown, it was likely the one at 1229 Wisconsin Ave. NW. I long ago abandoned my iPhone in favor of an Android (shocking?) but I still love my Macbook, iPad, and Apple TV. (My ... Read More »
I had the pleasure of speaking to a great class at AU last week. One of the students asked if we had ever done a piece about Mad Hatter on Connecticut Ave. We haven’t yet, so this one is for you, Blaire. (By the way, Blaire told me her parents named her after the Blair House … and added an ... Read More »
Whitlow’s on Wilson wasn’t always in Arlington. For a really long time, starting around the end of World War II, it was down at 11th and E St. NW. Oliver Carr, a developer, had acquired much of the block in the mid-1980s, in the hopes or revitalizing it with new office and retail space. The same block also held the ... Read More »
Ghost Dog went on another walk this past weekend to seek out three more stories for the GoDC community. This time, she passed through Adams Morgan, en route to the Duke Ellington Bridge (formerly known as the Calvert Street Bridge). It was named in honor of Washington’s native son in 1974, after Ellington’s death. Construction on the bridge began in ... Read More »
You know you’re intensely fascinated by the Mormon Temple in Kensington, Maryland. The six spire temple, rising on the edge of Rock Creek Park, is easily visible on the Capital Beltway (read some Beltway history) between the Georgia Ave. and Connecticut Ave. exits. The massive structure, the first Mormon temple east of the Mississippi river since the original Nauvoo Temple, was ... Read More »
Some of your D.C. old-timers will remember this commercial. So Awesome. An interesting bit of trivia that you probably don’t know. The dude that penned this jingle, Nils Lofgren, was also a member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and was also part of Neil Young’s band. Clearly this jingle is his best work. Read More »
Something big happened at the Watergate in 1972 and it led to a very defensive President Nixon giving this painful press conference. This is not about that event. In true Ghosts of DC style, let’s dig up three other things that happened at the Watergate. 1. The Reagans make a candlelit exit Seem like an odd title? We thought so ... Read More »
Earlier this week, Ghosts of DC received a generous invite to tour the 9:30 Club. To some GoDCers, it might come as a shock that we haven’t yet written about this hub of the local music scene. It wasn’t the lack of content or stories, but the overwhelming volume of music history that made it impossible to choose one. The ... Read More »
It has been ridiculously hot out … and we’re having crazy thunderstorms at night to boot. Well, if you think this is bad, try living in the area in 1980. On July 16th, 1980, the city hit a record heat index, which has yet to be eclipsed, of 122! That is hot. That is like … Africa hot! Tarzan couldn’t ... Read More »
In 1982, the United States Post Office launched a new system dubbed E-COM (Electronic Computer-Originated Mail) as an attempt to adopt the nascent technology of electronic mail. Almost comical by today’s standard, but probably thought of as cutting edge at the time, a company would compose a letter on their internal computer system (certified to be compatible with the USPS ... Read More »
Ahh, I miss the 80s. Don’t you? Related articles 1987 DC20 Sunday Matinee Theatre Opening (ghostsofdc.org) WUSA Sign-On 1988 (ghostsofdc.org) If Walls Could Talk: Chateau Bonaparte on K Street (ghostsofdc.org) Read More »
If you couldn’t tell, today I’m feeling a little nostalgic about 1980s’ television. If you lived in the area back in the 80s, you’ll remember this. It’s the Sunday matinée opening for DC20 and the movie is Captain Blood (1935) with Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Check out the movie trailer on YouTube. Related articles WUSA Sign-On 1988 (ghostsofdc.org) ... Read More »
If you’re younger than about 25, you probably don’t know this, but not all television stations were 24 hours a day. Back in 1988, WUSA was one of those stations, and every morning when they would being broadcasting, this is what played to kick off the day. If you don’t remember television sign-ons and sign-offs, here is an explanation from ... Read More »
Early GoDC reader and now occasional contributor, Jason, wrote a great post about the sad decline of the last local franchise to hold the Senators name. The city flirted with bringing a team back, including the Padres before the 1974 season (can you imagine Tony Gwynn being our guy?). Baseball did return to Washington a long time ago. Okay, it was ... Read More »
If you lived in or visited Washington in the 1970s or 80s you probably remember how nasty this city was. I remember my father taking me to the 1988 Washington Auto Show at the old convention center, parking a few blocks away next to an X-rated book store. I was a kid, so I wasn’t quite sure what it was, ... Read More »
Ghosts of DC The lost and untold history of Washington