Georgetown in 10: A Readers Survey
If the world can be reduced to 100 things, New York to 50, we can tell the story of Georgetown in 10.
The British Museum undertook an ambitious four-year project, culminating in an exhibition, a BBC radio program and a book aptly named, A History of the World in 100 Objects.
From a two-million-year-old chopping tool made from stone found in Tanzania (the first toolbox) to a solar-powered light that comes with a charger for $45. "It can illuminate an entire room, enough to change the lives of a family with no electricity. It is a transformative object, one that sets people free,” said Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum. “Once they have access to solar power, they have access to the Internet, then they have access to the world of knowledge.”
Ok, that's tough to beat, but we've got lots of cool stuff here. From now through Thanksgiving, The Georgetown Dish invites you to submit suggestions for the 10 most quintessentially Georgetown things. We'll publish your results before Christmas.
Here's what I have so far, but the final 10 will be your choice:
1. Georgetown University, founded by John Carroll, America's first Catholic bishop.
2. Mount Zion United Methodist Church/Cemetery, home of the city's oldest African American congregation, and site of Underground Railroad station..
3. Canal Square Building (home to Sea Catch restaurant today) where the world's first computer was built.
4. George Town Club, said to be where George Washington and Pierre L'Enfant discussed design plans for the city, still a popular meeting spot for political and business leaders.
5. President John F. Kennedy home, actually there were several but the one on N Street where he lived in the 50's.
6. The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty, supernatural suspense novel by Georgetown Univeristy student William Peter Blatty. Filming in Georgetown made "The Exorcist Steps" famous.
7. Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, originating in Georgetown, historic lifeline for communities along the Potomac River as coal, lumber, tobacco and agricultural products came to market.
8. 130-foot smokestack in Ritz-Carlton Georgetown, symbol of the industrial history of the Potomac waterfront.
9. Volta Laboratory and Bureau, also known as the "Alexander Graham Bell Laboratory", the "Bell Carriage House" and the "Bell Laboratory."
10. Michel Richard, Georgetown's answer to Julia Child
11. Georgetown Cupcake a recession success story, and every tourist leaves here with that pink box.
Please submit your "Georgetown in 10" here by commenting on this article.