WOMAN: Support for If You Lived Here comes from... NARRATOR: The Yuen Foundation, committed to bridging cultural differences within the greater Washington, D.C. community.

WOMAN: And now If You Lived Here, a WETA original series.

JOHN: Hi I'm John Begeny.

CHRISTINE: I'm Christine Louise.

We've been friends and coworkers at WETA for more than 20 years.

JOHN: And it feels like 50.

We love living in the D.C. area.

But finding a place to live here can be exciting, and sometimes a little challenging.

CHRISTINE: So join us as we tour three homes at three price points.

JOHN: And try to guess the listing price without going over.

And find out what it would be like...

BOTH: If You Lived Here.

(doorbell).

JOHN: Oh.

CHRISTINE: Hey.

JAMIE: Hi.

JOHN: A man who knows how to make an entrance.

JAMIE: Yeah, I use this bike all the time to get around.

It's a lot easier trying to park a bike.

JOHN: Well, Georgetown is bustling.

I grew up here, so, you know, I've spent time in Georgetown, it's kind of a rite of passage.

But, boy have things changed.

JAMIE: They really have.

I mean they've changed a lot since I started selling real estate about 28 years ago.

It's just gotten better and better as time goes on.

Let's go.

JOHN: The day begins.

CHRISTINE: We'll follow you.

JAMIE: This is P Street.

I love this street 'cause it's wide, it's filled with Federals, but it also has a nice mixture of a lot of the architectural styles.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: So how old are these homes?

JAMIE: Technically in order to be a Federal house it has to be built before 1820.

CHRISTINE: And what are the characteristics of a Federal?

JAMIE: Think of like the mindset of the Puritan thinking.

Really simple, functional, no frills.

CHRISTINE: There's so many great styles on this street.

JAMIE: Well, actually the first house that we're gonna see is just up here.

JAMIE: This is what we call the East Village.

CHRISTINE: Oh, okay.

JOHN: The East Village, I have never heard that before.

JAMIE: Yep, this house is in the middle of the East Village, which goes from Wisconsin Avenue to... JOHN: Mm-hmm.

JAMIE: DuPont.

JOHN: Yep.

JAMIE: The West Village goes from Wisconsin Avenue to the university.

CHRISTINE: All right.

But I have to ask, how wide is this house?

JAMIE: Well, the outside is nine feet.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

JAMIE: The inside is 8.1, it has a reputation for being the narrowest house in Georgetown.

CHRISTINE: All right.

I can see that.

JOHN: Cool.

JAMIE: They're often called spite houses.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

JAMIE: The idea is that they built the house to spite the neighbor.

CHRISTINE: So technically this would've been an alley.

JAMIE: Yeah.

So, I'll meet you out in the garden afterwards.

CHRISTINE: All right.

Sounds great.

JOHN: Perfect.

Sturdy door.

CHRISTINE: Yes.

This is exactly how I imagined this house would be because you can really feel the time period.

JOHN: Yeah, it's nice to see original elements, right?

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

Original pine floors.

JOHN: Mm-hmm.

And we've seen these doors before, and that hardware... CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: Shows the age of the house, nice.

CHRISTINE: Yes.

JOHN: Alrighty.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

Ready?

JOHN: Yep.

CHRISTINE: So, Jamie said it was a little over eight feet.

And I... JOHN: Looks accurate there.

CHRISTINE: I don't know what my span is, but... JOHN: You know what the great thing is about small homes?

CHRISTINE: Not as much to clean?

JOHN: Uh, yes.

But also they're cheaper to heat, and cool.

And what I love that they did here is low profile furniture makes it seem like a bigger space.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: It really is livable.

Hold on tight.

CHRISTINE: I, yeah, watch your step.

These are a little narrow.

This is obviously the bedroom level.

JOHN: Yep.

CHRISTINE: But, you know, really you have room for a bed.

JOHN: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: And a walkway.

JOHN: Yeah.

It's big bed.

CHRISTINE: It is, it is.

Okay, so here we have a... JOHN: Great door.

CHRISTINE: Oh, look it, and they kept the live edge.

JOHN: Very nice.

CHRISTINE: That is very nice.

JOHN: That's a beaut.

CHRISTINE: It is.

JOHN: Okay.

Full bath.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

And, you know, for a space this size, you're not gonna, you know, obviously have big double vanities and everything... JOHN: Mm-hmm.

CHRISTINE: But this works.

JOHN: It does.

And that great sky light... CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: With plenty of sun.

And makes the space seem bigger.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

It does.

Now this is a little hidden gem in here.

You've got closet space.

JOHN: This is my favorite little spot in the house so far.

CHRISTINE: I think it is.

JOHN: Yeah.

Okay, lower level.

CHRISTINE: Sounds good.

JOHN: Ah-ha.

CHRISTINE: Now this... Is obviously the kitchen level.

JOHN: Yes.

CHRISTINE: It really shows the age of this home in a good way.

JOHN: The beams.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: I'm in love.

CHRISTINE: And the exposed brick.

JOHN: Yep.

CHRISTINE: A nice space for a good size table.

JOHN: Perfect.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

But this kitchen.

JOHN: Wow.

CHRISTINE: I am immediately drawn to these countertops.

What... JOHN: Yeah, they're great.

CHRISTINE: You know, this is such a unique design, and I think, is this Soapstone?

JOHN: I think that's Soapstone.

CHRISTINE: Now, obviously, we're talking size here.

JOHN: Yep.

CHRISTINE: So they do have smaller appliances.

JOHN: That's essentially like a campfire stove.

Yeah.

CHRISTINE: Okay, but, you know, what's missing?

JOHN: An oven?

CHRISTINE: Yeah.

JOHN: Oh.

CHRISTINE: Unless I'm not seeing it.

JOHN: Yeah, no, I don't see one either.

And I would say this kitchen needs an oven.

Every kitchen needs an oven.

That's just me.

CHRISTINE: That's you.

Let me check out what's back here, okay?

Oh, we have a half bath.

JOHN: Half bath.

Okay.

Jamie is in the back.

Let's go meet him.

CHRISTINE: Good because I wanna check out this patio space.

JOHN: Okay Jamie.

CHRISTINE: Hey.

JAMIE: So that was a real period house, wasn't it?

CHRISTINE: It certainly did not lack in historic charm.

JAMIE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: Yeah, that lower level with those beams, lovely.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

The exposed brick.

JOHN: Yep.

CHRISTINE: But can we talk about those countertops in the kitchen?

I'm guessing that was Soapstone?

JAMIE: Yeah, just like... CHRISTINE: Really nice.

JAMIE: It would've been when they built this house.

Also there's this whole area.

JOHN: Mm-hmm.

JAMIE: And that you can access it from the entertaining area.

JOHN: Yeah.

JAMIE: But, to get back to what we're doing here is playing the game.

JOHN: Oh, right.

JAMIE: It's a period house in the East Village of Georgetown.

It's one bedroom, one and a half baths.

JOHN: Mm-hmm.

JAMIE: Just over 1,000 square feet.

And it was built in 1876.

CHRISTINE: Ah, that feels about right.

JOHN: Feels about right.

CHRISTINE: Yeah.

I'm gonna go to the listing price of $850,000.

JOHN: I'm gonna say, uh, slightly higher, $875,000.

JAMIE: So the actual list price is... $899,000.

CHRISTINE: Oh, okay.

JAMIE: So I can't believe you got so close.

JOHN: House number one Georgetown, one for John.

CHRISTINE: All right.

One for John.

JOHN: Boop.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

JAMIE: So now we're gonna go over to the West Village.

I think you'll like it a lot.

CHRISTINE: All right.

CANDEN: Georgetown being gentrified in the sense that we understand gentrification today, that happened before the word gentrification was really coined.

The first gentrification of, what is now Washington, D.C., was pushing out the American Indian tribes.

And Georgetown came shortly after that.

If you wanna kind of compress all of its history into a whole, and you wanna talk about Georgetown as the thriving industrial port city.

The way Georgetown looks today, walking down the street, is going to look very similar because it's a historic district.

But the makeup of the people who live here are going to be very different.

Many of the residents on the early 1800s of Georgetown were wealthy, mostly white, uh, southern plantation owning families.

After the American Civil War, a lot of things change around the neighborhood.

Georgetown started to decline in the sense that it wasn't considered a desirable neighborhood.

It is becoming very industrial with the C&O Canal.

There was a thriving Black community in Herring Hill.

Uh, so the makeup, the demographics of Georgetown were starting to change and a lot of the wealthy families were moving up the hill to the fresher air away from the industry of Georgetown.

It was still beautiful.

The people who lived here had a sense of pride and community, and they loved their life here, but it was poor.

Most people talk about its history of the rich and the famous.

But Georgetown was founded by immigrants, and a lot of the immigrant history is focused here on Holy Hill.

A lot of Scottish and Irish, but also German immigrants.

These are the laborers and the workers who worked in the shops, and the grocers, they were the doctors and the lawyers, and the canal boat men.

They're really the, the part of Georgetown that made this a community.

Around the time of the New Deal and the two World Wars, folks are moving into the nation's capital to work for the government and they can't afford the homes in downtown Washington City.

But they can afford the fixer uppers here in Georgetown.

With the influx of government workers who tended to be White, they started to not want the laborers, the workers, mostly Black residents, living nearby.

Around this time the, a lot of the only places that these poor, Black and immigrant workers could live were in the alleys.

What we saw happen all over Washington, D.C., not just in Georgetown, is the Alley Dwelling Act, which essentially kicked the families out, razed the, the shacks and the buildings and created parking spots for the larger houses nearby.

ANDRENA: We're located on P Street Northwest between 27th Street and 28th Street, and this area is known as Herring Hill.

Herring because there were herring fish in Rock Creek Park.

It was also where many African Americans settled into a community that was self-contained.

They had their mom and pop stores.

They had their grocery stores, their beauty parlors.

This block had 13, maybe 14 families living here, most of them owned their property, which in itself during 1890s was remarkable.

They had the foresight to own their property, which is going to be crucial.

If you own your property, you don't get put out.

And believe it or not the owner, Riley Marshall, it was his great-great-grandfather's home, so the history is still alive here.

(doorbell).

JOHN: All right Jamie, house number two.

JAMIE: House number two.

This is a mid-sized Victorian, built in 1904.

This house is maybe a little easier to live in.

The spaces have been modernized, have been opened.

And, I'll see you out in the garden in the back.

CHRISTINE: All right.

JOHN: Sounds like a perfect plan.

CHRISTINE: Sounds good.

All right.

JOHN: All right.

Well, this is a neat footprint for an early 1900s home.

The façade was very simple.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: And this has so much character to it.

And I love that window seat... CHRISTINE: Oh, I know.

JOHN: In the front.

CHRISTINE: And sometimes homes just have a really warm feeling to them.

JOHN: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: And I think this place has that.

JOHN: Yeah.

I think it's because it has so many colors and textures.

So it's got wood, it's got brick.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

Right.

JOHN: It's got these great built-ins.

And then they're using the back space for a living room.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: Which I love.

And I like this fireplace.

It's simple... CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: It's just red brick, but I think it goes with the house.

CHRISTINE: All right.

And, you know what?

I have to say...

The coziness just continues... JOHN: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: In this house.

JOHN: This house is not a pretentious house.

This is, like, a lived in family house.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: And I like that it's right off the kitchen.

CHRISTINE: Yeah, to me that's perfect.

JOHN: Yeah, right?

CHRISTINE: Yeah.

JOHN: You're just going back and forth between the two.

CHRISTINE: That's true.

JOHN: Into the kitchen.

CHRISTINE: Oh, first thing I noticed is... JOHN: Mm-hmm.

CHRISTINE: This exposed brick.

It's amazing how much character a brick wall will add.

JOHN: So you've got the old with the new.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

Obviously this kitchen has been redone, and it's been really nicely redone.

JOHN: Mm-hmm.

This kitchen has all the bells and whistles, right?

New cabinetry, new appliances.

CHRISTINE: I just, I was noticing that back splash.

JOHN: Mm-hmm.

CHRISTINE: I like it because it has that pop of, well, it almost looks like rust.

JOHN: I think that's marble, or is it granite?

I don't know but it looks really good.

CHRISTINE: I'm not sure.

It does.

JOHN: I have a feeling there's a basement, so let's go see how we get there.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

JOHN: Come on.

Hey, where are you going?

This is probably the way down.

CHRISTINE: Oh, yeah, I guess you're right.

I don't see, I, I don't see another door.

I was expecting big, oh.

JOHN: Voila.

CHRISTINE: I was, you know, I wasn't expecting two doors like this for a basement.

I think, I, I like it, but I just wasn't expecting that.

JOHN: Okay.

How about this door to the left?

CHRISTINE: All right.

Oh, we have a half bath.

JOHN: Half bath.

All right.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

JOHN: Let's head down.

CHRISTINE: Head down.

All right.

JOHN: Laundry.

Lots of storage.

CHRISTINE: Nice.

A full bath down here.

JOHN: Full bath.

CHRISTINE: And, you know, I do love this tile.

JOHN: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: Old school.

CHRISTINE: It is old school.

And, oh.

JOHN: Watch your step down.

CHRISTINE: Well, thank you.

JOHN: Into a bedroom.

CHRISTINE: Oh.

JOHN: So you have a whole en suite down here, really.

CHRISTINE: We do.

And, you know, I wonder if this was dug out.

JOHN: I think you are correct.

CHRISTINE: I think... JOHN: And you have this great door with lots of light to the backyard.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: All right.

CHRISTINE: Okay, to the top?

JOHN: Up we go.

CHRISTINE: Yep.

JOHN: To the top.

CHRISTINE: All right.

Oh, did you notice the sky lights as we were coming up the steps?

JOHN: Hey, look who's looking up?

CHRISTINE: All right.

JOHN: Ooh la-la.

This looks like the main bedroom, no?

CHRISTINE: Yeah, this would be the owner's suite.

JOHN: Oh, very nice.

Very modern.

CHRISTINE: And here's a full bath.

JOHN: Very nice new features in here... CHRISTINE: Right.

JOHN: For a classic house.

CHRISTINE: With the original window.

JOHN: Yep.

And that deep tub.

CHRISTINE: It is a deep tub.

JOHN: That's on my must have list.

CHRISTINE: Cause' I think I need a step stool.

JOHN: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: To, to step up in it.

JOHN: It's pretty high.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

And here we have a walk-in closet, and it's a big walk-in.

JOHN: That's a doozy.

All right.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

JOHN: But it leads us to, goodness me, a very large space in the front.

CHRISTINE: Oh, this is really a large bedroom.

I wasn't expecting this space.

JOHN: Me neither.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

And it's an en suite.

JOHN: And it has its own bathroom.

CHRISTINE: I really like what they've done with the space.

JOHN: Oh yeah.

CHRISTINE: So, should we go find Jamie?

JOHN: Let's go find him.

CHRISTINE: Okay, I think he's in the back.

JOHN: All right.

And that's something I've been waiting to see.

CHRISTINE: Yes.

Hey Jamie.

JAMIE: Hi.

JOHN: Hey Jamie.

JAMIE: Welcome to the back deck.

JOHN: Well I thought maybe you'd be out here, uh, making a few burgers on the grill.

JAMIE: I don't know, not a bad idea...

If it wasn't so warm.

CHRISTINE: That's what I like about this covered porch.

JOHN: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: That if the sun's out, you got some shade.

JOHN: Mm-hmm.

CHRISTINE: And if it rains, you can still enjoy the space.

JOHN: Nice feature.

JAMIE: It's a very nice space.

So what did you think about the inside?

CHRISTINE: I really liked the renovations that were done.

JAMIE: Mm-hmm.

It's a very warm house.

CHRISTINE: Right, isn't... JOHN: This is not a pretentious home.

It felt like a place I could live.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JAMIE: Okay, just to recap.

We're in the West Village, it has a total of three bedrooms, three and a half baths, just over 2,000 square feet, and it was built in 1904.

JOHN: All right.

I am going to make a guess, this is gonna be interesting.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: Of $1,950,000.

JAMIE: Okay.

CHRISTINE: I'm gonna go for $2.1 million.

JOHN: Oh hey, I like... CHRISTINE: Okay?

JOHN: I like that.

I, I actually, I like your guess.

CHRISTINE: We'll see if I like it.

JAMIE: Well you two should grab your checkbooks because it's $1,395,000.

CHRISTINE: No?

JOHN: Wow, I see they were that far off.

CHRISTINE: Wow.

JOHN: Okay, well... Wah-wahh.

Loss number two.

JAMIE: Well you have one more chance.

We have another house which is super spectacular.

CHRISTINE: And we'll see if we'll do any better.

JOHN: No promises.

CHRISTINE: Yeah.

JOHN: We'll try.

JAMIE: All right.

Let's go check it out.

JOHN: All right.

CHRISTINE: Wow, we were off.

JOHN: Yeah, we, we weren't just off, we were like way off.

HARRY: Growing up here in Washington, D.C., if you were a child of the ‘60s and ‘70s and even into the ‘80s, and maybe even today, if you have nothing to do on a Friday or Saturday night, everybody says let's go to Georgetown.

WENDY: In 1984 we moved Commander Salamander to Georgetown.

So when we first opened our store here there was no major change, so it was all little, um, independent stores.

Commander Salamander was a really small store, I mean, it was like 800 square feet and we did unbelievable business in that store.

Oh my God, it was so busy all the time.

But, it was something different and everyone loved it, I mean, they just wanted to cling to it.

The punks would even hang out in front of our store, I mean, we couldn't sorta get them to leave, you know?

They would come and they would shop and they would hang out.

High school kids, college kids, mothers bringing their kids, we sprayed your hair with hairspray in different colors, we gave buttons away that said Commander Salamander, so we made different buttons all the time.

We made Commander Salamander tee shirts.

We sold anything that had to do with, kind of, sex, drugs, rock and roll.

That's what we were all about.

I would have to say that I made Georgetown cool.

(laughs).

I'm gonna say that, I mean we were in the Wonder Woman movie, I mean what more could you ask for?

HARRY: Georgetown was historically an industrial neighborhood, it had nothing to do with boutique houses and boutique stores.

It was just funky, ‘cause back then there was all this great music that was coming out.

You could roll a bowling ball and hit one club after the other.

All of these great, rowdy bars and music.

And, in between spotted along that, were these boutique restaurants that had historically catered to those that would come in for the nightlife.

1973 is the first time I walked through the doors of Blues Alley, and I fell in love with this place.

Many call it, “The house that Dizzy built.” About 1983 Dizzy discovered Blues Alley and he informed his peers that if they're going to perform in Washington, D.C., they need to perform at Blues Alley.

And so Blues Alley became the go-to venue for countless entertainers.

And if these walls could talk, they would tell you a long, and storied history.

What makes Blues Alley so special?

It was its atmosphere, and the fact that everybody's there for the exact same reason, they're all snuggled together in this small room, and the electricity starts.

My wife likes to liken our ownership of the club more as progenitors of the Blues Alley flame, than as owners of an iconic venue.

(doorbell).

JAMIE: Here's house number three.

Your third chance to, to get it right.

(laughs).

JAMIE: So this is a Frame house built in the 1870s.

We have a lot of these houses in Georgetown, they were built during and after the Civil War.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JAMIE: They're built very well.

JOHN: What's this, uh, historic trust sign on the front?

JAMIE: That is a historic easement, which means that basically they give you a tax break... CHRISTINE: Oh, okay.

JAMIE: And then from then on forever, you have to go to them if you wanna make any changes to the house.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

Oh.

JOHN: Ah.

JAMIE: Okay.

Well go on in, uh, you'll notice there's a nice spot in the back where we can play the game.

I'll meet you there.

CHRISTINE: All right.

Sounds good.

JOHN: See you in a bit.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

Oh.

JOHN: Oh, yeah.

Well, from the outside I knew this house was going to be formal.

CHRISTINE: Yeah.

JOHN: And that's exactly what it is.

CHRISTINE: Well, you feel that formal feel the minute you walk in when you see this beautiful chandelier.

JOHN: What do you mean the chandelier?

How about this floor when you walk in first?

CHRISTINE: Oh my gosh.

I didn't even notice the detail.

JOHN: The beautiful marble floor.

CHRISTINE: Thank goodness for you to point these things out to me.

JOHN: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: All right.

And... JOHN: All right.

Speaking of formal.

CHRISTINE: Speaking of formal.

Okay, how about you say formal, I say fabulous?

JOHN: Yes.

CHRISTINE: You know, there is so many details in here, I don't even really know where to begin.

We've got fluted casing.

JOHN: Yep.

CHRISTINE: But then we've got molding around fluted casing.

JOHN: Mm-hmm.

CHRISTINE: And then we've got medallions on the ceilings that also have molding, you know, stop me at any point because I'm just gonna keep going on and on.

JOHN: Oh, no, there's more.

Keep on going.

But if you're gonna do a formal living room, or a fabulous living room, go big.

And onwards... CHRISTINE: We are off to a great start.

JOHN: And look...

It's a very beautiful dining room.

CHRISTINE: It just continues right on.

But this, this room again it carries some of the architectural designs, you've got beautiful moldings.

You've got medallions on the ceilings.

And the chandelier, it's a statement piece and a conversation piece at the same time.

JOHN: Okay, Tina, now that is a window, to have something on that scale because it's dramatic.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: But it really showcases how beautiful that hardscape is outside.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

Well, I think we are on a roll, so let's continue.

JOHN: Two beautiful rooms down.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: More to come.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

Half bath.

JOHN: Yeah, look at that floor.

CHRISTINE: Wow.

Drama.

JOHN: Drama... CHRISTINE: All right.

JOHN: Delivered.

Oh I love this room.

CHRISTINE: Oh, yeah.

I mean, talk about a cozy family room.

JOHN: Family room, yeah.

CHRISTINE: Yeah.

Yeah.

JOHN: TV room, family room.

CHRISTINE: This is just how it should feel because, you know, we had the formal living room... JOHN: Mm-hmm.

CHRISTINE: And the formal dining room.

And now this is just your, ah, let's just relax.

JOHN: I love this room.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

And how do you like the wallpaper?

Is it suede?

JOHN: No it's felt.

CHRISTINE: Oh it is?

Okay, I gotta try.

Ooh that's nice.

JOHN: No, you know what?

Wait a second.

That's flannel.

CHRISTINE: Wow.

JOHN: That is what that is.

That is flannel.

That's fancy wallpaper.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

Is it?

JOHN: I feel weird touching wallpaper.

CHRISTINE: I know, is that wrong?

JOHN: That's wrong.

Into... CHRISTINE: Yeah.

JOHN: A lovely kitchen.

CHRISTINE: This just has such a light fresh feel.

JOHN: Yeah, you know why?

Because everything's white.

CHRISTINE: Right.

Obviously you've got the light floors, the light cabinets, countertops.

And the tile, I really like the design on the tile.

JOHN: I like how they used a different shade of tile above the stove, as a little accent punch.

CHRISTINE: Yeah, it just pops.

JOHN: Very nice kitchen.

CHRISTINE: Right.

JOHN: It's obvious it has all the high end appliances you could ever want.

But what I love in this kitchen is this big bay window.

That's a very nice touch to this house, and very necessary, it's the only informal dining room in the house.

CHRISTINE: Upstairs?

JOHN: Let's go up, and, uh, and take this little staircase.

CHRISTINE: All right.

Okay.

JOHN: Okay.

Oh.

CHRISTINE: Nice suite.

JOHN: Hey this is groovy.

CHRISTINE: Yeah.

Here's your bay window again.

JOHN: There's...

I like that bay window.

CHRISTINE: Yeah.

JOHN: I would work at that desk any day.

CHRISTINE: I know.

JOHN: This is cozy.

It is.

CHRISTINE: Oh.

That is the word of the day.

JOHN: It is the word of the day.

But it is cozy.

I wanna come up with another word, I just can't think of a better word.

CHRISTINE: I know.

JOHN: Hey, and it's got an en suite.

Nice bathroom.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: All redone.

CHRISTINE: And look how big the shower is.

That's a good sized shower.

JOHN: I like this room a lot.

(laughs).

JOHN: Okay.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

JOHN: Bedroom number two.

CHRISTINE: Yes.

JOHN: All right.

Good sized bedroom.

Fits two twin beds... CHRISTINE: And... JOHN: And it's great for guests.

CHRISTINE: It even has an en suite, which makes it even nicer for guests.

JOHN: All right now, this is very interesting.

I guess that goes to the hallway, to the front of the house?

CHRISTINE: I guess.

I thought it was a closet, but you're right because we saw a stairway on the other side when we came in.

JOHN: Let's just see here.

CHRISTINE: Wow.

JOHN: Wow.

We're both right, I think.

CHRISTINE: Well I definitely see it as a closet.

JOHN: And I definitely see that door on the other side... CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: Which I suspect goes to the main hallway.

Okay, coast is clear.

CHRISTINE: Oh, so it... JOHN: I was right.

CHRISTINE: Doesn't go to another dimension?

JOHN: No, it goes to the front of the house.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

JOHN: Oh, it's the owner's bedroom.

CHRISTINE: All right.

You know what?

I'm not leaving.

JOHN: We haven't even scratched the surface of this room.

So much to take in.

CHRISTINE: I know.

JOHN: From the size of it, to the very nice polished features that... CHRISTINE: Right.

JOHN: They've installed.

CHRISTINE: I mean, obviously this gorgeous chandelier above the bed.

JOHN: Yeah, shell.

CHRISTINE: But look at the wall.

JOHN: Yeah, well they created a custom wall... CHRISTINE: Yeah.

JOHN: You know, with these built-ins... CHRISTINE: Right.

JOHN: You know, as night tables.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: Fantastic.

Oh and of course there is an awesome walk in closet.

With its own washer and dryer.

Oh that is deluxe my friend.

That is so nice.

CHRISTINE: Of course.

Luxury.

JOHN: Luxury at its best.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

JOHN: Holy moly!

Take a look at that.

CHRISTINE: I don't know if I've ever seen a tub that big.

JOHN: Yeah.

That's a small swimming pool.

CHRISTINE: Yeah.

JOHN: All right.

Well, somebody find my socks, because I think they were just blown off.

JOHN: Down we go.

CHRISTINE: So we have one more level.

JOHN: One more level.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

JOHN: We've seen three bedrooms.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

Oh, well these are a little narrow.

(laughs).

JOHN: You know, old house... CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: 1870.

CHRISTINE: True.

Here is the fourth bedroom.

JOHN: Yep.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

JOHN: Bedroom number four.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

JOHN: All right.

I like the vibe of this room.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

All the windows makes all the difference in a basement.

JOHN: That's right, and you have a door to the exterior.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: Gas fireplace.

So I'm guessing there's a bathroom on this floor as well.

CHRISTINE: I, I would say, yes.

JOHN: Let's go check it out.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

JOHN: But what a nice vibe in here.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

All right, yep.

JOHN: Okay.

CHRISTINE: Watch your head here a little bit.

JOHN: Watch your head, you gotta duck to get into this one... CHRISTINE: Little bit.

JOHN: Because of the duct work, but, you know.

CHRISTINE: But, again, a full bath.

JOHN: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: So, and it's spacious.

JOHN: It's a very nice bath.

CHRISTINE: Yeah.

JOHN: That concludes our tour.

Thanks for coming.

(laughs).

CHRISTINE: Hey Jamie.

JAMIE: Hi.

JOHN: Hello James.

Does anybody call you James?

JAMIE: My mother does.

JOHN: Well I thought I would use your formal name since this is such a formal house.

JAMIE: It's a beauty.

JOHN: So much to love.

CHRISTINE: Right.

Because the minute you walk in you have got these beautiful chandeliers.

JOHN: Mm-hmm.

CHRISTINE: You have a formal living room, dining room.

JAMIE: Family room.

CHRISTINE: Family room.

JOHN: The family room was my favorite.

JAMIE: Yeah.

It's really great.

JOHN: What a great space.

CHRISTINE: Right.

JAMIE: And then there's also the parking.

CHRISTINE: Oh.

JOHN: Yeah, parking, right.

CHRISTINE: Yes.

Mm-hmm.

JOHN: Big plus here.

JAMIE: This house is right smack in the middle of the West Village.

JOHN: Mm-hmm.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JAMIE: You know, so this is a very good area.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: This is prime, okay.

This is helping us a little, I think.

CHRISTINE: It, yeah.

JAMIE: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

JAMIE: So to recap.

JOHN: State your bid.

JAMIE: Right.

Four bedrooms, four and a half baths, 3,258 square feet.

JOHN: Hmm.

JAMIE: It was built in 1876, and to sweeten the deal, I've got a prize.

JOHN: Oh.

Really?

JAMIE: Now I tie these things... JOHN: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JAMIE: So I tied this one for you.

CHRISTINE: Wow, I want that tie.

JOHN: Okay.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

JOHN: Get that tie.

JAMIE: Someone's gonna walk away with the tie.

JOHN: Yeah.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

I'm gonna come in at a listing price of $3 million.

JAMIE: $3 million.

CHRISTINE: Mm-hmm.

JOHN: Okay.

I am going to come in at a listing price of $2.9.

JAMIE: $2.9, well, the list price of this house is $3,450,000.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

JOHN: Oh wow.

CHRISTINE: All right, yeah.

JOHN: Whoa.

JAMIE: So who's the winner here?

JOHN: Okay, well I guess you could say it's a tie because I won one, we both went over, and then Christine won this one.

So, it's a tie.

JAMIE: Okay, well I'm gonna place the prize in both of your hands.

JOHN: Oh.

CHRISTINE: Oh.

JAMIE: And you can decide.

JOHN: Here you go.

CHRISTINE: Well, oh gosh, thank you.

You're such a gentleman.

How does it look.

JOHN: It's like getting ready for prom.

JAMIE: It really goes with your shirt.

CHRISTINE: Thank you.

JOHN: It does.

It's rather smart looking.

JAMIE: Actually there's one more surprise inspired by my mode of transportation.

JOHN: Now that's intriguing.

CHRISTINE: Okay.

Yeah.

JOHN: The answer's yes.

Let's do it.

CHRISTINE: Hmm.

LISA: If you lived here, one of the things that would surprise you is what a community there is here in Georgetown.

CRISHAUNA: Everybody knows about Georgetown, if you know about D.C., you know about Georgetown.

HARRY: If you lived here you would know the old stone house on M Street.

CANDEN: You can't mention Georgetown and not talk about the Exorcist steps.

ALBERT: If you lived here get on the river.

That's it.

CHRISTINE: I know you never forget to ride a bike, but... JAMIE: Sure, follow me.

CHRISTINE: Oh wow.

Really, I have not been on a bike in years.

JOHN: Watch out Weezie, watch out.

(laughs).

JOHN: I need to adjust my seat.

CHRISTINE: We should do this more often.

JOHN: Yeah.

WOMAN: To find out more about living in the Washington Metro area, visit weta.org/ifyoulivedhere.

Support for If You Lived Here comes from... NARRATOR: The Yuen Foundation, committed to bridging cultural differences within the greater Washington, D.C. community.