Of that hallowed Hilltop.

For the edification of Hoya basketball fans everywhere, here's a recap of Georgetown's 64-44 win over DePaul last night. I attended the game with SICP President Brian Paulson, a fellow Hoya, and while it was good to see the team win I can't say there was much suspense. Continuing a mediocre season, the DePaul Blue Demons played the role of sacrificial lamb. The Hoyas almost seemed to be going through the motions, plodding to a comfortable win without much energy or enthusiasm. That said, I should emphasize once again that it was good to see the Hoyas win, and I'm thankful to Brian for giving me the chance to attend the game.

In other news, yesterday's issue of The Hoya reports that longtime student eatery Sugar's will close in May after 89 years in operation at the corner of 35th and O Streets in Georgetown. Formally known as Sugar's Campus Store, this neighborhood lunch counter started life as a pharmacy and evolved over time into a fairly typical greasy spoon. As far as I can recall, during my time at Georgetown I ate at Sugar's exactly twice. There was nothing on the Sugar's menu that you couldn't also get at student favorite Wisemiller's, and Wisey's had the advantages of being cheaper and closer to campus. Sugar's also lacked the character of my favorite neighborhood place, the Georgetown Dinette near the corner of Wisconsin and O. Also known as Harry and Emmy's after the Korean couple that ran the place, the Georgetown Dinette was as cheap as Wisey's and offered what might be described as psychic service. The first time visitor to Harry and Emmy's would do well to choose a menu item they really liked, because Emmy would remember what you ordered and start making it every subsequent time you came into the restaurant - once you placed your first order at Harry and Emmy's, you were good for life. I realized this when I returned to Harry and Emmy's in the summer of 2003 after two years away and Emmy produced my usual order (a cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, onions and mayo with a side of fries) without having to be reminded what it was.

Though Sugar's never had the place in my heart that Harry and Emmy's won, I still mourn the impending loss of a Georgetown institution. Sugar's will soon join the sainted ranks of such beloved neighborhood institutions as the Georgetown branch of Olsson's Books and the lovably sleazy 24-hour French diner Au Pied de Cochon by closing its doors forever. Though Georgetown is still one of my favorite places in the world, each time I return there the loss of a few familiar haunts keeps the neighborhood from being quite the place I remembered. Goodbye, Sugar's - I'll always have my memories, even if I hardly knew ye. AMDG.