Washington, D.C. Visitors Guide - Winter/Spring 2008 - (Page 31)

neighBorhoods thumbnail Where buttoned-up DC lets its hair down. Long home to immigrant communities from Africa, Asia and South and Central America, today the eclectic neighborhood today is a global village, lined with restaurants serving cuisine from around the world. DC’s first planned suburb is where abolitionist and statesman Frederick Douglass made his home. While the new Nationals Park and developing waterfront are often in the headlines, you’ll also find beautiful late 19th-century architecture and a working class character. Home to Civil War-era forts and landmarks, quiet residential streets and picturesque places like the 446-acre National Arboretum. The Roman Catholic Church bought up tracts of land here in the late 19th century to build the Catholic University of America. With its tree-lined streets and Victorian rowhouses, the Hill packs powerful attractions like the Library of Congress, Supreme Court, Folger Shakespeare Library and National Postal Museum. Locals start their weekends stocking up on fresh veggies and unique crafts at Eastern Market and take in the dining and nightlife scene on Barracks Row, (8th St. SE). Museums, theatres and galleries share the streets with businesses, hot restaurants, lounges and hotels. It’s full of must-see sights like the White House, Spy Museum, Newseum, Madame Tussauds, the Museum of Women in the Arts, Corcoran Gallery, the new Museum of Crime and Punishment, Ford’s Theatre and more. The Walter E. Washington Convention Center and the Verizon Center hosts of major conventions, college and professional sports action and concerts all year round. The largest concentration of international embassies sits just northwest of the circle, giving the neighborhood its global flavor. Arts and entertainment collide with restaurants, shops, hotels, B&Bs, galleries and museums (The Phillips Collection, The Textile Museum, Woodrow Wilson House and National Geographic Society’s Explorers Hall to name a few). It’s no surprise to find a collection of fine hotels and restaurants in this corner of the city, which plays host to dignitaries and celebrities who visit the IMF, World Bank, Kennedy Center and the Department of State. Foggy Bottom stretches down to the Potomac, welcoming runners, bikers and water sports enthusiasts to the southernmost point of Rock Creek Park. Founded in 1751, historic Georgetown is known for its designer and mainstream boutiques, beautiful architecture and its seemingly endless list of cafes, restaurants and bars. History buffs, serious shoppers and garden lovers are instantly smitten with attractions like Georgetown University, the C&O Canal, the Kreeger Museum and Tudor Place Historic House. Southwest DC went through its first wave of urban renewal in the 1950s. It’s now a hotspot for development once again, with the arrival of Mandarin Oriental in 2004 and the opening of the Nationals Park in nearby Southeast. Calling Cards Funky shops by day and a hub of music and bars by night. Vibrant public art including the Toulouse-Lautrec and Madam’s Organ murals. One of the best views of the city from Cedar Hill, Douglass’ estate. AfricanAmerican history at the Smithsonian Institution’s Anacostia Community Museum. The big chair. Picnic in the gardens of the Franciscan Monastery or pause for reflection in the largest Catholic Church in the U.S. Wander through the National Arboretum’s two-acre herb garden or the National Bonsai Museum, and don’t miss its thousands of brightly-colored azaleas in full bloom. The Capitol Building of course, and the architectural beauty of the Library of Congress and Union Station. Blueberry buckwheat pancakes at Eastern Market. Locally-owned shops. Friday evening parades at the Marine Barracks. Dog- walkers in historic Lincoln Park. A picture-postcard moment in front of the White House at Lafayette Square. Chinatown’s brightly colored “Friendship Arch” that now anchors Gallery Place. The Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum, open till 7pm nightly. The theatre scene – from newer spaces like Woolly Mammoth and the Harman Center to the historic National and Warner Theatres. Movers and shakers at the Hay-Adams’ Off the Record or the Willard’s Round Robin Bar. People watching or a pick-up game of chess in the Circle. The organic farmers’ market on Sunday for tastings of fresh local produce, cheese, bread and seafood. and cooking demonstrations by local chefs. Amazing art in an intimate setting at The Phillips Collection. The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage for free nightly performances and a marvelous view of the city from the Roof Terrace. The infamous Watergate complex. The raw bar and piano player at Kinkead’s. Co-ed walks around the George Washington University. Dozens of locally-owned boutiques mixed with global brands in fashion. The booth where JFK proposed to Jackie at Billy Martin’s Tavern or the bird cage table at Mie n Yu. Celebrities at Café Milano. The set of “St. Elmo’s Fire” at Third Edition or the “Exorcist” steps. A jog on the 180-mile C&O Canal Towpath, The breathtaking gardens at Dumbarton Oaks. The sights, sounds and tastes at the Maine Avenue Seafood Market. Eric Ziebold’s multi-course tasting menu at CityZen. Sightseeing cruises on the Potomac for an unforgettable view of the monuments. The birthplace of Duke Ellington and the center of Washington’s AfricanA late-night half-smoke at Ben’s Chili Bowl. A show at the 9:30 Club or American nightlife for much of the 20th century is once again thriving. U Black Cat. Jazz at Bohemian Caverns. Funky furnishings at Go Mama Go! A Street rivals Adams Morgan for crowds, though with a slightly older vibe. night out at The Studio Theatre. Cupcakes at Love Café. “The cutting edge of what this city is and can be,” U Street is also equally intriguing by day, home to the African American Civil War Memorial, Lincoln Theatre and Howard University. The energy extends down 14th St. to P St. near Logan Circle, lined with stores, boutiques and music clubs. These side-by-side residential districts were once considered suburbs, linked to downtown Washington by streetcar. They’re now lively residential districts whose tree-lined streets are flanked by friendly boutiques, coffee shops and sidewalk cafés featuring cuisines from around the world. To the east sits Rock Creek Park, a vast urban green space home to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. The stone gargoyles (including one shaped like Darth Vader) at the stunning Washington National Cathedral. The giant panda cub Tai Shan at the National Zoo. Hillwood Museum and Gardens’ impressive collection of Russian imperial art. 31 Transportation

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Washington, D.C. Visitors Guide - Winter/Spring 2008

Washington, D.C. Visitors Guide - Winter/Spring 2008 Welcome Contents Take Me Out to the Ballgame Vistor 411 Springtime Blooms with the National Cherry Blossom Festival Calendar of Events Transportation Getting Here Regularly Scheduled Tours Neighborhoods See & Do Smithsonian New at the Smithsonian Attractions Sports & Recreation Performing Arts Restaurants & Nightlife Restaurants Official Dining Guide Like a Local Nightlife DC Shopping: District by District Shopping, Health & Beauty Shopping Health & Beauty Accommodations DC Accommodations B&Bs Exploring International DC Fun in the Sun: Dive in to a Hotel Pool Maryland Accommodations Virginia Accommodations

Washington, D.C. Visitors Guide - Winter/Spring 2008

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