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Hi, I and my family are visiting DC for the first time this weekend.
We've kinda sorted out all the tourist places like museums etc. but what I wanna experience is the real city, real neighborhood and I'm a little lost here, since all the tourist information sources are too much about these museum/historic stuff.
Basically I wanna check out where locals hang out.For example, In NYC there are many interesting walkable neighborhoods where you can have shopping, restaurants, and a bit of nightlife altogether.
I still don't even know what are the major streets and intersections where real things happen... and I really want to understand the city's structure before I get there.
Any kind of advices will be very helpful. Thank you.
p.s. are there any food that's exclusive in DC? or any must eats?
I'm sure you'll get inundated with advice but just for starters here's some good places to explore over a weekend if this is your first time in the city and you just want to get an initial local flavor:
- U Street, NW (west to east from about 18th to Georgia Avenue): Hopping revitalized corridor with a lot of shops, restaurants, bars, even a couple good music venues. Very historic area, was actually Harlem BEFORE Harlem (U Street Corridor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) and includes Ben's Chili Bowl, which serves DC's one relatively undisputed local dish, the "half smoke". Yes, now it's an overpriced, overcrowded tourist trap but it's still worth checking out at least once. Check out 14th Street south of U Street to Thomas Circle for another good corridor of shops, restaurants, shopping, etc.
- Dupont Circle (Connecticut Avenue, P Street, 17th Street): Traditional gay center of Washington now pretty much gentrified out of any former edge. A few remnant gay bars on P Street and 17th Street but otherwise just a regular upscale area near downtown. Still the Circle's a great place to hang out, get an impression of the local color, and people watch (check out the chess games) and there's some ok shopping and restaurants around the way. Check out Kramerbooks about a block north off the Circle on Connecticut.
- Georgetown (M Street from Rock Creek Park heading west, Wisconsin Avenue from the river heading north): Sort of the Beverly Hills, Upper East Side of Washington DC. Some of the most expensive shopping, exclusive restaurants, stately colonial urban mansions, etc. along with our own "Ivy" caliber university, Georgetown University and its gorgeous gothic campus. Again, worth checking out at least once just to see it if you haven't before even if you don't go back. - Capitol Hill (Pennsylvania Avenue, SW from the Capitol to roughly 11th Street, 8th Street SW): Similar housing stock to Georgetown but instead of old money and tourists it's more buzzing with interns, lobbyists, all manner of white collar Hill workers cheek by jowl next to more blue collar, mostly black long-time residents (especially in the eastern parts of the neighborhood). Manages to be trendy (especially 8th Street), preppy and funky all at the same time.
Some more adventurous options:
- H Street, NE (from the Hopscotch Bridge near North Capitol Street to Bladensburg Road): Just north of Capitol Hill this area is still pretty hollowed out looking but beneath the surface there's a new streetcar line being built and there's a lot of signs of upcoming new investments, even in this economy. The "Atlas District" in the eastern part of the neighborhood is currently most developed with the most bars and restaurants.
- Columbia Heights (14th Street from Florida Avenue to Spring Road): Like U Street in the adjacent neighborhood south named "Shaw" Columbia Heights was a thriving middle class black neighborhood until around WWII and then the 1968 riots finished it off. Starting in the late 1990s with the opening of the metro station it's seen a huge resurgence and the DC USA project helped anchor the neighborhood. Development and its results have been uneven and crime is still an issue there but like H Street it's one of the most exciting and changing areas in the city. Go west across 16th Street and check out Mount Pleasant (Mount Pleasant Street is the main commercial drag) as well, near the traditional heart of the Hispanic community in DC.
BTW, Adams Morgan (18th Street and Columbia Road, NW) is also an interesting option, especially at the end of summer with the "Adams Morgan Festival" but at night it's really devolved into little more than an obnoxious giant pub/bar crawl. I like the salsa dancing at Havana Village though. Also, going north up Connecticut Avenue towards Woodley Park, Cleveland Park towards Chevy Chase is nice but quiet and not necessarily worth the effort for a first weekend in DC unless you're visiting the National Zoo or a specific restaurant in the area. If you ARE up in that area check out the bookstore Politics and Prose.
There are definitely many more worthwhile neighborhoods and places to see but for a first weekend in DC that will at least give you a first impression of some of the local highlights. All those places (except Georgetown and H Street) are walkably metro accessible.
Sorry, on Capitol Hill, I meant Southeast (SE), not SW. Southwest isn't very big and doesn't have a lot except for the Waterfront (which is woefully hidden, underdeveloped and underutilized except for the tiny but charming Maine Avenue Fish Market) and the center of regional theatre in DC, the newly refurbished Arena Stage. Most of it is federal space (federal office space near the Mall and Fort McNair next to the Waterfront).
Mikeyo321 provided a great list. A few more that I might add:
7th Street and F Street in Penn Quarter: 7th Street between Pennsylvania and I Street is a restaurant/bar/lounge mecca (although some are undoubtedly better than others). F Street between 6th and 14th has developed a nice, mid-tier retail scene. G Street too.
Connecticut Avenu through Cleveland and Woodley Park. Not the most exciting areas of the city, but the houses on the surrounding streets are pretty and there is some decent shopping/eating options.
Also, it doesn't have much in the way of amenities or tourist attractions, but 16th Street between Scott Circle and Mt. Pleasant/Columbia Heights is one of the most attractive streets in the city, IMO. If the weather is tolerable (with is questionable, with a storm coming through on Friday) it's a great street for strolling.
Also check out P Street in Logan Circle (between the Circle and 15th Street), 7th Street in Capitol Hill (runs by Eastern Market), or Mount Pleasant Avenue in Mount Pleasant.
And kudos for seeking out areas like this. The Mall/Smithsonian are great and all, but there are many areas in this city worth exploring, and its compactness really lends itself to that. Good luck.
I still don't even know what are the major streets and intersections where real things happen... and I really want to understand the city's structure before I get there.
If you want to get to know the city neighborhoods that people are mentioning - this is a great resource: http://dc.urbanturf.com/neighborhoods/. It has a bio of each neighborhood and there is a google map that shows you where they are in relation to each other. It's done by realtors, so keep that in mind, but I think it will give you a good sense of the city neighborhoods and what they have to offer.
Quote:
Basically I wanna check out where locals hang out.For example, In NYC there are many interesting walkable neighborhoods where you can have shopping, restaurants, and a bit of nightlife altogether.
If you really want to do what a local does, you'll sit on your butt and not venture out in the cold. However, if I had a family coming to visit me this weekend and museums were not on the menu this is what I would do as a local. I'll go with the family friendly version in case you have kids in tow (tranny brunch is out). I'm going to repeat some people here.
Saturday: Dupont Circle/Georgetown/U Street
Breakfast at Kramers Books(Dupont) - Neat little bookstore with a restaurant attached. In the middle of dupont circle. Just a nice atmosphere, and about as quirky as we get in buttoned-down dc. You can take a look around the Dupont area. Lots of huge fantastic homes. Not a tremendous amount of interesting shopping, but there are a few places along Connecticut ave.
Window Shopping in Georgetown (Georgetown) - M street and Wisconsin avenue are basically the best shopping destinations in the city (I don't do suburbs). It's full of college students, transplants, and the affluent douchers of DC, BUT if you want a nice walkable shopping trip with lots of history around you, then you have to go. I don't particularly like Gtown, but even I'll go there with my girlfriend once or twice a year to shop.
Auto Show (Convention Center) - I dunno. I'm a local. I'm going. Locals go to gimmickey events, ok?
Roll down U Street looking for a live band (U Street) - This corridor used to be a hub for Jazz in DC. Now it's home to lots of bars, restaurants, small shops etc etc. There are a few jazz venues left, but many of the bars have live bands of all kinds playing. Just take a stroll and take in the night life.
Late bite at Bens Chilli Bowl (U Street)- Whatchu know about half smokes? It's a spicey sausage that is indigenous to DC. Cover it with chilli and some cheese wiz, and you've got yourself a full day of caloric goodness. From politicians to drunk kids, this place serves everyone. It's a tourist destination, but it lives up to its billing.
Post brunch stroll through Eastern Market (Cap Hill):Eastern Market. It has a great open air flea market with lots of stuff (more during summer than winter) and then an indoor market with local foods, flowers etc. Great to get a fresh pastry and cider after your brunch.
Take a quick trip towards center city:
Chinese lunar new year parade from 2-5 (Chinatown). It isn't a particularly chinese part of town (you'll have an irish bar with an extra sign printed in Chinese), but it's a nice part of the city and the parade is kind of cool. Easy to get to and right downtown. http://dc.about.com/od/specialevents/a/ChineseNewYear.htm
OR
12:30pm - Penguins Vs. Caps. If your family is sports fans, this is going to be a high energy, awesome game. Caps fans are the best of DC's sports fans. They are the only ones that I, as an obnoxious Philadelphia fan, respect. It's right at the Verizon center in chinatown.
6:30pm - It's the super bowl... OH YEAH. I don't know what to tell you as a visitor here. If I'm going to a sports bar, I like buffalo billiards in Dupont Circle, but it's definitely not a place you can take kids if you're travelling with young ones. If you need a more civilized place to watch with your kids, Acadiana (fancy cajun restaurant) is actually having a superbowl party. It's not really a local thing to do, but it would be child friendly and it sounds like a pretty decent deal for a fancy restaurant (two projection screens in the dining room as well as the 2 lcds at the bar).
Ugh. Don't go to Kramers. Most over rated place in DC. Go to buy a book but not the food.
Yeah, food is pretty mediocre and overpriced. But the bookstore is superb, and the vibe in the bar is great. It definitely has more character than most of the cookie cutter "restau-lounges" that have been popping up arounid the city.
This thread should be sticked, Mikey and 14th provided a lot of useful info for new residents and tourists alike.
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