Features

D.C.’S BEST ‘HOODS

By the

August 22, 2008


Adams Morgan

Born out of the integration of all-white John Quincy Adams and all-black Thomas P. Morgan elementary schools in 1955 and the city’s subsequent redrawing of neighborhood boundaries, Adams Morgan pulsates with racial and cultural diversity. The neighborhood bustles with energy deep into the night, from the neighborhood’s homeless dancing gleefully to oldies blaring from McDonald’s outdoor speakers to the barstool patrons who make their nightly haunts second homes. Unlike the suits of Capitol Hill, who retreat to their suburban homes after a day’s work, those who frequent Adams Morgan weave themselves inextricably into the District’s social fabric.

Soul Satisfying: Madam’s Organ offers good food and a great time.
Traviss Cassidy

The first step is getting there: from the front gates, hop on the G2 bus to Dupont Circle. Take the 42 bus from Connecticut Ave. and Dupont Circle to 18th Street and Columbia Rd. Trip length is about 40 minutes.

Once you arrive, you’ll need some grub, pronto. Amsterdam Falafelshop (2425 18th Street) features vegetarian cuisine that is cheap, healthy, and—here’s the kicker—fully self-service. Five dollars gets you four falafel balls in a warm white or wheat pita, which you are free to dress with beets, cabbage, hummus, garbanzo beans and the like with one caveat: “build carefully.” You won’t find a single utensil to bail out your leaky pita. Round out your meal with an order of frites (not fries).

Other low-budget dining options abound. As its name suggests, M’Dawg Haute Dog (2418 18th St.) serves up more than your pedestrian culinary canine, specializing in the hot dog’s many regional varieties (Chi-town migrants will revel in the sweet pickle relish and celery salt), while maintaining a ballpark-high standard of quality and freshness. Each dog is made to order, with the option of paying an extra buck for full privileges at the topping bar. (Black pepper bacon, frites sauce, and harissa remoulade, a spicy Middle Eastern concoction of relish, mayonnaise, red onion, and gherkins, are among the most peculiar.) At $20, the Kobe beef dog is by far the restaurant’s most exorbitant; prices typically range from four to seven dollars.

Once your belly is full, it’s time for some evening entertainment. Stop by the DC Arts Center (2438 18th Street) for a whacked-out theater experience pulled off on a shoestring budget. The Center’s attic-like environment and cozy performance space have made past productions like Cannibal! The Musical and Star Wars: the Musical ripe for uproarious audience participation. The upcoming season promises to offer more slapstick humor and eyebrow-raising theatrics with plays such as Julius Caesar, Shakespeare’s masterpiece as it might play out in 2044 AD.

Midnight marauders exhausted from their theatrical experience and aching with a sweet tooth should drop by Maggie Moo’s (2324 18th Street) to keep spirits (and blood sugar levels) high before diving head-first into Adams Morgan’s bumpin’ nightlife. The jolly cartoon cows that grace this “treatery” are decorated with more than just their spots: Maggie Moo’s is the only national ice cream establishment to have won the Blue Ribbon for Excellence in all five flavor categories.

There is perhaps no better way to finish your night than venturing into the heart of Adams Morgan to the aptly named Madam’s Organ (2461 18th Street). Visitors are immediately bombarded with slogans and tongue-in-cheek promises—”Where Beautiful People Go to Get Ugly,” “Redheads Always Drink 1/2 Price Rolling Rock,” and perhaps most cheekily, “Sorry We’re Open”—tacked onto creaky wooden signs and wagon wheels. Patrons of 21 years of age must pay a $3 cover fee to wander deeper into the bowels of the establishment, where wall-mounted sharks mingle with rusty bicycles dangling from the ceiling, bathed in the red glow that pervades the entire bar. The soundtrack, which leans heavily on James Brown and Al Green, compliments the sweaty environment, as do the nightly musicians who turn in performances of jazz, funk, reggae, and soul. Throw in a moderately priced menu of Tex-Mex entrees and tantalizing desserts (including “Madam’s Orgasm Hot Chocolate Cake”) and you’ve got a neighborhood mainstay whose cultural melange more than justifies the Organ’s self-proclaimed status as the “heart and soul of Adams Morgan.”

shy;—Traviss Cassidy and Chelsea Paige

Dupont Circle

Aggressively liberal Dupont Circle—nearly every store seems to be selling Obamarobilia—has been D.C.’s gay mecca since the 70s. A confluence of stately houses and hip young things, Dupont is a great place to spend an afternoon, and sure, even some money.

Hop on the G2 bus from Georgetown and start your day at Soho Tea and Coffee (2150 P St. NW). The owners are chatty and charming, but order while on your cell and expect to be greeted with an upturned nose. Pick up a copy of the Blade, Washington’s LGBT newspaper, and acclimate yourself to Dupont’s culture while enjoying the colorful décor and free WiFi. Next, join the crowd at Tangysweet (2029 P St. NW), a frozen yogurt shop. You’ll be faced with a bit of a wait, but the tart fro-yo and fresh toppings are well worth the time.

Ampersand: Kramerbooks & Afterwords Café has got what you need—if you need lots of books and baked goods.
Lynn Kirshbaum

Once you’ve gotten your cool refreshment, head to the Dupont neighborhood’s most prominent attraction: the circle. Sit by the fountain and enjoy the charm of grass in the middle of the city, as well as the host of colorful characters that call the neighborhood home, from the looney to the yuppie to the well-heeled college student.

At Kramerbooks & Afterwords Café (1517 Connecticut Avenue) you can find books on the philosophy of The Big Lebowski or subway systems of the world just as easily as Nabokov or Anne Lamott. The food at Afterwords, located in the back of the store with an outdoor seating area, shares the same fantastic quirky atmosphere, and you should save room for one of their decadent desserts.

Just down the street is the Melody Record Shop (1623 Connecticut Ave). They say that real indie record stores are dying out, but Melody, which has been here for 33 years, certainly doesn’t feel like its on its last legs. It’s got every type of music you could think of, including a great international selection, not to mention books, DVDs, cool posters and convenient listening stations. Sure, you can find Katy Perry here, but she’s next to Liz Phair, Roy Orbison and Finnish techno.

Next door is the Lambda Rising Bookstore (1625 Connecticut Ave), which combines two of the things Dupont Circle does best—gay rights and books. You can find absolutely anything in a rainbow pattern, as well as lots of interesting porn and kid’s books about gay penguins.

If you want a glimpse of what all those impeccably decorated Dupont apartments must look like, drop by Tabletop (1608 20th St). Their well-selected stock, which they accurately describe as “functional objects for all surfaces,” is characterized by smooth lines and innovative shapes.

Further up Connecticut Avenue is a little hole in the wall called The Newsroom (1803 Connecticut Ave). A bastion of old-media journalism, its goal is to “deliver the World news today,” and it accomplishes this by offering more than 450 titles from around the world, from the Courier-Journal of Louisville, Kentucky to the Pravda of Slovakia and the Okinawa Times. It’s easy to get sucked into reading, and the store conveniently doubles as a café, with an array of pastries, ice creams and charming tables to sit at while perusing the news from Italy, Morocco, China, and points beyond.

Grab a sinfully refreshing mango lassi from Teaism (2009 R St. NW), a woodsy tea shop featuring exotic teas and Asian food (everything from Japanese bento boxes to curries to miso soup) and continue down R Street, home to many independent galleries in gorgeous three-story townhouses. The hours can be irregular, as they cater to buyers who make appointments, but you can usually catch a few open at mid-day. Try Primimoda (2010 R Street), an airy two story gallery featuring African sculpture, furniture, and paintings. Continue your walk to the Textile Museum (2320 S Street), which is considerably more interesting than its name suggests. The mansion-turned-museum tries to find hip angles in their presentation of the woven arts to cater to Dupont’s trendy crowd; one current exhibition entitled “Blue” features five contemporary artists who use indigo in their work and delves into the history of the dye, from 7th century Egyptian fabrics to a 19th-century pair of Levi jeans.

—Sara Carothers and Shira Hecht

Silver Spring

Missing the siren song of suburbia? Young and hip as you may be, sometimes we all yearn for the charms of zoned shopping and clean sidewalks. Unpretentious and familiar, downtown Silver Spring, Maryland is just the antidote you’ll need to quell your feelings of inadequacy after a couple of weeks of walking the chi-chi streets of Georgetown. With an abundance of petunia-festooned planters and a bevy of shopping and dining options, Silver Spring is probably a lot like your own hometown, except hipper and with no curfew.

Your adventuresome afternoon delights in the great state of Maryland start with a simple Metro ride. Just hop on a Dupont Circle-bound GUTS bus and grab the Red Line heading in the direction of Glenmont. The ride is about 40 minutes long, sufficient time to forge a lasting friendship with your seat partner. Famished from your tangle with public transportation, food will be in order once you arrive in Silver Spring. Located in the heart of downtown’s shopping area on Ellsworth Drive, Restaurante Ceviche (919 Ellsworth Dr.) is an unexpectedly urban joint for the ‘burbs. The sleek, streamlined interior features dark wood, red leather and uncommonly reasonable prices for its South American-Caribbean fusion cuisine. For a light lunch, try the Ceviche de camarones ($7), shrimp garnished with cilantro and onion, and swimming in delightfully sharp-tasting pool of lime juice. The restaurant’s Aji de gallina ($11), a spicy compilation of pulled chicken, potatoes, and rice is delicious, filling fare as well, especially when paired with Ceviche’s yucca wedges ($4).

A quick walk from the restaurant to Georgia Avenue will take you to Marimekko (8519 Georgia Ave.), a sterile white oasis of style featuring Finnish clothing and home products. In all likelihood, you won’t be able to afford any of the overpriced mod-print dresses or bold plastic-wear, but browsing the array of vivid fabrics and sleek designs is well worth a trip inside. Even the conscientiously pretentious staff provides amusement, uniformly outfitted in skinny jeans, oversized glasses, and expertly ignoring customers in an effort to maintain an aura of Scandinavian cool. For a change of pace, walk two blocks down to Bonifant Street, where you’ll find The Pennyworth Shop (955 Bonifont St.), a homey antique store. From books to muumuus to intriguing jewelry, the store is bursting with stylistic diamonds in the rough, and a welcoming and friendly staff.

In need of an afternoon pick-me-up, you should look no further than the legendary D.C. sweets shop, Cakelove (935 Ellsworth Dr.). Featuring a decadent array of cakes, cupcakes, cookies and scones, the bakery also features vegan and gluten-free options to satisfy even the fussiest of eaters. Best enjoyed at room temperature, it’s wise to take your slice into the sunlit outdoor seating. With a psychedelically colorful fountain and a gaggle of screaming kiddies getting their summer kicks, the sunny patio area will warm not only your vitamin D deficient skin, but the cockles of your heart as well.

Latin Flavor: Ceviche’s fusion experience will have you forgetting you are in Maryland.
Nicole Bush

Retail therapy is good for the soul, too. Situated just across the street from the sun-soaked fountain area is mega makeup store, Ulta (914 Ellsworth Dr.). Cheaper and bigger than Sephora, Ulta is a cosmetologist’s dream, filled with enough perfumes and lipsticks to make you look and smell like a west Texas bordello. The Voice’s favorite product? O-Glow, a sheer cheek gloss that gives its wearer an attractive orgasmic flush. Speaking of sex, stop by deep-discount department store Steve & Barry’s (8661 Colesville Rd.), which features the clothing line of America’s favorite goddess of materialism, Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker. The star’s designs for the Bitten line are much like standard Gap basics, except that everything sold in Steve & Barry’s, from suit jackets to jeans to lingerie, is $8.95. Head there soon to enjoy the bargains though; the company filed for bankruptcy in July.

Weary of walking, you’ll want to cap off your day of wholesome fun with a trip down memory lane in one of the comfy seats at the AFI Silver Theatre (8633 Colesville Rd.). The venue features classic movies like Lawrence of Arabia, Dirty Dancing and Doctor Zhivago, as well as recent films such as Brideshead Revisited and Man on Wire. Sure, it’s a hike, but Patrick Swayze’s muscles and Peter O’Toole’s baby blues were made for the big screen.

—Clare Malone

Capitol Hill

Capitol Hill proper, despite giving Washington its reason to exist, isn’t all that interesting unless you dig tours of Senate offices. The federal government takes up room that should belong to restaurants, and God knows that all those people in suits and ID badges aren’t there to shop. But fear not, the area has some gems that help buck the neighborhood’s historically stodgy reputation.

To get to Capitol Hill, take the GUTS bus to the Rosslyn Metro stop (get on at Leo’s or the Car Barn). If GUTS isn’t running, take a Metro Connection bus from the pick up to the Metro station. Once you’re at the Metro, get on the Blue or Orange Line train heading in the direction of New Carrollton or Largo Town Center.

Boo!: Woven History, on 7th Street near Eastern Market, Shows you its grill face.
Will Sommer

To escape D.C.’s concrete jungle, stop at the Botanical Gardens (100 Maryland Ave.), just a few blocks from the Capitol South Metro. Walk towards Congress until you hit Independence Avenue, then take a left. Keep walking until you see a building that looks like an oversized greenhouse, because, well, it is. The only place you can see orchids in the middle of DC’s frigid winter, the Botanical Gardens might be too balmy for some in the heat of August, but the gorgeous plants and rainforest clime will be a treat come the cold months.

After you’re done with the gardens, you’ve sucked the immediate Capitol’s non-museum opportunities dry. Begin a blocks-long journey to Eastern Market (7th St. & North Carolina Ave.), but first stop at Bullfeathers (410 1st St.), one block from Capitol South Metro. Named after Teddy Roosevelt’s polite euphemism, Bullfeathers serves typical bar fare, but executes its art better than most. The chicken fingers come in a suspicious beer batter, but dip them in ranch dressing and you won’t even remember Chicken Finger Thursday. Better yet, splurge on burgers and potato skins—you’ll walk them off.

Now you’re ready to trek to Eastern Market, the District’s premier flea market. Walk east on D Street until it becomes North Carolina, then take a right on Seward Square. Follow Pennsylvania Avenue until it meets 7th Street, then take a left. Though it sounds monotonous on paper, your walk won’t be—beautifully-painted row houses will keep your mind off your aching feet. If the ambulatory challenge is still too great for you, Eastern Market has a Metro stop as well.

A fire destroyed much of Eastern Market last year, but the temporary market across the street keeps the D.C. tradition alive. Inside the enormous tent, vendors hawk everything from pig’s feet to gummy worms. Eastern Market has enough variety to provide you with a dozen surprising dinner options, proving that your D.C. shopping excursion doesn’t have to end with a trip to Vital Vittles and CVS.

After the market, check out the other unique shops nearby. Clothes Encounters of a Second Kind (202 7th St.) does thrift stores right—most of the clothes are delightfully gauche and the prices appropriately low. That tacky fuchsia prom dress is only ten dollars, and the jacket your grandmother threw out ten years ago just five, but if you dig through the over-stuffed racks long enough you’ll find neat skirts and vintage-looking purses. The Remix (645 Pennsylvania Ave.) has a more upscale selection of vintage clothing if you just can’t stomach too much of the thrill of the hunt.

The pig’s feet and shabby jackets, however, pale in comparison to Capitol Hill Books (657 C St.). The store’s owner makes the best of his tiny row-house space, piling stacks upon stacks of books into every available corner, including the bathroom. Hand-written signs point to different sections and reveal the employees’ political leanings (surprise! they don’t like Dick Cheney or Ann Coulter). Whether you want the Bobsey Twins, DC’s most famous murders, or Harry Potter, Capitol Hill Books has it and a delightful, doddering staff to sell it.

—Kate Mays and Will Sommer

U Street

U Street and its surrounding area are probably best known to students as the home of the 9:30 Club and Ben’s Chili Bowl. But even aside from pop music venues and greasy food, the area has tons to offer. As one of the city’s most vibrant and storied African-American neighborhoods, it offers plenty of places to relax, learn, and listen to music.

But first you’ve got to get there. To use public buses, take the G2 from the front gates of campus to P St. and 14th, where you can catch the 52 Bus to U St. The transit takes between a half hour and forty-five minutes. If you’d prefer, you can also take the Metro. First you’ve got to get to L’Enfant Plaza from Rosslyn and transfer to the Green Line, and then you can get off at the U St./African-American Memorial stop.

Lynn Kirshbaum

Right when you get off, you’ll see Ben’s Chili Bowl (1213 U St.). Proudly “black owned and operated since 1958,” Ben’s offers some of the tastiest, greasiest food in D.C. Home to the famous chili half-smoke, expect a sizeable line and a waitstaff so charismatic they deserve their own reality show. But don’t expect any special treatment—according to a sign in their kitchen, only Bill Cosby (their biggest fan) gets to eat for free. Still, at $3.60 for a chili dog with chips, Ben’s won’t empty your wallet. And if you can figure out how to get there post-partying, it’s open late (2 a.m. on weekdays, 4 a.m. on weekends).

If you’re looking to relax for a few hours, head to Busboys and Poets (2021 14th St.), a lounge/bookstore/restaurant just down the road. Founded in 2005 by an Iraqi-American artist, Busboys is as colorful as it is multifaceted. You’ll find yourself amidst a diverse laptop-toting crowd eager to take advantage of the free wireless internet, comfortable couches, and excellent sandwiches. But the real draw is its reputation as an intellectual breeding ground for constructive and creative discussion, with a heavy anti-war and social justice emphasis. Every Tuesday at 9 p.m., Busboys hosts an open mic night ($4 admission) that features both renowned regulars and unseasoned newcomers. Expect a full house.

Lynn Kirshbaum

While the African-American Civil War Museum (1200 U St.) is smaller in scope than Washington’s fabled multi-exhibit museums, its intimacy gives it a certain appeal that the Smithsonian lacks, and admission is free.

Hit up 9th St. after the museum for Little Ethiopia, which has a whopping nine Ethiopian restaurants all within a block or two. One of the best is Etete (1942 9th St.), which offers an upscale environment and slightly pricier food than the others nearby. But considering some of the dishes have been prepared for over five hours, it’s a bargain at $10 to $14 an entrée. For a more casual affair, cross the street to Queen Makeda Ethiopian Restaurant (1917 9th St.).

If you’ve got time at the end of your night, be sure to check out either Bohemian Caverns (2001 11th St.) or Twins Jazz (1344 U St.), both of which are legendary D.C. nightspots. The Caverns opened in the ‘20s when the likes of Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway performed there. Over the years the club has diversified its musical offerings, but weekends are still reserved for jazz. The interior is beautiful—it really is a cavern, an underground retreat with worn rock walls that look like stalagtites, sparse light, and a beautiful bar. Twins Jazz is newer with a low-key setting, but it has gained an equally strong reputation for its jazz offerings.

—Justin Hunter Scott and Eliott Grover



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