This past Saturday, three friends and I set out on a quest to find the District’s best record stores. By “quest” I mean we had a list of five shops located on various state, numbered and lettered streets. By “best” I mean establishments other than national chains such as FYE.
What we experienced was not, in fact, a demonstration of thriving independent businesses, but rather a marked paucity of such entrepreneurs. More importantly, we embarked on a walking tour of parts of the city previously unknown to us and had the most fun when vaguely unsure of where we were.
We began in Dupont Circle, emerging from the artificial air of the Metro stop to be bombarded with the biting breath of January. Our first stop was Melody Record Shop, just a few blocks away. With genres clearly identified but many artists’ works missing, the store did not entice us to make any purchases.
Leaving the store, we wandered in search of Florida Avenue. Within about 15 minutes of our-appendages-are-freezing speed walking and a stop into a neighboring consignment store and bakery, we arrived in Adams Morgan.
I am sad to belatedly report that a sign on DCCD’s storefront declared that they had “closed forever” on Dec. 18. Forced to walk on, we stumbled upon The CD/Game Exchange, whose dingy interior offered CDs in locked glass cases along the walls, $3 VHSes, and a small collection of vinyl and of movie posters.
Frozen and ready to head back, we walked in the direction of a fabled Metro stop supposedly closer than Dupont Circle. We unwittingly found ourselves in the Mount Pleasant area, home to a thriving Hispanic community, and Columbia Heights, with the sculpture-filled Meridian Hill Park, part of Rock Creek Park.
The cold kept us from lingering in these areas, but did not prevent us from enjoying the spontaneity of our sightseeing. Walking back to Dupont Circle for its very real Metro, we passed several embassies we had never seen, including Lithuania and Rwanda. We then walked the approximate 1.5 miles back to campus from Dupont Circle, which is more bearable than you might think.
The random stores, streets, and structures that we found, plus the fact that the entire day only cost me the price of half a sandwich, a beverage and $1.20 in Metro fare made this one of my most enjoyable outings in the city. The Smithsonian may be free, but getting a little lost costs only a few dollars more and shows you the real District.
Melody Record Shop is located at 1623 Connecticut Ave. N.W., and The CD/Game Exchange can be found at 2475 18th St. N.W. Meridian Hill Park is bordered by 16th, Euclid, 15th and W Streets.
