Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
U Street is currently the front runner, but H Street is hot on its heels. Does H Street have the infrastructure to take over U Street as the city's prime nightlife destination or does U Street's Metro accessibility, proximity to Adams-Morgan and location in Northwest DC give it an insurmountable advantage?
Which street has (or will have) a better streetscape, better bars/restaurants, and more pedestrian traffic?
Good thread btw! I have been thinking about this a lot lately and have come to the conclusion that H street will surpass U street in the near future as the hot spot destintation. Correct me if i am wrong but H street seems like it can accomodate more clubs and restaurants than U street. Plus, it has a bohemian, hippie/grunge vibe that U street has lost. U street is definitely more polished but H is getting better. The layout and feel of H street reminds me of Chicago for some odd reason.
But the streetcar will be pretty sweet even though it's not as practical as Metro. There is something admittedly kinda cool about having a streetcar running down the street. You don't see that in many cities.
Yeah I think H Street will be a true competitor against U Street once the streetcar goes live. Until then, U St will have the public transportation advantage. I do wonder if the demographics of H St will change though. I've only been there twice, and never to the bars, but from what I gather it's full of more hipster, creative types. U Street is very diverse but it seems more upscale.
U Street will carry this torch for the forseeable future. There is the aformentioned Metro station, of course, which aids significantly in its accessibility (as does the Circulator line). Even once the streetcar line comes to H Street, it won't be as connected into the transit system as U Street is.
But more importantly, U Street lies smack in the middle of the most dense and energetic part of DC. Logan and Dupont lie to its immediate south, Columbia Heights is to the north, and Adams-Morgan lies to its north and west. There's a tremendous amount of traffic on U Street pretty much every night of the week, and the development along the corridor continues to march eastward. (Witness the new Shaw's Tavern, opening this week at 5th and Florida, or the new Euro bistro that will be opening across the street.) H Street's turnaround has been remarkable, but it remains a largely isolated corridor.
Also, as H Street continues to improve, I think you're going to begin to see a greater diversity of retail begin to appear along the corridor--particularly as some of the new infill developments begin coming on line. Bars and restaurants are great, but a commercial corridor needs to offer more than that in order to service the nearby residents. So things like dry cleaners, drugstores, hardware stores, pet supplies and vet clinics, clothing stores, gyms, gocery stores, etc. will all become part of the retail mix. The bars and restaurants will eventually reach a saturation point.
I haven't hit up the H street area though. I was in U street a few weeks back, it was OK. We went to Marvin's and some other place, I think it was a Jumbo Slice place, it had club music and lights going off. I was already hammered and the music plus the lights didn't help at all. U Street is still sketch in my book. I prefer Adams Morgan, then Dupont.
The one advantage I think H Street has is that it's longer (or at least it seems that way to me). Most of the good stuff on U Street is concentrated between 11th and 16th Streets. After 16th Street, it kinda hits a deadzone with rowhouses on both sides of the block. H Street has the potential to be about 8 or 9 consecutive solid blocks of retail, dining, and entertainment options. The only thing that might keep it from reaching its full potential are the Auto Zone and that little strip mall.
And like I said before, the streetcar will be an attraction all on its own. You can already hear the sounds of the doors opening and people rushing off to get to Smith Commons or the H Street Country Club.
I haven't hit up the H street area though. I was in U street a few weeks back, it was OK. We went to Marvin's and some other place, I think it was a Jumbo Slice place, it had club music and lights going off. I was already hammered and the music plus the lights didn't help at all. U Street is still sketch in my book. I prefer Adams Morgan, then Dupont.
If you think U Street is sketch, you'll *love" H Street.
For me it's U Street. H Street nightlife still doesn't seem like it caters to a diverse crowd as opposed to U Street. Along that 10th - 13th st. stretch, the crowd is still mostly all white
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
