Areas to walk around in, in Washington DC (house, neighborhoods)

[Redrum237]

I asked a similar question in the Philadelphia forum about that city, and I'm also going to DC, so I'll pose the same question here; what are some nice neighborhoods to walk around in, in Washington DC? Georgetown for one seems obvious, but more specific locations and other locations would be appreciated too. Generally I'd like to see neighborhoods with nice architecture, good street life, etc. Also reccomendations on restaurants would be appreciated. Thanks!

[jmusmc85]

Dupont Circle is another obvious choice. You can walk from Dupont to Logan Circle, both areas have tons of shopping and eating places though not as much as Georgetown. Also, take a stroll through Old Town Alexandria for a similar vibe. I hear Capital Hill is nice too, though I really haven't seen much besides the Capitol Building and Barracks Row.

[TheseGoTo11]

Good way to tie different neighborhoods is to start at P Street in Georgetown (between 27th and 30th Street) and walk straight down P to 13th Street at Logan Circle - you'll pass right through Dupont Circle and will see good mix of DC architecture. If you walk from 30th to 13th straight down P, it's about a mile and a half.

You can add some interesting spots along the way by heading north of this route. Heading 1-2 blocks north to Q and R Street in Georgetown will bring you to Dumbarton House. Q Street around 21st will bring you to the Phillips Collection art museum. And if you head north from P between Connecticut Avenue and 17th you'll hit areas of ethnic restaurants/bars, etc.

If you walk up 18th Street for 10 minutes north of P, you'll hit Adams-Morgan, a big bar/restaurant neighborhood - just north of U Street. U Street itself is also a big bar/restaurant neighborhood between 18th and 12th.

I walk this area frequently and can provide more detail if you need it, but center your walk on P street and you'll see more interesting pieces of the city outside of Georgetown.

Also, you'll be walking through mostly wealthy areas, so fairly safe, although things start to go downhill if you head east (lower street numbers) of 11th street and P NW. I usually end my walks right at Logan Circle, which is at 13th and P.

You can do a second walk (or tie it to your first one if you've got the energy) by heading south on 13th through downtown to Penn Ave. From there head east and the Capitol Dome will be right in your face. You can walk around the dome to the south and continue on Penn Ave to 8th Street SE, where you'll hit Eastern Market and go through the Capitol Hill neighborhood. There are bars/restaurants around 4th and Penn SE, and a lot on 8th Street SE just south of Penn Ave.

If you head south from there and turn to your right you'll reach Nationals Park, our new baseball stadium. If you turn north you'll hit East Capitol Street and Lincoln Park at 11th and East Capitol. Because you're now in the east side of the city, the neighborhoods start to get worse as the street numbers go up. And east of 13th it's start to get fairly sketchy.

Guess I'd say I have the rule of 13s to stay out of the sketchy areas - If you're in the NW quadrant you want street numbers higher than 13, in the SE and NE quadrants you want them under 13. But I've walked all over most major US cities and DC is my favorite walking city, have a good trip!

[TheseGoTo11]

specific restaurant recommendations - there are tons within a block of P street between 30th and 13th, depends on what you like

one of my favorite cheap eats though is Julia's Empanadas, there's one near Dupont Circle, guess it's a couple blocks south of P on Connecticut Ave, and another one in Adams-Morgan on 18th St, about 10 minute walk north of P

another favorite is a Korean restaurant Mandu - which is on 18th by S Street

[smakawhat]

Julia's is a great cheap bite. Good and cheap bites in DC are hard to come by ecspecially downtown...

If you have ideas of what food you want we can help you out with more specific restaurants...

[slowlane]

At 22nd and S Streets, N.W. you can see the beautiful "Spanish Steps" which some compare to the famous ones in Rome, Italy. This is in the "Kalorama" neighborhood which in the Greek language means something like "scenic view."

At 2401 Kalorama Circle is "The Lindens" a house originally built in 1754 in Danvers, Mass., and moved to D.C. in 1935 and reconstructed. Therefore it's the oldest house in D.C. although it was not always located there.

[TheseGoTo11]

Originally Posted by slowlane

At 22nd and S Streets, N.W. you can see the beautiful "Spanish Steps" which some compare to the famous ones in Rome, Italy. This is in the "Kalorama" neighborhood which in the Greek language means something like "scenic view."

good call

also a cool view looking down on 22nd street from the top of the steps

[slowlane]

Next door to "The Lindens" by the way, is the French Embassy building.

[CHIP72]

If you like steaks, head to Ray's the Classics in downtown Silver Spring. It is very close to the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road.

Speaking of Silver Spring, the DC neighborhood that borders Silver Spring, Shepherd Park, has some interesting architecture, especially just north of Walter Reed Hospital, and is also very walkable. (I personally take my exercise walks through that neighborhood all the time.) However, Shepherd Park, unlike some of the other neighborhoods already mentioned, is entirely single family residential with essentially no commercial development.

[DCnative1990]

Originally Posted by CHIP72

with essentially no commercial development.

Which is a good thing

One of the only places in Northwest that still looks the same as it did 10 years ago.