DC Areas
 

I'm a New Yorker who will be visiting DC in late January with my wife. Just curious about areas to avoid in DC...is the crime thing overstated (as it is here in NYC)? For instance, someone mentioned the area around Eastern Market as being interesting with some restaurants and such...is that a "good" area? How about U Street Corridor? I realize everything is relative in terms of "good" and "bad" but assume you were visiting DC for the first time and want to get a good feel for the city beyond just the monuments/museums. Thanks so much!!!

Welcome to DC, I think you will find it safe and warmer than New York during your visit. Eastern Market and U Street are both areas undergoing development. Some restaurants near U Street include the famous Ben's Chili Bowl, Cafe St. Ex, The Little Fountain (french food, half-price wine bottles on Wednesday). Since you're coming from NYC, I think you'll find that the same advice for safety that carries you there will work in the District.

Near Eastern Market, more towards Capitol Hill are some good restaurants, such as the Belga Cafe. Try checking out www.dcist.com and www.dcfoodies.com for info on local restaurants and happenings.

The Chinatown/MCI Center area has a wide variety of restaurants as well.

Swimmr gives excellent advice..I suggest you heed it.

I also trust your words "good" and "bad" are not euphemisms for "white" and "non-white."

I agree that if you are from NYC, you won't have any trouble handling DC. All the places a tourist would want to go is going to be safe. The Eastern Market neighborhood is really interesting with great architecture. U Street is very "hot" right now, and a neighborhood where you will see a livelier, multicultural nightlife and scene.

I explored Eastern Market and U Street area during my September trip to DC. Just my husband and I (30-something conservative white folks) from Vancouver, Canada. I always felt safe in both areas (as I have in New York).

I'm sure a New Yorker would not feel uncomfortable in the least -- they are very vibrant and great areas. We took in a Sunday Gospel Mass at the Catholic church in U Street area and were made to feel very welcome. Don't miss buying yourself a treat at Cake Love.

Got to love DC!

EASTERN MARKET:
Eastern Market neighborhood is VERY residential but would be a nice visit - especially early on a weekend for the craft/artist market and stalls. I would meander (walk) through the neighborhood streets between the Capitol bldg and the market to get there. Standout restaurants in the area are Montmarte and Belga Cafe (both need reservations) there are many other less expensive options on 7th St SE (between Penn Ave & Independence Ave) and on 8th St. SE (between Penn Ave & I (Eye) St.

http://www.montmartre.us/
http://www.belgacafe.com/



U ST. (between 14th & 10th)
Kind of dull during the day, but red hot at night (esp. weekends). Cafe St. Ex has best grub in neighborhood, IMO (also great bar). It seems every other place on U st. is a pub, nightclub or restaurant (or both), including many Ethiopian restaurants/nightclubs. Every kind of music: rock, R&B, jazz, techno, etc. etc. For famous acts try the 9:30 club a few blocks away.

http://www.saint-ex.com/
http://www.930.com

Thanks for all the information! The restaurants look excellent! Any other "best kept secrets" to check out? I've heard the obligatory Adams-Morgan/Dupont Circle recommendations (and I intend to visit both)...is there anyplace that you'd suggest we visit? Also, intrepid1, there was nothing hidden in my use of "good" and "bad"--and you don't actually know what race I am anyway, do you?

<<is there anyplace that you'd suggest we visit?>>
Do you mean sights or restaurants/bars/cafes?
I hesitate to arbitrarily suggest any activities without knowing anything about you.
What are your interests/hobbies/jobs/likes/dislikes/favorite bands?

One "secret" I'll suggest is the Flying Scotsman, just north of the Nat'l Gallery of Art (sort of hidden in an alley). A good place to recharge between museums.
http://www.flyingscotsman-dc.com/

gummo66,
I can understand intrepid1 being sensitive regarding the terms "good" and "bad" areas. Unfortunately, many in the DC area (usually sub-urbanites) use those terms to refer to "white" and "black" areas. Of course, not being from here you had no way of knowing that. I'm imagine intrepid1 was just trying to alert you of this unfortunate reality.

Bardo is right. DC is a city defined by race, in many ways, and "good" and "bad" are seen to have race contexts since "good" neighborhoods tend to be white and "bad" neighborhoods tend to be black.

I think U Street is the neighborhood most tourists don't get to, but they should. Another would maybe be Logan Circle (just south of U street) which is the new "hot" neighborhood. Good restaurants and bars and a number of interesting shops.

Thanks for the clarification regarding the race issue and the coded "good" "bad" thing. It's true that I was completely ignorant of this, and never, ever meant to suggest anything or offend anyone.

With that out of the way...bardo1--you asked about hobbies etc, to determine what to recommend. Well, my wife and I are in our late 20s/early 30s, we live in NYC, we are Graphic Designers who both work in publishing, we're generally open-minded and interested in seeing the "real" DC. The truth is, if we love it we might even consider moving there. That's actually how we ended up in NYC. We generally prefer indie/modern/whatever it's called music to what the kids are listening to these days, and we both love to eat and drink (eclectic or ethnic over chains), and we love rummaging in used book/record stores. We dislike sports bars as a rule (definitely when we travel) and we don't want to be surrounded by tourists during our entire visit (though we do intend to see the typical monuments/buildings while we are there).

I guess if it were NYC we were visiting, we'd rather spend most of our time in the West Village, Williamsburg, UWS, or Fort Green than in Times Square.

Thanks again, everyone, for your fantastic help. Sorry for the long post. MikeT, I have heard U Street is interesting, and I will definitely check it out!

One more thing--The Flying Scotsman looks interesting...thanks!

It's bit of a generalization that it's ``usually sub-urbanites'' that use the black/white code. In that case, my suburban house would be a good and bad area. Perhaps I should paint a line down the middle.

While DC has a wonderful diversity if you look at the raw numbers, it's still very much a segregated city if you look at the way groups are spread through the city.

Meanwhile, my local first-tier HS area has an equal percentage of white and black students, no single demographic with more than 36 percent, plus an IB program.

I'd love to live in DC, but with a school-aged kid with learning disabilities and without the $22.5K per year for private school, it's not an option. There's no getting around it: DC public schools are an ongoing tragedy.

Gummo,

Let put this in terms you can figure out or at least make comparable. Both area's are very safe and I would equate them with about Alphabet City on Avenue A and B and Tompkins Sq. park. Both are very safe but if you wander farther east as in Ave C or D. I would not think you are in danger but it might not be somewhere I wander around at 3 AM. The same can be said for U St. and Eastern Market. I would have no problem wandering around EM or UST at any time but if I went farther east of EM or UST at 14th st after midnight I might be concerned.

Moreover, if you go to Adams Morgan at night, you would be remiss to not partake in a DC tradition of eating a slice of pizza at PizzaMart. Not quite NYC but close.

Many thanks cguest...that actually makes perfect sense. And I'll happily try the pie at PizzaMart in Adams Morgan...

gummo66,
Based on your comments, I would plan to see Eastern Market on a Saturday AM: Walk the Cap. Hill neighborhood (lettered & numbered streets as opposed to the commercial Penn Ave) betweeen the Capitol/Supreme Ct. and the market. Check out the artist/craft/antique wares, and find a cafe to your liking afterword to unwind before leaving the Hill. You can metro back from Eastern Market metro.

http://easternmarketdc.com/

Eastern Market area map:
http://www.stationmasters.com/System.../easternm.html

Second Story Books right off Dupont Circle at 20th & P is a treasure of used books and records. Don't Miss. While in the neighborhood, there are some great restaurants of all types/budgets. Also a good area to wander - particularly north and east of the circle. 17th St. between P and T st. has a lot of very casual spots.

Dupont area map:
http://www.stationmasters.com/System.../dupontci.html

There are a bunch of Ethiopian Restaurants on U st, but if you're only hitting one, Dukem is the obvious choice. Go for dinner. Afterwords, just wander U st. between 10th & 14th (although there are many others nearby, such as the 9:30). If you like the vibe/sounds of the place, there you are.

http://www.dukemrestaurant.com/

U st. area map:
http://www.stationmasters.com/System.../ustcardo.html

You can get a fantastic breakfast at Eastern Market (the actual markethouse) on the weekends--well, maybe the weekdays, too, but I've only done it on the weekends. If you see a big line, get in it, as that's for the little breakfast counter.

You've gotten some great advice so far, and I'm glad you're interested in checking out the "real" DC. The 14th and U Street area is a great one, as is Logan Circle (although Logan is not quite as vibrant commercially yet, but there's some great architecture and nice historic blocks to wander around). In the U Street area, there's a historic walking tour you can take - it's self-guided via signs posted every couple of blocks or so (you'll see them if you start walking around and can then follow the trail from any point). Great historical tidbits about the area, which used to be known as the "Black Broadway" and was home to Duke Ellington, etc.

Definitely get lunch or a late-night snack at Ben's Chili Bowl. And Ethiopian is another great suggestion - may be one of the very few cuisines you can't find as readily in NYC. Dukem is a good choice on U St, or you could try Meskerem in Adams Morgan on 18th Street. Across from Dukem is a great Caribbean place called the Islander too (but don't go if you're in a hurry because service is definitely on island time!).

If you're into indie music, be sure to check out the Black Cat on 14th and S. There's a bar downstairs called the Red Room where you can drink w/ no cover, or there are bands upstairs. Also often DJ's in the backstage bar. You can find their schedule online. And as someone else mentioned, the 9:30 Club is an excellent venue with an amazing sound system - if you're lucky, someone you like will be playing there while you're in town.

For good Thai food, try Rice on 14th St. (I think P or Q is the cross street). Also on 14th (mostly between S and T) are a string of great, funky shops like Home Rule and Go Mama Go.

And if you like vintage stuff, check out Meeps on 16th and U for clothing, or Millenium for furniture.

Enjoy your visit!

Whoa--I'm completely stunned by all the great information! Bardo and CircleK: you both have given me such a great amount of detail. I'm printing all of these helpful posts as I write this so that I can bring them along and discreetly refer to them (so as not to look like a stupid tourist). Thanks again, everyone. Fantastic information.

One other area to check out (didn't notice whether anyone else mentioned it) is Penn Quarter (basically, Chinatown area surrounding the MCI Center). It's sort of contiguous to the mall area (to the north of Pennsylvania Ave), so you could head up that direction after visiting museums or monuments. A few art galleries, some shopping, movie theaters, and great restaurants. There's lots to choose from, but my top restaurant picks in the area are Zaytinya (small plates of Turkish/Greek/Mediterranean influence) and Jaleo (same owner/chef as Zaytinya, but this one is Spanish tapas). Also would recommend Matchbox for decent pizza and amazing mini-burgers.

If you go to washingtonpost.com, you can find reviews, directions, etc. for all these restaurants.

And a couple more things... (sorry I am totally on a roll and trying to avoid working) - if you're looking for a good bar that's not a real scene but where locals of the more indie persuasion hang out, in addition to Black Cat which is my favorite, there is also DC9, which is relatively new and on the corner of 9th and U. Adams Morgan can be fun, but I find that on a weekend it is like an enormous frat party. That said, one bar definitely worth stopping into if you're in A-M is Pharmacy Bar on 18th St. The Reef is decent too.

Also, Bob Mould of Husker Du(a DC resident) spins records at the back bar of the 9:30 Club on a semi-regular basis - the night is called Blowoff. Not sure what upcoming dates are.

And finally (I swear), you might want to check out Mount Pleasant, which is basically the neighborhood north of Adams Morgan. It's largely Hispanic, but a very diverse collection of people. Some cool, very low-key spots to hang out, and it's fun to just walk around. Good bar - the Raven on Mt. Pleasant St. Total dive with cheap beer, awesome jukebox and very neighborhood feel.

OK, seriously, that's it. But you're welcome to email me if you have any more questions - [email protected]