Capitol Hill Neighborhood

Where: East of the Capitol dome, reaching into the Northeast and Southeast quadrants of the city.

What’s in a name: City designer Pierre L’Enfant picked this location once known as Jenkins Hill – and now often referred to as “the Hill” – to be the seat of the legislative branch of government. The Barracks Row section of the neighborhood takes its name from the nearby Marine Barracks, home to the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Thumbnail: The Capitol Hill neighborhood packs powerful attractions like the Library of Congress and Supreme Court and beautiful treasures like the Folger Shakespeare Library, National Postal Museum and Union Station. Locals start their weekends by stocking up on fresh veggies and shopping for unique arts and crafts at Eastern Market. In the evening, the place to be is Barracks Row, located along 8th Street SE.

Calling cards: Feast on blueberry buckwheat pancakes at Eastern Market then browse used books, antiques, arts, crafts and more. Catch a Shakespearean production in the Folger’s Globe-style theatre. Marvel at DC’s architectural beauty inside the magnificent Library of Congress and Union Station. Listen to the stirring notes of the U.S. Marine Band during a Friday evening parade.

Getting there: Take Metro to Capitol South, Eastern Market or Union Station or the Circulator bus to Union Station.

Explore the Neighborhood

Get to know the neighborhood that thrives in the shadow of the Capitol dome through Tour of Duty: Barracks Row Heritage Trail, a self-guided tour designed to introduce you to the neighborhood's rich military and political history.

Trail highlights include:

• March King John Philip Sousa's birthplace and training ground
• The oldest continuously manned Marine installation in the nation
• Home of the first woman White House correspondent, Emily Edson Briggs
• The city's oldest Episcopal congregation, where Thomas Jefferson and John Quincy Adams worshiped.

From: http://washington.org,

Downtown Washington, DC

Where: North of the National Mall between the White House and the Capitol.

What’s in a name: Downtown DC has come to signify urban revitalization and the rise of new districts like Penn Quarter, a dining and entertainment hotspot named for its proximity to Pennsylvania Avenue.

Thumbnail: Museums, theatres and galleries share the streets with hot new restaurants, lounges and hotels in downtown. The neighborhood is full of must-see sights like the International Spy Museum, Newseum, Madame Tussauds, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the new National Museum of Crime and Punishment, Ford’s Theatre and more. DC’s Chinatown is nestled in the heart of the neighborhood, marked by the brightly colored “Friendship Arch” that spans H Street. It’s also home to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and the Verizon Center, which hosts college and professional sports action and star-studded concerts all year round.

Calling Cards: View a complete collection of presidential portraits at the National Portrait Gallery, and watch art preservationists at work in the Luce Conservation Center. Try your hand at espionage in Operation Spy, an interactive experience at the International Spy Museum. Catch a mid-day production or lecture at the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Harman Center for the Arts.

Getting there: Take Metro to Gallery Pl-Chinatown, Metro Center, Archives-Navy Mem’l-Penn Quarter, or take the Circulator’s east-west or north-south route.

Explore the Neighborhood

A crossroads of culture and entertainment, Downtown has served as the backdrop of pivotal moments in the history of the city and the US. Experience a picture-postcard moment in front of the White House at Lafayette Square. Learn more about the heritage and history of downtown through Civil War to Civil Rights, a self-guided neighborhood heritage trail. The trail is divided into three loops, which you can explore together or separately.

Trail highlights include:

• A former boarding house frequented by the Lincoln conspirators
• The alley down which John Wilkes Booth fled after shooting President Lincoln
• The home and office of famed Civil War nurse and American Red Cross founder Clara Barton
• A church that was used as a hospital during the Civil War
• The city's oldest synagogue, now a museum of Jewish history
• A Renaissance palace style office building turned building museum
• The hotel where Martin Luther King, Jr. put the finishing touches on his “I Have a Dream” speech

From: http://washington.org

Adams Morgan Neighborhood

Where: Columbia Road, NW, between 16th and 18th Streets.

What’s in a name: Named for DC’s first segregated schools, the all-black Thomas P. Morgan Elementary School and the all-white John Quincy Adams Elementary School.

Thumbnail: Eclectic Adams Morgan is where buttoned-up DC lets its hair down. Long home to immigrant communities from Africa, Asia and South and Central America, the neighborhood today is a global village, lined with restaurants serving cuisine from around the world.

Calling cards: Catch live bluegrass on Wednesday nights at Madam’s Organ or swing by Habana Village to show off your salsa moves (or take a free lesson). On Saturdays, check out arts and crafts by local artists at Western Market.

Getting there: Take Metro to the Woodley Park/ Zoo/ Adams Morgan station or take a taxi. Parking is difficult at night.

Explore the Neighborhood

Get to know Adams Morgan's history as home to elite colonial families, revolutionaries and immigrants through Roads to Diversity: Adams Morgan Heritage Trail, a self-guided bilingual tour of the neighborhood's colorful murals, ethnic restaurants and beautiful architecture.

Trail highlights include:

• The site of the first Toys ‘R' Us, opened in 1948
• The luxurious embassies of 16th Street
• The once-prestigious Lanier Heights, which became a haven for radicals, activists, and left-wing leaders in the 1960's
• The handsome row houses and grand apartments of Kalorama Triangle and Victorian townhouses of 18th Street

From: http://washington.org

Dupont Circle/Kalorama Neighborhood

Where: Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire Avenues, at P and 19th Streets

What’s in a name: The Circle is named in honor of Civil War naval hero, Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Dupont.

Thumbnail: Bistros, bars and boutiques line the streets that come together at Dupont Circle, the meeting place for this cosmopolitan neighborhood. The largest concentration of international embassies sits just northwest of the circle, giving the neighborhood an extra dash of global flavor. Arts and entertainment collide with restaurants, shops, hotels, quaint B&Bs, galleries and museums (The Phillips Collection, The Textile Museum, Woodrow Wilson House and National Geographic Society’s Explorers Hall to name a few).

Calling Cards: Join in a pick-up game of chess in the Circle, or people-watch as locals roll past on bicycles or stroll past with dogs. Stop by the neighborhood farmer’s market on Sunday for fresh local produce and cooking demonstrations by local chefs. Try the popcorn shrimp and fried clams at Hank’s Oyster Bar or choose from the world’s largest selection of beers at The Brickskeller. View breathtaking art in an intimate setting at The Phillips Collection.

Getting there: Take Metro to Dupont Circle.

Explore the Neighborhood

With beautiful Victorian architecture, charming cafes, lavish embassies and trendy shops and galleries, Dupont Circle is perfect for exploring on foot. If you're not sure where to begin, follow Cultural Tourism DC's Insider's Insights tour of the neighborhood.

The 1.7 mile loop begins at the Dupont Circle Metro station and travels past points of interest including:

• The Heurich House, also known as the "Brewmaster's Castle"
• Historic homes including the Blaine Mansion and the Walsh-McLean House, home of one-time owners of the Hope Diamond
• The Woodrow Wilson House, DC's only presidential residence.
• The Textile Museum, a fascinating collection of textile artifacts
• The Inn at Dupont Circle (South) Historic Inn (formerly owned by astrologer Jeanne Dixon)

From: http://washington.org

Brookland/Northeast Neighborhood

Where: Northeast of the Capitol

What’s in a name: The neighborhood takes its name from a housing development built after the Civil War on land formerly owned by Colonel Jehiel Brooks. The neighborhood is also sometimes called “Little Rome,” thanks to its collection of more than 60 Catholic sites.

Thumbnail: Northeast is home to Civil War-era forts and landmarks, quiet residential streets and picturesque places like the 446-acre National Arboretum. The Roman Catholic Church bought up tracts of land here in the late 19th century to build the Catholic University of America, which attracted additional Catholic sites like the Franciscan Monastery and the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Calling cards: Picnic in the peaceful gardens of the Franciscan Monastery or pause for quiet reflection in the largest Catholic Church in the U.S. Wander through the National Arboretum’s two-acre herb garden or the National Bonsai Museum, and don’t miss its thousands of brightly-colored azaleas in full bloom each May.

Getting there: Take Metro to the Brookland/ CUA station.

From: http://washington.org

Good jogging and biking trails in DC?

Washington, DC is a very pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly city, which also lends to excellent jogging trails and biking routes. Here are a few suggestions:

• The National Mall: 2.5 miles from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, paved sidewalks and fairly flat terrain.
• Rock Creek Park: Hiking and biking trails travel 13 miles from Lake Needwood in Montgomery County, MD to the Potomac River, ending in Washington, DC near the Kennedy Center. It's easiest to reach the trail by taking Metro's Red Line to the Woodley Park station or the Orange/ Blue Lines to Foggy Bottom. There are natural surface trails for hiking and paved trails for jogging, roller blading, biking.
• C&O Canal Tow Path: The trail begins at the C&O Canal Visitors Center in Georgetown (1057 Thomas Jefferson St., NW, 202-653-5190). The towpath is a favorite of hikers, joggers and bicyclists. The surface is typically clay and crushed stone. One of the area's most spectacular natural spaces, Great Falls National Park, is located near the trail about 14 miles from Georgetown. To reach the trail, take the DC Circulator to Georgetown.
• Mt. Vernon Trail: Starting at the Key Bridge, across the Potomac from Georgetown, and ending just north of George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens, this 18.5 mile trail is part of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail and a favorite of area cyclists. The trail offers wonderful views of the Potomac and monuments. There are also several points of interest along the way, including Theodore Roosevelt Island, Old Town Alexandria, Arlington National Cemetery, and the local favorite Gravelly Point (at the north end of National Airport's main runway, where planes take off and land overhead). To reach the trail, take Metro to Rosslyn (Blue or Orange Line), Arlington National Cemetery (Blue Line) or Crystal City (Blue or Yellow Line).
• Capital Crescent Trail: This rail-trail was built upon the abandoned rail bed of the 11-mile Georgetown Branch of the B&O Railroad. The trail is paved from Georgetown to Bethesda (approx. 7 miles), then becomes a temporary gravel trail from Bethesda to Rosemary Hills in west Silver Spring. Four bridges and two tunnels offer trail users gentle gradients and grade-separated roadway crossings. The trail closes at dusk (open to commuters). To reach the trail, take the DC Circulator to Georgetown.
• Custis Trail: This is a 4-mile paved bike trail in Arlington extending from Bon Air Park, off of Wilson Boulevard, eastward to Key Bridge at Rosslyn. It merges with the Mount Vernon Trail along the Potomac River and the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail at Bon Air Park. To reach the trail, take Metro to Rosslyn.
• W&OD Trail: The 45-mile W&OD Trail begins in the Shirlington area of Arlington County, just off I-395, exit 6 and ends in rural Purcellville, VA. Along the way, it passes through quaint villages like Falls Church and Leesburg, and high-tech centers such as Reston and Herndon. To reach the trail, take Metro to East Falls Church.

by: http://washington.org

Using the DC Circulator

The DC Circulator is a new bus service that connects downtown to Georgetown and Union Station via the Washington Convention Center on an East-West route and the Washington Convention Center and its nearby Shaw neighborhood with the Southwest Waterfront via the National Mall on a North-South route. The Circulator also operates a seasonal loop around the National Mall between 4th Street and 17th Street.

Trains operate from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The National Mall loop operates from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Circulator also services part of its Georgetown route from 9 p.m. to midnight from Sun.-Thurs. and until 2 a.m. on weekends. Tickets cost $1, and transfers between routes are free of charge.

by: http://washington.org,

Getting Around DC by Taxi

DC’s taxi cabs have recently transitioned from a zone system to a meter system. The rates for time and distance meters are as follows:

• The base fare is $3, plus 25 cents for every one-sixth of a mile after the first sixth of a mile traveled.
• For every minute stopped in traffic or traveled under ten miles per hour, there will be a charge of 25 cents per minute.
• All other rates and surcharges, such as those for additional passengers and rush hour, will still apply.
• The maximum fare for all trips within the District is $19.

If you wish to file a complaint against a cab, you should obtain the taxicab driver's name, company and license number and report it to the DC Taxicab Commission at (202) 645-6018 or dctc@dc.govThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

by: http://washington.org

How does Metro work?

Washington, DC is proud to have one of the world's best public transportation systems. Most visitors quickly master the Metro system and, in the process, they discover that it's a very quick, efficient and affordable way to get around the city, and many find it to be an enjoyable attraction - the trains and escalators are especially popular among kids.

Metro operates Monday through Thursday from 5 a.m. to midnight; Friday until 3 a.m.; Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 3 a.m.; and Sunday from 7 a.m. to midnight. Base fares start at $1.65 per trip (including trips between all downtown points), but the rates are higher for visitors traveling from the suburbs and during rush hour. The maximum one-way fare is $4.50. You can purchase a one-day ticket for $7.80, which allows you to ride as many times as you'd like after 9:30 a.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends. To calculate the distance and fares between two stops, visit www.metroopensdoors.com.

There are five colored lines: Red, Blue, Orange, Yellow and Green, connected to each other at transfer stations in downtown and the close-in suburbs. Some stations are serviced by more than one line. Trains are clearly marked with the color of the line. Trains indicate the direction in which they are traveling with the name of the end-point of the line. During rush hour, trains usually come every 5-6 minutes. At off-peak times, trains come every 12 minutes. Late-night trains come every 15 to 20 minutes

Tickets can be purchased by cash or credit cards from vending machines located at the stations. Station managers are on hand to assist you in purchasing your tickets.

Hotel, restaurant and attractions listings on www.washington.org and in the official visitors guide to Washington, DC indicate the nearest Metro stop. The interactive map on Washington.org can also help you identify the closest station.

by: http://washington.org