Capitol Hill Walk
Capitol Hill's exact boundaries are changing. Most say the Hill is bordered to the west, north, and south by the Capitol, H Street NE, and I Street SE, respectively. Thanks to a bounty of successful building projects, the trendy neighborhood now extends east to the Anacostia River, or so say the real estate speculators. Simultaneously, Capitol Hill's historic-preservation movement has restored dozens of 19th-century houses, renewing a city that in recent decades has only known constant boom.
There's a lot to see here, but you can explore the streets in a couple of hours—if you're able to resist stopping at one of the many watering holes that dot the neighborhoods. A good place to start is Union Station, easily accessible on the Metro Red Line. The beaux arts station, modeled after a Roman bath, dominates the northwest corner of Capitol Hill and offers a colorful marketplace, with many shops and restaurants. In the station's front plaza sits a steely-eyed Christopher Columbus at the base of a column on the Columbus Memorial Fountain, designed by Lorado Taft.
Next door, the National Postal Museum will delight philatelists. The Smithsonian takes a playful approach to stamp collecting and the history of the U.S. Postal Service with its interactive exhibits that inhabit the lower level of the historic City Post Office Building. On the other side of Union Station, the atrium of the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building is worth a quick peek. Designed by architect Edward Larabee Barnes, the enclosed garden sports bamboo five stories tall.
Following Delaware Avenue south, you come right up to the Capitol, the point from which the city is divided into quadrants: northwest, southwest, northeast, and southeast. North Capitol Street, which runs north from the Capitol, separates northeast from northwest; East Capitol Street separates northeast and southeast; South Capitol Street separates southwest and southeast; and the Mall (Independence Avenue on the south and Constitution Avenue on the north) separates northwest from southwest.
The massive U.S. Capitol sits majestically in a 58-acre park at the east end of the Mall, and is the foremost reason to visit Capitol Hill. The free tour (tours.visitthecapitol.gov) takes you through the impressive rotunda, Statuary Hall, and Old Senate Chamber. To see your legislators at work, however, you need to arrange in advance for free gallery passes. Contact your senator or representative's office. If you’re a visitor from outside the United States, contact your embassy. The Capitol Visitor Center, located underneath the Capitol, provides guided tours, rotating exhibits, and a 13-minute orientation film. Enter on the east side of the building. The imposing buildings to the north and south of the Capitol house the offices of senators (north) and representatives (south).
Originally designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect responsible for Central Park in New York, the grounds around the Capitol provide visitors with seasonal displays of thousands of flowers in circular patterns. In front of the Capitol, three monuments flank a reflecting pool. In the center the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial is one of the largest sculpture groups in the city. To the south stands the James A. Garfield Monument, and to the north a Peace Monument commemorating sailors who died in the Civil War. Rest and reflect at the northwest corner of the shaded grounds in a hexagonal redbrick structure called the Summerhouse. Across Constitution Avenue a monolithic carillon forms the Robert A. Taft Memorial, dedicated to the longtime Republican senator and son of the 27th president.
Across from the Garfield Memorial, the United States Botanic Garden is the oldest botanic garden in North America. After touring the conservatory, be sure to wander through the rose, butterfly, water, and regional gardens of the National Garden. Another lovely landmark, the Bartholdi Fountain, is the centerpiece of Bartholdi Park, just across Independence Avenue from the Conservatory. The lovely assemblage of aquatic monsters, sea nymphs, tritons, and lighted globes, all representing the elements of water and light, was created by Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, sculptor of the Statue of Liberty. Adjacent to the park and with a clear view to the Capitol is the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, which pays tribute to veterans who were injured in military conflicts throughout the country's history. Dedicated in the fall of 2014, the memorial conveys a combination of strength, vulnerability, loss, and renewal. Its star-shaped fountain with a single ceremonial flame flows into a reflecting pool amid a grove of trees, bronze sculptures, and glass panels featuring quotes and photos of veterans.
Continue east on Independence Avenue, then north on 1st Street, where the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court sit side by side. The Library of Congress has so many books, recordings, maps, manuscripts, and photographs that it actually takes three buildings to house it all. The Jefferson Building is the only part open to the public, and free tours highlight the Great Hall, Jefferson's book collection, the Minerva Mosaic, and an actual Gutenberg Bible, dating from around 1455. It is one of only three completed copies in existence. Peek into the Main Reading Room, and wander through changing exhibitions related to the library's holdings. The Supreme Court Building contains two floors of worthwhile exhibits, lectures, a film starring Chief Justice John Roberts, a gift shop, and a small cafeteria.
Behind the Library of Congress, the Folger Shakespeare Library holds an enormous collection of works by and about Shakespeare and his times, as well as a reproduced 16th-century theater and gallery that are open to visitors. North of the Folger on 2nd Street, the Sewall-Belmont House & Museum was the headquarters of the historic National Woman's Party and contains exhibits and artifacts from the suffrage and women’s rights movements. Tours are offered on Friday and Saturday.
South and East of the Capitol
Away from the Capitol, you'll find some enticing attractions, including one of D.C.'s oldest communities and a thriving market. This area is well served by the Metro, though you can get around on foot.
East of 2nd Street, the neighborhood changes dramatically from large-scale government buildings to 19th-century town houses. Among them is the first Washington home of the abolitionist and writer Frederick Douglass, at 1411 W Street SE, which you can see on a guided tour.
Follow Pennsylvania Avenue south between 2nd and 4th streets to the main commercial thoroughfare. Restaurants, bars, and coffee shops frequented by those who live and work on the Hill line these blocks. Reaching Seward Square, take C Street one block to Eastern Market on the corner of 7th Street; it has been a feature of D.C. life since 1873. The main building, gutted by fire in 2007, houses an array of farmers, flower vendors, and other merchants who sell their fresh produce and crafts to locals and tourists alike. Open all week, the market really buzzes on weekends. Seventh Street takes you back to Pennsylvania Avenue, the Eastern Market Metro station, and to the historic Barracks Row neighborhood. Built along 8th Street after 1798, Barracks Row was the first commercial center in Washington, D.C. Rebuilt in 1901, this neighborhood housed a diverse population of newly arrived immigrants even before the Civil War. On the east side of the street visitors will find the barracks and, opposite, a variety of shops and restaurants. The Marine Corps Barracks and Commandant's House, the nation's oldest continuously active marine installation, is the home of the U.S. Marine Band. On Friday evenings May through August the Marine Band (the "President's Own") and the Drum and Bugle Corps (the "Commandant's Own") present hour-long ceremonies on the parade deck. You can reserve a seat at www.marines.mil, but there is usually plenty of room.
Right at the end of 8th Street, on the bank of the Anacostia River, you will find the 115-acre Washington Navy Yard, the U.S. Navy's oldest outpost onshore. The Navy Museum and Art Gallery chronicles the history of the U.S. Navy and exhibits Navy-related paintings, sketches, and drawings. The Navy Yard visitor’s entrance is at 11th and O streets SE. Inside the gates, large-scale weaponry dates back to when this complex was chiefly a Naval Gun Factory. From the Navy Yard, walk outside the gate to see the decommissioned Navy destroyer USS Barry, which is open for touring.
The waterfront development along the Anacostia River is shaping up to be a red-hot destination for residents and visitors alike. The retailers, eateries, bars, and loft apartments straddle parts of the new Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, a scenic boardwalk for pedestrians and cyclists. The Bluejacket Brewery, a farmers’ market, and the Trapeze School of DC add to the festive atmosphere. Eventually, this trail will stretch from the Maine Avenue Fish Market to Nationals Park, RFK Stadium, and the National Arboretum.
From the Navy Yard, walk west on the boardwalk to the new Nationals Park, home of the Washington Nationals. The park offers interactive tours on nongame days and throughout the off-season. From here it's just a short walk to the Navy Yard Metro station.
Northeast D.C.
On the outskirts of Capitol Hill gritty neighborhoods are experiencing gentrification at different rates. Although there are sights worth exploring, the long walk from the Capitol makes driving or taking public transportation preferable—such as the streetcar link that runs eastward from Union Station along H Street.
The H Street Corridor, also known as the Atlas District, after the Atlas Performing Arts Center, is a diverse, edgy, and evolving stretch of nightlife between 3rd and 14th streets NE. It's a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood, where restaurants and bars open monthly and a younger crowd moves in with each new venue. You will find a mix of the original, the hip, and the unexpected. In September the annual H Street Music Festival celebrates the developing arts, entertainment, and fashion scene.
Following E Street east to 17th Street NE, the Congressional Cemetery, the first national cemetery created by the government, was established in 1807 "for all denomination of people." You can take a self-guided walking tour of the premises to find burial sites for J. Edgar Hoover, John Philip Sousa, and other notables. Due east from the Capitol on East Capitol Street, RFK Stadium is the home of the D.C. United soccer team.
Farther to the north, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and Franciscan Monastery are open for tours of the buildings and tranquil gardens. Get there by car, or take Bus 80 from Union Station, or the Metro to Brookland station. Although there is no food service at the shrine, the Monroe Street Market includes a variety of restaurants, art studios, and shops from 7th to 12th Street NE.
