Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
U Street, Logan Circle & Shaw
If you need proof that the District is a living, breathing, changing city as opposed to a
calcified capital, look no further than U St. Through the 20th century, this road went
from a center of African American commerce to a blighted drug-dealing corridor to pos-
sibly the most gentrified street in the city. Today the U St area (especially 14th St NW) is
a center for dining, nightlife and shopping, The area's African American history is ac-
knowledged by the presence of the African American Civil War Memorial , inscribed
with the name of African American Civil War dead, at the U Street metro station. Nearby
Shaw and Logan Circle are some of the city's most pleasant residential neighborhoods.
Meridian Hill Park PARK
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( www.nps.gov/mehi ; btwn 15th, 16th, Euclid & W Sts NW; sunrise-sunset; U Street-Cardozo)
This is an incredible bit of green space that gets short shrift in the list of America's great
urban parks. What makes the park special is the way it emphasizes its distinctive geo-
graphy. Lying on the fall line between the upland Piedmont Plateau and flat Atlantic
Coastal Plain, the grounds are terraced like a hanging garden, replete with waterfalls,
sandstone terraces and assorted embellishments that feel almost Tuscan. Many locals still
call this Malcolm X Park.
Lincoln Theatre LANDMARK
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( 202-328-6000; www.thelincolntheatre.org ; 1215 U St NW) The historic Lincoln Theatre was
an early cornerstone of the nation's African American renaissance when it was founded
in 1922. Luminaries such as DC-native Duke Ellington as well as Louis Armstrong, Ella
Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan and many others have lit up the stage here.
Dupont Circle
A well-heeled splice of gay community and DC diplomatic scene, this is city life at its
best. Great restaurants, bars, bookstores and cafes, captivating architecture and the elec-
tric energy of a lived-in, happening neighborhood make Dupont worth a linger. The his-
toric mansions have largely been converted into embassies, and Embassy Row (on Mas-
sachusetts Ave) runs through DC's thumping gay heart.
Phillips Collection MUSEUM
 
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