DCist is introducing a new ocassional feature today called “Observing Washington,” a place where DCist contributors and others who have interesting observations on life in Washington have a little more room to write and explore all things D.C.-related. This is something a little more substantive than a typical blog post, something a little more constructed.

Of course DCist doesn’t hold a monpoly on having an interesting vantage point on life in the city. So if you think you have something that would fit in this space, e-mail mike [at] dcist [dot] com.

So for the introductory Observing Washington, I’m taking a stab at shedding light on a sector of the city that is nearly always forgotten about: Washington’s aging widows.

– Part One, titled “D.C.’s Octogenarian Attitude,” will introduce you to those prim and proper locals and their opinionated bluntness.
– Part Two, “The Disappearing Washingtonian Accent,” will appear Wednesday and explores the way of speaking that defines the city’s octogenarian ladies and other established townies, like WAMU’s Diane Rehm, pictured here)
– Part Three, “The Cocoon of Wesley Heights,” set for Thursday, will take a look at one of Washington’s strangest apartment buildings, where the city’s aged live in an environment that hasn’t changed much since the Kennedy administration.
– Part Four, “The Cocoon’s Dark Underbelly,” sheds light on what happens when you have some twentysomethings living in such a Cocoon for the aged.