France’s travel warnings for D.C. are, in a word, stupid.
From the Post:
Northeast and Southeast should be avoided, and Union Station is dangerous at night. “Le quartier Anacostia n’est pas recommandable de jour comme de nuit.” Translation: Don’t go to Anacostia, day or night.
Yeah. Really stupid.
So to help out any French people who plan to visit D.C. and are smart enough not to listen to this crummy advice, DCist has put together a travel guide to the Northeast, Southeast and Anacostia. Add your own destinations in the comments.
Northeast
Union Market: Perhaps one of the most popular new attractions in D.C., Union Market is a great place to spend an afternoon eating and drinking. With retail and a movie theater on its way, this corner of Northeast is only going become more popular.
The H Street Corridor: As far a nightlife goes, H Street is the greatest. Get drunk at one of the many bars (many of which have great rooftops), see a show at the Rock & Roll Hotel or the Atlas, then go eat some pizza at &Pizza or a fish sandwich at Horace and Dickie’s. Don’t worry if you have to use Union Station to get there: This editor has never had any issues at night.
The National Arboretum: I’ve said it many times, and I’ll say it again: The National Arboretum is the best place in D.C. that not enough people visit. Beyond gorgeous, with bonsai gardens and so many wonderful walking paths, it truly is the perfect place to spend an afternoon.
National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception: Even if you don’t go for the whole God thing, the National Shrine is a beautiful place to tour, with statues of the Virgin Mary from across the world. Take a nice walk or bike ride through the neighborhood to Menomale for some of the best pizza in town.
Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens: The Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens is full of interesting wildlife that kids love, like frogs and herons, and the beautiful, expansive grounds are the perfect place to tell your kid what a disappointment he’s been to you. — Pablo Maurer
Langdon Park in Northeast sits quietly in the eastern portion of Ward 5. It’s easily one of the most serene and spacious parks in D.C., with playgrounds, tennis courts, a dog park, and a swimming pool. Earlier this year, groundbreaking began to turn a section of the park into the Chuck Brown Memorial Park, to pay tribute to the D.C. go-go legend, with a proposed 900-seat outdoor amphitheater as its crowning jewel. Unfortunately, the plans for that were scrapped after some intense neighborhood backlash. Still, the park will see a facelift, with a statue of Brown on a central plaza, a memorial wall, and a series of permanent drum kits built into a wall near the playground, so kids can learn to carry on Brown’s legacy. Sure, a 900-seat amphitheater would’ve certainly been another big draw for tourists to venture into Langdon, but the park stands on its own as a under-visited gem in Northeast. — Matt Cohen
Southeast
Eastern Market has been a D.C. institution since it opened in 1873, back when large public market buildings were the main shopping places for residents. It’s the only one still standing and operating as a public market — the City Market at O, which used to be Northern Market, is a mixed-use development with a grocery store, and the old Georgetown Market is now Dean & Deluca. The market has all kinds of foodstuffs on the inside plus a wide variety of produce, arts and crafts vendors and more on the outside, and makes for a fun, communal, convivial, old-timey shopping vibe. What speaks most to the market’s importance to the city, both commercially and emotionally, was the outpouring of support (financial and otherwise) after the 2007 fire that gutted the place. It reopened in 2009 to great excitement and has been as busy as ever since. — Andrew Wiseman
Nationals Park: Yes, there is baseball in France. And yes, though our baseball team did not have a great season, Nationals Park is still an impressive facility that is worth a visit.
Yards Park: One of the most innovative spaces in D.C., Yards Park hosts concerts and community yoga during the summer. It’s also just a really fantastic place to sit and look at the Anacostia River. After doing that, go to D.C.’s newest brewery Bluejacket to enjoy their many in-house beers.
Fort Dupont: In the summer, Fort Dupont boasts some of the greatest outdoor concerts in D.C. In the winter, it has the city’s only indoor ice rink. It’s also beautiful year-round.
The U.S. Captiol: Yes, that’s right. The French government is telling its citizens not to visit the Capitol.
Anacostia (Which, as the Honfleur Gallery points out, is a part of Southeast D.C. We singled it out because the French did.)
St. Elizabeths: While it’s not quite there yet, the Gateway Pavillion at St. Eiizabeths East campus will one day host concerts, festivals, vendors and food trucks.
Honfleur Gallery: Since 2007, Honfleur Gallery has been showcasing local and national artists. A project of the ARCH Development Corporation, the gallery is playing a key role in making Anacostia D.C.’s next art district.
LUMEN8ANACOSTIA: If you visit during a specific part of the summer, don’t miss the LUMEN8ANACOSTIA festival, also organized by the ARCH Development Corporation.
Anacostia Museum: Want to actually learn about Anacostia instead of prejudging it? The Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum exists to do just that. The museum also offers bus and walking tours that will help get you acquainted with the most misunderstood part of D.C.
The Big Chair: It’s a big chair and it’s wonderful.
Photo by Kevin Harber
Photo by Kerrin Nishimura.
