Neighborhoods
Adams Morgan is best known for the nightlife district on 18th St between Florida and Columbia Rd, which after midnight on weekends gets so packed full of revelers that it's hard to move down the sidewalk. It's more than that, thoughâit's a lovely, historic, culturally vibrant neighborhood, full of eccentric shopping often in outdoor markets, great restaurants, community murals, and soaring rents!
Mount Pleasant is the cultural center of the city's Salvadoran population although the vast majority of the area's enormous Salvadoran population lives outside the city proper, and is a nice for a Saturday stroll to soak up the Latin vibes, see some chanchona bands, and delve into one of the city's famous pupuserÃas.
Columbia Heights, like much of the city, was devastated by the 1968 riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Efforts to revitalize the area are much more recent than in Adams Morgan or Shaw, and the lower real estate prices and cheaper dining reflect that. The center of Columbia Heights is the Tivoli Theatre, home of the GALA Hispanic Theatre. The shopping area surrounding it and the Columbia Heights metro station which opened as recent as 1999 is brand new, of questionable aesthetic taste, and not terribly excitingâmostly shopping malls with major chain retailers like Target, Best Buy, etc. Yet just outside there are many restaurants, bars, and hipster hangouts, lending to a vibe as close to that of New York's Williamsburg in D.C..
Columbia Heights is marked dramatically on its southern border by the Fall Line, which runs along Florida Avenue. This steep escarpment divides America's Piedmont Plateau from the Tidewater region of Virginia. If you are looking for a good view of the city, head to the hill on 13th St just north of Florida near Cardozo High School. This natural formation is also responsible for the dramatic terraces and fountains of Meridian Hill aka Malcolm X Park which, aside from restaurants and bars, is the major point of interest in the neighborhood.
Understand
Dubbed by the City Paper as the Liquorridor, this section of town is home to a denser population of bars and clubs than anywhere else, and is an extremely trendy spot among locals for a night on the town. There are plenty of great restaurants, especially ethnic restaurants, most often offering a better value for your money than in Dupont Circle, downtown, or Georgetown. And of course, especially in Adams Morgan, there are tons of bars and restaurants that pack in the fun-seekers and party-goers, particularly after midnight.
This is a good place to see the city at its most dynamic; people from all walks of life, culture, race, sexual orientation, immigrants, natives, transplants, etc. all converge here at the center of the city to enjoy each others' company and to have a good time. It's also the heart of today's current and occasionally controversial gentrification process, particularly so in Columbia Heights Adams Morgan is already there.