Neighborhoods / Residential Areas, Washington D.C.

The Mall is the beaten track, most attractions of Washington are located on this stretch of green. My suggestion to get off from it is to drive around the area where there are embassies. That's another place where I got lost, and was glad to be lost.

My neighborhood Adams-Morgan lies north of Dupont Circle and has its nexus at the intersection of Columbia Road and 18th Street. The cosmopolitanism of Washington is in no place more evident than in Adams-Morgan. Most of the bars and restaurants on 18th Street are foreign-owned. My favorite restaurants were Ethiopian which serve meat and vegetable in spicy and savory sauces. When I went for the first time in 1986, there were neither knifes nor forks on the table, we had to eat with our fingers, a funny experience I did not expect in conservative Washington. Ethiopian food comes on injera, a sort of tortilla, perfect for wrapping up the spicy lamb-dishes in savory spiced-vegetable pastes.

I don't know if people necessary miss this but it can be overlooked because dc has so many great sites. Just take some time and walk up M street to Georgetown and enjoy the quiet streets and beautiful town houses of some of washingtons power players. A nice change of place from the tourist filled main sites.

For those of you interested in how the posh of the poshest live in DC, visit Potomac, Maryland a few miles northwest of Washington, DC. This area is home to wealthy lawyers, corporate officers & businessmen.
Just drive up River Road and see the castles abound...

Washington DC has many 'Official monuments', the sculptures of Uzikee Nelson, are not to be found on the Mall. When in DC make the journey to the Columbia Heights neighborhood to see Uzikee sculptures. His sculptures are designed to bridge the gap
between African ritual and abstract art, as well as bridge the gap between African and
Western culture. When in DC you can see 3 of his works, St. Denard; 16th St. and Arkansas Ave. NW, Here I Stand Spirit of Paul Robeson; Georgia Ave and Kansas Ave. NW, Marcus Garvey/Malcolm X; 1440 Belmont St, N.W.

Have a look at Uzikee's Homepage: WWW.UZIKEE.COM

Don't just do all the tourist stuff. Also spent a day 'getting lost' in this city.

I made the 'mistake' of getting of on the wrong metrostation. I decided to see if I was able to find my way back to the hoster by wandering around (and of course walking in the wrong direction).

In one of the alley's, I found the Albanian Ambasy. A total difference compared to the Canadian Ambasy almost next to the white house.
Also a local football game crossed my path. A view on the people who live in the city, not only the suits who work their.

For information on Washington, D.C., neighborhoods that you might want to explore, try www.dcheritage.org. They have maps with points of interest by neighborhood or theme (such as architecture, Civil War, historic houses, etc.).

The picture is the African American Civil War Memorial in my neighborhood.

Just riding around and taking in the views can be fascinating. Next time, I'll do more walking and window shopping maybe tho. But it'll have to be on a cooler day, ho!