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One of several murals around the city by the city's legendary Nigerian artist, Aniekan Udofia.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Contrary to popular belief, this huge two-story mural is not of the famous French painter, it is a mural reproduction of one of his paintings. The man in question is Aristide Bruant, a then-popular French cabaret performer.
DCAC
The Arts Center has an art gallery with rotating high-quality shows by local artists, as well as a very cool black box theater, and regular and special events (like avant garde poetry nights).
The unmistakeable mural that is (to the consternation of some of the more uptight residents) the somewhat risqué symbol of Adams Morgan.
The Adams Morgan Mural
"A Town without Murals." is an odd title in these parts—clearly, it isn't referring to Adams Morgan. On the contrary, there is an element of Pinochet's Chile here, as the mural was painted by two asylum seekers from that oppressive regime, and the caption's "demuralized people" likely refers to that society. The diverse group of people in the mural, however, resemble Adams Morgan.
The weekly Drum Circle has been going on for nearly 50 years, and is one of the coolest events in the city, with the most diverse section of drummers, acrobats, and dancers. Come to hang out and enjoy the vibe, or bring your drum and join in the jam session!
aka Malcolm X Park
A 12-acre park centered on a long, stunning, cascading waterfall, surrounded by European-style terraced landscaping, and administered by the National Park Service. The grounds have long been an esteemed commodity in the city, first surrounding an 1819 mansion that became President James Quincy's home following his presidency. Around 1900, Mary Foote Henderson, who owned the land, petitioned Congress to move the White House to or establish the Lincoln Memorial at Meridian Hill, since the National Mall was just north of the putrid stench of the mosquito and sewage-infested Washington City Canal in Waterfront. The plan didn't pass the House of Representatives. However, she did convince Congress to create a park and, in 1910, the federal government purchased the ground and later converted it into the extravagant Italianate park that you see today. After the 1968 DC riots, the park was a haven for open-air drug markets, which got worse and worse throughout the crack epidemic of the 1980s. Following the murder of a teenager in 1990, the community decided to take back control of the park, and organized regular citizen patrols throughout the day and night. They were very successful, and the park is quite safe today. The sword from the statue of Joan of Arc—the only female equestrian statue in the city— was stolen and replaced several times.