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Washington, D.C., United States
Photo: Postdlf, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
East End is D.C.'s old downtown quarter, east of 15th St, and includes the neighborhoods of Chinatown, Penn Quarter, Judiciary Square, and Mount Vernon Square. Most D.C. natives simply call this area Downtown.
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Ourdoor murals painted on several garage doors in an alley.
Franklin Square was planned to be another city block until a natural spring was discovered there. With the federal buildings built nearby, the federal government wanted to use the spring water to supply water to its workers, and it was purchased in 1832 and kept as a park. The spring is no longer there, but the park remains. The statue on the west side of Franklin Square near McPherson Square Metro is of Commodore John Barry of the Revolutionary War-era Continental Navy and later the U.S. Navy, known today as the Father of the American Navy. The striking red building at the northeast corner of the square is the Franklin School, from which Alexander Graham Bell sent his first wireless message (to 1325 L St NW). The building is being converted into a language museum.
Named in honor of Martin Luther King Jr, who penned his I have a Dream speech at the Willard Hotel on this plaza, the stone center has a huge map of Pierre L'Enfant's original plan for the City of Washington. At the west end is an equestrian statue of Kazimierz Pułaski, an American Revolutionary War general from Poland, who once saved George Washington's life, and who is known as the Father of American cavalry.
The collection here is a walk through encyclopedia of American Art—Gilbert Stuart's stern presidential portraits through Nam June Paik's house-sized America sculpture of neon and televisions.
A great museum detailing the life of Abraham Lincoln and the place where he was assassinated.
The DC History Center occupies the enormous building at the center of Mount Vernon Square and has a research library and exhibit on D.C. history open to the public. The building was constructed in 1903 with funding purely from Andrew Carnegie's philanthropy as the second headquarters of the D.C. Public Library. It also houses an Apple store.
Washington D.C.'s oldest synagogue building, built in 1876.
Koshland is very much on the small side for D.C. museums, but it's great for kids, and for those happy adults who can let loose and act like kids.
For history buffs, a visit is a must, as it has a display containing declassified top secret documents related to the Cold War. The original copies of the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights are also on display, though the writing is so faded on the latter two that you will not be able to make it out. No photography of the documents is allowed.
In the Pension Building, the building itself is highly recommended for its architecture, with an expansive open interior space with massive columns. The space is used on occasion for special events, including 10 Presidential inaugural balls. There is a small cafe inside, to the right of the entrance, and places to sit and relax, as well as a gift shop. The museum features long-term exhibits on the planning and building of Washington, D.C., and on green building and communities, along with various short-term exhibits and special events.
This is the only museum devoted to art made by women. Its special exhibits can be really interesting, often featuring works from a specific part of the world. The big, beautiful building is a historic former Masonic Temple. The gift shop is extraordinary, with a collection of very unique handmade gifts from around the world.
Its most popular exhibit is the Hall of Presidents. The enclosed Kogod Courtyard has received several architectural accolades. It has a small cafe and is a peaceful, quiet place to escape for a break. Free WiFi.
A museum of language, linguistics, and literature, with 3 floors of interactive exhibits and displays. Fun for kids. The museum includes a separately-booked room of puzzle boxes, at varying levels of difficulty, that have the general flavor of an escape room.
The building is a striking, contemporary masterpiece, helping Vancouverite architect Arthur Erickson win some prestigious awards. Look for the small dome and columns incorporated into the exterior (in part designed as a gentle mockery of the neoclassical imperial style prevalent around the Capitol), which serves as an echo chamber of sorts, where you'll have any sounds directed right back at you from the dome.
Petersen House
1865 was perhaps the most consequential year in presidential history, when, on the 14th of April, John Wilkes Booth, a prominent actor at Ford's Theatre and Confederate sympathizer shot President Lincoln in his balcony seat. Attendants carried Lincoln across the street to a small bedroom in the small row-house across the street, but the doctors were unable to save the president. He died early morning the next day. This isn't so much a museum—it's just a small room with a few plaques, recreated to look as it did on that day. The house is operated by the National Park Service, and visited via tours from Ford's Theatre.
FBI Headquarters. This brutalist office building is in bad condition and will likely be demolished eventually.
The monument bears the names of nearly 20,000 officials who lost their lives on the job. The museum has many interactive experiences such as dispatching a simulated 911 call, although it has been accused of peddling "copaganda".
At the top of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel Washington DC. One of the best views of the city.
It's not clear whether the small-government Republican would enjoy having one of the biggest, most expensive recent federal buildings ($768 million), filled with agencies like USAID and U.S. Customs, named in his honor. But it is an impressive sight inside and out (especially inside). The building has several restaurants fast-food and otherwise, public artworks, shops, and enormous conference and party space, popular for political galas, business conferences, and expensive wedding receptions. Free WiFi.
D.C.'s memorial to the U.S. Navy is not as jolting as the big memorials, but it is nice to walk around. Make sure to see the famous Lone Sailor statue, and who knew that Neil Armstrong was in the Navy!
The 18,277-seat arena is home to both the Washington Wizards of the NBA and the National Hockey League's Washington Capitals. The Georgetown Hoyas college basketball team also plays games here, as do the WNBA's Washington Mystics. It also hosts major concerts, WWE wrestling, and various other events throughout the year. Tickets are sold through Ticketmaster or at the box office.
Hosts events throughout the year, including shows geared towards the public, as well as trade shows and conferences. The popular Washington Auto Show and the Washington Travel Show take place annually in late January and the National Book Festival occurs every September.
This is where John Wilkes Booth shot President Abraham Lincoln in 1865, and he was taken across the street to the Petersen House where he died. Ford's Theatre is not only a historic site, but remains a working theater, with regular performances. Theater here is usually the most traditional of the downtown venues, offering dramatic work that is "as eloquent, intelligent and respectful of humanity as Mr. Lincoln." The truly coveted tickets are for the annual Christmas Eve performance of A Christmas Carol. The daily tours take you through the theater and the onsite museum, and also spill across the street to the Petersen House, where Lincoln died.
First opened in 1835, many Presidents have come to see performances, with many famous performers back in is heyday. National Theatre is now the city's most likely host for Broadway shows and musicals, and other big-name visiting acts.
D.C. can't get enough Shakespeare, to the extent that the Shakespeare Theatre Company had to open a second, enormous performance venue in 2007 at the Sidney Harman Hall. Both venues are great, the Lansburgh being a long-time favorite and a smaller, intimate space, and the Harman Hall being big, flashy, and state-of-the-art. The performances here of Shakespeare, often set in present times, as well as other classics from Aeschylus to Marlowe, are almost always universally-acclaimed and top-notch. If you want to see theater in D.C., this is a great place to start. If you are in D.C. in the early fall, enter the online lottery for "Free for All" tickets.
One of the oldest synagogues in DC, it was renovated in 2004 to become both a religious and entertainment venue. It hosts big-name theatrical and musical performances.
The Warner Theatre is a gorgeous old building. A former 1920s movie palace, having long languished in disrepair, was finally reopened in 1992 following extensive restoration. The Warner Theatre hosts Broadway shows, concerts, dance, and stand-up, etc.
This is the top theater company downtown for seeing new plays. Drama here is edgy, takes real risks, and is almost always memorable.
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A St. Louis import, this big pizzeria excels with the cornmeal crust deep dish pies as well as their rotating craft beer list. It's big enough where you can actually get a table after a game at the Capital One Arena, although the service can be slow when they are busy.
Small vegan restaurant serving sandwiches, wraps, salads, and delicious shakes.
A dive that serves good waffles, assorted breakfast foods, coffee, and burgers.
Tiny bagel shop serving some of the best bagels in downtown D.C. Limited seating.
Delicious soul food served cafeteria style inside a church.
Teaism has a large selection of teas, and an adjacent tea shop where you can get some to take home. In addition to tea, they serve a variety of Asian dishes including Japanese bento boxes, udon noodle soup, ochazuke, Thai and Indian curry, and many vegetarian options. Breakfast is also delicious at Teaism, and their salty oat cookies are a must. 3 locations in DC.
You'll notice the chef in the window right away preparing Chinese noodles by hand. Express is precisely what a Chinatown restaurant should be (and what D.C.'s Chinatown sometimes seems to lack), a cheap casual place, serving solid, authentic Chinese food. The Singapore-style noodle and dumpling soups are the specialty, but it's also a great place to burn your mouth on some spicy beef entries.
Among the best ramen in D.C.
2-level Japanese restaurant with creative sushi rolls and cocktails.
This basement Cantonese and Sichuan eatery is the place to find the weirdest dishes in Chinatown in the middle of the night.
American food and great cocktails.
Tourist hell, but very popular.
Texas barbecue—the absolute best in the District—with live music every night.
Many credit this loud, happy restaurant in the Penn Quarter for the current boom in Spanish tapas bars. Serves tasty tapas and wonderful sangria, as well as a fantastic selection of ports and sherry. This is Jose Andrés' first restaurant, and one of the best options in the area. Expect to wait on a crowded F Sa night.
Great seafood/sushi.
Many locations in the D.C.-area, all packed with people all times of the day. Some of the food here is really good such as the charcoaled sliders and wood-fired NYC-style pizza. The rest of the menu, however, would befit a bonafide tourist trap. It's also a good place to go for a drink, especially when the weather is warm and the outdoor seating is open.
Central is the showpiece restaurant of the city's great chef, Michel Richard. In this restaurant, he celebrates his love for American cuisine, serving haute and somewhat Gallicized versions of dishes as simple as burgers and fried chicken. The fried chicken is the best in the city.
Michelin-star restaurant serving delicious, beautifully plated meals.
Location, unpretentious atmosphere, better prices than at other downtown steakhouses, and good house craft beers are the reasons to come.
The D.C. location of the upscale Mediterranean cocktail bar that serves dishes with a variety of flavored olive oils.
One of several D.C. restaurants by chef Fabio Trabocchi, Fiola offers upscale Italian food and great cocktails.
This international chain serves all-you-can-eat Brazilian meat and sides. Flip your green card up, and the chefs come with meat; flip it to red, and the chefs let you eat. The restaurant also has a really nice salad bar for a considerably lower price than the meat menu.
Famous chef Eric Ziebold runs this restaurant where everything is served ala carte.
Mr. Andrés' wild culinary ride through molecular-gastronomy. One of DC's two Michelin star restaurants. This six-customer, two-chef restaurant, serves a 30-course meal of everything from cotton candy foie gras to lobster injection to beet tumbleweed. Reservations open online for the following month, and seats fill up quickly.
This small dining room is a lovely trip back to the Southern traditions of the mid-nineteenth century, and could be reason enough on its own to have dinner here, but the food is absolutely the cream of D.C.'s crop as well. The menu is small, with simple, but fairly exotic and expertly executed Southern dishes. Located inside a historic house built in 1864.
José Andres's take on Mexican antojitos, the Mexican word for snacks (literally, "little cravings"). The mole here is outstanding and the grasshopper tacos are... interesting. Su-F 4:30-6:30PM has great happy hour deals at the bar.
Possibly the best Indian restaurant in D.C., with great ambiance! Try the palak chaat - crispy fried spinach!
Tapas, antojitos, and mezzes! Andrés' alphabetically last restaurant serves a variety of meat, seafood, and vegetarian Greek and Lebanese mezzes, along with large selection of wines from the same region.
Offers social events such as roommate networking and speed dating.
A huge bar and restaurant in a former industrial site.
Gastropub serving tasty grilled food and mixed drinks on an outdoor patio.
One of 8 locations in the D.C. area, this enormous bar/restaurant is very attractive, wooden and dimly lit in a sort of Victorian grand-old-hotel fashion. It's a great after-dinner or after-theater option, though, to sit at one of its three lovely bars and have a few drinks. Or finagle a table and have those drinks with a little dessert, or something off the fantastic oyster menu
Old-school basement bar with art deco design.
Wines and wine-based cocktails. Knowledgeable staff and 70 wines available. Four beers on tap.
Maryland-themed drinks & nostalgic snacks such as Jerkface jerky & Utz chips.
A great cocktail bar that offers free popcorn (to make you thirsty).
Serves some of the best coffee in the district.
A good place to watch sports games.
A popular bar that offers live music and trivia nights.
A funky basement bar decorated with a rocket-theme where you can play billiards, darts, shuffleboard & video games.
A progressive-themed hotel where you'll find copies of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights instead of Bibles. Retro-chic aesthetic.
Next to the Capital One Arena.
Small indoor pool, Jacuzzi, fitness center, free breakfast, free coffee in lobby.
A nice, small, historic, non-chain hotel amidst the big chain monsters. Its amenities are fewer, but its charm obviously greater. Free WiFi.
Nice lobby, large rooms, a really good gym, and a small pool + Jacuzzi. Remodeled in 2024.
Suites with pull-out sofas, and desks with ergonomic chairs. Breakfast is included daily and a basic dinner is also included on weeknights.
This location caters more to business travelers than the other options in the area. Free lobby coffee, 24-hr fitness center, small pool, & Jacuzzi. Rooms are a little small.
A good option for business and tourist travelers alike, with a full business center, 32 individual meeting rooms, and access to Metro Center from the lobby. No pool, but there is a large fitness center. The rooms were completely remodeled in 2024.
Kimpton hotels are almost always lovely, and this one benefits from its location in a grand 19th-century building, though this also means the hallways are somewhat dated. Huge pool and Jacuzzi. Free wine-cocktails hour. And don't forget to request your free in-room goldfish!
A very chic hotel at the convention center with 105,000 square feet of event space.
An independent hotel with a little Southern flair in a Civil War-era mansion. This is a charming, unique place to stay. Sip a mint julep on the porch. Located inside two historic houses built in 1864.
A farmers market held on Thursdays, 3-7PM, from April to November.
Held in late November and December, this market sells an array of handcrafted items, jewelry, pottery, and food.
The most-centrally located department store in D.C.
A large luxury shopping development built in the 2010s on the site of a former convention center. Has many very pricey shops, including Tumi, Louis Vuitton, Kate Spade, Hermès, Gucci, Burberry, BOSS, Arc'teryx, and Allen Edmonds. The pedestrian-only Palmer Alley has seasonal overhead displays that make for a nice photo-op. There is also a seasonal farmer's market Tuesday afternoons, and periodic cultural events.
A swanky gallery that usually exhibits contemporary works by established artists.
This artist-cooperative owned gallery is friendly and crammed with local artwork. Prices are reasonable, and events are packed.
By car
The East End is probably the worst place to drive to in the city. On weekdays and during peak tourist season, street parking is either unavailable, or will take a long time to find.
By taxi
It is possible to hail taxis from the street at almost any hour of the day or night, and they are a convenient way to travel relatively short distances.
By bus
Metrobus operates in the East End. For more information on riding buses in Washington DC, see Washington DC#Get_around.
By foot
The Penn Quarter area is an easy walk from the National Mall and the museums by walking north through the courtyards of Federal Triangle, past the National Archives.
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