D.C. Ward 5 Neighborhood Guides

Arboretum

Eat:

• Dan dan noodles from nearby Panda Gourmet, a popular Chinese restaurant inside a Days Inn.
• Pastrami sandwich from nearby Deli City Restaurant, a cash-only restaurant stuck in the 1950s when it first opened.

Drink:

• Coffee at a cupping the first Friday of every month at 11 a.m. at Small Planes Coffee, a local roastery owned by the same people behind Peregrine Espresso.

Do:

• Find the Anacostia Overlook, a secret pavilion with views, inside the U.S. National Arboretum’s Dogwood Collections.
• Picnic near the old U.S. Capitol columns at the U.S. National Arboretum. More columns can be seen at the top of the Azalea Collection.
• Play pickleball at the Arboretum Recreation Center, a recently-renovated community center with two playgrounds, tennis courtyard, a gym, and a community garden.
• Read a book at the Morrison Garden, a brick-walled garden, inside the U.S. National Arboretum’s Azaela Collection.
• Shop for plants at U.S. National Arboretum‘s annual Native Plant Sale in March.
• Take your kids to the Washington Youth Garden to learn where food comes from at the U.S. National Arboretum.
• Walk along the Anacostia River by finding the gate in the back of the Asian Collections inside the U.S. National Arboretum.

See:

• 1969 abandoned memorial built for six women where Crabtree Road and Hickey Run meet inside the U.S. National Arboretum.
• 400-year-old bonsai at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Pagoda at the Gotelli Conifer Collection inside the U.S. National Arboretum.

Bloomingdale

Eat:

• Bagel sandwiches at Big Bear Cafe, a Bohemian-style cafe that hosts events like weddings.
• Chocolate croissant from Sylvan Cafe, a cafe open daily at 8 a.m.
• Curry goat from Jam Doung Style, a Jamaican restaurant on a corner.
• “Grandma” breakfast sandwich with scrapple, egg, and cheese at Marty Clarks Uptown, a sandwich shop inside D.C. Mini Super Market.
• Pasta from The Red Hen, a beloved Italian-inspired restaurant.

Drink:

• Cocktails at Side Door, a retro speakeasy from Pub and the People open Friday and Saturday evening.
• Draft beer at Boundary Stone‘s happy hour from 5-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday.
• Latte from Creative Grounds DC, a corner Black-owned cafe with local art. 

Do:

• Attend trivia night Mondays at 7 p.m. at The Pub & The People, a beloved neighborhood bar.
• Buy books from Bol, the city’s first worker-owned bookstore inside Creative Grounds DC.
• Find the bright “I hold the key to my own happiness” garage mural near Crispus Attucks Park.
• Listen to a gospel choir Sundays at noon at Saint Martin of Tours Catholic Church, a parish that started in 1901.
• See Jahru‘s alley mural on Bacio Pizzeria, a local pizzeria with gluten-free and vegan options.
• Shop local at the Sunday morning farmers market in front of Big Bear Cafe May through December.
• Sign the book under a bench at Crispus Attucks Park, a large community park in an alley with a garden walk and events.

See:

• “Boxer Girl” mural by Lisa Marie Studio at 73 W St NW.
• History at Metropolitan Wesley A.M.E. Zion Church, an 1832 congregation that was a stop on the Underground Railroad and that birthed the city’s first Black public school.
• Mural honoring women’s suffrage on the rowhouse at 73 Florida Avenue NW.
• Public art in the triangle park where Rhode Island Ave NW, 1st Street NW, and T Street NW meet.

Brentwood

Eat:

• Brisket sandwich at MGM Roast Beef, a 2008 sandwich shop that serves hand-carved meats.
• Green curry chicken at Sala Thai, a local Thai restaurant with several locations in the city.
• Neapolitan pizza at nearby Menomale, a pizzeria with sixteen different pizzas.
• Porchetta sandwich at nearby Salumeria 2703, an Italian market with a deli inside.
• Salmon nuggets for $10 during happy hour Monday-Friday 4-6 p.m. at nearby Ivy City Smokehouse, a tavern with a rooftop and a seafood market.

Drink:

• Beer at nearby metrobar, a popular bar/event space inside an old Metro car with an outdoor patio.
• Craft beer at nearby City-State Brewing Company, a kid-friendly and dog-friendly brewery with seven beers on tap.
• Margarita from nearby Alegria, a Latinx cocktail bar inside Bryant Street Market.
• Sour ale from nearby Lost Generation Brewing Company, a craft brewery inside a historic warehouse run by a husband-wife team.

Do:

• Attend an event at Whitfield Entertainment Group Studios, a 57,000-square-foot space with a soundstage.
• Buy holiday trees at Olde City Garden, a mural-decorated garden center that doubles as a community space.
• Hire willing workers to help build house projects outside of Home Depot, the only one in D.C.
• Honor two USPS workers who died in 2001 after handling anthrax-contaminated mail meant for U.S. Representative at the United States Postal Service.
• Read a book at the benches in the small park at 1333 W St NE named the Zaire Kelly Park after a high school student who was killed there in 2017.
• Take your kids to the enclosed playground at the Brentwood Recreation Center, a space with a baseball field and basketball courts.
• Test your knowledge at Tuesday Triva Night at nearby Bryant Street Market, a food hall that hosts regular events.
• Walk to nearby Ivy City and visit all their distilleries like women-owned Republic Restoratives or Italian Don Ciccio & Figli.

See:

• Art Deco along the bridge over the railroad tracks along 9th Street NE near T Street NE.
• Israel Baptist Church, an 1880 congregation with a more-affordable day care center.
• One of the city’s largest satellites at DC Office of Cable Television, Film, Music and Entertainment.
• Plaque honoring the site of the Columbian Harmony Cemetery, a historic Black cemetery that was razed, at the Rhode Island Ave-Brentwood Metro Station.
• View of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, North America’s largest Catholic church building, from the parking lot at Rhode Island Place.

Brookland

Eat:

• Chicken tikka masala at Masala Story, a popular immigrant-owned Indian restaurant.
• Corn beef hash at Brookland Grill, a no-frills breakfast spot popular among locals.
• French onion soup at Primrose, a beautifully decorated restaurant inspired by Paris.
• Hand-rolled bagels from Bullfrog Bagels, a weekend bagel stand inside Tastemakers, a food hall inside an old factory.
• Neapolitan pizza at Menomale, a pizzeria that makes it the way history intended. Next door is Italian market Salumeria 2703.
• Pancake special from Murray & Paul’s, a 1964, cash-only spot with breakfast for under $10.

Drink:

• Craft beer at Right Proper Brewing, a local brewery with a tasting room open Wednesday through Sunday and a mural on one of its sides.
• Discounted drinks at Brookland’s Finest‘s all-day happy hour every Monday.
• Latte from Cool Coffee, a newer coffee shop with a large neon sunglass-wearing smiley face sign outside.
• Margaritas from San Antonio Bar & Grill, one of the few Tex-Mex restaurants in D.C.

Do:

• Bike down the Metropolitan Branch Trail passing murals all the way to Union Station.
• Buy fresh produce from the nearby FRESHFARM Monroe Street Farmers Market, a year-round Saturday farmers market in the Brookland Arts Walk, an area with local shops, artists studios, and murals.
• Donate books to the many Little Free Libraries, including one with only children’s books, in the neighborhood.
• Explore the old campus of Howard University’s Divinity Library now abandoned at 1400 Shepherd St NE. Find the old Victorian house in the back that local police believe is haunted.
• Hike the trails in Fort Bunker Hill, the site of a former Civil War fort.
• Learn about Black history at Sterling A. Brown Residence, the home of a poet pivotal in the Black Arts Movement in the 1960s and 1970s.
• Take your kids to the Dwight Mosley Playground and Taft Field, a spacious park with a large playground and community garden. Another playground is at Noyes Park.
• Tour the catacombs at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America, an 1899 monastery with Neo-Byzantine and Romanesque architecture and gardens.
• Splash in water during the summer at Turkey Thicket Playground and Spray Park, a playground with a spray park.
• Visit the gardens at the nearby Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Catholic Church in North America.

See:

• “A Survivor’s Journey” mural by Joel Bergner raising awareness about domestic abuse at 3740 12th St NE.
• Abwoon Tiny Art Gallery, a Little Free Library turned art gallery along Ritchie Place NE.
• Art at Salve Regina Hall, a small art gallery open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Catholic University‘s campus.
• Ralph J. Bunche Residence at 1510 Jackson St NE, the former home of the first Black Nobel Peace Prize recipient.
• Saint John Paul II National Shrine, a shrine open to the public every day of the week honoring the beloved pope. There’s a statue of him outside the shrine.
• Ukrainian Catholic National Shrine of the Holy Family, a large parish for the area’s Ukranian population.

Carver Langston

Eat:

• Chicken wings from Eddie’s, a carryout spot with a neon sign.
• Doughnuts from the Safeway Bakery inside the Hechinger Mall built in 1981.
• “Motherload” sub from Mother Rucker’s Subs, a Black woman-owned popular deli.

Drink:

• Craft beer at Jimmy Valentine’s, a beloved bar open every night at 8 p.m. with DJs every Friday and Saturday.
• More-affordable wine at Aldi, the only location in D.C.

Do:

• Play golf at the Langston Golf Course, a 1939 course that was the second to desegregate in D.C. that went on to produce golf legends.
• Terrazzo art by Stephen Weitzman of Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rosa Parks at Starburst Plaza.
• Walk through the nearby U.S. National Arboretum, a large outdoor space with trails, gardens, and old U.S. Capitol columns.

See:

• Mural by Aniekan Udofia on the back of the Union Heights apartment building.
• New Deal art at Langston Terrace Dwellings designed by Black local architect Hilyard Robinson.
• Row of historic Black schools built during segregation, including Charles Young Elementary School and now-abandoned Spingarn High School.
• Terra-cotta animal sculptures in the courtyard of Langston Terrace Dwellings.
• View of the U.S. Capitol from Maryland Avenue NE.

Eckington

Eat:

• Award-winning chocolate chip cookie from Union Kitchen, a local food incubator with grocery stores.
• Ribs from Supreme Barbecue x Auntea Boba, a shop with a bubble tea place inside and a Chris Pyrate mural on the outside.
• Sub from the deli inside Yang Market, a market with a Cloe Rubenstein dinosaur mural on the outside.
• Whiting fish sandwich from Fish King, a popular family-run takeout spot along Rhode Island Ave NE. 

Drink:

•  Craft beer from Lost Generation Brewing Company, a microbrewery inside an old Nabisco factory with 15 drinks on tap, including sours.
• Single-origin coffee from Qualia Coffee, a coffee shop that sells muffins made by people experiencing homelessness.

Do:

• Bike up the Metropolitan Branch Trail, a popular trail that passes murals.
• Browse Eckington Hall‘s flea market every Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Quincy Lane.
• Climb at DC Bouldering Project, the only rock-climbing gym in D.C.
• Donate a puzzle at the Little Free Library puzzle box on the unit block of Quincy Place NE.
• Play rooftop basketball at the Family Life Community Center run by a local church.
• Shop local at the farmers market at Alethia Tanner Park Thursdays 4-8 p.m. May through October.
• Take your kids to the playground at the Harry Thomas Recreation Center, a large space with community and forest gardens. 

See:

• Art at STABLEarts, a community of artist studios inside a historic stable with a gallery open weekends from 12-6 p.m.
• Eclectic house garden at the corner of Todd Place NE & North Capitol Street NE.
• Mural by Jah One on the garage at 10 R St NE.
• Old items at the Flea Market Store, a shop selling an array of items for decades inside a rowhouse and out on their lawn.
• Original National Geographic’s subscription department at 1709 3rd Street NE. You can still see the old sign etched into the stone arch.
• Victorian homes throughout the area like the one at the corner of 2nd Street & Seaton Place NE.
• View of D.C. from the parking lot of Mckinley Technology High School, a STEM school on a hill.

Edgewood

Eat:

• Fried fish from S&G Seafood House, a beloved seafood institution.
• Spam musubi from Blowfish Poke & Grill inside the Byrant Street Market, a new food hall.

Drink:

• Craft beer at City-State Brewing Co., a kid-friendly, dog-friendly taproom with an arcade, games, and rotating food trucks.
• “Metro Fashioned” from metrobar, a bar and events venue built around a refurbished Metro car.
• Orange Crush at The Dew Drop Inn, a dive bar in a historic building with happy hour seven days a week.

Do:

• Attend a food event at Mess Hall, a food incubator with takeout and regular food events.
• Buy handmade ceramics from neighborhood artist Bethany Slater.
• Learn dance at the Dance Place, a non-profit that hosts classes and performances.
• Pick up produce from the FRESHFARM Monroe Street Farmers Market Saturdays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Shop along the Brookland Arts Walk, a promenade with 25+ art studios.
• Sign up for a CSA from 3 Part Harmony Farm, a 2012 urban farm.
• Take your kids to the Edgewood Recreation Center, a large space with a playground, track, and urban garden.
• Watch a $13 matinee movie at the Alamo Drafthouse, a large theater with reclining seats and a bar.

See:

• Chainsaw sculptures made from historic trees from Artistry In Wood inside the Glenwood Cemetery, an 1854 cemetery with famous interments and elaborate gravestones.
• Hidden memorial at Prospect Hill Cemetery, an 1858 German cemetery.
• Mural by JEKS ONE at 3401 8th Street NE.
• Old “Edgewood Wall” murals behind the Bryant Street Dog Park.
• Romanesque Revival architecture at the 1933 Holy Redeemer College building.
• Totem pole sculptures by Wilfredo Valladares along the Metropolitan Branch Trail.
• View from 4th Street NE of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Catholic building in North America.

Fort Lincoln

Eat:

• “Fitfit breakfast” on injera at nearby Eden’s Kitchen, a top-rated Eritrean restaurant.
• “Honey Butter” fried chicken sandwich at nearby Roaming Rooster, the original location of the Black-owned fried chicken fast-casual restaurant.
• Hot dog and soda for $1.50 at Costco, the only one in Washington, D.C.

Drink:

• Local beer at nearby DC Brau, the city’s oldest brewery brewing, packaging and selling beer within D.C. 

Do:

• Donate household items at Goodwill Greater Washington, the largest Good Will in the city that accepts donated items daily between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
• Explore Fort Lincoln Park, a former Civil War rampart now a public park on a hill with a cultural center, tennis courts, a playground, concrete pavilions, wood walkways and a brick pyramid. 
• Swim at the Theodore Hagans Pool, one of three outdoor pools in Ward 5, open Memorial Day to Labor Day.
• Take your kids to nearby Dakota Playground, a space with covered tables, a workout area, and basketball courts.
• Walk across the border to Maryland’s Fort Lincoln Cemetery and find a 1683 spring house, Civil War defense earthworks, the site of the Battle of Bladensburg, a giant mausoleum with a European-like outdoor courtyard and sculptures.

See:

• View of the D.C. skyline from Fort Lincoln Park.

Fort Totten

Eat:

• Birria tacos at Mama Chepa, a small Latin American restaurant inside a strip mall.
• Snacks from Price Grocery, a tiny bodega in honor of the owner’s parents

Drink:

• Draft beer for half off during happy hour at nearby Slash Run, a rock-n-roll bar with regular shows.

Do:

• Bike along the Metropolitan Branch Trail, a long trail that goes from Union Station into Maryland.
• Borrow a book from the Little Free Library in front of Briya Public Charter School.
• Buy spices from Avenue Market, a beloved grocery store inside a strip mall.
• Explore Rock Creek Cemetery, a 1719 cemetery with famous gravestones and memorials like the Adams Memorial, one of a trilogy through D.C.
• Honor the fallen at the Soldiers Home Cemetery, one of the nation’s oldest national cemeteries.
• Tour nearby President Lincoln’s Cottage, a historic cottage where President Lincoln drafted the Emancipation Proclamation. 

See:

• Art Deco at Chillum Manor, a garden-style apartment complex.
• Earthworks from a Civil War fort at Fort Totten Park, a spacious park with trails and picnic tables.
• Chapel dedicated to the Myrrh-Streaming Montreal Iveron Icon of the Mother of God inside Rock Creek Cemetery.
• Mamie D. Lee Community Garden, one of just a few community gardens in Rock Creek Park.
• Memorial to Founding Father Patrick Henry inside Rock Creek Cemetery.
• Murals along the Metropolitan Branch Trail near the Fort Totten Solid Waste Disposal Transfer Station.
• Renderings of a 1970s Fort Totten Metro station by Harry Weese & Associates on temporary bus terminals at the Fort Totten Metro.

Gateway

Eat:

• BBQ ribs from Hogs on the Hill, a neighborhood BBQ spot.
• Dan dan noodles from Panda Gourmet, a popular Chinese restaurant inside a Days Inn.
• Pastrami sandwich for under $10 from nearby Deli City Restaurant, a cash-only spot from the 1960s.

Drink:

•  Cold drinks from Sammy’s Liquors, a mural-decorated liquor store with non-alcoholic grab-n-go bottles.

Do:

• Browse clothes and other goods at the Goodwill of Greater Washington Retail Store. (Consider donating clothes too.)
• Donate imperishable food to the Little Free Library pantry on the 3000 block of Channing Street NE.
• Shop for crabs at Squeaky’s, a weekend pop-up in front of Sammy’s Liquors.
• Take your kids to Dakota Playground near basketball courts, green space, etc.

See:

• Mural by Baltimore-born muralist Nether410 on Sammy’s Liquors.

Ivy City

Eat:

• Chef’s tasting menu on Michelin-star restaurant Gravitas, a restaurant inside an old tomato packing warehouse.
• Crab cakes from Ivy City Smokehouse, Ivy City’s first neighborhood restaurant.
• Falafel bowl from Giza Middle Eastern Food, a fast-casual restaurant inside the Hecht Building.
• Tamales from Ana’s Whole Sale, which provides them for restaurants, but sells to walk-ins for only a few dollars. 

Drink:

•  Craft beer outside at Atlas Brew Works, a solar‑powered brewery, or Brooklyn‑based Other Half Brewing.
• Juice from Naked Lunch, an all-organic cafe inside MOM’s Organic Market.
• Latte at Baker’ s Daughter, a cafe and market from the owner of Gravitas across the street.

Do:

• Buy fresh fish at The Market at Ivy City Smokehouse, which has the city’s largest selection of seafood.
• Play at the Play Space at Crummel School, a 1911 school that’s now unoccupied.
• Take your kids to The Lane at Ivy City, a family‑friendly space with classes and play spaces.
• Tour the city’s largest concentration of distilleries at Don Ciccio & Figli and women-owned Republic Restoratives. There’s a bar inside each distillery and they offer tastings. Don Ciccio & Figli’s tasting is generous and free.
• Shop custom journals at Appointed, a woman-owned notebook and journal company.
• Support local entrepreneurs at Union Kitchen, a food incubator with a commercial kitchen that makes cookies, pizza and more.
• Walk by a long strip of street art across the street from 1901 Fairview Ave NE.

See:

• Art Deco architecture at the Hecht Warehouse, an apartment building in a 1937 warehouse.
• “Soul Train” mural by Jay Hudson on the sides of the Ivy City Market.

Langdon

Eat:

• Crab cake from nearby Provost, a Black-owned restaurant on a mission to bring better-for-you food to Northeast D.C.
• Jerk chicken at Jerk At Nite, a Black-owned Caribbean restaurant with a food truck.
• Pastrami sandwich at Deli City Restaurant, a cash-only, family-run shop with decor stuck in the 1950s.
• Subs from nearby Subbs by Carl, a tiny sandwich shop that’s been on the block for almost 40 years.

Drink:

• Latte from nearby Zeke’s Coffee, a Baltimore-born roastery with several locations in D.C.
• Pint of beer at The Public Option, a neighborhood pub, when it reopens.

Do:

• Attend the annual open house of Off the Beaten Track Warehouse, a community of artist studios in a historic post-office-turned-warehouse.
• Buy spices at The Spice Suite, a Black woman-owned spice and apparel shop with containers next door of more Black-owned businesses.
• Go to a concert at Echostage, a 3,000-person music venue that opened in 2012.
• Read a book on the rooftop terrace at the Woodridge Neighborhood Library.
• Skateboard at the graffiti-cover skate park behind the Langdon Park Recreation Center. Nearby is a playground, a baseball field, a pool, and picnic tables.
• Sled on the hills surrounding the Langdon Park Recreation Center during the winter.
• Snap a photo at Montana Motor Inn, a creative co-working space in an old building meant for a motel.
• Throw axes at Bad Axe Throwing, a space good for group activities.

See:

• Aniekan Udofa‘s large mural on the side of Bliss Nightclub.
• Historic parish at Saint Francis de Sales Church, a 1722 Catholic parish with a courtyard.
• Ionia R. Whipper Home, the historic home of a Howard University alumnus who helped unwed mothers and survivors of abuse.
• Jurassic Park-inspired mural on the brick house at 1817 Franklin Street NE. The man who owns the house sometimes hosts community movie nights in his yard.
• Mekane Hiwot Medhane Alem Orthodox Tewahedo Church, an Orthodox church in a 1908 English Manor-style fire station.
• Memorial to Chuck Brown, the “Godfather of Go-Go,” at the Chuck Brown Memorial Park.
• Mural by TRAP BOB at 2100 Channing St NE. There’s another mural on the side of The Children’s Guild DC Public Charter School.
• Technicolor mural on the side of a whore brick building near 2614 28th St NE.

Michigan Park

Eat:

• Birria tacos from nearby Mama Chepa, a local restaurant inside a strip mall in Fort Totten.
• Dumplings from Full Yum 2, a small Chinese takeout spot inside a strip mall.

Drink:

• Coffee from nearby Cool Coffee, a local cafe with a neon smiley face sign outside.
• Craft beer at nearby Hellbender Brewing Company, a local brewery open Wednesday through Sunday with rotating food trucks.

Do:

• Donate books to the blue Little Free Library at the corner of 8th Street NE and Emerson Street NE.
• Picnic in the green space when school isn’t in session behind Bunker Hill Elementary School inside a 1940 building.
• Take your kids to the Michigan Park Community Playground, an entirely enclosed playground.
• Volunteer at the Capital Area Food Bank, the area’s largest anti-hunger organization that accepts volunteers to help sort and pack food at their distribution center.

See:

• 1901 bell from Baltimore’s MC Shane Bell Foundry at Josephite Seminary Park, a small park in front of St. Joseph’s Seminary inside a 1930 Colonial Revival building.
• Carving of the “Last Supper” above the front door at Faith United Church of Christ, a church that hosts free produce markets for neighbors.
• “Empathy” signs along 12th Street NE across from the Michigan Park Community Playground. There’s another sign along Taylor Street NE outside of Michigan Park Christian Church.
• Painted letters outside the windows at the Scrilli School, a day care center.
• Sculpture art on the side of Mundo Verde Public Charter School, a school inside a 1915 building intended as a dining hall for a Catholic college. There are two Little Free Library boxes outside the building as well.
• St Vincent DePaul Statue honoring the French saint at the corner of 12th Street NE and Varnum Street NE.

North Michigan Park

Eat:

• Chicken lo mein from nearby Full Yum II, a Chinese takeout restaurant.
• Fried chicken from nearby Pennyroyal Station, a Black-owned restaurant inside an old bank foyer and trolley station in nearby Mount Rainier, Maryland.
• Honey fried cauliflower from nearby His & Hers, a neighborhood restaurant along Route One.

Drink:

• Latte from nearby Cool Coffee, a local cafe with a smiley face neon side.

Do:

• Donate books to the Little Free Library featuring diverse books along Emerson Street NE near 13th Place NE.
• Picnic at Fort Circle Parks, a public park on the site of a former Civil War fort.
• Read a book on a bench at the triangle park where Bunker Hill Road NE, 18th Street NE, and Michigan Avenue NE meet.
• Sit on the bench at the small triangle park where South Dakota Avenue NE, 12th Street NE, and Decatur Street NE meet. Across the street is a brick house with bird paintings on the outside.
• Take your kids to North Michigan Park Recreation Center, a space with a playground, a field, and more.
• Wander the gardens at nearby Franciscan Monastery, an 1899 monastery open to the public to enjoy.

See:

• 1929 country home that’s now the HSC Pediatric Center.
• Moore Manor, a grand 1928 house that was once St. Gertrude’s School of Arts and Crafts and is now Boys Town. (The house is on a gated campus so enjoy from the street.)
• Saint Anselm’s Abbey, a 1930 monastery enjoyed from the street.

Pleasant Hill

Eat:

• Catfish filet at Heights Seafood and Soul Food Deli, a 1987 takeout-only spot inside a stirp mall with popular seafood and soul food at more affordable prices.
• Gyros from Dolphin Fish & Chicken, a takeout spot inside a strip mall that sells Po boy sandwiches, burgers, and more.

Drink:

• Slushies from Dolphin Fish & Chicken.
• Whisky at nearby Slash Run, a bar with a jukebox, draft beer, and over 100 kinds of whiskey.

Do:

• Bike the Metropolitan Branch Trail, an extensive trail lined with murals.
• Learn about Pope John Paul II at nearby Saint John Paul II National Shrine open every day with a permanent exhibit about the popular pope.
• Take a tour of nearby President Lincoln’s Cottage, a Gothic-Revival cottage where President Lincoln drafted the Emancipation Proclamation.
• Visit the nearby Soldiers Home Cemetery, one of the country’s oldest national cemeteries where President Lincoln witnessed the burial of Civil War soldiers while at his summer cottage.

See:

• Adams Memorial, a 19th century statue in nearby Rock Creek Cemetery/Churchyard that’s one of three throughout D.C.
• Art at nearby Salve Regina Hall, an art gallery open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the week on Catholic University‘s campus.
• A game at Cardinal Stadium, the sports stadium of Catholic University.
• Kirov Academy of Washington, DC‘s old building built with large columns in 1924.

Queens Chapel

Eat:

• Crabs from nearby Ruff N Ready Crab House, a no-frills restaurant across the Maryland border open daily at noon.

Drink:

• Craft beer from nearby Hellbender Brewing Company, a brewery with open mic night on Wednesdays and trivia on Thursdays.

Do:

• Donate non-perishable items at the Giving Box in front of Faith Moravian Church, a church part of the world’s oldest Protestant denomination.
• Picnic at Fort Circle Parks, a large open green space with a few picnic tables.
• Read a book on the balcony at the Lamond-Riggs/Lillian J. Huff Neighborhood Library.
• Take your kids to the playground at the Riggs LaSalle Recreation Center.
• Trade seeds at the Seed Share box at the UDC Bertie Backus Food Hub.

See:

• History at the nearby Northeast 4 Boundary Stone, an original 1792 D.C. boundary stone.
• “Life Creates Music” mural by Joel Artista and Rashad Cuffee near Mural Walk NE and Riggs Park Place NE.
• Murals by Jay Hudson on Riggs Liquors.
• Statue of a dog in front of The Modern at Art Place.

Stronghold

Eat:

• Local pastries from nearby Creative Grounds DC, a Black-owned coffee shop in Bloomingdale that’s also an art gallery, bookstore and events space.
• Snacks at Capitol Market, the only corner store in the neighborhood. 

Drink:

• Craft beer at nearby City-State Brewing Co., a local brewery in Edgewood.
• Orange Crush from nearby The Dew Drop Inn, a bar that stays open until 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. in nearby Edgewood.

Do:

•  Find an alley garden near 21 Evarts Street NE.
• Grab a book from the Little Free Library box honoring a neighbor buried at nearby Glenwood Cemetery along Franklin Street NE.
• Pay respects to mayors, governors and poets at nearby Glenwood Cemetery, a historic cemetery first opened in 1854.
• Wander every alley and find art, quirky signs and a restored shipping container. 

See:

• Historic gate to Glenwood Cemetery behind 2531 North Capitol St NE.
• Mural at the corner of North Capitol Street NE and Franklin Street NE.
• Painted community bus stop bench along Michigan Avenue NE near North Capitol Street NE.
• “Signs of Regret” exhibit along an alley fence with statements we may say at the end of our lives are written on road signs.

Trinidad

Eat:

• $4.10 breakfast sandwich from Montello Deli, a corner takeout spot with affordable prices.
• Pan pie pizza from June, a family pop-up inside a rowhouse.
• Snacks from Jabbo’s Compact Market, a beloved bodega on a block with Christopher Lynch murals and German-style buildings.
• Subs at nearby Black‑owned Mother Rucker’s Subs.

Drink:

• “Dealer’s Choice” at nearby The Ella Grace, a small, Black-owned cocktail bar along H Street NE.

Do:

• Attend a class at Dwell, a creative space in a historic alley building.
• Buy tools from W.S. Jenks & Son, the city’s oldest hardware store first opened in 1866.
• Find the BLM mural by KaliQ in the alley off of Mount Olivet Road NE in between Holbrook Street NE and 16th Street NE.
• Take your kids to the Joseph H. Cole Recreation Center with a playground, splash park, and benches.
• Walk by a street memorial honoring someone lost to violence and a newer mural by JAH ONE and Hiero Veiga on and across from 1201 Mt Olivet Rd NE. 

See:

• Colonial Revival architecture at the 1925 fire house at 1342 Florida Ave NE, once the country’s busiest engine company.
• Four D.C. statehood murals by Lisa Marie Studio, Miztarious and Jay Hudson at the Trinidad Recreation Center.
• History inside a rowhouse on the 1100 block of Neal Street NE that once housed the couple involved in the Loving v. Virginia Supreme Court case that made interracial marriages legal everywhere in the country.
• Marcella Kriebel‘s mural outside of the old Little Wild Things City Farm building.
• View of the monuments from 1858 Mount Olivet Cemetery, the city’s largest Catholic cemetery and one of the first cemeteries in D.C. to racially integrate.

Truxton Circle

Eat:

• Breakfast tacos at Republic Cantina, a Tex-Mex restaurant started by the support of many Texans in D.C.
• Chocolate chip cookies from Uncle Chip’s Cookies, a woman-owned cafe inside a teal rowhouse.
• Croissants from Catania Bakery, a 1932 Italian bakery that’s open to the public on Saturdays only from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Korean fried chicken at Kochix Chicken, a small restaurant with five different sauces for its wings.

Drink:

• Unlimited mimosas for $24 at Uncaged Mimosas, a Black-owned all-day brunch restaurant.
• Wine from Domestique Wine, a shop full of natural wines from around the world.

Do:

• Enjoy art at 11:Eleven Gallery, the city’s only gallery highlighting contemporary and urban art from the United Kingdom. There’s more contemporary art at Mortin Fine Art, a gallery focusing on artists from the African and Global Diaspora.
• Learn how to play the drums at 7DrumCity, a music school with a small music venue inside.
• Swim laps at the Dunbar Aquatic Center, an eight-lane indoor pool inside Dunbar High School open to the public.
• Take your kids to the New York Avenue Playground, an enclosed playground with courts next door. There’s another enclosed playground at the Florida Ave Playground.
• Visit the open studios three times a year at 52 O Street Studios, the city’s largest artist studio space inside a 1914 warehouse.
• Volunteer at S.O.M.E., a local nonprofit supporting those who need it the most in D.C.

See:

• Dunbar High School, one of the country’s first public schools for Black students.
• Michael Hammond‘s mural on the side of Fresh Cut Barber and Salon.
• Murals in the alley behind 52 O Street Studios, including an Einstein mural by Matt Corrado.
• “She Persists” mural by Lisa Marie Thalhammer on the side of Open Arms Housing.
• “Shhh” mural by James Bullough and Addison Karl at 10 Florida Ave NW.

Woodridge

Eat:

• “Fitfit Breakfast” on injera at Eden’s Kitchen, one of the city’s top Eritrean restaurants.
• French toast from Provost, a Black-owned restaurant on a mission to bring better-for-you food to Northeast D.C.
• Honey butter fried chicken sandwich from the original Roaming Rooster, a Black family-owned restaurant with eleven locations throughout the D.C. area.
• Sandwiches from nearby Subbs by Carl, a Black-owned tiny shop that’s been on the block for 40 years.

Drink:

• Beer from DC Brau, the city’s first modern brewery with a taproom open Thursday through Sunday.
• Coffee from Zeke’s Coffee, a Baltimore-born roastery with coffee and food.
• “Hawaij Mocha” (a Yemeni spice blend) from Emma’s Torch, a NYC-born cafe that employs refugees and asylees, providing culinary and employability training.

Do:

• Read on the rooftop terrace at Woodridge Neighborhood Library.
• Shop apparel at The Museum, a Black-owned shop with clothing and art.
• Take your kids to nearby Dwight Mosley Playground and Taft Field, a space with a big playground, fields, and courts.
• Walk the trails at Barnard Hill Park, a public park on the site of an old Civil War fort.

See:

• 1898 bell outside of Mt Horeb Baptist Church, a church organized i 1870.
• Local art at Art Enables, a gallery that highlights work from artists with disabilities.
• Mural-decorated garden boxes outside of nearby Sojourner Truth School.
• Missionaries-Charity Convent, a convent run by Mother Teresa’s nuns who care for those who need it most in D.C.
• “Nature Intertwined” mural by Nether 410 on the side of nearby Sammy’s Liquors.
• School Garden at Friendship Woodridge, a large garden on a school’s campus that helps teach youth about healthy eating.