All right. We all know about National Mall with its Monuments and Museums as well as The White House. But usually, locals go there only if somebody visiting them (or just cross nearby while heading somewhere else).

So, this post is about other touristic (but not so much) spots that can be pleasant for a short walk.

Georgetown University

I love campuses. I think ‘college time’ is the golden age for every person. Usually, I feel very comfortable and nostalgic at every place established to bring higher education to people. But of course, if it’s an old institution in nice surroundings with that special historical vibe - you’ll find me there for sure!

DC-area has a lot of campuses but my favorite one is Georgetown University (and it is also in my list of the most beautiful USA campuses which I’ll share one day I believe!). It is not as famous as Stanford, Harvard or The Ivy League universities. But still pretty old (1789), have really notable graduates (for example Bill Clinton, 42nd U.S. President) and… Yeah, that’s right! Fabulous in terms of architecture and good for walking.

Tip. Find the dorms facing Potomac river, use their stairs to reach the public deck with great views at the river and Rosslyn skyline!

National Cathedral

Well, I’m not much into religious things (not against them either). Still, I love gothic architecture of catholic cathedrals, their calmness, choir and organ sounds. Usually, I prefer to see the building from the outside, though. Exceptions: when you can climb on the top and observe the city (like Notre-Dame de Paris or Basilica del Voto Nacional) or discover what’s going on undergrounds (like Catedral de Sal de Zipaquira near Bogota).

Washington National Cathedral (along with stunning exterior) has a nice small garden and underground part (which is really interesting to take a look at). It also has a great organ which consists of 10,647 pipes.

Tip. Check the website of the cathedral to catch some organ music (like weekly organ demonstrations or recitals).

Meridian Hill Park

Unfortunately, DC’s community doesn’t have such an iconic and famous city park as New Yorkers, Chicagoans or San Franciscans blessed with. Yes, I know, DC has National Mall and Rock Creek Park… But it’s a bit different if you know what I mean.

On the other hand, DC’s ParkScore is one of the highest in all over the country (according to http://parkscore.tpl.org/rankings_advanced.php) as it also has a bunch of small parks scattered around. Among them, you can find really unique (again, in terms of architecture, you see - I obsessed with architecture!) Meridian Hill Park. What’s so special about it? Fountains! The star of the show is gorges cascading main one (which is considered to be the longest in North America (according to https://www.nps.gov/places/meridian-hill-park.htm). And because of cascades, the entire park space feels like a hill with stairs leading to the top - where the park itself situated (more like a lawn with trees on both sides, so if you hate climbing stairs - you can skip the top level).

Tip. Best time for visiting the park is obviously when fountains are running (normally during summer months) but with every single year this becomes more challenging to catch (because of maintenance). So if you will have a choice, it’s better to do Sunday afternoon (around 3 p.m.) when drum performances occur on the top level (still depending on weather and… the mood of people doing that).

Blagden Alley

Okay, you tired of old architecture (or not interested in that) and just want to see some new stuff and places where locals usually spend their free time (except shopping malls, sports games, someone’s private parties and out-of-the-city spots, where most of them usually are). In this case - welcome to neighborhoods! In particular - to the relatively new ones. Now I’m not talking about nightlife favorites of Washingtonians and visitors (maybe next time). It’s all about where you can walk in the daytime and see something remarkable (other than crowds and souvenir shops).

Let’s start with so-called Blagden Alley - the small area hidden inside one of the Shaw neighborhood blocks. This is a very untypical place for today’s DC that looks like a little maze with some graffitis and a couple of cafes and bars. It’s still half-developed, so the coffee shop sits side by side with empty and seemingly abandoned spaces. But don’t be afraid - this area is rather safe (I mean: in terms of DC). On this date, Shaw is one of the most expensive (if not the first one) neighborhoods in the city in terms of apartments lease, after all.

Tip. The best way to find the alley is to look for the La Colombe Coffee shop (924 Blagden Alley NW). To take a cup of their coffee or not - it’s up to you (I’m a coffee snob so I wouldn’t touch this topic here - maybe I’ll create a special blog for that), but when you face the entrance, on your left hand will be a small path and a church in the end of it - you can do a nice photo of yourself in that space.

The Wharf / The Navy Yard

The next stop in our journey throughout DC’s neighborhoods (or it’s better to say - two stops) will be related to newly developed ’near the water’ areas. The city also has lovely old Georgetown area, which is partially near the water as well, but you have seen it already during your visit to Georgetown University (and if not - the area deserves its own post). Anyway, now I’m talking about new (!) popular areas (cause you tired or not interested in the old ones).

First stop from two mentioned above will be at so-called The Wharf DC (or District Wharf). It’s the newest neighborhood in the city, the first phase of which was opened in October 2017 after 3 years and $2.5 billion cost of construction. Here you can find nicely designed boardwalk with swings, campfires (during colder months), a lot of yachts and other vessels and of course - restaurants, bars, luxury residential real estate and the biggest (and fanciest) city nightclub. The area becomes very very lively on weekends (especially when the weather is nice), so if you not in the mood for crowds, I would suggest you to visit the second stop.

And the second stop is Navy Yard neighborhood (or The Yards, or the Capital Riverfront) - you see, Washingtonians are very into different names for the same thing. If you want to read a bit more about this area I have a special post (it’s not as long as this one, I promise!), but if you don’t (or in addition to that) - only a couple of words. The area is popular because of its stadiums, restaurants and bars (including a craft brewery and a local winery). But actually, I like it because of charming riverfront area with a lot of small fountains and a white bridge, good combination of beautiful old and new buildings (yeah, me and architecture!) and also small artistic green spaces (like Canal Park or Transportation walk). Yeah, this neighborhood is in the ‘world’s coolest’ Forbes 2018 list.

Tip: * to The Wharf. You can do the river roundtrip from The Wharf to one of the following destinations: Georgetown area, old Alexandria city, National Harbor. All 3 are worth a visit at least once in case you have plenty of time (because with the exception of Georgetown they’re not ‘the first priority’ places to see). Just be sure to check schedule on the website of Potomac Riverboat Company first (https://www.potomacriverboatco.com/water-taxi/wharf): the interval between rides can be very long and this length varies depending on season and weekday. If you not up to a water trip, you can visit Maine Avenue Fish Market (or the Wharf Fish Market) and take a cup of seafood soup (or fresh tacos) or just stroll around and look at the pretty solid choice of raw seafood. * to The Navy Yard. If you interested in ‘American’ (or DC-ish) sporty lifestyle then you’d better come here during baseball or football season (you can check Washington Nationals and D.C. United websites for upcoming games). But if you had enough of that stuff or not interested in it at all - check websites anyway to avoid crowds.

Union Market

OK, here is the last stop for today. CAUTION: this is a half-developed area, so it’s still not much to see here except Union Market and nearby stores/food places. But if you curious to see how the NEW neighborhood (and very cool in perspective!) IS BURNING - this is the place! This is a very representative mix of how it was (within most parts of DC till a few decades ago), what is still present but slowly ‘dying’ (going to past) and what it will be in next 2-5 years. I believe, that Shaw and The Navy Yard (which is extremely popular right now) looked way way worser before the first attempts to bring them on the minimum attractive level for visiting were done.

Tip. It will be much more safe for you to go there during daylight hours, best on weekends (when locals usually come to visit Union Market, so you won’t be all alone!).

So, I hope this post will be useful for your next visit (or even first, if you have time for something besides The White House) to the Capital!