I think after the first visit to any city we try to find what was ‘the favorite place’. Something we will remember first when hearing the city’s name. It can be some street or square, museum or small antique shop, famous tasty restaurant or ‘locals only know about’ cozy bar.

My first visit to DC was during Christmas holidays with touristic purpose, so the first impression I had back then was ‘totally dead city without people, only some rare cars on wide roads, no charm or place I will be able to recall’. But the moment I saw Georgetown historic neighborhood my previous impression changed. A bit.

What is so special about Georgetown? First of all, this neighborhood is 40 years older then DC itself (see more details on Wiki if you interested in history, I just don’t want to do the same work someone already did before me ;) ). You can find this area in numerous rankings named like ‘The most beautiful historic neighborhoods in America’.

Second. This is one of the most popular (and also compact) shopping areas in Washington DC. Clothing, restaurants, crowds… if you interested not only in architecture but also in people watching - this is the place.

Georgetown can be somehow divided into 4 areas: waterfront walking part, M street/Wisconsin Avenue shopping corridors, Georgetown University, and residential area. Please, don’t underestimate the last one: it’s quiet, pleasant and nice for walking. It took me a while to discover this part of the neighborhood, but there is still a lot of inspiration can be found in every single visit.

If ‘just a simple walk’ is not enough for a reason to leave a house, you can start exploring residential Georgetown from two very famous and open for public mansions (each with its own beautiful garden!) - Dumbarton Oaks and The Tudor Place.

And now I’ll tell you about a really sad thing. You see that nice first pic with a canal on the top of the post? This is the part of Chesapeake & Ohio Canal that passes through Georgetown. You saw that beauty and now thinking about packing your bag while reading this? I don’t want to disappoint you much, but this is harsh reality: the canal is totally empty now. Yes, no water. And tall grass in some parts of it. It made me so mad! What happened to C&O Canal here?… I was lucky and saw it full of water in my first visit to DC, and fell in love with the area! And now looks like it’s totally forgotten by everyone (at this date approx. 1,5 years passed!) - really shame on people in charge and community for being silent and do nothing! And yes, I know about photos and information here https://www.nps.gov/choh/planyourvisit/construction-updates-georgetown.htm (but frankly, it feels like not too much efforts are being taken to finish this project, sorry).

Despite of C&O Canal current poor condition, adjacent walkways are still worth a visit. You should definitely check Cady’s Alley NW, Blues Alley NW and Grace St NW for instagrammable pictures and European vibes. Blues Alley NW is also a home for Blues Alley Club - the oldest jazz club in the city (good place to become familiar with DC jazz scene, if you interested in that).

One more place that has to be mentioned in every post about Georgetown (at least formally) is Old Stone House - the oldest unchanged building in Washington DC (1765). The House situated just in the middle of the shopping part of the neighborhood, near the bus stop - no need for additional effort to find it! You can step inside to see interior for free (just be sure to check working hours before going there https://www.nps.gov/places/old-stone-house.htm).

Other notable places to visit in Georgetown are: - Exorcist steps (got its name because of a scene from The Exorcist horror film. Those are super steep steps though - you’d better come to see them from the top at Prospect St NW); - Georgetown University (the most beautiful campus in the city. See more about it in this post); - Georgetown Waterfront Park and pier (views on Potomac river, the Watergate Complex, and John F. Kennedy Center, plus the opportunity to do a river trip to other trendy neighborhood - The Wharf); - House of Sweden (a good example of modern Scandinavian architecture in DC); - Book Hill Park… It all depends on how much time you will have and what pace for exploring new places you do prefer. I can suggest to put in a plan at least one full day, especially if you interested in shopping or visiting mansions without rush.

As every city neighborhood, Georgetown has its own signature events. Most unique (in terms of city life) are: ‘French Market’ (open-air market and sidewalk sale) in spring and ‘Georgetown Glow’ (light art festival) in winter. I can’t call those ‘world class happenings that worth a visit from another side of the world’ but if you plan your trip to the Capital in April or December - it’s a good chance to see the local life. If you interested in that - you’d better leave some time in your schedule.

And of course, Georgetown is an excellent place for foodies, but this is different and very huge topic that demands its own post (or even whole bunch of posts). So, I’ll mention just a couple of popular things to not miss during the first time in this neighborhood: - cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake (these days though locals prefer the ones from ‘Baked and Wired’ shop) - you will see really huge lines on holidays and regular weekends here (I’m not a big fan of US sweets, that’s why I don’t think it’s worth that wait, but still I believe it’s better to try such hyped things in order to create your own opinion);
- ice cream from Thomas Sweet; - inexpensive quick burgers from Good Stuff Eatery (yeap, it’s better to avoid McDonald’s and Shake Shack in DC, and try something different - my personal fav. is Obama Burger with roquefort cheese and caramelized onion, but this place has plenty of options for different tastes); - crab cakes from ‘Clyde’s Of Georgetown’.

So, welcome to Georgetown, one of ‘must see’ places in the Capital!