I typed this up for a friend who was doing a semester in DC and have sent it around to a few fols. It's a good wrap-up of why I loved my summer in DC with Andrea so damn much.
1. Go to Amsterdam Falafel in Adam's Morgan (metro to Woodley Park/Adam's Morgan/National Zoo or walk from Dupont). Really cheap + toppings bar + SUPER DELICIOUS = worth it!! A-M has lots of somewhat gross nightlife (think: young professionals wishing they were still in college) but also the only really good record stores (Smash for punk/hardcore, Crooked Beat for Dischord early presses) and some bars that don't suck.
2. U St, the historically black neighborhood in DC, is awesome.... Ben's Chilli Bowl at 11th and U (right near the 10th St. exit for the U St. metro) is the only restaurant that serves indigenously DC food: the chilli half-smoke, a chilli hot dog. It is highly representative that the first time I went to BCB Marion Barry was also there. For real. U st. is also home to DC's Ethiopian community. Dukem is the touristy Ethiopian place -- I enjoyed Meskerem in Adam's Morgan more, I think. You MUST eat Ethiopian in DC; the diaspora population in DC is the largest group of Ethiopians outside of their native state. IN addition, U St. is home to Busboys and Poets, which hosts book readings, slam poetry, jazz bands, and serves great dessert.
3. Go to Mt Pleasant. Excellent cheap Hispanic foodz. In particular, Pupuseria San Miguel was a favorite of ours. (FYI pupusas are Salvadorean corn cakes with cheese, beans, and pork that are deep-fried quickly so the cheese is maaaad gooey. Very tasty.) Mt Pleasant is not as far along the gentrification process as U St but they just built a Target in neighboring Columbia Heights so it's progressing quite rapidly. Mt. Pleasant is my preferred locale if I ever move back to DC.
4. I strongly believe that ice cream is the only reason to go to Georgetown. Thomas Sweet aka TSWEETZ, Dolcezza (Argentine gelato) (both cira Wisconsin and P), and Max's (northern Georgetown, Wisconsin near Calvert) are three of the best ice cream places in DC and they're all so close to one another.
5. I know it's expensive but the Newseum is well worth its price. My parents and I spent 4 hours there and barely got through 3 floors. They have a huge and amazing exhibit on the photographs to win Pulitzer Prizes including interviews with the photographers and captions explaining their stories. The top floor, the history of news, was fascinating and contains original copies of Thomas Paine newsletters, the Dewey Defeats Truman Chicago Daily News, etc.
6. Go to Eastern Market to eat food (softshell crab sandwich with Old Bay Spice highly rec), walk around the barracks, then head to RFK for a DC United game and love your life. If you are brave and like jumping on your chairs -- recuerde que los que no saltan son hijos de puta! -- sit in the Barra Brava pit above the 130's section. Most fun you'll have all summer, I promise. I don't really care about soccer but I went to three (four?) games and loved every second of them.
7. Every Monday and Thursday (I think) there are free concerts from some of DC's best local bands at Ft Reno Park in Tenleytown. Meet some friends after work at Whole Foods near the metro stop, make a picnic dinner, then enjoy the sweet jamz, puppies, and babies that abound amongst the hipsters. Cheap and fun!
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