Visiting DC next week

[asp.artist]

Hi,

I'm spending a few days (Wed-Sat) in DC next week. Are there any galleries or shows that I shouldn't miss? Also, I plan to walk/shoot as much as possible, so any recommendations for interesting subjects would be very helpful. I'm packing Holgas and an Ambi Silette, and thinking about also bringing a Yashica D. The Holgas are for multiple exposure images, so the monuments are perfect. But, I love to shoot the street, and especially street art, so recommendations for "grittier" areas would be welcome.
Thanks much, Anne

 

[jeffreyg]

If you like sea food (or not) check out the fish market on Maine Street - incredible selection of fish, lots of activity as it is open air. If you happen to be hungry have lunch at Phillip's next to the market - you won't have to eat for the rest of your trip. Enjoy.

http://jeffreyglasser.com/

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Of course there's the monumental core of the city, but there's so much more to DC than the monuments. In DC, getting around is easy: Metro (the subway system) is your friend. First thing you should do is go to a Metro station and get a system map. Then get yourself a Smart card and load it up (they're re-useable). If you want to see some street scenery, take a wander around my neighborhood - hop the Green/Yellow lines to U Street/Cardozo and/or Columbia Heights stations. Get out and walk around. General advice though is to stick to the west of 11th Street - heading east from there things go downhill fast, although it isn't immediately obvious from the housing stock. For something a little different, take the Orange/Blue lines to Eastern Market and wander around Capitol Hill. Take in the historic Eastern Market marketplace. Go another stop out the Orange/Blue lines to Potomac Avenue, stroll a bit further along Pennsylvania Avenue and hang a left to end up at Congressional Cemetery- many illustrious, famous, and even infamous figures in US history are buried there alongside ordinary Washingtonians (Matthew Brady, J. Edgar Hoover to mention a couple). They may still be doing a lot of restoration work on the grounds, so give them a call ahead of time to find out what conditions are like - http://www.congressionalcemetery.org/. Visit Georgetown if you like, but it's awfully touristy and tourist-trappy - lots of overpriced chain stores and overpriced, mediocre restaurants. Closest Metro is Foggy Bottom (not that close actually, but the Georgetown residents didn't want to have Metro when they were designing the system for fear of an "undesireable element" being brought to the neighborhood. Well, 30 years on, they have godawful traffic, and the "undesireable element" still walks/rides the bus in). Dupont Circle is another fun area to visit, with lots of restaurants, still some nightlife (although it has moved on to other parts of the city now).

 

[arpinum]

Depends on the type of grit you like. H street NE from about 6th is pretty good. Just follow it east for a mile or so, and explore the surrounding neighborhoods.

 

[asp.artist]

Great ideas! No, I'm not preppy enough for Georgetown.... And, FlyingCamera great links on artreactor website. Sorry I missed the whole plate show.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

H Street NE has cleaned up a fair bit, but I'd still be very careful venturing off it, especially to the north, extra especially the further east you go. DC neighborhoods shift from safe to nasty pretty fast, but the appearance doesn't always clue you in.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Get your DC Metro Map at http://www.dcmetromap.net/

Steve

 

[DBP]

Clarendon Day, which is a street fair in Arlington, is the 25th.