Washington, D.C./Brookland-Petworth-Takoma



Brookland, Petworth, and Takoma are three relatively quiet neighborhoods east of Rock Creek Park. Following the "White Flight" after desegregation and the 1968 riots, these neighborhoods were left underpopulated, overwhelmingly African-American, and much less wealthy than the Upper Northwest, just across Rock Creek Park. These neighborhoods are rarely visited by travelers, except to see the National Shrine. However, there is a good reason to come here beyond the National Shrine — to better know the city as its residents do.

Brookland is an old established neighborhood around Catholic University, sometimes known as the "Little Vatican" for all its major Catholic institutions, as well as the National Shrine. The presence of Catholic University attracts many other Catholic organizations and institutions to the area. The neighborhood is named after Colonel Jehiel Brooks, who acquired 150-acres in the area via his marriage to Ann Margaret Queen, daughter of prominent Marylander Nicholas Louis (Lewis) Queen. Petworth is just north of Columbia Heights and takes its name from the 205-acre country estate of Benjamin Ogle Tayloe that encompassed most of what is now the neighborhood. It's home to the massive Armed Forces' Retirement Home, President Abraham Lincoln's Cottage, and beautiful Rock Creek Cemetery across the street. Takoma, dubbed the "Berkeley of the East," has good claim to be the most liberal neighborhood in the decidedly liberal D.C.-area, and has a good collection of quirky shops and ethnic restaurants.

By metro
The Red line stops at Takoma for Takoma Park, Brookland-CUA for Catholic University and Brookland's commercial strip, and Fort Totten, while the Green line stops at Georgia Ave/Petworth for the Petworth neighborhood and at Fort Totten where you can transfer to the Red Line.

By bus
While the area is served by Metrorail and that is the easiest public transport option for reaching Catholic University and the clusters of bars and restaurants, some attractions are more easily reached by bus.

Both President Lincoln's Cottage and Rock Creek Cemetery can be reached via Bus H2 , which runs along Rock Creek Church Rd between the Brookland-CUA and Georgia Ave-Petworth Metro stations and further west on to the Columbia Heights station.

#70  runs 24 hours daily. It serves the entire length of Georgia Ave from Silver Spring, Maryland, down to 7th St to the National Mall.

By car
A car is not necessary to visit these areas, but it is the most convenient option. Georgia Ave is one of the city's main thoroughfares. Heading east out of the city towards the Beltway, routes US-1/Rhode Island Ave and US-50/New York Ave are the quickest options, albeit absolutely miserable in rush hour traffic.

Uber, Lyft, and Via are also easy options.

Do




Brookland
Brookland has several fast casual restaurants such as Chipotle, Potbelly's, & Pizza, and Chick-fil-a between the Metrorail station and Catholic University.



Connect
In addition to the cafes above, the following all also provide free internet (and the libraries also offer public terminals):



Go next
Aside from the obvious southward trip downtown, you could take a trip across the D.C. border into Maryland, especially to visit adjacent Silver Spring to the north, which is accessible via the Red Line Metrorail, and has the American Film Institute Theater and a lot of restaurants and bars.