Washington, D.C./Capitol Hill



Capitol Hill is a venerable neighborhood just east of the Capitol building, best known as the main residence in the city for the legislative and judicial branches of the U.S. government, and for the staffers who run the place. Time permitting, you should make an effort to see not just the Capitol Building, the Supreme Court steps, and the Library of Congress, but head further east to see this beautiful neighborhood, and to have a nice meal on Barracks Row while listening to the politicos chatter away. The Hill extends several miles east of the Capitol to RFK Stadium and the Anacostia River.

Understand
Capitol Hill, just east of the National Mall, plays a central role in the country's political life, as two of the three branches of the federal government—the legislative and the judicial—are located here. The government spills far over into the neighborhood, as this is the favorite residential section of town for congressional staffers, and any other type of politico you can imagine. Streets are abuzz with intense political debate, and you'll encounter this head on when visiting a neighborhood bar or restaurant.

Capitol Hill is worth exploring regardless of your interest in politics, though. It is a beautiful historic neighborhood of 18th- and 19th-century rowhouses in a wide range of architectural styles, and a wandering stroll from the Capitol to Barracks Row along residential side streets is a nice way to take in this quintessentially Washingtonian neighborhood. The upscale dining scene is one of the best in D.C., particularly along Barracks Row (centered on 17th century U.S. Marines barracks at 8th and I St) and along Pennsylvania Ave. North of the Capitol Grounds is grandiose Union Station, which is both a major point of entry into the city, and also a historical landmark in its own right, with a beautiful, gilt main hall. The other big historical attraction is the huge Eastern Market, which is a fine place to browse, admire, or grab something good to eat.

By Metrorail
For more information on riding the Metrorail in Washington DC, see Washington DC.

The Blue, Orange, and Silver lines have stations just south of the Capitol Grounds at Federal Center SW and Capitol South. Further from the city center Eastern Market and then Stadium-Armory can be reached on the same line. Eastern Market is the most convenient stop for exploring the Capitol Hill neighborhood, as well as the eponymous market and Barracks Row. Stadium-Armory is closest to the DC Armory and Congressional Cemetery.

The most prominent stop is certainly at Union Station, on the Red Line, which is an easy walk from the Capitol, and is right by the Amtrak/MARC/VRE train station.

By train


Union Station is also the end point for the MARC Trains heading north through the Capital Region of Maryland to Baltimore. Since the MARC serves primarily commuters, train departures and arrivals are concentrated at the beginning and end of the work day.

By bus
The following are the main bus routes operating in these neighborhoods, along with links to timetables and route maps. For more information on riding buses in Washington DC, see Washington DC.


 * #90 and #92 are the most useful routes here—they run along 8th St from Barracks Row, past Eastern Market, and then north along Florida Ave to Shaw.
 * #96 and #97 run between Tenleytown, past Adams Morgan and Shaw, all the way to Anacostia.
 * DC Circulator Congress Heights – Union Station runs M-F 6AM-7PM (extended and weekend service on Nationals game days) from Union Station, past the Capitol Building, Eastern Market, and Barracks Row, before heading south to Anacostia.

By car
Street parking is not too hard to find on side streets once you get far enough east of the Capitol Building, and away from Eastern Market and Barracks Row. The traffic patterns are disastrously convoluted, though—even by D.C. standards. Main east-west routes run along Constitution and Independence, as well as Pennsylvania and Maryland Ave. Coming from Anacostia, the main bridges are at Pennsylvania Ave and E Capitol St. There are no main roads heading north-south throughout the area, only the complex diagonals.

See


The main attractions on Capitol Hill are all concentrated in the U.S. Capitol Complex, grounds managed by the Architect of the Capitol, covering roughly the three blocks east of the National Mall. These include the Capitol Building and its grounds, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court, Library of Congress, and congressional office buildings.

Capitol Grounds monuments






Buy
Union Station and Eastern Market are big shopping destinations in the city. Union Station includes a big shopping mall with plenty of high end and mid-range stores, while Eastern Market is much more offbeat, and geared to a lazy day of browsing. Outside these two heavyweights, Capitol Hill is an unorthodox shopping destination, but it does have a relatively small collection of unique and offbeat shops dispersed throughout the neighborhood, especially on Pennsylvania Ave near the Library of Congress and by Barracks Row.



Eat


Barracks Row, on 8th St SE, has classy restaurants that cater to repeat diners and to a sophisticated crowd.

Union Station has much cheaper options. The cafeteria food on the bottom level is best for the cheapest and quickest meals. The main level includes many popular national chains such as Chipotle, McDonald's, Chop't, Potbelly Sandwich Works, Pizzeria Uno, Pret A Manger, Roti Mediterranean Grill, Shake Shack, and Subway.

Splurge
The high-end restaurant scene in Capitol Hill is one of the city's best. Reservations are a must at most high-end restaurants.





Drink
There are plenty of bars in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, most of which are concentrated around the West side of the Capitol, and on the Eastern Market/Barracks Row strips. Catering to a diverse crowd of overworked hill staffers, lobbyists, lawyers, lawmakers, Marines from the nearby Barracks and neighborhood locals, there's something for everyone.





Connect
Most cafes and restaurants offer free Wi-Fi. Otherwise, the two public libraries in the neighborhood offer public terminals and free WiFi, or you could just enjoy the public WiFi on the steps of the Capitol Building!



Go next

 * The obvious destination is just west of the Hill, the National Mall, and the proximity is one of the main reasons to stay on Capitol Hill in the first place.
 * For a change of pace from Capitol Hill nightlife, consider heading just north to Near Northeast to have a beer at one of its very offbeat bars and clubs.