Washington, D.C./Near Northeast



Near Northeast refers to the area just north of Capitol Hill and Union Station, but south of Brookland.

Understand
The boundaries of Near Northeast are North Capitol St to the west, Florida Ave to the north, F St to the south, and 15th St to the east. The neighborhood is just south of Gallaudet University.

The Atlas District refers to H St NE between North Capitol St and 15th St NE. This is the most popular part of the neighborhood for visitors due to its bars, restaurants, and shopping. It is named after the Atlas Theater (opened in 1938), now the Atlas Performing Arts Center, at 1338 H St NE. Compared to other nightlife-centered neighborhoods, the Atlas District attracts a slightly older, more eccentric and artsy, more local, and almost certainly less drunken crowd.

NoMa refers to the area just north of Union Station, near the NoMa-Gallaudet U Metrorail Station.

History
Near Northeast has long since been a popular area for immigrants to settle. By the 1950s, it had become predominately African-American. The neighborhood suffered some of the biggest damage during the 1968 riots that left 1,200 buildings in the city destroyed and, like many areas of eastern D.C., it was reduced to urban blight for decades.

However, since the turn of the century, efforts have been made to revitalize the neighborhood and make it a destination for locals and visitors. In 2004, under new ownership, the Atlas Theatre underwent a $22-million renovation. In 2006, Joe Englert, a local entrepreneur, purchased 8 properties on H St NE between 12th St NE & 14th St NE and converted them into top destination restaurants, bars, and concert venues. In 2012, Union Market, a warehouse-style indoor market just west of Gallaudet University, was renovated and re-tenanted.

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

The Red Line stops at Union Station and NoMa–Gallaudet U, both of which are a short walk from the nightlife in the Atlas District.

By streetcar
The DC Streetcar operates from Union Station down H St NE, through the Atlas District. The service runs every 10–15 minutes Mondays through Saturdays.

By bus
For more information on riding buses in Washington DC, see Washington DC. The following bus lines that are useful when visiting Near Northeast:


 * X2 runs along H St every 15 minutes during the day, but every 30 minutes after 10PM, all the way to the East End.
 * B2 is useful for going to the National Arboretum or to Capitol Hill.
 * 90, 92 runs from Near Northeast to the nightlife-centered U St in Shaw as well as to Anacostia.

By car
A car is not necessary to visit Near Northeast, but it is the most convenient option, provided you trust yourself to navigate all the treacherous twisting diagonals. Routes US-1 and US-50 are both quick options to head east out of the city towards I-495 Capital Beltway.

By bicycle
A bicycle is a great option for visiting the areas that are hard to reach by Metrorail. For information on bike-sharing programs in the Washington DC area, see Washington DC.

Drink
The Atlas District offers D.C.'s most eclectic, most unique, most off-beat nightlife. This isn't simply a strip full of hipsters lounging in dives—the different venues, bars, and lounges all have a very strong sense of individual character. Since many venues are on H St NE between 12th St & 14th St, you can have a very easy one-night crawl! Most of the restaurants become bars later on in the night as well.



Budget
There are several budget and mid-range hotels along US-50/New York Avenue NE just north of Gallaudet University and the National Arboreteum. These hotels mostly cater to motorists entering the city via US-50. Some of these hotels offer free shuttle buses to Union Station and are cheap options for those who are driving to D.C. but don't want to actually drive in the city. However, many are close to a noisy rail line and are quite dingy so be sure to check online reviews prior to booking.

In addition, there are several nicer and more expensive hotels just northeast of Union Station.

Connect
The NoMa Business Improvement District offers free outdoor WiFi in the area just north of Union Station. In addition, most restaurants and cafes offer free WiFi.

Go next
Besides the obvious trip south to Capitol Hill, you can also head north on the Red line to Brookland, the "Little Vatican" home to the Catholic University and the stunning National Shrine.