Washington, D.C./Upper Northwest

The neighborhoods of Washington, D.C.'s Upper Northwest rank among America's most wealthy and privileged. There are big attractions, including the outstanding National Zoo, the massive National Cathedral, American University, upscale shopping in Friendship Heights, and several nice wining and dining strips, which serve as good alternatives to the hip, trendy scene in Adams Morgan and crowded, pricey and traffic-congested Georgetown.

Understand
Upper Northwest has many different neighborhoods, each of which have a slightly different feel and identity.

Glover Park is the neighborhood of the Upper Northwest closest to downtown—just north of Georgetown, and has the bulk of the area's nightlife, which serves as a slightly older and less raucous complement to its collegiate neighbor to the south.

Woodley Park is well to do area with many restaurants and bars, popular with a middle aged crowd. It is also home to the National Zoo and the National Cathedral.

Cleveland Park most notably, but also Van Ness (Forest Hills) and Tenleytown to the north along Wisconsin and Connecticut Ave., have popular commercial strips with restaurants, bars, and small stores. Van Ness in particular hosts a popular farmer's market, along with a number of well regarded local restaurants and delis. Also in the west of Tenleytown (and the appropriately named, American University Park), you'll find American University.

Further north is Friendship Heights, part of which is in Washington, D.C., and part of which is in Maryland. It is known for its wealthy and powerful residents. It is also known for having very expensive retailers on Wisconsin Ave.

Chevy Chase is DC's northernmost neighborhood, which spills across the border into Maryland. It rivals Georgetown (Washington, D.C.) as one of the city's most exclusive (and expensive) neighborhoods but is much quieter and more wooded than its more famous rival. Needless to say an emerging dining scene is beginning to draw visitors from other parts of town.

To the southwest, the neighborhood of Palisades is almost entirely residential, and it is where you will find some of the city's largest and most expensive homes. Palisades also has the C&O Canal trail along the Potomac River, and a handful of fantastic, upscale restaurants.

By Metrorail
The Metrorail Red Line runs through this part of the city, and it is pretty self explanatory, given that the stations are all named after the neighborhoods and their major attractions. Woodley Park-Zoo for Woodley Park and the National Zoo, Tenleytown-American University for Tenleytown and AU, etc. The National Cathedral, Glover Park, and the Palisades, like Georgetown, are not served by Metro, and will require either a car, taxi, rideshare or bus ride.

By car
Driving is another option, though competition for parking spots can be fierce. You can usually find parking on side streets off of Connecticut and Wisconsin Ave, although you might have to walk a good ways from your car, and parking is usually limited to two hours in neighborhoods closer to downtown. The Palisades, along the extreme west of the city, are best visited by car, and it's quite easy to park there.

If driving in this part of the city, be aware that during weekday rush hours Canal Rd in the west becomes one-way and reverses directions during weekday rush hours (M-F 6:15AM-10AM inbound, 2:45PM-7:15PM outbound). Similarly, Connecticut's left lanes are reversible, so pay attention—you don't want to find yourself charging into oncoming traffic!

Taxis are generally not hard to catch along the main avenues (Wisconsin and Connecticut), but will be impossible to find elsewhere.

By bus
Metrobus operates service on the major thoroughfares in these neighborhoods, but frequent stops and slow traffic make rideshare a better option.

Routes #31, #32, and #36 all run between Georgetown and the Friendship Heights Metro station along Wisconsin Ave. On the weekends after midnight, the buses run once every hour until 2AM.

Routes #L1, L2, and L4 run the length of Connecticut Ave 5:30AM-midnight daily. The L2 continues into Adams Morgan, while L1 and L4 head further south along Connecticut to Dupont Circle and then on to the West End.

Routes #N2-N6 all run along Massachusetts Ave from Dupont Circle to American University.

Route #D6 is the only reasonable way to reach the Kreeger Museum via public transport, which runs through Georgetown along Reservoir Rd, coming from Capitol Hill and Dupont Circle.

By foot
The Woodley Park/Zoo Metro stop is the closest stop to Adams Morgan. It's a half-mile (800-m) walk over the Calvert St Bridge from the station to Adams Morgan.

By bicycle
The upper northwest is a hilly region, which can pose challenges for cyclists, especially those traveling northwest (which is generally uphill). Capital Bikeshare stations and dockless bicycles and scooters are few and far between in the more suburban residential neighborhoods, although they can more often be found along Connecticut Ave. and some parts of Massachusetts Ave. Neither of those avenues have bicycle lanes, though, so either take to the sidewalk and risk terrorizing pedestrians or brave the high-speed car traffic and try not to get run over.

The Rock Creek Trail through Rock Creek Park makes for an excellent ride.

See


The Zoo and the National Cathedral dwarf any other attractions here in both size and number of visitors, but if you have a little extra time, the Hillwood Estate and Kreeger Museum are two of the city's greatest hidden gems.



Rock Creek Park
Rock Creek Park is the largest park in DC.



Buy
The area around the Friendship Heights Metrorail station has many clothing stores - both discount stores and high end stores.

Drink
Upper Northwest is a much more friendly and comfortable option compared to the nightlife-centered districts. Gin lovers must check out the bar at New Heights (above).

Connect
Almost all cafes and many restaurants and supermarkets offer a free Wi-Fi connection. Computer terminals are accessible for free at the following public libraries:

Go next
For better nightlife and restaurants and more of a city feel, visit the neighbors to the south: Georgetown and Adams Morgan, or continue north to: Bethesda.