Washington, D.C./West End

The West End of Downtown D.C. is the area immediately west of downtown. This guide focuses on the areas of K Street, the West End and Foggy Bottom neighborhoods. The White House and its grounds function as a barrier between the East End and the West End, with the 1600 block of Pennsylvania Ave closed to motorists. In the daytime, Lafayette Square and the block of Pennsylvania Ave are closed to motorists in front of the White House are popular with tourists and street hockey enthusiasts.

Understand


K Street is famous or infamous depending on who you ask as the physical location where money and power in the U.S. collude. The "fourth branch of government": Lobbyists, special interest groups, contractors, and out of work Congressmen all engage in the extremely lucrative business of political influence. This impression isn't totally fair—first of all, some of the lobbying firms are pushing for noble causes, and secondly, many if not most of the professionals are doing business unrelated to politics. But, K St's infamy outside the city is matched by its local infamy as the most boring section of town. Office buildings dominate and everybody leaves after punching out, leaving the neighborhood empty and quiet, however the addition of a few new hotels and restaurants have added some color to this otherwise staid neighborhood. There is some truth to this, but the caricature overlooks the fact that there are some incredible restaurants and sights to see, including nearby McPherson Square, increasingly home to its own nightlife scene.

And then, of course, there is the White House. Famous around the world as the home and office of the world's most powerful person, it is the capital icon most associated with the American government. Surrounded by parks, Lafayette Square and the Ellipse, it's also surprisingly accessible to visitors, and makes a nice backdrop for a casual picnic surrounded by history. And, just west of the White House and grounds are some great art galleries, especially at the Corcoran Museum.

To the southwest is Foggy Bottom, an old Washingtonian neighborhood home to George Washington University and its many students and the once ritzy stretch of waterfront home to the Watergate and the Kennedy Center. Foggy Bottom also houses several big international organizations, like the Pan American Health Organization, World Health Organization, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, the American Red Cross, and several embassies.

To the immediate north of Foggy Bottom lies the West End, an affluent neighborhood developed in the post-war era between Georgetown and Dupont Circle. Confusingly, the area that was traditionally referred to as the West End now lies entirely within Foggy Bottom and is now part of the Old West End/ GW Historic District, featuring historic Victorian homes reminiscent of Dupont Circle, but now associated with George Washington University. The area was home to many African American residents and institutions in the early 20th century, who were displaced by post war freeway and urban renewal schemes. What is now called the West End dates back to the 1970 DC city plan, The New Town for the West End, which sought to build up the area north of L Street into a commercial and residential zone to relieve congestion from Downtown D.C. Less housing than anticipated ended up being built (virtually no affordable housing at all) and now the area is best known for its many upscale hotels and condos, home to some the city's priciest rents.

By metro


Metro's Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines run through the West End along I St. Foggy Bottom in the west is the most convenient to the Kennedy Center and to George Washington University; it is also the closest station to the eastern part of Georgetown. The walk from Foggy Bottom to the Mall is a little far, but it is the closest metro station in D.C. to West Potomac Park. Farragut West and McPherson Square are mainly for the business district, but they are also close to Lafayette Park. The latter is also just a couple blocks from the White House Visitor Center.

The Red Line cuts across the northeast part of the area, with one stop at Dupont Circle South, which is a short walk to the West End, Farragut North right on K St. Metro Center is the next stop to the east, in the East End, and is the closest Red Line stop to the White House Visitor Center.

By car
Downtown is not driver friendly. There are no above-ground garages, and underground garages are expensive. Street parking is metered, near impossible to find on weekdays, and has a two hour limit. Weeknights and weekends see some easier to find parking west of the White House and south of Pennsylvania Ave. Meter restrictions end Saturday at 6:30PM and all day Sunday. It's harder to find parking near Dupont Circle on weekends, although you might luck out around K St after 8PM weeknights.

K St is the main road, while M St is the (one way) route to Georgetown. Connecticut Ave (17th St below K St) is the main route heading north. I-66 comes in from Virginia, but leaving is easier via the Arlington Memorial Bridge south of 23rd St.

It is possible to hail a taxi from the street around the clock, but M St going to Georgetown has awful traffic during rush hour and weekend nights — it's often quicker to walk.

By bus
Metrobus routes downtown can be confusing, so it's best to make sure you don't ride past your intended stop, or you could find yourself lost in a strange part of town quickly. The following run daily roughly until midnight:

80 runs until midnight from Farragut Square east on K St to Chinatown, and west down 18th St past the Corcoran, through Foggy Bottom, and right by the Kennedy Center.

38B runs west on K St from Farragut Square, then up Pennsylvania to M St through Georgetown, and then over the Key Bridge into Arlington, right along Arlington's main commercial strips.

32 and 36 follow the same route as 38B, but turn north on Wisconsin Ave instead of going to Virginia. They also will take you straight east to the Mall, and then on to Eastern Market

The D.C. Circulator's "Yellow" line heads east along K St to Chinatown and west, after Washington Circle, up Pennsylvania to M St into Georgetown.

White House
Built starting in 1792, by a combination of enslaved laborers, free Blacks and immigrants, and first residence for the nation's second president, John Adams, the White House has been the residence and office for each president since. The building's chief architect, James Hoban, an Irishman, left a nationalistic mark on the U.S., modeling the President's home after Ireland's National Parliament building in Dublin. While Hoban's vision has survived more than 225 years, including the 1814 fire set by invading British forces, the interior has hardly been static. As it is, after all, the president's house, each president has taken the liberty of various redecoratings, expansions, and additions—the entire East Wing, for example, was added only during the Coolidge Administration. The last major renovation occurred under President Truman, but much of the antiques, artwork, and decorating styles you'll see today come courtesy of a certain First Lady of renowned taste, Jackie Kennedy.

President Jefferson opened the White House to the public, and it has remained so during peacetime (with varying restrictions) ever since. Following the attacks of September 11th in 2001, tours have been available only for groups of ten or more, and these must be requested up to six months and at least one month in advance through your congressman if you're a U.S. citizen. Foreigners can in theory request tours of White House through their embassies, but in practice this is close to impossible for average tourists as embassy-arranged tour groups are required to be accompanied by a senior diplomat. The standard tours focus on the social/residential part of the White House—the East Wing, rather than the working West Wing. Abide by the stated dress code, or you will be refused admission!

You can see the front door from Lafayette Square on the north side, and the back (the more famous curved facade) from the Ellipse on the south side. Political demonstrations typically take place at the front, though larger ones have been known to encircle the fence.

The Ellipse
The Ellipse is the park to the south of the White House. During the Civil War, the space was used as a cattle and horse corral, the smell of which festered in the summer humidity, making life at the White House unpleasant enough where there was a proposal to abandon it and relocate—possibly to Meridian Hill, in Adams Morgan. President Grant nixed the idea, and had the grounds improved, installing a fountain in 1876, and two gatehouses relocated from the Capitol to the southwest and southeast corners of the Ellipse.

Memorials on the Ellipse include the Butt-Millet Fountain, added in 1913 in honor of two prominent Titanic victims—Army Major Archibald Butt and painter Francis Millet. The Zero Milestone stands at the north end of the park, and is the marker by which all road distances would be measured (this idea was a flop, and only D.C.'s roads use it as a measure). Larger memorials on the Ellipse include a memorial to 5,599 soldiers of the First Division of the American Expeditionary Force killed in World War I, and another memorial in honor of the Second Division in World War I on Constitution Ave. In nice weather, the park serves mostly for the public to enjoy the good views and play frisbee.

Lafayette Park
Named for French General Lafayette of American Revolutionary fame (better known to his friends as Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette), this park is a national historic landmark seemingly dedicated to the purpose of taking pictures of the White House. The large equestrian statue at its center is of President Andrew Jackson, while the statues on the four corners of the park are dedicated to Revolutionary heroes, all of them foreign: Lafayette, French Major General Rochambeau, Polish General Kosciuszko, and Prussian Major General Friedrich von Steuben.

And if you like bushy-tailed rodents, you're in luck—Lafayette Park is home to the densest squirrel population known to science, lured here no doubt by their lust for power. Look especially for those black squirrels, descendants of a group of 18 Canadians that escaped the National Zoo during Teddy Roosevelt's presidency.

Lafayette Square


The blocks immediately surrounding Lafayette Park are part of the National Historic Landmark, and there is much to see here:



Other sites






Kennedy Center


The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is on the bank of the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate Complex, in Foggy Bottom. It was built as a private-public partnership, in effort to create a National Cultural Center for the nation's capital. President Kennedy helped move the project forward, and when he was assassinated, the center was named after him as a living memorial. Architect Edward Durrell Stone designed the building, which opened in 1971. A new addition, named the REACH, opened in 2019.

There are three main theaters in the Kennedy Center: the Concert Hall, Opera House, and Eisenhower Theater. The National Symphony Orchestra performs at the Concert Hall, while the Opera House is home to the Washington National Opera and the annual Kennedy Center Honors. The Eisenhower Theater is a smaller venue that hosts theater, musicals, operas, ballet, and dance performances. The Kennedy Center has a number of smaller venues, with various events geared towards children and other audiences. The Millennium Stage, at the end of the Grand Foyer, hosts daily, free performances. If you are looking for a really special, classic Washingtonian event, the two big ones are right around Christmas—the National Ballet's yearly performance of The Nutcracker, and the Handel's Messiah Singalong. For the latter, the entire audience, mostly of amateur and professional choirs, join the Master Chorus and Orchestra in singing the full oratorio—it's an amazing experience for singers and non-singers alike.

Docent-led tours are available for walk-ins M-F 10AM-5PM, Sa Su 10AM-1PM every ten minutes. Just head over to the tour desk to get on one. At any time you can head up to the rooftop terrace for a spectacular view (it's probably best to skip the overpriced restaurant). The building more or less closes 30 minutes after the end of the night's last performance.



White House
The White House hosts a number of special annual events, including the popular White House Easter Egg Roll on the south lawn. The annual tradition was started in 1878 by President Rutherford B. Hayes, who invited local children to the White House lawn for the event. The event includes various other activities for children, including face painting, music, magicians, egg coloring, and story telling, along with food. The event is open to children ages 7 or younger. Free tickets are distributed a few days before Easter, though people usually begin lining up many hours in advance, in the wee hours of the morning, as demand far exceeds supply.

Each year in December, the White House Christmas Tree is displayed on the Ellipse, along with a huge Menorah for Hanukkah. Tickets are required for the Christmas tree lighting ceremony, which features the President and/or First Lady lighting the tree. People line up to get free tickets for the event when they are handed out—usually a month in advance. Once the tree is lit, it is open to the public who can see it lit up each evening, along with smaller trees for each state.

Twice each year, tours take place of the Rose Garden and other gardens on the White House grounds. Over the years, the Presidents and First Ladies changed up the gardens to suit their tastes, including a colonial garden planted by Edith Roosevelt in 1902. President Woodrow Wilson's wife, Ellen, replaced the colonial garden with a Rose Garden, which has remained. The East Garden was redesigned by Jacqueline Kennedy, and Lady Bird Johnson created a Children's Garden at the White House. The White House holds the Fall Garden Tours in October, while the Spring Garden Tours are held in April. Tickets are distributed on the morning of the tour—first-come, first served.

Other venues




Buy
Downtown shopping in the West End is rather dispersed, but there are shops at International Square, near the Farragut West station on the Orange and Blue Lines, and along Connecticut Ave north of K St, and here and there on streets near Connecticut Ave.



Eat


Downtown dining has long been equated with power dining, however a revolution in the local dining scene means plenty of interesting places about especially away from the White House and K Street. Closer to downtown you'll find plenty lobbyists, lawyers, contractors, tourists and politicos. There are several stand-out restaurants here, but the most famous are undoubtedly the Old Ebbitt Grill and the Lafayette Room.

The Western Market Food Hall in Foggy Bottom represents the new D.C. and is a great place for casual dining. Additionally, the West End neighborhood has an emerging dining scene away from its many hotel restaurants.

Budget






Mid-range




Splurge








Drink


Downtown, Foggy Bottom and the West End are generally not known for nightlife. Offices (and hotels) empty out after work, and happy hour at the hotel bars and restaurants can be a tad pricey, if not unimaginative. After that, the whole area generally slows down. The notable exception is the area around New Hampshire and M Street, which has become the area's hippest corner by far, led by the Yours Truly hotel and its restaurant/bars/cafes, Mercy Me and Call Your Mother. Expect a younger, hipper crowd here along with popular café, Tatté, directly opposite the hotel. Next door is the reliable Indian staple, Rasika, which attracts an affluent, middle aged crowd.

There are a couple of nice, standard bars by George Washington University and Foggy Bottom station, but the area is surprisingly quiet for a student ghetto. For more options, walk to Dupont Circle or Georgetown.

Bars






Mid-range




Respect
Unlike K Street, Foggy Bottom and the West End are also residential neighborhoods. Visitors are of course welcome, but please do not walk slowly, block the sidewalk, entrances to residences, or intersections where people may want to cross the street on green or red lights, and do not make a lot of noise outside at 3 in the morning. Remember that local residents have places to get to quickly day and night, and though D.C. is a global city (a name that's particularly apt west of downtown), most residents above a certain age do need some shut-eye before 3AM.

Connect
Most bars and cafes offer free Wi-Fi.



Go next

 * The obvious next stops are Georgetown to the west or the East End to the east for dining, shopping, and nightlife (a 10- to 15-minute walk or a $1 Circulator bus ride from Foggy Bottom), and south to Potomac Park, the Tidal Basin, and the Mall.
 * Also nearby is Dupont Circle, the once bohemian but increasingly upscale counterpart to Georgetown. It melts seamlessly with the smaller West End, especially around New Hampshire Avenue. Today, Dupont is a neighborhood of upscale boutiques, plush rowhouses and posh, bottle service clubs; and further afield is Adams Morgan, far more diverse, bustling and home to the young and hip, with plenty of cutting edge restaurants and bars, classic buildings and interesting side streets. All of these neighborhoods are a scenic detour from the West End but a bit far from Foggy Bottom and K Street.
 * Arlington, home to the famous cemetery, National Airport, and more downtown dining and business, is just across the bridge, and is easy to reach via the Blue/Orange/Silver lines or by bus (or taxi).