Welcome to the Neighborhood: Adams Morgan

Like most great cities, DC is best understood by its neighborhoods.  Slowly, but surely, I'm exploring the different parts of town and getting a feel for their unique identities.  Today I'd like to introduce you to Adams Morgan, or "Admo" for short.  At the intersection of 18th Street and Columbia Avenue is the hub of this community, situated in between Woodley Park (to the west), Dupont Circle (to the south), Columbia Heights (to the east) and Mt. Pleasant (to the north).




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Adams Morgan has a large Latino population, and consequently lots of fantastic and authentic Latin American cuisine and stores, including Mexican, El Salvadorian, and Guatemalan, among others.  It's currently also home to a very large assortments of nightlife venues ranging from dive bars to hip and trendy night clubs.  From what I've read on Wikipedia, this neighborhood is home to over 90 establishments that have liquor licenses.  Consequently, I genuinely believe that the term "shit show" originated in describing Adams Morgan on a Friday or Saturday night.  Case in point...

A Classic Admo "Shit Show"

 (Image lovingly borrowed from Google Images)

18th Street is lined with drunken party animals from Columbia Avenue down to Kalorama Road.  Some are there to catch live blues at Madam's Organ.  Others are looking for a more chill evening at Tryst.  Plenty are lined up to go dancing at Heaven and Hell.  If it's late enough, they're also congregating at Jumbo Slice for one of the most enormous slices of pizza you've ever seen...

The Famous Late Night Jumbo Slice

(Image lovingly borrowed from Google Images)

My experiences in Adams Morgan have been fairly varied.  The following is a list of establishments I can personally vouch for:

• Tattoo Paradise - I got my first tattoo here from the very talented Mr. Billy Bennett.  The staff are all very professional and friendly and made me feel super comfortable throughout the whole process.
• Amsterdam Falafel - They only serve two things here, falafel and french fries, but they do both incredibly well.
• Chief Ike's Mambo Room - Definitely not a dress to impress venue, this laid back bar has both live music (of which I've been one of the performers) and DJs and dancing.
• Bourbon - I actually had the pleasure of trying one of their six Bourbon tasting flights.  Try the "Method."  I enjoyed it thoroughly.  :)
• Tryst - This coffeehouse/cafe/bar is all things to all people.  The decor is pretty awesome, as is the food.  I'm told they shut the WiFi off on the weekends, though, to deter patrons from taking up valuable space for long periods of time.
• Julia's Empanadas - The Admo location is one of four across the city.  Never lets you down.
• Meskerem - Stupendous spot for Ethiopian cuisine.

I've also been to Savour for dinner and wasn't incredibly impressed, but they were in the process of switching chefs, so I'd be willing to give it another go.  At some point, I'll also be making it to Stroga and Studio DC, as I purchased Groupons at each.  Adams Morgan is easily accessible by bus, but the closest Metro stop is about a half mile walk away.  I strongly advise against driving if you can avoid it; parking is very hit or miss (mostly miss).  

 

18th Street - Adams Morgan

(Image lovingly borrowed from Google Images)