Many of you may have visited Washington, DC. Tourism is, after all, one of our major industries, second only to our main product – hot air. But like visitors to many of the world’s great cities, it’s often hard to get any real feel for the place. You’re down town at a hotel, riding around on the open-air tour bus past the monuments and federal buildings, and when you venture onto the streets alone, you may have your purse gripped to your chest with one hand and a discrete can of pepper spray in the other.
Thanks to out energetic young mayor, Adrian Fenty, street crime and pepper spray sales are way down in our nation’s capital.
So I’m writing this to introduce you to the Washington I love, starting with my favorite neighborhood, Capitol Hill.
When you see Capitol Hill on your nightly news, it’s probably some reporter standing on the steps of the Capitol Building, Burberry trench coat blowing in the wind, reporting on the doings of Congress. When I see it, Capitol Hill is beautiful historic homes that are really fun to show and sell. Except for their new kitchens with granite counters and stainless appliances, some of these houses are over 200 years old, with many original architectural details surviving their restorations.
Capitol Hill was first settled in 1790, when it was known as “Jenkins Hill”. In 1799, as the government became a major area employer, the Hill grew into a boarding house community that was inhabited mostly by members of Congress, who wanted to walk to work
It was one of the first neighborhoods in town to get indoor plumbing and electricity – that was about 1890, and it enjoyed a building boom as many house hunters opted for these novel but convenient amenities. And I swear, some of these old grande dames still have some of their original plumbing!
The Capitol Hill has mostly row houses, many brick with bay fronts, and others that are flat-faced frame homes. Sometimes, you’ll see a bunch of different styles on the same block.
Today, about a third of the members of Congress now live on the Hill while they are in Washington. While there are not many boarding houses, you do occasionally hear about several congressmen sharing someone’s basement apartment. 
The main commercial street is Pennsylvania Avenue, with shops, restaurants and theaters. The Hawk & Dove is a favorite watering hole for Hill staffers – once I went to a funeral for a friend who drank a lot of beer there after work almost every day for years, and the Hawk was the site of the wake!
The Eastern Market has, for years been a gathering place for Hill residents, who sit at picnic tables reading the Saturday Washington Post Real Estate Section while sipping coffee and eating wonderful pastries from one of the stalls inside the market. There are stalls inside with everything from flowers to every kind of food you can think of.
In another section, local potters and artists sell their wares. And weather permitting, there is a huge flea market that can tempt even a Zen minimalist to pick up totally useless bargains that he does not need, and that his real estate agent will consider "clutter" when it's time to move.
Last April 30th, The Market was badly damaged by a fire. There was absolutely no question about whether or not to restore it. While the restoration is underway, the city has put up a temporary building across the street for all of the food and flower stalls. The original building is expected to reopen in early 2009.
A few blocks from the Eastern Market, you'll find another popular neighborhood gathering place is Lincoln Park. After work, neighbors pour into the park with children and dogs. Frisbees and wet tennis balls fly through the air as do the dogs chasing them.
Last year, I saw a great T-shirt that said,
“Why is Capitol Hill such a great place to live? Because it has more dogs than lawyers.”
In this town, and particularly in this neighborhood, that’s a whole lot if dogs!
