Monday, February 8, 2016

Gratitude Monday: Not so mean streets

There was evidently some kind of inter-species animal sporting event on yesterday, but because I don’t much care about that sort of thing, I took myself off for a walk around the neighborhood of the Hill They Call Capitol.

Well—the greater neighborhood, away from the actual Capitol. As it turns out, it was Eastern Market to Barracks Row and back.

Eastern Market proper is a kind of food hall—boutique butchers, poulterers, fishmongers, fruiterers and bakers. I saw some very interesting things, although I wasn’t much impressed with the butcher I spoke with. I asked him what people do with the country ham skins they sell, and he had not a notion.

Still—I now know where to go if I need chicken feet.

On the weekends there’s also a flea market outside, with quite a few interesting food stalls. Let me say that I’m very glad I went there full, or I’d have started with the doughnuts and worked my way down from there.

After making a run past the stalls, I headed into a residential district. I love exploring neighborhoods with a history. By which I mean: years of lives intertwined with architecture and landscape. You can see it in any neighborhood older than about ten or 20 years.

Well, the Hill They Call Capitol certainly qualifies there. Here’s some of what I saw.

Most of the structures are either Federal or Victorian in style—whether original or relatively recent construction. So when I saw this one, on 9th Street SE, I wondered how it ever got planning permission:
  

However, not only did it get planning permission, it won an award:


Then, there was this one, which is obviously a candidate for gentrification. Or replacement.


Here’s a political statement:


And here’s a use for those spiky iron fences you find all over here:



So on this Monday, I’m grateful for an exploration of this extremely interesting portion of the District.




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