JAPANESE STREET SCENE
Japanese culture and traditions take center stage at the Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival on Pennsylvania Avenue between 3rd and 7th streets NW. Now in its 57th year, the April 14 event is the largest single-day tribute to Japanese culture in the nation. Admission is $ 10; ages 12 and under free. Take the DC Circulator bus from Union Station, or ride Metro to the Archives-Navy Memorial or Judiciary Square stations.
ORCHIDS AND ANTIQUITIES
March is Orchid Month at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, the former home of cereal heiress, socialite and philanthropist Marjorie Merriweather Post. Post was an orchid aficionado and her greenhouse is bursting with the exotic blooms. Almost daily in March, the resident horticulturalist gives tips on how to nurture the plants. Afterward, stroll the expansive grounds and take a docent-led tour of the mansion filled with Post’ s 18th and 19th century French art and Russian decorative arts, including Faberge eggs. Hillwood is in the Forest Hills neighborhood, a lovely residential section of Northwest D. C. bordering Rock Creek Park, and a 20-minute walk from the Van Ness-UDC Metro station.
STREETCARS AND STREETSCAPES
After you’ ve done the National Mall and other iconic Washington spots, consider exploring some of the city’ s up-and-coming neighborhoods. H Street NE, a mile-and-a-half stretch east of Union Station, is home to an edgy mix of street art, shops and restaurants. Take in a performance at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, feast on eclectic fare ranging from ramen and dumplings at Toki Underground to coq au vin at Le Grenier. The free D. C. Streetcar that runs along the H Street Corridor makes the trip effortless.
FEASTING IN NOMA
From H Street NE, it’ s a short hop west to NoMa( short for north of Massachusetts Avenue). Don’ t miss Union Market on its eastern edge. The revamped mid-century produce and meat wholesale space is now a giant emporium harboring eateries, gourmet shops and more. Feast on bulgogi beef tacos at TaKorean or slurp down succulent oysters at Rappahannock Oyster Bar. And while you’ re in the neighborhood, the lavish Beaux-Arts Union Station on NoMa’ s southern fringes is worth a visit, even if you don’ t have a train to catch.
Frederick Douglass Credit: Frederick Douglass NHS
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