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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