Dacha Beer Garden

The Place: Dacha Beer Garden

Where: 7th and O Streets NW

Why Live Near Here: Dacha started off as a small corner beer garden with some picnic tables and porta-potties and has since morphed into a bustling beer garden, cafe, and loft event space over the years. There’s something incredible about being able to stop off at a casual and fun outdoor watering hole on your way home from work and not needing to go out of the way, so for those of you who like drinking al fresco throughout the year, living near Dacha is for you.

The Wharf

The Place: The Wharf

Where: Maine Avenue between 7th and 12th Streets SW

Why Live Near Here: It would be hard to find someone who DOESN’T want to live near some nice, calm waters, if we’re being honest (and especially on a day like today). Those who want to live near DC’s SW Waterfront want to live in an area with a storied past and can take in the views whenever they want & can (hopefully) avoid the crowds, but also need to be ready to share it with lots and lots of visitors who come in on nice days to get their dose of fun in the sun.

Ben’s Chili Bowl

The Place: Ben’s Chili Bowl

Where: 12th and U Streets NW

Why Live Near Here: The person who wants to live near this DC landmark is likely a person who can stay up past 10pm and likes being in the thick of things in one of the District’s craziest bar scenes… and probably who enjoys a late night greasy spoon on the nights you’ve had a drink or two too many.

Washington Harbour

The Place: The Washington Harbour

Where: 30th and K Streets NW

Why Live Near Here: Who doesn’t want to live near a complex where one can dine at some top notch restaurants, drink at some fun outdoor bars, watch rowers skillfully scull past, or (from November to March) go ice skating with a penguin*?

*Ok ok they’re not real penguins but they’re skate aids in the shape of penguins. Still pretty damn cute…

Kramerbooks & Afterwards

The Place: Kramerbooks & Afterwards

Where: Connecticut Avenue and Q Streets NW

Why Live Near Here: The theme of a lot of the P&S posts lately has been “live near this Place because the weather blows and there’s not a lot to do, but this place is awesome not ONLY on crappy days but ESPECIALLY on crappy days…” and this place definitely fits into that category. Bookstores are the perfect rainy/snowy/wintery mix getaways, especially ones that have a full service cafe that can keep you nourished while you wait for the weather to let up so you can run out to catch your cab home. The person who wants to live near this spot is likely a bibliophile and one who enjoys a bookstore that, as Kramers puts it, has stuck around “through expansions, subpoenas, and innumerable neighborhood changes.”

Red Hen

The Place: Red Hen

Where: Rhode Island Avenue and 1st Streets NW

Why Live Near Here: It’s the first full week of January and yesterday we had snow flurries.  Lots of us just want to stay inside in hibernate, but second to that, we’ll venture out for warm and velvety pasta. Y’all, if you haven’t ever been to Red Hen, RUN, don’t walk, because their food is the tits!  Imagine easily walking over for a warm and tasty bucatini dish, a couple of glasses of cabernet, maybe a chocolate mousse dessert, and then rolling yourself home within 5 minutes.  Guess what – that’s what I do.  This is Places and Spaces DC’s Editor’s new hood, and this is what I do at least once a week. So, if you’re like me and want to live near a kick-ass restaurant with pleasant neighborhood-type ambiance, a friendly staff that makes you happy to either sit at the bar alone or dine with a group, and most importantly, a delicious and thoughtful menu full of so many insane options that you need to keep coming back to try them all.

Florida Avenue Grill

The Place: Florida Avenue Grill

Where: 11th Street NW and Florida Avenue NW

Why Live Near Here:  Imagine waking up every day (or maybe just every weekend for you health conscious eaters) and being able to quickly pop into and eat at the restaurant Tasting Table claimed is D.C.’s Best Classic Diner in 2017. You’re a no frills kind of person and while you love your U Street hometown area, maybe you fondly remember a former version of the neighborhood that quickly became one of the busiest areas to live and play.