Idle Time Books

The Place: Idle Time Books

Where: 18th Street NW just south of Columbia Road NW

Why Live Near Here: Exposed brick, mismatched chairs, thriving house plants: This is Idle Time Books.

Small local bookstores, especially ones like this, are a rare and wonderful thing these days seeing as though ALL bookstores seem to be going instinct thanks to the digital age we’re living in. Yet Idle Time stays standing and is a delight for people who relish shops that remain true to themselves and remind us of the old Adams Morgan that many of us so fondly remember.

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.”

Union Station

The Place: Union Station

Where: In the middle of North Capital Street, H Street NE, 2nd Street NE, and Mass Ave

Why Live Near Here: In the 1980’s it was called an “embarrassment to the nation, to the federal government, and to Washington, D.C.” but now that it’s been restored to it’s former glory, you’re in. You’re most likely a sucker for classic architecture and commute in and out of DC a lot, probably to Philly or NYC.