The Shaw Shuffle

Hello,

I have to admit that after the last few days I decided to take it a little easy today so I decided to follow another walking tour that I found during my research. This one took me through the Shaw area of DC--you might know it better as U Street. This is the area of DC that was the main African American neighborhood during segregation. It is still predominately African American today. This walking tour wasn't as difficult as the one I did through Georgetown, and it wasn't as hot so it made for a nice afternoon.
The Shaw area was actually named for Robert Gould Shaw, leader of the 54th Massachusetts of Glory fame. U street happens to be the main street through the area. Duke Ellington lived in the area as a child and his former home is marked, as is the Whitelaw Hotel. This was the best hotel and one of very few where African Americans could stay in the days before hotels were desegregated. Howard University is also in the neighborhood as is the African American Civil War Memorial (pictured). There is also an African American Civil War Museum--sort of. It is really two rooms run by a guy...not much to see. Near by is Ben's Chili Bowl which you may have heard of. It is "the" place to go in the area. Unfortunately, I was there after lunch so I am planning to go back and try it out. It is across the street from the Metro which makes it very handy. The last stop on my tour was the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House. It is located in the middle of a block of row houses and marked so that it is easy to find. However, it doesn't say if it is open to the public, but I decided to ring the bell beside the front door anyway. I am glad I did! It is run as a museum by the National Park Service and there was a very nice man there to give me a personal guided tour of the place. Sometimes it pays to be a little nosey!

It was nice to be back in DC and have an easy day.

Tami