Navigating Washington, DC

With DC’s creation in 1790, President George Washington enlisted the city to be designed by French engineer, Pierre Charles L’Enfant. The city was modeled off a Baroque style that incorporated avenues that originate from rectangles, providing room for open space and landscaping. With the combined influence of L’Enfant and surveyor, Andrew Ellicott, DC developed its architectural look and embraced an accessible street system. 

After construction, the district was divided into four quadrants of unequal area: Northwest (NW), Northeast (NE), Southeast (SE), and Southwest (SW) with the U.S. Capitol Building seated at the center of all four quadrants. To this day, all road names include the quadrant abbreviation to indicate their location, and house numbers are assigned based on the approximate number of blocks away from the Capitol. In most of the city, the streets are set out in a grid pattern with east to west streets named with letters (A-W) and north to south streets with numbers (1-50). Two avenues, Constitution Avenue and Independence Avenue, line each side of the Mall. Many of the diagonal streets and avenues in Washington, DC are named after U.S. states. Some of these streets are particularly noteworthy, such as Pennsylvania Avenue, which connects the White House with the U.S. Capitol, and Massachusetts Avenue, a section of which is informally known as Embassy Row from the number of foreign embassies located along the street. It is important to note that there is no J Street in any quadrant. The reason for this is that until the mid-19th century, the letters "I" and "J" were indistinguishable when written.

Several transportation options are available for traveling around Washington, DC. We recommend that you travel in groups and follow general safety precautions. Restaurants, shops, and historical sites are within a short walk from the hotel and other sites across DC can be reached by public transportation, taxis, or ride-sharing companies such as Uber or Lyft.

Transportation outside of the scheduled sessions and activities will be at your own cost. Please find below transportation options in Washington, DC for your use before, during, or after the workshop.

The DC metro is the main mode of public transportation across the Washington metropolitan area which includes the District of Columbia and several counties of Maryland and Virginia. Fares vary on the distance traveled, the time of day, and the type of card used by passengers. All travelers must purchase a SmartTrip card to use the DC metro. For fares and route-specific information, please visit www.wmata.com/service/rail/. All students will be provided with a metro card that has $8 loaded on it in advance. Money can be added to your SmarTrip card at kiosks found in every Metrorail station. 

At around $2 a ride, a number of buses travel through downtown Washington, DC every day and cover various places the Metrorail cannot. Bus operators do not carry money, so plan to have a SmarTrip card or exact fare ready when you board. For route-specific information, please visit www.wmata.com/fares/bus.cfm.