Adams Morgan might be known for its straight bars, but gay residents see an entirely different side of the endearing Northwest neighborhood. (Blade photos by Henry Linser)
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ZACK ROSEN
Friday, January 11, 2008
Like
Dr.
Jekyll,
the
Northwest
Washington
neighborhood
of
Adams
Morgan
has
two
distinct
faces.
The
visage
of
Mr.
Hyde
comes
out
on
Friday
and
Saturday
nights
when
18th
Street,
the
main
drag,
gets
clogged
with
obnoxiously
drunk
frat
boy
stereotypes.
At
all
other
times
of
the
week,
though,
Adams
Morgan
serves
as
a
pleasantly
eclectic
and
deceptively
gay
pastiche
of
the
different
cultures
that
make
D.C.
hum.
“Adams
Morgan
is
like
the
nexus
between
Mt.
Pleasant
and
Dupont
Circle,
and
it’s
so
close
to
Columbia
Heights”
says
gay
resident
Kenneth
DeGraff.
“Adams
Morgan
gets
a
lot
of
foot
traffic
that
lingers
and
stays
and
attracts
people
that
find
it
magnetic.”
The
neighborhood
got
its
name
from
two
local
elementary
schools,
the
all-white
John
Quincy
Adams
and
the
all-black
Thomas
P.
Morgan,
which
were
desegregated
and
combined
into
one
school
district
in
1955.
The
neighborhood
is
still
a
comfortable
blend
of
different
cultures.
One
stretch
of
Columbia
Road
is
nicknamed
“The
Barrio,”
due
to
its
Mexican
and
Salvadoran
restaurants
and
vendors,
and
African
craft
stores
and
Turkish
restaurants
can
be
found
next
to
predominantly
white
bars
on
18th
Street.
A
SUPRISINGLY
STRONG
represent-ation
of
gay
culture
can
be
found
in
the
area
as
well.
Duplex
Diner,
2004
18th
St.,
N.W.,
is
the
neighborhood’s
go-to
gay
hangout,
and
next
door
at
L’Enfant
Café,
2000
18th
St.,
N.W.,
Karl
Jones,
proprietor
of
Taint,
runs
Dimaunchery,
a
low-key,
semi-weekly
Sunday
night
of
Belgian
beer
and
iPod
DJ
sets
supplied
by
the
regulars.
Alternative
gay
night
Feint
used
to
be
held
at
18th
Street’s
now-defunct
Staccato
and
lesbian
party
promoters
A
Different
Kind
Of
Ladies
Night
have
held
events
at
Adams
Mill.
Even
the
much-loved
coffee
shop
Tryst,
2459
18th
St.,
N.W.,
serves
as
an
informal
queer
gathering
spot.
“Tryst
is
more
where
the
lesbian
and
trans
folks
hang
out,”
says
Kendra
Kuliga,
who’s
also
D.C.
drag
king
Ken
Las
Vegas.
“I
was
just
there
this
morning
with
my
girlfriend.
We
were
totally
cuddly
and
kissy
on
the
couch
and
I
totally
didn’t
feel
any
weird
vibe
about
it.”
There’s
also
no
dearth
of
gay-owned
businesses
in
the
area.
Michael
Rinehart,
the
studio
proprietor
of
Design
Within
Reach,
1838
Columbia
Road,
N.W.,
says
that
his
shop
has
“a
large
gay
clientele.”
Lesbian
couple
Laurie
Maurin
and
Denise
D’Amour
moved
their
environmentally
conscious,
“global
green
style”
shop
Hoopla
to
2314
18th
St.,
N.W.,
from
Capitol
Hill
because
they
thought
“the
audience
was
great
for
what
[they]
had
to
offer,”
says
Maurin.
Hector
Zarate,
who
is
also
a
promoter
of
Latin
gay
night
Fuego,
owns
Peruvian
gift
shop
Tora
Mata,
2410
18th
St.,
N.W.
Zarate
echoes
the
sentiment
that
in
Adams
Morgan,
diversity
is
no
big
deal.
“It’s
never
asked,
never
told
and
never
advertised,
but
it’s
very
well
understood
that
if
you’re
a
gay
man
or
a
lesbian
and
you’re
in
a
relationship
[you
can
safely
express
it],”
Zarate
says.
“Couples
walk
into
the
shop
holding
hands
and
it’s
not
an
issue
…
even
though
you
don’t
see
rainbow
flags
on
businesses,
[the
neighborhood]
is
very
open,
very
inclusive.”
A
BOLD
EMBLEM
of
Adams
Morgan’s
diversity
is
its
dining
scene.
A
short
walk
up
18th
Street
opens
up
a
globetrotting
wealth
of
gastronomic
possibilities.
Meskerem,
2343
18th
St.,
N.W.,
holds
some
of
the
best
Ethiopian
food
outside
of
U
Street;
La
Fourchette,
2429
18th
St.,
N.W.,
and
Bardia’s
New
Orleans
Café,
2412
18th
St.,
N.W.,
offer
completely
different
takes
on
French-inspired
cooking;
and
Alberto’s,
located
at
2438
18th
St.,
N.W.,
serves
giant
gourmet
pizza
slices
that
will
make
you
a
regular.
Brunch
options
abound
as
well.
The
Diner,
2453
18th
St.,
N.W.,
boasts
a
dependable
menu,
but
the
nearby
Asylum,
2471
18th
St.,
N.W.,
makes
its
breakfast
a
little
more
interesting.
Though
its
biker
bar
décor
may
initially
seem
foreboding,
Asylum’s
full
vegan
menu,
particularly
its
vegan
huevos
rancheros,
makes
it
one
of
the
most
appealing
brunch
spots
in
the
city.
The
general
vibe
of
Asylum
is
friendly,
but
hungover
patrons
should
be
warned
that
the
jukebox
is
often
commandeered
by
a
large
clique
of
metal-lovers
who
spend
endless
hours
at
a
corner-table
air-drumming.
Still,
despite
Adams
Morgan’s
daytime
charm,
many
gay
D.C.
residents
will
still
judge
it
by
its
radically
different
nighttime
character.
While
Kuliga
simply
steers
clear
of
the
area
on
Friday
and
Saturday
nights,
DeGraff
has
found
a
way
to
get
some
objective
enjoyment
out
of
it.
“I
like
coming
home
late
on
a
weekend
night
and
seeing
the
drunk
frat
boys
and
girls
in
halter
tops
and
stretch
pants
—
it’s
funny
to
me,”
he
says.
“It’s
just
so
different
from
how
I
live,
so
seeing
it
is
a
good
reminder
that
other
people
have
fun
in
different
ways.”
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