Cathedral Heights DC: Shielded By The Tower

Cathedral Heights DC is a small neighborhood between the Washington National Cathedral and American University. Much of the neighborhood is single family detached homes - mostly Tudors and Colonials - and Edwardian row houses. There are apartment buildings and condos along the Wisconsin Avenue corridor that forms the neighborhood's eastern boundary. It is not a neighborhood that is particularly well known outside of Washington (or even sometimes in it). Often called simply "Cathedral," the neighborhood is sometimes rolled into Woodley Park to the east or Glover Park to the south. The neighborhood achieved a certain amount of fame in the first episode of the second season of House of Cards, when two characters arrange to meet at the Cathedral Heights Metro station - which, of course, does not exist. (The scene was not even filmed in the DC Metro, which does not allow film crews, but in nearby Baltimore). The neighborhood is known for relatively spacious lots for DC and tends to draw a cosmopolitan crowd - the lot size and location combined draws diplomats from Embassy Row - just the other side of the United States Naval Observatory. It's a good place to raise children, especially by DC standards. St. Albans School and the Washington International School both fall within or near what are generally considered the boundaries of Cathedral Heights. The school quality in the area is generally high. There's plenty to do a short walk away. To get downtown, you need to make it to the Cleveland Park or Tenleytown Metro, which are further away, or take the bus to Dupont Circle. However, it's a reasonable walk to the shopping, dining, and events of Georgetown. It's an even more reasonable distance to Glover Archbold Park to the west or Rock Creek Park to the east. A new mixed use development, Cathedral Commons, offers retail and restaurants. There are also plenty of bars and restaurants in nearby Glover Park. The famous pizza house, 2 Amys, is nearby in Cleveland Park. Bars and restaurants are somewhat limited in Cathedral Heights proper, because of concerns about traffic, but it's easy to get to vibrant neighborhoods.

Cathedral Heights, though, is very much an enclave - an unusual island of large houses on large lots tucked between neighborhoods that are much more high density and mixed use. This gives it a very distinctive feel, despite the common wrangling about exactly where its boundaries should be drawn. It's a very safe neighborhood, and not one tourists are likely to wander through. The fact that it isn't well known helps keep it in this quiet, private state. Walking is the best way to get around - bars, restaurants, the National Zoo and, of course, the Cathedral. Hilly terrain makes it a little cooler in DC's muggy summers, and also gives some of the area's condominiums panoramic views across the city. Cathedral Heights thus offers a great balance between a quiet neighborhood and the hustle of the city. The Advisory Neighborhood Commission, shared with Glover Park, gives residents a say in issues that affect them and projects that might benefit the neighborhood. (They are partly responsible for limiting the number of liquor licenses available, which tends to keep active nightlife out of the neighborhood). Glover Archbold Park is definitely one of the reasons to live here. It is a finger park of Rock Creek Park and is a quasi-natural park that includes a historical Victory Garden and amazing hiking and running trails, which connect to the Capital Crescent Trail. You can get through the park to Georgetown. The park is heavily wooded and very cool in DC's summers. It runs through the neighborhood on a north south pattern, and if you're feeling ambitious, you can walk through the park all the way to the C&O canal and Georgetown (although the hiking trails do tend to cross roads that pass through the park). Although not technically in Cathedral Heights, there is a dog park at Newark Street just to the east. It also contains the Glover Park Community Garden.

Cathedral Heights has few landmarks, but The Westchester is one of them - it was Washington's largest luxury apartment complex when it was built in 1929 and remained so for decades afterwards. It still looks much as it did in the 1930s and is a cooperative, owned and managed by its residents (no outside management company here). It was supposed to be even larger, but the Great Depression happened and only half of the planned complex was built - it still has about 500 units and 800 residents. It used to be a popular place for Senators and Congressmen to have their Washington homes. If you're curious and want to check the place out, you can book a reservation at The Westchester Dining Room, which sells fine Italian food to residents and outsiders alike. (Residents often eat their Thanksgiving meal in the dining room). The Westchester is something from a bygone age, and Cathedral Heights tends to have a bit of that feel. Cathedral Heights DC is a neighborhood that is often overlooked - but with its beautiful houses on larger lots, elegant condominiums and prolific green space, it's one that's well worth checking out. If you want to live somewhere which is quiet but still not too far from the outside world, Cathedral Heights might just be the place to look.