Palace of Wonders

The Palace was one of the leaders of the charge that turned H St NE into one of the coolest parts of the capital. It is, frankly, what DC has always needed: a semipermanent freak show. Upstairs is a circus of oddities, local genius James Taylor’s museum of the odd, twisted and awesome. Downstairs is a kickin’ bar that attracts a pretty punk-ish crowd; on weekends, a cover charge (usually around $20) gets you in for all-night performances of sword-swallowing, flea circuses, fire eating and magic tricks. It’s extremely fun, and what DC needed to offset its admittedly large preppie population.