K Street

K St is the center of the Washington lobbying industry. This is where high-powered lawyers, consultants and, of course, lobbyists (‘K St’ and ‘lobbyist’ have practically become synonymous since the 1990s) bark into their Blackberries and enjoy expensive lunches. Come nightfall, the same power set comes back with hair considerably slicked and/or flattened to drink expensive cocktails while surrounded by the sort of people who swoon over everything we’ve just described. In total contrast are some lovely nearby green spaces. Franklin Square (between 13th and 14th Sts) is a large stretch of green open space thick with trees, paths and benches. Check out the Victorian-era redbrick Franklin School keeping watch over the patch. The architecture around McPherson Square, named for Civil War general James B McPherson who once commanded the Army of Tennessee, is fabulous. Keep an eye out for the 1924 neoclassical, limestone Investment Building (cnr 15th & K Sts) and the lion’s head plaques of the terracotta Southern Building (805 11th St), which are meticulously carved and date from 1910.