Things to do in the Kent / Palisades Area?

Submitted by BeneficialDesk t3_zkvxwp in washingtondc

I’m moving to the Kent / Palisades area later this month, and was wondering if anyone has some general recommendations of the area. Restaurant/ stores/trails etc… I tried searching through the subreddit, but didn’t see any posts about Kent and minimal posts about Palisades. We are new to the area so anything would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Side note: Is Kent considered apart of Palisades? According to all the information that I can find online, our new address technically falls within the boundary of Kent. However, it seems some sites lump Kent into The Palisades. Not a big deal really, just curious

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Less_Wrong_ t1_j01x746 wrote

The Palisades favorite pastime is blocking any new development or new housing.

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9throwawayDERP t1_j03523w wrote

Hey! They like to complain about airplane noise too! And they like protesting new sidewalk. Oh and they stonewalled the trolley trail. Let’s not paint them as one dimensional, they oppose lots of other things.

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slicknilla t1_j02f4cv wrote

I highly recommend Bistro Aracosia for a fancy dinner

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Neilpoleon t1_j01v46v wrote

I've never been but some people really like the cafe called Black Coffee.

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EngineDouble1468 t1_j01wxz7 wrote

Kent is traditionally in the palisades, but that classification has become a popular way for rich palisades moms to say they live in the nicer section of the neighborhood

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Appropriate-Bed-8413 t1_j04znqf wrote

Palisades resident here. Palisades and Kent are distinct, but most folks lump them together. I used to live in “Kent” and now live in Palisades proper — even when living in Kent I referred to it all as the Palisades.

As for your questions and others’ comments:

  1. Yes, the NIMBY is strong here, but it’s getting better. Our ANC recently approved a recommendation to DDOT a bike lane on Arizona Ave, for example. Baby steps!
  2. Some great restaurants in walking distance. Bistro Aracosia for Afghan. Et Voila for French/Belgian. Sweet Agave for Mexican. Lupo Verde for Italian. Black Coffee for breakfast/brunch. Black Salt for seafood. European Market is farther down MacArthur but has excellent pizza. Most places have good drink menus and happy hours. Most options are not inexpensive, unfortunately. There are also a fair number of other shops and restaurants I haven’t mentioned.
  3. Two good corner stores in Mac Market and MiMi’s
  4. MacArthur Beverages (Addy Bassin’s) is the best wine shop in DC and can give great recs regardless of your price range. Excellent liquor and nicely curated beer selection, as well.
  5. Great Farmers Market on Sunday mornings near the CVS.
  6. Buna Bikes is a nice local bike repair shop that also serves coffee/espressos
  7. “Palisades Hub” at the site of Palisades Community Church hosts community events.
  8. Palisades Park has a nice playground and fields for various sports plus an indoor rec center
  9. Multiple access points to Capital Cresent Trail and C&O Canal for biking/walking (can bike down to Georgetown and beyond or up to Downtown Bethesda), as well as just walking by the river or down to Fletcher’s Boathouse
  10. Key Elementary is good, with strong community involvement.
  11. Not much nightlife, unfortunately (hello NIMBYs)

I’d be happy to answer any more questions.

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DrewinSWDC t1_j03scx7 wrote

Hey there - I would assume not a lot of posts as the area tends to skew older/less inclined to engage with the hoi polloi - aricosa is nice, black salt is nice, the library is great (esp if you’ve got kids) but it’s definitely more “suburbs in the city” type of feel there are a few other restaurants (technically all in palisades I think) that all have some merit but it’s not necessarily representative of the city

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