The Scavenger Hunt

The other day, I found myself without class, internship, or homework to do, so I decided to do someone else's homework by joining a few friends on a photo scavenger hunt they were assigned to do for class. Most classes were assigned a scavenger hunt around DC as a get-to-know-you activity, and as a way to get to know the city a little bit. I figured it would be a nice excuse to get out and explore.

This particular scavenger hunt was for the Transforming Communities class, which involves getting to know DC's neighborhood communities. Like many cities, DC's neighborhoods are often divided on racial and economic lines, and DC is known for being a relatively segregated place.

We began the hunt in Dupont Circle, a really cool little area that is relatively wealthy and business-oriented. We took a picture in front of a bookstore that was somehow connected to a system of non-profit organizations (the connection was not made very clear to me, I was only the guy taking pictures). The bookstore reminded me of something you would find in Portland: small, independent, and friendly, with (of course) a coffee shop attached. We decided that we will definitely have to come back to it sometime.

We then moved on to the Navy Yard, an industrial district near the waterfront of the Anacostia river (which connects to the Potomac). We saw the impressive Nationals Baseball stadium, which clashed bizarrely with the industrial surroundings, and took a picture in front of the frozen Anacostia river. I sat on the dock to test the ice with my foot but was not quite brave (or stupid) enough to try standing on it.


Next we had to go find a housing project. It felt very wrong as we took a picture of us standing smiling out in front, with a couple residents watching us from the porch. We were treating it like an exhibit to stare at, instead of a painful reminder of the not-so-hidden inequality in this city. It is so easy to be distracted by the pretty buildings, stunning monuments, and the wealthy and powerful people, that you might not even notice the housing projects, the homeless, or the poverty here.

Our last stop was Ben's Chili Bowl--a self-proclaimed Washington Landmark. Located in an historic African American neighborhood, the restaurant was one of the only buildings here to survive the violence and looting of the riots following Martin Luther King's assassination. It has a long history with the African American community.

At the front counter of Ben's Chili is a sign that says "the only people who eat free here: Bill Cosby and Michelle, Sasha, and Malia Obama." The restaurant is frequented by Bill Cosby, who once described a bite of Ben's Chili as "a gift from God". Last year, the place was visited by then President-elect Obama who made a gaffe that caused Cosby to affectionately banhim from the eats-free list. So now the sign at the counter reads "President Obama pays because Bill Cosby said so!"