>SWAMP
Foggy Bottom
Culture vultures, diplomats and outdoor enthusiasts dig this riverside neighborhood best known as home to the Kennedy Center and the State Department.
Stretching from the Potomac River to the western edge of Georgetown, Foggy Bottom takes its name from the fog that naturally lingers here. It’s marked by big-name cultural and diplomatic edifices as well as the southern end of Rock Creek Park. It’s bordered by the West End, a hotel- and restaurant-rich zone next to Georgetown.
The biggest draw for tourists and residents? The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Potomac River-side performing arts center is a living memorial dedicated to President John F. Kennedy, known for his promotion of culture. World-class music, dance and drama performances take place here nearly every day of the year on nine stages. The Millennium Stage hosts free shows nightly at 6 p.m., too.
Other landmarks include the U.S. Department of State, where the art- and antique-loaded Diplomatic Reception rooms can be toured by appointment. Look for Chippendale furniture and rare landscape paintings. The IMF and World Bank make their homes here too, and lend an international vibe to the whole zone. The Watergate building, site of the 1972 Democratic National Committee break-in that ignited a scandal, still holds apartments and a luxurious, five-star hotel with an elegant French-inspired restaurant, fab rooftop and intimate whisk(e)y bar.
Foggy Bottom also holds the southernmost end of Rock Creek Park, DC’s 2,100 acre greenspace. Pick up biking and running trails near the Kennedy Center for riverside views and nature-viewing ops.
Restaurants and bars thrive here, too, many serving George Washington University, where the urban campus takes up several blocks. Try Tonic at Quigley’s Pharmacy for brews and tater tots with the undergrads or Founding Farmers restaurant for hearty farm-to-plate fare in a mod, buzzy space. In the West End, upmarket restaurants include the Blue Duck Tavern for elegant seasonal American fare like local oysters, wood-fired vegetables and duck.
Foggy Bottom is thought to have received its name due to an atmospheric quirk of its low lying, marshy riverside location, which made it susceptible to concentrations of fog, and later, industrial smoke. The United States Department of State gained the metonym "Foggy Bottom"[1] when it moved its headquarters to the nearby Harry S Truman Building, originally planned and constructed to be the new United States Department of War headquarters building, [2] from the State, War, and Navy Building (now known as the Eisenhower Executive Office Building) near the White House in 1947.[3][4] In 1877 the Moons of Mars (Phobos & Deimos) were discovered from the old Naval Observatory in Foggy Bottom, which was located here until 1893.
The Foggy Bottom area was the site of one of the earliest settlements in what is now the District of Columbia, when German settler Jacob Funk (or Funck) subdivided 130 acres (0.53 km2) near the meeting place of the Potomac River and Rock Creek in 1763. The settlement officially was named Hamburgh, but colloquially was called Funkstown.
Foggy Bottom became the site of the George Washington University's 42-acre (17 ha) main campus in 1912.
Foggy Bottom was also the name of a line of beer by the Olde Heurich Brewing Company. During the 1950s, Heurich Brewing also sponsored the city's professional baseball team, the Washington Senators. The brewery buildings were razed to make way for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Heurich, Jr., and his two sisters donated a portion of the brewery land to the Kennedy Center in memory of their parents, and established the Christian Heurich
The southern edge of Foggy Bottom is home to many federal government offices, including the State Department.[3][4] The Main Interior Building (headquarters of the Department of the Interior), the Bureau of Indian Affairs headquarters, and the Federal Reserve Board buildings all lie on or around Virginia Avenue. To the east lies the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, home to the Executive Office of the President of the United States and the Office of the Vice President of the United States. On the other side of the office is the White House, outside of the neighborhood.
Foggy Bottom is also home to numerous international and American organizations. The World Bank buildings, the International Finance Corporation, the International Monetary Fund, the Office of Personnel Management, DAR Constitution Hall of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the American Pharmacists Association, the American Red Cross National Headquarters, the Pan American Health Organization, and the Organization of American States are all located in the neighborhood. In addition, the Mexican and Spanish Embassies are located in Foggy Bottom, both on Pennsylvania Avenue.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foggy_Bottom