New Tour Alert: Music & Social Change Debuts May 31

It’s official! We have a new tour. This one has been in the works off and on for a few years. I have given privately commissioned tours of Adams Morgan and Mount Pleasant in the past — but each separately. In 2019, I worked on an amazing project, co-developing a tour for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 2019 with friend and colleague Natalie Avery. And six months ago I was commissioned to combine both neighborhoods in a private tour that took place in early spring. It worked really well and was actually what convinced me to greenlight this tour as a new permanent offering. Here’s the description!

Music and Social Change: Mount Pleasant and Adams Morgan

Explore the deep histories of Mount Pleasant and Adams Morgan on this unique walking tour. Delve into the area's rich musical heritage, from the "hillbilly music" of the mid-20th century to the influential punk and Riot Grrrl scenes of the 1990s.

Discover how the arrival of streetcars shaped these neighborhoods, leading to bustling commercial strips and two diverse but linked communities. Learn about 16th Street's past identity as Embassy Row and uncover the origins of the Adams Morgan name, a testament to the neighborhood's commitment to racial integration.

From historic libraries and grand movie houses to the hidden stories behind local businesses and community spaces, this tour offers a captivating glimpse into the evolution of these iconic Washington, D.C. neighborhoods.

Duration: 90 minutes. About 1 mile total distance. Private group torus start at $125 and public tours are $25 per person.

The tour book is open for private bookings, but the big kick off is on May 31st, with two tours offered at 10am and 2pm. These are public tours and open to everyone. Tickets are $25. Book here!

To everyone supporting Attucks Adams on Patreon, you can register for either of the May 31 tours for half off. Email me for more information. As a reminder Patrons get early and behind the scenes access to my research and photos that inform the tours themselves.If you’re interested in joining Patreon, check out the tiers here!

A final note — I lived in Mount Pleasant for nearly 15 years. Mount P and Adams Morgan are both near and dear to my heart and really important to how I view DC as a long time resident. I hope that comes through in the tour.

This has been a fun tour to build an I look forward to growing it, adapting to how the neighborhood changes, and sharing even more about another DC neighborhood with the world!

A Minor Landmark

Strolling through Adams Morgan you can see the neighborhood has many disparate forms regarding the built environment. A big part of its identity is commercial -- restaurants, bars, and retail, mostly along 18th Street NW south of Columbia Road. The eastern part of Columbia Road itself is known for staple service businesses such as pharmacies, groceries, urgent care, a few banks, and even a veterinarian. Columbia Road west and Kalorama Road are known for their large, impressive multi-unit residential buildings that lead right into Dupont Circle.

Along Calvert Road, a homey vista of attached row houses line the curved thoroughfare all the way up to the Duke Ellington Bridge. When I first moved to DC I was living in nearby Mount Pleasant. This stretch of Calvert Street (1800 & 1900 blocks) was mostly known to me and my friends as group houses and party houses.

1929 Calvert Street NW (the white house)

To that extent, it makes a lot of sense that it was one of these houses hosted the first ever show for Minor Threat, one of DC's and punk music's seminal bands.

In December 1980, the newly formed band Minor Threat opened for another legendary DC band, Bad Brains, in the basement of 1929 Calvert St NW in Adams Morgan. The Minor Threat kids weren't complete unknowns as two of the members had already played in the popular Teen Idles, which broke up earlier that year. And they were kids -- Teen Idles was formed from a group of students enrolled in nearby Wilson High School.

Photo © Susie Josephson Horgan. Minor Threat early show.

Minor Threat continued an on-again off-again existence until permanently disbanding in the summer of 1983. Along the way songs like "Straight Edge" and EP's like "Out of Step" connected with DC punk kids and even more outside of the capital city. With the band members going on to be a part of even longer lived bands such as Fugazi, Bad Religion, Dag Nasty, and many others, the importance and influence of Minor Threat has been amplified over the decades.

Today the Calvert Street house is just... a house. No fanfare, no signage, just another row house in Adams Morgan. But the house will be part of a private tour I am writing for a client this spring. If all goes well, I may consider a permanent Adams Morgan tour based on music and social activism! It's a strong possibility.