Dupont Circle

Probably one of the best places to just sit down & take in one of the best views from the whole area. If you’re visiting, take advantage of just about any local shop or place to eat, since there’s lots of variety.

We come for unlimited mimosas at the restaurants and to meet old acquaintances every year.. We love this area and all of the friendly people! So many good eateries, farmers markets, and friendly people…

Great place to people watch! Dupont Circle is iconic — it feels like the epicenter of the young and vibrant DC community. I like coming here for yoga classes in the summer or going for an evening stroll.

Being that today, October 22 falls on National Nut Day, it is appropriate that I review a popular Washington DC park where squirrels congregate to eat nuts. Legend has it that rats enjoy Dupont Circle as much as the squirrels.
Dupont Circle Rat Sanctuary !?
Before I stepped foot in the park, I became acquainted with Dupont Circle. One of my greatest joys in life is visiting parks. I went on Unilocal and typed in «parks.» One of the first things to pop up was the Dupont Circle Rat Sanctuary. Say what !? We were a few blocks southeast of Dupont Circle in the Thomas Circle Homewood Suites. I enjoy seeing different things, and was up to seeing and reviewing a rat sanctuary. We’d get to spend some time in Dupont Circle as a resting place on a walk from Thomas Circle to Georgetown. My brother and I had been joking about the rat sanctuary. When we got to the park we let our dad in on the fact that this was the Dupont Circle Rat Sanctuary. He thought that there was an enclosed section for rats. We were on the alert for rats popping out of a hole. We saw none. Were the Dupont Rat Sanctuary reviews Unilocaling humor? Did a dude really impress a date taking her to a rat sanctuary? I only saw squirrels and pigeons. We did some investigative Unilocaling. I asked the guy working in Starbuck’s if there are rats in Dupont Circle. He answered, «Do birds fly. They are the size of small dogs.» The woman at CVS never heard of them. A YouTube video and the Internet showed evidence of the resident rats. I wanted to go back at night and get creeped out exploring a rat sanctuary. It never happened. Hanging out by the White House was a better choice. We’d visit Dupont Circle again further into the vacation.
Dupont Circle the Landmark:
My reviews are real and like a Diary based on first-​hand experience. So, I am not going to make up something to the tune of, I was sitting in Dupont Circle about to sip Starbuck’s when a rat jumped out of the cup. Keep in mind that the rat sanctuary mystique was in the back of my mind.
Dupont Circle is a major traffic circle incorporated from Le E’fant’s plan for Washington DC. The park inside of the traffic circle is the heart of a hip and historical neighborhood. This is a traffic circle where 4 major roads converge from all directions. Driving here is more scary than seeing a rat in a park at night. Fortunately I saw Dupont Circle on foot. The centerpiece of the circular park is the marble fountain. This is the Francis Dupont Memorial. The fountain and park are named after the first naval hero of the Civil War: Admiral Samuel Francis Dupont. This fountain is a historical work of public art that dates back to 1921. The fountain is made up of 4 figures that hold up a marble basin. Each figure represents something. They are the sea, wind, stars, & navigational arts. Surrounding the fountain are several benches with front row seats. Above me where squirrels walked on tree branches, mature trees provided much needed shade on a humid summer day. I’d see unoccupied chess tables and bicyclists taking a breather. Businesspeople, tourists, residents, and the homeless shared this popular public space. Around the diameter of the circle the architecture featured Victorian buildings that ranged from homes to a Starbuck’s. In daylight the constant traffic around the traffic circle and people in the park never made me feel I was in danger.
In my opinion Dupont Circle is a landmark that roughly separates the Federal Washington from the local Washington DC neighborhoods. When I walked a few blocks south of Dupont Circle I was by the Federal Buildings, museums, and memorials. When I walked north I was in residential and trendy neighborhoods. It is also a landmark that roughly separates urban from greenbelt Washington. East of the circle there are continuous neighborhoods. A few blocks west is the Rock Creek Park greenbelt.
From my experience, Dupont Circle is a circle full of life. It is a popular public space for the public to congregate. Essentially Dupont Circle is a people sanctuary.

Dupont Circle is an interesting area. Basically it’s a big roundabout for cars with an area that people can kind of hang out and relax. I don’t consider this a park. It’s more of a grassy area in the middle of a roundabout with park benches inside.
All of the main roads in the area pretty much connect to this roundabout. It connects to Massachusetts Avenue to Connecticut Avenue. I noticed people just sitting on the benches and watching the runners and bikers as they went by. During the day it seemed pretty busy here. At night time it wasn’t as busy and not being from the area I chose to go around the circle because I dident know how shady this area was at night. It’s also pretty close to the metro station.

Not much going on here. You have all theses streets that converge on the circle. There is a park but it is a little seedy. I would not want to have drive through here.
We did find the Dupont circle area a little dirty considering the rest of Washington DC we visited was very clean.

I usually stay in DuPont Circle when visiting DC with friends. There are a ton of shops and restaurants within walking distance. Also, visitors can walk to some monuments. The neighborhood in DuPont Circle is beautiful. There are a variety of different hotels in the area. I enjoy the nice atmosphere in DuPont Circle during warm months. It’s easy access to the metro station. Traffic and parking can be a hassle at times (avoid during rush hour if you can). DuPont Circle is a great place to enjoy while visiting Washington DC.

Dupont Circle, a nice neighborhood of Washington DC. Did you know when Washington DC was being mapped out, they purposely made it confusing? If the Capitol were to be attacked by land, they wanted the enemy to go in a circle.
There are a few community circles in the area, this has to be my favorite because of the surrounding neighborhood.
From hot summer nights to early morning walks, Dupont Circle is a relaxing place to see people strolling thru the neighborhood

Walked through here today and stumbled upon an international book fair in honor of World Book Day.
I’ve been through the area before and it seems that there is always something happening here. I’d say pop by if you’re in the area.

The area around Dupont Circle is where the cool kids go. Not kidding. It is more accessible than Georgetown but has great restaurants and shops. Make sure to walk down to 17^th between P and R for even more and even cooler. And because of all the diplomats and their staffs, conversations in 50 languages.

Hmmm. Seems I forgot to write a review of Dupont Circle. I’ve been in this area 2 of my last 3 visits this past year. The area is always clean and beautiful, and always bustling. Lots of bars and restaurants to visit. I’ve been to Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse in Dupont Circle. Great food and nice ambience. The Dupont Circle Metro station is nice, too… always clean and easy to get through. There’s always a taxi nearby, if you don’t like taking the Metro.

I dig Dupont Circle. It is a column to the amazing city. A gathering place, a focal point, and fantastic park for people watching.
At all times of the year, all times of the week, all times of day and night, it has action. I have had a picnic, done yoga, and been part of an epic snowball fight there!
It always looks nice, mostly kept together, and mostly clean. I hope to visit for many more moons to come. I hope they make some upgrades /​paint /​plant etc, to take it to the level it is for our amazing city!

Rode the metro to the Dupont Circle exit (off the red line) to meet my brother for lunch. I had wanted to walk around the circle to see what-​all was there, but never had the chance. As someone else has posted, it’s great for people-​watching, and it looks like it has a lot of places to eat. The metro was a great way to get there too.
My phone was dying, so I needed to find a place to charge. Voila! There’s a Panera Bread right at the metro exit AND they have a very quiet downstairs dining area complete with plugs to charge your phone/​laptop/​etc. Perfect! And the food is good too.
Next time in the area, we go there and really explore!

Love it! Great for people watching, to stop and eat takeout, or to just appreciate as a work of art as I walk everywhere in this bustling center. It’s a terrific and lovely point of reference. I’ve enjoyed every minute I spent at Dupont Circle, whether it’s a leisurely stroll, a brisk walk to and from good eats, post office (the one on Florida Ave. is a good one!), natural groceries, or a bit of shopping. I wish I had more time to explore this area. I am definitely coming back.
Rainy day notwithstanding, December is a nice time to be in DC!

After eating an early dinner nearby, we came to sit for a few minutes in Dupont Circle and relax. The fountain was beautiful, and the benches were comfortable– we had a lot of fun people watching. After a few minutes, we realized that 90% of the other people sitting around the larger circle were homeless people.
We sat and watched a man in a suit feed people food to a squirrel. It was adorable– the squirrel would come up close to the man, stare at him, the man would give him some food, and the squirrel would just sit there and eat it while staring at him– all within inches of the man. After watching this for a few minutes, I pointed out the biggest rat I’ve ever seen running around the green. After we saw that, we decided to leave quickly. On our way out, we realized the big holes in the dirt next to the benches were from the rats. Yuck.

Really the best all-​around neighborhood in DC. Tons of food options, Metro accessible, on Rock Creek Park, diverse residences, tons and tons of people. Much better to be here than Georgetown or Downtown. Less pretentious, less expensive, better stuff.
The circle itself is a nightmare to drive around and only slightly better to walk into and out of, but the fountain and accompanying benches make it a destination for those looking to sit and relax in the middle of all the business. And this area in general is miserable to drive in. Duck around it and get to the Rock Creek Parkway if possible.

I love working in this area! It has just about every type of food you can think of to satisfy your taste buds for breakfast and lunch (thai, malaysian, indian, new orleans, italian, mexican, tapas, greek, burgers, chinese etc…). On really nice days, I like to eat my lunch or read on the long benches in the circle. Sometimes my coworkers throw the football around on our lunch break and I come to help cheer lead. Great spot for people watching too!
There always seems to be something going on here and a lot of the bars have excellent happy hour specials. My office is considering moving to another location next year. I really hope we stay in this area!

Great destination area as there’s some great restaurants in walking distance (Nora, La Tomate and Ruth’s Chris Steak House for example) as well as several museums nearby (e.g., Phillips Collection, Anderson House) but really this circle is worth sitting in for a while and people watching, maybe with your Starbucks coffee and salad from Sweet Greens or some ice cream or yoghurt from a nearby store, or whatever it is you want to munch on. Traffic is very heavy around this circle so I recommend Not jaywalking and waiting for the walk light.

Repeating what everyone else said… except in my own words and with my own experience.
I came to the area to meet a friend for lunch. First time ever coming here and I was just astounded by how busy and cool it was. Seriously, I felt like it was a scene out of a movie. Watching everyone go on their merry way and minding their own businesses. I went and sat down on one of the benches that surround the center fountain. I really love how pretty that fountain was. I sat there probably for 30 minutes just relaxing watching everyone and read my book.
I feel like DuPont Circle is a place for you to get lost in. You are so busy occupying yourself watching everyone else that it takes your mind off yourself and your own concerns. I like finding places like this and being able to escape. Sometimes you just need that scenery and here really provides that.
If you do ever have time to come out here and just escape, I highly recommend it.
PS
Watch out for the homeless and panhandlers. They won’t hesitate to bother you… hence why this is 4 stars and not 5. Something I guess can’t really be helped.