Freshman on The Hill

Photo by María Helena Carey

Capitol Hill is like glue– it keeps a community together and it keeps people coming back.   When I first moved here, I made friends with a local blogger who, unbeknownst to me at the time, had ties binding him to the Hill.  I asked him to share some of his favorite memories with me.

One of the things that first hits you about William’s story is that he stayed in the DC area partially because of the happy experiences he had when he first arrived in the Marine Barracks over 20 years ago; unfortunately, he ended up having to move away because he could not afford to purchase a home in the neighborhood (a problem many temporary residents may recognize as their own) but still visits as often as he can, and loves to track the progress of the area, all the while being nostalgic about the way things used to be.

William Johnson came to Capitol Hill as a young Marine back in 1986.  After the tour of duty that brought him to DC, he sought stability, decided not to reenlist and made the Hill his home.  Handsome, fit, and full of life, he used to love, as he put it, having “…some interesting conversations with members of the fairer sex”, flirting, chatting, greeting neighbors and strangers in the street, and enjoying himself in ways that didn’t cost much money for a young man with big aspirations but a small pocketbook.  He enjoyed back then most of the same things that the Hill still offers today.   “I would buy most of my food from Eastern Market, itself.  I would go for the occasional drink at Tunnicliff’s Tavern, and more often, would hoist a pint or two at the Hawk ‘n Dove…. One other place that I used to go was Julio’s which was on the corner of 8th & Pennsylvania.”  He would shop for books at the Trover Shop and for music at The Wiz, formerly located across the street from the Starbucks on 3rd.

(Aside: Two local businesses, now defunct and located across the street from Starbucks cafés almost seems like a conspiracy, doesn’t it?)

William also loved to run along stately East Capitol Street, from Lincoln Park down to the “now-gone arch of majestic trees” that graced the east entrance to the United States Capitol.  He cherished his daily haunts– some gone, like Julio’s or now the Trover Shop— which sadly announced last month that it is closing , leaving a great hole in the hearts of local book lovers; and some still with us, like Eastern Market.  But the best part of living on the Hill back then, as now, is to enjoy the change of the seasons; the vibrance of living in a dynamic community;  and the thrill of knowing that this is the capital of the country, where it all seems to happen first.  As William said, “I loved being so close to things that are so important to our country… and no, I’m not adding that for dramatic flair.  The things that were part of my daily scenery were the things that made national and world news on a daily basis.”

Thank you, William, for sharing your Capitol Hill memories with me!