Southwest is probably the most embarrassing and unfortunate blemish on Washington’s urban scene. What started off as a port and military neighborhood in the 18th Century was ripped apart during post-war urban renewal projects of the 1950s and is now only a hollow shell its former self. Populated by dead-end streets, obsolete shopping malls and towers in the park, uses in Southwest are completely separated and bear little resemblance to any sort of cohesive urban neighborhood.
Southwest does have one redeeming quality though. In a city very much divided by haves and have-nots, Southwest is one of the only large swaths of affordable middle-class housing. At least that's the impression BeyondDC gets walking around. Aside from the L'Enfant Metro station (which is the closest one to the Air and Space Museum), we’ve had very little experience with Southwest. There’s just not much reason to go there.
