Mount Rainier
Art, Antiques, Food -- Did We Mention Art?
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Don't ask a resident of Mount Rainier what they like about their urban enclave unless you've got time to listen.
"I love this area," gushes Miguel A. Gonzalez, his eyes growing wide. "It's a great community with great resources for family and a diverse, gritty feel. And it's very progressive and thoughtful in its design."
Gonzalez moved to Mount Rainier from Capitol Hill three years ago. He came for the easy commute downtown to his job with an association, and for the back yard for his young family. But many of his transplanted neighbors came for the growing arts scene along Route 1.
"The artists are front and center in everything that happens here," Gonzalez says as he drives by studio after studio in what's now called the Gateway Arts District of Prince George's County.
It's on the sidewalks, though, that his point about community is driven home. Walking four blocks downtown, Gonzalez stops again and again to meet his neighbors, all of them calling one another by name.
10:30 a.m. Joe's Movement Emporium ( 3309 Bunker Hill Rd.; 301-699-1819). "This is one of the crown jewels," Gonzalez says of the newly renovated warehouse, now home to Joe's, a community center devoted to dance and movement. Hit a yoga or belly-dancing class, if you're in to it, and stop by to wander around even if you're not.
11:00 a.m. Discover downtown. An eclectic mix of shops make up Mount Rainier's city center. Don't miss Mt. Rainier Antique Thrift and Salvage ( 3815 34th St.; 301-779-1740) for vintage finds and Island Style Ice Cream ( 3829 34th St.; 301-927-0066) for homemade concoctions in such flavors as ginger and guava. Glut Food Co-Op ( 4005 34th St.; 301 779-1978) is a bohemian haven with organic everything.
12 p.m. Art walk. Head back into one of Mount Rainier's residential neighborhoods to check out some of the town's artists and studios. Clustered tightly in converted warehouses are the Washington Glass School ( 3700 Otis St.; 202-744-8222), Red Dirt Studio ( 3706-08 Otis St.; 202-607-9472) and FLUX ( 3708 Wells Ave.; 703-346-5284, by appointment only.)
2 p.m. Franklin's Restaurant ( 5123 Baltimore Ave., Hyattsville; 301-927-2740). Zip over to Hyattsville for lunch at this funky brewpub/gift shop/general store. "It's just a great menu and a great selection of beers from all over the world," Gonzalez says.
3 p.m. Get some nature. Drive -- or bike if you prefer -- up to Lake Artemesia ( parking at Ballew Avenue and Berwyn Road, Berwyn Heights; 301-927-2163) for a couple of hours outdoors. Sit by the 38-acre lake, hike the paved trails or admire the fish in the aquatic garden.
5:30 p.m. Food and -- yes, still more -- art. Before you leave the area, zip back into Mount Rainier for dinner at the Artmosphere Digital Cafe ( 3311 Rhode Island Ave.; 301-927-2233). The walls here are filled with works by local artists, and if you stay long enough, you're sure to hear some poetry or jazz or African drumming. Regardless, you'll get a healthy (inspired) meal. See: the Della Reese Deli Wrap or the Gillespie Greek Salad.
