U Street district, Washington

2-MIN READ2-MIN

Published: 12:00am, 28 Jan 2007

The U Street area of Washington - called the 'U Street Corridor' - is one of the city's historic districts and now one of its hippest. Once called 'Black Broadway' for its clubs and theatres catering to the city's African-American population, the neighbourhood today is shabby and chic and beloved of the hip-hop and hipper-than-thou sets.

Little shops in Victorian-era buildings are popping up all along U from about 9th to 17th streets and on nearby blocks, although the intersection of 14th and U is the epicentre of cool.

The names of the shops are often as quirky as the goods they carry. Take Pulp (below left and right; 1803 14th Street NW; www.pulpdc.com), for example. This house of colourful curios is so crowded with goods that shoppers have to squeeze between aisles and shelves jammed with novelties, naughty greetings cards and old-fashioned toys. Popular items include sets of slang flashcards ('wangsta' means a cross between a 'wannabe' and a 'gangsta') (US$15.25) and three-metre-long rubber snakes (US$10.75).

For something a little more genteel, Simply Home (1412 U Street at 14th Street; www.

simplyhomedc.com) carries home accessories, jewellery and clothing. Also a restaurant and bar, Simply Home is the brainchild of a Thai former journalist whose mission is to show items of contemporary design inspired by traditional Thai arts, crafts and materials. No one piece illustrates this fusion better than a suspended bubble pendant lamp fashioned entirely of tiny silkworm cocoons - at a less microscopic US$1,500.

Step into Wild Women Wear Red (1512 U Street at 15th Street; www.wildwomenwearred.com) and step out in footwear guaranteed to turn heads. 'Funky and functional' the owners claim, but it's the funky part that stops foot traffic along U. All the shoes are handmade and come from independent designers. Many of the shoes, such as Trippen's burnt orange, spiral-toed elk leather loafers(US$220), are works of art. Wild Women Wear Red, one of the first boutiques to start the U Street revival, isn't only fancy footwear central; it also bills itself as a hot venue for parties and art openings.