Beyond the monuments and museums of the National Mall, this city's Northwest neighborhoods are attracting visitors with a vibrant music scene and pulsing nightlife.

Adams-Morgan and the U Street Corridor, bohemian in contrast to Washington's more refined areas, are enjoying a transformation after decades of decline and neglect. Bistros and cafes sprout up alongside decades-old eateries and dive bars. New music venues and historic jazz clubs compete for customers by letting their rhythms drift through open windows onto the sidewalk.

A group enters Meskerem, an Ethiopian restaurant in the Adams-Morgan neighborhood.