Because
the city was built from scratch, Washington's regular town plan is
easy to grasp. Centered on Capitol Hill and its governmental monoliths,
the District is divided into four quadrants - northeast, northwest,
southeast and southwest. Dozens of broad avenues , all named after
states, run diagonally across a standard grid of streets , meeting
up at monumental traffic circles like Dupont Circle. North-south
streets are numbered, east-west ones are lettered. There's no J Street,
an intentional slight to early Supreme Court Justice John Jay, or
X, Y or Z Street. I Street is often written Eye Street. Be sure to
note the relevant two-letter code in any address (NW, NE, SW, SE),
which shows its quadrant; 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW is a long way
from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave SE. Hostels in Washington
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