Eaton DC Is a Launchpad for Progress

"Defiantly progressive and art-driven, this LEED Gold, eco-friendly, energy-efficient hotel goes beyond rhetoric to actively support movements for equity and progress. Elevator doors open on photographs of protesters under attack by firehose and a “whites only” sign; socially conscious art exhibitions rotate through the lobby; a radical library shares a wall with the cocktail bar; and a version of Kahlil Joseph’s BLK NEWS flashes across a screen as the concierge hands you a room key. Inspired by historic political movements, the team—many DC natives with backgrounds in the arts, music, or activism—has hosted the Women’s March planning committee and campaigners from the Indigenous Environmental Network, provided sanctuary for social justice protesters, and watched members of the co-working space collaborate on progressive projects. Set a fifteen-minute walk from the White House or the National Mall, the first floor feels like a village square, with a radio station, rotating art exhibits, a screening room, co-working space, an exclusive cocktail lounge, a café, and an upscale New American restaurant. Nightlife coalesces upstairs at Wild Days, while downstairs the first-floor Allegory bar is where you’ll find Erik Thor-Sandberg’s Ruby Bridges mural slaying the Jabberwock. Wellness runs alongside the politics: guests can book yoga, reiki, or an infrared sauna, and the décor dabbles in crystals, Himalayan salt lamps, and incense bowls. Rooms are comfortable and stylish, with beautiful bathrooms, organic bedding, and record players beside stacks of progressive books—mine included works by Susan Sontag and Cory Booker. Overall, it feels like the heart of something: bold, uncompromising, and anything but stuffy." - Mitchell Friedman