Tips for driving in Washington, D.C.

DC can be confusing for visitors who aren't familiar with how the streets are laid out.

• The Grid
  In general, the city is a grid of numbered streets running north/south and streets running east/west that follow an alphabetical sequence. They all radiate outwards from the center of D.C.--the Capitol Building.
  
  The Mall and North Capitol, South Capitol and East Capitol Streets divide the city into four quadrants: Northeast, Southeast, Northwest and Southwest. Knowing the address and quadrant of a location can help to pinpoint where in the city you are. Gallaudet University is at 800 Florida Avenue, NE which is in the northeast quadrant at the intersection of 8th Street and Florida Avenue.
  
• Numbered Streets
  Numbered streets run north/south, parallel to North and South Capitol Streets. The lower numbers start closest to the Capitol Building and increase as you move further away. Gallaudet for example, is eight blocks east of North Capitol Street.
  
• Alphabetized Streets
  Lettered streets run east/west, parallel to East Capitol Street and The Mall. The alphabet begins closest to the Capitol Building and increases as you move further you away. Once the streets run through the letters they start with one syllable names A-Z then two syllable names A-Z, etc. Gallaudet is just north of K Street so that means we are roughly 11 blocks north of East Capitol Street.
  
• Avenues--the exception
  However the confusion starts with the avenues. Avenues named after states run diagonal, like spokes on a wagon wheel. radiating from the various circles and squares in the city.
  
  Constitution Avenue and Independence Avenue border either side of The Mall.