Metrobus routes 70 and 79 travel along Georgia Avenue and 7th Street through some of DC’s oldest and most significant neighborhoods, as this north-south thoroughfare has long connected Downtown Washington to the city's northwest neighborhoods (Mount Vernon Square, Shaw, U Street, Park View, Petworth, and Brightwood), Silver Spring, and beyond. Many historic districts and landmarks can be found along this route. Looking out the windows, passengers will spot Smithsonian museums, monumental federal government buildings, Chinatown's Friendship Archway, the city's historic Carnegie Library, rowhouses, storefronts, Howard University, fire stations, and even a Civil War Era battlefield and cemetery.

Howard University is one of the most prestigious Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the United States. One of the four earliest campus buildings is visible from Georgia Avenue (the General Oliver Otis Howard House), as is Miner Hall (formerly Miner Normal School), which trained generations of Black educators. Some of the oldest Black life insurance companies and other offices, apartments, theaters, and stores are also found along this stretch of the route, particularly in the Shaw and U Street neighborhoods.

The area around Georgia Avenue-7th Street-Florida Avenue was known for its many bakeries, illustrated by buildings such as Bond Bread Factory, Wonder Bread Bakery, and Holzbeierlein Bakery. This same intersection is also the start of Chuck Brown Way, a nod to the city's most famous (and official) musical genre and go-go musician. As the 70s move south past Rhode Island Avenue, historic buildings, including the O Street Market (now a Giant), serve as reminders of the diverse community of Black and European immigrants who lived in neighborhoods along this thoroughfare.

Large federal buildings, office buildings, museums, and monuments dot the landscape as Georgia Avenue becomes 7th Street and the 70s pass through the oldest portion of Downtown Washington — once a thriving shopping district — and traverse the National Mall into Southwest Washington. The Old Patent Office (now the National Portrait Gallery) and the National Bank of Washington demonstrate the nation’s commitment to scientific and economic development throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Additionally, the landmarked Grand Army of the Republic Memorial and the idiosyncratic Temperance Fountain reflect some of the civic priorities of the Progressive Era, from Civil War veterans’ affairs to temperance. Also visible along the route are the many architectural styles that were popular through the years, including Greek Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Beaux-Arts, Stripped Classical, and Modern.

This tour — which is focused on the 70 and 79 Metrobus routes, which are the main Georgia Avenue-7th street bus lines (the 74 Metrobus route goes between the Convention Center and Southwest Waterfront) — hopes to draw your attention to the historic and architecturally-significant gems along these routes. Start at the historic site that’s closest to you! If you're traveling south on the 70s, click “Next” to follow along. If you’re traveling north, click “Previous.”