In 1964 you could take 14th St. to K St. and see a good number of hookers. It was quite a sight. Not just the get ups the wore but the hair colors as. Every color imaginable and then some. Colors that I have never seen again. The area around 14th and K was better than a circus.
In 1969, I was with the Whittier (Calif.) High School Band, which was performing in Richard Nixon’s Inaugural Parade. We stayed at the Manger Hamilton Hotel on 14th and K (Manger rhymes with anger). This seemed to be a nice area at the time. The hotel bar was called the Purple Tree (”the spot to be is the Purple Tree”). Not far away was Sholl’s Cafeteria, which had fine food, and they also featured fliers that promoted their Christian values. There was also a popular eatery nearby called the Speakeasy.
The hotel is still there—I think it’s now called simply the Hamilton, but Sholl’s and the Speakeasy are long gone.