'''Kensington''' is a small city in the Capital Region of Maryland and suburb of Washington, D.C. It borders Bethesda to the southwest and Silver Spring to the east.
Usually a quiet little suburb, Kensington made the headlines of the national news three times in one year. First, the mayor banned Santa Claus from the neighborhood in late 2001, citing the separation of Church and State. How on earth can this be possible, you ask? The mayor responded to a complaint that only a Christmas tree was displayed on the grounds of the Town Hall, to the exclusion of other religious symbols. The town government responded by removing the tree. Then, realizing that there were similar grounds for objection to the local fire department flying around the neighborhood with Santa Claus in tow, tossing candy to kids, the '''Mayor banned Santa Claus''' from his usual fire engine tour of the town. Following national media attention, there was an enormous Santa Claus protest, where hundreds of Santa Clauses arrived on motorcycles to assure Kensington that St Nick would indeed be coming to town! But what's truly amazing about this whole saga is that ''the mayor was reelected''...
The second and third news events were not so comical, however. In early 2002, a MARC train derailed in spectacular fashion, and injured over one hundred commuters. Fortunately, and somewhat amazingly, no one was killed. Later that year, the D.C. sniper's first day of spree-killing included the murder of a resident, filling up her gas tank at the local Shell.
The main arteries leading north from Washington, D.C. and the Beltway are Connecticut Ave and Wisconsin Ave. Connecticut will take you straight through the center of Kensington—turn right at Strathmore/Knowles Ave and follow it to the end to get to Antique Row.
Despite being so easy to see from the Beltway, the Mormon Temple is quite difficult to find. The easiest and most navigable path is to take Beach Drive east from Connecticut (Beach Drive is just north of the Connecticut Ave Beltway exit).
If you take a taxi from Washington, D.C., be aware that your driver will not know his/her way around Maryland. So bring directions to help the taxi driver out!
It's easiest to get around Kensington by car, but Bus 4 will take you to both Antique Row and the Mormon Temple, as well as the "downtown" area (where you can get some great fast food at Continentals Pizza)! To get to the National Park Seminary, however, your only option is by car.
'Tis the season to visit the Mormon Temple come Christmas time. The light display is truly spectacular, especially given that the grounds and temple are impressive enough to merit a visit without the display. The light display runs throughout Advent, and is absolutely worth seeking out from D.C. if you are in the area this time of the year. In addition to the light display, the Visitor Center shows its best face, with more than a dozen large, decorated Christmas trees, international nativity scenes, and a live outdoor nativity scene. It's a great place for all ages, and is certain to stir a little of the Christmas spirit.
The 19th-20th century Seminary, 2791 Linden Ln, [http://www.saveourseminary.org/]—formerly a finishing school for girls and resort community in Forest Glen—is an odd site indeed. Inspired by the 1893 World Fair in Chicago, the Seminary owner decided to build ten buildings of styles around the world. A Greek theater, a Japanese pagoda, a Dutch windmill, and many others. Following the Great Depression and WWII, the Seminary could barely make ends meet, and the entire property was commandeered by the U.S. Army's Walter Reed Medical Hospital in 1942, a hospital best known today for mistreating wounded veterans. The military went out of their way to offend local communities by demolishing historic property and generally neglecting the beautiful exotic and Victorian buildings. Gaining official historic status saved many of the buildings from demolition, but the neglect continued, allowing the elements and vandals to take their toll. In the 1980s, the "Save Our Seminary" group formed to protect what was left, and did an admirable job.
Today, the Army has returned the historic Seminary properties to private hands, and the area looks set to have a real renaissance. The pagoda has already been restored as the business office, with plans to renovate all the historic properties and to introduce condos to finance the restoration. You usually can't visit beyond looking at the buildings from the road, but that's usually enough reason to come see this weird place! However, the SOS does offer excellent guided tours on the fourth Saturday of each month, nominally for free, but you really should give the $5 suggested donation.
Driving is the only way to get here—take a right north of the Mormon Temple onto Capitol View Ave; follow the winding hilly road to the end and turn right onto Seminary Rd—you'll know you're there when you see a big Japanese pagoda.
The Old Town of Kensington is a major shopping destination in the D.C. area for antiques, with a large cluster of antique shops along '''Antique Row'''. [http://www.kensingtonantiquerow.com/] The strip is charming and full of interesting browsing opportunities, from furniture to bric-a-brac to books. To get there, take a right off of Connecticut Ave (coming from D.C.) after the Knowles Ave intersection onto East Howard Ave. On street parking, as well as shop parking is usually no problem.
Kensington lacks any lodgings to speak of, so you'll only be sleeping here if you have family in the neighborhood. To beat a tired drum, look in adjacent Bethesda or Silver Spring, both of which have plenty of hotel options.