Foggy Bottom is one of Washington, DC's oldest 19th century neighborhoods, so named because, as a low-lying area, fog (endemic to the swamps of early Washington) tended to congregate there. It is located to the west of downtown DC, just southeast of Georgetown along the shore of the Potomac River.
Foggy Bottom was once a community of Irish, German, and African-American laborers employed at the nearby breweries, glass plants, and the city gas works. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The main campus of George Washington University is located in Foggy Bottom. It is also the home of the U.S. State Department, and so "Foggy Bottom" is often used as a synonym for the Department. Other landmarks include the infamous Watergate Hotel and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Foggy Bottom is the home of the eponymous Foggy Bottom-GWU Washington Metro station.