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The smash-hit musical Hamilton finished up an 80-show run at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts last week after stunning D.C. crowds and delighting businesses in Foggy Bottom.

A unique musical with an unconventional premise and 11 Tony Awards to its name, Hamilton tells the story of the titular founding father and his role in the American Revolution. Unlike its Broadway contemporaries, the show does away with show tunes and bombastic ballads in favor of rap- and hip-hop-inspired numbers laden with accessible slang and colloquialisms.聽

A few blocks from the Kennedy Center, Hotel Hive on F Street is among the local businesses reaping the benefits of a world-class production playing just down the street. The hybrid hotel and bar hosted a party for the show鈥檚 cast in September, and its swanky bar room was regularly full before and after performances.聽

Chris Quick, the lead chef at &pizza, the restaurant kitchen in the lobby of the hotel, said all shows at the nearby theater bring a rush of hungry patrons. Still, Hamilton has been especially chaotic for the kitchen鈥檚 small but determined staff.聽

鈥淏eing walking distance from the Kennedy Center, it鈥檚 constant, constant traffic,鈥� Quick said. 鈥淓specially with Hamilton, that show is awesome!鈥�

All along New Hampshire Avenue and 23rd Street, local spots were full to the brim before and after shows. Whether it be the homey Tazza Caf茅 or the elegant Kingbird restaurant in the lobby of the Watergate Hotel, Foggy Bottom鈥檚 streets were teeming with people.

While the show鈥檚 spectacular run excited the neighborhood鈥檚 local slate of restaurants and businesses, it was perhaps equally thrilling for those intimately involved in its production.聽

Sam Merrick, the Vermont-bred, New York-based drummer who has played over 1200 shows in five years with the production鈥檚 pit orchestra, said the venue鈥檚 history and 鈥渧ibe鈥� are undeniable. Merrick said the show鈥檚 story鈥攚hich recasts American history in an inclusive and accessible way鈥攊s unlike anything that has ever hit the stage.

鈥淲e have a story here that鈥檚 so, so compelling,鈥� Merrick, 37, said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 something everybody in this country can attach themselves to.鈥�

In the audience, theatergoers from far and wide sat in awe as the most awarded musical of the last half-decade graced the stage at one of the District鈥檚 finest venues.聽

Evan Skjel, a computer engineer from Toronto, was seeing Hamilton for the first time. After leaving the theater鈥檚 Hall of Nations, he was straightforward in his review of the production.

鈥淭he choreography was incredible, and the story was very good,鈥� Skjel, 28, said. 鈥淚t was just a great show. The production value was incredible.鈥�

John Sweeney, a 52-year-old Marylander, attended the show鈥檚 final Sunday matinee with his mother, Patricia, who is 90. While he鈥檇 already seen the show in New York, Sweeney was quick to praise Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and said the show is unique in its ability to transcend genre, thus introducing new audiences to hip-hop and rap.

鈥淸Miranda] started out to write a show to teach history through rap, but what he ended up doing was teaching white adults about rap,鈥� Sweeney said.聽

When asked to choose her favorite song from the show, the elder Sweeney was, like many who hummed the show鈥檚 tunes on their way out of the theater, unable to narrow it down to just one.聽

鈥淎ll of them!鈥� she answered with a wide smile.

In the coming weeks, Hamilton鈥檚 witty narratives and hooky backbeats will head to Orlando, Fla., Rochester, N.Y., San Diego, and Detroit. The Kennedy Center declined to provide specific attendance figures, but a visual check of available seats in the show鈥檚 last two weeks showed few available tickets.

According to a Kennedy Center spokesperson, 13 million people saw the show before the COVID-19 pandemic shut it down in the winter of 2020, and it has played in 82 different North American cities.聽

With the hysteria of Hamilton behind it, the Kennedy Center is slated to host , and before 2022 comes to a close.聽