Archibald Walk on the Barracks Row Heritage Trail - an Inhabited Alley in DC

The other day - out of curiosity - we were looking for two garages that sold for $70,000 plus each. We found them off G Street SE in an alley way that was hidden behind Christ Church. Aside from that grabbing our attention, we stumbled upon Archibald Walk. There is a sign that describes the history of the area. Apparently it is one of the last remaining inhabited alleys in DC. The decor of the side by side rowhouses at the entrance looked like we were on an island somewhere - with banana tress in the front yard. But upon closer inspection, someone goes to a lot of trouble to actually tie bunches of bananas to the tree with green wires! It felt like we were walking along a European neighborhood as we meandered down the longer side of the u shaped alley. At the end of it were two more residences, with a huge tree house in front. Apparently there was big uproar about the tree house crossing the property line which resulted in the elimination of many potted plants that could no longer be displayed there - something about needing permits that didn't exist. Nevertheless, it was an odd place to visit, nestled behind Barracks Row. One only wonders what all went on in these spaces all those years ago. I'm not sure I would want to live anywhere near it.