Neighborhood and Culinary Destinations

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Formerly the Canterbury Hotel, this fancy boutique hotel is a little bit Tao, a little bit Zen and a whole lot of New Age. How many other hotels offer packages with physic readings, have room service attendants in tunics, offer patrons a daily horoscope and set the whole place up Feng Shui style to promote good karma. The rooms are a feast for the senses. Each is styled with exotic colors and shapes and makes you feel like you are definitely somewhere different, someplace far away from the suit culture of DC. Dupont Circle is two blocks away.

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DuPont circle is one of Washington's hubs of nightlife, shopping, and dining. The circle itself is filled with Washingtonians day and night, relaxing on the benches, snacking, or playing music or a game of chess. Around the circle, the neighborhood is filled with interesting museums, shops, restaurants and bars. DuPont, and more specifically 17th street off of DuPont, is considered the center of Washington DC's gay and lesbian community. The Brickskeller, home of the world largest beer list, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, is located in DuPont. DuPont is also home to a large number of embassies, and one can easily access Embassy Row by simply walking north-west on Massachusetts Avenue, which intersects the circle. DuPont is also home to some of the most important think-tanks in the country, including the Brookings Institution and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and the Johns Hopkins University's Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

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As much a destination as a place to eat, Ben's Chili Bowl remains one of the few (non-governmental) things in DC that remains unchanged since the 1950s. The food is good - standard diner breakfast items in the mornings plus home-made chili, chili-cheese fries, burgers, coleslaw, veggie burgers, shakes and half-smokes (the fantastic DC and Baltimore local food that lives somewhere between sausage and hotdog). The place oozes history. Ben's opened on U Street in 1958 and fed luminaries such as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis and Martin Luther King Jr. Ten years later riots raged through DC after the assassination of King, closing much of the city. U Street was particularly hard hit. Like a beacon on rocky shores, Ben's was able to stay open past curfew and feed the community leaders, firefighters and police who worked to save the neighborhood. Since that time Ben's Chili Bowl has served a community gathering place as the city contracted and then grew again. Ben's Chili Bowl is still Ben's after fifty years. The stools, long counter, and bright booths are all original, and so is the experience. Parking during the weekdays is not too bad (two hour limit for non-neighborhood... read more

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Phillips Collection [STST] -- This charming museum is even more alluring now that its expansion is complete. Its elegant 1890s Georgian Revival mansion anchors the Phillips, as it has since the gallery opened in 1921 (America's first museum of modern art). Founders Duncan and Marjorie Phillips, avid collectors and proselytizers of modernism, once lived here; now Impressionist, modernist, and American master gems from the 2,500-work permanent collection reside here. Intimate galleries retain homey features: leaded- and stained-glass windows, oak paneling, plush chairs and sofas, and individually designed fireplaces. The new wing houses the main entrance, as well as galleries devoted to special exhibits; a cafe run by a local favorite, Firehook Bakery; a sculpture garden in the courtyard; and, most wonderfully, the Rothko Room, the small room devoted to four large, color-intense paintings by abstract expressionist Mark Rothko.

Best known for its Renoir masterpiece, Luncheon of the Boating Party, the Phillips boasts works by Daumier, Bonnard, Vuillard, van Gogh, Cézanne, Picasso, Degas, Klee, and Matisse. Ingres, Delacroix, Manet, El Greco, Goya, Corot, Constable, Courbet, Giorgione, and...

Our Local Expert Says:

DC best shopping. Signing-up for a home tour can be a great activity. LINK

Description:

Georgetown is one of the most historically significant areas of DC. It is a great place to spend the afternoon shopping or just strolling along the tree-lined streets, looking at the expansive homes and mansions. "M" street in Georgetown is the main upscale shopping area in DC. There are numerous historical sights mixed throughout the area, including the Old Stone House on M street, the oldest building in DC, and Dumbarton Oaks, where the United Nations was outlined in 1944. Georgetown is also one of DC's best places for eating, drinking, and nightlife. Local favorites include such places as Mr. Smiths, a piano bar, J. Pauls, and Old Glory Bar-B-Que. The Georgetown Waterfront is also a popular place to spend the afternoon. The restaurants that line the Potomac make for a great venue for drinks, although the food is better a couple of blocks north on M street. Recently, there has also been a proliferation of new, upscale restaurants in Georgetown including Hook and Mendocino Grille & Wine Bar.

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From El Greco's "The Visitation" to Byzantine and pre-Columbian artworks, jewelry and mosaics, this restored mansion is filled with elegant treasures. Built in 1801, the estate achieved its height of glory in the wealthy 1920s when it served as the high-society showpiece of Robert Bliss and his heiress wife, Mildred. The gardens occupy 10 acres above Georgetown and include terraced lawns, winding footpaths and elaborate fountains.

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Take a rare opportunity to see the interiors of stately old Georgetown homes, which are opened to the public just once a year during a late April weekend. Admission includes afternoon tea with homemade sandwiches and cookies at the parish hall at St. John's Church.

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This scenic setting combines the social pleasures and style of Georgetown with the natural beauty of the Potomac riverfront. The wide promenade is enjoyed by office workers, shoppers, strollers and diners at several restaurants offering outdoor seating. This is a perfect place to stroll at midday, before a sunset dinner, or after dark when the terraces are lit up.

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Georgetown can always use another good restaurant (as opposed to another busy bar or boutique store), so the fairly new Hook (opened mid-2007) is a welcome addition, as is its even newer sibling, Tackle Box, which opened in April 2008. Situated near the intersection of M Street and Wisconsin Avenue, the restaurant's bar lies at the front, the spare, all-white dining room beyond that, with the semi-open kitchen pulling up the rear. Hook is committed to the "sustainable" movement, which means that the chef shops for locally farmed produce and that the menus are printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper, to give just two examples. But Hook's real "hook" is sustainable, in-season seafood, so you can expect the blackfin tuna that arrives with the crème fraîche and potato purée on your plate to have been pulled from the water sometime within the preceding 24 hours. Get this: The chef receives a daily text message from Tobago island fishermen telling him of that day's catch, and the fish arrive within 18 to 24 hours. Be sure to order one of pastry chef Heather Chittum's lovely desserts, from warm madeleine cookies to an inventive carrot cake.

Our Local Expert Says:

Good inexpensive restaurants and crowded college bars make this a must for the post-4. collegiate DC crowd.

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A true melting pot of DC culture, Adams Morgan offers a little bit of something for everyone. Centered at 18th street and Columbia Road, by day, it is the one of city's most interesting neighborhoods, with a large variety of unusual stores. By night, the true character of Adams Morgan emerges. Traffic comes to a near standstill as 18th street turns into one of the hubs of DC's nightlife scene. Adams Morgan has a wide variety of restaurants serving food from a variety of countries such as Ethiopia, Turkey, Mexico, El Salvador, Brazil, Italy, Vietnam, and Ghana. Almost every restaurant transforms into a bar or nightclub come sundown. At 3 AM, partiers flood the street again, looking for late night food including falafel and DC's famous "Jumbo Slice" pizza. Adams Morgan is a must-visit for those that want to experience one of the most diverse dining and nightlife areas of DC.

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This Adams-Morgan landmark, is a popular hangout. It is a place that clearly does not take itself too seriously, which is a relief in a neighborhood always hot with trendy schemes. Here, there is pool and live music every night from 9:30pm, usually blues or bluegrass. The place is bound to be jumping well before midnight.

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This impressive, several-story building is home to close to 100 artists' studios, and also displays the works of many talented craftspeople. Every type of artistic material, from paintings to textils, are available to view and often to purchase. Private events here are quite special, owing to the building's interesting archtecture and to its location on the river.

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This modern American brasserie, is located on Penn. Ave NW between the White House and the Capitol. It offers great American cuisine, both modern and classic, with a French accent. A vibrant bar scene with boutique beer and wines, and modern and classic cocktails.