Wherever you go in Washington DC you are aware of its political clout – but there is lots to do away from the monuments, writes SARAH GERAGHTY
ANYONE WHO fails to feel a frisson descending into Washington DC probably shouldn’t be on that plane in the first place. This is the ground zero of global power, the embodiment of all that America is.
DC’s unique currency is its political history and culture. It is an intensely cosmopolitan town buzzing with world-class movers and shakers – all number ones wherever they hail from, as they’ll quickly tell you – and thousands more who want to be them. And all backed up by that familiar necklace of soaring, soul- stirring historical monuments.
But it always comes back to power. Even for residents, the eye is compulsively drawn to the snipers on the roof of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the screeching motorcades, the whirr of a helicopter above, or the person next to you in a restaurant in the Penn Quarter who looks strangely familiar. Yes, it is Joe Biden.
Not so long ago, tourists fulfilled the need to touch the hem of DC history and culture by having a solemn stroll past the monuments – almost all within walking distance of one another – without bothering to look beyond to the city. And they were right.
It used to be a sleepy city, run by an old boys’ club, revolving around creaky old Washington haunts like the Old Ebbit Grill, across from the Treasury Department, or the preppy enclave of Georgetown where the unofficial uniform was popped collars, deck-shoes, pearls, big hair and cashmere. “Hollywood for ugly people,” as one commentator put it.
It also had the well-earned title of America’s “murder capital”. While the popped-collar and pearls crowd corralled itself in leafy northwestern DC, the rest of the city was shuttered, desolate – and the further south and east you went – plain dangerous. Not exactly what you yearn for on a holiday, with New York, San Francisco or bookish, civilised, Boston calling to you.
But Washington is catching up. The glamour and buzz around the Obamas and their idealistic young political legionaries, have made Washington DC hip.
The Obamas’ contribution is to treat DC as their city stomping ground. The couple have “date nights” at places like Komi, a Greek-American restaurant with just 12 tables and a set menu a few minutes walk from Dupont, and had a wedding anniversary dinner at The Blue Duck Tavern.
They’ve also popped into places such as Five Guys for a cheeseburger or kitschy Ben’s Chili Bowl on U Street, a DC institution where presidnt Obama took the French president Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni in March for its famous “chili half-smoke”.
U Street was, up to the 1980s, characterised by boarded-up buildings and crack dens. Ben’s was one of the few businesses to survive and is now on the DC tourist trail, as gritty old U Street (and nearby 14th Street) morphs into a neighbourhood for the young and cool who tote gym bags from super-trendy Californian athletic-apparel, Lululemon, and recyclable shopping bags from Wholefoods.
It retains a certain grittiness (cheque-cashing businesses and liquor stores) alongside galleries, chichi furniture stores, and hip bars like Local 16, a popular Democratic hangout, where you get watermelon martinis and unfettered views of the city from the roof deck.
Lefty cafe and bookstore, Busboys and Poets, is a buzzy local brunch spot with a poetry open-mic night every Tuesday at 9pm (rap is the most popular genre) It was from here that Obama’s people marched on election night to stand outside the White House and celebrate.
Across town, the latest no-go district to undergo a U Street-type revival is on the H Street corridor. It still has the feel of a scene from The Wireand there's no Metro line, but almost 100 new businesses have opened up there in four years. Chief among them is the Biergarten Haus, which has an enormous courtyard and huge selection of German beers and hearty dishes.
But if “gritty-hip” is not your thing, don’t worry. The rest of the city is defined by an east coast feel and is ideal for walking around.
Remember that the Metro is clean, civilised and very straightforward.
Choose the time of year you visit carefully. In January and February, it is bone-chillingly cold and difficult to navigate the ice-packed streets. If you do choose to go then, check out the the Dupont Hotel – still Jurys to many Irish – which, during Snowmageddon 2010, smartly turned its outdoor terrace into a heated ice-bar.
At the other extreme is July, when the humidity is miserable. Autumn is beautiful, but the best time is spring when the air is warm and the city explodes with cherry blossom and dancing fireflies.
But there are things for everyone to do all year round. You can take on a false identity at the International Spy Museum near Chinatown, visit the Smithsonian museum quarter on the National Mall and drop into the National Archives to gaze on the original Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution.
Explore the beautiful grounds of the National Cathedral on Wisconsin Avenue, the second largest in the country, where there is an actual piece of Moon rock (brought back by the crew of Apollo 11) in one of its stained-glass windows. Try to bag a ticket for the Easter Sunday service. Failing that, sit in the café across the road and watch Washington DC’s elite kitted out in seersucker suits and Easter bonnets.
Or take a short Metro ride to Arlington Cemetery in Virginia and see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider and the Kennedys’ grave.
Pit stops for coffee can make or break a good city walk and for a city and country obsessed with the beverage, DC has a way to go.
The new Chinatown Coffee Co on 5th and H streets is a welcome addition. Go people-watching in the Mall or at the Washington Monument. Among Georgetown’s pleasures is the Thomas Sweet ice-cream shop on Wisconsin Avenue or Georgetown Cupcakes at M Street – or just strolling along Massachusetts Avenue, home to global embassies.
For surprisingly decent, safe food on the hoof – salads, pizzas, burritos and Korean barbecues – look out for the food trucks parked at places such as Farragut Square.
The leafy northwestern neighbourhoods of Woodley Park and Cleveland Park are lined with Italian, Mexican and Greek restaurants with outdoors terraces in spring and summer that lend a Mediterranean atmosphere.
Dupont is one of the loveliest and liveliest parts of the city; great for people-watching (even better for pampered-dog watching), reading on a bench at the Circle or eating a frozen yogurt after dinner. It’s home to cultural landmark, Kramerbooks and Afterwords, a buzzy combination of bookstore and cafe where everybody should have brunch at least once.
For an affluent city, DC is surprisingly low in shopping thrills. Georgetown hosts some high-end labels and the usual Ann Taylor-style chains on M Street and Wisconsin Avenue. But they fade to nothing beside my latest discovery, the Secondi consignment store on Connecticut Avenue in the Dupont area. Prada dresses, Chanel pumps and Kate Spade bags sell for a fraction of the original price. and the labels also state precisely when the next price drop is due. It’s a thrilling gamble, do you buy now or take a chance?
Where to stay, where to eat and where to go in the US capital
5 places to stay
Hotel Tabard Inn. 1739 N Street, 001-202-785-1277, tabardinn.com. Off-beat, personal and full of cosy Victorian charm, the Tabard is a budget alternative close to Dupont Circle Metro. A hidden gem where Washingtonians come for drinks, live jazz on Sundays, or just to hang out by the log-fire. Doubles with shared bath from €115 (€85).
Willard InterContinental.1401 Pennsylvania Avenue, 001-202-628-9100, washington. intercontinental.com. The lavish, five-star centre of DC social and political life since the 1800s. It's where Abraham Lincoln stayed before his inauguration, where president Ulysses S Grant popularised the term "lobbyist" and where Martin Luther King finished his "I have a dream speech." Doubles from $389 (€294).
The Hay-Adams. 16th H Streets NW, 001-202-638-6600, hayadams.com. Its elegance, location and legendary status make it one of the priciest in Washington, but it's so close to the White House that the Secret Service routinely nips over to conduct security sweeps. Its aptly-named "Off the Record" bar has long been a regular meeting spot for politicians and lobbyists who love to be "seen but not heard." Closed until October 5th for refurbishment.
The Dupont at the Circle Inn.1604 19th Street NW, 001-202-332-5251, dupontat thecircle.com. Two, elegant, perfectly-located Victorian brownstones make this upscale BB a lovely, fresh alternative to corporate hotels in leafy, lively Dupont Circle. The reception areas are full of art and books and the bedrooms and suites come with white linens on antique queen-sized beds and claw-foot bathtubs. Doubles from $185 (€140).
Hotel Rouge.1315 16th Street NW, 001-202-232-8000, rogue hotel.com. This gently-priced hotel within walking distance of the White House and Dupont is much funkier than the town it's in. With shag-pile carpets, leopard-print bathrobes, and over-the-top furniture, you can imagine the political sex-scandals kicking off in the next room. Doubles from $197 (€149).
5 places to eat
Ray’s Hell Burger.
1713 N Wilson Blvd, Arlington Virginia, 001-703-841-0001. It’s in a fairly unattractive spot in a mall in out-of-the-way Roslyn, Virginia, with zero décor. But everyone agrees that Ray’s 10-ounce hamburgers are lusciously delicious. President Obama has eaten there twice , with VP Joe Biden and Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.
Old Ebbit Grill.
675 15th Street NW, 001-202-347-4800, ebbit.com. An old Washington institution near the White House where politicians, congressional staffers and journalists gather. The Victorian-inspired saloon features upscale American cuisine (try the Jumbo Lump Crabcake) and the Oyster Bar, ranked as one of the best in DC.
Restaurant Nora.
2132 Florida Avenue NW, 001-202-462-5143, noras.com. Housed in a 19th-century carriage house near Dupont Circle, the country’s first certified organic restaurant is where president Obama hosted a surprise birthday party for the First Lady. Warm surroundings and service, top-quality ingredients and mouth-watering desserts .
Marvin.
2007 14th Street NW, 001-202-797-7171, marvin dc.com. A two-storey bistro and bar dedicated to native son Marvin Gaye, this lively U Street spot somehow manages to pull off a menu that’s a hybrid of classic Belgian cuisine (moules frites in five flavours) and Southern comfort (shrimp and grits).
Café Milano.
3251 Prospect Street NW, 001-202-333-6183. Located in Georgetown – one of the liveliest parts of the city at night – this Italian restaurant/ bar/nightclub is your first stop for Washington’s version of a celebrity hangout. The sidewalk cafe open during the warmer months adds a Mediterranean feel.
5 places to go
Any Smithsonian Institution.Admission is free. In summer, take a picnic to "Jazz in the Park" every Friday evening or in winter, go ice skating at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Gardens. Check out the National Museum of American History for the original "Star-Spangled Banner" and the National Portrait Gallery for the nation's only complete collection of presidential portraits outside the White House.
Newseum. 555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, 001-202-292-6100, newseum.org. Don't balk at the $20 (€15) admission. With a view of the Capitol rivalled only by the Lincoln Memorial, the seven-floor Newseum is dedicated to five centuries of news history and packed with features such as a 74-foot high engraving of the First Amendment, the chance to record yourself on camera, an original section of the Berlin Wall (accompanied by a look-out post), and the "Unabomber's" Montana cabin.
Monuments and memorials at night.This is the best time, when the tourists have gone and the landmarks are illuminated. Start in front of the US Capitol and walk the two miles along the National Mall down to the Lincoln Memorial, passing the Washington Monument and second World War Memorial along the way to see "ole Abe" lit up in the background.
Kennedy Center.2700 F Street NW, 001-202-467-4600, kennedy-center.org. Free performance every evening at 6pm on the Millennium Stage including everything from the National Symphony Orchestra and gospel groups to jazz musicians and poetry slams. Upstairs on the rooftop is one of the best places in the city to take in views of the Potomac.
C&O Canal Towpath.1057 Thomas Jefferson St NW, 001-202-653-5190. Do as locals do when looking for an easy escape – hike, bike or canoe down the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal path that runs 200 miles from Georgetown to Cumberland, western Maryland. Criss-crossed by walkways and bridges, and lined with old factories and warehouses turned into high-end shops and restaurants, there's plenty of opportunity to get off the path.
Hot spot
POV at The W Hotel.
505 15th Street NW, 001-202-661-2400. Waiting in line at the black velvet rope for staff with clipboards and ear-pieces to usher you up to the 11th floor of the W Hotel feels very “Washington”, but the views from the POV (Point of View) breezy terrace are worth the bureaucracy – the illuminated Washington Monument to the left, the Treasure building just below, and the East Wing of the White House only a block away. On a clear evening you can see as far as the Pentagon, Arlington Cemetery and Old Town Alexandria.
Shop spot
At Eastern Market in the Capitol Hill area (225 7th Street SE, easternmarket-dc.org), find everything from fresh fruit and vegetables to vintage leather luggage and second-hand tweed coats to Afghan rugs. Around M Street and Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown is where you’ll find the usual “high street” suspects. Worth visiting is Secondi (1702 Connecticut Avenue NW, 001-202-667-1122, secondi.com), a high-end store with neatly organised rails of everything from Banana Republic to Chanel that holds impressive sales in February and August.
Go there
Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com) flies to Washington via New York and Boston. Continental (continental.com) and United (unitedairlines. com) fly to Washington via Newark. British Airways (ba.com) flies to Washington via London-Heathrow.
- washington.org