Three Days in D.C.: Day 2

Three Days in D.C.: Day 2

Monday, October 27, 2008 12:00 AM



Washington D.C. is known as the Capital of the Free World, and tourists come from across the country and around the globe to see the White House, Capitol and other symbols of freedom. But there's far more to Washington than marble edifices. We have a huge network of free museums, expansive outdoor spaces, some of the best restaurants in America and lively late-night clubs. There's a lot to see and do in our area -- it could take a lifetime to experience everything there is to offer. But if you give us three days, we can help you make the most of them.

Day 2

The second day is when Washington really begins to show its variety. We're going to break our suggestions down for three broad kinds of groups: families, those interested in history and politics, and those who'd rather engage in people-watching and culture. Feel free to pick and choose from our suggestions, though -- there's no reason thirtysomethings can't hit the Zoo.

Families: The National Zoo is the must-do. It's open early, when animals are at their most active, and the kids will have a more memorable visit if they can watch Tai Shan the panda cub romping with his mother instead of sleeping high in tree, as he's prone to do for much of the day. Other kid-pleasers include tiger and cheetah cubs; Amazonia, a walk-through rainforest ; and the children's farm, with its cows, donkeys and goats.

After lunch -- we like Open City, a modern diner in Woodley Park, more than what's on offer at the Zoo -- consider heading back to the Smithsonian, where children can check out exhibits they may have skipped the day before. Another idea is the National Cathedral, located a short bus ride away from Woodley Park. (You can catch the 96 Metrobus outside Open City, along with the private sightseeing buses.) It's the sixth-largest cathedral in the world, and half-hour tours are offered daily. Kids will love looking that the gargoyles and running around in the Bishop's Garden.

For dinner, Cleveland Park's popular 2 Amys delights adult visitors with its pizza -- voted the best in washingtonpost.com's annual reader survey -- but also welcomes neighborhood children.

History Buffs: Washington's history is intertwined with America's. As the home of government, there is no shortage of sites to visit.

The resting place of John F. Kennedy, Thurgood Marshall, two Challenger astronauts and several unknown service members, Arlington National Cemetery is one of the most hallowed sites in America. The grounds were formally part of Arlington House, the home of Confederate general Robert E. Lee. That mansion is open to the public.

Besides the Smithsonian, there are a number of history-related museums in town. The International Spy Museum traces the story of spycraft from Moses through the Cold War. Near the Mall, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum tells the story of the persecution of Jews, homosexuals and other groups by the Nazis.

(If you have a car, consider a drive out to Manassas Battlefield Park, west of Washington, which was the site of the first major battle of the Civil War in 1861, and an encore the following year.)

Time for dinner. In Georgetown, Martin's Tavern is a 1930s saloon that was frequented by John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, House Speaker Sam Rayburn and convicted Soviet spy Elizabeth Bentley, and still visited by Madeline Albright and other political figures today. Every president since Harry S Truman has visited Martin's, making it a required stop on the campaign trail. Paintings in the dining room came from the estate of President James Monroe. The kitchen's Delmonico steak remains a crowd-pleaser.

After eating, head down to U Street, known as "Black Broadway" in the 1920s and '30s. (See the Culture Vulture section below for more information.)

Culture Vultures: Start the day off right at Eastern Market, the historic farmer's market full of butchers, florists and vendors selling fruit and vegetables. The venerable Market Lunch makes the best blueberry pancakes around -- order the "buck blue," or buckwheat blueberry pancakes. On weekends, a bustling flea market and produce vendors fill the neighborhood.

Then it's off to Georgetown, Washington's best-known shopping district, where little boutiques line Wisconsin Avenue, alongside big names like Puma, Zara, Lacoste and Intermix. (Walk over to Union Station and grab the cross-town Circulator bus, which will drop you at the corner of Wisconsin and M, which is the heart of the neighborhood.) Spend some time wandering the side streets before making a pit stop. In warm weather, the waterfront bars lining Georgetown's Washington Harbour provide some of the best people-watching in the city, thanks to legions of well-dressed singles on the prowl -- some of whom tie up their boats at the dock before heading to Sequoia or Tony and Joe's for a beer on the patio. If you're looking for bold-faced names, the place to go is Cafe Milano, an expensive restaurant where you may find Bill and Hillary Clinton, Jessica Simpson, Jamie Foxx or Derek Jeter in the dining room. (Regular Placido Domingo is honored with a 15-foot mural of the opera singer.) Martini lovers can head for the Degrees bar in the tony Ritz-Carlton hotel, where celebrity guests -- including Jon Bon Jovi and Michael Jordan -- have been known to pop down for a cocktail.

Just across Rock Creek Park is Dupont Circle, a vibrant neighborhood that is the center of Washington's large gay community; a popular nightlife destination with lounges and bars and clubs catering to all stripes; home to many embassies and the city's diplomatic community; and filled with small galleries and the newly expanded Phillips Collection, America's first modern art museum.

The Phillips is known for its huge French Impressionist collection, which includes Renoir's "Luncheon of the Boating Party." Admission to the permanent collection is free on weekdays. A short walk away, 14th Street has become an exciting corridor of independent galleries, mostly located within a block or two of the intersection with P Street. The Transformer Gallery, Irvine Contemporary, Hemphill Fine Arts and the Adamson Gallery are all worth a visit, and the latter two share a building at 1515 14th St.

To get to Dupont from Georgetown, you can catch the Georgetown Shuttle, a blue bus that runs between Georgetown's M Street and the Dupont Circle Metro Station every 10 minutes.

Dinner is easy to come by, thanks to a long list of restaurants. Pizzeria Paradiso attracts long lines for its well-made pies, topped with an array of fresh ingredients. While the Palm is pricey, the steakhouse is always filled with famous-for-Washington politicians, reporters and talking heads, and the aged New York strip wins plaudits, too. And possibly no restaurant in the neighborhood feels quite as lively as Bistrot du Coin, a buzzing French restaurant with good steak frites, a long wine list and service that some readers describe as "typically French" -- i.e. hit-or-miss -- but it's worth it just for checking out the variety of French and Francophile patrons who stroll into the bar.

The food at the Brickskeller isn't much to shout about, but that's not why folks head to the Dupont Circle institution -- they're there to explore a list of more than 1,000 different bottled beers from Argentina to Vietnam. After a drink, grab a cab for a short trip to U Street, which was known as Black Broadway in the 1920s and '30s when hometown boy Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie played clubs and concert halls on the strip. It's still a jazz hotspot today; touring musicians and local unknowns play at Twins Jazz, U-topia, Duke's City and Cafe Nema on a regular basis, while well-known rock bands perform at the nearby 9:30 Club and Black Cat. Don't forget to stop in for a late-night chili-cheese half-smoke at Ben's Chili Bowl, which has welcomed Martin Luther King Jr., Bill Cosby, Redd Foxx, Miles Davis and Nat "King" Cole since opening in 1958.