In Three Days

Especially if you're traveling with children younger than 11, you might start Day 3 with a lively visit to the National Zoo. Otherwise, consider visiting the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in the morning and then spend the afternoon taking a restorative stroll through some of D.C.'s loveliest quarters. Obtain admission tickets ahead of time for the museum, if possible; if not, you should plan to arrive early to wait in line. Start: Metro on the Red Line to National Zoo to go to the zoo; Metro on the Blue Line to Smithsonian to visit the Holocaust Museum.

1. National Zoological Park or 2. U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

If you (or your children) want to get an early start on the day, the National Zoological Park, an off-the-Mall Smithsonian complex, opens at 10am (grounds at 6am), year-round. A recent development is the opening of an Asia Trail, whose winding path presents close-up sights of sloth bears sucking up termites, giant pandas frolicking in a waterfall, fishing cats caught in the act, and the assorted activities of clouded leopards and Japanese salamanders. Those three giant pandas remain the zoo's top draws.

Fifteen years after its debut, crowds continue to tour the U.S. Memorial Holocaust Museum, especially its heart-tearing main exhibit. Some people also come here to do research: Open to the public without appointment is a library on the 5th floor, where you can look up information on a name, a town, or any subject to do with the Holocaust. The museum, meanwhile, is expanding its mission to include special exhibits on related events -- firsthand accounts and photographs depicting the persecution and torture of the people of Darfur, Sudan, for instance.

From the Metro's Red Line National Zoo stop, take the Metro south one stop to the Dupont Circle station. From the Metro's Blue Line Smithsonian station, take the Metro to Metro Center and switch to the Red Line, going toward Shady Grove. Debark at Dupont Circle.

3. Phillips Collection

This beautiful museum-mansion was expanded in 2006 to include a sculpture garden, a new cafe, an auditorium, a gallery devoted to the works of Mark Rothko, and a larger exhibit space for postwar contemporary art. Always keep an eye out for visitors' favorite pieces: Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party; numerous Bonnards; and, on display from time to time, a painting executed by founder Duncan Phillips's wife, Marjorie Phillips: Night Baseball.

4. Take a Break -- Pizzeria Paradiso

Open daily from lunch straight through to 10pm (Sun), 11pm (Mon-Thurs), or midnight (Fri-Sat), this cherished little pizzeria serves pies that are several cuts above the average: cooked in an oak-burning oven and topped with your choice of 31 fresh ingredients, from pancetta to eggplant. tel. 202/223-1245.

5. Embassy Row and Dupont Circle

Stop in shops along Connecticut Avenue, and then follow side streets to discover boutiques, little art galleries, and quaint century-old town houses. If you look carefully, you'll start to notice that some of these buildings are actually embassies or historic homes. The mansion at 2340 S St. NW, for instance, is where President Woodrow Wilson lived after he left the White House. The most awesome embassies lie on Massachusetts Avenue, west of Dupont Circle. Flags and plaques clearly identify them.

Walk, if you feel up to it, or take a taxi to the Kennedy Center.

6. Kennedy Center

Head to the Kennedy Center for the 6pm nightly free concert in the Grand Foyer (part of the center's Millennium Stage program). At concert's end, proceed through the glass doors to the terrace overlooking Rock Creek Parkway and the Potomac River, and enjoy the view.

7. Georgetown

Finish up the day with dinner and shopping in Georgetown, where stores and restaurants tend to stay open later than those in other parts of town.