Washington, D.C., is a cosmopolitan city and always winning recognition for something or other. A recent kudo, for example, ranks D.C. tops for both worldly residents and beautiful architecture in a nationwide survey of travelers conducted by Travel & Leisure and CNN Headline News. But you already knew that; surveys tend to focus on the obvious.
Personally, I find the unobvious so much more of a pleasure to discover: a good restaurant that stays open between lunch and dinner, for example, (the Belgian Brasserie Beck, www.beckdc.com, is one choice recommendation), or the museum that has a room devoted to the artist Mark Rothco (The Phillips Collection, www.phillipscollection.org).
Most unobvious of all is what's new in Washington, for how can you know about something if it's only just happened? Read on to find out about the latest goings-on in our ever-changing nation's capital. Then, whether you visit D.C. to admire our worldly residents and beautiful architecture or to seek out the coolest new restaurants and hidden gem museums -- or to do both -- you're in for a ripping good time. Obviously.
Getting Around
D.C. has long been home to the last-of-its-kind transportation system, but that's about to change. I'm talking about our taxi zone system, in place since the Great Depression, when Congress created it. Cabbies are for keeping it, but Mayor Adrian Fenty has approved a move to replace zones with time and distance meters. Expect the change to go into effect sometime in 2008 and fares on short distances in heavy traffic to increase, accordingly.
Our Metro system is definitely increasing its fares on both the subway and bus services. The pre-hike minimum fare is $1.35 on Metrorail and a 30 cent increase is likely, which means you'll probably pay a $1.65 base fare on Metro during rush hour, weekdays from 5-9:30am and 3-7pm.
Where to Stay
Many changes are afoot on Washington's hotel scene. The Hotel Washington (515 15th St. NW; tel. 202/638-5900; www.hotelwashington.com) shut down in January 2008 for a thorough renovation that will take 12 to 18 months to complete, which means that this Pennsylvania Avenue-fronting hotel, a favorite location during presidential inauguration festivities, likely will be unavailable for the January 2009 event. The Jefferson Hotel (1200 16th St. NW; tel. 202/347-2200; www.thejeffersonwashingtondc.com) remains closed until late 2008.
The Hilton Washington (1919 Connecticut Ave. NW; tel. 202/483-3000; www.washington.hilton.com) has received much attention for its planned renovation, mostly because basketball legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson is one of the hotel's new owners. Johnson and his fellow investors plan to makeover the property to the tune of $100 million, in a phased approach that begins in 2009 and allows the hotel to remain open throughout the length of the project.
Re-opening, at long last, is the St. Regis Hotel (923 16th St. NW; tel. 202/638-2626; www.stregis.com), going so far as to post on its website the message "Accepting Arrivals from January 17, 2008."
On the horizon is an ecologically friendly hotel on M St., in the West End neighborhood, and a redo of the Georgetown Inn on Wisconsin Ave. (in Georgetown, duh) into a fashion-forward property, whose five floors will each represent the handiwork of a different furniture designer. More on these developments in future online updates.
Where to Dine
Proof (775 G St. NW; tel. 202/737-7663; www.proofdc.com) is one restaurant that shines above the rest. Perfectly situated in the Penn Quarter across from the Smithsonian American Art and National Portrait Gallery complex, Proof is attracting the cocktail-loving crowd to its sexy lounge, and foodies of all persuasions to the dining room, where the wine-centric menu of modern American cuisine (small plates of charcuterie and precious cheeses, fuller fare of sablefish and crispy panko chicken) has been winning accolades from restaurant reviewers near and far.
Hudson Restaurant and Lounge (2030 M St. NW; tel. 202/872-8700; www.hudson-dc.com) is quickly gaining fame for its American comfort food menu of gourmet burgers and deviled eggs, but also as a place to grab a bite when all others are closed for the night: its kitchen stays open Â?til 2am weeknights and 3am weekends.
Washington's hot culinary scene continues to attract celebrity chefs, the latest being Wolfgang Puck, whose restaurant The Source (575 Pennsylvania Ave. NW; tel. 202/637-6100; www.wolfgangpuck.com) debuted in October 2007, and Eric Ripert, whose Westend Bistro by Eric Ripert (in the Ritz-Carlton Washington Hotel, 1190 22nd St. NW; tel. 202/974-4900; www.westendbistrodc.com) started welcoming diners in November 2007. Head to The Source for sophisticated, Asian-influenced dishes upstairs or the creatively casual fare in the lower lounge and bar. Dine at the Westend Bistro for Ripert's French takes on American dishes. Don't expect Puck to be in the kitchen at The Source, since he's a man on the go and usually tending to his many other enterprises. Ripert, on the other hand, plans to be onsite much of the time and you may just catch a glimpse of him when you dine at his bistro.
What to See & Do
Sports fans may know that the Washington Nationals baseball team will play its first game of the 2008 season in the brand new Nationals Park stadium, in southeast Washington. The recent announcement that Pope Benedict XVI will visit Washington in April and celebrate Mass there gives added urgency to the need to complete the ballpark by opening day!
The magnificent Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery (www.npg.si.edu), which reopened in July 2006 after a six-year renovation, received its crowning touch in November 2007 with the installation of a 37,500 square foot glass canopy over top of the museum-surrounded courtyard.
One of my favorite small museums, the Textile Museum (2320 S St. NW; tel. 202/667-0441; www.textilemuseum.org), is opening a second location in the heart of the Penn Quarter in early 2008. The second site, at 421 7th St. NW, will double the space of the original museum, which will remain open in its Dupont Circle neighborhood.
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