Word is out: There are hot times to be had in this old town, and tourist numbers are on the rise. What a thrilling time to visit the nation's capital, when every week (every day?) sees the opening of a trendy restaurant, hip nightclub, or captivating attraction. Two neighborhoods, in particular, are exploding with fresh places to explore: The Penn Quarter, which cuts a wide swath through the downtown around the Verizon Center (formerly known as the MCI Center), flaunts the finally re-opened Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery, scores of fine restaurants and lounges and even a Lucky Strike Bowling Alley and Bar; just north of Penn Quarter, the U Street Corridor is increasingly the city's prime nightlife destination, where live music clubs, especially jazz joints, as well as cool bars and tiny but excellent eateries, line U and 14th streets and some side streets. (Be careful along the U St. routes, since crime continues to be a problem there.)
Southwest Airlines (www.southwest.com) continues to predominate at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, but has expanded its service in the greater Washington area to include flights at Washington Dulles International Airport. As of October 5, 2006, Southwest now flies between Dulles and Orlando and Tampa, Florida, Chicago, Illinois and Las Vegas, Nevada. Travelers at Dulles Airport may also appreciate the moving walkways that transport you between the main terminal and concourses A and B, although you can still use the mobile lounges, if you want.
In Spring 2006, the fabulous and cheap DC Circulator bus service added a third route, the National Mall Loop. The buses pick up passengers every 5 to 10 minutes, at designated stops along the way. The fare is $1 and you can purchase tickets online, from fare meters on the street or pay with exact change when you board. All-day passes are also available. Call tel. 202/962-1423 or click on the website, www.dccirculator.com. The National Mall Loop buses run weekends only from 11am to 6pm (weekday service should resume in time for the National Cherry Blossom Festival in spring 2007); the other two routes run daily from 7am to 9pm.
Where to Stay
The St. Regis Hotel Washington, D.C., 923 16th and K Sts. NW (tel. 202/638-2626), just down the street from the White House, is closed and undergoing a thorough makeover. When it re-opens in July 2007, the already exquisite hotel will be even more so, but modernized. Guest rooms will offer plasma televisions with surround sound, DVD players, Pratesi linens, and Waterworks bathrooms with mosaic tiles and custom-designed fixtures. The hotel's public spaces will also be re-tooled and will include a spa, with separate floors for men and women.
Soner to re-open is the Renaissance M Street Hotel, 1143 New Hampshire Ave. NW (tel. 202/775-0800).This property, formerly the Wyndham City Center Hotel, is located in the West End; its $18.5 million transformation is scheduled to be complete by mid-March 2007.
Where to Dine
Too new to be included in Frommer's Washington, D.C. 2007 are these three restaurants: PS 7, 777 I St. NW (tel. 202/742-8550) in the Penn Quarter is filling up nightly with Washingtonians hungry to sample Chef Peter Smith's contemporary American dishes, such as his trio of veal. Meanwhile Michel Richard, arguably the city's finest chef, is opening a more casual, less expensive version of his Georgetown mainstay, Michel Richard Citronelle. The new sibling, Michel Richard Central, 1001 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, is slated for a December 2006 premiere. Expect creative French-American fare, an open kitchen, and a charcuterie bar. Also opening in December is a branch of the New York-based, BLT Steak, 1625 I St. NW (tel. 202/689-8999), a steakhouse with a French twist.
Gourmands should know that one of DC's best restaurants, Galileo, is temporarily closed, while the building in which it resides undergoes a remodeling.
What to See & Do
The Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery (), at 7th and F streets in the center of the Penn Quarter, did indeed re-open on July 4, 2006, after a 6-year re-do, quickly winning visitors' hearts with the magnificently renovated interiors, original architecture, and marvelous exhibits. Stop there before February 4, 2007 to catch the American Impressionists show, which includes works by John Singer Sargent and Childe Hassam.
Unfortunately the National Museum of American History closed for renovations this fall and will remain shut until summer 2008. A selection of 150 pieces from the collection -- including Thomas Jefferson's bible and Kermit the Frog -- will be on display at the National Air and Space Museum (www.nasm.si.edu) starting November 17, 2006.
All bets are off as far as pinning down a realistic date for the opening of the U.S. Capitol's Visitor Center; mid- to late-summer of 2007 is the latest estimate. On track for completion in October 2007, however, is the immense, seven-level, Pennsylvania Avenue-situated Newseum, whose exhibits will chronicle the history of journalism and take visitors behind the scenes of today's media.
Making a big splash from the beginning are the two new education centers at the Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens (www.mountvernon.org), in Mount Vernon, Virginia. An 18-minute film, life-size statues, and displays of Revolutionary War artifacts, clothes, jewelry, and furnishings, help flesh out the person behind our hero and first president, George Washington.
D.C. After Dark
Nightrippers have their pick of fun outings in the capital. One of the newest spots is in Penn Quarter. Live jazz, modern American cuisine and weekend DJ dancing are on tap at the brand new Posh (730 11th St. NW) in the Penn Quarter.