Aaron Peasley

In the past, trying to describe Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, as a hip and happening city would be the deranged equivalent of declaring a pant suit and sensible shoes the must have fashion ensemble of the season. In other words: highly unlikely. Unless a high school history excursion was your idea of a blazing good time, Washington D.C. probably hasn’t made it onto your travel wish list. To borrow the backhanded compliment one presidential candidate made to another during the primary season, staid Washington was just “likeable enough.”

While Washington D.C. began shredding it’s staid reputation during the Clinton years (Hillary controversially jettisoned some of the more traditional décor in the White House) there has been an undeniable shift in the last decade. Like an ailing senator who doesn’t want his health problems to become a political Achilles heel, Washington has quietly undergone open-heart surgery, resurfacing as a fun loving, pleasure seeking city. It’s out with the brogue and in with the peep-toe pump.

The reasons for Washington’s transformation differ depending on whom you ask, even though the name Bush rarely comes up in conversation. Washington, like many other government hubs, was the ultimate city of transients – so much so that even high profile senators would live, college style, in share houses with other senators, all skipping town the minute congress rested. Similarly, ambitious graduates would do ‘time’ in the city, sweating it out in campaign boiler rooms before heading to other city centers like New York and Chicago to make the big bucks and let their hair down.

Some note the huge influx of lobbyists who’ve entered Washington in the last decade, bringing with them a desire for the cosmopolitan spoils. Whatever the reason, who can deny during this year’s thrilling election cycle that US politics have become just a little glamorous again?

The best way to experience Washington’s new mood is by reserving a table at one of the city’s excellent restaurants. The city’s culinary scene has not so much come of age, as completely reinvented itself. Washington’s dining has long been defined by power dining with a capital P: muted timber paneled rooms in which major deals were quietly fleshed out over mounds of steak and sauvignon. While classic restaurants like the venerable Old Ebbitt Grill, one of the Bush administration’s unofficial power bases, are worth a peek, the culinary shift has been nothing less than tectonic.

These days you are just as likely to find Washington’s elite in dining rooms like the chic Blue Duck Tavern or fighting for a chair at the colourful Café Atlantico. Jose Andres, proprietor of five Washington restaurants, including Café Atlantico, is considered a major force in reinvigorating the frowzy Washington dining landscape. Andres turned conventional wisdom on its head in 1993, when he opened the casual tapas restaurant Jaleo in a shady section of downtown. Now the area, rechristened as the Penn Quarter, is a booming culinary corridor.

It’s hardly a surprise that some of the globe’s best-known celebrity chefs have heard the clarion call and want a piece of the pie. Last year Wolfgang Puck opened The Source within the glassy Newseum, joining Eric Ripert’s Westend bistro and French Laundry alum Eric Zeibold’s CityZEN as some of the city’s most coveted reservations. None other than culinary god Alain Ducasse is set to open his second Adour restaurant in the Washington St Regis this year.

The fun doesn’t stop when the dinner cheque arrives. New visitors to Washington DC expecting a soporific nightlife scene and early curfew can think again. Not far from the Penn Quarter, the K street downtown precinct has emerged as one of the city’s most happening nightlife districts, joining more traditional party pockets like Georgetown and Adams Morgan.

Washington possesses the cultural riches of a city many times its size, but a string of new museums and attractions have joined an already overwhelming list of must sees. Claiming the last plot on the National Mall, the excellent Newseum opened this year, as did the Museum of Crime and Punishment in the bourgeoning Penn Quarter. The Smithsonian Museum of American History is preparing to reopen after a major renovation, one highlight of which will be a new viewing area for old glory, the star spangled banner. Even the iconic Capitol Building is undergoing a huge renovation, the largest in the building’s 212-year history, set to include an exhibition gallery, theatres, and a cafeteria.

It’s certainly a good time to be in Washington. While Washington isn’t going to bump New York or Paris off their perch in the glamour stakes any time soon, it’s what’s new that’s finally getting the city attention. The city has a palpable sense of buzz as the Bush era draws to a close and the White House prepares for a change of tenants. If the current mood in Washington is any indication, the next presidential inauguration, to be celebrated in January 2009 with a series of galas and events, is going to be a party to remember.

HOTELS
Donovan House
1155 14th Street
202.737.1200
Washington’s hotels have traditionally been all work and no play. With the arrival of NY based Thompson hotels latest property, named after “Wild Bill” Donovan, the father of the CIA, there is a now a bona fide boutique option. Grab a spot beside the sleek rooftop pool and you’d never imagine this was once a Holiday Inn.

Hotel Monaco
700 F St
202.628.7177
www.monaco-dc.com
Housed in a handsome marble clad landmark building, this handsomely hip boutique hotel is perfectly positioned on the doorstep of the booming Penn Quarter. The Kimpton chain is known for their quirky properties and sense of humour, both of which are in profusion at this fun, colorful spot.

Four Seasons Georgetown
2800 Pennsylvania Avenue
202.342.0444
www.fourseasons.com/washington/
With a prime location on Georgetown’s doorstep, this luxurious bolthole – known for its power breakfast scene – has the scale of a smaller hotel combined with superlative service and amenities, like the high tech pool and health club.

Mandarin Oriental
1300 Maryland Avenue
202.554.8588
www.mandarinoriental.com
The only five star hotel in the city with sweeping views of the elegant Jefferson memorial and the tidal basin. Request a room on a high floor for the best panoramas as well as access to the private club.

RESTAURANTS

Blue Duck Tavern
1201 24th Street
www.blueducktavern.com
202.419.6755
Haute barnyard meets urbane cafeteria, at this glass-fronted restaurant. The focus here is on the freshest seasonal ingredients, prepared in an open-fronted wood fired kitchen. Request the handsome private dining room for larger parties.

Café Atlantico/Mini Bar
405 8th Street
202.39.0812
www.cafeatlantico.com
Years ago, Washington’s well heeled would never have been seen in this part of town, let alone begging for a table at the highly coveted Mini bar, famous for its 35 course tasting menu. Unless you’re organized or extremely lucky, settle for a table at popular Atlantico, mini bar’s mother ship which serves a delicious confection of pan Latin flavours.

Citronelle
3000 M Street
202.625.2150
www.citronelledc.com
Setting the benchmark for a new era in Washington power dining, this iconic Michel Richard helmed classic is a winning combination of French technique, locally source ingredients, and American pragmatism.

Tackle Box
3245 M Street
202.337.8269
With crab cakes their unofficial signature dish, Washingtonians are major seafood lovers. Head to the casual offshoot of eco conscious neighbour Hook, for a loose recreation of a fun New England seafood shack, featuring peel and eat shrimp, delicious crab cakes, fish and chips and wonderful local clams.

The Source
575 Pennsylvania Avenue
202.637.6100
www.wolfgangpuck.com
It was only a matter of time before the culinary big shots arrived en masse to the Nation’s capital. Wolfgang Puck’s foray, within the Newseum is one of the finest, featuring a chic take on mid Atlantic cuisine imbued with Puck’s signature SoCal and Asian fourishes.

BARS
Tattoo Bar
1413 K Street
202.408.9440
www.tattoobardc.com
Styled a little like an early 90s Poison video with a sophisticated spin (see: leather banquettes), this is fun destination for hearty drinks and retro rock classics populated by a fun local crowd who aren’t ashamed to know the words to Guns and Roses’ ‘November Rain.’

Rock and Roll Hotel
www.rockandrollhoteldc.com
1353 H Street
202.388.1004
DC is one of the best centers in the US for live music. With an eclectic roster of acts – everything from hard rock to burlesque – this intimate venue on the booming H strip, is one of the city’s best music venues.

Town and Country Lounge
1127 Connecticut Avenue
202.347.3000
For all the talk of a hip makeover, Washington does excel in the traditional tryst-worthy hotel lounge. Head to this fine specimen, located in the Mayflower hotel, where Elliot Spitzer was recently caught with his pants down, to feel like an extra in The Candidate.

STORES
Georgetown Cupcake
1209 Potomac Street
202.333.8448
www.georgetowncupcake.com
Washington’s first cupcakery, just off M street, has been a hit with the city’s sweet tooth set – rumored to include Hilary Clinton – since it opened in February this year.

Jeweler’s Werk Galerie
3319 Cadys Alley
202.337.3319
www.jewelerswerk.com
You’re not likely to find Laura Bush shopping for her signature pearls at this chic, curatorial style jewelry store located on the semi-secret Cadys Alley. The focus here is on wearable art from au courant designers like Michelle Jank and Karl Fritsch.

Apartment Zero
406 Seventh Street
202.628.4067
www.apartmentzero.com
Home to such welcome houseguests as Jonathan Adler and Marc Newson, this store, designed to resemble a dream apartment is one hot address.

Betsy Fisher
1224 Connecticut Avenue
202.785.1975
www.betsyfisher.com
High on style, low on attitude is the formula for this stylish DuPont circle boutique, which stocks everything from Diane Von Furstenberg frocks to the latest European heels and accessories.

SEE+DO HUGHLIGHTS

Newseum
www.newseum.org
5555 Pennsylvania Avenue
1.888.639.7386
Opened in April this year, claiming the last available site on the National Mall, this 76,000 square metre newcomer is devoted to the history of news reporting. Featuring exhibits ranging from the fun (be your own TV reporter!) to the poignant (Journalists memorial), the slick new building also houses the largest section of the Berlin wall outside of Germany as well as two surviving Checkpoint Charlies. Don’t miss the great views from the outdoor deck.

Smithsonian American Art Museum and Portrait Gallery
Independence Avenue at Seventh Street
202.786.2682
www.npg.si.edu
Closed for an extensive renovation, the latest element of which is Sir Norman Foster’s graceful courtyard canopy, this gallery features the mugs of prominent Americans from Abraham Lincoln to Jerry Seinfeld. Find a seat under Foster’s latticed roof, and take advantage of the free wi fi.

International Spy Museum
800 F Street
202.393.7798
www.spymuseum.org
This hugely popular museum has its cheesy moments, but even the lactose intolerant can enjoy the exhibits dedicated to the elusive art of espionage. Even celebrity spies, like Julia Child, Marlene Dietrich and Josephine Baker are remembered in an exhibit called celebrity spies. If you’re hungry head next door to the spy themed Zola restaurant.

National Gallery of Art
4th Street and Constitution Avenue
202.737.4216
www.nga.gov
The mother lode for art fans, this stunning building hold over 100,000 works spanning two interconnected buildings.

Corcoran Gallery of Art
500 17th Street
202.639.1700
www.corocoran.org
Just steps from the White House, the first art museum to open in the city remains one of the city’s finest attractions, housing an impressive collection of 20th century art. Past exhibitions have featured everything from the photographs of Annie Liebowitz to the furniture of Frank Gehry.

Smithsonian Museum of American History scheduled opening November 2008
www.americanhistory.si.edu
14th Street and Constitution Avenue
202.633.1000
Known as “America’s attic”, this unmissable museum, reopening in November after a major renovation, features iconic cultural objects from Dorothy’s ruby slippers through to Carrie Bradshaw’s laptop. The most popular attraction is set to be ‘old glory’ the star spangled banner, which will be housed in a dramatic new exhibit.

Shakespeare Theater Company
610 F Street
202.547.1122
Try to catch a performance at the slick, new glass-fronted 800-seat Sidney Harman Hall, which opened last year. Featuring gently updated Shakespearean classics; it is one of two premier local theaters owned the company.

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