Visit America’s capital city, Washington DC. Photo / 123rf
All too often Washington DC slips under the radar while cities such as New York, LA and Miami hog the spotlight. But there are countless reasons to visit America’s capital city, writes Tamara Hinson.
The city has always had a fantastic bar scene. This is, after all, one of the few places where prohibition had little impact on alcohol consumption, because hard-drinking government workers simply gathered at the city’s embassies – they were regarded as foreign soil and alcohol could still be consumed. Today, there are dozens of speakeasy-style bars offering a nod to this era. Our favourites include the Graham Hotel’s Alex Craft Cocktail Cellar & Speakeasy, where popular tipples include the Paloma, made with tequila, Curacao and fresh grapefruit, and downtown’s Mirror, hidden behind, yep, you guessed it, a mirror. Co-founder Jeff Coles has filled the menu with prohibition-era cocktails such as Sazeracs.
For a history (and drink) fix of a different kind, head to the Round Robin Bar at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel, near the White House. Famous for its portraits of presidents and wood-panelled walls, the bar dates back to 1847. It’s a popular hangout for Washington DC’s political elite, and numerous former presidents have propped up the bar (apparently their preferred drinks have always been mint juleps).
Let’s start with the Smithsonians. There are 17 Smithsonian Institution museums and galleries in Washington DC, ranging from big-hitters such as the National Air and Space Museum (must-see exhibits include the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia) to the lesser-known Renwick Gallery, renowned for the diversity of its exhibits (there’s a big focus on digital art). For sheer diversity, you can’t beat the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, where exhibits include Sesame Street’s original Cookie Monster puppet, the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz and the aforementioned original star-spangled banner, made in Baltimore in 1813. Another great spot for a culture fix is the National Museum of Women in Arts (which has the only painting by Frida Kahlo in DC). It recently reopened after a multi-year renovation designed to increase its exhibition space and carry out infrastructure improvements which will make it easier to display digital art.
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Our favourite foodie neighbourhoods include Columbia Heights, known for its pretty townhouses and cultural institutions such as the Tivoli Theatre, constructed in the early 1920s by the late Thomas White Lamb, regarded as the most important architect of theatre’s golden age. The cuisine is incredibly varied – highlights include the Thai dishes at Thip Khao and numerous Salvadoran bodegas. Then there’s Foggy Bottom, which is famous for its fine dining restaurants, partly because the high number of five-star hotels makes the neighbourhood a magnet for wealthy diplomats. This is where you’ll find Washington DC’s Nobu restaurant, although for food with a view, it’s hard to beat the Roof Terrace Restaurant, atop the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts. There’s plenty of wallet-friendly fare available, too. The city has countless food halls, our favourite of which is the Square, which opened in downtown DC in late 2023. Feast on everything from Mexican dishes (the tacos at Taqueria Xochi are legendary) to the delectable fried chicken (with a Polynesian twist) at Yaocho.
Arlington is an urban county just across the water from Washington DC – it takes around 15 minutes to walk there from the Lincoln Memorial. Home to Arlington National Cemetery and the Pentagon, Arlington’s newest resident is Amazon, which opened its sprawling HQ2 there in 2023. The company has poured billions of dollars into the area, transforming it into a destination in its own right. Recent additions include the Water Park, an open-air, water feature-filled space with bars, restaurants and stages for live music, and the Metropolitan Park, where the pièce de résistance is a beautiful sculpture by local artist Nekisha Durrett, the creator of Queen City, a brick tower filled with 903 teardrop-shaped sculptures representing the people who were forcibly relocated in 1941 to make way for the Pentagon. The quirkiest Amazon-related addition? The Amazon banana stand, just outside the HQ2 building. Anyone and everyone can come here to pick up free bananas.
Washington DC’s sprawling parks, riverside cycling trails and flat, wide roads make it a paradise for cyclists. We suggest signing up to the Capitol Bikeshare scheme, which is wonderfully easy to use. You’ll find their armchair-like bicycles throughout Washington DC and Arlington, and you’ll never be far from one of the 700 bike stations. We recommend the US$8 pass (NZ$13) which gives unlimited 45-minute rides over 24 hours. Pedal along Constitution Avenue, which is lined with Smithsonian Museums, or hit the Mount Vernon Trail, which weaves from Theodore Roosevelt Island, just outside the centre of Arlington, to Mount Vernon, the historic estate built for George and Martha Washington. Much of the trail shadows the Potomac River, and Washington DC’s position under a migratory route means it’s highly likely you’ll spot some of its winged wonders, ranging from eastern screech owls to red-shouldered hawks.
DC’s vast swathes of green space, whether it’s the National Mall, with its 6m-high statue of Abraham Lincoln carved out of 28 blocks of white Georgia marble or the riverside parks, mean there’s no shortage of wildlife here. Head to Theodore Roosevelt Island to glimpse white-tailed deer, coyotes, chipmunks and box turtles (you’re most likely to see the latter on the popular ranger-kayak tours around the island’s perimeter) or to Rock Creek Park, near historic Georgetown (Washington DC’s oldest neighbourhood) to hike a network of walking paths. The US National Arboretum covers 18ha and a generous (to put it lightly) annual budget from federal government has allowed it to amass a staggering selection of plants from all over the world.
The White House and the Pentagon are the headline-grabbers here, although it’s worth pointing out that while both have been occasionally open to the public, the Pentagon’s public tours are on hold and tours of the White House are only open to US citizens. But don’t despair - the best views of the White House are from either the north side (from Pennsylvania Avenue NW) or the south side (from the National Mall). Our advice? Enjoy a sundowner at the Vue Hotel’s swanky rooftop bar – you’ll get a great bird’s-eye view of the president’s pad. One of the lesser-known institutions open to the public is the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration). The DEA’s headquarters is in Arlington, and you’ll find the DEA museum on its ground floor (you’ll need ID to enter). It’s fascinating and somewhat surreal – harrowing exhibits relating to the opioid crisis share exhibition space with drug lord Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman’s former prison uniform and beautiful Burmese scales used to weigh opium in the early 1900s.
GETTING THERE
Fly from Auckland to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport with United Airlines and Air New Zealand (codeshare) or American Airlines with one stopover.
DETAILS
Telegraph: “A bingo card of disappointments.”