Wonderful Washington DC

One of your first stops has to be the National Park System Ranger Station. This is onthe South side of the Washington Monument grounds. In addition to free information about a whole slew of memorials (Washington Monument, Linconln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, FDR Memorial, Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Roosevelt Memorial, and Japanese American WW !! Memorial among others) they have the best map of the main mall area with lots of information in it.

Quick Tips:

The Kennedy Center has a free performance in their great hall every day at 6pm called the Millenium stage. Get there early for a seat!

DuPont Circle, U-Street Cardozo, the theater district near Chinatown (Galley Place) and the Waterfront area are the main nightlife areas in the city (not the only, but the main).

There is a half price same-day ticket booth in The Old Post Office (Federal Triangle) where you can get theater and other tickets.

Getting to Washington via bus or train is as easy as plane, maybe easier. Trains come to Union Station, and the metro is right there. The bus station is about 3 blocks north of Union Station. Flying in, Ronald Reagan National is the most convenient, and most expensive area.

Best Way To Get Around:

I will try to include the closest metro stop and line in each journal I write.

Taxis are not terribly expensive, but they are confusing as they are on a zone system. Ask before you get in what the fare is.

I will try to add a piece to this journal every day, so keep visiting!

We will also be adding many pictures in April and May!

Decor here is crisp and clean and vaguely European. Ambiance is that of a fine restaurant, and you might very well catch a glimpse of a congressperson or diplomat here. This place exudes the concept of power meal.

The menu is short but fantastic, with wonderfully cooked fish and meats, great salads, and a great wine list with some wonderful by the glass options. There is little here for vegetarians, although if you ask there is usually an option for altering something. And a combination of an appetiser and a salad, possibly with delicious mushrooms as a side dish. And of course, Jeff Buben's fantastic bread to add to the experience.

Bistro Bis is a little less upscale at lunch time, when it becomes THE place to enjoy a power lunch.

Bistro Bis is the place to go for a really special meal; great ambiance, fantastic food. It will weigh a bit heavy on the pocketbook, but boy is it worth it.

Bistro Bis is located on E street just off North Capitol Street. Closest Metro is Union Station.

There has been a German presence in Washington, DC pretty much since its founding, and as a result we have several wonderful German restaurants, including Cafe Mozart (which is actually Austrian, or Viennese, as you might guess from the name). Located only a couple of blocks from the White house, on H street between 14th and 13th, Cafe Mozart is a wonderful place to stop for a rest during a busy day of being a tourist, and is also a great place for a business lunch, for a liesurely dinner, or for shopping for a few authentic Wursts for dinner.

Entrees here are the most expensive, but cover a great range, and there is something for everyone, as some American favorites find their way to the menu and Vegetable goulash and Kartoffelpuffe make it accessible for vegetarians.

Cafe Mozart is really four different entities. All the way in the back is the sit down restaurant, with tablecloths and silverware, and a wonderful array of German and Austrian dishes (don't expect just wursts!). In front of that is the bar, where you can put down a German beer or glass of Liebfraumilch or Reisling, while dipping pretzels into German mustard. In front of that is the deli, with a variety of wurst, cold cuts, breads, and European groceries. Especially notable is the wide range of German and Austrian chocolate available. If you want a Milka bar or some Mozart candies, this is the place to get it. You can also pick up some hot and cold pastries, for a walking lunch. All the way in the front is the cafe, where you can rest those feet late in the afternoon Viennese style, with a good Kaffe und Kuchen, before heading out for a night on the town.

Cafe Mozart is located halfway between the Metro Center and McPherson Square Metro Stations, about 2 blocks from each.

The star here is tea, and they offer a variety of black, green, and white tea as well as tisanes (herbal teas) and Chai. They offer both a traditional and an Asian Afternoon tea and wonderful cookies, scones, and desserts, as well as some cold drinks and even cocktails. No coffee, though, this is a NO Starbucks' zone!

If you want to find a meal here, there are a number of interesting options. They have Japanese Bento Boxes (with several small dishes served in a sectioned box), Ochazuke, a Japanese rice and tea soup is available, as are a number of small dishes like soup and vegetable tempura.

Sandwiches inclue a very good portobello sandwich, and a couple others, and big dishes include curries (Thai, Indian, Japanese), an Udon dish, grilled duck, chinese noodle salad, and much more, including Ostrich burger. I like the variety of vegetarian options because I get to linger over the menu, but Mark, my husband, likes it because it is yummy.

Teaism Penn Quarter is near the Navy Memorial at the Archives/Navy Memorial stop on the green and yellow lines. It is also only about four blocks from the Gallery Place/Chinatown stop on the Red Line.

Cafe Berlin has a spring asparagus festival. Their wine list is brief but good, including some (naturally) German wines, and they have good beer on tap. But the greatest thing here is often the dessert layout. You pass the collection of tortes and kuchen on the way into the dining rooms, and it is mouthwateringly good looking. And usually the desserts taste as good as they look.

Cafe Berlin is only about two blocks from Union Station, in a row of townhouses which house a number of wonderful restaurants.

Closest Metro is Union Station on the Red Line.

You will need to sign in, show ID, be scanned, and all that jazz to get in the building, thanks to increased security. But once inside you will find a large and varied salad bar, paid for by the ounce, as well as a pizza and pasta station, deli sandwich station, carvery, hot food line, roasted chicken station and burger and dog station. Desserts include non-fat frozen yogurt, cookies and cakes, and a wide variety of drinks are available in the center island.

The cafeteria opens for a very economical breakfast spread and for lunch. It is convenient when visiting downtown DC and is especially handy for groups, since the large number of tables and chairs allow people to sit together. There is an outside balcony (under construction in March 2003) that looks out for obstructed views of the Capitol and Washington Monument nearby.

The DOL Cafeteria is open from 7 AM to 2 PM.

Closest Metro is Judiciary Square on the Red Line.

Union Station is at the Union Station Metro. Go toward the shops (not toward Amtrak) and do not go up the escalator for the food court. Go up the escalator for the shops (also a couple bakeries, a Sbarro, some snack places, some sit-down restaurants, and McDonalds).

Food at Meskerem is very different from what you have on a regular basis. Most of the foods are basically thick stews, or sauteed chunks of meat, from the Watts, which are stews in a thick spicy sauce made from a spice mix called berbere to the milder Alitcha. Fitfits are similar to the Watts and tibs but with pieces of bread mixed in, and Tibbs are pieces of meat or shrimp sauteed in seasoned butter.

Vegetables get a delicious treatment at Meskerem, as the berbere and spiced butter are very suited to vegetables, Split Peas, Lentis, cabbage, carrots, string beens, collared beans, chick peas, all get either the Watt or Alitcha treatment or some other equally delicious treatment.

Meskerem also has kifto, a seasoned rate steak tartare. I have never had this.

The Mesobs, a combination of different dishes, both meat based and vegetarian, are a particular delight, giving you a chance to try all of these.

The spicing here is different enough to be a bit exotic, but recognizable, and particularly tasty.

The most unusual aspect of this restaurant, though, is the way you eat. Rather than giving you dishes and silverware, you are greeted with a warm wet washcloth, with which you clean off your hands. Then the food is served, poured onto a huge platter covered with a thin pancake made out of a grain called teff. This is a sourdough pancake with a bit of a bite, and it complements perfectly the sauces, particularly the spicy Watts. You also get a basket with more of this pancake. You tear off a piece of it, use it to wrap a morel of food and eat.

Meskerem is off 18th street just south of the intersection of Columbia Avenue. Nearest metro stations are DuPont Circle and Woodley Park Zoo on the Red line. Since the walk is all uphill from DuPont, I get off at Woodley Park/Zoo, and head over the bridge onto Columbia Avenue, then south on 18th. This is a bit of a walk, so you might consider a cab. Parking is abysmal here, though somewhat less so than downtown. I always return to the DuPont Circle metro, South (Downhill) on 18th to P Street turn right to DuPont Circle.

Most stellar on the menu are the spinach with pine nuts, garlic, and raisins, the potatoes, shrimp, and lamb dishes, but really I have never had a bad meal there, and neither has my husband.

Watch what you are ordering because the prices can mount up; usually two or three plates per person, with the delicious bread you will be dipping in olive oil, is enough; heavy eaters might want more.

Paella is also available, and some entree sized meals, but I have always preferred the tapas.

It's a great place to have dinner before the Show at the Shakespeare Theatre, but the place can get crowded if you are doing that, so make reservations ahead.

Closest metro station is Gallery Place, on red, yellow, and green lines. It is also close to Archives/Navy Memorial

It's a brewpub, and they do indeed brew their own beer. Four varieties from pale to chewy, a group of set seasonal brews, and a rotating set of occasional brews, using brewing techniques and traditions from around the world. They do English-style nut-brown ale, as well as a half-dozen different German styles, including wheat beer, porter, and stout; essentially, there is always a great variety of craft-brewed beer on tap at Capitol City. And for the wine drinker among you, there is an interesting list of wines by the glass that are not limited to the house red, house white, and house rose.

The menu is great too. They give you a warm, chewy pretzel with mustard. It's not quite German but as close as you'll get on this side of the Atlantic. They have a variety of traditional pub food, burgers, sandwiches, and bratwurst from all over. In addition, they have some very good salads (the tuna one is supposed to be excellent) and some interesting entrees. Vegetarian options here are good. The veggie burger (green party candidate, a local in-joke) is customizable with all kinds of toppings. The pasta is wonderful. The food is consistently well-made.

Service is quick and efficient. We have gone there numerous times before games, and the Union Station location is a favorite for my office when they eat out.

Ambiance is big, open, and focused on those big beer vats in the New York Avenue location, and more closed in and neighborhood bar-ish in the Union Station location. (Murals on the wall capitalize on their DC-centric focus--lots of eagles and red-white and blue.)

Costs are moderate. You can get out of here for $10 if you just have a burger, but if you eat anything more and have a beer or two, $20 is more likely.

The New York Avenue location is north of the Metro Center Station on the Red, Orange, and Blue lines. Union Station is across the street from the Union STation Metro access (not the first street exit, the other one) on the Red line.

The restaurant has "outside" seating, which is actually on the floor of Union Station. Don't sit there if you have any kind of hearing disorder, though, as it is very noisy. The bar area is big and open, the non-smoking section up on the upper floor, looking out on the center of the station. Very nice spot.

The food is well put together and workmanlike, though not the kind that takes your breath away. As you might expect, the menu veers toward comfort food. Dieters and vegetarians are well served by a menu with several good selections.

Union Station Metro

The food is very good, especially for the money. They have a wide variety of food, including specials for the Chinese inhabitants of Chinatown (where this is located), including Cantonese, Szechuan, and Hunan cuisines. Fried food is not too heavy, and hot food is made according to your request (to get it hot, you need to convince the server, but it can be done).

English here is more than serviceable, and the ambience is very casual, with Formica-topped tables. The place is always very clean. And did I mention the price was more than right, with lunch specials around $5 for a full meal and dinners under $10?

Vegetarian options here include an unusual but absolutely scrumptious orange eggplant.

Gallery Place Metro

Lunch is the best here, since they have a wonderful all-you-can-eat buffet that includes dim-sum, sushi, and some wonderful desserts. They have a traditional dinner menu.

If dim-sum is your thing and you don't want to do the buffet, the upper floor does traditional dim-sum at lunchtime also. But I like the buffet quite a lot.

Gallery Place Metro

The restaurant is elegant, with cloth tablecloths and napkins and the like. The cuisine is standard Indian cuisine, well-made, although this is not the best place in the city for tandoori stuff. The curries are out-of-this-world, though, and the lamb rogan josh and vindaloo favored by my husband hot and yummy. My favorite, malai kofta, is wonderfully tasty here, as is the dal.

Quite vegetarian-friendly, of course.

Gallery Place Metro

They have some interesting combinations, like chicken teryaki burrito, buffalo wing burrito, and Thai chicken burrito. Not gourmet fare, but the portions are generous, the cost low, the food healthy and fresh and delicious.

Options for special diets, from low-carb, low-fat, and a whole range of vegetarian burritos are available, unusual for a fast-food restaurant. Low-fat cheese can be substituted on anything, and any specialty burrito can be made vegetarian. Since they make them to order, they can make all sorts of changes for you. Flavors are fresh and vivid, and hundreds of hot sauces are available.

To top all this off, this place is fun to eat at. I go several times a week.

Gallery Place Metro

The beer menu includes a dozen or so tap beers, including a wide variety of Irish options--the aforementioned Guinness and the same number of bottled options, including a good cider.

The food menu has American pub fare: hamburgers and cheesesteaks and the like, as well as a group of nicer entrees and salads. They have a set of Irish favorites like fish and chips, shepherd's pie, Irish stew, and the like, and their specials may be even more Irish.

Their big claim to fame is an almost constant stream of quality Irish entertainment, late at night. You can't get within blocks of the place on St. Patty's day. But they have the music year round, so if you want an interesting night activity and you're staying at one of the hotels on Capitol Hill, this might be a nice place to be.

Their website is at http://www.dublinerdc.com/.

Note that lunch service is not their strong point. Expect to have a slower lunch if you go here. Vegetarians have a single option.

Also note that there is a second Irish pub next door. They aren't nearly as good as the Dubliner and don't generally have live music.

Union Station Metro, down D street past the Post Office Museum and the Cap City Brewing Company. Then across the street.

The wine list is very nice; all of the wines are quite delicious. I was pleased that Moet et Chandon Nectar Imperial, a sweetish high-quality champagne, was available by the glass. It is an almost perfect match for many of the little dishes. One could still wish for a by-the-glass riesling!

The dining room is as beautiful as the food: all clean edges, white, and steel. It's comfortable to look at and very modern-feeling. Very 21st century. Drinks from the bar are expertly made; this is a great place for an after-work drink.

The place is a sushi place, but there is also a selection of creative, inventive little dishes, menus, entrees, and even bento boxes. They have "signature sushi" including a soft shell crab roll that my husband thought was delicious. That said, he felt the regular sushi, in this case tuna and yellowtail, was the best he had had in DC.

The restaurant does not skimp on vegetarians, with a number of fascinating vegetable sushis. I had a shitake mushroom sushi and a portobello sun dried tomato roll which was wonderful, but the highlight of the dinner for me was the inari sushi. This is sushi wrapped in a coat of thin, sweetened, marinated (almost pickled) tofu. It's always a great flavor, as the vinegar in the rice, the sweetness of the wrap, the hotness of the wasabe and the saltiness of the soy sauce all combine for a wonderful combination of flavors. Here the flavors were in incredibly good balance, with the sourness of the vinegar, the sweetness of rice and wrap not allowing itself to be overwhelmed by the wasabi and soy sauce (normally much stronger). I coule even taste the sesame seeds flavor more intensely. Note that they even have a vegetarian bento box.

We ended the dinner with dessert: green tea tiramisu for me, and the cheesy flavor of the mascarpone was blended beautifully with the delicate green tea. My husband had rasberry ice cream which, while less experimental, was delicously made.

If what you go out to eat for is a profusion of interesting flavors, then Kaz sushi bistro is certainly a great choice. I can't recommend it enough!

Their Website is at www.kazsushibistro.com

Galleries as of Feb. 2003 include flight simulators, early business air transportation, milestones of flight (the gallery with many famous airplanes hanging), and space race (the gallery with many famous spacecrafts). Walk through the original space station and see Apollo Soyuz.

On the second floor, you can exlore Sea-Air operations, WWI and WWII aviation, the Wright Brothers (coming soon), and "Apollo to the Moon", among others.

May, 2003: We recently revisited the museum, and I have a few things to Add. It's fascinating to just wander among the planes, rockets and spacecraft in the hall. Plan your visit; it's IMPOSSIBLE to do everything unless you devote several days to this museum. It is that full and rich with inforamation and things to do.

We focused on one gallery, exploring the universe, saw one of the IMAX movies, and visited the gift shop during our 3 1/2 hour visit. Exploring the universe is a wonderful history of how we, humanity, have explored our neighbors and gone all the way out to the universe. The first half of it ends up feeling like a history of telescopes, and at the end you get to learn about a dazzling array of technology. This information is presented to you in all kinds of ways, from the historical (some original telescopes and old time astrolabes) to the sophisticated (computer quizzes, infared scanners) to the amusing (Scott Hamilton skates the universe to a song by Eric Idle of Monty Python fame). There is lots here, expecially in the last half of the exhibit, for kids.

We also saw the "Space Station 3D" IMAX film, which I will review separately.

We had lunch in the Wright Place. This used to be a nice restaurant, but it has been taken over by a food court, which offers a McDonald's menu, a handful of Boston Market sandwiches and roast chicken entrees, some pizzas and upstairs, there is a more upscale cafe eatery where you can get gourmet sandwiches, salads, gourmet coffee, fruit smoothies (a great variety), beer and wine. There is also a dessert place that we did not visit.

There is good reason this is the most popular museum in the city.

Enjoy! Closest Metro is Smithsonian Metro Station on the orange and blue lines.

Union Station is THE Train station in Washington, DC. Metro stops here, of course, and Greyhound is only a few blocks away, but it is the Amtrak Station, which means that travel up and down the Eastern Seaboard happens from this spot, and two different commuter train lines, VRE from Virginia and MARC from Maryland, also stop here.

The train station has all the amenities you'd expect of a train station, and reminds me of European train stations. Near the tracks are the services, rental cars, currency exchange, newsstands, travel shops, ice cream and pretzels, shoe shines, and ATMS. Further out you'll find a two story mall with unique and often expensive wares. Further out from that you find a grand entranceway, a room full of unique gift and art sales, fine restaurants, and the grandeur of the train station in a capitol of the world.

Even if you don't arrive in Washington via Union Station, consider coming here just to drink in the ambiance, have a good meal, and rest your feet. Dining here ranges from the fast food in the basement (see my dining entry) to linen tablecloths.

Union Station is at the Union Station stop on Metro's red line. It is three blocks south (on 1st st) from the bus station, and on MARC, VRE, and Amtrak lines.

In 2002 they did a "Silk Road", which rather than identifying specific cultures, highlighted all the cultures along the ancient trade routes between Italy and Japan, along, of course, the silk road.

The mall is typically separated into several villages of sorts, where there are displays of local art, small stages with storytellers, and small performances (one year there was a jazz club in one area) as well as venues for cooking demonstrations (some years there has been a cookbook) and various craftsmen (last year there were rugmakers, you could get henna, tattoos, and the like). I have seen traditional dancers parade through areas, and perform in the squares. I have tied up a flag to flutter in the breeze and carry my prayers to heaven. I have seen elaborate sand paintings being done. I have watched Thai dancers in masks tell a story. I have listened to bluegrass music. I have heard smoky jazz. I have listened to a Native American storyteller weave a fascinating myth, while the hands of a sign language interpreter, like birds, sketched the story on the sky. I have watched breakdancing and pottery makers, and strolled through an Asian open-air market. This is the best you can come to experiencing exotic cultures, without actually travelling.

There are daily evening concerts, with musicians from every different culture providing music. There are also concerts during the day; these are more likley to include dancers. A couple of concert venues are pretty much contstantly going.

Naturally there is lots of opportunity to buy. There are kiosks providing food related to the community, there is always ice cream, lemonade, and watermelon. The Smithsonian itself sets up a great gift shop, with many fascinating gifts associated with the cultures, and last year, for the Silk Road, they created an open air market that allowed you to walk through a half dozen cultures in a block.

Warning, the folklife festival is during very hot weather, and it is outside, so bring water and sunscreen, maybe a hat. You can always duck into a museum for some shade. Also, it is very crowded, particularly the July 4th weekend, due to the fireworks at night. If you can stand the crowds and the security, it can make a very interesting day.

This year (2005) the festival will be held June 23-27 and June 30 - July 4 and will feature the cultures of Oman, the Forest Service, Latino Music and USA Food Culture. Hours are 11:30 to 5:00. (Some concerts go later)

Similar to the Holocaust museum, you get timed tickets, enter an elevator which takes you up to the top of two floors.

Upon exiting, you enter a room where you get to choose an identity. Memorize the information; I won't tell you any more about that. Then, a brief film is played, and you pass into the museum proper. You begin learning about the tools of a spy - weapons, microphones and bugs, picks, cameras, hidden writing, disguises. There are a lot of hands-on exhibits, especially in this area, so kids don't get bored.

Then you get to discover how spies have made a difference, from ancient times to the present, including some really suprising people, like Ben Franklin, Casenova, and Rudyard Kipling. There's a section on women spies.

There is a lot of emphasis on spying during the Cold War, and on spying in Berlin and Russian spies. For good reasons, as you will see. There is a small amount of information on spies in popular culture, but mostly this stays with reality.

The end of the museum has a short film on espionage in the twenty-first century, and a display on recent spies, like Aldritch Ames, John Walker, and Robert Hanssen, all of whom have been big news in my neighborhood.

We loved the museum and we will be back.

The spy musuem has a $13 admission (a rarity in Washington, but worth it) via timed tickets. You can get these tickets ahead of time via Tickemaster, but they charge a service fee. You can also get them there. If you go on a weekday, especially if not in summer, getting in should not be a problem.

There is a sizeable book and gift shop on the ground floor and two restaurants. The Spy City Cafe is a little cafeteria, and Zola is an elegant sit down restaurant (keep in mind this is also near the Portrait Gallery, American Art Museum, and the rest of Penn Quarter, including The Shakespeare Theatre). We did not go to either of these.

The Museum suggests you allow two hours to see the collection. We entered at 1:30 and left at almost 5:30 and felt we would have liked more time. Two hours should be considered a minimum.

The Spy Museum is near the Gallery Place/Chinatown metro stop on the red, green, and yellow lines. Exit at the MCI Arena exit, and head south a block to F Street then west to 8th.

All four of the major services--Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines--have extensive musical staffs headquartered in the DC area. While these groups spend a lot of time touring, and playing for service members around the country and around the world! Still, at least weekly there is a concert by some band or chamber group somewhere in the DC Area.

And this is not the kind of band music you associate with your high school marching band. The Air Force alone (this is the service where Glenn Miller was the leader of the band in WWII) has a symphonic Concert Band, a String Ensemble, the Airmen of Note (descendants of those Glenn Miller group, a Big Jazz Band), The Ceremonial Brass, the Diplomats (a three-piece jazz ensemble), High Flight, a pop and show band, the Singing Sergeants, a choral group, and Silver Wings, a country ensemble.

Whew!

And that is just the Air Force. All of the services have similar sets of musical groups. Sometimes they have great guests, for example the Air Force's distinguished artist series has a series of concerts where the band accompanies some name artists.

DID I MENTION ALL OF THESE CONCERTS ARE FREE?????

To find out more, the best way is to check out the various web sites of the services:

Navy
Army
Air Force
Marine Corps

Keep in mind that although the concerts are free, sometimes you do need to get tickets in advance, and plan ahead.

Closest metro stop varies by concert. The Air and Space Museum is closest to the Smithsonian metro stop on the orange line and is the home of the summer concert series lunchtime concerts given by the various air force band groups.

The big highlight of the collection is James McNeil Whistler's Peacock Room which has been rebuilt within the Freer Gallery. And despite the Asian Focus of this museum, the Freer Gallery has an impressive collection of American Art, including some 1,300 pieces by Whistler (not all of which are on display). Whistler encouraged Freer to expand his art holdings into Asian Art, and was likely the cause of Freer's interest in the art. But Freer also collected American Artists.

The Peacock Room, titled "Harmony in Blue and Gold" is a dining room designed and painted by Whistler, and it includes an oriental porceline collection. It can be thought of as an early "Installation". It is in many ways the centerpiece of the Freer collection.

There are a fascinating collection of Biblican Manuscripts, Japanese, Chinese and Southeast Asian Art, as well as South Asian Art. Some is in the Sackler Gallery and some in the Freer Gallery. They are in many ways an organic whole.

Sackler and Freer Galleries are tucked away on the mall just southeast of the Washington Monument.

The closest metro station to the Sackler and Freer Galleries is the Smithsonian Exit on the Red Line. Exit Toward the Mall, and head toward the Washington Monument. The museums will be on your left.

You get 3D glasses as you enter, but these are not the 3D glasses you remember, the red on one side and blue on the other. These use some kind of polarization, so that the movie you see in 3D is in compeltely full color, with no distortion from the 3D capability.

From the moment the credits fly from behind you to the screen, you know you are in for something special. The effects in this movie are incredible. At one point, while the astronauts are floating M and Ms at each other, one comes almost directly into YOUR mouth!!

As for what this movie has to tell: The movie is a history of the International Space Station, with most of the footage having been taken by the astronauts. You can watch them working and living in the station, in space. Sometimes the movie is almost like being in the space station itself. As you watch different crews live and work in the station, you get to almost experience it as well as learn how they put the station together in space.

Of course the views in space are incredible.

I cannot recommend this movie enough.

The first floor art is largely minimalist, and to me, the most unapproachable. However, the second floor (especially the sculpture) and the third floor (chronological, giving you the opportunity to see how art changes and influences itself) are impressive. Some of the highlights, for me of the permanent collections, include the modern art, especially the Picassos (including some lovely blue period pieces) and the Willm de Koonigs.

Of course the special exhibitions here can be really spectacular, and have included art that is referred to as an installation rather than a "piece". I have seen several very interesting pieces. It allows you to really experience where art is now, since the artists featured are often living artists. These special exhibits often have a very "cutting edge" feel which makes them very exciting.

But for me the real highlight of this museum is not even in the museum. The sculpture garden, actually on the mall itself (there is an entrance under the street between the museum and the mall for those coming from the museum) is one of two on the mall itself, and is the oldest. It has a wonderful collection of outdoor sculptures, and is a perfect place to spend a few quiet moments. Even those who do not like abstract or modern art will enjoy this garden as there is a certain amount of representational art in the garden.

The Hirschorn Museum and Sculpture Garden has a cafe that is open for lunch only during the summer, and a small bookstore on the ground floor.

Closest Metro stop is Smithsonian on the blue and orange line; the museum is very close to the National Mall exit from this station.

The season starts in September and runs through June. They present six plays--five here at the Landsburg and one at Carter Barron Ampitheatre (free park peformances). Usually, of its five plays at the theater on 7th Street, three are Shakespeare, and two are other classic plays (they've done the Oedipus trilogy, The Trojan Women from classical Greece, Sweet Bird of Youth by Tennessee Williams, O'Neil, Lillian Hellman, Ibsen, etc., as well as Shakespeare contemporaries, Marlow and Johnson.) The remainder of the 2003 series includes Richard II in March/April, Ibsen's Ghosts in May/June, and Hamlet, free in the Park in June. For 2003-2004, Sheridan's The Rivals opens in August, A Midsummer Night's Dream in November, Henry IV part I in January, and Henry IV Part II in March, and Cyrano de Bergerac in June-August.

Tickets range from about $30 to $60, depending on seating and night, and the house frequently sells out on weekends. So, if you are visiting the area, a weekday show makes a lot of sense. There are also $10 standing-room tickets, available at the door, with the line starting an hour or so before curtain.

Some refreshments (cookies and overpriced sandwiches) are for sale before the show in the lobby.

The closest metro station is Gallery Place on the red, green, and yellow lines. It is also near to Archives/Navy Memorial.

Their web site is at: www.shakespearetheatre.org

West Building's main floor takes you chronologically through the history of painting from room to room. Some of the highlights for me are Salvador Dali's last supper, the impressionist collection, the collection of American Painters, and a set of paintings entitled "the journey of life". There is also a DaVinci, and a lot of beautiful works.

There are also sculpture galleries with a number of wonderful pieces, and the central fountain, with Mercury, is also impressive. There is a lot of interpretive information available, both in the bookstore and at the information desk, and in the various galleries. There is a fountain court at one end where free chamber concerts are held on Sunday evenings (the line forms early). Both main floor and lower galleries also provide space for special shows.

The east building is a big, breezy building designed by noted architect I.M. Pei, who also did the Louvre pyramid among other notable buildings. It is a soaring place with bridges that fly and allow you unusual views of the art, like looking down on a Calder mobile. There is a small permanent collection, but this musuem houses a lot of special exhibitions. The art here is not traditional.

Amenities here include two different museum shops. There is a large museum shop with prints, gifts, and jewelry in the West Building basement, along with a Garden Court restaurant, which is a lovely place to sit and eat. Between the lower floors of the two museums is a walkway with a large museum shop (actually two - there is a children's museum shop and an adult one). This one focuses more on books and other things, and has few prints. Here you will also find a sizeable cafeteria and gelato bar, and a large manmade waterfall, part of the I.M. Pei design that spreads light and delight all through the walkway.

Part of the walk can be via a moving walkway, which on the East side drops you at yet another small gift shop, usually selling items connected with special exhibits in the East Building.

And it's all free.

The closest metro is probably Judiciary square on the red line, but Archives/Navy Memorial and Smithsonian are among the other metro stops close to the National Gallery.

Their web site gives a lot of information, and pictures of some of the collection, at nga.gov.

The museum is an intensely educational experience, walking you through the experiences leading up to the Holocaust, and the Holocaust itself. The main exhibit is a mostly chronological walk through the rise of the Nazi Party and of Adolph Hitler, the roots of and rise of anti-semitism in Germany during the first half of the twentieth century, and leading you through increasing limitations on the lives of the Jewish inhabitants of Germany and German-controlled lands, and the emprisonment, torture, and mass murder of six million Jews and others.

Some of the "highlights" of the museum, for me, included the passport that they give you, which tells you the story of one person as you walk through the exhibit - you read what happens to this person. It really personalizes it for you. Another really affecting thing is the tower of photographs, which were taken from a town in Poland that was completely wiped out by Nazis during the Holocaust. A reproduction of a beautiful synagogue, what it looked like before and after Krystelnacht.

But the most moving thing for me is a glassed-off room on one floor, which you enter by stepping over a "street" paved with gravestones from a Jewish cemetary, where you can sit and just listen to the recorded voices of Auschwitz survivors telling their stories.

This is not a comfortable, fun museum, but it is an important one. I have since been to Buchenwald and Auschwitz (and have written them into journals here) and being there, standing on that ground, was moving, very moving, but this memorial seems to have more to teach.

There is often a special exhibit or exhibits available.

There is also the memorial itself, on the ground floor. I recommend that you see the exhibits before you spend time in the quiet meditative area of the memorial.

Be advised that you have to get tickets to that museum. You can get them at the ticket window in the morning of the day you want to go. It is harder to get them on weekends and in summer or during Cherry Blossom time. Another option is to get them in advance through Ticketmaster. Although the tickets are free, Ticketmaster does charge a handling fee.

This museum is much too intense for children under 12, but they do have a gentler exhibit following the life of one boy through the experience, specifically for children. I don't think you need tickets for that.

The closest metro is Smithsonian, on the orange and blue lines, but don't exit the station toward the mall, take the other exit. The Holocaust Memorial is next door to the Bureau of Engraving and printing.

Their web site is at ushmm.org.

Typically there are a variety of concerts happening, usually a pop concert on the Washington Monument Grounds, a country concert near the Air and Space Museum (these may vary; check a day or two ahead with the National Park Service, they will know what is going on) and always the National Symphony on the Capitol Grounds.

Of course there are fireworks, one of the finest displays in the country. The best seats are on the Washington Monument Grounds, but you will need to arrive fairly early, get a seat, drop a blanket, and leave someone to guard it in order to snag one of those seats. Not to worry, though, the show is perfectly visible all the way down the mall (make sure you are not blocked by one of the Folklife Festival Structures) and even across the river in Virginia.

Some hints:

• Be prepared for big crowds.
  
• Don't even think about driving. Your best bet is to have a downtown hotel room, but barring that, take Metro. It will be like Sardines returning in the evening (although better if you backtrack to L'Enfant Plaza or even Capitol South Stations on the Orange and Blue Lines). Remember the government will disallow parking on the main streets downtown, and even close some. DC driving is never pretty; on a day like this it becomes a nightmare.
  
• Bring sunscreen, a hat, and water. You will be out in the scorching sun all day. Prepare for it.
  
• Expect to spend money. Between the very fine gifts available at the folklife festival, the wonderful international food available on the mall, and the soda and ice cream vendors, you're gonna want something. The police may limit what you can bring into the area, although my daughter took water bottles with no problem last year.
  
• Expect high security. It's a post 9/11 world, folks. I don't know what they will do this year, but last year the whole mall was blocked off, and you were inspected (and any bags you had inspected upon entry). No alcohol was allowed, no cars near the mall. Once inside, my daughter tells me, they were free to do as they pleased, but the government does not want a terrorist incident in DC on July 4th, so they are very careful.

Best metro stops for this range from Metro Center to Capitol South on the Blue and Orange Line, Gallery Place through Union Station on the Red Line, and Gallery Place to L'Enfant Plaza on Yellow and Green. Note that last year Smithsonian Station was closed.

The circle itself has shopping, a cinema with art house movies, numerous restaurants and bars, interesting shops, all night bookstore/restaurant (Kramerbooks and afterwards, a café) with live music. A mile or so away the heart of nearby Adams Morgan (18th street for 2-3 blocks south of Columbia) has more restaurants, bars, clubs, shopping, billiard parlor, whatever.

In the spring, when the outdoor tables come out the whole area bustles. You can smell the blossoms in the warm air and eat Indian/Chinese/Thai/Ethiopian/Cajun/French/American/Japanese/You-Name-It food under the sky. You can hang out in the circle itself, which is a quiet park in the center of a very busy traffic area

Some of the highlights, for me, are Madam's Organ in Adam's Morgan (live music, often), the row of Ethiopian Restaurants, especially Meskerem (Fasika's is also very good), Kramerbooks and Afterwards in the Circle, Lamda Rising (north of the circle, if you are gay), and just hanging out here.

The closest metro for DuPont Circle is DuPont Circle on the Red Line. For Adams Morgan it is either DuPont or Woodley Park/Zoo. It is a walk either way, and mostly uphill from DuPont, so I prefer Woodley.

The Memorial is a pool with large rocks in it, surrounded by a swooping stone wall, with the names of the various internment camps in it. There is also a list of Japanese Americans who lost their lives in WW II. There is a huge chime you can ring and a crane sculpture. This is a cool and beautiful spot, and definitely off the beaten path.

And it is Free.

Closest Metro Station is Union Station.

Mostly, it is delightful because of those lovely white-pink blossoms that give the festival its name. Gifts of the people of Japan in 1912, our cherry blossoms bring a special glow to the monuments. When I go to visit the blossoms, I head for the Washington Monument side of the mall. There are cherries right on the Washington monument grounds, which I walk through, heading southwest toward the Tidal Basin (please note, there is some trickly street crossing here.)

On the way to the Tidal Basin, you pass the Tulip Library, usually a riot of color a week or so after the Cherry Blossoms are gone, but sometimes some rich flowers open up to be in concert with their Japanese cousins.

Then you come to the Tidal Basin, which is really the main stage of the cherries. They surround this waterway and frame the Jefferson Memorial and new FDR memorial in white. I like to walk around the Tidal Basin while the cherries are in bloom, or, if the weather is really good, you can rent a paddleboat and paddle out onto the Tidal Basin to get the best view possible.

I will get some pictures up in a few weeks, as my husband and I will be visiting the blossoms during peak season.

Most of the trees on the Tidal Basin are Yoshino cherries, and this is the variety that the peak-bloom forecast is created. Other varieties include the Kwanzan cherries, which bloom two weeks behind the Yoshinos. Indeed, there are almost 1,400 trees of a dozen varieties.

In addition to the beautiful blooms, the Cherry Blossom is a non-stop festival with related art exhibits, parties, a parade, a dinner cruise, and a street festival. For this year (2003) events include:

- Related historical and art exhibits at the Smithsonian
- Childrens events
- Cultural performances (dance, music) at the Tidal Basin (daily)
- A ceremonial lighting of a stone lantern (it's neater than it sounds)
- A dinner cruise on the Odyssey
- The Big Cherry Blossom Parade
- Visiting tall ships, with public tours
- A kite festival (Smithsonian)
- A Japanese street festival


Many, but not all, of the events are free.

The official web site for the festival is: www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org

The best metro stop to get off at to see the Cherry Blossoms is Smithsonian, on the blue and orange lines. Get off on the mall and walk from the Washington Monument as I have described. If you want to skip crossing Independence Avenue, take the other exit from the metro and cross at the light near the Holocaust Memorial.

The festival is over, but the new museum is a wonder. Built on the last usable museum space on the National Mall, it was designed with the home of the native people in mind. It rises, a golden rock, in organic curves and sweeps without an angle in sight. There are rocky outcroppings just out over a grassy pond in the east and around corn in the south, and a waterfall and river in the north.

You enter this museum from the east, as many native people enter their sacred spaces. This is an awkward direction if you are coming from the Smithsonian metro, but enjoy the walk around this extraordinary building. You may need timed passes, especially on weekends, but we found that when we visited at 1:30pm on a Thursday afternoon, we were just fine to walk right in. If you want to get the timed passes in advance (at least the day before), you can go to the web site at http://www.nmai.si.edu/ and select visitor information. There is a fee, but the timed tickets will be waiting for you. Alternatively, there are free same day tickets at 10am when the museum opens. Or you can go in the early afternoon on an odd weekday in the fall, and walk in, as we did.

You enter into Powtowmack, the central area and sacred space of the museum. The round artwork and stone in the floor represents the many sacred spaces of the Indians.

The museum rises four stories above you and has some wonderful collections and exhibits. Notable are ones on the world views of the various tribes, an exhibit of the jewelry of Ben Nighthorse, and an exhibit on how a dozen tribes live today. All of the exhibits are fascinating and well done, and they have a lot of information

At this point, having spent the best part of the afternoon at the museum, and with closing time approaching, we went to the gift shop. There are two. The one on the first floor is the high-end stuff, and if you don't plan to drop thousands, don't bother except to look. On the second floor is the standard gift shop with many fascinating and wonderful things.

The first floor also boasts the cafe, full of native foods, and looks north out of glass walls out of the building (yes, at that lovely waterfall).

This really is an extraordinary and fascinating museum, and I hope you will visit while you are in Washington.

Baseball in Washington is affordable. The cheap seats run $7 or $5 at the park on some Wednesdays. The nationals are playing great; indeed, as I write this, they're first in the National League. For $15 or $25, you can get great seats in the infield.

Getting there is easy with the Metro. RFK is at the Stadium/Armory exit off the Orange and Blue Lines. Once you come out of the ground, you just walk past the armory to the stadium.

They let you bring in food to the stadium, but not drinks. (Water may be an exception.) The Foggy Bottom, on the lower level, beer is good if you're a beer drinker, but a variety of other brands on tap (from Bud Light to Guinness) are available around the stadium, as are various sodas and typical stadium food. Note that if you are on a budget, hotdogs can be purchased from the guys out front.

You can get tickets at the box office or from Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster charges a $4 per person fee to produce tickets. Weeknights you can usually get tix at the park that day; otherwise, you may want to get them ahead of time.

I'm going again next week. See you there?

But on top of that swamp, that bog is built one of the most amazing gardens in the city - a vast network of pools displays all sorts of water lilies, both native and tropical, as well as a variety of lotus flowers. One portion of the garden portrays the original Washington Swamp - cattails sway in the breeze above the reeds and wild rice.

Started in the late 19th century - the garden was run as a commercial venture before being taken over by the National Park Service - now it is the only aquatic garden in the NPS system. But this is great news to the guest, because it means that thoughtful and informative exhibit are part of the visitor's center, fascinating children's activities are available, including support for school groups, and ranger led tours of the facility are given by well-educated, enthusiastic and capable rangers.

In the gardens the Helen Fowler Lily is of great interest - named after one of the original owners of the garden. Just outside the park borders, a short hiking trail takes the visitor into the wilderness, along the primordial swamp.

The garden opens early in the morning - like at 7:00 AM - and early morning may be the best time to see it. While the show is wonderful all spring and summer, August with the show of the Victoria Water Lilies (the ones with the 4' wide leaves) can be spectacular.

While it seems off the beaten track, Kenilworth is accessible via Metro - take the orange line to Deanwood, then either walk (about a mile) or take the V8. The garden has very ample parking, so driving is also fairly easy.
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In recent years the wine industry in Virginia has become increasingly well-respected, and Virginia is now producing some truly great wines. Many Vineyards are located in the Blue Ridge, from Leesburg all the way south down the mountain chain, but the easiest one to visit may well be Chrysalis.

Chrysalis is located off Champs Fort Road (Rte 629) about a mile south of Rte 50, just two and a half miles west of Gilbert's Corner in Virginia. From DC, take 66 to 50 West, then 50, 17 miles west to Champs Fort Road. The last mile or so is via rough, dirt, and stone road. Entrance to Chrysalis is on the left.

The scenery here is beautiful, and Chrysalis has a beautiful patio and barbecue area where you can grill your own picnic in the summer while looking out at the lovely scenery.

Tastings here of a half dozen wines or so are free; some of their standout varieties include a Viognier, which is a lesser known grape originally from the Rhone region of France, and Norton, a native american red grape. Their 2002 Viognier has won some big prizes.

In addition to the tasting room and the barbecue, Chrysalis has a great patio where you can sit with a glass or bottle of wine and enjoy yourself. Or you can buy cold meats and cheeses and baguettes, or other gourmet food from the shop in the tasting room.

And of course you can buy wine to take home.

Metro stations are identified by a tall square column at the entrance (usually an escalator.) If you do not know where to find a metro station, head for the Mall, and go over near the castle. Just west of the castle, on the mall, you will encounter one of the entrances to the Smithsonian Metro Station. Go into the station and get a system map to help you find your way around.

BUYING A FARECARD

Once you have figured out where you want to go (and all of the entries in this journal will include the closest metro stop), then enter the system. Your first step will be to buy a farecard. To do this, you first decide what kind of a card you want (a regular farecard, a day pass, a weekly pass, a $20 plus farecard; more on this later). The simplest choice, but not usually the best is a farecard for the amount of one trip. To determine this, there is a sign in every metro station, on the kiosk, giving the cost to every other station in the system. You need to figure out if you are in rush hour or not (hours are on the sign).

Once you have figured out what amount of farecard you need, you go to a farecard machine and buy a card. Be careful, because the machines will NOT return change over $5; save those larger bills for something else. Put your money in, use the buttons on the front of the machine to set the amount you want to spend, press the button and out pops your farecard.

GETTING ON THE TRAIN

It is important to know what color line you are on, and in what direction you are going. This is pretty much the same as any subway in the world. You will put your farecard in the turnstile, and it will come out on the top (except for handicapped turnstiles, where it comes back out where you put it in). You grab it and go through, then find the right platform. Don't feel embarrased to ask one of us Washingtonians. We're usually happy to help.

There are a couple of rules that I should make you aware of before you get on the train. First on all escalators: it is the custom for standers to stay right, so walkers can move up the left. We're all in a hurry here in Washington, so let us past.

Secondly, we wait for the people getting off the train to exit before we get on the train.

Thirdly no food, drink, smoking, or music without headphones is allowed in the system. They are serious about this and do ticket, though not terribly often. But if you don't follow this rule, you'll get a lot of dirty looks; this really is important to us.

GETTING OFF A TRAIN.

Like I said, we wait for folks to get off the train, but be ready to get off when you get to the stop. Then be careful to see which of up to 4 entrances you really want to leave from. Getting off in the wrong direction can mean a six to eight block walk, sometimes!

When you come to the turnstiles, again you must put your farecard through. If you bought an exact change farecard, the system will keep it. If you bought a pass or a larger amount, then the system will spit it back to you. On a farecard with an amount, it will print the balance on the farecard. If you happen to not have enough money on your farecard, the system will not let you out and you need to go to the machines near the exits to pay the rest of the bill.

PASSES AND LARGER FARECARDS

If you are planning to be in the city for a while, you may find a pass or larger farecard to be a good deal. If you will spend $20 or more on metro in a week, you can get a $20 farecard, which will give you a 10% bonus. It will come out worth $22!

A one day pass is available for $5.00. It's not good until 9:30 AM, but most tourists, especially those staying in town, don't need it earlier (this can be a pain if you are staying with friends in Greenbelt or New Carrollton or Vienna: sometimes it is worthwhile to get a regular farecard for one trip then a day pass for the rest of the day). Figure out if you expect to use more than $5 (usually more than 3 or 4 trips in the day; more if you go to VA or MD Suburbs) and if so, this will give you unlimited travel for the day. Likewise for $25 you can get a pass good for a week. You buy these passes from the machines on the end of the bank of fare machines, and they are dated when you use it, so you can buy them in advance and use them when you like.

LOCAL AREA MAPS

Every station has local area maps, both in the station itself and available at the kiosk. These can be very useful.

HANDICAPPED PEOPLE AND METRO

Metro can be pretty good for the handicapped. Guide dogs are permitted, there are elevators, wide doors, handicapped turnstiles at every station (even those sides without elevators) and lots of attention to them. However, we have alot of elevator outages. Before you get somewhere, ask the station manager at your embarkation station for elevator status where you are going. If an elevator is out, there will be a bus from a nearby station where the elevator is working, but they are often not very quick. If you talk to the station manager when you get ON, some of the delay may be avoided.

In my opinion, Washingtonians are particularly supportive of the handicapped. The Federal Goverment is a major employer of people of all kinds of differences, and it's no longer a novelty for us.

Planning is an important part of every trip, even more so if you have a handicap. Most of the major sites have web pages, so you can look up where wheelchair entrances are, how to find a braille description of what you are experiencing, or how to find an interpreter, as well as many things. Plus an e-mail to the museum often puts you in touch with the staff so that you can get special accommodation.

Our cultural venues are also very accessible. The Kennedy Center, Shakespeare Theatre, and Arena Stage all have accommodations for getting wheelchairs in to all performances, and every performance has a night which is sign language interpreted (I do not know about accommodations for the blind).

So if you have some challenges, feel free to vacation with us, we will be supportive, and you will have lots to do!

First of all, there are the taxis. Taxis at Dulles are limited to the Washington Flyer, and you must pick them up at the taxi stand. This is by far the fastest, easiest, and most expensive way to get into the city. Remember that in DC, taxi drivers also expect a tip.

Super Shuttle does run shuttles to the various hotels in the DC area from Dulles Airport. These are group vans that transport up to about 10 people at a time from the airport into the DC metropolitan area. They may try to group you based on the location of your destination. Super Shuttle costs $22 for the first person and $10 for additional people, so for a couple, this will cost you $32, plus a tip, totaling as much as $37. Not much savings over a taxi, but if you have a lot of luggage or whatever, they will take you to the door of your hotel and help with your bags, which you might find worthwhile.

Their web page is: http://www.supershuttle.com/htm/cities/dca.htm

Washington Flyer also runs a bus, twice an hour, between Dulles and the West Falls Church metro station. At the metro station, you'll need to get a train to your hotel. This means you'd need to bring your suitcases into the station and to the platform (yes, there are elevators) and figure out where you are going. Remember that the metro has a lot of resources online, so you can figure this out in advance, and be sure to read my article on how to use metro, also. The Washington Flyer bus costs $8 per person, and the metro fare ranges from $1.35 up to about $4, depending on where you are going.

If you do this, the Washington Flyer guy will stow your luggage under the bus and take it out when you get to the metro station.

So a couple spends about $24 this way.

Washington Flyer's web page is at: http://www.washfly.com/metro.htm

The least expensive way to get into the city is to take the 5A city bus. This bus leaves from Dulles every hour or so, and has a fare of $3, with a senior citizen rate of only 60 cents per person. It stops at Rosslyn metro station, which is just in Virginia near Georgetown, and L'Enfant Plaza metro station, which is within walking distance of the Smithsonian. From here, you can take metro to anywhere metro serves, or catch a cab to your hotel.

Note that you will need an ID showing your date of birth and must be 65 or older to get the senior rate, but metro's policy is that if you are out of area, you do not need a special local ID as the local seniors do.

Metro's web site is www.metroopensdoors.com.

You catch all of these options on the Ground Transportation level at the airport.

On a recent Wednesday, I decided to try the Circulator Bus to have a weekday lunch with a friend. She works at the Kennedy Center, I work near Union Station. Metro would have cost me $1.35 and entailed changing trains at Union Station, which involves an unpredicatable wait, so I thought this one-vehicle trip might be better.

I boarded the bus at Union station. The busses are distinctive and bright; they board right near the metro exit at Union station in the westmost corner of the station. It was not hard to find their distinctive logo. I paid my $1 fare on the way in with cash, but could have gotten a ticket from a machine at the stop, or used my smart trip card. There are also transfers allowed from metro and other circulator busses.

The bus is, of course, very clean and new, since this is a new service. It's less like the typical metro bus, and more like the big open busses more typical of European cities (I've got pictures of front and back of the bus).

One confusing thing had to do with the route map. I wanted to exit at 24th Street, on the way west, and I even asked the driver, who was clearly new, if the bus stopped at that point. She was unsure but looked at the map and said yes, it did. Warning: the bus does not stop at 24th Street going westbound. I had to travel through georgetown and come back in order to get to my stop, about 8 blocks from the Kennedy Center.

This is also not a fast mode of transport. With many stops, and driving through traffic, it was close to 45 minutes to get from Union Station to Georgetown at the height of lunch hour. While this was annoying to me, it's less of an issue for someone who is a tourist, and I expect that this will be less of an issue for a tourist.

There are two circulator bus routes. One goes from Union Station to the DC Convention Center, then on down K Street all the way to Wisconsin Avenue, in Georgetown before returning via M Street and Pennsylvania to K street. That's the yellow route, which I rode.

The red route, which I did not ride, runs from the convention center on the north end, to the waterfront at Maine Avenue and 7th Street on the south end. In the mantime it crosses the mall, past archives and chinatown all the way to Maine Avenue. These are big loops and very convenient for heading around town. Note that there are not currently multi-trip or day tickets, although day tickets are promised in late fall 2005.

Undoubtably a boon to tourists, I recommend the ciruclator. Their web site is at http://www.dccirculator.com/