more than politics: d.c.'s capital

Overview

As clichéd as this is, a walk around tidal basin when the cherry blossoms are in bloom is a must. It's crowded, indeed, but the blossoms are in for only a short time.

Quick Tips:

D.C., as any guidebook will tell you, is divided into four quadrants: northwest, northeast, southwest, and southeast, with the capitol acting as the origin. The popular sights are situated in the northwest. Within NW itself, there are admittedly dangerous (and less gentrified) sections, but as a whole, it is generally thought to be the safest quadrant of the capital.

Best Way To Get Around:

The metro is the nation's jewel, with five clean and efficient lines taking passengers to various points both within and beyond the city. If the weather's nice, walking is a fine option; don't worry about getting lost on foot. Most people are accustomed to tourists, and they will most likely help you out, albeit grudgingly.

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Sparky's Espresso Cafe

Restaurant | "Sparky's Espresso Café"

Balzac once wrote:

"As soon as coffee is in your stomach, there is a general commotion. Ideas begin to move...similes arise, the paper is covered. Coffee is your ally and writing ceases to be a struggle."

Well, perhaps not all of us can become illustrious writers, but we can aspire to such great heights at our local cafés. Besides offering coffee and the usual pastries, Sparky's also functions as an ad-hoc community center, where patrons can pen prose or talk politics with their pals. All this without the pretentiousness! With the staff so laid-back, you can just sit in one of the booths or the tables outside (weather permitting) and think the hours away.

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by recordnerd on November 21, 2003

Sparky's Espresso Cafe
1720 14th Street North West Washington, District of Columbia 20009
(202) 332-9334

Soho Tea & Coffee

Restaurant | "Soho Tea & Coffee"

Independent. Queer-, smoker-, boho-friendly. Serves great coffee. One of the better alternatives to a certain mega-chain, Soho is understandably popular, packed from morning to night with businessfolks, students, artists, and any combination thereof or in between. Despite the occasional customer's delusions of grandeur and fauxllectual posturing--yes, tell your neighbor that you are indeed writing the 4056th Great American Novel--the Soho crew's policy of do-as-you-please-as-long-as-no-one-gets-hurt seems to be followed fairly well. Come at any time of the day and feel the love, dahhling.

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by recordnerd on November 21, 2003

Soho Tea & Coffee
2150 P Street North West Washington, District of Columbia 20037
(202) 463-7646

Zed's Ethiopian Cuisine

Restaurant

The Ethiopian embassy hold their official dinners here, but don't let that alone impress you. Located at the western end of posh Georgetown and across from the Four Seasons Hotel, Zed's is perhaps the district's premier restaurant for Ethiopian cuisine. Vegetarians, don't despair: there are indeed entrées for us, including the combination sampler. All entrées (meat or veggie) are served with injera, a spongy-like bread used to pick up food in lieu of utensils. Such fine dining need not be stuffy.

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by recordnerd on November 21, 2003

Zed's Ethiopian Cuisine
1201 28th Street North West Washington, District of Columbia 20007
(202) 333-4710

Sticky Fingers Bakery

Restaurant

It's about time this place opened. Within walking distance of Adams Morgan is this bakery offering vegan goods so delicious even the regular omnivore wouldn't be able to tell! Walk in for an oatmeal-raisin cookie or a slice of chocolate peanut butter fudge cake, or make a custom order. Closed Mondays.

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by recordnerd on November 21, 2003

Sticky Fingers Bakery
1904 18th Street North West Washington, District of Columbia 20009
(202) 299-9700

City Lights of China

Restaurant

My favorite restaurant in the district, hands down. I have taken everyone who has meant something to me to this fabulous place. Before you salivate all over yourself as you read the signposted menu, descend the stairs and wait for the friendly host/ess to seat you in heaven--er, the restaurant. Perhaps you'll score the table by the window, where you can scope out the feet walking past on the street above or the patrons descending the same stairs, while you inconspicuously attempt to read the plethora of rave reviews framed upon the restaurant’s walls. The atmosphere: it depends on when you go. Subdued on weekday afternoons, a bit frenzied on weekend nights. The service: always welcoming, warm. The food: absolutely heavenly and won't break the bank.

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by recordnerd on November 21, 2003

City Lights of China
1731 Connecticut Avenue NW Washington, District of Columbia 20009
(202) 265-6688

Ben's Chili Bowl

Restaurant

With nearly 50 years as one of black Washington's strongholds, Ben's Chili Bowl is being "rediscovered" by DCers from other neighborhoods as the place to cozy up with some damn good, uh, chili. Indeed, it has a retro feel--minus the segregation--that attracts a cross-section of folks, from area residents, to theatre-goers, to indie rockers. Check your pretensions at the door. As long as you're here to eat, you're in good hands.

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by recordnerd on November 21, 2003

Ben's Chili Bowl
1213 U Street NW Washington, District of Columbia 20009
(202) 667-0909

Food for Thought

Restaurant

Formerly occupying its own building, the smoke-free Food for Thought relocated to one of the spaces in a local indie club, the Black Cat, in 1998. The staff may sometimes be aloof, but if the music, smoke, and/or crowd is not your cup of tea, steal away in any case to this space for some vegan nachos (the "cheese" is unbelievable) and a bottle of Dominion Root Beer, and write about the cute horn-rimmed-glasses-sporting girl you saw upstairs.

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by recordnerd on November 22, 2003

Food for Thought
1811 14th Street NW Washington, District of Columbia 20009
(202) 797-1095

Loews Dupont Circle 5

Attraction

The Dupont Circle 5 is one of Loews Theatres' smaller venues with, obviously, five screens. Despite its corporate backing, it shows a sufficient mélange of films, ranging from cheesy/sentimental mainstream U.S. fare to cheesy/arty international fare. Check for the current program in the city paper. If you don't find it here, go to Visions, or wait for the DVD.

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by recordnerd on November 22, 2003

Loews Dupont Circle 5
1350 19th Street NW Washington, District of Columbia 20036
(202) 872-9556

Visions Cinema Bistro Lounge

Attraction

Only three years old, Visions is definitely in the tradition of the venerable movie house, with a bistro/lounge offering--among other things--baba ghanoush. More importantly, Visions is one of the district's few venues to screen indie and foreign movies, where you can rest knowing that you're not alone in your cinephilia. Midnight screenings are quite popular.

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by recordnerd on November 22, 2003

Visions Cinema Bistro Lounge
1927 Florida Avenue NW Washington, District of Columbia 20009
(202) 232-5689

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal

Attraction | "chesapeake & ohio canal"

If you should ever find yourself "museum-ed out" on a nice spring day, get yourself over to the C & O Canal. Walk along, observing the locks, aqueducts, and remaining canal houses, or pretend you're by the Canal St. Martin, have an Amélie Poulain moment, and try to skip stones. Either way, it's a pleasant way to spend an afternoon sort of hiding from the consumerist Georgetown strip that is M St. (If you walk towards the eastern end, you will eventually come upon stairs that lead to the lovely Francis Scott Key Park, with views of Rosslyn across the river.)

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by recordnerd on November 22, 2003

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal
Thomas Jefferson to 33rd St. NW Washington, District of Columbia

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Washington, D.C.

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more than politics: d.c.'s capital