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Fireworks over the White House
Photo: AP

Capital gains
Julian Borger
It is a city aware of its grandeur. The sweeping vistas along the Mall are studded with imposing stone edifices that have the capacity to take your breath away when they are lit up in the evening. At the same time, Washington is built on a human scale. No building in the District of Columbia can be higher than the Washington monument.

It is also one of the few American cities that are meant to be walked. It has more green space than any major city I can think of and much of the residential housing is picturesque 19th and early 20th century. Much of Georgetown is even older. Only a quarter of the city is dominated by government and politics. It is a majority African-American city and one of the historic centres of black culture. There are still blues and jazz clubs dotted around town.
Best view
The top of the Washington monument
The best vantage point to take in the majesty of the Mall, with Congress at one end, the Lincoln Memorial at the other, and the White House off to the North.

The Mall, between 15th & 17th Streets, & Constitution & Independence Avenues; Tel: 1-202 426 6841; Smithsonian Metro; Open: 9am-5pm daily; www.nps.gov/wamo/

  1. Washington
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Best thing to do for free
Stroll along the Mall
Stroll along the Mall stopping at the all the free museums and the fabulous National Gallery of Art along the way.

West Building: Constitution Avenue, between Fourth & Seventh Streets, NW; East Building: Constitution Avenue & Fourth Street, NW, The Mall & Tidal Basin; Tel: 1-202 737 4215; Archives-Navy Memorial, Judiciary Square or Smithsonian Metro; Open: 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, 11am-6pm Sun; Admission: free; www.nga.gov/

  1. Washington
  2. | free
  3. | walk

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Where to watch the world go by
Tryst in Adams Morgan
There are many different worlds in Washington. If you want to see politicians you can sit in the pretty gardens on Capitol Hill - but if you want to linger over an excellent cup of coffee and watch the city’s students, writers, slackers while away their own time, head for the Adams Morgan district and seek out Tryst, on 18th Street and Columbia Ave.

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Cultural highlight
The Phillips Collection
It’s a small private art collection so you have to pay, but it’s worth it. It’s stuffed full of famous modern masterpieces but the size is more manageable than the National Gallery. There are famous post-impressionist and cubist works, and a few nice Rothkos.

The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st Street, NW, at Q Street, Dupont Circle; Tel: 1-202 387 2151; Dupont Circle Metro; Open: 10am-5pm Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat; 10am-8.30pm Thurs; noon-7pm (noon-5pm June-Sept) Sun; Admission: Sat, Sun & special exhibitions $8, $6 concessions, free under-18s; Mon-Fri (permanent collection) free; www.phillipscollection.org/

  1. Washington
  2. | culture
  3. | art

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Bring back
Political memorabilia
Get some political memorabilia like a Kennedy badge or a Nixon poster from the 1960s, or a Clinton-Gore sticker from 1992. There’s a shop that sells the stuff in Union Station, which is worth a few hours in itself.

  1. Washington
  2. | souvenir

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Leave there
Bad T-shirts
All the T-shirts claiming the wearer is from the FBI or CIA or on a witness protection scheme.

  1. Washington
  2. | tourist tat

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Time for love
Tidal Basin
A stroll around the Tidal Basin to the Jefferson monument. Sit on the steps, look away from the nearby motorway and across at all the cherry trees clustered around the water. At cherry blossom time in late March early April, it is spellbinding.

Southern end of 15th Street, SW, at the Tidal Basin & East Basin Drive; Tel: 1-202 426 6841; Smithsonian Metro; www.nps.gov/thje/

  1. Washington
  2. | romance
  3. | walk

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Best-kept secret (till now)
Dumbarton Oaks
A beautiful stately home, which is also a museum of pre-Colombian art, surrounded by an Italian garden hidden, all behind a high wall in Georgetown. A perfect place for an afternoon stroll.

1703 32nd Street, NW, between R & S Streets, Georgetown; Tel: 1-202 339 6401; Bus: 30, 32, 34, 36; Open: Museum 2-5pm Tue-Sun, Garden mid Mar-Oct 2-6pm Tue-Sun. Nov-mid Mar 2-5pm Tue-Sun; Admission: Museum $1, Garden $6; $4 concessions (no credit cards); www.doaks.org/

  1. Washington
  2. | secret
  3. | art

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The thing to eat
Baby-back ribs
The best ribs in town, served with cornbread salads and lashings of freshly-made lemonade are to be found at Rocklands. Steer clear of the optional hot sauces unless you have a mouth made of asbestos.

Rocklands, 2418 Wisconsin Avenue, Glover Park; Tel: 1-202 333 2558; Open: 11.30am-11.30pm Mon-Fri, 11am-10pm Sat, 11am-9pm Sun

  1. Washington
  2. | local speciality
  3. | food

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Green space
Rock Creek Park
Stretches from one end of the city to the other, widening as you travel northwards. It is full of forest paths, streams, woods and meadows. Deer roam through the undergrowth and the occasional coyote has been spotted.

Upper Northwest; Tel: 1-202 895 6070; Open: Park dawn-dusk daily, Nature Center & Planetarium 9am-5pm Wed-Sun (closed some holidays); www.nps.gov/rocr/

  1. Washington
  2. | park
  3. | escape

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Best ride
Trolley bus
Its best to walk but if the heat is overpowering, there are old-fashioned trolley buses roaming around the city that will take you around the monuments and into Georgetown.

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Keep the kids happy
Air and Space Museum
Take the kids to the Air and Space Museum and take in an IMAX movie there.

Sixth Street & Independence Avenue, SW, The Mall & Tidal Basin; Tel: 1-202 357 2700; L’Enfant Plaza Metro; Open: Sept-May 10am-5.30pm daily; Admission: Museum free, Planetarium $8; www.nasm.si.edu/

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  2. | family
  3. | museum

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Escape the crowds
C&O Canal
Join up with the C&O Canal in Georgetown and within a hundred yards you’ll forget you’re in a city. The canal goes north-west for miles, as you follow the towpath under a canopy of trees.

  1. Washington
  2. | escape

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The film to see before I go
All the President’s Men
It has to be All the President’s Men, even after all these years. It makes you wonder why they do not make any decent political thrillers any more. Surely there’s lots of good material.

  1. Washington
  2. | film

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... and the novel to read
Face-Time by Erik Tarloff
It’s very Clintonian era, but no one has a written a decent Bush period novel yet.

  1. Washington
  2. | books

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Where to eat (budget)
Mixtec
Great authentic Mexican food at very low prices.

1792 Columbia Road, NW; Tel: 1-202 332 1011; Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan Metro; Open: 10am-10pm Sun-Thurs, 10am-11pm Fri-Sat

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  2. | eating
  3. | budget

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Where to eat (moderate)
Cashion’s Eat Place
My local restaurant. Usually very good modern American cuisine, with Bison steaks, lots of fish and outside tables to watch Adams Morgan folk walk by.

1819 Columbia Road, NW; Tel: 1-202 797 1819; Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan Metro; Open: 5.30-10pm Tues, 5.30-11pm Wed-Sat, 11:30am-2.30pm and 5:30-10pm Sun

  1. Washington
  2. | eating

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Where to eat (posh)
Palm Steakhouse
Do the Washington power thing and eat a traditional aged steak among the political power players. The walls are decorated with caricatures of all the famous politicos who have dined there over the ages.

Address: 1225 19th Street, NW; Tel: 1-202 293 9091; Nearest Metro: Dupont Circle; Open: Lunch from 11.45am-3pm, dinner 3pm-10.30pm Mon-Fri, 5.30pm-10.30pm Sat, 5.30pm-9.30pm Sun.

  1. Washington
  2. | eating
  3. | posh

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Where to stay (budget)
The Tabard Inn
It’s downtown and near the social centre of Dupont Circle, but it also on a quiet street and has preserved an old-world bookish feel that is rare in America. It has a pleasant lounge with an open fire in winters that feels like the common room of some old college, and a very decent restaurant. A room is about $100.

1739 N Street, NW, at Connecticut Avenue; Tel: 1-202 785 1277; Dupont Circle Metro; www.tabardinn.com/home.htm

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  2. | accommodation
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Where to stay (moderate)
The Latham Hotel
It is hidden down a small driveway off Georgetown’s bustling M Street. Perfect if you want to make Georgetown your base. It is best known for hosting Citronelle, one of Washington’s most famous restaurants.

3000 M Street, NW; Tel: 1-202 726 5000; Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro; www.georgetowncollection.com/

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Where to stay (posh)
The Mayflower
One of the traditional great hotels of Washington. It’s where visiting dignatories tend to stay, and where Monica Lewinsky holed up during the Clinton impeachment saga.

1127 Connecticut Ave, NW, between L & M Streets; Tel: 1-800 228 9290/ 1-202 347 3000; Farragut North Metro; marriott.com/renaissancehotels/default.mi

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  2. | accommodation
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Find out what's on
Washington Post
Friday’s Weekend section in the Washington Post, or the weekly City Paper.

  1. Washington
  2. | events

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Get there from the airport
Airport transfer: Washington Flyer Taxicab
Until the Metrorail services are extended to serve Dulles airport, the most immediate and sensible option for those travelling to the city is an authorised Washington Flyer Taxicab costing around $50.

www.mwaa.com

  1. Washington
  2. | transport

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