All can be part of a visit here; the hard part is deciding what to focus on. And while some may scoff that you'd rather visit this vital city than sit on a beach, you know your own hearts -- and a trip here can equal a perfect getaway.
If you haven't been to the ]Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, National Museum of African Art, National Museum of American History, Renwick Gallery of 19th and 20th century decorative arts, and the National Portrait Gallery, delay no more.
Less well-known but equally fascinating attractions are the Art Museum of the Americas, the Art, Science & Technology Institute Holography Museum of the 3rd Dimension, and the Holocaust Museum.
The outdoor Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Vietnam memorials always draw crowds. Two newer, camera-worthy monuments include the 21-foot- tall statue of Albert Einstein and the Korean War Memorial.
On warm spring days visitors flock to the city's dozen well-tended parks. Constitution Gardens contains an island and lake within its 45 acres. Georgetown's Dumbarton Oaks Gardens attracts romantics to the gardens at Lovers Lane Pool. Mannered and tranquil, the Japanese Embassy Garden contains imported maple and cherry trees and an authentic teahouse.
At the National Zoo, the Think Tank invites visitors to explore animals' thought processes. If that's too cerebral, simply visit the pandas.
Among Washington's more colorful neighborhoods are Adams-Morgan, which features a wide selection of low-priced, exotic restaurants. Radiating out from Dupont Circle are many of the city's most interesting shops and bookstores. At Kramerbooks & Afterwords you can dine as well as find a great selection of books. New D.C. eateries include Coco Loco and a transplant of Boston's Legal Seafood.
If shopping is your pleasure, you've a vast choice of locations. Easy to reach by the clean and quiet Metro, the underground Crystal City mall holds more than 100 specialty shops. The Fashion Center at Pentagon City has four levels with more than 160 boutiques; Nordstrom is one of the anchors. Georgetown Park is a four-level Victorian set shopping extravaganza, with FAO Schwarz and Polo Store outposts. And right in town, The Chanel Boutique has the distinction of being the world's largest.
As for nightlife, Washington is one of those cities where there's never enough time to see everything you want. Can't decide what to do first? The Washington Post online can help you decide. In town, take a tour. The DC Ducks one can help you make choices. Visitors board a 33-passenger amphibious carrier that navigates the nationís capital for 90 minutes, traveling on both land and water.
A note of warning: Washington can be sweltering in the summer, frigid in the winter. Spring and fall are glorious, though.
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