At times,
Washington, DC
, can seem like a tale of two cities: politicians and temporary residents versus multigenerational residents fighting to keep their part in the district.
Once known as Chocolate City due to its predominantly African-American population, Washington has seen its demographics change dramatically in recent decades, bringing both positive and negative effects of gentrification.
The Wharf District's $3.6 billion second phase of development contributed to a new luxury Pendry hotel and eye-catching dining destinations, all against the backdrop of a
skyrocketing cost of living
(which is recently stabilizing), growth in crime and ongoing questions about
cultural identity
.
Even in this
time of transition
, Washington is still a center of art, history, and social justice leadership, and is home to several of the world's best free museums and monuments.
Jefferson Memorial and the Potomac River at sunset.
Photo Shutterstock
Friday
16.30 / Cruise through the monuments
Some may describe it as a basic tourist activity, but more Washingtonians could benefit from a relaxing sunset from a Potomac River cruise.
Departing from the revitalized (and some locals might say heavily gentrified)
Wharf district
, City Experiences' bright yellow water taxis depart five times a day for the monument tour ($22 a day, $35 for the full trip). ).
Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge.
Photo Shutterstock
The 90-minute round-trip tour, with audio narrative, covers places that are very difficult to see on foot in a weekend: the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial (which is beautiful when lit up at night ), the giant John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Watergate complex and the Georgetown waterfront.
18.30 / Shop local
Returning to the Wharf, pop into the
Shop Made in DC
store , which highlights Washington-based artisans. You'll find “202” (the city's area code) and “The District VS Congress” T-shirts made by the clothing brand Bailiwick, illustrated maps of local neighborhoods by Terratorie, and little onesies covered in cherries by Mirasa Design.
See this post on Instagram
A post shared by ilili DC (@ililidc)
Then take a stroll to
Ilili, a Lebanese restaurant
located on the waterfront with Lebanese-made accessories such as laser-cut metal doves suspended from the ceiling, and dining room chairs with hand-stitched floral designs.
You'll see local twists on the cuisine, such as hummus ($13) that can be topped with blue crab falafel ($8).
Don't miss the fried Brussels sprouts with grapes and mint yogurt ($18), and a plate of riz (Lebanese rice, toasted vermicelli, Marcona and pearly almonds, $11) to accompany the delicious mixed grill for two ( US$76).
Reserve one week
in advance.
22.00 / Sake to drink on a terrace
At
Moonraker
, the rooftop bar at the Pendry Washington DC hotel, drinks make an appearance.
See this post on Instagram
A post shared by Pendry Washington DC - The Wharf (@pendrywharfdc)
On weekend nights, a host guides guests to the dedicated Moonraker elevator, where an elegant self-service menu, free sake samples, mixed sake drinks, and rocakos (ceramic sake cups) await.
On the Penthouse level, a circular static bar serves bites such as spicy tuna rolls topped with golden leaf fringes ($23) and karaage-style fried chicken ($26) alongside more spirited signature sake drinks. Japanese (from US$22).
Enjoy your drink while curled up next to one of the two outdoor fire pits while taking in views of the Potomac River.
Nature and bicycles around the Washington Monument.
Photo Shutterstock
Saturday
9.00 / Explore a museum
The Pontomac River, which separates Washington from Virginia, may be more famous, but the
banks of the Ancostia River
are where many local residents go to get quiet views of the river without the crowds of the National Mall.
From National Park, home to
Major League Baseball's largest stadium
, stroll along the Frederick Memorial Pedestrian Bridge that connects the paved Anacostia Riverwalk to Anacostia Park.
The baseball stadium in Washington, DC.
Photo Shutterstock
From there, take a short stretch shared with the newly renovated
Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum
(free), which shares the stories of people going about their daily lives making changes in their communities.
Closed since January, it will reopen on March 23.
11.30 / Walk through a historical site
When
Turning National
opened its first space in 2015, it was one of the few healthy downtown food spots to open in Ward 8, a historically underfunded, majority-Black area known for being a food desert.
The business is today basic for the community with 6 locations.
Frederick Douglass's home, Cedar Hill.
Photo Shutterstock
Grab a smoothie or fresh juice (from $6.25), then walk 10 minutes to
Cedar Hill
, more formally known as the Frederick Hill Historic Site, with views over the city.
Abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass lived here from 1877 until his death in 1895.
Join a
guided tour
(free, or $1 if you book online) by National Park rangers to see inside, where some of the Douglasses' original possessions remain, such as their collection of Chinese goods (a source of pride, according to the guides, after being forced to eat horses, for example, when he was enslaved) and the family piano (Douglass usually accompanied him on his violin).
14.00 / Go to a Japanese food hall
Both Japan and Washington have a long-standing connection, such as the famous
cherry trees
along the
National Mall
, a gift from the eastern country in 1912, and which reminds us every time they bloom each year.
Cherry blossom season in Washington.
Photo Shutterstock
Love, Makoto
adheres to that relationship.
Chef Makoto Okuwa's new 20,000-square-foot Japanese food hall (a short drive from Anacostia) offers
three full-service concepts
: Dear Sushi, an omakase experience;
Beloved Barbacue, a high-end steakhouse;
and Hiya Isakaya, a narrow bar serving tall glasses of whiskey and charcoal-grilled skewers.
There's also a fourth, faster-casual option, a light-filled lounge called Love on the Run, with touch-screen order-and-go menus such as salads, sushi rolls, ramen bowls and hot dogs.
Try the avocado and salmon roll with yuzu mayonnaise ($18), or the fried chicken sandwich, topped with shiso coleslaw and teriyaki sauce, and served with fries ($16).
16.30 / Go for a mental revolution
With many
free museums
in Washington, the notion of paying to enter one may not immediately appeal to you.
But the
Museum of Illusions Washington
(admission for adults, US$23; children, US$18.95), which opened last year, is a
fun and interactive option
for all ages amidst history and science, focusing institutions.
See this post on Instagram
A post shared by Museum of Illusions Washington DC (@museumofillusions_dc)
Although the concept exists in more than 40 locations, including the cities of Paris, New York and Madrid, this space's
50 optical illusions
,
games and
mind-blowing puzzles feature Washington-specific displays, including a mural of George Washington, from which, your eyes follow you wherever you move, and the Reversed Room, compatible with the social network Instagram, where you appear walking on the roof of a Washington subway car.
In the Tilted Room, you can lean almost as much as in Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal video, in the Vortex Tunnel, with gimmicky swirling lights that lead you to believe the floor is moving.
19.00 / Dinner with a son from Spain
Since starting his first restaurant 30 years ago,
Jaleo
, in Washington, chef José Andrés has opened three dozen other establishments, and also created the non-profit World Central Kitchen, which serves millions of dishes of food, to those in need.
Andrés is originally from Spain, but Washington is his adopted city.
In February, he delved into those roots with
Bazaar by José Andrés
, a glamorous new Romanesque-style Spanish restaurant in the Old Post Office building (Correo Viejo; now the Waldorf Astoria Washington DC).
The menu offers
more than 45 dishes
, so if the decision becomes difficult, opt for Bazaar's 13-course Bazaar Experience
tasting menu
($150).
Ferran Adrià's mind-blowing “liquid olives” (a gel-like sphere of olive juice that appears in the mouth), from Andrés' days at the legendary, now-closed restaurant, El Bulli, are the standout.
It is recommended to reserve
before attending.
Sunday
21.00 / Crab cake breakfast
There are few things more notable on a Sunday morning in Washington than traveling to
Eastern Market on Capitol Hill
.
Flowers at the Eastern Market.
Photo Shutterstock
This national landmark – celebrating 150 years in November 2023 – is one of the few remaining public historic market buildings in Washington and the only one still operating.
In their outdoor section, peruse farm
-fresh produce
such as Agora Farms and Gardeners Gourmet, sold alongside vibrant artwork by local painter Cherif Mamadou and handmade cutting boards from Blue Ridge Cutting Board Co.
Inside the market hall, line up for
Crab Cakes
Benedict ($22.95) at the Market Lunch counter.
It will be worth the wait.
There is a huge communal table to eat there.
11.00 / Women champions in art
The first major museum in the United States dedicated to female artists, the
National Museum of Women in the Arts
, is located in downtown Washington and
reopened in October
after a two-year renovation.
The museum is a
former Masonic temple
built in 1908, today it offers a very large gallery space for more than 6,000 works by women and non-binary artists spanning five centuries and six continents (admission $16).
Thematic collections such as Heavyweight, intended to dispel assumptions that female artists use more delicate materials than men, feature large sculptures such as Chakaia Booker's Acid Rain, a textured work of crushed rubber and wood. .
The theme In Focus shows the women in the foreground of the photograph: there you will find the stop on your track Bullets Revisted #3, a scale of triptych photography made by the Moroccan and American photographer, Lalla Essaydi, of whom the Henna-covered model poses among thousands of gold bullet casings
Key stops
The Wharf,
an area of Washington's ever-changing waterfront overlooking the Potomac River and featuring a fish market, restaurants and music venues.
Anacostia Community Museum
highlights social issues in the Anacosta neighborhood and African American neighborhoods around the country.
It is part of the Smithsonian Institution, the largest museum complex in the world.
Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
, also called Cedar Hill, is the well-restored 19th-century abolitionist and orator.
José Andrés' Bazaar
is
a culmination of haute cuisine from Spanish chef José Andrés' thirty years in Washington.
Where to eat
Market Lunch
is a counter service breakfast and lunch restaurant featuring Eastern Market, known for its crab cakes.
Love, Makoto
is a 20,000-square-meter Japanese food hall with a steakhouse, an omakase, an izakaya, and a grab-and-go cafe.
Ilili
is an upscale Lebanese restaurant on the Wharf, known for its hummus, offered with a variety of toppings and duck shawarma.
Moonraker
, the rooftop bar at the new Pendry Washington DC hotel, serves Japanese drinks while taking in views of Virginia and the Potomac River.
Turning Natural
serves fresh juices, smoothies, and vegan snacks in underserved communities, including the Anacostia neighborhood.
Where to stay
Pendry Washington DC- The Wharf is a luxurious hotel with nautical nuances, with possibly the best exteriors for its swimming pool and terrace in the entire city.
Rooms start at $395.
Willard International Continental Washington, DC
.
It has
more than 200 years of history
.
It's a classic Washington hotel near the White House that recently underwent an
extensive
$18 million renovation.
Rooms start at US$218.
Hotel Hive
has a variety of rooms, but with 14 to 20 square meters each, you will sacrifice space. Rooms from US$ 74.
For
short-term rentals
, look to the Capitol Riverfront, the Southwest Waterfront neighborhoods, or Foggy Bottom, all with easy access to the subway to explore other parts of the city.
Shayla Martin
The New York Times. Special for Clarín