Dancing
Habana Village (Adams
Morgan) - 1834 Columbia Rd., 202.462.6310. W-Th 6:30-2; F-Sat
6:30-3. Also offers salsa/merengue lessons M, Th, and F 7-9 $10
and tango lessons Sat 7-9 $10.
Nation (Capitol Hill)
- 1015 Half St., SE., 202.554.1500. A live music venue that
doubles as a dance club, this spacious hall has state-of-the-art
sound for its busy rock, hip-hop and electronica concerts and dance
nights. Nation won "Best Dance Club" in washingtonpost.com's
Best Bets 2002 Readers' Choice contest.
2:K:9 (U St./Cardoza)
- 2009 Eighth St., NW., 202.667.7750. Popular with Howard students,
this multi-level dance club attracts a multi-racial crowd with throbbing
hip-hop and house music and dancers in cages.
Crush (Adams
Morgan) - 2323 18th St., NW., 202.319.1111. The first floor
is a fairly average bar. Upstairs, on a good-size dance floor, twenty-something's
groove to pop music on weekends. ALWAYS crowded on weekends - the
name is apt, but the music is good.
Movie
Theatres
Check the Washington Post
or the Washington Times to get addresses and show times. Many movie
theaters are located on Wisconsin and Connecticut Avenues, NW. Movies
generally cost $8.50 at night and $5.50 for a matinee. Some theaters
offer a student discount (even at night!), so be sure to bring your
AU student ID.
Another good resource
for movies is AOL's Moviefone, which can be accessed anywhere in
the DC Metro area by dialing the area code where you live, then
333.FILM. This is an excellent resource for people who decide to
see a movie on the fly, as you can just call them up, key in your
zip code and the movie you want to see, and go!
One theater that cannot
be missed is the Cineplex Odeon Uptown located in Cleveland
Park in northwest Washington, DC at 3426 Connecticut Ave. NW. "The"
place to see a movie in Washington, the art deco Uptown carries
you back to the era of movie palaces. The Uptown won "Best
Movie Theater" in washingtonpost.com's Best Bets 2002 Reader's
Choice contest. The best way to get to the Uptown is to take the
Red line Metro and get off at the Cleveland Park Metro stop. Contact
202.966.5400 for movie information.
Museums
The National Mall contains a wide variety of museums. Most
of them are free, but a few ask for a donation. The Mall contains
the National Air and Space Museum, the National Gallery of Art,
the Smithsonian, the National Museum of Natural History, and the
National Museum of American History, just to name a few. The National
Mall is located between Constitution and Independence Avenues in
downtown Washington, DC. The best way to get to the National Mall
is by Metro. Get on either the blue or orange line and get off at
the Smithsonian stop.
Freer
Gallery of Art is located on Jefferson Drive SW at 12th St.
It is open daily from 10:00 am - 5:30 pm. Lovers of Asian art will
enjoy this display spanning more than four millennia of work in
jade, bronze, pottery and silk.
National Air and Space
Museum is located at Independence Ave. at 6th St. SW and is
open daily from 10:00 am - 5:30 pm. This is probably the most popular
museum in Washington. It has 23 galleries devoted to the epic stories
of manned flight both in the air and in space.
National Gallery of
Art is located at Madison Drive between 3rd and 7th Sts. NW
and is open Sunday 11:00 am - 6:00 pm; Monday - Saturday, 10:00
am - 5:00 pm. Various Metro stops are located near this museum,
including the Judiciary Square stop on the Red Line or the National
Archives stop on the Yellow Line. Among its collection of old masters
and great moderns, the National Gallery of Art has the distinction
of possessing the only painting in America by Leonardo da Vinci.
The East Building, opened in 1978, is devoted to modern art.
National Museum of
African Art is located at 950 Independence Ave. SW and is open
daily from 10:00 am - 5:30 pm. One of the most outstanding exhibits
is the massive wood-carved door from the Yoruba King's palace at
Ikere, Nigeria, complete with reliefs of 31 people.
National Museum of
American History is located at Madison Drive between 12th and
14th Sts., NW and is open daily from 10:00 am - 5:30 pm. Unique
exhibits from ancient and recent history make this one of the most
exciting museums in the nation. Here you will find Alexander Graham
Bell's first telephone, Thomas Edison's light bulb and the original
Star Spangled Banner.
National Museum of
Natural History is located at Madison Drive and 10th St. NW
and is open daily from 10:00 am - 5:30 pm. This museum houses the
Hope Diamond, and also contains large displays of birds, sea life,
fossils, other gems and items from Indian, Eskimo, Asian, African,
and Egyptian cultures.
Sackler Gallery of
Asian Art is located at 1050 Independence Ave., SW and is open
daily from 10:00 am - 5:30 pm. This gallery houses collections of
ancient Islamic, Persian and Chinese works of art.
U.S. Holocaust Memorial
Museum is located at 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place SW and also
has an entrance on 14th St., SW. It is open daily from 10:00 am
- 5:30 pm. This museum is America's national memorial to the Holocaust
that recalls the horrors of the Nazi's reign of genocide and terror.
Be sure to call and get your free ticket in advance.
Performing
Arts
The John F. Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street, NW, on the bank
of the Potomac near New Hampshire Ave and Rock Creek Parkway, offers
free tours of the building daily and ½ price tickets for
students to all shows depending upon availability. Visit the web
at http://www.kennedy-center.org
for more information. Tickets and other information: 1.800.444.1324
Wolf Trap, 1624
Trap Rd, Vienna, VA, is an open-air amphitheater that hosts outdoor
concerts from May through September. Call 703.255.1900 or visit
the website at http://www.nps.gov/wotr
for more information. Directions: Take
Rt. 66 West to Rt. 267 (Dulles Toll Rd). Pay the $.50 toll, take
exit 15 and follow signs and traffic.
Nissan Pavilion at
Stone Ridge, 7800 Cellar Door Dr., Bristow, VA 20136. 703.754.6400.
An hour from Washington, this huge outdoor venue hosts many of the
major summer music tours. Parking is a headache: expect gridlock
after the show.
Merriweather Post Pavilion,
10475 Little Patuxent Pwy., Columbia, MD 21044. 301.982.1800. Midway
between Baltimore and Washington, this leafy outdoor amphitheater
is a destination point for summer concert tours and the occasional
festival.
Restaurants
In DC you can find just
about any kind of food that you want to try. The Washington Post
and the City Paper are your best resources. Some hip neighborhoods
to try are:
Adams Morgan
You will find a broad
array of ethnic restaurants, notably on 18th St. and Columbia Road.
You can walk there from Dupont Circle going up Connecticut Ave (about
15 minutes).
Addis Ababa, 2106
18th St., NW - It's known as the Ethiopian's Ethiopian restaurant,
and the crowd shows it. An eating experience, even without traditional
American utensils!
The Diner, 2453 18th St. NW, serving American cuisine 24
hours a day.
Dupont Circle
The Dupont Circle area
is very popular. It is located between 16th and 24 Sts., NW. The
center of the circle contains a park with a huge fountain. Up and
down the side streets shooting off from the circle, you will find
a variety of restaurants and bars.
Bistro du Coin,
1738 Connecticut Ave, NW - French-insired cuisine with a loud party
atmosphere. Where was everyone eating before the Bistrot du Coin
showed up in June? Upward of 400 pleasure seekers converge on the
place on any given day, and 400 people can't be all wrong!
Brickseller Inn, 1523 22nd St., NW - The burgers are good
but the infinite amount of beer is the thing at this saloon on the
outskirts of Dupont Circle.
Thai Chef, 1712 Connecticut Ave, NW - An intriguing blend
of seafood, vegetarian, and Thai, this is one restaurant that you
don't want to miss!
Skewers, 1633 P St., NW - A few steps above street level,
this is one of Dupont Circle's long-running bargain restaurants.
The menu is Middle Eastern, featuring entrees such as kebabs on
rice, kebabs on fettuccine, kebabs on salad or kebabs with romaine
and crisped pita topped by yogurt and pine nuts, plus a few pastas.
Georgetown
This is the area extending
from the Kennedy Center to Georgetown University. It contains many
upscale shops and restaurants.
Bistro Francais,
3128 M St., NW. - Appealing French food offered late night on weekends
for all you partiers out there.
Clyde's of Georgetown, 3236 M St., NW. - American food with
a menu that changes daily, Clyde's offers a variety that cannot
be beaten.
Au Pied Au Cochon, 1335 Wisconsin Ave, NW - French-influenced
appetizers and entrees, with the best chocolate mousse in Washington
for dessert. The prices are affordable, and it's open 24 hours/day.
Mr. Smith's of Georgetown -3104 M St., NW - American fare
with a funky atmosphere and an outdoor courtyard, Mr. Smith's also
features live local bands on weekends at no charge.
Around AU/Tenleytown
Tenleytown on Wisconsin
Avenue offers a large variety of restaurants to choose from, most
of which are within walking distance of each other.
49 Twelve Thai,
4912 Wisconsin Ave., NW - Boasting the best pad thai in town, 49
Twelve Thai has an outdoor patio for when the weather is good and
garlic chicken that can't be beaten.
Guapo's Restaurant, 4515 Wisconsin Ave., NW - Incredible
margaritas balance a menu full of traditional Tex-Mex food, including
enchiladas, fajitas, and quesadillas.
Day
Trips
Beaches: Bethany
Beach, DE and Ocean City, MD are both about three and a half hours
from DC (depending upon traffic). Take 495 East to Rt. 50 East (Note:
50 goes through DC and intersects with 495 in both MD and VA). Follow
50 East past Annapolis, over the Bay Bridge and through eastern
MD. You'll see lots of signs to both beaches.
Annapolis, MD Take a day to stroll along the brick streets
of one of America's first capitals, founded in 1649, enjoying architecture
that dates back to the 17th and 18th centuries.
Enjoy a river cruise, watch the famed sailing on the St. James River,
check out activities at the Naval Academy. For more information,
check out their website at http://www.ci.annapolis.md.us.
Take Rt. 50 East and follow the signs. Colonial Williamsburg,
VA Visit historic Williamsburg, restored to resemble the previous
capital of Virginia as it used to be three hundred years ago. See
the halls where George Washington and Patrick Henry debated. Check
out this website for more info: http://www.williamsburg.com/wol/tour/tour.html
Directions: 2-1/2 hours, 150 miles Take I-95 South to Richmond,
VA; Take I-295 South; Take I-64 East to 199 West
Amusement Parks: There
are several amusement parks within a few hours of DC in Pennsylvania
and Virginia. If you're looking for a break from DC and your studies,
check one of them out.
their friends, children, pets or simply stroll through the woods away
from the hustle and bustle of DC.