Getaways

getaways

A Capital Weekend

>>Celebrate elections this month with a perfectly timed escape to our nation's capital. Summer throngs have departed, the weather is mild, and power-as always-is in the air in Washington, D.C.

SEE: Check in at your favorite monument (Jefferson, Lincoln, Washington, Vietnam, etc.), of course. But culture melds with history here, so visit the National Gallery of Art (www.nga.gov) and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (www.kennedy-center.org) for an incredible lineup of dance, symphony and special events. To see what's in your wallet's future, The Bureau of Engraving and Printing has a free tour where you can watch money roll hot off the presses.

STAY: Be an insider at the Willard InterContinental (www.washington.intercontinental.com). For 150 years, it's been the D.C. power center. If these beaux arts walls could talk . well, they do; check out the historic exhibits throughout. Cocktail at the Round Robin bar, toasting Mark Twain, John Philip Sousa-and the movers and shakers at the next table. Then segue to the Willard Room for dinner, where the amiable Francisco is the best maitre d' in the city. Recharge in the hotel's new I Spa.

DINE: Assuming you've already made Francisco's acquaintance, take a delicious detour to CityZen (www.mandarin­oriental.com). Chef Eric Ziebold, formerly of the French Laundry, pleases celebs and just-folks alike with his modern take on American culinary traditions. For a food-future journey, book one of six seats at minibar (www.cafeatlantico.com). The $95 mini-course menu (30 to 35 of them, including foie gras wrapped in cotton candy) will give you culinary bragging rights for years.

SHOP: Georgetown has upscale shopping and singular boutiques in a historic setting. The Shops at Georgetown Park (www.shopsatgeorgetownpark.com) include Anthropologie, INTERMIX and other cutting-edge emporiums. For shoe-holics, M Street's Hu's Shoes is a must-visit.

INSIDER'S TIP: D.C.'s monuments have free admission, as do the 15 Smithsonian museums (www.si.edu). Go off-Mall for the free self-guided tours on Cultural Tourism DC's neighborhood heritage trails (www.culturaltourismdc.org). Discover the city's melting-pot enclaves that few tourists see.

-Mary Alice Kellogg