What I did not expect to see while queueing to order breakfast at a branch of Tatte bakery on my first morning in Washington DC was a leaflet listing the Rosh Hashanah offerings. So I think I fell in love with the city instantly. For all its undeniable grandeur, majesty and awesomeness, with everything on a grand scale, it is surprisingly welcoming and inclusive, and home to 400,000 Jews.
They are respectfully honoured at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, where we spent five hours enveloped in a remarkable retelling of the story we know so well but can never know well enough. The tour starts with a video of the liberation of the camps by the Americans, reminding us that we have much to be grateful to them for, but the museum does not shy away from the fact that during the war years they could have done so much more.
Our base for four action-packed days was the Conrad, located downtown just a few blocks from the White House. Rising to ten storeys, the all-glass building has spectacular city views from rooms that are spacious and well-appointed with streamlined contemporary décor and huge marble bathrooms with double vanities and Byredo toiletries.
The Sakura Club lounge gave us a really good buffet breakfast with pancakes to order, all-day snacks and an astonishing collection of Japanese whiskies, while the rooftop bar affords yet more cityscape vistas while drinking surprisingly affordable cocktails.
Bedroom at Conrad
An interesting point about the city is that no building is allowed to be taller than the needle-shaped Washington monument, so views are uninterrupted almost everywhere.
Like all good tourists in a new city, we jumped aboard the hop-on hop-off Big Bus tour to see the landmarks and get our bearings. The guide explained why each magnificent museum and government building is worth a visit, but when we went past the IRS (tax authority) headquarters, he said: “You wanna hope you never have to go in there. Their motto is: ‘We’ve got what it takes to take what you’ve got’”.
The Lincoln Memorial
We got off the bus at Arlington National Cemetery where nearly half a million fallen soldiers are buried. It’s deeply moving to see how the USA honours its dead, with row upon row of neat white headstones, meticulously laid out, across acres of green space, and also the grave of John F. Kennedy and his tragic family. There are several memorials in the city to those who have lost their lives fighting for the country, many with larger-than-life sculptures of the soldiers, and we found ourselves drawn to them and the deep sense of patriotism they evoke. But we felt this most strongly at the Lincoln Memorial, where the giant carving towered above us as we carefully read the Declaration of Independence inscribed on the wall.
Adas Israel Synagogue
On a free walking tour organised by the Capital Jewish Museum (well worth a visit) we learnt that Washington’s main synagogue, Adas Israel, has been in three different locations. Literally. It was constructed in 1908. In 1969 and then in 2016, they loaded the entire building in one piece onto a massive truck and moved it. The Jewish community has long since moved out to the ‘burbs but once upon a time there were many thriving Jewish-owned businesses in the centre, mostly furniture or fashion. Triangle Park is notable for being at the crossroads to what was once two churches and two shuls and children of attendees at all of them happily played together while their parents were at services.
Vietnam women’s memorial
Museums in Washington are mind blowing – each one so vast you could easily spend a day. They are also free to enter so we packed in as many as we could! We visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture – colloquially known as The Blacksonian – which has an entire floor dedicated to slavery and the Civil Rights movement; the National Gallery of Art within which are housed portraits of all 45 presidents (a male-dominated space!) and the fascinating National Air and Space Museum.
But we spent much time outdoors, too, in the warm autumn sunshine, clocking up tens of thousands of steps along the National Mall (no, it’s not a shopping centre – it houses all the Smithsonian museums), for this is a very walkable city.
The White House is behind rather more barriers than I recall from my last visit in the seventies, but you are allowed right inside the Capitol Building and the Supreme Court, both of which are awe-inspiring in both size and significance.
Georgetown
It’s not all wide roads and huge buildings though. In Georgetown we wandered along quaint streets with pretty shops, lots of cafes and restaurants – it’s a district that looks and feels remarkably European. From here we walked down to the The Wharf, is a new district on the water with the oldest continuously open-air fish market in the US and outdoor recreation items along the pier, murals, shopping, and lots of places to eat. The area comes alive at night with people eating outdoors and walking along the promenade.
Inspired by Phil Rosenthal on Netflix’s Somebody Feed Phil, we headed to Yellow in the Union Market area (Shoreditch vibes) which is, as he said, a great pitstop for kebab-stuffed pita on the go. This is known as the NoMa neighbourhood (North of Massachusetts). Union Market is a former grocery store-turned indoor food court with cuisine from all over the world. Close by is La Cosecha Latin American market, which has shopping and eateries as well. Nearby is the REI Flagship Store where The Beatles held their first US concert. There is a square cut-out in the ceiling that represents where the stage once stood.
The Wharf is a new district on the water with the oldest continuously open-air fish market in the US and outdoor recreation items along the pier, murals, shopping, and lots of places to eat.
Forty-layer lasagne at L’Ardente
Tatte was my favourite breakfast/pop-in-at-any-time-of-day spot and there are many across the city. It’s an Israeli-owned chain with stunning pastries, sandwiches, brunch items and drinks. We went to L’Ardente so my lasagne-obsessed husband could try the 40-layer lasagne. At $38 I thought it would be huge so ordered one to share but he claims he could easily have eaten it all himself! Other memorable dishes at this fabulous modern Italian restaurant were miniature duck and truffle ravioli and an incredibly good Caesar salad, plus the Fig Cobbler vodka cocktail – essentially dessert in a glass!
ImperfectoImperfecto is a relatively new Michelin-starred restaurant with outstanding innovation, food, presentation and service from a Venezuelan chef who peppers his cooking with Latin American style. We dined on deeply savoury lamb Moroccan cigars and an exquisitely delicate yet zesty tomato dish with white asparagus gazpacho, followed by an extremely refined steak tartare, an indulgent foie gras with shaved truffle, duck with a white sweet potato puree, and branzino with teeny chanterelles and a sunchoke (root vegetable) kebab. Dessert was a mesmerising Sauternes-poached Golden Pear.
On my first visit to Washington as a 10-year-old I was overawed by how huge everything was. And I still am. It feels like the heart of America – and it’s beating loud and clear for me.
Conrad by Hilton hilton.com
For things to see and do in Washington DC visit Destination DC at washington.org (washington.org)
For luxury airport transfers check out Blacklane blacklane.com