By Diane Selkirk
With options that range from world-class museums, to quiet spots for contemplation, DC has it all.
In Exile on a hidden Island:
Theodore Roosevelt Island is quiet gem hidden within a busy city. Most visitors are surprised to find a large wilderness in the centre of the city, but locals have been enjoying the Island’s tranquility and te car-free environment since it was established in 1932. The 88-acre island lies between the Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts and the Rosslyn area of Arlington, Virginia. Most of the island is undeveloped, and there are several hiking trails that provide pleasant walks. To reach the island take a short footbridge from the Virginia side of the river.
http://www.nps.gov/this/index.htm
Express Your Opinion:
Mingle with locals and visitors in DC’s most enduring independent bookstore. Politics and Prose offers the option - enjoy a book privately while visiting the store and coffee house, or check the schedule and join a book club discussion or program. The events are free and ongoing. You may get lucky and meet one of your favourite authors – feel free to express how you feel about their books.
http://www.politics-prose.com
A place for you – Exorcise:
Walk through the sculpture garden at the Hirshhorn Museum until one of the sculptures calls to you. The 60 works range from traditionally styled figures by artists such as Auguste Rodin, to unflinchingly abstract pieces by Alexander Calder and Mark di Suvero. Then spend a moment; read, think, have lunch or even photograph or sketch the piece that attracts you. The garden is a great place to recharge and relax after spending time seeing all the attractions DC has to offer. It is quite, rarely busy and feels deeply personal.
Explore a Country Road:
Set out from the hustle of Washington DC and the modern, congested freeway will give way to a more genial era: stately Greek revival style mansions, slumbering cattle, and welcoming vineyards. With dozens of farm gate wineries and six grape growing regions to choose from, you can sample the wines of the region and tour wineries – while enjoying Virginia’s rich history.
One of my favourite wineries is Piedmont. With a faded peach façade, fronted by imposing square columns, walking up to the plantation house (some of its structure dating back to 1730) causes the sensation of having changed centuries.
http://www.virginiawineguide.com/
