WHERE TO STAY IN WASHINGTON
Trueblood, Carol
Where to Stay in Washington Washington is a popular site for the annual get-togethers of practically every profession, organization, and public interest group, perhaps because it’s where decisions...
...discounts to government employees and other groups...
...Suites, $120 and up...
...Go to Gaylord’s, 1731 Connecticut, for a wide choice of good curries...
...While the rates are a bit lower than the Shoreham or Hilton, there’s a catch-especially if you like to sleep past 8 or 9 a.m...
...The Junkanoo, 1629 Connecticut Ave., is probably the only place in town where you can hear calypso music, and also the only place that can claim it was the first stop Wilbur Mills made on his way to the Tidal Basin...
...Because the hotel is situated on a hill, many rooms have a wonderful view overlooking the city...
...Avignone Freres was formerly a bakery and catering service, but now serves its delicious pastries, pates, salads, and other light delicacies at brunch, lunch and dinner in a charming tea room atmosphere...
...Shoreham Americana, 2500 Calvert St., N.W., 234-0700...
...David Lee’s Empress, 1875 Connecticut, is known for its large portions and the Peking duck you can get without ordering in advance...
...Right next door flamenco dancers entertain guests at El Bodegon, 1637 R St., a good, solid Spanish restaurant...
...Singles, $44-$68 (the better the view, the higher the rate...
...The Italians are well represented at both Pettito’s, 2653 Connecticut, and Caffe Italiano, 351 6 Connecticut-simple, homey restaurants serving good, simple Italian food...
...The Motor Inn, just across the street from the Shoreham, has a modern decor and is convenient for those who want easier access to their car during their stay...
...The hour and the jazz combo will help you forget that $4.75 is a lot for a not great small pizza...
...But that’s no cause for despair, for there are plenty of other options once you step outside...
...Children under 14 free...
...While it’s located closer to town and doesn’t offer the pastoral setting of the other two hotels, the Hilton has some other advantages...
...come across L’Escargot, 3309 ConnecticQt, or Avignone Freres, 1777 Columbia Rd,, you won’t be disappointed...
...On to the Far East...
...The hotels are located in one of Washington’s most delightful and colorful neighborhoods-and that’s reflected in the numerous restaurants in the area...
...Csiko’s, 3601 Connecticut, open only for dinner, serves great Hungarian dishes, enhanced by a violinist and dulcimer player strolling through the 1930s decor...
...The rooms are spacious and attractively furnished in traditional style (some with fireplaces-although non-working...
...Yenching Palace, 3524 Connecticut, is uneven but worth a try-the dumplings, in particular, are quite good...
...They’re also worth knowing about if you’re coming to Washington for other purposes, alone or with family, for they have some advantages-a wide range of services (all have shops, recreational facilities, and special rates not often available in motels or the smaller hotels) and a location away from the bustle, yet very convenient for downtown shopping might be attendi F, g is at one or all of the following hotels-the city’s three largestand Washington sight-seehg...
...The pool and daylnight tennis courts are open in season, the locker room with sauna yearround...
...the sauna year-round...
...Here you can jog before breakfast around the 1 I-acre park-like grounds or, if you’ve a room with a balcony, just sit and enjoy the view...
...Just a few blocks’ walk up Columbia Road from the Hilton you find yourself in the Latin American community and in front of the Omega, 1856 Columbia Rd., where the line probably will be extending out the door, waiting for a chance to enjoy the simple, inexpensive, very authentic Cuban dishes (lots of black beans and rice, and chicken and seafood...
...Several good package and family plans...
...Regardless of where you stay, you have a health club with exercise machines and sauna at your disposal and a free shuttle that will take you to the Mall near t h e W a s h i n g t o n M o n u m e n t . T h e following rates apply to all sections: Singles, $42-$5 1; Doubles, $54-$63...
...Renovation and re-decorating is nearly completed, with some of the rooms and suites furnished with antique furniture and art objects...
...Parking $3.40 per night...
...And if you’ve been craving some genuine goulash, you can have it...
...The rooms are smaller, but all are bright and attractive, with refrigerators and closed circuit TV movies...
...discounts for retirees, government employees, students and faculty, and other groups...
...Where to Stay in Washington Washington is a popular site for the annual get-togethers of practically every profession, organization, and public interest group, perhaps because it’s where decisions are made and funds alloca ed that affect their well-being...
...At L’Escargot, you’ll find inexpensive wines and some very good provincial dishes, although served with more efficiency than grace...
...In the meantime request accommodations in either of the other two buildings...
...Some other places to go for Latin food: La Paella, 2637 Connecticut Ave., serves good Argentinian as well as Spanish dishes, but if they fail the Sangria and Argentinian folk decor compensate...
...N.W., 265-2000...
...The opposite is true at Roma, 3419 Connecticut, where the overdone garden decor and background music have given the cuisine the back seat...
...The adult and kiddie pools, day/ night tennis courts, and accompanying Gazebo outdoor cafe are open as long as the weather permits...
...The one Japanese restaurant, Tokyo Sukiyaki, 1736 Connecticut, leaves a bit to be desired, and we’d suggest instead goingjust a few blocks away to La Fregate, 2020 Florida Ave., for some very good Vietnamese dishes...
...All three hotels have the usual supply of coffee shops, cafes, restaurants, and quick food shops, but they are, for the most part, ordinary hotel stock-the food ranges from mediocre to good and the prices range from overpriced to way overpriced...
...Of the three Chinese restaurants, Chin’s, 2614 Connecticut, is definitely last choice...
...discounts for embassies, government employees, unions, and other groups...
...Limousines to Dulles and National Airports stop hourly, and it’s just a few minutes walk to the subway station...
...At El Caribe, 1828 Columbia, you can dip into South American and Mexican dishes as well, in a more elaborate setting for a bit higher prices...
...Parking $4.50 per night...
...Suites, $90-$180...
...You’ve also got a wide choice of Middle East restaurants...
...and the report is that the consistency of Mama Ayesha’s cous-cous and other dishes at the Calvert Cafe, 1967 Calvert, is becoming uneven...
...Most of these places can be honestly called neighborhood restaurants-they don’t have the pretensions of many of the restaurants downtown, nor the extravagant prices of so many Georgetown restaurants...
...At La Fonda, 1639 R St., you’ll find fairly standard Mexican fare (heavy on enchiladas), accompanied by guitar and harp musicians...
...Carol Trueblood...
...or have claustrophobic tendencies...
...Sheraton Park, 2660 Woodley Rd...
...The Wardman Tower is the historic apartment/ hotel that has housed Vice Presidents, Supreme Court Justices, and other officials over the past 50 years...
...N. W., 483-3000...
...Singles, $48-$64...
...A few doors up you’ll find fewer crowds but still verygood, reasonable Cuban food at El Dorado, 1832 Columbia...
...You have to do some real scouting to find a good French restaurant in this area, but when yau...
...Children under 18 free...
...Parking $3 per night...
...Doubles, $62-$78...
...The traditional Greek dishes at the Greek Village, 1712 Connecticut, are also good (plus belly dancer upstairs at dinnertime...
...Suites, $954295...
...This is a complex of three buildings-the main Sheraton Park Hotel, the Wardman Tower, and the Sheraton Motor Inn...
...There is an ethnic flavor to many of the restaurants in the Connecticut Avenue area-and at prices that are almost always reasonable...
...There’s a good chance a meeting you located within a few blocks of each other, uptown, on Connecticut Avenue near Rock Creek Park...
...All children free, regardless of age, if in the same room with a parent...
...Built in the 1960s, the hotel has an up-to-date, contemporary air throughout...
...As a last choice, ask for front rooms in the main hotel, which hasn’t been kept in tiptop decorator shape due to its imminent demise...
...Doubles, $59-$83...
...Washington Hilton, 1919 Connecticut Ave...
...Khyber Pass, 2309 Calvert, is just OK...
...It’s the 900-room Sheraton Washington going up just a few yards behind the main hotel, which will be torn down on completion of the new building next summer...
...The best time to try Anna Maria’s, 1737 Connecticut, is Saturday night at 2 a.m., when everyplace else is closing and you’ve still got two more hours of energy left...
...The best ratings go to Arabian Nights, 2915 Connecticut...
Vol. 10 • November 1978 • No. 8
