The AAO returns to Washington, D.C., for its annual meeting May 1-4. With many of the most important historical monuments and museums in America within easy walking distance of the Convention Center, the nation’s capital may prove a serious distraction for orthodontists and their families. Here, in our annual preview of the convention city, JCO offers some suggestions on how to spend your time.
Climate and Transportation
Although the glorious cherry blossoms will be gone, early May should be much more pleasant than this winter’s snowstorms might indicate. Plan for highs in the low 70s and lows in the 50s, with a chance of rain.
Three major international airports are within reach of the city. Reagan National is the closest to town, with average one-way fares of $14 for either taxis or SuperShuttle. From Washington Dulles International Airport, expect to pay $60 for a cab or $29 for the shuttle. Baltimore-Washington International Airport is the farthest, with fares averaging $90 for a taxi and $37 for the shuttle.
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The Washington Metro is one of the most efficient public-transportation systems in the country. The rechargeable SmarTrip card is a convenient and economical payment method that can be purchased in advance online (www.commuterdirect.com). It also works on the DC Circulator, a bus line serving the central city.
Attractions
Old Town Trolley Tours visit all the famous monuments on both daytime and “moonlight” schedules. These tours are among many attractions included in the VISITicket (www.visiticket.com), which offers one-, two-, three-, and five-day passes. Guided walking tours are also available through Washington Walks. For a quirkier way of seeing the District, try City Segway Tours.
The Smithsonian Institution is America’s greatest collection of museums. Although most of them are located in close proximity on the National Mall, it would take much longer than four days to take in all they have to offer. Here are the highlights on display during the AAO convention period. The American Art Museum offers exhibits on “Graphic Masters”, “Framing the West: The Survey Photographs of Timothy H. O’Sullivan”, “The Art of Gaman: Arts and Crafts from the Japanese American Internment Camps”, and “Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Remembering the Running Fence”. Its Renwick Gallery branch features a permanent exhibit of American craft artists. The fascinating American History Museum offers a new show on “The Star-Spangled Banner” and a traveling display from the National Museum of African American History and Culture called “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing: How the Apollo Theater Shaped American Entertainment”. The Anacostia Community Museum has ongoing exhibits on “The African Presence in Mexico” and “Black Baseball in the District of Columbia”. The Freer Gallery of Art highlights Japanese ceramics, Chinese painting, and Whistler’s “Nocturnes”. Connected to the Freer by an underground passage, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery is a must-see for connoisseurs of Asian arts and crafts. The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is showcasing the artists John Gerrard and Chris Chong Chan Fui, along with “ColorForms” from the museum collection. The National Air and Space Museum has opened a large new facility near Dulles Airport to display the air- and spacecraft that could not be accommodated at its familiar National Mall building (a mandatory stop for children). At the National Museum of African Art is an exhibition of “Artful Animals”. The relatively new National Museum of the American Indian offers “IndiVisible: African-Native American Lives in the Americas” and “Brian Jungen: Strange Comfort”. The National Museum of Natural History is showing “A Rare Encounter: The Hope and Wittelsbach-Graff Diamonds” and “Since Darwin: The Evolution of Evolution”. The elegant National Portrait Gallery features “One Life: Echoes of Elvis” and “Portraiture Now: Communities”. The National Postal Museum presents “FDR & Stamps of the Great Depression”, “Abraham Lincoln Certified Plate Proofs”, and “An Alphabet of Philately”. Finally, the National Zoological Park is one of the world’s best zoos.

The Smithsonian Institution’s “Castle” on the National Mall. (Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution.)

The Museum of the American Indian has recently opened on the National Mall. (Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution.)

(Map courtesy of U.S. National Park Service.)
Other indispensable Washington museums are the National Gallery of Art, featuring “From Impressionism to Modernism: The Chester Dale Collection” Spanish painting and sculpture, and the art of Mark Rothko, Hendrick Avercamp, and Allen Ginsberg; the Corcoran Gallery of Art, highlighting the photography of Eadweard Muybridge; and The Phillips Collection, showing abstract works of Georgia O’Keeffe. Bibliophiles will want to visit the Folger Shakespeare Library and the Library of Congress.
More specialized attractions include Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery; the National Center for White House History at Decatur House; the Federal-period Dumbarton House in Georgetown; the Hillwood Estate, Museum, and Gardens, Marjorie Merriweather Post’s luxurious home; the International Spy Museum; the Marian Koshland Science Museum; the National Museum of Crime & Punishment; the Newseum showcase of journalism history; the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing (weekdays only, reservations required); and the U.S. National Arboretum. George Washington’s home, the Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens, features a display of Washington’s denture and last tooth.
Performing Arts
Spring is prime time for concerts and plays in Washington; half-price tickets can be purchased as available at TicketPlace (www.ticketplace.org). The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts offers a full slate of performances, highlighted by W.A. Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro from the Washington National Opera (April 24-May 7). The National Symphony Orchestra presents the superb French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet in a new work by Guillaume Connesson and the Concerto for the Left Hand by Maurice Ravel (April 29-May 1). Also at the Kennedy Center are the Biava Quartet in “An Evening of French Jewish Music” (April 29), Shen Wei Dance Arts from China (April 29-30), cabaret singer Laura Benanti (April 30), a celebration of the centennial of Broadway composer Frank Loesser (May 3), cellist Zuill Bailey and pianist Orion Weiss (May 4), and the long-running “comedy whodunit” Shear Madness.
Other chamber-music performances include the Jack Quartet at Coolidge Auditorium in the Library of Congress (April 30), the Ariel Quartet at the Corcoran Gallery (May 2), and mezzosoprano Anna Radziejewska and pianist Mariusz Rutkowski at The Kreeger Museum (May 5). The magnificent Washington National Cathedral offers tours and exhibits, a lecture by author Isabel Allende (April 30), and 12:30 p.m. organ demonstrations on Mondays and Wednesdays. In a series leading up to this summer’s national convention of the American Guild of Organists, National City Christian Church is presenting a recital by David Chalmers (April 30). Rock-music fans can take in Dire Straits guitarist-songwriter Mark Knopfler with singer Pieta Brown at The Warner Theatre (May 2).
On the stage, the Folger Elizabethan Theatre offers Shakespeare’s Hamlet, while the Shakespeare Theatre Company presents Pierre Corneille’s The Liar and a remote-video performance of Alan Bennett’s new play, The Habit of Art, from the National Theatre of London (May 3). The historic Ford’s Theatre, in addition to offering tours (by reservation), features a dramatic reimagination of Lincoln’s assassination in a Richard Hellesen play called One Destiny. The Studio Theatre performs Neil LaBute’s Reasons to Be Pretty (through May 2).
Musical-theater offerings include Harvey Fierstein in Fiddler on the Roof at The National Theatre, Little Shop of Horrors at Ford’s Theatre, and Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies at Arena Stage in the Lincoln Theatre. For live jazz, visit the Bohemian Caverns or the HR-57 Center for the Preservation of Jazz & Blues. Outside the city, the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts presents singer-songwriter John McCutcheon (April 29), fiddler Bonnie Rideout (April 30), and its “23rd Annual Evening of Comedy” (May 1). Washington’s best-known comedy troupe, the Capitol Steps, performs every Friday and Saturday in the Amphitheater inside the Ronald Reagan Building, while visiting comics can be seen at the DC Improv.

Washington National Cathedral, the sixth largest cathedral in the world, constructed between 1907 and 1990. (Photo © Bill Jonscher, Dreamstime.com.)
Restaurants and Nightlife
Restaurant recommendations are provided by our sister publication, Sommelier Journal. As a world capital, Washington offers excellent examples of many regional cuisines.
The landmark Equinox plans to reopen in April, under chef Todd Gray, after a devastating fire. Similarly eclectic American fare can be found at CityZen in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Nora in Dupont Circle, Palena in Cleveland Park, and Proof in the Penn Quarter. More traditional menus are combined with outstanding wine lists at Charlie Palmer Steak and The Jockey Club.
Georgetown’s venerable Citronelle tops the list of French restaurants, followed by the Flemish-influenced Marcel’s. The innovative Komi in Dupont Circle and the Greek Cava Mezze on Capitol Hill are the Mediterranean standard-bearers. Other ethnic leaders are the northern Italian Tosca and the Indian Rasika, both in the Penn Quarter. Best seafood restaurants are Kinkead’s in Foggy Bottom and BlackSalt in the Palisades.
For late-night live music and drinks, try Blues Alley, Eighteenth Street Lounge, Local 16, Madam’s Organ Restaurant and Bar, Marvin, The Red & the Black Bar, The Rock and Roll Hotel, or The Zoo Bar Café. Theme-oriented establishments include the Metropolitain Champagne Bar in the Napoleon Bistro & Lounge and The Brickskeller Dining House & Down Home Saloon, which boasts the world’s largest beer selection.
Sports and Recreation
The Washington Nationals return home for a series with the Atlanta Braves at the charming Nationals Park May 4-6. During the convention, the Washington Capitals are likely to be involved in NHL playoffs at the Verizon Center. Outdoor enthusiasts should check out the Rock Creek Park Nature Center and Planetarium or the Thompson Boat Center, both close to downtown.
The golf season will be in full swing by early May. Top metro-area public-access layouts include Augustine Golf Course in Stafford, Va.; Lansdowne Resort in Lansdowne, Va.; Stonewall Golf Club in Gainesville, Va.; Swan Point Yacht & Country Club in Swan Point, Md.; the TPC at Avenel in Potomac, Md.; and Westfields Golf Club in Clifton, Va.
Shopping
Prime shopping districts in the Washington area are downtown’s Gallery Place (in Chinatown) and the Old Post Office Pavilion (in a 315-foot clock tower); Barracks Row, including the Beaux Arts Union Station; Chevy Chase, Md., featuring the new Collection at Chevy Chase; Dupont Circle, offering bookstores and boutiques; Friendship Heights, with the Mazza Gallerie; Georgetown, including The Shops at Georgetown Park; and the massive Tysons Corner Center in McLean, Va.
Leading galleries include Connor Contemporary Art, Govinda Gallery (pop and folk art, Foggy Bottom), Hemphill Fine Arts (contemporary), Industry Gallery (modern industrial), The Old Print Gallery (Georgetown), Studio Gallery (contemporary), and Susquehanna Antique Company (Georgetown).

Dupont Circle, a cosmopolitan neighborhood of historic homes, restaurants, bookstores, and galleries. (Photo © Christopher Howey, Dreamstime.com.)

Kayakers enjoy an early evening on the Potomac River at Georgetown Bridge. (Photo © Charles Knox; Dreamstime.com.)
DIRECTORY
Attractions | Address* | Phone** |
American Art Museum | Eighth and F Streets N.W. | (202) 633-1000 |
Anacostia Community Museum | 1901 Fort Place S.E. | (202) 633-4820 |
Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial Arlington National Cemetery, | Arlington, VA | (703) 235-1530 |
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery | 1050 Independence Ave. S.W. | (202) 633-1000 |
City Segway Tours | 624 9th St. N.W. | (877) 734-8687 |
Corcoran Gallery of Art | 500 17th St. N.W. | (202) 639-1700 |
Decatur House | 748 Jackson Place N.W. | (202) 842-0915 |
Dumbarton House | 2715 Q St. N.W. | (202) 337-2288 |
Folger Shakespeare Library | 201 E. Capitol St. S.E. | (202) 544-7077 |
Freer Gallery of Art | Jefferson Dr. and 12th St. S.W. | (202) 633-1000 |
Hillwood Estate, Museum, and Gardens | 4155 Linnean Ave. N.W. | (202) 686-8500 |
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden | Independence Ave. and 7th St. S.W. | (202) 633-1000 |
International Spy Museum | 800 F St. N.W. | (202) EYE-SPY-U |
Library of Congress | First St. S.E. and Independence Ave. | (202) 707-9779 |
Marian Koshland Science Museum | Sixth and E Streets N.W. | (202) 334-1201 |
Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens | 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy, Mount Vernon, VA | (703) 780-2000 |
National Air and Space Museum | (National Mall) Independence Ave. and 7th St. S.W. | (202) 633-2214 |
(Udvar-Hazy Center) | 14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway, Chantilly, VA | (703) 572-4118 |
National Gallery of Art and Sculpture Garden | Fourth St. and Constitution Ave. N.W. | (202) 737-4215 |
National Museum of African Art | 950 Independence Ave. S.W. | (202) 633-4600 |
National Museum of American History | 1400 Constitution Ave. N.W. | (202) 633-1000 |
National Museum of Crime & Punishment | 575 Seventh St. N.W. | (202) 393-1099 |
National Museum of Natural History | Tenth St. and Constitution Ave. N.W. | (202) 633-1000 |
National Museum of the American Indian | Fourth St. and Independence Ave. S.W. | (202) 633-1000 |
National Portrait Gallery | Eighth and F Streets N.W. | (202) 633-8300 |
National Postal Museum | 2 Massachusetts Ave. N.E. | (202) 633-5555 |
National Zoological Park | 3001 Connecticut Ave. N.W. | (202) 633-4800 |
Newseum | 555 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. | (202) 292-6100 |
Old Town Trolley Tours | 2640 Reed St. N.W. | (202) 832-9800 |
The Phillips Collection | 1600 21st St. N.W. | (202) 387-2151 |
Renwick Gallery | 1661 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. | (202) 633-7970 |
Smithsonian Institution Information Center (The Castle) | 1000 Jefferson Dr. S.W. | (202) 633-1000 |
U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing | 14th and C Streets S.W. | (202) 874-2330 |
U.S. National Arboretum | 3501 New York Ave. N.E. | (202) 245-2726 |
Washington Walks | 819 G St. S.W. | (202) 484-1565 |
Performing Arts | ||
Bohemian Caverns | 2001 11th St. N.W. | (202) 299-0800 |
DC Improv | 1140 Connecticut Ave. N.W. | (202) 296-7008 |
Ford’s Theatre | 511 Tenth St. N.W. | (202) 347-4833 |
HR-57 Center for the Preservation of Jazz & Blues | 1610 14th St. N.W. | (202) 667-3700 |
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | 2700 F St. N.W. | (202) 467-4600 |
The Kreeger Museum | 2401 Foxhall Road N.W. | (202) 338-3552 |
Library of Congress, Coolidge Auditorium | First St. S.E. and Independence Ave. | (202) 707-5502 |
Lincoln Theatre | 1215 U St. N.W. | (202) 328-6000 |
National City Christian Church | 5 Thomas Circle N.W. | (202) 232-0323 |
The National Theatre | 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. | (202) 628-6161 |
Ronald Reagan Building Amphitheater | 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. | (202) 397-SEAT |
Shakespeare Theatre Company | 610 F St. N.W. | (202) 547-1122 |
The Studio Theatre | 1501 14th St. N.W. | (202) 332-3300 |
The Warner Theatre | 1299 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. | (202) 783-4000 |
Washington National Cathedral | 3001 Wisconsin Ave. N.W. | (202) 364-6616 |
Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts | 1635 Trap Road, Vienna, VA | (703) 255-1900 |
Restaurants and Nightlife | ||
BlackSalt | 4883 MacArthur Blvd. N.W. | (202) 342-9101 |
Blues Alley Jazz Supper Club | 1073 Wisconsin Ave. N.W. | (202) 337-4141 |
The Brickskeller Dining House & Down Home Saloon | 1523 22nd St. N.W. | (202) 293-1885 |
Cava Mezze | 527 Eighth St. S.E. | (202) 543-9090 |
Charlie Palmer Steak | 101 Constitution Ave. N.W. | (202) 547-8100 |
Citronelle | 3000 M St. N.W. | (202) 726-5000 |
CityZen | 1330 Maryland Ave. S.W. | (202) 554-8588 |
Eighteenth Street Lounge | 1212 18th St. N.W. | (202) 466-3922 |
Equinox | 818 Connecticut Ave. N.W. | (202) 331-8118 |
The Jockey Club | 2100 Massachusetts Ave. N.W. | (202) 835-2100 |
Kinkead’s | 2000 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. | (202) 296-7700 |
Komi | 1509 17th St. N.W. | (202) 332-9200 |
Local 16 | 1602 U St. N.W. | (202) 265-2828 |
Madam’s Organ Restaurant and Bar | 2461 18th St. N.W. | (202) 667-5370 |
Marcel’s | 2401 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. | (202) 296-1166 |
Marvin | 2007 14th St. N.W. | (202) 797-7171 |
Metropolitain Champagne Bar | 1847 Columbia Road N.W. | (202) 299-9630 |
Nora | 2132 Florida Ave. N.W. | (202) 462-5143 |
Palena | 3529 Connecticut Ave. N.W. | (202) 537-9250 |
Proof | 775 G St. N.W. | (202) 737-7663 |
Rasika | 633 D St. N.W. | (202) 637-1222 |
The Red & the Black Bar | 1212 H St. N.E. | (202) 399-3201 |
The Rock and Roll Hotel | 1353 H St. N.E. | (202) 388-ROCK |
Tosca | 1112 F St. N.W. | (202) 367-1990 |
The Zoo Bar Café | 3000 Connecticut Ave. N.W. | (202) 232-4225 |
Sports and Recreation | ||
Augustine Golf Course | 76 Monument Drive, Stafford, VA | (540) 720-7374 |
Lansdowne Resort | 44050 Woodridge Parkway, Lansdowne, VA | (703) 729-4071 |
Rock Creek Park Nature Center and Planetarium | 5200 Glover Road N.W. | (202) 895-6070 |
Stonewall Golf Club | 15601 Turtle Point Drive, Gainesville, VA | (703) 753-5101 |
Swan Point Yacht & Country Club | 11550 Swan Point Blvd., Swan Point, MD | (301) 259-0047 |
Thompson Boat Center | 2900 Virginia Ave. N.W. | (202) 333-9543 |
TPC Potomac at Avenel | 10000 Oaklyn Drive, Potomac, MD | (301) 469-3700 |
Washington Capitals | Verizon Center, 601 F St. N.W. | (202) 737-9838 |
Washington Nationals | 1500 S. Capitol St. S.E. | (202) 675-NATS |
Westfields Golf Club | 13940 Balmoral Greens Ave., Clifton, VA | (703) 631-3300 |
Shopping and Galleries | ||
Collection at Chevy Chase | 5471 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase, MD | (301) 654-2292 |
Connor Contemporary Art | 1358 Florida Ave. N.E. | (202) 588-8750 |
Gallery Place | 701 Seventh St. N.W. | (202) 393-2121 |
Govinda Gallery | 1227 34th St. N.W. | (202) 333-1180 |
Hemphill Fine Arts | 1515 14th St. N.W. | (202) 234-5601 |
Industry Gallery | 1358 Florida Ave. N.E. | (202) 399-1730 |
Mazza Gallerie | 5300 Wisconsin Ave. N.W. | (202) 966-6114 |
Old Post Office Pavilion | 1100 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. | (202) 289-4225 |
The Old Print Gallery | 1220 31st St. N.W. | (202) 965-1818 |
The Shops at Georgetown Park | 3222 M St. N.W. | (202) 342-8190 |
Studio Gallery | 2108 R St. N.W. | (202) 232-8734 |
Susquehanna Antique Company | 3216 O St. N.W. | (202) 333-1511 |
Tysons Corner Center | 1961 Chain Bridge Road, McLean, VA (703) | 847-7300 |
Union Station | 50 Massachusetts Ave. N.E. | (202) 289-1908 |
*Washington, D.C., unless otherwise specified.
**10-digit dialing required.