Washington: Pride of the Nation

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.

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.

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.

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).