Traveling for business doesn’t mean you can’t have any fun. These great hotels offer all the business traveler staples — comfortable beds, up-to-date technology, and solid fitness centers — as well popular after-work or nightlife scenes. Unwinding after a day of meetings doesn’t have to mean room service and reruns (though that’s an option, too); these hotels offer guests a night out on the town right downstairs. So go ahead — have fun like it’s your job.
Bar Basque at the Eventi
Hot Spots: An outdoor BeerParc with gourmet food stands, and tapas and cocktails at the lively, ultra-modern Bar Basque
The Business Staples: Four gourmet to-go restaurants from Jeffrey Chodorow at Food Parc; 20,000 square feet of event space; and room service, a business center, and fitness center open around-the-clock
The Bottom Line: A stylish lobby, big, beautiful rooms with Frette sheets and 37-inch flat-screens, and gourmet to-go fare at Jeffrey Chodorow’s Food Parc make this 292-room Kimpton the best hotel in a developing pocket of northern Chelsea. It offers easy access to the tourist sites, and FoodParc, BeerParc, and Bar Basque are all local hot spots. Read More »
LGBT popular shows such as Real World DC (with the overexposed token queer, Mike Manning), Real Housewives of DC (party crashing anyone?) and Top Chef DC (highlighting the city’s growing foodie scene) have helped peak a global GLBT travel interest in our nation’s capital. Much like its new TV persona, DC is a happening place for the latest and greatest hotel, restaurant, nightlife, and overall social trends.
Sou’Wester. The gay-friendly Mandarin Oriental DC recently welcomed acclaimed Chef Eddie Moran to partake in the growing regional trend of mid-Atlantic comfort food with Sou’Wester, a decadent eating extravaganza celebrated by power brokers, policy makers, and DC socialites. This is one restaurant where the gay boys don’t count carbs and fat grams; in fact, they shovel in the cornbread, the oysters, the Grilled North Carolina Shrimp Cheddar Cheese Grits, and the Sautéed Chesapeake Bay Rockfish like a gluttonous Kirstie Allie captured binging on a tabloid cover (pre-Dancing with the Stars, of course).
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Union Station food court in Washington, D.C.
There is no doubt that when you visits Washington, D.C., you will have various choices of great restaurants. But what do you do when you just want to grab a quick bite (that doesn’t break the bank) and you have your little rascals in tow? Food courts are family-friendly and affordable alternatives to restaurant dining, and the food can be delicious! Check out these four food courts that are within walking distance of D.C. attractions:
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POV at the W Washington DC, where the all-natural libations are made with fresh fruits & vegetables
The always inventive mixologists at several chic DC-area hotel bars are shaking things up with cocktails that feature organic spirits, homemade fruit purees, and locally grown veggies and herbs. Here are our top picks:
1. Juniper at The Fairmont Hotel serves five “Going Green” organic cocktails featuring herbs from the hotel’s courtyard garden and regionally grown fruits. “Feeling Blue,” for example, is made with Blue Coat Organic Gin, courtyard grown cilantro, Virginia blueberries, housemade simple syrup, and club soda. There are also several cocktails made with honey harvested from the Italian honey bees that make the hotel’s rooftop their home such as the Bee-tini made with Belvedere Pomrancza vodka and honey mixed with fresh grapefruit juice, mint, and grenadine.
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