District of Celebrity

A trip to the nation’s capital is not complete without stops at some of the magnificent memorials scattered throughout the city, which honor everyone from former presidents to slain journalists. But many visitors leave unfulfilled if all they see is bricks and mortar--and no flesh-and-blood representations of official Washington.

These days, of course, Washington newsmakers can range from a white-haired senator with a penchant for quoting Cicero to a 20-something intern who received a book of Walt Whitman poetry from the president.

There are no star maps hawked along Pennsylvania Avenue pointing out the living quarters of this cabinet secretary or the favorite hangout of that national security advisor. But there are plenty of ways for visitors to get close to politicos--without ever having to write a hefty check to their campaigns.

Just as handy as a star map is a paperback called “Celebrity Washington: Who They Are, Where They Live, and Why They’re Famous” by Jan Pottker (Writer’s Cramp Books) that lists home addresses of Washington’s glitterati, everyone from CNN anchor Frank Sesno (Reston, Va.) to Clinton attorney David Kendall (Bethesda, Md.) to Atty. Gen. Janet Reno (Downtown D.C.). With this slim volume as a guide, a visitor might see columnist George Will mowing the front lawn of his Chevy Chase, Md., home, presidential wannabe Jack Kemp playing touch football at his place in Bethesda, Md., or veteran journalist Helen Thomas hustling from her Woodley Park apartment to a White House briefing.

Simple laws of probability make the Capitol the best place to see politicians in action. Your hometown congressperson’s office is one place worth a stop. If that leaves you unfulfilled, keep your eyes open for the three Kennedys--Sen. Edward, Rep. Joseph and Rep. Patrick. Or the familiar face of Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.), whose credits include starring roles in the 1990 movie “The Hunt for Red October” and--a bit less riveting--the Senate’s hearings into campaign fund-raising abuses. Just the other day, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright briefed members of the Senate on the situation in Iraq. The session itself was in a secret chamber inaccessible to the public, but scores of excited tourists let out a cheer when they spotted her walking by.

There are free tours through the Capitol that allow visitors to watch the floor debate in both the House and the Senate--which amounts to a more panoramic view of what C-SPAN broadcasts every day. For more face-to-face contact, stroll the corridors of the building studying the dark-suited passersby. One prime spot in which to dawdle is near the subways that carry lawmakers from their offices to the House and Senate floors for votes--but be ready to be shooed away by a police officer. Also try the sidewalk outside, where you may see House Speaker Newt Gingrich commuting on foot in the morning from his nearby apartment.

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Beyond the confines of Congress, remember that history is made in the oddest of places. When the sun is shining, cooped-up lawmakers sometimes make deals on benches along the Reflecting Pool. Spies have passed state secrets in the restaurants lining M Street in Georgetown. (See “Undercover Washington: Touring the Sites Where Famous Spies Lived, Worked, and Loved” by Pamela Kessler [EPM Publications] for a description of real-life spy spots.) Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward revealed the identity of his secret source “Deep Throat” to his editor, Ben Bradlee, on a bench in McPherson Square, the small park in between the Washington Post and the White House.

The Watergate complex is a must see, and not just because of its central role in the Nixon scandal and his resignation; former White House intern Monica Lewinsky lives in a first-floor condominium there. Last week, a gaggle of photographers were waiting outside the lobby for her eventual escape, although they had missed her backdoor visits to the Watergate’s underground supermarket, drugstore and hair salon. In a Washington moment extraordinaire, former Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole, a neighbor of Lewinsky’s at the Watergate, the other day sent some doughnuts out to the media camp.

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Scandal is the specialty of the Gross National Product comedy troupe, which conducts “scandal tours” of spots throughout the capital that are connected with one lurid story or another. The 75-minute bus rides are led by three actors who transform themselves into scandalous characters from U.S. political history. In order to take more immediate advantage of all the current controversy, the $75-per-person tours will begin this year on March 15 instead of the usual April 1. New characters this season: Gennifer Flowers and Paula Corbin Jones, two women who have accused the president of sexual misdeeds, and Independent Counsel Kenneth W. Starr, the prosecutor hot on the scandal trail.

Also worth checking out is the Willard Inter-Continental Hotel on Pennsylvania Ave., of which Nathaniel Hawthorne once remarked: “You exchange nods with governors of sovereign states; you elbow illustrious men, and tread on the toes of generals. . . .” President Ulysses S. Grant used to walk to the hotel from the White House, although he was annoyed by all the people in the lobby anxious to bend his ear. Thus was born the term “lobbyist.” You can see real-life lobbyists these days working out of their plush offices along K Street.

At the Supreme Court, justices are known to take lunchtime strolls around their building, perhaps mulling the cases they will resolve later in the afternoon. Tourists, too busy fumbling with their maps, usually hustle by them on their way to the generic Supreme Court tour.

While the justices stroll, many others in official Washington jog. At lunchtime, VIPs of all stripes huff and puff around the Washington Monument, and, at the crack of dawn, on the trails in and around Rock Creek Park--sometimes with Secret Service agents following along. One word of caution: As President Bill Clinton has demonstrated, a politician can look quite different in shorts and a T-shirt. Starr, Clinton’s chief nemesis these days, once said his favorite early morning jogging route took him past Pimmit Run, a creek near his home in McLean, Va. He said he sometimes stops by the creek and prays. Clinton, meanwhile, prays at Foundry United Methodist Church, among other local houses of worship.

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If you prefer to see newsmakers in full uniform, stop by the Pentagon and keep your eyes peeled. With the situation heating up in Iraq, the Pentagon is a hotbed of activity. Nearby is the Ritz-Carlton Hotel at Pentagon City, where former sports commentator Marv Albert had his late-night misadventure last year and where Pentagon employee Linda Tripp secretly taped Lewinsky during a sting monitored by the FBI. Tripp took her tapes to Starr, who is now in the midst of an investigation of their contents. To see the parade of witnesses called to testify before the grand jury as part of the investigation, join the reporters milling around outside the U.S. District Courthouse at 3rd and Constitution Ave. in Washington. Recent sightings: former White House advisors Leon Panetta and George Stephanopoulos and the president’s secretary, Betty Currie.

Washington’s restaurants are another prime spot for sightseeing. Although the city has a host of power eateries where the banter ranges from Bosnia to the budget, the Palm, on 19th Street N.W., and the Oval Room, on Connecticut Avenue, are two places where you are sure to see the faces of official Washington. After all, besides attracting a stream of politicians, both places have painted portraits of the powerful on their walls.

If these tips fail you, if your departure date is nearing and the only place you’ve seen a politician is on your hotel room TV, fear not. Try picking up a copy of the Washington Times, which is sold for a quarter on street corners. Take a look at “Washington Daybook,” the newspaper’s listing of official Washington’s schedule for the day. It includes Clinton’s whereabouts, House and Senate sessions and, most importantly for those in search of Washington’s players, every major press conference scheduled that day. Many of these news conferences are open to all comers--even camera-toting tourists.

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On a recent Monday, you could have stopped by a morning speech by drug czar Barry McCaffrey at the Washington Court Hotel (525 New Jersey Ave., NW). Also available for snapshots were Ricardo Martinez, administrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, who attended a program at Planet Hollywood at 1101 Pennsylvania Ave., and Madeleine Albright, who discussed NATO enlargement at the American Enterprise Institute (1150 17th St., NW).

There are few press conferences on Sundays, but official Washington remains in high gear. By waiting outside the network television studios on Sunday mornings, tourists can spot the talk show guests, some of Washington’s top-shelf talent, coming and going. Try the ABC News Washington Bureau, where guests appearing on “This Week With Sam and Cokie” often shake hands on the way out.

One word of caution. Rubbing shoulders with Washington’s elite could conceivably turn you into a political sensation in your own right. An example: Senate investigators believe a White House aide may have held a secret meeting at the Palm with a Democratic fund-raiser now under indictment. If you had been chomping on a steak at the next table that day, and eavesdropping a bit, you might have been called as a star witness at the Senate campaign fund-raising hearings. And tourists might then be ogling you.

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GUIDEBOOK

Trolling for Pols in Washington

Getting there: Delta offers a highly restricted connecting flight from LAX to Washington-Dulles for about $300 round trip. Nonstop and connecting flights on other carriers begin at about $450.

Where to spot newsmakers: The Capitol: Guided tours Monday through Saturday 9 a.m.-3:45 p.m. Call (202) 225-3121 to determine if the House is in session, (202) 224-3121 for Senate schedule For free passes to watch congressional debate, contact your senator or representative in advance of your trip, or stop by his or her Capitol office (call either of the numbers above for the office number and directions). Nearest Metro stops: Union Station or Capitol South.

The Supreme Court: Tours Monday through Friday 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., telephone (202) 479-3000 for information. Nearest Metro stops: Union Station or Capitol South.

The Pentagon: Free tours Monday through Friday 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; tel. (703) 695-1776. Nearest Metro stop: Pentagon.

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, 3rd Street and Constitution Avenue NW; tel. (202) 273-0555. Grand jury proceedings are secret, but media gather by the scores out front.

ABC News Washington Bureau, 1717 DeSales St. NW. Newsmakers stop at the microphones out front after appearing on “This Week” on Sunday morning. The nearest Metro stop: Farragut North.

Foundry United Methodist Church, 1500 16th St. NW, is where President Clinton attended Sunday services just after the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke.

Restaurants: Palm (1225 19th St. NW; tel. [202] 293-9091) and the Oval Room (800 Connecticut Ave. NW; tel. [202] 463-8700) are newsmaker hangouts.

Hotels: Willard Inter-Continental Hotel, 1401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW; nearest Metro stop: Metro Center. Ritz-Carlton Hotel at Pentagon City; nearest Metro stop: Pentagon City.

The Watergate is a hotel, condominium and office complex overlooking the Potomac River. The hotel (2650 Virginia Ave. NW; tel. [202] 965-2300) rented out rooms 214 and 314 to the burglars who broke into Democratic National Committee headquarters in 1972.

Across the street, the Premier Hotel (2601 Virginia Ave. NW; tel. [202] 965-2700) has created a Watergate shrine in room 723, where lookout man Alfred Baldwin monitored the burglars’ work.

Commercial tours: Beginning March 15, Gross National Product (tel. [800] 758-8687) will offer 75-minute “Scandal Tours,” group bus expeditions of Washington “scandal spots,” past and present. Cost is $75 per person.