INSIDE WASHINGTON

The spots on the political leopard are about to change again.

As George W. Bush prepares to take the White House, the nation’s capital finds itself, once again, in a cultural mood swing, a phenomenon that no other city in the country experiences more than fickle Washington. Perhaps because of the city’s political significance, Washingtonians tend to be consummate observers and taste makers. They sleep, eat and drink with their fingers on the pulse. They know what’s in, what’s out, what’s coming down the pike.

But Washington is also a bastion of grace, tradition and surprising predictability. Every spring, cherry blossoms turn the town giddy, and every fall the blazing foliage sets Rock Creek Parkway afire. Every hour, the Eternal Flame lights the grave of John F. Kennedy. And every day and night, the statues of Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Martin Luther King Jr. cast their eyes over the millions of visitors who canvass D.C. in search of the American spirit. On some level, they find it in the private and public spaces of the nation’s capital.

I am not a Washington insider, but I know how to get inside Washington, thanks to family and friends who live here and share with me the secrets to unbuckling the Beltway. Furthermore, I know that I’d rather be inside in Washington rather than lingering on the Mall when winter winds whip across the Tidal Basin. To escape the chill, local go-go-goers gather at intimate museums and galleries, or they prowl the funky pubs and clubby watering holes, all tuning in to American culture, spirit and place.

When business took me to D.C. this fall with my fiance, Andy, I wanted the inside scoop in all senses of the word. So I asked my future father-in-law, Dick, a longtime Washingtonian, what was hot. “Art Nouveau,” he replied, not missing a beat. The next day I learned what he meant. The National Gallery’s “Art Nouveau, 1890-1914” is a confluence of Arts and Crafts/Glasgow/Vienna Secession/Italian stile floreale and other works of the era. The exhibit, which came from the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and moves next to the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, warrants the term “blockbuster.” It covers two floors and 18 rooms. Andy, Dick and I spent an entire day ogling paintings by Gustav Klimt; architectural detailings by Louis Sullivan and George Grant Elmslie; immense and spare dining sets by Frank Lloyd Wright; wearable organic artworks by Rene Lalique; an entire, reinstalled Glasgow tearoom designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh; and a reassembled Paris Metro entrance designed by Hector Guimard. The exhibit embraces the famous, the infamous and the obscure, creating an ethereal world of furnishings, paintings, design and objets d’art.

The rest of the week, we sought lesser known repositories, such as the Hillwood Museum and Gardens, an estate in the Forest Hills neighborhood overlooking Rock Creek Park near the National Zoo. It reopened in September after a $9-million, three-year renovation. Reservations are required, but we fluked our way into the former home of cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, whose penchant for collecting objects rivaled her sense of style and philanthropy.

During visits to Russia in the late ‘30s--a period that initiated her lifelong passion for Russian art--Post purchased many czarist treasures before they could be liquidated or destroyed by Stalin. The Hillwood holdings include two imperial Faberge eggs, both of which were given to Maria Feodorovna, mother of Czar Nicholas II, for Easter. The blue egg is a confection of gold, enamel and diamonds, circa 1885, and the pink “Catherine the Great,” presented to Feodorovna in 1914 (just before the revolution), is made of gold, enamel, diamonds and pearls.

Another rare holding is the crown worn by Alexandra during her wedding to Nicholas II. It exemplifies the height of opulence reached during the last czar’s era: a sumptuous diamond, silver and velvet construction that befits a Romanov bride.

The Hillwood rooms are elegantly crammed with Russian liturgical relics, caches of porcelain, crystal and silver services and, in the grand entry’s stairway, one of the largest collections of Russian royal portraits outside Russia.

Don’t miss the Hillwood, but be aware that you must make reservations as far in advance as possible to tour the house and grounds or eat in the Hillwood cafe.

M y favorite on our circuit of estate/museums was Dumbarton Oaks, the mansion (circa 1801) formerly owned by the Robert Woods Bliss family. Situated in a wooded valley in Georgetown, Dumbarton Oaks is revered by in-the-know Districtites for its grand but intimate gardens, which were the pride of Bliss, a career diplomat, and his wife, Mildred. The house, gardens and the Byzantine and pre-Columbian art collections were deeded to Harvard University, Bliss’ alma mater, in 1940.

Covering 16 acres resplendent with blooms in spring, summer and autumn, the grounds take on a Waldenesque quality in late autumn and winter, when evergreen, cypress and conifer trees reveal the true lay of the land. I could almost feel the passion that must have inspired their vision.

The home itself has been modified over the years to accommodate the antiquities collections, which include Byzantine Empire relics and religious icons (330 to 1453) and pre-Columbian gold, silver, stone, jade and ceramic pieces from the Mayan, Aztec and Olmec cultures. For the pre-Columbian holdings (donated by the Blisses in 1962), architect Philip Johnson designed a series of eight interlinking circular glass pavilions, which provide a view onto the gardens. The music room features myriad works of art, but the most notable may be El Greco’s painting “The Visitation,” an almost spectral piece depicting the Virgin Mary visiting Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist.

For lovers of art, antiquities and landscape design, Dumbarton is a must, but after such sumptuousness, we craved something more contemporary. We found it in the gallery houses around Dupont Circle, an area known for its restaurants, bars and art houses. We reveled in off-the-beaten-path gems like Burton Marinkovich Fine Arts, a small contemporary art gallery on 21st Street Northwest. Co-owner Royce Burton gladly filled us in on who was hot in his gallery, then pulled out examples of their works: Barcelona painter Salvador Bru; New Jersey-based painter Gary Komarin; and New York’s organic-abstractionist Ross Bleckner, among others. Burton Marinkovich is not so much an exhibition gallery as a collector’s gallery, and we appreciated the staff’s willingness to share their knowledge with a couple who clearly couldn’t afford a Bleckner print.

A couple of blocks away, we also admired the Ira Pinto Gallery, an elegant space. We learned that this month and next, the gallery would host an exhibition of local African-American artists.

Later in the week, we braved Embassy Row parking madness to visit the Textile Museum, between Dupont Circle and Georgetown. Because the museum has limited space, only a fraction of the collection is on view at any time. Nonetheless, our breath was stolen by two brilliant, concise shows. “Tribal Traditions: Village and Nomadic Weaving of Anatolia” was a selection of 35 flat-woven rugs and saddlebags from the 19th and 20th centuries, with a focus on patterns and colors specific to different nomadic families and regions; the show runs through Jan. 28. Even more engaging and mysterious was “Messages From Minus Time: Chavin Textiles from Ancient Peru,” an exhibit of rare textiles (fragments, actually) that have survived for 3,000 years. This exhibit closes next weekend.

Other art searches led us to the unlikely museum and inn known as the Mansion on O Street, at 2020 O St. N.W. The multistory townhouse is filled with equal parts kitsch, fine art, textiles and books. Throw in posters, photographs, stuffed animals, puppets, Asian jewelry and other novelties, all of which populate a labyrinth of guest rooms, and you get a case of vertigo mixed with elation. Despite the crazy clutter, people do stay overnight here. On this visit to D.C., I stayed with family, but those who stay at the Mansion and prowl the 100 rooms (including 10 kitchens, myriad banquet rooms, a downstairs whiskey bar, reading rooms and 24 guest rooms) say it’s a kick.

From O Street we walked to Timberlake’s, a casual Dupont Circle hub that’s been around since 1978. On this visit, I savored a very rare roast beef sandwich au jus and a Cobb salad, which Andy also had. In the past, I’ve polished off a big, succulent burger, leaving only crumbs on my plate. I like the restaurant’s bustling atmosphere and friendly servers, some of whom have had their own brushes with politics.

My favorite restaurants du jour are two very different Asian places, both of which are creating a buzz inside and outside the Beltway.

The first, Ten Penh, is one of the hottest new dining spots, and we quickly figured out why: location, location, location (Ten Penh stands for 1001 Pennsylvania Ave.) and well-executed cuisine. Despite Ten Penh’s status as downtown’s uber-happening place to eat, everyone seems laid-back, not too worried about appearances or the high-powered guest at the next table. Its stellar service and outrageous concoctions also make it a winner.

For an appetizer, I tried the pungent and slightly shocking sake martini with a pickled baby octopus in it (Andy was appalled) and a half-dozen chilled oysters topped with ginger ice, a cleverly zingy way to serve them. I rejoiced over an entree of perfectly cooked, rare grilled lamb chops with pesto and tamarind sauce, and I sampled Andy’s rich sake- and tobiko butter-drenched Chilean sea bass, which flaked at the touch of our fork.

As much as I loved Ten Penh, it was the humble Huong Que in nearby Falls Church that stole my heart, for the warmth of the four sisters who run the dining room and because of the intensely fresh, innovative Vietnamese fare. The food was so good that we visited twice. My favorite dishes were the crisp roasted quail appetizer, which is accented with a pepper and lime sauce, mixed at the table; and the shrimp wonton soup, lighter than usual because of the shrimp stock, and filled with plump shrimp-stuffed wontons. Of the entrees, I recommend caramel shrimp, a slightly sweet dish with caramelized onions and fresh, fat shrimp; and the crispy fried whole flounder in ginger sauce, a portion that can easily serve two.

In D.C., once the plates are cleared it’s time for a nightcap. In this field of play, what’s in doesn’t hold many surprises. It’s difficult for newcomer pubs to unseat stalwarts like the Brickskeller, a basement bar near Dupont Circle, or the Big Hunt, south of the circle. For me, the better choice is the Big Hunt because of its insouciance and the diversity of its regulars: You see the 5 o’clockers with their briefcases. You see the multicolor-hair kids. You see the working class. And you see travelers like me who feel like insiders just being there.

The boisterous Brickskeller is known for its selection of bottled beers (about 800) and its connection to the Brickskeller Inn overhead. The joke is that if you want to sample a lot of brew, do it at the Brickskeller. That way, if you find yourself soused, you can get a room upstairs and sleep it off.

Music-wise, we loved the Iota Club in downtown Arlington. It has great live American music enhanced by a fabulous sound system. There’s roots-y, blues-y, country and “y’allternative” fare without a lot of posturing. The music room is separated from the adjacent Iota Cafe by an open, two-sided bar, so if you’re hankering for music but it’s late in the evening and you don’t want to pay a cover, go into the cafe. From there you can see a little bit of the stage.

Last on the circuit is a spot that’s certainly no secret, but any local or visitor, insider or not, will eventually end up there: the Willard Inter-Continental Hotel’s Round Robin bar. Set off the main lobby, it’s a cozy pocket of history with a round bar and portraits of some of America’s most illustrious politicians, writers and deal makers.

We stopped by late one afternoon to have a cocktail and wound up chatting with bartender Carol Randall, who gave us an oral history of the bar. We learned that this is where Henry Clay introduced the real mint julep (bourbon, not brandy) to Washington, and that it was to the Willard that Abraham Lincoln was spirited almost 140 years ago when an assassination plot was rumored. Because of this lobby bar’s renown as a political mixer, it’s where the term “lobbyist” originated.

It’s also reputed to be a sort of Switzerland for politicians and members of the media, who share the same space and often the same table. If you want the real inside scoop on the Round Robin or the Willard, or even Washington history, talk to Randall or bartender Jim Hewes, both longtimers at the Round Robin--the real insiders in Washington.

The intimate bar is the sort of hangout that unites the two seemingly contradictory Washingtons. And no doubt, in sweet, shadowy niches like this, we find true American spirit. We find that rare place where politicians and spin doctors check their party loyalties at the door, a good idea in ever more partisan--but definitely never dull--Washington.

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GUIDEBOOK

Warming Up to Wintertime Washington

Getting there: Ronald Reagan Washington National is the closest airport to downtown. Nonstop service from LAX is available on TWA, direct service (one stop, no plane change) on US Airways and American Trans Air. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $348.

What to see: The National Gallery of Art, “Art Nouveau, 1890-1914.” Through Jan. 28 in the East Building. National Gallery, Constitution Avenue between 3rd and 7th streets Northwest; telephone (202) 737-4215, Internet https://www.nga.gov. Free.

Hillwood Museum and Gardens, 4155 Linnean Ave. N.W.; tel. (202) 686-5807, https://www.hillwoodmuseum.org. Admission: $10 adults, $8 seniors, $5 students and children under 18.

Dumbarton Oaks, 1703 32nd St. N.W.; tel. (202) 339-6400 or (202) 339-6410, https://www.doaks.org. Galleries: free, donation appreciated. Gardens and grounds: Free Nov. 1 to March 31; $5 adults, $3 children under 18 and seniors April 1-Oct. 31.

The Textile Museum, 2320 S St. N.W.; tel. (202) 667-0441, https://www.textilemuseum.org; $5 donation suggested.

Where to stay: Loews L’Enfant Plaza, 480 L’Enfant Plaza East S.W.; tel. (800) 235-6397, fax (202) 646-4456, https://www.loewshotels.com/lenfanthome.html. Stodgy, but location is perfect. Reason to stay in winter: Domed rooftop swimming pool. Doubles begin at $269.

Willard Inter-Continental Hotel, 1401 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.; tel. (800) 327-0200, fax (202) 637-7326, Internet https://www.interconti.com. Doubles begin at $455 per night.

Tabard Inn, 1739 N St. N.W.; tel. (202) 785-1277, fax (202) 785-6173, https://www.tabardinn.com. Doubles begin at $85.

The Mansion on O Street, 2020 O St. N.W.; tel. (202) 496-2000, fax (202) 659-0547, https://www.omansion.com. Doubles begin at $250.

Where to eat: Ten Penh, 1001 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., local tel. 393-4500; appetizers begin at $6.95, entrees at $23.95.

Huong Que, 6769 Wilson Blvd., Falls Church, VA; tel. (703) 538-6717. Appetizers begin at $2.75, entrees at $13.

Timberlake’s, 1726 Connecticut Ave. N.W.; tel. 483-2266, https://www.timberlakerestaurant.com. Dinners $10 to $18.

Clubs, pubs and bistros: Iota Club, 2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA; tel. (703) 522-8340. The Big Hunt, 1345 Connecticut Ave. N.W.; tel. (202) 785-2333. Round Robin, 1401 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.; tel. (202) 628-9100. The Brickskeller, 1523 22nd St. N.W.; tel. (202) 293-1885.

For more information: Washington, D.C., Convention and Visitors Assn., 1212 New York Ave. N.W., Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005-3992; tel. (202) 789-7000, fax (202) 789-7037, https://www.washington.org.