Faculty Favorites: Dining and Places - Peggy Garvin Archives

Faculty Favorites: Dining and Places - Peggy Garvin

We asked our faculty and authors to share with us some of their favorite things about living in our nation's capital. Their responses are posted in "Faculty Favorites"

Peggy Garvin (bio), the author of Real World Research Skills: An Introduction to Factual, International, Judicial, Legislative, and Regulatory Research, shares her favorites. Peggy has lived in Washington DC for 24 years.

Five favorite “Oases”

Go to the United States Botanic Garden to take a stroll through the orchids, cacti, and palms. The Botanic Garden is a great place for a little escape, particularly in the gloomy winter months. And it’s free. web site, 245 1st St SW, Washington, DC, 202-225-8333
The Renwick Gallery’s collection is wonderful, of course, but for a mini-break I head straight upstairs to the plush Grand Salon. For a brief time, you can feel like a nineteenth-century millionaire. And it’s free. web site, 1661 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC, 202-633-7970
National Building Museum, a grand old government office building that houses a museum, but also features a glorious interior space called the Great Hall. As described on the web site, “an ingenious system of windows, vents, and open archways allows the Great Hall to function as a reservoir of light and air” with “impressive Italian Renaissance design, a central fountain and eight colossal Corinthian columns.” Residents of the District of Columbia: this is the best place to take a break from the nearby courthouse when, inevitably, you have to report for jury duty. Grab a snack at the museum café, and take your place at a table in the Great Hall. Except for the money you may spend at the café, enjoying the Great Hall is free. 401 F St NW, Washington, DC, 202-272-2448
I don’t have any special feelings about Firehook Bakery, but the Firehook Bakery in Cleveland Park has a back patio that is a neighborhood secret. Firehook inherited it from the legendary Roma restaurant of yore. It’s a low-key, low-cost retreat. web site, 3411 Connecticut Ave, Washington, DC, 202-362-2253
The Hotel Washington Terrace fits the definition of oasis as watering hole, and it is not free. But every summer in Washington should include at least one visit to the rooftop terrace of the Hotel Washington for a refreshing beverage of your choice and stunning views of the White House and the Washington Monument. web site, 515 15th St NW, Washington, DC, 202-638-5900 [Yelp | WaPo]