Exploring Georgetown Like A Local

Whether the occasion is President’s Day, Memorial Day, July 4^th or spring or summer break, anytime of year is a great time to visit the nation’s capital thanks to its many activities providing the right balance of education, enlightenment and fun. However, as the Smithsonian, the National Zoo and the halls of government occasionally have an overflow of visitors (and other unforeseen interruptions per current headlines), the Georgetown Suites does more than just provide a solid, affordable alternative to luxury hotel chains. It presents visitors a wonderful side of D.C. residents experience beyond what they catch on the nightly news.

It’s no accident the hotel has a relaxed, home-y feel. It was originally designed as an apartment complex designed by award-winning American architect Arthur Cotton Moore and built in 1984. The two mid-rise buildings contain recently renovated apartment-style suites, including two-bedroom suites, penthouse suites and even a two-story townhouse, all with fully equipped kitchens and some with Jacuzzi tubs in room. Location is a main selling point, as the Courtyard Building allows easy access to one of the city’s trendiest areas while the Harbor Building offers a quieter waterfront setting. The hotel is also pet-friendly and offers free breakfast, WiFi, a 24-hour fitness room and discount cards for local restaurants and reduced-price tickets for the Metro and local attractions.

The Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. © Picturemakersllc | Dreamstime.com

Georgetown Suites is a short walk to the Kennedy Center, which offers free nightly performances on its Millennium Stage, as well as the top sites, monuments and museums of the nation’s capital. However, you can also stroll to some of the city’s best-kept secrets for an experience of D.C. culture beyond the lines, pomp and circumstance of the Smithsonian museums and the White House.

The Historic Georgetown tour offered by D.C. by Foot goes beyond helping visitors get their geographic bearings. It also presents the immediate neighborhood’s historic and cultural highlights as well as an understanding of its role within the capital, from its beginning as a free-standing town with a tobacco inspection port to its current status as a neighborhood of movers and shakers. With a record number of women elected to Congress last year, A Tour of Her Own stages tours that celebrate the impact of women on Washington and the rest of the country.

The Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection offers several art and history installations throughout the year, as well as a calendar of live music performances ranging from classical to pop. Tudor Place, one of the city’s top destinations for school field trips, provides another, more intimate perspective into American history through the personal experiences of those who lived and worked on the estate between the 18^th and 20^th centuries. The Chinese New Year Parade will also pass through Georgetown on Feb. 10, offering visitors an opportunity to mix with residents from all walks of life.

Through the end of February, Georgetown Suites will offer special deals and rates, such as the Georgetown Suites Cool Deal (book the first night at the posted rate, and the next night you pay only the temperature outside at the time of check-in, or, if it’s 30 degrees, you pay only $30 plus $15 discounted parking per night through your stay) and its Long Weekend Package.