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D.C. By the Dozen
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TEMPLE OF THE SCOTTISH RITE 1733 16th St. NW. 202-232-3579.http:/
AUGUST: Just Beat It
It's dusk on a Sunday in strait-laced old Washington, and a dozen locals are dancing wildly in the park. They're barefoot and bohemian and, in some instances, excruciatingly out of step.
But no one seems to care. This weekly rhythm-and-love fest takes all comers.
In a tradition that stretches back decades, musicians from across the region pile into a little plot at the head of Meridian Hill Park's highest plane each week and set up their drums. Or cowbells or tambourines. Sometimes something like a didgeridoo.
An African beat begins, and then come the dancers, usually led by a few who know what they're doing and followed by a gaggle of beginners just trying to keep up. More folks come just to sit at the fringes, watching, tapping in time with this scene of looseness and leisure.
The next morning, the rush will return. But for these hours, in this park, it's only about the drumming, the dancing and delighting.
Tip: If you've never been to Meridian Hill Park, make sure you take time to explore. It's a place of surprises, including statues of Dante and James Buchanan.
DRUM CIRCLES Meridian Hill Park, 16th and Euclid streets NW. Sundays from about 3 to 9 in warm-weather months.
SEPTEMBER: An Altitude Adjustment
It's such a constant, that imposing obelisk at the end of the Mall. And probably the only time you even remember that it has an inside is when you're snickering at the tourists wrapped around it in a 400-person line on a 100-degree day. This, for sure, is one of those instances when a cost-benefit analysis is required. Spend two hours waiting to get to the top of the Washington Monument and you'll probably be happy when the whole thing is over. But if you're able to saunter up, zip through security and have the whole place more or less to yourself, it's a spectacular experience.
"From the top you have a view of the greatest of all Washington monuments: the city of D.C. itself," a guide says on the minute-long elevator ride to the top of the 555-foot structure. And she's right. There's all of it, cinematic and pristine: the Potomac, the Anacostia, the Washington National Cathedral, the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, the White House and Capitol.
We spend an awful lot of hours on the ground, sitting in traffic, shuffling through some numbing routine. It feels healthy somehow to hit a different altitude -- to suddenly see farther, better than before.
Tip: You can reserve tickets, but there's a $1.50 surcharge per ticket. If you go at an off-peak hour, you should be able to nab one on the spot for free. The guides suggest coming later in the day (the last tour goes up at 4:30) for a good view and a thin crowd.
WASHINGTON MONUMENT 15th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 202-426-6841.http:/
OCTOBER: Saluting the Unknown
If you've been to Arlington Cemetery before and it was on an eighth-grade trip, well, it's time for a return visit. Especially now.
It's easy to skip the four war stories printed in any given newspaper, but it's impossible to ignore a caravan of slow-moving black cars or the expanses of uniform gravestones lining the quiet hills. Most majestic is the Tomb of the Unknowns, marked with these words:
"Here rests in
Honored glory
An American
Soldier
Known but to God"
Every day and night, in every manner of weather, vigilant watch is maintained over the tomb by members of the prestigious 3rd U.S. Infantry "Old Guard" Regiment. With mesmerizing precision, they walk before the marble monument, emanating reverence with each exacting step. Every 30 minutes from mid - March through September, and every hour during fall and winter, the guard is changed in a stirring 10-minute ceremony.
Honored glory, indeed.
Tip: It's a pretty hearty hike up the hill, so if you have anyone with special needs, now is the time to bring along that handicapped parking pass. There's also a shuttle that will bring you to the highlights, including the Kennedy graves, if walking isn't an option.
CHANGING OF THE GUARD Tomb of the Unknowns, Arlington National Cemetery, State Highway 110 and Memorial Drive. 703-607-8000. Open daily April 1 to Sept. 30 from 8 to 7, otherwise closing at 5. Free.
NOVEMBER: Judicial Review
It's possible, as any longtimer will attest, to become almost anesthetized to the grandeur of Official Washington. Almost. To snap out of it, come stand while the nine Supreme Court justices file into the courtroom from behind a red velvet curtain and begin their work of maintaining fairness throughout the land.
Anyone can hear oral arguments, in which attorneys on either side of an issue make presentations to the justices and are questioned -- sometimes vigorously -- about their positions on the case. But you do kind of have to know what you're doing to nab a spectator's seat.
The arguments are usually Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings for two-week intervals while the Court is in session. The first trick is to call the public information office for guidance on which day would be best to come. If you're just interested in witnessing the process, it's best to go when low-profile cases are being heard. The 7,500-square-foot courtroom has limited seating, and the line can start forming at any time, so cases that have garnered significant media attention might require a pre-dawn wake-up call. For more run-of-the-mill cases, if you show up at the Court's front steps by 8, you should be fine. The guards will usher you into line, guide you through the security process and begin seating visitors between 9 and 9:30.
Two hour-long arguments are heard, beginning at 10, but there's a break in between if you're not interested in staying for both. But we bet you'll want to stay right where you are -- 120 minutes of live history doesn't feel like too much.
Tip: Before you go, visit http:/
U.S. SUPREME COURT 1 First St. NE. Public information office: 202-479-3211. For a schedule of oral arguments, visit:http:/
DECEMBER: Shall We Dance?
Saturday night and the ballroom is packed. Teenagers in Converse sneakers. Little old men spiffed up in well-pressed slacks and matching vests. "Wanna dance?" they all say to each other, one hand outstretched.
And off they go, little old men Lindy Hopping with smiling teens in tennis shoes. The lights are dim; the band is wailing. Everyone, it seems, is smiling.
But those smiles might be the only constant at Glen Echo's Spanish Ballroom. Weekly swing dance sessions in this historic art deco building attract all kinds: serious dancers and beginners, ruby-lipped women in saddle shoes and schlubby men in jeans. There are plenty of engaged couples, practicing for a wedding dance. But just as many singles, looking for a good time without a bar tab.
There's no reason not to dance -- and no reason to be shy; offers are almost never declined -- but even the people-watching is worth the price of admission. Stick around long enough, though, and expect to be pulled onto the floor. And see if you can stop yourself from smiling.
Tip: Okay, so you don't know how to dance? No worries. Show up at 8 to catch an hour-long beginners' lesson that will give you enough basics to carry you through the night.
SWING DANCING Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Blvd. Glen Echo, Md., 301-634-2222.http:/
