It may come as a surprise to learn that the largest Shakespeare collection in the world resides not in London or Stratford-upon-Avon but in Washington, D.C., at the Folger Shakespeare Library. Or that the only Leonardo da Vinci painting in the Americas can be found at the National Gallery of Art. Or that go-go music was invented in D.C., born out of the city’s vibrant funk scene.
As all eyes turn to Washington once again at the start of a new administration, these and other superlatives prove that it isn’t just a political capital but a cultural one as well. Travelers head to the National Mall to find marble memorials, Smithsonian museums (housing everything from spacecraft to Dorothy’s ruby slippers), and global gatherings (like WorldPride 2025, taking place May 17 to June 8). But Washingtonians know that the area’s cultural dynamism goes beyond the Mall—and even beyond the District of Columbia’s 68 square miles, into suburban Virginia and Maryland. The metropolitan region is one of the most diverse in the nation, including large Salvadoran, Ethiopian, and Vietnamese communities.
To help travelers grasp the district’s infinite variety, we spoke to three creative leaders: Lonnie Bunch, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution; Michael Rafidi, the chef of the Michelin-starred Albi restaurant; and Sunny Sumter, president and CEO of the 20-year-old DC Jazz Festival. Their stories exemplify the true spirit of D.C.
Lonnie Bunch
Secretary, Smithsonian Institution
Lonnie Bunch at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, where he began his career.
Photo by Scott Suchman
When Lonnie Bunch came to D.C. from New Jersey in the 1970s to attend Howard University as an undergraduate, his first reaction was, “This is a strange city.” Soon, though, he fell in love with the place, transferring to American University and earning degrees in American and African American history. He has held several positions at the Smithsonian, beginning with his first professional job as an education specialist at the National Air and Space Museum. Bunch was the founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opened in 2016, and now, as the 14th—and first Black—secretary of the Smithsonian, he oversees the institution’s myriad museums and research center.
”In some ways, the Smithsonian has shaped everything about me. I met my wife here. My kids went to preschool at the Smithsonian. When I was at Howard, I’d be studying a lot, and then I’d try to find escapes. I remember walking down Georgia Avenue to Seventh Street and finding the National Portrait Gallery—seeing the portraits of Frederick Douglass and the presidents. [The museum offered] a way to see history through a different light.
The Smithsonian has always been that place for me, where it’s not just an escape, but a reservoir that I can dip into for knowledge, for hope, to have questions answered, or to find myself posing different questions. Yes, you’re coming to the Smithsonian to see cool stuff, but you’re also coming to understand who you are, who you once were, and who you can become.
There are few things as powerful as seeing the Mall or the Capitol at night. But I also think that it’s [lesser-known places]: It’s Decatur House on Lafayette Square in front of the White House, where you get an understanding that this was a neighborhood, that enslaved people lived there. One of the great things for me about D.C. is walking through Georgetown, going up the street and turning left, tripping over cobblestones and suddenly seeing houses that are hundreds of years old. I think one of the great joys of Washington is to find neighborhoods that allow you to see what D.C. was once like and what it still is.
Left: A pear and apple fattoush salad at Albi; Right: D.C.'s Georgetown neighborhood is filled with colorful brownstone buildings.
Photos by Scott Suchman
I especially love the Phillips Collection and other hidden treasures that are often overwhelmed by the Smithsonian and by the monumental core of D.C. I love walking around Sheridan Circle and thinking about Civil War general Phil Sheridan and all those people who have statues in D.C. or who have circles named after them.
If you had to go to one place to try to effect change, it’s Washington, D.C. But the challenge is to have people understand that D.C. is a real home, not just the site of government.”
Michael Rafidi
Chef and owner, Albi
Michael Rafidi plates a dish at his bistro La’ Shukran.
Photo by Scott Suchman
Growing up in Gaithersburg, Maryland, about 25 miles northwest of D.C., Michael Rafidi would hang out with his grandfather, a chef, at home in the kitchen. “That shaped me not just as a cook but as an individual,” he says. In 2024, Rafidi, a Palestinian American, was named Outstanding Chef by the James Beard Foundation for his Levantine-inspired restaurant Albi, located in the riverfront Yards neighborhood. His growing culinary reach now also includes the café Yellow and the bistro and cocktail bar La’ Shukran.
”Opening up Albi in 2020 was the first time I really dove into my Palestinian heritage and cooking it professionally. For 15 years before that, I was cooking modern American, French, European food. I was living on a different coast from my family. Then people who had inspired me, including my grandparents, were getting older and passing away, and I wasn’t eating that nostalgic food anymore. And I asked, Why am I cooking food that has no connection to me? I felt like I was losing passion in cooking a little bit, and I wanted to cook food that was special to me.
We’re cooking Arabic, Palestinian, and Levantine food, but really everything we use is very midatlantic. Every vegetable, all the protein—the lamb, the chicken—is local. We don’t have tomatoes on the menu unless it’s tomato season in this area. That’s really different if you’re in the Middle East, where it’s a very different climate and you can get tomatoes and cucumbers all year round.
I grew up eating crab in Maryland, so every crab season we go bananas and have it all over the menu. There’s not really any crab in Palestinian food. We do kousa mahshi, stuffed squash—it’s a staple dish in the Levant—but we do it with Maryland crab in season. We do Maryland crab hummus. We do crab tabbouleh. We do a version of the North African chermoula paste and add Old Bay spice. We call it Chermoula Bay.
We don’t get into politics and what’s going on in the world when people come to the restaurant. I just want to educate the diners on how great Palestinian cuisine is and show them something new, a different interpretation of my heritage.”
Sunny Sumter
President and CEO, DC Jazz Festival
Sunny Sumter at Arena Stage.
Photo by Scott Suchman
Native Washingtonian Sunny Sumter oversees the DC Jazz Festival, a nonprofit that organizes jazz performances and programs throughout the year, including DC JazzFest, a five-day, mostly free annual celebration of “our nation’s gift to the world,” which takes place over Labor Day weekend. She was recruited in 2008 by festival founder Charles Fishman, Dizzy Gillespie’s former manager, who had noted her arts management skills at the Aspen Institute, the Smithsonian, and the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. A graduate of Howard University, the silky-voiced Sumter juggled her singing career and arts administration roles for years. She no longer appears regularly on D.C. stages, but, she says, “I am wearing the CEO hat and am loving every minute of this side of the work.”
Mr. Henry’s, in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, regularly hosts jazz combos.
Photo by Scott Suchman
“I’m gonna brag a little bit. I think that because we have 25 colleges and universities in our region, a lot of jazz artists come to study here. We’ve created this hub of incredible young artists who play together, learn together, and grow together. They go off to perform with some of the most important artists in the world, but when they come home, they play. And sometimes you just stumble into a restaurant and there they are with their guitar or with their horn. It’s really wonderful. Once I went to a restaurant with my family, and I’m sitting there, and there’s Keter Betts playing. Keter Betts! He was the bass player for Ella Fitzgerald. I couldn’t believe it. That’s the uniqueness of this place.
With the DC Jazz Festival, we have a special opportunity to bring jazz to all corners of the city. People from around the world come to D.C. and go to pockets of the city that maybe they never visited before, like Brookland or Anacostia. They get to see these wonderful neighborhoods and hear great jazz.
In the early 2000s, I could go up and down U Street on Friday and Saturday nights, and there’d be jazz happening. It was really fantastic. Now, instead of being centered in one district, jazz is more decentralized and thriving all across the city with new venues, fresh talent, and innovative programming. D.C.’s jazz renaissance is about redefining the future of jazz.”
The Afar Guide to Washington, D.C.
It’s not just about politics in this city of 702,000 (which is part of a greater metropolitan population of 6.3 million). Whether you’re a theater geek, foodie, sports fan, music lover, outdoor adventurer, or history buff, Washington surprises with its wealth of possibilities.
Where to eat
Left: Visitors relax on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial at sunset; Right: A spread of food at Anju: gamjatang jeongol, spice-braised pork shank with potatoes, surrounded by other dishes and banchan (small side dishes).
Photos by Scott Suchman
Thanks to D.C.’s globally diverse populace, it’s easy to find an authentic spot for pretty much any type of food, from Georgian to Ghanaian. And while there are plenty of expense account–required places, quick and affordable meals abound, too. Fast-casual Taco Bamba in City Ridge puts a bold spin on the classic taco, filling it with pairings such as sweet potato fries and pimiento cheese. For a Korean feast, head to Anju in Dupont Circle for maeun dwaeji galbijjim, spicy braised pork ribs. Sample a wide variety of flavors in Union Market: Get burgers at Lucky Buns, Japanese soups at Ramen by Uzu, and Greek kourabiedes (cookies dusted with powdered sugar) at Mastiha Taverna.
After a day spent at the museums, walk to Penn Quarter, where family-friendly Matchbox serves wood-fired pizzas. Nearby, the elegant Indian spot Rasika offers spicy kebabs and luscious fish curries.
Washingtonians love a good happy hour. For beers and Nationals games there’s Pitchers and the adjoining A League of Her Own, both LGBTQ sports bars in Adams Morgan. At Amazonia, a Peruvian cocktail bar in Shaw, sip pisco sours. And in the Logan Circle/14th Street neighborhood try a Lebanese sauvignon blanc at Compass Rose.
Where to shop
The Union Market District houses outposts of homegrown boutiques such as Shop Made in DC (whimsical souvenirs by local makers), Salt & Sundry (artisan home goods), and Libby and My (decor, vintage clothing, and disco balls). D.C. is one of the most well-read cities in the country, so it’s no surprise its many indie bookstores, including Politics and Prose and Sankofa, double as lively cafés.
What to do
Kayaks on the Potomac River in Georgetown.
Photo by Scott Suchman
With all its museums and impressive interiors, D.C.’s outdoor attractions are sometimes overlooked. The National Zoo is the only place in the United States where you can visit giant pandas for free; newcomers Bao Li and Qing Bao made their official public debut in January and have already become celebrities. You can get to the zoo by taking the Metro, biking (try Capital Bikeshare), or driving along woodsy Rock Creek Parkway. To see firsthand how conservation efforts are reviving D.C.’s waterfront, rent a kayak to explore the Anacostia or Potomac rivers.
Located in Washington, D.C., the Renwick Gallery displays works of American craft and decorative art.
Photo by Scott Suchman
Combine art and nature at the private Glenstone Museum, located right outside the city in Potomac, Maryland. (Entry is free, but reservations are required.) A stroll through its pavilions and nearly 300 acres reveals thought-provoking contemporary installations and remarkable works of land art. Of course, visiting at least one Smithsonian museum is nonnegotiable. Escape the crowds and explore the Renwick Gallery, which displays contemporary American crafts and decorative art in a National Historic Landmark near the White House.
Where to stay
Salamander DC—the first D.C. property from BET cofounder Sheila Johnson’s Salamander Resorts— debuted a large-scale renovation this past fall, including a lavishly expanded spa and a new Afro- Caribbean restaurant, Dōgon, from star chef Kwame Onwuachi. Located on its eponymous roundabout, the 327-room Dupont Circle hotel attracts visiting diplomats as well as locals coming in for a glass of champagne. The socially conscious Eaton DC has a community radio station and three floors of communal working spaces where travelers can connect with creative, like-minded locals. (All three properties appear on Afar’s Hotels We Love list.)
