Located just minutes from DC’s monuments, attractions, museums, and nightlife, The Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City, allows visitors to experience everything the Nation’s Capital has to offer. The Pentagon City Metro Station is a few hops south of the Smithsonian Metro Station, where one could step out and see the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial, the Tidal Basin, with the Jefferson Memorial and iconic Cherry Blossom trees, the US Capitol, countless museums, and more. Or if you prefer to stay local, visit historic Old Town Alexandria with its shops, restaurants, and waterfront views, just off the King Street Metro station. Or take a 10 minute Uber ride north to Clarendon for some night food and fun.
Matcha coffee at Northside Social, in Clarendon
In addition to the plethora of restaurants, pubs, and bars in and around the hotel vicinity, there are a number of other local delicious eateries within a 10 minute car ride of the hotel. For a rotating restaurant experience 15 stories up with a view of the Potomac River and District of Columbia, visit the DoubleTree Inn’s Skydome Restaurant in neighboring Crystal City. While there, visit the National Landing’s Water Park, home to Amazon HQ2 and an array of food pavilions and sit-down establishments (many of which are minority- and women-led) as well as a small walkable park with a breezy water fixture to relax by.
Just north of the hotel by a 10 minute car ride is Clarendon, with its own bustling community of hip coffee shops, bars, and restaurants. The Buena Vida Gastro Lounge features indigenous Mexican food by Mexico City-based chef Gerardo Vázquez Lugo. It sits across the street from the highly regarded Ambar restaurant, which brings an authentic no-limit Balkan dining experience at flat prices.
Military Women’s Memorial, in Arlington Cemetery
We would be remiss not to mention the military tradition of the region, marked by many well-tread landmarks. The Pentagon — one of the largest office buildings in the world — is available for guided tours but must be reserved 14 days in advance. The National 9/11 Memorial is located there as well. The Arlington National Cemetery is the final resting place of presidents, Supreme Court justices and military veterans, and at its entrance, the Military Women’s Memorial recognizes women’s contributions to the service of our nation.
Old Town Alexandria boasts its own small but fascinating museums, including the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum which houses an impressive collection of herbal botanicals, hand-blown glass, and medical equipment. The Torpedo Factory Art Center at the end of King Street was once the US Naval torpedo station manufacturing munitions — cue Rosie the Riveter — during both world wars before being shuttered in 1946. Its art studios are open to the public for viewing, and it sits on Alexandria’s Potomac waterfront, with connections to miles-long pedestrian and bike walking trails, including the Mount Vernon Trail that connects Crystal City to George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate.