News & Politics

5 Surprising Places to Find Solitude in DC

The Lincoln Memorial at Sunset is a comforting place to gather your thoughts.

Photo-illustration by Zohar Lazar.
How to Be Alone

About How to Be Alone

This article is part of our guide on how to be alone in Washington, including secrets to flying solo, our favorite places to pause in solitude, and prominent Washingtonians on how they make time to be alone.

IA&A at Hillyer

Tucked behind the Phillips Collection near Dupont Circle is a carriage house that has been transformed into an intimate gallery—just three quiet rooms, each given over to one artist for a solo show.

Book Room at the Jefferson Hotel

A moment of calm or a contemplative cocktail—you can have both in this cozy, bar-adjacent nook with a fireplace, plush window seating, and a small booth complete with privacy curtains.

how to be alone
Lincoln Memorial. Photograph by Mike Boening Photography from Flickr Creative Commons.

Lincoln Memorial at Sunset

Stroll around to the sparsely visited back side of the monument, facing the Potomac River, for an escape from the crowds and stunning views of day’s end across Memorial Bridge.

Artechouse

The Southwest DC digital-art gallery will transport you to another world—mentally and visually—with its virtual-reality exhibits and floor-to-ceiling light installations.

Crispus Attucks Park

This single-acre alleyway secret, a gently manicured strip off U and V streets, Northwest, isn’t visible from the street, so you’re likely to cross paths only with the locals who have fought to preserve it.

This article appears in the November 2018 issue of Washingtonian.

Assistant Editor

Hayley is an Associate Editor at Washingtonian Weddings. Previously she was the the Style Editor at The Local Palate, a Southern food culture magazine based out of Charleston, South Carolina. You can follow her on instagram @wandertaste.