Come Home for the Holidays Starting December 1
The WCTC’s annual winter promotion, Holiday Homecoming, celebrates the season from December 1 through February 29. Visitors to the Capital Region will be able to take advantage of special savings on area attractions, hotel packages, holiday shopping, popular restaurants and transportation. Extending beyond the traditional holiday season, Holiday Homecomers can celebrate President’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Black History Month and even Leap Year in the nation’s capital this year. With more than 100 events from plays to exhibitions to family-friendly outings, Holiday Homecoming has something to get everyone in the holiday spirit. For more information, visit www.dcinspires.com or the Holiday Homecoming Press Room.

The following is a listing of Holiday Homecoming highlights:

• Holiday Delights: Every year Washingtonians and visitors alike have the opportunity to take in such annual favorites as the National Christmas Tree and the Pageant of Peace on the Ellipse, Ford’s Theatre’s classic A Christmas Carol and the dazzling decorations in the cavernous Union Station lobby, the Library of Congress and the National Building Museum.

• Hotel Homecoming: With savings as much as 50% on hotel packages, visitors can make it a weekend getaway. The Willard InterContinental is offering special Nutcracker packages that include tickets to the Washington Ballet’s holiday classic. The River Inn will put guests in the holiday mood with its “Winter Wonderland Package” featuring hot cocoa and complimentary mitten warmers. And the Hotel Helix celebrates New Year’s in style with the “Hollywood Holiday at the Helix” package, featuring 24-hour butler service and a personal shopper.

• Comfort Food: As the temperature drops, area restaurants will keep patrons warm with special Holiday Homecoming savings, while Washington, DC’s bi-annual Restaurant Week will run January 12 -18, just in time to indulge in broken New Year’s Resolutions.

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Cupid's Arrow Takes Aim at Washington, DC
Ask anyone what images come to mind when you say Washington, DC and you’ll usually hear words such as “politics” and “powerful” tossed around. The word “romantic,” however, isn’t always in the top ten when describing this federal city. But contrary to popular assumptions, the nation’s capital is brimming with places to get romantic with that special someone. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, here are just a few ideas to cozy up to in the capital city.

• Romantic Rendezvous: With Valentine’s Day falling on a Saturday, make it a weekend getaway. Several hotels are offering Valentine-themed packages:

The Hotel Rouge invites guests to book a “Tickle Me Blind” package. Enjoy overnight deluxe accommodations, in-room thirty minute couple’s massage, welcome Venus de Cosmo cocktails, free complimentary valet parking, and a silk blindfold and red feather boa. $299. 800- 368-5689. www.rougehotel.com

At the Hotel Monaco, indulge your senses with the “Suite Indulgence” package. Award-winning chef Jay Comfort, of the Monaco’s Poste Brasserie, will cook an in-room candlelit dinner for two, set to the sounds of a keepsake Frank Sinatra CD. Top off the evening with a soak in the oversized spa tub, complete with floating gardenias, dead sea salts and candles. Available Valentine’s Day only. $850. 877-202-5411. www.monaco-dc.com.

The Washington Plaza Hotel wants guests to warm up with “Fireside Fondue for Two.” The package includes deluxe accommodations for two, fondue dinner at the hotel’s bar and complimentary winter drink– “The Flame.” The signature drink combines Hypnotiq and sweet & sour mix with vodka and 151 Rum. The drink is then set ablaze for an impressive presentation. $119. 202-842-1300. www.washingtonplazahotel.com.

• Monuments by Moonlight: Washington, DC’s favorite monuments are awe-inspiring by day, but romantic by night. Get up close and personal with a “Monuments by Moonlight” trolley tour. Old Town Trolley Tours offers 2 ½ hour nightly tours with stops at the illuminated monuments and federal buildings, including the Lincoln Memorial, the Capitol and the White House.

• Cozy Cuisine: Cozy up with your sweetheart at one of the many romantic restaurants in DC:

Two Quail offers an intimate setting in the Capitol Hill area. Each table is in its own cozy nook with some even offering curtains for further privacy. Long considered one of the District’s most romantic spots, Two Quail was voted one of the most romantic restaurants in the Washington’s Post 2003 Reader’s Choice poll as well as by The Zagat Guide. 320 Massachusetts Ave. NE. www.twoquail.com.

Hidden in the Adams Morgan neighborhood, The Little Fountain Café is one of the local’s best-kept secrets. Its underground location and low-beamed ceilings give it an intimate feel, while the soft jazz music and seasonal desserts give patrons something to linger over. Little Fountain was also ranked as romantic in the Washington Post’s 2003 Reader’s Choice poll. 2339 18th St. NW. 202-462-8100

• Love and Culture: Several area museums and theaters will pay tribute to Valentine’s Day with performances and exhibits. Explore ancient interpretations of love at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery’s Love and Yearning: Mystical and Moral Themes in Persian Poetry and Painting. Tony-award winning musical Crazy For You comes to the West End Dinner Theatre in Alexandria, Virginia. One of George Gershwin’s most popular love-stories, it includes such famous showtunes as “I Got Rhythm” and “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” The Round House Theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland hosts a Valentine’s weekend of love songs with “Love is in the Air.” The three-day engagement will celebrate Valentine’s Day with well-known love songs. Or skate among art at the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden ice skating rink. The National Gallery’s outdoor fountain is transformed into an ice rink in the winter. Glide on the ice with your sweetie and then warm up with some hot cocoa at the adjacent indoor café.

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