Dupont Circle is the neighbourhood that Washington's intellectuals, diplomats, and gay community have claimed as their own for half a century. The circular park at its centre — one of the few genuinely sociable public spaces in a city full of grand but empty plazas — is surrounded by bars, restaurants, bookshops, and embassies. The chess players who occupy the park's tables are a fixture.
Connecticut Avenue running north from the circle has the highest density of restaurants and bars in the neighbourhood. The Phillips Collection (1600 21st Street NW), a private museum of modern art housed in a Gilded Age mansion, is one of the country's best smaller art museums and entirely worth an afternoon. The neighbourhood is walkable and well-served by the Metro's Red Line, making it a good base for first-time visitors.