THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 4, 1994 TAG: 9412060579
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEPHEN HARRIMAN, TRAVEL EDITOR
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Long : 310 lines
WHEN I AM TRAVELING, especially in large cities, I spend what might be considered an inordinate amount of time shopping - well, prowling at least, window-gazing, browsing . . . ``just looking, thank you very much'' - as opposed to seeing the ``sights.''
Shopping tells me something about a place.
I think the type of stores, the items they stock and the manner in which they are displayed, the quality of the merchandise, somehow define a city. Perhaps it relates to, or even reflects, the quality of life, the way the inhabitants, the everyday shoppers, define themselves.
Stores speak for people. They say, ``This is what we think is good. This is what we are willing to pay good money to have.''
But what I like best, I think, is to see where people who can buy anything they want, anything at all, go shopping. And it doesn't cost me a thing . . . as long as I don't reach for my wallet. Until I do that, I'm really just like them.
For instance, to roam the small shops of Jermyn Street and St. James's Street and Savile Row - someday I'll buy a ``bespoken'' (custom-made) suit there - is the quintessential London shopping experience. More so than, say, to fight the crowds at Harrods, arguably the world's most renowned department store.
In Paris one must experience Galeria Lafayette and au Printeps, a pair of elegant department stores on Boulevard Haussmann, and also stroll along Rue du Faubourg-St.-Honore to see the magnificent haute couture shops. In Milan, epicenter of Italian style and design, ground zero is the Galloria Vittorio Emanuele, a glass-domed arcade, where clothes horses, male and female, strut - and saunter and slink - the stuff of the city's finest fashion houses.
And, yes, New York, of course. Especially at Christmas time. Fifth Avenue at its finest. Check Macy's windows. What's Tiffany's got this year? Bloomingdale's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Gucci, the bookstores. . . .
Did you know you can do this same sort of big-city shopping in Washington today? To me this is as amazing as it is wonderful. It's become a capital place to shop.
There was a time in our nation's relatively short history when Washington was considered a ``hardship'' posting for many foreign diplomats. On the eve of World War II it was still a very Southern city in manner, style and culture. And, despite its ceremonial face of Greco-Roman and Beaux-Arts federal buildings, a bit seedy, too.
In my not-terribly-long lifetime, Washington has been transformed from a mainly middle-class town grown up around a middle-class government into a true world capital.
Today it is cosmopolitan. And wealthy. According to the 1990 census, Northern Virginia has the nation's highest per-household income ($62,000), and three other of the nation's top 10 wealthiest counties are within the Washington metropolitan area.
And that wealth has attracted most of the nation's upscale retailers. One area retail broker was quoted as saying, ``I've never met a retailer that didn't want to be in Washington.''
Saks Fifth Avenue is here, and so is Bloomingdale's and Macy's and Tiffany & Co. and Gucci and Louis Vuitton and Lord & Taylor and FAO Schwarz. Neiman Marcus is here from Dallas. Washingtonians love this Dallas icon as much as they detest the Cowboys; the Tysons Corner Neiman is the fastest growing in the nation.
Nordstrom is here from Seattle. The people who work at Nordstrom set that store apart. You'll see when it comes to Norfolk. Nordstrom people are taught to treat each and every customer as someone special, and it shows. It just feels good to shop there.
The smaller specialty shops are here, too. . . from everywhere. It's shopping big time.
You must know about Tysons Corner Center in suburban Virginia, just outside the beltway. It's the largest shopping center on the East Coast, the region's star attraction, ranking in the top 1 percent of malls for gross sales. But there's so much more.
I spent Thanksgiving weekend, traditionally the busiest shopping time of the year, in Washington to check it out. I found it to be not fast and frantic like New York, not overly fashionable and ultra-sophisticated, but just plain fun.
Because driving and parking in the D.C. area can be a real challenge, I decided to move into a downtown hotel and do as much of my ``shopping'' as I could via the Metrorail system. I chose the Phoenix Park Hotel, a small, continental-style establishment on Capitol Hill with a decided Irish flair, because it's conveniently located just a block or so from Union Station and a Red Line Metro stop.
I associate trains, model trains anyway, with Christmas. That was the only time of the year when we played with the old Lionel. Ran it round and round the tree. Remember that? If you do, you'll love The Great Train Store in Union Station. It's for kids of all ages.
Union Station, you see, is much, much more than an Amtrak stop these days. It was built in 1907 - a classic Beaux-Arts pile of stone said to be modeled after the Baths of Diocletian in Rome - back when trains were how you traveled.
Incidentally, did you ever see that movie ``Silver Streak'' with Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor in which a runaway train crashes into a station? That actually happened here in 1953. A 200-ton locomotive and 16 cars, bound from Boston, smashed into the station, leaving it looking like a war zone. Amazingly, no one was killed.
After falling into an awful state of disrepair - not from the crash but from disuse and neglect - and facing demolition, the station was restored at a cost of $160 million in 1988. It never looked so good as it does today. It's one of Washington's most interesting ``malls.''
There are a large number of specialty shops and a couple of nice restaurants in 22,000 square feet of space under its cavernous arches on the ground-level concourses and another several dozen eateries on the lower level. The best of the shops are in the East Hall: among them Appalachian Spring, a crafts outlet, and Aurea, selling museum-quality replicas of pre-Columbian wearable art.
Next door is the former main post office, now the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. Stamp lovers flock to its museum shop and stamp store as well as its exhibits.
Next stop: Downtown (Metro Center on the Red Line). Downtown is not what it used to be; not what I remember, at least. But then things never are. For one thing, Julius Garfinkel's is gone. That was once THE urbane department store in the city. But in 1989, much to the shock of the Cave Dwellers (Washington's long-established, high-society types) and others as well, Garfinkel's went bankrupt.
Woodward and Lothrop (Woodies) and Hecht's, at 11th & F and 12th & G respectively, remain downtown's flagship department stores, with branches throughout the suburbs. One of a number of Banana Republic stores (this one at 12th and F) had a $75 travel vest I'd love to have. It had at least 16 pockets and even had a user's guide printed inside - I'm not kidding - indicating what each pocket could be used for. Wear this and no one can say you don't have a clue.
The Shops at National Place in the National Press Building (14th & F) is an upscale sort of mall celebrating its 10th year. It caters mostly to downtown's daytime office population as well as the nearby hotel clientele (J.W. Marriott, Willard-Intercontinental and Hotel Washington).
Next stop: Connecticut Avenue (Metro Red Line between Farragut North and DuPont Circle stops). This is a classy strip that extends northward from the grand dame Mayflower Hotel - with several side trips.
First there's the Map Store (1636 I St.). Well, we're travelers, aren't we? This place is tiny, but they have thousands of maps, globes, old prints, etc., and a good selection of travel books.
Another must side trip is to Brooks Brothers (1840 L St.). When I was an intense preppy this was the place. There are more lawyers per square foot along this area of Connecticut Avenue than anywhere else in America, so they keep well stocked in three-piece, pin-striped suits.
The Counter Spy Shop (1420 K St.) has a lot of ``stuff'' - night-vision goggles, listening devices, phone-bugging equipment - you'd need if you want to go into that line of work. The main store is in London's Mayfair section, and there are also branches in New York, Beverly Hills, Miami, Mexico City, Paris, Milan and of course Moscow and Sofia.
Along Connecticut itself there's Filene's Basement (from Boston), Cartier, Brookstone, Chamlier & Buckley, Burberry's, and a Rand McNally travel store that may have the map store beat in terms of size.
Next stop: Chevy Chase (Metro Red Line, Friendship Heights stop). Long before there were suburban malls, the Chevy Chase shopping district (centered at the intersection of Wisconsin and Western avenues) was a place created especially for discerning, stylish, cosmopolitan Washingtonians - many of whom lived nearby.
There's been a Saks Fifth Avenue here for ages, a three-story white block of stone with Corinthian columns that looks as if it belongs downtown along The Mall or Pennsylvania Avenue.
There's also a Woodies and a Lord & Taylor, a Gucci, a Cartier and a Gianfranco Ferre. A Neiman Marcus branch anchors the elegant Mazza Gallerie filled with smaller specialty shops and smart boutiques, and across the street is the Chevy Chase Pavilion, with more of the same.
Great places to snack or dine, too. At the Cheesecake Factory I had, for the first time ever, a slice so large, so incredibly rich with several pounds of whipped-cream topping, that it got the best of me.
Next stop: Watergate Shops (Metro Orange or Blue Line Foggy Bottom-GWU stop). This small arcade (New Hampshire at Virginia avenues) is about a five-minute walk from the Metro. It's one of the city's most prestigious - boutiques include Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino, Louis Feraud and Saks Jandel - and it affords an opportunity to see where the bungling goons began the downfall of Richard Nixon.
Next stop: Fashion Centre at Pentagon City (Metro Blue or Yellow Line, Pentagon City stop; that's one stop south of THE Pentagon stop). This is one of the area's more elegant malls, anchored by Macy's, the area's second Nordstrom store and Virginia's first four-star Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
Most of the area's huge malls have have map brochures. I like this one the best because it lists the foreign languages spoken at each store. For instance, if you speak Farsi, they presumably will understand you at Mondonna & Co., a jeweler, and at Johnny Rockets, a diner-type grill.
Is this an international capital or what?
There's an Ambercrombie & Fitch store here; once they outfitted safaris but now they seem to stock mostly the oversize outdoorsy shirts with A&F logos that are so popular. At the Coach Store, which smells wonderfully of leather, a clerk showed a man a pair of gloves and said, ``This is the sort of thing she might not think of buying for herself.'' I wonder how many times she'll say that between now and Christmas. Macy's offered a pair of Levi's faded bib overalls for $75. I can remember when they were not nearly so fashionable and much cheaper.
One of the many branches of Britches of Georgetowne is here. It and its spinoffs - Britches Great Outdoors for Men and Britches Great Outdoors for Women - are the unquestioned clothing headquarters of D.C.'s young professionals.
I heard a young man in this Britches tell his female companion with obvious pride, ``This is where I got my first blazer.''
Properly impressed, she said, ``In this very exact store?''
And he said, ``Uh, huh.''
I have neglected to mention that one of the greatest collections of shops is within the various museums of the Smithsonian Institution. The National Gallery particularly. But that requires a lot of walking. The way around that is to stop at one of the Museum Co. stores. They have the same sorts of things from many of the country's best museums. There's one at Pentagon City. They have, for instance, a Venetian glass collection, a Russian collection, Greco-Roman jewelry, African, Egyptian, etc., as well as books, prints and children's things.
Across the street from Fashion Centre is a Borders Books and Music Store. It is enormous, but I'm told there's a larger one in Rockville, Md. This one must have had at least a thousand travel books, which could keep me busy for a while. All of the Borders stores I've visited have plenty of chairs where you can sit and read, and an espresso bar.
If you have a car, and you probably will, your shopping horizons will be greatly expanded. You can reach with ease Tysons Corner, the largest of the surburban ``cities'' around the beltway, Georgetown, Alexandria's Old Town and, on I-95 south of Washington (exit 156), Potomac Mills Outlet Mall.
Tysons Corner Center underwent a $150 million renovation in the late 1980s, adding two new anchors - Lord & Taylor and the first Nordstrom east of the Mississippi River - to old standbys Bloomingdale's, Woodies and Hecht's. Today there are 230 specialty stores; about 41,000 people visit the 1.9 million square-foot complex each day.
Across the street (Route 123) to the north is Tysons II, where there's another Neiman Marcus, another Macy's, another Saks Fifth Avenue and another Ritz-Carlton. Across the street (Route 7) to the south is exclusive Fairfax Square, which houses Tiffany & Co. (the company's best-performing new store), Gucci, Fendi and Louis Vuitton. Lots of limousines with diplomatic plates park here.
Georgetown is a classy place to shop, no doubt about that. A relatively new Victorian-style Georgetown Park mall makes it even more so. But I find parking anywhere in the area a real challenge. One place that makes it worth the effort is Dean & Deluca, an outpost of the famed Manhattan grocer that is housed in a restored 19th century market building next to Georgetown Park on M Street. It offers a huge and marvelous display of foods, both domestic and foreign. And very pricey. It's almost as interesting as the Food Halls at Harrods in London.
Alexandria's Old Town has all the charm of Georgetown, as many interesting shops and much better parking. The center of it all is along King Street for five or six blocks west of the waterfront. Lost of nice antique shops along Royal Street for several blocks south of King.
The showplace of Alexandria is the Torpedo Factory Art Center (105 N. Union St.) on the waterfront. There are painters, printmakers, photographers and potters, sculptors, weavers, jewelers and glass workers, all at work in their little studios, all with things to sell. No torpedo makers today, although there is a torpedo on display.
This WAS a torpedo factory. It opened on Nov. 12, 1918, just a day late for World War I. But because it wasn't ``the war to end all wars'' after all, it saw use through World War II. Then fell vacant. The Art League took it over, and today its is one of the city's most interesting attractions, drawing over 850,000 visitors a year. There's a parking garage across the street.
I watched for a while as artist Barbara Rachko worked on a large canvas. She's quite well known in art circles, I understand, for painting creatures that go bump in our heads. The paintings are sort of bizarre and sort of whimsical, but, as is most art to me, quite fascinating.
Potomac Mills Outlet Mall, with more than 14 million visitors last year, has been called Virginia's top tourist attraction. That's a bit of a stretch. Certainly it is the most visited. Just 20 miles south of D.C. (exit 156 off I-95), it draws 'em by the busload; each month at least two motorcoaches full of shoppers from Russia visit the 220 outlets spread over an area the size of about 30 football fields.
It includes the famous Swedish IKEA furniture store, Nordstrom Rack and the only Spiegel and J.C. Penney discount outlets in the country. Recent additions include Barney's, the famous New York clothier; Saks Clearing House; and Steilman European Collection, which sells overruns of a famous German designer. Info: (800) VA-MILLS. ILLUSTRATION: LAWRENCE JACKSON/Staff color photos
A Gucci store operates in the stylish Chevy Chase, Md., shopping
district.
Fashion Centre at Pentagon City houses a Macy's and a Nordstrom, as
well as Virginia's first four-star Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
A branch of the Neiman Marcus chain anchors the elegant Mazza
Gallerie in Chevy Chase.
Graphic
TRAVELER'S ADVISORY
Getting around: The D.C. Metrorail (subway) system is excellent
and safe for getting to most shopping (and tourist) destinations,
except Georgetown, Alexandria and Tysons Corner. If you anticipate
making more than three rides ($1 minimum per ride) consider buying a
$5 One Day Pass, good from 9:30 a.m. until closing on weekdays and
all day Saturday and Sunday. It's available at several Metro stops,
most Safeway, Giant and SuperFresh stores and through TicketMaster.
Info: (202) 637-7000.
If you drive: Be very careful about on-street parking. One thing
the D.C. government does well, with maddening efficiency, is enforce
parking regulations. Consider a parking lot; it's expensive, but
not nearly as expensive as having your car towed.
Lodging: The Phoenix Park, named for a peaceful haven in the
heart of Dublin, Ireland, is the former Commodore Hotel, built in
1927. In 1982 The old Commodore's 150 rooms were remodeled into a
more spacious 88 guests rooms, plus three penthouse suites. Arkansas
Gov. Bill Clinton was a guest in the fall of 1989. He wrote that he
``looked forward to a return visit soon.'' Of course when he did
come back he found more spacious digs at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Tip
O'Neill celebrated his 80th birthday here; the place, particularly
its Powerscourt restaurant and its Dubliner Irish pub, is a favorite
of Capitol Hill regulars. Weekday rates are $189-219 double; no
additional charge for children under 16 in parents' room. Weekend
rates (Friday and Saturday) start at $88, with family roms available
from $108. Valet parking ($15 a day) is available. Location: 520 N.
Capitol St. at Massachusetts Avenue. Phone (800) 824-5419.
For a brochure listing D.C. hotels' reduced rates available
during the holiday period, call (800) 422-8644.
Best guide: By far the best information I've found is the
``Washington D.C. Access'' book by Richard Saul Wurman. It contains
everything you need to know about getting around the city. The info
is even color-coded: restaurants in red, hotels in blue, shops and
outdoor attractions in green and sights and cultural attractions in
black. Well worth the $18 price.
Stephen Harriman
by CNB