Nearby Amenities

Howard University Hospital

George Washington University Hospital

AllCare Family Medicine and Urgent Care

FedEx Office Print & Ship Center

Starbucks

Bluebottle Coffee

Compass Coffee

Dua Coffee

Un Je Ne Sais Quoi

WaWa

7-11

7-11

The greatest density of nearby food options is along 14th St, going north from Thomas Circle. From the hotel, walk east along M Street, then a quarter of the way around Thomas Circle to 14th St (You’ll see a large church.) and continue north Here are some options going up to and along P St. For places in other directions, see the restaurant list (to come).

The Pig

Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen

Ammathar (f.k.a. Thai Tanic)

Shake Shack

South Block

Pizza Policy / Bub’s Breakfast Burritos

Yum’s Carryout

Logan Tavern

Stoney’s

The Crown and Crow

Whole Foods Market

Trader Joe’s

Safeway

CVS

Walgreens

There are lots of walking / running / biking trails throughout Washington, D.C. and the surrounding area. Here are a few of the most popular, but you can find out about more at All Trails.

The National Mall, Tidal Basin, and Hain’s Point: This is tourist central at some times of day, but is protected from traffic and relatively quiet early in the morning and in the evening. The easiest access from the hotel is to walk down 15th Street to the Washington Monument. If you turn right onto Independence Avenue, you will cross over a bridge over the Tidal Basin. Just after that, you can turn off to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. Continuing down that path, you will pass the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. Cross another bridge and turn right, then continue along the Potomac River. Following that path will take you down to Hain’s Point. This used to be more interesting before they moved the sculpture, The Awakening, to National Harbor, but it’s still a nice walk or run. Returning around the peninsula, you can also look at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, then return to the mall. There are any number of paths to explore and lots of monuments and memorials (and museums) to look at. If you get tired, you can get on a Circulator bus or the metro.

C & O Canal Towpath: The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was an economic failure, but the towpath is one of the most popular walking, running, and biking trails in the region. If you are really ambitious, it runs for over 180 miles to Cumberland, Maryland, where it connects to the Great Allegheny Trail towards Pittsburgh. During con, it’s more realistic to do an out-and-back excursion. The best way to do this from the Westin is to get a Circulator Bus from the 14th and K stop towards Georgetown. Get off at M Street and 33rd. The tow path starts a couple of blocks south. You want to be on the southern side of the canal. Walk or run west along the towpath as far as you want to, then turn around and come back. Note: it is a good idea to wear insect repellent in summer. Also, when you return, you might want to enjoy one of the restaurants or cafes in Georgetown, before taking the bus back to the hotel.

Capital Crescent Trail: Start out following the directions for the C & O Canal towpath. A little bit after you pass the Key Bridge, there’s a set of stairs that lead down to Water Street. The Capital Crescent Trail runs parallel to the canal towpath for a while, before splitting off to turn north to Bethesda, Maryland. If you don’t want to go quite that far, you can stop at Fletcher’s Boathouse, cross the canal and walk along Reservoir Road to get to Macarthur Blvd and U Street, where you can take the D6 Metrobus back to 15th and K, near the Westin.

The Mount Vernon Trail: This is in Virginia, but is easy to get to. It runs from Rosslyn to George Washington’s estate at Mount Vernon, along the Potomac. There is access from several metro stations - Rosslyn (Blue and Orange Lines), Arlington Cemetery (Blue Line), Crystal City (Blue and Yellow Lines), Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (Blue and Yellow Lines), Braddock Road (Blue and Yellow Lines), and King Street (Blue and Yellow Lines). There are several bikeshare stations near the trail as well.

Rock Creek Park has also been suggested (without further detail or commentary).