What’s open in D.C. on Christmas: restaurants, movies and sightseeing

Whereas I by no means felt pulled to take part — not till I found glazed ham, anyway — I did at all times resent how slowly the day would crawl if I used to be caught at dwelling with nothing to do however watch the 24-hour marathon of “A Christmas Story.” Within the decade I’ve lived within the D.C. space, I’ve come to understand how downtown goes nonetheless. In the event you exit on Christmas, it looks like you will have town to your self.

In my home, my partner and I’ve mixed our traditions: my household’s penchant for ordering sufficient Chinese language meals to feed a Maccabee military, and her aspect’s insistence on heading to the flicks. That is how we do Christmas Day in D.C.

Eating places open in D.C. on Christmas Day

New Huge Wong for Chinese language in Chinatown

Within the decade-plus we’ve lived within the D.C. space, we’ve visited a variety of Chinese language eating places to see which feels worthy of making a brand new custom, from the upstairs banquet corridor of Tony Cheng’s Seafood Restaurant in Chinatown to Metropolis Lights of China in Dupont Circle to the Friendship Heights iteration of ultimate mensch Larry La’s commemorated Meiwah.

My persistent favourite is New Big Wong, lengthy a late-night haven for D.C. chefs trying to unwind after a shift in a below-ground, crimson eating room full of huge round tables on H Avenue NW.

We’ll order a combination from my dad and mom’ standing Chinese language American order — moo shu pork with additional rice pancakes, Normal Tso’s hen, Peking duck — with specials of the home: dry scallop fried rice and wilted snow pea leaf. It’s all definitely worth the queue that crowds the little vestibule and spills up the steps into Chinatown.

Chang Chang for a contemporary banquet

For a meal with extra dramatic thrives, you might head to the not too long ago opened Chang Chang in Dupont Circle to pattern fried spring rolls filled with three kinds of mushrooms, an elaborate platter of duck four-ways or a slice of ardour fruit pie from chef-partner Pichet Ong.

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Duangrats for time-tested Thai

Craving special-occasion Thai? Order an entire fried chili basil flounder at Duangrat’s in Falls Church, Va., and also you’ll perceive why it’s stayed open for 35 years.

Ravi Kabob Home for fiery hen

For one thing much less formal, Ravi Kabob House in Arlington, Va., pleases Pakistani expats with excellent chana (chickpeas), lamb chops and a fiery hen karahi designed for 2.

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Ivy and Coney for Hanukkah kitsch

In the event you couldn’t inform from the Heilman’s Previous Fashion beer signal hanging out entrance, Ivy and Coney is a no-frills neighborhood bar that revels in Midwestern kitsch. Yearly in Shaw, the Hanukkah specials give Jewish prospects a vacation celebration to rival the annual wave of Christmas pop-up bars. There are latkes as broad as a compact disc, a ski-like “shotnorah” that holds eight L’Chaims value of Manischewitz or Malort and sufganiyot-flavored photographs that channel jelly doughnuts. On previous Christmases, co-owner Josh Saltzman has purchased sufficient Chinese language takeout to feed his employees and any lingering prospects.

The place to see a film in D.C. on Christmas Day

Regal Gallery Place in Chinatown

Given my choice for New Huge Wong, we normally bookend a meal with a displaying on the Regal Gallery Place, hooked up to Capital One Area down the road.

Alamo Drafthouse in Brentwood

I’ve additionally been having fun with the brand new Alamo Drafthouse by the Rhode Island Ave.-Brentwood Metro station, the place a beer may assist you keep awake should you’re susceptible to napping when the lights dim.

The Avalon in Chevy Chase

With a screening history courting to 1923, the Avalon in Chevy Chase has an auditorium that takes you again to the silent movie period.

AFI Silver Theater in Silver Spring, Md.

The American Movie Institute’s Silver Theater and Cultural Center, in Silver Spring, Md., is a neighborhood treasure I don’t go to sufficient. On Christmas, it has two afternoon screenings: “Miracle on thirty fourth Avenue” (1947) and a director’s minimize of “The Muppet Christmas Carol.”

The place to go sightseeing in D.C. on Christmas Day

Bike to Structure Gardens and the Lincoln Memorial

Christmas is the one day a year Smithsonian museums shut, so these free displays are out. However nothing is stopping you from seeing nationwide monuments with no crowd.

My on a regular basis transfer is to select up some wheels from the Capital Bikeshare at fifteenth and M streets NW, pedal previous Lafayette Sq. and the White Home, then race down the hill on fifteenth Avenue, hook a proper onto the broad sidewalks of Structure Avenue, choose up the trail by the pond in Structure Gardens and experience that to the Lincoln Memorial.

Ice skating in Georgetown

If you wish to hold going west, you might head to the Georgetown Waterfront and take a look at the outdoor ice skating rink in Washington Harbour.

The Kennedy Middle for a Christmas Jam

Fritz Hahn, a reporter for The Washington Publish’s Weekend part, additionally recommends the annual All-Star Christmas Jazz Jam on the Kennedy Middle.