If you’re planning to take advantage of Cathay Pacific’s direct services between Hong Kong and Washington D.C. then you’ll need somewhere in the capital to rest your head. That place should be The Line DC, the city’s coolest house of slumber. Here are five reasons why we’re in love with this eclectic, savvy hotel.
It Represents the Future of Hospitality
There are ‘cool’ hotels, many of which fall flat when tested, and then there are hotels that just naturally ooze culture, intelligence and intuitiveness. The Line DC is the latter. Located in the eclectic Adams Morgan neighbourhood, a short Uber from the memorials and monuments of the capital, The Line DC is a boutique hotel where the focus isn’t so much on the guest rooms but on the overall experience, for both guests and locals looking to soak up the vibe.
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If you haven’t noticed, this is something many hotel brands are going for right now, with varying success, mainly because it takes real dedication to get the balance right, to forge links with like-minded partners beyond press release lip service, to employ the right people and make the right stand. Fortunately, at The Line DC, art, cuisine, culture, community and accommodation are just acts in a seamless opera that embraces location, creativity and togetherness – and we can all do with a little more togetherness!
The Design is Just Plain Awesome
Housed within a century-old Neoclassical church, the hotel, which has a sibling property in LA, is as much a communal working space and dining hotspot as it is a conventional hotel.
Guests make their way up stone stairs and between towering columns to enter a vaulted lobby, the church’s nave, in which cool cats hunch over laptops and single-origin espressos at lounges and communal tables. Above, the ambience is bolstered by a vibrant restaurant situated on the mezzanine. To one side there’s Full Service Radio, a community radio station, with presenters discussing local issues and exploring an extensive library of well-loved LPs.
Everywhere you look there’s art and inspiration, from hymn boards that now direct new arrivals to the elevators, to a mesmerising chandelier, crafted from the gleaming brass pipes of the church’s organ, which catches the light through double-height stained milk glass arches.
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As you can imagine, art plays a big role here too, with over 3,000 pieces spread across the hotel making the hotel as much a living gallery as it is a place to catch some sleep. From photography by Chris Chen and Jared Soares; and both form and function sculptures by Kathryn Zaremba, Craig Kraft and Casey Johnson; to murals by Rose Jaffe, monograph prints by Andrew Breitenberg, and original sketches by Svetlana Legetic, art is infused into every space, every reflection, every moment. Keep an eye out for the towering mirror at the entry to A Rake’s Progress, which is regularly reinterpreted as part of a revolving artist residency.
It’s Really is All About Community
Unlike the cookie-cutter hotels of the city centre, The Line DC is infused with inspiration from the surrounding community, whether that’s with local guests stopping in for podcasts at Full Service Radio, which is run by former Heritage Radio Network alum Jack Inslee, or with The Adams Morgan Community Centre, a dedicated 4,000sqft hall and non-profit incubator space at the hotel that supports local artistic, charity and cultural groups from across the capital.
Of Course, the Rooms Are Also Awesome
Despite the many historical elements of the lobby, the 220 rooms and suites at The Line DC are distinctly more modern. However, forget the images the word ‘modern’ may conjure up – rooms are thoughtfully appointed and blissfully residential and it’s very easy to be lulled into the belief that you’re staying in your own chic DC apartment rather than a hotel room.
This is especially so with spaces like the 750sqft Apartment Suite, a truly breathtaking space complete with a separate living room and guest bathroom, city views, a dining table and lounge, a deep soak tub in the bathroom and a wet bar stocked with local libations that makes you want to stay in and host a dinner party.
No matter which guest room category you’re in (and all rooms are unique), you’ll find the same attention to detail, from HD televisions (playing live Full Service Radio broadcasts when you check-in) and curated mini-libraries of timeless classics (my room has a crime theme) to luxurious linens on the bed, furnishings sourced from local antique stores, and modern touches like Nespresso machines, docking stations and lightning-fast internet.
The Dining Is Nothing Short of Inspirational
Dining at The Line DC is a study in regionality and seasonality. The hotel is home to three restaurants, two bars and The Cup We All Race 4, a coffee shop that is as popular with locals looking to sip lattes and munch on Amanda Cook-baked goodies on the stone stairs beyond as it is with guests grabbing a bite before heading out.
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The highlight, however, is James Beard award-winning chef Spike Gjerde’s A Rake’s Progress, the restaurant that occupies the mezzanine above the hotel’s lobby. In an age of food miles and artisanal production, A Rake’s Progress takes things to a whole never level, with ingredients sourced from ‘Mid-Atlantic’ farms and waters – think New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Delaware, and Maryland – wherever possible.
Gjerde first pioneered this region-specific approach at Woodberry Kitchen, his restaurant in Baltimore, and the mantra continues in DC, where executive chef Opie Crooks serves rustic dishes like cavatelli bolognese with grilled rapini, smoked cheese, and breadcrumbs; silky beef tartar with pickles, onions, and zesty tomato jam; pork blade steaks with barbequed sorghum and beans; and fried quail with hakurei turnips, and Carolina gold rice in a glorious dining room with soaring ceilings and paradisical white-washed walls.
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You’ll also find delectable American comfort food, from potato rostis with salted cod to hanger steaks with chimichurri, at Brothers & Sisters, the lobby level east-meets-west concept by Erik Bruner-Yang that’s led by Todd Thrasher and Pichet Ong. Serving meals throughout the day, this electric eatery is also all about seasonality and is the source of much of the addictive vibe you’ll first encounter when arriving at the hotel.
Finally, don’t you dare leave without visiting Spoken English, a tiny Tachinomiya-styled hole-in-the-wall, also by Bruner-Yang, that’s dedicated to bringing back the art of dinner conversation. The standing-room-only Asian street food eatery is a combination of a chef’s table and a dinner party, with guests rubbing shoulders (literally) with locals over chicken skin dumplings, roast duck and boutique sakes. Chances are you’ve never experienced anything quite like it.
You’ll Also Drink Well
Locals will testify the hotel is as much a destination for drinks as it is for a night under the covers. At A Rake’s Bar, Corey Polyoka showcases drops from a handful of DC craft distillers, as well as many housemade additions ranging from vinegar, used in lieu of citrus, to verjus, a tart pressed grape juice, in his hyper-seasonal drinks menu.
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Highlights include Ain’t She Sweet, with Kopper Kettle vodka, strawberry, rosé, and strawberry-rhubarb foam; Hearth & Home, a heady blend of Catoctin Creek brandy, amaro, black walnut bitters, and burnt sorghum; and, from the Rakehouse, a series of private barrel spirits exclusive to A Rake’s Progress, the soul-warming Death’s Door wheat whiskey, aged for five years in a 1978 rum barrel.
If you can keep a hand free, Spoken English also does some innovative concoctions, ranging from I Am Very Hot & Sexy, with mala spice-infused Espolon tequila with lemon and grapefruit; to highballs laced with Toki whiskey.
The Line DC, 1770 Euclid Street NW, Washington, D.C. United States; Tel: +1 202 588 0525
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