The Good Life: Travel: City ‘Scapes: Washington

Stay: Swann House (1808 New Hampshire Avenue NW, 202-265-4414; swannhouse.com), a red stone mansion off Dupont Circle, has all the amenities of a luxury hotel with the added homeyness of a B&B — quirkily decorated rooms, an evening sherry hour, and homemade cheese blintz pies for breakfast.

Eat: The elevated comfort food at Michel Richard’s new hot spot Central (1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, 202-626-0015; centralmichelrichard.com) should possibly be called discomfort food. Because it’s not like you’re going to eat just one of the feather-light gougères, or merely nibble at your succulent lobster burger. And then there’s Richard’s reinvented KitKat … By the time it’s all over, you’ll want to lie down and breathe shallowly, like a beached whale. A happy beached whale.

Spa: Once you’ve finished checking your e-mail and charging your cell phone (complimentary Mac access and outlets provided) at the Erwin Gomez Salon & Spa (1519 Wisconsin Avenue NW, between P and Q streets, 202-333-7290; erwingomezsalon.com), get your eyebrows shaped by the master himself. (Erwin Gomez did the Bush twins!) Or try the hot lava pedicure — pricey, but worth it.