"Lionshead Faucet, Artists Inn Residence" by Jenn Larsen, on Flickr
Sigh. Stupid economic apocalypse. I really wanted to get away for my birthday this year. Rough times on all fronts. Originally I had some fantasy about skipping town to Barcelona or Marseilles. But, no such luck. So, I settled for a staycation and escaped for the night to exotic Dupont Circle. The bed and breakfast that I discovered, however, turned out to be the best birthday idea I’d had in ages.
The Artists Inn Residence, run by the incredibly kind Terry Gerace, is an amazing B&B at 18th and R Streets NW. If you have any out-of-town guests to house or are looking for a romantic or peaceful escape, this is the place. Beautifully renovated, it’s filled with light and gives the impression of a gracious Parisian mansion with a modern twist. Six suites are lovingly decorated like perfect jewelboxes – each with a different theme that is never heavy-handed. The rooms are also completely outfitted with the technophile essentials like high-speed wireless internet, crazily hidden HDTVs, heated floors, mood lighting… I easily spent half-an-hour just fiddling with the gadgets like the TV hidden in the mirror over the massive stone fireplace.
I stayed in the Da Vinci suite, with its bed constructed out of massive carved doors making me feel like I was nestled in a Tuscan farmhouse. Upon arrival I was even sweetly greeted by a little chocolate cake. Now that’s a class act.
"Da Vinci Bedroom, Artists Inn Residence" by Jenn Larsen, on Flickr
But oh, the bathroom! Total spa heaven in a whirlpool bath that nurtured my mermaid soul for a blissful hour before I went to bed. And nothing beats washing up with water poured from a lion’s head faucet! Except perhaps my morning shower under a rain forest shower-head, feet massaged by river rocks, bathed in sun from the skylight above – well, it was hard to leave.
"Da Vinci Bathroom, Artists Inn Residence" by Jenn Larsen, on Flickr
After a relaxing evening with the most restful night’s sleep I’d had in months, I awoke to find that it had snowed during the night, and enjoyed the cold pristine view from the breakfast room, feeling a bit like Marie Antoinette in the Petit Trianon. There was even a lovely gallery on the first floor with rotating art exhibits to peruse before I headed off to the office and real life, rejuvenated and grateful to be able to still enjoy life’s bits of beauty.
Artists Inn Residence
1824 R Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
info@artistsinnresidence.com
As one of the founding editors of We Love DC, Jenn’s passions are theater and cocktails. After two decades in the city, she’s loved every quirky, mundane, elegant, rude minute of her DC life. A proud advocate for DC’s talented drinks scene, she’s judged the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s ARTINI contest, the DC Rickey Month contest, the Jefferson Hotel’s Quill Cocktail competition, and is a founding member of LUPEC DC. A graduate of Catholic University’s drama program, she toured the country as a member of National Players, and has been both an actor and a costume designer before jumping the aisle to theater criticism. Writing for We Love DC restored her happiness after a life-threatening illness, and she’s grateful to you, dear readers. Send your suggestions to jenn (at) welovedc (dot) com and follow her on Twitter.
