The Perfect Springtime American Road Trip Starts Here
There are many warm weather pastimes that feel so distinctly, purely American—beach clambakes, National Parks tours, camping, and, of course, the road trip. Since a web of interstate highways began blanketing the country in the early 20th century, starting with Route 66 in the '20s, that smooth asphalt cruise—be it from coast to coast, or down a coast, or even within state lines—has practically become a rite of passage for anyone with a license.
Now consider the merits of a four-wheeled journey down the Eastern Seaboard to the nation's capital, just in time to see its sparkling monuments to Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln framed in a pastel pink panoply of cherry blossoms, and then squeezing in a quick jaunt out to the charming town of St. Michaels, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Bay, to usher in sailing season. Could there be anything more American than this?
The Itinerary
While road trips are customarily a popular summertime pursuit, Washington D.C. is at its finest in the spring. In 1912, the mayor of Tokyo gifted the city with more than 3,000 Japanese cherry trees, which were planted around the Tidal Basin, home of memorials to Jefferson, FDR, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Every year since, the nation's capital has blossomed into a pink paradise come late March and early April, a phenomenon as Instagrammable as it is fleeting.
Cherry blossoms are hardly the only draw in town. Washington's plethora of gleaming monuments to U.S. history need no introduction. Nor do major museums like the Hirshhorn, the National Portrait Gallery, and the National Museum of African American History & Culture.
Also absolute—not to mention very T&C—musts? The city's exquisite house museums. Marjorie Merriweather Post's Hillwood Estate is perhaps the most well-known—and most luxuriously appointed. In Georgetown, stop by the Dumbarton Oaks Museum, the former 1801 Federal-style mansion of diplomat Robert Bliss and his wife Mildred, who amassed a staggeringly impressive trove of Byzantine and Pre-Columbian art. An alfresco plus: the house is surrounded by splendid terraced gardens and vistas designed by renowned landscape designer Beatrix Farrand. And the Phillips Collection, founded in 1921 by Duncan Phillips, a passionate collector who played a major role in introducing modern art to America. This gem of an institution is brimming with works by important artists, from Gauguin and Monet, to Hopper and O'Keefe, to Kelly and Frankenthaler. Its real crown jewel, though, is the Rothko Room, which contains four of the artist's monumental paintings and just may be the most meditative corner in all of D.C.
Hungry yet? The city's food scene is as excellent as ever: St. Anselm for old-school steaks, Tail Up Goat for its constantly changing and innovative menu, Osteria al Volo for delicious no-fuss Italian, Fiola Mare for much-fuss Italian (and fabulous people watching). And no trip to D.C. is complete without lunch—and possible POTUS sightings—at Le Diplomate.
A nightcap or two can be had at the popular Doyle Bar. Redesigned a few years ago by Martin Brudnizki—he of London private club Annabel's glory—this sleek bo?te is a sultry emerald-, blue-, and teal-tinged ode to midcentury glamour, all striking wood panels, lines and curves, and gilded accents, with an equally nostalgic cocktail list to match. It's a convenient place to end the night given the bar is located in the Dupont Circle, a midcentury hotel that has also undergone a full-body refresh. Our advice: Head straight for the penthouse suite on the ninth floor, reimagined by Irish designer Clodagh into a sexy, airy Mad Men–esque sanctuary with floor-to-ceiling windows and two heated terraces with panoramic views of the grand American capital.
Finally, is it really an East Coast road trip without a few days "out east"? For New Yorkers if that means the Hamptons, for Washingtonians it's Maryland's Eastern Shore. The group of storybook hamlets scattered along the Chesapeake Bay are a quintessential American summer enclave, where yacht slips are plentiful, multimillion-dollar homes are tucked at the end of pristinely manicured driveways, and elite D.C. politicos can idle and frolic in peace. Out-of-towners, find refuge at the historic Inn at Perry Cabin, nestled in the tiny town of St. Michael's.
Alexandra Champalimaud has put a stamp on all 78 rooms and suites, preserving original architectural details from the property's origins as a farm after the War of 1812 and imbuing it with classical details and touches of modern luxury. Other amenities: the championship 18-hole golf course designed by the late Pete Dye and the wonderful sea-to-table cuisine that pays homage to the long crabbing and oystering tradition of its host town. But the real reason to go this month? The season's return, on April 7, of the hotel's pristine fleet of sailboats and Hinckley yachts. Imagine a spring weekend of meandering sails around Miles River and sunset cruises on the Chesapeake—now that's an American way to end a trip.
The Ride
When in, say, Newport, a bright orange sports car may fit in perfectly, but for more buttoned up D.C.? Something a little less conspicuous—still with all the requisite accoutrements, naturally. Enter: the latest iteration of the INFINITI QX60, redesigned for 2022 with a slew of new features to maximize on-the-road comfort.
On the list: 17 Bose speakers for surround sound entertainment, crucial for that interminable stretch of I-95 between Manhattan and Washington (the 7-seater vehicle is basically one giant noise-canceling headphone); a panoramic moonroof; massaging front seats; even an air purifier (whose utility in times like these is self-explanatory).
As for its actual road-tripping prowess, a new nine-speed transmission means much smoother driving. The company's design team was inspired by the Japanese concept of ma, which emphasizes the virtue of emptiness. It's a stylistic decision that also tracks on the pavement, making the INFINITI QX60 feel like a hushed cocoon. And for a week spent maneuvering from highway to narrow D.C. street, monument to museum, city hotel to seaside retreat, it's more than a welcome part of the experience.
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