Faves and raves by

Matthew Stone

Professor of hospitality, tourism, and culinary arts at Prince George's Community College, and he writes at globalpostmark.com.

PERSONAL STATS

AGE: 36

NUMBER OF YEARS IN D.C. AREA: 3

NEIGHBORHOOD: Arlington

- Hayley Peterson

1. FAVORITE NEIGHBORHOOD HANGOUT: Wonderland Ballroom in Columbia Heights. It's not my neighborhood, but I like it anyway.

2. BEST MODE OF TRANSPORTATION: Metro. It can be frustrating when it's 14 minutes until the next train, but I really miss it when I visit a city without rapid transit.

3. FAVORITE LOCAL SPORTS EVENT: Playing in a softball league on the Ellipse in the summer while the president's helicopter flies in.

4. BEST PLACE FOR LIVE MUSIC: The Iota Club in Arlington -- great food, great beer and an intimate venue.

5. BEST PLACE FOR OUT-OF-TOWN VISITORS: The Library of Congress would be the top attraction in nearly any other city, but here it gets overshadowed because we have so many other attractions. Every visitor I have taken there is in awe of the magnificent -- but somewhat gaudy -- architecture.

6. FAVORITE MUSEUM: The Kreeger Museum is free from crowds and intimate in scale. Out-of-town visitors seldom get to experience this part of Washington.

7. MOST ROMANTIC SPOT: I find something incredibly romantic about hotel bars. I would have to pick Urbana, hidden below the Hotel Palomar, since that is where we held our wedding dinner.

8. FAVORITE WAY TO SPEND A LAZY SUNDAY: As a travel buff, I love sitting at Gravelly Point Park watching the planes land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and walking along the Potomac admiring the D.C. skyline.

9. BEN?S CHILI BOWL, OLD EBBITT GRILL OR CAFE MILANO? I love the history of the Old Ebbitt Grill. It's a classic.

10. BEST OUT-OF-TOWN RETREAT: I will say National Harbor in Prince George's County. Spend the night there, and you will not feel like you are in D.C. at all. Visit the Peeps store, dine at Bond 45, take a water taxi ride, and sit outdoors eating Ben & Jerry's ice cream. It's always great to see many of our PGCC students working in the hotels and restaurants.

11. BEST INSIDE-THE-BELTWAY RETREAT: Roosevelt Island is an oasis -- each time I go to Roosevelt Island it seems like there should be monkeys or dinosaurs.

12. FAVORITE MONUMENT: Lincoln Memorial. As a native Illinoisan, Lincoln is a hero of mine. I take all my guests to the Lincoln Memorial and instruct them to walk up the steps without turning around. When we reach the top and turn around, it is always an incredible moment.

13. PROUDEST PART OF LIVING IN THE D.C. REGION: Every time I drive up the George Washington Parkway and see the Capitol reminds me how much I appreciate this country.

14. EMBARRASSING PART OF LIVING IN D.C. REGION: It seems as if every problem in the country is blamed on Washington, like we really did something bad.

15. BEST BREAKFAST SPOT: The Original Pancake House. I know it's a chain, but it's the only place I know to get a Dutch pancake.

16. BEST COFFEE SHOP: Teaism in Penn Quarter. I'm definitely a tea guy.