Dupont Circle

The park itself is small, maybe a hundred feet across, centered on a white marble fountain. The surrounding neighborhood is what makes a stop here worthwhile.

The circle

Benches all the way around, a couple of chess tables that get used most mornings by regulars, and the fountain running from spring through fall. It's a working neighborhood park, not a tourist destination, which means people are there to read, wait for friends, eat lunch, or actually play chess.

The neighborhood

Dupont Circle has good bookstores (Kramerbooks is a block away and open late), a mix of cafés ranging from excellent to fine, and Connecticut and Massachusetts Avenues fanning out with restaurants for most budgets. One of the more walkable parts of DC where things are genuinely close together.

Worth noting

Sunday farmers market on the Q Street side. The neighborhood gets loud at night along 17th Street if you're looking for bars, quieter toward P Street if you're not.