Especially if you're traveling with children younger than 11, you might start Day 3 with a lively visit to the National Zoo. Otherwise, consider visiting the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in the morning and then spend the afternoon with a restorative stroll through some of D.C.'s loveliest quarters. Obtain admission tickets ahead of time for the museum, if possible; otherwise, you should plan to arrive early to wait in line. Start: Metro on the Red Line to National Zoo to go to the zoo; Metro on the Blue Line to Smithsonian to visit the Holocaust Museum.

1. National Zoological Park or 2. U.S. Memorial Holocaust Museum -- If you (or your children) want to get an early start on the day, the National Zoological Park, an off-the-Mall Smithsonian complex, opens at 6am, year-round. A Kids Farm and a fresh batch of cheetah cubs are some of the zoo's most recent developments. Its giant pandas remain the zoo's top draws.

Thirteen years after its debut, crowds continue to tour the U.S. Memorial Holocaust Museum, especially its heart-tearing main exhibit. Some people also come here to do research: open to the public without appointment is a library on the 5th floor, where you can look up information on a name, a town, any subject to do with the Holocaust. The museum, meanwhile, is expanding its mission to include special exhibits on related events, for instance, firsthand accounts and photographs depicting the persecution and torture of the people of Darfur, Sudan.

From the Metro's Red Line National Zoo stop, take the Metro south one stop to the Dupont Circle station. From the Metro's Blue Line Smithsonian station, take Metro to Metro Center and switch to the Red Line, going toward Shady Grove. Debark at Dupont Circle.

3. Phillips Collection -- This beautiful museum-mansion is growing, much to the consternation of the neighborhood, but to the delight of art lovers. A sculpture garden, new cafe, and larger exhibit space for postwar contemporary art are part of the plan and may be in place by the time you read this. Always keep an eye out for Phillips favorite pieces: Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party, numerous Bonnards, and on display from time to time, a painting executed by founder Duncan Phillips's wife, Marjorie Phillips: Night Baseball.

4. Johnny's Half-Shell -- Open from 11:30am straight through to the evening, this casually comfortable restaurant does a brisk business at lunch, so if you don't want to wait, aim to get here after 1:30pm, to enjoy such Eastern Shore fare as the excellent crab cake. tel. 202/296-2021.

5. Embassy Row and Dupont Circle -- Stop in shops along Connecticut Avenue, and then follow side streets to discover boutiques, little art galleries, and quaint century-old townhouses. If you look carefully, you'll start to notice that some of these buildings are actually embassies -- or historic homes. The mansion at 2340 S St. NW, for instance, is where President Woodrow Wilson lived after he left the White House. The most awesome embassies lie on Massachusetts Avenue, west of Dupont Circle. Flags and plaques clearly identify them.

Walk, if you feel up to it, or take a taxi to the Kennedy Center.

6. Kennedy Center -- Head to the Kennedy Center for the 6pm nightly free concert in the Grand Foyer, as part of the center's Millennium Stage program. At concert's end, proceed through the glass doors to the terrace overlooking Rock Creek Parkway and the Potomac River, and enjoy the view.

7. Georgetown -- Finish up the day with dinner and shopping in Georgetown, where stores and restaurants tend to stay open later than those in other parts of town.