Bosnia for Ski Bums

It's 8 p.m. on a Friday, and a fashionable group of men and women is sitting around the pewter bar at Proof on Washington, D.C.'s G Street. "Do you cook?" asks a 30-something lawyer with shaggy black hair as she tilts a glass of red wine toward the guy next to her. "If my apartment had come without a kitchen," he replies with a grin, "I wouldn't have noticed." Everyone laughs knowingly. In the last few years, as more young professionals and empty nesters have bought homes in the nation's capital, D.C. has shifted from being a city of chilly Federal buildings to a place where cutting-edge restaurants, late-night cafés, and underground bars open more frequently than local politicians are busted for scandals. Brasserie Beck is one of several large, bistro-style restaurants that debuted last year. Designed to look like a train terminal, Beck runs about the length of a block, with train-station clocks set to different time zones. The 100-beer selection is equally impressive: There are nine on draft, such as Campus, a pilsner from Belgium that's exclusive to Beck. The menu--steamed mussels served with frites, duck almondine--was crafted by chef Robert Wiedmaier, who also opened Marcel's, the city's premier French restaurant. Central Michel Richard, started by the chef who made Citronelle one of the nation's top restaurants, has a playful interior, with leaning towers of plates stacked around the dining room. The bistro is often populated with D.C. celebrities--that is, lobbyists, lawmakers, and media types--who like to rev up an evening at the marble bar with a clementine mimosa. But the real draw is Richard's food, which comes with a more reasonable price tag than Citronelle's. Most of the dishes, from a "faux gras" terrine (made with chicken) to braised rabbit with spaetzle, don't top $20. Just north is the historic corridor of U Street. Classic pit stops like Ben's Chili Bowl, a diner that's been around since 1958, are wedged between old and new clubs that play host to jazz musicians. In the 1930s, Duke Ellington often performed on U Street, then called Black Broadway. Some of the fiercest Saturday-night sessions are held at HR-57, which takes its name from a 1987 congressional directive that called on Americans to preserve jazz. Right off U Street is Busboys and Poets, a bookstore that also has a café, a theater, a bar, and a restaurant that serves pizzas. At one end, hipsters browse for books near a photo collage of Martin Luther King Jr.; at the other, friends sip microbrews and watch a film about the Bush administration. Busboys and Poets is an homage to Langston Hughes, who rose to prominence in D.C. while working as a busboy. The area of Adams Morgan has been undergoing its own renaissance. It's still popular with the college crowd, but there are now a few nightspots that appeal to a more sophisticated clientele. Bourbon, on 18th Street, is the place for bourbon aficionados: The 140-plus pours include a 16-year-old Black Maple Hill bourbon from Kentucky with hints of brown sugar. One block west is another atypical retreat. Named after the Paris subway, Metropolitain is a subterranean bar (below a bistro named Napoleon) specializing in champagne and other sparkling wines. The decor is inspired by the 1970s, with gold-and-white wallpaper and cushiony leather couches--but there's no sitting around after 10 p.m., when DJs spin disco. Champagne also gets prime placement at Proof, where some 40 bottles of bubbly and wine are available in pours ranging from two to eight ounces. Portraits of George Washington and Hillary Clinton flash across flat-screens above the bar. Proof, like many things in the nation's capital, was inspired by the founding fathers. In this case, it's a nod to Benjamin Franklin, whom the bar quotes as saying, "Wine is proof that God loves us." Proof 775 G St. NW, 202/737-7663, proofdc.com, wine from $6.50 Brasserie Beck 1101 K St. NW, 202/408-1717, beckdc.com, beer from $7 Central Michel Richard 1001 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 202/626-0015, centralmichelrichard.com, "faux gras" terrine $14 Ben's Chili Bowl 1213 U St. NW, 202/667-0909, benschilibowl.com, chili $5 HR-57 1610 14th St. NW, 202/667-3700, hr57.org, cover from $8 Busboys and Poets 2021 14th St. NW, 202/387-7638, busboysandpoets.com, pizza from $8 Bourbon 2321 18th St. NW, 202/332-0800, bourbondc.com, from $5 Metropolitain 1847 Columbia Rd. NW, 202/299-9630, napoleondc.com, wine from $6

In 1966, London's St. Pancras train terminal was marked for demolition--it was dirty, decrepit, and fast becoming a drug haven--when poet John Betjeman launched a campaign to save it from the wrecking ball. Thanks to a $1.6 billion renovation, the 140-year-old St. Pancras is back to its Victorian Gothic glory. It's now the U.K. terminal for 27 high-speed Eurostar trains (and new tunnel technology has trimmed the trip to Paris by 20 minutes). A bronze of Betjeman stands in the station, gazing at the 100-foot-high ceiling. 011-44/20-7843-4250, stpancras.com.

Want an Upgrade? Enter here. The upgradee "I'm celebrating my 40th birthday in Malaysia. When in Kuala Lumpur, I'm going to the Blue Mosque and the Batu Caves, as I find religious architecture fascinating. Oh yes, and I do plan on shopping until I drop. It is my 40th birthday, after all!" Nancy Faiman, Redondo Beach, Calif. Using our powers for the good of the people Every year, as her birthday approaches, Nancy Faiman plans a trip abroad. "I hate the big 'kapow' birthday celebration--that's why I leave the country," she says with a laugh. In past years, Nancy has gone to Thailand, Singapore, Spain, and Indonesia; in each place, she explored temples and churches. "I love how ornate and detailed the decorations and carvings are," she says. While anyone can visit the Batu Caves--a series of temples near Kuala Lumpur, and one of the most important Hindu shrines outside of India--you need connections to meet with the shrine's chief priest, Sivasri Ravinatha Gurukkal. "It was incredible!" reports Nancy. "I learned that he's from India and his family is still in Chennai. I grilled the poor guy about Hinduism." Ravinatha demonstrated the Hindu prayer process by taking Nancy's offerings to the altar of the god Ganesh and returning to place a bindi, or red mark, on her forehead as a confirmation that her prayers had been received. "It's always good to have someone pray for you, and for your health and wealth!" says Nancy. Next year's birthday destination: Vietnam. Many thanks to... The Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, which has information about the country's cultural destinations on its website, tourismmalaysiausa.com.  

New Prize: All-inclusive Cancún The best response we receive between February 1 and February 29, 2008, wins a three-night trip for two to Cancún from Continental Airlines Vacations. The prize includes round-trip airfare from any Continental gateway in the U.S. and three all-inclusive nights at the Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort. How to enter TrueStories@BudgetTravel.com or True Stories, Budget Travel, 530 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10018. For full contest guidelines, see BudgetTravel.com/truestories. This month's winner! The winners of this month's contest are Roger and Claudia Hirsch of Dundee, Ore. Their prize: a four-night trip to Jamaica from Air Jamaica, the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort, and the Jamaica Tourist Board. A wonderful journey in Belgium went awry when we put regular gas in our diesel rental car. The mechanics at the auto shop laughed, shook their heads, and siphoned out the gas. When we asked about the bill, they indicated that we should wait, and made a phone call. Then a gentleman drove up--we assumed that he was the owner. He explained that during World War II, the Americans marched into his village to save it from the Nazis. He said he'd never forget, and for Americans, there would be no charge for the car repair. We were speechless. And it was only $13 each! I hoped to visit the Greek archaeological museum in Iráklion and the Minoan palace at Knossos while in Crete, but both sites were closed. Sensing my disappointment, my taxi driver, Stelios, offered to take my family and me on a tour across the island for only $100. I told him that my wife and daughter were just getting up and would be hungry. "Could you choose a place for breakfast and join us as our guest?" I asked. He gave me a quizzical look and nodded, then made a call on his cell phone. We later learned that Stelios had awakened his wife to inform her that he was bringing three Americans home for breakfast. His wife, Katerina, served us seven different homemade treats, and she even gave my wife and daughter some handmade lace. "No passengers ever asked me to eat with them," said Stelios. "How can I take them anywhere but to my own home?" Kevin R. Allison, Highlands Ranch, Colo. But can he make a marinara? While on a Caribbean cruise, my husband and I enjoyed watching sunsets with our friends. When I noted how refreshing it was to wear so little clothing, one friend agreed, even suggesting that man revert to the fashion trend set by Adam and Eve--"We should all just don a bay leaf," he said. I gave my sympathies to his girlfriend. My husband certainly would need the more standard fig leaf to do the job properly! Cindy Brewer, Ballwin, Mo. Fishier and fishier In Madrid, my husband, some friends, and I stopped in a tapas bar. A selection of whole sardines arrived with our drinks. Unaccustomed to the beady eyes, I hid the fish in a napkin to avoid appearing ungracious. The owner immediately filled our plate with more. I stashed them away, too. I carried the bundle to the bathroom and dropped the fish into the toilet. Unfortunately, the water pressure wasn't sufficient to remove them. I watched in horror as the fish simply floated in circles. Not wanting to leave them for the next guest, I kept flushing. Eventually, I tried flushing two at a time, and to my relief they went down. We left soon thereafter. Celia Gianoli, Reno, Nev. Proof that lawyers are dogs Last fall, my dad and I traveled to Nashville for his law-school reunion. When we pulled up to the hotel, we saw a number of people checking in with dogs, and we remarked how pet-friendly the hotel was. Upon entering our room, my dad raided the minibar for a snack to take with his medication. He mentioned later that the gingersnaps tasted funny. A look at the wrapper showed that what he'd eaten was a package of dog treats. Lantie Elisabeth Quinones, Jupiter, Fla. Beware the banana split After five days of vegetarian food at a meditation retreat in the Dordogne area of France, my husband, my three kids, and I were ready for our more usual fare--so when we read about a place where a nude waiter serves Baskin-Robbins ice cream, we couldn't resist. The next thing I knew, we were at Le Cap d'Agde, a large naturist village. Our server had swim trunks on, but we saw very few articles of clothing on anyone else. They were the most memorable ice cream cones we'd ever eaten! Rae Therrien, Laupahoehoe, Hawaii A.K.A. the big queasy At a café in La Paz, Bolivia, I was still a bit hungry after dinner and wanted to order a sandwich before the café closed. The sandwiches were all named after cities. I went with the New Orleans, which I ordered in Spanish. Two waiters came out with four bags. I'd ordered "nueve" (nine) Orleans instead of a "Nueva" (New) Orleans. Alison Peters, Denver, Colo. Prize report In November 2006, Bill and Linnea Boaz won four nights at The Lodge & Spa at Cordillera in Colorado for their efforts at re-creating a BT cover. "Highlights included two rounds of golf--one 9,200 feet above sea level--and two world-class massages," writes Bill. "And dinner at the Mirador restaurant was terrific. Thanks again!"