Washington, DC is ranked among the top destinations for museums, culture and dining in the world. Summit participants will likely be in Washington, D.C. at a time when the cherry blossoms are near or are at their blooming peak. 

Museums/Art and Culture: Visiting foreign journalists should ensure to visit National Mall, with its bigger-than-life monuments and memorials, to walk through the nation’s history. Washington is among the top world destinations for museums – and many of them with no admission charge. The National Gallery of Art on the Mall houses the only Leonardo da Vinci in the Western Hemisphere, in addition to a remarkable collection of art works. The Smithsonian’s American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery share a building in Penn Quarter and are filled with works by notable American artists Winslow Homer, Thomas Hart Benton, George Catlin, Georgia O’Keefe and others, plus the only complete collection of presidential portraits outside of the White House. For more: http://washington.org/topics/arts-culture 

Dining: Restaurants and cafes abound throughout Washington, D.C., and feature a wide variety of cuisines, such as Ethiopian, Latin American, and Middle East offerings of the Adams Morgan/Columbia Heights district; American Soul Food, Mini-Brewery Pub fare and African delicacies of U Street/Shaw, fine dining at Downtown Penn Quarter and Dupont Circle, and the more casual foodie destinations of Chinatown and Union Station. For more: http://washington.org/DC-guide-to/dining-neighborhood-washington-dc 

Shopping: Not far from the Washington Convention Center, Union Station houses a moderately-sized and newer shopping mall, offering options for jewelry, clothing, shoes, books, gifts and souvenirs. Store hours are from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Monday through Saturday, and from 12:00 to 6:00 PM on Sundays. Two other nearby options include the popular and historic Georgetown shopping district, and the within walking distance of the Convention Center, CityCenterDC, with several upscale retail establishments. For more: www.citycenterdc.com/retail 

Cherry Blossom Festival: The National Cherry Blossom Festival takes place in Washington, D.C. from March 20 to April 17, and is planned to coincide as closely as possible with the annual blooming of the iconic Yoshino cherry trees which abound in the District. Cherry blossom trees grow in Washington, D.C. primarily in three National Park Service locations: around the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park, in East Potomac Park (Hains Point) and on the Washington Monument grounds. 

The plantings of the cherry blossom trees in Washington, D.C. originated as a gift in 1912 from the people of Japan to the United States as gesture of friendship and goodwill. Since then, the

number of trees has expanded to approximately 3,750 trees of 16 varieties on National Park Service land. The Yoshino variety is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful flowering ornamental trees. 

Peak Bloom Date is defined as the day on which 70 percent of the blossoms of the cherry trees are open. The date when the cherry blossoms reach peak bloom varies from year to year, depending on weather conditions. The average date of blooming is April 4, but nature is not always cooperative and the National Park Service horticulturists cannot make an accurate prediction much more than ten days prior. The blooming period starts several days before the Peak Bloom Date and can last as long as 14 days; however, frost or high temperatures combined with wind and/or rain can shorten this period. 

Summit participants will likely be in Washington, D.C. at a time when the cherry blossoms are near or at peak bloom date. 

Pharmacies: Pharmacies are located throughout Washington, D.C. and typically sell a wide variety of products in addition to prescription medicine, including health care supplies and equipment, vitamins, perfumes and toiletries, drinks and packaged foods, magazines and newspapers, school supplies, certain clothing items, souvenirs, and many other items. Visitors from other countries should note that U.S. pharmacies are prohibited by law from filling prescriptions written by physicians who are not licensed to practice in the United States. The following pharmacies are located in proximity to the Washington Convention Center:

CVS Pharmacy (.3 miles/.5 kilometer) 
655 K Street, N.W. (202) 682-0170
Open until 10:00 PM 

CVS Pharmacy (.5 miles/.7 kilometer) 
1117 10th Street, N.W (202) 326-1401
Open until 10:00 PM