Travelling to DC end June. 3 nights going to Smithsonian and also want some night life (jazz/blues) whats the best area to stay in?

Dupont Circle or Penn Quarter.

Ditto.

I'm not fimilar with Penn Qtr but have stayed in Dupont Circle many times. I love it because it has cute stores, great restaurants, and it has great access to the Metro.

I'll fourth Dupont Circle.

What is your budget?

One advantage to Penn Qtr is that it is walking distance to the mall where the main Smithsonian Museums are located. Penn Qtr is home to the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery & American Art Museum. The Chinatown/Gallery Place metro in PQ is very centrally located.

Blues Alley in Georgetown is probably DC's best known jazz club but there are others:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/be...lub,61575.html

Adams Morgan and the U Street Corridor are neighborhoods with blues clubs but not all that much for hotels.

These days I think Penn QTR has the most going on. DuPont Circle would be my second choice.

thanks for all the info, appreciated.
any clubs/bars (jazz/blues) recomended ?? cheers

Some good ones to consider:
http://www.hr57.org/ (look later for calendar - it's doesn't show more than 1 month in advance)

These three are all near the U St. Metro station (good club area but no hotels):

http://www.bohemiancaverns.com/

http://www.twinsjazz.com/index.php?o...472&Itemid=18/

http://www.utopiaindc.com/calendar.html

Also very good:
http://www.bluesalley.com/ (mixture of so-so-, good, and GREAT acts - check the calendar)

http://www.madamsorgan.com/cal.html (good local and occasional national headliners - nice and very casual)

And if you're hear on June 12:
http://silverspringtowncenter.blogsp...-festival.html

Q. "Washington, which district?"
A. The District of Columbia, of course.