Stacy Zarin-Goldberg

Italian comfort food downtown at the new Casa Nonna

6 Ways to Jump-Start Holiday Weekends in Washington

Perfect Bites. It’s Italian done right at new Dupont Circle hot spot, Casa Nonna (1250 Connecticut Ave., NW). With two separate bars for pizza and libations, plus an outdoor dining area with terra-cotta floors inside, it might just make you want a big pizza pie. Try the grilled swordfish for an unusual, but still very Italian, experience.

Perfect Escape. Nix the usual skating and snowball fights and use the cold to improve your golf swing. Through the coldest of seasons, the East Potomac Golf Course at Hains Point (972 Ohio Dr., SW; 202/554-7660) is still open for business with heated stalls for optimal strokes. Bring a caddy to hold your clubs and venture next door to the Jefferson Memorial and the Tidal Basin.

Perfect Treat. Cozy up to a warm brunch with friends on a blustery day at Kafé Leopold (3315 M St., NW; 202/965-2005), Georgetown’s best-kept secret in Cady’s Alley off always-buzzing M Street. Try the salmon pizette and end your meal with fresh Austrian coffee.

Perfect Diversion. The best way to create memories in Washington, D.C., is to make one yourself. It’s easy with Saturday urban sketching classes from Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (545 7th St., SE), where groups will venture with an instructor to sketch well-known D.C. monuments and hoods. Not so artsy? Stop by the center Dec. 11 to snag a piece from the Capitol Hill Art League gift show to wrap up holiday shopping.

Perfect Buy. A former pet boutique now houses a woman’s best friend: jewels. The collection at Charm (2910 M St., NW; 202/298-0420), ranging from inexpensive travel jewelry to vibrant gemstones, offers measured, everyday glamour. Don’t miss the back room, filled with ladylike accessories to complement your newfound sparkle.

Perfect Stay. The beverages are just as important as the turndown service at The Renaissance Washington, D.C., Downtown Hotel (999 9th St., NW; 202/898-9000), as shown by its redone bar and lobby, appropriately called Mixx and Mingle. Ask for the Moscow Mule while you nosh an impressive array of appetizers. It’s too bad you can’t take the drinks to go. (PLUS: Our Q &A with the man behind the sips, here.)