With summer upon us I often think about where to take my clients for a meal or a libation when I am in our corporate headquarters in Washington, DC. There are so many great neighborhoods and dining options in the nation’s capital, but one of my favorites is the New City Center complex in downtown DC.

I adore the City Center because it is an urban development that is a walk-able & people friendly with landscaped public spaces, fountains, a digital art display, restaurants, cafes, retail, fitness studios and condos/apartments. City Center is 10 acres across and 2.5 million square feet of development. A once neglected and barren area of downtown DC has come alive with pedestrian walking zones, outdoor eateries and most importantly public spaces where people can come sit rest and reflect.

I feel the City Center has brought back a soul to the city that was missing. The entire complex has been designed by the award winning British architectural firm Foster & Partners, an architectural firm that places an emphasis on making public spaces interactive and have them meld with the surroundings areas.

I am fortunate that our Travel Document Systems office is close by and I can take my clients for a dining experience, when the weather permits sit outside and savor a meal while we gaze at the fountains and art displays. It is a formidable experience and makes one feel like one has left the city for a few hours. Any great public space should give one a feeling of escape.