Getting your birthday drink on

Yesterday (or today, depending on how you look at it) I celebrated my boyfriend's birthday at POV Lounge at the W Hotel Washington. I ordered the pear mulled cider, which hit the spot on a chilly evening (cider, rum, pear-infused vodka). My friend ordered the St. Helene (champagne, St. Germaine, orange peel). But it was my boyfriend's drink, the sweet, almost effervescent Strawberry Lemonade, that stole the show (strawberries, lemon juice, vodka, pineapple, magic).
If you are at the W, you should order this drink. It's on the downstairs lounge menu. My table ordered nine of them, a testament to how well they (drinks and friends) hold up.(photo credit: W Hotel)

The POV lounge is a hip update on ye olde Hotel Washington. Like other W's, there's the emphasis on sassy interiors and loud but inoffensive music.

I went to see the view three years ago when it was simply the Hotel Washington, a lovely grande dame with genteel manners, iceberg salads, white walls, and old-fashioned cocktails, from which one could enjoy the best view of D.C.'s monuments. I nearly cried into my bubbly when I found out that the Hotel Washington was to close on New Year's day, shortly after my first visit - the view was simply too good to be shuttered. But like the phoenix rising from the ashes, the old lady endures, this time with a Dwell-worthy interior, an adult Top-40 playlist, and decent drinks . It's so dark inside the lounge, you may have trouble determining if you are reading the menu or your drinking partner correctly. But so much fun, and still a must for views.

Food 4/5
Drinks 4/5
Decor 5/5
Location 5/5 (for the view, about .5 miles from the nearest metro)

With heavier weight on the munchables, nomelette gives the POV Lounge 4 out of 5 Noms!