#3 Washington D.C.

A new addition, the Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard at the Smithsonian’s Patent Office Building, is visible above. Photography by COURTESY OF KEN RAHAIM / SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION

The presidential candidates aren’t the only ones vying for a ticket to the nation’s capital, a newcomer to our poll’s top three. Some 15 million people visit Washington, D.C., each year, most of them hoofing it around town in their Nikes—a recent Brookings Institution survey named D.C. the country’s most walkable major city.

Politics and monuments aside, what appeals to so many art lovers about D.C. is its commitment to art for everyone. “Washington has, in my experience, the finest and most universally accessible museums,” said reader and Buffalo, N.Y., resident Christina Wos Donnelly. “Many are open 364 days a year and are always free!”

But don’t think that accessible means you’ve seen it all. There is plenty of renovation going on around town. The historic Patent Office Building, home to the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, recently completed the Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard, a spectacular enclosed garden that will be home to year-round performances and special events. The roof is a wavy glass and steel structure that appears to float over the courtyard, letting in natural light to create an idyllic spot for quiet contemplation. The Textile Museum will also be coming to the neighborhood in fall 2009, when it opens its second location at 421 7th Street NW, with a welcome 23,400 square feet of space.