THE political heart of America moves to the resounding beat of power.

From the museums that line the central Mall to the monuments built in honour of the White House's most famous inhabitants, planners and architects have set out to make it clear that this city matters.

But beneath Washington's serious side lurks a quirky underbelly that goes unexplored by many.

No trip to Washington would be complete without a tour of the sites and the obligatory holiday snap in front of the White House.

However, the historic Georgetown, bohemian Adams Morgan and fashionable Du Pont Circle districts provide an unexpectedly varied range of restaurants, bars, clubs and other diversions.

Shops, particularly in Adams Morgan, provide a more eclectic range of clothes and gifts than you will find in the big name chains which are taking over Britain's high streets.

And seeing the sights does not have to limit you to a trawl around the picture postcard highlights that even those who have not visited would recognise.

At the height of the holiday season thousands trek between the museums and monuments spread along either side of the Mall, the long expanse of carefully tended grass that has been set aside for the purpose.

But there are better ways to see the city than on foot -- and a breath-taking helicopter ride is amongst the most dramatic.

At 99 US dollars a trip, some may think it a little extravagant but we were more perturbed by the pilot's snakeskin boots. However, as we took off from a small chopper pad on the edge of the city and began snaking along the river it became clear he was no cowboy. Local air regulations allow low-level flights that make you feel you are skimming the famous landmarks but the real shock is realising how green and open the capital is -- most of it looks like a large, leafy park.

Over in an all-too-brief 15 minutes, the trip provides a fascinating aerial view of the city and is worth the money just to see the faces of diners in the Kennedy Centre's roof-top restaurant as you fly by at eye level.

A cheaper -- and greener -- option is take to two wheels. With the temperature in the high 80s, the four-hour Bike The Sites tour presented a gruelling challenge. But speeding through the crowds on the wide, flat boulevards that run between the main attractions proved a much better and cooler way to get around.

We received another perspective on the city with a psychic tour hosted by the improbably-named Zorel, not a wizened gipsy woman but a middle aged man dripping with gold jewellery and sporting a mahogany perma-tan.

He employed his powers on a trip around Lafayette Park, reputedly the most haunted area of the capital, revealing what he sensed before an orthodox tour guide gave the official history.

While the usual burger bars and budget steakhouses can be found on every corner, Washington also boasts a more sophisticated and varied restaurant scene than can be found in most American cities.