Best: Kenyon Square
1390 Kenyon St. NW
Second-Best: The Residences at Market Square (pictured)
701 and 801 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

Here’s a bit of real estate lingo special to D.C.: “Monument view.” Tour a condo in this city, and the term comes up as often as “recessed lighting” and “half-bath.” But if your eye’s always scanning south toward the Mall, then you might as well be a tourist.

The view from the Kenyon Square Condominiums reminds you that Washington is a city of landmarks in every direction. From the top of this eight-floor Columbia Heights building, you can see everything from the National Cathedral in upper Northwest to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Brookland. Heck, off on the northern horizon, you can even spot…some radio towers in Maryland! Pretty special.

But when it comes to downtown vistas, the Residences at Market Square (which I wrote about for our inauguration issue) offer up something few other buildings in D.C. could this year: A straight-on view of President Barack Obama’s inauguration parade. That means one day every four years, these condo-dwellers own some of the best real estate in the world, depending on their political views

Image by Darrow Montgomery

This category comes from a place of pure home lust.  Washington D.C. is a town of great views. From all over the city, you can spot the monuments, the Capitol, and other images that make this city so iconic and photogenic.

Frankly, sometimes, it really sucks to live in a townhouse with no rooftop access. The closest thing I have to fresh air and urban vistas is a back patio that faces an alley. There are some occasionally interesting (and not altogether unfamiliar) local sites: High schoolers smoking weed before school, shattered windshields, cars idling with their music blasting.

They leave something to be desired.

So what is the best rooftop view in Washington D.C.? (I'd be interested in looking at both condos and apartments.) UrbanTurf did a write-up a few months back about this very topic, mentioning Kenyon Square in Columbia Heights, the Waterview in Rosslyn, Ten Ten Mass downtown, The Residences at Liberty Center in Ballston, and Yale Steam Laundry in the Mount Vernon Square area.

Others, on this blog, have mentioned Jenkins Row's view. I'm sure City Vista's got some sweet Capitol views to offer. I'm quite partial to the long view toward downtown overlooking Northwest rooftops. Moderno can compete on that front.

Others?

Image by Wan*der*lust, Flickr Creative Commons

U Street's Moderno is certainly new—But is it the best?

As I wrote earlier, our "Best of D.C." issue is coming soon. On that note, let's talk "Best New Condo Building." We had a similar category—"Best-Designed Residential Development," won by City Vista—last year in our Reader's Poll. But nothing written by one of our writers. And nothing quite like what I'm proposing.

(At least, I don't think so—last year's issue was pretty sprawling. Hard to remember just exactly what we had in there.)

So who gets to be considered for "Best New Condo Building?" Any building with units on the market in the last year.

And what qualifies as "Best?" That's the tricky question. Is the winning property the best designed? The best bang for your buck? The best in terms of convenience and quality of life? I would say all those things matter. The "Best" is rather intangible. You just choose something that fits.

I've heard a few suggestions already.

The Viya was mentioned for its "great layouts";"The Ventura" for everything being "top of the line"; And lastly, the Axis Condos for their beautiful design elements.

So if the "Best of D.C." advertisement in the corner hasn't caught your eye. Or you didn't spot the "Best of D.C." ballot party invite covering the entire back page of newspaper. Well, then allow me to tell you: Our 2009 Best of D.C. issue is coming out soon—March 27 to be exact.

Unfortunately, our first round of deadlines is also just around the corner. I'm writing up some real estate/development-related categories for the newspaper. First one up: Best Building Amenities or "Why You Should Live in a Behemoth of a Building, Instead of a Nice Little Boutique Place" (because the best amenities usually are in the larger properties).

I got some suggestions (written below) already from a sales agent in D.C., but I'm still collecting nominations.

The Whitman, 910 M Street N.W.

Why: Fitness center, large rooftop terrace with grill, and outdoor lap pool.

City Vista, 1045 5th Street N.W.

Why: Huge Safeway and Results Gym within the complex, one-acre park inside building,"Oasis in the sky:" club room, outdoor pool, and outdoor terrace.

Other ideas people?

Image from City Vista website