Carla Hall is best known as a competitor on Bravo’s Top Chef, where she won over audiences with her fun catch phrase “Hootie Hoo” and philosophy to always cook with love. Today, Carla is one of the hosts on ABC’s newest daytime talk show, The Chew. Hall is the owner of Alchemy by Carla Hall, an artisan cookie company that specializes in creating sweet and savory “petite bites of love.” She lives in Washington, DC with her husband Matthew Lyons and stepson Noah. Hall serves as one of the judges at this year's Embassy Chef Challenge. 

Cultural Tourism DC asked some notable Washingtonians to share with us their favorite places or events that are special and unique to DC.

Here are Carla’s favorite five places in DC:

1. Seeing the monuments after dark - The monuments are beautiful any time, but there's something special and particularly luminous, not to mention romantic, when you take a nice drive to see the monuments under the stars and in the moonlight.
2. Biking and hiking trails - I love that we have a beltway of hiking/biking, or rollerblading, trails, around the Washington Metropolitan area. I have actually gotten wonderfully lost while exploring and going "off course." The joy was in the discovery of new things and eventually finding the trail again.
3. Taking a walking tour - Seeing DC through the eyes of a native or a historian as they tell interesting anecdotes about various neighborhoods and landmarks is a treat. You will never see DC in the same way again. There's even a haunted house tour. There are a number of tours that may be found online.
4. Taking advantage of The Arts - DC has many outlets for The Arts from dance to music to theater, from the big theaters to the small ones, from watching a performance inside or outside.
5. Going out to eat - Sometimes going out to eat IS the entertainment. With so many great restaurants popping up in DC, it's not hard to make the dining experience the ONLY experience of the evening.

To view a full list of DC Insiders click here.

Want a chance to meet Carla Hall? Tickets are still available for Embassy Chef Challenge 2012!