  Topologically massive gravity (TMG) in three dimensions provides an
interesting toy model for constructing a quantum theory of gravity. Although it
can be thought of as standing as a theory in its own right, it is also of
interest to see whether it can be described within the larger framework of
string theory or M-theory. In this paper, we show that it can be embedded
within the heterotic string, via a compactification on $S^3\times T^4$. Since
all solutions of TMG can now be lifted to ten dimensions, this allows us to
give a string and brane interpretation to quantities such as the central
charges in the conformal field theory on the boundary of TMG, and the entropy
of the BTZ black hole solution.
