I am going to Washington DC next week, need advice

[scarpa43]

My wife and I are going for about 5 days and it has been a long time since I was there.

Any suggestions on what should be on our "must see/do" list?
Museums, attractions, resturants....

We have appts to tour the White House and the Library of Congress already.

[Parche]

1. DC

Air and space museum of course

Arlington Cem...........Admiral Halsey is buried there

Smithsonian

:hi:

[Shell Beau]

2. When I went, I really enjoyed the Smithsonian museum of natural history.

It was wonderful. I enjoyed the others too, but this was my fave. The White House tour sucked, but I am glad I got to do it anyway. The WWII Memorial is beautiful.

[KitchenWitch]

3. Natural History Museum

Hirschorn Sculpture Museum
Reflecting Pool and the Mall

[Tommy_Carcetti]

4. Baltimore? :)

Seriously though,

All the Smithsonians are a safe bet--Natural History, American History and Air and Space especially. White House, Capitol, and the different presidential and war monuments are also well worth it.

I don't know where you are staying but I would advise you to take the Metro--Washington has quite possibly the most illogical and craziest street grid in the country with detours, one ways and traffic circles galore, so the chances of getting hopelessly lost are high.

[TZ]

7. American History Museum is still closed for renovations..

until beg of November I think.

[CBHagman]

26. To say nothing of the parking issue.

It'll cost you $11 and up in some garages. Definitely take the Metro or the bus.

[Patiod]

35. 2nd that advice - love the Metro -- Hate the roads

I ALWAYS get lost, so I've given up driving there.

Also, you might want to go on the museums' websites, and see if there are any major exhibits coming. Everything in DC is free, but sometimes you need online reservations to get a (free) timed admission ticket.

[TZ]

5. People have given good advice

There is plenty to do here..all sorts of different Smithsonian Museums..the National Zoo is worth a trip if you like animals..Of course all the monuments..Next week will be good. The leaves are really just turning here-I think peak will be sometime next week..So you might want to stroll around the mall/reflecting pool area...

[SPKrazy]

6. Don't Try To Climb The White House Fence

I think they shoot people for less there

have fun

I'd go to the holocaust museum, Arlington, the FBI building, Washington National Monument (before they try to change its name) the Capitol, the Air and Space museum,

so many things to do there it would be hard to say but those are my faves.

[TZ]

11. Psst...SPK...

Its the Washington Monument...no National in it....:P

[madinmaryland]

25. That would be Washington REAGAN National!

:P

[BeachBaby]

8. Vietnam wall and the Holocaust museum.

Both will leave quite the imprint on your heart.

[TZ]

10. Yes.

Geez, I can't believe *I* forgot the Holocaust Museum.....:crazy: :hi:

[charlie and algernon]

9. take the Lincoln-FDR-Jefferson walk around the Tidal Basin

walk among the cherry trees

[qb]

12. US Holocaust Memorial Museum

is an experience to remember. http://www.ushmm.org/
This year they're featuring the 70th Anniversary of Kristallnacht.

Also make sure you take a ride on the Metro - it's a great way to get around DC.

[Burma Jones]

13. The weather should be generally nice.......so I would hang around Dupont Circle

eat outside, hit Adams Morgan and stroll around until you saw a Club or Restaurant you like. Go to the National Gallery of Art and the Hirschorn, play Frisbee on the Mall, go to Mount Vernon, see the FDR Memorial......

just some ideas.....

[Patiod]

36. Lunch in Adams Morgan

Lots of ethnic places.

check "Chowhound.com" and see what the locals recommend. They sent me to an AMAZING little place in Bethesda, steering me away from all the chains.

The zoo rocks if you like Pandas....

[CBHagman]

14. Do visit the Museum of American Art/National Portrait Gallery.

They're easy to overlook because they are at the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro stop, and not on the Mall.

And since they are part of the Smithsonian, they are free, free, free! :woohoo:

Museum of American Art:

http://americanart.si.edu/index3.cfm

National Portrait Gallery:

http://www.npg.si.edu/

[MountainLaurel]

15. Restaurants

Cafe Deluxe, Lebanese Taverna, Georgia Brown's, Pizzeria Paradiso, Heritage India, Jaleo, Rockland's BBQ, Miss Saigon

[jobycom]

16. The last time I passed through DC, I got hopelessly lost and no one would let my dad use their

restrooms at two in the morning. So, use a GPS, and pee against the doorways of anyone who tells you they have no public restrooms. :)

[LynneSin]

19. DC is not well planned out and getting lost is easy

I've been there dozens of times and I still get lost.

[jobycom]

20. The biggest problem was the bathroom.

My father has had several strokes, is somewhat impaired in speech and mobility, and at the time was unable to control physical urges, like the bathroom urges. So when he informed me he needed a restroom, I began searching for neon signs and other indications of business with no regard for street signs or directions. Wound up in some scary districts, although to be fair, one of the scariest places was the first that would allow him to use the bathroom, so maybe it was not as scary as the four star hotel that would not. :grr:

After he was relieved, I had to figure out how to get back to an Interstate. Not fun. :)

[Shakespeare]

23. Actually, it's extremely well-laid-out. You just have to know that it's set up as a grid.

It's divided into quadrants (NE, NW, SE & SW), with numbered streets running north/south, lettered streets running east/west, and streets named after states on the diagonal.

Once you know that, it's almost impossible to get lost in DC. Monsieur L'Enfant certainly knew his stuff!

[Bossy Monkey]

17. If you need lunch at the Smithsonian, be sure to get it at the American Indian museum

(National Museum of the American Indian). Everything was delicious, menu was interesting but, I guess the word is accessible. http://www.nmai.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=dc&second=visitor&third=inside#museumcafe

If you happen to find yourself near Dulles with a car and time on your hands, don't miss the Udvar-Hazy Center http://www.nasm.si.edu/UdvarHazy/ Crazy mad cool!

[LynneSin]

18. Contact your local office for your senator or representative....

...they usually have tickets for you to see stuff like attending the Senate or House meetings (they have a visitors viewing senator) or passes to get into other places or actually meet them in DC (hopefully you're in a friendly state)

Also, go to the Holocaust Musuem but take tissues - it's a great musuem but I bawl everytime I go. (that and the Vietnam memorial). I am still taken aback by the minimovie the have about Hitler's rise to power and all the propaganda they used. It almost reminds me of the Bush administration and the right-wing media.

[Initech]

21. Check out the Spy Museum.

It's pretty bad ass... right across the street from the Smithsonian.

Also the International Crime & Punishment Museum is right around the block so if you get caught and tried for treason, you can find out what happens to you.

[Patiod]

37. Spy Museum!!!! Spy Museum!!! What a FUN experience!!!!

:bounce:

If you have ANY males in your party, you HAVE to go to the Spy Museum. My S.O. has never had so much fun (it's such a guy place) and it's even interesting if you're a chick.

Go at an off time (like Monday morning) if you can, and budget plenty of time, because it's not a 1/2-hour thing. Tons of fun interactive exhibits. Really, really, really informative and interesting.

At one point, my S.O. showed me an air duct he had crawled through, and I was worried that it might not have really been part of the tour (thank god it was....)

http://www.spymuseum.org/

:bounce:

[dawgmom]

22. From a local

I'll give you the same advice I give everyone who comes here to visit: don't try to do too much in one day. Pick two "must see" things per day, and enjoy them thoroughly, rather than killing yourself running around trying to see everything, like most tourists do.

What you want to see really depends on your personal interests. While I personally would tell you to skip the tourist trap things like Ford's Theatre, you might have a real fascination for all things Lincoln, and it would be on your "must see" list. Also, the most popular museum is Air and Space, which is a huge yawn for me. It might be your thing to look at a bunch of old machinery, so go for it.

My personal favorite museum, American History, is closed for renovations. So...no go for that.

The White House and Library of Congress were good choices.

The National Archives -- a must see, I think, for all visitors. How can you leave DC without seeing the Declaration of Independence?

Lincoln Memorial/Vietnam Memorial -- near each other, and a nice walk on a nice day.
Same thing re: a walk around the Reflecting Pool.

Jefferson Memorial -- Walk around the Tidal Basin, or if they still have them out (might be too late), rent a paddle boat.

In peak tourist season, I would never tell people to waste time standing in line for the Washington Monument, but this time of year, you probably won't have to wait, and it is a good view. An almost equal view is from the clock tower at the Old Post Office. It's touristy, as they saved it from the wrecking ball by turning it into a mall/food court, but the view is good and it's near a metro stop.

Have breakfast or lunch at the Willard Hotel the day your tour the White House. It's nearby, and while pricey, is one of those "side trip" places loaded with history. Julia Ward Howe wrote the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" there, while looking out on the campfires of encamped Union soldiers. MLK wrote his "I have a dream" speech in a room there. And, it is said that the term "lobbyist" originated there, because special interest petitioners would gather there and try to intercept MOC's and the President when they passed through on their way to dine.

Washington National Cathedral -- worth the trip. Beautiful architecture, nice views of the entire Washington area from the top. Take one of the docent-led tours.

Skip the zoo. The pandas almost never come out, so you don't even get to see them.

Adams Morgan for good food from all around the world, and nightlife.

I echo what others have said about the Holocaust Museum. It would be a good choice.

Museum of the American Indian -- time your day so you can eat lunch there. Really interesting menu of Native American foods. And Good!

National Gallery of Art -- good standing collection, and nearly always a good special exhibit.

Have a half-smoke and chili at Ben's Chili Bowl. A Washington landmark.

Tour the Capitol, if you have time. It's a beautiful building, just in and of itself -- not to mention the history and significance of the place.

For fun, you might want to check out the Mall on a Segway. There are guided tours, and also just companies that let you rent one. Google "Segway tours DC."

Have a good time. You definitely picked the best time of the year to tour. DC is brutal in the summer heat when filled with tourists.

P.S. Contrary to what others have said, DC is a VERY easy city to get around in, and is laid out very logically. It was one of the first planned cities. All numbered streets run north and south, and lettered streets run east and west. Streets with state names, such as Rhode Island and Pennsylvania, are diagonals. You can always figure out if you're going the wrong way, by following that logic.

[TZ]

24. Hey I didn't realize you were a fellow local

Hi neighbor! ( I live in Northern Montgomery County)

[greatauntoftriplets]

27. I'm going to be there next week, too.

Actually, I will mostly be in the Virginia countryside.

My DC priorities are the Vietnam Memorial and WW II Memorial, as well as Georgetown. The friend I am staying with has suggested a visit to the National Cathedral, too.

Have fun!

[kwassa]

28. National Galleries, East and West, Hirshorn, .....

but I am an art guy. I love the pictures.

The mall has the best concentration of museums in the country, and there are no entrance charges. Your Tax Dollars At Work.

Depends on your interests.

Off the beat. Frederick Douglass's house in Anacostia. On top of a hill great view of the capitol.

Also on the mall: Federal Reserve. Go yell at Ben Bernanke.

Then go to the National Archive down the street and read the Constitution. Then go to the White House and yell at Bush.

[madeline_con]

29. Try to get in as much of the Smithsonian as possible. n/t

[Initech]

30. A word of advice on restaurants:

If you see a place called "Fast Eddie's"... avoid it at all costs!

[Left Brain]

31. If you like churches,

take a little trip past Embassy Row and out to Washington National Cathedral. It's a beauty in the style of the old European churches. If you do go there, take note of the angels around the outer doorways. Each one is different...

[RFKHumphreyObama]

32. The Holocaust Mueseum is very sad, haunting and deeply moving

Woodrow Wilson's home was also interesting for me

As was Ford's Theatre and the house across the street where President Lincoln died

And Robert E Lee's house near Arlington National Cemetary

Arlington National Cemetary was a worthwhile, if somewhat sad, visit. Seeing JFK's and RFK's final resting place was very moving for me personally

[scarpa43]

33. Wow, thanks for all of the help!!

My wife and I thought this would be a fun trip being so close to the election and all.

[qanda]

34. A few of my favorites include

The National Zoo (free), the Spy Museum ($18 for adults), the American Indian Museum (free), the Air and Space Museum (free), and if you'd like to make your way to Baltimore you can visit the Inner Harbor and the Baltimore Aquarium ($28.95 for the full experience). I'm not much of a restaurant person, but I know they have a some decent ones in Union Station along with some cool places to shop.

[applegrove]

38. Stay out of the bad neighbourhoods cause I hear it can be dangerous.

Lincoln memorial is a very touching place to visit.

[Inchworm]

39. Start early one day and wander

That's the best way for me. No plans.. just stop where you think is cool.

Day 2 is for planning. That way you can see the stuff you thought was cool but didn't have time to see on day one.

:hi: