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Will be taking the train down to DC with the family for a couple days after Thanksgiving. Wanted to have a small getaway with the family as it is much needed and I know the girls will love it no matter what we do.

We'll be down there just three days/two nights from black Friday to that Sunday. I know there are a lot of things that we will not be able to do which you can only do on weekdays but there is still plenty to do and see for those days.

We're staying at The Madison (anyone know anything about that hotel? Sounded pretty good and accorsing to hotels.com it sounds like we're getting a really good deal but of course they want you to think that). The nice thing is that it is only a couple blocks away from the White House.

The train gets in late Friday morning.

Figured that we would go check our bags at the hotel, grab a quick bite for lunch and then head towards the White House and then down towards the Lincoln Monument. There should be plenty in that direction to fill our Friday.

Saturday I was thinking that we head the other direction turning left from the White House and head towards the various museums. That should easily fill in the day.

Sunday morning is up for grabs still. That will be saved for anything that we may see but don't get to on the first two days. The wife wants to go to that DC Cupcakes place. Not sure if it's open but I figure we could maybe take a cab there on Sunday before going to Union Station to get the train back.

Is there anything else that goes on during the Thanksgiving weekend which we should try to see? I figured it must not be a big tourist weekend there as that was the weekend that we got the best prices. Tried other weekends and the prices seem much higher than what we got. I am guessing that a lot of people go home from there for that weekend, but could be wrong.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

I think you'd all be decidedly unimpressed by the cupcakes place. In any event, there are dozens of options that are just like it near where you are staying and the things you'll be visiting.

I agree that you can easily spend all of Saturday at the museums, but am curious about spending all day Friday around the White House and Lincoln Memorial and "things in that direction." What kind of things do you have in mind?

Quote:

Originally Posted by RPI-Fan (Post 2566207)

The cupcake place isn't my idea. :)

We won't have a full day on Saturday so I figured walking to the White House, getting some pictures, walking around the Ellipse, Washington Monument, Holocaust Museum, Reflecting Pool, WW2 Memorial, Korean War Memorial would pretty much eat up the rest of the day (add dinner in there somewhere).

Quote:

Originally Posted by EagleFan (Post 2566209)

That sounds like a great plan.

I knew the DC Cupcakes wasn't your idea. But, some female friends of mine have been fans of whatever show it was/is featured in and said that the place is just incredibly disappointing and not special. Armed with that nugget and suggesting to go to one of the (countless) other nearly identical places (in a much more convenient location) you might not need to go so far out of your way on Sunday.

Quote:

Originally Posted by EagleFan (Post 2566209)

The Holocaust Memorial is extraordinarily powerful museum about a horrific time in history and I urge everyone to go there when in D.C. Just two things you might want to keep in mind, though:

-- It's not really the type of museum you can just wander around. The self-guided tour takes a few hours--you start at the top and move chronologically through the Holocaust as you make your way to the bottom of the building. It's really tough not to get emotional.

-- No idea how old your kids are--and this may be really obvious/something you have already considered--but there are obviously some rather graphic images, etc. That said, they have a more family-oriented exhibit geared toward younger kids, according to Wikipedia.

Ok, since we've done this before, here goes:

My long "If you want to your DC" post:
Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - Considering A Trip To DC

A couple of good DC threads:
Considering A Trip To DC - Front Office Football Central (same thread as above)
Vacation idea : Washington D.C. - Front Office Football Central

Looking at your schedule and whatnot, here's how I'd play it:

If the weather is at all tolerable Friday, do the "Monument Walk"

Quote:

Originally Posted by thread

*I really think the monuments are best done all in one afternoon of a lot of walking, if you're physically up to it. It's about 4 miles but I think it's a great way to do it all. The best thing is to probably do a museum in the morning, walk a little bit of a ways to get lunch, and then come back to do the monuments that afternoon to break up the museum walking. That said, this would be a pretty intensive day of doing tourism and not everyone is up for it. An alternative would be to just do the monuments one day all by themselves.

You start at the Supreme Court, go past the Capitol and then on the mall there are something like 15 monuments- the National Park ranger station near the base of the Washington Monument has a great map of them all (or you can download the PDF). FYI: If you do national parks passport cancellation stamps- you can get 17 (iirc) stamps in that station, one for each monument.

Everyone knows about Washington, Vietnam, Lincoln, and Jefferson. I also highly recommend Korea (it's a mirror image of Vietnam but unique in its own right) and FDR (my personal favorite). I like the George Mason one when it's in bloom and I kindof like the Signers of the Declaration. I dunno- I find the WW2 one to be gaudy and the WW1 memorial is just an afterthought, hidden off to the side. Again, the park service map is really helpful as there are others, too (and it's annoying that I can't find the PDF for you at the moment).

You basically, start at the Capitol, go to Washington. If you want, divert north to head to the front of the White House. Then go back to Washington, continue west to Lincoln. Then you wrap around the little lake area and see FDR and Jefferson before returning to Washington. If you want to be on the ball with some advance planning, you can get Washington Monument tickets. As long as you get them a couple of weeks in advance, they're typically available on the website for a $1.50 handling fee. You go up and get a decent view but it's more about being the Washington Monument. As has been said, I've heard the Post Office building offers better views. Again, if you want to do this, get the tickets in advance or else you have to show up early in the morning (before 9am) to get the ones the rangers hand out. I don't know- I've never tried. I just paid the $1.50 the time I went up.

If a roughly three hour photo, remembrance, and walking tour isn't enough for you, I'd start with a tour of the Capitol. Check the linked post for info about getting tickets- don't even know if it would be open on a holiday. Also, just went to check- no Washington Monument tours indefinitely due to DC earthquake a few months ago. So that's out.

I dunno- food is always dicey around there so I'm not going to be much help there. Ben's Chili Bowl is quite good- tho it's always been crowded when I've gone.

Saturday seems like a no-brainer, too, and you hit it right: Museums

Quote:

Originally Posted by thread

*Museums- space things out or you'll probably get museum burn out. I think the big ones are Air and Space, Natural History, and American History. The actual Smithsonian building is neat to look at but not much there. If you're going for a week, maybe aim for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday or something like that. Then again, no matter what, you're probably going to get a little museum'd out as there's a lot of history and learning to be had.

*Don't forget the National Archives! The archives are ok in and of themselves, but the Smithsonians are better. But the important thing is to make sure you can go view the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence. The lines aren't usually long and, well, crap, it's THE Constitution, THE Bill of Rights, and THE Declaration of Independence. It's right on the mall so it's a quick stop of an hour tops to see some really huge pieces of history. Bonus points last time I was there because one of the copies of the Magna Carta was there, too. I'm not sure if that's still there, tho, as it was on loan for a limited time only.

*There are a couple of other museums. I'm going to be blasphemous along with molson. The Holocaust Museum just doesn't do it for me. It's a good museum but, boy, it's a downer. I know, it's a Holocaust but the bad stuff that happened just kindof shuts my brain down to learning. Also, we've been there twice and both times I've run across what I describe as the "trendy holocaust museum patron" and those just piss me off. They're the ones who know they're supposed to feel moved by the museum and play it up way too much but then in the next breath say something terribly insensitive. It's like nails on a chalkboard that can tick you off for a good part of a day. FYI: If you do go- make sure you get those tickets in advance, too, or else you'll only be able to see about a 1/3rd of the museum.

*I like the idea of the Spy Museum but it's kindof expensive and was ridiculously crowded the day I went. They limit how many people can go in but it was still too many and it just sucked all the fun out of it for me. I think I'd pass on it unless it looks like it's not too busy. Maybe if I had been there on another day at another time, my tune would be completely different.

*If I'm going to pay for a museum in DC, it's the Newseum. It's neat and flashy and only skin deep but it does that so well. It's a mish-mash of sensational stories of mainly the last 20 years but also throughout history and it has some fabulous pieces like part of the Berlin Wall and two story antenna off of one of the World Trade Centers. (There's some commentary to be had about how it's just like the media it's talking about, right down to the miniscule space set aside for journalism ethics but those are comments for another time) Also, the view off the 6th floor balcony is very nice and a good photo op.

National Archives can be a quick respite from the weather on Friday, too- it's pretty short but something one shouldn't miss about halfway down the mall, tho before you get to most of the monuments. If not, it's a quick stop on Saturday.

Then it's about what kind of museum person you are: slow and steady or blitzing. If you're slow and steady, pick the one that most interests you (for me, it'd be Air and Space) and just leisurely take the day there. If you're a bit quicker, pick two and do each for half a day. I think American History is an excellent one if you've never been to any and you can gauge how fast or how slow you're going to take it..

All that said, I have no idea what the the holiday schedules are like at the museums- obviously a good idea to check that while planning.

Sunday, well, for me it's criminal to waste time in a city with so much to do and see with something like a cupcake place. Go see if they are still filming that Sunday morning show at the Newseum (if they still do that) or, if you have time, I absolutely recommend the National Cathedral tours but you'll probably have to get a cab there. You can visit from 1-4pm and they have little guided tours for a small donation that take about a half hour and are well worth it (I think they only run from 1-2:30, tho, so, again, plan ahead). So that might not fit with your schedule. If neither work, I'd just hit another museum, but that's me.

Everything in DC has a website so just check with what is open on those days. The holiday weekend may throw a wrench into some plans but I just don't know.

SI

One thing I will add (since it recently opened) is the MLK Jr. memorial. By way of memorials it stands up well to the best memorials down here. It is across the Tidal Basin from the Jefferson and just a short walk from the Lincoln memorial or WWII memorial (depending on which direction from which you are coming).

The US Capitol Building is open on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving. Tours run from about 9 AM to 3 PM. You enter through the new Capitol Visitor Center on the east front, which faces the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress.

The cafeteria there is pretty good and substantially cheaper than the American Indian Museum.

dola

I forgot to make a recommendation for the US Botanic Gardens, which is on the SW side of the Capitol grounds. They do a nice job of dressing it up for Christmas. The line can take a little while that weekend, but it is a pleasant hour once you get inside.