Considering A Trip To DC

[Chief Rum]

Hey all,

I know we haev been down this road before, and when I get back later tonight, I'll do an extensive search, but I thought I would throw this out there now anyway to get any feedback.

I am strongly considering making vacation plans in DC for around late September (trying to get around the summer heat without getting too cold). I think SI might have had a thread on this or some others, so I'll check those out, but figured I would ask directly on advice on where to stay, things to see, etc.

I want to see the monuments and the government buildings of course. My understanding is I need to go to my Congressional rep to get to some of that (at least the Capitol building anyway). Are tours of the Pentagon available?

I figuere to go to a couple of the Smithsonians, the Air & Space Museum for sure (any recommendations on the others?). I saw there's an International Spy Musuem, sounds neat, anyone been there?

I have heard that I should visit the Georgetown area, with its shops and restaurants and all.

I would like to check out a Nats game. If possible, maybe see if I can check out Strasbourg (assuming he's still pitching in the rotation at that point).

Any other places of interest I should visit, inside or outside of DC? Arlington? Alexandria? Williamsburg?

Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

[wade moore]

Two important questions:

1) How long are you planning on staying?
2) Will you have a car?

[terpkristin]

In addition to the National Air and Space Museum and the Natural History Museum (I've been told it just re-opened, I haven't been since I was a kid), I'm also a HUGE fan of the American History Museum. I haven't been to the Spy Museum, I think the entry fee is a little ridiculous when there are so many free museums in town, but I've heard nothing but good things about it. I also like the Hirshorn (sculpture), but I've found that most of the art museums can be kind of hit or miss, depending on the exhibition. The Holocaust Museum is a difficult museum, but very good, if you think you can take it. With a little pre-planning you can probably also get the White House tour. My family did that awhile back and it was definitely a unique opportunity.

The botanical gardens are gorgeous, but I don't know how they are in the fall. I love the Jefferson Memorial and the Tidal Basin, but they kind of are better with a car. I haven't been to the top of the Washington Monument since I was about 7, but I remember liking it a lot.

What kind of food are you into? One place I always recommend is RFD (404 Not Found, or if you just want beer, the Brickskeller (404 Not Found.

I got more ideas, but figured I'd give ya these to start, see what your thoughts are...

/tk

[molson]

I stayed at the Hotel Helix a few weeks ago, I really liked it. It's a little swanky, a little different, not too expensive, and they treated us like a rock star there.

You could try some Ethiopian food. Especially if you're eating any meals in any kind of group. It's kind of a communal experience. And it's a very D.C.-specific thing - I think D.C. and Seattle are the only U.S. cities with an "Ethiopian District" and the accompanying restaurants.

It's always good to plan a lot of stuff, but it's also kind of cool to spend a little time just wandering around the mall area. You'll come across some lesser-known memorials.

The Holocaust Museum is good - but it's kind of Holocaust 101. I was a tad underwhelmed by the museum, and overwhelmed by the crowd of people there.

I would definitely encourage you to make the trip. I've always been real lukewarm on D.C., but when I actually got out there again for work and had some time to see stuff - I really enjoyed it, and there was just so much I wanted to get back for.

[Greyroofoo]

I hear it has a nice zoo where monkeys throw feces at each other, aka congress.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by molson

The Holocaust Museum is good - but it's kind of Holocaust 101. I was a tad underwhelmed by the museum...

Are you insane?!

[JPhillips]

I was underwhelmed by the Spy Museum. It might be fun with kids, but I thought it was Meh for adults.

If you do monuments make sure you find the Korean War memorial. It's a little hidden, but it's haunting.

I always throw out the Postal tower as an alternative to waiting in line for the Washington Memorial, but lines may not be an issue depending on when you go.

It's not really something you can plan on, but I loved standing across from the WH while the helicopters came in. If you're in that area and you see people standing around ask what they're waiting for.

If you're there over Labor Day weekend the Kennedy Center has various free events all three days. Don't know what kind of things you like, but check out the schedule.

Also check out what the embassies are doing. You can see some really great things when the embassies are doing free cultural exchange events.

[claphamsa]

Welcome to civilization

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

If you do monuments make sure you find the Korean War memorial. It's a little hidden, but it's haunting.

I couldn't agree with this more.

Of all of the memorials, I have spent the most time looking at the Korean. Haunting is the absolutely correct word.

[chesapeake]

White House tours must be scheduled through your House Member or one of your Senators. Call as soon as you decide you want to come. Tickets can be very hard to get.

You can also ask for a Capitol tour from the Member's or Senator's office. In my opinion, you are better off standing in line in the Capitol Visitor's Center (CVC), entered from the east side of the Capitol Building. Your guide from a Congressional office will likely be an intern or, at best, a junior staffer. Occasionally, the things they will tell you are actually true. But not always. The Capitol Historical Society runs the tours out of the CVC. Those folks know what they are talking about.

Food at the CVC is actually pretty good. I'd recommend planning to have lunch there.

You can ask the Congressional office for other tours they still do tickets for. You can also get passes to the House and Senate Galleries through them. Congress is out until September 13th, so there may not be much to see on the floors.

The US Botanic Garden, just SW of the Capitol, is nice and worth a walk through anytime of year. It won't take much more than an hour.

A couple of outdoors, more out-of the way options: the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens and the US National Arboretum.

The Pentagon is a big, ugly office building. I know they give special tours to schools and groups, but I don't think they are open for public tours. There is a new 9/11 memorial next to the Pentagon that probably has public access.

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by chesapeake

White House tours must be scheduled through your House Member or one of your Senators. Call as soon as you decide you want to come. Tickets can be very hard to get.

When did this become the case? When I did it (admittedly, this was toward end of Clinton administration) it wasn't.

/tk

[chesapeake]

9/11. When tours reopened after 9/11, they did them exclusively through Congressional offices.

hxxp://www.whitehouse.gov/about/tours-and-events

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by chesapeake

9/11. When tours reopened after 9/11, they did them exclusively through Congressional offices.

hxxp://www.whitehouse.gov/about/tours-and-events

I should've known.

/tk

[Dr. Sak]

I toured both the White House and Capitol Buildings two years ago. While the White House was cool, the Capitol was 100 times better.

[Draft Dodger]

we're coming down in August (staying at the Best Western Georgetown).

we've been several times, but this is the first time with the kids. We'll probably spend a day at the zoo. Other than that, we're open. Probably spend some time at a couple of the Smithsonian museums and also some time just wandering around soaking in some of the monuments. Really looking forward to it.

[Subby]

DD - The Newseum has a great program for kids.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by Subby

DD - The Newseum has a great program for kids.

yeah, we've been there twice. I'm a big fan. We may go, but I'm not sure if our youngest (5) will get as much out of it as our 8-year old

[lordscarlet]

I'm pretty busy at work, so I will try to be more detailed later, but...

First of all, let us know when it close to the time you are coming. Perhaps there are some unique events going on that fall during that timeframe. I believe I am the only one on the board that actually lives inside the city, but cheapeake, tk, claphamsa and a few others live in the metro area, so listen to us. (jk) The problem for me as a resident is I don't actually do touristy things very much.

I agree on the Korean War Memorial and Holocaust museum. If you want to pay for a museum (Spy Museum) you're much better off going to the Newseum.

Personally, I hate Georgetown. I occasionally go there for movies, but that's it. molson has some great suggestions, though. Hotel Helix is about 2 blocks from the condo I sold earlier this year. If you ever wanted to try Ethiopian (it is very different from most other food you've ever had), Hotel Helix is also right near "Little Ethiopia." There is a great place near the hotel, but there are better places if you want recommendations. An Ethiopian cab driver once told me that DC has the largest Ethiopian population outside of Ethiopia.

I would also recommend Ben's Chili Bowl, although it has been overrun by tourists. If you want to go to a Nats game, let me know. I should be able to hook you up with a STH discount or at least some advice about where to sit/etc. Strasburg will NOT be playing in September.

If you like shopping, I would actually go to the 14th/U Street area. Not as much clothing, but a lot of furniture. So I guess it depends on what you're looking for.

There's also the Arboretum, the Udvar Hazy Air & Space Museum in Dulles, the Smithsonian Museum of the Native American which is supposed to be amazing.

There's a ton more -- way more than you could do in one visit. Give us an idea of what you like to do on vacation and such. Maybe that will help narrow things down.

[Subby]

The cafeteria in the new Smithsonian Native American museum is off the charts good. Also pricey - but worth the trip. The museum itself is tedious. Unless you like that stuff. Then it is awesome.

[Draft Dodger]

what kind of wait times would we be looking at for the Washington Monument? never bothered, but I think the kids would dig it

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Another thing I'd note that is a lot of fun are the parties at the various embassies that are open to the public. We went to a party at the French Embassy one time and had a blast. I'm almost positive there's a place where you can look for those events online, but can't track it down right now.

[claphamsa]

LordScarlet nailed it. I walk past the capital every day, and i mostly get annoyed with tourists

I work across the street from the capital, have friends there and the white house... and never been in either

kinda sad

[Chief Rum]

This is all terrific, guys. Thanks. I'm at work, so I can't post at length right now, but I'll respond a little better later on.

To answer some of the more prevalent questions, I am open to having a car (although I had figured I would be using public transit), I don't have a specific time frame other than "September" but I have been eyeballing around Sept. 20-29; I will probably stay around 5-6 days; if it makes a difference, I'll almost certainly be traveling solo (my style).

And LS, what do you mean Strasbourg won't be pitching in SEP? I hope you're wrong.

[wade moore]

I specifically asked about the car because you asked about Williamsburg. I love Williamsburg, but if you're not pretty into live history stuff then the 2 1/2 - 3 hour drive isn't worth it if you're not there for a decent chunk of time and don't want a car.

Amtrak is an option though, comes straight into the heart of Williamsburg. You won't get to see the town that easily, but the historic area is easily accessible.

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

what kind of wait times would we be looking at for the Washington Monument? never bothered, but I think the kids would dig it

Depends on the time of year. Anywhere from 1 to 2 hours to 1 to 2 minutes.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

what kind of wait times would we be looking at for the Washington Monument? never bothered, but I think the kids would dig it

The wait is in getting a ticket. You can get the ticket online and you are given a designated time to tour it.

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

And LS, what do you mean Strasbourg won't be pitching in SEP? I hope you're wrong.

They're capping him at about 160 innings. He pitched 50 1/3 in the minor leagues. He pitched 7 last night. I think it is very unlikely they haven't set him down for the season by the time September rolls around.

[Ramzavail]

I've been to the Spy Museum I thought it was cool.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

The wait is in getting a ticket. You can get the ticket online and you are given a designated time to tour it.



They're capping him at about 160 innings. He pitched 50 1/3 in the minor leagues. He pitched 7 last night. I think it is very unlikely they haven't set him down for the season by the time September rolls around.

Bummer. Well, we'll see. In any case, I still want to go check out the new park.

[Tasan]

Make sure you get out to the Udvar Hazy Air & Space Museum in Dulles. Its a little bit of a hassle to get to, but its completely worth it. The displays there are amazing and you can go right up to everything there. To me, it blew away the main Air & Space museum on the mall.

The postal tower is also cool. The postal museum, on the other hand, is a little dull. There is a good brewery/restaurant over by the postal museum which is pretty good though.

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by Tasan

Make sure you get out to the Udvar Hazy Air & Space Museum in Dulles. Its a little bit of a hassle to get to, but its completely worth it. The displays there are amazing and you can go right up to everything there. To me, it blew away the main Air & Space museum on the mall.

The postal tower is also cool. The postal museum, on the other hand, is a little dull. There is a good brewery/restaurant over by the postal museum which is pretty good though.

If you decide to go to the Udvar Hazy museum, you will need a car. I'll confess, I live about 10 miles north of the museum and I work in the aerospace industry and I have not yet gone to the museum, except to see Transformers 2 in IMAX. It really irritates me that it costs $12 or $15 to park there.

Hmm actually if you wanted to come to DC and wanted to check out the Udvar-Hazy A&SM, I could probably be coerced to pick you up at a metro station and go see it...maybe an FOFC meetup?

Edit to add: is it a Gordon-Biersch that's in the postal museum? Or Capitol City Brewing? Didn't know there was a brewery/restaurant there. Then again, it's one of the museums I haven't been to. As lordscarlet said, live in the area, rarely do the tourist things (especially now that I'm older...when I was younger, we did a lot of them as educational opportunities, etc, but I haven't done much of the tourist stuff since I was in high school).

/tk

[Tasan]

Originally Posted by terpkristin

Edit to add: is it a Gordon-Biersch that's in the postal museum? Or Capitol City Brewing?
/tk

I think its a Capitol City Brewing, but I'm not certain. I enjoyed it and it made the a-little-bit-out-of-the-way journey that much better.

[claphamsa]

cap city is in the postal building, across the street from union station... they are getting kicked out by GSA so the postal museum can expand.

[lordscarlet]

As of Saturday I will be in my new house in walking (at least for city-folk ) distance of Union Station. It's not particularly relevant, except that Union Station was mentioned, and I'm excited.

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

As of Saturday I will be in my new house in walking (at least for city-folk ) distance of Union Station. It's not particularly relevant, except that Union Station was mentioned, and I'm excited.

FOFC meet-up at ls's house. Got it.

(Congrats on the house)

/tk

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by terpkristin

FOFC meet-up at ls's house. Got it.

(Congrats on the house)

/tk

My wife could find it a bit odd, but I'm down.

[Abe Sargent]

Just got back from DC and had a lot of fun, and did the Spy museum, which was a total blast. The first part was especially fun, and then they slide into the history of spies and it becomes just a normal museum, but the first 20-30 minutes rocked.

[claphamsa]

Originally Posted by terpkristin

FOFC meet-up at ls's house. Got it.

(Congrats on the house)

/tk

i thought the same thing :P

[Toddzilla]

I'm in for a happy-hour or something - goddamnit I need a drink.

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

My wife could find it a bit odd, but I'm down.

Sun Tzu's wife offered to make us dinner one night while I was in Hawaii...too bad someone was too busy to make the trip out there

[sterlingice]

Sorry- late to the party due to the moving and short schedule. I'll try to comment on this fairly soon.

SI

[sterlingice]

I couldn't find some old threads where I posted some stuff so I guess I'll be starting anew. If you run across them, I'd be curious what I said

Ok- a couple of things to keep in mind, CR:
1) This is going to be a bit disjointed. If something is confusing or needs elaboration, please ask. I'm blitzing through this as fast as possible as I need some sleep
2) If I suggest something isn't worth seeing or one thing is better than something else- it's not that something is not worth seeing. It's just that you're in the best tourist city in the United states and one of the best in the world. You are on a limited schedule so unfortunately you have to only pick the best of the best which means you're going to have to miss some stuff that anywhere else would be "can't miss" material.

*Capitol building - if you go at off peak, you can usually just walk right in. However, I don't think this is off peak so you should try to be safe and check with your rep. It's quite easy to set up and almost all of them have a link to get tickets on their website. I can't stand by current Rep (Cantor) but his office was very good, quick, and professional about getting this sort of thing set up: they do a great job. The tour's pretty neat, doesn't take very long, and there's a pretty cool exhibit once you're done or before you start. It's worth it, but just to be on the safe side, start hitting your Representative up in advance to make sure you don't miss out.

*Unfortunately, ever since 9/11, the White House is pretty much impossible. You have to get on a list 4-6 months in advance. Then they tell you if you made it less than a month in advance. We've tried 3 times since we've been here and the only time we made it, we couldn't go because we made the request for 6 months in advance and ended up being out of town because, well, you can't just put all of your plans on hold for something that is unlikely to happen

*Don't know about Pentagon- we never made it. I remember doing the FBI building when I came in 1993 but it's closed now to tourists.

*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.

*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.

*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.

*I can't help too much with food as it's kindof scarce in the mall area. Subby's post (#19) has some great advice, tho.

I also have a couple of suggestions that you might be missing

*Washington National Cathedral- we had never seen it until recently and it's kindof tough to get to but it's big, imposing, and very neat to see. I'm pretty sure they have a schedule of guided tours on the website. We went on a Sunday afternoon, after services, and they seemed to have guided tours most of the afternoon. It's something I'm glad I got to see before we left and never would have if something else hadn't fallen through.
*Udvar-Hazy Center! Again, something that's a beast to get to unless you have a car, but well worth it if you can. It's out by Dulles that costs $15 for a carload of people but it's basically the Air and Space Smithsonian's attic. They have a space shuttle, a Concorde, an SR-71 Blackbird (featured in Transformers 2- I have a story about that for another time; we saw it there on their IMAX), the Enola Gay, and a ton of other great artifacts.
*If you're using the Metro and have some time to kill, I think the Masonic Temple in Alexandria (King Street Station, iirc) is worth seeing. It's a neat building with a lot of history of George Washington and the Masons if you take the guided tour (check for times). At the top is a great panoramic view of the city.

*We need to talk about a serious consideration here and that's transportation. You can have a rental car or you can go without a rental car. There are pros and cons to both.
First, the "having a rental car" side of things. It will allow you to see things around the city much better. I did say around the city, tho. If you're going to be spending most of your time on the mall, you'll probably just take the Metro to Smithsonian and go from there. When in that area, parking is very scarce and what little there is can be very, very expensive. Also, a lot of area hotels will charge a lot for parking so keep that in mind when choosing a hotel.
I prefer the "no rental car" approach. The Metro is the best mass transit system I've ever been on, hands down. It's fairly clean and you feel safe, even at night (except maybe on a few of the Maryland side stops late at night). You don't have to worry about parking and if you fly into Reagan, it stops there. It's not uncommon to see people with luggage on the Metro, tho I'd try to avoid rush hour arrivals, if possible, as it will be more crowded and you might be standing with your bags. The Mall has 5 or 6 stops all around it (Smithsonian, Gallery Place, l'enfant, Capitol South, etc) and most everything is Metro accessible including Arlington (has its own stop) and Nats park (Navy Yard). Dulles is the major thing that doesn't have service out to it (tho they've broken ground on the Silver Line but that's still 7 or 8 years away). Also, some of the more interesting neighborhoods you'll have to walk to as Metro didn't want to build there or they didn't want Metro.

*Outside of DC:
Williamsburg is very neat- we have season passes for this last year and went three times. But it's a bit of a haul (close to 3 hours from DC). I mean, it's about an hour and a half with no traffic (which is never the case) to Richmond and Williamsburg is another hour beyond that almost.
Also, if you're going to do that- consider Baltimore. It's about an hour or so to the north. Go spend a day at the aquarium (probably the favorite I've been to) and Camden Yards. I love going to that park. Yeah, it's going to be dead and somewhat sad in September as the O's will be out of it. But, man, that is a gorgeous park.
Again, you can only do those if you have a rental car. But if you're going to have a rental car, keep the massive downsides in mind.

I would not "waste time" with the zoo or aquarium. Yes, the zoo is free and, yes, they have Pandas. However, you're going to be dealing with time constraints and if you're looking for the best of what's really the best tourist city in this country and one of the best in the world, you can do better. San Diego Zoo is light years better than, well, any zoo I've ever been to and that's a lot closer to you. And I haven't been to the aquarium but no one really recommends it. Again, if you're going to do that, go to Baltimore.

Also, I wanted to touch on possible hotel locations but I'm running out of, well, the ability to stay awake. I prefer to stay towards the edge of the beltway either at a hotel with a shuttle to the Metro or, my favorite, there's a hotel out at the Dunn Loring Metro stop that is walking distance to the Metro (as in there's the hotel, the hotel parking lot, the Metro parking lot, and then the Metro entrance all in a row). You'll save some bucks and it's still not that long to get around. However, if I were you and you may not have another chance to get here- I might try to stay closer into the city, not get a rental car (as some of those hotels charge $20-$30 per night just in parking), and find a nice hotel within a couple of blocks of a Metro stop and near downtown. But I haven't priced such a hotel as I always am coming up with my car so parking prices are a serious consideration.

Hope that helps some and I know I've missed a lot. PM me with further questions or post them here. I'll try to get to them when I can.

SI

[lordscarlet]

I agree with most of what SI said, although I chuckle at some of the unimportant inaccuracies (such as "Navy Pier" vs. "Navy Yard" which really doesn't matter at all). I would definitely go without a rental car. The metro site (Metro - Home page) has a "trip planner" that is invaluable, especially if you're willing to use the bus system. The further points such as the Cathedral and even Udvar Hazy have buses that will get you there.

I would definitely recommend staying inside the city somewhere. If you do decided to stay in the city, definitely feel free to ask about the neighborhood a hotel is in and I should be able to give you an idea of what that 'hood is all about.

[Draft Dodger]

no one is mentioning Arlington Cemetery. I don't think we'll make it this time, but that's always been one of the highlights to me

[Draft Dodger]

we just got tickets for the Washington Monument for August. dig being able to order these in advance...and I would have had no idea without you guys

[claphamsa]

Originally Posted by Toddzilla

I'm in for a happy-hour or something - goddamnit I need a drink.

lets set something up!

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

I agree with most of what SI said, although I chuckle at some of the unimportant inaccuracies (such as "Navy Pier" vs. "Navy Yard" which really doesn't matter at all). I would definitely go without a rental car. The metro site (Metro - Home page) has a "trip planner" that is invaluable, especially if you're willing to use the bus system. The further points such as the Cathedral and even Udvar Hazy have buses that will get you there.

I would definitely recommend staying inside the city somewhere. If you do decided to stay in the city, definitely feel free to ask about the neighborhood a hotel is in and I should be able to give you an idea of what that 'hood is all about.

D'oh. Yeah, Navy Yard. Sorry, half asleep when I was posting that

SI

[sterlingice]

I forgot to get back to this but my wife and I were talking a couple of days ago about this thread. She said to make sure to mention a couple of places we've been that I forgot.

The first is the National Gallery of Art. It's not a Smithsonian (they're a little touchy about that). It has a good Renaissance collection and a lot of sculptures. I'd have been more impressed if we hadn't overloaded on it a bit the year before in, well, Italy. Hard to top the Vatican and Florence. But if you haven't had a chance to go there- this is probably the best collection on this side of the pond.

Also, there's the Portrait Gallery, which I think is a little underrated. Yes, it's pictures of every President but you get a little history to go along with each one and basically a little bit about each President's term. It's not a bad way to kill part of an afternoon if you're looking for a little more art to go with your history.

SI

[Coffee Warlord]

Necromancy time!

Think me and the wife are going to DC in late July. Looking at flights. Is Reagan that much more convenient than Dulles? The cheapest return flight has us going out of Dulles instead of Reagan (little under 100 bucks difference in total going out of Dulles).

[RPI-Fan]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

Necromancy time!

Think me and the wife are going to DC in late July. Looking at flights. Is Reagan that much more convenient than Dulles? The cheapest return flight has us going out of Dulles instead of Reagan (little under 100 bucks difference in total going out of Dulles).

Reagen is a good deal more convenient. However, it's easy enough to take a shuttle to Dulles, which from the end of the metro is $10 (per person). So you'd save a bunch of money still, and would just need to build in a little extra time (30-60 minutes to get to the end of the orange line, and another 20 or so on the bus) to get to the airport.

[Subby]

Worth it to fly out of Reagan if you don't have a car and you are staying downtown.