DC travel: spots to hit?

nicole098 · February 2011

Hi, ladies-

I know there are a few of your from DC and I was hoping you'd chime in.

FI and I are planning a weekend trip to DC, and I was wondering if you can recommend any must sees or must eats. I haven't been there in like 15 yrs and FI has never been.

This would be a Sat - Sun trip so we wouldn't have time for everything, looking to get out and explore for a little bit.

Thanks for any and all ideas!

jlbaxter33 · February 2011

Where are you staying?

jlbaxter33 · February 2011

I have to run to a meeting, but I'll get back to you later today!

nicole098 · February 2011

No idea--I'm just starting planning from scratch. Figured we'd decide where to stay based on what we wanted to do.

Open to any suggestions for that too.

Thanks, JL!

cgyvhu · February 2011

I'm cheesy, but I love doing all the historical things in DC, even though FI lives there and we go all the time.

if FI has never been, I'd definitely try to hit all the major monuments (Jefferson/Lincoln/Washington), the korean/vietnam memorial (on the mall), and Arlington Cemetery. If you walk the mall, you can get all the way to the capitol and see that too (long walk from the lincoln though, or you could metro it). You can actually book tickets online to go to the top of the washington monument (booking online costs $3 or something,but it guarantees you a spot), and that could be a cool way to see the whole city if the weather is nice.

You could also stop by the White House just to see if from the outside and the Smithsonian natural history museum(hope diamond, other cool things). Most of those things are along the same metro line I think (blue/orange I think? A real DC person should chime in!), so you could do a decent number in 2 days, although you wont have tons of time at each place. I also like the botanical gardens (near the capitol).

As for eats, I'm useless - food in DC is expensive so we don't eat out a ton. HTH!

strwbry084 · February 2011

Definitely hit Arlington Cemetery. The Holocaust Museum is also very moving-although a bit sad. Arlington Cemetery is along the blue line and the monuments are off either Smithsonian stop or Federal Triangle stop on the blue/orange lines. Easy to do them all in the same day.

When are you coming? The cherry blossoms are supposed to be out in bloom within the next few months and are supposed to be gorgeous. I've never seen them as I just moved here in May.

I'm unfortunately useless on food too....we also don't go out to eat much.

Good luck planning!

Ash2985 · February 2011

Holocaust Museum is definitely worth a stop, and I love the American History Museum too. World War II memorial is cool, too, that's one of my favorites. They're all pretty close together, which is fun. That's what we're doing for our honeymoon.

Foodwise, I suck, because I only know the cheapo places to go. Dupont Circle is fun and has lots of food places, and it's worth a trip to Georgetown to walk around, especially if you like to shop.

bgfst1 · February 2011

Hi! We're in DC

Aside from all typically historical spots mentioned above that you MUST do if your FI has never been, if you like modern art you should check out the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Or if you're really into plants (or bonsai trees, like my FI) then the National Arboretum is really fun, too!

As for food - I agree: its all good but all VERY expensive. My recommendation: stalk the DC groupon page for restaurant groupons (there is one just about every day and I have never been disappointed by the food I've tried via buying groupons!) and buy a few before you come down! Or check out restaurant.com and buy a gift certificate through there for different places (depending on your tastes).

KimWard · February 2011

I'd recommend staying around Crystal City/Pentagon City- you'll be just outside of the city, but have easy access in, whether you'll be driving or taking metro. If your trip will be in the spring, esp. near the end of March and beginning of April, I'd book asap due to the influx of tourists that come for the cherry blossom festival. I agree with a lot of the above suggestions for things to see on a first-time visit.

Food-wise, it's tough to recommend places since I'm not sure what you're comfortable spending and where all you'll be. Just note that there aren't many food options close to the mall. For nice dinners, I've heard great things about the following restaurants: Proof (large wine selection), Zaytinya (Turkish/Greek/Lebanese), Rasika (Indian), Oyamel (Mexican), Jaleo (tapas... I was there for my b-day, but was not super impressed). All of those restaurants are near the Gallery Place/Chinatown metro. Old Ebbitt Grill is also recommended often on the DC Nest board- that's close to the White House. There are plenty of places that are reasonable for lunch/grab-and-go types of meals. I really like Nando's Peri-Peri, which is Portuguese- there are several locations.

Sorry for the WOT- HTH!

jlbaxter33 · February 2011

I definitely recommend staying in the city, DuPont is a great area. This way you have metro accessibility, but also easy access to cheap cabs. If you stay in VA and want to hang out a little later, it can be a pain to get back. If you are in the city, then you can hop in a cab for under $10 and be on your way. I live in Woodley Park and there is a bed and breakfast right near me that looks adorable. Do not pick a hotel based on price. If you find a hotel that sounds good, let me know the address and I can tell you if it is a safe area. There are some cheap hotels that are in some really, really bad areas. No good. not fun and not good. Chinatown/Gallery Place, downtown, DuPont, Capitol Hill, Woodley Park, Logan Circle, U Street area these are all great areas to stay in.

I like the museums, but I don't go often b/c of the tourists, it gets on my nerves. Off the beaten path, definitely plan on going to Eastern Market (my fav!) have breakfast at Ted's Bulletin ahead of time (so delicious, and they make homemade pop tarts and oatmeal cream pies!). Plan to go to Chinatown/Gallery Place. The Building Museum and Portrait Gallery are there, along with a cool vibe of people. Have dinner at Matchbox (amazing mini burgers) or Jaleo- which (sorry Kim) is my FAVORITE restaurant. It is delicious! You can always head to Iron Horse for some skee ball, drinks, etc. Let's see... in DuPont, Hank's Oyster Bar is delicious, Firefly is good, but for brunch book early for Tabard Inn best brunch in the city hands down!

For a romantic drinks, Gibson is where you want to go. For cheap and amazing Chinese, Full Kee in Chinatown is awesome and Nom Viet in Cleveland Park for Pho and Vietanemese.

Hmmm... that should get you started! Let me know what else!

sarilynnep · February 2011

My FI and I stayed in Chinatown at a nice Marriott and we thought the location was great. It was by the subway and there were some cheap, easy places to eat nearby. My mom lives in Baltimore so I get to visit DC often. These are already listed above by other girls but they are my favorites as well, and it's the path my fiance and I followed when we visited for a weekend. He had never seen DC either but we managed to cram in a lot.

We walked all this on day one without a problem (in this order):
Smithsonian- Natural History & American History
Walk along the mall- see the Washington monument, WWII monument, reflection pool, Lincoln museum, vietnam memorial
Holocaust museum- we walked in the cold in December and it wasn't too bad
Jefferson Memorial

Day two we headed to Arlington Cemetery (worth paying the fee for the bus tour as walking that in the cold is no fun) and the new pentagon memorial for the 9/11 victims.

Other stops included walking to the white house, around the capital building, and seeing the FBI building and Forbes theater (and some little museum to Lincoln). So see, you really can do a lot in a weekend! Dress warmly though if you are going this time of year and wear really comfy shoes :-)

There is so much to do in DC that you really can't go wrong...

Ash2985 · February 2011

JL, thanks for the restaurant recs. We're staying in downtown for the honeymoon and I was looking for food recs. Where is Jaleo? I think there was one in Bethesda when I lived there.

jlbaxter33 · February 2011

There is one in Bethesda, but one in Penn Quarter/Chinatown as well. LOVE IT!

Ash2985 · February 2011

I think we'll definitely be trying it!

nicole098 · February 2011

Wow, so much information!! Thank you all for contributing!!

This was extremely helpful. Good tips from the places that are safe to stay in to Cherry blossom season to setting expecations that food is pricy.

I am really excited to go--we just need to figure out when exactly :-)

thanks again!!

elizajane519 · April 2011

other posters have covered what to see but thought I would chime in on food. I'm a DC Foodie and tend to schedule things around food- DC is a top ten city for food in the US-but that doesn't mean your choices are all expensive. Check out the washingtonian.com food guide you can choose by price and location. You should make reservations for Friday/Sat night if you are going someplace in demand- i.e. Rasika or Co Co Sala - seriously consider Co Co sala- you are never going to get a chocolate based restaurant in Pittsburgh. There is nowhere to eat on/near the Mall besides hot dog vendors and the museums. I suggest food court at the National Art Gallery (they have gelato) or the Museum of the American Indian- they have an interesting selection of native american food although lunch will be +$10. Find a hotel along the orange/blue line-driving in DC isn't bad but it can be confusing and parking is a pain. Hotels in Crystal City/Pentagon City in Arlington are fine-it is a 20 minute ride on the metro to Metro Center from there. By all means, please stand to the right, walk on the left on the metro escalators.

DC travel: spots to hit?

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