DC Honeymoon

Abonsut · May 2012

My FI and I are working on booking our honeymoon. We're going to be spending a few days in Washington DC and are looking fo suggestions, especially of more romantic things to do (although we're really looking forward to the museums!) Any suggestions?

Thanks!

GoodLuckBear14 · May 2012

Do a night time tour of the city. If you want a really nice meal (it will be $$$$ though), try Capital Grill or Galileos. For something a bit less expensive, I'd recommend Old Ebbitt's Grille or Founding Farmers.

Smooch711 · May 2012

The first thing that comes to my mind is walking around the Tidal Basin/Jefferson Monument area at night. Also, I'm a sucker for gardens, so the Botanical Building is always nice.

For a casual place for lunch or dinner, I recommend Matchbox. There are two locations. The original is in Gallary Place/Chinatown area. Awesome pizza and sliders.

Have a great time!

eeforbes · May 2012

If you are wanting an amazing meal and are willing to sink a lot of money, the most romantic restaurant in the city in my opinion is Marcel's. We went to Marcel's for my birthday last year, and it was absolutely mindblowing. They even drove us home to Alexandria in their town car afterwards. Incredible service and amazing food and romantic atmosphere.

I concur on Founding Farmers for an amazing casual dinner. Book your reservations to all of it early though, things book real fast, esp FF.

My favorite museum hands down is the Newseum. Check that out if you have time!

I also agree about walking the monuments at night. Very romantic.

RunsWithBears · May 2012

I second the Old Ebbitt's and a night time walk around the mall. I also recommend Kramerbooks and Afterwords Cafe & Grill. It's a cute little bookstore + cafe + bar. If you're in DC over the summer, they have this thing in the National Scuplture Garden called Jazz in the Garden. It happens every Friday evening and a live jazz band comes and plays while everyone lounges on the grass drinking sangria and beer (which they serve by the picther). It's crowded, but free to get into and a really fun atmosphere.

Zoziku · May 2012

Monuments by Moonlight Tour- a must! It's amazing. And there are some great restaurants in DC too- Proof has a fantastic wine bar (in Gallery Place/Chinatown), Zaytinya and Jaleo are also very good. BTW- if you want to go on a tour of the White House, you need to get approval from your local Congress representative- there should be something on his/her website about requesting a tour. Just an FYI

Sue-n-Kevin · May 2012

My son has lived in DC for the past 3 years, and we've visited him a lot.

You will not need a car, and I highly recommend not getting one if you are trying to save money. Hotels charge $25-$50 a night just to park it, and there is nowhere to park if you use your car to get somewhere. If you are flying in, there are Metro trains or busses that take you from any of the airports to the Metro line to get around. It is safe and easy and eliminates the need for a car. If you haven't arranged your flights yet, look into flying into Baltimore's airport, which is usually quite a bit cheaper. From there you can take a Metro bus to the Green Line last stop, then take the train into DC.

Not sure if you booked a hotel, but the cheapest one nearest to the Mall area is the State Plaza. It's a former apt complex turned into a hotel, they have full kitchens (stove, sink, microwave, fridge, dishes, utensils.........and the maids do the dishes!). There is a CVS around the corner and they sell food items, grocery store not near it.

From the State Plaza it is about a 5 block walk to the Lincoln Monument. Once you are on the Mall you can walk from one end to the other.

Go to your Senator's or Congressperson's website and most have tour requests (sometimes it says "constituent services"). Through their office you can book timed tours. I highly recommend the Library of Congress tour for the lovely architecture and history behind it, and the Bureau of Engraving (where you see sheets of bills stacked on pallets or rolling off printers).....really cool store at the end of the tour as well.

All of the above is in addition to the standard Smithsonian museums as well.

I agree on Founding Farmers, very cool restaurant with great food. We didn't have any formal or romantic meals while there.

Look at www.tripadvisor.com for ideas for restaurants by style and price, as well as activities.

I believe you can rent boats to take a ride on the Potomac if you are into that. I also agree that making sure to see the sights at night is a great idea.......while not typically "romantic", it is lovely.

Tips:
wear comfy shoes, it's an absolute requirement
It gets pretty hot and muggy in the summer, make sure to have plenty of sun screen and bottled water available.
Go online and plan out the things you want to see while there. Then, cut the list into the "have to see" stuff, most of which is free.
Try to organize your days into specific areas. There's a lot to see, but try to stay in a certain area for an entire day. You'll save wear and tear on your feet
Most of the museums are along the sides of the Mall or on a side street near the Mall.

Since visiting my son there, I've found this to be one of my favorite cities, and I've been to a lot. It really is amazing when you get there.

Go to www.washingtonpost.com and sign up for their weekly "Things to do" emails. I still get them, and they give you great ideas of FREE events to see for the coming week.

Enjoy!

Abonsut · May 2012

Thanks for all of the tips! One of the reasons we chose DC was the walkability (we live in Chicago proper and only walk or take the CTA) so we're excited to roam a new city. I'll have to look into Founding Farmers- it sounds awesome! We submitted our security form yesterday to our congresswoman. I'm looking forward to seeing the Library of Congress the most! Thanks ladies!

Bryan&AmyC · May 2012

I definitely recommend a cruise on the Potomac, it can be a nice way to take in the sites while enjoying dinner. I also highly recommend the Ruth's Chris in Arlington. The view of DC at night is absolutely magnificent!! It's certainly one of my favorites for romantic dinners. The Old Town Trolley tours through the city are awesome for taking in the sites during the day. The tourguides I've had have been such great storytellers and really get you excited about all the history. DC is such a fun city, you'll have a great time for sure!

norameetsnick · May 2012

What kind of food and drink do you like? You should absolutely eat at Fiola. It is being honored with a James Beard award next week, was on Esquire's list of best restaurants, and has won many other accolades. The bar manager is also one of the best in the business.

If you like drinks, you should also check out the Columbia Room. It's been written up in GQ and Food and Wine. It's actually a bar-within-a-bar. The Passenger (the main bar) is a casual, rock n' roll spot with great drinks. The Columbia Room is a small, quiet, 10 person space in a separate room. They do a 3 "course" prixe-fixe menu (though you can also go a la carte). The drinks are paired with small bites; you'd still want dinner elsewhere.

What time of year are you visiting?

BBear13 · May 2012

Yes to all of the above. Old Ebbitt is a must! Also, Jose Andres' pop-up, America Eats, is only going to be open through July 4th, so if you are able to get in before then, it is amazing!!! It's a real experience, slow paced and relaxing.

Gallery Place/Chinatown has museums and good food (just be aware in advance if anything is going on at Verizon Center that night - this makes Metro-ing a bit hectic)

Penn Quarter is a great concentration of good restaurants (Jaleo, Oyamel, Chef Geoff's), and theatres as well if you are thinking of taking in a show while in town. (Convenient to Shakespeare Theatre, Woolly Mammoth, and the Warner)

Dupont Circle is energetic and fun, with great bars and restaurants. I like My Thai, Zorba's, Kramerbooks & Afterwards, Grill Fish, Mei Wah, and tons of others since I worked in that area for several years.

You could also check out Cleveland Park. It's a little more mature and mellow than Foggy Bottom or Adams Morgan. Medium Rare is perfect for an intimate, romantic dinner, and follow it up with some drinks at Ripple,where the bartenders will make you a customized, original drink as long as you can tell them 2 or three things you like.

Dumbarton Oaks, The Phillips Collection, and Hillwood are great museums away from the Mall. The Phillips is open late on Thursday nights, and also has music on Thursdays and Sundays.

Oh, and if you don't want to stick out as tourists and upset the locals, here are a few Metro tips (not trying to scare you off, it's just stuff I've seen over and over in my life as I've lived and worked here basically my entire life):

Walk Left, Stand Right: In DC, we have escalator ettiquette. If you are on a Metro escalator, stand on the right side so that commuters trying to get to work or catch a train can walk on the left. If you stand on the left, people will get upset at you and start repeating "Walk left, stand right!"

Use the farecard machines, not the SmarTrip machines: When you arrive at a Metro Station, there are a bank of machines from which you can purchase fare cards. Some are marked SmarTrip vendors. It can take people a few minutes to purchase a farecard, but adding to your SmarTrip card takes less than a minute. While paper farecards can be purchased from the SmarTrip machines, SmarTrip cards can't be added to on a regular farecard machine, so be considerate and let the SmarTrip holders use the SmarTrip machines.

Don't use the SmarTrip turnstyle lanes: You have to validate your fare card at a turnstyle before entering the station. Certain lanes are marked as SmarTrip only. One-day/one-time use paper farecards have to be inserted into the turnstyle, then you have to wait for it to pop back out once it's been validated. The don't pop back out in the same location on each turnstyle. (Some spit back out, others come out of the top)

The plastic SmarTrip card is read by a proximity sensor. The purpose of this is to allow people who live or work in DC and Metro daily to quickly swipe through and be on their way. They get audibly cranky when people with paper farecards clog up the lanes, especially when there are 7 lanes for paper farecards, and only 1 or 2 for SmarTrip.

The Metro Doors are not elevator doors: If you can't make it to the doors in time, just wait for the next train. Don't stick your arm/suitcase/leg between the closing train doors expecting them to open back up. You will get hurt or lose your bag. Also, if it happens with certain conductors, they will get upset and de-board the trains, forcing everyone to wait for the next one.

Finally, just a tip - during the next year construction is happening on weekends to prepare for the new silver line, so there are a lot of delays to Metro service on weekends. You can stay up to date on these and plan around them by checking the metro website. www.wmata.com

button6004 · May 2012

I will second America Eats, but it is a bit on the expensive side (at least for us). I would recommend trying out some of the food trucks that go around the city- you can get an awesome lunch for $8-15.

I would avoid flying to BWI and taking the metro bus/green line. I've done it, and not only is it long but its a little on the sketchy side. Also the bus is $6 each way (at least, it was when I used it last).

I'd recommend going to the Old Post Office tower and going up to the top. It gets a little packed sometimes because school tour buses stop there, but you get a great view of the area.

bookish333 · May 2012

You will have tons of options here! I concur with the recommendations on Founding Farmers, the Botanical Gardens, Potomac Cruises, and a nighttime walk on the Mall.

Jazz in the Garden is also terrific and free - just get there early to grab a spot! It fills up quickly.

If you like walking and enjoy "outdoorsy" things, the National Arboretum is off the beaten track and has some pretty places to walk. They also have Moonlight Tours guided by Park Service staff.

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