DC Tourist Advice

My family was underwhelmed.

The A&S Museum at Dulles was unbelievable, much better than the one on the mall, and far less crowded. Of course, I'm sort of an airplane geek.

I have no idea if your 16-year-old enjoys history. If she does, to be that close to Gettysburg and not go is a mistake. It's an easy drive, through very pretty country. You can easily hit Antietim on the way back.

 

I used to go every year to see the in-laws (now family goes without me)

If $$ is no object, stay at the Williard, got to do that once, better than the Ritz.

Hopefully you can get a private tour through a Rep.'s or Senator's office because that's fun. Got to take the private tram underneath the Capitol and saw the original Supreme Court (I never knew).

Air & Space at Dulles is fantastic.

National Zoo.

Vietnam Memorial was moving.

 

I loved the Spy Museum. I am (allegedly) an adult who enjoyed the full experience, including crawling along in the crawl space. The spy gadgets and such are more fun than, say, documents in the National Archives. The museum is largely interactive, so there is a lot to read, but it's not as if you have to read everything to enjoy it.

 

Going in late May or early June (wife needs passport renewed, and it must be done in DC and by appointment). There will be no shortage of things I would like, but not sure about better half. She loves museums and art . . . but museums devoted to American history and American interests would hold no appeal for her. Hard to impress someone who spent a decade only a subway ride away from the Hermitage and dozens of other museums and palaces.

 

The Hermitage? So your wife is from Nashville?

 

Air & Space has some Soviet stuff, too, BT -- at least the edition on the Mall. I still haven't gotten to the Dulles location, which I hear is 10 times better.

 

We don't have Hermitage quality art museums, but we do have some good ones. In addition to the National Gallery of Art (there are two buildings - one is dedicated to modern art), there's the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Phillips Collection, the Freer and Sackler Galleries (Asian Art) and a other galleries.

If you/she like flowers and plants, the Botanic Gardens is a little gem. It's not that big, but it's pretty and calm. The National Arboretum, which is in DC, but not downtown (you need a car to get to it) is great.

 

Not true. From Dulles you can get a Washington Flyer bus to the West Falls Church Metro stop. cost is $10 one way. Then you are in the Metro system and can go wherever it can take you.

There is a Metro stop directly adjacent to Reagan National Airport.

 

Have been there many times with out of town guests. If you do not like lines or crowds, go on a weekday not a weekend. Should take you a minimum of 3 hours to go thru it - - if you hustle.

BTW, I second the thought that you go to see the Holocaust Museum. It is hardly an uplifting time but it is something that might be an important thing for a 16-year old to see as she enters that time in her life when she begins to realize there is more to the world than just what she is doing/seeing/thinking.

 

The beauty of DC is that with so many of the museums being free, you aren't compelled to see everything, and if you aren't moved by it, you can leave without feeling like you've wasted anything.

 

Don't stay at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel. Yeah, it's close to everything, but it's an unbelievable shithole.

Watch yourself if you ride the Metro. I had no problems when I was there this summer, but I started reading the unsuckdcMetro blog and now am horrified.

I really enjoyed the Native American museum at the Smithsonian. Grab an Indian taco there if you're looking for a good lunch.

Good Stuff Eatery near Capitol Hill made a mean burger. Loved the different dipping sauces for the fries.