Visiting Washington D.C. for the first time

[fromthebluegrass]

I'm visiting Washington D.C. next week. My fiance and I will have two full days in the city itself. What are the must sees? Some things, like Capitol tours, are already booked. We're going to visit Mount Vernon when we leave town. I've seen plenty of great advice for tourists to various cities on here before, so I appreciate the insight. I searched for a previous thread on visiting Washington D.C. and didn't find anything. If I overlooked one, please link that here.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[playthrough]

You must visit the Holocaust Museum, and you must eat a corn dog at Chirpy's.

 

[jackfinarelli]

The Smithsonian Museum and the Air and Space Museum - - both on the Mall - - should be on your hit list. If you like art museums, the two wings of the National Gallery of Art is also very good - - but art museums are not everyone's favorite things.

As far as the monuments go, don't waste a lot of time standing in line at the Washington Monument to go to the top; that is really overrated. But be sure to see the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial (my personal favorite).

The Viet Nam memorial is very moving; the Korean War memorial is OK; the WWII memorial is way over the top for my tastes.

Enjoy...

 

[fromthebluegrass]

You must visit the Holocaust Museum, and you must eat a corn dog at Chirpy's.

We need to figure out what day to do that. It is free to get in, but you have to get tickets in advance this time of year because of the crowds.

Also, is it worth the trip to head from Mount Vernon to Monticello? According to Google Maps, the two estates are about two hours apart, and Charlottesville, Va. is near 64.

 

[93Devil]

If the cherry blosssoms are blooming in DC, you would be crazy to leave. If you were going to CVille in a month, I would say yes, but it's still winter and pretty barren.

 

[bagelchick]

I highly recommend the tour of Arlington National Cemetery.

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

If your fiancee has interest in newspapers, the Newseum could be an option. $20 (their site says the ticket is good for two days).




If you can see Congress in session, especially during a vote, do it. Word of warning as well, they can be strict in the viewing chamber. You're not allowed to talk or even read a book.

 

[User 1019]

Jack is pretty much spot on.

However, from a soldier's perspective, I appreciated the Korean War memorial a little more than the Wall. Seeing those soldiers, moving in a tactical formation and imaging the conditions they survived was chilling. Those guys lived in worse conditions than any solider since WWI.

I'd also make sure I saw the Iwo Jima memorial and Arlington Cemetery. Iwo Jima at night is particularly impressive because of the views of the Mall area you can get. The right camera set up can produce amazing pictures.

 

[cluelesswonder]

my favorite "spot" in the city is the fdr memorial. great view of the jefferson memorial across the tidal basin -- it's about a 10-minute walk from one to the other. and you learn about fdr. you can also walk down to the riverbank and on a nice day or night you'll see a ton of small boats out. (the weather's getting warmer here, but you'd be more likely to see boats out during the day.) it's cool.

also love the air force memorial in arlington. not the easiest thing to find if you're not from the area and if you don't have a car -- get off 395 at the pentagon city/crystal city exit and try to follow the signs from there. you might be able to walk there from the pentagon metro stop. the view from atop the hill is pretty neat, and there is a audio tour you can follow through your cell phone.

 

[fromthebluegrass]

Is the Air Force Memorial near Arlington Cemetery? My parents are Air Force veterans, so I'd like to see that if we can. Two days isn't a lot of time to spend in Washington, but I'd like to see as much as possible.

If the cherry blosssoms are blooming in DC, you would be crazy to leave. If you were going to CVille in a month, I would say yes, but it's still winter and pretty barren.

We'd be going through Charlottesville on the way back to Kentucky. I didn't know if Monticello was pretty far out of the way. I'm a bit of a history nerd, so it would be awesome to visit both Monticello and Mount Vernon on the same trip if it wouldn't be crazy inconvenient.

 

[Sleeper]

The Air Force memorial is basically right next to Arlington Cemetery. But unless you're ready to do a ton of walking, you'll need to drive and park at each location.

I'll second the recommendation for the FDR memorial. Go at night if you can.

 

[SalukiNC]

+1 for Arlington
-1 for Holocaust.....although after going there I walked out and kissed the sidewalk, just happy to be alive.

 

[DanOregon]

The National Archives should be a must, plus it's a quick thing to do and right between the White House and the Capitol. On the other side of Pennsylvania Ave. is a small desk-sized monument to FDR (not the newer memorial). It has a funny story behind it. FDR said to an aide that at some point he supposed someone might want to make a monument to commemorate his terms in office. He said it shouldn't be bigger than the Oval Office desk.
Ford's Theater is pretty cool as well. My biggest advice is leave time to discover your hidden gem in the city. Walk the tidal basin on your way to the Jefferson Memorial. DC is one of those cities that even people who haven't been there know well because of news and so many movies being set there.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Dear fromthebluegrass: Call your Congressperson's office, say you're visiting DC, and ask if you can see him/her for a second, have a photo taken, etc. They might say yes, and even if they say no, they might get you on a Capitol tour.

 

[93Devil]

Is the Air Force Memorial near Arlington Cemetery? My parents are Air Force veterans, so I'd like to see that if we can. Two days isn't a lot of time to spend in Washington, but I'd like to see as much as possible.

If the cherry blosssoms are blooming in DC, you would be crazy to leave. If you were going to CVille in a month, I would say yes, but it's still winter and pretty barren.

We'd be going through Charlottesville on the way back to Kentucky. I didn't know if Monticello was pretty far out of the way. I'm a bit of a history nerd, so it would be awesome to visit both Monticello and Mount Vernon on the same trip if it wouldn't be crazy inconvenient.

If you are a history nerd, you would be pretty remissed to not hit C'Ville.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

What's the hotel bar/restaurant that has the balcony overlooking the White House? If it's warm enough, grab a drink there and watch the Secret Service snipers patrol the roof.

Dan's Cafe in Adams Morgan is one of my favorite dive bars in the nation.

 

[Flying Headbutt]

Agree on the Tidal Basin. I don't think the Newseum is worth the 40 dollars you'd both have to spend to get in. A great museum, don't get me wrong. But your 40 dollars is better spent elsewhere. Walking around the mall is cool. For local cultural fare, go to Ben's Chilli Bowl (it's like two blocks from the U Street Metro stop on the Green Line and Bill Cosby swears by it) and get a chilli dog and cheese fries. The National Zoo is free and is an awesome trip.

 

[Ace]

Agree on the National Archives. You don't need to spend a lot of time but you need to see the Bill of Rights and Constitution.

Arlington is great as well.

Plan the afternoon at the Lincoln, FDR, Viet Nam, etc. memorials.

Personally, I think it's easier to take the subway around the city and the bus to Arlington. I wouldn't want to mess with driving and parking all day.

 

[heyabbott]

Agree on the National Archives. You don't need to spend a lot of time but you need to see the Bill of Rights and Constitution.

Arlington is great as well.

Plan the afternoon at the Lincoln, FDR, Viet Nam, etc. memorials.

Personally, I think it's easier to take the subway around the city and the bus to Arlington. I wouldn't want to mess with driving and parking all day.

In front of the Archives is a beautiful outdoor sculpture garden, its free and modern and post modern art. It's right near the National Gallery and the East Buolding of the National Gallery.
In front of the Hirshhorn is another sculpture garden, almost directly across the Mall. There's a nice Rodin, The Burghers of Calais.

I love the Natural History Museum and think its much better than the one on Cnetral Park West in NYC.
The Library of Congress is beautiful.

Best places to grab lunch at the Mall is the Natural History Museum, it's Bar Mitzvah Style eating, stations rather than cafeteria style, and the underground tunnel between the National Gallery and the East Building. If you're interested in a real quiet moment for a coffee and some pastry or a light bite, there is The Garden Café in the West Building (National Gallery) next to the Ground Floor galleries. Do not eat at the Air and Space Museum, it's crap.

You'l defintiley want to hit Georgetown. M Street and Wisconsin Ave is the heart of Georgetown. It's not as funky as it was, but plenty of shops, bars and restaurants.

 

[cluelesswonder]

the w hotel has the bar overlooking the white house. tell them kornheiser sent you, i'm sure that will go over well. and another vote for ben's as well as ray's hellburger in arlington.