Travel Going to Washington, D.C

QueenOfDa702

QueenOfDa702

Ma to the d@mn D-E-A
O.G.
Jan 27, 2007
7,600
2
#1
But Ill only be there for 3 days, and will only have 1 day to see the city!!

So, what is a MUST do for the 1 day I have?

Any good(cheap and fast lol) restaurants, or little hole in the wall places a normal tourist wouldnt know about?

Tell me all you know!:upsidedown:

TIA!
 
#2
If you've never been before, I guess seeing the monuments would be the best thing to do IMO.

Lots of ladies on this forum live in the DC area so hopefully they'll see this thread and offer some good information.
 
#4
Somehow (trolly, tour bus or drive yourself) drive past the main monuments: Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Washington Monument, White House, Capitol. If you have time, stop and see the Viet Nam Memorial--it's so moving.

Georgetown is a good idea--nice ambiance, no cookie-cutter restaurants there. Otherwise Dupont Circle is a good area for eating and a small art gallery (Corcoran?)
 
#5
Thanks for the suggestions, we will be driving out there, so we'll have a car. Im so excited!! Keep the suggestions coming, if there are any more, DC isnt really big enough for too many more suggestions! lol
 
#6
I loved the National Portrait Gallery! They just unveiled a new courtyard roof by Norman Foster (he did the British museum atrium) and they have a small exhibit about Katharine Hepburn right now, housing all 4 of her Oscars! It is so neat! You should look it up, I think this museum is open later than most so you can definitely fit it in 1 day.

The National Gallery is a must-see (if you have time, just pick the sections you like). The Hope diamond is in the Natural History museum (along with some really spectacular jewels)!

If museums aren't your thing then walk along the Mall and see the monuments - it can take up a whole day!

Georgetown is very charming - if you don't go into shops you can easily walk it in an hour (back and forth)

What are your likes/dislikes?
 
#7
You can take a trolly that will guide you around D.C. and will allow you to get on and off at certain stops thats pretty cool. (http://www.dctours.us/tours/tourDetail.cfm?tour_id=8827&gclid=CIrgsMaf3JICFQQIFQodkVt8_A)

However, I think that the best way to enjoy D.C. is to get onto the metro and just jump on and off certain locations. (http://www.wmata.com/metrorail/systemmap.cfm). McPherson on the orange line will bring you to the white house, 3 stops up on the orange line will bring you to the smithsonian, where all the main museums are and the monument. (and I think all of the museums here are free). If you get off at Foggy Bottom, take a cab and ask to go to M street. That's Georgetown, where all the really nice resturants and shops are. Chinatown on the Red Line isn't bad either, it has a TON of shops and places to eat!

You can also go to the zoo if you'd like! (http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Visit/GettingToZoo/) You can get to it on the Metro Red Line. Take the Red Line to the Woodley Park/Zoo/Adams Morgan stop or the Cleveland Park stop. The Zoo entrance lies halfway between these stops, and both are a short walk from the Zoo. The website also has other ways of getting there too.

If you're renting a car and want to, you can drive to Baltimore. From where I live in Norhtern Virginia, it's about an hour away, so, I know from D.C. to baltimore, it's not that far, but, I don't know the exact time distance, sorry! But, they have a ton of great shops, great seafood and the aquarium there too. (http://www.aqua.org/?gclid=COjSi96h3JICFQdbHgod0WLniQ) I haven't been there since I was little, but, I remember it being fun and huge!!

This site will help a lot for planning your trip too: http://www.si.edu/

Honestly tho, you can prolly see all the monuments that you want to in a day, museums on another day and shop on another. I've lived here for 14 years and I find D.C. pretty boring considering it's our nations capitol. But, I have the most fun walking around D.C. especially georgetown at night! it's so lively and, there are a ton of clubs and bars to check out.



Hope this helps!
 
#9
I really loved the Duck Tour originating from Union Station. I took it when I first moved to the city and it was fun!

As far as cheap eats -- definitely Five Guys, Potbelly's, Breadline, and Teaism. If you have time for something sitdown-wise, I'd recommend Pizzeria Paradiso in Georgetown (in case you wanted to go shopping in the area).
 
#10
SuLi said:
I really loved the Duck Tour originating from Union Station. I took it when I first moved to the city and it was fun!

As far as cheap eats -- definitely Five Guys, Potbelly's, Breadline, and Teaism. If you have time for something sitdown-wise, I'd recommend Pizzeria Paradiso in Georgetown (in case you wanted to go shopping in the area).
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Oh yeah -- Breadline is great, and it is walking distance from the white house. Only open on weekdays, though!
 
#11
I just got back from DC late last night. It is a fabulous city. I hadn't been there in 12 years, so it was great to see the city as an adult. It's such a pretty city to walk around.

Do one of those hop-on/hop-off tours. It's a great way to see all the big stuff & still be able to walk around. The next time I go, that's what I want to do because I only got to see a few things this time.

My friend took me to http://www.zaytinya.com/ for dinner, and it was so good. It's not super cheap, but it's tapas style so you can order a few things and share. The pomegranate and olive oil dip they put on your table is so good, I thought it was worth going there just for that. I really liked eating there.
 
#12
jillybean307 said:
I just got back from DC late last night. It is a fabulous city. I hadn't been there in 12 years, so it was great to see the city as an adult. It's such a pretty city to walk around.
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It's so nice to hear you enjoyed the city. Honestly I haven't been there in years and it's shameful of me. I think b/c I live here I don't appreciate the beauty of the place. I tend to focus on the political problems, crime, and general bad stuff that I read in the paper.
 
#13
Leelee said:
It's so nice to hear you enjoyed the city. Honestly I haven't been there in years and it's shameful of me. I think b/c I live here I don't appreciate the beauty of the place. I tend to focus on the political problems, crime, and general bad stuff that I read in the paper.
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I lived in Philly for 4 years, and the murder rate there is ridiculous, so it takes a lot (unfortunately) to phase me. I found it a really nice place to walk around, and I thought there were tons of fun bars and cute cafes. I guess because I'm living in Charlottesville now, which is very country, I was thrilled to be in a place where I could walk around (oh my lord, I found a bookstore going out of business & bought 13 books on my meandering!) instead of having to jump in my car.
 
#14
I am in DC right now for a weekend get away. Ate at Jaleo, a Spanish Tapas restaurant and though its not cheap, it was worth every cent. YUM!

We walked around the Mall, went to a couple free museums and also went to the Spy Museum. Its $18 per person. It was very enjoyable. Much larger than I expected. Tonight we just walked around Georgetown. Very lively :smile: Tomorrow we're going to the National Archive Museum, which I believe is free and I've heard really interesting.
 
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