The wife and I have been travelling alot lately, often in different directions, sometimes with a passel of kids. We have spent much time apart this summer and the time we have spent together has been very hectic. We need a getaway.
We live in Richmond so DC is just a 1.5 hour jaunt up I95. Virginia Beach is about the same distance away, but you can get a fantastic 4 star hotel in DC for less than a dump in Virginia Beach, so DC it is.
We have done the tourist thing in DC MANY times, alone and with kids. It isn’t the monuments and history drawing us there, it is just that it is just “not-home” enough to seem like a short vacation.
We want to stay in the Dupont Circle area (unless you suggest something else). We want to be able to walk to shops and restaurants, and would like a of local flavor instead of the main downtown touristy area we usually frequent.
During the day, and I don’t know if this is possible in DC proper, we would like to take a lawn chair or blanket next to a creek or river or some body of water, plop down with a book and a cooler, and chill out. There are a ton of parks in the city, maybe one of the minions has a suggestion.
If you like airplanes, go to Gravelly Point. The planes travelling to and from National Airport fly right over your head, and the park is right on the river. I know there’s the bike trail there, but I don’t know how close it is to Dupont Circle, though…
Rock Creek Park is a fine recommendation for a place to laze about during the day. If you want a great place to grab drinks later that night, I can’t say enough good things about The Gibson. www.yelp.com/biz/the-gibson-washington It’s a great speakeasy, specializing in high-end cocktails. Note that the door is unmarked - read the Yelp listing to get an idea of what it looks like.
As always, let me make this offer: If you want something to do one evening, we could do a Dopefest for you. We could all go to some restaurant. If you’d like this, let us know when you will be in D.C.
Great Falls is a nice area for a park next to the river, Theodore Roosevelt Island is also a nice park on the Potomac. Rock Creek Park is our best bet inside the city unless you really want a taste of DC culture by getting mugged.
Speaking of getting mugged - I’m hearing that this is becoming more frequent in Dupont Circle. Keep your Ipod/Iphone/phone hidden away.
It is county fair season during your visit - fairs will be in swing in Montgomery, Arlington, and Prince William Counties, among others. I recommend the Prince William County Fair - the largest county fair in the state of Virginia.
i love the billy goat trail in great falls. you’ll have your car so go for it. TR island is also nice. if you’re especially active, you could feasibly walk from there to arlington cemetary (iwo jima statue) and back across the bridge to the jeff monument/wash monument, etc. georgetown waterfront is a nice place for a stroll. the fish market has “local flavor” if that’s what you’re after. a nat’s game might be in the works. the zoo is also good fun. library of congress gets bypassed a lot on the national mall tour. gravelly point is a good suggestion. College Park Airport is the oldest airport in the US (where the wright bros set up shop after kitty hawk iirc).
and for local eats, eat at ben’s chili bowl, right off the u-street metro.
Thanks for all of the updates. We have made some progress. We booked 3 nights at Hotel Helix, which is between Dupont Circle and Logan Circle. It seems to be a funky little hotel with generally good reviews.
We are eyeing Mitchell Parkoff of 23rd St NW as our place to spread out a blanket and do some reading and break the law by publicly consuming some wine. Any feedback on this? Is it in a safe area?
We are going to see “Noises Off” the popular perenial British farce at the Keegan Theater. I have seen it twice before, but it has been 20 years ago now. I remember it beinglaugh out loud funny, so it is just the right thing for our care-free weekend. By the way I got the tix at half price on www.goldstar.com. I have used Goldstar for tix in New York before, and now DC. Quite a useful site.
Also hoping to veg out a bit at Kramerbooks & Afterwords with some good books and coffee ( or perhaps more wine ).
THANKS to everyone who offered advice. Now that I have a bit more direction, I would love your input once again.