So just what *is* there to do in DC?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Alright, seems my Good Uncle Sam will honor my wishes for a little R & R back on the East Coast, and I’m thinkin’ I might spend a few days touring our fine nation’s capital.

I got a few places in mind that I really want to see, but don’t know of much else. See, I haven’t been there in like, 17 1/2 years. So, in no particular order, here’s what I wanna visit:

National Archives with the US Constitution and Declaration of Independence (or wherever these are displayed)
The Pentagon
The Smithsonian Air & Space Museum
Vietnam Memorial
Iwo Jima Memorial and Arlington Nat’l Cemetery

So, are all these visitable within a 4 day/3 night timespan? What else is cool? And where are them great bars I keep hearing about?

Tripler
Livin’ it up, with reckless vacation abandon.

2

Hoo boy. First off, yes, the Constitution and Declaration are in the National Archives. Admittedly, I’ve lived in DC for 26 years and never been there, so what do I know. :slight_smile:

If those are the main things you wanna hit, I think you could do it in 4 days. All of them are on the Metro, too, so getting there would be a snap.

As for bars…smiles I haven’t been down in DC proper in a while. Last time I went was to the Brickskellar, which has over 200 beers. Mmmmmm.

If you give us enough notice, I’m sure the other DC Dopers would be happy to get together while yer here. Let us know! :slight_smile:

3

My sister lives by there, and after a concert we ended up on a street or something called “Adams Morgan” that was end-to-end bars. I was real drunk by the time I got there, so hopefully someone can clarify this further. Or, a web search for “Adams Morgan” will likely come up with something.

4

Adams Morgan is a neighbourhood, not a street. It’s a lot of fun, although I don’t have that much experience there.

Yeah, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution (along with the Bill of Rights and Ross Perot’s copy of the Magna Carta) are at the National Archives. I love that building. You probably won’t spend more than two hours there, though, as everything is in the grand rotunda.

We’ll have to do a Dopefest, though.

5

I found it was fun to break my ankle while I was there…at one of my brothers’ wedding, no less…

6

Adams-Morgan is also half of a metro station. ::waits for people to get an image of HALF of a metro station:: It’s like Adams-Morgan Woodley Park Zo or something. http://www.wmata should clear that up for you.

Someplace else you might want to visit, Tripler, though I don’t know your taste or your qualms, is the Holocaust Museum. I dunno if it’s part of the Smithsonian package, but it’s worth seeing (if only for the collection of shoes, seriously). Some frightening stuff in there.

Bars: I can’t help you here. Not only do I not drink, I wouldn’t if I could:) I’m sure Sqrl or Olent has an idea of what kind of alcohol there is in DC.

You might consider doing a five-day pass because it’ll possibly be cheaper than just loading more $ onto a farecard.

7

iampunha that is the sort of thing I am looking for. And I’m going to be staying with a friend from High School, but I do plan on taking the Metro around quite a bit. It seems like that Farecard will help . . .

I’ll be there for a handfull of days, and I will have my truck down there. Is there anything outside the city I should see?

Tripler
Thanks again, and I may just hit a “Lunch Bunch” if it’s going.

8

In the nieghborhood of Adams Morgan there is a great bar called “Madam’s Organ” (not a very original name, I admit.) Very ecclectic, live music on weekends, and the women… Definately my choice, but if you don’t like that bar, there are like twenty more on the same street. Have fun, and raise a glass for everyone

9

Here are a few interesting places I’ve heard of around D.C., hope there’s one or two good ideas here :slight_smile:

Supreme Court, Crystal City Mall, Mount Vernon, Union Station, Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Ford’s Theatre, Hard Rock Cafe, Reflecting Pool, Smithsonian (Specifically the main part of it, Air and Space Museum, Museum of Natural History, and this one Art Museum, I don’t remember which), the Old Post Office, the White House, Watergate Hotel, a boat cruise down the Potomac, this one memorial with a big hand that I forgot the name of, Embassy Row, the National Zoo, Washington Memorial, the Library of Congress…

If one wants to know any more about my opinions about any above sights, let me know…although it has been about 5 years since I’ve seen any of these sites. I’ve also heard good things about the U.S. Treasury, the FDR Memorial, the Holocaust Museum…

I’ve never hit any D.C. bars, so I’m afraid I can’t help there!

Enjoy! (end hijack? :slight_smile: )

10

Old Town Alexandria is nice, and also on the metro. I have fond memories of a Moroccan Restaurant with “belly dancing nightly at 8 pm”.

The museums are big, so I’d advise mixing up the types you visit in anyone day. I began to suffer from overload (oh look, another Picasso), which was sad.

The Farecard is good value, and I was very impressed with the Metro, it was clean and safe, and I didn’t spot a single nutter. And the beggars of DC were among the politest I’ve ever had the privilige to meet.

11

Okay, here’s the targets:

National Archives with the US Constitution and Declaration of Independence (or wherever these are displayed)
The Smithsonian Air & Space Museum

Both of the above are on the Mall (the National Mall, not the one w/the Gap)and can be reached via Metro. Both are accessible by Yellow, Orange, and Blue lines. As tourist season is at its peak (and I live @ Pentagon City, so I feel it’s not really tourist season unless we can hunt 'em)I recommend avoiding Metro during morning and evening rush, and not using Smithsonian station at all. For Air & Space, get off at L’Enfant Plaza and walk up past Agriculture. It’s a nice walk and you get to see kinetic sculpture. The museum is pretty cool, although you can do the highlights in about twenty minutes, as most of the exhibits are of the “look above you at that plane” type. Don’t miss the fuselage of the Enola Gay if it’s still open.
Having done Air & Space, walk across the Mall to the Archives Building, get in line and stroll past the Dec. and Constitution. Other interesting stuff, and it’s airconditioned.

Vietnam Memorial

At the other end of the Mall from both Air & Space and Archives, towards the Lincoln Memorial. A nice walk and you can picture the site of the WWII Memorial they’re proposing to screw up the senic vista with.

The Pentagon
Iwo Jima Memorial and Arlington Nat’l Cemetery

Iwo Jima is closest to Rosslyn metro, on a nice grassy knoll right by the Netherlands Carillion (belltower).
Get back on the Blue line and take it a stop to Arlington, which has free tours and admission, IIRC. The Pentagon is the stop after that, with free but limited parking if you wanted to drive, and the tour guides walk backwards so’s to keep their eyes on every member of the group. I’m not talking backwards for a little while, then turning around, I’m talking backwards, military heel-and-toe for the entire farkin’ tour.

Now, about eats and drinks. Don;t buy anything in the museum cafeterias if you can help it, altho Mall stuff is hard to come by. Walk two blocks off the mall and go to the same places the office drones do. DC has hundreds of great ethnic and American restaurants, and it’d be a shame to not try some. Every place that had a civil war or uprising, we got the cooks when they left home. Ethiopian, Lebanese, Cambodian, Veitnamese, Senegalese, you name it we got it. Sadly, we do not have good street pizza or deli. Sorry.
Bars and ethnic restaurants abound in Adams-Morgan, which is also the metro stop for the zoo. Tryst is a coffee-shop bar with velvet couches and a relaxed swank vibe. Madam’s Organ has great bartenders and redheads always drink 1/2 price Rolling Rock. Sort of boho. Whatever flavor you want, we’ve got it.

Sadly, of course, now that I know all the cool places to go, the State Department’s shipping me out. :frowning:

12

I work in Crystal City, there’s really not much to see around here. Yes, there is an underground shopping mall but it’s not very big. Only reason for me to go there is the post office and lunch from a restaurant or the food court. Some of the Metro stations in Arlington has some sort of mall nearby: Ballston, Crystal City, (Ronald Reagan) National Airport, Pentagon, Pentagon City, and Rosslyn. I haven’t been inside the Pentagon so I can’t comment on the shopping there. The Old Post Office (across 12th Street from Federal Triangle Metro) is a great place to stop for lunch. If you have 6-8 hours to kill, take that truck up to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

13

Walk up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, look to your right, and read the words of Lincoln’s second inaugural address. You will be moved.

Have lunch at the Washington Hotel-- it is located just to the east of the grounds of the White House and they have an open-air balcony where you can look out over the Treasury building and the White House as you dine.

As others have said, go see the “Charters of Freedom” in the main room of the National Archives. My dad volunteers at the info booth there on Thursdays.

If you have an interest in history and/or journalism, visit the Newseum, located near the Rosslyn Metro stop in Virginia. (dad volunteers there, too.)

If you like architecture, check out the domes of the US Capitol and the Library of Congress. Also check out the national cathedral-- the highest point in the city.

See the Jefferson Memorial-- it’s harder to get to than Lincoln, but it’s worth it.

If you cross the river to Arlington Cemetery, check out the amphitheater behind the Tomb of the Unknowns. Every year on Memorial Day the President gives a speech there. A couple of times I have walked there from my home to see it.

See the new pandas (and the other animals!) at the National Zoo.

…and the best part: all of this is free! (except lunch at the hotel…)

14

Well let’s just say you’ve already paid for it.

I recommend Arlington House, which sits high atop Arlington Cemetery. From that vantage point you get a breathtaking, almost aerial view of the whole of downtown DC and many surrounding neighborhoods. You will also get to see the eternal flame in memory of John F. Kennedy. Arlington Cemetery is easily accessible via metro (The Arlington Cemetery stop, go figure) or you can walk to it in about 20 minutes from the rear of the Lincoln memorial. The two points sit at opposite ends of the Memorial Bridge.

Next on my list is Theodore Roosevelt Island. Not accessible by car and bicycles are not allowed. You can drive to a small parking lot just off of the GW parkway and then walk across a footbridge to the island. Hike around the perimeter if you are the woodsman type, or head straight to the center where the memorial stands. You would never know it was there unless you knew it was there.

Next, try The National Arboretum. Nice if you like the feeling of being in one huge very well-maintained forrest. Roads snake through it, and you can pull over and walk around when you get to the scenic parts.

Be sure and stop in at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and see Sheer Madness. It’s a riot. In fact, reserve your tickets now (or at least two weeks in advance).

The National Cathedral is beautiful to explore (hint: go down into the catacombs!) and they don’t try to sell you on their religion when you just want to look around. Go in the late afternoon when there is no service. Don’t be fooled and think that all there is to this place is the main chapel… explore, explore, explore! Seems like every time I go there I discover another tunnel leading to some tiny prayer room or mini-chapel. While you are there, be sure to visit the flower garden. Very picturesque.

You may like the White House tour, but I thought it was just OK.

Drive up & down Embassy Row (Massachusetts Avenue) and have a look-see at all the different styles of architecture used for the embassies. Unfortunately Mass Ave is a major thoroughfare and there is no good place to stop (or even slow down) in the event you see something that you want to have a longer look at, and the Avenue is too long for walking to be an option. Note: Do NOT visit this attraction during rush hour. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

15

Sometimes the Navy or Army Band will do a free concert on the steps of the Capitol Building. I went to one a few years ago and had a great time. Watching the sun set over the Mall from the front steps of the Capitol Building and goofing off with my friends on the front lawn was definitely memorable.

The Air & Space Museum rocks - I highly recommend it. All the stuff around the Mall - the Lincoln Memorial, especially - is awesome. I suggest actually walking from one end to the other - the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol Building. It might be hot, but it’s the best way to get a good sense of the history.

And we are so having a Dopefest. When are you coming?

16

If you like military music ‘n’ stuff, you can see the Marine Corps Band play at Iwo Jima on Tuesday night, or their incredible Twilight Parade at the Marine Corps Barracks (designed by Thomas Jefferson!) on Friday nights during the summer.

If you like inline skating, check out http://www.skatedc.org and bring your skates along; truly, the best way to see any city.

17

“Moroccan restuarant with nightly belly dancing at 8pm”…
that’d be “Marakkesh”. Don’t remember the address, but the phone number is 202-393-9393. You NEED a reservation, the (nine course, IIRC) meal is a fixed price (more for alcohol) of about $25.00, credit cards NOT accepted. I highly recommend this place.

Georgetown. That is, a long walk up/down Wisconsin Ave or M Street. Lotsa shops, restuarants, bars, etc. If you’re into kink, there’s two shops near the end of Wisconsin called “Dream Dresser” and “Pleasure Chest”, IIRC. Also, highly recommended.

Blackie’s House of Beef. On M Street near 30th(?), I think.
THE place for steak!

But, on the free end, the National Zoo is very kewl!

18

When I was in the eighth grade, we took the prerequisite trip to DC. We had just gotten off the bus when this guy, who I wager was in his early 20s, comes rollerblading by. Keep in mind we are a bunch of 13 year old girls. So this guy, who is shirtless in mid May, loops around, and gets some speed going. He jumps a park bench. We are dutifully impressed, until he hooks his left front wheel on the bench and goes headfirst into traffic, narrowly missing getting run over.

The next day we saw him again. He was walking.

So my advise is to see if you can find this man. There was also a piccalo player who would play on the Capitol steps, who’s hobby was scaring the crap out of tourists by screaming at them. I talked to him. He’s a nice guy, just hates tourists.

19

I was going say “Never drive through Georgetown!” because you may never get out, especially close to rush hour or any time on the weekend. There is also no place to park (except for the whole of Wisconsin Ave, which becomes a virtual parking lot during rush hour). Georgetown is a short (maybe 20 minutes) walk from Dupont Circle, so that is the way to get there.

It was called Pleasure Chest, but changed to “Pleasure Place” about 5 years or so ago. There is one two blocks north of Dupont Circle on Connecticut Ave, and right across the street from it is a place called The Leather Rack which is where you want to go if you’re really serious about kink.

Corner of 22nd & M.

20

a. Newseum is an absolute must-do…

b. Ethiopian food at the Red Sea in Adams Morgan…DC has a host of great restaurants; there used to be some great African bars which played all kinds of African music… The wonderful thing about DC is that you can find so many things from the straight stuff thru the exotic. Let your interests be your guide:

c. Check out http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com the “alternative” paper for WashDC area for events from music, talks, movies, happenings, performance art. You’ll also be able to read Straight Dope and News of the Weird.