A friend of mine is moving to Mississippi this week, and I’ve decided to join her on the first leg of her road trip which ends in Washington D.C. so she can visit her grandparents. Wednesday morning she will continue on her merry way, while I get to spend the 14th touring the National Mall and the Air & Space museum before hopping on a bus back to New York.
Is there anything I should absolutely, positively do while walking around during my one day trip?
And… does anyone want to meet up for lunch or dinner?
I was trying to think of something creative and original, but I guess if you’re only here for a day, the mall is the best bet. Check out the air and space museum, The museum of American history, The art galleries and the monuments. They’re all pretty near each other on the national mall and they’re all free.
For lunch you could either go to the food court at union station, or walk up seventh street to china town and Jaleo’s or take the metro to dupont circle, which is a cool neighborhood to walk around in.
If you go to the Air and Space Museum and one or two of the Smithsonian museums, that’ll be your entire day.
I’d suggest starting at the Air and Space, then crossing the mall and going to the National Gallery of Art. Eat there so you don’t waste an hour getting to a restaurant and back. Then go west along Constitution Avenue to visit the Natural and American History Museums.
It’s also nice to see the Lincoln Memorial and the monuments on that side of the Mall. But they’re a hike from Air and Space.
My Wife and I just got back from 4 days in DC. We spent the entire time on the mall. Saw every monument and museum (might have missed one or two).
Opps. We did not go to the Air and Space. They close earlier than the others and we kept missing it. We had just been to the air and space museum in Dayton Ohio so we didn’t feel like we where missing much.
The national gallery of art was my favorite. And the WWII memorial. I would not bother with the spy museum. Stick to the Smithsonians.
See the FDR memorial, it’s a quick one if you want it to be, or you could be there most of the day. By far my favorite monument. If you’re looking for something out of the crowds and good for a picnic lunch try Haines Point and you can catch the Jefferson Memorial while you’re there. Both of these are on the way into town (on 395) and would make good “starters” also.
And, as mentioned, any of the museums. If you only have one day you might be better off picking one museum to see fully (Air and Space is my favorite) and send the rest of the daydoing the monuments.
The Washington Monument is open but they require tickets, which are free at the box office or you can pre-order for $1.50 per ticket and 50¢ per order. You might want to go to The Old Post Office instead, the clock tower there is open to the public and has an observation deck.
Let me qualify that, Maureen. One of the Smithsonian museums is a must. You can’t really see them all in one day. Each one of them is worth at least a day in their own right.
Another thing to consider would be Arlington House and Cemetary - for such a malicious, spiteful origin, it’s a wonderful place, now.
Smithsonian, yes – if you’re a science type, do Air & Space and Natural History – if you’re an art type, the National Gallery is wonderful, as are the Hirschorn, etc.
Depending on your interests, the National Gallery and one or two of the Smithsonians are probably the most you can hope for in one day. Two thoughts: summers in D.C. are hot, steamy and sticky; you won’t feel like walking far. Also, when you “catch the bus home,” the D.C. bus station is in an awful part of town. You might look at a map and think it’s walking distance from the Mall, but don’t do it, especially at night. Take a cab to the door. (Could you take the Metroliner from Union Station? Quicker, more comfortable, but more expensive.) Speaking of cabs, D.C. cabs, unlike almost every other system in the country, operate on a zone system. A trip within one zone is a flat amount, and each time you cross a zone border the amount increases. That means that a short trip, even one block, across a zone border costs more than a long trip within a zone. Drivers are notorious for telling tourists that a trip crossed more zones than it really did. Look at the map that’s supposed to be hanging over the seat back. It’s hard to figure out, but it’s better than nothing.
My road trip to DC is apparently off, because the driver is so sick she’s not willing to travel. I’m guessing it was the crab dip at her ‘buh-bye’ party on Sunday.
There must be some sort of law that bus/train stations are always in a seedy neighborhood. But I’d probably walk anyway, if only because I like walking through seedy neighborhoods–and I’ve got to maintain my rep for walking people’s feet off
