Things to do in DC area?

In My Humble Opinion
21

I was there last year - spent a few days in D.C. after visiting for the Post Hunt.

We went to the Newseum mostly because one of the people I went with works at our local paper.
It’s incredible. I skipped the section on Elvis and First Dogs..but loved the News and Crime section. My favorite is the room full of Pulitzer Prize Photos. Imagine the top images of the year..the most moving..story telling. All in one place.

There is also a room with the front page of newspapers from virtually every major event since the invention of movable type. Want to see what the coverage of the Civil War was like? Pull out the right year and take a look.

We didn’t give ourselves enough time for the place. I’d go back again to take it in properly.

-D/a

22

In terms of tourist passes, you can buy a $9 one-day pass on Metro, but it is only good after 9:30 a.m. (http://www.wmata.com/getting_around/visitor_info/). This is decent if you’re doing a lot of on/off during the day.

I live by the Greenbelt station and would strongly advise taking the B30 bus, not the F4. The buses in DC itself run pretty well, but the arrival/departure times in Maryland are more estimates than anything else.

Since I haven’t seen it mentioned, be sure to check out the $1 Circulator bus that connects a number of areas in downtown.

Advice: don’t try to pack too much in one day. I see far too many exhausted tourist groups this time of year…just pick 1-2 things per day and don’t wear yourself out. The zoo is definitely an all-day event by itself.

Definitely second the recommendations to eat at Jaleo and National Museum of the American Indian. Other yummies: Zaytinya for good Middle Eastern & drinks, and Matchbox (one in Chinatown, one on Capitol Hill) for awesome pizza and desserts.

23

I hope I worked the metro right…i bought a seven day unlimited pass thingy…i put it in the turnstile but then some other card popped out in the middle of it so I grabbed that…but my original card was still kind of sticking out from where I put it in…i don’t ride trains ever so I hope that’s what I was meant to do …

24

bouv, once you put your card in the slot that is near your hand, it will pop up on top of the stile unless you are using a wheelchair-access turnstile. In that case, the card pops out of the same slot where you inserted it.

It sounds like you might’ve gone to a wheelchair accessible one and grabbed someone else’s card instead of retrieving yours. I see TONS of people get befuddled by these every day.

In this pic, the turnstile you see on the far left will spew the card out from the same slot you placed it in. All the others will spit the card out of a slot on top of the machine.

25

I don’t think it was a wheelchair one…so maybe I was just mistaken and it did shoot all the way through…because there definitely wasn’t one already in that slot when I went to it…one shot out of the slot in the middle after I put it in.

I’ll find out tomorrow when I try to get on, I guess…

26

There’s a great restaurant in Foggy Bottom at Pennsylvania and 20th Street called Founding Farmers. My wife and I ate there with some friends of ours when we were in DC last fall. It was amazing food - basic American cuisine like roasted chicken, pot roast, steak, but done exquisitely. And it wasn’t that pricey, either. Try the Bacon Lollies if you’re a bacon lover, or the flatbread with tomato jam.

Also, I’ll second the recommendation for the Newseum. It’s one of the few museums in DC that charge admission, but it’s got a lot of incredible exhibits. Be warned, though: It’s not uplifting, especially when you visit the gallery of Pulitzer Prize-winning photos, the 9/11 exhibit and the Katrina exhibit. It’s not Holocaust Museum-level depression, but it will make you cry.

27

Hmmm you said next week and you posted on the 10th so I’m assuming you are coming down this weekend and it is therefore not too late to post…

Recently moved to DC still discovering DC so I’ve been doing touristy and not-so-touristy things…

Wait a minute…if you are coming down this weekend then you will be here for the Cherry Blossom Festival. Well then heck go to the Washington Post website, go to Going Out Guide, and check out all the awesome stuff going on.

If I’m wrong and you won’t be here for the Cherry Blossom Festival or if you get bored looking at trees…

*International Spy Museum-I totally disagree with whoever said to skip this. I loved it and so did my fiance (not easily impressed by museums) and my parents (who love museums). Costs $18 but we spent 4 hours there and still didn’t see everything.

*Ford’s Theatre-I mean come on, they have the bullet that killed Abe Lincoln. What more could you ask for? Across the street from the theatre is the house that he died in which is very small but worth a look. I don’t remember how much it cost…I think it may have been free…?

Ford’s Theatre is also within walking distance of the Spy Museum. Get off at Metro Center and both will be in walking distance. Once done at the Spy Museum you could also head up one block to the Portrait Gallery, the Chinatown Friendship arch, and a good Irish restaurant/bar called Fado’s.

From there if you walk back in the direction of the Spy Museum and beyond it you can also go to the National Archives which someone mentioned earlier. It was very very interesting. Some of THE coolest historical artifacts of our country. You can’t beat it. You will also get nice views of the Capital building from around this building.

If you’re willing to wait in line go to Georgetown Cupcake. If you go when they first open on a weekday it’s not so bad. The cupcakes are truly amazing. Tiny. But amazing. You can take the metro to Rosslyn and walk across the Key Bridge. Named for Franklin Scott Key of course. It’s about a 20 minute walk from the metro to M St in Georgetown. There is also a shuttle ($1) that picks up outside the metro and drops off on the other side of the bridge and a bus (38B Ballston/Farragut Square) that will talk you across the bridge. From this bridge you can see Georgetown University, the Kennedy Center, Washington Monument and all of Georgetown. At the end of the bridge there is a tiny little park dedicated to Key. Turn right and walk down a few blocks to Georgetown Cupcake. It will be on the left hand side.

OOO I hope you see this before you go because you really should to to Martin’s Tavern in Georgetown. In keeping with the spy thing, there was much spy activity there back in the day and several politicians used to frequent this place. John F Kennedy actually proposed to Jackie in one of the booths. All of the menus feature a few stories about the politicians and some of the booths are named so it’s fun to think about while you eat some pretty delicous food. I suggest going for lunch cause they make some awesome sandwiches and get reservations if you want one of the booths.

Georgetown also has tons of night life as does Dupont Circle. Personally I boycott Adams Morgan because it’s a bitch to get to and it’s just way to crowded and annoying.

Other nightlife: Clarendon. If you want dinner before try Liberty Tavern which is really close to the metro.

Alexandria: is also very cute. If you want awesomely bad but amazingly entertaining and care-free karaoke try Rock It Grille (close to metro).
Bistro Lafeyette on Saturdays if you are into singing showtunes.

Crystal City: Crystal City Restaurant if you want to watch strippers whilst eating.

I may think of more later…I really hope you get to read this before you go because not to sound arrogant or anything but I think these are some pretty good suggestions.