# Unusual or lesser known experiences in Washington DC **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 21, 2012, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-or-lesser-known-experiences-in-washington-dc/632114 "2012-08-21T00:16:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![booklover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@booklover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booklover)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-or-lesser-known-experiences-in-washington-dc/632114/21 "2012-08-21T16:55:21Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > Back when I briefly lived in DC, _mumble_ years ago, one thing-to-do for visitors was getting Ethiopian food, as D.C. had lots of good restaurants, and few other cities did. > > Is that still true? Yes, Ethiopian food is still a must-have in DC. I like [Meskerem](http://meskeremethiopianrestaurantdc.com/) in Adams Morgan and have heard great things about [Etete](http://www.yelp.com/biz/etete-washington) as well. I haven’t been to the [National Museum of Health and Medicine](http://www.medicalmuseum.mil/index.cfm?p=visit.index) since they’ve moved, but they have a fascinating display of medical procedures throughout the years. I noticed they’ve still got their old address on Georgia Ave. listed a couple places on their site–the new address is on Linden Lane near the Silver Spring metro. Have you ever just meandered around Meridian Hill/Malcolm X park? I love the statues and people-watching there, though I wouldn’t recommend visiting after dark. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-or-lesser-known-experiences-in-washington-dc/632114/22 "2012-08-21T18:11:52Z")
Yeah, the American history thing is boring and, really, when it comes to the Washington area, what’s so much better is the art and the food. I don’t know which Smithsonian museums you’ve seen, but usually tourists do the Natural History/American History/Air and Space, which, frankly, are bullshit. The good museums are the art museums–the National Gallery, the Hirshorn, the Sackler/Freer, etc. Check out the websites to see what exhibits and events are going on. I highly recommend the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Old Town, Alexandria. Fantastic place. Food: If you’re there on Saturday and Sunday, go to Eastern Market in the Capitol Hill area, very good (and cheap) food vendors, arts and crafts, flea market, farmers market. Right now, the D.C. area seems to be going through a hamburger and pizza renaissance. If you’re into those, I can try to put together a list. Ethiopian is still good around here, but a lot of the good restaurants have moved around. Ollie’s Trolley right downtown has the best crab cake sandwich and french fries anywhere. They do sometimes run out of crab cakes, so get there early for lunch. Northern Virginia: Korean (buffets, tofu soup), Vietnamese (pho, bunmi sandwiches, etc.), Salvadoran, Peruvian rotisserie chicken, Cantonese. God, my mouth waters just thinking of all the good, cheap food around here. You won’t believe how cheap some of these are, but sometimes you need a car to get to the best places. All of a sudden, this area is full of food trucks. If you can, avoid restaurants and eat from trucks. The less fancier the better. If a food truck looks hand-painted and the vendors speak little English, then the food is going to be fantastic, especially if it’s central or south American food. > [@Giles](#): > > If you haven’s seen inside the [Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson_Building), you should do so. Yes, this is definitely good. > [@pancakes3](#): > > -Do the zoo, but do it in the late afternoon. Zoo is good, if you like looking at animals. The pandas and the prairie dogs are my favorite. > [@](#): > > -Gravelly Point is a park right by Reagan airport where you can watch the planes fly in. Not a bad suggestion. > [@](#): > > -For a “wild women’s weekend” you would probably avoid bars in Georgetown or Dupont and check out bars on U St. or Adam’s Morgan (where there’s a bar called Madam’s Organ). The bar scene in Adams-Morgan is not what it used to be. Or maybe it’s unchanged. Anyway, Adams-Morgan is really better for its eateries, of which Madam’s Organ is one. I’d recommend The Diner and its sister Tryst cafe. > [@](#): > > -Old Town Alexandria in Northern Va, just across the river has ghost tours too, and iirc for cheaper. Better yet, go to Old Town during the day and check out the Torpedo Factory Art Center. No cost admission. Dozens and dozens of artists’ galleries and workspaces. > [@](#): > > - The newseum. It’s pricey but very interesting. > [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > Speaking as a former employee of a US intelligence agency, I say skip the Spy Museum. Not a great site. > [@Kitty\_A](#): > > I’d like to second skipping the Spy Museum and checking out the Newseum. > [@Rodgers01](#): > > I disagree with the people who say to skip the Spy Museum. It’s a whole lot of fun, if you have any interest in the subject. > [@Krokodil](#): > > As a 26-year veteran of the newspaper industry, I say skip the Newseum and go to the Spy Museum. > [@Cliffy](#): > > Spy Museum isn’t worth the cost. Both the Newseum and the Spy Museum are bleah. Avoid any museum around here that charges an entrance fee. It’s never worth it. > [@](#): > > 1. The waterfront area in the southwest of the city, home to a number of produce and food markets and restaurants. The restaurants are pretty much gone (the area is going to be redeveloped) but there is still a very good seafood market there at the end of the marina on Maine avenue. You can get cooked food there too. Highly recommended. > [@blondebear](#): > > The National Building Museum is worth it just for a walk through [The Great Hall](http://www.visitingdc.com/washington-dc/national-building-museum-great-hall.htm). Good suggestion. > [@F.Pu-du-he-pa-as](#): > > If you like long walks, I’ve always enjoyed starting in Dupont Circle and walking down Massachusetts Avenue past all of the foreign embassies. It’s a lovely area. Another great walk is to start around Rosslyn (get a burger at Ray’s Hell Burger, or some empanadas and gelato at Boccato), across the bridge, and over into Georgetown. Old Town Alexandria is great for walking, too; stop at Eamon’s for excellent fish and chips. There’s now an Eamonn’s in Clarendon too. Hellburger is the classic, but I find their burgers too large. Worth the experience though. Right across the street is a good Russian cafe. And right next door is Pho 76, the best Pho around (cash only). > [@](#): > > If you want a good place to eat around the Smithsonian, go to Teasim. Oriental food, and a lot of tea. Great food, less expensive, and less crowded than the dining opportunities at the actual Smithsonian. The only cafeteria _in_ the Smithsonian that’s worth it is in the American Indian museum, but it’s a bit pricey for a cafeteria. Teaism is decent. > [@](#): > > The grooviest coffeeshop/bookstore? Tossup between Busboys and Poets (14th and U) and Politics and Prose. Base your decision on who has the better guest speaker that night. D.C. is also going through a coffee revival. The coffee wars are heating up and there are many raging arguments which is the best. My preferences are Peregrine Espresso (Capitol Hill) and Northside Social (Clarendon), which both use Counterculture Coffee. > [@iiandyiiii](#): > > My wife and I enjoy tramping around [Theodore](http://www.nps.gov/this/index.htm) [Roosevelt Island](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt_Island)- a very short walk from the Rosslyn Metro Station in Arlington. Best park in Washington. Hands down. Really, if you have parks where you live, there’s no reason to go to any D.C. park except Theodore Roosevelt Island. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-or-lesser-known-experiences-in-washington-dc/632114/23 "2012-08-21T23:14:01Z")
I’ve been there two or three times. They have bones from the Civil war with bullets still embedded in them. They have Civil War bullets that are flattened from being bitten. They have a leg with elephantiasis. I love the place. ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-or-lesser-known-experiences-in-washington-dc/632114/24 "2012-08-21T23:58:00Z")
> [@adhemar](#): > > Go to Rock Creek Park, very pretty park. unless you are military becasue every week on NCIS some military person is killed in that park. Hmmm…perhaps we will get to see a different version of Crime and Punishment… ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-or-lesser-known-experiences-in-washington-dc/632114/25 "2012-08-22T00:13:38Z")
Great ideas everyone! The opinions on what makes something great (or not) helps a lot. Hallgirl is in charge of food, and I’m going to put my two cents in for Ethopian food at least once–any particular place to try? Hallgirl lives in Philly and I frequently make my way there, so we have good access to Asian foods there, and would rather try foods that we have difficulty getting otherwise. (So Viet, Korean, etc. foods aren’t on our list for this particular visit.) Neither of us are really into zoos, and if we’re going to do tons of walking, I think we’d both rather do it on a ghost tour or through a museum. I have to stay aware of bum knees and flagging energy levels. (That makes me sound really old and out of shape…which is partly true.) We’ve done the Holocaust Museum and the Natl. Geographic Museum on past visits and really liked them both. I’m thinking years ago that I did a night time bus tour and the thing that stood out most to me about that was that I just wanted to go back to the hotel room and go to sleep. Okay maybe Women’s Wild Weekend was a bit of a stretch. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-or-lesser-known-experiences-in-washington-dc/632114/26 "2012-08-22T17:56:34Z")
There is a stretch on U street NE around 9th referred to as Little Ethiopia that has 9 or 10 ethiopian restaurants. That would probably be the best place to start looking for ethiopian in DC. The American Indian museum is very skippable, but it has the best cafeteria of any of the big museums, except for the national gallery which is pricey. ---
**Author:** ![Turpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Turpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turpentine)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-or-lesser-known-experiences-in-washington-dc/632114/27 "2012-08-22T18:12:06Z")
The DEA museum was a riot. I like how it was arranged in a “drugs through the ages” style, starting with laudanum and ending right around the heroin trend of the 90s. Oh, and they had on exhibit a big bowl of mixed pills, to illustrate pill parties (something I think the DEA just made up). ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-or-lesser-known-experiences-in-washington-dc/632114/28 "2012-08-22T18:30:34Z")
Go to the National Arboretum. It’s one of the forgotten DC sites because it’s not accessible from the Metro but it’s amazing, especially this time of year. There’s also Fort Stevens. It’s a small park that’s tucked away between Georgia Ave and 13th St NW about a half mile south of the former site of Walter Reed. There are some civil war era cannons on the site and it’s a cool little spot that’s one of those places you’d never just come across while visiting as a typical tourist. [The Franciscan Monastery](http://www.myfranciscan.org/). They have beautiful gardens, the building itself is pretty cool, and the main attraction (when I was a kid, at least) is the catacombs. If you want to take a trip out into the Maryland 'burbs Wheaton has a few interesting features, like the [Trolley Museum](http://www.dctrolley.org/) and Brookside Gardens. And while you’re there you can take a gander at [the longest continuous escalator in the Western Hemisphere](http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jensenl/visuals/album/2005/dc/Washington_DC_Metro_escalator.jpg). May sound boring, and it probably is, but at the same time it’s quite impressive. That picture doesn’t really do it justice. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-or-lesser-known-experiences-in-washington-dc/632114/29 "2012-08-22T18:35:04Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Go to the National Arboretum. It’s one of the forgotten DC sites because it’s not accessible from the Metro but it’s amazing, especially this time of year. It is for people who don’t mind walking a mile or so 🙂 … but are the intervening neighborhoods safe to walk thru? I have no idea one way or another as I’ve never been that far East in DC. But it’s great that it will be nice this time of year, as I was planning on maybe going there next week. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-or-lesser-known-experiences-in-washington-dc/632114/30 "2012-08-22T18:46:14Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > It is for people who don’t mind walking a mile or so 🙂 … but are the intervening neighborhoods safe to walk thru? I have no idea one way or another as I’ve never been that far East in DC. But it’s great that it will be nice this time of year, as I was planning on maybe going there next week. During daytime hours it’s perfectly safe. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-or-lesser-known-experiences-in-washington-dc/632114/31 "2012-08-22T18:56:25Z")
I heartily endorse the Crime and Punishment Museum and the Newseum. In the Maryland suburbs of Washington, I’ve enjoyed: [The NSA’s National Cryptology Museum](http://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic_heritage/museum/). [The National Capital Trolley Museum](http://www.dctrolley.org/). [The National Electronics Museum](http://www.nationalelectronicsmuseum.org/). ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-or-lesser-known-experiences-in-washington-dc/632114/32 "2012-08-22T19:41:09Z")
The Arboretum is wondeful. We have to get back there. It’s a place for strolling and maybe taking the tram tour; you don’t do it in an hour. The surrounding neighborhoods are, I agree, fine during the day. But you’d want to drive to the Arboretum because it’s too damn far from anything to walk. **Ascenray** ’s right about a lot, but I think he gives the Smithsonian museums a bad rap. Air & Space is fantastic if you like either air or space. (Also astounding is the Udvar-Hazy Annex out in Reston, although it will take the better part of a day.) Natural History’s Oceans exhibit is really cool, although the museum is inconsistent. (The upstairs bug zoo is pretty neat.) American History is similarly inconsistent, and it’s not the first place I’d send someone, although it has some cool stuff. (Here’s where I mention that a photograph of mine was briefly displayed there.) All that said, I do agree that the Freer and Sackler Galleries are great, as is the Portrait Gallery. It shares a building with the Museum of American Art. I haven’t spent much time with their collection, but it does have Hampton’s spectacular _The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’ Millennium General Assembly_ which has to be seen to be believed. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-or-lesser-known-experiences-in-washington-dc/632114/33 "2012-08-22T19:52:55Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > **Ascenray** ’s right about a lot, but I think he gives the Smithsonian museums a bad rap. Air & Space is fantastic if you like either air or space. (Also astounding is the Udvar-Hazy Annex out in Reston, although it will take the better part of a day.) Natural History’s Oceans exhibit is really cool, although the museum is inconsistent. (The upstairs bug zoo is pretty neat.) American History is similarly inconsistent, and it’s not the first place I’d send someone, although it has some cool stuff. (Here’s where I mention that a photograph of mine was briefly displayed there.) Well, different strokes, of course … Once I was in the American History museum and I overheard another patron tell another “This is the worst museum in the entire world. It’s not even a real museum.” I nearly burst out laughing because it was so true. Heh. The “big three” Smithsonian Museums, in my view, are more like pop culture and nostalgia exhibits than real museums. Once I was flabbergasted to find an exhibit on the history of baseball in the _Natural History_ museum. It’s weird. Those three museums seem to be geared toward the interests of children, which, I guess if you have children, there you go. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-or-lesser-known-experiences-in-washington-dc/632114/34 "2012-08-22T20:48:42Z")
Did anyone yet mention the Korean Veteran’s Memorial, on the Mall? Quite haunting and evocative, especially at night. How about Ethiopian food in Adam’s Morgan? (ETA: I think that’s the neighborhood puddlegum mentioned). And, the view of the city from the Lee Mansion, at the upper edge of the Arlington National Cemetery? Or canoeing/kayaking on the Potomac? It’s amazingly wild and jungle-ish even within the DC city limits, from Bethesda to Theodore Roosevelt Island. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-or-lesser-known-experiences-in-washington-dc/632114/35 "2012-08-22T20:53:16Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > How about Ethiopian food in Adam’s Morgan? (ETA: I think that’s the neighborhood puddlegum mentioned). The good Ethiopian restaurants have moved out of Adams Morgan. I’d try other areas instead. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-or-lesser-known-experiences-in-washington-dc/632114/36 "2012-08-22T21:09:33Z")
I loved the Bureau of Engravings tour, watching money be printed – and burned. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-or-lesser-known-experiences-in-washington-dc/632114/37 "2012-08-22T21:32:42Z")
Hmmm, I guess I’ll drive to the Arboretum since it would be faster to drive there from Alexandria, drive back, then take the Metro into DC if I want to continue sightseeing than it would be to take the Metro then walk then walk back then take the Metro again. I just have to make sure I don’t party hard the night before but that won’t be a problem as there won’t be a lot of people at my party … was considering not even going ☹ ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-or-lesser-known-experiences-in-washington-dc/632114/38 "2012-08-22T21:33:10Z")
Go to the Lincoln memorial and walk around to the back; watch the sun set over Arlington Manor. then go underneath to see the cool stuff the workers drew on the walls when it was built. From there cross Consitution (short block-long walk) to see the statue of Albert Einstein. Have your picture taken on Albert’s lap. 3rd the Newseum. Any interest in really honkin’ jewels? Go see the gems exhibit at the museum of Natural History. On the way out stop by the giant sloth which has been the source of nightmares for so many DC area children. Somebody mentioned Jazz. For a true jazz experience you have to go here: [http://www.westminsterdc.org/jazz/](http://www.westminsterdc.org/jazz/) The ladies of the church also do a fish fry in the basement, so you can get realy true fried catfish and homemade cornbread that will make you cry it’s so good. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-or-lesser-known-experiences-in-washington-dc/632114/39 "2012-08-22T21:39:27Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > The good Ethiopian restaurants have moved out of Adams Morgan. I’d try other areas instead. They have moved to the U Street corridor. Like puddlegum mentioned they have moved to 9th and U Street \*\*NW[/B.] I’ve also heard good things about Etete. Dukem has a pretty good reputation as well. U Street is a nice area in general to get a drink and have dinner. Adams Morgan isn’t what it used to be. I haven’t been in a few years but it was mostly college kids drinking too much. H Street NE has kind of taken over as the hip bar district but it isn’t that accessible from the Metro. I like the [Freer Sackler](http://www.asia.si.edu/). Their focus is on Asian art. It is not going to be nearly as crowded as the other Smithsonian Museums. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-or-lesser-known-experiences-in-washington-dc/632114/40 "2012-08-22T22:37:51Z")
Didn’t the Army have a Museum Of Funerary Rites near Arlington? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-or-lesser-known-experiences-in-washington-dc/632114.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-or-lesser-known-experiences-in-washington-dc/632114.md?page=3)