# What should I visit in Washington **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 10, 2010, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-visit-in-washington/549876 "2010-08-10T21:24:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Laudenum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Laudenum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laudenum)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-visit-in-washington/549876/41 "2010-08-12T16:53:14Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > As always, my offer is that if you’d like to, we could put on a Dopefest while you’re here. We could meet at some restaurant. Thanks for the offer, but I am traveling with two non-Dopers, it wouldn’t be fair on them to make them meet a group of people whom they have no idea exist. ---
**Author:** ![Laudenum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Laudenum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laudenum)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-visit-in-washington/549876/42 "2010-08-12T16:56:14Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > “See the Smithsonian” is common advice, but it’s actually ben estimated that spending eight hours a day, five days a week, it woudl take approximately 13 years to see just the standing exhibits, and you’d still miss the extra-special touring shows. So if you want, PM me a bit about where you’re from and what your interests are, I’d be happy to help if I can. Oh. Obviously I have seriously underestimated the actual size of the Smithsonian.☹ I’ll do some Googling myself first and try to work out what my options are. (btw, is the Jeffersonian in Bones really the Smithsonian?) ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-visit-in-washington/549876/43 "2010-08-12T17:06:42Z")
If you like Johnny Rocket’s, try Five Guys. They have several locations in DC. Not kitschy like JR’s, but very good burgers and fries. The big music club is 9:30 on V St. The areas north and east of it can be sketchy, but there’s usually plenty of people around and it’s well-lit. A dash of common sense will keep you out of trouble, just like in most cities. There’s a couple of other areas with clubs & restaurants possibly worth checking out…U St. (that’s where Ben’s Chili Bowl is) is close to Adams-Morgan and fairly close to Dupont Circle. And locals will roll their eyes at this, but Georgetown has a few places of interest and some lovely older houses. ---
**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 12, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-visit-in-washington/549876/44 "2010-08-12T17:11:04Z")
> [@](#): > > the Jeffersonian in Bones I have absolutely no clue at all what is meant by this. Are you asking whether Thomas Jefferson’s skeleton is there? If so, it’s an urban myth that he and Lincoln are buried under their memorials. No truth at all to this. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-visit-in-washington/549876/45 "2010-08-12T17:27:35Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > “See the Smithsonian” is common advice, but it’s actually ben estimated that spending eight hours a day, five days a week, it woudl take approximately 13 years to see just the standing exhibits, and you’d still miss the extra-special touring shows. I’ve seen this kind of statistic before, and I wonder about how it was arrived at. Like, if you spent one minute staring at each individual piece of rock in the geology exhibit, and the same for every other item in every other exhibit, maybe I could see it. The Smithsonian is a set of museums – about 16, plus the National Zoo – some of which are quite large. The most well-known, I would say, are the National Air & Space Museum, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of American History, and the National Gallery of Art (actually run under a separate charter but affiliated with the Smithsonian) – I guess I would also add the Hirshhorn Museum, Sackler Gallery, and Freer Gallery for art lovers. If you’re quick, (i.e., spending some time with the exhibits you’re most interested in and skimming or missing the rest), you could do a couple of those a day and still leave a good amount of time for other stuff. So I would say a heavy-duty, immersion-level tour of the major Smithsonian museums could be carried out in three or four days. ---
**Author:** ![howye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9adbd/32.png) [@howye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/howye)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-visit-in-washington/549876/46 "2010-08-12T17:48:16Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > GREAT list, TruCelt. One quick note: > > > [@](#): > > > > Also, if you can get a car for a day, head out to Baltimore and see the National Aquarium. It’s wonderful. > > Do not,under any circumstances, think “oh, we can’t make it to Baltimore - the local DC aquarium will suffice”. If you find yourself even thinking of going there, just walk a few blocks more and go to the spy museum or something. This can not be emphasized heavily enough. Really. Treat yourself to a half day at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and the National Aquarium. One of my best vacation days ever was a day at the Inner Harbor where we spent the afternoon visiting the aquarium and having a very nice dinner at one of the restaurants that line the area. ---
**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 12, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-visit-in-washington/549876/47 "2010-08-12T18:44:38Z")
> [@howye](#): > > This can not be emphasized heavily enough. Really. Treat yourself to a half day at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and the National Aquarium. One of my best vacation days ever was a day at the Inner Harbor where we spent the afternoon visiting the aquarium and having a very nice dinner at one of the restaurants that line the area. Celtling and I did the “Breakfast with tthe Dolphins” a few weeks ago - it was awesome, if a bit early given the drive. They really make the immersion tours special, and the prices include full admission for the day. Celtling, unfortunately is too young for most of them. [http://www.aqua.org/immersiontours.html](http://www.aqua.org/immersiontours.html) ---
**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 12, 2010, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-visit-in-washington/549876/48 "2010-08-12T18:51:38Z")
List of Smithsonian Museums > **[Smithsonian Institution | Home](https://www.si.edu)** > > Official website of the Smithsonian, the world's largest museum and research complex, with 19 museums, 9 research centers, and affiliates around the world. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-visit-in-washington/549876/49 "2010-08-12T19:25:40Z")
You can also easily take a train from DC to Baltimore if you don’t want to rent a car. ---
**Author:** ![Laudenum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Laudenum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laudenum)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-visit-in-washington/549876/50 "2010-08-13T02:22:16Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > the Jeffersonian in Bones > > I have absolutely no clue at all what is meant by this. Are you asking whether Thomas Jefferson’s skeleton is there? If so, it’s an urban myth that he and Lincoln are buried under their memorials. No truth at all to this. Sorry. Bones is an American tv series. It is based on the books of Kathy Reichs. It features a forensic anthropologist who solves crimes while working for an institution known as the Jeffersonian; an institution of ancient artifacts and scholarly investigation. I was wondering if it was based on the Smithsonian. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-visit-in-washington/549876/51 "2010-08-13T02:58:08Z")
The Wikipedia entry calls it a “thinly veiled allusion to the Smithsonian Institution”: > **[Bones (TV series)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bones_(TV_series))** > > Bones is an American crime procedural comedy-drama television series created by Hart Hanson for Fox. It premiered on September 13, 2005, and concluded on March 28, 2017, airing for 246 episodes over 12 seasons. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) to Temperance "Bones" Brennan (Emily... ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-visit-in-washington/549876/52 "2010-08-13T03:32:22Z")
**Laudenum**. If I’m mistaken, correct me. You’re from Ireland? And, if I haven’t read every post here, sorry. You’re gonna be in the Wash DC area. Chesapeake Bay. Seafood. If you don’t eat some of the local catch, then shame on you. While I’m sure you have better fish dinners at home(assuming you’re from Ireland), Chesapeake seafood is the best the US has to offer. Blue crabs. You have nothing to compare to this. Soft shells are in this time of the year. May not be to your liking. But, crabcakes, Maryland style(for lack of a better descriptor), wonderful. Anything having to do with Chesapeake Bay crabs should be OK. Fresh seafood caught that morning in the Chesapeake Bay should be on your list. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-visit-in-washington/549876/53 "2010-08-13T03:41:20Z")
[Timbuktu](http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBIQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.timbukturestaurant.com%2F&ei=mb5kTJ6OGIHEsAOiwO3yCA&usg=AFQjCNEKVspy3SzwS5Uw9PjbovkaUR4ulw) has some of the best crab cakes in the world. Near BWI airport, it would be on the way to Baltimore if you decide to go to the Aquarium. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-visit-in-washington/549876/54 "2010-08-13T04:53:33Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > As always, my offer is that if you’d like to, we could put on a Dopefest while you’re here. We could meet at some restaurant. I might be down in your neighborhood near the end of September. ---
**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 13, 2010, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-visit-in-washington/549876/55 "2010-08-13T11:29:03Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > The Wikipedia entry calls it a “thinly veiled allusion to the Smithsonian Institution”: > > [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bones\_(TV\_series)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bones_%28TV_series%29) Ah! Sorry. My television is entirely monopolized by Dora the Explorer and Disney Princesses. . . LOL! ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-visit-in-washington/549876/56 "2010-08-13T12:20:27Z")
One of the things I regret not seeing in Washington 10+ years ago was the [Marine Corps War Memorial](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Corps_War_Memorial). Hell, when I was a kid, I thought that _was_ the WWII memorial. They still have the [touchable moon rock](http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/gal100/#touchrock) at the Air and Space Museum, luckily. I should specify that that’s the main museum, on the Mall—there’s also the [Udvar-Hazy Center](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_F._Udvar-Hazy_Center) annex of the museum, at Dulles airport, which has several more exhibits (that I also didn’t get to see when I was there—it wasn’t open yet), including a Space Shuttle and the _Enola Gay_. [Find a Grave](http://www.findagrave.com/php/famous.php?page=cem&previousJumpTo=&previousFameFilter=&FScemeteryid=49269&jumpTo=1&fameLevel=all) is useful for finding plots of interest in Arlington National Cemetery, if that’s your thing. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-visit-in-washington/549876/57 "2010-08-13T15:45:38Z")
If you’re looking for some nightlife, let me take you Couchsurfing. It’ll be either Wednesday or Thursday in September. We’ll go meet some interesting people for drinks. PM if you’re interested. Other than that, I think everything good has been mentioned. For food, if you like steak and pork, hit up Fogo de Chao by Federal Triangle. ---
**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 13, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-visit-in-washington/549876/58 "2010-08-13T17:02:15Z")
Everyone has provided you with good spots to visit, that seems to be covered. Allow me to enlighten you on a few finer points of visiting this fine city: [ul] [li]DC proper is actually very small, and the vast majority of real estate is residential, which is very helpful for visitors. 95% of what you’d want to see is concentrated downtown, and other interesting places (Adams Morgan, U Street, Georgetown, etc.) are also small areas of concentrated activity.[/li][li]Take the Metro. It goes directly to everywhere you’d want to go and you absolutely do not want to attempt to drive here. Trust me.[/li][li]When using the Metro, please have a plan **before** you enter the station. [This website](http://www.wmata.com/) is an invaluable tool. Please use it.[/li][li]When using the Metro’s entensive system of extremely long escalators, the rule is stand right, walk left.[/li][li]Very helpful tip: again, DC is very small; most Metro stops downtown are literally only a few blocks apart. It could be worthwhile to get off a stop or two earlier than your destination if you like to explore. You’ll see a lot more, and avoid the logjams that occur at busy stations like Gallery Place/Chinatown and Metro Center.[/li][li]It’s much cheaper and **way** less crowded to use the Metro during non-rush hour hours (off peak hours are 930AM - 300PM and 700PM - closing).[/li][li]If you don’t already have hotel arrangements, bear in mind that the outlying areas (Arlington, Silver Spring, Chevy Chase) have tons of hotels right near Metro stops and can be far cheaper than staying in DC proper.[/li][/ul] Hope that’s helpful. It’s very easy to have a great time in this town. Have fun! ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-visit-in-washington/549876/59 "2010-08-13T18:06:21Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > [ul][li]If you don’t already have hotel arrangements, bear in mind that the outlying areas (Arlington, Silver Spring, Chevy Chase) have tons of hotels right near Metro stops and can be far cheaper than staying in DC proper.[/li][/ul] YES! I forgot to mention this. DC is very small geographically. Virginia and Maryland _are_ parts of the metropolitan area. They’re like the suburbs. And Arlington/Alexandria might even be considered part of the city (it was at one time, after all). Don’t feel like you have to have arrangements in DC. Staying in VA or MD is perfectly fine. You’re only a mile or two from the city proper. I recommend staying in VA, but I’m biased like that. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-visit-in-washington/549876/60 "2010-08-14T01:08:32Z")
While most of the Smithsonian Museums close at five, the American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery (wings of the same building) are open until seven. That is across the street from the Verizon Center and close to Chinatown. It is relatively close (five or six blocks) to the other Smithsonian Museums. That is one of my favorite museums and I usually just pick a section and wander thru on my way to a hockey game or other event at Verizon. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-visit-in-washington/549876.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-visit-in-washington/549876.md?page=4)