What to see in DC?

dxman92 said:

I highly recommend the Udvar-Hazey if you can get down there. Mrs. DX and I were there this past May and it was incredible. She probably stood and drooled at the space shuttle for a good 10 minutes. Very easy to spend a whole day there. There is an observation tower where you can watch planes take off from Dulles since it is only a couple miles away...

The access road to the museum is directly at the end of one of the runways at Dulles. We were lucky enough to be driving away from Udvar-Hazy once just as a widebody jet was landing - being no more than 100 feet under a 777 as it was landing is something I won't forget anytime soon.

As others have said, all the free museums and monuments can keep you busy for two weeks. Walking is the main way around, but I'm a fan of the metro, no input on bikes. Not yet mentioned, save dedicated sight seeing for Sunday afternoon as all the museums and what close at 3, iirc. 

give me a couple of days, swmbo is out of town right now... and I'll have to run this buy her a bit.

My MIL will be around during that time, so I could probably use an excuse to 'get out' on that Sunday... I could pick you up at the Whiele Metro stop and take you out to Udvar Hazy... it's been probably 7 years since I've been out to it.

Ok, now you guys have me wanting to plan a trip to DC. The kids and I would LOVE it!

I'll also suggest that if you walk around the outside of the White House, make sure to swing over to the "White House Visitor's Center"... gives you a much better feel for the place, it's importance, 1st Amendment aspects, and how it's changed over time.  It was humbling to have been there as an adult this past summer.

sleepyhead said:

give me a couple of days, swmbo is out of town right now... and I'll have to run this buy her a bit.

My MIL will be around during that time, so I could probably use an excuse to 'get out' on that Sunday... I could pick you up at the Whiele Metro stop and take you out to Udvar Hazy... it's been probably 7 years since I've been out to it.

That would be cool. Let me know when you can.

captdownshift said:

In reply to dxman92 :

There are no fewer than 8 Nando's in Maryland now, they've begun franchising. 

 

Yeah, Nando's are all over the DC Metro area now. Not that that's a bad thing. It's a great option for a lunch stop on one day, but find something better for dinner. There are sooo many good places to eat in this area. Just about anywhere on 14th Street NW from Rhode Islande Ave up to Columbia Heights, and along U Street NW will have a great dining experience. Lots of nice places in China town, all the way up to the northern end of the convention center.

sleepyhead said:

I'll also suggest that if you walk around the outside of the White House, make sure to swing over to the "White House Visitor's Center"... gives you a much better feel for the place, it's importance, 1st Amendment aspects, and how it's changed over time.  It was humbling to have been there as an adult this past summer.

My wife had a large role in designing the exhibits for the WHVC.  She'll be very happy to hear you felt that way. 

bluej said:

captdownshift said:

In reply to dxman92 :

There are no fewer than 8 Nando's in Maryland now, they've begun franchising. 

 

Yeah, Nando's are all over the DC Metro area now. Not that that's a bad thing. It's a great option for a lunch stop on one day, but find something better for dinner. There are sooo many good places to eat in this area. Just about anywhere on 14th Street NW from Rhode Islande Ave up to Columbia Heights, and along U Street NW will have a great dining experience. Lots of nice places in China town, all the way up to the northern end of the convention center.

The irony is that none of the nice places to eat in Chinatown are Chinese.

szeis4cookie said:

bluej said:

captdownshift said:

In reply to dxman92 :

There are no fewer than 8 Nando's in Maryland now, they've begun franchising. 

 

Yeah, Nando's are all over the DC Metro area now. Not that that's a bad thing. It's a great option for a lunch stop on one day, but find something better for dinner. There are sooo many good places to eat in this area. Just about anywhere on 14th Street NW from Rhode Islande Ave up to Columbia Heights, and along U Street NW will have a great dining experience. Lots of nice places in China town, all the way up to the northern end of the convention center.

The irony is that none of the nice places to eat in Chinatown are Chinese.

Yeah, true. That's the arena's fault.

bluej said:

sleepyhead said:

I'll also suggest that if you walk around the outside of the White House, make sure to swing over to the "White House Visitor's Center"... gives you a much better feel for the place, it's importance, 1st Amendment aspects, and how it's changed over time.  It was humbling to have been there as an adult this past summer.

My wife had a large role in designing the exhibits for the WHVC.  She'll be very happy to hear you felt that way. 

My (kind of) countrymen are why it's white.

Passport arrived last night! Yes!

Here's a good checklist ;)

www.washingtonpost.com/dc-restaurants-guide-fall-2017/?tid=ss_fb&utm_term=.f1d66cb1d1e5

Interestingly I have been told by some non US citizens that visiting their country's embassy in DC was cool. I guess they sometimes have events for their citizens in the area.

Crepes in the walk is good.

Chinatown moved to Maryland basically. Need to go to North Rockville I think.

Caribbean food around Howard University.

1. Guapo's Rotisserie
2. Chick fil A
3. YeChon (Must visit open 24hrs no excuses!!!)
4. Maiwand Kabob
5. Bankok 54

I stuck with food as general sightseeing seems to have been covered. 

Oh man, I can't believe I forgot to give Yechon a shout in this thread. I love that place.

Also, check out Super Pollo in Shirlington - my favorite of all the Peruvian chicken places.

fyi, NGTD, looks like I'm clear for Sunday Nov 1st.

I'll hit you with a PM in the AM

Old Glory BBQ in Georgetown.  My favorite BBQ anywhere is in G-Town.  It's also nice to see Georgetown and stroll the shops a bit, walk down to the waterfront and grab an outdoor beer and look across to the Watergate. 

Udvar/Hazy and the Air & Space: With limited time, just stay downtown and see the A&S, but know that the U/H is much bigger and much cooler.

Metro: the Metro is super easy to use and clean and great.  But once on the mall, you can walk anywhere.  

Holocaust Museum:  You need tickets for most things, but there is a very powerful exhibit you can walk through in about 45 min.  In this age of alt-right, anti-everything, its a good reminder of how things can get out of control quickly. 

The Evening Parade: This ends in August, but if you are ever there in the summer, it is not to be missed on a Friday night.  (http://www.barracks.marines.mil/Parades/Evening-Parade/)  Simply amazing, you need free tickets in advance. 

National Museum of the US Navy: This is inside the Navy Yard (which is where NCIS is in real life) and free.  I went to see the Enigma machine. I thought it was cool that the most prized secret in the world in WWII, one that people gave their lives to get, is now just sitting there on display.  

The Place with the Rocks: There is a Smithsonian full of rocks.  OK, the Hope Diamond is there, but the rest is rocks and more rocks and more rocks.  Did I mention that my wife loves rocks? "Look honey, this one is slightly less grey then the last 40, and this one has a fleck of feldspar in it!!!"  For 8 hours.  Please Lord, take me now.

for food near(ish) the mall, I suggest https://ccdc.momofuku.com/ (but the milk bar deserts werent really worth it to me)

I work down by the Navy Yard, I have not seen many of the things suggested, but take your time.  If done properly, you could almost spend a day in each smithsonian. 

The Place with the Rocks also has dinosaurs, but I believe the dinosaur exhibit is still being renovated. Reopens 2019. In the meantime, The Place with the Rocks does have a neat exhibit on ocean life, and there is a temporary dinosaur exhibit but it's just not as good.

sleepyhead said:

fyi, NGTD, looks like I'm clear for Sunday Nov 1st.

I'll hit you with a PM in the AM

Another example of what makes this website great!!!

PM returned.

Looks like I am going to get to see the Shuttle and SR-71!!!

Up at 3:35 am to depart. 5:40 am flight out of North Bay. Currently in Toronto.

Buddy of mine just got back yesterday from DC, his wife ran in the marathon over the weekend and he took the kids around to various museums and Mall monuments for a few days.  He said they walked 6-9 miles a day and didn't see nearly as much as there was to see.  So don't expect to see it all, it's a big place and should take several trips to get everything.  Honestly if you saw it all in a week you'd forget most of it, just too much sensory input.

I've been 3 times now (last time was the WW2 plane flyover), and want to go again before long.  Apparently the crowds aren't nearly as bad during the winter so this is a good time for a trip.

Just got back from DC. The bike share thing is awesome and if I lived there, I would totally have a yearly membership. 

Korea,Vietnam wall and Lincoln memorial were my favorite little cluster of monuments. They were last time I was there too.

Food wise was pretty meh but overall I'm glad to see it again as an adult. 'Merica!

sleepyhead said:

fyi, NGTD, looks like I'm clear for Sunday Nov 1st.

I'll hit you with a PM in the AM

Many thanks for getting me out to Udnar-Hazy. Your son was great and you really made my day!!!

Absolutely incredible! Concorde, Blackbird, Shuttle Discovery, B29 - Enola Gay, I could go on and on and on. In the last 2 days, I made it to both Smithsonian Air & Space museums, walked to the Capital Building, and the White House. 

The next few days will be tied up in conference sessions but I’m hoping to still see some more of Washington DC. I have been really impressed with the incredible sites, architecture and history of the US Capital!

NGTD said:

sleepyhead said:

fyi, NGTD, looks like I'm clear for Sunday Nov 1st.

I'll hit you with a PM in the AM

Many thanks for getting me out to Udnar-Hazy. Your son was great and you really made my day!!!

Absolutely incredible! Concorde, Blackbird, Shuttle Discovery, B29 - Enola Gay, I could go on and on and on. In the last 2 days, I made it to both Smithsonian Air & Space museums, walked to the Capital Building, and the White House. 

The next few days will be tied up in conference sessions but I’m hoping to still see some more of Washington DC. I have been really impressed with the incredible sites, architecture and history of the US Capital!

Glad to hear it, it was good to get out and see the museum again... it's been a while.  Hope the conference goes well!