Wash DC visit no-misses?

October 19, 2005 11:39 AM

My wife and I are traveling to Washington DC for a work-week vacation. We love musuems and I have many visits planned (Smithsonian, LOC, Air-Space, etc.). What are not-to-miss museums/historical monuments? And most of all - when I'm all "museumed-out" - what are the best night out and local fun stops we should not miss?
posted by mctsonic to travel & transportation (37 comments total)

The Holocaust Museum is well done and very moving. Renwick is great if you like crafts and 3D art plus the shop is a good one.

Have a drink on the top of the Hotel Washington and look out over the White House.

The Roosevelt Memorial is a little out of the way but very nice and peaceful.
posted by leafwoman at 11:46 AM on October 19, 2005

Drop me a line if you want to visit the Holocaust Museum or have any questions about it.

I highly recommend the Folger Shakespeare Library, especially if you're already at the Library of Congress (it's around the corner).
posted by arco at 11:49 AM on October 19, 2005

I really like the Sackler Museum of Asian Art, and find that not too many people who come make a point of visiting it. It's part of the Smithsonian. I recently saw the American Indian Museum for the first time and thought it was sub-par, it's very large without much content and can be skipped if you have limited time.
posted by OmieWise at 11:52 AM on October 19, 2005

I've always been charmed by the Einstein Statue at the National Academy of Sciences. Also I'll second the FDR memorial, I think it's one of the more creative monuments in the city.

Also check out Teaism, a local tea shop and restaraunt.
posted by sarahnade at 11:58 AM on October 19, 2005

Last week's wamu.org : Metro Connection had a bit about pub quizzes that sounded like fun.

Our current favorite museums:

Corcoran Gallery of Art
THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION
posted by Dick Paris at 11:59 AM on October 19, 2005

My favorites that I go to repeatedly ...
Musuem of American History
The Spy Museum
and if you are able to get out near Dulles Airport, the Udvar-Hazy Annex of the Air and Space Museum is awesome if you are into aircraft at all.

For night life I'm less of an expert, but Georgetown and the Dupont Circle area seem to be areas that have a happening night life scene.
posted by forforf at 12:10 PM on October 19, 2005

Don't forget the Postal Museum! Sounds dorky I know, but it's definitely one of my favorite of all the DC museums.
posted by jasper411 at 12:21 PM on October 19, 2005

I highly recommend Ten Penh at 10th and PA for dinner, especially if they happen to be serving the eiswein cocktail, but I have no other nightlife suggestions.

I heartily second the the Sackler/Freer recommendation; the Peacock Room was my favorite place to study during law school. The Botanic Gardens, right next to the Capitol building is newly restored and a nice place to visit.
posted by crush-onastick at 12:26 PM on October 19, 2005

Second Folger Shakespeare library.

Second the Spy Museum. But beware, if you want to go and (it is definitely worth it) you may have to get in line early in the day for tickets or buy them in advance.

Also, the Hirschorn at the Smithonsian is often overlooked and it frequently has great stuff.

If/when you visit the Lincoln/Vietnam memorials (they're right next to each other), do it at night. Better that way.

The new WWII memorial is very cool; the FDR memorial is pretty lame and not worth the trouble to get to it IMHO. (Sorry Leafwoman)

And call your congressmen's office. They can help arrange tours/access for various buildings and monuments that can save you a lot of hassle.

As for nightlife, 18th Street in Adams-Morgan is the main epicenter. But there's no metro there and no way to park. Cab it. Same goes for Georgetown at night and on the weekends.

Chinatown/Penn quarter is also increasingly become a good night spot besides all the aforementioned places, along with 8th street on Capitol hill.

For food, check out this dive-y place in Chinatown. They make UNBELIEVEABLE noodle soup for cheap. They make the noodles fresh right in the window, but don't bother with much of anything else on the menu other than the noodles and dumplings.
posted by Heminator at 12:35 PM on October 19, 2005

Udvar-Hazy (which I cannot stop calling "the Uday") is fantastic but if you're in the District it's a drive and expensive to park at, which is a sleazy dodge IMHO on having free admission without actually having it. Expect to spend at least 90 minutes round-trip if you go out to see it and return to the District.

Heminator mentions getting to the Spy museum early for tickets. Don't fail to get there early enough to get tickets AND see everything! You can spend 2 hrs there easily and unlike an art museum where you might (or at least I do) walk around quickly skipping things that don't appeal to you, if you're interested in spy stuff you'll likely be interested in almost all of it.

For drinks when you're in that area I highly reccomend Poste the next block over. Make sure to get the fries which come in a paper cone in a cool metal holder, they're teh yum.

Another don't-miss food thing is the Galileo Grill. It's only open certain days a week but it's a great way to have some of their fantastic food on the cheap.
posted by phearlez at 1:16 PM on October 19, 2005

On a recent visit I learned that your congressman's office will also set up a tour of the Capitol for you. They simply assign an intern to you, and the intern escorts you through the passages and hallways to the interesting spots in the buildings. It saves you having to wait on line with the general public, and it's free -- your tax dollars at work.

Lunch in the Senate cafeteria was fun.

Finally, we had the recommendation that we should see the monuments on the mall at night. We saved it for after dinner one mild evening - had a snifter of bourbon, and headed out around 9 PM. This was definitely the way to go. Expect quite a bit of walking, but very pleasant walking. At night, the monuments are incredibly striking, beautifully lit, and their emotional power is amped up. Particulary at the Lincoln and Viet Nam memorials. Bring a tissue.
posted by Miko at 1:17 PM on October 19, 2005

Check out the Public Vaults and the Charters of Freedom at the Nat'l Archives on the Mall.
posted by grateful at 1:24 PM on October 19, 2005

Second on the Hotel Washington.

You could see if one of your favorite authors is speaking at the Press Club.

FDR isn't too terribly far from the Vietnam/Lincoln/Korean War Memorials, so if you are down there and on your way around the Tidal Basin anyway...

If you have a car (or are a walker/jogger), drive (walk/jog) out on Haines Point (aka East Potomac Park) to see the Awakening, a cool artwork out there (can't include a link because I don't want to spoil it!).

You can check the City Paper for events and show (such as at the 9:30 club).
posted by Pollomacho at 1:25 PM on October 19, 2005

I think the National Portrait Gallery is awesome to visit at least once, especially if you like history. Seeing the originals of all the presidential portraits from your gradeschool textbooks is kind of surreal, and you get a better appreciation for how beautiful many of them are that you didn't have when you were a kid. It is a relatively small museum also, so you can hit it with plenty of time left over for others.
posted by gatorae at 1:28 PM on October 19, 2005

Udvar-Hazy (which I cannot stop calling "the Uday") is fantastic but if you're in the District it's a drive and expensive to park at, which is a sleazy dodge IMHO on having free admission without actually having it. Expect to spend at least 90 minutes round-trip if you go out to see it and return to the District.

An added minus (can something be an added minus?) to Udvar-Hazy is that for the uninitiated it is a long drive down the Dulles Toll Road. A trick is to ride all the way to Dulles airport on the free road, go around the airport loop and exit at the first exit before the toll starts. On the way back, reverse this, go through the loop and take the free road back. The parking is a rip-off there, but hey, at least the trick saves you the tolls.
posted by Pollomacho at 1:30 PM on October 19, 2005

What everyone already said, I mostly agree with. Do the monuments at night, but be aware that temps in DC at night are dropping now, bring a sweater on your walk.

I was unimpressed with the WWII memorial when then opened it, it strikes me as being overly gaudy, especially when you try to compare it to the stateliness and subdued qualities of the Vietnam and Korean memorials. That being said, it's right there, and there's little reason to skip it since it's so close.

I would put in a vote for the FDR memorial as well, just to see some diveristy in monument style. Try to enter the FDR from the north-west entrance and travel south-east to the exit, as the monument is in chronological order through FDR's terms.

What nobody else has mentioned, however, is the Jefferson memorial, which is a crime, as it's my favorite of them all. It's somewhat further from the mall than the others, being just across the Tidal Basin, but it's worth the extra walk, if you ask me.

Regarding nightlife in DC, what everyone has mentioned about Adams Morgan/Dupont and Georgetown is pretty much true. Georgetown during the school year is going to be pretty much overrun with G-town University students (in my experience), but there is a bunch of good food and some fun bars, including the waterfront, if the weather is nice.

It is possible to Metro to Adams Morgan, there's even a stop named for it, but it's a walk, no doubt about it. In AM, I would suggest Madam's Organ for good live music, Tryst for a quiet(er) cup of coffee, Tom Tom for the rowdy young set, and Peyote Cafe for Karaoke (if that's your style). There are also around 400 other bars on the strip and most don't have cover, so just pick one and head in. Move on if you get tired of it.
posted by Inkoate at 1:40 PM on October 19, 2005

the National Portrait Gallery is awesome to visit

...but unfortunately, it's closed until July 4, 2006.
(info)

The Adams-Morgen Metro stop would be Woodley Park. Exit the station, head downhill about a block on Conn Ave, then turn left and cross the Calvert Street (aka Duke Ellington) bridge. Another block and you're in the heart of Adams-Morgan. I used to live there, but it's been too long, can't make any recommendations. If you don't care to walk that far though, there's some restaurants right around Woodley Park metro.

The Postal Museum is interesting (if you're into stamps) and I love the subterranean Sackler (for Asian art).
posted by Rash at 3:03 PM on October 19, 2005

The National Air and Space Museum on the mall is well-known (and good); less well-known is this:

The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport is the companion facility to the Museum on the National Mall. The building opened in December, 2003, and provides enough space for the Smithsonian to display the thousands of aviation and space artifacts that cannot be exhibited on the National Mall. The two sites together showcase the largest collection of aviation and space artifacts in the world.
posted by WestCoaster at 3:17 PM on October 19, 2005

A trick is to ride all the way to Dulles airport on the free road, go around the airport loop and exit at the first exit before the toll starts. On the way back, reverse this, go through the loop and take the free road back.

Watch yourself if you're gonna do this; it's not like they're clueless this goes on and they will ticket you. Yeah yeah "how will they know??" you ask - they don't have to know, they just have to ticket you and then you have to go contest it.

Miko's suggestion about the monuments at night is a good one; the WWII is impressive in the evening. During the day I'd suggest one of our lesser-known monuments, the Teddy Roosevelt one on Roosevelt Island. It's an underused national park and at the center is a nice statue and the island is pretty. There's a boardwalk that faces Georgetown on the north side.
posted by phearlez at 3:26 PM on October 19, 2005

If you're going to the Spy Museum, which I recommend as a fun trip (don't skip the gift shop!), either go on a weekday or, if you want to go on a weekend, get your tickets in person in advance on a weekday, when the lines are much shorter. You can also get advance tickets through Ticketmaster.

Good, fun restaurants to go to fairly near the Spy Museum are: Zaytinya (a fave of NortonDC and me) and Ella's Wood Fired Pizza. Both of these places are cozy and have excellent food; Zaytinya also is just beautiful inside (and has great fun drinks and even better hummus!). Highly recommended!

Go to Ben's Chili Bowl up in the U-Street area for some local flavor, and check out the local scene there too. Eastern Market on a weekend can also be alot of fun. If you are in the Foggy Bottom area near 21st and I Street at some point and need a quick bite, check out the dive restaurant Lindy's, which has (imho) the best burgers in town, for cheap. And maybe check out a Kennedy Center performance while you're in town? I had a great time on my honeymoon at a symphony performance in San Francisco, which was the perfect end to a day spent touring and eating!

(I like the FDR memorial, too. The Building Museum also has a pretty neat gift shop. And if you aren't coming until next month (?), I highly recommend that after one of your Smithsonian or National Gallery visits you take a quick spin around the ice skating rink near the NGA's sculpture garden followed by some hot chocolate outside near the attached museum snack shop!)
posted by onlyconnect at 3:38 PM on October 19, 2005

I heard that the National Museum of Health and Medicine is pretty cool. Lots of cool gross stuff (the bullet that killed lincoln, lots of skeletons and preserved diseased organs in bottles...)
posted by 445supermag at 3:44 PM on October 19, 2005

National Building Museum is worth a stop, for the building itself. Sometimes the exhibits are good as well.

Make sure to eat at Full Kee in Chinatown. Hole in the wall, but the best food in town. All of the chefs from the fancy expensive restaurants eat here in the wee hours when they're done with their shifts.
posted by Framer at 3:55 PM on October 19, 2005

Rash - the Postal Museum is *much* more than stamps! The USPS was instrumental in bringing the country together in its early days, and the museum helps you learn that. Plus, they have an awesome exhibit - you know how stamps used to have those edges that are little ridges, where the perforations come out? They have an exhibit that shows how much space those little circular perforations take up!

_{ok, reading that on preview, it sounds *really* dorky, but it's not! I swear!}
posted by jasper411 at 3:57 PM on October 19, 2005

The Hillwood Museum has a good collection of Russian art, and really beautiful grounds to walk around in (it's an old converted estate). It's one of my favorite "little-known" museums in DC. You have to make a reservation a few days in advance.
posted by bluefly at 4:03 PM on October 19, 2005

There are also free performances at the Kennedy Center everyday at 6 p.m. on the Millennium Stage if you're budget-conscious.

Georgetown is an easy walk from the Ken Cen. If it's nice out I definitely recommend a stroll along the C&O canal footpath in Georgetown before dinner.

I lived in DC for three years, and as touristy and full of students Georgetown can be...it's still my favorite part of the city.
posted by awegz at 4:44 PM on October 19, 2005

I found the Korean War Memorial (near the Lincoln) very haunting - much more so than the Vietnam Memorial across the way. I never go to DC without going to the Iwo Jima Memorial near Arlington - they may not be doing it this late in the year but on Tuesdays before sundown the Corps does a silent drill there that's impressive. If you can make it to Fairfax, the National Firearms Museum is impressive. The Spy Museum is fun, even if a bit commercial and kid oriented. If you have time, contact your congressman and ask to be scheduled for a tour of the Capitol Bldg. wile there - it's worth it. The National Gallery on the Mall ( I much prefer the West Building). Take Arco up on the offfer re: The Holocost Museum. If you can get up and get there early to get the free tickets (be there around 8:00), touring the Bureau of Engraving is fun.
posted by Pressed Rat at 5:21 PM on October 19, 2005

The Renwick Gallery, part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum has a wonderful exhibit now on display: Modernism in American Silver: 20th Century Design. It's up until January. Definitely worth a see.
posted by Taken Outtacontext at 6:28 PM on October 19, 2005

Oops, the URL for information on the Renwick's silver show is here.
posted by Taken Outtacontext at 6:31 PM on October 19, 2005

I just logged in to recommend the Renwick Gallery, which I visit every time I'm in DC. And that show looks fantastic, Taken. Wendell Castle's Ghost Clock amazes the hell out of me every time I see it.

Second the recommendations for walking the Mall and seeing the monuments at night. Swing through Lafayette Square while you're at it, too. Second the Freer recommendation, as well as the Sackler and African Art museums.

Also: the National Gallery of Art is well worth a visit, and can be downright required, depending on what's on exhibit.

I'd get a good guidebook -- I really like the Rough Guide to DC. I've also enjoyed walking around the Eastern Market area (on the east side of Capitol Hill) on a pleasant Saturday.

Restaurants I've enjoyed have included Bistrot du Coin near Dupont Circle, the above-mentioned Ben's Chili Bowl, the above-mentioned Teasism, the awesome Breadline, and Meskerem (Ethiopian) in Adams-Morgan. If you're around the Circle, the Childe Harold isn't a bad bar, and the Rathskeller/Beerskeller (?) has a billion different kinds of beer.
posted by Vidiot at 6:55 PM on October 19, 2005

I second Ben's Chili Bowl, it is a DC institution.

Also, if you go to Adam's Morgan via the Woodley Park metro stop, wave because that is right where I live. Also, try the Lebanese Taverna which is at that stop, excellent Lebanese appetizers (mezes).

If you like extremely obscure stuff, call the Dept. of Interior's library and ask for a tour. It is tiny, but there are a lot of crazy details that no one would ever notice in a million years and some bizarre books in the rare book collection.
posted by Falconetti at 7:13 PM on October 19, 2005

If you go to Eastern Market, be sure to go on Saturday or Sunday--it's not that special during the week, more of a working (but kinda cool) grocery store. Email on the way about the LoC!
posted by MrMoonPie at 8:29 PM on October 19, 2005

The 930 Club is the great venue in town.
posted by phrontist at 9:17 PM on October 19, 2005

I was going to post at length, but realise I agree with Inkoate almost word for word: the WWII memorial's a dud, FDR memorial is great, Jefferson is my absolute favourite and shouldn't be missed, and go out in Adams Morgan/Georgetown.

What I will add is that there is an easy way to get to the Udvar-Hazy Annex that avoids the toll/parking problems people have mentioned above: take the shuttle bus from the National Air and Space Museum on The Mall. It costs about $12 p.p., you get there in about 30-40 minutes, and the only real problems are 1) making sure you get tickets before they sell out (didn't seem to be a problem when I went. YMMV.) and 2) making sure you don't schedule your return trip too soon. I bought my ticket first thing, spent the morning looking at the NASM on the Mall in the morning, caught the 12pm bus across, and caught the 2:30 bus back. Worth going just to see the SR-71 up close.
posted by bright cold day at 5:29 AM on October 20, 2005

If you don't mind waking up early, go attend a committee hearing on the Hill. The open sessions are indeed open to everyone. Just need to get in line first and be patient. I also suggest taking the Metro to Arlington cemetary, which is also right next door to the Marine Iwa Jima memorial.
posted by Atreides at 8:29 AM on October 20, 2005

I'm gonna disagree with OmieWise - I thought the new National Museum of the American Indian was the highlight of a weekend vacation I spent there in May. It's a totally opposite model to how I've seen indigenous American culture displayed in the past, with artifacts and artwork displayed thematically through examinations of indigenous cosmology and religion, rather than in glass cases with little context, or in a sterile, distant, almost scientific-y way. Many of the nations highlighted are US-based, but they've got things from across the Americas, and I believe that the exhibits always cycle new items in and out, as they are all still owned and used by the peoples who donated them.

The exhibits really display what native peoples lost from Columbus forward, and how they're rebuilding today - something I'd only read about in academic texts or textbooks but never really heard from an indigenous perspective.

It's not the massive space of, say, the National Gallery of Art, but is it supposed to be? I spent four hours there, heard a throat-singing group from Greenland, ate in the fantastic café where all the food was based on native recipes from different regions of the Americas (!) and dawdled in the gift shop where I could see whether the knick-knacks I purchased were Native-made or not.

Frankly, it's the best, most accessible, most intellectually stimulating museum I've ever been to - better than the Tate Modern in London, better than the Getty Center in Los Angeles. It opened my eyes to Native cultures in ways I never imagined. Do not miss it.
posted by mdonley at 6:10 PM on October 20, 2005

Oh, yes, the American Indian museum has the best Mall food, by far. I keep forgetting that.
posted by MrMoonPie at 7:18 PM on October 20, 2005

The National Zoo in Woodly Park is free, and quite a good zoo. Also a good walk.

I agree, the Spy Museum is great! Somewhat pricey and long lines, but great.

(I wasn't at all happy with the American Indian museum, by the way. Chaotic organization, not particularly interesting.)

Nam Viet, in (Cleveland Park & Arlington, VA & Alexandria) has excellent, cheap Vietnamese food. No ambiance, but a gem.

Guajillo, in Arlington, VA, has cheap, very good mexican food. Good ambiance. Has won tons of local food awards.


Jaleo, near Metro Center, is lots of fun and has excellent tapas. Somewhat expensive. Zaytinya (mentioned above) is Jaleo's sister restaurant, has Mediterranean tapas, lots of ambiance, fun.

Saint Ex is a good bar.

Adams Morgan is a fun neighborhood. Worth checking out. if you like hookah smoking, you can find a place there where hookahs only cost about $2. Lots of Ethiopian food.

Hotel bars are big in DC. This link lists the best and explains why. The Washingtonian also lists the best happy hours.
posted by Amizu at 4:11 PM on October 22, 2005