Visiting DC and needing tourist info!!

[concertina]

Hey all!

The husband is going to a class in DC after his R&R and I'm tagging along with him. We're actually going to go up a few days before he's scheduled to be there to have a small vacation of sorts. I'm pretty excited because the only time I've ever spent in DC was one afternoon after Thanksgiving back in '97!!

His class is about two blocks from the White House and we'll be staying at a hotel in that area as well (Yay for DC Per Diem!)

We're looking for fun places to eat, shop, etc. We both really enjoy eating where the 'locals' do and we're big fans of bars (NOT clubs), trying new drinks/beers/live music.

I'll be doing the Smithsonians/Memorials, of course. But what else should I check out? Other art galleries, museums, exhibits I should plan to see?

Any tips for White House tours? Riding the Metro? Fun shopping boutiques with quirky/unique merchandise? The malls in the area I *must* check out?

Would a one-day guided-tour be worth the money? Do you have a company you would suggest?

Any good 'day' trips? I've always wanted to go to Gettysburg, but the husband tells me its not incredibly worth it. What beach, within an hours drive, is the 'best', in your opinion. Not to swim, just to go sit and watch the water.

Whats the weather in late October like? I'm from the South, so please don't say 'Oh, its not that bad' and you really mean 'It'll be in the 50s during the day and drop to freezing at night'. Cause thats *COLD* to me!!

Any 'insider' tips you have for me? I'll be on my own while he's in class, so are there area's I should shy away from? Should I invest in a taser? (joking...sorta...)

Any and all information is welcomed!!

 

[Beauty Mark]

You'll probably need a jacket that time of year. I dress in layers, since you never know.

I love the FDR memorial. The Vietnam memorial is a classic but really good. The Washington zoo is great and free. They have pandas!

Plan your Smithsonian trip well. I don't think you can see everything in a month, let alone the time you're spending there.

Gettysburg is all right. I think it's too far for you to go to, though. I'd rather see DC more than take a day trip there. But if you're doing trips away from DC, other points of interest may be
-Hershey (as in chocolate)
-Lancaster, PA (the Amish and outlet shopping)
-Williamsburg, VA (colonial stuff)

 

[NicksWifey]

I don't live very far from DC, but once a year my fiance and I like to go and stay for a few days and visit his family that comes down from CT, we always have a nice time.

In October, the weather is not so bad. But I would say it would probably be somewhere in the 40s-50s, just depends. It's starting to get cooler now, especially when the sun starts to go down. I would bring clothes for cooler weather just to be on the safe side.

You definitely need to check out all of the Smithsonian buildings. Last time I went, the Museum of Natural History was closed for a while due to renovation or something. Walking down The Mall is awesome, you've got the Capitol building on one end and the Monument on the other, it makes for great picture taking

The shopping is good! Try and go to Georgetown if you can, that's where they have a lot of nice high end shops. Oh and they have a great MAC freestanding store in Georgetown too

I like to take those bus tours that take you all over the monuments, usually from 7pm-10pm, they're a lot of fun. I can't remember the company we took last time, it was this really funny guy who kept breaking all of the rules and we didn't get back until late because he took us to some extra places that weren't on the list. The conceierge at the front desk booked the tour for us and all we had to do was pay when we got on the bus. He went around to a lot of nearby hotels to pick people up. We stayed at the Capitol Hilton.
You definitely need to do a tour of the memorials though, they are amazing. The Vietnam Memorial at night is so peaceful but haunting at the same time.

Riding the Metro is not too bad, you just have to get the hang of it. It's really really crowded on weekends & in the afternoons when people are leaving work so don't be surprised if you are like 3 inches from someone's face lol.

There are so many great places to eat in DC. One of my favorites is not too far from the White House, Old Ebbitt Grill: Old Ebbitt Grill
Also, the Willard Intercontinental Hotel is amazing, I have a friend that works there and in the past, he has given us freebies in one of their restaurants. It's pretty expensive and too much of the whole "fine dining" experience for me but if you like that sort of thing, go for it!

I would also say Gettysburg is too far. From where I live in VA, it takes about 3.5-4 hours, just depending on the traffic. It's a great place to visit too, but the walking kills me. It's definitely an all day trip.

 

[emeraldjewels]

I'll be taking note of this thread, i'm visiting D.C for a week in November.

NicksWifey, that night time tour sounds great, i'll be checking that out for sure.

 

[SkylarV217]

When we went to DC we got a laminated map from Books a Million and looked up the places we wanted to go, we sat down and planed out each day and stayed in a different Vicinity every day, it worked out really well b/c we made the most of our time and we had a map that helped a lot !!! We got to do EVERYTHING we wanted except for the Library of Congress and it was closed due to flooding ....

There is so much to do I hope you really enjoy your trip...
PS - They International Spy Museum was REALLY cool. I would recomend it =D
The Night time tour is awesome... but you can really walk around and get the same thing lol ... I found I enjoyed it more doing my own thing than paying for a tour.

 

[hawaii02]

It's been awhile since I've been in DC, but the Washington Monument aka Pencil and National Zoo were on the list of to-do's. I used to have quite a few history field trips, one being the Smithsonian, so that's also great if you want to check it out

Georgetown is great for drinks. As far as restaurants, I second Old Ebbitt and highly recommend Best Buns Bakery (Arlington) and Sweetwater Tavern (we always go to the one in Centreville).

 

[Rennah]

I visited Georgetown in April. The shopping there is really nice!
MAC & Sephora are right next to each other! Salons and Spas in Georgetown (Washington, DC)

There is a really cool, funky shop that I visited called Commander Salamander. Commander Salamander | Georgetown BID | Washington DC
Commander Salamander, Washington, DC : Reviews and maps - Yahoo! Local

 

[concertina]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rennah I visited Georgetown in April. The shopping there is really nice! MAC & Sephora are right next to each other! Salons and Spas in Georgetown (Washington, DC) There is a really cool, funky shop that I visited called Commander Salamander. Commander Salamander | Georgetown BID | Washington DC Commander Salamander, Washington, DC : Reviews and maps - Yahoo! Local

Ooooohhhhh Flying Spaghetti Monster, save me!!! LUSH, Sephora and MAC ALL IN A ROW!!!

...my husband is going to be so pissed.

 

[NicksWifey]

Yeah those shops in Georgetown are amazing. I love the MAC store there, it's so cute.

Damnit, I forgot to mention the national zoo. The only thing I hate, is that the walk back up, is all uphill, I was ready to die last summer after we went and spent all day there. It was the beginning of August and on a Saturday, so it was super packed. It probably shouldn't be so bad when you go this fall though.

 

[M.A.C. head.]

I've lived just outside of DC for 6 months and I still haven't seen much of it.

We went to some of the museums though, it was fun.

That's about the only thing I can tell you LOL