January 19, 2006

• Do I need to even suggest the Capitol? =P But if you're interested, the Library Of Congress is very beautiful.
• The Smithsonian. There are a couple of different ones in the Capital, and the Air and Space Museum near Dulles is supposed to be spectacular.
• There is a tourmobile for the DC area and Arlington National Cemetery. About 10 years ago I had taken this and found it enjoyable.
• Do Not Take the white house tour. Truly the dullest thing ever. And you can't even do it fast, they pace the tour to "old lady in wheelchair speed." No suggestions on what to do, though I remember liking the smithsonian.
• If you've never been to the city and the weather is nice, I recommend the DC Duck tour. It's cheesy and touristy, but fun! All of the Smithsonians are free and a general guide can be found at www.si.edu/ You should try to get panda tickets! I don't know if the craziness has waned-- I know a friend has a ticket for me on Thursday. For food, a favorite spot of mine is Zaytinya at the Gallery Place metro. They serve tapas, so it's relatively inexpensive, though still a bit trendy. Have fun!
• Oh, and the Duck tours leave from Union Station- which is a nice spot to walk around in and of itself. and directly across the street from the station is the US Postal Museum which is free and has a great gift shop. (did all my holiday shopping there last year...)
• If you can, take a half-day and go bum around DuPont Circle. Bookstores, shops, cafes, it's very nice to just chill and shop. I've also heard that the FBI HQ tour is excellent, although I must admit that I haven't actually seen it.
• Second the Smithsonian--four days ought to do it--for the first floor! (I lubs me some museum) Washington National Cathedral was pretty cool.
• Smithsonian, totally. The various war memorials: Korean and Vietnam are surprisingly poignant. Lincoln/Jefferson Memorials. Dinner/lunch in Union Station. Buy a Metro day pass for (from memory) $12 and trip around the city, stopping in random places. The time will go way too quickly. Even in winter, DC is beautiful and fascinating. We were there last January the day before Bush's (re)inauguration and the city was buzzing, despite the temperatures being around freezing. And, of course, get your photo taken giving the finger to the White House. It's what people do. (Not me.) And if the Washington Monument is open, take the trip to the top for me. It's been closed the two times I've been to DC.
• If you can, see the Lincoln/Jefferson memorials at night too, when they are beautifully lighted.
• I've heard excellent things about the new(ish) Indian Museum.
• See the Botanic Gardens on Capital Hill. Stand in front of the Supreme Court. Yes to the Smithsonian museums, but try some of the less popular ones.
• Definitely go see the Pandas if you can. Also, if you're into museums, my three favorite ones are the Spy Museum near the MCI Center, the Holocaust Museum (warning: exceedingly emotional), and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center (the Air and Space Museum that polychrome mentioned) where you can stand 20 feet underneath the Enola Gay and wonder. Oh, and definitely see the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial like tracicle said and I second her sentiments about the Washington Monument--it's closed sometimes, so go up it if you can. And if you're into hockey, go see Ovechkin play. He's amazing and tickets are easy to come by.
• Haven't been there in years, but I was completely blown away by the Hirshorn. Small little museum, packed with gold. And not at all popular -- a great break from swatting off the little shits in Air and Space. Another great refuge is the National Archives, which has some great exhibits tucked in with all that Revolutionary stuff. Union Station was just redone when I was there, and I'd second the call for a visit and/or meal. Visits to the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington are touristy, but very powerful, reminding you of a higher standard of yesteryear.
• And when you get back, we expect a MonkeyTour report!
• When I was a kid my parents took me to DC, and there was this really cool tour that wasn't advertised anywhere -- I don't remember how my dad found out about it. It's a tour through several different hangars at an airfield where they house and restore historical aircraft. It's really, really interesting. When we took it (20 years ago), they were in the process of restoring the Enola Gay. There was a stuffed Kermit in the cockpit. Definitely second the Smithsonian. You could literally spend your whole vacation there.
• On your first visit to the Nation's Capital, you pretty much MUST see: --The Capital and the White House (even if only from outside) --The National Archives (which contain the Declaration of Independence amongst other sacred texts of democracy) --The Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials --At least one Smithsonian museum. Fortunately, all of these are in a pretty compact area, so it's easy to go from one to another. The Washington National Cathedral is also one of my favorite sites. It's a beautiful and fascinating building, even if you're not a Christian. (I'm a Jewish agnostic, and I love the place.) If possible, do try to get some sort of a tour; the craftsmen who built it put in a huge number of fascinating details. For example, in the great choir, there is a carving done during World War II of a dog with a dead rat in its mouth. Look closely, and you'll see that the rat has a little Hitler moustache... Also, there is a law in DC that says no building may be higher than the Washington Monument. However, that law refers to height above the ground the building is built upon--and since the Cathedral is on top of a hill, the top of the Cathedral is the highest place in DC, even higher than the Washington Monument. You get some great views, and (unlike the Washington Monument) there is never a line. Finally... Back when I lived in DC (more than 10 years ago), it wasn't that hard to walk into your Senator or Representative's office. You were unlikely to meet with your congressman without an appointment, but you could often get a staffer to spend a minute shaking your hand and listening to your opinions, and you could (at the very least) tell the receptionist that you really approved of the Senator's stance on X, but that you hoped he'd reconsider his stance on Y. Perhaps this has all changed in our paranoid post-9/11 world, but if it IS possible to walk into the Senate office buildings... well, I thought it was a huge thrill to exercise your right to tell your elected officials what you think. Worth looking into.
• Hit the Simithsonian Museum of Natural History then head over to the sculpture garden and take a spin on the ice rink. Or, to escape the crowds, a few blocks away there's the Pershing Park ice rink - tiny and hidden from the street, it's a lovely spot. There's a nice hotel across the street where you can sink down for a drink afterwards.
• If I ever went back (which I'm not sure about -- with all of the new security, it'd be a drag, especially considering that the last time I was there, my family was pretty much abandoned in the Capitol basement, and nothing like that would ever ever be allowed to happen again), I'd want to have a drink at the Watergate. Pretend to be Hunter Thompson plastered in the bar while the breakins are going on above his head, or setting up a tv at the end of the pool to watch the hearings going on between laps. That, and something to eat at Ben's Chili Bowl.
• I agree with Capt. Renault about the change in security. Back when I visited DC in high school, it was a rainy day and I was actually allowed to walk across the White House lawn. At one point I slipped and fell in the mud which led to some impromptu mudwrestling with Nancy Reagan. Secret Service came over, broke it up, and we all had a laugh as we cleaned the mud off in a groups shower.
• Im not sure exactly how my parents managed it, but when we went to DC maybe seven or eight years ago we got a private tour of the capitol building from some intern in our state reps office. I think they just called. It was really cools though. I also LOVED the various Smithsonians, esp. the American Art Museum, the Natural History Museum, and Air and Space. Didnt see the Archives, really wanted to but never made it.
• As a DC native, I would recommend: --One day for bumming around the Mall: memorials in the morning, a museum or two in the afternoon. Have lunch in either the National Gallery's downstairs café (by the waterfall), or the National Museum of the American Indian. There's also an ice skating rink in the Sculpture Garden, near the Hirshorn. It is, as many have noted, also worth spending an evening at the Mall when the monuments are all lit up-- the Lincoln and Vietnam Memorials are both very powerful by night, though my personal fave at any time of day is Jefferson. --Bumming around the Zoo for either a morning or an afternoon. The baby panda is usually outside between 7 and 8 AM, so you won't even need to get tickets to see him then. Otherwise see Name That Itch's link. If you go to the Zoo from the Cleveland Park metro, the walk takes you down a section of Connecticut Avenue that's packed with restaurants and cafés. --It is bloody impossible to park in either Dupont Circle or Georgetown, so take the Metro down to Dupont Circle, hang out and have lunch there, then walk over the bridge to Georgetown for more hangin', shoppin' and chillin'. --Evenings: if bars are your thing, Adams Morgan's your place. Parking, again, is bloody impossible but it's a longish walk from the Metro. Maybe Metro there and cab back? The Shakespeare Theater will shortly be opening a production of Moliere's Don Juan; they're an excellent company. There's also always free music in the lobby of the Kennedy Center in the early evenings (see the Post for listings). Sports (basketball and hockey) are in the MCI Center in our tiny-yet-tasty Chinatown; looks like there's a Wizards game the Saturday you're there and a Capitals game Sunday. Also, I'm sure your host will have favourite haunts. Everyone else has made excellent suggestions too. mct's hangars have, I think, now been transformed into the Udvar-Hazy Center that Name That Itch mentioned; it's a second branch of the Air and Space Museum (the main one is on the Mall.) See also this thread for food recommendations.
• And yes, if you call ahead to your representative's office you can get a tour of the Capitol. Much more satisfying than having to wait in the godawful ticket line.
• Okay I'm officially jealous. Everything everybody else said, but I also appreciated seeing JFK's spot in Arlington. Report back!
• Track down SideDish and tell her we miss her!
• The FDR memorial is also lovely at night. At the bottom of this page there's a nice map (PDF, 632K) to plan your ramblings around the National Mall - it's under the uninspiring title "Local Site Map".
• Thank you, Monkeys all! These are all great suggestions and now I'm starting to feel like four full days won't be nearly enough to see everything I now want to see. I'll take photos and post 'em somehow, and report back!
• if i could add one more thing as another washingtonian. the washington monument is highly over-rated and the lines/wait is, well, sometimes monumental. what most people (even natives) don't know is that you can get a better view of DC from the clock tower at the Old Post Office Pavillion. it's free to go up there and it's right off the mall.
• I almost forgot one of my favorite places in DC, the National Museum of Health and Medicine at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Don't let the location throw you; this museum is a trove of medical curiosities and grotesqualia that would put most circus sideshows to shame. The stomach-shaped hairball, successfully removed from the innards of a compulsive hair-eating girl, is not to be missed.
• Oooh, I love me some gross medical stuff! Thanks, itstheclamsname! One of these days, I'll make it to the Mutter Museum in Philly and then I will be in heaven.
• Walter Reed is being shut down, so go soon.
• I don't really want to talk a lot about this but just a word of advice: the CIA does NOT have a gift shop.
• Hey, one other thing is to check ahead. Some of the tours/visits require booking or contacting your representative ahead of time (I'm thinking of the Capitol building and the White House). I'm moving soon, didn't get to see as much of DC as I would have liked (though security is a pain....actually, that word really requires scare quotes "security"...there, that feels better) so make the most of it.
• I demand panda pictures!
• Mrs. Zanshin says: 1. Canadian Embassy (domed roof w/funky accoustics) 2. 9:30 Club &/or Black Cat (for music and 'local color') 3. Get drunk and watch tourists. 4. Politics and Prose Bookstore on connecticut Ave. 5. Cruise P-Street Beach for gay action. 6. Visit the Phillip's Collection (in dupont Circle)
• MonkeyFilter: Get drunk and watch tourists. Represe'in for GramMa
• You have no choice but to visit The Awakening at Hains Point. It is an incredible statue and must not be missed. See it in the horribly loveable movie The Net. Gorgeous. You'll hate yourself forever if you miss it.
• See a show at the 9:30 Club? Saturday, Jan 28th is Robert Pollard, formerly of Guided by Voices. Could be pretty good for a $15 ticket.
• My personal favourite when I went to D.C. was the Lincoln Memorial. I also liked that long, black wall with all the names in it, but I can't remember what it was called.
• Perhaps I or another DC Monkey will accidentally bump into you and not know it. (-: Seriously though, I think most people have had some good suggestions, I'd simply suggest further that you try and get a taste of the many different facets of DC--we are so much more than what you see on TV, because that's usually aerial B roll of the capital or C-Span. Go for some dichotomy. For instance, do the momuments, the Mall, and one of the Smithsonian museums during the day...and then mosey over to the Penn Quarter for dinner at Zatinya or Matchbox, followed by a show at Flashpoint, possibly by WIT. Next day, consider an early walk around the Cathedral, carrying on to the National Zoo and its Pandas, go further up to Cleveland Park and enjoy cheap eats at Nam Viet followed by a film across the street at the historic Uptown with a screen as wide as the Daisy May thread is long--or head a bit east from the zoo and woodley park and enter Adams Morgan for all sorts of nighttime shenanigans. Consider Sunday brunch and shopping in Georgetown, more memorials and museums, and possible a hop across the river to Mount Vernon, followed by a concert at the 9:30 Club. There's plenty to do. Definitely mix it up. Check out the Post's entertainment guide and their Going-out gurus should you so desire. Enjoy!
• Oooooh Uptown. Went and saw the LOTR part 3 there. Wow.
• I'll be in D.C. in April for a conference, so I'm soaking up these suggestions, too! Perhaps I can do a little meet-up then?
• Go see the Capitol Steps at the Reagan Building. I play with them and can get the $35 tickets free for you or any other monkey passing through DC with a little notice. Just email me. (see my profile). If you like political satire, you'll enjoy it.
• Favorites- Renting a paddleboat by the jefferson monument- warm weather only. Kennedy center rooftop cafe- good views from the terrace also free millenium stage concerts everyday sometimes world class artists. hirshorn and east wing of the nat'l gallery- modern art blues alley for good jazz. old town alexandria- shopping/dining roosevelt island-a monument in the woods in the middle of the potomac right across from Georgetown the metro is worth a ride