Trip to DC: Don't know where to begin

[Son of a Son]

So we leave Thursday for our vacation to DC and I am at a loss on scheduling while we're there.

We essentially have Friday through Monday to see stuff, and we have a Congressman scheduled tour of the Bureau of Engraving at 4:30 Friday the 6th. Other than that, we want to see:
Spy Museum
Natural History Museum
Air and Space Mall Muesum
Air and Space Dulles Museum
National Zoo
The Monuments
National Archives
Arlington National Cemetary

I want to make an itinerary, but I just don't know how much time to dedicate to these places. I know I brought this up a while back, but the only thing I remember about it at the time was that I should see the monuments at night.

 

[DCA_HORN]

The nice thing about DC is that most of the stuff you listed in a relatively small area so you can decide as you go how much time you want to spend at each and then move along.

Personally I think the Air and Space Museum at Dulles is a better use of time if you can only see one. Also since it is at Dulles (at least 30 min from downtown depending on time of day/traffic) if you are flying into IAD then I would check it out after you land or before you leave to save time.

The spy museum was interesting but a little pricey IIRC. And yes seeing some of the monuments at night (especially the Lincoln and Jefferson) is better IMHO.

 

[stockjock]

In reply to:

---

---

 

[MAROON]

Our family thought the spy museum was easily the highlight of the trip...the zoo on the otherhand....meh....very overrated......much better zoos are available in other cities.

It will be very hot, so plan to spend the majority of your daylight time indoors. If you want the walk the mounuments, make it early morning or late evening.

 

[texas_ex2000]

Go to Dulles for Air and Space. National Archives is also great.

You must (I can't stress this enough) check out the National Gallery of Art...imho in the dicussion with AI Chicago and the Met for best art museum in the country. The National Portrait Gallery/Smithsonian Museum of American Art is also amazing. Spy Museum is a lot fun...check that out. If your kids are bookworms (or even if they're not), go see the Library of Congress. The Holocaust museum was visceral and a moving experience...something your kids definitely should see if they're mature enough to handle it.

Finally, the most amazing thing I've seen in DC was the evening parade put on by the Marine Barraks Washington at 8th and I. They're held every Friday evening in the summer starting at 8:45pm. I think as of now, they're "sold out," but call your representative to see if they have any tickets or call direct to the unit (see link below). I was able to shag a couple tickets for my gf and myself from someone that had extras. I was active duty USN, so I think that helped. If you have any Marine Corps/Navy contacts in the DC area, give them call and maybe they know somebody.

Marine Corps Evening Parade


Here's a youtube video.

 

[LongLiveBevo]

How long is "summer"? We're going the last week of September. Will they still have any of these shows at that time? Or anything I can see them doing besides at the Tomb?

 

[horn_dog]

For dinner, take the red line to dupont. Eat anywhere. Go to Cafre Citron. Then ask around for the next place. Satellite Lounge or 18th Street will suffice. Have fun and enjoy the cosmopolitan feel that no place outside NYC can offer. There are prolly some new places, too. Enjoy!

 

[3rd Degree]

I want to recommend the National Portrait Gallery as well. It was undergoing renovation for about 5 years, and has just reopened. It is truly amazing. It is right across the street from the Spy Museum. I love the Spy Museum, but prices have evidently gone up. I think they were charging $8-10 not that long ago.

You can do Arlington Cememtary and the National Mall on a tour bus. However, the cemetary closes at dusk, so you can't do both at night. Monuments at night (esp Korean Memorial) are great. My favorite off the beaten path memorial is the Teddy Roosevelt Memorial on Roosevelt Island in the Potomac. Has an Orwellian vibe to it. Very cool.

Enjoy.

 

[DeathTongue]

I agree that the Korean War Memorial is a must see at night. The way the lights shine up on the faces of the soldiers is eerie. If you do the monuments on The Mall, try to start on the east end (at the Capitol) and time it so that you get to the west end (Lincoln Memorial) around dusk. That way you can see all of them in daylight and catch them lit up on the way back.

My favorite spot in DC is across the street (Constitution Ave.) from the Vietnam War Memorial. At the National Academy of Science and Engineering, there is a little alcove with a big statue of Albert Einstein. The alcove is acoustically designed so that if you stand in a certain spot you can hear everything going on in the alcove. Also, the floor of the alcove is black marble inlayed with mother of pearl stars representing the star locations on the day Einstein was born. It is very cool.

 

[Campus Loop(y)]

somebody asked.