Washington DC questions

“1. What sort of transportion is there to get from the train station (Union Station) to the hotel? It is located 2350 M Street N.W.”

Taxi (out front) or Metrorail redline to Dupont Circle station and walk from there. You can check www.wmata.com and put the addresses into the trip planner (just put union station for the first one) and see if you want to take the train or a cab.

Here is a taxi fare estimator.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/interactives/taxifares/

“3. I am thinking of going to the Holocaust museum on Sunday, the 19th - any tips regarding that as well?”

It is very sad. You might want to check the website. There is a special exhibit geared toward kids but I don’t know the age range they gear it towards.

“I would love good resturant recommendations that might not need reservations...but do enjoy good food that is not in a chain resturant.”

If you are interested in trying different cuisines, DC is known for Ethiopian food due to a large Ethiopian population.

Great information! Thank you so much.

Yes, I know that the museum is sad. I think my eleven year old should be okay. My 15 year old was there at 14 and she felt her sister would be okay based on the amount of studying we have done. She has read about Anne Frank, we have watched the made for TV movie Anne Frank, Paper Clips, The Hiding Place ... but thank you - I will be sure to monitor her reactions and remember to give time afterwards to decompress/talk.

Does this seem correct?


RAIL : Departs from
BOARD
ARRIVE


UNION STATION METRO STATION
at 11:01am
Take RED LINE Rail towards SHADY GROVE
» DUPONT CIRCLE METRO STATION
at 11:09am



BUS : Departs from
BOARD
ARRIVE


NW CONNECTICUT AV & Q ST NW
at 11:16am
Take D2 BUS towards GLOVER PARK/DUPONT CIRCLE
» NW P ST & NW 22ND ST
at 11:19am

Yes, eight minutes from Union Station to Dupont on Metro, and three minutes to ride the four blocks from 19th and Q to 22nd and P. BUT, buses rarely keep to schedule because of the city's unpredictable traffic jams, luggage could be a challenge on the bus if it is crowded (it is easy on Metro), and when you get off the bus there you'd still need to walk the five blocks to 24th and M.

Choose the taxi, or walk all the way from Dupont Metro to the hotel.

Or another route via Metro, Union Station to Metro Center and transfer there to Blue or Orange for Foggy Bottom.

Kayd - thank you - I will choose the taxi due to the luggage.

The Holocaust museum is very sobering and moving. It is likely too much for an eleven year old. Go back again after she has studied this in school. You would find yourself having to explain some very tough times in history. Well worth it when she is better able to understand it. It is hard enough for an adult to understand.

thereyet

Our sons ages 10 and 12 thought that the Bureau of Engraving and Printing was one of the best places we toured on our trip to Washington this past summer. You can see the money (LOTS of it- $$$$$) being printed.

Thereyet - dd and I studied the holocaust over the 12 weeks very seriously that she was bed-ridden.

padams421 - very good to know! Thank you!

During our day in DC this spring, my 11-year old DD really enjoyed visiting the Archives (it was actually her idea) - we spent hours there. And she has a fascination with Lincoln, so the house where he died across from Ford's Theatre was a highlight for her -took about 5 minutes to walk through. We walked everywhere, and wished we had more time. On a previous trip, we'd done most of the monuments, but I did want her to see the Korean War memorial - amazing. Next time!

I got an email this morning from my congressman's office and we are set with:
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
WHITE HOUSE TOUR
PERSONAL CAPITOL TOUR
THE KENNEDY CENTER

I am thrilled!

I hope your WH tour works out. Ours got cancelled a few days prior because the Iraqi Prime Minister was coming to visit. I have regrets now that we didn't do the Bureau of E&P. We did do the Holocaust Museum close by. They are super serious about no photography inside. We witnessed a guy getting chewed out by the guide and was told to delete his pictures on his digital camera. The guide made him go backwards and forward through his pictures to verify they were deleted.
We settled for the Old Post Office view instead the Washington Monument.
I know you guys will have so much fun. I saw a bracelet today that had a charm that read "My favorite memories all begin with my Mom and I."

mapngo - very cool

I am very excited about our trip. I too hope that the whitehouse tour works out.

I am 40 and have never been to DC!

Keep in mind that if you go to the Holocaust Museum, the Archives, the Spy Museum, or the IMAX movies in the Air and Space or Natural History Museums, you can/should buy/reserve your timed tickets in advance on-line.

My kids are younger now but I'd think the Newseum would be great for an 11-year old. But it's $20/each.

Check ou the DC Circulator bus as a possible way to get to your hotel from Union Station (it comes within a couple of blocks of your hotel):

http://www.dccirculator.com/routemap.html

You could also take the Red Line from Union Station to Dupont Circle and pick up the Georgetown Metro Connection bus:

http://www.georgetowndc.com/getting-here/shuttle

The Washington Monument is worth the trip, but you won't need to spend a whole lot of time at the top, which actually is a bit cramped, and the windows aren't large. If they still let you do so, ride up the elevator but walk down, as then you can see the many memorial stones that were donated by states and such. Combine this visit with something nearby, like the WWII Memorial (and then on to the Lincoln Memorial, if you are up for it), or the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

As for places to eat: The area north of the Archives (around the Spy Museum, and above the Gallery Place Metro station on the Red Line) is known as Penn Quarter and is teeming with restaurants. For lunch along the Mall, I'd recommend the small cafe located in the National Gallery's Sculpture Museum (on the Mall between the National Gallery and Natural History, across from the Archives), or any of the eateries in the National Gallery (including those in the underground walkway between the National Gallery and the East Wing). You'll have plenty of places to eat within walking distance of your hotel, particularly around Dupont Circle or in Georgetown.

good information - thank you.

I have looked online for the tickets to the Holocaust museum and it appears due to the time of year we are going to be there - they do not do advance reservations? It seems odd but that is what I have been able to gather. I think I will phone to see if I am missing something.

I want to add my voice to those advising against taking an 11 yo to the Holocaust museum. I am over 40 and came out as a shivering mass of jelly in hysterics. It took me several hours to get myself together.

There is a children's exhibit in the lobby which they say is appropriate for children under 12. I would focus on that. The entire museum is just too much for a child.

My husband and I went to DC for our 25th anniversary a few years ago and we had a wonderful time. There are many museums as well as all the historical places to go. We especially loved going to the Library of Congress as it is an architecturally beautiful building. Seeing the Declaration of Independence, as well as going through the White House was great. We took the subway and it was very clean and on time and we also did a lot of walking. You will have a wonderful time with your daughter.

Hello Mom

I've been pretty detached from here lately, so this was a surprise to see you planning a DC trip instead of Italy. Sorry that one didn't work out for you.

I will add that, to this day, 12 years after our visit to DC, our kids (now in their mid 20s) still talk about the Bureau of Printing and Engraving as a highlight for them. Seeing the dollar bills being printed so rapidly and, yes, even purchasing an "uncut" sheet of bills (which they still have) was something else.

And we also visited the Holocaust Museum. I don't remember it being too much for them to handle. They were prepared, and your DD sounds like she is as well.

We were also able to have a tour of the FBI building. Do they not have tours any longer? That was pretty cool also, as I recall.

Happy travels!

Regarding restaurants, DC is becoming a food destination. There are all types and price ranges. If you are on the Mall, note there are very limited dining choices. One that is not well known is the cafe in the lower level of the American Indian museum (which is worth a visit as well just to see the architecture--great building). The food is self serve so it is quick, but actually quite good (all American regional cuisine). If you walk west on M street from your hotel, it is a short walk to Georgetown, which has many dining choices. M street has many restaurants, just walk down and read the menus/prices and see which have available seating. The weather is cooling and the leaves are just beginning to turn, so its one of best times of year to visit DC.

Enjoy!

As this is a mother-daughter trip, you might consider visiting the National Museum of Women in the Arts at 1250 New York Avenue, N.W. 1-800-222-7270, www.nwma.org. In addition to a fine art collection in a beautiful building, they have a lovely restaurant on the mezannine which is perfect for lunch.

For restaurants, the one in the Museum of the American Indian is supposed to be pretty good (and interesting). Behind the Archives (and the Navy Mem'l fountain) you can find Teaism, which is a nice, casual Asian fusion place to get lunch. In Dupont Circle, Pizza Paradiso is good. Cosi and Potbelly are two chains that are scattered around the city and have pretty good sandwiches and salads (I'd say the sandwiches are better at Potbelly and the salads are better at Cosi).

swisshiker, I think tours of the FBI building (which was a terrific tour back in the day) ended with 9/11.

MomDD, only you know your daughter, but the main part of the Holocaust Museum is pretty intense. The downstairs is geared for kids.

dmlove,

Thanks for the update about the discontinuation of the FBI tour. Too bad, but understandable.

U might want to check out the new exhibit, at the National Musuem of Natural History (which is free). It's call the Sant Ocean Hall. The 3D Imax Movie, The Deep, is a great complement to it. http://www.mnh.si.edu/

Havent been to the Newseum, but have heard good things about it and kids seem to enjoy it.

I agree that kids always love the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. On the Holocaust Museum, I think you have to be the judge of your daughter and her ability to deal with it. Its defintiely a moving exprience.

Have a great trip -- DC is lovely this timeof year.

Have been four times with my daughters at various ages. The Holocaust Museum is fabulous- but the children's section is for young children. It may be too underneath her studies. The adult area is very rough to get through.
I truly rec. the Archives, Smithsonian is a must do for at least a day. Old Post Office is fun and less crowded than Washington Monument.
Best of Luck You can not go wrong!
No dinner rec. we were too tired!

Thank you for all the great tips! I appreciate all the feedback.

MomDDTravel, you may want to read my long trip report.

Put in "$22 bargain" in the search function and I bet it will come up. It has intense detail and is long- but I bet there are several good items of info you would use.

I just did a trip with my 10 year old son over labor Day. We had a great time. I would recommend taking teh trolley. It stops at all the major sites. You can get on and off whenever you want. Plus they give you great stories as you go.

You don't need or want a car in DC. Trains and buses are plentiful and reasonable. Walking is best if you are used to it. Took my 11 and 14 yr old grandsons and they just loved it.

Good restaurant is called The Good Stuff on Pennsylvania NE quadrant (behind and to the right of the capital) DC is laid out in quadrants and The streets in each quadrant can have the same address in another quadrant, so keep a small map with you which is available everywhere including your hotel.

The boys loved the Washington Monument. It takes about 30 minutes waiting even if you have tickets and then about 30 minutes tops for the tour, but you can stay in the monument as long as you want and come down at your leisure.

Take a lot of pictures and hopefully your 11 yr old has a camera to take her own pictures. It's very interesting to see the things that caught their eye that you would have never guessed that they would be interested in. I took disposables, but they ran out of pictures and wished they had digital cameras with big memory cards.

Holocaust museum has a line out front for tickets, but once they open the doors (please go as soon as they open for the day) you can walk right up to the information desk and they had tickets there for right then--no waiting outside. There is some nudity shown and my grandsons found that awkward even though normally they would like it, just not in those circumstances I guess.

Library of congress is beautiful. I suggest you go upstairs with the tour and then just guide yourself around after the look from the top of the stairs into the real library floor. The docents do a great job, but is so much about art and architecture that kids get bored after 3 minutes. Dont' miss it though.

The night bus tours are a great way to get your bearings on your first night in town and beautiful too.

The boys loved the bureau of engraving--all those dollar bills and it's not a long tour so if you get tickets beforehand, you could do this and the Holocaust museum with a quick stop at the Smithosonian in one long afternoon. They're all close together.

You can only photograph one stone at the pentagon now, a commemorative one and absolutely no pictures above ground level. I wish I would have known that before two train trips to get there. But it was nice to see it, just no pics.

Have a great time.

MomDD - you can get timed tix for the Holocaust Museum, too. I took my son when he was 12 or 13. The museum is overwhelming, but the really challenging displays are placed behind barriers or are not easily accessible by kids. I walked my son through the whole museum and narrated a lot of the stuff while we went along to keep his attention away from the more disturbing stuff.

This is off-topic, but my son knows more about the Holocaust from his visit to the DC museum and from our visit to Dachau than his Jewish friends know. We were shocked that our friends, who had 3 kids bar/bat mitzvahed, didn't know a lot of the details of the Holocaust that we did. I think it's great that you have taught your daughter about this.

I never learned this in school (!) My son hasn't studied it yet - he's in 10 grade now and I think they will cover this later in the year. He did read a book about it, but nothing else in school.

Karens - honestly I cannot find the timed tickets!?!? I keep seeing that they only have them during certain busy months? Am I losing it?

A hearty thank you to everyone who has responded.

We leave on Tuesday for the start of our trip in NYC and I am really looking forward to it!

I can't remember when you're going, but according to the website, passes are not required from September to February. BTW, it also says that the permanent exhibition is recommended for people 11 years and older, so your daughter qualifies!!

"Exhibition passes required March through August. Passes are not required for entry September through February.

The Museum's Permanent Exhibition The Holocaust spans three floors of the Museum building. It presents a narrative history using more than 900 artifacts, 70 video monitors, and four theaters that include historic film footage and eyewitness testimonies. The exhibition is divided into three parts: "Nazi Assault," "Final Solution," and "Last Chapter." The narrative begins with images of death and destruction as witnessed by American soldiers during the liberation of Nazi concentration camps in 1945. Most first-time visitors spend an average of two to three hours in this self-guided exhibition. Recommended for visitors 11 years of age and older."

we are reading the same website dmlove I thought I was losing my mind (easily done these days!)

We leave for our trip back east on tuesday but will not be in DC till Oct 18.

For a child this age, you need to make sure this visit includes parts of the Smithsonian. I agree with some of the others - The Holocast can wait until she is a little older. Also, please think of some time for the art museums that are part of the Smithsonian complex. The Washington Monument is nice, but my children enjoyed other sites more. Try to also include a trip to the Lincoln memorial as well as the Vietnam monument. You won't be able to fit it all in, you'll have to go back. Have fun!