Jennifer

We are going to Washington DC for 3 days....what are some "must sees"?

ilisa

"Must sees" really depend on your tastes and what you enjoy. Before you go, you must sit down and determine what is truly important to you. Do you want to spend all your time at the Smithsonian, or do you want to focus more on monuments and areas surrounding Washington? Why don't you do a search on this board on Washington? This type of question has been posted many times. A search will reveal a wealth of information. If you really want details, please feel free to email me with any questions you may have (I live and work in the area).

ilisa

"Must sees" really are a matter of personal tastes. What appeals to one person about Washington, may not appeal to another. Before you go, you must sit down and determine what is really important to you. Do you want to spend all your time at the Smithsonian (and trust me, that can take far more than 3 days), or do you want to focus on monuments? Why don't you do a search on this board on Washington? This type of question has been posted many times before. A search will reveal a wealth of information. If you want more details, please feel free to email me with any questions (I live and work in the area).

Linda

Check with your US representative & get a reservation for the private White House tour & any other showings available. Seeing a committee meeting is much more interesting than the House & Senate in session (listings are in Washington Post). The Smithsonian is incredible & can take days. Air & Space is my favorite. Taking the canal boat trip is something many don't know about but is interesting. The Ford's Theater, Kennedy Center (used to get same day tickets for half-price--check if they still do that). There is just so much, I agree with previous poster--depends on your taste.

Wendy

Wear comfy shoes!!

Audrey

Go up to the Find section and locate "One Day in DC After 20 Years." I posted that question, and the responses are extremely helpful, especially Neal Sanders'.

Christie

Every American should go to Arlington National Cemetery and see JFK's grave and the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns. This is a very moving and very patriotic experience- definitely not to be missed!
Also, a nighttime tour of the monuments: Jefferson and Lincoln, and also the Marine Memorial, is neat. Bring lots of film!

Caz

We were recently in Washington DC as visiting tourists on a Friday and got dropped off at Union Station by the Motel shuttle bus. We picked up one of the tour-mobiles (buses) that travel along the mall to all the monuments and then out to Arlington Cemetery. The price was $16 per adult. If you got on after 1pm you can pay $18 and the ticket is good for the second day. The idea is that you can hop on & off the bus at the various interest spots & the buses run very frequently. Our problem was that there were so many tourists on the buses that day & we had to wait a long time between buses that we wasted a lot of time. Arlington was definitely a must!