Back From a Week Long Family Excursion to DC
 

Hello Everyone. My family and I just spent the last 8 nights at the Willard in DC. It was centrally located and we were able to walk to many venues. We visited the White House, Capitol, Supreme Court, Library of Congress, Folger Shakespeare Library, National Cathedral, Hillwood House, all of the monuments, and many museums. We were unable to get to the Franciscan Monastery or the National Gallery. All of our days were exhausting but wonderfully interesting. We also did not eat anywhere worth mentioning. I'm happy to answer specific questions if anyone has any. I am also grateful to all Fodorites who gave me advice and made my trip easier to plan.

We are planning a day trip, Saturday april 2, and want to see the cherry blossoms and the jefferson memorial... we have been to DC many times but have always missed the blooms, hope they are out in full!

They were definitely not blooming this past week. We were quite chilly, but being from CT it was actually warmer if anything. I think by April 2nd you'll see blossoms. Have fun!

Questions for you as we will be visiting DC in about 3 weeks.

How did you get to the National Cathedral? It is a little out of the way so I was wondering whether you took the cab and how much did it cost?

Did you use tourmobile or trolleytours at all? Tourmobile has eliminated some sites but is a little cheaper than trolleytours. Wanted your opinion if you use either.

We were unable to get tickets to the White House from our senator/congressman. Did you line up for tickets and how early?

Thanks

wtpmyu,
A cab is definately the best way to go to the Cathedral. From the downtown area it's about $10 one-way. You could also take Metro to the Tenleytown Metro and walk downhill on Wisconsin Ave to get there.
http://www.cathedral.org/cathedral/index.shtml


The tourmobiles are best for people not able to walk a lot or for those only here for 1 day or two. If your stay is longer, consider walking. If you get tired of walking around mall/museums, a cab is about $6 in the whole central area of DC. The occasional cab is worth it especially if you havn't already shelled out for tour busses. The best place to get a cab in the mall/monument area is on Constitution ave.
I'm shocked that you couldn't get White House tour through your representatives. Is it because you are less than 10 people or did they just say no?? At this time, there is no other way to get inside the White House. Did you call thier local office or thier DC office? Try both. OF course, you can always simply walk around the outside.

Hi WTPMYU, Sorry it took me a few days to respond. We took the metro to Tenleytown and walked down Wisconsin (about 20min). Our family loves walking and believes in exercising whenever possible. There are also plenty of #30 series buses running constantly down Wisconsin. With the metro transfer ticket, these cost only $0.35.
We did not take any trolley or bus tours. Again, we walked or metro'd everywhere. I bought some fare cards through the mail before we arrived. These are good at all hours of the day.
Our Congressman couldn't get 10 people for the same day either. He ended up giving us a "member tour." They each get a bunch of these every year. They are essentially the same tour, but he meets you outside the southeast gate and personally walked you in. There were dozens of Congresspeople arriving to meet constituents on the morning we were waiting.
I would recommend viewing the exhibits and movie in the White House Visitors' Center. It is very helpful to see before you enter the WH.

Have Fun.

We'll be going to D.C. the last of May for the dedication of the WWII Memorial, but we have been unable to get a tour of the WH through our congressman. I really want to see the WH, other ideas ? We also want to see the monuments at night. Can we walk or is there a better way ? Did you get tickets for the Nat'l Cathedral early ? Any othere tips to make our trip easier ? Thanks for your help !

There are many tour companies that do the night tours of the monuments. I have used All About Town twice-- good tour, lots of time to get off the bus and walk around, hotel pick up and drop off. $26 pp.

I think walking may be a tad difficult if you have seniors with you (which I assume if you are going to the WW2 Memorial deidcation.) There are really no convenient Metro stops to the Memorials. A few weeks ago I did get off at the Arlington stop and I walked all the way to the Capitol, it took hours, I saw all the memorials, but it was very tiring and I would not recommend this route at night.

The SMithsonian stop is closest to the Wash Monument but it is quite a schlep from there to the Lincoln Memorial, FDR, Jefferson, Vietnam, Korea.

If you have a car it would be easy, wait til the evening traffic subsides, though!

The monuments at night are spectacular, do not miss.