DC for 2 days
 

Hi. I'll be in DC for the first time in July. Any suggestions on sites, shopping and eating for 2 days? I want to souviners and unique gifts. I like Indain, Pasta and Mexican. Where have you been and liked? Thanks.

If you contact your local congressman, they can set you up with tours of Congress, the Supreme Court etc.

What neighborhood will you be staying in? For two days, you'll be able to hit a few sites on the Nat'l Mall and see a few memorials. I would be happy to give you shopping/eating tips based upon what area you'll be in. If you've havn't booked a room already, the choice area for dining, shopping, metro, etc. is Dupont Circle. Look at some of the hotels on this map.

http://www.stationmasters.com/System.../dupontci.html

Sorry to tell you but Congress is now closed to visitors again. Seems that someone has decided to send one of the Congressmen (Bill Frist) a poisoned letter (this time it's ricin).

All of Washington (except Congress, White House, Supreme Court (??) ) is still open and everyone in Washington is still working every day.

I can't recommend many restaurants as I live in the burbs but around Dupont Circle there's a myriad of great restaurants of all cultures.

is the white house open for tours?

I love DC's neighborhoods; explore them. Do the Mall stuff during the day and the neighborhoods at night (except for the Lincoln Memorial; it's best at night).

Adams Morgan is its hippest, with several ethnic eateries and clubs; go to the intersection of 18th and Columbia and just walk through your options. You can probably find what you're looking for here.

Dupont Circle is yuppier, my favorite, with more upscale establishments and affluent residents; kill time at Kramerbooks and Afterwords, which is open 24hrs/day during the weekends. Between these two neighborhoods, you should be able to find some unique shops.

Then there's genteel Georgetown, the society neighborhood. M Street is best navigated on foot because the traffic is unbelievable on weekend nights. The shopping there is out of my price range, but as a strolling experience, Georgetown is a delight.

Bardo,

I'll be staying in Ashburn, VA with friends.

ashburn's a beautiful area in Loudoun County- there's a big outlet mall not far from there in Leesburg where you'd probably find a lot of good bargains. The new Smithsonian Air & Space is also close to there and adjacent to Dulles.

As to Washington you'll probably spend some time commuting into DC at least an hour to 1-1/2 hrs depending on traffic.

Melissa

Can't say for certain if WH is open but you can call:

General Tour Information
All visitors should call the 24-hour Visitors Office information line at 202-456-7041 to determine if any last minute changes have been made in the tour schedule.

Hope this helps.

White House is not open for public tours right now, and probably won't be by summer, but you can contact your Representative or Senator and request a tour through them. Do it soon, as they book up months in advance. The congressional tour rules are strange right now (they have to do groups of 10, etc.) but you might get lucky.

Capitol Tours have been cancelled this week because of the ricin, but I would think everything would be back to normal by the time you come. You can either line up for a public tour or arrange one through your Congressman/woman's office.

Adams Morgan is definitely the place you want to be for ethnic dining and unique shopping. Try Julia's Empanadas or El Tamarindo for Mexican/Salvadoran

Depending on when you'll be in town, you may want to check the Smithsonian's web site. The Smithsonia sponsors a festival on the mall each summer. I think the dates are late June/early July. A part of the US, and a couple of countries in the world are represented. Go to the site for more info. If you're here on a Friday, get the Washington Post and look at the Weekender section. (You might want to check the Post's web site. The Weekender might be there, and it will give you an idea of what's up.) It has LOADS of stuff on what's going on. Remember, DC in July is HOT and HUMID!

only 2 days and you are staying in Ashburn? you might want to splurge and get a room downtown. or, go west - it's gorgeous out here.

if it is the wkd it won't be a long drive. expect 45 minutes to get downtown and park somewhere, UNLESS it's July 4th wkd, in which case, forget about it. drive to East or West Falls Church metro and park and ride in. that would be a 20-25 minute drive and another 20-25 minute or so ride

I would definitely see Georgetown and Dupont Circle, for ambiance and shopping. Avoid the Mexican restos, I have yet to find one I like (maybe Alero's or Guapo's is OK). you can't go wrong for just about ANY food in either of these locations. G'town also has pretty views of the monuments, from the Key Bridge. From Dupont - you can walk to the Mall (long walk, but stuff to see).

Adams Morgan (kinda near Dupont, long walk) has unique souvenirs too. where are you coming from?