DC Trip 2 days
 

<BR>My family w/2 teens will be in DC for 2 days. We want to see the White House, monuments, Mint, etc. Any tips to see the most in a short time? Gray Line Tours or others an option?

First, you need to prioritize, and determine what is most important to you. You should try to contact your congressperson's office for White House tickets. Each office gets a limited amount of tickets each month, so you have to call right away. They generally advise that you call at least three months in advance. The congressional tour these tickets are good for is early in the morning, and is guided. If you can't get tickets this way, you will want to obtain them at the White House Visitors Center on 15th and E Sts., NW (near the intersection of Pennsylvania Ave.) as early as 7am on the day you want to visit. White House tours are given Tuesday through Saturday, from 10am to 12. I recommend skipping the Bureau of Printing and Engraving on this trip (what you refer to as the Mint). I normally don't recommend this, but with such a short amount of time, you may want to take a Tourmobile, which takes you to the attractions and you can get on and off whenever you want. This will save you the hassle of waiting for the metro to get between things. Choose carefully which Smithsonian museums you want to see (if you want to see any at all), and which attractions within the museum. To see some museums, such as the Air and Space Museum, can take all day. The key is very careful planning. I am a docent at Air and Space, and the one question that drives me up the wall is "I have 2 hours, what should I see?" Very poor planning, indeed. Capitol tours are good, but only if you have a lot of time. Lines for the tours, particularly in the spring and summer, can be long, and you will spend much time waiting for what amounts to be a short tour. If you will be in town mid-week, maybe you can arrange for a staffer in your congressperson's office to give you a personal tour, which would be much more worthwhile. YOu will want to stay in a hotel as close to downtown as possible so you don't spend your time traveling. Email me if want want more information on DC. <BR>

Ilisa is giving you a pro's advice: prioritize and prioritize again. The area is awash in museums, which are the ones that are most important to you and the kids? I'm not sure you can do justice to the city in two days, but then I'm not sure a week is enough time, either. <BR> <BR>My own observation is that, in Washington, there isn't a one-to-one correlation between standing in long lines and being the best thing to do. Long lines just mean a finite number of people can go through a given space in an hour, like the White House or the FBI. <BR> <BR>Conversely, the museums on the mall seldom appear crowded bcause there are so many of them and the exhibits are well arranged. Want to see the only Leonardo daVinci painting in the western hemisphere? It's right there in the National Gallery, no lines, no waiting. The Lunar Lander in the Air and Space Museum may have a hundred people clustered around it, but there's no queue. <BR> <BR>The tour trolleys save wear and tear on the feet, but they show you only the outside of things; seeing the Archives building is one thing; going inside and reading the "real" Declaration of Independence is something entirely different. <BR> <BR>Also, schedule for the early morning and evening what you can do at those times. This applies especially to the monuments. The Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, Vietnam site, etc. are perhaps better seen early and late than at mid-day. <BR> <BR>The one point on which I'll quibble is whether staying downtown is critical. Metro runs from 5 a.m. to midnight, and the 20 minutes you'l spend on a subway to get from Arlington, Alexandria, or Bethesda into the Mall area isn't going to be critical. Also, those areas are far more lively in the evening while downtown D.C. tends to roll up the sidewalks after 7 p.m. <BR> <BR>Hope some of this helps.

Hi Cindy - WOW, great responses from previous two posts. If you're riding the Metro, make sure you have a good, current map, as it will be invaluable to you. Also found the DC map provided by AAA to be among the best and easiest to carry with you. We found the tour of the FBI very interesting. Your Congressperson or Senator can also provide 'VIP' tickets here. The Pentagon (actually located in Virginia) is also a worthwhile trip. Would definitely say the Air & Space Museum is a must-see. The National Archives, somewhat overlooked by tourists I believe, is inspiring. Wherever you go, make sure you're wearing comfortable walking shoes. On a different note--be prepared for the homeless population to be near all museum entrances. <BR> <BR>With some planning, your trip should have a lifetime of memories. ENJOY

No help here, just a kudo: These replies are so great, and really show Fodors at it's very best! Enjoy your trip.

Travelling with two teens, try to get them to buy into which part(s) of the Smithsonion you want to visit -- Air and Space is really cool, but if they are more into fine arts, there's the Hirschorn with its huge modern collection or the Freer with emphasis on the Orient or the National Gallery of Art has a pretty good Impressionists collection that can be seen fairly quickly (if you concentrate only on that and not get distracted!). The Natural History Museum has an awful lot of stuff - the dinosaur exhibit is usually a hit with younger kids. And then there's the American History Museum. For years my family has done Christmas shopping in the gift shops of the Smithsonian. It isn't called the nation's attic for nothing. Of course, being on "the mall" is great for seeing the monuments. At the moment the Washington is getting a facelift - and the specially designed scaffolding adds an interesting touch to the sight. My favorites have been the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials. The Vietnam Memorial is quite moving. I haven't seen everything, and I've lived here for 25 years.

i suggest seeing the lincoln and vietnam memorials at night. they are just a few minutes walk from each other. there are few people and the lighting is beautiful.