First time in Washington DC
 

I am in washington DC for one day, 21 nov and it's my first time there.. any ideas of places I should go and see...? please any help!

If I only had one day, just do the mall and thats it. Maybe peek into a mueseum along the way, but just seeing the monuments will be a fast day.

It really depends on your interests. There are a ton of things to do right along the mall. So many, that you can't do them all in one day. Plus - the mall is really quite large, and when you start walking it you realize just how large. My personal favorites are the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorial, the Natural History Museum, the American History Museum, the Air and Space Museum and the Museum of the Native American. You can tell I'm a museum person, but I'm not as fond of the art. I'd suggest take one of the tram tours to get a sense of where things are and to take a quick peek at everything. Then you can choose where to spend more time based on what catches your interest.

how about that smitsonium museum? is that worth it?

"how about that smitsonium museum? is that worth it?"

There is no such thing as that smitsonium museum. There are quite a few Smithsonian museums

Look at www.si.edu and see if one or more interests you. Get a guidebook also

With just 1 day, if its nice out, I would walk around the mall seeing the monuments. Would be a full day. If its not nice out, pick out 1 or 2 museums that interest you. But this really depends on your interests and how much walking you want to do.

I'm telling you if you have a day stick to the mall. I love the Jefferson Memorial- it's my favorite, but it is a long walk to it.

Also don't miss the vietnam memorial and all the items people still put on the ground.

okay i will go to the mall then, thanx! how do i get from the airport to the mall, are there taxi's? is it safe?

Well, the mall is quite large, but from National, I would just hop on the blue line (Metro) to the Smithsonian stop. It is perfectly safe. You do really need a guidebook to be efficient and informed.

jaco1:

Echoing what artsbabe said, take the Metro from the airport to the mall.

Go online or get a guide book to read up on the usual "major" attractions in Washington. Depending on your interests, I strongly suggest picking from the following: Museum of Natural History, Museum of American History, the Air and Space Museum (all 3 are part of the Smithsonian), and if you like art, the National Gallery of Art. Because you can easily spend a minimum of 2 - 3 hours in each stop, you will probably only have time to see a maximum of 3 of the above attractions, and that's already pushing it.

Since the Smithsonian museums don't open till 10:00, you may consider going to the Smithsonian Castle which opens at 8:30. The Castle was the very first Smithsonian building to be built and now serves as the visitors center and administrative offices.

Or if you prefer, and depending on the time of your arrival, you may want to make your first stop the White House. Assuming that you weren't able to get a ticket for a White House tour, two blocks east is the White House Visitor's Center which opens at 7:30. There's a short video and several White House exhibits - you'll probably spend about an hour there. You'll still have time to make it to the Smithsonian Castle's visitor's center (opens at 8:30). While waiting for the museums to open at 10:00, it'll be nice to take the time to enjoy walking on the mall, take lots of pictures - you'll see the Washington Monument on one end, and the Capitol on the opposite end.

Finally, what's a visit to Washington without seeing the monuments? If you're spending the night in DC, you may want to try going on a night time tour of the monuments. We went on one last summer and thoroughly enjoyed it. The 3.5 hour tour leaves Union Station at 7:00 pm. The bus takes you to the following memorials: Jefferson, Franklin Roosevelt, Lincoln, Korean, Vietnam Veterans and WW II Memorials.

The following are some links you may find helpful if you want to take a bus tour:

http://www.tourmobile.com/ (This offers the Twilight Tours - the website now offers three-day advance purchase)
http://www.dctours.us/varb.cfm
http://www.graylinedc.com/
http://www.dcducks.com/

Have fun in Washington!

okay thanx a lot for your comment gelatolover....

now one more thing, a place to sleep for one night!

and roughly how much will it cost for me ( one person) to do the things that gelatolover recommended?

All museums connected with the Smithsonian and national monuments are free. They belong to the people of the United States. DC can be a paradise for budget travelers.

The tours that gelatolover listed for you all have prices on their websites.