Hi! I've learned so much from reading other people's posts. Fordorites are so helpful! Your advice has been extremely helpful in my preliminary planning. My husband and I will be in DC June 24-June 28.We're from CA and this is our first trip. No kids yet. We're staying at the Radisson Barcelo (good reviews from other Fodorites). Here is the tentative itinerary. Suggestions/comments are greatly appreciated. I am feeling overwhelmed. lol.

July 23rd-
depart from North Carolina
visit Mt. Vernon
check in at Radisson
drive around to familiarize
return rental car
eat dinner somewhere

July 24th -
breakfast (?)
10:00 Capitol Tour 1 1/2 hr.(arranged by congressman)
lunch (suggestions? places to get picnic and eat somewhere along the mall?)
(free time-any ideas?)
4:30 Kennedy Center Tour 1 1/2 hour (arranged by congressmen)
Dinner (suggestions? Dupont Circle?)

June 25th -
Breakfast
8:30 Library of Congress Tour 1 1/2 hr.(arranged by congressman)
National Archives (?)
lunch
2:45 State Dept. Tour (arranged)
Ideas until dinner?
Dinner

July 26th-27th -
Tour Mobile - monuments, Arlington, Smithsonian Amer. History Museum, etc. Anything we want to go back and see

July 28th -
Holocaust Museum (have to purchase online)
lunch
1:45 Supreme Court Tour (arranged)

Depart for NY between 4:30-5:00
Train Union Station

Misc. Areas we want to visit but I'm not sure which day is best. Need help on this.
1. National Cathedral
2. Ford's Theatre/Peterson House
3. Old Post Office Pav.
4. Folger's Shakespeare Lib. (I'm a high school English teacher)
5. Georgetown (not a huge priority)

Thanks for your help! I really appreciate it. I know we don't have much time in DC, so I want to make the most of it.

The National Archives is on the Mall, near the Simithsonians, so I would move that visit to the two open/flexible days and visit the Folger on 6/25 after the Library of Congress tour, since it's just a block away (check their opening and tour hours, though).

When you check their web site, see if they're offering a Shakespeare play any evening during your visit. If they are, you ought to go.

July 23rd-
depart from North Carolina
visit Mt. Vernon
check in at Radisson - MAKE DINNER RESERVATIONS SOMEWHERE ON P ST. BETWEEN 20TH & 22ND ST.
drive around to familiarize - RECONSIDER HERE, FRIDAY RUSH HOUR BETWEEN 3:30-7:00 PM IS HORRID.
return rental car
eat dinner somewhere - YOU CAN'T BEAT AREA AROUND (OR AT) YOUR HOTEL

July 24th -
breakfast (?)- ASK HOTEL FOR SUGGESTIONS, THERE ARE A MILLION CLOSE-BY OPTIONS. THE BRUNCH AT YOUR HOTEL IS VERY GOOD BUT PRICY.
10:00 Capitol Tour 1 1/2 hr.(arranged by congressman)
lunch (suggestions? places to get picnic and eat somewhere along the mall?) WALK DOWN PENN AVE BETWEEN 2ND & 7TH ST. AS WELL AS 7TH ST. BETWEEN PENN. AVE. AND INDEPENDANCE AVE (EASTERN MKT) AND HAVE LUNCH (TONS OF CHOICES).
(free time-any ideas?) - AFTER LUNCH, WALK TO FOLGER LIBRARY (@ EAST CAPITOL ST. & 2ND ST)
4:30 Kennedy Center Tour 1 1/2 hour (arranged by congressmen)
Dinner (suggestions? Dupont Circle?)AGAIN: BACK IN YOUR HOTEL NEIGHBORHOOD

June 25th -
Breakfast
8:30 Library of Congress Tour 1 1/2 hr.(arranged by congressman)
National Archives (?)
lunch - TRY 7TH NW ST BETWEEN D ST & I ST. - LOT'S OF GOOD CHOICES. I LOVE WWW.JALEO.COM NAT'L GALLERY OF ART CAFES ART ALSO GOOD.
2:45 State Dept. Tour (arranged)
Ideas until dinner? - TAXI, BUS OR METRO TO CATHEDRAL
Dinner - YES, AGAIN IN DUPONT AREA!

July 26th-27th -
Tour Mobile - monuments, Arlington, Smithsonian Amer. History Museum, etc. Anything we want to go back and see - OLD POST OFFICE & FORDS ARE A CLOSE WALK OR METRO FROM MALL

July 28th -
Holocaust Museum (have to purchase online)
lunch - HOLOCAUST MUSEUM CAFE IS NOT BAD
1:45 Supreme Court Tour (arranged)

Depart for NY between 4:30-5:00
Train Union Station - BUY DINNER TO EAT ON TRAIN WHILE AT UNION STATION - MUCH BETTER/CHEAPER

Misc. Areas we want to visit but I'm not sure which day is best. Need help on this.
1. National Cathedral
2. Ford's Theatre/Peterson House
3. Old Post Office Pav.
4. Folger's Shakespeare Lib. (I'm a high school English teacher)
5. Georgetown (not a huge priority) - SKIP IT

Here are two list of restauants I culled from earlier posts. Some of the very best ones are within 1 block of (or at!) your hotel. The first is the "dupont - mostly inexpensive" and the second is "best of dupont"

"dupont - mostly inexpensive":
Message: None of these places need a reservation unless noted otherwise.

Pizzeria Paradiso - 2029 P St., NW

Johnny's Half Shell - "Don't Miss!"
Moderate. Get a 1/2 a po' boy (lunch only) and some gumbo. Don't skip the gumbo. Reservation needed at dinner (more expensive) but not at lunch. Here's website: http://www.johnnyshalfshell.net

Teaism - 2009 R St. NW Inexpensive. Best breakfast. Also good for lunch.

Brickskeller - 1523 22nd St. NW Inexpensive. Saloon type food, also has ENORMOUS beer selection. Kids will be fine here if it's not after 8pm.

Cafe Luna - 1633 P St. NW
Inexpensive - pastas, salads and more.

Carvan Grill - 1825 18th St. NW
Inexpensive - persian

Julia's Empanadas - 1221 Connecticut Ave. NW GREAT!
Very inexpensve.

Cafe Citron - 1343 Connecticut Ave.,
Inexpensive - Bolivian
Don't go at night (crowded nighclub)

Skewers 1633 P St. NW
Inexpensive - Middle Eastern

Bacchus - 1827 Jefferson Pl. NW
Lebonese - Moderate



Here's the "best of dupont" - these places will likely need a reservation between 7-9:30 pm, especially weekends
"best of dupont":
Johnny's Half Shell - 2002 P St., NW 202-296-2021

Obelisk - 2029 P Street, NW 202-872-1180

Pesce Trattoria - 2016 P Street NW 202-466-3474

Gabriel - 2121 P Street, NW 202-956-6690

Bistro du Coin - 1738 Connecticut Ave., NW 202-234-6969

Cafe Odeon 1714 Conn. Ave., NW 202- 328-6228

Tabard Inn - 1739 N St., NW 202-785-1277


Iron Gate Inn - 1734 N St., NW 202-737-1370

Firefly - 1310 New Hampshire Ave., NW 202-296-7600

Komi 1509 17th St NW 202-332-9200

Vidalia - 1990 M Street, NW 202-659-1990 (just south of Dupont, actually downtown)


Here's the master list of Dupont area eats. Click on the places your interested in, then click on "map" to get the restaurants location on a map.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp...nt&option=4000

If you can return your rental car at National Airport, I'd do that on your way from Mount Vernon (you'll go right past it). No need to deal with parking, rush hour traffic, etc. Just catch a cab from National Airport.

I'd also recommend the Sunday Brunch in your hotel but the chef who started that has moved on so it's probably worth checking at the front desk. Reservations are (were) a must.

Agree w/ returning car at airport after Mt. Vernon. Actually, there is a Metro stop right at the airport terminal. You don't even have to go outside.

If you are interested in going up to the top of the Washington Monument, I would make an online reservation. Perhaps you might reserve the first available time on July 26th, and then you could jump on the Tourmobile nearby. We very much enjoyed the perspective of DC from the Washington Monument, but the wait could be forever if you don't make advance plans.

Also, one of the restaurants that Bardo mentioned, Obelisk, is a short walk from the Radisson and was the dining highlight of our recent trip.

Ditto to the above, I would not "drive around and familiarize" unless you want to be totally frustrated and cranky by the time you are done, LOL. I think the best way to get familiar is to really study a map and to take a trolley tour.

You are all GREAT! Thanks so much for the advice! All of it is super helpful. I'm using it to complete the final "tentative" schedule. I looked online for Holocaust Museum tix and the earliest tour was 11:00. I'll have to find a new place to put that tour (not on the 28th). I'm figuring a couple of hours there and with the Supreme Court tour at 1:45...not enough time. Any ideas which day would be best? I just noticed (what a dummy I am)...we're going to be there June 24-28 which I said in the beginning and then converted to July dates on the schedule. I'm a busy teacher at the end of the year. What can I say? lol. I also looked into Wash. Mon. tix for my husband. I won't be doing that. Scared of heights. Thank you again for all your suggestions. P.S. Bardo-In another thread (I think) there was a lady singing your praises.."Bardo says.." I understand why she was quoting you. You've been so thorough. Thanks for the extra time and suggestions.

For same day half price tickets, try Ticketplace at 407 7th Street, NW, between D& E near The Shakespeare Theatre. Please note: This is a new location

The Folger Theatre will not have anything on while you are here. "Cyrano de Bergerac" will be playing at The Shakespeare Theatre.

I work in Dupont Circle.

You will really like the Radisson Barcelo. My favorite Dupont Circle eatery is Pizzeria Paradiso. There is also a kabob shop called Moby Dick on 19th and N that really excellent for lunch. If you get the urge for an upscale dinner, Sam & Harry's on 19th Street is one of the better steakhouses in town.

With as much time as you have in town, let me also suggest renting a car and touring the Virginia countryside for one day. here are a growing number of wineries here making some really good wines, and the countryside itself is very beautiful. "Little Washington," in Rappahannock County, is a popular destination. And if you REALLY want to splurge on a meal, the Inn at Little Washington is one of the best restaurants in the country, bar none.