We have tickets to the Holocaust Museum at 11:00am on Memorial Day. Since we expect to spend three hours there, will be ravenous for lunch by 2:00pm. After lunch we plan to go to the Vietnam Wall, the FDR Memorial, and maybe the peddle boats on the Tidal Basin.

Are there any recommendations for lunch that fit this itinerary with easy walking, or by taking the DC Circlutor Bus? We hope to avoid the cafeteria fare in the Holocaust Museum and search out something more interesting.

Thank you,
Leslie

Unfortunately there is not a lot right in that area. Not too far though is the Native American museum and the food there is fabulous.

The Holocaust Museum is on 14th street, the Native American is at 4th. That's about a mile, so I wouldn't call it close. But there is probably nothing else within almost a mile of the Holocaust Museum except other museum cafeterias.

Eat a hearty breakfast and carry some apples and granola bars to tide you over untill you get back across the Mall (the Constitution Avenue side).

You may be ravenous, and I suspect you will be on overload, exhausted, overwhelmed and probably looking for respite from the crowds and some quiet time to sort through the emotions from the museum's presentation -- I would head away from the mall, yet back track down 14th street and enjoy a quiet delicious lunch at The Willard Hotel.

I have no lunch recommendations, but I thought I would mention that one of the great features of the Holocaust Museum are the docents, who provide very moving narratives to the exhibits. We joined one elderly gentlemen who guided us through several exhibit panels that he personally experienced.

We reluctantly left the group when we realized we had only moved a short distance, on one part of the third floor, in one hour. His narrative really brought the exhibits to life and made them much more meaningful to us.

I think the exhibit that touched me the most was the one of photos of a single village that was wiped out during the Holocaust. Simple everyday pictures, family portraits, school pictures, etc., that reached up to the ceiling. Out of several thousand people, I think only a few individuals survived the war.

My family thought the museum was very well done and well worth visiting, although it depicts a tragic time in history.

Thank you everyone for your advice. While the Willard Hotel sounds lovely, by the time I walk there and back, I will not have the energy to walk around the Tidal Basin. So I don't think that is going to work for me.

Here is what I think we are going to do...please tell me what you think. We decided to picnic in the park. There are a few deli's and small grocers near our hotel, and we can pick up some fruits, some salads, dessert, etc to carry in a back pack before we leave for the museum. (I already called the museum, and they said carrying food in a back pack would not be a problem.) A small soft-sided cooler and mini ice pack will keep things cool for half a day, and will not be too heavy to carry with us. Then we will find a street vendor and supplement our items with a few "smokies" (isn't that what they're called there?)for a regional picnic.

This way, when we leave the Holocaust museum, we can walk over to the Jefferson Memorial, I can take a break and picnic there, and then continue on to the FDR Memorial.

Since it will be Memorial Day and the parade will have finished shortly before we leave the museum, we did want to avoid the crowds on the mall that afternoon. I thought that the FDR Memorial might be a reflective place to spend some time after the morning in the Holocaust Museum.

Now of course this is all weather dependent. If the weather is not picnic conducive we will either have to attempt to find a sheltered place to have our picnic, or we'll have to give in and eat at the museum cafeteria, something that I've really been trying to avoid.

By the way, because of everyone's great reviews, we have already planned on eating at the Native American museum for lunch on a differnt day.

On another day we've been considering the Pavillion Cafe at the National Gallery of Art's Sculpture Garden. How is the food? How long of a wait for tables? Is it worth it, or find something better north of the Mall?

So...any feedback on my plans? Do you think this is a good idea? Will it work?

Thank you everyone!
Leslie

By the way, (now I'm replying to my own posts!) there was one restaurant option that I found that I will share, if anyone is interested.

There is one place to eat about that we did find about a half a mile away from the Holocaust Museum. It is in the Mandarin Oriental Washington Hotel. It's about 2 blocks south and 2 blocks east from the museum. There is a restaurant inside called Cafe Mozu that is supposed to have fabulous views overlooking the Potomac. The reviews on the food have not been consistent, though, so I have no idea how good it is, I just know that is an option that someone might want to consider if they are looking for other restaurants in the area.

We decided not to eat there so I could avoid the half mile walk there and back, and to go the picnic route instead. But I thought this was a place that someone else might like to know about.

Leslie

We've eaten at the Pavillion Cafe at the NGA Sculpture Garden - but only for afternoon snacks. The food is quite decent. We were there on both Friday and Saturday afternoons last July. We were able to get a table both times, but I can't speak for lunch on Memorial Day.

A picnic is your best bet. If it's raining, then head on down to Cafe Mozu (and plan on $50 for lunch for two) it's pretty good.

Tha would be "half smokes," the local street-vendors' slightly spicy hotdog.

If you're up for the walk, head down to the restaurant and the Air and Space Museum.

There's also a buffet at the Smithsonian Castle.

Mike, please tell me more about the buffet at the Smithsonian Castle.
Leslie