Hello!
We are going to NYC and Washington next October and I would like to know about the weather, clothes and, most of all, best places to go, museums to see, good restaurants, and so on.
This will be my first trip to USA and I am waiting anxiously.
Oh, we´ll stay in NYC for 3 days and 5 in Washington. Thanks in advance!

Débora - São Paulo - Brazil

YOur questions covers fasr too much ground to cover in a single reply so I'll address only a few of the topics. It will typically be 5 to 10 degress warmer (fahrenheit)in DC than in NYC and more likely to be sunny. October in NYC can range from cool and crisp with days in the 40's and nights in the 30's to warm and almost summerlike with days in the 70's and nights in the 40's-50's. It's most likley to be in the high 50's to mid 60's and is a very nice time of year to be in NY. Bring a few some reasonably warm clothes particularly for the evenings (if you expect to be out walking). I'm no fashion plate (a major understatement) but the standard advice (if you want a safe bet on what to wear) is lots of black. As for "dressing up", there are a few high end restaurants, hotel lounges etc. at which jacket and tie and appropriate dress are de rigeur (or even required) but in many cases, whetehr it be at the theatre or dining out, the style and formality of dress varies widely. Perhaps someone more attuned to clothing trends and styles can offer specifics. The choices of restaurants and museums are so abundant that you must narrow it down for a short stay. I suggest looking through the archives of this forum by using a search function and reading past posts on both topics. It will give you the info needed to ask more specific questions on those two topics. Have fun - DC is fascinating and NY (I humbly submit) is the greatest city on earth!

Owen, a solid answer!
Debora, if you can expand on what types of activities, restaurants, etc., interest you, it'll be much easier to offer suggestions. There is so much to see and do in both cities.

October is a great month to visit Washington, as the weather is usually mild and there aren't very many crowds. Weather will likely be in the 60s but could be anywhere from the 50s in the evenings to 70s in daytime. Washington has very unpredictable weather so prepare for anything, and bring an umbrella.
Go to the "Rants and Raves" section of this travel lounge to get advice on restaurants. In Washington some of my favorite restaurants are Cashion's Eat Place on Columbia Rd. in Adams Morgan (reservations recommended), Lebanese Taverna on Connecticut Ave. in Woodley Park near the National Zoo (no need for reservations), and Lauriol Plaza on 18th St. near Dupont Circle (no reservations). For drinks or a light snack, go to the rooftop bar/restaurant on the top floor of the Hotel Washington near 15th & Pennsylvania -- it has a great view of the White House, the monuments, and across the Potomac. It is also nice to have dinner in Georgetown at one of the restaurants on the Harbor with a view of the Potomac (Tony & Joe's, or Sequoia). We have more museums here than you will be able to see in 5 days. The National Gallery of Art is wonderful and is divided into two buildings, both of which are excellent. The Air & Space museum is a lot of fun and has a good IMAX theatre. The Natural History Museum is also nice and has an excellent 3-D IMAX movie on the Galapagos islands. All of these museums are part of the Smithsonian, located on the Mall, and they all have free admission except for special things like movies. There are many more museums on the Mall that are also part of the Smithsonian. There are also lots of smaller private museums off the Mall. If you like zoos, I recommend you go to the National Zoo one day. If you want to take a tour of all the monuments and sights to get an overview of the city, you can take a Tourmobile or Trolley Tour -- they leave out of Union Station and are a good way to see a lot in a short amount of time, because both of them allow you to get on and off as much as you like all day long.

Thanks for all your kindly answers until now. I am a historian, and my focus will be my interests at the moment: holocaust, women´s history and some art. I was wondering if it´s possible, in this first trip, go to the MoMa, the US Holocaust Museum and some museum that has direct liaison with women. Also was thinking about the Library of the Congress. There is a particular day, I mean, better than other, to go to the museums? The weather will be fine for me, very good to walk and enjoy the cities.
Is there something that I can´t miss in a first trip (like a walk on a park, in the bank of the river, eat some kind of local food, etc.)?
Thanks a lot!!

Débora

there is so much to see in Washington. October seems like a great time, although I don't know if i've ever been there in october. The mall is park like and it's in the middle of all the Smithsonians. You can't miss it. It's also great because at one end you see the capital building and at the other end you see the Washington Monument. Of course there is the Holocaust Museum in Washington. I would suggest that you buy a travel book for all the things. I don't think I could begin to name them all. In addition to the the two smithsonians already mentioned, i really enjoyed the american history museum. Washington is great fun. Lots of interesting tourist things to do.

My only comment would be that I would spend 5 days in NY and 3 in Washington. While there is a lot of things to do and see in Washington, in my opinion it doesn't compare to NY. You will never be able to see all that each city has to offer, and will have to think about a future trip. Porportionally I think there is more interesting things to do in NY.

If you are interested in women's history, then you must visit the National Musuem of Women in the Arts in Washington. Regarding what day to visit museums, I would suggest going to the Smithsonian in the middle of the week rather than the weekend, if that is possible. As a docent at the Air and Space Museum, I can tell you that it is always more crowded on weekends. However, the museums overall are less crowded in the fall. Washington, DC is a is a fascinating city rich with history. If this is your first trip to the US days is fabulous. Please email me if you have any questions.

i have to disagree with the comment about spending more time in NYC. washington has much more interesting things to offer.

Yes, the National Museum of Women in the Arts is wonderful and I second Ilisa's recommendation. It is a little bit away from most of the other museums but worth it and still very accessible. The building itself is lovely, and there is a nice restaurant in that building too. Also, the Holocaust museum is one of my favorites. Make sure you save plenty of time to watch the film at the end, it is incredibly moving to see and hear the personal stories of the Holocaust survivors.

It's unfortunate that your schedule and arrangements won't allow a trip to the Finger Lakes area of NY state. It's a lovely time of year there and the leaves might still be close to peak color. Seneca Falls is located at the north end of Keuka Lake. It was the home of Susan B. Anthony and the birthplace of the US sufferage movement. I believe the town also hosts a museum/women's hall of fame and an education research/resource center dedicated to women's history. Ithaca NY, on Cayuga Lake, is home to Cornell University and when I lived there 5 or 6 years ago had one of the few remaining feminist bookstores in the state (they may no longer be open if memory serves correctly). I would agree with spending more time in NYC simply because there is so much to do and see. The Holocaust Museum is very worthwhile and admission is free but tickets are required. It's best to go there on your first day in DC and get tickets for admission the following day. They're often completely booked by noon for the remainder of the day.

In DC, re the Holocaust Museum, try to get your times tickets for noon or before, and allow at least 3-4 hours for the museum; you will want to spend more time than you think. In addition to the National Museum for Women in the Arts, you might want to visit the Smithsonian's American History Museum. Definitely go to the Library of Congress on a weekday; on weekends, you can generally only view special exhibitions. In five days, you will have time to see a good deal in DC. Three days in NY doesn't give you a lot of time, but you can certainly fit in MoMA and some other sights. You might want to visit the New York Jewish Heritage Museum (www.nyjhm.org) which is a Holocaust memorial. Also, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, which recreates the lives of late-19th/early-20th century immigrants in an actual tenement, offers a fascinatinglook at poor immigrant womens' lives in that period. I'd also suggest a visit to Ellis Island; not necessarily to wait in line and climb the Statue of Liberty, with your time constraints, but to go to the museum, which documents the arrival of immigrants through Ellis Island, and would be fascinating for nny historian.

October is a wonderful time to visit both cities! The weather should be wonderful. In that time of year I always carry a sweatshirt or a light windbreaker with me; you never know when the weather'll turn. Long pants and short or long sleeve shirts should be ok. Especially if you're not eating at a fancy restaurant, don't worry about fitting in or anything with clothes. You will see every kind of outfit there is in NY, so where whatever you want!
I believe that the most popular Smithsonian museums (ilisa, maybe you can confirm this?) are the American History and Air and Space Museums. I love the museum of American History, I've been there five times. There's so much to see! Also the museum of Natural History, where the IMAX movie previously mentioned is located. They are all very close to each other, an easy walk. I just recently saw the IMAX and it's very good!
What part of NY are you staying in? That'll make it easier to recommend restaurants.
I agree with Caitlyn, with only three days in NY I wouldn't bother going up the Statue of Liberty, but Ellis Island is definitely worth it.
Hope this helps!!!

Jenna, you are absolutely right; the most popular Smithsonian museums are American History and Air and Space. In fact, Air and Space is the most visited museum in the world with 8 to 10 million visitors a year!

Air & Space museum, ugh!!!!

Aris, as a docent at the Air and Space Museum and darn proud of it, I am curious. Why "ugh"?

Ugh!!! is for, I'm tired of visiting that place. Every time someone comes to DC for a visit that's on the list. After 5 X's it's a major snoozefest. It's interesting the first time but after that.....boring.

Must do's for your first time in D.C.--walking the Mall at night. Night time is the best time to do the monuments. The Vietnam Memorial is particularly poignant after dark. And it's safe down on the mall. Start at the Lincoln and work your way up the mall.

FDR Memorial is wonderful, but you may want to drive over to it some night (again, beautiful at night).

Also, drinks at Hotel Washington, as mentioned by an earlier poster.

If you have a signficant other with you, kissing in the lap of Einstein (his statue is along Constitution Avenue, near the Vietnam Memorial).

White House tour is lame. Only go if the line is short or non-existant.

The Awakening Statue at Haines Point (only go during the day, unless you're looking to buy drugs!).

In the burbs--head for Old Town Alexandria and find the Torpedo Factory at the end of King Street, along the Potomac River. It's full of working artists who display and sell their work. Also, just walking around Old Town in October is a great way to spend a day. Restaurants: The Warehouse on King Street for seafood, Landini Brothers for Italian (also on King Street), Union Street (on Union Street!) for a casual lunch, and Bilbo Baggins on Queen Street for brunch.

The Tune Inn on Capitol Hill for a real American experience--bad, cheap pictures of beer, great cheeseburgers and fries, rude wait staff, and Patsy Cline on the jukebox.

As far as the DC v. NYC debate, it really depend on the individual. I live in D.C. and love it, but I also love to visit NYC. New York is huge, more metropolitan, with a faster pace, and a more active nightlife, while D.C. is on a smaller scale, cleaner, prettier, more homey, with a fun nightlife that tends to end around 2 a.m. I would think that as a historian, D.C. would appeal to you more.

Many thanks to all of you that took time to answer me! I appreciate a lot all the tips and I´m keeping them in my files, so I won´t miss no one. I´m sure that our trip will be very nice due to your kindly help.
Thanks again!

Débora

regarding the hotel washington -my favorite place too to take guests, remember it closes sometime in oct. for the season