OWJ Goes to Washington
 

Hello All,
Ok, so I didn't get elected on Tuesday (LOL) but my husband and I are going to DC for a much needed escape. We leave Sat. AM and fly home Tues. afternoon. We'll be going in and out of BWI because we saved a boatload of money that way ;-) but are staying at the Capital Hilton, 2 blocks from the White House thanks to Priceline.

Any suggestions for restaurants? We like good food of any sort. It doesn't have to be fancy, just tasty. We'll have a car so are not tied to just the downtown area.

What about nightlife? I'm not talking dance clubs but places we can maybe hear some live music, a good walking neighborhood, just somewhere a couple in their late 30s would like to hang out...

Thanks!
Debbie

That's great!!
We loved going to the National Gallery and spent most of a day just wandering and appreciating their collections.
I liked shopping in Georgetown:) I remember getting around was easy with their Metro system.
I cannot remember any restaurants, but I send my good wishes for a happy weekend ...you two deserve it~
((L))

I'd suggest Dupont Circle or Georgetown. Dupont you can walk to from your hotel fairly easily (assuming no rain) and even G'town really. not sure exactly where the Hilton is? what is the address?

what kind of food do you like? there's a TON of good restaurants.

I'd suggest checking this out:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn.../?nav=globetop

I have no helpful info for you, but just wanted to say that I am really happy that you two are getting away and hope its a great trip:) You know we all want a report when you get back though!

Hi OWJ!
Like a couple of the other posters, I really cannot offer any advice. Just wanted to wish you and your husband a wondeful little get away.
=:)

Flygirl--I think we're at 16th and K Street. The picture they show has the Washington Monument in the background so it looks to be a good, convenient location--whatcha think? I haven't been to DC since I was a kid and my husband hasn't been there in several years so there's lots for us to do.

We wouldn't mind a cool bar suggestions either. It's been 19wks since I had any alcohol pass my lips and after the last week, could really use a nip or two!

MMS--I promise, a good trip report to come :)

And Scarlett--where's are those shopping streets in G'town?

Weather is supposed to be good starting Sat. so hopefully we can do lots of walking.

Deb

Oh and as for restaurants--we are not picky and are adventurous eaters. Love ethnic cuisine--Italian is probably my favorite, and my husband loves just about any kind of Asian and Mexican/Southwestern and we both love seafood. And we love wine...dessert...do we sound like total pigs now? I think I made it sound like we will eat our way through the city but we will go sightseeing, I promise!

Even though you'll have a car, I strongly suggest you don't use it. Parking at most places is around $8 for the first hour and $15 for the day (i.e. one hour and one minute). Your hotel is very close Metro which will get you most anywhere you want. Even a $6 taxi (the flat rate for anywhere in central DC)for the two of you will usually be cheaper and more convewnient than trying to drive and park somewhere (if you can find any!).


Nightlife - take a taxi to Adams Morgan (say 18th st & Columbia Rd). there are tons of great dining and nightclubs of all types concentrated in a few blocks along 18th st. south of Columbia Rd. and along Columbia Rd. itself. It's about 12-15 long blocks from your hotel. No Metro station and absolutely no parking available (especially weekend nights). VERY east to get a taxi (even tons of taxis late at night in Adams Morgan to bring revelers home).

Here's the best place for nightlife listings:
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/

Restaurants -
There are many good dining guides. The washington city paper (above), the washington post one listed by flygirl, and my favorite: Tyler Cowen's -

http://www.gmu.edu/jbc/Tyler/ethnic.html

My favorite "not too expensive" place is Jaleo near Archives metro station. They don't accept reservations after 6:30pm but don't let the wait scare you off - just grab a seat at the bar and enjoy the ambience.

http://www.jaleo.com/


Some other best bets:

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

Pizzeria Paradiso - 2029 P St., NW

Johnny's Half Shell - "Don't Miss!"
Moderately priced. Get a 1/2 an oyster or shrimp po' boy (available at lunch only) and some seafood gumbo. Don't skip the gumbo! Reservation needed at dinner (more expensive) but not at lunch.

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.

Skewers 1633 P St. NW
Inexpensive - Middle Eastern

Bacchus - 1827 Jefferson Pl. NW
Lebonese - Moderate

C.F. FOLKS - Mon-Fri Lunch only - get one of the daily specials. Desserts du jour are heavenly.
http://www.cffolksrestaurant.com/DailySpecials.htm DON'T MISS!

Breadline - Mon-Fri Breakfast/Lunch only 1750 Penn. Ave. (2 blocks from White House). Have one person grab a table and the other go order food at the counter. If you show up after 12:15 for lunch, getting a table could be tough. Line moves very quickly, don't be put off by it.




A little pricier but oh so worth it:

These places are all in or near the Dupont Circle neighborhood. A walkable 8 blocks or less from your hotel, or one metro stop away. They will likely need a reservation between 7-9pm, especially weekends. Don't show up without calling first.

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

Tabard Inn - 1739 N St., NW 202-785-1277
(very close to Capitol Hilton)

Iron Gate Inn - 1734 N St., NW 202-737-1370 (very close to Capitol Hilton)

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 (south of Dupont, actually downtown)

The area right around your hotel is not the best for dinners (office gulch). Metro to Gallery Place, Dupont or taxi to Adams Morgan instead.

I actually really like the bar at the Tabard. It's small and very fun. You can also eat there if need be. The bar splays NPR by day and after 5 plays some very good jazz. This has been described as "the watering hole for DC progressives".

I just read the list above. Another vote for the Breadline. Lunch was very good.

We liked Johnny's Half Shell as well. It really does feel like an Atlantic Seafood place. The bar scene is also fun there. I remember (after having dined there) reading Chelsea had been spied there.

Lots of folks really like Kinkade's. We felt it was a bit fussy but did have good food.

16th and K is a great location and that's a nice hotel.

Close by there are a lot of really interesting restaurants and such in Logan Circle (maybe 4 blocks north, if that). You also can easily Metro to Gallery Place/Penn Quarter/Chinatown, which is DC's new HOT nieghborhood with tons of restaurants and such.

Debbie,

Another great neighborhood is the U street area. Take the green line train to the U street. Metro stop. Again, this is a tough parking neighborhood (especially weekend nights).

Lots of great bars, clubs, and restaurants. There are over half a dozen Ethiopian restaurants within a few blocks of U street metro.

The very best (in fact the best Ethiopian place in DC) is Dukem - right by the Metro entrance. Very reasonable.

http://www.dukemrestaurant.com/index.html

If Ethiopian food isn't your bag there are LOTS of other cuisines nearby. My favorite is Cafe Saint Ex. - also good for just drinks (3 blocks from U st. Metro):

http://www.saint-ex.com

Hi!

I don't have time right now to go into detail on the other stuff, but, if you really don't think you'll leave the city (and in 4 days, chances are you may not, or find you won't need or want to) I'd cancel the car rental.

unless of course you are using it solely to get to DC from BWI, in which case... not sure how much cabs would be, you might end up paying a lot less for cab fares to/from BWI than 4 days of car rental...

16th and K - maybe a 20 minute walk to Dupont Circle up Connecticut (more if you stop :) ). another 20 or so minutes into G'town. M street is the main drag! but explore back behind there too - lots of little places hidden all over.

I'm not sure if the waterfront places still have their patios open. if so, a really great thing to do on a nice day - sit outside, watch the boats, and have a glass of wine.

what did I say about not much time for detail? ;) I'll be back later.

The Lincoln Memorial at night is heartstopping.

The Vietnam Memorial is the most moving thing I've ever seen.

Also on P St is Mimi's American Bistro. The food is pretty good and the waitstaff entertains guest by getting up and singing. Talented staff.

Pizza Paradiso has very good food.

Hit DC Coast. It's a block or two down K Street. Great menu, better food.

We live in the VA suburbs and only come into the District every now and then, and when we do, our favorite restaurant by a long shot is JALEO.
Not only is the food really excellent and different, but you can get some cool drinks (try the white sangria or the choice of sherries). And it doesn't cost an arm and a leg, either.

Also I can echo the raves for Pizzeria Paradiso at Dupont Circle.

I would reconsider the car.
M

another thing I thought of re: car rental from BWI:

you'll add (waste) time to your coming/going by having to retrieve and drop off the car. I don't know your circumstances, but if you don't plan to leave DC I'd just take a cab from the airport. Or even the Marc train into Union Station. It's a gorgeous train station - you can even start your shopping there!

bardo1 gives an excellent list of restos.

if you are in Dupont Circle, you can walk UP 18th street (up the hill) to Adams Morgan which is a wanna-bee East Village. Lots of bars, more restos, little shops, etc. There is a bar called Madam's Organ which has live music frequently. Also many Ethiopian restos (someone told me DC has the most Ethopian restos outside of NY? or was it Addis Abbaba (that was likely a joke).

Neither G'town or Adams Morgan are easily served by metro, but if it's not raining close enough.

I agree with mikemo--you can take a train from BWI to D.C. Check out the following link for more information.

http://www.bwiairport.com/4grndtrn/in_amt.shtml

I hope you and your husband enjoy a wonderful time together and continue to find peace :-)

MARC trains don't run weekends so check Amtrak first (see previous post link), however, if you can use MARC on Tuesday here is a link to the schedule...

http://www.mtamaryland.com/services/...lesSystemMaps/

I didn't realize there was an easy way to get from Baltimore to Washington! Thanks for the info on Amtrak and MARC. We got a decent deal on the rental but this seems easy enough and a money-saver too! Especially, when you factor in the parking fees that hotels like to charge...Think we'll cancel the car and use public transportation. I really appreciate the tips! This is such a last minute trip and my brain hasn't been operating on full power so I have don't all my research. Thank you SO much!

How much should we expect to pay for the cab and about how long should it take from Union Station to our hotel in downtown DC?

Thanks for all the restaurant recs and other great info. We're really looking forward to getting away!!!!!!!!

Debbie

G-town is not 20 minutes from the Capital Hilton, especially if you think DuPont Circle is 20 minutes. G-town is a health 20 blocks to get to the center of the action while DuPont Circle is maybe 5 blocks.

16 & K, walking up Connecticut, to 23rd street is 7 blocks - and actually that's a bit past Dupont. It's about 20 minutes to the circle, give or take.

continuing on, 30th street is about the start of G'town (actually 28th or so is) and that's another 7 or so blocks yet.

OWJ, have a great trip! If you head to Georgetown, head over to see the "Exorcist" stairs. Here's a link with the location.

http://www.hoyasaxa.com/sports/stairs.htm

My sons took some really great black and white photos of the stairs! They are really kind of spooky to walk up and down, not to mention exhausting too :D

Taxi between BWI and Capital Hilton should be around $60, it takes about 40 minutes except in rush hour, so allow a bit more time for your return trip Tuesday p.m. Union Station to the hotel is the standard one-zone ride, maybe $7.50 for two.
For hotel parking, expect $25-30/day, so four days parking would almost equal two BWI-DC taxi rides. Your car rental fee can be applied to taxis for getting around in DC and you'd come out ahead financially -- without the hassle of driving/parking/returning rental car.

I second the recommendations for DC Coast, Jaleo, and Pizzeria Paradiso. But don't bother to go to the waterfront -- there are too may other areas with concentrations of worthwhile restaurants. Enjoy your visit>

BWI is the Baltimore WASHINGTON International airport -- it's a half-hour north of DC, but not as far as Baltimore.

My own preferred transit into the city is not the train, but the B30 express bus, which costs $3 (have some ones handy) and leaves every 40 minutes (on the even hours, etc.) from the BWI terminal itself -- no need for an extra shuttle. It takes you to the Greenbelt Metro station; switch to the Red Line and get off at Farragut North.

Not to pick this issue to death, but why on earth would one go to 23rd Street to go to DuPont Circle, esepcially since the heart of the circle is 5-10 minutes closer to their hotel???? 23rd Street is either the park or the other Hilton near Adams-Morgan.

I work on the edge of G-town and it would take a brisk 20 minutes for me to get to the Hilton, but 5-10 minutes in the other direction to get into the heart of G-town.

I've flown into BWI several times and taken the MARC or Amtrak.

The last time we used a car service that was very reasonable for around $125 roundtrip

OWJ, I would strongly recommend that you run to the bookstore ASAP and get yourself a map of DC that shows the streets, key attractions, and Metro lines and stations. It will simplify your visit tremendously.

As mentioned above, taxis are cheap so they are a good investment if you want to save time and energy goingg to places that aren't close to the Metro, including G'town and monuments.

One caveat on the B30 bus. Hit the wrong time and I-95 can be a parking lot.

I like the quick shuttle (five minutes or thereabouts) to the BWI Amtrak Station and the easy MARC train to Union Station. From there, the Red Line (although lately it's been horrid) or a cab to the Hilton.

You say poTAYto, I say poTAH to. Big Red, I'm sure that $125 is reasonable for a car service (about the same as a taxi), but OWJ is a Priceilne user and is flying into BWI cuz it's cheaper without even knowing how to get into town; I bet she'll choose the Metro, which costs one-tenth as much as the car service.

not to pick this issue to death (where did I hear this before ;) ) but I was using that as an example - that Dupont is more or less right in the middle of where she is, and G'town. I wouldn't expect her to walk to 23rd street to get to Dupont, as I noted above, it's past the circle.

and even the 20 minutes is a rough example - it depends on how quickly or slowly you walk (or window shop!!)

The overriding reason for OWJ not to plan on taking the MARC train into DC is that her trip starts on Saturday and the MARC trains don't run on weekends.

still plenty of amtrak trains and unless you're really pinching pennies, $13 isn't too bad.

But why spend $13 when you can get basically the same service for $3?

oo, I can answer a shopping question! The shopping streets in Georgetown: tell your taxi driver to take you to the corner of Wisconsin and M Street NW.

As mrwunrfl said. Or start at M and Pennsylvania, head west on M to Wisc. Then just wander up Wisconsin; don't be afraid to explore the side streets, where the real estate is a bit cheaper and some of the stores are more interesting.

Anon, it's not basically the same service, but for this weekend it makes sense.

I've been stuck on I-95 too many times and that's a gamble I don't want to make in my car, much less a bus. And unlike cars, most buses can't shift to route 29 or the b-w parkaway if there's a problem.

It's personal preference. I'd say the faster trip (usually 25-30 minutes, except this weekend) and comfort of a train over a bus, would make a $10 difference for me.

This weekend, though, there's a closure on the red between rhode island and union station. If OWJ goes the B30-Green Line route, then cab it from Mt. Vernon Square or Gallery Place.

Anon,
Oops -- By ``it'' I mean that your b30-Green Line route is the way to go this weekend.