Thanks everyone. We are now considering spending a night outside of DC when we visit Monticello, Montpelier and (hopefully) Ash Lawn. Would Charlottesville be the best place to spend that one night?

On another thought, how far away are the "restaurants on Chesapeake Bay" from DC? Drive or public transportation?

Finally, thanks to a very luck draw in yesterday's Super Bowl Pool, it looks like 1789 is on the short list of restaurants.

((H))

Charlottesville is a nice college town. Monticello and Ashlawn are both there and you can easily visit Monteplier on the way down or your way back to DC. Make sure that you don't plan a visit during the UVA graduation which is usually sometime in May I think. There are lots of nice B&B's or hotels.
in Charlottesville and in the surrounding area.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is about an hour outside DC -- lots of good seafood esp crab places in the area. I don't know of any way to get there without a car.

Lucky u -- 1789 is nice, but lots of good restaurants to choose from. If u really did good with your Super Bowl pool and want to go all out on the way from Charlottesville stop at the Inn at Little Washington. It's about an hour from DC and quite the dining experience.

Re the article in the NYTimes --mentions some really nice places to try and see. I love the Kreeger, its a very different "museum." It is about a 10-15 taxi ride out Foxhall Rd.from center of DC. the textile msueum is also a lovely bldg and has some neat exhibits.

Would enjoy getting people together for drinks. For me it would need to be after May 12. Maybe something will work out.

Does your group ride bicycles? You might want to try bicycling from DC to Mount Vernon. Our bicycle club our of Richmond does this once a year - a group drives to Mount Vernon and parks, and bicycles into DC for lunch, then back to Mount Vernon. Most of the ride is on a bike/ jogging path, except for short distance thru old Town Alexandria. For bicycling info you can check out Potomac Pedalers website www.bikepptc.org
During your stay be sure to go to a Five Guys restaurant for burgers and fries. www.fiveguys.com They are a regular winner in Washingtonian magazine for best burgers and cheap eats. They have several locations in DC.
Have fun!

You would drive to the Chesapeake Bay. No public transportation. I assume that there are tours that you can take, e.g. to the Eastern Shore (of the Chesapeake).

Here is a Mt Vernon cruise:
http://www.potomacriverboatco.com/mo...non_cruise.php

The drive to the Bridge is about an hour and then add to that for where you want to visit on the Eastern Shore. Great towns to consider are Chestertown (which I'm partial to!), Rock Hall, Easton, St. Michaels, Oxford. These choices are based on great food and drinks! There are no tours that I am aware of, just lots of friendly local folk willing to offer suggestions. You will need to plan ahead to avoid rush hour around DC.

Another vote for Five Guys burgers, too.

Annapolis! I believe you can get a bus from DC to an Annapolis Park & Ride on Riva Rd. Take a taxi from there to down town. I'll check with my commuter buds about this. Better to rent a car so you can dictate your times.

Mt. Vernon and Monticello don't miss if at all possible though. And for me, I'd choose Monticello first. You can do that as a day trip if you want. Same for Mt. Vernon.

Smithonsians are like Louvre-you could spend your entire vacation there and still miss stuff. Did anyone say that the Indian Museum has a good cafe? It was very crowded the day we visited so didn't stick around.

Did I mention the Library of Congress? The main reading room is awesome. There was a Bob Hope exhibit-probably long gone. It too is a great place.

Know I'll think of other stuff.

The Bob Hope exhibit is still at the Library of Congress, indefinitely, I think--I took the children there last week during the snow day, although we didn't visit that gallery. The LOC also has a great exhibit on "Creating the United States" as well as Thomas Jefferson's Library, a nice prelude to a Monticello visit.

"Does your group ride bicycles? You might want to try bicycling from DC to Mount Vernon."

If I attempted to bicycle from DC to Mt. Vernon and back, the odds are good that I would write the very first posthumous trip report. However, maybe for just riding around DC, that might be fun.

Thanks for all the tips everyone. Five Guys sounds good, and the Library of Congress is on our "must do" list.

Here's something I just thought about. When I was a kid, I remember visiting friends in Maryland and seeing lightning bugs (aka fireflies). They were fascinating to me. Can you still see fireflies back there?

By the way, if anyone is up to it, I am sure we could be coerced to meet for drinks somewhere.

Thanks again for the information you all have provided us.

((H))

Yes, we still do have lightening bugs in the burbs of MD as well as DC -- we used to catch them as kids.

There are segway tours in DC--easier than exerting effort to bike...

MT, do u want to start a thread seeing if folks are interested in meeting for drinks? I have no idea who or how many live in the DC area, but would be glad to try and coordinate it if someone will take over in April as I will be in Italy April 21 - May 12. (Not in the area of your hysterical TR though)

I haven't read all the responses so forgive me if I'm repetitious.

We went to DC for the first time for the WWII Memorial dedication. My dad was a vet so we went in his honor.

I reserved almost everything we did online and it all turned out surprisingly well.

We did a DC Ducks tour (www.dcducks.com) and it was fun (the one in Seattle was awful). We had a good guide, learned a bit about the city, when the God's became angry and it poured rain. The guide provided plastic ponchos, but by the time I got mine open I was drenched.

Union Station is interesting (that's where we caught the DC Ducks).

We spent a lot of time in the Smithsonian Air Museum and Udvar Hazy Air Museum near Dulles (where we saw the dedication on huge screens).

We took the Spirit of Washington www.spiritcruises.com to Mt. Vernon. Left at 8:30 am and got back to DC at 3:00 pm. We enjoyed the cruise on the Potomac.

We arranged a capitol tour through our rep and also visited the Supreme Court.

I reserved tickets for plays at both the Kennedy Center and Ford's Theatre (recently renovated) online. Both performances were great.

We were moved to tears at the FDR Memorial (he was the only president we knew until we were half grown) and the Korea Memorial (my husband's war). We also went to the Lincoln and, of course WWII (more tears here). All are incredibly well done.

After touring the National Gallery of Art we had lunch downstairs and it was surrisingly good.

We also toured the Holocaust Museum.

Went to Arlington on some sort of on/off Trolley.

Lots more we would love to see and do. Maybe another trip someday; I hope so.

Make sure you don't schedule the LOC for a Sunday--it's closed. And since you'll be in the vicinity, do duck into the Botanic Garden--it's an overlooked, and free, gem.

Also, plan for spending the bulk of the day at the Udvar-Hazy Air & Space if you're planning to go at all. Between the bus ride out there and the museum itself, there won't be time for much else.

The cruise to Mt. Vernon looks terrific. we're on board. Thanks!

If a local wants to start a thread about getting together for drinks, I think that would be better than me starting one since I have no idea where places are in DC. But I also know that those events are a pain to organize, so it might be easier, as the time draws near to our visit that if someone just wants to post on this thread and pick a DC watering hole and a night, we can be there.

((H))

You should stop by the Whitehouse for a pork dinner.
There will be plenty to share come Monday!

<The cruise to Mt. Vernon looks terrific. we're on board. Thanks! >

You're very welcome. Glad I could help. Your info and all around entertaiing report on your Central/Eastern European trip hopefully will be of help to us if we ever get back to Europe again!

Great thread everyone! We're making our first trip to DC April 18-24th!

"Everybody take the week of May 9 to May 16 off"

Are those your final dates? The problem as I see it is that you won't know what days you'll be doing what so might not want to worry about trying to plan for a gtg.

What if someone who actually lives in the area suggests a place near the hotel on your last evening and see who'd be available to meet? If there was enough of a group, it could be a DC gtg even if you couldn't make it. Of course, we'd all be "tres desole" if you and the peeps we've come to know weren't there!

If your visit includes Mother's Day, be sure to make reservations for dinner!

"What if someone who actually lives in the area suggests a place near the hotel on your last evening and see who'd be available to meet?"

May 9 to 16 are set in stone (unless I decide to nearly cut my toe off like I did before our Central Europe trip).

I am sure our sojourn to Monticello will be earlier in the week (Tues or Wed), so Thursday the 14th or Friday the 15th would be fine for us, whichever is more convenient for the local Fodorite crowd.

If someone picks a fun spot (doesn't necessarily have to be near our hotel if we can get to it by public transportation), we will be there!!!

((H))

OK, let me start of with my credentials. Maitaitom, I have a DC tour guide license.

Spring is the busiest season here. Yup, spring, not summer. Why? All the 5th and 8th graders in the US (OK, I am exaggerating but not by much) choose spring as the time for their class trips. If I were you, I would come in fall not spring. The weather is still nice but the kids are NOT HERE. You would enjoy it more and you wouldn't face long waits to get into things (not to mention crowds). I did skim this entire thread (although I cannot claim to have read every post) and did not notice anything about the school tour season.

OK, assuming you have decided to brave the kids, I do recommend you reserve the all day tour of the monuments given by On Board Tours (onboardtours.com). OK, I occasionally work for them (I work for a lot of tour companies). During the 6 hour day tour you will be taken to all the major monuments. The guide stays with the bus and there is, consequently, no waiting for the Tourmobile or hop on/hop off bus to come round. Really, it is the best money you will spend in DC and it prevents a lot of sore feet to let the van schlep you around (large vans hold up to 35--no more and some smaller ones hold less).

Mount Vernon should not be done on an organized tour or on the boat because it is worth a full day and those options do not give you nearly enough time. There can be enormous waits to get into the house in the spring due to the mobs of kids.

Dupont Circle is great for eating. I recommend Au Bon Pain and Thaiphoon but I certainly do not know all the restaurants there. Just walk around and pick.

You want to go on the Capitol Visitor's Center site and make a reservation for a tour at The US Capitol (service charge only for advance reservations).

Ford's Theatre now requires advance reservations as well.

Contact your Congressman/Senator to see what he will or will not do to assist you in getting a White House tour. Warning: It may already be too late for that because the students book up the spring tours up to a year in advance.

Just pick a couple of tours that need reservations because reservations can drive your day and you may end up resentful at the structure. Leave plenty of time for the Smithsonian.

If you have not been here in a long time, I would just concentrate in DC and do Mount Vernon and leave Monticello and the other nearby plantations for another trip. It is a LONG drive there and an even LONGER drive back. Remember, you should be having a vacation not a forced march.

If you have any specific questions please do not hesitate to ask.

Thanks in advance for pumping your spare cash into the local economy.

I definitely agre about the 1789 Restaurant. You can't go wrong with that one for a big splurge.

"You want to go on the Capitol Visitor's Center site and make a reservation for a tour at The US Capitol (service charge only for advance reservations)."

There is no service charge.

http://www.visitthecapitol.gov/

>>Lucky u -- 1789 is nice, but lots of good restaurants to choose from. <<

I agree with this. 1789 is usually if not always in the top restaurant lists. It's very old school, coat & tie required, very formal. Not stuffy but definitely formal.

I disagree about x-ing Monticello. It isn't that far and it's well worth the trip if it's something you really want to see. I'd only consider dumping it (or Mt. Vernon) if the weather was straight up rain. That would impact the drive and your enjoyment of either property.

If you are at all into cathedrals or if not - if you are at all into some of the greatest stained glass, head to the National Cathedral on a SUNNY day and witness its magic as it reflects and retracts. I love the one with moonstone - from the moon ya know?!

<Mount Vernon should not be done on an organized tour or on the boat because it is worth a full day and those options do not give you nearly enough time. There can be enormous waits to get into the house in the spring due to the mobs of kids.>

We actually had what we considered a full day. It was very crowded (we went on a Sunday) and DC was very crowded because of the WWII Monument Dedication, which brought people to Mt. Vernon. In fact, we met the family of a deceased officer on the boat who had come for the dedication.

We stood in line for quite a while for the tour of the house (visited with the two ladies in front of us; one from South America), had a leisurely tour of the house, walked the grounds, visited the slave quarters, both gift shops (a must for me LOL). We never felt rushed or short changed and, as I noted before, we liked the boat ride on the Potomac. I have nothing invested in Spirit, but didn't want you to give up something I think you would enjoy.

"If I were you, I would come in fall not spring."
"...assuming you have decided to brave the kids..."

Yes, since I can't go in the fall, we're coming in May, and if we have to knock a few kids down getting to the monuments, so be it. We'll bring some band aids if we rough them up too bad.

We're also still planning on driving to Monticello (hey, we can sleep when we're dead!). Remember, this is a group that visited five not-so-close hill towns in Italy in one day and lived to tell about it.

As far as the boat to Mt. Vernon, I had a client in our office yesterday who lives back there and has done it. He said he enjoyed it very much. You know what they say, "Getting there is half the fun!"

The OnBoard tours look interesting.

We know it will be a full agenda, but that's pretty much how we operate. Plus, after a long day of sightseeing, walking and knocking over small children, the wine and cocktails taste just that much better.

((H))

I think it was probably a good thing that you didn't visit DC at the time we did. Hate to think of you knocking down a few old vets to get to the monuments! :-D

maitaitom-that's the spirit! you'll fit right in in DC...

I would not do a whole day group tour deal of DC. I would rather pick out what I want to see, and go for it. If the weather is nice and it usually is in May, it's lovely to stroll around. Lots of parks, cafes or bars to stop in and rest yourself and if u get really tired find a metro station. Doing a private tour might be a different deal.

The boat trip to Mt Vernon is fun and nice views of DC as u cruise down the Potomac. While there may be lines, whenever I was at Mt Vernon last there were, you'll still have time to see everything.

I agree a break from citylife in DC to Monticello will work out well. U can route yourself thru the countryside in the rolling hills of VA. Lots of nice restaurants along the way too.

Thursday the 14th or Friday the 15th will work for me for drinks.

Yestravel,

Yes, we are all looking forward to doing a lot of walking (maybe not quite as much as we did on our first day in Prague), and I think your idea of picking and choosing where we want to go works the best for us.

If you (or anyone) wants to pick a spot for Thursday or Friday cocktails, we can surely make it (either night). If anyone else would like to join us, the more the merrier. As for Barack and Michelle, it's still up in the air whether they can make it, but I promised the President I would buy him a margarita as a stimulus for him to attend.

((H))

Now, Michelle called me today b4 they left for Camp David and asked if we had firmed up the plans for your visit. Barack couldnt talk cause he was too busy trying to get those repubs to be stimulating....told her we'd be in touch.
I'm thinking on where might be a good central place to meet. Who else is interested??

I will certainly try. Either day.

Better aim for Thursday -- it's been a few years, but as I remember, HH is a popular way to kick off the weekend here and bars can get a little crowded on Fridays.
A friend came from Syracuse last month for the inauguration and took her son to Mt. Vernon the day before. They arrived late a.m. and spent only 40 minutes waiting in line -- got in right between two big rushes. I took a friend from Sydney there last August and by 2 we were having lunch in Old Town Alexandria. Ya never know! May is a fabulous time here!

Let's make it for Thursday, May 14th! Suggestions?

((H))

A couple of things:

Yes, no charge for advance reservations for The Capitol (I was thinking of a couple of other places--including Ford's Theatre). In DC they think they enhance your experience by requiring reservations. In fact, it always drives you nuts because you are running from place to place trying to make your timed reservations. The Washington Monument also has timed tickets with a service charge for advance reservations.

I absolutely disagree about the boat to Mt. Vernon. On the way back everyone falls asleep. And, 2 hours or so at Mt. Vernon (which you get by boat or one of the bus tours is not nearly enough. A little over a year ago, Mt. Vernon added a new education center. You can easily spend half a day in the education center. I really recommend a full day for Mt. Vernon and renting a car to give you maximum flexibility.

The advantage of taking On Board Tours or a hop on/hop off bus tour is that you see the sights and are spared a lot of walking.

Arlington Cemetery (takes 3 hours) is a must.

Given that you will be in DC, I would leave Monticello for another time. It is 2 1/2 hours there and 2 1/2 hours back. You could easily do a trip to VA Civil War sites and Williamsburg that would take up a week without ever setting foot in DC, but that is a separate trip. Since Mt. Vernon is so close to DC, I would recommend that you make life easy on yourself by going there and forgetting about Monticello. That does not mean I do not like Monticella because I do. These judgments are all about using your time wisely when you have limited time.

Now I want to add one thing: I was never a fan of Mt. Vernon before the new education center was added. Now it is high on my list. Be sure to see the main multimedia show in the education center. It will knock your socks off.

Of the paid museums, I recommend the Newseum (a museum of news). It is spectacular and worth every penny of the entrance fee (not cheap). Allow 4 hours--more if you are a news and history nut (I am). There is a terrific multimedia show in there and, when on tour, take every opportunity you can to sit down.

Expect American History, Air & Space and Natural History to be absolutely packed with kids. They are less likely to go to the Newseum due to the cost. They also do not visit the art museums much, so you might want to consider those for your museum day.

The Newseum looks right up our alley (news freaks). Arlington Cemetery is also a must for us.

We have definitely decided we're doing a Monticello day trip (took me 27 years to get back here, plus we have nearly seven total days, so a little countryside will do us well).

Being from So Cal, we're used to 2 1/2 drive times. Plus, with a long drive, we can reacquaint ourselves to the lovely voice of our good friend Lady Garmin. I sort of miss her saying "recalculating" as I go the wrong way over a bridge.

((H))

Maitai, your trip to Monticello could take a lot longer than 2 1/2 hours if you go during the work week. You will certainly run into bad traffic one way or the other. Rtes 95 and 66 can be parking lots at times. So, you would be better off doing it on the weekend if you can.

Give me an email at [email protected] if I can help you in anyway. I would love to meet you. I have enjoyed your amusing posts for years.

Tom, seems like you're going to have a lot packed into this trip. And that DC is not only the national capitol, but the capitol of funky museums. :)

If you have the time, when you're heading to Arlington Cemetery, try to stop in at the relatively new (1997) "Women in Military Service for America" memorial. It is right there at Arlington.

http://www.womensmemorial.org/

(I'm a charter member.) :) You'll learn a lot about women in service through the ages and probably have a few laughs. Charter members were asked to provide stories about our "integration" into the services. :) Should provide a few laughs, including many stories that evolved from a lack of female heads (restrooms)! :)

Have a blast! I love DC!

I like the Women in the Miliary Museum/Memorial as well. Sometimes I take my groups of kids in there if we have extra time due to the bus having to park outside the Arlington lot because there are no spaces.

Another good feature about the Women in the Military Museum is that due to relatively little traffic (as opposed to the Visitor's Center) the bathrooms tend to be cleaner.

What I didn't know before I got my tour guide license! First thing you learn is about the toilets everywhere.

Tom and all,
When plans are complete for May 14th GTG- cocktails would you want to post a DC GTG for Fodorites in the area?
Just a suggestion.
309

I wish I had heard Lauren's advice about the kids before we took our DC trip last May. I didn't consider the impact that many kids would have...we still would have gone but I might have been mentally prepared.

The vast majority of kids we saw displayed very little appreciation for where they were. Texting, making out, horsing around were the norm no matter if they were at the Lincoln Memorial (or the Air & Space or the fill-in-the-blank.)

Anyway, topic: Did anyone mention going to see the monuments at night? It was beautiful to see Lincoln lit up.

Tony Soprano: How was it?

A.J. Soprano: It was pretty good. They had Playstation 2 right in the hotel room.

Tony Soprano: That was the sum total of your trip to your nation's capital?

309pbg- I mentioned many messages back, I'd be glad to work with someone else and try to plan something for May 14 for whomever. Problem for me is I will be away for the final planning --leaving April 21 and returning 5/12. R u interested in coordinating a GTG?

All - a couple places I thought of might be Busboys and Poets on 14th St NW for a real slice of DC
http://tinyurl.com/4tfbmx
Dino's, a casual italian restaurant with a bar and great wine list. Its in Cleveland Park, a very short ride on the Red Line
www.dino-dc.com/
I'm sure others have lots of other suggestions.

Re Monticello, not sure why u would travel 95 to get to Monticello--we used to go to that area all the time and never went on 95. I also question going on a weekend (which we have done frequently) cause lots of people take drives into the country and use Rte 66 to get to VA countryside. We find the least traffic is to leave mid morning, weekday, go out 66 and return after rush hour to DC. But if you're from S Cal -- it will be a piece of cake anyway, any day and besides you'll get to slowly enjoy the outer burbs of VA..