>>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.

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!

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.

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?

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.

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..