I'm taking my mother-in-law to DC to see the WWII memorial and do a bit of siteseeing.

We're just driving down for one night and staying at the Renaissance Mayflower (17th and Conn... $80 a night at Priceline). We'll be there for a Friday night, so I'm looking for places for dinner on Friday and breakfast and lunch on Saturday. Doesn't have to be fancy, but something typically DC or just someplace with good food. We don't mind a bit of a walk.

Also, has anyone been to the National Geographic musuem? Any thoughts on it?

Thanks in advance!

The National Geographic Museum is small, but it can be very interesting. It completely depends on what they're exhibiting, so I'd recommend it only if they've got something going on that you particularly like.

Thx for the info... I'll check out their website to see what exhibits are currently there.

What kind of food are you interested in? The hotel is near a number of restaurants and is fairly close to Dupont Circle, which has a ton of restaurants. You might want to do a search because there have been many prior posts on this question. If you're going to the memorial on Saturday morning and want to do some additional sightseeing in the afternoon, you'll want a lunch place near your afternoon destination--there's no place to eat near the memorial.

RuthMC... thanks for the response... we'll eat just about anything, so we have some flexibility.

For lunch, we'll probably be around the mall... we're planning on going from the memorial to the National Museum of the American Indian, so any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks!

For Friday dining (moderate priced) I can recommend: Jonny's Half Shell, Pesce, 21P, Al Tiramasu, and Bistro du Coin. All located a few blocks north of your hotel in the Dupont neighborhood. All of them will want a reservation - even if you just call once you're in town.

For breakfast, Luna Grill (on Conn. Ave. just north of N St. just two blocks up Conn. Ave from your hotel)) has a great breakfast. Highly recommended.

For Saturday lunch, any of the four cafes at the Natiuonal Gallery of Art on the Mall would be your best bet for eating on the Mall. Try to arrive for lunch by 11:55 am to avoid the crowds.

I adore DC and never tire of going there. Two "Very DC" restaurants are Bullfeathers on Capitol Hill and Old Ebbitt's Grill near the Mayflower/ White House. Both fairly casual.Great DC atmosphere. If you eavesdrop, no telling what you might hear!

WWII memorial is wonderful, particularly at night. However, it is not really near anything - except the Washington Monument! For older folks, it is quite a hike - recommend taking a cab there and then a cab to Indian museum. History Museum is closest to WWII memorial. I second eating at the National Gallery, also my favorite museums.

I keep hearing that the cafeteria in the Museum of the American Indian on the Mall is the best place to eat among the Smithsonian museums. Haven't tried it myself, but it looks nice and some tables by the window have a nice view of their fountain.

For dinner, the Tabard Inn is a very cool DC institution and at this time of year they use their own produce grown in Virginia. It's very close to your hotel, I think on N Street.

Thanks for all of the advice... I've eaten at a few of them (Luna and Old Ebbetts) but most are new to me.

Thanks again!

I like the American Indian Museum dining. The National Gallery used to stand out among the Smithsonians on a recent visit there wasn't much to get excited about.

The difference at the Indian museum is the emphasis on American foods like planked-roasted salmon, buffalo and other items. Like all the museums -- including the Boston Chicken/McDonalds scrum at the Air & Space -- it can get crowded though.

Great deal on the Mayflower, BTW.

The National Geo Museum is worth popping into just because it's right across the street from your hotel -- and you can make a quick call if there's anything of interest on display at the time.

Here's another second for Johnny's Hall Shell and Pesce.

Thanks again for your help with my planning. We had a great time over the weekend...

1) The Mayflower is still a really nice hotel and can be had for cheap on weekend nights through priceline. Rooms are not large, but we'll kept. We had a really large bathroom with double sinks and lots of marble.

2) The WWII memorial (our main stop) is very nice. Also in a good location for walking the west end of the mall and seeing the rest of the war memorials (the Korean memorial is still my favorite).

3) We couldn't get into Johnny's Half Shell. They do take reservations now (despite reading to the contrary). We ended up a block down at Cape Japone. A good Japanese restaurant with good sushi and a nice Dupont Circle atmostphere.

4) Luna Grill worked out great for breakfast. Two blocks from the hotel.

5) The National Musuem of the American Indian is very nice. If you are going to arrive around noon or later on a Saturday, book a reserved time online (costs like $2 per person). The musuem is not huge, but you can easily spend a full day there. Definitely not as jammed packed as air and space or natural history with displays, but still very nice. Probably not a great choice for kids (got to Air and Space next door). The cafeteria food is excellent (food is good, split two lunches among 3 people with some food to spare... $32 including beer).

Thanks again for your help!

For anyone else staying at the Mayflower - The Iron Gate Inn in is within walking distance (I believe on K and Connecticut). It is a lovely restaurant -- partially outdoors under the grapevines, and indoor in a converted horses stable. Just wonderful!