We will be in D.C. over the Memorial Day weekend. We will be actually staying in Arlington. We are planning to spend an evening in Georgetown browsing and eating. We will only be there Sun., Mon, and Tues. nights. Would shops and restaurants be open late on Sunday and Memorial Day or would they perhaps close at 6:00? Also....we would like to find a shopping area that has stores with souvenirs, arts and crafts, jewelry....not just clothing stores or stores that we can find at home. I assume the Georgetown area would be pretty upscale....is there an area between upscale and junky souvenir shops? Thanks for any help.

Georgetown isn't really that big of a shopping destination. You are going to find a lot of chain stores. They will close at 6ish on Sunday, not sure about Memorial day. DC really isn't a shopping mecca. For interesting stuff, I'd check out Eastern Market, along U St., 14th Street near P and again near U. Otherwise, you are going to find the same shops you'd find at home.

Thanks. I was afraid things would close up early Sunday and they probably will Monday also. We are not serious shoppers, but thought Georgetown would be a good place to walk around, browse and get a bite to eat. But browsing is not so much fun if it is the same stuff you can see anywhere. We will look into the Eastern Market. Thanks.

Junky souvenir is available every 10 paces on the Mall.

>>14th Street near P and again near U.

Alexandria looks like what we are looking for. I had not looked into it at all, but it seems to fit the bill. Thanks. Any casual hamburger, pizza, salad type restaurant suggestions?

Old Town Alexandria is chock full of restaurants. Again, I wouldn't expect them to be open Sunday evening or even Monday evening.

Just spent a couple of days in Georgetown. The shopping is definately not worth any extra effort unless you live out in the boonies. Its just the same ol, same ol, chain stores that every mall has. I didn't see one unique shop in my walk up and down M Street or Wisconsin Ave. other than a couple of antique shops or a few small home decor places -- all closed by 5pm on a Tuesday.

Thanks so much for the info. I guess we will be trying out Alexandria...looks as if they have a lot of different types of stores. I talked to a shopkeeper who indicated they are not open late on Sunday....but would be open late on Memorial Day due to the amount of tourists.

Take a look at the new Safeway in Georgetown--amazing!

You might want to check out the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria. (it does generally shut down in the evening, though) There are loads of small independent shops of all kinds in Alex and tons of restaurants.

http://torpedofactory.org/

A very belated report (and thank you). We did spend Memorial Day evening in Alexandria and loved it. Everything was actually open late that night because of the holiday. It was exactly what we were looking for...quaint, historical, restaurants, shops, and a wonderful view of the river. We ate at a place called Chadwicks, which we all enjoyed. We did get an ice cream at the Torpedo Factory and sat on the benches enjoying the view. It was perfect for us...thanks.
We did go to Washington Harbor in Georgetown and took a Potomac River cruise and ate at a place called Farmers and Fishers. It was good also.
Thanks again for your help. I would never have thought of Alexandria and it was a big hit with everyone.