IndiaJones

Hi there,

I'm a 30-something single chick bound for DC on business in August.

I fly in to town on a Monday afternoon and fly home Thursday evening.

I will be in meetings from 8:30 AM to 5 pm on Tues, Wed and Thurs. I am seeking some suggestions for how I should spend my evenings.

Some of my interests:

I love a good cocktail, I love fine dining. I love ethnic hole-in-the-walls, and I love street food. I love culture and I love history. I am a news junkie. I also love to shop...

In the way of sightseeing, I've never been to DC. I am staying in Alexandria but am quite prepared to take on the public transportation offerings.

Does DC close up the shop and roll up the welcome mat in the evenings, or are there still plenty of things to enjoy?

Also, regarding safety, will I be okay walking alone? I've heard the National Mall can be rough/crime ridden in the evenings. Is this true, or the stuff of urban legend?

bardo1

I assume you've already looked througfh this?

http://www.fodors.com/world/north-am...washington-dc/

There is plenty to enjoy at night, look at the "Places to Explore" in link above. U st. is a favorite for me. Adams Morgan will require a cheap taxi from a downtown Metro station.

National Mall is VERY safe at night - never heard THAT urban legend...

hlg22

Just a few quick thoughts:

On the safety question - I am a 31 year old woman and have no hesitation in walking around DC, taking public transit, etc. at night by myself. There are always people around. I certainly wouldn't describe the Mall as "crime-ridden." There were a couple of incidents of tourists getting mugged down on the Mall a year or so ago but they got a lot of media attention and the police clamped down. Even late into the evening, there will be a fair number of tourists around, so just use common sense.

That said, I would definitely recommend that you visit the monuments at night (don't miss the FDR memorial, it's slightly out of the way, but worth it) - it seems like most of the big tourist buses and groups stop by around 8-9, so if 9:30 or 10 isn't too late for you with your morning meetings, that would be ideal.

Other sightseeing...Your schedule doesn't leave you too much time. If you're a news junkie, you will probably want to visit the new Newseum - it's not a Smithsonian museum though, and admission is around $20. I have not been yet (it just opened) but everything I've heard has been very good. The only problem I think you will have with museums is that I believe most of the Smithsonians close on the early side, around 4:30-5 or so (double check this though, I could be wrong). I don't know what the Newseum's hours are.

Places for a drink...in Alexandria, the bar at Restaurant Eve is great. The guy who concocts their cocktails is a genius. (google Todd Thrasher/Restaurant Eve). In DC, Firefly (Dupont) is good, Poste in the Hotel Monaco (Gallery Place/Chinatown) has a nice patio and good drinks, but service can be slow.

Restaurants...Zaytinya and Jaleo (Gallery Place/Chinatown); and Pizzeria Paradiso (Dupont) are some of my favorites. Not really a hole in the wall or street food but you might enjoy Ben's Chili Bowl (U Street), it is a DC institution.

Shopping...Georgetown. Also nice to wander around the university and pretty side streets. I think most shops close at 9. Not right on metro, but there's a quick shuttle bus running every 10 minutes from just south of the Dupont metro. Or, it's a nice (approx. 30 min.) walk down P Street from the Dupont metro, or a shorter but not as pretty walk from the Foggy Bottom metro. I also may be able to recommend some boutiques in Alexandria if you let me know what your tastes are.

You might also enjoy the free performances at the Kennedy Center's Millenium Stage every night at 6: http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/.

Christina

I've lived in DC for quite a few years and the Mall certainly has had some bad crime incidents in the past few years (including murder) and I think you'd be a fool to walk around the Mall at night alone. I would not say it is VERY SAFE at night, no place in a big city is and that is not one of the safest as it is so desolated in most spots. I won't do it and I live here. I don't know why you'd even want to do that, it's basically a huge empty park, what on earth would you think you'd be doing walking around a big dark park at night alone?

Now if you want to visit the monuments at night for some reason, that's a different story but that's not a matter of walking around the Mall alone.

DC isn't some hick town, you know, it has quite a heavy nightlife in the Adams Morgan and some other areas on Conn Avenue and around Dupont Circle. There are zillions of bars, but I don't hang out in them enough to recommend. DC isn't a place to go for "street food", it's not Italy or Africa or someplace. Street food in DC is processed junk.

longhorn55

You might want to do an evening tour of the monuments by Segway. There are 3 companies in town that do the Segway tours:

City Segway Tours
Capital Segway
Segs in the City

hlg22

Christina,
Murder? On the Mall? Really? I don't recall that in the past 5 or so years, and a google search didn't turn it up either. As I mentioned, there was a wave of a few muggings and sexual assaults in 2006. The police presence on the Mall subsequently increased, those responsible were arrested, I can't recall of hearing of any significant crime since. Of course random violent crime can happen anywhere, and DC is a big city. That's no reason to be alarmist.

Anywhere a tourist would want to go on the Mall after dark (most likely the portion between the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial, as the museums would be closed) are perfectly fine, if common sense is used, and there will be numerous people around.

brando

The Fish Market is a great spot for a drink in Old Town Alexandria. It's laid back but a great time.

LN

Hi

Most large cities after their share of problems both in daylight and nighttime. Since you don't know the city - be cautious.

Christina is trying to let you see the two sides of DC and I will pretty much agree with her as I've lived and worked here in the area a loooonnnng time.

repete

Murder on the Mall? The activities that spurred the crackdown were two robberies and a sexual assault. The perps were put away. Terrible but very isolated for that area. (The high-profile murder a couple of years ago was in Georgetown, I believe.)

Take appropriate big-city care but crimes against tourists are pretty rare unless they're looking for sex or drugs.

IndiaJones

Thank you, all, for the wonderful responses.

I only just heard about the Adams Morgan area for the first time this week.

I am a pretty savvy traveler (have done London, Paris, Amsterdam, NYC and Boston solo) and am comfortable with meandering through places alone. It's nice to get a heads up on some of the things I didn't know - like the boosted police presence near the monuments.

Longhorn55- thanks for the segway mention. I didn't know about that and am definitely interested.

Does anybody have a suggestion for an experience I would be remiss to miss? Are these boat cruises around DC worth the time and money? What about Mt. Vernon?

Also, I've heard about the PX Lounge in Old Town. Is that it's all cracked up to be or is it just hype?

Thank you for all your help!

Anonymous

Adams Morgan doesn't require a taxi; take the Metro to Woodley Park and walk ten minutes down Calvert. Or take a bus from downtown (L2, L4, etc.). My daughter loves living there.

Cher

I would second the recommendation for one of the nighttime monument tours. I did this a few years ago and it was very memorable. The monuments were beautiful and very dramatic to see at night.

hlg22

The monuments at night would be my one "don't miss" for you. Unfortunately Mount Vernon closes at 5 unless there is a special nighttime event going on, so I don't think that would work with your schedule.

Another evening option:

http://www.phillipscollection.org/html/news.html. The Phillips Collection is open late until 8:30 every Thursday, with special programs, wine, music, etc. I have gone to these and they are enjoyable.

Re nightlife:

PX in Old Town is great, but very small (I think it holds about 35 people). The guy who does the cocktails there is the same guy I mentioned in my earlier post re the bar at Restaurant Eve - PX is affiliated with the restaurant - so if you can't get into PX, have a drink there instead.

The nightlife in Adams Morgan skews very...young. If you are looking for dancing and lots of 21-25 year olds, it's your place. If you're looking for a good drink in a cool bar/lounge, I would recommend either the Penn Quarter area (Poste, Zola (in the International Spy Museum), Proof, Indebleu) or Dupont Circle (Firefly, Science Club, Russia House (great vodka selection) Topaz, Bar Rouge, Veritas (wine bar) Cafe Citron).

You can go to the Washington Post's website, select "City Guide" then "find bars and clubs" to read about them and see what appeals to you.

hlg22

Almost forgot - I went to the National Portrait Gallery/American Art Museum this weekend, and noted that they are open until 7 pm, later than most of the other Smithsonian museums. I had not been since the renovation a couple of years ago - this is a great museum. It is right at the Gallery Place/Chinatown metro (Penn Quarter), and since admission is free, you could stop in for an hour or so before going to dinner or for a drink nearby.

Also, the grounds at the National Zoo are open until 8 pm.

BeenThere2

**Boat Cruises** Hi, you asked about boat cruises, and i can answer that (because i work at one). It's a great view! - and fun (and cheap). i wouldn't advise it after mid-Oct or so. To be impartial - it's the seat of gov't after all - i'll list all the boat co's sites:
www.potomacriverboatco.com
www.capitalYachttours.com
www.DC-cruises.com

-good luck!
(and yeah, don't walk around the Mall at night alone. grab a Monus by moonlight tour... or stick to the nightlife areas.