Three days in Washington DC
 

We are staying in Washington DC for the first time from Friday evening until Tuesday morning in the middle of May.
Where to stay, what to do? We live in Europe, aged late fifties, have no kids and want to know: What
mustn't be missed?

You will be in DC in its most glorious time. Good weather, azaleas in riot. However, it's also a very popular time, so best get going on accommodations.

It would be helpful to know your tastes and budget and what you've already uncovered by looking at the "destination" information here or elsewhere. For example, there are hotels in DC that are in pretty and very convenient areas (near Dupont Circle or in Georgetown) but it would be less expensive and not inconvenient to stay across the river in Rosslyn.

You cannot avoid most must-sees, since they are clustered around the Mall area (check a map). But are you more interested in government and historical sites or museum-ish sites or gardens or .....

I'm guessing two must-sees for you might be the National Gallery and Arlington Cemetery - to see JFKennedy's grave and also because it's a lovely site.

Welcome! Read the following post for some great ideas:

President Obama, Here We Come - Please Help The Maitais To Not Commit a "Capitol" Offense!

The thread titled Best Tips for DC Visitors has some great advice:


http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35102802

With only 3 days in Washington, I'd recommend you pay a bit more for accommodations in order to stay close in--either walking distance to the Mall area (the expanse between the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial, where so many monuments and museums are located) or a few subways stops away (Dupont Circle, Woodley Park, Gallery Place are among the stations with interesting places to eat and shop). Another poster suggested consulting this site for hotels near each station:
http://www.stationmasters.com/System...ystem_map.html

Consult tour books and the web to narrow not only which museums to visit, but which exhibits in those museums. Extend your sightseeing day by visiting memorials after the museums close and the zoo (Giant Pandas!) before museums open.

Don't miss seeing the inside of the Library of Congress--it's dazzling. I personally would not take the time to see Arlington National Cemetery during this short stay.

Obviously there's the Mall, which you'll probably be walking around. My favorite sites here are the FDR Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial.

Since you're from Europe, I'd probably have lunch at the Museum of the American Indian on the mall; it has a bunch of different choices that are undoubtedly hard to find where you're from. The National Gallery of Art is also a favorite.

I'd spend some time in Georgetown as well.

Really would be helpful to know your interests. The obvious places would include the Capitol (book a tour online if interested), Lincoln Memorial, WWII Memorial, White House (no need to tour), Smithsonian Museum of American History, Arlington Cemetery and Ford's Theater (which will have reopened by the time of your visit).

But if you are interested in Art, there is the National Gallery, or the National Portrait Gallery & American Art Museum, which share a building.

If you are interested in the azaleas that cfc mentioned, you might find your way out to the National Arboretum, or to Hillwood.

If you are interested in the performing arts, there is Kennedy Center, or the Birchmere.

Or perhaps the Newseum or International Spy Museum intrigue you.

. . or the new Air and Space museum out by Dulles Airport

The Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum is a bit far to go for a 3 day stay. Given the limited time, I would recommend the one on The Mall if the OP is going to do one of them.

Depends on how interested in Air and Space they are.

If they have 3 days, a trip to Udvar-Hazy would cut a solid day off seeing things in DC with transport back and forth and time at the museum. There is no longer a shuttle from The Mall, so you need to rent a car; take Metro to West Falls Church, the airport shuttle bus and then a bus to the airport; or spring for a very expensive taxi ride. Udvar-Hazy just is not very practical unless you do it on the way to an airplane at Dulles or are staying near there for a THREE DAY stay for folks that have never been to DC before. I would think that 99.9% of people would try to see as much as the could downtown before experimenting with things that are very time consuming and out of the way.

. . again . . Depends on how interested in Air and Space they are.

As someone who does a lot of tour guiding in DC, Udvar-Hazy is not what I would recommend for a THREE DAY stay in DC for the FIRST TIME. If they were focused on Air & Space, I would take them to the museum on The Mall (presuming they were staying somewhere in downtown snd not at Dulles Airport). One reason relatively few visitors go to Udvar-Hazy is that it is at a remote location and they have limited time.

It is obvious, by the way, that YOU are the one interested in Air & Space not the OP.

For a 3 day stay, you have enough time to do the monuments, The Capitol and probably only one museum IF YOU STAY DOWNTOWN (I also assume that part of the 3 day stay would be consumed with transport to downtown and then transport to their next destination). Making a trek out to Udvar-Hazy is really only for space nuts. Since the OP did not indicate a particular interest in Air & Space, your repeated promotion of Udvar-Hazy is a bit silly and just reveals your own predilections. It is neither practical nor good advice.

So, YOU go to Udvar-Hazy and leave those with only 3 days down on The Mall where they can see several things in one day instead of treking out to U-H and consuming an entire day.

There are a lot of good museums in the DC area and I am familiar with all of them. Some do not get a lot of traffic--such as Udvar-Hazy or the Museum of the Marine Corps--because they are way off The Mall and people have limited time. I would not recommend Udvar-Hazy, by the way, unless the people had a car and were staying at least a week or had been here several times already.

By the way, I have been to Udvar-Hazy a few times--and only one time with a tour group. It is just not practical for tour groups with limited time either. I sometimes take personal guests there because I know they would not have been there during previous visits.

Lauren . . let it go!!. . you do not have a clue what the OP interests are and neither do I.

I mearly suggested it as an alternative . . clearly the OP will make the decision that meets their interests.

What is your issue with my offereing alternatives??

The guy has 3 days and you are absolutely obsessed with Udvar-Hazy. Makes no sense for a 3 day first visit even if he is interested in Air & Space. You are the one that needs to let it go because you advice is, well, just bad unless he is as obsessed as you are.

I am obsessed????? I suggested it once and you went balistic . . what is your deal?

It was not advice . . it was an alternative. .

Are yu trying to infer that only "someone who does a lot of tour guiding in DC" can suggest alternatives?

Clearly you are having a bad day . . I'll not add to it any more.

I offered the alternative . . you ( correctly ) pointed out that it would take one whole day . .

Why does any more need to be said on the subject????

This was the original poster's question. Absolutely nothing was mentioned about being focused on Air & Space:

"We are staying in Washington DC for the first time from Friday evening until Tuesday morning in the middle of May.
Where to stay, what to do? We live in Europe, aged late fifties, have no kids and want to know: What
mustn't be missed?"

Please note that the original poster said he was staying downtown--not at Dulles Airport.

Rich, if you are going to respond to this by once again promoting Udvar-Hazy, you can have the last word. And licensed guides who visit these places all the time do know the logistics--whatever our personal preferences (mine for a museum would be American History and/or the Newseum, by the way).

I would recommend the trolley tours so at least you get a chance to "see" everything..
Also don't forget to go out at night and see the monuments all lit up!

There are a variety of monument tours. The fall into two categories:

1. You stay on the same bus, the guide stays with you when you get off and the bus waits for you but you are regimented and have to stay with the group.

2. The hop on/hop off variety where the bus circulates, you get commentary only on the bus (sometimes live and sometimes recorded) and the bus drops you off. On that sort of tour you stay as long as you want, but you might have to wait for a bus to turn up when you are ready to go.

Never buy the Arlington Tourmobile tour on the same day you do The Mall Tourmobile (if that is the option you choose). Do The Mall tour. Do Arlington on another day.

I have seen people buy more than one of these tours. Sometimes they go during the day and then again at night. I think you should only do one.

Please note that in the off season, when it is cold, many of the fountains at the monuments are drained and some of the lights are turned off. You might want to consider that as you make your decision whether to go at night or during the day. Also, there are many fewer hop on/hop off buses in the off season and huge waits when you want to board--something you might want to consider in choosing among the options.

For further advice ask at your hotel. You do not have to book these tours in advance unless you are in a huge group that needs its own bus.

I've been to D.C. twice: 7 yrs ago and last summer.

Spend a day walking around the tidal basin taking in the monuments. If you don't feel like the long walk, I would HIGHLY recommend the on/off trolley. The pass is around $45 for 2 or 3 days, can't remember. You can cover more ground this way. I would also recommend the Restaurant inside the Indian Museum for variety.

Spend one day on the National Mall. My son is 18 and he was really hoping to get to the American History Museum, but it was closed this past summer. We've been to the Nat'l Air and Space Museum, American Indian Museum, Gallery of Art,Natural History (Hope Diamond is here), there's so many! Pick 2-3 that interest you so you aren't overwhelmed. Next time we go, we want to do the Federal Mint as my son collects coins, the FBI Building and the American History Museum.

If your flight leaves at noon, you still have time to get to Arlington Cemetary on the 3rd day to see the changing of the guard. This was my favorite moment in DC the first time I went. We even went back last summer. Kennedys' graves are here. If you got the trolley pass, it also takes you here. I would plan for 2-3 hrs and go early to avoid the crowd. If your flight doesn't leave until the afternoon, I would get to another museum you missed or do some shopping.

As for hotels, we had a car rental and didn't have problems parking, although all the sites said not to get a car. We stayed at a hotel across the Potomac River as hotels were more reasonable. We didn't get our hotel early, which I recommend. Next time we go, we'll spend more on the hotel and stay closer to the National Mall and not get a car as the trolley goes everywhere and we don't mind walking.

Have fun, there's a lot to see and do!

This is a wonderful time of year to visit DC. I would recommend staying downtown. The Hay Adams Hotel (pricey), the Sofitel on Lafayette Square, the Capital Hilton at 16th St NW or the St. Regis accross the street, are all within one - two blocks from the White House and one block from the Metro (subway) which is very safe and clean, a great way to get around. Most of the museums are within a couple of stops from these hotels, or if you are walkers, within a 15-20 minute walk. You would not need a car if you stay downtown, unless you plan to venture out of the city to surrounding areas.

The National Gallery of Art and the National Portrait Gallery are two separate museums. Be sure to know that if you are going to see only one. The National Gallery is on the Mall.

I agree with Lorraine, the Library of Congress is a must see (The Thomas Jefferson Building).

You should see Monticello, the home of George Washington/our first President. There is a lovely colonial style restaurant on the grounds. You should probably make reservations.

The Sunday Brunch at Georgia Brown's is wonderful. They have a jazz band and serve southern cooking. Excellent food, again, make reservations.

Have a drink in the lounge at the St. Regis hotel.

Afternoon tea at the Willard Intercontinental.

One of our favorite outdoor cafes is Cafe de'Parc (sp?) which is part of the Willard Intercontinental Hotel. You can sit on the sidewalk and have a lovely view of the Capitol. They serve lunch and dinner, and are also open during the day if you just want to stop and have a drink to cool off.

There is no MINT in DC. We only make paper money here at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing on 14th Street, NW (adjacent to the Holocaust Museum). For a MINT on the east coast, you need to go to Philadelphia.

If you do want to see the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, there can be huge queues in the season. Contact your Congressman and reserve ahead of time. Personally, I don't think it is that interesting, but some do. DC is a choice because there is so much to see and do.

Yes the hop on/hop off trolley is an option as is the Tourmobile for getting around The Mall. It does, again, depend on what floats your boat.

By the way the hotels mentioned by dgarland are very pricey--fine if you have the money. If you want something cheaper try the Dupont Circle area. Remember, you do not have to be walking distance from The Mall (and almost nothing is because The Mall is huge). The key is being on a Metro line. If you get on the subway, you can get to where you want to go in minutes. Dupont Circle is on the red line.

<i>The key is being on a Metro line.</i>

Absolutely, just like any other big city, you can't be near everything, so stay somewhere with convenient public transportation. We've stayed all over DC (Foggy Bottom, Arlington, Woodley Park, near the White House, all over, and they've all been fine locations because they were within blocks of the metro).

You can even stay in some places in VA and just be a few minutes by Metro. Of course, where you stay (and how elegant it is) depends on the bottom line. The DC area does have hotels for every budget.

"The National Gallery of Art and the National Portrait Gallery are two separate museums. Be sure to know that if you are going to see only one. The National Gallery is on the Mall."

Just want to add that the National Portrait Gallery is in the same building as the Smithsonian American Art Museum--Frederick Remington, Childe Hassam, Mary Cassatt, Thomas Hart Benton, Edward Hopper, Georgia O'Keefe, etc. Quite a nice combination of museums.

One little correction, Montecello was Thomas Jefferson's home and is located outside of Charlottesville, VA, quite a bit further out than Mount Vernon, Washington's home which is an easy day trip from DC. While both of these homes are well worth a visit, I think for a first time 3 days visit you will have plenty to do in DC without making daytrips out of town. There are so many great museums, and sights, most of which are free. Go to the sights that appeal to you, you can't go wrong. Have fun!

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