Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Trip Report Washington DC report -- quick trip

My wife and I got back last night from a quick trip to Washington, DC. We went by train from Richmond, where we are spending part of the winter, departing at 8 AM.

As senior citizens, our Amtrak tickets were $98 RT for both of us, cheaper than we could drive and park. We used Metro and taxi to get around, more taxis than usual because of the cold weather.

We paid $121 including tax at the JW Marriott, and contrary to some Priceline users, were treated very well and had a nice room with an especially early checkin.

We went to the Philips Collection, a wonderful small museum, on Friday afternoon. There is no special exhibition, so admission was by donation and the museum was empty enough to get to see the art, including Renoir's "Luncheon of the Boating Party" and my favorite Cezanne, a self-portrait from his 40's.

Dinner Friday was at Central Michel Richard, classic French brasserie food in a modern setting in an office building near our hotel. We had read in the Washington Post of their pommes frites and steak tartare and were very happy. My wife had salmon with lentils and I had wonderful liver and bacon. This was way too much food, but I would love to go back and eat my way through the menu. Not inexpensive, especially with horrible DC meals tax which has to be more than 9%.

We then took a taxi to the Kennedy Center for a performance by the Mark Morris Dance Group, one of our favorites. A very different audience from Jacob's Pillow or Boston, and a packed house. Mark Morris himself watched the performance (Mozart Dances) from the end of the row opposite us! A big thrill for MMDG groupies, since we go to watch his reactions to what his company was doing!

Next morning we slept in a bit, had breakfast in a bakery on the corner of 14th and G (maybe) and checked out. We left our bag with the bellmen and walked to the National Museum of American History, very nearby at the foot of 14th. We had thought about taking the suitcase, but the checkroom has been eliminated in favor of lockers, and we were glad we left the luggage at the hotel.

The museum is both wonderful and disappointing since its recent renovation. The current theory is that museums can't just show you stuff but must "educate" you, so this museum is full of themed exhibits with lots of text, much of it politically correct, and relatively few objects. You don't have to tell me that slavery was awful; just show me the whip and photo of a slave's back and I can figure it out. They have Julia Child's kitchen on display with lots of explanation but not interpretation, a much better choice in my opinion, as well as demonstrating that granite counters do not a cook make.

The Star Spangled Banner exhibit was excellent, clearly showing that the entire future of the country hung in the balance at Ft McHenry. It did choke me up a bit.

The best thing about the museum is that it is free. Hordes of families of all races and economic backgrounds arrived by noon, and it was wonderful to see such a place open and free and used by such a broad spectrum of our people. I was deeply touched by the goodness of parents who go to what is really quite a lot of trouble to expose their children to this, and it is great that they don't have to worry about affording it.

After the museum, we walked back up to the hotel, got our bag, and made our way to Union Station. Our train left on time at 5, progressed about 150 feet, then sat still for 35 minutes while they found another engine to replace the broken one on the head end! The rest of the trip was quick, we made up some time, and we slept in our own beds, sufficiently tired Country Mice after a day and a half in the big city.