I will be traveling to Washington DC at the end of the month. Any suggestions on really good restaurants or things to do (besides the obvious, of course!)

Things to do: Go to the National Cathedral and take the tour ($2 donation). Incredible gothic architecture and stained glass, reaking with history. Towers give access to wonderful views of Washington and the area. A "don't miss."

Things to do: Go to the National Cathedral and take the tour ($2 donation). Incredible gothic architecture and stained glass, reaking with history. Towers give access to wonderful views of Washington and the area. A "don't miss."

Dee: See my suggestion in a topic above this one on the Lincoln Memorial at night. A fine restaurant (not cheap but good value for the money) is the Prime Rib on K Street around 20th. Check the Washingtonian magazine and Washingtonpost.com for their restaurant recommendations. Go down to Mount Vernon, VA. and see George Washington's ancestral home. When at the Natl. Cathedral see the gift shop (basement) and the Bishop's garden outside on the north side. Woodrow Wilson is interred in one of the naves at the side of the Cathedral. Biggest selection of restaurants is in Bethesda, MD which has over 100 restaurants in a relatively small area but most of them nothing special. There are a few specialized museums on the Mall which are underground - don't overlook them. The Folger Shakespeare Library on Capitol Hill is often overlooked as is the reading room of the Library of Congress which has recently been refurbished and the ceiling in the lobby and reading room are worth your time. There are usually specialized exhibits in the Library of Cong. so if you're in the area check what is on exhibit. The National Arboretum has a gorgeous collection of Bonsai which were given by the Japanese govt. for the Bicentennial. Be sure to see the gem/mineral collection at the Museum of Natural History. The Daughters of the American Revolution has a fine museum which you enter at the side of their building fronting on 17th St. Walk through Georgetown for some nice historical houses. Visit the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception at Catholic University for a fine Catholic church. The National Medical Museum at Walter Reed Medical Center is an interesting collection of diseased and damaged organs encased in plastic and jars (you said out of the ordinary I recall) and a similar yet smaller collection can be found in George Washington University Medical school in Foggy Bottom. Travel down the 14th St. area and see some "Riot architecture" (buildings with all-brick fronts). Union Station is interesting inside also the Old Post Office building on Penna. Avenue. There were free chamber music concerts on Sunday evenings at one National Gallery of Art atrium. Arena Stage and the Old Vat room there have some interesting productions you might enjoy. Go up to the roof of the Kennedy Center and walk around it day or night - nice views of the city, Potomac and Crystal City (VA). There is a piece of land near National Airport where you can park and watch the planes take off and land right over your head! The Nature Centers in Rock Creek Park are attractive and interesting. There are several places where Flying Circuses are operating - check the Weekender section of the Washington Post which comes out on Friday. There are all kinds of special events, shows, etc. going on all the time so look for these in the Weekender. Go up to Great Falls (but stay off the rocks as they are very dangerous). This should be enough to keep you occupied.

Don't know your interests, but if you want to experience a lively part of town, go to the Adams Morgan area. It's chock full of restaurants that feature cuisine from the world over, has lots of bars and dance clubs. Located in NW DC on 17th St. Easy access by cab.

Also, if you're interested in a little down home cooking in an upscale environment, try Georgia Brown's restaurant. Located at 15th and K Sts NW. It's a little pricey (maybe try lunch instead of dinner) but it's worth it!

Georgetown might be worth a visit. Many shops, a nice mall, lots of bars and restaurants. It's located in NW DC -- easiest way to get there is by cab. Parking can be scarce.

Of course, as mentioned previously, there are tons of monuments and other "official" Washington sights. Weather should be fairly nice at the time of year you're visiting. Have fun!

One more thing...if you are going to be here on the week-end and if you enjoy political humor, go to Chelsea's in Georgetown to hear The Capital Steps. They are a riot! They have their own wedsite which you should be able to find thru any good search engine. They do political/current event musical parodies based on classic songs. Their most recent CD is titled "Sixteen Scandals."

First day, take the "trams" that run the length of the Mall and to Arlington Cemetery. The drivers give you a good overview of points of interest and you can get off and on at any point. Well worth the money.

I believe the "trams" referred to above are called Tourmobiles. They follow a predetermined route and stops and tourists can get on and off at their pleasure. I believe a ticket can be purchased for the day or perhaps several.

I new place we discovered in DC was the Old Post
Office tower. It is a block or two from the mall.
You climb up a bell tower which houses the Congressional Bells. There is a really nice view
of Washington from the top and the lines aren't
nearly as long as the Washington Monument. It
should be on a map of the area. You can get a map
at any information booth. Any of the Smithonian
Museums are great also.

The Tourmobiles are good for the first day,you can see what you want to do on later days. You can even see more by taking the Metro. Know where you want to go before you get there and ask someone who's used it before, it's hard to figure out at first, but then it's a snap. Make sure you go with change, you get your tickets from a machine. The Metro will give you a wider range of places to see, like Georgetown. You should already have tickets to the White House and FBI tours, if not, good luck. Have a good time.

For what it's worth, here are some more suggestions:
If you have small children in your group, the Capital Children's Museum was a delight. Lunch at the underground cafeteria between the two National Art Museums is inexpensive and has some good choices, and is a perfect place for people-watching while you dine. We ate family style at Music City Roadhouse in Georgetown, if you like Jazz and Blues and love barbeque, this is the place to try!
Alexandria right across the river has a nice area close to the river for strolling/shopping/eating.
Enjoy your trip!

The Metro fare machines take bills of several denominations up to $20. You don't need change. If the farecard has insufficient funds on it when you try to exit the system go to the addfare machine and put the exact amount (you can use a bill) on the farecard and the machine will give you a refund in change.

I live in the area so my best suggestion is to
check out the very good reviews for restaurants/
clubs in Washingtonian Magazine (www.washingtonian.
com) and the Wash Post sites (www.washingtonpost.com).
As far as sites, I think the obvious are the best
of Washington, esp if you haven't been here before.
Personal opinions -- the Natural Hist. Museum is
not very good compared to other cities, so I'd
skip that (although I think they have just put out
their gem collection again which is good if you
like that; it wasn't being shown for a while). I
wouldn't go to Natl Cathedral unless you have some
particular interest in churches. It's not old;
in fact, it was just finally finished a couple years
ago. It is a big, gothic-style Episcoplian church,
but I've been to Europe & seen real Gothic churches
(not just neo-reproductions of them), so maybe that's
why I'm not so impressed.