Things that you need to do/see in D.C.?

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What do you enjoy? That's a nice pick of a hotel btw (near my old neck of the woods...)

The International Spy Museum is quite popular...
A paddle boat ride near the cherry blossoms down town......
The regular museums which are free (my favs are the modern art museum and the native american museum....)
A cruise around C&O Canal in Georgetown where you're staying....

Loads of good restaurants -in Georgetown some goodones are Mie N Yu, Cafe Malano, Citronelle
(here's a great run down of places here Dining Guides (washingtonian.com))

In terms of bars, nightlife, really depends on taste ( I like places like 18th st. lounge and Gazuza in Dupont Circle)

If you are into jazz or live performances, you can stop by Blues Alley in Georgetown as well....

more info here
Legal Drinking Age Check


There's also an ESPN sports zone restaurants some place downtown. DC is actually pretty cool because it's very walkable and there's loads to see and do and it's a quite "fresh" city as people are always coming in and going out.

Honestly it really depends on what kind of "vibe" you want as well while in town

-staffers?
-expat/internationals vibe?
-locals?
-college/new grad crowd?
-touristy?

The best thing to do is to decide before hand what you really enjoy; that way it's easier to know where you want to hit up in the city

have fun!
 
Thanks for that awesome post. I'm going with my girlfriend so I'm sure she'll love the paddleboat ride idea. I'd say we'd be looking for a combination of touristy and college/new grad stuff to do. Any particular recommendations with that in mind?
 
CLKeenan said:
Thanks for that awesome post. I'm going with my girlfriend so I'm sure she'll love the paddleboat ride idea. I'd say we'd be looking for a combination of touristy and college/new grad stuff to do. Any particular recommendations with that in mind?
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Paddleboat ride - Tidal Basin Paddle Boats (really cheap for such a pleasurable experience!!)

Quick tip: pick her a few cherry blossoms on your way there and you are guaranteed to get lucky that night, haha, j/k


Gosh, it's been a while re: the college/new grad stuff but I'd say in terms of bars, stick to alot of stuff in Georgetown or near American University (in Tenleytown) and you can't go wrong.

You may also want to check out Buffalo Billiards which is actually kind of cool.

Buffalo Billiards DC

There's also a cruise too that provides a really nice view - you can check it out here:
Washington Cruises, Washington Dinner Cruises | Spirit Cruises in Washington DC
(Spirit of Washington)

Dinner Cruise Washington D.C. on the Potomac River

There's also the National Zoo which isn't too far from where you'll be staying.

You can walk around and shop in Chinatown which has some really cool bars and restaurants and shops that has popped up lately.

There's an imax too Smithsonian IMAX Theaters & Einstein Planetarium

(gosh this sounds way fun, I'm enjoying just thinking about the awesome time you guys will have - now's a way cool time to be in DC before that God awful heat kicks in :s)

You said your driving right? Honestly, you could probably drive around if you wanted as parking is nowhere near as bad as say NYC downtown but you guys should probably grab one of those DC Metro passes for the weekend so you can just walk around and enjoy each other's company, the sites, etc. without the bother of parking. Also, there are all these connector buses that will take you from the heart of Georgetown to almost all of the touristy parts.


If you want to go "off the beaten" path a bit, you guys can hit up U street which is kind of like...hmm let me think? Perhaps the village in NYC. You can go to Ben's chili bowl which is fun! I took a Swedish friend there about 3 years ago and she was all like "wow this is awesome", lol, like she was in a Spike Lee or Will Smith movie or something, lol.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fmd-rWDbkY&feature=related"]YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.[/ame]

If you see Obama there tell him I said hi, lol

Have fun!

Oh, ps you may want to check out what's at Ford's Theatre, The National Theatre and/or The Kennedy Center!! Sometimes they have deals.....

It's "our" capital so make sure to partake in the wonderful, high quality free things to do as well ;).


pps
here's a cool vid of close to where you'll be to. Don't forget the Lincoln Memorial!!!

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZq0uGb2rlU"]YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.[/ame]
 
If you're up for it, rent some bikes from Thompson Boat Center and bike down to Mt. Vernon to check out George Washington's Crib. It's a nice little ride with beautiful scenery ~ 15 miles each way.

While you're there (Thompson Boat Center), you could instead rent canoes or kayaks and paddle down around Teddy Roosevelt Island. If its not too hot out, this is a fun option. Get a cooler and throw in some booze/sandwhiches - walk past the entrance to the boathouse and hide your cooler down by the canal. Go rent the boat, paddle around and pick up your cooler.

They don't let you bring booze out on the boats so that's one way around it.
 
nickycakes said:
The National Gallery of Art
Air + Space Museum

my favs
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Ditto that, and for fans of popular culture, there's http://americanhistory.si.edu/. This Smithsonian museum has the famous exhibits of stuff like Archie Bunker's chair, Fonzie's jacket, Dorothy's ruby slippers. All of the Smithsonians are federal museums and free to get in.

You can also take in a visit to the canal at Georgetown, and don't miss the house (now a museum) across the street from the Ford Theater. They took Lincoln there after he was shot, and it's a grim but interesting memorial where they have his deathbed on display and a pillow with his blood under glass.
 
Send your GF to a museum while you head to Georgetown and get some of the fine international ass that is all over the place. There is more hot bitches per city block in Georgetown than anywhere else on earth.
 
riddarhusetgal made some excellent suggestions in terms of museums. If you are interested in art, I would also suggest checking out Corcoran as they frequently have very unique exhibitions.

In terms of nightlife, another vote for Gazuza. Very chill place with good music and great drinks.

If the weather is good, rent a kayak in Georgetown . You can rent one at the Thompson Boat Center that Isostar13 mentioned above, but I personally prefer Jack's Boat House . Much friendlier staff and only the locals seem to know about the place, so a much shorter wait.
 
Isostar13 said:
Yeah.. he's right about jacks. It's a more chill spot. I only suggest TBC because I used to work there as a summer job in HS.
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The prices at Jacks though are much more expensive. Not only are their rates higher by the hour, they are also per person too while it looks as though Thompsons is by the hour for the type of boat you get.
 
I think that may be right. A flat rate per boat. Also, it used to be you could keep a boat all day and only pay 3 hrs x hourly rate. If you go on a weekend, get there early though, we used to run out of everything before 10am.
 
I'm from Baltimore and don't go to DC all THAT much but some ideas (including repeats):


  • National Zoo
  • Spy Museum
  • Washington Nationals baseball game (2nd year in their new stadium)
  • I heard Ben's Chili Bowl is good and its a cool thing just to say you've been
  • Smithsonian
  • Walk around National Mall
  • National Gallery Of Art

While it sounds completely inappropriate for this trip, the Holocaust Museum is an incredibly moving experience. It is a bit too big - by the time you're half way done you're thoroughly informed/depressed and want it to be over - but I would recommend you go at least once in your life. Not on this trip... but at some point.

I would also say go see the White House but there are SOOOO many historical buildings and landmarks and crap that you should probably just take one of those 1-hour Tourist Bus Tours to kick everything off and then hone in on a few key things you want to do.
 
Lived in DC for about six months. If you want the real deal awesome view of the city without the cramped space of the Washington Monument, check out the Old Post Office. Old Post Office Pavilion

If you want to get into some trouble at night, check out Adam's Morgan. You're sure to see at least a couple of guys who would love to fight you.

Call your senator or rep before hand and let them know you're coming, you might be able to score a personal tour of the capitol building. I think they might have changed the rules in recent years to not allow that, but it's worth a shot. For real, if they care about their office, they'll help you.

the basement of the modern art museum has gelato .. it's good.

@trigatch4 - yes the holocaust museum is incredible. I have to agree with you there. Something I think all people should see, but can be a real downer on a fun getaway. I have to say I was disappointed with the spy museum though. It's kind of expensive for what you get. Was pretty boring to me.

If you like sushi, there's a pretty good place called kyoto up by union station that's pretty cheap and won't take you far from the capitol

anyway, don't miss the old post office tower, that's the spot for realz
 
CLKeenan said:
The prices at Jacks though are much more expensive. Not only are their rates higher by the hour, they are also per person too while it looks as though Thompsons is by the hour for the type of boat you get.
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Wow! Seems we're having as much fun helping you plan as you will going. Also, DO NOT FORGET TO PICK YOUR GIRL A FEW CHERRY BLOSSOMS!!

Guys, seriously, it may be like the 21st century and all but this sort of thing doesn't cost a dime and your lady will remember it forever (well, if she is the feminist type she may not like it but, 8 times out of 10 it goes over really well!).

She will be on the phone with all her girls like "oh and we went to DC and had a lovely time and ooh wee he even picked me some cherry blossoms!! It was such a turn on!!!"

Then the other girls will respond, "OMFG, he did that?!" Why can't I find a guy like that. "

Haha, yes this stuff doesn't get old. For some reason it *feels* a lot more special when you all pick them vs. buy them.

Anyway, forget AM and work for a while and have loads of fun!
 
riddarhusetgal said:
Wow! Seems we're having as much fun helping you plan as you will going. Also, DO NOT FORGET TO PICK YOUR GIRL A FEW CHERRY BLOSSOMS!!

Guys, seriously, it may be like the 21st century and all but this sort of thing doesn't cost a dime and your lady will remember it forever (well, if she is the feminist type she may not like it but, 8 times out of 10 it goes over really well!).

She will be on the phone with all her girls like "oh and we went to DC and had a lovely time and ooh wee he even picked me some cherry blossoms!! It was such a turn on!!!"

Then the other girls will respond, "OMFG, he did that?!" Why can't I find a guy like that. "

Haha, yes this stuff doesn't get old. For some reason it *feels* a lot more special when you all pick them vs. buy them.

Anyway, forget AM and work for a while and have loads of fun!
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Thanks for the tips buddy. I'm right there with you on all yours tips. I'm more romantic, spontaneous, etc than she is. I would tell you some of the gifts I've given her, but I'm afraid you guys would try to get my man card revoked for caring so much haha
 
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