Timboy and I are going to our nation’s capital to celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary. Are there any good restaurants there? And what is fun to do? We were thinking of going to the International Spy Museum and Colonial Williamsburg (which was featured in my dissertation) — but I’d love to hear suggestions from locals. Thanks!
- Comment
- Reblog
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Fishy thoughts 
Check out the National Museum of the American Indian, and then tell me how it was. It was still under construction when I was there in May. The WWII Memorial is inspiring as much for the veterans you will see touring it as the memorial itself. The Hirschhorn Sculpture Museum (part of the Smithsonian) is great, and you can do it quickly. My favorite place, the National Gallery of Art, has been under renovation but is now open again. All of these are on the National Mall, along with the Smithsonian, The White House, the Washington Monument, etc etc. Spend the day there. Enjoy.
the GF reccommends the smithsonian, espec the natural History Museum? I haven’t been there, but as long as you stay away fomr Baltimore you should have fun!
DC has tons of excellent restaurants. Make sure you stop by Adams Morgan on a Friday or Saturday night. Places to eat include: Meze (mediterrenean), Meskerem (Ethiopian), and Thai Regent. These are all on 18th St. 18th street is also lined with plenty of bars/pubs/clubs. A few of them (Felix, Madams Organ, etc) have live music.
here’s couple of places from my last trip out to DC:
Sort of between Georgetown & Cleveland Park (off Wisconsin) is 2 Amys, one of the best Italian (Neopolitan) restaurants I’ve been to. A rather casual place, and quite reasonable priced with great unknown italian wines in the $20 range. Here’s the WP link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?node=entertainment/profile&id=1065974
Also really good — and for late night dining on weekends plus a small jazz or brazillian band is Utopia @ U & 14th NW, adams morgan-ish. Frommers link: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/morenight.cfm?h_id=22472
lunch during the week @ Old Ebbitt across from the Treasury always a must if you like the club sandwich/french dip & beer scenario. and after lunch you can hop next door to the hotel washington rooftop terrace for an afternoon cocktail.
18th street lounge for good solid Dj’s. (1212 18th St) they also have live bands. http://www.eslmusic.com/lounge/lounge-history.html
(These are folks that bring you Thievery Corp, Nicola Conte, Frederico Aubele etc…)
enjoy!
I used to live in Richmond and would get to DC often.
If you like french-bistro hit Bistrot du Coin in Dupont Circle. Great place. Also DC Coast is amazing as is Charlie Palmer Steak, if steak is your thing, altho the menu is diverse. You can’t beat the view onto the Capitol either.
Colonial W’burg is a worthwhile trip, especially this time of year.
Enjoy!
DC is a small village like SF so all the obvious stuff is obvious.
If you get hungry for Korean food, try Woo Lae Oak in Pentagon City, Virginia (Yellow and Blue lines on the Metro).
The Phillips Collection, off Dupont Circle, DC, is exhibiting Miro and Kandinsky.
If you have the time, check out Baltimore. It can be skanky like Philadelphia but parts of it are charming. I would check out the Inner Harbor and particularly the American Visionary Art Museum, http://avam.org. There you will see the most surreal art.
For nightlife, try the 18th Street Lounge. If you are indie, try the Black Cat.
I’m visiting the Bay Area in early Nov. What’s cool besides Fry’s?
I grew up in the DC area and visit my parents at least once every couple of years or so. While I can’t recommend restaurants (my preferred restaurant during my youth was the Roy Rogers fast food chain), I can offer some other suggestions.
You definitely want to go to Colonial Williamsburg. The large historic area is well worth the visit.
If you have time, drive a little west and visit Monticello.
You may (or may not) want to go to the Holocaust Museum. I have never actually seen the main part of the museum – my then-young daughter got to the elevators (that looked like rail cars) and freaked out. This was just after we had been handed “passports” for people who died in the Holocaust. We ended up touring the childrens’ exhibit, which was traumatic enough.
Spend a week touring the museums north of the Mall and east of 14th Street.
Hope this helps.
When will you be in DC? I’ll let you know if any special events are happening.
What do you like to do?
I grew up there and go back frequently, it is a great place to be a tourist, although better in sunnier weather. It is likely to be cold this time of year, so bring a warm jacket and sweater.
If you are interested in airplanes, the brand new Udvar-Hazy Annex to the Air and Space Museum is awesome. See a Concorde, an SR-71, and WWI fighter planes up close. Great tours by the volunteer docents, many of them retired military pilots. Other than that, all the Smithsonian museums are fascinating — the Museum of the American Indian just opened and is getting good reviews.
Make sure to stop by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial — it is incredibly powerful (and relevant).
Adams Morgan does have some of the more interesting good food. If you want to soak up some political ambiance, go have drinks at Happy Hour at Bullfeathers on Capital Hill and see all the congressional aides preening.
Go visit your congressman or woman — if you stop by the office, they’ll give you a nice book, maybe get your picture taken with your congresscritter if s/he is around.
It is different from the Bay Area in a lot of ways, as you will discover.
Have a great trip.
DC has just about every type of food you might want, so depending on where your hotel is located, there are plenty of food & price options. If you visit Georgetown, try Mie N Yu on M Street (Silk Road themed restaurant/bar with multiple levels), and Peacock Cafe (off Wisconsin Avenue, next door to the more expensive Cafe Milano). There are some good restaurants in Dupont Circle too, like Gabriel and Rosemary’s Thyme Bistro.
When in DC, of course check out the Mall and the museums. If you get museumed out, visit Old Town Alexandria, VA. Walk up and down King Street and check out the art studios at the Torpedo Factory (yes, it was a torpedo factory in WWII). Good restaurants in Old Town include the Majestic Cafe, Cafe Salsa and Las Tapas.
Enjoy the visit.