DC Spring Break (Vanity)

Notch | 04/16/19 | Notch

[GreyFriar]

Head down to Washington’s Mount Vernon estate. It is owned and preserved by The Mount Vernon Ladies Society, a totally private organization.

An hour and a half drive northwest of Washington, DC is the Antietam Battlefield. It is a nice pause if you are driving out I-270/70 upon leaving DC.

[NotchJohnson]

Accidentally went to Kenilworth botanical garden which really is a mud pit. Got off metro and had to walk through the hood

[Harpotoo]

Well at least you get a free freak show thrown in:-)

[AppyPappy]

My daughter works at the Smithsonian African Art Museum. It is worth seeing.

Don’t forget you can buy legal weed in DC.

[daltec]

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is stunning. Massive Romanesque-style cathedral with huge, beautiful mosaics. From a distance they look like lovely paintings. When you get close, you realize they are made of tens of thousands of irregularly shaped painted tiles. It is breathatking.

Not too crowded (by DC standards) and easily accessible, by car, metro or cab/Uber. On the campus of Catholic University of American. Free guided tours. It's fabulous.

Right across the street from the Capitol are the US Botanical Gardens. Indoors, can get a little crowded (but it's usually an older crowd). Also, if you do not mind a little stroll, is the National Arboretum, a large (a few hundred acres) outdoor park. Should be beautiful this time of year with dogwoods, Japanese maples, rare black bamboo, hostas and camellias. Especially noteworthy are the so-called Ackerman hybrid Camellias, developed at the Arboretum specifically for cold-hardiness. They have some spectacular examples!

Right across the street from the Arboretum is Panda Gourmet. Do not let the looks deceive you! It is excellent Shaanxi and Sichuan cuisine.

If you are near Alexandria, Port City Brewing has tours and tastings. Somebody else mentioned the Firearms Museum at NRA headquarters in Fairfax -- also excellent!

I hope you enjoy the rest of your time in the DC area!

[Zathras]

Iwo Jima and Vietnam memorial

[cyclotic]

And watch out for traffic camera’s. DC has one camera that bring in $13,000,000 a year in added “safety”. The speed limit drops from 50 to 25 in 35 feet.

[NEMDF]

Please share with us, after-the-fact, as to what you ended up seeing and doing!

[Intolerant in NJ]

Just spend an hour or two strolling around the Mall, soaking up what history’s left......

[NotchJohnson]

I was talking to a local and I mentioned Cosmic Pizza. Evidentially this was where there was an underage sex ring.

[Albion Wilde]

I hope I’m not too late. Grew up in DC area. There are several spots to warm the hearts of patriots:

First, Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, a few miles south of the District on the banks of the Potomac River. It has a wonderful visitor center, with films and large displays, and the buildings and farm gardens on the estate are wonderful.

The World War II Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial. The cherry blossom trees should be blooming now near the Jefferson.

They may have changed it since I was there during the Dubya administration, the National Portrait Gallery has paintings of many of the Founders and early leaders of the U.S., with interesting labels showing who they are and what they did, as well as portraits of all the presidents and First Ladies.

And not to be missed is the Museum of the Bible, especially the sound-and-light shows of the Old Testament and New Testament in 15 minutes each, and the recreation of a typical village in the Holy Land as it was in the time of Jesus.

[King Moonracer]

The Spy museum. Eat lunch at Gordon Beirch across the street. Get the garlic fries.

[NotchJohnson]

Spy museum is closed.

[NotchJohnson]

Oh, there are plenty of sirens. Was on a street yesterday in 8th street and a group of people were taking hits from at a hookah bar. Not sure if it was pot but my daughter was freaked out.

[King Moonracer]

Sorry, I should have checked first. It looks like a new one opens up in a couple weeks.

[cschroe]

I forgot to add the 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon!

[NotchJohnson]

Well we are back and the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception took my breath away. I was very moved being a Catholic. No tourists are a plus.