Tunehead54 (& Family) Goes To Washington (Trip Tips Vanity!)

My To Do List ^ | 3-18-05 | Tunehead54

[Tunehead54]

Hi gang! Since its Friday maybe this won't get pulled before I get a couple of tips. We're 50 and taking our two gals (17 & 14) and our guy (10).

We'll be arriving Sunday 3-20 (Amtrak willing)and leaving Friday 3-25.

If there are any great places to eat or relatively unknown cool places to visit you know of we'd appreciate a quick post.

BTW, since I read Michener's "Chesapeake" years ago I've regularly tried crab cakes but they never have lived up to his description. Softshell crabs however, have! Yumm.

Any DC FReepers - please ping the rest of the local gang and if you could schedule a FReep on Wednesday between 4:30 and 5:00pm that'd be great! ;-)

We'll be at the Hotel Washington - hope its not a mistake - when we were there in 1983 my mom's room lacked hot water. Hope they've fixed that.

Anyway any tips will be appreciated - I should be online when we're there - worse case I'm certain I can find a few hotspots.

We hope to work in the usual spots and have tried to map places geographically - the list below is in no particular order.

1.	White House
2.	Congress
3.	Supreme Court
4.	Lincoln Memorial
5.	Jefferson Memorial
6.	Vietnam Memorial
7.	Arlington Memorial
8.	WWII Memorial
9.	Smithsonian
a.	Air & Space
b.	Natural History Museum
10.	National Gallery
11.	Library of Congress
12.	Bureau of Engraving & Printing
13.	National Archives
14.	Ford’s Theatre
15.	Botanical Gardens
16.	Ford Theater
17.	Mount Vernon 

[Steven W.]

DC Coast - K Street. Excellent food. Trendy. Contemporary. Relatively expensive (not bad). Make Reservations. Younger crowd than Vidalia

I concur - DC Coast is EXCELLENT!

[Peach]

I've been to the Memorial on four different trips (my parents used to live in Maryland so we visited DC a lot). And each time I found it overwhelming.

Of course, in Mt. Pleasant outside Charleston, we also visited the USS Yorktown and had to leave. There were three older men in front of us talking about "Harry" who had died on the Yorktown. It undid me to watch grown men cry.

[Tunehead54]

Thanks. I'm lucky. I only have one name to find on the wall but I feel for all of them.

We'll add tissues to the list - my wife always has hand cleaner available for all! ;-)

[Steven W.]

Here you go - links to a few of the best restaurants in DC:

DC Coast
Tony & Joe's
Blackies

Enjoy yourself!

[Tunehead54]

Day passes for the metro are your friend...

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Thanks! I'd found a guidebook online that set up tours along the Metro but couldn't find a place to order it ... sigh. Maybe we can find one when we get there - the Metro website could be more helpful!

[relee]

The Washington Monument reopens on April 1st, so you won't be able to go inside, but you may want to take some pictures of it when you're on the mall.
The FDR memorial is worth a half hour or so if you can squeeze it in.

[Peach]

Enjoy your trip, Tunehead.

[Tunehead54]

Re: Vidalia

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Will check it out - we can splurge in a few places! ;-) - What makes it a little tougher is that 3 out of five are vegetarians - but we always work something out! ;-)

[chalkfarmer]

The Holocaust Museum, also I kind of like the Corcoran.

[Endeavor]

You won't be sorry (re: Vidalia) they have great veggies, altho I must say the roast duck will knock your socks off.

[Tunehead54]

Too late to call your congressman to get into the Capitol? It's a great tour.

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Thanks but we're set up with a Senate/HR tour - we started a couple of months ago but WH tix are still up in the air.

Thanks for your tips! :-)

[Lil'freeper]

I don't see the National Cathedral on your list! Not like you need another stop or anything. :) If you get the chance, though, it's really wonderful.

Something we did for my mother when she visited last was get tix for one of the trolley tours. I'm sure the DC locals will scoff, but it helped us make sure she got to see lots of stuff without getting wiped out from the walking. *Well* worth the money, imo. The tix are like a day pass. You can get off the trolley at any stop, stay as long as you like, and then get back on the next one for the rest of the tour.

[Tunehead54]

I don't see the National Cathedral on your list!

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Trolley tips appreciated! We plan to do that maybe Sunday or Monday as an intro - I believe the Cathedral is a stop and one of the highest places so we'll check it out and take a few pics of the area. Thanks for the reminder. Some places we just plan on walking by and waving - Washington Monument, FBI, IRS, State Dept., etc. - I'm limiting my wife's shopping at the Old Post Office to two hours! ;-)

[Lil'freeper]

We ate lunch on the grounds. Lovely place for a picinic. Granted it was summer....

[Lil'freeper]

Beware the Smithsonian gift shops..... you'll never see her again!

[Tunehead54]

Thanks for your time tips. I know we won't see it all but having split things up geographically - some things we'll just wave at as we go by others we'll spend whatever time necessary.

I've just heard that a WH tour is out - off to email Jeb - as voter #536 and on the Buckhead thread when we flushed dan and SeeBS down the toilet I think they ought to let us in! ;-)

[Hank Rearden]

Except for peeing on the FDR statues, I have very little desire to visit Parasite Town.

[Tunehead54]

Thanks! My mouth is watering already! ;-)

[Tunehead54]

Umm! Roast Duck! I'll have to tell my daughter (the sensitve one) that he died of old age but that sounds inviting! ;-)

[Tunehead54]

Except for peeing on the FDR statues, I have very little desire to visit Parasite Town.

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Threadkiller! Me, I almost peed in my pants seeing the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, meeting Justice O'Connor (changed mind since), a WH tour, etc. Very cool. Sorry you can't appreciate the center of our greatness - faults included.