NationStates Jolt Archive

I'm going to Washington, D.C. for a conference at the end of this week and I'll probably have a day I can use for sight-seeing.

Any suggestions on where to go? I've never been there before.

if you only have a day and you have never been there before (and you dont want to go whitewater rafting on the potomac) shouldnt you take a look at the list of smithsonian museums and pick your top 3 to visit?

plus the mall and the vietnam memorial.

The Smithsonian (sp?) Museum is nice.

International Spy Museum
Out in Fairfax, the National Firearms Museum
Any one of the Smithsonians is worth it (Air and Space, American History, Natural History).
The National Gallery of Art is worth it.

Get the best steak in town at the The Capitol Grille at 6th & Pennsylvania. They also have the best martini in town.

Or, go up to New York Avenue and eat authentic Moroccan food at The Marrakesh (which really is a great combination of good food and great entertainment).

Or, you can go up to Adams Morgan and dine on the rooftop at Perry's.

Living right outside DC I know of many places

Anywhere on the Mall (Smithsonian, National Art Gallery, Air and Space Museum, Capitol, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, etc) All good

The National Arboredum ( a bit away from the city Center but great if you like nature, trees, flowers etc)

Spy Museum, Ford's Theatre, and other historic buildings

National Cathedral (I'm not catholic but it is a gorgeous building)

The Mormon Temple Visitor Center ;) (can't help but put a plug in for my church) seriously it is cool but very far from the city center :)

You might be interested in the World War II Memorial. Its new and its at the foot of the reflection pool. While you're there, the Washington Monument (closed) and Lincoln Memorial and Vietnam War Memorial are all a short walk away.
Georgetown is loaded with bars and restaurants.

They have a flight simulator you can try in the Air and Space Museum- its outrageous!! We just did this last month on our Washington trip . Its pretty intense.

I'm going to Washington, D.C. for a conference at the end of this week and I'll probably have a day I can use for sight-seeing.

Any suggestions on where to go? I've never been there before.
The entire place is an amazing area. Everywhere you go, there's something cool to see.

The Jefferson Memorial is great, as it's near the water and the cherry trees are wonderful in spring.

The National Aquarium is NOT worth it, unless it's 103 degrees out and you need a break.

Going to the top of the Washington Monument is cool if it's a clear day.

As far as I could tell, I did NOT see Lee's head on the back of Lincoln's statue at his memorial. If you're there, check out the Viet Nam memorial too. My family came here in 1970, yet I still get choaked-up when I see it.

The National Archives are a MUST!! They're just across from the Smithsonian Castle, and have all the orginal documents. I believe they also are still showing all four pages of the Constitution, which hasn't been done for *decades*.

PS:
If you're on the Mall and hungry, you have very few options -- there are some hot dog vendors.

Failing that, you need to either go into the Air & Space (they have a food court), go into L'Efant Plaza or some of the other buildings (ditto), or get off the Mall. :(

A walk along the Tidal Basin to look at the Jefferson Memorial is nice.

I'd suggest walking from the Washington Monument, past the WWII Memorial, along the Reflecting Pool to the Lincoln Memorial.

The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum ROCKS. Ditto for the Natural History Museum.

They do a Grey Line-type city tour -- you can pick up the bus in front of the National History Museum.

The question isn't "What is there to do" so much as "How do I cram it all into a limited amount of time?"

Even if you're not really interested, the Planetarium show at the Air & Space is really, really good.

I'll second the Smithsonian suggestion as a native of the Washington, D.C. area. The (National) Mall is also excellent for sightseeing.

If you're into sports, the Washington Nationals are completing a 13 game homestand at RFK Stadium with three games against Oakland, then three more against Seattle.

Wish you all the best for the weekend and enjoy your stay. Hope you can do lots of sightseeing and the weather suits your plans!

When I first read through this, only one thing came to my mind that you should definitely not do: Stand in front of the Capitol and just stare...

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/04/11/national/main687351.shtml
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-04-11-capitol-suitcases_x.htm
http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Australian-sparks-Washington-bomb-scare/2005/04/12/1113251625497.html?oneclick=true

Other than that, have a nice weekend!

Visit Sarzonia and Bottle.

Arlington National Cemetary is pretty interesting, and its relatively easy to park there too. Nice and green, and a lot of history and you can watch the Honor Guard change and visit JFKs grave.