Washington DC

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Qube
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Washington DC

Postby Qube » 24 Mar 2016, 15:58

I need a change of scenery for a few days so booked 4 nights in DC in April. It's really easy for me to get to and I haven't been before so figured what the hell.

Any recommendations? I'll be on my own and typically not the kind of person to just go to a bar and try to talk to people. I like to walk a lot and I really like to eat... there are a couple of concerts I booked tickets (Napalm Death/The Melvins/Melt Banana at 9:30 Club and Smashing Pumpkins at the Lincoln Theatre (yeah, ok, whatever, something to do)). My airbnb booking is on 10th St NW and U St NW if it helps.

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Loki
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Re: Washington DC

Postby Loki » 25 Mar 2016, 05:07

I don't know the DC area at all - only drove thru it once - but I think I would want to go to Ford's Theatre. And probably the Smithsonian Castle.

And it's about a half-hour drive to Manassas National Battlefield Park.
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Limpin' Jez McKenzie
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Re: Washington DC

Postby Limpin' Jez McKenzie » 28 Mar 2016, 23:57

My wife lived there for 17 years and I have been there maybe 20 times.

The museums on the mall are top notch - air and space museum in particular, but also the art museums and Smithsonian. You should also visit the war memorials on the mall (and also the iwo jima memorial across the river in Arlington) -in different ways they are each highly appropriate. Then there's the Lincoln, Jefferson and fdr memorials, plus the Washington monument, all on the mall.

You can book on a tour of the library of congress, and visit the national archive where the declaration of independence, construction and Bill of rights are on show. To see these you just queue up -I think -May have changed now.

The Georgetown area has plenty of bars and restaurants, as does DuPont circle and adams-morgan district

There is a place Stephanie and her mates used to go called the Vegas lounge at 1415 P street NW where Doctor Blues and his band used to play classic soul and funk. The good doctor is dead now but I assume the place goes on http://www.newvegasloungedc.com

And I love walking around the area on the east side on the capitol - tree-lined streets, terraced houses, you could be in Europe. There are cafes and restaurants on Pennsylvania ave out that way. Eastern market at 225 7th street SE is the last of the old wholesale markets and you can get a great breakfast or brunch out there
http://Www.eastermarket-dc.org

Steph always used to go to a mexican restaurant called la Loma also on capitol hill.

Great place.
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Re: Washington DC

Postby Limpin' Jez McKenzie » 28 Mar 2016, 23:59

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I kept thinking "swim as far as you can, swim as far as you can".

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Qube
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Re: Washington DC

Postby Qube » 29 Mar 2016, 16:18

Thanks, really appreciate that! I haven't had time to come up with much of an itinerary yet so that's really helpful.

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Re: Washington DC

Postby Limpin' Jez McKenzie » 29 Mar 2016, 16:35

The main stuff on the mall is great - most of the national museums are free. You may need to book to go up the washington monument and they are VERY security conscious there so it takes a while to get in.

Union Station is near the capitol, and is an impressive rail station - Steph says it used to be a scary hole when she was at college, but it was refurbished and cleaned up 15/20 years ago.

they have one of those amphibious tours - DC Ducks - it's not bad.

Rock Creek Park is the place for a rural stroll or riding bikes etc - it is quite a big wilderness park.
There's also a curious national park called theodore roosevelt island right there in the Potomac.
I kept thinking "swim as far as you can, swim as far as you can".

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toomanyhatz
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Re: Washington DC

Postby toomanyhatz » 29 Mar 2016, 18:17

Go to a Nationals game!

I also recommend the typical touristy stuff, 'cause so much of it is free.

I haven't been there for 25 years, but I really loved it at the time. I was struck by how powerful the imagery was. I mean, you can definitely make the case that it's a glorification of western imperialism, but it's also a very contradictory one - MLK's marches and tons of anti-war protests happened there. It's where idealism clashes. You can feel it in the air, or at least I could.

And do go to the Vietnam Memorial. It's a pretty intense experience that everybody should have once.
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Re: Washington DC

Postby Geezee » 29 Mar 2016, 21:50

toomanyhatz wrote:Go to a Nationals game!

I also recommend the typical touristy stuff, 'cause so much of it is free.

I haven't been there for 25 years, but I really loved it at the time. I was struck by how powerful the imagery was. I mean, you can definitely make the case that it's a glorification of western imperialism, but it's also a very contradictory one - MLK's marches and tons of anti-war protests happened there. It's where idealism clashes. You can feel it in the air, or at least I could.

And do go to the Vietnam Memorial. It's a pretty intense experience that everybody should have once.


Although the Korean Memorial took me aback much more - didn't know about it and it floored me a bit.

It seems you've already booked but I tend to stay at Mansion on O Street which may be the craziest hotel I've ever stayed at if you can afford it. Guitars left lying around pretty much every room, all sorts of weird memorabilia, hidden doors, themed rooms.
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Loki
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Re: Washington DC

Postby Loki » 02 Apr 2016, 02:40

Geezee wrote:I tend to stay at Mansion on O Street which may be the craziest hotel I've ever stayed at if you can afford it. Guitars left lying around pretty much every room, all sorts of weird memorabilia, hidden doors, themed rooms.

That looks very cool.

http://www.omansion.com
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Re: Washington DC

Postby Corporate whore » 06 Apr 2016, 20:40

A day trip out to Alexandria is a must.

The Air and Space museum is a time-magnet, and as said above, the Korean War memorial is very moving.

If you have transport, then a drive out to Mt. Vernon (Washingtons home) is highly recommended.

Having said that, I could easily spend 4 days in the museums alone.
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