My son and I went on a trip to Washington DC for a few days to get to know our Nation's Capitol.
When I was searching out places to stay, how we should get around, what we should see, I had trouble finding anything helpful so I am posting what we did in hopes that if someone finds this, it will help them on their journey to Washington DC.
We planned on driving so I knew we could stay out of the city and close, but not extremely close to the rail.
First off, be sure to take comfortable walking shoes and plan on walking ALOT!
and be prepared to have your Bags Checked at entrances.
Where we Stayed
We stayed outside the city in Vienna, Virginia. That is the last stop on the orange line.
Vienna is a nice little suburb and we got to know it fairly well. We stayed at the Wolf Trap Inn. Our rates were $44 per night, as we went through Expedia. We stayed Saturday through Wednesday. It was an older hotel, but they are remodeling so the rooms are clean and comfortable, bathrooms are being updated and it is close to what Vienna has to offer.
The first night, we walked across the street to PaPa Joes for some Italian. I got up the next morning, went left out and found TWO Starbucks. That made my day and the trip on the rail nice.
Vienna does not have much, but they do offer CVS, Walgreen's, a few other stores and some great shops, along with local restaurants.
One of my favorite things to do it look at the parking lot of local restaurants to see how busy they are at certain times of the day, that is why I had a great breakfast at Armandos. They are a 24 hour restaurant, catering and bakery.
We ate dinner twice at Tequila Grande. Their food is made, mostly from scratch and the guacamole is fabulous!
I also went across the street to Cupcakes, a cupcakery. In this little mall area, there were cute shops and specialty food places, along with a Birkenstocks store, in case you forgot your comfy shoes. It was nice.
We enjoyed great service at all of these places.
Traveling the Rail
Go to http://www.wmata.com/
Go to rail and click on map to see where the rails go to. This allows you to find areas where you can get on the rail. Some are Park and Ride and some are not. Vienna, VA is Park and Ride. If you do not have a car or at a park and ride location, check out bus routes as well.
Taking the rail. Like I said, we did Park and Ride, which was $4.50 per day. The first couple days we found a spot easily but the last day, we had trouble so we drove to Dunn Loring to find a spot.
I recommend, getting to Park and Rides, on weekdays, around 9:45am to get a reserved spot that opens at 10:00 am. These are tow zones during 2:00 am to 10:00 am. Parking spaces fill fast so these are a good way to get a spot.
As for Rail Tickets, we traveled after 9:30 am to get the $9 day pass, which helped as we train hopped often on our journey. If you buy or travel earlier, expect to spend more on Rail Tickets.
It is best to take the rail to (you will have to switch to the Red Line) Union Station or (we stayed on the Orange Line) the Smithsonian. These both put you near places you want to see, like the Capitol Building, Supreme Court, Washington Monument, etc.
The Blue Line will take you to the Pentagon and Pentagon City. We got off at the Pentagon and literally were standing outside next to the Pentagon. That was cool You couldn't do much because of security, but the vastness was pretty cool.
Where to Eat While Visiting the Monuments
Finding food was hard as well. We recommend the Old Post Office Building as they had a vast selection of food for a reasonable price. Besides that, you were stuck with the Smithsonian Cafes, which were pricey or street vendors, which don't offer much. My first lunch at the Old Post Office was fresh made Japanese Food. It was awesome! My son ate hot dogs hahaha. They also have a small shopping area in the Old Post Office along with Bike Rentals. Take a minute to look up and around at the Old Post Office. The inside is beautiful.
or..
Union Station has a great selection of restaurants and shops as well.
The Capitol Grounds
I suggest getting a map at a visitor center. These are located on the grounds near the Monuments and Memorials. It is a great asset in helping get around.
I enjoyed the Majesty of the Capitol Grounds. It felt like we were a part of United States Royalty.
Take time and really see what is the pride of our country, our Capitol. The architecture is grand and you really feel like you are part of something wonderful.
All these are located together, all the along with the Vietnam, Korean War and World War II Memorials.
You will find the Smithsonian and other Museums along this area as well. We enjoyed the Museum of Natural History. My son was not as excited at the Air and Space as he had hoped. I really liked the little bit of art I got to see. I think that would be great to go to without a teenager, unless they appreciate art.
The Memorials were awe inspiring and gave me more to think about. We walked through in silence as is respectful for those who have passed protecting or fighting for the rights of our country. There were also guides happy to help you learn about the Memorials.
The White House
We got off at Metro Station and walked there. The walk was not bad at all and there we were in the heart of Downtown DC, so there was more hustle and bustle.
Georgetown
I then wanted to go into Georgetown to Georgetown Cupcakes. There are supposed to be people in marked clothes to help, but locals were kinder and helpful to many people. It was very nice to see. If you are traveling by bus, I recommend the Circulator Bus. They have maps and the bus lines run by color. Each line goes to different places. We took the yellow to M Street and walked to Georgetown Cupcakes, which was a couple blocks away. When we got back on the bus, we went to the end of the line before going back downtown. I saw awesome little shops and food places. We then crossed the street and caught the Yellow Circulator all the way back to Union Station. For $1 per person, we got a great site of Downtown DC.
Georgetown is a shoppers and diners delight. If you want to go there, it might be best to leave the children or teenagers at home if you plan on doing shopping. There is so much fun to be had!!!
More to come.....
Where we visited
What I would like to see
What we missed
