Washington D.C.
I wrote this post three years ago and just realized that I never published it. I'm sure the tips still apply.
Last week, I returned from a family vacation to Washington, D.C. This was the first vacation I've taken with both my wife and son for several years. We were able to book the trip through Southwest Vacations and got a great deal on flight and hotel. Since most of the sites are free, all that was left to pay for was food, transportation, and souvenirs. Since I have been putting back money every month, it didn't hurt my budget at all.
With all that said, here are a few tips for traveling to Washington D.C.:
1) Use public transportation- Washington has a well run Metro system that will take you to within walking distance of most major sites. There are also bus services throughout the city. If you are going to be traveling quite a bit, I would recommend purchasing a Metro SmartTrip card. They are $2 at CVS Pharmacy or you can purchase at the Metro station for $10, eight of which is applied to the card. These can be recharged regularly and are good on buses as well as in the Baltimore Metro. We purchased a 7 day pass for $59 (we were there 6 days). All we had to do was average $10 a day in fares to make it pay off. With as many times as we got on and off, it was well worth the cost.
2) Contact your congressman - Six to eight months before your trip, email your congressman's office and let them know when you are coming. They will work to set up congressional tours and possibly get you into the White House. Just a note: They will ask for lots of background information. We did not get a White House tour, but we also didn't contact our representative until about three months out. We did get a personal tour of the Capital along with congressional tours of the Kennedy Center, Supreme Court, and Library of Congress.
3) Eat outside of the "tourist" spots - My son is a "foodie" and did quite a bit of research before we arrived. He had a restaurant itinerary set before the plane touched down. While the local restaurants may require a bit of walking to reach, the food is so much better and often less expensive than eating at museums. It also gives you a chance to listen in in some of the local conversation. Two of my suggestions would be We the Pizza and Good Stuff Eatery. Both are on Pennsylvania Ave. SE along with lots of other local eateries.
4) Plan ahead so you can take your time - While it is tempting to want to see everything in one trip, it is virtually impossible. I recommend not even trying. Instead, choose two or three sights each day and spend as much time as you can at each. In our case, we tried to spend at least 4 hours at each major site we visited and at least one to two hours at monuments. Even in that amount of time, it was impossible to see everything each site had to offer. For example, in four hours we were able to see about half of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, but only two exhibit halls in the American History Museum. There are some options, such as on and off tours, that may help you experience more but we chose to follow our own itinerary. The key is not to see it all, but to take the time to experience the history of the United States as seen in our nation's capital.
5) Be prepared to walk - Unless you book a tour in advance, be prepared to walk. A lot. While many of the sites are located close to public transportation, there is still quite a distance between each of them. Remember, the National Mall itself is 1.9 miles long. So, put on your walking shoes and get ready to lose a few pounds on your trip to the nation's capital.
6) Get ready for some long lines - Every government building you enter, including the Smithsonian museums, will have very tight security. Expect some delays, especially if you arrive at opening. Also, some of the tourist centers, including the Capital and White House tourist centers, do not allow any food or drink inside. This includes water. Be prepared to toss those water bottles before getting in.
Finally, for those who are trying to save money, consider flying in to Baltimore and staying outside of Washington D.C. We stayed at a hotel in New Carrollton, which is at the very end of the Metro line. We had to take a train from the airport that cost about $10 each, but it was still less expensive than flying into DC and staying in town.
Last week, I returned from a family vacation to Washington, D.C. This was the first vacation I've taken with both my wife and son for several years. We were able to book the trip through Southwest Vacations and got a great deal on flight and hotel. Since most of the sites are free, all that was left to pay for was food, transportation, and souvenirs. Since I have been putting back money every month, it didn't hurt my budget at all.
With all that said, here are a few tips for traveling to Washington D.C.:
1) Use public transportation- Washington has a well run Metro system that will take you to within walking distance of most major sites. There are also bus services throughout the city. If you are going to be traveling quite a bit, I would recommend purchasing a Metro SmartTrip card. They are $2 at CVS Pharmacy or you can purchase at the Metro station for $10, eight of which is applied to the card. These can be recharged regularly and are good on buses as well as in the Baltimore Metro. We purchased a 7 day pass for $59 (we were there 6 days). All we had to do was average $10 a day in fares to make it pay off. With as many times as we got on and off, it was well worth the cost.
2) Contact your congressman - Six to eight months before your trip, email your congressman's office and let them know when you are coming. They will work to set up congressional tours and possibly get you into the White House. Just a note: They will ask for lots of background information. We did not get a White House tour, but we also didn't contact our representative until about three months out. We did get a personal tour of the Capital along with congressional tours of the Kennedy Center, Supreme Court, and Library of Congress.
3) Eat outside of the "tourist" spots - My son is a "foodie" and did quite a bit of research before we arrived. He had a restaurant itinerary set before the plane touched down. While the local restaurants may require a bit of walking to reach, the food is so much better and often less expensive than eating at museums. It also gives you a chance to listen in in some of the local conversation. Two of my suggestions would be We the Pizza and Good Stuff Eatery. Both are on Pennsylvania Ave. SE along with lots of other local eateries.
4) Plan ahead so you can take your time - While it is tempting to want to see everything in one trip, it is virtually impossible. I recommend not even trying. Instead, choose two or three sights each day and spend as much time as you can at each. In our case, we tried to spend at least 4 hours at each major site we visited and at least one to two hours at monuments. Even in that amount of time, it was impossible to see everything each site had to offer. For example, in four hours we were able to see about half of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, but only two exhibit halls in the American History Museum. There are some options, such as on and off tours, that may help you experience more but we chose to follow our own itinerary. The key is not to see it all, but to take the time to experience the history of the United States as seen in our nation's capital.
5) Be prepared to walk - Unless you book a tour in advance, be prepared to walk. A lot. While many of the sites are located close to public transportation, there is still quite a distance between each of them. Remember, the National Mall itself is 1.9 miles long. So, put on your walking shoes and get ready to lose a few pounds on your trip to the nation's capital.
6) Get ready for some long lines - Every government building you enter, including the Smithsonian museums, will have very tight security. Expect some delays, especially if you arrive at opening. Also, some of the tourist centers, including the Capital and White House tourist centers, do not allow any food or drink inside. This includes water. Be prepared to toss those water bottles before getting in.
Finally, for those who are trying to save money, consider flying in to Baltimore and staying outside of Washington D.C. We stayed at a hotel in New Carrollton, which is at the very end of the Metro line. We had to take a train from the airport that cost about $10 each, but it was still less expensive than flying into DC and staying in town.
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