Comfortable Walking Shoes are a MUST
by tracylacie
If you plan on traveling the Metro from the airport to your hotel pack light. The Metro is not as crowded as Londons' Tube but it can be at times. COMFORTABLE WALKING SHOES....I cannot stress this enough!! On a map it may not seem far from one monument to another but it is....I walked 15 miles in one day of touring. There are several places to stop and take a rest but you will do a lot of walking! A light waterproof jacket in spring and fall. Not much need for sunblock unless you come in the middle of Summer. A small first aid kit isn't a bad idea for when out touring especially if you are walking (don't forget pain medication for the leg cramps and sore feet). Bring lots of bottled water. Most of your shots will be distance shots as the monuments here are large. I suggest an extra flash for fill lighting as some of the interiors of the monuments tend to run a bit dim. A second memory card and battery is a must, also, would suggest a tripod to steady those long shots if you are using a large lens.
A child-friendly coffee shop - At Play Cafe
by Ingeborga
Are you in town, have seen all the major sights, your kids are wearing you out and you just want to find a nice place to sit down, read your e-mails and have your kids play with some toys and well, leave you alone for a while?
Well come no further, there are a lot of child-friendly places in DC, but my favorite coffee shop with a self-installed play area for kids is At Play Cafe. Located in Reston, not too far from Reston Town Center, this place offers a nice play area for kids, coffee and biscuits for the parents and a free wifi (wohoooo!). Your kids can be watched by the coffee shop's attendant and will be entertained in case they get bored. The place also offers good snacks and meals for kids (e.g., quesadillas, cupcakes, muffins) and adults. No alcohol, sorry folks:)
Arlington Cemetery
by tracylacie
Arlington Cemetery is a regular stop on most of the tours. It is a moving expeience to see all the crosses and realize the loss of life that came to erect them. The Tomb of the Unknown with its stowic guards is mesmerizing. The tombs of JFK and Jacie O are, also, moving. This is a experience you will not soon forget!
Changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier happens every half hour in the summer and every hour the rest of the year. Open daily, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., April - September.
During all hours the cemetery is open the Arlington National Cemetery Metro stop is regularly served by highspeed subway trains.
There is parking available at the rate of $1.25/hour for the first three hours and $2.00/hour thereafter.
Getting around D.C.
by barbskie
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Concepcion is a great place to visit. It is probably the largest Catholic Church of America. Its Byzantine and Romanesque architecture, and the elaborate collections of mosaics and arts are very fascinating.
Arlington National Cemetery
by percy961
Overlooking the nation's capital, Arlington Cemetery is the last resting place of more than 260,000 soldiers and civilians and attracts over four million visitors each year.
It was created in the grounds of Arlington House, Robert E Lee's home until the outbreak of the Civil War, and contains the remains of veterans from every American conflict from the Revolutionary War through to the Gulf War and Somalia, with the pre-Civil War dead being reinterred after 1900.
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General Field Scott Hancock
US history in amusing way
The Declaration of Independence
The entrance
