Travel Tips for Washington D.C.
Where the world meets...
by besbel
What I really love about this place is its multiculturalism. Due to the fact that Washington hosts a huge number of embassies and international organizations, it is very easy to find people from anywhere, as well as their foods and culture. Most embassies and consulates do a great job getting their nationals together or promoting spectacles with national groups or artists, who can be arranged to perform either in a private venue at the ambassador's house or in the Millenium Stage of the Kennedy Center.
For example, you can easily find Mexican, Malayan, Indian, Thai and Ethiopian restaurants. You can also buy African, Asian and Latin American stuff in the stores. You can easily find books in Spanish or French in the bookstores, something that is not commonly seen in other large cities. You can even find directions in the metro station or in shops translated into Spanish, considering the huge Latin American population living and working there. An important number (including myself) came because we work at the Organization of American States or any of their related bodies, like the Inter American Development Bank. The huge Latin American and Peruvian community I found in here.
US Capitol
by PA2AKgirl
I gave tours of this building so I know the frustrations associated with it. However, if you are from the US, contact your Congressman and you can get a free personal tour. All you have to do is call their office, tell them when you are coming and they should be able to schedule you for a tour. Usually these tours are given by interns, but we know a lot! They give us pages and pages of information to remember about the Captiol. You'll get to go House Gallery, Statuary Hall, Old Senate, Old Supreme Court, Rotunda and crypt. If you are not from the US, there are tours available, but usually you have to wait in a long line for them. I don't even know how things are working there with the tours since Sept. 11 meaning new policies and things.
It's such an interesting tour, the architecture, the stories, the little known facts...for example, after you pass through the main rotunda, you head to the smaller one, the Senate Rotunda, I believe it's called. Ask your tour guide where the chandelier came from...you can't miss it:)
The great thing about DC is...
by Eseg
The great thing about DC is the myriad of museums, great buildings, and lifestyle of its cosmopolitan population. You must see our great art galeries (National Galery of Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Phillips Collection, the National Museum of Natural History, and the collections of the Library of Congress), as well as our music scene (Kennedy Center, the Birchmere, the Warner & National theaters). When it comes to lifestyle, though, you just need to remember 3 places: Georgetown, Dupont Circle, and Old Town Alexandria. The many restaurants, shops, and trendy people will keep you quite occupied during your stay here. Some images of DC you'll never forget. First, there's the experience of watching the sunrise over the imposing monumets at the Mall. Second, the Tidal Basin in early Spring sorrownded by the Japanese Sherry Blossom trees in full bloom.
Take a self-guided tour of the...
by jstrudwick
Take a self-guided tour of the White House, Tuesdays to Saturdays. As long as you have joined the queue before midday, you will get in. Visit the whole gem section of the American Natural History Museum, not just the Hope Diamond (and the Dresden diamond, currently on loan). Stand on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial where Martin Luther King gave his famous speech. See the original constitution and the declaration of independence in the National Archives. Walk around the Capitol building and also go down to the National Library. Go up the Washington Memorial for a bird's eye view of all that you've seen or are about to visit. Take a look at the TV and Film sections of the Museum of American History - original characters from Sesame Street and/or the Muppets, Dorothy's red slippers from the Wizard of OZ and Fonzie's leather jacket (Happy Days) being some of the exhibits. Entrance to everything is free, but in some cases you have to get there early enough to be allocated a ticket.
Georgetown Neighborhood, Washington DC
by Ewingjr98
Georgetown was established in 1751, and while part of Washington DC's Northwest Quadrant, the town is older than the city in which it now lies. Georgetown's location was chosen since it is the farthest up the Potomac ships could navigate, and it became a thriving port for tobacco. Later, the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal was constructed along the edge of the Potomac in Georgetown, much of which is preserved today. The neighborhood boasts the oldest building in Washington, DC--the Old Stone House (1765). Dumbarton Oaks (1800) is a grand home and gardens in Georgetown where the UN charter was outlined in 1944.
Georgetown was the home of Francis Scott Key (hence the Key Bridge) as well as John Kennedy before he became President. Famous graduates of Georgetown include President Bill Clinton; basketball players Patrick Ewing and Allen Iverson, and Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
Georgetown University, the oldest Catholic university in the country, is in this neighborhood, as are the French, Mongolian, Swedish, Thai, Venezuelan, and Ukrainian embassies. Georgetown today is a favorite shopping and dining center in the city.
Unfortunately, Georgetown is really the only destination neighborhood without a convenient Metro stop, but it's not too far from Foggy Bottom Metro.
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The "big obelisk"
world population
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9:30 Club
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