washington DC
Day One: Getting there
- 3:50-5:10PM. Direct flight from Columbus to BWI, Baltimore Washington International, aka, Thurgood Marshall Airport.
- 6:10-6:40PM. Amtrak from BWI to Washington Union Station. This was much better than expected, only about $10. A bit of a hassle to take shuttle from Airport to the train station but way better than renting a car or taking a LYFT. TIP: forget the car when visiting DC, parking is expensive, most hotels charge 30/40 a day for parking. The train was faster and when in DC, bikes, subways, and Lyfts are the way to go.
- 6:40-7:10. Yotel Washington DC (415 New Jersey Ave). DC is expensive, there is no way around it. Initially, planned to stay Bethesda, then bike or train into DC, but this hotel was pretty good deal (relatively speaking) and walking distance to everything including Union Station. Also, the Airbnbs were not plentiful and not really walking distance for the most part.
- 7:10-9:00. The Dubliner (4 F St NW). Okay, this is my kind of place, good food, good beer selection, and live music. Irish Pub with wood panel and green everywhere. see more below.
Day two: Bike Tour, Museums, WHitehouse, Zoo, Georgetown
- 8:00-9:30AM. Pearl's Bagels (1017 Seventh St NW). Great Bagels, like NY. Coffee was good as well. see more below. NOTE: we took the subway there b/c we wanted to buy the 3 day pass and figure out the subway system straight away. We walked back, only 20 minutes.
- 10:00-1:00PM. Washington DC Monuments Bike Tour (701 D St). Great way to see most of the monuments and memorials with stories, see more below.
- 1:00-1:30PM. Whitehouse (1600 Pennsylvania Ave). Lots of construction, couldn't see much, we had requested a tour by contacting a local senator in Ohio but were too late. We used Capital City Bikes. Downloaded the app, pretty simple. Only $8 for a day pass, the catch is, you ride only 45 minutes at a time. If you don't park your bike and take another every 45 minutes, you pay a penalty. There are lots of stations which can be located on the app.
- 1:30-2:15PM. Old Ebbitt Grill (675 15th St NW). We lucked out, the wait for a table was long, we found a spot at the bar as a couple was just finishing up. Steak salad was excellent, highly recommend this place but wait list may be long.
- 2:30-4:15PM. Quick Subway ride to Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and National Air and Space Museum. Admittedly, we are not patient museum people. You could spend a whole day or more in the multiple Smithsonian museums. Experiencing Dealey plaza and Appomattox Courthouse is much better than seeing those events in a booth. Nonetheless, we ripped through the two we wanted to go to quickly. (yes, saw the ruby slippers).
- 4:30-5:30PM. Smithsonian National Zoo (3001 Connecticut Ave NW). Took subway up to Woodly Park, nice neighborhood with restaurants. We just wanted to see the Panda's on loan from China. Everything is free, so we just did what we wanted to.
- 5:30-6:15PM. Rock Creek Trail. We took Capital City Bikes down the Rock Creek Trail to the C&O Canal towpath to Georgetown. Nice ride until we had to go up hill from the river to Georgetown. NOTE: Capital City Bikes has Pedal assist e-bikes, save your legs and go 15+mph.
- 6:15-6:45PM. Exorcists Steps (3600 Prospect St NW). Yes, finally made it here, see more below.
- 7:00PM-8:00PM. Georgetown shopping on M St.
- 8:00PM+. Mr. Smiths of Georgetown (3205 Prospect St NW). Huge menu, burgers, sandwiches, Italian, steaks, etc. Recommend the Cajun Chicken Egg Rolls and Fish and Chips. Great wood panel atmosphere, Karaoke Piano Bar at 9:00PM on Friday and Saturday.
Day Three: Holocaust Museum & Arlington
- 8:30-10:15AM. Eastern Market (225 7th St SE). Bike past Capital Building through the Capital Hill neighborhood. We were there on a Saturday so it was very busy. See more below.
- 10:30 to 12:15PM. Holocaust Museum (100 Roaul Wallenberg PL) Biked passed Capital Building along the Mall, passed Washington Monument to the Museum. Tip: Buy tickets in advance to reserve a time slot. See more below.
- 12:15 to 2:00PM. Mt Vernon Trail. Biked along the Potomac River to Alexandria. The trail goes all the way to Mr Vernon which would have been a good choice but we decided to spend the afternoon in Alexandria. see more below.
- 2:00PM - 2:45PM. The Light Horse Restaurant (715 King St). Good bruschetta, salads, and sandwiches. Got the Cuban and the Mixed Berry and Goat Cheese Salad.
- 2:45-5:45PM. Alexandria is a charming old town. We shopped and stopped for a drink, see details below.
- 6:00 - 6:30PM. Water taxi from Alexandria to the Wharf in DC.
- 6:30PM+. The Wharf (760 Maine Ave SW). Waterfront shops and restaurants. Ice Cream at Ben & Jerrys, Lobster Rolls at Masons, and plenty of places to grab a drink overlooking the Potomac.
More tips for a Washington DC visit
- More Suggestions, maybe take several 3dayvacations: We didn't come close to covering all of DC. We will go again when the Cherry Blossoms are in bloom. Next time, we will prioritize Ford Theatre, Mt Vernon (bike all the way there), and the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence. Also, spend more time on the Mall to soak up the history and a tour of the White House. This was our second trip to DC, probably need at least 3dayvactions to do all we want and see DC at different times of year.
Details & Descriptions
The Dubliner
The Dubliner is an Irish Pub with live music. Good news, they have Irish food and beer but also have more choices. Had a tasty Philly Cheesesteak and local beers. LIve music was semi-Irish themed, guy with a guitar who took requests, Van Morrison's Moondance was in order.
Pearl's Bagels
Pearl's Bagels is the highest ranked bagel spot in DC (according to some website I saw). Chewy crunchy just like NY. Coffee was excellent as well. Fortunately, we hit this spot just before the line extended out the door.
Washington DC Monuments Bike tour
Washington DC Monuments Bike tour
The Washington DC Monuments Bike Tour was a real time savers, with back ground stories to boot. Why are two lists of states on Lincoln Memorial?, What is the architectural meaning of the Vietnam War Memorial?, MLK and FDR memorials were built to tell historical stories.
Vietnam War Memorial
Vietnam War Memorial
Washington DC Monuments Bike tour
The Washington DC Monuments Bike Tour was a real time savers, with back ground stories to boot. Why are two lists of states on Lincoln Memorial?, What is the architectural meaning of the Vietnam War Memorial?, MLK and FDR memorials were built to tell historical stories.
exorcist steps
Vietnam War Memorial
exorcist steps
Awesome. Someone used red paint to look like blood at the bottom. The house is at the top of the stairs, just like the movie.
The Dubliner
Vietnam War Memorial
exorcist steps
The Dubliner is great fun, loud, live music, great beer and food. Excellent Reuben and Fries. The music was Irish, generally Irish themed covers of popular songs. For a $10 tip, he played Van Morrisons Moon Dance.
Eastern Market
holocaust museum
holocaust museum
Eastern Market in DC is one of the best "Farmer's Markets" we have ever visited. Tons of fresh fruit and vegetables. The vendors cut fruit and vegatables up to sample, I tried about 20 different apple varieties. There were multiple vendors serving everything from Burritos to Tom thumb donuts.
holocaust museum
holocaust museum
holocaust museum
The Holocaust Museum is an enlightening experience. Recommend watching all the movies throughout the journey. The museum is set up in chronological order as you start on the top floor and work down to the ground floor.
Mt Vernon Trail
holocaust museum
Mt Vernon Trail
Mt Vernon Trail stretches from Teddy Roosevelt Island to Mt Vernon, home of George Washington. We crossed the Arlington Memorial Bridge at the Lincoln Memorial to catch the trial and bike to Alexandria. Seeing DC from the other side of the Potomac is awe-inspiring.
Alexandria, VA
Alexandria, VA
Mt Vernon Trail
Alexandria is worth a visit. We spent the day shopping on King St or just off King. Per usual, we sought out diamonds in the rough at consignment shops: Encore Consignment, Current Boutique, Look Again Resale, Mint Condition, Vida Style, and Twig Thrift. Stopped for a drink at King St Bier Garden and Union St Pub.