Washington DC Guide

This is my second city guide. My first was all about New York. We travelled to Washington DC in late July 2015, right in the middle of summer. We stayed 5 nights and if I were to do it again I would shorten our stay to 4 nights.

Accommodation

We stayed in an AirBNB apartment in K Street NW (North West). The apartment was located about 20 minutes’ walk from the major tourist attractions and National Mall. The apartment was 2 bedroom/2 bathroom, very modern and elegantly decorated, situated in a very swanky building and boasting some amazing linen (these sheets were the best I’ve ever slept on).

Pet friendly city

We were surprised by how many pets were housed within the apartment block that we stayed in. We saw lots of people walk their dogs outside and let them pee or poop in the garden and then walk them back inside. Here’s hoping those same dogs got to venture past the front garden.

Transport

We decided on walking to all the sights as the underground subway system didn’t seem to suit our location or our destinations. I will say there was a lot of walking, and it was hot and there wasn’t oodles of shade, so make sure you are equipped with lots of sunscreen, water, a hat and perhaps an umbrella to protect you from the sun and heat. One day we walked about 18 kilometres in the heat and it felt as though our feet were about to fall off. We only used a taxi to travel to and from Georgetown, and to the airport. They were cheap and plentiful.

Sights you must see

1. Lincoln Memorial, National Mall – took me straight back to the Forrest Gump film, contains a massive marble tribute to Abraham Lincoln (I was mesmerised by the attention to detail in the marble), incredible views across the reflecting pool to the Washington Monument and Capitol Hill in the distance

2. Martin Luther King Jr Memorial, National Mall – enormous monument carved from granite, such a lifelike face

3. Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, National Mall – as much fun for the big kids as it is for the small ones, full of interactive things to do and see, go early as it gets really busy, and the best part is, it’s totally free

4. United States Capitol, East Capitol St NE & 1st St SE – you need to book ahead to get in here, well worth a visit to see the fountains, Roman pillars and of course the dome, amazing grounds surround the building, best of all it’s free, we were lucky to see what we could because only a few weeks later the rotunda (second photo) was closed for restoration

5. Thomas Jefferson Memorial, National Mall – a bit of a walk around the Tidal Basin but well worth it, we took some amazing photos of the structure, in particular the roman columns

6. Washington Monument, National Mall – an obelisk that you can see from many spots around the city, you can climb up it, but as temperatures were in the mid-30s, that certainly was not going to happen!

7.  White House Visitor Museum, 1450 Pennsylvania Ave NW – getting inside the White House can be difficult so here is the backup plan, heaps of exhibits, videos and information to get your Presidential fill

8.  White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW – even though we couldn’t visit the building walking around the enormous complex is a pinch-me moment, lots of great spots for photos

9.  International Spy Museum, 800 F St NW – if you have kids this is a must, they are invited to crack codes, identify disguises and go on secret missions, purchase your tickets ahead of time because the museum gets super busy, there were school groups visiting as we were leaving and there were heaps of people lined up on the sidewalk waiting to get in

10.     Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History - exhibits of rare gems, an elephant statue, a giant squid, dinosaurs and best of all it's free

11.  Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington – we ran out of time on our first day and never got to see the cemetery, it was only one of my regrets for the entire trip

12. Pentagon 9/11 Memorial, 1 North Rotary Rd, Arlington – my other regret was not having enough time on the first day to see this either, well we must return to DC then!

Supermarkets/Pharmacy

CVS was close by to our apartment and had enough groceries and chemist supplies to do us for the trip.

Dining Out

1. Carmine’s, 425 7th St NW – we initially fell in love with this restaurant in New York and then discovered it was also located in DC, the pasta and artichokes were just as good as those in New York, a real winner

2. Good Stuff Eatery, 303 Pennsylvania Ave SE – good food at great prices, run by a celebrity chef who often appears on Top Chef, well worth the stroll from the city centre, it has the usual burgers, fries, salads and shakes, nice attention to detail and fresh ingredients, try the marshmallow milkshake

3. Vapiano, H St NW – much better than what Vapiano offers here in Australia, pizza and pasta made right before your eyes

4. Pizzeria Paradiso, 3282 M Street NW – if you’re in Georgetown this is great spot for a Neopolitan-style wood-oven pizza, we are fussy pizza eaters and this was pretty darn good

Shopping

We didn’t do much shopping in DC but we did visit Union Station which contains an array of shops. I found my current handbag in a cute little boutique there.

Georgetown

We spent a day exploring Georgetown and really there’s only a couple of things to do – see the stunning Flemish-style Georgetown University (Bill Clinton’s alma mater) and explore the shops along M Street NW. 

We also wandered through Old Stone House, built in 1765 and the Capital’s oldest surviving building.

Look up you’ll be surprised what you see

If you love planes as much as me you will enjoy being close to the final approach to the runway of Ronald Regan National Airport when you’re in the National Mall.

Weather

Hot!!! Super hot and humid. It’s tough going in mid-summer but what do you do? There was a pool on the rooftop of our apartment building so we took advantage of that at the end of our day.

Until next time xx