Washington,+DC


 * Travel Tips for Washington, DC**:

Washington, DC Wikitravel Website: http://scouttraveltips.wikispaces.com/Washington%2C+DC Washington, DC National Mall Wikitravel Website: [] Washington, DC Capitol Hill Wikitravel Website: [] Georgetown Wikitravel Website: [] Arlington Wikitravel Website: []) Alexandria Wikitravel Website: [])


 * Candice Walkinshaw - September 15, 2014**

I now live in Baltimore, MD and am in DC about 3 weekends of the month. I'm definitely still learning but there are a few things I've found and enjoyed and will share.One is getting a Library of Congress library card. It's probably fairly nerdy but very cool as it has your picture on it and everything and is a very quick process. "User cards can be obtained at the reader registration station in Room LM-140 of the Madison Building by presenting a driver's license or passport and completing a brief self-registration process." [] Eastern Market is a pretty neat place. In addition to the regular market that sells jewelry, homemade soaps, various art pieces, etc., there's also a farmer's market and flea market on Saturdays. [] If you like soccer, the Eastern Market is on the way to the DC United stadium. I've found if we buy tickets about a week or so before the game, we can get them via the DC United website for about $15 and it usually comes with a free beer (which costs $10 at the stadium). And lastly, Adam's Morgan is a pretty cool neighborhood in DC with lots of great places to eat and cute furniture stores. There isn't nearly as much to see/do in Baltimore but the best way to get there if you do decide to go is via the MARC train which originates at Union Station in DC and costs $7 to Baltimore. There's a line that goes to Penn station in Baltimore and a line that goes to Camden Yards. Camden Yards is within walking distance to the Inner Harbor and is the main tourist destination in Baltimore. You can get some great Blue Crabs or crab cakes there!


 * Lynn Larson - January 2014:**

Quick note for those interested in seeing an exact replica of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre that stands in Jerusalem. The Franciscan Monastery in D.C. is absolutely a must see if you are not able to get to Israel. We traveled to Israel in October but the crowds made it very difficult to comprehend and enjoy the tour at this specific church since it is the #1 site to visit, so finding a duplicate church in D.C. allowed us to bring the Israel trip to conclusion. Very easy to get to via the Red line of the Metro (near Brookland). See Mike's info below. Free pretty much like everything else in D.C. However, leaving a donation seemed appropriate especially after a tour guide spent 45 minutes with us.


 * Roger Martenson - October 2011**

Just returned from a week in the nations capitol. Used Mike's comments below to get into town from Washington Reagan. The metro can be a little confusing to start with but don't worry, you will be a pro in no time. When you buy a ticket out of the machine at the airport, you can put as much money credit on it as you want, I usually got $10 worth. A ride costs you anywhere from $1.40 to $2.80, depending on the time of day. Your ticket will print the amount you have left on it every time you leave the metro. You must put your ticket in the turn stile on the way in and out. There is a place to add more from inside the gates if you find you don't have enough when you go to leave. It is very easy and people are fairly helpful if you have questions. Here's two YouTube Videos of the Metro: [] and [].

I used Hot Wire and got a great room at the Washington Hilton for $103 per night. It is located in the Dupont Circle are of Washington, D.C. I would highly recommend this area to stay. It is extremely safe and there are a ton of wonderful restaurants everywhere. It is only 2 stations from the national mall and about a 10 block walk should you so desire. If possible, I wouldn't spend less than 2 nights and 3 days there. It will take you that long just to get a general idea of what there is to see. Don't miss the Holocaust Museum and the Lincoln Memorial. The fall was a wonderful time of year to go, there were absolutely no crowds on the weekdays anywhere we went.


 * Mike Summers - June 2008:**
 * Mike Summers - June 2008:**

I've been to Washington, DC around three dozen times (mostly with school groups of 8th graders), and I still haven't visited everything that's on my list. It's a tough town to drive in, but not impossible. I would recommend the Metro subway for getting around, but not all Metro stations are close to tourist sites. They are really for the commuters. There is a Metro stop at Washington Reagan (formerly National) Airport that is easy to use. If it's your first trip, use the Metro. You can buy an unlimited day-pass for $14.00. Here's the Website: []. Here's a nice interactive map of DC with Metro stations. Hold your mouse over the "Metro" symbol and it will name the station. Website for map: []. I've done DC as a day-trip on three different occasions (leave DEN at 7:20 AM, arrive DCA at 12:30, leave DCA 6:00 PM, arrive DEN 8:00 PM), but I'd recommend at least staying for a night or two. Based upon my experiences, the must-see parts of DC would include: Arlington Cemetary, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Korean Memorial, World War II Memorial, Washington Memorial, the White House, Smithsonian Museum of American History, Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, US Capital, Supreme Court Building, and the Library of Congress. There are other great places which I love to visit like the Bureau of Printing and Engraving (website: [] ), the Marine Corp. Memmorial (website: [] ), the Newseum (website: [] ), The National Archives (website: [] ), the National Museum of Health and Medicine (website: [] ), the National Cathedral (website: [] ), the Kennedy Center (website: [] ), and the Holocaust Museum (website: [] ).

Begin your trip at Arlington Cemetary (website: [] and []). YouTube Video: []. For my students and myself, this is the highlight of a DC trip. While people say that "Freedom is not free", you see it and feel it at Arlington. Visit the Kennedy graves, the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unkowns, the grave of Audie Murphy, the Battleship Maine Memorial, the Challenger Memorial, the President Taft gravesite, and many others. My neighbor, Chris Anderson was killed in Iraq in 2006. I visit his grave at Arlington on each visit (website: [] ). There are numerous burials each day. From Arlington, you can walk across the Arlington Memorial Bridge to the Lincoln Memorial (website: [] and [] ), which is a truly magnificent memorial. Nearby you'll find the Korean War Memorial (website: [] ) and the Vietnam War Memorial (website: [] ). These are two different, but honorable memorials. From the Vietnam Memorial you'll walk along the reflecting pool toward the Washington Monument. At the end of the reflecting pool, you'll see the World War II Memorial (website: [] ). From here head toward the Washington Monument (website: [] ). They pass out time-specific tickets each morning for a visit to the top of the Washington Monument. If you miss that time, go up to the base and see if anyone has an extra ticket or two. It can happen. It's a worthwile experience to visit the top and look out on the city. Continue heading north from the Washington Monument to the Mall of the Smithsonian Museums. You could spend a day or two or three just visiting these Museums. I like the Air and Space and Museum of US History (website: [] and [] ) the best, but the others are also interesting. Near these museums is the National Archives, which is the home of the original US Constitution and Declaration of Independence. The Holocaust Museum is near the Washington Monument. Like the Washington Monument, you need to pick up timed entries for the main exhibit. The Bureau of Engraving is near the Holocaust Museum. This is where paper money is printed. The White House (website: [] ) and Jefferson Memorial are nearby (website: [] ). Also near the Jefferson Memorial is the Franklin Roosevelt Memorial (website: [] ). The great thing about Washington, DC is the 95% of the places to visit are free. You might want to check on the other websites that I initially mentioned above for other places to visit. As for hotels, I would recommend a hotel in the Silver Spring, MD area that can be easily reached by the Metro Red Line. I've also stayed at the Crowne Plaza in Downtown DC, which is more expensive, but near many sights and the McPherson Square Metro Station (Orange and Blue lines). Here's their website: []. You might look at other hotels in this area. It's a nice walk to see the White House at night. As for food, the Foggy Bottom Brew Company is good, but expensive (website: [] ). We really like the Capital City Brew Company. It had two locations (website: [] ). They were much more affordable and kid friendly. There are also numerous chain restaurants around town that you can visit (website: [] ). The food court at Union Station has a huge variety of choices (website: [] ) along with the food court at the Ronald Reagan Office Building near the Washington Monument (website: [] ). Washington, DC is a fabulous place to visit with family or friends. Enjoy! Mike Summers


 * Mike Summers - October 2013:**

We did a day trip to DC to visit the Air & Space Museum. From the Frontier Gate (7) follow the signs for "Metro", which is kind of a winding walk through different hallways and parts of the airport (Airport Map: [] ) to the Metro station. Take the Metro **Yellow** Line (Fort Totten) north from the Airport (Metro Website:[] ) to the Archives Station for $2.90 off-peak fare. It takes about 12 minutes. Once you leave the Archive Station walk south towards the National Archives building along 7th Street. If you want to stop at the Archives building (it's worth it) and see the original copies Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence, you'll need to enter on Constitution Avenue between 7th and 9th Streets. Admission is free. Once through security (Website: [] ), follow the signs to the "Rotunda" where these documents are located. Then, to get to the Air and Space Museum, continue along 7th Street and turn left on Jefferson Drive and you're at the Museum (about a five minute walk). Admission is free. We visited exhibits until about 3:30 PM, then we went to McDonald's in the food court. We finished eating by 4:00 PM, walked five minutes back to the archive station, bought a ticket for $3.40 (peak fare) and took the Yellow Line (Huntington) south to the airport. We got to the airport by 4:20 PM, walked five minutes to security and were at the Frontier Gate (7) by 4:55 PM for our 6:00 PM flight. We left Denver at 7:00 AM, and we arrived back in Denver before 8:00 PM! (Flight times do change throughout the year!)

If the Air and Space Museum or any other Smithsonian Museum isn't your cup of tea, try a different trip that we did earlier and visit Arlington Cemetery by way of the Metro **Blue** Line (Metro Map: [] ) four stops from the Airport for $2.70 off-peak fare. Visit Arlington for an hour (Website: [] ) and then walk across the Memorial Bridge to visit the Lincoln, Vietnam, Korean, Washington, and WWII Memorials. Finish your walking tour by going to the White House, and then walk over to either the McPherson Metro Stop for $3.60 peak-fare (Metro Map: []# ) or Farragut West Metro Stop for $3.65 peak-fare (both about a 1/3 mile from White House) by 4:00 PM and head back to the airport (takes about 16 minutes) by way of the Blue Line. Great trip for some sights and some exercise. Catch some food at the airport like Five Guys Burgers and Fries or Qdoba before heading to the Gate.


 * Mike Summers - April 2017:**

I met up with a friend who enjoys art. He wanted to skip the lines and check out some places that were off the beaten path. Our first stop was the Hillyer Art Space near DuPont Circle (Website: http://hillyerartspace.org/ ). They have many local artists' work, but they also host artists from all over the world. Our second stop was VisArts at Rockville (Website: www.visartsatrockville.org/ ), which is near the Rockville, Maryland Town Square. They had four different shows going on while we were visiting. The Arlington Arts Center (Website: www.arlingtonartscenter.org ) was our next stop. It's housed in a former school building. Three exhibitions were on display during our visit. Our next stop was the Torpedo Factory Art Center, which I had visited before (Website: torpedofactory.org ). There are seven galleries here with the usual wide variety of art and artists. Our last stop was Touchstone Gallery (Website: www.touchstonegallery.com ), which is back in the city on New York Ave. Three exhibits were on display during our visit. My friend, a DC native, has four favorite government buildings that he likes to visit. The first is the Department of the Interior which features 47 murals that were done during the depression under the guidance of President Franklin Roosevelt. They are found from the basement cafeteria to the rooftop penthouse. The artworks are available for public viewing through free guided tours held twice weekly by the Department's museum staff (Website: https://www.doi.gov/interiormuseum/Tours ). The second Building is the Library of Congress (Website: https://loc.gov/exhibits/ ). Currently there are six exhibits: Two that we enjoyed were on political cartoons and Baseball's Greatest Hits, which looks at music played at baseball games from the civil War era to the present. The Federal Reserve building (Website: www.federalreserve.gov/aboutthefed/aroundtheboard/fine-arts.htm ) also has exhibits thanks to President Richard Nixon. It's located at 20th Street and Constitution Ave. NW. Lastly, the U.S. Capitol Building is a treasure by itself. The Rotunda, Statuary Hall, and Emancipation Hall contain many works of art. Free-admission advance booked tours are required for the Rotunda and Statuary Hall. Walk-in guests are allowed to wander in Emancipation Hall. Websites for the Rotunda, Statuary Hall and Emancipation Hall: (Rotunda: https://www.aoc.gov/capitol-buildings/capitol-rotunda ) ; (Statuary Hall: www.aoc.gov/capitol-buildings/national-statuary-hall ) and (Emancipation Hall: http://dcpages.com/gallery/US-Capitol-Visitor-Center/DSC00379.jpg.html ). For a great, quick meal try Ben's Chili Bowl (Website: http://benschilibowl.com/ ). There are four locations, but the easiest is at Reagan Airport before Security at the B/C terminal! It's a local favorite!

Enjoy the Arts!