Washington (District of Columbia) Travel Guide

Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States of America. It is a planned city, designed specifically to house the federal government, and part of no state. Its history, beautiful architecture, and excellent cultural centers attract millions each year.

Understand

Washington, D.C. is a city of transients. Very few people have actually lived here all their lives. Most recent census figures report that about 50% of the population has changed its domicile in the last 5 years. This may be a cause of the traffic problems, as no one actually follows the same rules. (Especially when it snows.)

D.C. also gets bombarded with all sorts of advertisements you are unlikely to find in any other city. Much of it is for military hardware as the large defense contractors vie for brainshare among the Pentagon employees.

D.C. has a hate-hate relationship with the Congress which calls it home. As D.C. doesn't belong to a state, it is required to provide all the services that would normally be provided by the state. And as it ultimately answers to Congress, it is often the brunt of congressional jokes. (Ask any resident about National Airport, and you'll understand.) To top it off, DC has no voting representation in Congress to contest the requirements placed on the city.

Get in

By plane

Washington D.C. is served by three major airports:

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (http://www.mwaa.com/national/) Dulles International Airport (http://www.mwaa.com/dulles/) Baltimore's Washington International Airport (http://www.bwiairport.com/)

National Airport is situated directly on the Blue & Yellow lines for the Washington Metro. Use the yellow line to get downtown.

Washington Flyer (http://www.washfly.com/) runs an $8 shuttle ($14 round-trip) between West Falls Church Metro (Orange Line) and Dulles Airport.

Metro runs bus line B30 from BWI Airport to Greenbelt Metro Station (Green Line). The fare is $3 each way.

MARC (http://www.mtamaryland.com/) provides access from BWI Airport to New Carolton (Orange Line) for $5 each way, or Union Station (Red Line) for $6. MARC Only runs on weekends.

Amtrak (http://www.amtrak.com/) also provides access to Union Station (Red Line) and to near by Alexandria, Virginia near the Metro blue/yellow lines. The price from BWI is about $15.00.

By train

Amtrak services Union Station in Washington, DC. Union Station is located on Metro's Red Line.

Union Station, 50 Massachusettes Ave, NE, Washington, DC

By car

Washington DC is primarily served by I-95 from Baltimore or Richmond. Other Interstates of note are:

I-495 is the DC Beltway. Avoid during rush hour if you can. On the East side of the city, I-495 follows I-95. I-270 connects from I-70 in Fredrick, MD to I-495 in Bethesda, MD I-395 connects downtown with the I-495/I-95 interchange in Northern Virginia. I-295 connects downtown with I-495/I-95 at the Wilson Bridge in Southern Prince Georges County, MD.

By bus

The Greyhound stop for Washington, DC is at:

1005 1st St NE Washington, DC 20002

The stop is just a couple blocks north of Union Station where you can catch the Red Line Metrorail. (New York Avenue station will open in the fall giving faster access to Metro.)

Additional Greyhound stations are located in Silver Spring, MD and Arlington, VA.

Current fares are around $30 from New York City.

Hotel - Flight - Car Rental

• District of Columbia Discount Hotels Directory

• Click here for discount air fares.

• Click here for rental cars.

Get around

Public Transportation

Luckily, Washington has one of the best public transportation systems in the country. You can get from nearly anywhere to pretty much everywhere on it. (With the notable exception of Georgetown and Dulles & BWI Airports.) Do yourself a favor and leave your car at a Park And Ride location.

Washington is served by the Metrorail system. Metrorail is run by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (http://www.wmata.com/). It is composed of 5 lines, each identified by a color. Each line will serve parts of downtown D.C.:

• Red Line - Union Station, also serves Montgomery County

• Yellow Line - National Airport and Alexandria

• Green Line - BWI Airport (via shuttle) and close-in Prince Georges County

• Blue Line - National Airport and close-in Prince Georges County

• Orange Line - Dulles Airport (via shuttle), Northern Virginia and close-in PG County.

By Car

Travel by car inside the Washington beltway (I-495) is not advised without an experienced Washingtonian. The beltway is jammed, parking is scarce, and drivers are a tad aggressive.

Yes the roads are busy but if you're coming from any average town in the UK, you'll wonder what all the fuss is about. If you come from London, then you'll do it with your eyes shut. Commuting on the other hand is a different matter - the roads in are indeed jammed, but as a tourist you won't be commuting! Night, weekend or mid-day driving is a pleasant experience. Parking is supposedly a premium but there are enough car parks about the place. The I-495 can be busy but on the whole it's like the M25 on a good day.

The city is split into four quadrants: NE, NW, SE and SW. In the center of all the quadrants is the Capitol building. North Capital Street separates NE and NW. South Capital Street SE and SW. Constitution & Independence separate the north from the south.

East-West roads are letters. (There is no J St.) After the letters run out, it turns into single-syllable words (and then onto double-syllable, etc.) K Street, Constitution Ave, Independence Ave have more lanes of traffic than most east-west streets. (In the original plan, they were canals and thus had to be bigger.)

North-South roads are numbers.

There are several avenues which connect places of importance. These are named after states. As they run diagonal, they tend to really snarl traffic.

Finally, you have many circles in DC. You usually get a circle when you get more than one state street meeting up with more than one letter/number street.

See

The Mall

• Museums run by the Smithsonian Institution are free of charge. (Also note, their gift shops do not have the 6.5% DC tax levied on items sold.)

From East to West

• Capitol Building. http://www.aoc.gov/

• US Botanic Garden. http://www.usbg.gov/

• National Air & Space Museum - The most-visited museum in the world, this impressive repository contains thousands of impressive artifacts, including the Wrights' 1903 Flyer and Apollo 11's command module Columbia. Like all Smithsonian museums, admission is free. http://www.nasm.si.edu/

• National Gallery of Art. http://www.nga.gov/

• National Sculpture Garden

• Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden

• The Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. http://www.asia.si.edu/

• Corcoran Museum of Art. The oldest art gallery in the American capital. http://www.corcoran.org/

• National Museum of Natural History. http://www.mnh.si.edu/

• National Museum of American History. http://americanhistory.si.edu/

• Washington Monument - The view from the 550 foot Washington Monument is great on a clear day, allowing you to see up and down the Mall, and out as far as the Shenandoah Mountains. Entrance is by timed ticket, which are distributed on a first come first served basis, and are available free from a National Park Service booth on 15th Street. It's worth stopping off early in the day (opens at 8am) and collecting your tickets before visiting a museum or three, and then coming back later. Better still, book your ticket online in advance here (http://reservations.nps.gov/parkresults.cfm?park_id=461&cfid=38285&cftoken=72758772)...

• White House - 1600 Pennsylvania Ave - Just north of the Washington Monument. Tours are available only for groups of 10 or more and must be requested up to six months in advance through your member of Congress. http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/tours/

• The newly opened in 2004 National World War II Memorial http://www.nps.gov/nwwm/

• Reflecting Pool

• Vietnam Veterans Memorial. http://www.nps.gov/vive/

• Lincoln Memorial. http://www.nps.gov/linc/

• JFK tomb at Arlington National Cemetery (this shuts at dusk). http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/

• Jefferson Memorial. http://www.nps.gov/thje/

• FDR Memorial. http://www.nps.gov/fdrm/

Make the effort to see the monuments at night when they are all lit up. If you can catch the Capitol as the sun is setting on a clear day, the colors as the building gets lit up are wonderful.

Downtown

• International Spy Museum. 800 F Street, NW http://www.spymuseum.org/ $13/adult, $12/seniors, $11/children (5-11)

• National Building Museum. 401 F Street, NW http://www.nbm.org/ $5 Suggested Donation Highly Recommended.

• National Museum of Women in the Arts. 1250 New York Ave, NW. http://www.nmwa.org/. $8/adult, $6/student, free/children (18 and younger).

• National Zoo (Smithsonian Institution). Connecticut Ave, NW (Free). http://nationalzoo.si.edu/

Do

National Mall

• National Cherry Blossom Festival (late March/early April) http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/

• A Capitol Fourth (July 4th) http://www.pbs.org/capitolfourth/

• Smithsonian Folk Life Festival (around July 4th) http://www.folklife.si.edu/

• Political Protests (year-round)

Learn

• Gallaudet University, 800 Florida Avenue NE. If you talk sign language, this is definitely the place to go. http://www.gallaudet.edu

• Washingtoniana Division, Room #307, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW (across from Gallery Place Metro stop). Washingtoniana Division is the special collection division containing historical material related to both federal as well as "hometown" Washington, DC. Phone (202) 727-1213. For more information see: http://www.dclibrary.org/washingtoniana/index.html.

• Peabody Room, 2nd floor, Georgetown Branch Library, 3260 R Street, NW (corner of Wisconsin Avenue and R Street). Peabody Room is the special collection division containing historical material related to the history of Georgetown, established in 1751 as Georgetown, MD. Phone (202) 282-0214. For more information see http://www.dclibrary.org/branches/geo/peabody.html

• Smithsonian Institute, The Smithsonian Institute offers classes to members.

• Howard University

• Catholic University of America

• American University

• Georgetown University

• George Washington University

Work

Certain career fields find a natural home in DC. While everyone knows this is where politicians go, you can also find a fair share of lawyers, lobbyists, defense contractors and civil servants.

It is also probably the only city where you are likely to find ads for military hardware on the subway and on the radio.

Buy

Gift shops are available in all Smithsonian Museums. These shops are tax-free. The largest and best of the Smithsonian are in the National Museum of American History and the National Air and Space Museum.

The gift shop in the National Building Museum is one of the best gift shops in town which is not run by the Smithsonian Institution. (6.5% DC tax applies.)

Georgetown is a trendy area of D.C. with plenty of shops willing to take your money. http://www.georgetowndc.com/. The heart of Georgetown is at the corner of M Street and Wisconsin Ave. No Metro stations are immediately accessible, although it is walkable from Rosslyn (Orange & Blue), Foggy Bottom/GWU (Orange & Blue) and Dupont Circle (Red). There is also a Georgetown connector shuttle from these three stations for $1 each way, or $0.35 with a rail transfer.

Stay safe

Washington D.C. is covered by many police forces which all work together (or so we are told.) The big ones for public safety are:

• The Metropolitan Police Department (this is the main department you want to contact since it is in charge of law enforcement city wide)

• United States Park Police

• United States Capitol Police (patrols the grounds of the U.S. Capitol and surrounding areas)

• Metro Transit Police Department (patrols Metro trains and buses)

• United States Secret Service (mainly around the White House)

There is also a greater chance of you running into the Secret Service and the U.S. Marshals in Washington, but they in general aren't concerned for your safety.

For major events and protests, the Police Department has a central command center where they can monitor actions through a network of cameras. For exceptionally large events (but not protests), they are likely to set up security zones where they can screen attendees. (It's like a large outdoor airport terminal.)

While Washington has claimed the title of Murder Capital of the World in many recent years, the area west of the Capitol Building is generally clear of violent crimes. It's mainly the residential areas east of the Capitol Building that contribute to the violent crime in Washington. It is not recommended crossing the Anacostia River if you can help it. (There's nothing much to see there, and the Blue Plains Treatment Facility puts out a horrible smell.)

Cope

Be prepared for airport type security as you enter some buildings. Even if you do not plan to carry a lot of gear around, a small bag makes it much easier to empty your pockets of everything before going through metal detectors.

Get out

Northern Virginia

Theodore Roosevelt Memorial - Theodore Roosevelt Island. This is in a nature preserve on the Potomac River. You can either park off of GW Parkway, or walk in from the Rosslyn Metro station.

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center - National Air and Space Museum. http://www.nasm.si.edu/museum/udvarhazy/ 14390 Air & Space Museum Pkwy. Chantilly, VA 20151 (202) 357-2200 Parking is available for $12/vehicle. Additionally, a shuttle is available from the Air and Space Museum downtown. Prices range from $5 to $7 depending on number of tickets bought.

Pentagon. Just south of downtown DC. While lingering is not recommended for security reasons, you should know it is the largest office building in the world, and covers 4 zip codes. (Army, Navy, Air Force and Department of Defense.)

External links

• Alexander Goes to Washington - A look at the nation's capital through the eyes of a one-year-old boy and his parents.
• Getting Around DC - Personal page of advice on using Metrorail and buses, public transportation web links, and recommended "choice, random, and bizarre" places to see.
• Washington's Fall Colors in Bloom - Best times and places to view area fall foliage.
• Do Real History - Lists attractions, historic districts, and other tourist information.
• Federal Bureau of Investigation - Reviews written by consumers at Epinions.com.
• Travel DC With Kids - Some favorite places to take kids.
• American Red Cross Museum - Collection represents the visual history of the services and people who have dedicated their efforts during the group's history. Features history, exhibits and collections, activities for youth, programs for teachers and a newsletter.
• American University Computing History Museum - Promotes awareness of the history of computing, supports research in the historiography of computing, provides support to teachers and houses a collection of computer artifacts. Features a virtual tour, history, syllabus, lectures, student projects and bibliography.
• Art Museum of the Americas - Collection of 20th-century Latin American and Caribbean art, special Latin American art exhibits and related educational programs. Features exhibitions, a virtual gallery, educational resources, services and directions.
• Bead Society of Greater Washington Bead Museum - Dedicated to furthering the understanding and appreciation of beads as personal ornaments that express human aesthetic impulses and embody deep symbolic significance. Features membership information, exhibits, publications and educational and outreach programs.
• Black Fashion Museum - Non-profit cultural institution that is a repository for antique and contemporary garments that have been designed, made, and/or worn by people of color. Features events, membership information, student design competition and press releases.
• B'nai B'rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum - Collection includes art and ethnographic and archeological holdings from Biblical through modern times. Features membership information and a message board.
• Capital Children's Museum - Encourages children to explore by touching, climbing, tasting and using their imagination to learn about the world around them. Features exhibits, special programs, events, teacher's workshops, hours and membership information.
• City Museum of Washington, DC - Museum and research library devoted to the local history of the city and its neighborhoods, operated by the Historical Society of Washington, DC. Although the museum exhibits are temporarily closed, the research library is open. Includes information on the museum, the history and activities of the society, a calendar of events, and an overview and searchable catalog of the library collections.
• Corcoran Gallery of Art - Offers an extensive collection of American and European masterworks, ongoing exhibitions of contemporary art and classrooms and studios dedicated to encouraging the American genius. Features programs, calendar, special exhibitions, collections and membership information.
• Daughters of the American Revolution Museum - Showcases the furnishings and decorative arts of pre-industrial America with permanent and changing exhibitions in two galleries. Features news, events, visitor information, virtual exhibitions, recent acquisitions, educational programs, volunteer opportunities and gift shop.
• Discovery Creek Children's Museum of Washington - Exhibits designed to help children experience, appreciate, and become stewards of the natural environment. Features news, programs, educator resources, events, membership information and volunteer and internship opportunities.
• Drug Enforcement Administration Museum & Visitors Center - Exhibits focused on educating the public on the history of the agency and on the impact of drug addiction from past to present. Features exhibits, education resources and visitor information.
• Dumbarton House - A Federal period historic house museum in Georgetown, dating from 1798. Includes calendar of events, museum information, and history and photos of the house.
• Hillwood Museum and Gardens - Features the most comprehensive collection of 18th- and 19th-century Russian imperial art outside of Russia and one of the world's most important collections of 18th-century French decorative arts on a twenty-five acre estate with pleasure gardens and important azalea and orchid collections. Features visitor information, museum shop, volunteer and employment opportunities, photographic tour and online exhibitions.
• The Interior Museum - Collection contains North American Indian artifacts, most of which are handicrafts such as storyboards, dolls, and baskets that date from the 1940s to present time, as well as items made in the United States insular areas of American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Republic of Palau. Features tour information, history, exhibitions, events and programs.
• International Spy Museum - Exhibits focus on human intelligence and reveal the role spies have played in world events throughout history. Features visitor information, calendar, membership information, employment opportunities, directions and museum shop.
• The Kreeger Museum - Works of Impressionists and American artists from the 1850s to the 1970s, and a collection of traditional pieces from west and central Africa. Features visitor's information, programs, membership information, volunteer opportunities and educational resources.
• Marian Koshland Science Museum - National Academy of Sciences exhibits focus on scientific practice and its implications for society.
• Museum of Contemporary Art DC - Features current exhibits, directions, membership information, and previous exhibitions.
• National Building Museum - Dedicated to exploring and celebrating architecture and related disciplines. Features lectures, exhibitions, news, online exhibits [requires Flash], educational programs and resources, employment and internship opportunities and membership information.
• National Gallery of Art - Collection illustrates major achievements in painting, sculpture, and graphic arts from the Middle Ages to the present. Features exhibitions, online tours, educational programs and resources, internship, fellowship and volunteer opportunities, programs, events, gallery shop and collection guides in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.
• National Geographic Museum Explorers Hall - Past and current Society expeditions come to life through interactive programs and artifacts. Features exhibits, map and hours.
• National Law Enforcement Museum - Future museum will give major emphasis to educating visitors about the essential role that law enforcement plays in a free society. Features development plans. Scheduled opening 2008.
• National Museum of American Jewish Military History - Documents and preserves the contributions of Jewish Americans who served in the Armed Forces of the United States. Site has information on the museum, its collections, and exhibitions.
• National Museum of Health and Medicine - Collections focus primarily on the history and practice of American medicine, military medicine and current medical research issues. Features exhibits, news, events, FAQ and map.
• The National Museum of Women in the Arts - Dedicated exclusively to the exhibition, preservation, and acquisition of works by women artists of all nationalities and periods. Features the collection, exhibitions, educational programs and tours, outreach programs and publications.
• National Women's History Museum - Nonpartisan, nonprofit educational institution dedicated to revealing, presenting, and celebrating the rich and diverse history of women's contributions that have shaped American culture and society. Features volunteer information, membership information, news, events and a cyber museum.
• The Navy Museum - Located at the Washington Navy Yard and featuring exhibits and activities related to U.S. naval history. Includes calendar, events and exhibits, mission, visitor information and links.
• Newseum - Interactive museum of news with behind-the-scenes views of how and why news is made. Features online exhibits, events and educational resources. [Scheduled opening: late 2006]
• The Octagon Museum - The museum of the American Architectural Foundation, dedicated to architecture and design. Features exhibitions, programs and membership information.
• The Phillips Collection - A museum of modern art. Provides museum history, collection overview with photos and descriptions, programs, events, and special exhibitions.
• Pope John Paul II Cultural Center - Catholic museum and cultural center focusing on religious faith, art and scholarship. Information on the galleries, current exhibits, calendar of events and news.
• Squished Penny Museum - Newsletter, frequently asked questions, stories about the collection, photographs of visitors, and how to make an appointment to view the collection in person.
• The Stephen Decatur House Museum - Historic house museum offers guided tours of the c.1818 mansion and changing exhibits in the gallery space. Features hours, location, history, education and preservation programs and exhibits.
• The Textile Museum - Dedicated to furthering the understanding of mankind's creative achievements in the textile arts. Features calendar, exhibitions, educational programs and museum shop.
• Tudor Place - Collection of the Peter family reflects the continuous thread of family life and offers a rare insight into American cultural history. Features a virtual tour, membership information, volunteer and employment opportunities and a newsletter.
• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - America's national institution for the documentation, study and interpretation of Holocaust history. Offers extensive exhibits, collections, library, and arts and educational programs.
• U.S. Capitol Visitor Center - Information on the creation of a new facility for visitors at the U.S. Capitol. Includes design plans, artist renderings, and construction summaries.
• Woodrow Wilson House - Presidential museum and National Trust Historic site. Woodrow Wilson history, calendar of events and exhibitions, educational programs, tour preview, staff directory, directions and rental information.
• BarDC - Offers ratings and reviews of bars and clubs. Includes search by neighborhood and type.
• ChefMoz Dining Guide - Detailed restaurant listings with reviews submitted by the public, and links to outside reviews. Search by name, cuisine, rating or location.
• Chowhound's Washington, DC & Baltimore Area Message Board - Message board devoted to dining in area restaurants.
• CuisineNet - Browse area restaurants by cuisine or name.
• Dining Metro Restaurant Guide - Search by cuisine, location, meals served, and restaurant name.
• Dining Web - Search by location, cuisine and service type.
• DiningGuide Washington DC - Contact information and brief descriptions for area restaurants, organized by general location and type of cuisine.
• Epinions.com - Offers opinions and reviews. Features search by cuisine, price and location.
• eRatem.com - Reviews restaurants and bars by food quality, price, and atmosphere. Includes addresses, phone numbers, and hours of operations for each restaurant.
• Gayot: Washington, DC, Dining - Reviews of metro area restaurants, searchable by neighborhood, cuisine, price and features. From publisher of the Gayot restaurant guidebooks.
• Pick a Restaurant - Allows searching by name, cuisine, location, atmosphere, and price.
• Restaurants.com - Allows searching by name, location, or cuisine. Free registration for restaurants.
• UrbanSavings - Directory of dining, shopping, personal care, and entertainment discounts.
• Washington Post: Dining Guide - Food critic Tom Sietsema's annual guide to area restaurants, organized by cuisine and featuring star ratings.
• Washingtonian - A guide to restaurants and dining, searchable by name, cuisine, cost, and location. Includes the annual "100 Best Bargain Restaurants" list.

Thanks to wikitravel.org and dmoz.org
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