Bethesda MD----HELP??!!

[meeskamouska]

Hi all!!

I am taking my DD5 to the NIH in Bethesda MD in a couple of weeks.

We will be staying with friends for a couple of days at Ft. Meade and then we will be at the Children's Inn at the NIH for two nights.

We will have those evenings free and wanted to know what we could do to have a good time...we will need it after all the DRs appointments!!!???

Is there any local holiday goings on?? Any must eat places??

 

[agnes!]

First off, I am sorry your DD has to go to NIH, but I know that it is a good place to find some answers and get proper treatment. Good luck with all that.

See if your friends can take you to see some of the Christmas lights around town. There are some drive-through displays & every neighborhood usually has at least one over-the-top house, maybe they know of some around where they live.

I used to live near bethesda - maybe you could go to one of the shopping malls near NIH? The only one I can remember right now though is The Galleria on Wisconsin Avenue.

Stratford Hall which is right off of Wisconsin Ave/Rockville Pike/Route 355 between Bethesda & Rockville might be having some Christmas concerts.

agnes!

 

[meeskamouska]

First off, I am sorry your DD has to go to NIH, but I know that it is a good place to find some answers and get proper treatment. Good luck with all that.

See if your friends can take you to see some of the Christmas lights around town. There are some drive-through displays & every neighborhood usually has at least one over-the-top house, maybe they know of some around where they live.

I used to live near bethesda - maybe you could go to one of the shopping malls near NIH? The only one I can remember right now though is The Galleria on Wisconsin Avenue.

Stratford Hall which is right off of Wisconsin Ave/Rockville Pike/Route 355 between Bethesda & Rockville might be having some Christmas concerts.

agnes!

Thanks!! We are actually soo excited to be going to NIH. Where people actually have heard of my DDs medical condition!!

My friends will not really be available to do much with us...they are having baby number 4 in the coming weeks...maybe even when we are there!!!

We will be on our own and using public transportation.

Thanks for the idea about Xmas lights....I hadn't really thought about that!!

 

[chrisw127]

Hi. I used to live there. Bethesda is great. There are a lot of good restaurants on 355 and just off. In fact, Bethesda is basically food-central in the DC area (lots of Yuppies, you know). You can walk around the downtown area if you like or you can park; parking during dinner hours can be very hard to come by and it's a bit crowded.

If you like Tex-Mex, there's Rio Grande Cafe. There are a few of them in the DC area, but this is probably the best. I swear, it's the only thing I miss about DC. They have one of those little tortilla making machines that the kids love and the food is excellent. It's less than 2 miles from NIH.

If you are hungry for diner food, there's a sort of famous one in Bethesday. I can't remember the name, but it's right off Wisconsin as soon as you get into Bethesda.

Really, you can't go wrong with food in Bethesday (although I'd avoid anything with BBQ after its name).

If you are looking for a mall, you can go up to Rockville in White Flint on 355 (Wisconsin). It's probably two miles from NIH. Not a bad mall. Montgomery mall is better and it's pretty close too. There's also a lot of shopping just about a mile down from NIH.

If you have a car, there's a big Mormon church in Kensington about 5 miles from NIH that has a huge yearly Christmas display that you can drive through (although there was some talk of doing away with this). There are also Christmas displays out in Gaithersburg and Germantown that you can drive through. Of course, if you get really ambitious, it's nice to see the tree on the National Mall, but it might not be up yet.

Bethesda is right on the metro Red Line so it's a very quick trip into DC. In fact, there is a metro stop right at NIH. The neighborhoods on the Red Line are generally higher-end with lots of neighborhods and shopping. It's been a while, but I believe that includes the National Zoo, as well.

Good luck. You will definitely find plenty to do in Bethesda.

ETA: I just noticed you won't have a car, but that shouldn't be an issue for most stuff. The metro is so convenient.

 

[agnes!]

Found something I had forgotten about.

Take a look at Imagination Stage, which is right in the heart of Bethesda so you wouldn't have to go far to get there. They're a theatre company that puts on plays for kids and it sounds like "Miss Nelson is Missing!" might be something your DD might enjoy. http://www.imaginationstage.org/playing.htm#missnelson

Their other play, which is on from now until the end of this month might be too 'old' for your DD, but maybe not.

agnes!

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

Bethesda's right outside DC. If you haven't been to DC before I highly reccommend getting to see a little of the city. There's a tourmobile tour of the monuments at night that's probably lovely. I do the cheap version with out of town guests and just drive them around myself. Also, I don't know what time you'll be done at night, but the Natural History Museum often stays open in the evening so you can watch the IMAX movies and eat dinner in the cafe while listening to live music -- if you could get their early enough to see some of the exhibits (Hall of Mammals is a great hit at that age) and then stay for a movie.

Other than that, downtown Bethesda is lots of fun (and 1 stop away on the metro from NIH). There's a pedestrian area, a big Barnes and Noble (I know that for my son browsing in a book store) movie theaters, ice cream places, etc . . . There's tons of great restaurants -- tell me what you like and I can suggest a place.

The Kennedy Center would be another magical destination -- they have a free concert every single night at 6:00 (I think), you might have to google it. The building feels like the inside of a palace to a 5 year old. They have a cafe there with decent food. It would be more of a hike from Bethesda but you can take the metro to Foggy Bottom and then catch a free shuttle to the Kennedy Center. They might also have a children's show going -- the tickets are cheaper than the adult shows and every one I've been to has been wonderful (we've had 3 years of season tickets, plus I've chaperoned dozens of field trips so that's saying a lot).

Hopefully you'll have a great trip, and get some great answers at NIH. Good luck!

 

[BillSears]

This may be a bit too ambitious but I like visiting the National Christmas trees in the Elipse at the White House. They have the National Christmas Tree and a tree from each state. They're beautiful at night and often there is some sort of entertainment.

http://www.nps.gov/whho/national_christmas_tree_program.htm

 

[nordkin]

Check out Strathmore for events. http://www.strathmore.org/eventstickets/calendar.asp?m=12&y=2008&f=g&s=

Downtown Bethesda is a few miles down 355 from NIH and is mainly restuarants and specialty shops. The Imagination Stage is there and can be fun, there is also a movie theater that is over run with teens hanging out at night. The movie theater at White Flint Mall has less teens. If you head up 355 the other way you will be on Rockville Pike with lots of chain stores and restaurants.

You will be near Metro and it is an easy ride to downtown DC where as another poster said you can take the tourmobile and see the monuments at night. They are beautiful at night. Not knowing your exact dates, the National Christmas Tree and Pagent of Peace may also be a nice thing to do. It is usually lit the first week of December.

I wish the best of luck at NIH, they are super.

 

[meeskamouska]

This may be a bit too ambitious but I like visiting the National Christmas trees in the Elipse at the White House. They have the National Christmas Tree and a tree from each state. They're beautiful at night and often there is some sort of entertainment.

http://www.nps.gov/whho/national_christmas_tree_program.htm

I love this idea!!! I didn't see anywhere that you needed to purchase tickets or anything???

What would be the easiest way to get there?? And how much time should we allot for it???

Thanks again!!!

 

[meeskamouska]

I wish the best of luck at NIH, they are super.

Thanks!! We have been waiting for over 18 months to get there!!!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I love this idea!!! I didn't see anywhere that you needed to purchase tickets or anything???

What would be the easiest way to get there?? And how much time should we allot for it???

Thanks again!!!

If the National Tree is up then that would be a wonderful thing to do. We went last year and had a great time. Which dates will you be there?

 

[Christine]

I love this idea!!! I didn't see anywhere that you needed to purchase tickets or anything???

What would be the easiest way to get there?? And how much time should we allot for it???

Thanks again!!!

I live outside of DC and am so stupid I can't even tell you how to get to the tree.

I think this is a GREAT free thing to do. Beside the tree and all the trees for the different states, there used to be a lot of other 'goings on' in that area. I remember they used to do a live manger thing and they burned a yule log every night. That was a long time ago but they may still do it. I can picture the Metro stop in my head but CANNOT remember the name. Easy enough for you to google though.

For some reason, if it is cold, it is SUPER cold out on the Ellipse where the trees are. I don't know why but I always find it absolutely freezing there.

 

[meeskamouska]

If the National Tree is up then that would be a wonderful thing to do. We went last year and had a great time. Which dates will you be there?

We will be there Dec. 6- 10. And I am going to try and get us there!!!!

 

[meeskamouska]

I live outside of DC and am so stupid I can't even tell you how to get to the tree.

I think this is a GREAT free thing to do. Beside the tree and all the trees for the different states, there used to be a lot of other 'goings on' in that area. I remember they used to do a live manger thing and they burned a yule log every night. That was a long time ago but they may still do it. I can picture the Metro stop in my head but CANNOT remember the name. Easy enough for you to google though.

For some reason, if it is cold, it is SUPER cold out on the Ellipse where the trees are. I don't know why but I always find it absolutely freezing there.

Thanks for the weather tip!! We are not used to cold weather...so, that tip is definitely needed!!!

 

[BillSears]

I love this idea!!! I didn't see anywhere that you needed to purchase tickets or anything???

What would be the easiest way to get there?? And how much time should we allot for it???

Thanks again!!!

It's free and open to the public.

You can drive into downtown DC and find some place to park around the Ellipse or you can take the subway into downtown DC and get off at the Federal Triangle station. The subway lets you off a couple of blocks from the Ellipse.

It's a really pretty walk araound area. You'll be right next to the Mall, between the Washington Monument and the White House. You can warm up at the fire pit where they burn the Yule Logs. See the manger, look at the raindeer and maybe get to see some carolers or other show.

I'd say allow about 1-2 hours dependeding on how fast you want to do it. On cold nights I tend to get in, see the trees and get out.

If you look at this map the Ellipse is in the area between the Washington Monument and the White House. Right in that spot between 15th and 17th street.

For some reason, if it is cold, it is SUPER cold out on the Ellipse where the trees are. I don't know why but I always find it absolutely freezing there.

I second this! I swear it seems to be freezing out there. Or maybe it's just that I'm not used to spending an hour or more outside with no wind breaks.

 

[meeskamouska]

Thank you all for al the great info. I want to make this trip special...not just about needle sticks and testing.

We are on a very limited budget, so the Trees are the perfect thing to do. Are there vendors for food stuffs....hot chocolate???

 

[Tigger&Belle]

We will be there Dec. 6- 10. And I am going to try and get us there!!!!

It is a nice thing. The Yule Log was burning last year and it felt very good. There are vendors in the area that sell hot chocolate. If it's a nice evening weather-wise you can walk up to the grounds of the Washington Monument...I love walking around there at night.

I never tire of seeing the monuments. I go into DC most Monday evenings and get the warmest feeling whenever I am in view of the Washington Monument. I usually text someone to tell them that I can see the monument, but they never seem quite as excited as I am.

If there's anything you need while you're there let me know via PM. I'll be in Bethesda at a dr appt mid-day that Tuesday and am not so far away normally (I love in northern Montgomery County) that I can't help out if you need anything.

 

[DancingBear]

Sitting here in my office in Bethesda. Several thoughts.

As noted above, Bethesda is loaded with all sorts of restaurants. I second the recommendation of Rio Grande as a kid-friendly place.

Bethesda is right on the Red Line of the Metro (there is a stop at NIH and also in Bethesda), which stops at the Zoo. It's fun to visit anytime, and they have ZooLights going on through the holiday season:

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ActivitiesAndEvents/Celebrations/ZooLights/default.cfm

The Zoo is free during the day but as you can see on the website ZooLights has a charge.

The national Christmas tree is worthwhile. If you are driving I've found spots available a couple of blocks west of the Ellipse. There are a lot of Gov't office buildings there and, it seems to me, more available street parking there than on the east in the Federal Triangle area. If you are riding Metro I would not bother to transfer from the Red Line to the Blue Line to get to the Federal Triangle stop--just get off at Farragut North (then walk down through Lafayette Square to see the North Front of the White House, then around the White House to the Ellipse) or Metro Center.

Consider the U.S. Botanic Garden, which has a really neat holiday display with lots of model trains:

http://www.usbg.gov/upload/Holiday-08-release.pdf

I would switch at Metro Center to the Blue Line to the Capitol South station to get to the Botanic Garden, which is right at the foot of the Capitol.

We've been to lots of the drive-through and walk-through light displays around the Metro area (including at the Mormon Cathedral), but our favorite is at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton (a walk-through), which is very close to Bethesda:

http://www.mc-mncppc.org/parks/brookside/light.shtm

Over in Virginia, but very accessible by car from Bethesda, there is a great holiday singalong with the Marine Band at Wolftrap on December 7:

http://www.wolf-trap.org/Home/Find_Performances_and_Events/Performance/08Filene/1207show08.aspx