Washington DC metro question

[sydneysmom]

Ya'll are making me more excited to go now!! We're definitely going to do the Crime and Punishment Museum and the Spy Museum... those are my DH's top of the list... Newseum, I hadn't really thought about it. (mostly because I hate watching the news!!) but I'll go out to the website and take a look. That was one that our Congressman recommended also.

Has anyone ventured into Chinatown to eat at night? We're going to be near Chinatown, so I thought that might be fun to do at night to get some good food.... I've been pouring through the guidebooks where to go for breakfast & dinners that aren't overly expensive. It's a bit overwhelming!!

And Grace&Carolinesmom I believe you're right... from what it looks like, you could spend a month there!!

Oh, one thing we REALLY want to do (since most everything closes around 6 pm) is to take a night tour of the monuments either by bus or trolley. That looked really cool to do and you get out and walk around..... I'm looking forward to photographing the monuments at night. Has anyone done the night tours? Are they worth it ?

 

[bookluvingbabe]

If you are going to do the bus or trolley tours, I would limit how much you load on the Metro cards in advance. You may not spend as much as you think you are.

The monuments at night are totally worth seeing.

The Newseum is pricey. I would make the free stuff a priority first.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

.........

The monuments at night are totally worth seeing.

.........

I agree, especially the Korean War Memorial.

 

[sydneysmom]

I agree, especially the Korean War Memorial.

I'm looking forward to that one as well as the WWII Memorial. From what I've heard, they're very moving when you see them in person.

 

[danygirl]

Www.metroopensdoors.com. If you can't find what you want there call them. They are more helpful than you would think.

If you don't buy the plastic card you will pay an extra dollar per trip. That will add up!

You can use the plastic cards on the bus,too.

Check out gold star dot com for discounts on the tour buses.

 

[danygirl]

Very important- on the metro escalators we pass on the left !!! So if you want to walk up the escalator do it on the left. And if you want to stand and ride stay right. When you get here you will see what I mean

Newseum is not worth the money. There is a new baby panda at the zoo, which is free and very large. Spy museum is awesome but you pay. Only smithsonian museums are free but you could spend a week doing free museums and touring monuments.

 

[danygirl]

Discount to the spy museum of $7 per ticket with the plastic smart trip metro card. They have other discounts too. Last season the Nats had $2 Tuesday for baseball tickets. The stadium is right next to metro and you can watch the famous racing presidents!

 

[sydneysmom]

Discount to the spy museum of $7 per ticket with the plastic smart trip metro card. They have other discounts too. Last season the Nats had $2 Tuesday for baseball tickets. The stadium is right next to metro and you can watch the famous racing presidents!

good to know, thank you !!

 

[soccerchick]

If you plan to visit some of the private museums (and even sporting events), sign up for Living Social, Groupon and the Capital Deal (Washington Post) for the DC area.

They have tickets often for Spy Museum (not my favorite). I've also seen Madame Toussad's (NOT a must see), and Crime and Punishment. I really like C&P but some exhibits are mature and you may wish to steer younger kids away (not sure if I missed if you are taking kids and ages - sorry).

I love the Newseum. Check out the website. It's more of a history museum told through the eyes of the media. If you like history and current events, check it out. There's a section of the Berlin Wall, a 9/11 exhibit, Pulitzer prize winning photograph gallery, and an amazing view of the Capital from the balcony. They had an Anchorman exhibit this winter (not sure if it has closed).

If you are a sports fan, check out what teams might be in town when you visit. The discount sites offer tickets and I get them on StubHub a lot too. Verizon Center is nice and near C&P and Spy Museums (and Ford's Theater, Portrait Gallery, etc). Lots of restaurants near F street there.

 

[danygirl]

So funny how opinions differ on the Newseum ! I call it the Bad News Museum - the exhibits were awful and depressing. The have boxes of tissues out at some of the displays!!! The only thing I thought was fun was the kids area. To each his own on this one.

 

[sydneysmom]

So funny how opinions differ on the Newseum ! I call it the Bad News Museum - the exhibits were awful and depressing. The have boxes of tissues out at some of the displays!!! The only thing I thought was fun was the kids area. To each his own on this one.

I'm fully expecting this at the Holocaust Museum as well. Some exhibits are just VERY difficult. We went to the D-Day Museum in New Orleans and I left there sobbing. It's was incredibly moving and gut wrenching.

 

[Colleen27]

Has anyone ventured into Chinatown to eat at night? We're going to be near Chinatown, so I thought that might be fun to do at night to get some good food.... I've been pouring through the guidebooks where to go for breakfast & dinners that aren't overly expensive. It's a bit overwhelming!!

We were there over Christmas break and had dinner almost every night in Chinatown. I can't help with breakfast suggestions because our room included a hot breakfast daily, but we had a LOT of excellent dinners while we were in DC! Lots and lots and lots of yummy choices. We especially enjoyed Mandu (Korean food, a few blocks north of Chinatown), though it wasn't inexpensive. Also, there's a really cool candy shop called Its Sugar there that my kids adored.

The Verizon Center, where DC's NBA and NHL teams play, is right there in Chinatown so the neighborhood is generally hopping even at night. We stayed a few blocks over at 10th and K and never felt unsafe walking around after dark at all.

 

[sydneysmom]

We were there over Christmas break and had dinner almost every night in Chinatown. I can't help with breakfast suggestions because our room included a hot breakfast daily, but we had a LOT of excellent dinners while we were in DC! Lots and lots and lots of yummy choices. We especially enjoyed Mandu (Korean food, a few blocks north of Chinatown), though it wasn't inexpensive. Also, there's a really cool candy shop called Its Sugar there that my kids adored.

The Verizon Center, where DC's NBA and NHL teams play, is right there in Chinatown so the neighborhood is generally hopping even at night. We stayed a few blocks over at 10th and K and never felt unsafe walking around after dark at all.

Oh, that's so good to know! I was a little worried about walking around at night, so it's nice to know it's a busy place. the nice thing is, we'll be going the end of April, so it will be staying lighter a bit longer too.

It's amazing to me that all the museums and everything seems to lock down at like 5:30 or 6 pm!! You would think the museums would stay open at night. (or at least I would)

 

[hlg22]

Ya'll are making me more excited to go now!! We're definitely going to do the Crime and Punishment Museum and the Spy Museum... those are my DH's top of the list... Newseum, I hadn't really thought about it. (mostly because I hate watching the news!!) but I'll go out to the website and take a look. That was one that our Congressman recommended also.

Has anyone ventured into Chinatown to eat at night? We're going to be near Chinatown, so I thought that might be fun to do at night to get some good food.... I've been pouring through the guidebooks where to go for breakfast & dinners that aren't overly expensive. It's a bit overwhelming!!

And Grace&Carolinesmom I believe you're right... from what it looks like, you could spend a month there!!

Oh, one thing we REALLY want to do (since most everything closes around 6 pm) is to take a night tour of the monuments either by bus or trolley. That looked really cool to do and you get out and walk around..... I'm looking forward to photographing the monuments at night. Has anyone done the night tours? Are they worth it ?

Add me to the list of folks who really like the Newseum - I went for the first time shortly after it opened with a friend thinking we'd be there for an hour or so and we were so engrossed that we spent the entire afternoon. The monuments at night are awesome, and you don't need to do a tour unless you want to - the tours tend to be on the early-ish side after dark and the later you go, the more likely you'll be able to enjoy them without throngs of people.

For restaurants, what types of food do you like/how adventurous of eaters are you guys? Also what do you consider "not overly expensive"? If you can provide some paramaters I'm sure that I and others can provide recommendations in the Gallery Place/Chinatown area. There are lots of amazing restaurants in that area though strangely despite its name I cannot think of a true Chinese restaurant in Chinatown that I would recommend - it's not like Chinatown in NYC where there are lots of great hole in the wall places. There may be some that are good, I just can't think of any - nowadays, the best Chinese restaurants here tend to be out in little strip malls in the VA suburbs.

 

[sydneysmom]

Add me to the list of folks who really like the Newseum - I went for the first time shortly after it opened with a friend thinking we'd be there for an hour or so and we were so engrossed that we spent the entire afternoon. The monuments at night are awesome, and you don't need to do a tour unless you want to - the tours tend to be on the early-ish side after dark and the later you go, the more likely you'll be able to enjoy them without throngs of people.

For restaurants, what types of food do you like/how adventurous of eaters are you guys? Also what do you consider "not overly expensive"? If you can provide some paramaters I'm sure that I and others can provide recommendations in the Gallery Place/Chinatown area. There are lots of amazing restaurants in that area though strangely despite its name I cannot think of a true Chinese restaurant in Chinatown that I would recommend - it's not like Chinatown in NYC where there are lots of great hole in the wall places. There may be some that are good, I just can't think of any - nowadays, the best Chinese restaurants here tend to be out in little strip malls in the VA suburbs.

We pretty much like anything, with the exception of Indian/ Thai food.... but Chinese, Japanese, Italian....anything. We want to keep it in the $25-25 and under per person for dinners. I don't want to go too crazy. Alot of our budget is going for all the museum fees (outside the Smithsonian).

I went out to Newseum's website and found 2 things that I REALLY got excited for .... the 7th floor balcony (all I kept thinking was AWESOME picture opportunity of the Capitol!) and the 4D movie....of which now my DH can't live without going... so we're definitely going now!

I did find that you can take a day cruise to Mt. Vernon.... that looks really fun. We hadn't thought about that. We were going to do the metro/ bus to Mt. Vernon, but this looks like a nice route. (although it's about $ 45 pp).

I hadn't thought about NOT doing a night tour, but you make a good point. We can certainly walk, that's for sure. Is it relatively safe to walk around at night at all the monuments? I know like in any city, you want to be aware of your surroundings at all times, but if we can just walk the National Mall at night to the monuments, I'm all for that....

 

[bookluvingbabe]

The best website for dining advice in dc is donrockwell.com

There is a help section and if you spell out what neighborhoods you are staying in, what type of food you like and your comfort level with walking at night, cabs, and budget, you will get tremendously good suggestions.

I will note that Chinatown doesn't have much Chinese food left and what it has isn't that good anymore. Most of the good Chinese in the area is in the outer suburbs.

I think the Philips Collection stays open late one night a week but that is also a pricey museum.

 

[hlg22]

It is safe to walk around the Mall/monuments at night. A few years ago there were a couple of muggings on the Mall but the police stepped up patrols and it seemed like an isolated incident. Because it is a popular tourist area there will be people around even if you're out late - last summer I had a friend in town and we did the monuments around 10 p.m. and there were still plenty of people out and about.

For restaurants, one of my favorites that you could do in your price range is Zaytinya. The menu is Middle Eastern "small plates" (i.e., tapas) and the food is excellent - the menu is broad enough that even my midwestern meat and potatoes relatives can find something they like but they have a lot of really interesting stuff too. Jaleo (spanish tapas) is also good, as is Oyamel for Mexican (but more traditional/inventive Mexican). All of these are in the Gallery Place/Chinatown area.

 

[Colleen27]

Oh, that's so good to know! I was a little worried about walking around at night, so it's nice to know it's a busy place. the nice thing is, we'll be going the end of April, so it will be staying lighter a bit longer too.

It's amazing to me that all the museums and everything seems to lock down at like 5:30 or 6 pm!! You would think the museums would stay open at night. (or at least I would)

It surprised me too, and we chose a hotel with a pool just for that reason. But it worked out well - we hit the museums until closing then had a nice dinner, which got us back to the hotel with just enough time for a swim or a movie to unwind before bed.

DC is a strange city in that you have, in some places, ghettos practically next door to nice areas. The first time I was there we stayed further out, around Dupont Circle IIRC, and just walking to the store took us into a neighborhood I wasn't particularly comfortable in (and I'm a born and raised Detroiter, I'm pretty comfortable with big cities as a whole). We didn't run into that at all on this trip and we walked everywhere, only took the Metro one day to get to the zoo. There's a huge Walgreens in Chinatown if you need soda or OTC meds or anything, a nice wine/spirits shop a few blocks north on 9th & M, and dining of Chinatown/Gallery Place, all of which felt safe, well-lit, and comfortable to walk to.

 

[Colleen27]

We pretty much like anything, with the exception of Indian/ Thai food.... but Chinese, Japanese, Italian....anything. We want to keep it in the $25-25 and under per person for dinners. I don't want to go too crazy. Alot of our budget is going for all the museum fees (outside the Smithsonian).

We went the opposite - we didn't end up at ANY museums that we had to pay for, other than renting a car and paying for parking at Udvar-Hazy (worth every penny, BTW), but our food budget was more than hotel and transportation combined. We live in small town nowhere so we tend to go a little nuts with the nice, ethnic, and creative dining opportunities when we're visiting big cities.

We did hit a couple of less expensive places, though. The cafe at the Native American museum on the Mall is excellent, very unusual and well-prepared and nothing like you'd expect of museum cafe food. Their focus is on foods native to the Americas and serve some really interesting dishes - we had bison burger, a rabbit and venison stew with cornbread, pork and chicken tacos, and a trio of sliders (turkey, bison, and I don't remember the third). Bolt Burgers, which IIRC was at 11th or 12th and L St NW, serves great burgers with some pretty interesting toppings. Plus they have a Coke Freestyle machine, which my kids always love.

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

There is confusion here on the thread that needs to be cleared up regarding the smart trip cards, fare passes and fare cards.

There is a $1 surcharge added for people using paper Metro Farecards. These are paper fare cards that can be bought in vending machines with differing dollar amounts.

A fare pass like the 7 day fast pass, the 7 day short trip pass, etc are paper BUT there is no $1 surcharge on the paper pass cards.

The SmarTrip card is a permanent reloadable card.

As a tourist who does not plan to return in the near future, there really is no need to pay the extra for a reloadable plastic card. We really thought the 7 day short trip pass was great. It is valid for unlimited rides for 7 days as long as the trip fare is under $3.50 during peak travel times. There is no restriction for fare "cost" during non-peak travel times. The fare pass is activated the first time it is used and can be used for 7 consecutive days. Just note these are not 24 hour "days" from the time of activation but calendar days. So whether your first trip is at 8am or 8 pm, that is day one of your pass.

Now if you think your Metro trips will be way under $35 per person or you are staying for say 8-10 days, then by all means, go for the SmarTrip reloadable. We found it great that we never had to think about how much we had left on our card and that the pass was unlimited. After checking the fare tracker for peak times, there were never any trips that we would be taking that would be over the $3.50 limitation.

I hope that helps