[-=Germania=-]

DC is perhaps one of the greatest experiences of my Life.

I was there as a high school student doing some program where we went to embassy's and talked to the ambassidors,etc. Well, the 4th of july we got free range as long as we checked in around lunch and met together at midnight.

The Mall is awesome, you can go anywhere for free. I would suggest the Smithsonians (there are many buildings) They also have a pretty nice exhibit with vintage music that you might find interesting. The Contemporary Art museum was worth passing over, but DO go to the National Gallery of Art. The Air and Space is interesting, but exhibits are few and far between.

Check if there is going to be any Armed Forces band concerts. They are free and usually exceedingly good. I like the Marine Corps and Air Force bands probably the best, but I doubt any would disappoint.

The Kennedy center might have something interesting going on as well. There are many venues to check out.
It might be fun to go to the embassies of your nationality. Many are open for visitors and you can check on the hours.

 

[scompton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by obobskivich /img/forum/go_quote.gif have you ever tried to get food there? or any of the other "touristy" stuff, like the gift shop? if you're like me, and just wander around places that are free, and do the whole "sneak food in" (to movie theatres and whatnot), then its great, but if you do the "touristy" thing (like my parents would), its very far from "cheap"

I would never buy food there. If I was planning to be there the whole day, I'd bring food in. No need to sneak it in because it's not against any rules to bring it in.

Edit: I tend to avoid buying food at any touristy institution. It's usually mediocre at best and expensive. The exception in DC is the Native American Museum and the Spy Museum both of which have very good restaurants. They're not cheap, but they're very good.

 

[obobskivich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scompton /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would never buy food there. If I was planning to be there the whole day, I'd bring food in. No need to sneak it in because it's not against any rules to bring it in.

idk, I'm remembering being told we weren't to bring anything in with us, but I could be mistaken (its been a few years)

germania: could not agree more on the Smithsonian, its an excellent "place" (thing? quasi-village?) to kill a day or two

 

[scompton]

I agree with a lot of HD_Dude's list. Hains Point is someplace we always took out of town guests because they had a great statue there called Awakening. It's gone so there's no reason to go there.

A couple of off the beaten path free things.

My favorite Smithsonian museum is the Renwick Gallery on the same block of Pennsylvania Ave as the White House. It's a craft museum and my wife and I are both into crafts. It can be hit or miss depending on what's showing there.

National Geographic has a great little museum.

If you're into historic homes, the Decatur House on Lafayette Square was free 2 years ago when I went. Edit: Just looked it up and it's now $5

Edit: We're spoiled here in DC because so much is free. Every time I go to a museum elsewhere I get sticker shock. Not all of the museums here are free but most of them are.

 

[TheRobbStory]

Oh yeah, I forgot Ethiopian. My favorite is Almaz at 13th and U. I eat there every Friday. Dukem is also very good, a block east of Almaz.

My favorite museums are the Hirshhorn, and the east wing of the National Gallery.

Try to hit the museums during the weekdays. I forgot this rule on Saturday and visited the Natural History museum and I could barely move because there were so many people inside.

A little overlooked gem is the old post office building on Penn. You can go up in the clock tower for free and get a pretty nice view of the district.

Take a visit to Arlington National Cemetery. It's a pretty powerful experience.

I'd offer to take you on a tour of XM, but I don't work there anymore.

 

[intoflatlines]

Wow lots of great info here. I'll be sure to check them out!

Keep 'em coming..

 

[iriverdude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HD_Dude /img/forum/go_quote.gif Boredom is a symptom of a lack of intelligence.

yawn. You're boring. Going from museum to museum sounds like a dull day, not that I'm not interested by facts and knowledge.

Can you abseil down washington memorial?

 

[helios]

If you want to see strange life forms go to DuPont Circle.

 

[evilking]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iriverdude /img/forum/go_quote.gif Going from museum to museum sounds like a dull day, not that I'm not interested by facts and knowledge.

If you're not not interested by facts and knowledge, museum's are great places to be...

Other than that, if you pass by ESPN Zone, they do some great nachos. When I visited DC (autumn 05), it was my first time in the US so there was much sight-seeing to be done. Make sure you know what you're ordering when you hit the Ethiopian restaurant, randomly ordering stuff isn't the best idea.



EK