There’s lots to see and do in Washington DC and everything is really top notch attractions. Even though I was only there for a few days I was able to see much of what Washington DC has to offer.
To summarize my Washington DC trip, here are some of the highlights I posted about previously of what I saw around Washington (+ suggested itinerary):
- United States Capitol & Library of Congress : Washington DC
- National Botanic Gardens : Washington DC
- Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum : Washington DC
- Smithsonian National Museum of American History : Washington DC
- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History : Washington DC
- National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum : Washington DC
- National Zoological Park – Smithsonian Institute : Washington DC
- National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden : Washington DC
Day trips I took that are just outside Washington:
- Great Falls Park : Washington DC
- Arlington National Cemetery : Virginia USA
- Mount Vernon : Washington DC
Other Washington DC places I’ve been to but haven’t posted about since photos were not allowed inside:
- The Washington DC Mall.
- The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum – an important museum and somewhat different from the Israeli Yad-Vashem and other holocaust memorials I’ve been to. A must.
- National Museum of the American Indians – a small little museums about the native Americans. A sad sad story.
- China Town – a very small area in Washington DC, but still worth a walk.
- International Spy Museum – an overpriced over-commercialized little museum. Only if you have bored kids that drive you crazy in the other wonderful museums in Washington DC.
- Georgetown and the Theodor Roosevelt Island
- Union Station – not only for the trains. Has some nice shopping inside and some open street markets and performances on the weekends.
- Alexandria and Old Town. Good restaurants, a very pleasant walk around a lovely neighborhood (on the way to Mount Vernon).
Shows I’ve seen :
- A concert at the Kennedy Center Hall.
- Liberty Smith – a cute little theater going through the highlights of the American history of freedom. Runs at the lovely Washington DC Ford Theater, and there’s a museum on the lower floor.
- The Moscows Of Nantucket – Was playing at the local Jewish community center in Dupont and it had decent reviews, so we figured we might as well have a look …. turned out to be a better show than I expected.
Where I’ve stayed :
- Silver Springs – My uncle and aunt’s Sabbatical apartment residing with a lively Jewish community.
- Dupont Cirlce – to get closer to where the action is I stayed with Hilton for 3 days. Was likely to get this for a hotel bid at less than a 100US$ at peak season.
And I do believe this was just barely scratching the surface of what Washington DC has to offer.
My suggested 5 days itinerary :
- Day 1 : State Capitol, Library of Congress, Botanical Gardens, and a walk up the DC Mall (White House, Lincoln, etc.)
- Day 2 & 5 : Museums are hard to get through unless you’re really patient. Select yourself the more relevant museums for you, and spread those over 2 days. Make sure you have long breaks between the museums, especially the more emotionally demanding ones (Holocaust).
- Day 3 : Day trip to Arlington, Mount Vernon. Make a stop at Alexandria.
- Day 4 : Chinatown, George Town or any of the many lovely DC neighborhoods. The outdoor Zoo might be a good diversion.
- Day 5 : See day 2.
To wrap things up, here are random photos of the beautiful American capital city – Washington DC…
[Revisit 2019 additional photos]
[END Revisit 2019 additional photos]
A big thanks to my father who joined me on this wonderful urban trip and made it a very pleasurable experience.
Hope that’s helpful. Any comments, suggestions or other recommendations are very welcome.