The 10 best things about Washington, DC
Let's add another to the thousands of lists dedicated to Washington DC, and the best things to do there.
Okay, so this is very subjective. Some featured hotspots have been left out, most notably the White House, Mount Vernon, and the Kennedy Center, among many other sites. This should give you a good indication of the wide scope of activities in DC. So without further ado, let's begin the countdown.
(Drumroll)
1. Free Museums
That's an easy one. The free museums could easily fill up a tourist's full schedule, regardless of the length of his stay. There are so many to choose from. The Air and Space, Natural History, the Holocaust Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and dozens more. Good and clean (not to mention free) fun and always worth a visit. I will also include the zoo here, which is also free and one of the better zoos I've visited. This more than makes up for the high cost of hotel rooms (you could probably get a room at the White House for less). There's only one museum I will separate from the rest of them, one that deserves its own cool ranking, and that would be…
2. The Hirschhorn Museum
This is my favorite art museum in the world, hands down. Not too big, not too small, but with plenty of works representing artists both established (Picasso, Matisse, Liechtenstein) and new. The sculpture garden outside is still a treat. My favorite floor is the basement, where you will find the most modern exhibitions, especially in the film room. I can't think of any other art museum where I can lose myself for the day.
3. Rock Creek Park
I've seen my share of city parks, each with its own unique twist, but I'm not sure I've seen a park quite like Rock Creek. Within minutes, you can get lost in the wilderness and be stumbling upon a river, hiking trails, and wild animals that seem to have been imported from the Appalachian trail. You will be thinking, 'You've got to be kidding. I'm in Washington, DC?' No one would blame you if you thought you were in Washington state. It's also one of the locations for one of my favorite activities, and why Washington is also one of my favorite places, and that would be…
4. Running
As I've already mentioned, DC is my favorite running city, by miles. Take the Potomac alone and its bridges and you can run several marathons a day, should you fancy it (plus an ensuing trip to the hospital, if you're serious about the 'several marathons' part). DC running never gets too dull. You can choose the most frequented routes in Rock Creek Park or the more obscure across the river in Arlington. The cherry on top is passing the famous sites on your run, like the White House, the Capitol, or the Marine Corps Memorial.
5. Dining
Here I am not going to mention one particular restaurant. Suffice to say that Liebi and I used to live in a neighborhood that, within three blocks, had Tex Mex, Sudanese, Ethiopian, Indian, Thai, Chinese, and Italian, along with some other basic pizza parlors and burger joints. My personal favorite: the Amsterdam Falafel House in Adam's Morgan. If you don't have a reservation in town, I suggest Barrack's Row near Capitol Hill on 8th Street SE. Every ethnic cuisine represented, reasonably priced…and yes, just as good as any place in DC. If you can't find anything good to eat here, then you're probably a sheep looking for the most luscious grass. But that shouldn't be a problem (see Rock Creek Park).
6. The Metro
Yes, there will be people claiming that they have lost hair more quickly with the Metro or seen it turn as white as Einstein's in his later years, but I have never had a problem with it. The metro is remarkably clean, for the most part on time, and the metro card system makes New York's look like it was designed by kindergardeners.
7. History
You always have to realize that there is history lurking in DC around every corner. Just how many houses and parks were used during the Cold War for clandestine activities? We might never know. You could be sitting at the pond at the Mall and still hear Martin Luther King's voice soaring through the air. There are the estates of George Washington and Frederick Douglass. The other day, I returned home from a lunch in Chinatown and passed Ford's Theater, where Lincoln was assassinated. It is very chilling to just happen upon places like these.
8. Sports
I'm a guy, remember? And a sports guy at that! Washington DC has one franchise in every major sport: baseball has the Nationals (nice new ballpark, BTW), football the Redskins, basketball the Wizards, and hockey the Capitals. For good measure, let's not forget soccer's DC United. The only thing left to be desired is the location of Fedex Field, home of the Washington Redskins, way out there in Landover, Maryland. For some people, it might as well be in Canada. An awful location for such a storied franchise.
9. Theodore Roosevelt Island
This isn't nearly as famous as dozens of other monuments, like the nearby Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, etc. but it might just be my favorite place for a picnic in town. Located across the river in Arlington, you could walk or bike there if you're not up for driving. You cross a short bridge on the Virginia side, and the island itself has dozens of park benches, lawn spots for picnicking…and a running route I like to use. The memorial itself is huge and captures Teddy perfectly, I feel. It's a memorial not lauded nearly as much as Teddy's counterparts across the river, but it certainly should be.
10. Dumbarton Oaks
Dumbarton what? Google it. I'm not talking about the historic museum, the library, or the music room, although I'm sure they have a place in somebody's heart somewhere, most notably Harvard University, which now owns it. This is the place you want to go to in order to avoid the crowds gawking at the cherry blossoms at the Jefferson Memorial Basin. Dumbarton Oaks is tucked away in nearby Georgetown, and the estate's gardens can stand toe to toe with any in Washington, DC.
I realize that Washington, DC will never attract the tourists of either New York or Los Angeles, but DC packs quite an entertainment punch for each square foot of real estate. A great place to visit and a wonderful place to live.
Okay, so this is very subjective. Some featured hotspots have been left out, most notably the White House, Mount Vernon, and the Kennedy Center, among many other sites. This should give you a good indication of the wide scope of activities in DC. So without further ado, let's begin the countdown.
(Drumroll)
1. Free Museums
That's an easy one. The free museums could easily fill up a tourist's full schedule, regardless of the length of his stay. There are so many to choose from. The Air and Space, Natural History, the Holocaust Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and dozens more. Good and clean (not to mention free) fun and always worth a visit. I will also include the zoo here, which is also free and one of the better zoos I've visited. This more than makes up for the high cost of hotel rooms (you could probably get a room at the White House for less). There's only one museum I will separate from the rest of them, one that deserves its own cool ranking, and that would be…
2. The Hirschhorn Museum
This is my favorite art museum in the world, hands down. Not too big, not too small, but with plenty of works representing artists both established (Picasso, Matisse, Liechtenstein) and new. The sculpture garden outside is still a treat. My favorite floor is the basement, where you will find the most modern exhibitions, especially in the film room. I can't think of any other art museum where I can lose myself for the day.
3. Rock Creek Park
I've seen my share of city parks, each with its own unique twist, but I'm not sure I've seen a park quite like Rock Creek. Within minutes, you can get lost in the wilderness and be stumbling upon a river, hiking trails, and wild animals that seem to have been imported from the Appalachian trail. You will be thinking, 'You've got to be kidding. I'm in Washington, DC?' No one would blame you if you thought you were in Washington state. It's also one of the locations for one of my favorite activities, and why Washington is also one of my favorite places, and that would be…
4. Running
As I've already mentioned, DC is my favorite running city, by miles. Take the Potomac alone and its bridges and you can run several marathons a day, should you fancy it (plus an ensuing trip to the hospital, if you're serious about the 'several marathons' part). DC running never gets too dull. You can choose the most frequented routes in Rock Creek Park or the more obscure across the river in Arlington. The cherry on top is passing the famous sites on your run, like the White House, the Capitol, or the Marine Corps Memorial.
5. Dining
Here I am not going to mention one particular restaurant. Suffice to say that Liebi and I used to live in a neighborhood that, within three blocks, had Tex Mex, Sudanese, Ethiopian, Indian, Thai, Chinese, and Italian, along with some other basic pizza parlors and burger joints. My personal favorite: the Amsterdam Falafel House in Adam's Morgan. If you don't have a reservation in town, I suggest Barrack's Row near Capitol Hill on 8th Street SE. Every ethnic cuisine represented, reasonably priced…and yes, just as good as any place in DC. If you can't find anything good to eat here, then you're probably a sheep looking for the most luscious grass. But that shouldn't be a problem (see Rock Creek Park).
6. The Metro
Yes, there will be people claiming that they have lost hair more quickly with the Metro or seen it turn as white as Einstein's in his later years, but I have never had a problem with it. The metro is remarkably clean, for the most part on time, and the metro card system makes New York's look like it was designed by kindergardeners.
7. History
You always have to realize that there is history lurking in DC around every corner. Just how many houses and parks were used during the Cold War for clandestine activities? We might never know. You could be sitting at the pond at the Mall and still hear Martin Luther King's voice soaring through the air. There are the estates of George Washington and Frederick Douglass. The other day, I returned home from a lunch in Chinatown and passed Ford's Theater, where Lincoln was assassinated. It is very chilling to just happen upon places like these.
8. Sports
I'm a guy, remember? And a sports guy at that! Washington DC has one franchise in every major sport: baseball has the Nationals (nice new ballpark, BTW), football the Redskins, basketball the Wizards, and hockey the Capitals. For good measure, let's not forget soccer's DC United. The only thing left to be desired is the location of Fedex Field, home of the Washington Redskins, way out there in Landover, Maryland. For some people, it might as well be in Canada. An awful location for such a storied franchise.
9. Theodore Roosevelt Island
This isn't nearly as famous as dozens of other monuments, like the nearby Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, etc. but it might just be my favorite place for a picnic in town. Located across the river in Arlington, you could walk or bike there if you're not up for driving. You cross a short bridge on the Virginia side, and the island itself has dozens of park benches, lawn spots for picnicking…and a running route I like to use. The memorial itself is huge and captures Teddy perfectly, I feel. It's a memorial not lauded nearly as much as Teddy's counterparts across the river, but it certainly should be.
10. Dumbarton Oaks
Dumbarton what? Google it. I'm not talking about the historic museum, the library, or the music room, although I'm sure they have a place in somebody's heart somewhere, most notably Harvard University, which now owns it. This is the place you want to go to in order to avoid the crowds gawking at the cherry blossoms at the Jefferson Memorial Basin. Dumbarton Oaks is tucked away in nearby Georgetown, and the estate's gardens can stand toe to toe with any in Washington, DC.
I realize that Washington, DC will never attract the tourists of either New York or Los Angeles, but DC packs quite an entertainment punch for each square foot of real estate. A great place to visit and a wonderful place to live.
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