Washington DC
From GRA
Contents |
What to see
For information on exhibitions and events one can visit the washington post web-site; http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/artsandliving/cityguide/ and subscribe for weekly updates by email. Also check out the calender of events on http://www.culturaltourismdc.org/calendar2532/calendar.htm
- National Mall
The Washington Monument
http://www.nps.gov/nacc/ Below is a list of the sights you will find on or near to the National Mall in DC
Washington Monument
http://www.nps.gov/wamo/home.htm
Location:
15th Street, SW (202.426.6841)
Metro: Smithsonian
Make Online Reservation
Korean War Veterans Memorial
http://www.koreanwar.org/html/korean_war_memorials.html
Hours:
Open Daily
8 a.m. to midnight
Closed: Dec. 25
Location: French Drive, SW
Metro: Foggy Bottom
Lincoln Memorial
http://www.nps.gov/linc/
The Lincoln Memorial is a tribute to President Abraham Lincoln and the nation he fought to preserve during the Civil War (1861-1865).
Metro: Foggy Bottom
http://www.wwiimemorial.com/
Location 17th Street, between Constitution and Independence Avenues
Metro: Smithsonian Metro Station on the Blue and Orange lines
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is opened daily from 8:00 AM until 11:45 PM, daily except Christmas Day
Metro: The nearest to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is the Foggy Bottom station, located due north of the memorial on the corner of 23rd and I streets.
- Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution building and castle
African Art Museum http://www.nmafa.si.edu/index2.html
Air and space Museum http://www.nasm.si.edu/
There is also a bigger part to the musuem located out near Dulles Airport. It can be reached by car or by a free shuttle which connects it to the main museum on the Mall.
American Art museum http://americanart.si.edu/index3.cfm
American Indian Museum http://www.nmai.si.edu/
Anacostia museum http://anacostia.si.edu/
Arts and industries museum
Freer and Sackler Galleries http://www.asia.si.edu/visitor/default.htm
These two galleries have some excellent exhibitions as well as some good live dance performances and concerts
Hirshhorn museum and sculpture garden http://hirshhorn.si.edu/
The museum and gradens have some superb and wacky sculptures and some excellent works of modern art.
National zoo http://nationalzoo.si.edu/default.cfm
Go see the new baby panda! the zoo is free and you will find a number of volunteers who know a great deal about the animals which you can visit
Natural history museum http://www.nhm.ac.uk/
A must see for any visitor to the national mall.
Portrait Gallery http://www.npg.si.edu/
Postal museum http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/
- Museums
Corcoran Gallery of Art
The Corcoran
500 17th Street, NW Washington DC 20006 http://www.corcoran.org/
Open Wednesday to Sunday; 10am to 5pm Open Thursday: 10 am to 9pm Closed all Mondays except holidays Closed all Tuesdays
$8 - Individual $4 - Students $6 - Seniors
This is a nice museum but also hosts some excellent lectures and concerts. There is also a Gospel Brunch almost every Sunday.
International Spy Museum 800 F Street NW Washington DC, 20004 http://www.spymuseum.org/index_location.asp
All admission tickets for the International Spy Museum are date and time specific and are subject to availability. It is adviseable to book tickets in advance on-line.
Museum visiting hours vary throughout the year - check web-site for details
National Geographic museum http://www.ngtraveler.com/museum/ For really good exhibitions, concerts and films as well as the museum artifacts themselves.
- White House
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/life/
Free public tours of the White House are available but requests have to be submitted through one's Member of Congress. Requests are accepted up to six months in advance. The tours are self-guided tours and are available from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday (excluding federal holidays), and are scheduled on a first come, first served basis approximately one month in advance of the requested date. For more information see http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/tours/
- Capital Hill
The Capitol is open to the public for guided tours only. Tours will be conducted from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The Capitol will be open on all federal holidays except Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. For more information: http://www.aoc.gov/cc/visit/index.cfm
- Thomas Jefferson Memorial and the Tidal Basin
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc73.htm
The tidal Basin is especially beautiful during flowering of the Cherry Blossoms in Spring time
- C & O Canal
The C&O Canal follows the route of the Potomac River for 184.5 miles from Washington, D.C. to Cumberland, MD. Excellent for walks, jogging, biking etc.....
- Eastern Market
7th St. & North Carolina Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. http://www.easternmarket.net/
To buy everything and anything !! - different areas and aspects of the market are open different days and times (see web-site)
Open air Farmers line - http://www.easternmarket.net/index.php?id=farmersline Saturday & Sunday 8am to 6pm
Flee Market - http://www.easternmarket.net/index.php?id=exhibinfo Open every Sunday 10am to 5pm
- Georgetown
Good shopping, food and night life, Georgetown is also home to many historical buildings, Georgetown University and the C&O canal.
- Adams Morgan
18th street and Columbia http://www.culturaltourismdc.org/information2550/information.htm?area=2517
Home to some of DC's liveliest nightlife and some excellent resturants, bars, clubs, coffee shops, funky shops and live music. One can find resturants serving cuisine from all over the world - Ethiopian, Caribbean, Latin American, Vietnamese etc. Dont forget to take your ID with you as they are very strict on access into bars and clubs. For a good introduction to the area try following the Roads to Diversity: Adams Morgan Heritage Trail which is a self-guided walk around the area.
- Arlington National Cemetery
Hours
8am to 5pm (October through March)
8am to 7pm (April through September)
Getting around
Signs direct visitors arriving by car to parking (fee) at the visitors center. From Metro Blue Line, the visitors center is a 5-minute walk along Memorial Drive. A tourmobile (fee) provides guided tours.
Information
- Gravesite location and general information may be obtained at the visitors center seven days a week.
- Fresh cut flowers may be placed on graves at any time. Flags decorate each gravesite on Memorial Day weekend but are not permitted on graves at any other time.
- A bookshop is in the visitors center.
Visitors to Arlington should know that the cemetery is a shrine, not a place for recreation, picnics, or child's play. Thank you for respecting the feelings of those attending a burial.
Places to Eat
See also the category Restaurants
Bars / Venues
- Nightclub 9:30
Hosts a lot of excellent bands http://www.930.com/fs.php?x=1280&ba=IE&bv=6.0&bp=Win
- Merriweather Stadium
Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
See also finding a place to go out link on the main page
Entertainment
- Kennedy Center
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts 2700 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20566 Tickets and Information: 800-444-1324 or 202-467-4600 Administrative Offices: 202-416-8000 http://www.kennedy-center.org/
Hosts come excellent Ballets, Operas and Concerts. Some performances can be free - especially on Sundays.
- The Music Centre at Strathmore
The Music Center at Strathmore 5301 Tuckerman Lane North Bethesda, MD 20852-3385 http://www.strathmore.org/
Recreation
- Biking
This site provides details about all the great recreational bicycle facilities around the Baltimore/Washington metropolitan area. Listed here are many area recreation trails and bicycle routes. These routes attempt to avoid heavy traffic areas by making use of various recreational paths, rail-trails, and back streets. http://www.bikewashington.org
- Bowling
- Ice Skating
- The Joy of Motion Dance Center
http://www.joyofmotion.org/ Found in various locations in DC. The centres hold a range of dance classess as well as a number of excellent performances
- Yoga
Tranquil Space 2024 p street, nw washington, dc 20036 phone: (202) 223.yoga (9642) info@tranquilspace.com This is a good place to go for all those of you who are seeking good yoga classes at a range of levels.http://www.tranquilspace.com/contact_comment_survey.php
- AIKIDO
2639 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 104, DC 20008 202-338-8690 For all those who want to keep practice or just to try something different
Day Trips from DC
- Shenandoah Nat. Park (appalachian mountains, great skyline road, driving time 1h30)More information and images here.
- Alexandria and Mt Vernon (house of George Washington)(1h drive)
Torpedo Factory Arts Centre
- Great Falls (20 minutes drive))More information and images here.
- Baltimore (Nat. aquarium, Fell's point, Inner Harbor, Art Museum..., 1h)
- Annapolis (Maryland capitole, US Naval Academy, 1h)More information and images here.
- Rehoboth beach (3h, in delaware, one of the closest beach from DC)
- Williamburg, Jamestown and Yorktown (colonial cities in Virginia, 3h)
- Gettysburg (famous civil war battlefield, 1h30)
- Philadelphia (Liberty Bell, Art Museum, Benjamin Franklin Science Museum, Town down..., 3h)
- The Dutch county (around Lancaster Penn., 3h)
Useful links
- http://www.washington.org/index.cfm?blnNavView=True&idContentType=428&idCurrentPage=30&CFID=2150053&CFTOKEN=87521939
- http://dcregistry.com/sights.html
- http://www.districtcolumbia.com/
- http://www.thedistrict.com/
- http://www.libsci.sc.edu/bob/class/clis734/webguides/lamotte.html
- http://www.etravelreviews.com/washingtondc/?gclid=CNLegYD624ICFRQhIgodnkn9fw
- http://www.metwashairports.com/Dulles/ (Washington Dulles International Airport)
