drtravels55

We'll be in DC 3 nights over President's Day weekend. Two girls ages 14 and myself. Probably staying at the Embassy Suites on 22st but perhaps the one in Alexandria. I would appreciate any suggestions outside the usual sites (I've been a couple times) that may interest girls of this age. They enjoy retro/vintage shops, music, plays (Sheer Madness is almost sold out during that weekend).

Any links to DC info would also be appreciated.

Thanks

Analise

Have the girls seen all of the Presidential memorials? We know you have but have they? The Holocaust Museum is a real eye opener and has so many films and other interactive exhibitions. http://www.ushmm.org

In the evening, walk around Georgetown. Interesting independent bookstores stores on Wisconsin Avenue. Great restaurants.

MrAOK

just make sure the usual sites include:

the capitol (it's much more impressive than the white house inside)

The spy museum (reserve tickets on line)

I personally like the National building museum which is in an incredible building.

But walk around georgetown at night and they'll be happy

lombardo

Well I was a teenager growing up in DC almost 10 years ago. Wow, that's depressing to say.
If they like funky stores, you should head over to the U Street neighborhood, around 15th Street. It's gentrifying but still has a bunch of cool stuff.
And I don't generally like to go see movies when I'm traveling, but an experience at the Uptown movie theater on Connecticut Avenue by the Cleveland Park metro is great. It's the single biggest screen I've ever seen and feels like an old-timey theater. A huge, deep red-velvet seating area where I'd half expect jugglers and other follies instead of a movie.

lombardo

Sorry, an addendum to the Uptown theater. It only plays one movie, usually the big blockbuster of the moment. But even a bad movie (like Spiderman) looks and feels really good in the space.

EricH

FYI, the Uptown (aka my neighborhood theater) currently has King Kong. The King and their huge, curved screen is a combination worth checking out.

GUWonder

Walking around Georgetown, great idea. Interesting independent bookstores on Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown? Most all are gone -- and even that grand old Olsson's has passed its best days -- but there is other stuff to entertain kids if they are old enough to browse at various shops.

Not many -- if any -- great restaurants in Georgetown. There is Citronelle, but it's over-priced. Some decent ones, including two of my favorite Thai restaurant in DC (one on Prospect, another on Wisconsin) and one of DC's better steakhouses (Mortons on Prospect).

GWU ESIA STUDENT

I found it to be extremely overrated and over hyped when I went about a year ago.

MMMinTX

14-yo girls may well enjoy the spy museum, although parts may have a little too much in terms of reading (captions, etc near the exhibits). The basic information is quite interesting, plus the addition of things that might appeal to teens like the James Bond car, etc.

I always like the Old Post Office tower, free to access, no lines except maybe 2 minutes to wait on the elevator. Not the views of the Washington Monument, but just as good on most days when the pollution obscures the WM's views farther out. The Old Post Office is also open up top, which I like.

For shopping, depending on the personalities of the teens, you may go for Adams Morgan (funkier spots) or Georgetown. The zoo can be great, with a nice lunch in one of the restaurants in the area (Woodley Park/Cleveland Park) and, since it's part of the Smithsonian, it's all free -good stuff if they're on a babysitting budget!

My favorite "typical" Washington monuments (ie statues) to see are the Einstein statue near the National Science Foundation and the Roosevelt Memorial. Young teens might also be interested in researching the name of an acquaintance/relative who didn't make it home from Vietnam and looking up his name on the wall (although this is far more of a lesson than an enjoyable/sightseeing venture).

Enjoy your trip.

DCAstudent

As a current Georgetown senior, I can confirm that there are no independent bookstores in the area (assuming you mean "Lower Georgetown" as in the part by the universtiy where the main shopping drags (Wisconsin Avenue and M Street) meet. There is a Barnes and Noble at M and Thomas Jefferson.

Lots of good restaurants in the area. The Tombs, which was used as the setting of St. Elmo's Fire is the main student pub at night and a good American restaurant during the day. It's at 35th and Prospect. Bangkok Bistro on Prospect Street, and another Thai place in the Washington Harbor development are good bets. J. Paul's on M is good for seafood, and Clyde's on M (part of a DC-area chain) is very good also. Pizzeria Paradiso (one on M and another in Dupont Circle) always wins Washington Post awards for good pizza at low prices. Paolo's on Wisconsin is really good for Italian, and has a nice brunch. Finally, cheap and good burgers and fries can be found at Five Guys on Wisconsin.

If they like shopping, Gtown is the best area... UCB, Armani Exchange, American Eagle, J Crew, Polo, Puma, Diesel, etc. are all there. There are still some independent "trendy" places along M as well, although some of the stores on Wisconsin, especially north of Prospect, are a little sketchy. There's an indoor mall - albeit small - called Georgetown Park as well as a nice grocery store, Dean and Delucca, at Potomac and M.

You can also see some historic sites in the area - Stone House is the city's oldest house; the Kenndey's house; the house and church from "Exorcist"; the Kerry's house, etc. It's also common to see interesting people like Madaleine Albright walking around.

GWU ESIA STUDENT

Most of the shopping in Georgetown now is almost all chains which one can find in any premium shopping area in the country.

Another idea is to see who is playing at the 9:30 club when you are in town as the sometimes have teeny bopper groups.

53flyer

...but check when buying the ticket for age restrictions. Many shows at the 9:30 club are 21 and over.

Podroza

I second the 930 Club idea, provided there's something good playing that Mom won't mind listening to. While I wouldn't call the area "unsafe", I wouldn't recommend 14 year olds treking there on the metro themselves. The site is http://930.com.

Another area outside Georgetown or U Street could be Old Town Alexandria -- depending on the weather it can be really beautiful and a lot of fun. There's also a cool store on King Street about 1 mile south of the water (I can't remember the name) that lets you pick out ceramic plates/mugs/jewlery boxes/etc and paint them. Might not work out with your timing (you typically have to wait 1 week to have your artwork sent through the kiln), but they might ship so it could be another rainy-day activity.

Or, you can venture to Bethesda, which is also chock-full of small shops and a lot of great eateries. I know I've passed a couple of vintage/consignment stores in the areas. Friendship Heights has some good discount-store shopping, too (Lohmans, TJMaxx, Filene's Basement).

As for places to eat, Sushi-Ko up on Wisconsin (within walking distance from Georgetown) is a hip place. Two Amy's which is a little further north off of Wisconsin (near the Cathedral) also has a really comfortable and cool feel, and has the best pizza in DC. A little pricier can be Zatinya, which is downtown and serves small tapas dishes which can be fun in a group.

A GREAT source for more food information is Tom Sietsema's chats which you can find (with some searching) on Washingtonpost.com. Tom Sietsema is the Washington Post food critic and I know has answered the "where to take teenagers" question hundreds of times, so it might be worthwhile to sift through his archives.

Good luck! Feel free to PM me if you need any additional information

TMAYER

Not sure what age this would be appropriate for, but the National Zoo has new Panda cubs which are getting a lot of publicity. It is metro accessible.

Washingtonian Magazine, www.washingtonian.com has some good info on restaurants, etc.

Travelin Dreams

The panda cub is a hit with my friends and I and were are young professionals.

You need to request tickets online, though not sure if that will still be the case by the time you visit. I learned the hard way that the best viewing time is early am. I had 1 pm tickets on a Saturday and the cub, Tai Shan, spent the whole 15 min interval (tickets are for a limited time) asleep in a bin.

It was still fun though!

The restaurants recommended in Georgetown are great. If your ladies are readers, there is a great used book store called The Lantern, see below:

http://www.his.com/~lantern/