Finishing watching the second season of House of Cards seems to have implanted a subliminal message in my head that I should go to DC on my next vacation. Funny, The West Wing never did this; must be all the outside shots.

Looking at doing the usual tourist stuff: Look at the White House, Capitol Hill, National Mall, Vietnam Memorial, The Smithsonian, etc.

Is it feasible to get around to these places without a car? The Metro system seems pretty good.

Avoiding the obvious bad parts of town, is it safe to walk around?