JacobVB27

Good morning Rustum,

Glad you will be visiting DC with family and then also doing some business in Bethesda. I highly suggest using only metro to get to your hotel, the sites, and Bethesda. Many of the attractions you will be visiting will be near metro stations and on the DC Circulator route. However, if you are staying in Bethesda before you leave to IAD, I suggest taking Uber, Lyft, or a cab. Taking the metro from Bethesda someone would need to go into the city and then back out while can been done, isn't exactly a convenient route. However, if you are remaining at the Embassy Suites location in DC, walk to McPherson Square metro station. Then take it out to Reston-Wiehle East. It is somewhat a straight shoot and while time-consuming a lot more relaxing then being on the road.

And yes, you can easily walk to many of those attractions as long you are in good shape. Bring comfy walking shoes. Other people mentioned this but also bring cold water and sunblock. It should be hot and humid. If you aren't used to this weather, it can be brutal.

In terms of the attractions, you want to visit, need some clarification and then some suggestions.

1. The National Mall is close to 2 Miles or even longer from one side to the other side. While there are attractions right next to it that you will visit, what is it that you want to experience here?

2. When you mean the Monument, do you mean the Washington Monument or all of the war memorials and monuments? Speaking of which, I highly suggest adding visiting Arlington Cemetery to the attractions to visit as someone else discussed. It is extremely emotional but worth seeing.

3. When you mention Capitol Hill, are you referring to just the US Capitol? It is a neighborhood that expands more than the US Capitol. As someone else alluded to, the US Supreme Court and US Capitol are under I suggest visiting the Library of Congress( if it is open) which is right next to the US Supreme Court. Also, try signing up for the US Marines Barracks parade https://www.barracks.marines.mil/Par...-Reservations/. It seems that July 1st is still available. It was fun to experience. Everyone should bring business casual attire for this event. It is a neat neighborhood that some tourists might not be aware of or experience.

4. Smithsonian Museum. There is no one museum. There are close to 21 museums, galleries, and a zoo that make up the Smithsonian Institution musesums. What interests do your family and you have? For 3-4 days, it would be impossible to see all of them and then do other attractions.

5. The Air and Space Museum by the Mall is currently closed until the fall or so. However, the Udvar-Hazy center out by Dulles Airport, which I like more anyway, is currently open.

6. I would highly suggest creating day clusters. You don't want to overdo the days. Find attractions that are nearby and focus a day on spending time there. For example, for the Capitol Hill area, the Botanical Gardens, the Library of Congress, the outside of the US Capitol, and the Native American Museum. For the Lincoln Memorial, Tidal Basin etc, you can also visit the FDR memorial, and other war memorials and monuments.

7. Spy Museum is extremely expensive. Is your whole family into this sort of topic? If not, it might not be worth visiting due to the cost. I am a massive cold war history buff so love going there. However, others might not have the same love for it.

8. I am sorry, can't help you with the Fourth of July Fireworks. In the past, I have gone to Iwo Jima Memorial, and apartments in Georgetown and Arlington.

Hopefully, this helped. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate and contact me.