I am going to be in Washington this October, where are the best attractions right now, I heard of the SPY museum, and of course all the usual suspects, white house, the mall, etc, etc.

Are there some spots that are not all that well know that I should not miss?

What about nice restaurants, not the 4 star that you will be sharing waiters with the sultan of Brunei, but something that DC is famous for?

All suggestions are highly appreciated

Hopefully someone will see this post, usually everyone gathers around the miles section.

Thanks

I like:

National Building Museum, 401 F Street NW, Judiciary Square Metrro stop.

Restaurants:
M street in Georgetown has lots of ethnic restaurants
Red Hot and Blue in Alexandria - short walk up the hill from the Roslyn Metro station on Wilson Blvd

They've stopped the White House tours. Look on the bright side, at least you don't have to get up at five to get tickets.

I haven't been to the Spy Museum, but I've heard that it's cool.

The sculpture garden just east of the Natural History Museum is worth a walk-through.

The Insect Zoo upstairs in the Natural History Museum is pretty cool, unless very big hairy spiders are a problem.

Check out the schedule for the I-Max theater at the Natural History Museum.

Restaurant recommendations:

Old Ebbitt Grill (15th St between F & G), one block from the White House. Classic DC lunch spot. It has everything from burgers on up and it's very reasonable. Reservations are just about required, especially at lunch.

The rooftop restaurant at the Hotel Washington (15th and Penn). It has the best view in the city. The food's okay and not expensive (sandwiches, etc.).

Kinkaid's (20th & Penn), another DC favorite. Seafood is what they do best. Kind of expensive, but a very good bet.

For something a little more exotic, try Yanyu for great Asian food. It's on Connecticut Ave. in the Cleveland Park neighborhood, just a half block down from the Cleveland Park Metro station. Expensive, but very special.

They stopped the tours at the WhiteHouse? I heard that they were going to have a special Jackie Kennedy garden tour this October, at least that what it says in the www.whitehouse.gov, and not confuse it with the .com

I really appreciate the comments, I am really looking forward going back to DC.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

------------------
==================
Another evil plot for world domination through the use of points and miles.

[This message has been edited by jfe (edited 09-26-2002).]

I was referring to the daily tours through the White House, the garden tour sounds like a special event. If you have a particular Jackie interest, I assume that you're aware of the exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery. (But is it open through October? Check out their website for the dates.) In any event, the White House (.gov, as you found out)website should be regarded as more authoritative than me.

Thans for the help. I thought that there was some recent change that had not been posted.

Thanks for all the input

Hey, I can hijack a current post in an on-topic way

Thinking about stopping over in DC for the weekend between Christmas and New Year's.

I have no idea what's in DC, so rather than the OP, we're looking for a top few list of the obvious things to see - that big statue of Abe Lincoln in his chair, that sort of thing.

Also, where is the best place to stay (area or hotel) and does anyone know if that weekend will be a good one to pop my cherry on Priceline, or will the hotels have good rates anyway ?

thanks in advance
Stewie

Stewie:

IMO anywhere near a Metro stop is as good as any other place to stay. We've stayed as far out as Ballston (there's a Hilton built over the Metro stop), although Crystal City or Roslyn/Alexandria are good enough locations also.

My minimal experience with Priceline has been good, particularly if you're not in any frequent guest programs - if you go 4 stars you'll get a nice place at a good price.

Check hoteldiscount.com for your days of interest for some other less expensive options. You may get lucky as it's probably a low week for business travel.

PDH

Weekends are great times for great rates in DC. I know the chain hotels around Crystal City often have rates as low as $79/night for quality rooms. They're also just a hop skip and jump from all the monuments and museums.

Go to the zoo.

Catch a Capitals hockey game for about $10 for nosebleed seats.

Eat dinner at Luigino at 12th and H NW for superb Italian at moderate prices.

Rent a bicycle and follow the Mount Vernon Trail along the Potomac or the trail (I forget the name) that follows the canal from Georgetown up into Maryland.

Take a hike through old town Alexandria.

Best of all....all the monuments and nearly all the museums are free. Your tax dollars at work!

Oh, and I haven't been there, but the lines for the Spy museum are atrocious. I've seen them wrap around the corner. You can also try eating great tapas at Jaleo, near the spy museum and MCI center.


[This message has been edited by syzygy8 (edited 10-03-2002).]

The National Gallery is truly a national treasure.

The Ritz-Carlton at Pentagon City has great weekend rates. It's located very close to a Metro stop.

Wow, that's a marketing strategy Priceline hasn't thought of

DC is great if you're a political animal like me. I'm easy on the White House, but the Lincoln Memorial is a must, especially when it is lit at night. Arlington Cemetery was good. One place that hasn't been mentioned here is the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum which is excellent if you happen to be in that part of town.

When I worked in DC very briefly I stayed in Georgetown which was excellent, if a bit of a slog to the nearest metro at Foggy Bottom.

Personally I wouldn't go to DC without seeing around Capitol Hill, but most people wouldn't be interested I guess.

Hyatt Crystal City regularly pops up ~ $48 on Priceline. It's the only 4* in the Crystal City area (one metro stop from DCA).


------------------
More Room Throughout Coach: the Website of Free Miles and Free Markets

I finally went to the International Spy Museum and highly recommend it. They had long lines on the weekends (Aug 24 etc) but nil wait during the week. Very very interesting and entertaining. http://www.spymuseum.org/index.asp

The restaurants listed above are very expensive, crowded and you can do far better for far less. I like Mortons for watching the pols doing their dinner bluff-n-puff. Sen Edward Kennedy used to get bombed there at least 3 times a week.

MisterNice

Restaurants in center city are very expensive for quality received. Since supply and demand laws are probably pretty much observed, it can be assumed that there are big bucks out there floating around.

I can list about 20 or 30 decent places at reasonable price, but they are the same as in the 2003 Washington ZAGAT guide with food over 20, and cost under $30. You can also search it on the Zagat.com site.

www.zagat.com sadly has gotten greedy and now you must pay to view the web reviews. A free subscription for 14-30 days is sometimes offered. I wrote a few restaurant reviews in the past and they sent freebie books for some cities as a nice token.

MisterNice