Washington DC

Cool! Yeah, the National Mall is pretty much my favorite place on Earth. Just hanging out, seeing the museums and monuments never seems to get old for me, and it looks like you're already planning on doing that. Of course it helps if the weather isn't below freezing. Looks like it may warm up some Wednesday and Thursday.

The only other things I'd suggest is taking a Tour of the Capitol and visiting the National Archives.

Some restaurants I've been too that were good were Georgia Brown's and Vidalia.

 

Sounds like lots of fun - Enjoy!

 

the Spy Museum is pretty cool, though a bit on the $$ side at around $18/person. Basically a history of spy stuff and people with some interactive components. Kids enjoy it, my parents enjoyed it.. cool place.

I haven't been to the Newseum yet, but I always hear good things. Also one of those that costs money.

If the weather was nice, it'd definitely be cool to check out the Georgetown Waterfront area and M street--just to walk around. But when it's cold..not quite as enjoyable. Maybe it'll be good enough during the day? You could also check out King Street in Old Town (Alexandria)

Thaiphoon is always a good place for some (obviously) Thai food, as is Mai Thai (ignore corny names) if you're down on King Street

For a nice/expensive place, everyone loves Citronelle..

There are some good Greek-type places in the Adams Morgan area near the metro stop. Sorry, can't remember a specific name.

If you happen to be out in Virginia near Dulles airport, you may be interested in the Udvar-Hazy Air & Space museum--basically a big hangar with all the old planes/shuttles/etc and some associated history of course. (And an IMAX, if that matters). It's free, though it costs to park there. If you're not already out there for something else, it's probably not worth the drive during your trip.

I'll let you know if I think of more..

 

do yourself a favor and visit the holocaust museam. it is a block south (walking distance) of the mall. it is one of the best museams i have ever been to. the design, layout, of course the content, it's awesome.

 

Georgetown is a cool place to hang out, lot of shops and bars.

 

My family was in DC last May, and we used the Tourmobile to get around. It circles the city, stopping at or within walking distance of most of the major sites, and you can buy a 2-day pass for under 30 bucks.

I would second the National Archives and Library of Congress. Some of our most important national documents are housed there. The Tour of the Capitol is excellent, but you have to set it up with your congressman in weeks or months in advance, so you're probably out of luck.

The Washington Monument is re-opened to go to the top, but unless you've purchased online in advance, your only hope is to get there around 8 am before they sell out of their daily allotment. If you strike out on the Monument, the tower in the Old Post Office has the second-tallest observation deck in the city, and has some superb views on a clear day.

 

Seconded - it's a must see

 

For the most part, just do a thorough work over of the National Mall and the sites nearby (mostly mentioned above). Adams Morgan (near G'town) is a cool place for drinks but parking is tough out there (really, anywhere). Beyond that, there's a world of things in Northern Va (NOVA), but it's as spread out as Houston and the highways can be confusing (I keep saying that the DC/NOVA highway system was designed off of a windshield smashed with a baseball).

Tyson's Corner area is neat, but is retail, not sightseeing.

Arlington has a few things to visit if you have the time.

 

I lived most of my life in D.C. The first thing I would do if I was there this week is attend a Washington Capitals game. Alex Ovechkin, alone, is worth the price of admission. They are on a homestand right now so there should be a game you can catch. They play the Flyers tonight. Of course, I've been a hockey fan for over 25 years. It may not be your thing.

Beyond that, other people in this thread have suggested plenty of good stuff. The museums are great.

 

I've always told everyone "I probably know more about sports than most people... but I grew up in Houston--I don't know a damn thing about hockey". Well, I started learning last year during the playoffs and got pretty into it. And now I'm getting really into the Caps. It is some good stuff.

Going to the game tonight to see the rematch from the playoffs...already hate the Flyers, and I've barely been around this sport!

 

Awesome!

I started going to games with my old man in the early 80s when they were still playing at the Capital Centre. He used to get season tickets and split them with friends to save money. You should have seen how heated the rivalries were back in the day when we were in the same division before the realignment. I saw at least two brawls in the crowds between Flyers and Caps fans. I am talking jumping over seats, beer flying, multiple people ejected from the game kind of brawls. I hear Caps fans are backing the team like never before and are actually steadily reducing the number of Pens and Flyer fans invading our arena. Leonsis even makes efforts to make sure as few opposing fans as possible are able to attend games. I may be wrong but I believe a sell out tonight would break the Caps all-time record for consecutive sell outs.

I never played hockey in my life but it is, by far, the most exciting sport to watch, in my opinion. The speed of the game, the skill, the aggression/fighting... none of the other major sports allow you to bash another guy's face in. Since moving to Houston several years ago, I've had to get Center Ice just in order to keep up with the Caps.

I noticed you live in Falls Church. I coached a few soccer teams and a basketball team for their community center about a decade ago. It's a nice, peaceful area.

I think we should create a generic NHL thread for those with any interest. I know there is a Canucks fan around here.

/hijack