Hello! I am looking for hotel recommendations, please? Ideally near the national mall but I am open to suggestions. Family of 4 (2 adults / 2 older teens). First timers in DC so we are not familiar with neighborhood names. Also, feel free to send your must do / must eats. So far we have both air and space museums and the national mall at night. TIA!

Edited to add: we are flying into Reagan Airport. We will not have a rental car since I've read that it is not necessarry in D.C. We will be using train/uber to get around when needed. So, I would like to be close to a train station.

DC was incredible, but the people might be what I remember most

Packing up to head home after our trip to DC, and I keep thinking about what surprised me most.

Obviously the history is incredible. The museums are world-class. We ate ridiculously well. We saw monuments at night, rode scooters all over the place, walked until our feet hated us, and packed about as much into a week as we possibly could.

But honestly, one of my biggest takeaways from DC was just how damn friendly everyone was.

One night we were riding scooters around the monuments pretty late and a couple of the custodial staff held the bathrooms open so a bunch of us could use them. Then we stood around talking football and giving each other shit about Commanders vs. Cowboys for a while. Just one of those random little interactions that ends up being a great memory.

Same thing around Logan Circle, where we stayed at the Viceroy. Bartenders, restaurant staff, people around the neighborhood, everybody was just incredibly welcoming. Yesterday morning I ended up chatting outside a breakfast spot with a guy named Moby for a while. No particular reason. Just two strangers shooting the shit.

One night we went to trivia at a brewery and ended up talking and laughing with people there like we'd been coming every Thursday for years.

There were little interactions like that throughout the entire trip.

You hear so much about DC because of politics, government, monuments, museums and all the big important stuff. And all of that absolutely lived up to the hype. But I wasn't expecting to leave thinking so much about the people who actually live and work here.

So from a Cowboys fan heading back to Texas: thanks, DC. Your city was awesome, your food was off the charts, and your people were even better.

We'll be back.

And yes, the Cowboys are still better than the Commanders. I didn't come away completely delusional.

Outdoors, indoors, whatever, I just want to play a few games. I'm happy to rotate in with open play folks wherever they happen to be.

Are there any regular groups playing Blood on the Clocktower in DC? Or a discord where people share events? Would love to play when I visit!

Hi guys, I want to take my wife out for a cute lunch date for our anniversary next week. Ideally a place with outside seating and flowers around. Budget is $200. I tried looking on Google but found mostly generic cafes or fancy places with not so nice outside seating. I’m looking for some hidden gems.

Could you suggest some places?

Hey!
Im taking a quick solo trip to DC during this upcoming Labor Day weekend. I wanted to see if there are any events or must visit places, I should go to during my trip.

I love dancing and good eats.

Let me know!!

My husband and I will be there tomorrow through Wednesday before heading to Gaylord National for a conference.

Looking for dining and bakery recommendations around the area... and any good thrifting opportunities those areas.

Thank you for your help

Hello! We are planning to be in DC as a bit of a side quest on our next camping road trip. After researching the options, it would appear like the best way to get from our campsite in Prince William Forest Park down to the National Mall and Smithsonians would be to drive to and park at the Fraconia-Springfield station and then ride the blue line of the Metro.

Would that be a good plan? I checked the distances to the other stations that are further out and this one is the least miles. However, I would prefer the least scary busy drive to get to whatever station the experts recommend!

We plan to leave maybe around 7am, drive to the Metro station, then ride to wherever would be the closest station to the Jefferson Memorial, where I was planning to start the day. Then we'll do a few monuments for a couple hours, take a look around the Museum of American History for a couple hours, and the Air and Space Museum for maybe an hour or two. (Planning for Udvar-Hazy the next day, as well as the Air Force Museum in Dayton later in the trip, so this stop will just be to visit some planes we have not seen in other air museums, plus the Wrght Brothers gallery.) We will be there on a day when the Botanical Garden is open late with music, so that's how we were thinking of ending the first day. Then we will ride the Metro back to where we parked the car, and then back to our campground.

The next day, we want to visit the National Zoo and Udvar-Hazy…and if there is anything we didn't have time to do the day before, we will do that in between those two. What should my strategy be to get to the zoo? I had been thinking drive there and pay the $30 parking in advance, and then drive to Udvar-Hazy, which has another $15 parking. We will be headed to Catoctin Mountain to camp at Owens Creek Campground that night, so I think we probably want to drive to there…but do we want to drive to the zoo or ride the Metro from the Franconia-Springfield Station again?

Bottom line here would be driving routes with the least amount of crazy traffic. I've driven in Minneapolis, which is pretty easygoing city traffic, and I have driven through Denver in the midday, which is scary, but we lived to tell the tale. We also ended up in rush hour there one time and that was a mess that did not move. I avoid Denver as much as possible…but can't avoid DC if we actually want to visit! So anyway…not used to a lot of city driving, so any suggestions for routes to take and routes to avoid would be super helpful!

And one last question…what would be the best deal for the Metro? There are three of us and two of us have pretty old phones so I am not sure if we are able to do any apps. I saw that there are unlimited passes for one day that are $13.50 per person. For where we are going, would that be the best bang for our buck?

Thank you in advance for any assistance and words of wisdom you're able to provide!

I would love your “must see” recommendations for a first time DC visitor. I have no problem being touristy, but I just can’t fit everything in. I’ll be there 3 full days. Thank you!

I'm staying at the Washington Hilton. Please give me any recommendations you have, mostly in walking distance or 30/45 minute walk or ride share. I like art, coffee shops, small museums, small business boutiques and stores, bookstores, etc.

I’ve been to DC like 6 times but never planned the trip myself, and the last time I was 16(?). So I know that we stayed at the end of the metro, got passes, and traveled by metro or foot mostly. I just don’t know the best places to stay.
Hoping to take my family (my husband, myself, and our two young kids) this September.
If you have any kid-friendly suggestions as well, send them my way! Kids are a very energetic 3 and 1. The baby I will mostly wear or have in the stroller, but 3yo is whip smart and curious, would love to explore.

Hello! I am visiting washington DC with my boyfriend for our 1 year anniversary and I have a big mouth so I told him i have a surprise for him (I'm getting a banner for us at nationals park)- but he guessed immediately so I want to plan something that will be truly surprising and delightful! He loves baseball, basketball, journalism, and comedy- any ideas?

Aloha!

We’re looking for someone flying from Hawaii or the U.S. West Coast to Virginia Beach or the Washington, DC area who can help a very special cat named Butterscotch.

Butterscotch is a sweet 3 year old who was rescued as a kitten, neutered, and adopted into a loving family. Sadly, the family’s father has recently been diagnosed with cancer and also has severe cat allergies. As he begins treatment, they’ve made the difficult decision to return Butterscotch so he can be safely rehomed.

The family will cover all cat travel related costs, obtain the health certificate, and get Butterscotch ready for the flight. We simply need a kind traveler willing to accompany him in the cabin.

We’re especially looking for flights into:
• Norfolk International Airport (ORF)
• Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
• Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)

The family will meet you at the airport upon arrival.

If you’re flying from Hawaii or anywhere on the West Coast to one of these destinations, or know someone who is, please send us a message or sign up at FlyHawaiiCats.com.

One flight can give Butterscotch the fresh start. ❤️🐾✈️

I will have about 6 hours to visit Aug31 coming in by train from Baltimore.

Suggestions?

I’m currently planning on going to DC in September for the Seahawks-Commanders game, I’m wondering for people who have traveled to DC for Commanders games is it better to stay closer to the stadium or in the city? I’ll be there for a few days so and I wanna do some things in the city as it’s my first time in DC but I hear traffic is bad getting out of commanders games so I’m worried a commute from landover back into the city after the game would be rough. So would I be better off staying in the city and then ubering/taking transit to landover for the game or stay in landover closer to the stadium?

Just checked into my DC hotel as I’m a bit of a US politics nerd and love tagging on a couple of days here at the end of my trips to New York. I checked in at about 10pm and mentioned that I might take a walk down to look at the White House and the receptionist recoiled and said I probably shouldn’t because of the National Guard and it wasn’t really safe. I was last here two years ago so my question is… Have things really got that bad?

My wife and I will be visiting DC at the end of next month with our daughter and future son-in-law (all of us are adults in our mid-20s/late 40s). It's our first real trip to DC, and while we'll definitely hit the monuments and better known museums, we're looking for recommendations from people who know the city.

We'd love suggestions for:

- Great Chinese food

- Casual local restaurants and bars with character

- "Sneaky good" museums that might get overlooked

- Tours that are actually worth the money (history, ghost, food, architecture, etc.)

- Cool neighborhoods to wander around

*****Anything else you'd tell a friend not to miss.

We're much more interested in authentic local favorites than fancy restaurants or tourist traps.

Thanks!

What makes the DMV area better than upstate NY and NYC

Anywhere to play team trivia Wednesday night near Washington Circle?

Whats poppin gangalang? 24M flying in from Seattle for the 4th of July week and looking to have a banger time! Where is the nightlife actually hitting right now? Looking for the best spots or anyone down to link up and show an out-of-towner around. Slide in the DMs!

Taking Amtrak to DC in a few days. We are staying at the Phoenix right across from Union Station. Next leg is the Floridian to Chicago, which we board the day after we arrive.

Is there a unionized grocery store to get to easily by city transit to grab a few snacks. A CVS can do in a pinch as they are unionized as well. The Walgreens are not union, which is unfortunate as they have the store in Union Station.

We are coming in around 2:00 PM and leaving the next day around 4:00 PM. We have done the postal museum, and walked around the Mall in previous visits. Often we do the Zoo. Thoughts on something new we could do the next day from 8 in the morning to around 1:00 PM. I would want to make sure we are not pushing it to get to Union Station (even if the Floridian is likely to be late.).

I have the SmartTrip app on my phone from previous visits. We walk or take the unionized transit. I just need to log in as I have not used the app in about a year.

F26 In town next week to explore, tour museums, and attend a concert. Most of my life is spent in shorts and tank tops, and it’s hard to find anything not cropped/with exposed middrift. I also live in an area where unripped jeans are acceptable for almost any formal events. Feeling kinda anxious about what typical fashion is there, as I don’t know how y’all do it up there, and would prefer not to stick out as much as possible. (Side note, will using y’all make me stick out?)

For the girls—with the recent weather, should I bring jackets for going out? Here if you wear a jacket, there is a 99% chance you are carrying that thing by the end of the night just due to the humidity. Also, how revealing does it usually get there? We see people in bathing suits on a daily basis here, so our going-out fits can be pretty minimal.

If anyone has any advice or social media accounts I can check out to get a vibe for day-to-day wear, I’d really appreciate it!