US city stop over – Washington

[Hbommie]

I’m going to the gulf coast in Florida in April and will be flying into RSW to make things easier, thinking of adding on a city break on the way back to the UK via Washington DC, never been so I was wondering if its worth a visit if you take out the political, current and historical angle, is there much nightlife and other attractions?

Thanks

[Andrew.]

Well, if it’s early April you might get lucky enough to hit peak Cherry Blossom.

If you are flying from RSW, you’ll probably fly into DCA, loads of hotels nearby in Crystal City that are within walking distance of all the sights or a quick journey by metro if you prefer.

No shortage of restaurants, sports events or theatre/music options if that’s your thing in the evening. No idea about nightclubs though.

But a lot of what DC has to offer is a bit like London – it all revolves around history. If you discount all the (mostly free to enter) museums, art galleries, memorials, National Cemetery, Capitol building, Mt Vernon($) and so forth you would probably quickly run out of things to do. Plenty of trails to walk though.

[NorthernLass]

It depends what you like doing. We’re off on our 2nd visit there next month (also en route to Florida). As @Andrew says, there’s a lot of history, fantastic museums, restaurants etc. Also interesting just wandering around and seeing the iconic sites like the Lincoln memorial and Washington monument (it’s quite compact). We didn’t check out the nightlife but as there are a lot of politicians, lawyers etc, I imagine they are well catered to!

[AJA]

I’d say go visit Washington DC especially as you’ve never been before. As Andrew says it has a lot of great museums, if that’s your thing (I enjoyed the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum) plus there’s plenty that’s instantly recognisable from TV and films. I did a long weekend enroute to the US HQ of the company I worked at a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed my time in Washington. There are loads of restaurants..I’m sure there are nightclubs but that’s not my thing either.

[ChasP]

in addition to Smithsonian museums in the centre there is the Udvar-hazy offshoot and for nightlife checkout the Wolftrap website to see if anything interests you

[The Savage Squirrel]

“if you take out the political, current and historical angle,” well that is a bit like saying what’s the Grand Canyon like if you take out the giant fissure in the ground angle 😀

But yes aside from one of the best museum selections on Earth (surely you can find at least one that interests?), it’s a very planned city, so lots of city parks and river walks – after the National Mall then both Theodore Roosovelt Island and Arlington would offer something very different. There’s an excellent selection of restaurants at nearly every price point and bars too. Sports teams in all US major sports. Plenty of famous theateres (including most famously Ford’s) Pretty good metro system so transport is easy.
Nightclubs: sorry can’t help 😀

[iamlost]

I spent a week solo in DC this summer, and I loved it. It’s on par with NYC for museums and landmarks, and I was surprised by how liveable and clean the city is by US standards.

It has an interesting foodie scene – I lost count of how many starred restaurants I visited. My highlights were Kinship, Rooster & Owl and Albi.

The local population of wealthy young working professionals and students (Georgetown and GWU have the highest tuitions in the country) also makes it a fun place to go out. At the higher end, Silver Lyan was reliably good and the Conrad (where I was staying) had a lively rooftop bar. At the trendier end, Blagden Alley and the whole Logan Circle/Shaw area is great for nightlife.

You won’t regret visiting DC, I guarantee it.

[NorthernLass]

I’ve booked the free US Capitol tour, as Brits are still banned from the White House and Pentagon!

[Hbommie]

Nightclubs? Who said nightclubs? no no no 🙂 Last time I was in a nightclub, the Hitman and Her was on the TV (for the oldies).

I should’ve been clearer, nightlife i.e. theatres, bars (cocktail and craft ale places).

This all sounds good and fits in with what I expected, thankyou. I don’t know why we haven’t ventured there before but I suppose NYC has been the draw when over on the east coast.

[NorthernLass]

Lol. I remember being in Confetti’s in Leeds on student night in the early 90s when they were filming The Hitman and Her!

Apparently the bar at the Willard is the place to spot senators and the like, not that I would know who any of them are!

[Michael C]

I love the nightlife.
I’ve got to boogie.

[The Savage Squirrel]

NorthernLass wrote:

Lol. I remember being in Confetti’s in Leeds on student night in the early 90s when they were filming The Hitman and Her!

Aaah the Merrion Centre. What happens when you let a 5 yr old design a shopping centre in the 60s so end up with about 15 random concrete buildings (all of them square and ugly) bolted together. Clearly you really could get anything past planning in the 60s, no matter how monstrous. It’s such a sprawling mess that even people that work there are unaware that there are both an abandoned cinema (for about 45 years!) and an abandoned 15-storey office block hidden within it. I thought the nightclub was Ritzy’s, but maybe it changed its name to that later – I arrived in the late 90s (although if so, clearly exactly no money at all was spent on upgrading the interior…)

[memesweeper]

Michael C wrote:

I love the nightlife.
I’ve got to boogie.

… and there’s tons of that too, if DJs are your thing. Take a look at this lineup of future events … Deadmau5, Claptone, Chris Lake … earlier in 2022 Washington had Boris Brejcha. Time your visit right and have a banging night out.

I did a week’s training for work in DC a few years back and was plesently surprised by what a perfect tourist city it is. Enjoy.

[BJ]

After all those endorsements for DC on the same basis it apparently disinterested you, do not despair, tgere is hope! I have never been a fan of DC for same reasons you mentioned and my most recent trip did nothing to change my mind. However, if you’re happy to hire a car there’s hope in the countryside – Shenandoah National Park etc.