Washington DC is an incredible city in at least one way...

No Panoramix?

 

But ofcourse.

 

And Ozewiezewozewiezewallakristallix?

 

That's just the permanent residents. Add commuters, visitors staying in town, and visitors commuting in from surrounding towns, and that surely adds at least another quarter million to the mix on a typical business day.

Visitors contribute more to overcrowding than residents (other than at rush hour), because so many residents spend most of the day inside an office building, eat dinner at home, and watch TV all evening. Hoards of visitors keep the town on the verge of gridlock all day long.

 

I wonder what the actual daytime population of NYC is, including non residents?

 

I know Manhattan grows a lot during business hours, but a lot of those people come from other boroughs. NYC gets a lot of visitors and commuters, but I doubt if the percentage of the total population is anywhere close to the figure in DC.

 

Each borough of NYC is kinda like a whole city itself.

 

That's what I was going to say. I was there last year on Memorial Day. Good Lord, what a crowd.

Maybe I'll try the Cherry Blossom Parade this year and/or the 4th of July.

 

I live an hour and a half from D.C.--- I haven't been there in quite a while because I hate driving into D.C.- I do wanna go to the National Zoo w my son this spring (which, as you prolly know, is free). I used to go to D.C. every week or two...sometimes more than twice a week. We'd go down for raves and other music events mainly.... usually to the area where Nation is (which used to be Buzz)... anyways, no matter how many times we'd drive into D.C., we'd still end up getting lost by missing an exit or something... D.C. is very confusing to drive around but yea, there's a bunch to do there.

 

Take the Metro. Parking is free on the weekend and an all day pass costs around 15 dollars.

The zoo is really nice.

 

Yea, I think that is defiantly what we'll do.

I have done that before a while ago. Much nicer that way.

 

They used to be separate.

Do you have decent access to a MARC or VRE station? Those trains go a lot further out from the city than the Metro.

 

Everyone should visit the Air & Space Museum at least once. Were else can you see the Apollo 11 command module and the Starship Enterprise in the same building?

 

Yeah, I saw that shit in DC...definitely check that out if ur in DC

 

Most of the very best stuff is in the main building, but the annex out near Dulles International Airport is more than twice as big, and has a Space Shuttle on display, plus the world's fastest jet airplane (I forget its name), and an Air France Concorde.

Probably the most overlooked Smithsonian is the Portrait Museum, which actually has a lot more than just portraits. It's in the former US Patent Office, a couple blocks north of The Mall. I spent a whole day in there last year.

 

I agree. There is a Mason tower on King St. in Alexandria (Virginia) that I have been meaning to see with the gf as well as a Scottish Rites Temple on 16th St. NW. A lot of...symbolism here...Most people don't see beyond face value.

Agreed. It is a very well done musuem. I have taken a few of my friends there. And you put it well, I enjoyed it as much as you possibly could for something so depressing. One of the times I went, they had a survivor speaking. Very moving.

Try the national arboretum and Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. Outdoors and much more space with less people. Although both are not in the best neighborhoods, I have never had issue taking public transit there. National Arboretum is hard to get to. A handful of buses drop you off within half a mile or so of the park but it is worth it!

Take a look at Roosevelt Island! As well as Kingman and Heritage Islands.

 

That, or the Hirshhorn (over shadowed by the Air and space musuem next door) or the Anacostia Community Musuem in SE.

But I LOVE the Portrait Gallery. The atrium is so relaxing and I love the third floor and last I went, free tea.

Some of the musuems you need to pay for are also highly worth it like the Philips Collection in Dupont Circle.

I urge anyone going to DC to check out the Archives too!


Any way, if any of you ever come to DC, PM me and I can tell you of some great under rated gems that most people (even residents miss), places to avoid (not as much as you think) and a few really great bars with incredible beer lists.

 

That's the largest Masonic facility in the US; a memorial to George Washington, as well as a GW museum that has nearly all of his personal stuff that isn't at Mount Vernon. The museum also covers other famous Americans who were Masons, and has some background info on the organization itself. It's a very impressive place.

It's within easy walking distance of the Metro, Amtrak, and VRE stations.

I drove by the arboretum one time. I thought the neighborhood looked scary. I've never heard of the Kenilworth thing. What part of town is it in?

I've done Roosevelt. I love the giant trees! I don't know where the other two are.

In Georgetown, somebody really needs to find a way to get the C&O Canal boat ride started back up again. The walk along the canal used to be scenic and romantic, but now that the Park Service isn't maintaining anything anymore, a lot of nasty stuff has accumulated at the canal locks.

The NPS still operates a mule-drawn canal boat at Great Falls, on the Maryland side. I like the Virginia side of the falls too, with its abandoned canal designed by George Washington, and the very best view of the falls. I made many trips to Washington before I knew there was a huge waterfall so close to town. It's one of the area's best kept secrets. I used to think the Potomac was a peaceful river, but that's just the last ten miles. It's rocky all the way to WV.