FTA2R Posted October 3, 2009 Report Share Posted October 3, 2009 i'd skip 5 guys, it's a chain, they're everywhere.... gourmet burger joints are popping up all over this area....you have "ray's hell burger" in Arlington (VA) - Obama ate there during the summer, it was pretty cool, the meat is not ground beef (supposedly) and some famous chef named spike has (supposedly) good burgers at his joint. also "chef geoff's" which is #1 happy hour in DC, i think they serve sliders. Old Ebbit Grill is a DC institution, near the White House ,famous oysters i believe and place is huge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davekempmeister Posted October 4, 2009 Report Share Posted October 4, 2009 Hi Skategoat. I work in D.C. and have "personnel" all over D.C. every night, all night. Instead of giving you suggestions, I'll invite you to email me and I'll give you my cell # to call if you have any ?'s or needs. If you need a ride to your embassy for purposes of sanctuary (like a few Colombian gentlemen requested one night), I'm your guy. O.K., I can't resist a few suggestions; The National Cathedral on Wisconsin Ave. is a magnigicent building, whether one is religous or not. Museum of the American Indian or Native American is, if I'm not mistaken, the Smithsonians most recent and done beautifully. Also, someone suggested UDVAR - go to the site, look at a picture of the hangar and you'll want to go. Jazz district on U St. If there, go to Ben's Chili Bowl and walk in the footsteps of Bill Cosby and so many others. On and on and on. Remember, leave your wallet in your pocket when you go to a Smithsonian facility. That includes the Zoo. Awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skategoat Posted October 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2009 Hi Skategoat. I work in D.C. and have "personnel" all over D.C. every night, all night. Instead of giving you suggestions, I'll invite you to email me and I'll give you my cell # to call if you have any ?'s or needs. If you need a ride to your embassy for purposes of sanctuary (like a few Colombian gentlemen requested one night), I'm your guy. O.K., I can't resist a few suggestions; The National Cathedral on Wisconsin Ave. is a magnigicent building, whether one is religous or not. Museum of the American Indian or Native American is, if I'm not mistaken, the Smithsonians most recent and done beautifully. Also, someone suggested UDVAR - go to the site, look at a picture of the hangar and you'll want to go. Jazz district on U St. If there, go to Ben's Chili Bowl and walk in the footsteps of Bill Cosby and so many others. On and on and on. Remember, leave your wallet in your pocket when you go to a Smithsonian facility. That includes the Zoo. Awesome. Sounds like you are The Man in DC. Don't think we'll need asylum but you never know. We decided to book a hotel in Arlington. A nicer hotel, maybe not as nice a neighourhood, but only a few minutes walk to Georgetown. Plus, I've always wanted to see Arlington Cemetery. Hey dyno, let's exchange numbers and maybe get together for lunch one day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davekempmeister Posted October 5, 2009 Report Share Posted October 5, 2009 Skategoat, just to be clear, I work for The Man. It will most likely always be that way. Good move to go across the river to Virginia. All the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdyno Posted October 6, 2009 Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 Skategoat, just to be clear, I work for The Man. It will most likely always be that way. Good move to go across the river to Virginia. All the best. Any places you suggest not to go? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davekempmeister Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 Big Dyno, the southeast quadrant of the city is rough. Also, the D.C. Metropolitan region (MD side) now has a new waterfront complex akin to Baltimore's Harborplace. It's kind of sterile in feel and a time trap, particularly for those on a relatively short stay. Personally, I'd skip the Newseum too, which is in VA. Best to stay in city center and VA along the Potomac - just so much to see and do in such a concentrated area. The exception to this being UDVAR-Hazy if the itinerary allows. To hire a driver at night and cruise around to see the monuments, the Pentagon, White House, U.S. Capitol, Supreme Court Bldg. (my favorite, right across 1st St. from Capitol Bldg), Tom Hanks Mem'l (WWII), Lincoln & Jefferson Mem'l, etc. is awesome. Little or no traffic, and the illumination is done beautifully. Have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seraph Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 Personally, I'd skip the Newseum too, which is in VA. Newseum was moved 3 years ago from Virginia to D.C. next to the Canadian embassy and a few blocks from the Spy Museum right near the Archives/Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter Metro Station. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davekempmeister Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 Thank you for the correction, Seraph. National Archives, if there is no line, is a quick stop that has a pretty high Wow factor for a 15 minute walk through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdyno Posted October 11, 2009 Report Share Posted October 11, 2009 Had some chilli today and did a lot of walking, saw a guy playing drums on a bunch of paint pails and a shopping cart, saw some high security convoy race in to the White House, got asked to step back over the chain by the secret service, learned that Night at the Museum took artistic license a little to seriously, Saw the Hope diamond ( it didn't seem THAT big), saw C3PO and Julia's kitchen, was the victim of racial discrimination (no big deal, didn't get an ugly t-shirt) was impressed by the subway and saw a bunch of men wearing red dresses. This is a busy place, I hope tomorrow is the same! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skategoat Posted October 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 Got back last night. A lot of of driving and there was tons of construction. A lot of federal stimulus money being spent in PA. The border traffic was brutal too. The .97 exchange rate sent a lot of people over the border for some holiday shopping. Dyno, we saw a lot of what you saw. Wish we had skipped the Air and Space Museum. It was kind of dull, to be honest. Wish we had spent the time at Newseum instead. We really enjoyed the National Portrait Gallery and the tour of the Capital. Georgetown was also very cool. Spent most of our evenings there. Vietnam Memorial was very powerful. Hard to believe there was so much opposition towards it when it was first built. We had some great meals. J Paul and Filomena's in Georgetown. Seraph, you were right about Filomena's. Great food. But, if I ate there often, I would end up weighing 300 pounds. The sauces were tasty but loaded with cream. We also loved the dining hall at the Capital, especially the hot dog grill. I couldn't resist the corndog. A cool city. So much safer and cleaner than when I was there last (late 70s.). I loved the fact that the Smithsonian Museums were all free. We could learn from that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FTA2R Posted October 14, 2009 Report Share Posted October 14, 2009 Wish we had spent the time at Newseum instead what i said.....no biggie, hit it next time...it's a world-class museum by any account, and simultaneously interesting and powerful if you have any interest in the world around you whatsoever.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davekempmeister Posted October 14, 2009 Report Share Posted October 14, 2009 Skategoat and BigDyno, glad to hear that you generally had a good time and went away mostly impressed. Sorry if I misinformed about the Newseum, however, my visit to the place in it's original location was mostly unmemorable. Not because of a lack of interest or curiosity on my part, but rather the layout and content were lacking. As Seraph pointed out though, that was at least three years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skategoat Posted October 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 It really is a great city. I love Chicago and New York and I would place Washington right behind those two. Georgetown is a great evening spot. Lots of energy. I remember hearing stories about not going anywhere away from the Mall due to the crime but I never once felt threatened. The locals seemed really friendly too - genuinely happy to help the dumb tourists. I'd like to spend a week there to check out Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle and then another week exploring the Annapolis Valley and Baltimore. BTW, driving home through PA, I couldn't help but notice all the fantastic ski terrain. Yet, there wasn't a single sign for a ski resort along I-76 or I-99. If we had that kind of terrain in Ontario, there would be a ski hill every 10 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davekempmeister Posted October 18, 2009 Report Share Posted October 18, 2009 Just learned that Ben from Ben's Chili bowl passed away 10/07. Seemed appropriate to tie to this post since his place was referenced and BigDyno ate there recently. He got to do what he love for 51 years and died peacefully of natural causes. We all should be so lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdyno Posted October 18, 2009 Report Share Posted October 18, 2009 This was posted at the till. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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