A traveler's guide to Washington, D.C.
The free museums are the gift. The mistake is trying to do four of them. Pick one collection and one neighborhood.
Washington is a walkable capital that gives away its big museums and charges you in summer heat. See the Mall early. Then leave it. The city people live in is Shaw, Eastern Market, and a dinner that is not themed around politics.
When to go
Cherry blossoms draw crowds for a short, unpredictable week. Spring and fall are the walking seasons. Summer on the Mall is a furnace. Winter is quiet, with early dark and excellent galleries.
Neighborhoods
The National Mall for the first morning. Capitol Hill and Eastern Market after. Shaw, Logan Circle, and Columbia Heights when you are done looking at marble. Georgetown is a stroll, not a base, unless you like the prices.
Eating
Ethiopian on U Street, half-smokes if you want the local cliché done right, and a seafood room that is not a chain. Museum cafes are for emergencies. The city cooks better a mile from the Capitol.
If you only remember this
- Metro closes earlier than you expect. Check the last train.
- Security lines at some buildings eat the morning. Go at opening.
- Many museums are free and closed on Christmas.
- Summer thunderstorms arrive fast. Have an indoor hour ready.