Last weekend we took a quick trip to Washington D.C. He had a conference to attend for school and I was along for the ride. I had not been to DC since I was a kid so I was excited to do it as an adult!
I would say that I am pretty price conscious when it comes to traveling but not too the point where I would agree to "slum" it college style for the weekend.
In this post I will lay out where we stayed, ate and visited and some average costs.
Hotel: Holiday Inn Washington DC-Central/White House. Booked thru Hotels.com (gotta get those points!) total stay for 2 nights was $300. Not bad for the area.
We were in walking distance to shopping and dining. It also was not a bad little walk down to the White House.
Transport: We took advantage of Uber to and from the airport for around $25-30. The greatest thing is that DC is home to multiple electronic scooter companies. This was the fast and fun way to get around the city! I scooted from the convention center all the way over to the East Market!
On Monday we scootered from the Lincoln Memorial, all the way to the capital, stopping in between. Total trip was about an hour and cost $12 on the scooter.
Brands: Bird, Lime, Lyft, and Skip. (note: Lime makes you prepay a credit amount whereas the other guys are pay as you go)
Eats and Coffee: We were within walking distance of Slipstream. Delicious coffee and a very delicious breakfast. Only thing, is that I wished I would've asked to have my cinnamon bun warmed!
If you are looking for a robust menu, which includes bar eats, gluten free and vegetarian options, then City Tap House is a good spot! Think an upscale sports bar in atmosphere but not so much in price.
If you are in the East Market Area and want a warm bowl of soup, head into Box Car Tavern. It was a little chilly on the Sunday we were there and their sign of tomato basil soup lured me in. It was a sports bar-esque spot but the soup that I paired with truffle steak fries were AMAZING! There are also lots of different spots around the market to try!
I you are in the Georgetown area and are feeling French. Pop into Laduree for a Macaroon, coffee or a light meal. Nothing will ever be like the one on the Champs de Elysee in Paris but it will do.
Donuts: District Donuts v Astro Donuts
District, is your more traditional donut and coffee shop near the East Market. Adorable little neighborhood, unique donuts and surprisingly good coffee.
Astro, unique in the sense that it is donuts AND fried chicken! I would say they are very different but donut wise, I would have to go with Astro. They were a little more airy and fluffy which is my kind of donut. The chicken was also delicious and crispy, not spicy if that turns you off.
Activities: The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History was fantastic! I spent 5 hours in there! It is free to get in and you can allow yourself to get lost in all of the amazing exhibits. My favorite was the special exhibit on epidemics and disease along with the walk thru butterfly habitat. The butterflies fly around you and if you are lucky enough they will land on you as well! (The butterfly exhibit was $7 but you could stay in as long as you wanted)
Fords Theater, we did not get a chance to go in but tickets are cheap and can be reserved in advance online. We scooted past the theater and the house Lincoln died in and it is surreal to think such a moment in history happened where we were standing.
Spy Theater, if you are into that kind of thing, I would recommend! It is really cool to see all the gadgets and items, along with people from history who were in the spy business. While we were there, there was also a cool James Bond exhibit in the basement!
East Market, home to an outdoor and indoor farmers market, boutiques, restaurants and Capitol Hill Books.
Overall the trip was quite the whirlwind. We opted to do a little less touristy things and try to see the city more off the typical path of state house tours and hitting every museum.
