So little time, so much to see
Written: Feb 17 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: There are so many interesting places to visit at little or no cost, all around the mall.
Cons: We didn't have time to get over to the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial... but there's next time!
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| sarahgutch's Full Review: Washington, DC |
Fortunately, we are close enough to be able to drive to Washington DC in about 4 hours. We had one day, so we jumped in my husband's Blazer at 5 in the morning with our 9 year old and drove to the Wheaton, Maryland Metro Station. We arrived in time for rush hour and rode down the Red Line with the commuters just in time for the National Zoo to open.
This was the summer of 1993. Amazonia had just opened and we stopped in to see the giant pandas. Then we jumped on the Metro again and rode down to the Mall.
Since we are Smithsonian members, we had lunch at the Members Dining Hall, in the National Museum of Natural History. A very nice buffet at an affordable price... definitely a nice "perk" to becoming a member, not to mention the beautiful magazine we receive every month!
After lunch we walked across the mall to the Freer Gallery where there was a special exhibit, and peeked into the interior courtyard at the peacocks. From there we walked by the Washington Monument but chose not to wait on the line to go up... then walked over the Holocaust Museum which had opened earlier that year.
I would recommend visiting the Holocaust Museum if at all possible. No matter what your ethnic or religious background, the presentation of materials is dramatic and will touch you.
At around 5 pm we got back on the Metro and found our car back in Maryland where we had left it and headed north. We stopped for a picnic dinner at one of the clean Maryland rest stops and arrived home at approximately 10 pm.
Would we do this one-day tour of DC again? Definitely yes! We planned it well to avoid waiting on lines and too much walking and had lots to talk about when we got back. The key was the planning, and Smithsonian magazine helped because it lists current exhibits and new items at the different museums. We tried to not spend all our time at one location, so we were able to see a good variety of places during the day.
I would not recommend this plan if you have young children with you, because they need more "rest stops" than older kids and most adults. We also kept what we carried with us while in DC light... cash, our pre-purchased tickets to the Holocaust Museum, and a light snack for mid-morning. We carried food in the car only. The best part for us was, we were home in our own beds that same night!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
sarahgutch
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Member: Abbie Slaman
Location: NJ
Reviews written: 42
Trusted by: 22 members
About Me:
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? --Nick Lowe
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