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Topic: What would you do in the DC/NOVA?

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Natalia
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Posted: April 23 2008 at 9:33am \| IP Logged

We are planning to go visit some friends in the NOVA area and I was wondering, what do you recommend we visit? I know there are tons to see and do... so what would YOU do in DC or nearby? (we are thinking in going at the end of May or beginning of June.)

Thanks,

Natalia

Philothea
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Posted: April 23 2008 at 9:41am \| IP Logged

Depends on how old your kids are ... I have lots of ideas but it would be helpful to know ages/interests first.

Natalia
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Posted: April 23 2008 at 9:48am \| IP Logged

Sorry, I should have mentioned it. They are 14 (girl), 11 and 6 (boys). My 11 love architecture. He is the one we are taking this trip for. He is dying to see all the big monuments and the White House. He loves buildings! My girl is a ballerina and she is likes art.

Thanks again

Natalia

JennGM
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Posted: April 23 2008 at 9:48am \| IP Logged

That would be some of my questions. Have you been in this area before ever? Do you like museums? Monuments? Parks? Battlefields? Government tours?What historical periods interest you?

Off the top of my head, some sites that are unique are the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception and JPII Cultural Center, both nearby. A few hours away is Emmittsburg, MD, with the Grotto of Lourdes and the Shrine of Elizabeth Ann Seton. Beautiful area, and very close is Gettysburg.

Try to contact your Congressman for a tour of the White House, Capitol, and Department of Engraving. Those are great tours.

There are lots of Civil War battlefields around. That could take a lot of your time.

Then there's the zoo, and the Smithsonian Museums. Those are big, varied, and lots to see.

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JennGM
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Posted: April 23 2008 at 9:56am \| IP Logged

Oh, Mount Vernon and nearby is Frank Lloyd Wright's House.

And a day trip south to Monticello and Ash Lawn and Montpelier, presidents' homes.

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KackyK
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Posted: April 23 2008 at 10:02am \| IP Logged

There is the National Building Museum. I have never been, so can't say how it is though.

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MaryM
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Posted: April 23 2008 at 10:10am \| IP Logged

JennGM wrote:

Try to contact your Congressman for a tour of the White House, Capitol, and Department of Engraving. Those are great tours.

We did the regular "just get tickets in the morning" tour of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Then on the tour saw some families down on the floor with the action on one of those special tours like Jenn mentioned. We SO wish we had arranged for one of those!

JennGM wrote:

Oh, Mount Vernon ...

Probably the favorite thing we did!

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SusanJ
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Posted: April 23 2008 at 10:26am \| IP Logged

I was going to say the Building Museum, too. I've been several times. It is a beautiful, incredible building. It's directly across from the Judiciary Square metro on the Red Line and it is also free so it's worth going just to see the place. There are several neat exhibits, too, and I think your ds will love it if he likes architecture. It might be a neat first stop as there is a great exhibit on the city of Washington right now with lots of historical plans and layouts of the city.

The National Gallery is wonderful and not a bad walk from the Building Museum, actually. There are lots of impressionists so if your dd likes artworks of ballerinas she might like those rooms. It's also a really amazing building (and free, though not technically a part of the Smithsonian).

My husband's "best kept secret" favorite is the tour of the lobby area of the Library of Congress. I've never actually been able to go but he takes all our visitors on it

And definitely get tickets to stuff through your member of congress. Much better and you don't waste time in lines first thing in the morning.

Susan

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MarilynW
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Posted: April 23 2008 at 10:53am \| IP Logged

MaryM wrote:

JennGM wrote:

Try to contact your Congressman for a tour of the White House, Capitol, and Department of Engraving. Those are great tours.

You need to give them some notice too - we waited 3 months for our White House tour. We have our Capitol tour arranged for 2 weeks time - and I arranged that in March. They can usually rush it through if you have a specific time frame.

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MarilynW
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Posted: April 23 2008 at 10:54am \| IP Logged

I second the National Gallery. Awesome place to visit - I could camp out there for a week!

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Mary Chris
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Posted: April 23 2008 at 11:09am \| IP Logged

Natalia,

First things first....you need to meet up with all us NOVA, MD, and DC folks...if you have time of course.

We just were at the National Building Museum on Monday. It is very cool. I don't think it needs a whole day. If they still have the Frog exhibit at National Geographic that is another cool, quick exhibit.

I really like the Monuments around sunset. They are so pretty with the sun reflecting off them.

I would definitely put Mt. Vernon on your list, and Old Town Alexandria is fun to walk through. I think there is a self guided tour you can take, that takes you by some of the places George Washington liked to visit.

The National Archives are way cool, there was a very long line outside when we drove by there the other day, I don't know if you need tickets for that.

I do hope we get to meet you!

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Philothea
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Posted: April 23 2008 at 12:52pm \| IP Logged

National Gallery and the Monuments, hands down. Everything else is gravy, but given your kids' ages and interests. I know these will be hits.

Mt. Vernon is neat ... the Smithsonians are neat ... you can catch IMAX movies at the Air and Space and there is a shuttle from DC to the Air and Space museum at Dulles Airport, which is huge and really fun. They have the Space Shuttle, the Concorde and the Enola Gay there, plus VR simulator rides (I think they have these downtown now, too, though). There's also a big tower you can go up in to watch the planes take off and land at Dulles. (It's cooler than it sounds, I could stay up there all day.)

The International Spy Museum is fun. So is the Newseum. The Museum of Natural History is kind of fun, too, it has big dinosaurs and stuff like that.

For Catholics, I think the Basilica/Shrine is a must-see .... it is absolutely gorgeous and your son will love the architecture. There's a great gift shop there, too.

Day trips ... Annapolis, Baltimore's Inner Harbor, Gettysburg and Williamsburg are all do-able. Manassas Battlefield is interesting, too, and much closer than any of those. This time of year, a walk down by the waterfront in SW DC can be fun, too.

And if you can get a special Capitol tour through your Congressman's office, do it. You can even watch Congress in session.

Maddie
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Posted: April 23 2008 at 5:06pm \| IP Logged

This was a regular trip for us, bring a lunch, the grounds are beautiful. Just down the road are the Poor Clares, they have Perpetual Adoration.

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Natalia
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Posted: April 24 2008 at 11:22am \| IP Logged

Thanks so much for the recommendations! It has given us a starting point.

Mary Chris and Jenn (and any other "4realers") I would love to meet up with you. As soon as we firm up our dates I'll let you know.

This business of planing a vacation is new to me. Every other vacation I remember taking have been to the Dominican Republic to visit my family. Not much planning needed! I am trying to take the load off dh who is very busy with his work these days. So one more question: how do I contact a representative to get tickets for the tours?

Thanks,

Natalia

MarilynW
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Posted: April 24 2008 at 12:08pm \| IP Logged

I will try and find a website which shows who the Representatives and Congressmen are for your state (my kids used one when doing our Elections study - I will check with them) - I think you just need to put in your zipcode. I will post it tonight.

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Waverley
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Posted: April 24 2008 at 1:06pm \| IP Logged

I second the recommendation of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. It is simply beautiful. In addition to the gift shop, they have a cafeteria which is reasonably priced for DC. It is accessable by Metro - get off at the Caholic University station. The Shrine is actually located on the grounds of Catholic University.

If you go the National Gallery of Art (which I highly recommend) ask at the information desk for the Children's Art Hunt (I think this is what it's called. It may be I Spy). It is a great way to get the kids engaged. The Art Hunt lists famous works of art in the museum, gives the section of the museum it is in, then the kids try and find the art. I think there are separate ones for the East Wing (modern art) and the West Wing.

Have fun.

Barbara C.
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Posted: April 24 2008 at 2:23pm \| IP Logged

I was found the Holocaust Museum to be very moving. It's free, and the architecture of the building is interesting. I'm personally in love with the Lincoln Memorial. The first time I went I walked around the back and just stared out at the water at sunset. The next two times they had it fenced off because of repairs/renovation.

I have many fond memories of walking with my best friend from high school; he attended college in DC. We'd take the subway to the Mall and spend the whole day hitting the Smithsonian museums. Then we'd walk down the Mall past the Washington Monument, Reflecting Pool and the Vietnam Memorial to the Lincoln. Then we'd walk back a few blocks over past the White House all the way up to Union Station near the Capitol. We sang songs from "Godspell" and "1776" the whole way.

In other words, bring your walking shoes.

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MarilynW
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Posted: April 25 2008 at 7:38am \| IP Logged

Natalia wrote:

So one more question: how do I contact a representative to get tickets for the tours?

Thanks,

Natalia

Natalia - here is the website

Determining your representative from your zipcode

I would call and give them your dates.

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KellyJ
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Posted: April 25 2008 at 7:43am \| IP Logged

Natalia, enjoy your trip!! Our crew loves visiting the museums in DC. Our visits there tend to be pretty tight on time--squeezing in visits before other commitments later in the day.

If visit DC on Memorial Day, I think street parking should be free and probably more plentiful. I know it's that way on Thanksgiving Day, which is one of the days we try to to fit in a visit to the museums.

I'd love to meet up with you if schedules allow.

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guitarnan
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Posted: April 25 2008 at 7:54am \| IP Logged

Street parking on Independence and Constitution is pretty easy on weekends if you get there fairly early (I'd arrive 1/2 hour before Air and Space opens; you can wander the mall and eat a pre-museum snack while you wait.)

The Newseum just opened in a new and huge location. Tix are $20 for adults, though - very expensive for DC, which has so many cool free things to see.

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