Any advice on what to see over the 2 days i'll be there would be great.
Christmas in Washington is really the best. I suggest staying in Old Town Alexandria. Old Town is a 5 minute cab ride from DCA and the hotels are right across the street from the King Street Metro. The rates during that time may be less than your budget too! I always recommend Tripadvisor.com and search on the Alexandria Forum and hotels for specifics. My family always stays at the Residence Inn on Duke Street. The hotel has parking, breakfast and snacks and is two blocks to Metro. If you can splurge and the price is right. I recommend the Hotel Monaco at 400 King Street, its a cool boutique hotel 4 blocks from the waterfront.
During that time, our streets are festive with decorations, the restaurants are not so crowded and the shopping is great! Old Town is the best place to spring from to sightsee and the best place to decompress after walking all day.
Since you are planning now. Suggest you contact your local representative in Congress to obtain passes to tour the White House NOW! It will be busy for the holiday and it's gorgeous when decorated. Be certain too to see the Pagent of Peace in front of the White House. There are free concerts at night and the famous Yule Log. We always cap off the night by going to the Hay Adams for hot chocolate with a little something extra ...wink wink!
Go ice skating at Liberty Park across the street from the WH. Definitely your time is limited, so suggest getting the Tourmobile for one day to see EVERYTHING. Especially Arlington Cemetery during Xmas is particularly touching. Then slip into the museums to warm up between your sites!
Hope this is helpful.
The last time I was in Washington (for work), I stayed at the Mayflower hotel. It could not have been more convenient to everything (the staff, however, would probably prefer a moritorium on Elliot Spitzer jokes).
Shop online from sites like Kayak or Expedia; that will at least give you an idea of what the going rates are.
I travel to Washington quite frequently, and my clients have all said that late December will usually have very reasonable hotel rates. Try to find something close to Metro (the subway system).
have a look at hotels.com.. then a look at tripadvisor for info on hotel
when i went i stopped outside of the centre and caught the metro into the centre, easy to use as well.
must see space museum and iwo jima memorial which is just outside arlington cemetery, which is also a must
First, whatever hotel you decide is best for you, make the reservation directly with the hotel (via their web site or 800 number). Ask any hotel and they will often admit that people who make their reservations through sites like priceline.com will get a worse room than someone who booked a room through their hotel directly.
I'm a big fan of the Marriott chain and they are affordable and often have nice amenities. I highly recommend staying in the Rosslyn section of Arlington. It is just one subway stop away from the District, and Rosslyn is safe, has a small business district (with some shops and restaurants), and is on the subway line. It will get you to either the District or south to Arlington cemetary in minutes. If you are a Marriott traveler rewards person (you can sign up for free on marriott.com) then you can receive weekly emails from Marriott that provide promotional codes. You can save up to half off the rack rates.
There is a Marriott/Key Bridge and a Marriott Residence Inn, both in Arlington as well as a Courtyard (but it's on a small hill) in Rosslyn.
If you want to visit the white house over the holidays, I would contact my congressperson for tickets now because that venue is going to be swamped over the holidays because of the decorations, etc. at the white house.
I think your hardest decision will be what to visit in your two days in DC. Tailor it to what your interests are. If you like art, go to the National Gallery or the museum of american art/national portrait gallery. If you have kids that are coming with you, the Air & Space museum and the dinosaurs at the Natural History museum are big hits. If you like theatre or fine arts, go to ticketplace in the district for half price tickets for many plays and concerts. If you are a history buff, visits to the National Archives, all of the monuments, and the Capitol building.
For a museum that is tremendously moving, the Holocaust is a wonderful choice. On the other side of the spectrum, the Spy Museum is entertaining, interesting, and allows you to play spy.
If you go to the monuments, my recommendation is to go just as the sun is setting. The vietnam veterans is particularly dramatic and moving just as the sun is setting.
Hope this helps and enjoy your trip!
The best thing to do is to go on priceline.com and bid for a room in your price range.
I'm sorry that I can't be more specific. My sister lives there now, so it's been a while since I've had to get a hotel. I lived there for nine years so I know the city well.
Besides what you said, my favorite memorial has always been the Lincoln Memorial. It feels sacred to me because of the solemn statue and the two speech extracts carved into the marble walls.
Arlington National Cemetery is always impressive, but it might be cold in December. You'll have to look at the weather on the day before you make your decision.
The newish World War II memorial is also impressive, and it's right on the Mall between the Vietnam Memorial and the Washington Monument.
The Smithsonian Institution (7 main museums on the Mall) is always a good choice in the winter. Depending on your interests, everyone always goes to the Air & Space, the American History and the Natural History, but the art galleries are good, too.
The Holocaust Museum might interest you. It's down that end of town.
You can't just show up and go in the White House anymore. You have to apply for tickets in advance to your congressman, so do that now.
One little quirky place that I always loved was the main building of the Library of Congress. If you like books, you'll like browsing around for an hour there, seeing the displays of famous old books and wondering at the dome of the main reading room.
The FBI is also a very interesting place to visit I'm told. I always wanted to go there but never quite got there (had to work on weekdays!).
If you're into history, then maybe you'd find Ford's Theater interesting, which is where Lincoln got shot. It still has some memorabilia.
Maybe you can see a show at the Kennedy Center. There's always a musical or a concert on there. There are also terrific little theaters like Woolly Mammoth that have interesting things going on all the time.
Georgetown is fun for dinner, people-watching and a bit of shopping, especially around Christmas time.
Have fun.
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