Washington, D.C., the capital of theUnited States of America and the seat of its three branches of government, has an unparalleled collection of free, public museums, and the lion's share of the nation's most treasured monuments and memorials. The vistas on theNational Mall between the Capitol, Washington Monument, White House, and Lincoln Memorial are iconic throughout the world.
D.C. is not only a political center; it is exciting, cosmopolitan, and international and has shopping, dining, and nightlife on par with a world-class metropolis.
Virtually all of D.C.'s tourists flock tothe National Mall—a two-mile long, beautiful stretch of parkland that holds many of the city's monuments andSmithsonian museums—but the city itself is a vibrant metropolis that often has little to do with monuments, politics, or white, neoclassical buildings. The Smithsonian museums are "must sees," but you haven't really been to D.C. until you've been out and about the city.
| Downtown and Southwest (The National Mall,East End,West End,Waterfront) The center of it all: the National Mall, D.C.'s main theater district, Smithsonian and non-Smithsonian museums galore, fine dining, Chinatown, the Capital One Arena, the Convention Center, the central business district, the White House, West Potomac Park, the Kennedy Center, George Washington University, the beautiful Tidal Basin, Nationals Park, Audi Field, and the Wharf. |
| North Central (Dupont Circle,Shaw,Adams Morgan-Columbia Heights) D.C.'s trendiest and most diverse neighborhoods and destination number one for live music and clubbing, as well as loads of restaurants, Howard University, boutique shopping, beautiful embassies, Meridian Hill Park, U Street, and lots of nice hotels. Mount Pleasant and Columbia Heights specifically are home to the city's largest Spanish-speaking population, mostly from Central America. |
| Northwest (Georgetown,Upper Northwest) The prestigious, wealthy side of town, home to the historic village of Georgetown with its energetic nightlife, colonial architecture, Georgetown University, and fine dining; the National Zoo; the massive National Cathedral; bucolic Dumbarton Oaks and Hillwood Estate; the bulk of D.C.'s high-end shopping; more Embassy Row; American University; and several nice dining strips. |
| Northeast and Southeast (Capitol Hill,Near Northeast,Brookland-Petworth-Takoma,Anacostia) Starting at the Capitol Building and Library of Congress, and fanning out past grandiose Union Station and the historic Capitol Hill neighborhood, to the less often visited neighborhoods by Gallaudet and Catholic University, historic African-American Anacostia, D.C.'s "Little Vatican" around the National Shrine, the huge National Arboretum, the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, offbeat nightlife in the Atlas District, and a handful of other eccentric neighborhoods to explore. |
Many attractions, such as the Arlington Cemetery, the Iwo Jima Memorial, the National Mormon Temple, as well as the area's best ethnic dining, and hotels with a slightly lower sales tax rate are just beyond the city borders—don't miss theArlington,Alexandria,Bethesda, andSilver Spring.
Washington, D.C., is a city born of politics, by politics, and for politics. It wasn't the first national capital:Baltimore,Lancaster,York,Annapolis,Trenton, and evenNew York City all tried their hand at hosting the national government. For a time, it seemed likePhiladelphia would stake a claim as home to the federal government. However, Congress soured on the "Cradle of Liberty" after disaffected American soldiers, with the tacit sanction of thePennsylvania government, chased the legislators out of the city toPrinceton. That incident made clear that the nation's capital would need to be independent from the then-powerful state governments and that thesouthern states would refuse to accept a northern capital.
Three of the nation's founding fathers, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton, agreed in 1790 to a compromise location for a new national capital on largely uninhabited land along the Potomac River in the Mid-Atlantic. This was made famous in the musicalHamilton with the songThe Room Where It Happened. The exact location was left up to George Washington, who carved a diamond-shaped federal district out of land donated by the states of Maryland and Virginia, which happened to be near his plantation atMount Vernon. The new territory also included two existing settlements: Georgetown, on the Maryland side of the Potomac, and Alexandria, Virginia, at the district's southern tip.
That which we call a District by any other... Washington, D.C., is known to locals asD.C. orthe District, and it is rare to hear it called anything else. Locals usually use the nameWashington as a metonym for the national government and the political world, rather than the city itself. The full titleWashington, D.C., and the official name,District of Columbia, are rarely used by non-bureaucrats unless the speaker is trying to clearly distinguish the city fromWashington state. |
The French-born architect Pierre L'Enfant was charged withplanning a new federal city on the north side of the Potomac, next to Georgetown. L'Enfant's plan, modeled after some of the leading cities in Europe, envisioned large parks and wide streets, including a grand boulevard connecting the "President's House" to the Capitol building. However, L'Enfant was an eccentric and fought bitterly with the commissioners appointed to supervise the capital's construction. President Washington eventually dismissed L'Enfant, but the problems didn't end there. Issues with financing and a lack of skilled craftsmen slowed the construction of the city. The commissioners relied on African slaves lent from nearby plantations to complete construction. The federal government finally moved to the new capital in 1800, which by then had been named Washington in honor of its founder, though he still preferred to call it the "Federal City."
British forces invaded the city during the War of 1812, burning and gutting the Capitol Building, Treasury, and White House, although they were all rebuilt shortly thereafter. Things didn't get much better for the new national capital. When he founded the city, President Washington thought that a flourishing trade would help support the capital, but the idea was short-lived. TheChesapeake & Ohio Canal was built in 1831 to bypass the treacherous rapids of the Potomac River and move goods from the western territories along the Ohio River all the way to Georgetown, where they could then be loaded onto ships. However, the canal was unable to compete with the more efficient Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, which was completed around the same time as the canal. Alexandria suffered disproportionately, since the government's plans favored the port at Georgetown and all government buildings were, by law, built within the City of Washington. The economic stagnation, combined with fears that the federal government would ban Alexandria's thriving slave trade (and it eventually did), caused Congress to return all the District's land that had been donated by Virginia. The 1846 "retrocession", as it is now known, spoiled the city's fine diamond shape, leaving under federal control only the land that had been donated by Maryland.
Washington's compromise location on the border of North and South proved precarious during theCivil War. Caught between Confederate Virginia on one side of the Potomac, and southern sympathizers in surrounding Maryland, President Abraham Lincoln established a network of forts surrounding the capital, which were put to the test in the Battle of Fort Stevens, a minor diversionary attack in July 1864. As the center of war operations for the Union, government workers, soldiers, and runaway slaves flooded into the city. Despite the city's growth, Washington still had dirt roads and lacked basic sanitation. After the war, some members of Congress suggested moving the capital further west, but President Ulysses S. Grant refused to consider such a proposal.
In 1871, Congress created a new territorial government for the whole District of Columbia charged with modernizing the capital. Sewers and gas lines were installed, streets were paved, and the town was transformed into a modern metropolis. However, the high cost of the initiative (and alleged cronyism) ultimately bankrupted the District government and later public works projects could not keep up with the city's growing population. By the early 1900s, L'Enfant's vision of a grand national capital had become marred by slums and randomly placed buildings, including a railroad station on the National Mall. A plan enacted by Congress in 1901 beautified Washington's ceremonial core, re-landscaping the Capitol grounds and the National Mall, clearing slums, and establishing a new city-wide park system, finally developing the city into L'Enfant's intended grand design. The New Deal spending of the 1930s under president Franklin Delano Roosevelt led to the construction of even more federal buildings, memorials, and museums. With the start of World War II, government spending in Washington increased, a trend that has continued over the decades. The end of World War II saw the establishment of the modern international finance system, and Washington D.C. became home to the headquarters of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.
In 1957, Washington became the first major city to have a majority African-American population; the city's population exceeded 800,000. The March on Washington and theI Have A Dream speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 were major events in the civil rights movement. After the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in April 1968, riots broke out at the intersection of 14th St and U St and 1,200 buildings were badly damaged or destroyed. Many businesses were forced to close and thousands of jobs were lost permanently.
The influx of crack cocaine marred the District in the 1970s and 1980s. Government services and the public school system went into disrepair. The expanding suburbs, with excellent schools and lower crime and tax rates, became more desirable places to live for many. The population of the District fell below 600,000, shrinking the tax base. The arrest of Mayor Marion Barry on drug charges in 1990 also hurt the city's reputation. In 1991, D.C. led the country in homicides and many of the buildings destroyed in the 1968 riots still remained in rubble. Several government agencies, including the Patent and Trade Office, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), moved their offices to the suburbs.
A wave of change began in the late 1990s. The construction of theCapital One Arena and the nearby Metrorail station in 1997 led people to return to theEast End for the first time in years. Further revitalization efforts in the late 1990s, supported by President Bill Clinton and Mayor Anthony Williams, made D.C. one of the fastest-improving cities in the U.S. The population again began to climb.
First time visitors to D.C. will marvel at its impressive diversity. In addition to its longstanding black and white residents, this is arguably the country's most international town, with expats, immigrants and long timers from all around the world, as well as Americans from other regions looking to make it in the nation's capital.
In D.C.,approximately 14% of the population is foreign born. The population is 45% Black, 38% white-non-Hispanic, and 12% Hispanic.
Its large black population has long made D.C. a national center of African-American history and culture. Known as "Chocolate City" for its dynamic black heritage, it was the first black-majority city in the country, and until the 1920s, when it was surpassed byNew York, D.C. was home to the largest black population of any city. The famous U Street inShaw was known asBlack Broadway, with native WashingtonianDuke Ellington performing in the jazz clubs on this street. The District was long an attractive destination for African Americans leaving theSouth, as it was both nearby and viewed as a bastion of tolerance and progressiveness in race relations. It was the home of abolitionistFrederick Douglass and the first of the formerly-segregated U.S. cities to integrate its public schools in 1954. D.C. is also home toHoward University inShaw, one of the nation's most important historically black colleges. The persisting influence of African-American culture upon D.C.'s identity is obvious in the popular consciousness, the city's government, local sports, high culture and, above all, the local intellectual and philosophical movements. African Americans have risen to positions of influence rivaled by few other cities, particularly in local government, education, transportation, healthcare and the federal government, giving the city a confident African-American middle class particularly in the city's Northeast and neighboring Prince George's County along with other areas such as Arlington and Montgomery County, particularly when compared to nearby cities like Philadelphia and Baltimore. Also unlike other so-calledblack meccas, such as Atlanta, D.C.'s black population has been augmented by strong migration from the Caribbean and Africa, which has added a further layer and diversity to the black experience in the region.
Compared to other American cities, relatively few residents are home-town natives, rather than transplants from elsewhere. According to data published by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2011, only 37.3% of D.C. residents were born in D.C. The transient population is overwhelmingly professional, young, white, affluent, and highly educated, drawn to the city for its government-related work and booming economy. This is in stark contrast to the local African-American population, which has deep roots in the community, leading to socioeconomic diversity—from the highly affluent in Northwest D.C. and the suburbs of Montgomery and Prince George's to the middle class in Northeast DC, Charles and PG County to those left behind, notably so in Southeast D.C.
P Funk on D.C. We didn't get our forty acres and a mule, |
The sometimes uncomfortable blend of the semi-transient professional population and permanent residents is often the source of controversy, especially as D.C. has been experiencing a wave of neighborhood rebuilding and gentrification. Young professionals with tight budgets and distaste for long daily commutes have relocated into longstanding working-class neighborhoods in search of low rent and easy access to city amenities. But while there is inevitably some conflict around neighborhood change, these changes have also created D.C.'s most diverse, culturally vibrant, and exciting neighborhoods—just walk up U St or 18th St inShaw orAdams Morgan, and you'll see that it's not a vain hope that the city's various cultures can come together to create something greater.
D.C., and indeed the metro area beyond the city limits, is impressivelyinternational, rivaling New York City in terms of its diversity. In the immediate metro area, a whopping one third of the population is foreign born. The biggest immigrant group is fromCentral America, mostly fromEl Salvador. Latino culture finds its home in the city inColumbia Heights—where you'll find all the various cultures of the city intermingling. After Central Americans, D.C. is also home to a growing number of South Americans, notably Colombians, Venezuelans, Bolivians and Peruvians, who have brought their cuisines with them, especially the increasingly ubiquitous empanadas and Peruvian chicken.
D.C. also has a growing, upwardly mobile African immigrant population, notably the large Nigerian andEthiopian communities (the latter being second largest in the world afterAddis Ababa), which has bestowed the city with a love for Ethiopian food, and which finds its urban center in D.C.'s ownLittle Ethiopia. Other African migrants tend to congregate in the suburbs, as do Asian immigrants, though their cuisines are readily available across the region. The international culture extends well beyond the immigrant communities, though, to the big foreign professional population, as well as the brain drain of Americans from all around the country looking for work in the international relations and government contracting fields—D.C. is, simply put, the nation's most international town.
Local politics, and local anger at the relations between the city and the national government, are perhaps the glue that binds all Washingtonians together. The District of Columbia is under the ultimate control of the U.S. Congress. District residents are able to elect a Mayor as well as representatives to the D.C. Council, although Congress retains the right to overturn laws passed by the city. The city lacks representation in Congress since the residents of D.C. are not in one of the states of the union, although they have been granted electoral college votes for presidential elections since 1961. District license plates bear the Revolutionary War slogan "Taxation Without Representation" as a contemporary reference to their lack of voting rights. The District is strongly progressive, having voted overwhelmingly (>70%) for the Democratic candidate in every presidential election since 1964.
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D.C.'s climate has a bad reputation; there is a popular myth that the city was built on aswamp with the purpose of discouraging a large bureaucracy—after all, if no one wanted to live in D.C., then there wouldn't be too many bureaucrats. This is all untrue. In reality, what is now the National Mall had been mudflats, but there was no swamp, and in the early 1800s, most of the city's land was used to grow tobacco, corn, and apples. The city's climate is really just a milder version of that in New York and parts of Northeast with short, cool winters and hot, humid but manageable summers.
The weather is generally extremely pleasant during the spring and fall. It's hard to beatspring in D.C. The northerly subtropical climate results in cool breezes, moderate temperatures, lush growth, flowers, budding trees, and, of course, thecherry blossoms. The most beautiful time of spring usually falls from April to mid-May. Domestic tourists know this, though, and you can expect the cherry blossom walk around the Tidal Basin to see (pedestrian) traffic jams that put the Beltway to shame, although truly savvy tourists can escape the crowds but still enjoy the cherry blossoms at the National Arboretum inNear Northeast.Fall rivals spring for perfect temperatures. It's also a lovely time for a walk inRock Creek Park, where the dense forest bursts with multicolored confetti.Winter is a great time to visit though a mixed bag temperature wise, as museums are nearly empty and theaters are all in season. Winter temperatures are relatively mild, with snow that can range from sporadic to incessant depending on the year. However, it's hot and very humid during thesummer, due to the frequenthumidity that can last for up to weeks at a time. Average heat indices factoring in humidity typically range between74 °F (23 °C) at night and92 °F (33 °C) during the day in the summer months. On some particularly sweltering days, the heat indices can climb upwards to106 °F (41 °C) and not go below80 °F (27 °C) at night. On a hot day in D.C. in July or August, you will want to spend as much time indoors as possible. Expect the late afternoon thunderstorm followed by much more pleasant weather right before sunset. Despite this, there are often beautiful clear sky days with low humidity that can make exploring the city a very pleasant experience. Daylight hours range between 5:45AM and 8:30PM in the summer months, and 7:15AM to 4:45PM in the winter months.
It's worth considering thepolitical climate as well. Before heading to D.C., research which events will coincide with your visit. Major international conferences, political events (elections/inaugurations) or protests often prompt road closures and additional security checks, and also send lodging prices through the roof. There are also several weeks during the year, as well as most of August, when Congress is on recess. During these weeks, there are fewer official visitors, elected officials, and staff members; the Metro becomes less crowded and there are overall fewer people in the city.
Washingtonians are avid readers, and not just of the news. Nonetheless, there is only a little "D.C. literature" to speak of. Notable works focused on D.C. as a city/metro area include:
The city's culture has always been overshadowed by national politics, and those looking for local flavor will mostly find political works: political chronicles, political histories, political hot air, political historical fiction, and of course political thrillers, including:
In addition to the above, a trip to D.C. is a good time to read a political biography or two. Favorites include:
There is no end to the list of films set in D.C., as the nation's capital provides the essential backdrop to just about every political thriller and practically every alien invasion or other disaster movie set in the U.S. There are a proud few, though, that stand out either for their creation of national myths or for having actually captured something of the real culture of the city.
Due to its diversity and history as a magnet for people from across the country and beyond, it is hard to detect a classic Washington accent compared to other Northeastern cities. The General American accent tends to dominate across the area; however, if you look long enough traces of a distinctive D.C. accent abound. Old-timers are known to sayWarshington — inserting what linguists call an “intrusive R.” an influence from the prestige associated withLondon accents in the nineteenth century, that also influenced other cities like New York and Boston. To really get at the Washington accent, you’ve got to look at people whose families have lived here for generations, namely black Washingtonians. Older D.C. residents are known for dropping "R"s similar to, but not quite as exaggerated as Bostonians. The accent is believed to be a continuation of the English accent imported by the first colonists.
The D.C. sound comes from three main features, vowel centralization, R-lessness, and monophthongization:
Vowel centralization: The vowel before an “R” gets pronounced in a different part of the mouth, leading words like “carry” to be pronounced like “curry”; “strawberry” like “strawbury,” “Maryland” like “Muriland.”
R-lessness: The R gets dropped in several words, so “party” will be pronounced “pahty,” or “mother” will sound like “mutha.”
Monophthongization: This is a fancy way of saying we drop the diphthongs. A diphthong is where a vowel is made up of two sounds — for instance, the vowel in “time” is “ah” and “ee” put together. “Time” becomes “tahm,” “I” becomes “Ah.”
Younger residents overwhelmingly prefer General American accents though residents do pepper their speech with a plethora of local lingo, with "DMV", "bama" and "siced" (excited/too much) being particularly popular. Also, young people in D.C. (and nearby Maryland) tend to speak faster than other Americans.
Washington, D.C. (WAS IATA forall airports) is served by three major airports. All three airports offer unlimited free Wi-Fi.
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA IATA) is the closest and most convenient airport to D.C.,3 mi (4.8 km) south of the city inArlington,Virginia, just across the Potomac River. However, there are no customs clearance facilities and therefore it can only serve destinations in the United States or airports in Canada and the Caribbean that allow U.S. customs pre-clearance. Moreover, due to the noise created by planes flying directly over a heavily populated area, the number of non-stop long-haul flights is limited. At Gravelly Point Park, directly north of the runway, you can watch planes takeoff and land, providing some great photo opportunities.
To get to D.C. from the airport:
Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD IATA) is26 miles (42 km) west of D.C. inSterling,Virginia and serves as D.C.'s primary international and intercontinental airport. The main terminal is an architectural masterpiece, with a curved roof that arcs gracefully into air, suspended over a huge open ticketing and check-in area. Unfortunately some functionality was scrapped in pursuit of aesthetics—the layout includes lengthy corridors and long escalators and you will have to take a train between the main building and the concourses, so expect that you will need some extra time to get to the gate. Many carriers serve the airport, which serves as an East Coast hub for United Airlines.
If you have extra time in the area, consider takingFairfax Connector Bus #983 to the freeSmithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center, which includes an unrivaled collection of spacecraft and aircraft, most famously the space shuttle Discovery. The bus departs from the airport every 20 minutes daily, costing $2.00 and taking 12 minutes to reach the museum.
To get to D.C. from the airport:
The Dulles Access Road to/from the airport is divided into a tolled (outer lanes) and slower and often more congested toll free (inner lanes) section. At the approaches from the airport exit, it is very easy to drive onto the tolled section by accident so pay attention to the signs.
Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI IATA) is30 mi (48 km) northeast of D.C. and10 mi (16 km) south of downtownBaltimore, nearGlen Burnie,Maryland.
To get to D.C. from the airport:
Train operators:
All Amtrak trains in the area stop at Union Station and a few lines also stop in adjacentAlexandria, very close to the King Street stop on the Blue/Yellow Metro lines. Routes stopping at Union station: D.C. is primarily served by the coastal superhighway,I-95 fromBaltimore orRichmond. It does not go into the city itself (aside from a brief section in the city’s southernmost areas), dodging the District by running along the eastern portion ofthe Beltway (I-495). Coming from the south,I-395 serves as a sort of extension of I-95 going past the Beltway into the city. The original plan was to run I-95 straight through the city towards Baltimore, but locals scuttled the plan, leaving this section's terminus in theEast End.
I-495 isthe Capital Beltway. The Beltway is reviled across the nation for its dangerous traffic patterns and miserable rush hour congestion. Still, the Beltway is often the only practical way to travel between suburbs. Because the Beltway is a circle, the direction of travel is often referred to by which "loop" is being used. TheInner Loop runs clockwise around the city, and theOuter Loop runs counter-clockwise around Washington, D.C.
Other particularly notable routes include:I-270, which connectsI-70 inFrederick to I-495 inBethesda;I-66 starts at the western part of downtown and goes75 mi (121 km) west, ending nearFront Royal,Virginia;US-50 traverses D.C. primarily along city roads east–west, heading east towardAnnapolis andOcean City (the latter by way of the Bay Bridge), and west across the Teddy Roosevelt Bridge intoNorthern Virginia and then all the way cross-country toSacramento,California; theBaltimore-Washington Pkwy (also "B-W Pkwy") starts at I-295 inAnacostia, crossing Central Maryland, passing near BWI Airport and terminating in Baltimore.
Inside the Beltway, I-66 is a toll road on weekdays from 5:30-9:30AM (eastbound) and 3-7PM (westbound) except for federal holidays. Vehicles with three or more people (HOV-3+) and E-ZPass Flex set to HOV mode can travel free. Buses and motorcycles also travel free. Costs depend on the distance travelled and the current traffic situation. This applies to the entire highway between I-495 (The Beltway) and the Virginia-DC border along the Potomac River. US-50, US-29, and the George Washington Pkwy are alternatives.
Parking regulations are complicated in D.C. on weekdays. Metered parking is available throughout commercial areas, but meters limited to two hours during the daytime.Zoned parking is free, but you are limited to parking for two hours in each designatedzone per day, although there is no parking time limit between 10PM and 7AM. Check the signs! Presumably, you could move your car to a different zone every 2 hours during the day and then find a metered spot to ditch your car overnight, but that would not be practical. Weekends and federal holidays are more accommodating to guests as there are less parking restrictions.
There are plenty of public parking garages and many hotels have garages but the cost will be $15-30 per day. The hugeUnion Station parking lot ($21-25/day) inCapitol Hill is convenient to many attractions. If you have a friend in the city, they can go to their local district police station to get you a temporaryvisitor parking permit, good for 15 days.
Parking at Metrorail station lots is generally free on weekends and federal holidays and can cost as low as $5 at other times. Four stations have avery limited number of multi-day parking spots, up to ten days: Greenbelt, Huntington, Franconia-Springfield, and Wiehle-Reston East. And if you just don't want to pay for parking at all, head over to a residential area in the suburbsoutside of D.C. near a Metro station to ditch your car, then walk or catch a bus to the station and head into D.C.! However, if you are staying for a while, be aware that enforcement is strict on "abandoned" cars in the outlying counties.
Many bus companies operate service to/fromNew York City. Greyhound offers the most options to smaller cities around theUnited States. Most bus companies stop at Union Station inCapitol Hill; however, you have a lot of bus choices if coming from New York City - there are bus companies that stop atDupont Circle; theEast End;Bethesda,Maryland; and/orArlington,Virginia and these may be much more convenient to your accommodation - check where you are staying before you book a bus. Buses are more crowded on Friday and Sunday evenings since weekend trips are popular among the locals. Most buses have power outlets and WiFi access on board, although the WiFi is not always reliable. Bus companies advertise a 4-4.5 hour journey time to/from New York City but delays are common:
Be prepared to walk until your feet hurt! It's no surprise that D.C. has been cited as the fittest city in the country; residents and visitors get a lot of exercise simply getting around the city! Even if you plan on taking public transportation or driving, you will often find yourself walking or biking for a large portion of the day. Most of the city's attractions, such as the museums and monuments along the National Mall, are located near each other, which makes driving or taking Metrorail between the sights either impractical or impossible.
Therefore, make sure to wear good walking shoes and, especially during the spring and summer, wear comfortable and light clothing, a wide-brimmed hat, apply sunscreen, and carry a bottle of water. Also, when it comes to shoes, lots of government buildings have metal detectors at the entrances, and if your shoes have any kind of metal reinforcement theywill set off the metal detectors, forcing you to take them off, have them inspected, and just generally take more time getting in and out of the building than you had to spend. During the summer, visit air-conditioned museums during the day, and save the monuments, neighborhood tours, and other outdoor attractions for the cooler early morning and evening hours.
The city is split into four quadrants of unequal size, which radiate out from theCapitol Building: Northwest (NW), Northeast (NE), Southeast (SE), and Southwest (SW). The NW quadrant is by far the largest and SW the smallest. Addresses in the city always include the quadrant abbreviation, e.g., 1000 H Street NE. Take note of the quadrant, otherwise you may find yourself on the exact opposite side of town from your destination!
City streets are generally laid out in a grid, with east-west streets primarily named with letters (A–W) and north-south streets named with numbers. The street numbers and letters increase as the distance from the Capitol building increases, and sometimes letters are skipped. The numerous diagonal avenues, many named after states, serve as the city's principal arteries. The grid has a few peculiarities that are a legacy from the city's foundation. The City of Washington originally occupied only a portion of the total area of the District. As a result, outside of what is now often called the "L'Enfant City", streets do not strictly adhere to the grid system. However, you will find that many street names were simply extended where practical and, past the letter "W", for east-west streets, two-syllable street names (e.g., Irving Street, Lamont Street) follow the single-letter streets in alphabetical order, followed by three-syllable street names.
There is no "J" St. This is because, until the mid-19th century, the letters "I" and "J" were largely considered interchangeable. Following that same idea, "I" Street is often written as "Eye" Street, to distinguish it from the letter "L" and the numeral "1", and "Q" Street is often written "Que," "Cue," or "Queue."
It is usually easier to use public transportation as opposed to driving in traffic and paying expensive parking rates.Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) operates the city's public transportation system. Information about all modes of local public transportation is available ongoDCgo.
Fares can be paid by credit card, mobile payment service or via aSmarTrip card ($2 cost), which can be purchased and refilled at any Metrorail station. Transfers between buses are free for 2 hours, while transfers between Metrorail and bus receive a $2.25 discount (the cost of the bus).
Flat-rateMetrorail/Metrobus passes, good for an unlimited number of trips for 1 day ($13.50), 3 days ($33.75), 7 days ($60.75), or monthly ($72-216), are available for purchase at Metrorail stations. However, the passes are rarely a good deal for most tourists; the cost is usually more than you would spend by paying as you go.
TheMetrorail (usually just called Metro) is D.C.'s subway train system. It is composed of six color-coded rail lines that run primarily underground within the District and above ground in the suburbs. It's clean, safe, user-friendly, and sports a surprisingly elegant and pleasing brutalist aesthetic.
Check theupcoming track work website before traveling, since track work, especially on weekends, may result in long delays and station closures.
The departure times for the first and last train at each station is availableonline. Hours of operation are generally M-Th: 5AM-midnight, F: 5AM-2AM, Sa: 6AM-2AM, and Su: 6AM-midnight.
In some areas, up to three different lines may share the same track. Trains may terminate before reaching the end of the line, especially during rush hour. Therefore, be careful to note both the color and final destination indicated on the electronic displays and train cars before boarding.
No food or drink is allowed on trains or in stations. Metro employees, police officers, and even fellow riders will ask you to dispose of any food before entering. Violators are subject to fines or evenarrest. If you are carrying food/beverages, keep them closed and in a bag. Since the COVID-19 Pandemic, this has been less enforced, but out of courtesy to others it's best to avoid consuming them.
Rider etiquette is key to smooth travel in the heavily-used system. Washingtonians are particularly sensitive about escalators: when using them, stand on the right, and leave the left side free for those who want to pass, or you may be admonished. Additionally, try not to obstruct train doors when passengers are leaving the train, keep belongings off of the seats, and fold strollers at all times on the trains and in elevators.
Metrorail fares depend on the distance traveled and whether the trip starts before or after 9:30PM on weekdays or if it is on a weekend. Weekday fares before 9:30PM range from $2.25 to $6.75 depending on distance traveled. Rides taken after 9:30PM on weekdays, or all day on weekends, cost either $2.25 or $2.50. Up to two children ages four and younger may ride free per paying adult. Seniors can get aSenior SmarTrip Card from aMetrorail office for free, which charges the user half the normal peak travel cost on Metrorail and half price on the bus, but the hassle of obtaining the card may not be practical or worthwhile unless staying in the city for quite some time.
Riders must tap their payment card at both the entrance and exit stations. Consequently, travelers cannot share cards, and instead each traveler needs their own card.
In May 2025, Metrorail began to accept any contactless credit/debit card as payment, allowing visitors to bypass purchasing a SmarTrip. As of October 2025, this does not apply to station parking or Metrobus.
Metrobus operates buses throughout the D.C. metro area. Metrobus will take you places hard to reach via Metrorail and can be a convenient, comfortable way to travel. Some high-ridership bus routes run 24-hours per day. Seetimetables andsystem maps. Most routes cost a flat fare of $2.25. Seniors pay only $1.10 by showing an identification card to the driver and up to two children ages four and younger ride free per paying adult.
Every bus stop has a stop number posted, which you can enter on theWMATA Next Bus Arrivals website or by phone (☏+1 202 637-7000) to get an estimate of when the next bus will arrive to that stop. Free iPhone and Android apps that provide live Metrobus data are also available.
Unlike ride-hailing services, taxis are able to be hailed from the street.
Roof lights on all D.C. cabs have LED text that explicitly state whether or not the cab is available for hire.
The largest taxi operators are
Taxicab drivers are required to take passengers anywhere within the D.C.-area. With the exception of rides to and from the airport, it is illegal for cabs to pick up passengers outside the jurisdiction in which they are based.
All cabs are required to accept credit cards and provide receipts on request.
Taxi rates for all D.C.-area taxicabs are fixed by the jurisdiction in which they are based and the rate does not change when state lines are crossed.Rates for D.C.-based taxicabs are $3.50 for the first eighth of a mile and 27¢ for each additional eighth of a mile. There is a $1.00 surcharge for additional passengers, regardless of the number of people. There is no rush hour fee, although meters do charge a "wait rate" of 42¢ for each minute the car is stopped in traffic or traveling under 10 mph.
Rates for cabs based in Montgomery County, Maryland include a $4.00 initial charge plus a $2.00 per mile distance fee.Rates for cabs based in Virginia include a $3.50 initial charge plus a $2.40 per mile distance fee.
Ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft are extremely popular in D.C. Base rates are much lower than those of taxis.
Driving in downtown D.C. is difficult, particularly during rush hour, where traffic can make it take 10 minutes to drive a couple city blocks. In addition, limited and expensive parking, ruthless enforcement of complicated parking rules, sadistic traffic circles, fines from automated red light cameras and absurd speed traps, potholes, frequent street direction changes, and street closures without warning make driving in D.C. a headache. A2025 report showed that D.C. drivers were the most prone to accidents of any city in the U.S.
Street parking downtown is limited to two hours only (even at meters), so be prepared to park in a private lot or garage, which cost anywhere from $10–25 per day. Avoid driving and parking during rush hour (weekdays, 7AM-10AM and 4PM-7PM), since this is when the majority of the city's traffic congestion, street direction changes, and parking restrictions are in effect. If you do park on the street, pay close attention to traffic signs. Most streets downtown restrict parking during rush hour and visitors often return to the spot where they parked only to find that their vehicle has been ticketed ortowed!
In the 1950s, local opposition prevented the construction of interstate highways directly through Washington, which would have cut off access to certain neighborhoods and required demolition of historic buildings. The two freeways that feed into the city from Virginia, I-66 and I-395, both terminate quickly. Washington and its innermost suburbs are encircled by the Capital Beltway, I-495, which gave rise to the expression "Inside the Beltway" (which refers to matters only relevant to people in D.C. political circles).
Ideally, avoid driving in downtown areas as parking fees are high. Ride-sharing services are widely available and a stress-free alternative.
Washington has several scenic drives:
D.C. is ranked as one of thetop large cities in the U.S. for bicycling. Many streets, including the iconic Pennsylvania Ave, have dedicated bike lanes and there is plenty of bike parking available. Most of the downtown area is flat, although areas north of downtown are more hilly. The vehicle traffic is slow enough, but helmets are recommended (and required for those under age 16) as drivers in the city are often distracted and do not see cyclists, even when the cyclist is in a protected bike lane. Biking in the street is legal and biking on the sidewalk is legal for non-electric bikes everywhere except downtown. Bicycle maps of the city center are availableonline.
Capital Bikeshare, owned by Lyft, operates a bike-sharing network that has over 8,000 bicycles available at over 800 bike stations throughout the Washington, D.C. area.Dockless bikeshare andDockless electric scooters are also available via several mobile apps; information can be found on theTransit app.
You may also take advantage of some of the fantasticbiking trails in the greater D.C. area:
Pedicabs (tricycle rickshaws), commonly found on the National Mall, are regulated, insured, and offer tours or pre-arranged rides. Companies offering services includeD.C. Pedicab ($135/hour),Nonpartisan Pedicab (2 hours for $270-350),Wheel The People Pedicab Tours ($135/hour), andAdventure DC Tricycle Tours (2.25 hours for $585).
Hop-on, hop-off bus tours in Washington DC are offered by:
Most of the attractions in D.C. are on theNational Mall, theWest End, andCapitol Hill. While there are many maps on display throughout the city, the officialNational Mall map and theLibrary of Congress map are great to have handy.
TheNational Mall is a unique park, filled with an intense concentration of monuments, memorials, museums, and monumental government buildings instantly recognizable to people all over the world. TheWashington Monument, theLincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool, theFranklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, theVietnam War Memorial, theKorean War Veterans Memorial, theJefferson Memorial, theNational Gallery of Art, theNational Air and Space Museum, theNational Museum of Natural History,National Museum of American History, and theHolocaust Museum, are just a few of the top attractions on the National Mall. To walk down the National Mall is to thread the halls of world power in the modern era. Here the world's most powerful politicians and their staffs fill the grand neo-classical buildings of the three branches of US Government, making decisions that reverberate in the remotest corners of the world. The National Mall is larger than it looks, and a walk from one end of the National Mall to the other will take a while and may wear you down a bit. Plan ahead what you want to see and concentrate your activities in one section of the National Mall each day.
TheEast End, just north of the National Mall, includes many more museums and attractions, including theNational Portrait Gallery, theAmerican Art Museum, and theNational Archives, which houses original copies of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights.
The White House, as well asThe George Washington University Museum and Textile Museum and theKennedy Center, are in theWest End. The Capitol Building and the Supreme Court are onCapitol Hill. Another attraction here that shouldn't be missed is theLibrary of Congress, which has some of the most beautiful architecture that can be seen in the city.
The freeNational Zoo inUpper Northwest is one of the nation's most prestigious zoos, and theNational Cathedral is an awe-inspiring mammoth.Dupont Circle is home to much ofEmbassy Row, an impressive stretch of some 50 foreign-owned historic and modernist mansions along Massachusetts Ave, as well as several brilliant small museums, such as thePhillips Collection and theWoodrow Wilson House.
The historic neighborhood ofGeorgetown is the oldest part of the city, full of beautiful old colonial buildings, the 200+ year-old Jesuit campus of Georgetown University that resembles a Harry Potter film set, restaurants along the waterfront, the C&O canal, and the infamous Exorcist steps.
By car or bus, you can get to some of the capital's more far-flung and less-frequented attractions, such as theNational Arboretum in theNear Northeast, or theKenilworth Aquatic Gardens in easternAnacostia. By taking the Metro red line to Brookland-CUA, you can visit the magnificent CatholicBasilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Catholic church in North America.
D.C.'s building height restrictions—no taller than the width of the street the building is on plus 20 feet—have resulted in a skyscraper-less downtown, giving D.C. a distinctly muted feel for what is actually the heart of a huge metropolis. The obvious downside to this law is that it limits the supply of housing and office space and tax revenues and results in very high rents. Since many buildings downtown are of the same height level, many rooftop terraces offer great views.
There are several classic spots to get a look out over the city:
D.C. has the highest ratio of parkland to population in the country for a city its size. Many of these parks are crowded with soccer, football, rugby, kickball, baseball, and ultimate frisbee players. TheNational Mall may be the most famous park, but there are several other large beautiful parks in the city.
The 2,000 acreRock Creek Park, a national park, bisects the city north of the Anacostia River. The park is full of deer (who overpopulate, due to lack of predators), squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, birds, and even a few coyotes. The park includes paved biking/running trails that extend from Maryland to the Lincoln Memorial and connecting with the Mount Vernon trail inNorthern Virginia. There are also plenty of hiking trails, picnic spots, a golf course, a variety of Ranger-led/educational programs, and kayaks, canoes, and SUPs can be rented for $22-$32/hour at theThompson Boat Center on the Potomac River. There are plenty of nice outdoor spaces just beyond the park. South of Massachusetts Ave, you can take a path west out to the beautiful Dumbarton Oaks inGeorgetown, and then on to enormous Archibald-Glover Park, where the trails can lead you as far south and west as theChesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park and Palisades Park. Following the main trail along the creek all the way south will take you under the Whitehurst Freeway and down to theNational Mall, where joggers avail themselves of the incredible path right along the Potomac beneath the monuments.
Roosevelt Island is one of those gems just far enough out of the way that it is missed by most tourists. The Teddy Roosevelt Memorial is at the center of the island, which includes a couple fountains and several stone obelisks inscribed with his quotes. The rest of the island is a nice natural park of woods and swamp with a boardwalk in the center of the Potomac, with great views of Georgetown University on the northwest side and of the Kennedy Center on the east. What could be better befitting the "conservationist president" than an island park memorial? To reach the island, walk down the stairs at the Rosslyn side of the Key Bridge—which connects Rosslyn withGeorgetown—then head east on the trail (the Mount Vernon Trail) to the footbridge to the island. Rosslyn is the nearest Metro stop. By car, you can access the parking lot just north of the Roosevelt Bridge from the northbound lanes of the George Washington Pkwy only.
There are several other parks worth visiting, including theKenilworth Aquatic Gardens inAnacostia, theNational Arboretum inNear Northeast,Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park inColumbia Heights, and theC&O Canal Towpath inGeorgetown.
Events DC,Free in DC,PopVille,730DC,Washington City Paper,Washingtonian, and theGoing Out Guide by the Washington Post are websites that will keep you up-to-date on current events in the city.
Things to Do DC offers visits to embassies including cultural presentations by the ambassador and local food as well as scavenger hunts at the Smithsonian museums and National Zoo.
Capital Hiking Club andWanderbirds offer hikes in local parks on weekends, with transportation included.
D.C. has a bustling live music scene, most of which takes place at small and medium sized bars and clubs. More information on these venues is available in theDrink section of this article.
TheKennedy Center, in theWest End, offers a free 1-hour show every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 6PM on itsMillennium Stage. Shows range from poetry to plays to music to dance and are always top-notch. Tickets are free and are available online or at the box office. TheWashington National Opera andNational Symphony Orchestra also both perform at the Kennedy Center, although these events are rarely free.
Major concerts and gatherings are held at the 18,200 seatCapital One Arena in theEast End. There are more intimate classical music concerts in various locations. Try theDumbarton Concerts by Candlelight inGeorgetown!
In the summer, the weeklyJazz in the Garden on Friday evenings on theNational Mall and the Sunday Drum Circle in Meridian Hill Park inColumbia Heights are both free events that are extremely popular with the locals and tourists alike.
Thanks to its national pedigree, D.C. is a theater city through-and-through and is home to one of the strongest scenes in the country, easily rivaling that of New York's Broadway. But unlike Broadway, there is no central location for theatre in D.C.; it's found all over the city, and greater region. Prices range from as low as $15 (or pay-what-you-can) for smaller companies to $100+ for the higher budget houses. You can find deals with each theatre or on the TodayTix app.
A-List celebrities from television and movies are often on these stages, as well as a huge number of talented locals and Broadway transplants who have made a theatrical home here due to the (marginally) lower cost of living compared to New York.
Notable theatres include:
Additionally, outside of city limits:
VisitTheatre Washington for a full, updated list of what's on in the region; there are 91 (!) different production companies, many sharing the same space. Each May, the city holds the Helen Hayes Awards, which are effectively D.C.'s Tony equivalent, and is considered a highly prestigious accolade within American theatre.
During the summer, there is generally a free outdoor movie shown every weekday evening on a large outdoor screen at one of several locations in D.C. There are also similar movie showings in nearby suburbs such asNational Harbor,Columbia,Bethesda,Frederick,Hagerstown, andEllicott City. It's good to show up as early as possible to stake out a good spot, lay down the picnic blanket, and socialize. People start arriving at 7:00PM and films generally start at sunset, approximately 8:30PM. The movies being shown as well as the days of the week and locations change yearly but are aggregatedon this site.
D.C. has a vibrant social dance scene. TheJosephine Butler Parks Center is a popular spot forswing dancing on Tuesdays. To the northwest,Glen Echo Park, a former amusement park converted into an arts and culture center, hostssocial dance events most days of the week, including a popularcontra dance series on Fridays.
D.C. is awash in free public events all throughout the year, but especially in the summer. A few highlights include:
The convention center inEast End hosts several major annual events:
TheWashington Commanders are one of professionalAmerican football's most established and storied clubs, boasting five NFL championships. The Commanders play at Northwest Stadium inLandover,Maryland. To get there using public transport, take the Blue Line Metrorail to the Morgan Blvd stop, then walk one mile straight up Morgan Blvd to the stadium.
TheMaryland Terrapins, representing the main campus of the University of Maryland, also have a large following in the area. They are the only "power five" NCAA Division I college football team in the region as part of the Big Ten conference. The team plays just outside D.C. inCollege Park, accessible via Metro's Green line (with shuttles to the stadium on game days).
TheWashington Capitals, under coach Barry Trotz and led by superstar Alexander Ovechkin, won the Stanley Cup in 2018. The team plays at the Capital One Arena, in theEast End.
TheWashington Wizards also play at the Capital One Arena. In the 2010s, led by young talents John Wall then Bradley Beal, the Wizards developed into a fun and competitive if somewhat underdog side. As of 2025, they are in the middle of a painful rebuilding process, but this means tickets are cheap.
The WNBAWashington Mystics, a women's team owned by the same company as the Wizards and the NHL's Capitals, play in the Entertainment and Sports Arena inAnacostia and also in Capital One Arena.
TheGeorgetown Hoyas men's basketball team is far and away the most popular college sports team in the city, and the Hoyas often sport a more exciting season than even the Wizards. The team also plays at the Capital One Arena since the crowds for the Hoyas' games are too big for the University to hold.
TheMaryland Terrapins also have a large following in the area. The team plays just outside D.C. inCollege Park.
Three other NCAA Division I teams play in the District, and a fourth plays in the immediate metropolitan area. The District also has theGeorge Washington Colonials in Foggy Bottom, theAmerican Eagles in Tenleytown, and theHoward Bison in Shaw. TheGeorge Mason Patriots are inFairfax County, Virginia.
TheWashington Nationals, a.k.a. theNats play at a stadium by theWaterfront. In 2019, they won their first World Series.
D.C. United is one of the MLS' most successful teams, with 4 MLS cups under its belt, as well as successful international competition in CONCACAF and CONMEBOL, where the club has both a CONCACAF championship and a Copa Interamericana. D.C. is a big soccer town, owing to the metropolitan area's very international population and its big Latino communities, as well as to a home-grown affection for soccer in this section of the Mid-Atlantic, and the games are high-energy and well attended. United plays at Audi Field inWaterfront.
TheWashington Spirit, of the National Women's Soccer League, play at Audi Field; the season runs from March to November. As United have struggled, the Spirit have cultivated a devoted fanbase and regularly pack the stadium as perennial playoff contenders.
Loudoun United FC, the reserve side for D.C. United, plays in the second-level USL Championship at Segra Field inLeesburg, Virginia. It's the only MLS reserve side that doesn't play in the third-level MLS Next Pro.
Old Glory, of the Eastern Conference ofMajor League Rugby, play at theMaryland SoccerPlex inGermantown, Maryland. The ownership team is led by D.C. natives Paul Sheehy and Chris Dunlavey. The team has a strong New Zealand and Polynesian presence among its coaching and playing staff and an expat-heavy fanbase. The season lasts from March to September, with most games on Sunday afternoons.
D.C. has a long list of highly accredited universities. It's a political town, and the best known institutions are undoubtedly those with the political connections. People from all over the world, in particular many elites from other countries, attend school here.
D.C. has morethink tanks than anywhere else in the U.S., with varying political orientations. Think tanks host events such as talks and panels, mostly online, but also in person. Schedules are available as follows:
Many of thebook stores in D.C. also host frequent free author talks, most notablyPolitics and Prose.
D.C. is the best place to be for certain career paths. While everyone knows that this is where politicians go, you can also find a fair share of diplomats, lawyers, lobbyists, journalists, defense contractors, and civil servants. Good fields for international visitors to pursue include the variousNGOs, national lobbying groups, and for the select few, embassies and consulates. Many ambitious young people come to Washington for internships, and the huge student-aged population peaks in the summer.
With so many high-powered people out to change the world, the need for child care is obvious.Nannies andau pairs, mostly placed through agencies, provide child care to many of Washington's elite; the city has the highest proportion of in-home childcare in the country. U.S. citizen nannies are especially sought after as government types carefully follow employment law to avoid problems with security clearances or negative publicity. Wages for legal U.S. residents with nanny experience cantop $30-35/hour, room and board included.
Souvenirs are easy to find at stands and stores near theNational Mall andEast End. However, these offerings tend to be tacky (shot glasses, magnets, t-shirts, etc.) The gift shops of the Smithsonian museums have unique but more expensive offerings and are great places to buy gifts.
Eastern Market inCapitol Hill is a favorite Saturday or Sunday afternoon shopping destination for locally produced food and artwork. Even if you're not buying, it's a great time.
Eclectic boutiques and vintage stores abound inGeorgetown,Adams Morgan,Upper Northwest, andShaw. However, prices are high; you are not likely to find many bargains.
Art galleries are plentiful throughout the city and make for great browsing, although the prices are on the high side.
Specialty book stores such asPolitics & Prose,Kramers, andSecond Story Books inDupont Circle carry a nice selection of political humor-themed accessories.
Popular stores within the D.C. borders include Macy's, H&M, Urban Outfitters, Zara, and Guess, while Marshalls is the best bet for discounts. Upscale shopping dominates inWashington, D.C./Georgetown, theEast End, and Friendship Heights. Expect boutiques from the all the big name international brands here as well as the smaller American designers. More unique and vintage shopping is available in Adams Morgan, Mount Pleasant, and Columbia Heights. Walmart and Target are the best bets for cheap groceries and household items.
Washington has a little bit of everything, from really good ethnic takeout to lobbyist-fueled places that can run over $1,000 for a meal for two.
Most of thehigh end cuisine is available in theWest End, theEast End,Georgetown, andDupont Circle—offering dining experiences ranging from steakhouses packed with powerful suits toMinibar by Jose Andres, a 12-seat restaurant offering a 30-course meal for $350 (excluding beverages, tax and 22% service charge). As a general rule, expect higher prices in popular tourist haunts such as Georgetown, Penn Quarter and Dupont Circle, while more exciting and innovative cuisine can be found to the east in Logan Circle, Adams Morgan and H Street.
D.C.'s international might draws representatives from all over the world, and they all need ex-pat cafes and restaurants to haunt.
Salvadoran cuisine such as thepupusa is common inColumbia Heights. Pupusas are thick corn tortillas stuffed with cheese, optionally fried pork, refried beans, or all sorts of other things, then topped with a tart cabbage salad and an Italianesque red sauce.
Ethiopian food is a D.C. staple due to the city's large Ethiopian community. Ethiopian food is a wild ride of spicy stewed and sautéed meats and vegetables served atop a plate covered with a spongy bread calledinjera. You eat the dishes with your hands, using an extra plate of injera (similar to bread) as your sole "utensil"—rip off a piece of the injera and use it to pick up your food. It's proper in Ethiopia to use only the tips of your fingers in this exercise, and with good reason: you'll have a messy meal otherwise. It's also perfectly proper to feed your date, making this a fun cuisine if you know your date well. The best places to try Ethiopian food are inShaw, which includesLittle Ethiopia.
Asian food is extremely popular in D.C. Generally more affordable than other cuisines, it is led by the flavors of Southeast Asia, especially Thailand. Cuisines less well known in other parts of the country such asLaotian, Burmese and Filipino are in abundance here. Popular places include Ramen bars and Korean BBQ places (which sometimes feature Karaoke and offer you the chance to grill your own meats tableside). Cheaper eats are available in the suburbs, notablyWheaton,Rockville andSilver Spring in Maryland andAnnandale andFalls Church's Eden Center in Northern Virginia.Chinese food can still be found in D.C., though with much of the ethnic Chinese community having moved to the suburbs, most of the restaurants in Chinatown are tourist traps. While good to excellent authentic Chinese food remains available in the metropolitan area, the best Chinese restaurants are located in the suburbs, particularly near the Metrorail stations inWheaton andRockville. Check Washingtonian Magazine's annual"Cheap Eats" article on the web for reliable ethnic restaurant recommendations throughout the Washington Metropolitan area.
The closest thing that D.C. has to a unique local cuisine is thehalf-smoke: smoked half-beef, half-pork sausages. They have a firm "snap" when you bite into one, are served on a hot dog bun, and are often topped with chili. They are commonly sold at food trucks on theNational Mall as well as atBen's Chili Bowl inShaw.
Also undeniably classic Washington ismumbo sauce, a sweet, yet spicy red sauce that goes on everything from fried fish to chicken wings. It is best associated with the city's African American restaurants and has also been adopted by many Caribbean and Chinese takeout places.
True to itsMid-Atlantic heritage, a visit to D.C. is not complete until you try locallysteamed crabs, especially if you want to impress the locals! And though suburban Virginians may complain, onlyMaryland blue crabs from theChesapeake Bay will suffice. Head to theMunicipal Fish Market at theWaterfront to sample some of the region's best seafood. During the summer harvest season (May to September), picking crabs or indulging in a crab feast in warm weather (withOld Bay seasoning, of course!) is a popular way to spend the afternoon with family and friends, especially among native Washingtonians. However, offseason, crab may be imported from as far away as the Carolinas or Gulf of Mexico. Steamed shrimp, corn on the cob, sausage and beer are popular side dishes. If steamed crabs sound a bit adventurous, you should at least sample a crab cake (nearbyMaryland does it best after all), or crab bisque.
Many of D.C.'s older restaurants were founded by Greek immigrants in the immediate post-World War II era (such as the parents of author and D.C. native, George Pelecanos). Often, you will unexpectedly find Greek items on the menus of restaurants that serve American, Italian, Jewish and classic deli fare. Many have survived into the present day and are particularly popular with office workers and students. TheGreek Deli inDupont Circle is a popular and well-regarded example of the city's unique Greek culinary heritage.
There are only two kosher restaurants in D.C., and they are very casual:Char Bar (meat) nearWest End and Silver Crust (dairy) inside the JCC. However, there are dozens more options for kosher dining in neighboringMontgomery County, especially in areas with large Jewish populations such as Kemp Mill, Wheaton, Silver Spring, Rockville and Bethesda. Metro accessible kosher restaurants in Montgomery County include:Nut House Pizza (dairy) inWheaton; andSiena's Restaurant[dead link] (dairy) near the Twinbrook metro station. There are also several more kosher restaurants in Montgomery County accessible by car, mostly inRockville and Kemp Mill.
The legal drinking/purchasing age is21 and it is strictly enforced in D.C. Be prepared to have your identification checked, even if you appear to be well over 21. Last call can be as late as 3AM, although many establishments will let you stay beyond that, especially downtown. It is rare but not unknown for nightclubs to stay open beyond 3AM though they may lock you in or stop serving alcohol.
As in most American cities, drinking alcoholic beverages on the street is illegal. The law is flouted openly in many areas but bars will not generally let you take your drink even a step off-premise.
Near downtown,Dupont andLogan Circle are probably the best neighborhoods to go if you are in town for just a brief period, full of locals of all ages, especially D.C. young professionals.U Street has lots of clubs and a thriving nightlife scene, and if you are European and looking for a good club, this is where you want to be. The largerShaw neighborhood is well gentrified, though attracts a well to do, good-looking African American crowd, particularly at many of the city's brunch places which often double as nightlife venues as the evening progresses.
Georgetown has classier bars and clubs and some very expensive restaurants, but is shunned by the hip, cool crowd. The nearbyWest End has some interesting locales close to its border with Dupont Circle.Adams Morgan, formerly the dingy alternative to Dupont, has become hipper, cooler and trendier today, especially with young residents and visiting cool kids. You'll find many of the city's best bars and new restaurants here.Columbia Heights also has lots of bars, as well as a sizeable cluster of Asian, African and Hispanic bars and restaurants. Nearby,Mount Pleasant is home to most of the city's Salvadoran population and its signature comfort food, thepupusa.Woodley Park, Cleveland Park and Van Ness (aka Forest Hills) attract a wealthier older crowd, with many decent restaurants and plenty of watering holes, including a couple of bars and pubs. Nearby is upscaleTenleytown, which is surprisingly sedate for a student area but remains popular with middle aged residents.Takoma Park lives up to its nickname as the 'Berkeley of the East' and is home to many bohemian, alternative haunts, albeit aimed at an increasingly mature crowd.Penn Quarter/Chinatown is a very touristy area with a plenty of good but pricey restaurants, many of which seem to be New York imports, although very few hip locals would be caught dead in this part of town.
In Northeast,H Street andPetworth are the capitals of DC's cool scene, and many small music venues and cult restaurants can be found here.Brookland offers a quieter, more relaxed slice of DC life, largely around its neighborhood cafes, restaurants and bars oft overlooked by outsiders, andNoMa is the new yuppie epicenter of Washington, rapidly gentrified and with plenty of brunch spots to match, though still somewhat rough around the edges. In Southeast,Capitol Hill andHill East mirror the scene in Woodley Park, with many decent watering holes aimed at a mature, well to do crowd, though Hill East is much more geared towards local residents.
Further afieldNavy Yard andthe Wharf are the cities newest neighborhoods, a former warehouse zone turned waterfront condo site, recalling Baltimore'sInner Harbor with the prices to match. It covers multiple blocks and is controversial for having displaced many fisherman and long term residents on D.C.'s old waterfront.
The downtown nightlife is lacking; many bars in theEast End are tourist traps and theWest End has relatively few bars despite the student population from GW University.
However, bars and dance clubs are plentiful along 18th St inAdams Morgan, along 14th St and along U St in nearbyShaw, and inNear Northeast, andWaterfront. Several hotels inGeorgetown include very classy popular bars.
D.C.'s coolest clubs and bars are to be found alongU Street,H Street and the larger Shaw area. Hipsters, cool kids and the young at heart congregate here from across the D.C. area and beyond. Complementing the above scene, is a more bar focused nightlife scene inAdams Morgan/Columbia Heights andLogan Circle respectively, the former being more hip and alternative and the latter far more upscale.
Less fashionable, but slicker, are the dance clubs alongConnecticut Avenue inDupont Circle. Unlike the house/techno/hip hop/underground scene in Shaw and H Street, music genres played at clubs here include more mainstream top 40, R&B, hip hop, and Latin music. Many of these bars and clubs have a stricter door policy and dress code than U Street. Much of the audience at these clubs are suburbanites looking for a night out on the town rather than D.C. locals. U Street and Shaw also have many bars/clubs that cater to a gay crowd.
There are several music venues inShaw,Waterfront, andCapitol Hill that bring in internationally-known acts. TheFillmore Silver Spring, which also features international acts, is just outside of the city limits inSilver Spring, and is accessible by Metrorail.
Live jazz is very popular in D.C. Jazz legend Duke Ellington frequently played at clubs in Shaw, centered around U St.Blues Alley in Georgetown is the city's most prestigious jazz club - the interior looks like it is from a Spike Lee movie - straight from the 1920s! There is a weekly blues performance calledBlue Monday Blues ($10 cash/credit) at Westminster Presbyterian Church inWaterfront and there is a weekly Saturday night jazz/swing band performance at Glen Echo Park inPotomac.Takoma Station Tavern[dead link] nearTakoma Park has weekly jazz jams as well as regular performances of go-go music, a musical genre related to funk and early hip-hop that originated in D.C. in the 1960s.
Hotels of all classes and price ranges can be found in many neighborhoods of D.C., as well as in the nearby suburbs. If you are coming by car, be sure to factor the cost of parking, which can be free in hotels outside the city limits but can cost over $35 per day in hotels in the downtown area. The hotel tax in D.C. is 15.95%, while the tax is 14.25% in the nearby suburb ofArlington, 13.00% inBethesda andReston, and 12.00% inTysons Corner and most ofHerndon. Hotels in the D.C. area are generally most expensive on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, when business travel reaches its peak, and cheapest on the weekend.
The hotels of theEast End, the business-centricWest End, and charmingGeorgetown (which features many boutique choices) are the most popular accommodation options due to their proximity to the tourist attractions and top dining spots. Naturally, these areas have many brand-name options to choose from. If booking in these areas, be aware that the West End consists mainly of office buildings and is generally dead after dark. Georgetown is not accessible by Metrorail, although it is easy to travel to/from Georgetown by bus or a ride-hailing service.
Better bargains may be had in the nightlife-centered districts ofDupont Circle,Shaw,Near Northeast, andCapitol Hill, all of which are a short metro or bus ride to, or, when the weather is nice, a nice walk to, theNational Mall. These areas may actually be preferable because their nightlife options make a late night out more convenient. Moreover, it is easier to find street parking on the weekend.
There are also many hotels of all classes located close to metro stations just outside the city limits inArlington andAlexandria,Bethesda, andSilver Spring. If you are flying into or out of Dulles or Reagan, you may want to look into hotels in the nearby areas ofTysons,Reston, orHerndon, although the ride to D.C. via public transport can take up to an hour. These hotels are generally much cheaper than hotels in D.C., especially on the weekends.
There are also many hostels in D.C.
Metropolitan DC Police Department presence in the city is predictably very heavy, especially in tourist areas and near government buildings. But they are only one of thedozens of law enforcement agencies operating in the city; in addition to MPD, the Capitol, Parks, and even the Metro have their own, independent forces (not to mention plenty of the Federal ones). In general, the often-traveled areas, such as the area around Smithsonian, the monuments, and the Kennedy Center, are safe to walk around, even in the evening. The areas east of the Capitol are generally less safe, but visitors can safely see attractions there if they stay aware of their surroundings. Although the number of homicides has ticked up,violent crime in D.C. is close to a generational low.
The number of annual homicides has declined from 479 in 1991, when Washington was known as the "murder capital", to a low of 88 in 2012, and 186 in 2024. As a visitor, you are extremely unlikely to be the victim of a homicide; the vast majority of homicide victims in the U.S. are acquainted with their murderer long before the crime. The majority of homicides occur in the less-traveled parts of the city, such as Anacostia and the Northeast and Southeast, especially near public housing projects.
Muggings are a problem in the nightlife-centered neighborhoods ofShaw,Adams Morgan,Columbia Heights, andNear Northeast and the area around the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro station. However, visitors should not avoid these areas—on the contrary, it would be a shame to miss out on them—but visitors should be vigilant. In particular, avoid walking at night on side streets—stick to the well-lit main commercial strips, travel in groups, and maintain a basic level of sobriety.
Be extra vigilant with your mobile phones; they are a very popular snatch-and-grab item around the Metrorail stations and on the trains.
For health emergencies,George Washington University Hospital is on Washington Circle inFoggy Bottom, adjacent to the Foggy Bottom Metro station. This is where former Vice President Dick Cheney went in 2004 for his irregular heartbeat, and where the President would go in event of a medical emergency. Other hospitals in the city includeHoward University Hospital,Georgetown University Hospital,Washington Hospital Center, and theChildren's National Medical Center.
Most people in Washington haveleft-wing, cosmopolitan, secular and environmentalist values by American standards. This spares both domestic and foreign tourists from cultural clashes which might be imminent elsewhere. However, some strict rules of etiquette are almost distinctive in Washington DC.
When boarding at the station, let those exiting the train step off onto the platform before boarding, and once aboard move to the center of the car. If you have luggage, move it as far out of the path of others as possible. Certain stations have escalators to cover the distances between platforms —walk on the left and stand on the right!
People in Washington DC are punctual, so show up on time. The standard greeting is a firm handshake. Small talk and bringing up the subject indirectly are neither necessary nor expected. Most meetings get straight down to business.
Similarly, salespeople, waiters and other service employees are usually less attentive than their colleagues in other states, to respect customers' privacy, except a short "hello" to entering customers. Customers are supposed to call for attention.
With its highly educated, professional, and political populace, D.C. is a relatively formal and fashion-conscious city. Even in the summer, t-shirts and shorts are in the minority downtown or at bars and restaurants. However, if you just want to enjoy being a tourist, wear what is comfortable and don't worry—you'll be in good company! But if you prefer to blend in, a safe bet anytime of day for men are nice dark jeans and an un-tucked button-up or polo shirt, and perhaps dark sneakers or something a little nicer and more stylish. Women will often blend in better in a nice pair of sandals, boots, or other nice shoes, and maybe skipping the T-shirt and sneakers in the evening.
For fine dining or the theater, expect to dress nicely. A good button-up shirt and slacks are a must for any nice restaurant.
The D.C. government operates a network of free,public WiFi hotspots across the city. Free WiFi is also available at metro stations,D.C. public libraries, and many local coffee shops, which are also nice places to relax. If you need to use a computer, the libraries have public computer terminals. As in most of the U.S., Internet cafes are a rare phenomenon.
The main area code for the District is202, with771 introduced in 2022. You will also see a lot ofMaryland (301,240, and227) andVirginia (703 and571) area codes. Because the 202 area code has an overlay, you must dial the area code followed by the 7-digit phone number.
Smoking is banned within almost all enclosed public spaces, including shops, restaurants, bars, and clubs. Most restaurants allow smoking in patio seating. If there are no ashtrays, ask for one to double check. Businesses relying principally on tobacco sales are exempt, so smoking is allowed in tobacco shops, cigar bars, and hookah bars.
The possession of up to 2 oz. of marijuana islegal, however the sale of marijuana by anyone except licensed dispensaries isillegal. Anyone must be 21 or older to consume or possess marijuana - it doesn't matter if it's for recreational or medicinal reasons and the laws are strictly enforced. Consumption of marijuana in public is illegal and enforced; therefore, you should consume it only in private. It is illegal to smoke/consume marijuana on someone else's private property without their consent. Marijuana is still illegal under federal law, so you could still be under scrutiny. DO NOT attempt to bring marijuana out of D.C., even to another jurisdiction where it is legal, or you will be charged under federal law.
Talking on your phone while driving carries a $100 fine, a rule that isstrictly enforced within D.C. Hands-free devices are permitted to be used while driving, but if you get pulled over for another violation while using one, expect a hard line from the police, who are sick of dealing with accidents caused by distracted drivers.
When visiting federal buildings and museums, you will pass through metal detectors and have your bags inspected. Some buildings (such as courts, etc.) even ban mobile telephones and recording devices. Security personnel have no sense of humor — if you so much as utter the word "bomb," you will be in for a bad time. You give implied consent for your property and person to be searched when entering a government building or public event such as a concert or sports match.
As the capital of the United States, the D.C. area is home to one of the largest concentrations of diplomatic missions in the world, and any country without one will have consular representation one way or another. Most are housed in beautiful old buildings (or impressive modern ones), especially those most prominently located along Embassy Row on Massachusetts Ave throughDupont Circle andWoodley Park. If you just want to visit one for the heck of it, try ringing the buzzer of one from a small, lesser-known country—they may well let you in and give a little tour! Each May, dozens of embassies open their doors to the public for theAround the World Embassy Tour and theEU Open House, which showcases the buildings themselves, as well as exhibits, talks, and performances. A number of countries have a (separate) consulate for their consular services such as issuing visas, passports, and notary services, through a separate entry next to the embassy or in a different location. Others have additional consulates further out inNew York,Chicago,Houston,Los Angeles,Miami,San Francisco. and/or in additional cities. Check their website to learn more:
While there are no large, public baggage storage options, websites and mobile apps such asBounce andLuggage Hero offer cheap options for storage.
| Routes through Washington, D.C. (by long-distance rail) |
| END← | SW  NE | →Baltimore-Washington International Airport→New York City |
| Pittsburgh←Rockville← | W  E | →END |
| Charleston←Alexandria← | W  E | →Baltimore→Philadelphia |
| Philadelphia←Baltimore← | N  S | →Alexandria→Lynchburg |
| Norfolk/Newport News/Roanoke←Alexandria← | SW  NE | →New Carrollton→Baltimore |
| Philadelphia←Baltimore← | N   S | →Alexandria→Fayetteville |
| Philadelphia←Baltimore← | N  S | →Alexandria→Raleigh |
| END← | SW  NE | →New Carrollton→Baltimore |
| Routes through Washington, D.C. (by car) |
| Middletown←Arlington← | W  E | →END |
Becomes ← | N  S | →National Harbor→Ends at  |
| END← | N  S | →Arlington→Springfield |
| Baltimore←Mount Rainier← | N  S | →Arlington→Richmond |
| Ellicott City←Silver Spring← | N  S | →Arlington→Charlottesville |
| Winchester←Arlington← | W  E | →New Carrollton→Annapolis |
Baltimore←Greenbelt ← Becomes ← | N  S | →Becomes |
| Routes through Washington, D.C. (by commuter rail) |
| Martinsburg←Silver Spring← | NW  SE | →END |
| END← | SW  NE | →College Park→Baltimore |
| END← | SW  NE | →New Carrollton→Baltimore |
| Fredericksburg←Arlington← | SW  NE | →END |
| Bristow←Arlington← | W  E | →END |
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