ISTs, are you planning to travel through Washington, D.C., before heading back to your home? Here are some ideas for travel information, “must see” destinations, and links to further information.
Transportation
- Local Rail (the “Metro”) https://www.wmata.com/ [1]
- Ride Sharing: Uber https://www.uber.com/ [2] or Lyft https://www.lyft.com/ [3]
Notes about navigating in Washington, D.C.
- The City is divided into four quadrants – northwest, southwest, southeast, and northeast, with the U.S. Capitol in the center. Therefore, if you are looking for the intersection of K street and 15th Avenue, pay attention to the quadrant. In theory, there could be four such intersections, identified by the letters NW, SW, SE, or NE.
Popular Sites or Neighborhoods to Visit:
The National Mall https://washington.org/dc-neighborhoods/national-mall [5]
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- This refers to the open space located between the U.S. Capitol (to the east) and the Lincoln Memorial (to the west). In between are an extensive collection of monuments and memorials. It is very walkable, although there are nearby Metro stops to the north and south of the Mall.
- U.S. Capitol https://www.visitthecapitol.gov/plan-visit [6]
- Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/visit/ [7]
- The Smithsonian Institution https://www.si.edu/museums [8]
- The Smithsonian offers eleven (11) museums located on The National Mall in Washington D.C., as well as others located in the greater Capitol area and the National Zoo. Popular museums include the Museums of Natural History,
- The White House https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/tours-events/ [9]
- Although White House tours require significant advance planning and are probably not possible to plan at this point, you should definitely walk around the area.
- As you walk south from the White House towards the Washington Monument, stop by the Boy Scout Memorial https://www.nps.gov/whho/learn/historyculture/boy-scout-memorial.htm [10] which is located on the Ellipse, just south of the White House along 15th Street, NW.
- Washington Monument https://www.nps.gov/wamo/index.htm [11]
- Lincoln Memorial https://www.nps.gov/linc/index.htm [12]
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial https://www.nps.gov/vive/index.htm [13]
- Korean War Veterans Memorial https://www.nps.gov/kowa/index.htm [14]
- National World War II Memorial https://www.wwiimemorial.com/ [15]
- National Archives Museum https://museum.archives.gov/ [16]
- View the Declaration of Independence, United States Constitution, Bill of Rights, and even a 1297 Magna Carta
- Walk the Tidal Basin Loop Trail and see several notable memorials on its shores:
- Tidal Basin https://www.nps.gov/articles/dctidalbasin.htm [17]
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial https://www.nps.gov/mlkm/index.htm [18]
- Thomas Jefferson Memorial https://www.nps.gov/thje/index.htm [19]
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial https://www.nps.gov/frde/index.htm [20]
Other Notable Destinations
- International Spy Museum https://www.spymuseum.org/ [21]
- The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum https://www.ushmm.org [22]
- The Newseum https://www.newseum.org/ [23]
- National Air and Space Museum – Udvar-Hazy Center https://airandspace.si.edu/udvar-hazy-center [24]
- The Smithsonian also operates this museum, located in Virginia adjacent to Dulles International Airport. If you are flying out of Dulles, you might try to get to the airport area early and carve out 3-4 hours to visit this museum.