Washington DC: A Week In The Spring

This March, Matt and I jetted off to the USA to visit his brother Jono in Washington DC. I haven’t crossed the Atlantic since our family holiday in Canada in 2015, and this was Matt’s first ever time in America, so we were both very excited for a brand new adventure. I always say the best way to visit a new city is with a local, and Jono pulled out all the stops to show us his favourite haunts. If you’re planning a week in this fab city, this post is full of activities and recommendations for your trip.

What to do in Washington DC

Our first day in Washington DC, we got the Metro to Archives and set out to knock off as many top sights as we could. I’d say we nailed it, racking up 20,000 steps in the process. Starting at the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden, we followed the Mall west to the Washington Monument, saw the back of the White House, walked along the reflecting pool, visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, MLK Memorial, FDR Memorial, the Tidal Basin, and the Jefferson Memorial. We had lunch on the Wharf and then headed to the Botanic Gardens and finished with an excellent view of Capitol Hill.

The Tidal Basin Cherry Blossoms

The Washington DC Cherry Blossom Festival lasts from 20th March until 16th April, and due to the unseasonably warm early spring in 2023 we were treated to an eyeful, despite our early timing. The Tidal Basin is the best place to make the most of them, as this is where dozens of fluffy pink trees line the water.

The Tidal Basin is a 107 acre man-made reservoir between the Potomac River and the Washington Channel. It’s where you’ll find the Jefferson Memorial, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, and the George Mason Memorial. The concept of the Tidal Basin was both aesthetic and practical, thought up in the 1870s as a way of flushing the Washington Channel, releasing 250 million US gallons of water captured at high tide twice a day.

The weather for our visit was an absolute treat – glorious blue skies offsetting the pink petals, and the sun shining off the white monuments. It was chilly though, only about 8 degrees C, and due to drop to freezing overnight. This is bad news for any flowers that have already bloomed, and everyone was fretfully discussing the possibility of “brown blossoms”. This is where frost kills the petals, making them wilt and turn brown. Disaster!

Memorials

World War II Memorial

First up, we’ve got the WWII memorial — 56 pillars in an oval, representing US states and territories, with two small triumphal arches either end for the Atlantic and Pacific theatres, all surrounding an oval plaza and fountain in the centre. I’d go out on a limb and say it’s the most impressive of the DC war memorials. On the wall facing the Washington Monument there are 4,048 gold stars, each representing 100 Americans who died in the war. This is called the Freedom Wall and bears the inscriptions “Here we mark the price of freedom”.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

To the north of the reflecting pool is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a two-acre site dominated by two black granite walls engraved with the names of those service members who died in the Vietnam War. It was designed by American architect Maya Lin, after she won a national design competition in 1981. Originally very controversial because of its stripped back aesthetic, the memorial was criticised as a “a black gash of shame and sorrow”.

Lincoln Memorial

Potentially the most famous of the Washington DC memorials, this neoclassical temple to Abraham Lincoln was dedicated in 1922. As well as the large seated sculpture of the man himself, you’ll also find inscriptions of his two most well-known speeches, the Gettysburg Address (“Four score and seven years ago,”‍) and his second inaugural address (“let us strive on to… bind up the nation’s wounds”).

On a sunny day the steps in front of the Lincoln Memorial are a popular hang out spot, with an excellent view back over the reflecting pool up towards the Washington Monument.

Koreans War Veteran Memorial

From the Lincoln Memorial you want to head towards the Tidal Basin, and it’s on this route you’ll come across the Korean War Veteran Memorial. Dedicated in 1995, it includes 19 statutes representing U.S. military personnel in action, as well as a granite memorial wall, engraved with the names of U.S. military personnel who died in the Korean War.

Martin Luther King Jr Memorial

Right at the entrance to the Tidal Basin you’ll find the memorial of Civil Rights Movement leader Martin Luther King Jr, open since 2011. It’s dominated by the Stone of Hope, a granite statue of MLK carved by sculptor Lei Yixin, inspired by his “I Have a Dream” speech — “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.”

Just past MLK, along the southern rim of the basin, is the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, which traces 12 years of US history through a series of four outdoor rooms, one for each of FDR’s terms in office. There are several bronze sculptures of FDR himself, his dog, and the First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (the only presidential memorial to depict a first lady).

Thomas Jefferson Memorial

Hamilton fans assemble. The Jefferson Memorial was built in 1943 in honour of Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence, a central intellectual force behind the American Revolution, founder of the Democratic-Republican Party, and the nation’s third president. Another neoclassical temple, inside you’ll find a bronze statue of the man himself, surrounded by multiple quotes capturing his ideology and philosophy. If you’re getting Roman Pantheon vibes, you’re not wrong. It was designed by New York architect John Russell Pope, who specifically cited the Pantheon in Rome as his inspiration.

Museums

The Smithsonian is an institution. Literally. It’s the largest group of museums in the world, founded in 1846 by the US government “for the increase and diffusion of knowledge”. Made up of 19 museums, 21 libraries, nine research centres and a zoo, the Smithsonian holds 154 million items. Here’s the handful we managed to look round during our week in Washington DC.

National Portrait Gallery

Opened in 1968, the National Portrait Gallery, like most Smithsonian museums, is free to enter. As of 2011, it’s the only museum in the US dedicated solely to portraiture, and houses 21,200 works of art. There are permanent and temporary exhibits, and you’ll probably need about 2 hours to get a proper taste of it.

Fun fact: The main gallery in the museum, when originally built, was the largest room in the country!

My favourite section of the NPG was the American Presidents exhibition. The nation’s only complete collection of presidential portraits outside the White House, I loved this series of paintings because it’s such a good way of digesting the history of the USA. Each portrait comes with loads of information about the president in question, the context of his terms in office and the challenges he faced. It’s also a journey through art, and if you think about it, the journey of the gallery itself, from a time when it was searching for artwork to acquire, to now when it commissions its own portraits of each president.

As well as the portrait of Barack Obama, the NPG also has the famous portrait of former First Lady, Michelle Obama by artist Amy Sherald. The two portraits have been on tour together and have only recently returned.

On our way out of the gallery we ducked into another permanent exhibit titled “Bravo!” showcasing portraits of performing arts icons from the 19th century to the present day.

National Museum of the American Indian

One of the newly refurbished buildings around the Mall, the National Museum of the American Indian isn’t as big as it looks from the outside, so don’t be intimidated. A large portion of the inside is the atrium, which gives it an airy feeling full of natural light.

It’s best to start your visit from the top floor and work your way down. The main exhibit is on the top, where you’ll see beautiful artefacts and original treaties between Native American tribes and European settlers. The exhibit leads you through history as each treaty is broken, often the same year it was agreed, and the tribes are systematically driven from their lands. The exhibit on the floor below explores the cultural symbol of the Native American and unpacks why it’s such an obsession in pop culture. I’d recommend as crucial viewing if you’re looking to understand more about the true story behind the creation of the USA.

National Archives

This was the only museum we had to queue to get in, and everyone inside was going to the same room. The Rotunda of the National Archives is where you can view the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. The jovial security guard let the crowd in one group at a time to avoid too much chaos, and challenged us to find Abraham Lincoln who is hidden in one of the large portraits on the wall.

National Gallery of Art

On our last day in Washington DC we visited the National Gallery of Art. Established in 1937, the Gallery’s collection of paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, sculpture, medals, and decorative arts traces the development of Western Art from the Middle Ages to the present day.

Maybe my favourite aspect of this museum was how deliberately the buildings reflected and enhanced the art within them. In the original neoclassical West Building you walk through rotundas, sculpture galleries and garden courts leading you from Raphael, Bellini, and El Greco, to Rembrandt, Monet and Van Gogh. Then an underground tunnel with a water installation and moving light sculpture takes you through to the modern East Building where a glass-roofed atrium shows off contemporary art from Picasso, Matisse, Pollock, Warhol, Lichtenstein and more.

The moving light sculpture, titled Multiverse, features around 41,000 computer-programmed LED nodes that run through channels along the entire 200 ft (61 m)-long space. It makes for a great timelapse video!

The Washington DC Wharf

The southwest waterfront, known as the Wharf, is home to the Municipal Fish Market. Dating back to 1805, it’s the oldest continuously-operating open-air fish market in the US. This is a great place to grab lunch on the go, or you can head to any of the dozens of restaurants that have given this area of DC its reputation as a dining hub.

Apparently there’s always something going on in this neighbourhood. During our visit, the crowds at the Wharf were dressed in green for St Paddy’s Day, and there were concerts, dance shows and all sorts happening up and down the waterfront.

For a great view back, head to Recreation Pier where you can walk out among the boats or sit in the lounge chairs and instagrammable swings.

Rock Creek Park

In the north west of Washington DC is Rock Creek Park, the third national park ever established by the US. Run by the National Park Service, it follows Rock Creek valley and encompasses more than 2,000 acres of land. There’s a road that winds right the way through it called Beach Drive that’s very popular with cyclists, skaters and joggers.

It’s really quite incredible that so much nature can exist in the middle of an urban sprawl like this — it reminded me of Hampstead Heath in that you can feel totally lost among the trees and yet still be right in the middle of a major city. Along Beach Drive there’s the occasional reminder of where you are, such as a bridge or junction, but also moments of rural serenity like a log cabin, a historic mill or a clearing of picnic benches.

We got some great nature spotting in on our walk. American robins of course, in their dozens, but we also spotted deer between the trees, vultures overhead and a couple of terrapins sunbathing in the river.

Capital One Arena

The absolute highlight of the holiday for me was the ice hockey. On Thursday evening, our last night in Washington DC, we caught the metro down to Capitol One Arena where we watched the Capitals beat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-1. We ate chicken tenders and very well-seasoned fries, drank enormous sodas and enjoyed the spectacle that is American sport. Not for a moment were we bored, despite having no idea how ice hockey works. The match was in three 20 minute parts with 18 minute breaks between, and every single second was filled with entertainment.

Where to eat in Washington DC

Our meals were sourced from a combination of locals recommendations (thanks Jono and Deni), this DC bucket list and this essential restaurants list from Matt’s colleague Ellice. As has become my habit before a holiday, I plotted all the reccos on a google map, which I have since updated with more places that we found while we were there.

Of course, the main thing to remember as a Brit eating in the USA, apart from the portion sizes, is that the bill will always be more expensive than you think, since Americans add the tax on afterwards and you’re expected to tip at least 20%.

Breakfast

Open City, Woodley Park

Do not visit this “gourmet diner” in Woodley Park without trying the hashbrown squares. Oh my word. No wonder when we turned up at Open City after our morning at the zoo, we were given a 45 minute wait time. Inside the space was bright and bustling, and the menu was full of American classics like pancake stacks with bacon, waffles with fried chicken, French toast with cream cheese filling and berries… it took us a long time to choose. My recommendation to you would be to start with something savoury (definitely the hashbrowns, with eggs, bacon or sausages) and then go on to a pancake stack or French toast for dessert.

Lincoln’s Waffle Shop, Downtown

Our last day in Washington DC we attempted to have a classic diner experience at Flip it diner on Park Rd, which was recommended by Jono’s friend Deni. Tragically it was closed for kitchen maintenance. Instead we headed downtown and tried out Lincoln’s Waffle Shop. It was absolute chaos inside with an enormous menu, featuring everything from fried chicken waffles to grits and gravy.

Next time we visit we’ll definitely be trying La Tejana Breakfast Tacos in Mt Pleasant. It had a long queue every morning so it must be good!

Lunch

Call Your Mother Deli, Georgetown

Famous as one of Biden’s favourite bagel spots (he stopped the presidential cavalcade on his first day to get a cream cheese), Call Your Mother Deli in Georgetown is a must-visit.

There aren’t many tables inside and it’s hugely popular, so plan to take yours away with you. We enjoyed our smoked salmon cream cheese sesame bagel and pastrami on rye on the Healey Lawn of Georgetown University – highly recommended on a sunny day.

Ellē, Mt Pleasant

I am my mother’s daughter, and I like to start the day with a frothy coffee. The best place to satisfy that craving in Mt Pleasant seems to be Ellē bakery, and we visited many times on our trip. On our day in Rock Creek we stocked up on three different kinds of scone — feta and spinach, earl grey, and lemon and blueberry — to enjoy on our walk.

On our last day in Washington DC Matt and I ordered their reuben sandwich, and tucked into layers of pastrami with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, fermented mustard and thousand island dressing with a side of pickles. If I had to guess I’d say they fry the sourdough in butter. Absolute filth.

Surfside Tacos, The Wharf

Our lunch on day one came courtesy of Surfside tacos on the waterfront. They have self-service ordering which was very handy, and my Port Antonio quesadillas with jerk chicken, pineapple salsa and jack cheese was just what I needed after 20,000 steps around the Mall. I will say though – the portions are massive and Matt and I definitely should’ve shared one.

Virtue Feed & Grain, Alexandria

In a repurposed 1800s feed house in old town Alexandra, you’ll find Virtue Feed & Grain, the perfect lunch spot for our weird venndiagram of healthy, seafood and Americana flavours. Being on the waterfront, Matt wanted something freshly caught (crab croquettes), I wanted something popular with locals (fish tacos) and Jono wanted something hearty with vegetables in (carrot soup with a side of mac n cheese). I was also very excited to see fried green tomatoes on the menu. I’ve wanted to try them ever since I saw the film as a child, and now I can say they really are delicious. Although I don’t think they eat them with parmesan in the movie.

Another lunch spot I really wanted to try was Pearl’s Bagels, which we passed on our way to Lincoln’s Waffles. One for our next trip!

Dinner

Martha Dear, Mt Pleasant

Fully booked weeks in advance, we decided to just rock up and try the local pizza joint Martha Dear. Luckily they managed to fit us in at the counter, and we proceeded to enjoy one of the best white based pizzas I’ve ever eaten in my whole life. Topped with cavolo nero, pickled fennel and Italian sausage, with the fluffiest sourdough crusts, this singular pizza was possibly the foodie highlight of the trip for me.

Anju, Kalorama

Our fanciest date night of the week was definitely Anju on 18th St. You can tell this trendy modern Korean restaurant is an absolute hot spot, and we arrived ready to wait as long as we needed to get a table. They were playing Start Up on the TV screen, a Netflix K-drama about beautiful young people working in the Korean tech industry, so we didn’t mind the wait. From our little perch in the corner where they managed to squeeze us in, we ordered cocktails and an array of starters to enjoy tapas-style. My heads up to any future diners — when it says “half fried chicken” on the menu, it doesn’t mean chicken that’s half fried, it means half a chicken, fried. Even Matt was defeated.

Federalist Pig, Adams Morgan

Its chefs are called pitmasters, it has 8 different kinds of bbq sauce, and it’s a 3x Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand winner. That gives you a pretty good idea of how seriously Federalist Pig takes BBQ. We ordered a platter of ribs, wings and brisket with wedges, cowboy beans, pickles and sweetbread to share between the two of us which left us full to the brim. Pretty pathetic considering that’s what everyone around us seemed to be eating to themselves. My favourite thing on the tray was definitely the brisket burnt ends, dipped in the mustard BBQ sauce.

DAIKAYA, Penn Quarter

Daikaya ramen was an absolute godsend on our chilly Sunday evening in DC, after a day at the zoo and the National Portrait Gallery. It was freezing at this point in the week, and the steamy noodle shop beckoned us in… before telling us there was a 45 minute wait. We decided to commit, and wiled away the time nursing drinks in Prost, the German bar down the street.

The wait was worth it. My Shoyu ramen broth was rich and dark, topped with ground pork, beansprouts, chashu, spring onions, nori and half an egg. Matt had the lighter, aromatic Shio ramen with Chintan stock, and Jono had the veggie ramen with brussels sprouts and braised shiitake mushrooms. My recommendation is to definitely get the onsen egg and then mix all that gooey yolk through your noodles for maximum flavour.

There were so many restaurants on my list that it would’ve been impossible to try them all in the time we had, but some of the spots a specifically want to hit on our next trip would be Cinder BBQ, Honeymoon Chicken, Timber Pizza, Moon Rabbit, and Lucky Buns Burgers.

Drinks

Marx Cafe, Mt Pleasant

Marx is a great bar if you’re looking for a local, welcoming place to drink and watch some sports, or maybe catch some live music. Fair warning, they might struggle to understand your British accent. If you’re looking for food they also do delicious greek tapas, with humous and all the other things you’d expect.

Raven Grill, Mt Pleasant

Our evening at the Raven was a lot of fun. Ignore the neon light that says “cocktails” in the window — this is a beer or cider kind of joint, and they only take cash. They have a whole pile of board games next to the bar, and a functioning juke box.

We also really wanted to try Sun Cinema & Bar, a really cool refurbished vintage cinema in Mt Pleasant that has an inside and outside bar. We did have a look at the film schedule but they were all sold out for the days that we were around.

Ice Cream

Thomas Sweet, Georgetown

Our day in Georgetown was so sunsoaked we simply couldn’t leave without an ice cream. Thomas Sweet had a great google rating so we gave it a go. Best decision ever.

Warning: the pistachio flavour is actually almond, with chunks of pistachio in.

Mount Dessert Island, Mt Pleasant

MDI is a hugely popular ice cream spot in Mt Pleasant, especially busy at dinnertime with couples on dates. Very unpretentious, you order your flavours through a window in the entrance and then eat in the courtyard out front.

Day trips from Washington DC

On our third day in DC we travelled out of DC to visit Arlington Cemetery and Alexandria. It’s easy to get to both on the Metro and their vicinity to each other make them a great pairing for a day out.

Arlington Cemetery, Virginia

Maintained by the United States Army, Arlington Cemetery holds over 400,000 graves over 639 acres. The criteria for being buried here are quite extensive, but basically includes former or active members of the US armed forces. You’ll also find the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, just in front of the Arlington Memorial Amphitheatre, which has been perpetually guarded since 1937 and where you can watch the elaborate changing of the guard.

The most frequently visited graves in the cemetery commemorate John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie, who are buried together with their son, daughter, and JFK’s two brothers Bobby and Ted. The Kennedy grave site is marked with an eternal flame, and the stone walls around the area are carved with JFK’s most famous speeches.

Arlington Estate, as the land was originally known, used to be owned by Robert E. Lee, and so you can find his old home, Arlington House, at the highest point of the cemetery. Today it serves as a museum, and you can get a tour round the Greek revival style mansion by one of the park rangers (as the National Park Service maintain the house itself).

Old Town Alexandria, Virginia

To visit Old Town Alexandria (7 miles south of DC), you can catch the Metro to King Street and then hop on the free trolley to the waterfront. Here you’ll find attractive cobbled streets with shops and restaurants, as well as residential areas with brightly coloured rows of houses.

There’s lots of history too, including the oldest apothecary in the country. Market Square is believed to be one of the oldest continuously operating marketplaces in the US. The Potts-Fitzhugh House on Oronoco Street was where Robert E. Lee grew up. George Washington apparently had a birthday celebration at Gadsbys Tavern, where guests included John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe. 

It’s a tad off route, but I think worth making your way over to Queen Street. Here you’ll find Spite House, one of the narrowest houses in the USA (or an averaged sized house in the UK).

Georgetown, Washington DC

Georgetown, west of Rock Creek, is where you’ll find the Washington Harbour waterfront, the main campus of Georgetown University, many embassies, and the stairs from the Exorcist. Jono took us on an excellent walking tour starting at the Kennedy Centre and following the Potomac river, up through the campus and around the pretty streets of this historic neighbourhood.

We spent a wonderful day exploring Georgetown, the highlight definitely being our bagels from Call Your Mother. There are so many pretty streets that you don’t really need to follow a specific route. Saying that, I’d recommend the route we took if you like to be more organised, as it will take you through the university campus and past Montrose Park, before looping back round to Wisconsin Ave where most of the shops and cafes are.

Where to stay in Washington DC

Mount Pleasant

Between Rock Creek and Columbia Heights you’ll find the lovely neighbourhood of Mount Pleasant made up of neoclassical and colonial revival houses. Mt Pleasant St has loads of lovely shops and restaurants, including our faves Martha Dear and Each Peach. Lamont Plaza hosts a weekend farmers market, as well as an artists’ collective and bike repair pop-up. We stayed in this area because it’s where Matt’s brother Jono calls home, but it ended up being the perfect base for our holiday, walking distance from the creek and the zoo, and very close to Columbia Heights metro station.

Keep your eye out for a series of “Heritage Trail” historical markers installed around Mt Pleasant. They look a bit like sliced off lamp posts, topped with a poster-sized metal sculpture featuring a historical anecdote. There are 17 in total, which you can follow as a walking tour around the neighbourhood.

How to get around Washington DC

The best way to get around Washington DC is to take advantage of the Metro. A SmarTrip card can be used the same way as the London tube Oyster card, with day travelcards or pay-as-you-go options. In terms of the experience it reminded me a lot of the Paris Metro, as it isn’t very deep underground so you still get phone signal. The lines are just colours — we used the green line to get from Columbia Heights to Downtown, and the blue line to travel from Arlington to Alexandria.

Another option for travel is taxi apps. Lyft is the best one by all accounts, with the option to Wait & Save if you’re not in a rush, but Uber is also available.

How to spend a week in Washington DC

This was our itinerary for the week, which worked really well. We did loads of activities the first three days, before taking it a bit easier the rest of the week with only one main activity each day.

Friday: Lyft to Mt Pleasant, dinner and drinks at Marx Cafe

Saturday: The National Mall, Washington Monument, all the memorials, Tidal Basin, the Wharf, lunch at Surf Shack, Botanic Gardens, Capitol Hill, dinner at Beau Thai, drinks at Ravens

Sunday: The Zoo, brunch at Open City, afternoon at National Portrait Gallery, drinks at Prost, dinner at DAIKAYA

Monday: Arlington Cemetery, Alexandria Old Town, lunch at Virtue, dinner at Federalist Pig, ice cream from MDI

Tuesday: Snacks from Elle, Rock Creek hike, lunch from Each Peach, chilled afternoon, dinner at Anju

Wednesday: Georgetown, lunch at Call Your Mother, ice cream from Thomas Sweet, chilled afternoon, dinner at Martha Dear

Thursday: Brunch at Lincoln Waffles, the White House, National Museum of the American Indian, Archives, Ice Hockey at Capital One Arena

Friday: National Museum of Art, lunch at Elle, Uber to the airport

Verdict

We’re both big fans of Washington DC after our week enjoying delicious food and fascinating history. The people were so welcoming (not just the ones we’re related to), and there was so much to see and do, you can be sure we’ll be going back for more!

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