Best of DC
I'm leaving DC in a couple days. I decided to put together a list of the best stuff I've encountered here based on previous visits and living here for a few months:
Best Museum:
The National Portrait Gallery. A very interesting collection of mostly modern art. Easily my favorite Smithsonian museum. The folk art collection is particularly fun.
Best Restaurant:
Madjet. The best Ethiopian I've had. Very laid back atmosphere, and reasonably priced.
Best View:
The old Post Office Tower. It's not too tall (the Washington Monument towers so far above everything the view is hampered), and it's right in the thick of the action (the National Cathedral is just too far away from everything). Plus, it's open air, rarely has lines, and you take a glass elevator to get up to the top.
Best Bar:
The Pharmacy and Cafe Saint Ex. The Pharmacy is a fun, small, noisy rock-ish bar in Adams-Morgan. Saint-Ex has a fun dank basement with a DJ that contrasts with the classier upstairs.
Gay: J.R.'s. Great crowd, very laid back, good happy hours.
Best Pizza:
Matchbox. Wood-fired thin crust pizza that is slightly better than Pizzeria Paradiso or Rustico.
Best Park:
Gravelly Point in Alexandria. located along the Mount vernon trail just north of Reagan National, this is an excellent place to watch planes land, and it's often full of bikers and picnic-ers. Here's a video I took there.
Best Beer:
Rustico in Alexandria. Yep, that's right, I didn't say the Brickskeller. Rustico has the best beer selection around, with a great variety on tap and quite a few bottles. They even have glasswear giveaways and "meet the brewer" days. Plus, the food is awesome.
Best People Watching:
Starbucks on the corner of 13th and U. Sure, it's a Starbucks, but there's a small semi-shaded outdoor area along 13th street that is perfect for sitting and watching the diverse U street crowd.
Best Monument:
WWII. Simple, symmetrical, and perfect for the site. Awesome at night.
Best Coffeehouse/Teahouse:
Murky Cofee in Eastern Market. Great employees and great drinks. Very laid back, and with excellent wifi. they let you bring in food, too.
Teaism in Dupont. Great (cheap) tea, nice upstairs, fun little garden in front.
Best Metro Line:
Yellow. Easy access to Reagan Airport, Chinatown/Gallery Place, the Verizon Center, U Street, Howard University, King Street in Alexandria, College Park in MD, the Convention Center, the Pentagon (and Pentagon bus station), the mall at Penatagon City, the national mall and all the monuments and museums via the archives stop, and easy transfer to all other lines because it goes through L'Enfant, the biggest hub in the city. Plus, it runs alongside both the blue and green lines at different points, making train waits shorter. It also tends to be less crowded than the red line during rush hour. It's one of the most linear lines as well (essentially North-South), so it doesn't bend all out of the way like the red and blue lines do, and you gotta love the view as it crosses the Potomac on the bridge.
Best Museum:
The National Portrait Gallery. A very interesting collection of mostly modern art. Easily my favorite Smithsonian museum. The folk art collection is particularly fun.
Best Restaurant:
Madjet. The best Ethiopian I've had. Very laid back atmosphere, and reasonably priced.
Best View:
The old Post Office Tower. It's not too tall (the Washington Monument towers so far above everything the view is hampered), and it's right in the thick of the action (the National Cathedral is just too far away from everything). Plus, it's open air, rarely has lines, and you take a glass elevator to get up to the top.
Best Bar:
The Pharmacy and Cafe Saint Ex. The Pharmacy is a fun, small, noisy rock-ish bar in Adams-Morgan. Saint-Ex has a fun dank basement with a DJ that contrasts with the classier upstairs.
Gay: J.R.'s. Great crowd, very laid back, good happy hours.
Best Pizza:
Matchbox. Wood-fired thin crust pizza that is slightly better than Pizzeria Paradiso or Rustico.
Best Park:
Gravelly Point in Alexandria. located along the Mount vernon trail just north of Reagan National, this is an excellent place to watch planes land, and it's often full of bikers and picnic-ers. Here's a video I took there.
Best Beer:
Rustico in Alexandria. Yep, that's right, I didn't say the Brickskeller. Rustico has the best beer selection around, with a great variety on tap and quite a few bottles. They even have glasswear giveaways and "meet the brewer" days. Plus, the food is awesome.
Best People Watching:
Starbucks on the corner of 13th and U. Sure, it's a Starbucks, but there's a small semi-shaded outdoor area along 13th street that is perfect for sitting and watching the diverse U street crowd.
Best Monument:
WWII. Simple, symmetrical, and perfect for the site. Awesome at night.
Best Coffeehouse/Teahouse:
Murky Cofee in Eastern Market. Great employees and great drinks. Very laid back, and with excellent wifi. they let you bring in food, too.
Teaism in Dupont. Great (cheap) tea, nice upstairs, fun little garden in front.
Best Metro Line:
Yellow. Easy access to Reagan Airport, Chinatown/Gallery Place, the Verizon Center, U Street, Howard University, King Street in Alexandria, College Park in MD, the Convention Center, the Pentagon (and Pentagon bus station), the mall at Penatagon City, the national mall and all the monuments and museums via the archives stop, and easy transfer to all other lines because it goes through L'Enfant, the biggest hub in the city. Plus, it runs alongside both the blue and green lines at different points, making train waits shorter. It also tends to be less crowded than the red line during rush hour. It's one of the most linear lines as well (essentially North-South), so it doesn't bend all out of the way like the red and blue lines do, and you gotta love the view as it crosses the Potomac on the bridge.