Washington DC always intimidates me, in a good way. Oh yeah. When homeless people in the street of New York ask for changes for coffee or cigarettes, homeless folks in DC just simply write down and demand "human kindness" on their cardboard... When the bus station advertising in New York keeps showing naked guys in speedos, DC's street commercial just tells you that "Rich countries can't define poverty for poor countries" and makes you pondering... Only in DC, a party bus full of alcohol would bring you to the National monuments to toast to Alexander Hamilton or Abraham Lincoln, rather than just letting you get drunk in some lousy night clubs...Whenever I am in DC, I always think "Come on, New York, can you be a little bit more mature and as deep as DC?" Thanks god, we also have LA... read more

This was my second time visiting DC. The first time I was in high school and don't remember much except that I got to go to the White House (pre-9/11). We went on a very hot and humid day in July. We toured The Capital, Air & Space Smithsonian and got to stare at the White House from afar. It was a very busy day in DC, lots of traffic, tourist etc.. There's lots to do in DC and many ways to get around. There are food trucks, vendors, you can rent a bike, take a segway tour etc... DC is a must if you are in the East Coast. read more

So much traffic E V E R Y W H E R E....I just want to go! Washington D.C. stands for District of Columbia and is a city not a state.... It's not even in a state... it's it's own thing.... It's full of government buildings... and people who walk around in suits smoking cigarettes...drinking coffee... and talking on cell phones.... It is located at the mouth of the Potomac river on the East Coast near Maryland and Virginia....The White House and Capitol are there! Meh nothing spacial...small urban area...(*_*; read more

Yay to my 200th review! I recently visited Washington, DC for a 3 day trip and it was truly amazing! I didn't plan out my trip, but I did a quick search and found a few things to do. VERY IMPORTANT TIP: there's grass, trees, and flowers everywhere so if you're allergic to any of these, make sure to pack your Claritin! I suffered an allergy attack on the first day of my trip. I stayed at the Marriott in Wardman (close to the zoo) because I wanted something affordable and close to the Metro. It is an old hotel, but it is very big and the landscape is beautiful. My itinerary (detailed review of each destination will be written on their respective Yelp page): Day One: Starting from Marriott Wardman, we took the Metro to Farragut North and walked a short distance to Founding Farmers, a very popular lunch spot - make sure you have reservations - the wait time is approximately 45 minutes on a Friday afternoon! Next, we walked and found the B-Cycle program that's offered throughout the city. We hopped on for a day pass and decided to head down to Arlington, VA to visit the Marine Corps Memorial, JFK gravesite, Unknown Soldiers (changing of the guards), and Pentagon. This bike ride is a short distance, but longer to commute by bike. We rode our bikes for approximately 30 minutes to Arlington, VA. From the Pentagon, we hopped back on the Metro and ended up at City Tap in Chinatown for dinner. We continued to explore the city after dinner, by riding our bikes by the White House and to the Washington Monument (easy bike ride). Getting back onto the Metro to our hotel in Wardman was a breeze. Day Two: We hopped onto the Metro and headed toward Union Station for some shopping and lunch at Shake Shack. DC Lottery is also located in this mall if you're looking to buy some scratchers. From there, we walked approximately 20 minutes to the US Supreme Court, Library of Congress, and the US Capitol. Next, we walked on through to visit the Washington Monument (Earth Day = Free No Doubt concert!). After standing and enjoy to the vocals of Gwen Stefani, we made our way to dinner at the Old Ebbit Grill - make reservations because the wait is approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes around 8pm on a Saturday night. Once we were done stuffing our faces, we walked over to the White House and then the Lincoln Memorial and Korean War Memorial. Finding a Metro from this location can be difficult, so I recommend Uber or a taxi. Day Three: We started the morning by taking the Metro to visit the National Archives (amazing place - you can view the Declarations of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Magna Carta). We took a taxi to the Jefferson Memorial because the Metro does not drop us off by this location, well worth it! By the Jefferson Memorial, you'll find the cherry blossom and MLK Memorial. It is also walking distance to see the National World War II Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Vietnamese War Memorial, and Lincoln Memorial. Lastly, we took an Uber to eat at Amsterdam Falafel. Overall, there's a lot to do and see in Washington, DC. The city is full of history, the citizens are kind, and the streets are clean. I'd definitely return another day to see more of what they offer! read more

Washington, DC, i really recommend it for a family Tripp. Three days is more than enough time to see all the monuments and historical places... WW2 memorial and Lincoln monument my top 2 favorites. You would need 4 days if you want to visit all museums. China town is fun place to visit as well as Washington harbor, Georgetown university is beautiful.. The only problem to be address, It pretty sad to see so many homeless people... read more

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For the East coast between Miami and New York, there really isn't much, even counting Philadelphia and Atlanta, so if you're in the Maryland and Virginia area, this is pretty much it. D.C. has it's charm and moments but living or working there is a nightmare when it comes to cost of living, traffic, parking, humidity in the summer. Over 20 years Georgetown's night life remains the same night life wise but instead of young Korean and Vietnamese Americans, it's a Somali or Muslim crowd. It's a pretty liberal oriented town, like San Francisco or New York, so you've got your Trader Joes, Wholefoods, etc. but restaurants & stores aren't open as late for the most part. The police are pretty incompetent, the streets are constantly under repair and there's CCTV cameras and security everywhere which can either be reassuring or overwhelming depending on you and your mood. The best time to visit D.C. IMO is late September - early October or in April for the Cherry Blossom trees or May for the weather. read more

I had never been here until the end of June 2013. Now I've been to D.C. 3 times in 10 months. I'm so impressed with the architecture, history, and the amazing restaurants. I'll be back again for sure, and look forward to seeing the cherry blossoms and a scaffold-free Washington Monument. read more

Beautiful city to visit. If you shutter at the thought of crowds of tourists, yes they are definitely here, but it is such a dense and multifaceted city that you never have to get onto the beaten path. There are plenty of NOT world famous attractions here that will make your visit memorable. read more

I seriously love that I can write reviews about big cities on Yelp. Washington DC is my favorite metropolitan city in the US, so I am perplexed that I have only been here 3 times and each time I have only stayed 1-3 days. Bummer, right? Anyway, I have a clear obsession with this city. Maybe it's how the whole city quite clean and laid out so perfectly. The visits get better and better each time and I learn more and more about it. This last time, my family go to tour the US Capitol, where we were informed that the city was built around the famous landmark. It's fairly easy to get around here by metro/subway and using Lyft and/or Uber - so start stacking up those free rides, if you plan on visiting soon (extremely useful). Make advanced arrangements to visit the US Capitol and/or The White House. Visit the memorials/monuments: Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and Jefferson Memorial. Now, I have never taken a tour of The Pentagon nor have I seen The Arlington Cemetery. I just keep missing these 2. The museums here need to definitely make your list. The Smithsonians are worth every penny, wait they are free, so you don't have to worry! Hangin' in the National Mall area is quite picturesque, too; a lot of unique photo ops. Want to learn more about George Washington? Go visit his home and family burial site, which is a quick ride over to Mount Vernon. It's gorgeous and you will get to dive into his world for a bit and experience his time period. There are hundreds of places to eat, shop and sight see. Perhaps next time I can go during the Cherry Blossom Festival. 'Til we meet again, Washington DC, I love you! read more

Beautiful...check. Historic...check. Good restaurants...check. But a sense of humor? the ability to shed the stuffiness? I haven't seen those last two yet so only 2 stars. read more

Seven Reasons....Even thought this restaurant received a great recommendation from the Washington Post magazine...DO NOT go there. I made reservations on Oct. 4th for Oct 18th. We called a few hours before our dinner to try to change the time and were told we had NO reseravations! I could not really understand the hostess...her accent was very heavy. I called to complain to the manager a few minutes ago and he was rude, hostile and belligerent and said I must have given the hostess the wrong phone number....I am not crazy I gave her the correct number and she should have contacted us. So no we did not eat dinner at Seven Reasons but any management this rude should not receive our business no matter how good the cuisine. Peggy M S read more

The fresh food factory local eats market located in the Anacostia Arts Center, 1231 Good Hope Rd. is a unique shopping experience in the heart of the community. If you're looking for healthy opinions and very knowledgeable advice Amanda Stephenson is the one to ask. Her mission is to add value to the community, customers and everyone she comes in contact with. read more

I took a star off because the streets are way too long. It is possible to spend about 15 minutes just to walk one block in DC because the buildings are huge. Everyone I asked who went to DC said the same thing, "too much walking!" Everywhere I look there are a ton of people sitting down and resting from being so tired from walking. Man down, man down! My favorite part of DC is all the "prepaid" museums. I can't say exactly that they are free because they're not. We all pay via taxes. Well at least if you go into these museums you can see your money at work. You can spend a day or two at some of these museums. When we went we had to fly through some of the museums because we had only a limited time in DC. For example at the National Gallery of Art, you can easily spend two days looking at all the artwork and paintings. So after you spend a lot of time walking to the museum, you gotta walk inside too. It's non-stop walking. Every available sitting area in the museum was occupied by a tired and weary traveler. My foot and back problem was bothering me so bad I needed a wheelchair. Lesson here is, you need ultra comfortable shoes, bring lotsa water, bring your lunch because there is no restaurants around the National Mall unless you go to the cafes and cafeterias in the museum ($$) for mediocre food and do rest whenever you find a seat. If you plan on going to a national museum, plan on spending a lot of time in one place. If you plan on driving, don't drive during rush hour. Drive before morning rush hour or before/after the evening rush hour. When we drove we didn't encounter any traffic! Parking during the week is in the parking lots but at least there is parking during the weekend on the streets, if you get there at the right time! Try looking for parking before the sun rises! hahahha it always works. To save money on hotel, we stayed outside the Metro DC area. Please update your GPS if you plan on driving around DC area. I haven't updated my GPS for a few years and the roads are very different now in DC. It's not fun when you are driving on a road and your GPS says, THIS ROAD DOES NOT EXIST, hello, I'm on it. As far as restaurants go, the good ones that are not overpriced are not near the National Mall area. You will have to take taxis, drive or take bus or metro to the better restaurants outside of the National Mall area which to me is a pain. You can't walk everywhere in DC. It's not like Manhattan where a lot of places are within a short walking distance. Would I go back to DC, heck yeah, I barely finished all the museums. Besides I pay my taxes all the time, I can at least enjoy the fruits of my labor! :) read more

I went to the Macy Gray show at the Howard Theater last night. Macy Gray came out over an hour late. The show was supposed to start at 8 PM. She came out after 9 PM. The food service was ridiculous. Someone in our party ordered the same thing I did (Impossible burger and fries. Btw, the fries are extra). When my order came they brought him something like a steak and cheese and fries. He took the fries and finished them while the rest of us ate our meal. Our waitress became MIA. After 2 complaints to other staff he finally got his burger well after the rest of us had finished and the table was cleared. The burger was brought by a different waitress who added, apologetically, "I try to get something taken off your bill". Of course, that didn't happen. Laughingly, his original burger arrived...at the end of the show. Now I remember why I only go to the Howard Theater every 3 years or so. read more

I really enjoyed my trip to Washington DC. The city was great and there was always something to do. Seeing all of the history and the monuments was so amazing to experience- it is definitely something everyone should have the chance to see. So much of our history is rooted in DC. The monuments are beautiful to visit at night when they are all lit up, it is so pretty to see them in a different light! There are so many free museums filled with interesting artifacts that you can't go wrong with! Not only are they free but they are very interesting, fun and educational. Going to the Nationals game is another great thing to do in DC, the park is so nice and every seat in the house is great. There are so many different restaurants to try fit for every budget and every taste. The nightlife is also plentiful and fun with many different places to go! Some areas of the city actually seem to get quiet later on a night, it seems like a city that does sleep, very different from NYC in that way. there are also many places to shop with cute independent boutiques lining the streets along with the big name stores. There are many different hotels to stay at as well at all different price ranges. The overall city is clean and nice, there were a few sections we walked through which seemed a little poorer than others but that is known to be the case in almost every major city. My overall experience at DC was great and I would definitely suggest it for a weekend get away! read more

I give you two stars. Everything is overpriced and since we have a two-term communist in office, don't expect to find Fox News on any station at any of the hotels. read more

Great food options - diverse cuisines, actually had vegan/vegetarian places. I think I had the best french toast I've ever had here (at The Coupe). More trees than I expected. Pretty residential. Active nightlife! Everyone's out, even during the weekdays. Super bike friendly, bike lanes everywhere. Tons of mosquitos... read more

The nation's capital DC there is always something to do from shopping, museums, parks, food, street entertainment and so on. The city is multy culture and multi ethnic oriented, coming from around the world but, largely dominated by African American. read more

When I was young, my family and I traveled and visited this gorgeous city. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves culture, history and much more. This city has lots to offer. A must see destination read more

Went to Mackey's Public House last Friday. Had a Guinness Steak Pie that promised tender sirloin, potatoes, onions, mushrooms, and gravy. The sirloin bits were of both the tender and chewy variety; potatoes quite overdone, onions missing in action, and "mushrooms" were represented by a single thin slice and the gravy bland. read more

The site for Washington DC was inhabited by an Algonquian-speaking people known as the Nacotchtank when the first Europeans arrived in the 17th century. However, Native American people had largely relocated from the area by the early 18th century. Washington DC did not become the nation's capital until 1800. In his "Federalist No. 43", published January 23, 1788, James Madison argued that the new federal government would need authority over a national capital to provide for its own maintenance and safety. Five years earlier, in an event known as the Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783, a mob of unpaid soldiers besieged the Congress while it was meeting in Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania government refused requests to forcibly disperse the protesters, which emphasized the need for the national government not to rely on any state for its own security. Article One, Section Eight of the United States Constitution therefore permits the establishment of a "District (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States." However, the Constitution does not specify a location for the capital. In what later became known as the Compromise of 1790, Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson came to an agreement that the federal government would pay each state's remaining Revolutionary War debts in exchange for establishing the new national capital in the Southern United States. On July 16, 1790, Congress passed the Residence Act, which approved the creation of a national capital to be located on the Potomac River, the exact area to be selected by President George Washington. Formed from land donated by the states of Maryland and Virginia, the initial shape of the federal district was a square measuring 10 miles (16 km) on each side, totaling 100 square miles. Two preexisting settlements were included in the territory: the port of Georgetown, Maryland founded in 1751, and the city of Alexandria, Virginia, founded in 1749. During 1791-92, Andrew Ellicott and several assistants, including Benjamin Banneker, surveyed the borders of the federal district and placed boundary stones at every mile point. Many of the stones are still standing. A new "federal city" was then constructed on the north bank of the Potomac, to the east of the established settlement at Georgetown. On September 9, 1791, the three commissioners charged with overseeing the capital's construction named the city in honor of President Washington. The federal district was named Columbia, which was a poetic name for the United States in use at that time. Congress held its first session in Washington on November 17, 1800. Shortly after arriving in the new capital, Congress passed the Organic Act of 1801, which officially organized the District of Columbia and placed the entire territory under the exclusive control of the federal government. Further, the unincorporated area within the District was organized into two counties: the County of Washington to the east of the Potomac and the County of Alexandria to the west. After the passage of this Act, citizens located in the District were no longer considered residents of Maryland or Virginia, which therefore ended their representation in Congress. In the 1830s, the District's southern territory of Alexandria went into economic decline partly due to neglect by Congress. Alexandria was a major market in the American slave trade and residents feared that abolitionists in Congress would end slavery in the District, further depressing the economy. As a result, Alexandrians petitioned Virginia to take back the land it had donated to form the District; a process known as retrocession. The state legislature voted in February 1846 to accept the return of Alexandria and on July 9, 1846, Congress agreed to return all the territory that had been ceded by Virginia. Accordingly, the District's current area consists only of land donated by Maryland. read more