Everything you need to know about Washington DC
Updated: Aug 18, 2023
Sep 2020 - Aug 2021
Washington DC (The District of Columbia), one of my favorite places. A place I called home for 1 year, my first year in the United States. I came here often and I enjoyed every time. Washington DC is the capital of the United States. It is a nice and pretty city, there is a lot to do and there is always something going on. I will highly recommend visiting this beautiful city.
This business city has a lot of historic and memorial things in the city. It is nice to walk around, go shopping, go grab a drink, get some food or go into the many museums or go to all the Wonderfull monuments and memorials around Washington DC. I listed all the things that might be helpful to know when you are going to Washington DC. One thing that might be nice to know is that all the Museums are free in Washington DC. You should check before hand if there is a reservation required to go inside, but the museums are free for visitors.
My time in DC
When I lived in Maryland I went to Washington DC a lot. I lived in Maryland for 1 year from September 2020 till August 2021, aka the time there was covid AND the inauguration. Trump was president when I arrived and Biden became president in January (on my birthday). There was so much going on in DC at that time. Many things were different then that they are now. All the museums were closed due to covid, but they opened up again. Also before the inauguration there was a storm into The Capital what lead to many military on the streets for protection and the Capitol to be even more protected and closed up than before. It was a crazy time to see all those things happen.
National mall
The National Mall is the center of Washington DC, here you will find all the memorial monuments. They are all on walk distance, except for The Capital, that one is a little out of the way. You might want to take a car/metro/scooter/bike to there, but it isn’t impossible to walk it.
Walking around the National Mall with all the monuments was my favorite thing to do. I watched many sunsets, sunrises and even celebrated 4th of July there. More about that later on. Around the National Monuments there are grass fields where you will find people having a picnic, hanging out or playing games. It is a nice place to connect, relax and enjoy each others company.
Washington Monument
The Washington Monument is a very tall skinny tower. It is a monument to honor the first president of the US, George Washington. It is the tallest building in DC. Fun fact: The other buildings weren’t allowed to be taller than the Washington monument. You can go all the way into the monument. Visiting the monument is free, but they charge you a $1 fee for every ticket when you make a reservation.
The monument is surrounded by a grass field, where you can enjoy picnics, play games or just walk around.
The link for if you want to visit the Washington Monument:
Lincoln Memorial
I think this is my favorite Memorial in DC. Lincoln is a big temple where you can find a statue of Abraham Lincoln sitting inside. The temple is open so you can just walk inside and around, no need to buy tickets. The temple was build as a symbol of unity, strength and wisdom. The view from the temple is amazing. You can walk around the whole temple and enjoy the view. I hang out here a lot, we were just sitting on the sides around the temple or on the steps in front of the temple. There are always people here, it is a very famous memorial in DC, so you will find many tourists.
My favorite thing to do in the summer is to go to the Lincoln memorial to watch the sunrise. The sunrise at The Lincoln Memorial is amazing. You can sit on the steps in front of the temple and you will have the view of Washington Monument, the city and in the distance you can see The Capital. The colors are amazing! If you aren’t a sunrise person, but more of a sunset person then you can still watch the sunset from The Lincoln Memorial, but go sit at the back of the temple to see a pretty sunset there as well.
World War 2 Memorial
You will find the Wold War 2 Memorial in-between The Washington Monument and The Lincoln Memorial. It is a big circle with all big stones with all the states from the United States on them. In the middle of the circle you’ll find a fountain. This is a beautiful place. During the summer people are putting their feet inside the fountain to cool down a bit. It is a nice place to hang around and sit for a while. Around the Wold War 2 memorial and The Lincoln Memorial are many walk paths surrounded by trees, it is a nice to just walk around there and talk.
Thomas Jefferson Memorial
Not that far away from The Washington Monument you will find a big lake with the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. You wouldn’t only find the Thomas Jefferson Memorial around this lake but also The John Paul Jones Memorial, what is a big statue. And in April, one of the most beautiful thing I have ever seen happens in Washington DC. The cherry blossom season! The Tidal Basin lake is covered in Cherry Blossom trees in April. This view is the most beautiful I have ever seen. You can walk around the lake and admire the beautiful white and pink flowers. This view is the most beautiful! It is magical.
Any other day you can even rent paddle boats or other kind of boats to enjoy the lake and the memorial from a different perspective.
The White House
Of course I can’t forget about this one. The White House, the house where the president lives. When I arrived, in September 2020, it was covid and the White House was all build in. You could not even see the building, it was a bummer, but lucky later on they removed the extra walls around The White House and you were be able to see it. If you’re interested you could even do a tour inside The White House. It is a beautiful building in the middle of the city. You can’t come close to it at all, because of all the protection, but it is still very nice to see it.
Behind The White House you will find The Black Lives Matters Plaza NW. This is a street where people hang all different signs, posters, pictures and all other things up to support the Black Live Matters protest.
United States Capitol
The State Capitol is the one monument that is a little out of the way. It is still in the same line as the other Monuments in the Mall. The capitol is a big coop building with a beautiful area around it. It is hard to describe, but it’s beautiful. Like the Washington Monument and The White House you can book a tour inside. This one is totally free, but you need to make a reservation beforehand.
F St NW
In DC you can find many shopping opportunities. F St NW is a nice street where you can find shops, restaurants and you will also find the Smithsonian American Art Museum here. This street is in between the National Mall and The White House. This is also the street where many protests took place. This is also the street where many protests took place.
Areas in DC
DC has different areas what all have cool things to see and do. The Chinatown in DC is a very small but nice Chinatown. Go here if you want to eat some good Chinese food or walk around and enjoy all things chinatown has to offer. The Wharf is a cute harbor where you can find amazing restaurants, a fish market and some shops. It is a nice place to walk around, meet up with people and get some food. The Wharf is more of a fancy place, with fancy restaurants but you can also find some fast food chains. Also an amazing place to watch the sunset! Dupont Circle & Adams Morgan are the places where can find many restaurants and bars. This is the area you want to go if you want to go out.
Georgetown
Georgetown is a really cute suburb of DC. It has many shops, restaurants and there is always something to do. You can walk around the Main Street or can walk town to the waterfront. Georgetown is famous for their cupcakes! But there is always a long line, then you just know that they are good, right. The pink house is a really famous thing in Georgetown. Many people go there to take pictures with the house, its actually a cafe called ‘Call Your Mother’.
National Harbor
This is a harbor from DC, I haven’t been here myself, unfortunately. I heard a lot about it and that it is a really pretty place to go and there is a lot to do. Really worth the try to check it out.
Gravelly point
If you want to take cool pictures or just chill then you should go here. Gravelly point is a big grass field where you can see airplanes taking off and landing. Gravelly Point is right next to the airport. I have seen many people taking beautiful pictures with a giant airplane in the background. It’s actually in Virginia, but it’s really close to DC.
Alexandria, VA
If you have time you should check it out. Alexandria is a very cute city with a harbor in Virginia. You could walk around, check out some stores, restaurants and there is a park with a fountain what is nice to hang around at. When the weather is nice you will find many musicians playing, what gives it an even better vibe.
Arlington, VA
Arlington is another nice city in Virginia, close to DC where many young people live. You can find many many college/university students here.
Hollidays and Events
During the year there are many events and Hollidays going on. DC is a fun city what organized many things during those Hollidays. So for example during Christmas there are many cute Christmas trees and one big big one in the middle of the grass field in front of the White House. Mardi Gras is a festival day in New Orleans, but even DC organized something fun for it. Like I mentioned before I celebrated 4th of July in DC, that was the best experience I have ever had. It was perfect! We were sitting in front of the Washington Monument. There was firework above the Lincoln Memorial and there were so many people, the vibe was just amazing! Cherry Blossom season in DC is the best! I wrote about it more in the Thomas Jefferson memorial part, but yes for sure. If you’re in DC in April, you shouldn’t miss the cherry blossom. You can find them all over the city, not only at the Tidal Basin lake. Besides those Hollidays, where I have been myself there are many more things, events, holidays that you can celebrate in Washington DC.
Museum
Washington DC has many many amazing museums around the city. From art till history, it is amazing. All museums are free, but for some of them you need to make a reservations, what still is free or it’s asking you for a $1 fee. I myself went to the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery. It is an amazing museum, I really would recommend it. I also heard many good things about the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. I found a website where you can find all the museums in Washington DC and everything you need to know about them.
Bikes or scooters
In DC you can rent scooters or bikes, through an app. They are similar to the scooters and bikes we have in Europe as well. The city is perfect to walk around and you can actually walk everywhere if you want, but some things are spread out or there is just too much to see to walk everywhere. Renting a scooter or bike would be a perfect idea to move around. You just download the app, scan the scooter or bike and you drive around with it. You can leave it all around the city and just get a random one again. Some places I have named before are too far to even rent a bike or scooter for, but there are other options.
Metro
In whole DC and area you will find a metro or train station. The city has underground transportation. You can get tickets while being there and take the metro to wherever you want to go. It is a nice and fast way to get to your new destination. The tickets aren’t expensive at all to move around the city.
Parking
Parking in DC can be a difficult thing… Its very busy and you really have to read the signs well. Most of the places you can park are parallel parking and you have to pay. But again, please read the signs well. There area many exceptions, hourly parking or extra things. So just make sure you read the signs before leaving your car. You can pay for parking on the apps or you can pay at the pay station along the road. On Sunday the parking in whole DC is free!
I always park at the national mall, that street has many parking spots on the road. The weekends you will find spots.
This place most of the time has parking
198-100 22nd St NW
Washington, DC 20037
This side of the national mall is less busy and most of the time I can find parking over there.
1009-1097 US-50
Washington, DC 20224
I hope it was a little helpful. I really love this city a lot! It is not as busy as a New York City, but there is still always something going on. I hope you're gonna like it as much as I did!
Doeii,
Weer leuk en informatief geschreven Naomi!💪🏼