One of my favorite cities in the United States is Washington DC. When picking a hotel, my first preference is one with a pool, gym and centrally located. For this stay, we chose Omi Shorham Hotel in Woodley Park, walking distance from the National Zoo. The grounds were beautiful, the pool area was wonderful with a place to purchase food and drinks, and the gym was ok. Parking in DC is pretty steep, this hotel was 55 per day.
After arriving on Day 1, we decided to explore the Navy Yard and have dinner. We ate at All Purpose Pizzeria outdoors with the view of the water, and after dinner, we were lucky to catch the fireworks as well.
The best thing about DC is how well it is connected by the metro. Day 2 we took the rail to visit the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Most of the museums are free admission, however getting there early is key to avoid lines to enter. As a biology teacher, I love taking my kids to a museum where I can show them different animals from land and sea, along with fossils to help them understand species and extinction. After the museum visit, we stopped by one of the 100s of food trucks parked outside for a bite and ice cream. DC has quite a spread of different types of restaurants and food trucks, so trying different foods is on top of my list!
After a fun morning out, we retreated back to the hotel for a nap and a change. DC in the summer can be extremely hot, so rest and hydration is key! We headed back out to see the Lincoln Memorial for the night, however thunderstorm and closures kept us from visiting the Washington Monument. We did not anticipate there would be mass closures of walks to set up for the 4th of July fireworks, so next time we will have keep that in mind if we are in DC during an event.
One of the must visit places is Washington Harbour. It is on the water with many fabulous places to grab a drink and eat. My favorite plan is brunch at Farmers, Fishers and Bakers. It is a flat price per person, all you can eat, drinks can be purchased and all the food is farm to table. After eating, we strolled down along the water to burn off some of the goodies and take in the scenery. Another thing we enjoy is visiting ballparks in different cities. After Washington Harbour stroll, we ubered down to the National Ball Park and the kids even got free bucket hats…at least they are Phillies colors.
Day 4 is our final full day in DC. It was the 4th of July, so we wanted to ensure our morning plans did not go too long in efforts to make it to the National Mall to see the fireworks at Washington Monument. The morning trip we walked to the National Zoo, which is also free admission. The walk to the zoo was roughly 20 minutes. The most interesting part of the zoo is the bird sanctuary where you walk amongst the Aves and they have quite a collection fish I have never seen in the wild.
To conclude our trip, the night of Day 4, we grabbed a blanket and headed down the metro to see the fireworks. Quick tip is to take the metro to Federal Triangle and walk to the National Mall Lawn, and the same on the way back to avoid massive crowds. One of my children might have ended up in the fountains, but being messy is part of being a kid. We arrived around 30 minutes before the fireworks and found a spot comfortably on the lawn. The fireworks went off on time and it was a spectacular display. Celebrating our nations freedom in the heart of the capital was one of my bucket list items and it did not disappoint!
Pros: easy to get around, great places to eat, educational experience for children, swimming every night at pool since it was open late, gym was open early, didn’t need car for the entire trip
Cons: DC heat, not great maneuvering with stroller, parking fees per day, metro line shut downs
Overall, this was one of my favorite trips in my favorite cities! Can’t wait to do it again!
