A Day in the District
March 28, 2019
Land of the free, home of the amazing multicultural cuisine – that’s Washington D.C. for you! You see, Washington D.C. isn’t just the home of historical monuments and museums (that are mostly free to enter, by the way). The city is also filled with streets that have up and coming restaurants, shops and experiences. It’s pretty impossible to go on our D.C. trip and hit every area that you probably want to see, so we want to help you out. We’ve made a guide for first-timers and D.C. patrons alike.
When you hop off the bus at Union Station, you’re already going to be amazed at the architectural detail of the building. Whether you’ve been to Union a hundred times or it’s your first, it never seems to lose its wonder. There are a plethora of restaurants and shops in the station, including Starbucks, Jamba Juice and Le Pain Quotidien, so if you need a quick snack before making your way into the city, you’ll be in luck.
If you’re going to D.C. with a group, you can always find that your collective hunger will be satisfied at Busboys & Poets. The restaurant has a great ambience, a full coffee/brunch/dinner menu, and best of all, it has historical roots; its name was created after Langston Hughes, a busboy at a nearby hotel in the 1920s before he became a renowned poet. Other recommended lunch options that are close by Union Station can be found on Pennsylvania Ave., an approximately 18 minute walk from where our bus will drop off. On the Pennsylvania Ave. strip, you’ll find great options like We the Pizza, Good Stuff Eatery (burgers), and District Taco. You really can’t go wrong there, and you’re still close to the Library of Congress, Supreme Court and the Capitol. Everyone wins!
After getting yourself a much-deserved brunch, you probably want to go one of two routes – shopping and snacking or monuments and museums. The best part about D.C. is that the city has it all! Fitting it into the amount of time you have is the tricky part, especially if you’re going on our D.C. Trip and you have roughly eight to nine hours to see everything.
Shopping, coffee/desserts, and Instagram-worthy walls all are located in one of my personal favorite spots: Georgetown! The only slightly difficult part about Georgetown is getting there – both of the nearest metro stops drop you off and you’ll still have about a 20 minute walk to the actual Main Street. If you’re happy to walk, that’s great – make sure to take the orange or blue lines for the metro and hop out at Rosslyn or Foggy Bottom. If you’re not too keen on walking, Uber is a great alternative.
While in Georgetown, make sure to check out Baked & Wired, a coffee and cupcake shop on a quaint side street. IMVHO (in my very honest opinion), Georgetown Cupcake is good, but Baked & Wired is on another level. Shops on Georgetown’s main strip include H&M, T.J. Maxx, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, lululemon, Madewell, and so much more. There are also benches to sit on right in front of Georgetown’s waterfront, giving you a great view of the city of Rosslyn.
If you’re more in the mood for a day of monuments and museums, take the yellow, green, orange or blue line to Archives-Navy Mem’l Penn Quarter. From that metro stop, you’re within five minutes of walking to the National Gallery of Art, the National Museum of Natural History, and the Newseum (which is well worth your time, especially all of you journalists out there). If you’re more interested in seeing The White House and the National Monument, take the metro to Federal Triangle (orange/blue line). You can find a complete list of museums here.
Spending your day touring the monuments and museums is a great way to make use of your time in D.C., especially because food trucks line up on the streets for whenever you need a snack. You could also stop by Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken or Milk Bar (ice cream). There are great dinner spots downtown, and if you need to grab coffee before heading back on the bus (if this trip is with SA), stop by Ebenezer’s Coffeehouse. It’s right next to Union Station, and the money you spend there goes towards National Community Church – win/win!
We hope you enjoy our Student Activities D.C. Trip and appreciate the beauty of the cherry blossoms and spring weather in our nation’s beautiful capital. We hope you like it so much that you plan a longer trip where you can see more!