Going to D.C. and New York in three weeks.....
 

I have a bucket list of places that I'd like to see and things that I'd like to do.

Any suggestions for places/things that are off the beaten path to check out as well?

Thanks!

If this is your first trip to New York I wouldn't worry about "off the beaten path" unless you're going to be there for a long time. There are enough completely valid experiences right there on the path to take advantage of. Go to Ellis Island, hit one or more of the big museums (The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a favorite of mine but there are several world class museums), go to a show (or 3), walk around Times Square, Shop on Fifth Avenue, watch The Today Show or Good Morning America live. Take one of the double decker bus tours. Ask a stranger for a restaurant suggestion (don't necessarily TAKE said advice).

Meridian Hill Park (Malcolm X Park) http://www.nps.gov/mehi/index.htm

Busboys & Poets at 14th and V http://www.busboysandpoets.com/about/14th-v

The Yard at Howard University (called the Upper Quad on this map) http://www.howard.edu/explore/map/Ho...p14_141003.pdf

Those are my DC nontraditional sites.

I agree with this. You've seen so many of these places on TV your whole life, so you might as well go and see them! My BFF lives in Manhattan, so I go fairly regularly for a tourist. I would also recommend the following.

• Go see the tree at Rockefeller Center. I wouldn't waste money ice skating because it's expensive and crowded as all get out. The tree's size is just unbelievable in real life.
• Walk down 5th Ave to see all of the holiday window displays. The amount of professionalism and time spent on these is impressive to me.
• The main branch of the New York Public Library - those lions!
• If you were an Eloise fan as a child, then The Plaza is a must.
• Grand Central Station. The ceiling is amazing.
• I always try to have a meal at Serafina http://serafinarestaurant.com/
• Stop in at La Maison du Chocolat for a bite of heaven http://www.lamaisonduchocolat.com/en...ues.php#5/5/12
• If you want to go the the Metropolitan Museum of Art, then plan on budgeting most of a day there...there is so much to see
• I enjoy the Guggenheim. Even if the exhibition isn't something I'm totally into, the building in and of itself is just cool to walk through.
• I also like the Museum of Modern Art and making a stop at their design store in Soho. Shopping in Soho is pretty cool. There's just so many cool boutiques and things to look at. Most of it is out of my price range, but I love looking!
• Chinatown is fun for bargain designer knockoffs.
• Visit Central Park. I never understood what the big deal was about a park until I went there. It's really special.
• I would do a quick walk through of Macy's, so you can say that you've been there, but I wouldn't actually shop there. I made that mistake. Once. Shopping there is my personal idea of hell, but it is cool to see.
• Times Square isn't a place that I enjoy spending a large amount of time, but I do walk through every year
• If you were going at a different time of year, I would suggest renting a bike and biking the Brooklyn Bridge, but it can get COLD in December. I was there in December about 10 years ago, and we woke up to a temperature of 8. I had to ask my friend if they had started reporting the temperature in Celsius in NY. Then I went outside and found that they were not.
• We go to different restaurants most of the time or cook at my friend's house, so I'll try to remember other good spots to eat.

All great choices. And the same thing is true of DC. A person could spend days, even weeks exploring the museums there so don't waste too much time trying to live like a local. The people who live there have crazy lives of rushing from here to there with precious little time to appreciate where they are. It's just how our lives go.

There's an Ethiopian restaurant in Georgetown, can't remember the name, that introduced me to the cuisine. We had such a good time! And someone once told me you can get a grasp of world conflict by what restaurants are opening up in DC. Famine in Ethiopia? Suddenly there are Ethiopian restaurants all over DC. War in the Middle East? Look for Persian and Lebanese restaurants. I don't know if it's true, but you could catch up on international news and dine out accordingly. Just to play along.

For DC, one thing I'm reminded of is how much DC Locals assume that Museums are free unless they are focused and obviously private(Spy, Newseum, Children's) . It wasn't the tourists who objected to the "pay if you want" little machines inside the entrances of the major Smithsonian Museums, it was the locals.

For food, if you hit the areas up north of the Mall toward Howard, I'd suggest Ben's Chili Bowl. Not off the beaten path, but worth it anyway. :)

You mean Patience and Fortitude? I'm partial to the "rampaging" bull on Wall Street. :)

Yep. Those. :)

Depending on what you're into, where you're staying, and what your budget is, here's a nice list of stuff to do in DC. I've lived here for 3 years now and STILL not hit everything, so just take your time and enjoy. Some of this will also depend on weather. I put the neighborhoods next to restaurants/bars so it makes it easier to find

Sightseeing
-Washington Monument, WW2 memorial, Tidal Basin (Jefferson, FDR + MLK memorials), Lincoln, Korean War memorial, Vietnam Wall. Lincoln at night is one of my favorite places in the city
-National Cathedral
-Iwo Jima and Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington
-Go up the Washington Monument if tickets are available
-Natural History Museum, American History but only for the flag. Most of the AH museum is under reno right now and thus rather disappointing. Air and Space is meh, the good stuff is out at the Udvar Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA
-Holocaust Museum
-Newseum. You have to pay for this, but it's well worth it and will take you a solid 3-4 hours to get through. The 9/11 portion will make you cry.
-National Portrait Gallery in Penn Quarter. Houses the only complete collection of presidential portraits outside of the White House and has a killer atrium.
-Mount Vernon if you have a rental car and the weather is nice
-Gravelly Point (just off of the GW Parkway) if you have a rental car and the weather is nice
-Old Town Alexandria
-Eastern Market

Food/Bars
-Zaytinya (Penn Quarter) for Mediterranean tapas and the best pita bread you'll ever have
-POV at the W Hotel (White House) AT NIGHT for expensive cocktails but the best view in the city
-Off the Record at the Hays Adams (more expensive cocktails)
-Ethiopian: Ethiopic. Mexican: District Taco (13th & F) or Oyamel (Penn Quarter). Spanish: Jaleo (Chinatown). Indian: Rasika (Penn Quarter). Thai: Little Serow (Dupont) or Doi Moi (Logan Circle). Southern food: Vidalia (Dupont). Steaks: Rays the Steaks (Arlington, VA). Burgers: Shake Shack (Chinatown, Dupont), Rays Hellburger (Arlington, VA). Pizza: Pizza Paradiso (several locations). Retro food: Ted's Bulletin (epic homemade poptarts, Capitol Hill). American food: Clyde's (Georgetown), Old Ebbitt Grill (White House), The Hamilton (White House). BBQ: Hill Country (Penn Quarter).
-If you like beer, you must hit Churchkey (Logan Circle). If you like bourbon/whiskey, you must hit Jack Rose (Adams Morgan sort of).
-Other good bars: 1905 (U Street), The Brixton (U Street), The Gibson (U Street), Marvin (U Street), H Street Country Club (has a small DC-themed mini golf course upstairs, H Street), The Big Hunt (dive bar, Dupont), Meridian Pint (Columbia Heights), Hawk and Dove (Capitol Hill), Millie and Al's (dive bar, Adams Morgan)...the list goes on and on.

Avoid at all costs: Ben's Chili Bowl pre-3 AM, standing on the left side of the metro escalators, DC taxicabs.

Walk left, stand right, and welcome to DC :)

For "on the beaten path" in DC, I'd recommend going to the sightseeing around the White House/mall/etc. then having oysters at Old Ebbitt Grill. Then get to the POV on the top of the W Hotel around 8, have one expensive drink, and take in the views. Afterward there are some less expensive bars in the area...The Hamilton sometimes has some free, good music in their Loft area. Cap City Brewing Company isn't too far from there either (closer to Metro Center).

Rose's Luxury in Southeast/Barracks Row is like the hottest restaurant in the world right now, they were named Bon Appetit's Best New Restaurant in the country and all the critics love it. They don't take reservations and waits can be long but you can get there early, put your name in, then head to another bar nearby for a drink, and they'll text you when your table is ready.

The National Arboretum on NY Ave NE is a bit off the beaten path and is gorgeous. Red Hen is a well regarded place nearby and there are bars and restaurants on H Street as well. Red Hen isn't too far from the Metro, but you may need to cab or Uber elsewhere.

The Gallery Place/Chinatown area is pretty vibrant when there's something going on at the Verizon Center. Most of the places around there are chains, but if you have time it can be worth talking a walk around and grabbing a drink. I think Poste Restaurant in the Hotel Monaco out there is putting a fire pit in their courtyard in the next few days, that could be worth a stop.

Depending on where you're staying, don't worry about going out to Arlington or Alexandria, there's plenty to do in town and you won't be able to do it all.

Have fun!

The Frick Collection in NYC.

For New York:

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...d.php?t=141943

:)

OMG LIL' HANNAH HI.

Rose's Luxury is freaking amazing. We went on a Monday, got there at 5:30 to put our names on the list, had a drink nearby and they called us by like, 7:15. Well worth the wait.

My sister IUHoosierGirl is on point with recommendations. My favorite restaurants are Rasika (the original is in Penn Quarter, but there's a newer one in West End that's sometimes easier to get a reservation) and Zaytinya (but you can't go wrong with any of the Jose Andres places). Ted's Bulletin is more casual and really fun, with a huge menu.

My visitors have raved about drinks at the Hamilton and Old Ebbitt (very "DC"). The main selling point for POV is the view, I really can't stand the bar. I'm a bourbon drinker, so my usual spots are Jack Rose, Bourbon or Barrel.

Things to see: Newseum is my favorite museum and everyone I've taken there has loved it. Eastern Market is fun on a Sunday. And for off the beaten path -- my favorite monument is Roosevelt Island. It's an island with trails and a monument to Teddy Roosevelt in the middle, accessed via the GW Parkway.

During rush hour, generally closer to run left, walk right, but at least they understand if you are standing right.

If you stand left during rush hour you will get you run over and then Harry Reid, John Boehner, and nuns will spit on your corpse. (Of course the nuns were probably the ones who trampled you. :) )

Oddly enough another recommended place to "visit" is the trip *over* the Potomac on the subway between L'enfant (pronounced Launfaunt with *both* n's slightly nasalized) Plaza station and Pentagon station on the yellow line.

On that subject, the escalator at Wheaton Station (in Maryland on the east side of the Red Line) is the longest escalator in the Western Hemisphere. Not that much worth seeing near the station, but if you are looking for off the beaten track, it is sort of interesting and inside the fare gates (and as long as you don't go through the fare gates you aren't charged).

Note, the maps that they have of the system in the cars and at the stations are *nowhere* *near being to scale. The stations downtown are blocks apart, the ones out in the suburbs a mile or more.

And the doors on the Metro trains are *nothing* like elevator doors. They don't spring back open if you put an arm in. If you are *lucky*, the train operators will reopen the doors so you can get your arm out, if unlucky, you've broken the doors and the train will have to offload everyone. (at that point the nuns in the above paragraph will come after you!

I have been known to loudly clear my throat, sigh, or glare at people who stand on the left if I'm only moderately in a hurry. If there's a train coming and I need to make it lest I wait for 15 minutes...I will loudly tell you to please move to the right.

THIS.

Howdy! I still read the boards, but everything is blocked at my new-ish job, and I never bother to post on my phone.

If you visit the Newseum in DC don't miss the fantastic view of the US Capitol from the terrace on level six.

NYC:

I second Maman's suggestion of the Frick. It's a beautiful collection, but small enough that you won't get "museum'd out" before you've viewed everything.

Also, visit the Morgan - Madison Ave @ 36th St. Amazing library (including 3 Gutenberg Bibles), study, rotating exhibits, and a restaurant. (They offer a "Three Martini Lunch" - three mini martini glasses with either gin or vodka - one with a lemon twist, one with an olive, and one with a tiny onion. The glasses are so cute :) )

Browse through the Fifth Avenue stores, especially Tiffany. At Tiffany, skip the main floor (always jammed, especially near Christmas) and head upstairs and browse through the engagement rings, silverware, and table settings. (Side note to any ladies who have Tiffany engagement rings: Go up to the sixth floor (repairs, restringings, and such) and they will clean your engagement ring for free.)

Be VERY careful if you go to Rockefeller Center to see the tree. Last year, my elderly mobility-impaired father nearly got trampled more than once. It's also prime grounds for pickpockets and purse snatchers.

I second basically all of the things for DC. My additions:
-Taxis can suck in DC, and they rarely know where anything is. All cabs are *supposed* to take credit cards, but not all of them will. If you need to call a cab, use Uber. If you're in touristy areas, you can probably find a cab or use the metro.

-My favorite thing I've done with out-of-town guests is a 3+ hour walking tour by Walk of the Town DC. (www.walkofthetowndc.com) It's run by a retired teacher, it's FREE (donation recommended - I suggest $20), the guy is amazingly informative, and he provides snacks. If you're at all a history nerd and can handle being on your feet for several hours, you'll hit almost all of the major monuments and memorials. You don't actually walk that far, but you are on your feet a while. I've done this tour twice with guests, and loved it both times (and so did my friends).

If you'll have a car in DC, I suggest a daytrip to Annapolis. It's just down the road and you can get a great tour, do a little shopping, and grab lunch.

Lots of good DC recs. I'll just add a few thoughts. (Oh, and "Walk left, stand right" is no joke.)

I haven't been to Rose's Luxury (pregnancy and baby will really cut into a gal's social sched), but I love Little Serow. However, it's important to understand that the menu is fixed -- no substitutions, no choices, no nothing -- so look it up online before you commit. They post the weekly menu every Monday. Also, on a weekend, you need to get in line super early. They only have set seatings and a limited number of four tops.

I liked Doi Moi, too. But Le Diplomate is my favorite in that neck of the woods. It's not as hot as it was a year ago, which is great. Old Ebbitt is more for the cachet than the food, IMO. I also love Oyamel (Jose Andres, can't go wrong) -- Alton Brown was just there.

Ethiopian food is a must-do in DC. I like Ethiopic on H Street (and then you can cruise a few blocks over to get pie at Dangerously Delicious) and Etete near U Street. U Street is also home to Ben's Chili Bowl. If you're craving steak, I like District Chophouse.

Ford's Theater is fun if you like Civil War history. I also like going to the Supreme Court and the American History museum. Although I have to say, my favorite thing is the Antietam battlefield (Sharpsburg is ~45 min away).

I'll just add one item to DC, with the caveat that I've never been there in the fall/winter seasons: The Hillwood Museum. It's full of artifacts collected by Marjorie Merriweather Post, from the Hapsburg Wedding Veil to Faberge Eggs to jade in every color and beyond. Make sure you go to their Tea House, if you indulge. It's a bit more girlie-girl than some other museums, but is truly amazing.

If you have a chance to get to some of the local plantations (I'm a Mount Vernon junkie), try to take in at least one. It puts history into a new perspective. Doing Old Town Alexandria and Mount Vernon on the same day would be good.

I have seen more than one person try to cram onto a very full Metro car, and have the doors close between him and his backpack with the backpack outside the car. Just wait for the next car.

Thank you so much to everyone for your thoughtful and wonderful responses! I am definitely going to have a great time, and plan to enjoy doing so much during my trip, involving many of the suggestions from all of you.

Keep an eye out for pictures and a trip report.

Thanks again!

This happened to me when I was boarding a car on the Tube in London while I was studying overseas. I felt like such an idiot. Lesson learned, though.

Very similar thread-Good NYC info within it. http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...highlight=york