Trip to Washington DC, tips? Things not to miss?

flea77 · Jul 3, 2011

In about a week and a half my wife and I are planning a trip that will land us in DC for two complete days and nights, our first time in DC. Since I am sure there are a ton of people on here from DC, and even more that have been, I thought I would share my plans and see what everyone thought....

I was thinking of staying at the Holiday Inn Washington-College Park, 10000 Baltimore Ave College Park, MD 20740, fairly close to the attractions at about 10 miles, reasonably priced.

Our first full day I thought we would take the all day photo tour located here... DC Photo Tours - Enjoy a Full Day of Photography in Washington DC This seemed like a great way to see a lot of things all with a slant towards photography. Of course if you know of a better photo tour I would be all ears.

After the above we would have dinner and then take the evening tour located here ... Washington DC Night Tour, Washington DC Night Tours | Viator.com so we could get some night shots. Again, know a better night tour preferably with a slant to photography, let me know.

The next day I figured we would spend visiting the National Mall and Smithsonian and just look around with less of an emphisis on photography and more on exploring.

A few questions I have....

1) I hear that DC is a pretty high crime city, is it pretty safe for my wife and I to be walking around at night with camera gear?
2) Are there any places I need to be careful about carrying my tripod with me?
3) When going from place to place, better to take a cab, subway, busses?

I would appreciate any other comments or suggestions to help make our trip a little better.

Thanks!

Allan

The_Traveler · Jul 3, 2011

Anywhere a tourist would be would be fine.

I would stay much closer to downtown. That hotel is outside the Beltway and you'd have to drive to the Metro, where the parking lots might be full. Parking downtown for a tourist, unless its Sat/Sunday is a bad plan.
Look for a hotel close to a metro stop, perhaps out along Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda.
You'll end up being much happier.

Tripods won't work in the museums.
Subway system is great.

I've spent more than half my adult life living/working around DC and I think I know it quite well.
I am on the road for a couple of days but would be happy to talk/email with you about DC when I return.

bogeyguy · Jul 3, 2011

Be be prepared for the hot, humid weather that usually is associated with summer in DC.

flea77 · Jul 3, 2011

The_Traveler said:
Anywhere a tourist would be would be fine.

I would stay much closer to downtown. That hotel is outside the Beltway and you'd have to drive to the Metro, where the parking lots might be full. Parking downtown for a tourist, unless its Sat/Sunday is a bad plan.
Look for a hotel close to a metro stop, perhaps out along Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda.
You'll end up being much happier.

Tripods won't work in the museums.
Subway system is great.

I've spent more than half my adult life living/working around DC and I think I know it quite well.
I am on the road for a couple of days but would be happy to talk/email with you about DC when I return.

I will look into getting a closer hotel but then again I didn't want to spend $250 a night and the closer in they are, the more expensive they seem. Thanks for the tip though.

bogeyguy said:
Be be prepared for the hot, humid weather that usually is associated with summer in DC.

ROFLMAO! Don't mean to be rude, really I don't, but if you look at my info over on the left you will see I am in Huntsville Texas, looking at the forecast for the next ten days in DC shows a high of 91, that is thirteen degrees cooler than it was yesterday here! According to Weather.com when we are in DC it will be 91 there, and 102 here. Since this is SE Texas, humidity doesn't bother us up to 80% since that is fairly typical for us. This will be like a vacation to the artic!

Allan

ancha930 · Jul 3, 2011

Hi, I live in DC and I'm more than happy to answer any questions you may have. I've lived here for 3 years and always find something new whenever I venture out with the sole purpose of aimlessly wandering and taking photos. now, to answer your questions:1.) you'll be fine. I'm a 25 year old female that stands 5'2 and weighs all off 100lbs and I navigate DC alone, a lot and no one ever bothers me. As someone else pointed out, stay downtown near the touristy locations since you're not familiar with the city. But, I'm originally from new orleans, so DC is pretty tame compared to what I'm used to. 2.) tripods are tricky in DC. technically, to shoot with a tripod on National Park Service property (pretty much all monuments), you must obtain a permit. It really depends on the crowds and the mood of the Parks officer that is on duty thst day. I can pretty much guarantee you wont be able to use your tripod on the steps or inside of the lincoln memorial. For some reason, theyre sticklers about that particular one. Oh, and the grounds directly outside of the white house and capitol buildings are biiiig no no's for tripods. However, you are allowed to shoot from a public sidewalk with a tripod as long as you're not impeding pedestrian traffic. 3.) I take the Metro everywhere downtown.Edit: I'm posting from my iPad and it's not breaking the post up into sections when I hit submit, it just runs it all together. Sorry if it's hard to read.

flea77 · Jul 3, 2011

ancha930 said:
Hi, I live in DC and I'm more than happy to answer any questions you may have. I've lived here for 3 years and always find something new whenever I venture out with the sole purpose of aimlessly wandering and taking photos. now, to answer your questions:1.) you'll be fine. I'm a 25 year old female that stands 5'2 and weighs all off 100lbs and I navigate DC alone, a lot and no one ever bothers me. As someone else pointed out, stay downtown near the touristy locations since you're not familiar with the city. But, I'm originally from new orleans, so DC is pretty tame compared to what I'm used to. 2.) tripods are tricky in DC. technically, to shoot with a tripod on National Park Service property (pretty much all monuments), you must obtain a permit. It really depends on the crowds and the mood of the Parks officer that is on duty thst day. I can pretty much guarantee you wont be able to use your tripod on the steps or inside of the lincoln memorial. For some reason, theyre sticklers about that particular one. Oh, and the grounds directly outside of the white house and capitol buildings are biiiig no no's for tripods. However, you are allowed to shoot from a public sidewalk with a tripod as long as you're not impeding pedestrian traffic. 3.) I take the Metro everywhere downtown.Edit: I'm posting from my iPad and it's not breaking the post up into sections when I hit submit, it just runs it all together. Sorry if it's hard to read.

So if we stay near the tourist areas we are fine, even in the middle of the night? Good to know.

The main concern I have with a tripod is at night. Since we will be miles from the hotel room I do not want to get into a situation where I can not go someplace with it. I don't mind keeping it folded up slung to my back but I have heard where you can not enter a place with one even if you do not use it. I carry a pretty expensive one so I am not about to "check it" or whatever. So if I put down a tripod where I am not supposed to (not intentionally, I just don't know) are they the type to tell me to put it up, or kick me out of the area? I certainly want to do what I am supposed to do but would hate to get my wife and I kicked out of some place (or have the black helecopters come 'detain' us) just because I didn't read the fine print in the brochure where it said I couldn't use one.

OK, the Metro. Here in Texas "the Metro" is the entity that runs all the light rails, busses, etc. When you say Metro, is that the rail system? Subway? Busses? Sorry to be difficult but there is so much I just don't know.

Allan

ancha930 · Jul 3, 2011

flea77 said:
So if we stay near the tourist areas we are fine, even in the middle of the night? Good to know.

The main concern I have with a tripod is at night. Since we will be miles from the hotel room I do not want to get into a situation where I can not go someplace with it. I don't mind keeping it folded up slung to my back but I have heard where you can not enter a place with one even if you do not use it. I carry a pretty expensive one so I am not about to "check it" or whatever. So if I put down a tripod where I am not supposed to (not intentionally, I just don't know) are they the type to tell me to put it up, or kick me out of the area? I certainly want to do what I am supposed to do but would hate to get my wife and I kicked out of some place (or have the black helecopters come 'detain' us) just because I didn't read the fine print in the brochure where it said I couldn't use one.

OK, the Metro. Here in Texas "the Metro" is the entity that runs all the light rails, busses, etc. When you say Metro, is that the rail system? Subway? Busses? Sorry to be difficult but there is so much I just don't know.

Allan

I'd say you would be fine. DC tourist areas are pretty heavily guarded but, obviously, if you're uncomfortable walking around at night time, don't do it. It's peak tourist season, so if you do decide to wander around at night, it's not like you'll be in a dark, empty ally. There will be a lot of other people doing the same thing you're doing. But, the one place to definitely stay away from is southeast dc across the anacostia river. But, that's way out of the way of anything you were looking to do, anyway.

As far as the tripod goes, everywhere you go in DC (museums, monuments, etc) will have a security checkpoint and they will check your bags. I've personally never seen anyone turned away from a building because of a tripod they had packed away, but who knows? Its always a possibility. You won't get kicked out of an area for accidentally setting up your equipment in the wrong spot, though. They'll just tell you to pack it up and as long as you don't argue, they'll leave you alone. They will probably be rude about it but, again, as long as you agree and don't argue, they'll leave you alone after you pack the tripod up. However, if you argue, that's asking for trouble you don't want.

And, sorry about the Metro confusion. Metro is what everyone calls the subway out here. Metro runs all transport services in DC, the same as Texas, but the metro=DC Subway.

flea77 · Jul 3, 2011

ancha930 said:
I'd say you would be fine. DC tourist areas are pretty heavily guarded but, obviously, if you're uncomfortable walking around at night time, don't do it. It's peak tourist season, so if you do decide to wander around at night, it's not like you'll be in a dark, empty ally. There will be a lot of other people doing the same thing you're doing. But, the one place to definitely stay away from is southeast dc across the anacostia river. But, that's way out of the way of anything you were looking to do, anyway.

Nah, not worried about being out at night in particular, but for example I spend a lot of time in Houston and there are areas where I would suggest people take a little extra equipment after dark, say for example a tank, a platoon of Marines, and a few machine guns. There are other areas of course which are fine. I just wanted to make sure that the tourists areas there were pretty safe at night as a general rule. Sounds much like Vegas, stay on the strip and you wont have a problem, get into other areas and you take your chances.

ancha930 said:
As far as the tripod goes, everywhere you go in DC (museums, monuments, etc) will have a security checkpoint and they will check your bags. I've personally never seen anyone turned away from a building because of a tripod they had packed away, but who knows? Its always a possibility. You won't get kicked out of an area for accidentally setting up your equipment in the wrong spot, though. They'll just tell you to pack it up and as long as you don't argue, they'll leave you alone. They will probably be rude about it but, again, as long as you agree and don't argue, they'll leave you alone after you pack the tripod up. However, if you argue, that's asking for trouble you don't want.

Well I am kind of a trouble maker normally, but 1500 miles from home in a town where there really are black helecopters and I think I will be pretty compliant

ancha930 said:
And, sorry about the Metro confusion. Metro is what everyone calls the subway out here. Metro runs all transport services in DC, the same as Texas, but the metro=DC Subway.

No problem at all, that is why I ask questions like this is to learn. Good to know that if I just tell someone in DC I am looking for "the Metro" I will get the subway.

Thanks again!

Allan

flea77 · Jul 3, 2011

The_Traveler said:
Anywhere a tourist would be would be fine.

I would stay much closer to downtown. That hotel is outside the Beltway and you'd have to drive to the Metro, where the parking lots might be full. Parking downtown for a tourist, unless its Sat/Sunday is a bad plan.
Look for a hotel close to a metro stop, perhaps out along Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda.
You'll end up being much happier.

Looks like I picked the wrong time of year for this trip (although it was really picked for me). Two things happen when I get closer to the White House area, prices jump up and availability drops into the toilet. $130 a night for a Days Inn three miles out, really?!?!?! How about a cab to the closest Metro? Or are cabs insanely expensive and I would be better off spending the cab fare on getting a closer room?

Allan

ancha930 · Jul 3, 2011

flea77 said:
Looks like I picked the wrong time of year for this trip (although it was really picked for me). Two things happen when I get closer to the White House area, prices jump up and availability drops into the toilet. $130 a night for a Days Inn three miles out, really?!?!?! How about a cab to the closest Metro? Or are cabs insanely expensive and I would be better off spending the cab fare on getting a closer room?

Allan

Sorry, but I'll butt in again. If the hotel you're looking at is on Baltimore ave in College Park, I believe the nearest metro station would be New Carrollton which is probably about 10 miles away, so you're looking at a $15 cab fare each way. So, it may just be a wash (and more convenient) to put what you'd spend on cab fare towards a hotel closer to the downtown area. But, before you do that, call your original hotel of choice and ask if there is a metro bus that stops at the New Carrollton metro station or if they offer shuttle service to the metro. I'm not a huge fan of the metro busses and tend to avoid them at all costs, but you're staying in a college town, so it's probably better than the busses that run downtown.

Bitter Jeweler · Jul 3, 2011

There is a book about photographing DC, that gives you exact locations to shoot all the "postcard" shots of the major attractions, including the time of day/night for the best lighting of each attraction. It also goes into detail about the permit needed for tripod use. This isn't for inside buildings, this is for grounds.

Google DC tripod permit, and see if you get satisfactory information. If I remember correctly, the permit is free. I am always on the side of being prepared, rather than being caught off guard.

Check out the book, and you may decide it is the better, cheaper option that gives you freedom to choose what and when, rather than paying for a preplanned tour, at possibly the worst times of day for a given site.

http://my.safaribooksonline.com/book/photography/9780470586877

kundalini · Jul 3, 2011

I had some of the best calamari in the states while in DC. I wish I could remember which street it was on, but needless to say it was a sorta restaraunt row in one of the neighboods, not touristy. I mean this in the kindest, gentlest way and it was described to me by a local, but the restaraunt was in the gay section of town. Perhaps The_Traveler or ancha930 can pinpoint the area closer, but the aromas wafting through the air as we traversed the street was absolutely delicious. Choosing a venue was difficult, but I think any one of them would have satisfied our appetite.