Episode 17 | Planning a Trip to Washington D.C.?

Welcome back for another episode. I can’t believe it is already the holidays. I hope you are connecting with family, staying safe, and making lots of exciting plans for the holidays. This will be another trip recap episode!

Last month I went to Washington D.C. with a few girlfriends for a long weekend trip. I left on Thursday and came home on Monday. We visited Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. (DMV area) In this episode, I share a few tips and tricks for you, if you are planning on hitting up the Washington D.C./Baltimore area.

Show Notes:
[01:57 The trip came about because I found a great deal on Southwest Airlines during their fall sale.
[02:48] I mainly wanted to visit The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture opened in 2016.
[03:21] There are three airports that you can fly into to get to Washington D.C. The Ronald Reagan Airport in Virginia is actually the closest airport to the D.C. metro area. You can take the metro directly from Ronald Reagan Airport into the city. The Ronald Reagan Airport is going to be your closest option.
[04:13] The other airport is the Dulles Airport in Virginia, but it is a little further out and it is not accessible to Washington D.C. through public transportation.
[04:55] The third airport is Baltimore airport also known as the Baltimore Thurgood Marshall International Airport, named after the first African American Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall. This is the airport that we flew into for this trip. The Baltimore airport is the furthest from D.C, a little over 30 miles. To get to the D.C. area you can take their MARC, a commuter train line that will take you right into Union Station.
[06:23] The train ride only took us 30 minutes. If you were riding in an Uber or Lyft you would have been sitting in traffic for up to 1 ½ to 2 hours and they are way more costly. ($50-60) The flights to Baltimore tend to be the cheapest because they know it is the furthest away.
[06:51] Baltimore is a great city. We didn’t get to spend anytime there on this trip, but I am definitely planning on doing that on the next trip.

[07:40]We knew that we wanted to stay in the D.C. area, so we chose an Airbnb in a quiet tree-lined street in Central D.C. It was a great location.
[09:41] D.C. is a very walkable city. We didn’t take the metro but I have before.
[10:06] If you are planning to go to Baltimore, I would make it a day trip. It is a little easier to get to areas like Alexandria and Arlington, Virginia and they are accessible by the metro.
[11:07] There are a lot of area hotels but there are also a ton of Airbnbs. D.C. is a very densely populated residential town.
[12:12] Decide what you want to do on your trip.
[12:26] The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture is a beautiful 6-story building. It took us two days to get through it all and we could have spent another day.
[12:46] The Smithsonians are all free. At the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture you have to reserve your ticket. You can reserve your ticket 30 days prior to your day of visit online. They do offer some same-day passes.
[15:33] If you visit the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture you would be in what is considered the National Mall Area. The MLK Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, National Monument, and the White House are all going to be in that same area.
[16:05] The U-Street area has historically been the heart of black culture. The African Civil War Memorial is there. It is one long street of black-owned restaurants and shops.
[16:22] A couple of popular restaurants are Busboy and Poets and Ben’s Chili Bowl.
[17:46] Adam’s Morgan is a college neighborhood type area. We went to comedy and jazz shows in the area. This area has a lot of comedy clubs, bars, and dives.
[18:59] We also visited the Black Lives Matter plaza which is right down the street from the White House, then had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, RPM Italian.
[20:10]D.C. is one of my favorite cities. D.C. has a great black culture, great food, great music, and an overall great time.
[20:59] Be sure to check out all the Smithsonian museums. For the busy museums like the African American History and Culture Museum, be sure you book in advance to secure your spot and allow for two days if not three.

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