3 hours in Washington DC About This Page:

[GoofyMom]

I know, that's nowhere near enough time! But that's about what we'll have. DH wants to see the "memorials". He has specifically mentioned "the Lincoln Memorial and those types of things. A quick little walk around or drive by of free things, that kind of stuff" I know, that really narrows things down.

So is there a place that is quick and cheap to eat at near the Lincoln Memorial and "those types of things"? Where can we park? Or can we even park near there? And what are "those types of things". We know absolutely nothing about DC.

I know we won't have time for museums or the Zoo. And I know we won't be doing it justice by only being there for a few hours. But if anybody can I would sure appreciate it!

[emtpej]

HI Donna!

You can park many places. One that comes to mind is over by the Spy Museum. There is still a food court at the Old Post Office Pavillion. There is also parking in West Potomac Park, which closer to the Lincoln, and FDR and WWII and not too far from the Monument.

When are y'all coming to town?

[GoofyMom]

We will likely be there midday on Oct 1st. I'm assuming our GPS will have directions on getting to the memorials. I've google mapped it and it looks easy enough to get there from I-95. If we have 3 hours or less, is the White House within walking distance of the Lincoln Memorial? And would we have time to eat? Or would we be better off looking for a hotdog vendor or something on the corner?

[emtpej]

Which way are coming in? The traffic can be pretty annoying, but if you plan to be here mid-day, that is better as far as that goes, but bad for parking! It does not look very far, but as you get closer to the Mall, it usually gets slower and slower....That would be great if one of us Passporters could meet you and show you around if you REALLY don't have much time. There are always McDonalds and also some very good sandwich places around. There is parking on the streets around the national mall, but not usually where you want it to be, so you can see what you want. The Canadian Embassy is in a VERY prime loaction around 5th and Pennsylvania, by the way...

[emtpej]

Originally Posted by GoofyMom

We will likely be there midday on Oct 1st. I'm assuming our GPS will have directions on getting to the memorials. I've google mapped it and it looks easy enough to get there from I-95. If we have 3 hours or less, is the White House within walking distance of the Lincoln Memorial? And would we have time to eat? Or would we be better off looking for a hotdog vendor or something on the corner?

Oh, and I think the WH is in walking distance of the Lincoln, but others might disagree... How are YOU doing? are you all healed?

[GoofyMom]

We'll be coming in from the south. If Google is right, we should be able to get to DC by 11:30. But we have a tight schedule and we'll need to leave by 2:30 at the latest to get us to our PA destination at a decent time that night. My biggest concern is actually finding parking. I am hoping to be near 100% healed by then, although right now I'd say I'm only around 50%. I'm able to walk 1½ miles now but I won't break any speed records!

And yes, if it's possible, it would be very nice to have a personal PassPorter Tour Guide!

[chezp]

I would agree that the White House is within walking distance of the Lincoln Memorial, but Donna, you know how much ground we cover in one day!

[emtpej]

Originally Posted by GoofyMom

We'll be coming in from the south. If Google is right, we should be able to get to DC by 11:30. But we have a tight schedule and we'll need to leave by 2:30 at the latest to get us to our PA destination at a decent time that night. My biggest concern is actually finding parking. I am hoping to be near 100% healed by then, although right now I'd say I'm only around 50%. I'm able to walk 1½ miles now but I won't break any speed records!

And yes, if it's possible, it would be very nice to have a personal PassPorter Tour Guide!

If you don't have to worry about parking, that's not a bad time to arrive. Do you have a list of highlights that you would like to see on a driving tour? ie: not parking anywhere? That might be managable, esp. with personal guide...

[Colexis Mom]

That's a long walk IMO But if you make the loop, you'll be able to see most of the things you want

[Huntermom]

If there is one memorial I think you have to stop and see it's the Vietnam Memorial. I think it's very moving.

We have driven around on the "Memorial Tour" but we've done it at night, when the masses have left the city. We've also stopped and parked. If I only had three hours though, I would probably just drive around or pick one destination and spend my time there. I am a huge fan of the Zoo, and like all the Smithsonian museums, it's free.

Diane

[GoofyMom]

...passing all this info onto DH. I'll let you know what he decides....

[Carousel96]

Three hours? You may want to look at one of the tourmobiles or trolley tours. They will take you around so you can see the sights but you can have on-and-off privileges for the places you want to walk around or see up close.
If you are in town on a weekday, there's a little cafe in the Red Cross building (Between D&E I think and 17th and 18th -- all I know is that it's across from the DAR Building!). The restaurant in the Corcoran Gallery is nice, too.

[Shell_of_the_South]

Donna, I don't think there is any way to walk around the Mall to all the Monuments and see the White House and eat in 3 hours. We did an evening walk to Washington, Lincoln, Vietnam, WWII, Korea monuments and it took us several hours. That didn't even include Jefferson and FDR. It's a long walk from Lincoln to Washington, it will fool you.

DC just isn't a place that you can drive from place to place. You will do a lot of walking.

The Spy Museum is out of the way if you want to just see the monuments, it's near Chinatown.

You can' get very close to the White House anyway without having a pre-approved tour.

There is some parking at the Jefferson. You could park there and then take a cab to Lincoln and walk to Jefferson, or you could catch the Old Town Trolley - you buy a one day ticket for that, not sure how much. There was also some parking at West Potomac park, kind of between FDR and Lincoln. I remember walking by it as we walked from FDR to the mall.

You can get some nice views of the White House from several areas. The Jefferson has some lovely views, and from the Washington you can see it as well.

[emtpej]

Donna,
You might want to look at:
Monuments and Memorials in Washington DC

Also, if you have very limited time, you might consider following the tourmobile route:
Welcome to Tourmobile Sightseeing

This is the map for old town trolley:
Washington DC Tours | Union Station Washington DC Photos | Smithsonian Postal Museum

GRay Line has open top buses:
sightseeing in Washington DC-tours of American history and culture

For lunch, you might be able to find parking at Union Station and there is a large food court and many restaurants there. Some are very good.

[B.M.]

Unfortunately, I dont think you'll be able to see much in three hours. We went to DC in April and we DID walk between the Lincoln monument and the White House, its a further walk than it looks, but tolerable. If your able to set up a tour of some sort , that would be ideal with your limited time. I think it would probably take three hours just to eat, see the Lincoln monument, and see the Whitehouse. So I would pick exactly what you want to see ahead of time.