K2theAblaM
New Member
This is awesome news! DC is a wonderful place to visit. I can only hope that this means nationals will be held on the west coast! Anaheim maybe!?! baahaha!
Worlds 2014 To Be Held in Washington DC
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ShadowCard
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There is A LOT of things to do in and around Washington DC. This is one Worlds you will want to plan extra time for.
The Air & Space Museum, which has IMAX movies; American History Museum; and Natural History Museum--gotta see T. Rex--are among the most popular. Expect to spend at least a few hours in any of these three, or more than a few hours if you go on a weekend when they are crowded and kids are everywhere.
The Postal Museum is an interesting, smaller museum. I was there for its Hindenburg and Titanic exhibits. You can get through this one in 2-3 hours if you are slow and must see/experience everything like I am. Interactive exhibits can keep kids entertained as well.
The Botanical Gardens are also worth a visit. The chocolate exhibit was disappointing but its carnivorous plants one was fun. Its regular exhibits are worth a look if you are into plants and environmental history and climates. I think younger players may have more fun running around the paths of plants but they do have exhibits geared towards kids.
You should check the National Gallery of Art for any rotating exhibits that may be of interest to you if you like history. They feature a lot of cultural exhibits that lean more into history than just art. This one is for the older players.
The Newseum was okay. It needs more than a single visit and is pretty much a lot of reading newspapers :frown:. Again, one for the older players.
There is the National Zoo but I haven't been there in a long time. However, near it is a little hidden away cage that houses a fault (it's a geology thing). But you've probably heard enough about the faults of DC
If you're into the club life, I hear there are various clubs in DC, which is where most people in the area go for a party. I've only heard things so i don't really know--I spend my nights studying, playing pokemon, and sleeping. Metro runs late on Friday and Saturdays if you need to know :thumb:
Definitely check out http://wmata.com/ to plan your travel. Those of us native to the area will complain about the metro system. Trains get delayed and rates are always changing so you will want to check for rates and delays. Bus drivers don't hesitate to leave a stop early and are unforgiving if you walk up a second late....
...Still, if you aren't scared off by my experience, take the Orange Line to Dunn Loring and get on the 28A bus to Tysons Corner Center if you haven't been there. However, in my opinion, it is just a big clothing collection of stores and I personally prefer Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax, accessible by taking the Orange Line to Vienna and getting on the 2B bus, because I think it has more specialty stores. A mall is a mall but I hear people drive 2 hours just to go to Tysons Corner so I figured I would point them out.
...Also, in Fairfax are a number of Civil War museums if you like history. Use the CUE Bus from Vienna Metro (Orange Line) to get into Fairfax, which also serves George Mason University.
...From Dunn Loring, you can also visit Vienna, Virginia, ranked #3 among the best towns to live but there isn't too much to see. I have a league there. There is the Freeman Store & Museum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeman_Store_and_Museum_%28Vienna,_Virginia%29) if you're into Civil War history. It sells candy, but has weird hours of operation. If you're in the area late, Amphora is a 24-hour restaurant that is good to go when everything else is closed--places in Vienna and Fairfax generally close at 9PM. Fairfax has an additional restaurant tax that Vienna does not have, if that makes a difference for where you eat. You pay more for a McDouble in Fairfax than you do in Vienna :nonono:.
Through Northern Virginia, if you are into geology, you can follow Difficult Run (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Difficult_Run) and see the knick point. Nothing too exciting, it's just a spot where the geology changes but it is important for Virginia geology. Get your picture with it to show you were there :smile:.
In Dulles is the Air & Space Museum's second location that houses more aviation-related exhibits. This isn't accessible by metro.
Further out (beyond Metro's reach) is Manassas Battlefield but that was an unexciting field with two houses and several cannons that messed with my $200+ compass--fortunately borrowed from the university--on my field mapping course field trip. More interesting is Skyline Caverns and even further is Luray Caverns. I have been to Skyline 3 times but haven't been to Luray. Skyline is the smaller one of the two and does have some things for kids, like a train ride and a big dinosaur to get a picture with. If the weather is hot, the caverns are a nice place to visit to cool off .
Up north in Baltimore, Maryland is the Baltimore Aquarium which is also a good place to visit. Maryland and DC loves its traffic cameras and the place is under constant construction so watch out :nonono:. Red-light cameras are used sparingly in Virginia (Falls Church and Fairfax).
The Air & Space Museum, which has IMAX movies; American History Museum; and Natural History Museum--gotta see T. Rex--are among the most popular. Expect to spend at least a few hours in any of these three, or more than a few hours if you go on a weekend when they are crowded and kids are everywhere.
The Postal Museum is an interesting, smaller museum. I was there for its Hindenburg and Titanic exhibits. You can get through this one in 2-3 hours if you are slow and must see/experience everything like I am. Interactive exhibits can keep kids entertained as well.
The Botanical Gardens are also worth a visit. The chocolate exhibit was disappointing but its carnivorous plants one was fun. Its regular exhibits are worth a look if you are into plants and environmental history and climates. I think younger players may have more fun running around the paths of plants but they do have exhibits geared towards kids.
You should check the National Gallery of Art for any rotating exhibits that may be of interest to you if you like history. They feature a lot of cultural exhibits that lean more into history than just art. This one is for the older players.
The Newseum was okay. It needs more than a single visit and is pretty much a lot of reading newspapers :frown:. Again, one for the older players.
There is the National Zoo but I haven't been there in a long time. However, near it is a little hidden away cage that houses a fault (it's a geology thing). But you've probably heard enough about the faults of DC
If you're into the club life, I hear there are various clubs in DC, which is where most people in the area go for a party. I've only heard things so i don't really know--I spend my nights studying, playing pokemon, and sleeping
. Metro runs late on Friday and Saturdays if you need to know :thumb:Definitely check out http://wmata.com/ to plan your travel. Those of us native to the area will complain about the metro system. Trains get delayed and rates are always changing so you will want to check for rates and delays. Bus drivers don't hesitate to leave a stop early and are unforgiving if you walk up a second late....
...Still, if you aren't scared off by my experience, take the Orange Line to Dunn Loring and get on the 28A bus to Tysons Corner Center if you haven't been there. However, in my opinion, it is just a big clothing collection of stores and I personally prefer Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax, accessible by taking the Orange Line to Vienna and getting on the 2B bus, because I think it has more specialty stores. A mall is a mall but I hear people drive 2 hours just to go to Tysons Corner so I figured I would point them out.
...Also, in Fairfax are a number of Civil War museums if you like history. Use the CUE Bus from Vienna Metro (Orange Line) to get into Fairfax, which also serves George Mason University.
...From Dunn Loring, you can also visit Vienna, Virginia, ranked #3 among the best towns to live but there isn't too much to see. I have a league there
. There is the Freeman Store & Museum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeman_Store_and_Museum_%28Vienna,_Virginia%29) if you're into Civil War history. It sells candy, but has weird hours of operation. If you're in the area late, Amphora is a 24-hour restaurant that is good to go when everything else is closed--places in Vienna and Fairfax generally close at 9PM. Fairfax has an additional restaurant tax that Vienna does not have, if that makes a difference for where you eat. You pay more for a McDouble in Fairfax than you do in Vienna :nonono:.Through Northern Virginia, if you are into geology, you can follow Difficult Run (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Difficult_Run) and see the knick point. Nothing too exciting, it's just a spot where the geology changes but it is important for Virginia geology. Get your picture with it to show you were there :smile:.
In Dulles is the Air & Space Museum's second location that houses more aviation-related exhibits. This isn't accessible by metro.
Further out (beyond Metro's reach) is Manassas Battlefield but that was an unexciting field with two houses and several cannons that messed with my $200+ compass--fortunately borrowed from the university--on my field mapping course field trip. More interesting is Skyline Caverns and even further is Luray Caverns. I have been to Skyline 3 times but haven't been to Luray. Skyline is the smaller one of the two and does have some things for kids, like a train ride and a big dinosaur to get a picture with. If the weather is hot, the caverns are a nice place to visit to cool off
.Up north in Baltimore, Maryland is the Baltimore Aquarium which is also a good place to visit. Maryland and DC loves its traffic cameras and the place is under constant construction so watch out :nonono:. Red-light cameras are used sparingly in Virginia (Falls Church and Fairfax).
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pokeMATHter
Active Member
I've been to DC for a couple of conferences. The one disappointing thing is that most of the Smithsonian museums close at 5:30 in the evening. After being in seminars all day, there was very little time to explore the exhibits. If you want to visit the sights, plan on a couple of extra days staying in the area - you likely won't be able to attend after the tournament. You can still see the monuments at night, but most of the federal buildings are closed.
ShadowCard
Active Member
That is true. I've attended a few lectures at the Air & Space Museum after close on Saturday. We get out about 7PM but because everything closes at 5:30, that part of the city was empty. Nothing and nobody around and a lot of the buildings look the same. Only a few restaurants. It is kind of spooky. I'm not used to that because places in northern Virginia are usually open to 9PM even on a Saturday.
Ness
Member
DC is one of my favorite cities. Not only is it filled with beautiful landmarks and a dozen museums, but many of them are free to visit, too. The city has an unmatched public transportation system; the Metro is made of five different train lines that run constantly all day across D.C., intersecting in the centralized downtown area.
My only complaint about D.C. is that because so much of the city runs on the 9-5 schedule, many restaurants (and even the museums) close early. But it really is a beautiful city, and I can't wait to return again in 2014.
My only complaint about D.C. is that because so much of the city runs on the 9-5 schedule, many restaurants (and even the museums) close early. But it really is a beautiful city, and I can't wait to return again in 2014.
Bolt
New Member
Are you sure unmatched is the right word?
Swordfish1989
New Member
lol, no kidding. If you want to talk about an unmatched public transportation system, go to Japan. The US can barely scrape by acceptable public transportation in 1 city at a time (NY, Atlanta, Washington DC); Japan can make an amazing and reliable system for an entire COUNTRY.
Physics Squirrel
Active Member
There's also the National Museum of the American Indian. There are a bunch of memorials throughout the city.
If you have access to a vehicle, I would recommend checking out the National Arboretum. It's large, and you can park anywhere in the park. Don't know what it's like getting to on public transport though.
If you have access to a vehicle, I would recommend checking out the National Arboretum. It's large, and you can park anywhere in the park
. Don't know what it's like getting to on public transport though.ShadowCard
Active Member
I forgot to mention, for anyone who is spiritually inclined, I'm more familiar with Northern Virginia but...
Vienna has 2 Baptist churches (Vienna Baptist and First Baptist) and there is also Capitol Baptist in the Falls Church area.
There are two Methodist churches in Oakton, 10 minutes from Vienna.
There is a Lutheran church in Falls Church on Leesburg Pike.
There are numerous Catholic churches in the area, 2 of them in Vienna, 2 of them in Fairfax, and 1 in Falls Church and some of them have late Sunday mass times. In Vienna, Our Lady of Good Counsel has a Sunday 5:30PM mass. In Fairfax, St. Robert Bellarmine Chapel at George Mason University has a Sunday 8:00PM mass. In DC, I see that Georgetown University currently has a Sunday 9:30PM mass. Check masstimes.org, there are plenty more just in DC.
Georgetown's campus ministry website, http://campusministry.georgetown.edu/, has more information on Jewish and Muslim faiths.
There should be a mosque around George Mason University in Fairfax, VA because they are active in campus ministry but I don't know where it is.
Vienna has 2 Baptist churches (Vienna Baptist and First Baptist) and there is also Capitol Baptist in the Falls Church area.
There are two Methodist churches in Oakton, 10 minutes from Vienna.
There is a Lutheran church in Falls Church on Leesburg Pike.
There are numerous Catholic churches in the area, 2 of them in Vienna, 2 of them in Fairfax, and 1 in Falls Church and some of them have late Sunday mass times. In Vienna, Our Lady of Good Counsel has a Sunday 5:30PM mass. In Fairfax, St. Robert Bellarmine Chapel at George Mason University has a Sunday 8:00PM mass. In DC, I see that Georgetown University currently has a Sunday 9:30PM mass. Check masstimes.org, there are plenty more just in DC.
Georgetown's campus ministry website, http://campusministry.georgetown.edu/, has more information on Jewish and Muslim faiths.
There should be a mosque around George Mason University in Fairfax, VA because they are active in campus ministry but I don't know where it is.
keniselvis
New Member
my only time to DC I REALLY wanted to see the Holocaust museum....uh....wow. Totally wrecked me. If you want to see it, and I encourage you to, see it as the last thing of your day.
I went to see it first thing...and was too depressed after to do anything else but go to my hotel room and cry.
Soooo...where are some cheap places to stay if we go out of the city?
I went to see it first thing...and was too depressed after to do anything else but go to my hotel room and cry.
Soooo...where are some cheap places to stay if we go out of the city?
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