In the pre-Internet, pre-Zoom days, my dad traveled almost weekly for work. He visited Washington, DC, a minimum of 12 times a year, so he could appear at the Court of International Trade. My mom and I traveled with him whenever my school schedule and her theatre performances would allow.
Some of my favorite childhood memories are of making the long bike ride from DC to Mount Vernon, picking strawberries in Virginia farms, and wandering various Smithsonian museums. It always seemed like DC overflowed with activity and wonder, and my experiences as an adult have only reinforced that perspective. Jamil and I have visited with friends and on our own. We’ve gone to fabulous parties in DC and met fascinating people. Every time we visit, it’s something new.
This year, when I was trying to plan a trip for us to take with my dad to resume our annual vacations, I had some pretty inflexible specifications. Since my dad ruptured his quadriceps tendon last year, he’s had a hard time walking; it got even worse when he got stuck in the elevator at his senior living community and tore one of the repair cords as he jumped out and landed with improper assistance. So, I had to find a destination that had a decent number of low-impact, minimal-mobility activities. I also wanted a place that went all out with Christmas decorations but didn’t have a ton of ice and snow on the ground. Finally, I wanted a place with great restaurants and nightlife that was a nonstop flight away. DC fit all the requirements — and going there with my dad would give Josephine the lifelong recollection of seeing her nation’s capital for the first time with him.
Here are the things I made sure to line up in advance:
- Hotel reservations at the Willard.
The Willard is deeply entrenched in American history. It’s where representatives from most of the states came together in April 1861 for a last-ditch attempt at peacemaking before the outbreak of the Civil War, and where General Pershing declared the creation of the military reserve forces. It’s also where the term “lobbyist” came into existence: interested parties would post up in the lobby at the Willard, waiting for Congressmen to stop in for drinks and a cigar, so they could get a word in to promote some cause or another. Of course, many other events took place there..
The lobby at the Willard still bustles with excitement, and the Christmas decorations are over the top. Sadly, however, the rooms aren’t as well maintained as I would like (yes, I am particular). But I can’t really complain because when I informed the hotel manager of the issues with our room, he upgraded us to the Presidential Suite (named after the original Mr. Willard), and that was lovely. It wasn’t an Asian hotel, but it was really nice.
Even with the issues, I think I would stay there again (if my goal was to see monuments and museums) because the location was unbeatable. We literally walked across the street to the Washington Monument and the White House, and within a few blocks, we were at fantastic restaurants in Penn Quarter. Plus, you really feel immersed in the Capital scene, which is magnificent.
- Golf cart tour of the monuments with WeVenture.
A good friend told us about golf cart tours in DC, and I am SO glad we listened to him. We did about 3 hours with a guide named Reggie, who was absolutely wonderful. He knew SO much history, and gave us all kinds of insights — about the development of DC as a city, about important historical figures, some of whom we’d never heard of before, and the monuments themselves.
For instance, did you know that the original city planner, L’Enfant, abandoned his work in Washington because he wanted greater control over the development of the city, thinking the Founding Fathers would beg for his return? They might have, if his assistant planner, an African American named Benjamin Banniker hadn’t possessed a photographic memory. Banniker redrew the plans and took over the remaining work on the city.
Also, did you know that the statue of Thomas Jefferson in the Jefferson Memorial was originally made of clay painted to look like iron because the building was completed during World War II, when all available iron was being used for the war effort? They didn’t get a cast iron statue until well after the war ended!
Oh, and did you know that if you show up at 8:45 in front of the Washington Monument, you can get day-of tickets to travel to the top of the obelisk and see the mall from that inimitable vantage point?
I am telling you, the hits literally kept on coming. It was so worthwhile. And we even did it on a 35-degree day in the rain. Ask for Reggie. He’s incredible.
- Tickets to see A Christmas Carol at Ford’s Theater.
Many will remember that Lincoln was assassinated at Ford’s Theater while watching Our American Cousin. Today, the box where Booth snuck in to commit the most reviled murder in our country’s history is still cordoned off, but you can see performances at the theater.
Each year, Ford’s Theater takes great pride in its production of A Christmas Carol, and Washington in the winter has such an old-world feel that it felt perfect to see something Dickensian. I planned for us to go to the 7:30 showing and then have dinner at Rasika afterwards. Rasika is an innovative, crisp, modern Indian restaurant that stays open late, and I knew Josephine and my dad would love it.
And love Rasika they did! But we’ll have to see A Christmas Carol another year! Around 2:30PM, I checked whether I needed to download tickets for the show. It was then that I learned I had made a terrible mistake. I bought tickets for the 2:00PM matinee, not the 7:30PM evening show! What a bone head. So yeah, we missed the show.
But we still had great Indian food!
- Dinner reservations at Filomena.
Filomena is a culinary institution in DC. It’s located in Georgetown, and it is one of the most festive, fun restaurants in the US. The decorations for Christmas are astonishing, they go SO overboard. You totally should come at this time of year for the visual experience alone!
The food comes in gigantic quantities. We got two appetizers and three main courses for the table, and it was way more than we could eat, so don’t order too much! Besides, you’ll want to leave room for dessert because their desserts are all made in-house and are over-the-top delicious.
If you’re coming to Filomena, be sure to make a reservation!!! This place is packed to the gills!
So those were the big plans (and clearly the show fell through). Everything else, we really played by ear, but you did need tickets for some museums (even though the tickets were free).
Here’s where we visited:
- Library of Congress (needed tickets): It’s so beautiful. You should go even if you don’t intend to go into the library itself to do any research. But if you do want to enter the research library, it’s only open a few hours out of the day. Look before you schedule because you don’t want to miss it.
- National Archives (needed tickets): This was one of the coolest things to see with my dad. Can you believe that this was his first time visiting the Archives?! He’s been to DC countless times, and yet he never popped over to take a look at the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, or Bill of Rights (not to mention the Magna Carta)! He was mesmerized, especially because they give you such interesting insights into how the documents were written and because the handwriting is literally so perfect. This visit doesn’t have to take long, but it’s so worth it.
- Smithsonian Air & Space Museum (needed tickets): You know, this museum is cool, but it doesn’t thrill me like it does some other people. Our favorite parts were seeing the Wrights’ first flyer and looking at the setups of old passenger planes to see how luxurious they once were — oh, and the old stewardess costumes were also pretty awesome, and so fashionable!
- Museum of American History (no tickets): I could spend all day here. And maybe someday I will. I never get tired of reading about our nation’s history or of hearing about the railroads and Route 66. I love looking at each First Lady’s china and inauguration dress. I watched every single video about life in the White House. We had a couple of hours here, and it simply wasn’t enough (and I’ve been there probably ten times).
- The International Spy Museum (needed tickets — these cost money): This is one of the most astonishing museums ever. It’s right up there with the Louisiana Museum in Denmark, the Soanes Museum in London, and the Lobkowicz Palace in Prague for being a barrel of surprises. There are so many activities and exhibits, it’ll blow your mind. In our group, the ages range from eight to 83, and I can safely say that we were all intrigued. I mean, where else can you see ball point pens that fire arrows or bugging devices from the American Embassy in Moscow? And it goes on and on and on. We were there for so long, but I still felt like I missed a ton. I will be back!
Overall, we had a wonderful time in DC with my dad. He’s a difficult dude to travel with, but this was probably the easiest place to go with him, aside from Watercolor or perhaps a cruise (we’ll see — that’s our next adventure with him, I think).
