Quote:
Originally Posted by FlyMIA
Also if you want to take a tour of the capitol to save a lot of waiting time give your member of congress a call and ask them to schedule you a tour.
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Just wanted to note, you can actually reserve a ticket to tour the Capitol online. I did it this past fall for some visiting relatives.
Book a Tour
For the White House or Pentagon you'll still have to bug your congressman for a few months (Pentagon's easier).
As far as what else to do, you can easily fill up a weekend doing just museums and monuments. I'd definitely spend a day doing the monuments, and then pick and choose what museums you'd be most interested in. The Smithsonians are all free, which is really nice. The Newseum is also supposed to be very good (I've never been, but my roommate has gone 2-3 times). Restaurants will really depend on your personal taste, but there's plenty all around. If you get a chance, go to Ben's Chili Bowl on U Street for a chili half smoke. Ethiopian food is also very popular, with several good places on U Street as well.
You definitely don't need a car. Most people I know living in DC don't even have them, you'd just end up paying $30-40/day to park. Just try to get a hotel near a Metro station. Places near Metro Center and Chinatown will be very convenient and right in the middle of everything. Arlington is also close (Rosslyn, Courthouse, Pentagon City, Crystal City), as is Alexandria. Old Town Alexandria is definitely a nice area to wander around, whether you stay down there or not.