The pizza place on 7th is District of Pi. S2 and I recommend it.
Phillips at the Inner Harbor is a tourist trap. We went once and were very, very sorry.
Baltimore Aquarium is good; you may need timed entry tickets, so check in advance.
I could spend weeks on the Mall in DC.
@deb922: Check out the National Harbor, www.nationalharbor.com. I haven’t been there yet, but others who’ve been there can.
…can offer his/her experience/opinion.
National Harbor seems best for someone with multiple days to explore things and needs a break from museums, gardens, etc. It is mostly hotels, shops, restaurants, a casino.
Hillwood in DC is very interesting- home and gardens of Marjorie Merriwether Post. Also not mentioned yet- the National Building Museum. You’ve gotten some great suggestions for things to do in both cities . Have fun!
It is a bit out of the way, but as it will be spring, the National Arboretum is a lovely place to wander.
Along with some family who have not been to DC, I will be there in May as well. I looked at the evening walking tours, and thought that we could do that as a group. The cost certainly adds up however, and as some of us know the area, could do it ourselves. Question, given the issue above, how safe is the mall in the evening?
It’s safe, IMO. Plenty of people around.
If you really want to see the AA museum, you can buy a ticket with a tour company that includes admission into the museum:
https://www.viator.com/tours/Washington-DC/African-American-History-Tour/d657-6349P19
Not sure if this is any good but it’s an idea.
I agree with so many of the above posters about planning your day well. The Mall is actually quite large. I have my favorite DC places and that does include the National Portrait Gallery and the Museum of American Art, the National Gallery especially the East Wing and the nice cafeteria/restaurant between the two buildings. The American History Museum, the monuments and if you have not been to DC before, I also recommend the National Archives to see the founding documents plus the archives themselves. When we were last in DC the new African-American History museum had recently opened and we got there around 10:00 on a Sunday morning, maybe earlier and received stand-by tickets. When we got inside, there was a 45 minute wait for the history exhibits downstairs so we focused instead on the arts, culture, sports, etc. Building itself is stunning. The Archives had on display an extensive civil rights exhibit so it complimented the new museum quite well. The Newseum is another favorite but that takes a good deal of time, it is however outstanding as is the Holocaust Museum.
The mall has always had lots of people when we’ve been there, at least until 10pm. We weren’t out after that, so no idea if it gets very dangerous late at night, but generally the tourists are out and about until around then.
2 places in Baltimore made this list
https://www.coastalliving.com/travel/top-10/best-crab-cake-usa
Skip National Harbor, it is horrible. But recently redone in DC is the Wharf and it is hopping. And you can walk there from the mall (long walk) or metro/uber. Concert venue (Anthem) shops, spendy restaurant scene and lots of fun to wander around.
Thanks for the bump! Things have changed a bit. We’ve expanded our visit by 2 days and cut out the visit to Baltimore. Decided to spend the entire time in DC. Baltimore seemed like a weak link and there is so much to do in DC that we are going to concentrate our visit there.
Thanks!
Also we were able to get both a White House and a Capital visit in.
DH and I just got back from DC as a mystery destination trip. Since we didn’t know where we were going until the morning of the trip, we couldn’t go to anything that needed advance tickets. There is so much to do there anyway! Library of Congress tour, Newseum, walking the mall and monuments, walking through Georgetown. Bonus - I have been baking my way through the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook and was delighted to find Momofuku recently opened in DC - got to compare the professionally made treats to my homemade ones!
How fun @fireflyscout, a mystery trip!
So how do your homemade treats compare?
This trip has had more twists and turns.
Last minute change, H can’t come. So I booked a flight and honestly everything is going to be great.
I do have a question. Can I take an Uber from DCA to downtown or do I need to take a taxi? I’m bringing an extra suitcase so I feel I’ll be able to take the metro.
Honestly I think it is way easier to take a cab from DCA. No waits and no looking for your car.