Travel

Wife and I skied both Jackson Hole and Grand Targhee years ago. Jackson is known for its monstrous vertical drop (4,000', highest in the U.S.) whereas Grand Targhee is a small resort that's famous for its deep powder. Jackson is mostly expert terrain and has very little in the way of intermediate cruisers. They do have a beginner area that for most is too easy. Meanwhile Targhee can be difficult for intermediate skiers because the powder is often TOO deep.

One fun thing we did to take a break from skiing was to rent snowmobiles for a day to explore Yellowstone. Nothing challenging about that as you had to stay on the roads, but still we found it super fun. Not sure they allow this anymore though...

On that same trip we also spent a day at Big Sky and liked the skiing there better than either Jackson or Targhee as it was more to our intermediate/single black ski level.

Any of those that spent time in Southern Utah do any utv riding? We are heading to St. George Utah the entire month of March. I have spent time in the National Parks and quite a few golf courses in the area but have never gone trail riding. We have a Polaris side by side we are going to bring with. I've looked online but any insight would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

My in-laws got the Mountain Collective Pass and both resorts are on there, as well as Big Sky. So we are thinking of joining them for a couple days and 2 days at each. We are bringing out kids too (2 and 4), so will spend some time on the greens and teaching them. We went to Bridger last year and have done Big Sky, but thanks for the info about the terrain. We are leaning towards Griggs/Victor and driving over to Jackson for two days of skiing.

I have been to Zion twice, both times in October. Weather was great - 60's to low 70's and it wasn't crowded at all. I would also second the comment someone made about buying beer before you get to Utah. A lot of it that's available is lower alcohol content, poor selection, and expensive.

Springdale is a good point to stay for Zion. You are right there at the main entrance and there are hotels, restaurants, and a grocery store. They have a bus/trolley system that takes you from Springdale into the park.

Yeah, not only does the trolley run from town to the park, but it also goes to the other end of town and drops off at the restaurants. We really liked Springdale. There's really only one street.

I am currently set to go to Hawaii in March, the hotel I am staying at has told me masks required at the outdoor pool,might have cancel

Was the requirement at Disneyworld too (were there the week after Christmas). We just skipped the pool. But we did have to wear masks indoors/outdoors the entire time at Disneyworld and Universal. It wasn't that big of a deal.

Getting a tan would look stupid

I'm at a point in life where I don't care if I look stupid

This is why we postponed our Disney and Universal trip last summer. We are currently booked to do it this summer but we will likely move it again. Wearing a mask in Florida summer heat is not appealing at all & frankly we don’t think the experience will be anything like pre COVID at this time

Our family is pretty hard core when it comes to Disneyworld (we have been many times and we are the people that are lined up 1 hour before they open).

I can see the part about Florida heat and the mask. Yeah probably more annoying. When we went after Christmas highs were in the 70s so the mask wasn't a big deal. For us, we normally would never go to Disneyworld after Christmas since it's probably the busiest time of year there - in a normal year. FYI - MEA break in October is a great time to go to Disneyworld where the crowds aren't too bad and the weather isn't super hot.

Disneyworld is currently running at 35% capacity though, so the crowds were minimal. The biggest difference right now is that there are no fast passes (but since there is only 35% capacity, the lines were tolerable for the most part). There are no scheduled parades or character greetings, so if you have little kids that may take some fun out of it. The restaurants are at limited capacity too and no buffets. But again, since the park is only at 35% capacity, it's not hard to get into a restaurant.

So I would say if you have little kids or it's your first time to go to Disneyworld, I'd wait til the Covid stuff is over. If you're like us and do Disney a lot and have older kids, it's a great time to go. We also got a really good deal on airfare and hotel.

Disney Springs (the old downtown Disney) has a mask mandate too and there were wait times to get into some of the stores, but restaurants weren't bad to get into.

Universal does things a little differently - they are not at full capacity but I don't think they have published what they are running at. They have this weird system that once they hit a certain number, they shut down the park to new people for the day (unless you're staying at a Universal resort). We were leaving Islands of Adventure around 11AM and they were making the announcement that the parks were full for the day. There were lots of disappointed people outside the gates.

Disney right now you have to have a reservation at a specific park for the day your are going. If you don't have a reservation you can't get in. But we had no problem getting a reservation for the parks we wanted and we didn't book our trip til about 3 weeks out.

Right - our kids are 10 & 2. The trip last summer was more about Universal since she’s into everything Harry Potter but we were going to spend a few days at DIsney as well.

We aren’t hardcore Disney people but we have been a number of times and done two cruises. I joke my wife is a junior member of the Disney Cult. I actually love the parades, nighttime shows etc because that is what really differentiates them from other amusement parks.

We do want to see the Christmas and Halloween stuff at Disney though because we’ve heard it’s pretty cool

The Halloween stuff would definitely be there if you went MEA. The Christmas stuff is cool too. We went one year at the beginning of December and they had all the Christmas stuff up and avoided the crowds that way. We've never gone in the summer due to the crowds and heat/humidity.

I'm not a huge Universal fan. Harry Potter world at both parks is amazing, but the rest of Universal is pretty blah for me. I'm just not that into simulator rides and that's what a lot of Universal is. We basically just went to Universal because my daughter is a huge Harry Potter fan. I actually thought about taking my son fishing that day but by the time I thought of it my wife had already bought our Universal tickets so we were stuck.

We chose to go to Disneyworld over MEA in 2019 because we were told it isn't that busy. It was so incredibly busy. Hours long lines. The only way we were able to get on rides was due to our staying on site and having fast pass access. I've loved Space Mountain since I first rode it in 5th grade. I went back once in High School and the ride was closed for reconstruction (Wally World Moment to say the least). When we went in 2019 I could only ride it once since the line was sooo long. Major bummer.

I can't imagine the viral fumes in the waiting lines for some of these rides.

Believe it or not, October is considered a lower crowd time. So you can just imagine what it looks like in the summer, Christmas, or spring break. You have to be a pro at managing fast passes to get on the good rides, luckily my wife is really good at it. That's the other reason we show up an hour before the parks open. You can usually ride 2 or 3 popular rides first thing in the morning before the lines are super long.

Regarding the viral fumes - masks are mandatory at all times (except "eating or drinking while stationary") so assuming masks work, it should be fine (and Disney definitely enforces the mask rule - there was 99.9% compliance). I was more worried about the airplane than Disney in terms of catching Covid. Definitely no worse than eating out in a restaurant here right now, where people don't have masks on at all. Disney also has parties spaced 6 feet apart in line and has some plexiglass barriers set up where the queue lines run parallel to each other. I was super impressed by the precautions they had in place.

We went over Spring Break a few years ago and never waited more than 30 minutes in a line except for when Big Thunder broke down once. Even the longer ones were the slow runners like Peter Pan

I told my wife after that week that if she gets tired of being a CPA she can consult for people wanting to visit Disney efficiently. I was blown away by the plan she had to allow us to do everything we wanted and still have some flexibility. She did it despite it feeling like Saturday afternoon at the State Fair everywhere we went.

We’ve talked about MEA but I think the next time we go will be the week prior to Labor Day. Everywhere we’ve gone that week hasn’t been very crowded because school is just starting in most places. Yes it’s hot as Hades but we will just spend time at the pools or indoors in the dead of afternoon.

I have always heard that Super Bowl day and weekend is a great time to go to Disney World. (When the SB is out of state)

I am sure there are busier times but with the Stars Wars rides having recently opened MEA 2019 was very, very busy. I think the wait for Avatar was 3.5 to 4 hours. My friend was there the week before and the lines were less than half.

We’re doing Disney in March. We’re relatively frequent visitors but haven’t been since 2016. Looking forward to getting back even in the current environment. Just getting out of state to warm weather will be a thrill.

Probably not a bad idea. The middle of January and February (not on the holiday weekends though) are probably some of the best times to go to Disneyworld in terms of crowd levels.

We went to Disneyworld once in late January and crowds weren't too bad, but it was during the polar vortex and only 2 of the days we were there (in 1 week) even got into the 70's. We had a couple mornings in the 30's. Most days the highs were in the upper 50's to low 60's.

Some of the new rides are amazing, especially Rise of the Resistance at Hollywood Studios and Avatar Flight of Passage at Animal Kingdom.

Epcot is kind of torn up under construction right now so if you are going to skip a park, that would be my suggestion (and we normally love Epcot).

We were there MEA 2019 too. I have been on the Avatar ride a few times. That's one where if you get to the park before it opens, you can head straight to the ride and get right on with no wait. Then we'd ride it again later in the day with a fast pass. Yes it sucks waking up at 5 AM so you can do certain rides, but we usually don't stay very late at the parks.

Same thing works for the Star Wars rides.

The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was the same. We got a Fast Pass and my daughter loved it so much but the wait times were 3 hours. We figured out if you get on the busses that take you for the Park Breakfast events you could get there early enough and beeline to it. We had a 5 minute wait going in but by the time we got out it was 60 minutes already.

Toy Story Mania was the same way. My wife and I went by ourselves a few years ago and the after close Magic Hours made it really easy to get on. I killed my arms though after doing it 6 times in about 40 minutes

How in the heck do you wait hours on end multiple times a day for one ride, especially with kids? That seems like a miserable experience - with or without kids!

Well, the answer for us is, we don't. We go in when the park opens, ride those rides and maybe go back later with a fast pass (wait time less than 15 minutes) and that's it. The longest I've ever waited for a ride is 45 minutes and that's very rare. If you manage the fast passes well, you shouldn't have to wait those kinds of times for rides.

Our typical Disney days were get to the park an hour before they open (even when we had the early entrance if staying at a Disney resort) and do stuff til 1 or 2pm. Then take a break and relax (naps when our kids were younger, or naps for me regardless). Sometimes we'd eat a late lunch/early dinner off site so it wasn't as expensive and then we'd head back to the parks at night for a few more hours. Sometimes we'd switch parks for the 2nd one.

It also helps to use touringplans.com to help you choose which parks on which day to go to based off crowd levels. They will also help you plan your day out strategically to reduce your wait times.

If you just go in and "wing it" you will probably have long wait times.

I’ve never understood this either. It’s the same thing with the princess meets as well. We’d see lines of people and my daughter would say “that’s ok let’s go do something else because I don’t want to wait in line”

The only time that didn’t happen was when Big Thunder broke down while we were in line. The wait time was 25 minutes when we entered but it broke down about halfway into that wait. I suggested we go because the line didn’t move but she was practically in tears because she loved the ride and wanted to wait it out, so we waited it out.

We just really try to set expectations before we go on a trip anywhere. We’ve found if we do that it works really well and she can be flexible.

This is exactly what we did on our Spring Break trip. Touringplans is an absolute steal for the money when you think about how much time it saves you

I presume a fast pass is something you pay extra for that lets you cut lines? So what happens when everyone else does that too - or do they have a cap on how many per day?

Anyone can get fast passes. They are free. If you stay in a Disney resort you can reserve fast passes 60 days in advance. If you're not in a Disney resort you can only reserve 30 days in advance. But a lot of them you will just pick up during the day while you're in the park.

You can only hold 3 advance fast passes at a time but as you use them up you can pick up more. You manage it through an app and then you have an electronic wristband that identifies you (you scan it when you enter the park and when you go on a fast pass line).

Universal is different. You have to pay a ridiculous amount of money for their express ride system (depending on the day, it can cost almost as much as your park ticket) or stay at one of their ultra expensive resorts that includes that already. It ended up being cheaper for us to stay at the expensive resort (for our family of 4) rather than buy individual express passes. But we only did it for one night and then we switched to a much cheaper Disney resort.

Where do you like to stay at Disney? We’ve really liked Port Orleans for the price.

Sadly our friends who were Cast Members got let go. I don’t think they are going back so our discounted hotel spigot dried up.

We have stayed at the Swan Hotel twice. The location is awesome. You can walk or take a boat to Epcot and Hollywood studios (when you walk or take the boat to Epcot from the Swan you can actually enter the park near the France Pavillion - it's a separate entrance). We paid under $200 a night on our recent trip so it's pretty reasonable. It's also right next door to the Boardwalk and Yacht Club resorts which are high-end Disney resorts, but you can still use their restaurants and shops. The Swan is not owned by Disney but is on Disney property and has all the perks of a Disney resort. It just isn't decorated like a Disney resort inside. I think the Swan has become our go-to resort we'll stay at. It's hard to beat the combo of price, location, and perks.

We've stayed at Wilderness Lodge. Great location, cool resort, but the rooms are pretty ordinary. Also somewhat expensive. We just did part of our trip there one time because of the price.

We have also twice stayed at the Sheraton Vistana resort (booked through Costco). If you want space, this is the way to go. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, washer/dryer, living room and full kitchen. Downside is it's not a Disney resort so you don't get any early entrance to the parks.

My wife and daughter did a girls trip and stayed at the Contemporary and they said it was amazing. Can walk right up to Magic Kingdom. We wouldn't normally stay there because it's like $700 a night. My wife had a room booked at Coronado, but this was right after the NBA was done using Coronado (October 2020) and Disney didn't have Coronado ready yet, so they let my wife and daughter stay at the Contemporary at the price of the Coronado. Pretty lucky for them.

When we were younger and on more of a budget we also stayed at some regular hotels and those worked too, but definitely weren't as fun.

We did take the boat up to Port Orleans from Disney Springs once so we could eat beignets there. Looks like a nice area.

Part of me is with Cowgirl, I think the idea of having to tackle an amusement park like it’s a freakin’ NASA mission is painful. Plotting your day of rides on a spreadsheet sounds exhausting and joyless. I get that Disney has made themselves a juggernaut, and with kids it’s hard to escape their clutches, but no thank you, it’s become too big and too crowded.

I went to Disneyland as a kid, back when there really were E tickets (loved it) and once as an adult with a wedding group. I’d never go back.

I agree it's not for everyone. For our family though, we are not the types that can sit at a pool or on the beach for more than about an hour without getting bored. We went to an all-inclusive in Puerto Vallarta a few years ago and spent most of the day adventuring and hardly any time at the resort. Probably didn't get our money's worth of "free" food and beverage but it was more fun for us to go out and about.

I think Disney sounds more daunting than it is though. If you do a little research it can go a long way. No different than if you were planning a camping or hiking trip.

Oh absolutely, some people love it. Now I could sit by the pool all damn day with a book and an umbrella drink :dup: But we don’t have kids so that’s a huge factor. I don’t manage my husbands time on vacation, I can’t imagine entertaining a whole family!

It is going to be pretty hard to justify Disney resort prices when travelling resumes. We are Disney fanatics, used to go often. But it is getting harder and harder as prices skyrocket there while our wages have been stagnant, even decreasing with inflation for the last 3 years.

It depends on when you go, pre-kids we went in Mid-September. No planning required, most things were walk-on. We would just walk around and if it was a less than 20 minute wait, we hopped in line. I can see needing a plan for Xmas or mid-summer when everyone is going.

For those that aren't away Extra Magic Hours are gone as of last week (disappeared when then first re-opened, and Disney formally announced they arent coming back). And Disney's Magical Express ("Free" shuttle from MCO to Disney resorts) is ending at the end of the year as well.

As Disney has made more and more ticketed events, and more and more people purchased tickets, they have discovered they can charge for anything and everything and people will pay.

Look for Fast Pass+ to be an item for purchase in the near future (Fast Passes also haven't reappeared since they re-opened). And plenty of people will pay, just like at most other resorts (Universal, Cedar Fair, Six Flags, etc.) There are arguments that Fast Passes make lines artificially longer, so maybe it will be for the best.

Disney used to be for everyone, but it is being priced out of many people's range very quickly. I could go on for a bit, but I will lay off.

Disney has replaced the Extra Magic Hour at a select park each day with 30 minute early entrance an any park you want. So less time, but more choice in where you use it each day.

We haven't ever had to pay for a ticket aside from the Halloween treat, which we have done twice at Disneyland, but never at Orlando. I don't know of a ton of other ticketed events. The first time we did Halloween treat it was at California Adventure and we had a blast. It was worth it. The 2nd time it was at Disneyland and we didn't have as much fun.

Cutting out the bus from the airport I am sure is a cost cutting measure due to the huge losses they are taking due to Covid. I wouldn't be shocked if that came back once things are back to normal. We've never used that bus though since we always have a rental car. Disney is keeping bus service from resort to resort.

I really hope Disney never goes the route of Universal and makes you pay for Fast Pass. That would be disappointing.

They've been letting people into the parks early for years, that isn't a new perk. We used to be "rope-droppers" many mornings, and getting in 30-45 mintues early was common. Nothing everything was up and running yet, but usually a couple big rides and several small rides.

Early Morning Magic (morning, open to everyone) WAS a ticketed ($$) event, separate from Extra Magic Hours (Evening only, and WDW Resort guest only, "Free") I am guessing that EMM as a ticketed event is done with the new announcement.

A few years ago they started charging for paying for parking at the resorts as well.

There is Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween (Magic Kingdom), Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (Magic Kingdom), Disney After Hours (Magic Kingdom, might be getting axed as well I would guess), Star Wars Galactic Nights (Hollywood Studios). I know that Halloween and Christmas parties they shut down Magic Kindgom early (around 6pm), and while they don't kick you out - You can no longer get on any rides. While not a deal breaker, is frustrating.

Another, not ticketed event per se but ticket none the less, is more and more areas for fireworks viewing within the parks, Magic Kingdom, in particular have been sectioned off and require purchasing a ticket from Disney to sit there and watch fireworks. There is usually an added benefit such as food/drinks/kids light-up-toy, whatever.

Disney also has been adding to the "Friendly neighbor Resorts" that got nearly all the perks of staying on-property. Which mean more and more people could use the Extra Magic hours.

Disney is expensive, renting a car saved us a few hundred each trip which helped justify the cost. Renting a car means $15-$25/day parking (depending where you stay). So a week long stay is what $150-$200 to rent a car plus $100-$175 in parking fees at the resorts.

The phrasing Disney used in the announcement did not seem to hint at, or leave open the option of it returning. Due to the options available to guests... It used to be a way to keep people on property and prevent them from spending money elsewhere. But with the ease of Uber/Lyft and other options to go off-site for Dinner, head to Universal for a day, etc. Disney is no longer seeing the same "bang for the buck" as they did. However it was baked into the cost of the room, and resort prices aren't going down. Baggage service had already been suspended since they originally shut down, hadn't resumed (and isn't likely to resume), and Air Port check-in is gone as well.

Every February, Disney also announces their theme park ticket increase, and we all know it is coming again.

In 2012 we went for a week, the start of us going regularly, and it was just the 2 of us, and it was less than $2,000 - park tickets, lodging on site (Pop Century), food, flights, everything. It wasn't terrible. Our tickets were $260 each for 6 days. Lodging was around $90/night at Pop Century.

We have been planning to take our daughter next year when she is 5, and it is looking like a nearly $5,000 trip to stay on property.

Disney certainly isn't alone in this. We were going to do Yellowstone and Tetons this past June for a week (before it was cancelled) and that was going to be $4,400 because they have you by the short hairs with lodging.

I'm partially just bitter because in the last 3 years, I have received a 2.2% raise, 0% raise, and then a 5% deduction, and my wife got a 1.5% raise, 0.75% raise, and a 0% raise. While our cost have increased much much more, daycare has risen 8%, 6% and 11%... Vacations are becoming fewer and further between, and Disney has become less and less of a discussion point in our house.

Taking away DME isn't a back breaker, and if I cannot afford to spend $120 on a few ubers to and from the airport, I really cannot afford the trip to Disney anyway. We are just disappointed at the amount of Disney Magic that has continually disappeared.

FastPass+ was already tested as a paid add-on. Guests in Concierge Level rooms had the option of purchasing 3 (or maybe more, but at least 3) Extra Fast Passes for $75/guest not too long ago. Apparently most people we buying the add-on, which was chump change if you were staying in a concierge level room. So I do think it isn't that far off, where it will be just like Orlando. MaxPass is already a paid option ($20/ticket/day) at Disneyland. I'd bet money it is coming soon to WDW.

All of this is very much a first world problem, we are very fortunate to still have jobs, income, and health.

I still remember that my wife wanted to go to DisneyWorld a couple years before we got married and before we had kids. To stay at a mid tier resort for a week with everything (this was 2007 or 2008) was more expensive than a 17 day trip through Thailand. We went there instead.

Nothing at Disney is cheap these days including the cruises. We have no intention of doing them every year but we will probably take our 2 year old a couple times in the future. We may even do another cruise with them but I agree they are beginning to get really pricey. I have friends that go but they treat it as their big vacation every 3-4 years because it’s difficult for them to afford

Edit: I just saw they’re cancelling all annual passes now too and not offering them anymore

On the same vein we looked at going to one of the waterparks in the Dells when our kids were younger. Looked at the prices, laughed, and booked flights a week in Florida for instead - Key West & Melbourne Beach. We chose.....wisely!

Thank god my kids weren't into Disney and never asked to go. I can't imagine how many thousands of dollars that saved us. They're 13 and 11 now, so I think I'm in the clear.

For us, when we have compared Disney to other "luxury" or destination trips (Mexico, Europe, etc.), the prices were pretty comparable or even cheaper. Airfare to Orlando is cheap (we've always flown for under $300), hotels are cheap if you want them to be (although you can spend a lot if you want), rental cars are cheap. The only thing that really gets you is the ticket price. Yes, a Disney trip will cost more than going to Chicago or the Dells. I do view Disney as a luxury trip that is in a different category than your average family vacation. For our family we are lucky enough to be in a position where we can take a big trip every 1 or 2 years.

We stayed recently at the Swan hotel for $180 a night (maybe $205 with a resort fee). We have never done a Disney dining plan and I know you can spend a ton of money on those if you want. We only eat a few meals on Disney property. Otherwise we buy food at Target and eat breakfast at the hotel and then eat dinner off site. Aside from the Halloween treat we've never done any extra ticketed events and really never felt the need to. Many hotels in big cities these days charge for parking, so I guess I don't see that as just a Disney issue. If you are staying at a Disney resort you don't have to pay for parking at the parks, so at least you're not double paying (even the Swan hotel gave us that perk). Our airfare for our recent trip was under $300 total for 4 people (flyer miles and vouchers paid for most of it).

We were supposed to go to Europe last summer but it got canceled due to Covid. That was going to be super expensive when you add up the airfare and the ridiculous lodging rates ($250-400 a night in most cities we were going to). I'm sure food isn't cheap in Europe either. Now granted, I'm not trying to compare Disney to the same experience as Europe (for me Europe is probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing). But even an all-inclusive in Mexico is typically the same or more expensive than Disney for us because the airfare and hotel in Mexico is so much more expensive that it ends up equalizing out with the Disney park tickets.

Even taking a family trip to Duluth is a fortune these days....over $300 a night for a room in Canal Park in the summer.

I was looking at VRBOs in northern MN for a fishing trip with my son for next summer and everything is over $300 a night for that too (so I didn't book it). Trips are expensive!

It’s a lot easier to plan around peak times and expensive airfare or lodging when you don’t have to worry about school schedules. I mentioned Thailand earlier but we also ended up in Mendoza Argentina one year because it was cheaper in May than a week in Napa Valley/Sonoma.

I think Disney is a little more expensive than other vacation hotspots but I’m not sure it’s too over the top for the experience you get. They are very good at entertaining and being able to be very kid centric while giving adults a fun time as well. I’m not an every year Disney person but I like going there every few years. My wife and I have gone to DisneyWorld once by ourselves too for a long weekend and had a blast. There are ways to do Disney where it’s not ridiculously expensive though too as others have mentioned

Part of the reason we go on our summer vacation the last week before Labor Day is because it’s not really peak season anymore in a lot of places. We generally save some on lodging but there are more options and the attractions are basically empty. I know cost is a big consideration for many people but staying away from peak times is always a way to help mitigate cosr

Very true for a lot of places. That's why we almost always travel MEA week. When we went to Puerto Vallarta we went on MEA because the resort was half the price it would be at Christmas or spring break.

You can also avoid crowds at National Parks by traveling at off peak times like MEA.

My old boss went every year to Disney and brought both her kids. Based on her personality, I doubt they do much else for trips and was their one big trip, but the prices are kind of nuts when you start adding it all together and I don't know I would enjoy it every year. THe kids were younger and wouldn't really appreciate it as much.

My wife and I want to visit Washington DC once COVID settles down and attractions start to reopen (like the Smithsonian). There is so much to see in DC so I'm wondering what the must-see sites should be on our first visit?

As long as you fully understand that it's a "first visit" it's hard to go wrong. Back in 2009 for the Frozen Four, I spent a full week in DC and, even accounting for a day and a half dedicated to hockey, still only felt like I scratched the surface.

The simplest answer is the Tomb of the Unknown Solider. Outside of that, it really depends on your particular interests.

I really need to plan for another week in DC sometime here.

I sadly didn’t make it to Arlington the only time I was there. It’s at the top of the list for my next trip

As Steve said it depends on your interests but the Air and Space museum to me what a must. The whole Mall area itself with the WWII and Vietnam Memorials, Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Memorial (among many other things is worth a couple days.

We couldn’t get tickets to go in the White House or Bureau of Engraving so that was a bit disappointing. We did get a tour of the Capitol though and I found it really interesting. Hopefully they’ll continue to do those in light of recent events

- There are a handful of monuments at night are spectacular. You can do a nice loop starting at the Lincoln memorial then swing over to Korean, MLK, FDR, then a quick walk around the tidal pool to Jefferson. You will notice a the Jefferson Memorial they keep the trees clear so Tom can keep an eye on The White House, one of my favorite things is sitting on the steps of the memorial with that view.

- Look for Kilroy a the WWII memorial!

- The Einstein sculpture near the Vietnam Memorial is pretty cool

- The "Exorcist Steps" in Georgetown are cool - that entire area is a neat walking destination

- When at Arlington make sure to visit the Lee House - No better view of DC - and seeing the early Civil War graves right at Mrs, Lee's rose garden is sombering

- Also at Arlington, Lee Marvin and Joe Louis are buried (IIRC) close to the path leading to the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier

- There is only one DaVinci piece in the US for public viewing, it's in the National Gallery

- CRABCAKES!

My wife and I plan on visiting DC hopefully within this decade, probably after G-man finishes his post-secondary education in 4-6 years. She has been there twice for work and the one place that made the biggest impact on her was the Holocaust Museum. Everyone that has been to that has said the same thing. The top two on my list is the Vietnam Wall and the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

I’ve been a regular visitor to DC for many years, both my husband and I had separate conferences (fall and spring) so I went for 3-4 days twice a year.

I’d look at the various museums and pick ONE a day. They are massive. And don’t try and see every exhibit or display, pick a selection that interests you. All the museums have their rotating exhibits online so you can see what’s new. I love the Air and Space, American History, the Native American museum is wonderful. I haven’t seen the new African one, tickets were still hard to come by. I love the Renwick, which focuses on craft. 2 years ago they had art from Burning Man that was fantastic. Last year it was Native American Women artists, both traditional and contemporary. It’s small and very do-able in an hour or two. Contact one of our Senators to get White House tour tickets, you have to have those arranged ahead of time. The Lincoln memorial and the path around the Tidal Basin is a wonderful walk. If been very lucky to be there for the cherry blossoms, but anytime of year is a nice. Arlington is at least a half day, easily more. It’s also directly on the Metro line.

Take the Metro! It’s super easy, clean and well designed. We always stayed directly in DC so we bought a card. Took the Metro to and from the airport, you can go to Georgetown and Alexandria, all very easily. Both are very upscale shopping and sort of touristy, but off the main drags have beautiful old architecture and house tours. Parking is a nightmare everywhere in the area so don’t get a car if you don’t have to. Saving money on an outer burb hotel is offset by car rental and parking. It’s often a wash so I’d skip the car.

There are fabulous restaurants in DC, I hope they’ve survived. PM if you want some ideas. But yes to crab cakes, chowder and DC Happy Hours!