Timewaster's Guide Archive
General => Everything Else => Topic started by: 42 on January 08, 2004, 01:10:34 AM
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So, I'm going to be in Washington D.C. and the Maryland area for a couple of days in Feb. My brother is getting married on Valantine's Day and I feel obligated to attend. So barring wedding events, I should have about two days to go sight seeing with my big-sister, her husband, two of my other older brothers and their significant others. So what is worth seeing? Please rate your suggestions in order of "must see first." This is the first time me and my siblings will be in the D.C. area.
Also, I'm planning a trip to Illinous in June. Another one of my brothers is getting married in Nauvoo. I'm thinking of making a road trip out of the whole ordeal. I will of course be seeing Nauvoo which is in the middle-of-nowhere. I will also be seeing Havana, IL which is just an hour or so away from the middle-of-nowhere. I'm thinking I would like to pass through Denver as I happened to once live there. What other places would be worth visiting between Provo and Nauvoo?
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I'm sure Jam would have some good suggestions for the latter. Between Provo and Nauvoo.
But seriously. You can't go wrong in D.C. by visiting various museums. And some of those grand buildings where people go, monuments as you call them.
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Um, WHY are you going to Havana? All they have there is a nuclear plant.
I may just have to make a trip home in June and show you around, 42. Not much to see around Nauvoo except Nauvoo itself and Carthage. Pop up to Chicago if you have the time. Too bad I don't live there anymore, but like I said, if I happen to be around, I could show you around up there too. Definitely do the scenic river drive along the Mississippi, which runs between the Quad Cities and down past Nauvoo--it basically means getting off the interstate in the Quad Cities and heading straight south instead of going inland in the state and coming back out, because of the way major roads are set up.
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Oh, wait--your brother lives in Havana, doesn't he. That would make a whole lot more sense. So you'll probably be approaching from the south, eh? Definitely see the St. Louis Arch if you haven't yet.
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Umm...Why exactly would I have suggestions about some place on the other side of the world I've never been to?
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My brother's fiance's family lives in Havana. My brother lives in Miami. To clarifiy, I have siblings in Madison, WI; South MD; Miami, FL; Memphis, TN; Heber, UT; Sweden; and Siberia.
My twin hates Chicago, but I think it might have a few things worth checking out. However, I'm most interesting in something of interest in the vast netherworld that is East Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska, etc... You know what I'm talking about. That almost endless sea of farms and grassland.
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To give some of the non-US residents some perspective of how far it is for me to go from Provo to Nauvoo. Going in a straight line it is just about 60 miles more than going from Adelaide, Australia to Brisbane, Australia. It's almost the same as going from Edinburgh to Madrid. Course, there is a really big mountain range in the way that will cause a slight detour for me.
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Ah, Illinois...home sweet home.
If you're planning on driving west out of Illinois you have to come through St. Louis (to be on a major interstate at least).
If you do come through here, drop me a line. We could meet for a bit and/or I could show you some of the sites.
We'd have a little Missouri TWG meet.
In between St. Louis and Kansas City there is nothing except Columbia which has no sights, really. In KC though you have to stop at Arthur Bryant's BBQ. Best BBQ in the world. Seriously.
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what do you want to see in DC? Art, History? Tech? i mean, there is TOO MUCH to see in a couple days, but i fyou have a focus
Going to the top of the Washington Monument has a 'neat' factor still, but it takes a lot of time. However, on a clear day, you CAN see the temple from there.
the temple is a fun stop, but it sounds like you'll be there anyway.
The holocaust museum isn't what you'd call "fun" but it's very interesting.
There's the national archive, which has the COnstitution and the Bill of Rights (the originals) on display
I enjoy the American History Museum a lot, but along those lines there's also the natural history museum and the Air and Space Museum
The National Geographic Building isn't as impressive as any of the Smithsonians mentioned above, but it is more compact and has a better gift shop.
Mt. Vernon is a nice historical spot. most of the original layout and buildings are preserved and it's a beautiful spot.
And on that note, Gettysburg is in driving distance, and Bull Run is local, so if you want to see some Civil War stuff... (you've got to go further south or north than DC for most Revolutionary war or Colonial stuff)
There are half a dozen art museums including two branches of the National Gallery and the Hirshorn.
Then there's all the other monuments. these are mostly best if you have something you particularly want to visit. The best ones are the Jeffeson, Lincoln, Korean and Vietnam memorials. the War ones and the Lincoln Memorials are all clustered, so they're easy to hit in quick succession.
for just city life, you have your choice between the atmospheres of Georgetown (hipper, more modern, upscale) and Old Town Alexandria. Old Town is my preference, and it has, as the name implies, architecture still being used that's older than the settling of Utah, including the tavern the founding fathers used to hang out in. It's a waterfront district, so there's great shopping and dining, and the Torpedo Factory (formerly a place for manufacturing torpedos, but not an art gallery). My favorite used record store is here, and a really nice home made ice cream shop. Plus Hats in the Belfry, which is just a cool name for a store that sells (obviously) hats. Street Musicians hang otu a lot, not sure how many you'll see in the cold of February though.
I'd recommend some scenic places, but you're coming in Feb, no leaves. Still, Great Falls might still be impressive, it being the cateract that prevents shipping traffic up and down the Potomac. Skyline Drive won't be impressive this time of year.
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Ah, Illinois...home sweet home.
If you're planning on driving west out of Illinois you have to come through St. Louis (to be on a major interstate at least).
Dr. P, are you a native Illinoisan? I don't think I knew that. I'm from Galva.
Depending on where he's wanting to go through, he doesn't necessarily have to go through St. Louis. There's I-80, too, which cuts through Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, and the Quad Cities, which is how I always went. It's too much of a hassle to add another 3 hours to the journey up from St. Louis (Galva is 45 minutes in from the Cities, south of 80 and north of 74).
But I've always wanted to make the I-70 drive through Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri. I hear it's much more scenic. And in June, you'll be hitting it at just the right time. Wyoming and Nebraska are brown and grey year-round.
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Dr. P, are you a native Illinoisan?
Or is it Illinite?
But I've always wanted to make the I-70 drive through Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri. I hear it's much more scenic. And in June, you'll be hitting it at just the right time. Wyoming and Nebraska are brown and grey year-round.
highly over rated. There is nothing scenic about Kansas. In climate and terrain it is nearly identical with Nebraska. And it seperates Nebraska from Oklahoma, I mean, there is NO good mix of those two. MO is alright, though I prefer the rocky sections. CO is nicer, I remember killing several hundred butterflies during my drive because there were just so dang many. If I remember right, you get to drive along the Colorado River for a while, which is nice in a rocky way.
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It's Illinoisan, pronounced Ell-i-noy-an. Or Illini, but that's to do with the mascot of the University of Illinois. I went there before transferring to BYU, which is why I call myself an Illini, but there are lots of Illinoisans who are fans of Iowa, especially in the west.
And I was thinking Kansas was much like Nebraska, but I heard Colorado was more scenic than Wyoming. That's one more scenic state than I-80 has. Though Iowa is pretty nice, too, in green months. But then, I'm biased--I like midwestern farm country.
Speaking of which, 42, I think there's a Mormon Trail monument in both Lincoln Nebraska and somewhere in the boonies of Iowa, so if you go that way you could see something like that. I-80 pretty much follows the Mormon Trail, at least in Iowa and Nebraska.
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Illinoiser?
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Illiner?
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Illinoisey?
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Go see the new spy museum its supposed to be mucho coolo!
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42, as far as monuments go, I prefer the Jefferson to any of the others. The Korean is my second choice, but it's a lot better to see at night than in the day.
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Jeffe's post reminded me: On NPR a couple months ago, I heard about a really cool tour you can take. It goes around DC showing all the sites that played important roles for spies in the Cold War. For example, it shows which garbage cans were used to drop information, and which park benches important meetings took place on. It sounds really cool. I don't have any contact info about though, sorry...
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Im sure its part of the spy museum stuff.
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http://www.spymuseum.org/do/
yep
Its part of the Museums tours... Sounds really cool actually.
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actually, I believe the FBI moved the spy museum south next to Quantico. I heard this from my coworker who's sister work in the FBI building. Maybe I heard wrong, I've not bothered to verify it since I only heard it 2 weeks ago and haven't had an opportunity to try and see it.
Quanitco is probably a bit further than a visitor staying in MD wants to go when there's so much that's much closer.
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According to their website The International Spy Museum is located in the Gallery Place neighborhood in Washington, DC. The address is 800 F Street, NW (at the corner of 8th & F Streets, NW). The Museum is accessible via Metrorail (Washington, DC's subway system) at Gallery Place/Chinatown Station on the Red, Yellow, and Green lines. For more information on the Museum's location, map of the surrounding neighborhood, driving and Metrorail directions, and parking, click here.
I guess the real question is are you looking to experience DC the place or a Museum.
Because a trip around the Eastern Market, or Adams Morgan or Georgetown could be really fun too. Not to mention the DC Zoo, Rock Creek park, The Arboridum, and about a million other things...
What are you interested in?
Heck if you like roleplaying make some one take you down to Potomac mills and go to the game parlor (wads of cash required)
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nope, looks like I"m wrong. Web site still has a DC address.
Cash is not required to visit game parlour. Only to buy.
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why go all that way and not buy?
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The spy museum is a possibility. My brother took my dad to the spy museum last year. My dad said it was really cool, however my dad used to be a spy back in the late sixties.
Since I have to coordinate with my siblings, I'm thinking we ae more likely to hit the smithsonian museums and probably see some of the monuments. So far the plans are as such:
Arrive Late Thursday.
Friday- ditch parents and brother so me and my other siblings can vacation.
Friday Evening- diner with my sister-in-law's family
Saturday- the wedding followed by lunch and then an unbearably long, overblown reception.
Sunday- see stuff
Monday- see stuff, head West in the evening.
And for those of you in the midwest. I see you have encountered my problem. There are just certain states I have to pass through that just don't have much to offer.
I thinking about checkingout St. Louis. My brother used to live there when he was getting his PhD.
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go to the DC Temple.
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The DC temple is where the wedding is happening.
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I figured, which is why I haven't talked it up. What sorts of things will you be wanting to see? The list for DC is huge. You really have to narrow it down to at least a category before you can know what is "dont' miss"
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You know, I'm thinking that friday we'd hit the museums and stuff. Then on Monday or Sunday just see cool spots in the D.C. area.
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ok, metro into DC. No sense trying to find parking. It's just a hassel
I like the American History museum (they have one of the sun stones from the Nauvoo temple, incidentally). I may also recommend the Hirshhorn for art (modern and contemporary). There's also the Freer for Asian art, it's pretty cool. Those are probably what I'd do for museums.
Sunday, as your only full day, is a day to visit different areas. Are you talking historic sites? in that case, try to get to Bull Run and Mount Vernon, imo. If you're talking just seeing the cool parts of the city, I'll revert to my Old Towne Alexandria idea, that's my favorite place. The zoo and Great Falls are also cool. Georgetown too.
The day I leave I'd probably hit memorials and such.
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That sounds like a fairly good plan. I'm now coordinating with my siblings to see what they want to do. We are all arriving on the same day, but my big sister is leaving on Sunday. One of my brother is bringing his kids so I think they have a different agenda. My twin will also be there, but because his wife is from MD tehydon't plan on doing much sight seeing.
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cool.
And btw, Jeffe's right, on the off chance you want to blow it all off and just game, we can do a one-shot or a board game or something.
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You guys should show up at the reception. Right about the time the dancing is suppose to start. I'll be easy to spot since I'll be the one climbing the walls in a pathetic attempt to escape.
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give us details and we'll consider it. Seriously, I'll be the shirt ninja. We'll abduct you.
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Well the reception will be at a Church house in Silver Springs, MD. The reception starts at 4:00 with a reception line. The dinner starts at 5:00 which I definitely don't want to miss since my brother is spending big bucks on it. At 6:00 the dance starts which probably won't wind down until 8:00 or so. Then there is the cleaning-up for the families and loyal guests.
However, it's Valantines Day, so I suspect that many of the other couples will have some of their own plans. Being coupless, I have a bad feeling some family members are setting me up with someone. At which point I will proceed to introduce myself as the family serial killer.
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see, then if Jeffe and I show up with shirts on our heads, it would help your case. "I'm the family serial killer. And if that doesn't frighten you, I'm friends with THOSE GUYS."
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Alas and alackaday Weekends are bad for me on account of me having to work for Uncle Sam, and weekdays are bad because I have to peddle Wine.
Have fun though.