Tourist Traps in Washington, DC

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Washington, DC is a wonderful place to visit as a traveler or tourist, but there are some tourist traps and scams you might want to watch out for on your next visit to the US Capital.
Filmed in Washington, DC
Copyright Mark Wolters 2022

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[mjm]

One of the lesser know attractions is the Pentagon tour. You have to get FREE tickets about 30 days in advance and complete a security form. On the tour you can't have your phone on, take pictures and can speak ONLY English on the tour. There is no parking on property and it's a hike from paid parking on the other side of Interstate 395.

[charlieporch]

Number 1 rule in DC is don’t drive. Stay at a hotel in Virginia and take the Metro.
Number 2 rule is to carry water.
And it’s very expensive to eat on the mall.
Also, make one trip near sunset to see Washington at night.Mall at night is fantastic.
Stay away from union station . Not a great area anymore.

[annb]

Local here. I recommend:
1) giant Einstein sculpture across from Vietnam Wall
2) Iwo Jima Memorial (not on the Mall) for great picture with the statue and Washington Memorial in the background
3) during Cherry Blossoms time, view them from the southwest side at FDR Memorial (touch the dog's bronze nose). The blossoms hang over you.
4) Botanical Gardens inside in the windowed atriums
5) consider riding the VRE train in on a weekday (limited hours; more direct than blue or orange line, is neat double decker)
6) National Gallery of Art East to see Calder mobiles, art by Rothko, Pollock and Mondrian. The giant 14' tall blue rooster on the outside balcony!!
7) the stunning moving sidewalk with thousands of stars overhead (connects the NGA East and West underground)
8) Monet at NGA West
9) Hope Diamond at Natural History Museum
10) original flag at American History Museum (and Prince's guitar)
11) pack a picnic, eat at Gravelly Point near Potomac and watch airplanes land and takeoff (they're REALLY close). Food trucks on weekend.
12) latte and cupcake at Georgetown's Baked & Wired (or stand in line at Georgetown Cupcake)
13) moon rock placed in a window of National Cathedral (far from direct view, though); Darth Vader grotesque
14) WWII Memorial, talk to any veterans there and THANK THEM! Research Normandy Beach and D-Day beforehand

[meganbruns]

Local here. I've started to notice more unofficial metro "helpers" who hang out in and around the metro passing out maps to confused looking tourists and offering directions. Pretty harmless and tame by certain standards, but this tactic is often used as a segue to ask for some money or spare change.

[johnbdc]

I’m a volunteer at one of the big museums on the Mall. A “trap” I see people fall into is thinking everyone has go to the same museum, even though some people would rather go to a different one. I tell people to split up. Cell phones make it easy to reconnect on the Mall once the groups are done with their museums.

[benjaminzeev]

I loved food trucks by the national mall, you can just grab some tacos and sit on grass and have a small picnic

[iSee]

Yup! You better get some delicious Ethiopian food when you visit DC. It's a must, and there are plenty of options.

[adrianreyes]

If you're fit get the day pass for Lime. Seeing a city as beautiful as DC on a bicycle is the best choice I made on my trip there. My expectations of DC were exceeded by its beauty.

[anthrowahine]

As someone who lives here, and has worked in tourism adjacent roles, please, please, PLEASE stick with public transport, bike share, or walking when on the Mall and in Downtown, if not everywhere where the metro can take you. Traffic is a headache (and you never know when a motorcade is going to come by), parking is stupid expensive, and there are few freeways in DC itself. Trust me, the metro isn't scary, just stay on the right if you aren't walking up the escalators (and yes, we do take that seriously, especially during rush hour times). Also, take a second to know which metro you are getting on. It's not fun to realize you got on the wrong side of the line, and your metro us just leaving. >.<
One other thing no one told me about when I moved here, DC is divided into 4 quadrants, with the Capitol being the 0, 0 point. Having the NW, SW, SE, and NE in your address is important, or you may end up going to the wrong location (most of the National Mall and the more touristy areas are in NW, but don't be afraid to explore other areas as well). DC also attempts to be a grid system, with the numbered streets increasing the further East or West you get from the Capitol, and the lettered streets are in alphabetical order from the Capitol going North or South. Especially in Downtown, it is an easy way to orientate yourself if you are trying to get to a specific place. There are other streets that don't follow this system, but this does help figure out which way you may need to go.
I also love point to Fords Theater as a place to see a show in a building of historic importance (the ticket prices are also reasonable) and the Old Post Office Tower if you like going up to high places and want to include the Washington Monument in your view!

[billyruben]

So glad you mentioned #4. That's huge. I went before the dark times. The line was INSANE. Even early in the morning. Some kind soul let me know there was no line on the opposite side. Bit of a hike, but totally worth it.

[MacTravellers]

We last visited over a decade ago and it's still one of the best weekends we've ever spent in a city, including internationally.

[reneeburich]

We just got back from 4 days in D. C. Loved it! Took the Metro but still did a LOT of walking 😀

[BK-elnw]

Definitely check out Old Ebbitt Grill on 15th by the Whitehouse! Great food and neat building.

[Damianpasz]

Great video Mark and Rob! I appreciate your work and I hope I can finally travel to USA and take all your advice in my trip. :) Take care. Greetings from Wroclaw PL!

[FreshTillDeath]

DC's great. I do enjoy living here, though I am ready to move on personally. Make sure you catch a live show somewhere in DC, the Anthem is the best venue in town!

[novaWRX]

Old Ebbit Grill, Hamilton’s & Jose Andres’ Jaleo are just two blocks up from Constitution Ave. Anywhere you eat in DC is $$$$ vs other cities; you might as well get a good meal

[espowari]

I was working in Bethesda and had an extra day off so I took the train into the city it was super easy inexpensive and I was able to see a few cool things.

[JasonArcherKnepper]

I don’t know how you pulled off that shot of three pretty food trucks lined up… I’m near there daily. Those trucks are seldom clean. To see three clean food trucks lined up is remarkable!

[JimJoeKnoxTenn]

Does both of you saying that there are "no good restaurants" on or near the National Mall, mean that all of the museum restaurants either have not reopened or were permanently closed and gutted? There used to be a few really good ones, such as at the American Indian Museum, Natural History Museum, and National Gallery of Art. And the Willard Hotel on 14th Street, and Old Ebbett Grill on 15th Street, are just a couple blocks off the Mall, but great options for a really nice sit-down meal.

[Janesomeone]

DC was a lot of fun; I was able to stay for a week. I highly recommend a tour guide! It made life easier.