I'm going to the wall….

• Belly35

  

  The wife has ask me if I'm ready to go to the Vietnam Wall in DC.she would like to see Washington DC.
  
  I'm Ok I have some other things working in my life and it is time.
  
  I will also go to Walter Reed where I spent 6 months of my life not knowing what I was going to do, if i would be blind, who would love me and if I would ever be able to overcome this trauma.
  
  Question and support is needed.
  Should I Drive or Fly?
  Please provide places to stay … it will be a long weekend …
  We don’t need five star quality just a comfortable, safe place and convenient don’t plan of being at the hotel much more sight seeing adventure.
• FatHobbit

  

  I hope you have a good trip.
  
  My dad is a Vietnam vet and we went to the wall in the 80s. He found the names of some of his friends there, and also didn't find other names of friends who were still there when he left that he always wondered if they made it. It kicked off a long long struggle with ptsd that I think he still struggles with. (He definitely has issues, not sure if all of them are ptsd related or not) It's amazing to me that one year of his life has such a profound impact on the rest of his life. He was in the infantry and pretty much in the jungle the whole time. He told me didn't like to go into base because they were always shelling the bases and he felt like a sitting duck there.
• like_that

  

  Belly35;1845825 wrote:The wife has ask me if I'm ready to go to the Vietnam Wall in DC.she would like to see Washington DC.
  
  I'm Ok I have some other things working in my life and it is time.
  
  I will also go to Walter Reed where I spent 6 months of my life not knowing what I was going to do, if i would be blind, who would love me and if I would ever be able to overcome this trauma.
  
  Question and support is needed.
  Should I Drive or Fly?
  Please provide places to stay … it will be a long weekend …
  We don’t need five star quality just a comfortable, safe place and convenient don’t plan of being at the hotel much more sight seeing adventure.

  If you fly, DCA is the best airport for convenience. Unfortunately there aren't many bargain deals for hotels in DC, especially during tourist season. What else are you looking to do outside touristy stuff and when do you plan to come?
• gut

  thanks to Trump, "THE" wall is the one on the border...
• Belly35

  

  like_that;1845829 wrote:If you fly, DCA is the best airport for convenience. Unfortunately there aren't many bargain deals for hotels in DC, especially during tourist season. What else are you looking to do outside touristy stuff and when do you plan to come?

  have a beer with Donald i think I can swing this deal
  , wife loves shopping (Brighton, Highend clothing, Jewelry, Art), we will visit Art Museum, I enjoy fine dining but also big fan of the local grill and family restaurants. this is kinda planning for mid May / end of May
• Belly35

  

  FatHobbit;1845828 wrote:I hope you have a good trip.
  
  My dad is a Vietnam vet and we went to the wall in the 80s. He found the names of some of his friends there, and also didn't find other names of friends who were still there when he left that he always wondered if they made it. It kicked off a long long struggle with ptsd that I think he still struggles with. (He definitely has issues, not sure if all of them are ptsd related or not) It's amazing to me that one year of his life has such a profound impact on the rest of his life. He was in the infantry and pretty much in the jungle the whole time. He told me didn't like to go into base because they were always shelling the bases and he felt like a sitting duck there.

  Im working on a program for Vets and also Ive linked to another group that has a great idea for Vets ..... i may contact you for your dad information ... My program is not quite completed yet but should be in a month.
  
  Many Vietnam struggle with PTSD there never a end but there is a direct.....
• Zunardo

  One of the days, take the trolley tour to see an overview of the "traditional" sites. It's a great way to see everything you've only read about or seen on TV in a fairly short time.
  
  You can get off the trolley at any point and spend more time at certain areas, as you wish. When my wife and I went our first time to DC, we took the trolley and stopped at the Vietnam Wall and the Lincoln Memorial. For some reason, I still remember getting a kick out of the bus driver saying, "And now on your left - the Watergate hotel complex .......".
  
  Plan to spend a few hours at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. That alone is worth it.
• Fab4Runner

  

  FatHobbit;1845828 wrote:I hope you have a good trip.
  
  My dad is a Vietnam vet and we went to the wall in the 80s. He found the names of some of his friends there, and also didn't find other names of friends who were still there when he left that he always wondered if they made it. It kicked off a long long struggle with ptsd that I think he still struggles with. (He definitely has issues, not sure if all of them are ptsd related or not) It's amazing to me that one year of his life has such a profound impact on the rest of his life. He was in the infantry and pretty much in the jungle the whole time. He told me didn't like to go into base because they were always shelling the bases and he felt like a sitting duck there.

  My dad was an infantryman in Vietnam as well. He has never really shared the details with me. He talks to my brother about it, but my bro served in the infantry in Iraq and Afghanistan, so it's a thing between them that I can't really relate to.
  
  As for the memorial, I visited in 2006, but it was during a one day trip into DC so we were in a hurry and couldn't stay long. I'd love to go back for a long weekend and take my time at each memorial, monument, etc. The Holocaust Memorial Museum is high on the list of things I'd like to see.
• sleeper

  

  DC is terrible. Bunch of liberal whack-a-doos running around wanting free iPhones and popping out welfare babies.
• Automatik

  

  In for suggestions because I'm planning a weekend there in a few weeks.
  
  The only thing I know I'm doing for sure is Flash and U Street Music Hall or both...depends on the events that weekend.
  
  Where's the hot spot to get an Air BnB? Food? I'll be with mostly females so of course a douchey brunch will be in order.
• Commander of Awesome

  

  Automatik;1845856 wrote:In for suggestions because I'm planning a weekend there in a few weeks.
  
  The only thing I know I'm doing for sure is Flash and U Street Music Hall or both...depends on the events that weekend.
  
  Where's the hot spot to get an Air BnB? Food? I'll be with mostly females so of course a douchey brunch will be in order.

  Friend zone ftw!
• like_that

  

  Automatik;1845856 wrote:In for suggestions because I'm planning a weekend there in a few weeks.
  
  The only thing I know I'm doing for sure is Flash and U Street Music Hall or both...depends on the events that weekend.
  
  Where's the hot spot to get an Air BnB? Food? I'll be with mostly females so of course a douchey brunch will be in order.

  What kind of food are you looking for? Lots of bottomlesss brunch options too.
  
  What's going on at flash and U steers music hall? Both suck.
• Dr Winston O'Boogie

  

  Besides all of the standard government/Arlington/Smithsonian stuff, I really enjoyed seeing Ford's Theater.
• superman

  I'm going in June. My dad's name is getting read into the in Memoriam portion of the memorial.
• Automatik

  

  like_that;1845859 wrote:What kind of food are you looking for? Lots of bottomlesss brunch options too.
  
  What's going on at flash and U steers music hall? Both suck.

  It depends on the weekend and who's playing. There's a DJ I'd like to see on May 5th at Flash. Nothing really caught my eye on the U Street calender, I just heard that place has a great sound system.
  
  As far as food, up for anything. I haven't been to DC since high school, so this is the first time experiencing the city as an "adult."
  

  Commander of Awesome;1845858 wrote:Friend zone ftw!

  Odd response.
• justincredible

  

  I'll be in the DC area for a week over the week of Memorial Day. I'll be at Nationals Ballpark on Memorial Day for a barbecue. I'm hoping to spend the Saturday before checking out DC, other than the BBQ at the ballpark I'll be at National Harbor the rest of the week.
• like_that

  

  Automatik;1845874 wrote:It depends on the weekend and who's playing. There's a DJ I'd like to see on May 5th at Flash. Nothing really caught my eye on the U Street calender, I just heard that place has a great sound system.
  
  As far as food, up for anything. I haven't been to DC since high school, so this is the first time experiencing the city as an "adult."
  
  
  
  Odd response.

  Gotcha, definitely not my scene, but I can see why you would want to see it. 930 Club is the most popular concert hall in DC if you are looking into that. I'll PM you.
  
  Edit: since several people are going, I will just post it here.
• like_that

  

  Sights to see outside of touristy shit that most people know about:
  
  
  
  -Roosevelt Island, most people don't go here because it is out of the way
  -National Arboretum, likewise
  -Meridian Park, pretty close to U street and great place to run steps. Google it
  -Eastern Market is a cool area, and if you are around Sunday the market is nice to check out.
  
  
  Airbnb neighborhoods if you want to stay like a local: Logan Circle/U Street/Shaw/ Adams Morgan/Dupont. Can't really go wrong with any of those neighborhoods, I think Logan/U Street/Shaw is more centralized though for shit to do. Also have to be careful with Shaw, if you go too far out it can be sketchy. If you choose shaw send me the link and I can tell you if it's a solid area.
  
  
  Food:
  
  
  -Thip Khao: just email them now and book a reservation. You're welcome. Great Laotian place. It's in Columbia Heights, which is about a mile from U street, but worth an Uber trip and Columbia Heights is a solid area.
  
  
  -Bad Saint: Also in columbia heights. It was voted the 2nd best new restaurant in the US. Only problem is they only have 27 seats and seat people in waves (530, 730, and 9). If you are in DC friday, you would have to get in line by 330 to get a table. Don't even bother trying on saturday. It's amazing, but I have the luxury of being off every other friday and it's only a few blocks from me.
  
  
  -Rose's Luxury: Voted best new resturaunt in the US a couple years prior to Bad Saint. Also one of those places you have to get in line early. If you watch Fuck That's Delcious on Vice, they went here episode 1.
  
  
  -Le Diplomate: Great french place
  
  
  -Barcelona: Spanish Tapas
  
  
  -Agora: Turkish great for bottomless brunch (dinner is good too)
  
  
  -Cava: Same concept above
  
  
  -Keren: Ethiopian/Eritrean, best you can get in DC. I recommend eating on your last night and giving yourself time to shit the next morning though.
  
  
  Doi Moi: Great Thai food
  
  
  Florida Avenue Grill: Soul Food, has been open in DC since 1944 and nothing has changed. A meal for one person can serve a family of 3.
  
  
  I could go on and on with food. You can't go wrong with this guide http://dc.eater.com/maps/best-dc-restaurants-38
  
  
  Bars:
  
  
  -American Ice Company (out door drinking)
  -Dacha Beer Garden (big outdoor beer garden)
  -Jack Rose (has over 2600 bottles of whiskey on the wall)
  -Churchkey (great beer selection)
  -Meridian Pint (same)
  -Bier Baron (same)
  -A&D (good cocktails)
  -Lost & Found (divey bar in blagden alley)
  -Right n proper (DC brewery in Shaw)
  
  
  You could also Uber out to Northeast DC to check out Atlas Brewery, Green Hat Distillery, and Magnus Distillery. They are all next to each other, but far from everything else.
  
  
  Not sure, what else you all are looking for, but let me know.
• Automatik

  

  Awesome list, thanks!
  
  I've never had Laotian food so I'll definitely look into that.
• like_that

  

  Automatik;1845944 wrote:Awesome list, thanks!
  
  I've never had Laotian food so I'll definitely look into that.

  It's similar to Thai. You won't regret going there, but definitely need to get reservations as early as possible.
• sleeper

  

  It's a decent list but I'd be surprised if anyone on here can afford some of the those places.
  
  I'd definitely go with either Thip Khao or Bad Saint. I'd pass on Barcelona, I think it's very overrated.
  
  I'd also throw in a recommendation for Daikaya if you want good ramen in Chinatown.
• like_that

  

  sleeper;1845958 wrote:It's a decent list but I'd be surprised if anyone on here can afford some of the those places.
  
  I'd definitely go with either Thip Khao or Bad Saint. I'd pass on Barcelona, I think it's very overrated.
  
  I'd also throw in a recommendation for Daikaya if you want good ramen in Chinatown.

  I'd second this. Auto lives in NYC, so most of the places I listed are pretty much on par or slightly below NYC prices.
• justincredible

  

  sleeper;1845958 wrote:It's a decent list but I'd be surprised if anyone on here can afford some of the those places.

  I looked at a few of the menus, nothing seemed that outlandishly expensive.
• sleeper

  

  justincredible;1845962 wrote:I looked at a few of the menus, nothing seemed that outlandishly expensive.

  Don't forget to factor in a 10% restaurant tax + drinks.
• sleeper

  

  Plus DC is all about the 'small, shareable plates' so you'll get 1.5-2 items minimum per person.