TL;DR

Washington, D.C.

• Stay
  • Thompson Washington D.C., 221 Tingey St SE, Washington, DC 20003
    • A stylish World of Hyatt property in the Navy Yard neighborhood with modern rooms, attentive service, and easy access to restaurants, the Metro, and Nationals Park.
• Eat / Drink
  • Supra, 1205 11th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
    • One of the best Georgian restaurants in the U.S. Reservations are recommended.
    • Recommended: Ajaruli Khachapuri, Pork & Beef Khinkali, Crispy Ajika-Honey Pork Belly, and the Beet-Hazelnut Tartare.
  • Maydan, 1346 Florida Ave NW, Washington, DC 20009
    • Michelin-recognized Middle Eastern cuisine centered around live-fire cooking.
    • Recommended: Halloumi, Hummus, Grilled Corn Salad, and the Hearth-Roasted Sweet Potato.
  • maman (Navy Yard), 1247 First St SE, Washington, DC 20003
    • A cozy French-inspired café that’s perfect for breakfast before exploring Capitol Hill.
  • Tatte Bakery & Café, Multiple locations throughout Washington, D.C.
    • One of DC’s most popular cafés, serving excellent breakfast, pastries, coffee, and Mediterranean-inspired brunch.
  • Blue Fish Sushi, 4040 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22203
    • A reliable neighborhood sushi restaurant with generous portions and fresh fish.
  • Palette 22, 4053 Campbell Ave, Arlington, VA 22206
    • A lively tapas restaurant featuring globally inspired small plates, creative cocktails, and local artwork.
  • Ruthie’s All-Day, 3411 5th St S, Arlington, VA 22204
    • A neighborhood favorite known for elevated comfort food, wood-fired cooking, and an excellent brunch.
• See / Do
  • The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500
    • The iconic home of the President of the United States. Currently occupied by someone I do not agree with…whatsoever.
    • Booking Tip: Check the President’s public schedule before visiting and request tours through your Member of Congress well in advance. Or if you happen to know someone who can get you on the tour schedule, that’s best.
  • Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture, 1400 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20560
    • One of the Smithsonian’s most impactful museums. Plan several hours to fully experience the exhibits.
  • Washington Monument, 2 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20024
    • One of Washington’s most recognizable landmarks.
    • Booking Tip: Reserve free timed-entry tickets if you’d like to visit the observation deck.
  • Planet Word, 925 13th St NW, Washington, DC 20005
    • An immersive museum dedicated to the power of language, featuring interactive exhibits on words, storytelling, music, and speech. As a student of language my entire life, this place was really cool. A donation is encouraged, but don’t feel compelled if that will deter you.
    • Booking Tip: Reserve free timed-entry tickets online before your visit, especially on weekends.
  • Library of Congress, 101 Independence Ave SE, Washington, DC 20540
    • One of the most beautiful buildings in Washington and the largest library in the world.
  • United States Capitol, First St SE, Washington, DC 20004
    • Tour the Capitol and learn about the legislative branch of the U.S. government.
    • Booking Tip: Reserve a free tour in advance and request House and Senate gallery passes if Congress is in session.
  • Supreme Court of the United States, 1 First St NE, Washington, DC 20543
    • Visit the nation’s highest court and admire one of the city’s most impressive civic buildings.
  • United States Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave SW, Washington, DC 20001
    • A peaceful conservatory showcasing plants from around the world just steps from the Capitol.
  • National Museum of the American Indian, 4th St & Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20560
    • Explores the cultures and histories of Indigenous peoples throughout the Americas.
  • Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, 600 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20560
    • Home to one of the world’s greatest collections of aviation and spaceflight artifacts.
    • Booking Tip: Reserve free timed-entry tickets in advance.
  • National Gallery of Art, Constitution Ave NW between 3rd & 9th Streets NW, Washington, DC 20565
    • A world-class art museum featuring masterpieces from the Middle Ages through modern art.
  • National Archives Museum, 701 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20408
    • Home to the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights. You can also live out your fantasies from the movie National Treasure – but don’t try stealing anything.
  • Smithsonian National Museum of American History, 1300 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20560
    • Explore exhibits covering American innovation, transportation, politics, and pop culture.
  • Lincoln Memorial, 2 Lincoln Memorial Cir NW, Washington, DC 20037
    • One of Washington’s most iconic monuments and especially beautiful at sunset.
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, 1964 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20003
    • A moving tribute to Dr. King’s life and legacy.
  • Thomas Jefferson Memorial, 16 E Basin Dr SW, Washington, DC 20242
    • A neoclassical memorial overlooking the Tidal Basin.
  • Arlington National Cemetery, 1 Memorial Ave, Arlington, VA 22211
    • The nation’s most famous military cemetery.
    • Recommended: Watch the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. An incredibly poignant and somber experience.

Trip Background

Given that the election of 2024 was coming up and that I had a couple of connections in the White House, I knew I really wanted to check out Washington DC. The last time I had been in Washington D.C. was 1995 or 1996, when my dad took me. Looking back, I don’t think my father realized how much that trip would shape the kinds of destinations I seek out today.

It was a formative trip, as I remember in great detail the power of the Holocaust Museum, the Air and Space Museum, and also my complete aversion to Caribbean food (which my Dad desperately tried to get me to eat), which thankfully has since gone away and been replaced by a rapacious appetite for all things new and novel.

I had also been hearing for the months since I moved to New Jersey that the train was a very easy way to get from Jersey to DC. So I set about arranging some plans with some friends, booked my Amtrak ticket (a stunning $76 round trip from Newark to DC), and set off on my adventure!

Day 0 (October 2, 2024)

I think the train is a fantastic way to get from place to place. The challenge is that American train infrastructure is not what it once was, nor what it could be. I got myself to Newark Penn Station to head down to Washington, DC, and found myself quite early before my scheduled departure at 7:03 PM. Wandered around the neighborhood, stopped for dinner at a place called Tortas Lokas to get some food, and then boarded my train.

The journey itself was very straightforward, even with all the stops we made along the way. Those first moments when you get to Union Station in Washington, D.C. are really quite breathtaking. The curved domes and the marble floors match the majesty of broader Washington. I took a Lyft to the Thompson Hotel to get a good night’s rest before the next day’s White House tour.

Day 1 (October 3, 2024): The White House and soooo much more!

Pro tip: Before you go to the White House, check out the presidents schedule to better understand what’s happening that day.

I arose early to make sure I could get breakfast before heading off on my long day. I’ve generally been a fan of the Thompson hotels I’ve stayed at, but this place’s breakfast was outstanding. The oatmeal was exceptional, and I don’t love raving about oatmeal in general, so that’s probably a good sign of how delicious it was.

I headed over to the White House to meet my friend Tina. She and I respectively served as the presidents of the Greater Washington D.C. and Midwest chapter boards of our nonprofit membership organization, Ascend. I reached out to offer her my guest spot, and she excitedly leapt at the opportunity. I didn’t realize the tour would be self-guided, but the great thing is that there were more than enough Secret Service agents around the building, who were happy to tell us about the history of each room and what went into it.

I acknowledge that, as I sit here writing this well over a year and a half after the actual trip, I miss the majesty of what the White House used to be. For those of you who have never been, when there’s a change in future administration and the president’s home is reflective of this country again, I encourage you to go back.

One really cool thing happened though: Marine One, the president’s helicopter, landed on the south lawn while we were in the building, leading us to speculate if President Biden was actually in the building at the time! If you saw that picture the president’s schedule up above, this tracks as we saw the helicopter landing around 8:55 a.m.

We went across the street and perused the exhibits at the White House Visitor Center, and naturally I picked up some souvenirs. I bid Tina farewell and then started wandering the city, just gawking at the beauty of the city’s architecture.

As the son of an architect, I don’t think I properly appreciated building design for the majority of my younger years. But in the last couple of decades, especially with my growing amount of travel, I not only recognize the beauty in design but also in the history, power and durability of design.

If you scrolled through to the end of the last carousel, you would already know that the next stop was the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture. To see the dramatic design of this building in pictures does not do the actual building justice. And once you get inside, the thoughtfulness that’s gone into the curated exhibits is really unmatched. The first stop was an exhibit called “Reckoning: Protest. Defiance. Resilience.” A show that originated out of the intersection of Covid-19 and systemic racism brought forth dozens of incredible pieces ranging from sculpture to painting.

The lower level of the museum, though, is where one has their breath taken away. The exhibits on American slavery and the experience that black people had being seized and taken across the ocean and then bonded into slavery was very reminiscent of my experience going to the Holocaust Museum some thirty years prior. Seeing the train cars where Jews were herded into, murdered, and transported around was spine chilling – and imagining myself inside some of the slave boats transporting people from Africa to the Western world was equally chilling.

That said, it’s all done in an incredibly thoughtful manner – it just makes you shake your head that people could ever be so cruel as the same time.

Given that it was a beautiful day, I decided to take a nice sweeping walk around the Washington Monument. It’s yet another reminder that size and scale don’t come out in photographs. Walking around the base gives you a sense of the shadows it casts and the awe that it inspires in everyone who sees it.

The Planet Word Museum was not something that I was deeply familiar with prior to this trip, and I am so glad I came here. I have been a lifelong student of language, and my late mother was a linguist at Berkeley. You come inside and you can make a donation if you want to, but if finances are an obstacle, that’s not a requirement. Once you head upstairs, the library is a very tranquil place.

If you really want to understand this place, come and watch the following videos. This massive wall exhibition highlights words and phrases using a combination of light and sound, and I found this to be both educational and very interesting.

After finishing my time at the museum, I headed to dinner with my grad school classmate Fumin at Supra, a Georgian restaurant. The restaurant was exceptional for the following dishes, all of which I would recommend and have included in the photographs below:

Beet-Hazelnut ‘Tartarre’ (N)

salt-roasted beets, toasted hazelnuts, scallion & fresh herbs, garlic, chili flakes, svanuri salt, grilled shotis puri

Crispy Ajika-Honey Pork Belly (GF)

crispy skin-on pork belly, slow-roasted with ajika honey and served on creamy corn ghomi

Pork & Beef Khinkali

‘kalakuri’-style soup dumplings with fresh herbs

Ajaruli Khachapuri

boat-shaped cheese bread, organic egg

Unfortunately, Fumin and I did have a difficult experience, which I was hesitant to share on this blog – but I will because it’s part of the experience. We were seated outside and enjoying a warm October evening when I started noticing that my legs were itching. What is Washington, DC famous for? Being built on a swamp. Which means that mosquitoes are rampant. I got bit so many times that my legs were covered in red bites for days.

Prepare yourself. If you don’t want to look at this next image, I encourage you not to – but I’m going to show it anyways.

Those were photos from the next morning and the following days – painful and frustrating, but unfortunately not something I even had the wherewithal to plan for.

Since I just grossed you out, I’ll leave you with some beautiful photos of Chinatown as I returned to my hotel.

Day 2 (October 4, 2024)

Day two began with breakfast with my MBA classmate Britt at maman. Where I started to learn that maman is a chain and quite prolific across the East Coast – they also make some incredible pastries. We spent our time admiring the cute beagle outside the shop and catching up on life since it had been twelve years since we had caught up last.

My first non-social stop of the day: the Library of Congress.

Remember how I was fawning over Washington, D.C. architecture? This is one of those places that brings it to life perfectly. That’s before you even get to the Gutenberg Bible or any of the actual incredible content inside the Library of Congress itself.

Next stop: the Supreme Court.

Whenever I post photos, I typically give a back story or I share something I’m really excited about. We shy away from political conversations, and the Supreme Court over the last 10 years has completely destabilized the public’s confidence in our government and our public institutions. I’ll respect the building for what it’s supposed to stand for, but I have zero respect for six of the current occupants.

Moving along…

The U.S. Capitol is obviously very easy to recognize from anywhere in Washington, DC, or even across the world, and I took a bunch of photos outside, knowing that I would be back in a few hours to actually take a proper tour.

Instead, I walked over to the United States Botanic Gardens, as I’ve come to appreciate botanic gardens anywhere I live or travel these days. Welcome respite from urban environments and man-made structures, and yes, I do recognize that it is a man-made structure itself. From late 2024 through late 2025, whenever I fly back to Chicago to see my kids, I’d often take them to the Chicago Botanic Garden. There’s something deeply restorative about being in nature and being around flowers and plants. Color certainly helps too.

One of the things I quickly realized about Washington is that it rewards walking. Nearly every destination introduced me to another one I hadn’t planned on visiting. This was also back in the day before I started root optimizing using ChatGPT, so it was nice to see what options existed if I just kept walking.

Next up: the National Museum of the American Indian.

The dramatic exterior is the first thing that greets you as you begin to learn about the highly complicated and tragic history that Native Americans have faced (some would call it genocide) in the last 300 years plus. As someone who used to work in DEI and who travels frequently, thinking about different cultures brings a lot of perspective and purpose to my travels. This was no exception. In addition to a great variety of artwork, there was also a very interesting exhibit on the history of how the U.S. military has used Native American names in its attack vehicles and how Native Americans are portrayed in modern media. Simply fascinating.

Does it seem like I’m moving fast? If it seems that way, it’s because I *was* moving fast. I only had a few days in D.C., so I intentionally kept my time at each location efficient and short.

As we zoom along, we are back for a capitol tour. The interior is just as awe inspiring as the exterior (remember, we’re talking about the building, not the occupants).

Domes. Frescos. Artwork. You can also re-enact that famous scene in the movie White House Down, minus the explosion. Also note that if you want to get gallery passes for the senate and house, do this in advance by reaching out to your congressperson. I didn’t even know who my local congressperson was because I had just moved to New Jersey, so if you plan on doing this, just put in a little proactive effort. It was actually really cool hearing and seeing so many school tours mixed in with tourists and other visitors from all across the country and the world.

That night I met up with my college classmate, Morwari, for dinner at Maydan. She and I had not seen each other in two decades, and this meal was simply spectacular.

In addition to the excellent company, what made the meal so good were the following four items (which I would highly recommend you consider if you go):

Mo gave me a ride towards the three memorials that I had yet to see: the Lincoln Memorial, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial. I proceeded to explore each of these three legendary destinations:

The pictures speak for themselves.

But since I have your attention, I’ll also speak for them. What helps is that nighttime illuminates each of these memorials in a powerful and almost iridescent glow. During the day, you might be overwhelmed with blue skies and green grass and other activities and sights. Nighttime at the memorials focuses your attention with a very strong contrast between the white stone and the black sky.

I decided to just keep walking. Past the Bureau of Engraving and Holocaust museums. And then past the Washington Monument (which is stunning at night). At this point, though, I realized I had walked quite far (I walked nine and a half miles that day) I took a Lyft the rest of the way home.

Day 3 (October 5, 2024)

Day three arrived, and I was pretty sore from all the walking and still very itchy from those damn mosquitoes. I began the day with a hearty breakfast, which again included that delicious oatmeal. I set out walking again and took myself to the National Gallery of Art, which was hosting a Paris 1874 exhibit. My favorite piece of the day was the Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial, which was made more famous by the 1989 film Glory, featuring Denzel Washington and Matthew Broderick as members of the first black regiment in the Civil War.

Onward to the National Archives. No, it’s not a boring library. Yes, it doesn’t have the best of reputations as a museum. Especially in a time when constitutional rights seem to be under attack alongside many of the founding documents of this country, it’s important to remember what enabled America to thrive as long as it has.

The National Museum of American History should be required for every visitor to Washington, D.C., regardless of whether you’re American or just visiting the city or this country. Such important context across the 250 years of America provides the foundational underpinnings of what this country has struggled through in all facets of its growth. From the 13 colonies to the War of 1812, to Western expansion and the Civil War, to Reconstruction and certainly all of the incredible turmoil and progress of the 20th century, you get a really comprehensive view of what it is to be in America and to be an American.

The National Air and Space Museum was the final stop of the day. I took in an Imax show, was blown away by the full-size rebel X-wing fighter on display, seeing Clementine’s name in print on the satellite built by the Naval Research Laboratory, and got a kick out of seeing the Apollo 11 command module and Eastern Airlines passenger jet.

Make sure you book these tickets in advance, especially for weekends!

After I dashed back to my hotel and packed my bags, my friend of 30 years (Adam) picked up and drove me to his home in Arlington so I could see him, his wife, and their two kids. We took the kids to play basketball at a nearby park, and then proceeded to have sushi dinner at bluefish in Arlington. It actually turned into a wild night because all the while we’re catching up, my alma mater Vanderbilt was stunning the number one ranked Alabama Crimson Tide football team.

Mind you, I wasn’t screaming and yelling because I was having sushi with my friend and his family. But I was shell-shocked. A flurry of texts that began between me and a variety of friends all across the world lasted well into the night.

Adam, his son Christopher and I then went to see the movie “The Wild Robot” at a nearby movie theater before we came back to the house to crash for the night.

Day 4 (October 6, 2024)

After a good night’s sleep, I set out for my last full day of exploration and adventure. I met up with my friend Jen, whom I had met during an online training program we did in 2021. She invited me to meet her at a bakery called Tatte, this was just yet another amazing set of pastries to make me fat and happy. We caught up on life for a couple of hours before I bid her adieu and headed off to Arlington National Cemetery.

I never served in the military – I don’t take orders well, and I think the physical requirements might have been a little overwhelming. The son of a U.S. Army infantryman, nephew of a U.S. Army intelligence officer, and the grandson of a U.S. Navy civilian steward, I’ve always held the U.S. military close to my heart. So to have the honor of seeing Arlington National Cemetery was a true privilege.

It was a beautiful blue sky day – I could barely see any clouds in the sky. Finding prominent Americans buried here, including Thurgood Marshall, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and of course both of the Kennedys, the perspective: people who have sacrificed for the betterment of this country. The irony of this sitting on land that used to belong to General Robert E. Lee, was not lost upon me.

What I did not expect were the various memorials to the American Airlines Flight 103 victims (the plane that was destroyed over Lockerbie, Scotland) and the crews to the Columbia and Challenger space shuttle disasters.

Of all the things I will remember for a long time, it was seeing the wreath-laying ceremony that shook me the most. Hundreds of people in reverent silence is something I will never forget. If you watch the entirety of the six-minute video below, you might understand just a small slice of what it was like to be there that day.

My afternoon plan was to meet with my former coach Ayana at a place called Palette 22. We had worked together very closely in 2021 as well, and because it was the middle of COVID, we also never met face-to-face until this day. Our afternoon was spent catching up on good food and unlimited mimosas and Bloody Mary’s!

I then got a ride and went to meet my grad school classmate Edith for a late afternoon snack at Ruthie’s. I really wish I hadn’t been so full because the cornbread and fries were excellent. Thankfully, she and I went for a nice long walk to work off the heavy food we’d just eaten, and then she gave me a ride home to my friend’s place.

I ended my last night in D.C. with dinner with Adam and his family, where Adam drove me to Union Station and I returned to Newark by Amtrak.

Final Thoughts

When you go to Washington D.C. as a child and that’s your only point of reference, you don’t think about the things that make D.C. an incredible city for an adult. By definition, it’s a cosmopolitan international city because it has so many people from all over the world in one place to connect with the US government.

There is so much variety of food here to match such a cosmopolitan audience. The metro is so easy to use. Free museums everywhere. I could do without the swamp, the humidity, and the mosquitoes, but that seems like a small price to pay for such an amazing city.