Info on Washington DC, please

ConCon wrote in post #15885457
Yes, the reflecting pool is finished, and looks great.

The reflecting pool is done, but the WWII memorial is still not finished (or at least it wasn't as of 2 weeks ago).

mathogre wrote in post #15876069
DC is broken into four quadrants: NW (northwest), NE, SW, and SE. Generally speaking, NW is the safest of all. I would advise staying away from most areas in the other three.

Umm, I would respectfully disagree with this last bit. SE contains Eastern Market, which is cultural, colorful, and delicious... and totally, totally safe. NE contains H Street, which is great for street photography, and has some good bars. SW is a bit of a dud in terms of things to see or do (unless you want to go to the Marina and eat crabs out of a paper bag on the dock).

ConCon wrote in post #15885457
Yes, the reflecting pool is finished, and looks great.

The Reflecting Pool is finished, but the scaffolding is all the way up the Washington Monument now -- bummer.

Yeah, DC is great. Rock Creek Park is great too if you get tired of the city and want to explore some green space. It's huge, and you can bike on some of the main roads on the weekend as they're closed to cars. If you have time to come down to Old Town Alexandria (my hood - the King Street Metro stop), it's very quaint and historic and we have lots of delicious restaurants. It's good for antiquing / window shopping / people-watching / hanging out by the river, too.

I just posted a photo set from U Street on my Tumblr (link below), which is also a great place for street photography / street art / colorful buildings and houses. Though DC is surprisingly full of color and quite beautiful in many places. Here's a photo of me taken by a friend on the steps of a townhouse on Vermont Ave NW: http://chrisozer.tumbl​r.com …-washington-dc-april-2013

Enjoy your trip!

edge100 wrote in post #15886116
The reflecting pool is done, but the WWII memorial is still not finished (or at least it wasn't as of 2 weeks ago).

That's great. It was empty when we were there and I was miffed I can tell you. One of the biggest hurdles you'll probably face is the crowds of people at all of the better monuments, you'll just have to be patient to get the right shot. There was heaps of crowds of school kids running amock when we were there. Jump on the train and go to Arlington, it is a very sobering place that cannot be missed.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/53004189@N05/5​614178835/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/53004189@N05/5​614178885/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/53004189@N05/5​614179011/

Smitty2k1 wrote in post #15884906
I live just outside DC - don't be scared except for the far east/southeast you have nothing to worry about. Most anywhere is photo friendly - tripods are a different matter.

In addition to the usual museums and monuments check out places like Logan Circle or Dupont Circle. Little cultural centers with some nice unique buildings. If you're into street photography Eastern Market does a cool outdoor market on the weekends. Also, Shenandoah National Park is a fairly short drive from DC as is Great Falls State Park on the Potomac River.

Other things:
- Waterfront/Navy Yard area in the SW
- Scaffolding on the Washington Monument should be all the way at the top by the time you are here. While the monument won't be as beautiful, it will be a once in a lifetime opportunity for some unique views
- Embassys! They are all over the place and some have VERY cool architecture
- The hill between Columbia Heights and U-St on 13th has a great overlook of the city. The high school that is there is currently under construction and blocks the view, but if you're a bit adventurous it would be rewarding...

EDIT: Check out this thread from the local reddit section lots of great sounding things that I have yet to see!
http://www.reddit.com …avorite_hidden_​gem_of_dc/

all good recommendations

I'll add the Air and space museum on the mall and the FBI building tour on Pennsylvania Ave.

You'll see a gazillion cameras everywhere. The place where everyone goes is called The Mall. It's a long, grassy field about the length of twenty football fields with museums on both sides, along with other various buildings. Within a city block of the mall is pretty much everything DC has to offer. You could easily spend a week right there. It's very festive and safe. I took my 11-year-old daughter there last year, just the two of us, and spent three days shooting thousands of pictures.

I highly recommend you figure out a bicycling situation. It will save your feet and it will save you time. They have a bike share program for just a few dollars a day and it's worth it. The pedicabs are expensive, as are taxis and such. But if you have a bike you can get anywhere in a couple minutes. Very convenient, even if you have to purchase some folding bikes in SA and bring them with you. You won't regret having a bike. And it's pretty flat.

Don't worry about crime. Only at night and in some bad areas do you have to worry. I'd recommend you stay as close to the Mall as possible. We stay at the Pierre le Enfant Plaza Hotel. It's about 100 meters from the Mall and all the monuments.

This is one of our Nelson Mandelas: Abraham Lincoln.

The Library of Congress is fascinating and a great stop for photos as is the US Botanic Garden on the Capitol grounds is very nice. For planes the Udvar-Hazy museum out at Dulles is amazing - better than that in the main Air & Space building on the mall (IMHO). I second the vote for getting out to the memorials at night. It's a totally different experience than during the day.

2DBs wrote in post #15888467
The Library of Congress is fascinating and a great stop for photos as is the US Botanic Garden on the Capitol grounds is very nice. For planes the Udvar-Hazy museum out at Dulles is amazing - better than that in the main Air & Space building on the mall (IMHO). I second the vote for getting out to the memorials at night. It's a totally different experience than during the day.

The Korean War memorial is one you need to see in late afternoon and again in the evening. Daylight will let you really see the laser engravings on the marble and at night it is almost eerie with the lighting among the life-sized figures of a squad moving up a rise...at least it was for me as former military.

w9trb wrote in post #15888488
The Korean War memorial is one you need to see in late afternoon and again in the evening. Daylight will let you really see the laser engravings on the marble and at night it is almost eerie with the lighting among the life-sized figures of a squad moving up a rise...at least it was for me as former military.

I couldn't agree more and I'm not former military. I think it is an extremely moving memorial at night.

Thanks again for all the info!
Cannot wait to get to DC, only 7 days to go. We land at Dulles at around 6-30am on the 11th.

I really appreciate the comments and, obviously, the shots. I have actually printed out this thread and will keep it as a reference in my camera bag.

Headbone wrote in post #15895256
Thanks again for all the info!
Cannot wait to get to DC, only 7 days to go. We land at Dulles at around 6-30am on the 11th.

I really appreciate the comments and, obviously, the shots. I have actually printed out this thread and will keep it as a reference in my camera bag.

Fill us all in on how it went when you get back. Enjoy!

So much to shoot and so much to see. The best is keep your camera ready from wherever you park 'cause each time it's a different view. I noticed that like 3 times I went and parked in different places.

http://www.lastshotpho​tography.com/dc

Just realized that I haven't posted as much as I have but yeah, there's a glimpse.

I am excited because I am leaving to DC tomorrow morning. Did you take your 70-200 and, if not, did you wish you had? Also, how many places are backpacks not allowed? I was planning to take the 70-200 and the pack and a tripod, but now I am thinking just the 10-22 and 17-55, a shoulder bag and no tripod.

What do you guys think?

Thanks!


edit: What about a flash?

Only searched my bag twice in my time there and I carried it everywhere. I think a flash would be a better item to have than a tripod. There are just too many people going every which-way for a tripod to be anything but a trip hazard.

w9trb wrote in post #16027119
Only searched my bag twice in my time there and I carried it everywhere. I think a flash would be a better item to have than a tripod. There are just too many people going every which-way for a tripod to be anything but a trip hazard.

Thanks. I think I am tending to agree. I am considering taking the tripod and leaving it in the hotel room for everything but maybe a couple of dusk/night trips to the mall to try to get some drama shots of the monuments.

Oldschool1948 wrote in post #15884585
There are a lot of excellent suggestions in this thread. If you have enough time, you might also visit Baltimore Harbor for a day. Baltimore is about 45 minutes from DC. It has some very nice places to eat, an aquarium with dolphin show, and several other attractions. There are water taxis to visit other nice spots, paddle boats, and during the summer there is usually some artist performing during the day. The USS Constellation is docked there as well as a submarine. There's a lot to see and do. Visit during the day, leave in the evening. I included a couple pics of Baltimore Harbor.

In DC, also visit the Spy museum - its pretty neat. Consider taking a boat tour. It will give you an opportunity to see the city and sights from a slightly different perspective. You can also take a nice dinner cruise. National Harbor is also a nice place to see, with some excellent restaurants and shopping. I live about 15 minutes from National Harbor.

I've lived in DC for about 25 years and have traveled all over the world. So, when it comes to crime, DC is like any other large city. There are places where you do not want to be after dark, but for the most part, DC is a safe place to visit. Mathogre's summation, "DC is broken into four quadrants: NW (northwest), NE, SW, and SE. Generally speaking, NW is the safest of all. I would advise staying away from most areas in the other three" is fairly accurate, but I would say stay on the West side (NW or SW) of town.

Have a wonderful visit. DC is an awesome city.

um. the pics in this post are of Baltimore.