Visiting Downtown Washington DC
We recently decided to drive from Florida to New York rather than take a flight. While we strategically planned sightseeing stops along the way, we planned to stop in Washington, DC for a 2-night stay.
We have cousins living in the area and they offered to act as our tour guides and escort us around downtown to see the sights.
My cousins know the Washington roads and have an efficient itinerary to see as much as possible in a short amount of time.
While a trip to Washington DC is both entertaining and educational and we looked forward to visiting museums and historical landmarks, I was most excited to visit the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. The last time I visited this particular zoo, some fourteen years ago, I was infatuated with the panda exhibit and longed for a return visit.
Since my cousins live in a small apartment, we happily booked reservations in the hotel they recommended, the Hyatt Place Washington DC/National Mall. We got a reasonable rate for a 2-night weekday stay since we were not visiting during the popular cherry blossom season.
An Ideal Location for Sightseeing
The Hyatt Place Washington DC/National Mall is located in the Southwest area of Washington DC, only four blocks away from the National Mall. It was nice to stay in a city setting where we could just walk out the hotel’s front door and be right in the hustle and bustle of the action. This hotel, located between the L’Enfant Plaza Metro and Federal Center SW Metro stations, is within walking distance to many Washington, DC attractions.
Hotel Room With a Great City View
The Hyatt Place Washington DC/National Mall boasts 13-stories with 214 rooms. Each modern room and suite features beautiful, contemporary décor. Spacious rooms offer two queen-size beds or one king-size bed plus a desk area and a sitting area. The sofa bed is positioned slightly separated from the sleeping area so you can sit on the large sofa bed, relax, and enjoy a cup of tea.
There are a variety of room types to choose from, each offering the sofa bed as well:
>> Two Queen Beds
>> Two Queen Beds High Floor
>> King Bed
>> King Bed High Floor
>> Accessible Two Queen Beds/Tub
>> Accessible Two Queen Beds/Roll-In Shower
>> Accessible King Bed/Roll-In Shower
>> Accessible King Bed/Tub
>> King Bed Specialty Room
>> King Bed One Bedroom Suite
We stayed in a King Bed High Floor room, and were pleasantly surprised how big the room was. The bed provided a luxurious setting as you would expect in a city hotel, with comfortable pillow-top mattress. The floor to ceiling window provided an incredible city view. It was a real treat each morning and evening, to look out at the city skyline.
Other in-room amenities include:
:: Swiveling 42″ flat-screen HDTV
:: Cordless speakerphone with voicemail
:: AM/FM alarm clock radio
:: Coffee maker
:: Mini refrigerator
:: Wet bar
:: Hair dryer
:: Iron and ironing board
Hotel amenities for guests include:
:: Digital check-In
:: Free breakfast
:: Free Internet access
:: Valet parking (fee)
:: Laundry
:: Fitness center
:: Outdoor pool
:: Pet friendly (fee)
:: Business services
:: Meeting facilities
It was nice to see that this hotel is accessible for individuals with disabilities and for seniors with limited mobility.
Hotel Dining Options
Washington DC can be a bit pricey, so it was so nice to get free breakfast. We went down to The Breakfast Bar right inside the hotel and enjoyed eggs, hash browns, toast, sausage, waffles, fresh fruit, coffee and tea. The breakfast selection was quite impressive.
While the Hyatt Place Washington DC/National Mall features a restaurant and two bars, we were out and about sightseeing downtown during lunches and dinners.
The CityBar Rooftop Bar offers cocktails amidst stunning views of the Washington skyline. Although we didn’t have a drink, we did visit the rooftop bar after our exhausting day of sightseeing, just to take a peek at the incredible view.
The Placery is located at the lobby bar. They offer burgers and sandwiches along with alcoholic beverages. From what I could see, you can even take the food to go.
We did visit The Market in the hotel for some prepackaged snacks to take back to our room each evening. You’ll find a large assortment of grab-and-go items.
Sightseeing Around Washington DC
We had two full days to visit the sights in Washington. The downtown area provides easy access to many of the city’s major attractions and landmarks. Washington, DC has an extensive public transportation system, including trains and buses, making it easy for us to get around.
Our Washington DC itinerary:
:: Smithsonian Museum
:: Smithsonian Gardens
:: Smithsonian Castle
:: Smithsonian’s National Zoo
:: Museum of the Bible
:: National Air and Space Museum
:: National Museum of American History
:: National Museum of Natural History
:: National Mall: Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the U.S. Capitol.
Right near the hotel, we also visited the International Spy Museum0. There were so many interactive exhibits, spy artifacts, and more spy-related things to see.
Dining in Washington DC
You’ll find a wide range of dining options, from casual to upscale restaurants. We ate dinner on the first night at the popular Carmine’s Restaurant, one of our favorite New York restaurants, also located in Washington. The chicken parmesan, penne ala vodka and Caprese salad, all served in huge family style portions, were as delicious as you could expect.
The second night we ate at Old Ebbitt Grill. I immensely enjoyed a half rack of baby back ribs with potato salad, coleslaw, and the most amazing cornbread!
Don’t make fun of me. We ate the first day’s lunch at Shake Shack. I was craving a strawberry milkshake and Shake Shack did not disappoint! The burger was delicious as well, the fries were just okay.
The second day’s lunch, we were spending the day at the Smithsonian’ National Zoo so we picked up chicken wraps, coffee, and lemon Italian ices at the Zoo Market Cafe & Deli. Later in the day we enjoyed Auntie Anne’s pretzels for an additional snack.
Free Entry Into Smithsonian’s National Zoo
While there were many memorable and touching moments seeing monuments and memorials in person, my favorite part of our Washington visit was Smithsonian’s National Zoo. Please note that the admission to the zoo is free but you need to acquire a Free Entry Pass to enter the zoo. This is one of the oldest zoos in the United States.
Once inside, you can access an Animal Adventure Guide using your mobile phone. That made it so much easier and more efficient to make our way through the zoo. I, of course, led the way to the Giant Panda exhibit. I watched a real-life panda, that looks exactly like the giant stuffed panda that I won at Great Adventure Amusement Park in New Jersey as a teenager, playing in front of my eyes, while it feasted on bamboo. Wonderful!
We strolled through the zoo, enjoying just about everything except for the reptile exhibit. We’re not fans of alligators or snakes so we skipped that area. However, the lions, tigers, bears, monkeys, orangutangs, wallabies, and Asian elephants were so amazing to see in person … at least from a distance. The sea lions catching and eating fish were comical.
There is something special about visiting the zoo as an adult. It brings back many childhood memories yet it’s so much more than just “oohing and aahing” at cute animals. We had a greater appreciation for what it takes to keep a zoo running and provide for the welfare of so many animals. We even rode very fast horses … well, they were horses spinning on the carousel ride … I still get dizzy thinking about it. Kidding aside, it was a fun day among animals with free zoo admission, and “free” is always a great day in my book.
Museum of the Bible
My cousins gave us a travel tip. If you arrive at the Museum of the Bible after 3pm, you pay 50% off the regular adult admission of $29.99. So, after our zoo visit, we paid a visit to the Museum of the Bible. The name of the museum really sparked my interest.
The museum closes at 5pm, so we had about 90 minutes to explore a few floors of the museum. They do offer guided tours, but tours don’t run at the time we arrived.
Exhibits on the second floor demonstrated the Bible’s impact on fashion, literature, music, and more, along with the Bible’s influence on American culture. The third floor was like walking through bible stories, a very enlightening experience. The fourth-floor shared hundreds of artifacts outlining the Bible’s history. The fifth floor featured archaeological discoveries from the Israel Antiquities Authority, demonstrating what life was like in ancient Israel. In the Grand Hall, you can view fascinating manuscripts and other items taken from the Vatican Museums and the Vatican Library.
Takeaways From Our Visit to Washington, DC
I was very pleased with our accommodations at Hyatt Place Washington DC/National Mall. The convenient location of the hotel, so close to every landmark we wanted to see, allowed for easy sightseeing in the area. We appreciated our hotel room’s spacious, clean, and modern appearance. We felt like we were sleeping in luxury. The free breakfast was an added benefit to staying there. The staff, from the front desk to housekeeping, was so nice and helpful.
It was a great downtown location with a short walk to the Metro. But note that you can hear the trains from your hotel room. If you’re a light sleeper, you may find the train sounds, street sounds, and people’s voices, a bit disrupting.
We had so much planned to do for our two-night stay in Washington, DC, the hotel served as our pit stop for sleep and breakfast. But it was comfortable, safe, and right in the middle of the city. The Hyatt Place Washington DC/National Mall Hotel helped make the trip so wonderfully memorable!