Winter Weekend Getaway Guide for Washington, D.C.

I may have been a little dramatic in my Instagram Stories while waiting to board my very delayed flight to Washington, D.C., but to be fair, by the time I boarded, we were already supposed to have landed.

Normally losing a couple of hours of vacation time is merely a nuisance, but not highly impactful to the rest of the travel. Unfortunately, when your total trip time is less than 48 hours, losing time at the airport means missed travel opportunities.

Despite that, this was still a delightfully full visit at a comfortable pace. This trip makes my fourth visit to D.C. and my second visit with Michael. With so many of the city’s sights under our belts, it was nice to slow down and enjoy the new ones.

Considering a return trip to D.C.? Here’s how to spend a delightful second (or third or fourth) visit:

A BUDGET HOTEL IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

The Pod Hotel (now Motto by Hilton)

The Pod Hotel (now Motto by Hilton) | 627 H St NW, Washington, DC 20001

Thanks to choosing an off-peak time of year to visit, I found multiple D.C. hotels priced at under $100 per night. I’d heard about POD Hotels, a type of micro-hotel designed to offer travelers a good value by minimizing footprint (edit: this location is now Motto by Hilton) before, and have even looked into the ones in NYC but never stayed in one. But for just $80 per night, I couldn’t pass up the chance.

True to its model, the rooms here are small – but I don’t have issues with small spaces as long as they are arranged efficiently. Michael and I stayed in a Queen room, and it essentially occupied the entire space. Because of this, there was no way for both of us to pass through the space at the same time; if one of us needed to get around the other, we’d play an awkward game of chicken where one person had to crawl on the bed to let the other through. There wasn’t enough space to open our suitcases flat to pull out our items (not counting the bed, but we’d never do that!), so unpacking proved a little tedious.

All of that was manageable, but the bathroom made us most uncomfortable. Instead of opting for a pocket door that would seal completely, they opted for a semi-frosted glass barn door that stood out from the wall by about two inches. Depending on where you are in the bedroom, you have the unique opportunity to make eye contact with the other person when they are, uh, seated in the bathroom. I would definitely hesitate to recommend the room to two people who don’t know each other very well.

I will say that the hotel staff acted swiftly when we pulled back the bed linens on the first night to find they weren’t terribly clean and moved us into another room a few doors down. Would I stay here again? Maybe, but only if the price is considerably lower than other comparable spaces.

WASHINGTON, D.C. FOOD + DRINK

Peregrine Espresso

Peregrine Espresso | Multiple Locations

I quickly stopped in at the narrow MidCity location of Peregrine Espresso for a cappuccino and a pour-over before heading out to explore the city. Both of our drinks were excellent fuel for exploring the shops along 14th Street.

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A Baked Joint

A Baked Joint | 430 K St NW, Washington, DC 20001

I rarely visit a place twice over such a short period of time, but I made an exception for A Baked Joint. On my last D.C. visit, I stopped in at buzzy Baked & Wired over in Georgetown, but A Baked Joint is much more my speed. Rustic breads, beautiful pastries, and a top-notch coffee selection brought me back, and my only souvenirs from the weekend were purchased here (a sourdough loaf and bag of coffee beans – my favorite!).

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Compass Coffee

Compass Coffee | Multiple Locations

In an attempt to try other coffee shops near my hotel out of fairness, Michael and I visited the local chain Compass Coffee on our last morning in D.C. The empty, clinically white space should have been our first indicator that this would be a bust, but we forged ahead. We ended up using our coffee cups as hand warmers for our walk back over to A Baked Joint (where we grabbed a more palatable cup).

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Chercher Ethiopian Restaurant and Mart

Chercher Ethiopian Restaurant and Mart | 1334 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001

Big cities offer a world of cuisine and on this trip to D.C. I made it a priority. Shortly after deboarding our plane, taking the Metro to our hotel, and gratefully exiting one of the strangest Lyft rides we’ve had in a while, Michael and I found ourselves shivering outside of Chercher, a highly recommended Ethiopian restaurant.

The restaurant’s interior was much smaller than expected, but we lucked into the last remaining table in the cozy space. I ordered the beef tibs, which were perfect in every way, and Michael ordered the more adventurous kitfo. Eating with our hands took a little getting used to, but we really enjoyed using the sauces and spices provided. I look forward to returning here sometime!

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Zaytinya

Zaytinya | 701 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001

I kept hearing that Zaytinya is the place to eat when you visit Washington, D.C., but with a limited number of meals on the trip, Michael and I just stopped in for drinks. The restaurant was incredibly crowded but we lucked out by finding two recently-vacated seats at the bar. I’m generally hesitant to eat at celebrity chefs’ big-name restaurants, but José Andrés always gets a pass. The menu looked quite good and our drinks were perfect, so I would consider giving it a go sometime.

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RPM Italian

RPM Italian | 650 K St NW, Washington, DC 20001

I’ve been craving good carbonara since our trip to Italy (though I’ve gotten really good at making it at home, it’s nice to have someone else prepare it!), so I decided to search for a place where we could enjoy it in D.C. RPM Italian kept showing in the results, so we took the only remaining dinner reservation on Saturday night: 10:00 p.m.

I later found it on this random website listing the best pastas in your state, so my expectations were through the roof. It was good, don’t get me wrong, but the price for a starter, two pastas, a dessert, and a bottle of wine was about 50% higher than it should have been, even for a restaurant in a large city. We clearly didn’t do our research ahead of time, but all of the photos of Giuliana Rancic near the bathrooms should have been an indicator that we were dining at a celebrity restaurant (*shudders*).

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Le Diplomate

Le Diplomate | 1601 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20009

Le Diplomate was our final meal of the trip, and it felt comfortable to tuck into a French meal. Although Michael was a tad underwhelmed by his croque madame, I was very happy with my comforting eggs vol-au-vent.

The restaurant was larger than I expected and painstakingly decorated to precisely resemble a French brasserie (down to the ceilings, which were painted to look like they had endured years of tobacco smoke). It felt a little like the French restaurant at Epcot in Disney World, but I guess sometimes that’s okay.

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Dolcezza Gelato and Coffee

Dolcezza Gelato and Coffee | Multiple Locations

I read great reviews online about Dolcezza and had high hopes for gelato that mirrored the incredible cornettos we had in Italy. While good, Dolcezza’s scoops didn’t quite take me back to Trastevere; nevertheless, it’s worth a stop for a scoop if you’re in the mood!

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Da Hong Pao

Da Hong Pao | 1409 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20005

Ordering Dim Sum isn’t usually too difficult or awkward, especially when you can just point to items on the cart or occasionally check out the menu.

But for some reason, our visit to Da Hong Pao just felt a little off; tea was not offered during the service, and when offering items from the trolley, the servers clearly kept skipping over some dishes and hiding others. When one of the servers offered the duck dish on her trolley, we said yes, and she immediately flagged down another server who told us he would go get it. It never arrived, so we finished our other dishes and paid the bill without it. The meal was delicious, just a little confusing.

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Free State

Free State | 501B G St NW, Washington, DC 20001

Billed as an “Atlantic Bar” we decided to grab drinks at Free State. Whenever we travel I always ask for a local beer; here all of the beers were from the D.C. metro area. In addition to our drinks, we ordered Berger Cookies from Baltimore, which are kind of like a Black and White Cookie from NYC, but without the white chocolate.

WASHINGTON, D.C. SIGHTS AND ATTRACTIONS

Smithsonian National Zoological Park

Smithsonian National Zoological Park | 3001 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008

I’m always up for a trip to the zoo, and when it’s free? Yes please, let’s go right now! The Smithsonian National Zoological Park is huge and there are a lot of animals – we barely scratched the surface but were there for a couple of hours. To make the most of it, make sure to visit your favorite animals first (mine are the red pandas, otters, and Giant Panda!). The mother-and-son red panda duo stole the show (and my heart!), both active and playing in the cold weather.

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Smithsonian National Museum of American History

Smithsonian National Museum of American History | 1300 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20560

We somehow thought we had missed the Smithsonian National Museum of American History on our last visit to the capital, but as soon as we walked in we realized we’d been in before (how does this happen? I can’t be the only one who occasionally suffers a little travel amnesia, right?). The exhibit I most wanted to see was Julia Child’s kitchen, so we walked over to look before moving on. Like the others, this museum is free to visit. What a precious, dwindling resource!

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National Portrait Gallery

National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum | 8th St NW & G St NW, Washington, DC 20001

Neither Michael nor I expected to spend so long at the American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery, which are housed in the same building – but we lingered until closing. Both had fascinating ongoing exhibits and a truly wide range of art styles within. I’d love to revisit during another stay in the city and recommend you don’t skip out on this gem.

BOUTIQUE SHOPPING IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

Salt & Sundry

Salt & Sundry | Multiple Locations

Shopping wasn’t high on my list of things to do in Washington, D.C. but we did stop into a couple of cute boutiques. Salt & Sundry was full of darling bath and kitchen items, however, most were too big to transport back in our carry-ons. It was well worth a browse for some home-style inspiration, though.

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Redeem

Redeem | now closed

D.C.’s Redeem carries a carefully curated selection from independent designers and groups like Kowtow, Won Hundred, and Just Female. I have a very specific shopping list at the moment and didn’t pick anything up, but I loved browsing through the new designs.

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Current Boutique

Current Boutique | 1318 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20005

I really love shopping at thrift and consignment shops in larger cities because the selection tends to be better. There were lots of good brands to be found at Current Boutique like Eileen Fisher, T by Alexander Wang, Rag & Bone, etc. amongst a lot of J. Crew and Zara. If you have time, it may be worth a look.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: WASHINGTON, D.C.

Carefully evaluate your flight options before booking, and double-check your tickets to make sure you’re flying into and out of the same airport. There are three airports in the Washington, D.C. area: Reagan National (DCA), Dulles International (IAD), and Baltimore-Washington International (BWI). If you’re going to be primarily staying in the downtown area, that’s the order of preference for you. DCA connects directly into D.C. via the metro, and you can be downtown within a half hour of landing.

If you have a week or so before you leave, go ahead and order a $10 SmarTrip Metro Card online so you don’t have to worry when you arrive. Pay careful attention to the WMATA Service Alerts once you arrive; Google may not update their schedule based on these alerts as in other cities.

There isn’t a great pass option on the Metro for a quick weekend, and pay-as-you-go fares can add up during peak times (update: there is now a 3-Day Unlimited Pass that might suit your travel needs!). We used Uber or Lyft (those are affiliate links to use if you wish, with free rides or discounts for first-time users) when visiting areas that aren’t as well served by the Metro and rarely paid more than the minimum fare.

This visit occurred in February, which was cold but manageable, but ideal for the budget traveler as flights and hotels are typically cheap. Chinatown was my launching pad this time, and I highly recommend it for easy Metro access, proximity to the National Mall, and availability of great restaurants and bars nearby.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON SPENDING A WINTER WEEKEND IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

Some of my favorite trips have taken place at off-peak times. Sure, the weather may not be ideal, but the smaller crowds, cheaper prices, and slower pace more than makes up for it. And when it comes to visiting D.C., there’s always more to do in the city – so why not try and go as many times as you can by saving your money?

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Travel Diary: Winter Weekend Getaway to Washington, D.C.