Need some ideas of things to do around the District during Commencement week? Check out some of these great destinations around D.C. that are fun for the whole family and easily accessible by Metro.
Blue/Orange Line:
Nationals baseball game – Take the Blue/Orange line to the Stadium-Armory stop to catch a game by the Washington Nationals. The District’s baseball team will be hosting home games all throughout the week, playing night games at 7:30 p.m. against the Atlanta Braves May 14 through May 16, as well as an afternoon game May 17 at 1:05 p.m. After that, the Nationals will play three more home games against the Baltimore Orioles on May 18 through May 20.
Tickets start at just $5 and can be purchased through the Nationals’ website at washington.nationals.mlb.com or at the stadium’s box office.
The Monuments and the National Mall – If you’re in a walking mood, set off on foot from Foggy Bottom down 23rd Street for a 10-minute walk to the Lincoln Memorial. Then walk past the Vietnam War Memorial and the Reflecting Pool towards the World War II Memorial. From there, you can choose to either continue on toward the Washington Monument and the National Mall, or walk around the Tidal Basin to see the FDR and the Jefferson memorials.
If you’d rather Metro it, take the Blue/Orange line to the Smithsonian station, which lets you off in the middle of the Mall, where you can walk towards the Capitol or see any one of the fascinating (and free) Smithsonian museums, including the Museum of Natural History, the Hirshhorn Art Museum and the Air and Space Museum.
Red Line:
Gallery Place/Chinatown – Take the Red line to Gallery Place/Chinatown for some of the best culture and art D.C. has to offer. The recently renovated National Portrait Gallery is a great place to visit with the family, housing numerous famous portraits of well-known Americans from George Washington to Marilyn Monroe and Shaquille O’Neal. A special exhibit featuring photography from the famous photojournalist Harry Benson is on display at the gallery. Benson is best known for his signature photographs he took for several publications since the 1950s, including The Beatles’ arrival in America and the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, as well as photos of the Reagans, Michael Jackson and even President George W. Bush.
Adams Morgan – If you’re craving good drinking and nightlife culture, head over to the Adams Morgan neighborhood for one of the most diverse bar selections the District has to offer. The Adams Morgan Metro stop can be a bit deceiving, however, as the main strip of bars (located at 18th Street, N.W. and Columbia Road) is actually a 10-minute walk from the station, across the Calvert Street bridge. Great food and live music can also be found here, with ethnic restaurants featuring everything from Mexican to Ethiopian cuisine, and music venues showcasing everything from reggae to salsa to jazz.
Green/Yellow Line:
U Street – Take the Green/Yellow line to the U Street/African-American Civil War Memorial/Cardozo stop for excellent food, music and nightlife. Get a world famous chili dog from Ben’s Chili Bowl (1213 U St., N.W.), then head over to Twins Jazz Club (1344 U St., N.W.) or Utopia (1418 U St., N.W.) for some great live jazz.
Captain White’s Seafood Market – Get off at L’Enfant Plaza and walk toward the water to experience one of D.C.’s greatest hidden food treasures – the seafood market. All reasonably priced, there is no better place to buy fresh fish or live crabs to take home and cook, or to just order some oysters on the half-shell or a seafood plate of fried shrimp and crab cakes to eat on the water. If you’d rather sit and eat, there are several seafood restaurants located along the waterfront to eat as well.
