Anyone have any great favorite places to recommend in the Washington DC area?

You’re moving to my area! :D

Honestly, DC is a city to wander in I think. You can find all sorts of restaurants, shopping, galleries, museums, landmarks and stuff all over. I love the city, what exactly are you looking for? It’s a really eclectic city, with pretty much every nationality represented in the restaurants and shopping. There are festivals and parades on the regular. When are you moving?

The restaurants in DC are also more expensive than most of the rest of the country. We went into a steakhouse, and the steaks were $60 a plate! Even McDonalds hikes their prices, for the tourists.

And, as a general rule, I love Georgetown.

@filmfann: That’s just not true, and if you’re going to a nice steakhouse anywhere in the DC Metro Area and you don’t spend $60 a plate, you’re not at the right steakhouse. DC has a lot of serious foodies.

I live near San Francisco, a good restaurant town, and you can get a good meal for half that!

Well, what steakhouse did you go to?
Generally, you get what you pay for in DC. Cheap is cheap and rich is rich. It varies like anywhere else, but it’s pretty predictable.

I felt like the restaurants were set up to get money from PACs and lobbyists who pick up the check. The food was good, but not justifying the cost.
Really, SF restaurants. I’m not talking Sizzler.

To each their own. :)

Marina, the Wiki on DC. is actually really informative and very accurate, if you’re moving, pay attention to the section on crime. It varies quite a bit depending on where you live. NW as far as I know really is the safest, I’ve had friends mugged and burgled pretty much everywhere but NW.

I was also shocked at the number of homeless in DC. For the size of the city, it seems excessive.

Get up early and be at the Vietnam Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial as close to dawn as possible. After that you won’t care much what you eat; you’ll have had a transcendent experience of a rare sort.

Prices in the business/capitol area of DC are high because individuals aren’t picking up the tabs—businesses, which can write the cost off, are. Makes it hard on the tourist who ventures in close to the centers of power and wants a burger or a steak or a hotel room.

Excellent, Eagle! There’s some random lurve for ya!

The homeless are a huge problem in DC, it’s a nightmare.
Sadly, most eventually stop noticing.

@eaglei20200: Yeah, but that’s really only certain areas, and that applies to all cities. In other areas it’s like anywhere else. :)

I like the Falls Church area. I stay there whenever I visit DC. It is less expensive, a great neighborhood to walk around and the Metro is convenient. Check it out.

My cousin lives in Bethesda right across the street from where Sascha goes to school. That’s a non sequitor but they are really happy with Bethesda as a place to live; they can walk to the metro and be in downtown in 20 minutes and also walk to local shops and restaurants. It was just named as one the best small cities to live in in the U.S. so you might want to check it out if you don’t want to live right in D.C.

My aunt and uncle lived in the Shepard’s Park section of N.W. D.C. and that was very nice too.

Bethesda and Falls Church are very nice.

2 Amys Pizza authentic neoplitan pizza
Burrito Brothers spread out all over the city, huge burritos stuffed with fresh fillings, vegetarian options
the National Zoo – a great and free place to picnic, stroll, get away
Woodley Park – little neighborhood right by the zoo, neat shops and all kinds of places to eat
Georgetown – ‘nuff said
Gallery Place – in Chinatown, neat stores, places to grab a bite. A fun day can be spent at the International Spy Museum. While in this section of the city there don’t miss the National Portrait Gallery
Eastern Market – awesome farmer’s/artisan market