Why Visit Washington, DC

If you love history, tourist destinations, and good food, Washington, DC is a great place to visit. We really enjoyed visiting museums and eating delicious food.

Best Time to Visit DC

Ideally, visit in spring (March to May) or fall (September to November). I can confirm summer is not the ideal time. We went July 4th weekend and the high temperatures were in the high 80s/low 90s. But it is a busy time because families are traveling for summer vacation.

How to Get to DC

You’ll fly into Ronald Regan Washington National Airport (DCA) or Dulles International Airport (IAD). DCA is closer to Washington, DC. – about a 10-15 minute drive to downtown – while IAD is about a 40-minute drive. There are metro stops at both airports.

How to Get Around DC

There are multiple ways to get around DC.

If you’re not in a hurry, the Metro is extensive and affordable. It’s about $2 one way, depending on where you’re going.

If you want to explore by bike, Capital Bikeshare offers 24-hr bike rental for $8. You can also rent by ride, which is $1 per unlock and $0.05 a minute for a regular bike or $0.15 for an electric bike.

Rideshare is also available, which we took in the evenings to get to dinner. It’s more costly, about $1 a minute without surge pricing.

Bus tours are an easier option. Big Bus Tours and Old Town Trolley Tours are hop-on, hop-off buses with 15 stops around the National Mall. You can get tickets for 1-3 days.

You could also rent a car. It’s personally my last choice since downtown parking in any city is a big hassle, especially in a tourist-heavy area. It will also be the most expensive.

We spent about $170 on transportation, the majority of that being rideshare for about eight rides. I think if we hadn’t gone in the summer, we would have been more inclined to other transportation!

Where to Stay in DC

We stayed in Dupont Circle on Embassy Row and thought it was a good location. The airport was about 15-20 minutes away and we biked to most sights in 15-20 minutes. Our hotel was The Ven at Embassy Row and it was renovated in 2021. The Metro station is steps away and you’ll be a short walk from the Dupont Farmers Market on Sundays. It’s a little far to walk to the National Mall – about 30 minutes.

Staying Downtown (Logan Circle and Penn Quarter are nearby) is pricier but you’ll be in closer walking distance to the National Mall.

Low-season hotel rates are an average of $150 per night and high-season is about $270 per night.

Best Things to Do

History buffs, museum enthusiasts, tourist friendlies – this city is for you. You could easily fill a week of visiting monuments and museums. At a fast pace, you could walk through the National Mall in about two to four hours. I recommend researching the museums you want to visit and seeing if they require any advance reservations. But also aim to make fewer reservations and allow yourself time to wander and linger. There’s a lot to take in and discover.

See this post for info on what we saw and what else I recommend.

Best Things to Eat in DC

There’s no lack of good food in DC! The city is culturally diverse, so you’ll find a wide variety of options and some of the best. DC is also a city with Michelin designations if you like finer dining.

See this post for where we ate and more recommendations.

I hope you have a great time visiting DC!

Looking for more travel guides? Check out these options:

• Travel Guide to Downtown Seattle, Washington
• Big Island Hawaii Travel Guide + Trip Itinerary
• Napa Travel Guide & Itinerary

The post Washington, DC Travel Guide appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

How do you pack in all the sightseeing in 72 hours? Wear comfortable shoes, bring a water bottle, and get ready to hustle.

We used a few different modes of transportation, and we found renting bikes was the best way to see the National Mall sights. Some of the sights are a walking distance away, but bikes helped us see sites like the Jefferson Memorial and Martin Luther King Jr Memorial in efficient time.

The great thing about DC is sights are very accessible – most are free to visit. Some require an advance reservation, so be sure to look into requirements months ahead of time. During the high tourist season, those reservations can be hard to get.

National Mall

Seeing all of the below, with some biking, took about two and a half hours. All of these sites are free and open to the public.

• Lincoln Memorial
• Vietnam War Memorial
• Korean War Memorial
• WW2 Memorial
• Jefferson Memorial
• Martin Luther King Jr Memorial
• Franklin D Roosevelt Memorial
• Washington Monument

The White House is a bit out of the way from the above sights but is still connected by the lawn. You can see it from the Washington Monument.

National Museum of Natural History

My favorite museum that we visited, the National Museum of Natural History, is enormous (and a bit crowded). From ancient artifacts like dinosaur bones, rocks, and crystals to exciting exhibits like the evolution of light pollution, there is lots to explore at the museum. If you enjoy natural history, you’ll spend a few hours here.

Details: Free admission, open daily, no advance tickets needed

Hirshhorn Museum

We had initially wanted to visit this art museum because there was a Kusama exhibit there. I didn’t get to secure tickets but we still stopped by. It has some very interesting modern and contemporary art.

Details: free admission, open daily, no advance tickets needed unless there’s a special exhibit

Library of Congress

The Library of Congress is a research library and the oldest federal cultural building. It’s a very pretty building and has a few exhibits, like Thomas Jefferson’s library. You can’t go into the main reading room, but you can see it from the balcony.

Details: closed Sundays and Mondays, free advance reservation needed

National Gallery of Art

The National Gallery of Art has more than 150,000 pieces in their collection, from paintings to sculptures. I enjoyed this museum more than the Hirshhorn Museum. There is an East Building, a West Building, and a Sculpture Garden.

Details: free admission, open daily, no advance tickets needed

United States Botanical Garden

If you’re a plant lover, you definitely need to visit the U.S. Botanical Garden. This living plant museum includes a conservatory and multiple gardens.

Details: free admission, open daily, no advance tickets needed

Smithsonian Museums

In addition to the National Museum of Natural History, there are more than a dozen Smithsonian Museums you could visit. Pick your favorite subject and add it to your schedule. Remember all of these museums are free to visit, though some require advance reservations because they are extra busy.

• National African American Museum
• National African Art Museum
• National Air and Space Museum
• National American Art Museum
• National Museum of American History
• National Museum of the American Indian
• Anacostia Community Museum
• Archives of American Art
• Arts and Industries Building
• National Museum of Asian Art
• National Zoo
• National Portrait Gallery
• National Postal Museum

International Spy Museum

Another popular museum is the International Spy Museum. There are different ticket prices depending on the day of the week.

Details: around $27 per person, advance ticket available online

Dupont Farmers Market

We happened upon the Dupont Farmers Market on Sunday and loved seeing all the local produce. If you want to try unique eats, this would be a great place to visit.

Georgetown

If you want to explore a neighborhood and do some shopping, visit the Georgetown neighborhood. It’s one of the oldest neighborhoods in DC. I tried a great cupcake shop when I visited.

The Wharf

This waterfront neighborhood has restaurants, shopping, and events. 

I hope you have a fun time taking in the history and culture of DC! It’s a fun city to explore.

Need restaurant recommendations? Check out this post for a few of mine.

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What is it about visiting a new city that makes eating so fun? Easy – you get to eat at all the best restaurants you’ve researched! We had a quick 72-hour trip to Washington, DC and enjoyed many delicious things. DC has PLENTY of options, so use this guide as part of your research.

7 Best Restaurants to Check Out

In our short time in DC, we enjoyed seven places I recommend.

Hank’s Oyster Bar

There are two locations of Hank’s in DC – one at Dupont Circle and one at the Wharf. We visited the Wharf location to check out the waterfront. It’s a busy spot, but we easily got seats at the bar around 1:30 p.m. As the name of the restaurant suggests, it’s known for its seafood, so we enjoyed crab dip and Salty Wolfe oysters, their proprietary oyster grown and harvested from the lower Chesapeake, Virginia.

Rooster and Owl

One of the two reservations I made before the trip, Rooster & Owl is a Michelin-starred restaurant serving American food with Asian twists. Their menu is four courses for $85 and you get to pick from four options in each course. See this blog post for more details.

Call Your Mother Deli

This spot was on my list because of their bagel sandwiches. (Ok, and their fun, pink branding was hard to resist too.) They have six locations in the D.C. area and also vend at the Dupont Farmers Market on Sundays. We split the Royal Palm – plain cream cheese, smoked salmon, cucumber, tomato, red onion, capers on an everything bagel. The dirty chai latte also fueled us up. I was also eyeing the latkes and babka muffins.

Tatte Bakery & Cafe

We walked by Tatte and couldn’t help stopping in after seeing the large pastry case and the throngs of people. It was a good choice because the kouign amann and morning bun we enjoyed were excellent! Tatte originated in Boston and now has 10 locations in the D.C. area. They do have heartier entrees like shakshuka, and their counter service set-up makes it easy to grab and go pastries like we did. It does get pretty busy, so go early or prepare for a wait.

Oyamel

For a nicer option near the National Mall, Oyamel is a short walk away. The restaurant serves upscale Mexican food and is owned by Chef José Andrés. This place is happening! We enjoyed the huge, fresh-made guacamole, ceviche con citricos (striped bass), and tacos – chilorio de res (shredded beef) and taco de lengua (beef tongue). If you want to go all-out, they have a chef’s tasting menu for $72.

Bar Spero

We made a last-minute reservation at Bar Spero when our plans fell through and we were very pleased with our experience. The menu is a la carte and leans heavily on Spanish cuisine and open fire. It’s a newer restaurant by a Michelin chef, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it brings in big accolades. See our full experience in this blog post.

Baked and Wired

Last but not least, one of my last bites in D.C. was sweet! We ventured to Georgetown for a cupcake at Baked and Wired, a bakery known for its cupcakes. They have so many flavors but I opted for my favorite and bestseller – strawberry.

More Recommendations

We enjoyed the smallest fraction of great restaurants in D.C. If you’re looking for more recommendations, I would take a look at the below lists and explore the Eater D.C. website to plan your trip.

Michelin-Starred Restaurants

DC is a city with Michelin-starred restaurants, 24 in total. While these aren’t the only restaurants where you’ll find great eats, you’ll be guaranteed to find creativity, quality, and a high standard of service. Here’s a list of the restaurants.

Three Stars

• The Inn at Little Washington

Two Stars

• Jônt
• Minibar
• Pineapple & Pearls

One Star

• Albi
• Bresca
• Cranes
• El Cielo D.C.
• Fiola
• Gravitas
• Imperfecto: The Chef’s Table
• Kinship
• Little Pearl
• Masseria
• Maydan
• Métier
• Oyster Oyster
• Reverie
• Rooster & Owl
• Rose’s Luxury
• Sushi Nakazawa
• Tail Up Goat
• The Dabney
• Xiquet

Other Restaurants

Here are some other places I had on my list but didn’t get to work into the schedule. I have them bookmarked for a future trip!

• Compass Rose
• Elle
• Minibar
• Old Ebbit Grill
• Purple Patch
• Right Proper Brewing
• Un Je Ne Sai Quoi
• Union Market

I hope you enjoy eating in DC! I can’t wait to go back and try more restaurants.

Click here to read more travel eats!

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We had a reservation at another restaurant but it was cancelled three hours before when the restaurant’s AC broke. I scrambled to find availability elsewhere and luckily, Bar Spero was available.

While we were bummed to miss dining at the other restaurant, Bar Spero was fantastic! Read on to hear more about my experience.

Bar Spero

Because of our last-minute reservation, I wasn’t sure what to expect at Bar Spero, but the experience was worthy of their recent merit of being added to the Michelin guide in March. The designation hasn’t been announced but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a Michelin star.

Bar Spero opened less than a year ago, in September 2022. Their chef, Johnny Spero, is no stranger to being part of an award-winning team. He has worked at various D.C. restaurants, including Minibar, Noma in Copenhagen, and Mugaritz in Spain. Most recently, he opened Reverie, his first D.C. restaurant, which earned a Michelin star and is temporarily closed because of a fire in August 2022. Needless to say, Chef Spero knows what he’s doing when it comes to exceptional dining.

I enjoyed the sleek and stylish design of the restaurant. The booths look cozy and the interesting lighting silhouettes give sophistication.

As for the cuisine, Bar Spero is inspired by Chef’s many travels, especially Spain. The menu features a raw bar and open-fire cooking.

Drinks at Bar Spero

To start, drinks. Cocktails are a riff on classics and they also have a curated wine list with wines by the glass, carafe, and bottle. They also have a more extensive selection than other places when it comes to non-alcoholic drinks, including mocktails and non-alcoholic wine.

Our cocktails (a paloma and banana daiquiri) were good but I would opt for a glass of wine next time.

Dinner at Bar Spero

For food, we shared a few delicious plates. The menu is a la carte and divided into hot, cold, let’s go, and sweet.

Beef Tartare, capers, fried potato, allium – Beautiful and delicious

Charred Cabbages, anchovy cream, Idiazabal cheese, bonito

Grilled Oysters, sauce sidra blanc, pickled garlic and brown butter – Stand-out dish! The sauce on top made it incredible

Hamachi Collar, gochujang, spicy greens – We typically order fish collars whenever we see them and this one did not disappoint. Loved the smokey flavor.

Torrijas and Green Walnut – I loved our dessert. Torrijas is similar to French toast and bread pudding. We devoured this one!

Every dish we had was mouth-wateringly great. I would eat all again except for the Charred Cabbages. While that dish was good, I’d want to try another dish.

If you’re looking for a more unique dish, order from the Let’s Go section where you can get Turbot (fish), Jonah Crab, or Beef Rib.

How Much is Dining at Bar Spero

The menu is a la carte, so you can choose how much to spend. Dishes range from $12 to $74. Glasses of wine range from $12 to $29 while cocktails range from $16 to $19.

Tax and service charges are included on the check.

How to Make a Reservation

Reservations can be made online at Resy. Dates and times are released at a rolling seven weeks and it is easy to get reservations.

Details for Your Visit

Here’s a quick list of what to know prior to your visit.

• Cuisine: Spanish-inspired, raw bar
• Meal offered: Dinner only
• Ambiance: Comfortable, classy
• Attire: Business casual, no dress code
• Noise Level: Average
• Pricing: $$
• Dietary restrictions: Limited available for these allergies – dairy, allium, nightshade
• Reservation: Available and suggested
• Groups: Contact directly for groups larger than 6 people
• Seating options: Table, bar booth
• Outdoor Seating: No
• Parking: Street

Bar Spero
250 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001
https://www.barspero.com/

Want to read more restaurant experiences? Check out these posts:

• Otoko’s Multi-Course Sushi Omakase
• Chef’s Tasting at Rooster & Owl in Washington, DC
• Eating at Pujol and Quintonil in Mexico City
• Dining at Room 4 Dessert in Ubud, Indonesia

The post Dining at Bar Spero in Washington, DC appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

Rooster & Owl

Rooster for the day and owl for the night, Rooster & Owl is named in honor of the husband-and-wife owners, Yuan and Carey Tang. While the two had different working hours – Carey worked during the day in nonprofit development and Yuan worked nights in restaurants – eating together is where they connect. The restaurant, which opened in 2019, earned a Michelin star in 2021 and again in 2022.

Yuan worked in three different Michelin restaurants in New York City before opening his own restaurant. When you dine here, expect re-imagined classics with a focus on vegetables and seasonal ingredients.

Design-wise, you’ll find a casual yet comfortable set-up with a tan and black palette. It reminds me a lot of Austin’s Emmer and Rye with its color palette and shelving.

Drinks

First, let’s talk drinks. I got the Yuzu You Boo (Plymouth Gin, Genmaicha Tea, Cardamom, Honey, Yuzu) and Will got the Peat This (The San-In Blended Japanese Whiskey, Oolong Tea, Lychee, Lagvulin 16yr). The Peat This was tasty with depth in the flavors. It was sweeter than I expected. The Yuzu You Boo reminded me of a Bee’s Knees and was lacking in that expected depth for me.

Chef’s Tasting Menu

For the chef’s tasting, it is a four-course dinner where you pick your favorite option for each course. There were four options for each course and at least one is vegetarian. The restaurant encourages eating family style, and as we typically do, we made a game plan to order different dishes, allowing us to try eight of the 16 dishes.

The start of the meal was bread and butter, and this version of a dinner roll was excellent! It was a variation of a Hong Kong pineapple bun, one of my favorites.

Here’s what we had from the menu. I’ve included all of the options and we enjoyed the first two dishes in each list.

Course 1: 

• Heirloom Tomatoes, avocado, salmon roe, everything bagel lavash
• Scallop Crudo, leche de tigre, citrus salad, nuoc cham
• Asparagus Dan Dan, granny smith, snow peas, chili oil
• Burrata, rainer cherries, toasted pistachio, basil

Course 2: 

• Shiitake Larb, forbidden rice, compressed apple, hazelnut
• Potato Gnocchi, pickled red onion, scallion oil, lemon beurre blanc
• Squid Salad, sungold tomatoes, green papaya, peanut
• “Banh Mi”, nueske’s bacon, foie gras, carrot, coriander ($10 supplement)

And then, Course 3: 

• Striped Bass, avocado cucumber vichyssoise, tomato jam, watercress
• Braised Lamb, green tabbouleh, crispy shallot, toasted almonds
• Torchio Pasta, edamame salad, pea shoot pesto, togarashi sunflower seeds
• Dry Aged Strip, tomatillo relish, piquillo, hollandaise ($10 supplement)

Course 4:

• Hummingbird Cake, chili pineapple, cream cheese, coconut sorbet
• Cheesecake, goat cheese, pecan praline, honey
• Panna Cotta, vanilla, strawberry oat cluster, lemon verbena sorbet
• Chocolate Cremeux, cardamom, praline, coffee

The team also shared a sprinkled birthday dessert, a colorful but forgettable treat.

Every dish was spectacular – perfectly put together in flavor and texture. My favorite dish was the gnocchi – one of the best I’ve ever had. Also, the striped bass was delicious. I wished the Shiitake Larb and the Hummingbird Cake had something unexpected but they were still satisfying dishes.

How Much is Rooster & Owl

The four-course dinner, the only option, is $85 per person with a few courses as a $10 add-on. You can also add a wine pairing for $75 per person.

The menu had seven cocktails (all $16 except one for $18), three beers ($11), and two mocktails ($10).

The additional caviar and champagne offering is $135.

I definitely think the four-course dinner is worth it!

How to Make a Reservation

Reservations are available on Resy. Dates and times are released on a rolling four weeks, and it is fairly easy to get last-minute reservations. You can choose a seat in the dining room, at the bar, or on the patio.

Details for Your Visit

Here’s a quick list of what to know prior to your visit.

• Cuisine: New American with an Asian flair
• Meal offered: Dinner only
• Ambiance: Casual, lively
• Attire: Business casual, no dress code
• Noise Level: Average
• Pricing: $$
• Dietary restrictions: Cannot accommodate vegan guests and allium allergies
• Reservation: Available and suggested
• Groups: Contact restaurant for groups of more than 4 people
• Seating options: Bar, dining room, patio
• Outdoor Seating: Yes, covered patio in front
• Parking: Limited street parking and nearby garages

Rooster & Owl
2436 14th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
(202) 915-9004
https://www.roosterowl.com/

Dining is one of my favorite experiences when I travel. Here are some other posts to read:

• Dining at Room 4 Dessert in Ubud, Indonesia
• Dining at Nahm in Bangkok, Thailand
• Eating at Pujol and Quintonil in Mexico City
• Dining at The French Laundry in Napa, California

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