With my yearning to celebrate new year’s eve differently this year, I headed on to the States before then President-elect Trump sits in office (also because I wanted to breathe some Obama era air).

Politics aside, I was ecstatic to head on to the West Coast to meet up with some friends and enjoy the city. One of the most amazing adventures I had on this trip was taking a 24-hour journey to the country’s capital.

I don’t precisely know how to vividly share with you my trip so allow me to take you on a step-by-step journey.

How to go to Washington D.C. from New York City

a.     Plane – 1 hour via plane. Daily flights from JFK to IAD. Price ranges from 100 to 150 dollars

b.     Train – 3 – 3 ½ hours via Amtrak.  Daily trips from Penn Station to Union Station. Price around 140 dollars for a return trip.

c.      Bus –  4 – 4 ½ hours via Washington Deluxe. Daily trips from several points in NYC to Dupont Circle or Union Staion. Price around 60 dollars for a return trip

We went to DC via Washington Deluxe.

What I love about it:
·      Power Outlets!
·      On time departure
·      Clean and spacious buses
·      Easy booking
·      Easy boarding

We arrived in DC at around 2 in the afternoon and alighted in Dupont Circle. Then we took the subway from Dupont Circle Station to Downtown and then straight to our hotel.

Where to stay:
·      Best to stay Downtown or around Dupont Circle
·      We stayed at Capitol Hilton in Downtown DC for 1 night. A Queen Executive room costs (with free breakfast and evening snacks) around PhP9,000.

Since we have a few more hours ‘til the sun sets, we visited several landmarks which are near the hotel.

White House

Lincoln Memorial

WW2 Memorial

Washington Memorial (from a distance)

EVERYTHING IS A WALKING DISTANCE FROM THE HOTEL.

Note that every price in the US is exclusive of tax. So you just have to be prepared for that. When they say something is like, $10, you actually have to pay for $14.50. Yeah.

TIP: Want to try Shake Shack but the lines in New York are outrageous? Try one in DC! No long queues!

Everything is located at the National Mall and is within walking distance from each other. Our agenda was to visit at least 2 Smithsonian museums.

TIP: Lines tend to get very long since there are no entrances fees to all the museums. Queue at the back of the buildings’ entrances for shorter lines. 

You can go around The National Mall and around Washington DC via the DC Circulator. Each ride costs $1 and if you ride and get down within 2 hours on other Circulators, it’s FREE!

After the two museums, we had to catch our bus back to New York. There are two pick-up points in DC – Dupont Circle or Union Station.

Union Station has a lot of shops you can visit while waiting for your boarding time.

FINAL WORDS

24 hours is a bit short to tour around DC because there are a lot of things to see! Best to spend at least 2 days to visit everything DC has to offer. 

I maybe regretted staying and going around for basically just a day but this trip was definitely one for the books and I'd definitely come back! I hope to see you girls there!