Spending Money Washington Dc

[Greedyfly]

Following on from my previous flights post I was wondering roughly how much money to budget for spending for my husband and I when on holiday.

Planning possibly to go to Washington DC at the moment, most attractions are free and will be doing a free walking tour and a little shopping. Will probably be there for a week and we eat cheaply usually.

Likely to eat on the go and have a sit down meal on an evening which won't be anything too fancy. Would need to pay for travel around on the Metro. Unlikely to buy many souvenirs etc...

Flights and hotels will be sorted.

Any ideas on spending money? How much would you take?

Thanks GF

[237SJ]

I would probably take a couple of hundred dollars each and the credit card. It`s difficult to say really, but I can go out with $100 in my pocket and it disappears really quickly. By the time you add tax and tips, it really adds up. Even a plastic carton of food from a deli can be $12 or $13.

[Greedyfly]

Thanks 237SJ. We have been to New York before for 8 days and we took a fair amount with us and came back with nearly half. I can't judge DC because so much is free. New York was pricey because of attractions really.

[237SJ]

Don`t go to Tysons Corner if you don`t want to be tempted to spend money :-)

[campbellking]

I loved Washington. Like you say, most of the attractions are free, but they will charge a fortune for some fairly dire food in the museums, so avoid the museum cafes. Pretty sure I got a week's pass for the Metro, which is easy to get on and off if you want to go further out to places like the Arlington Cemetery. am a bit of a Wendys addict, so quite often got salads and stuff there at a reasonable price.
Enjoy!

[Clanad]

Check here for the Metro SmartCard (scroll down to FAQ's and also International for loads of info:

https://smartrip.wmata.com/storefront


(By the way, there's some really nice, relatively inexpensive restaurants near the Watergate Hotel, downtown... seen here:
http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=restaurants+near+watergate+hotel&find_loc=Washington%2C+DC ... We especially appreciate The Dubliner...)

Welcome to the U.S.!

[puzzled54]

Actually, I don't think that the museum cafes are that expensive - if you are spending most of your time around the Mall, then it's convenient to use the museum cafes, and unless you want to do a lot of extra walking, there is not much else around. NASA has a McDonalds - you may love it or hate it - but if you have a soft drink you get free refills. Some nice places at Union station (downstairs) if you are in that area.
When you visit a museum, try and go on a free guided tour, they are really good. The tours of the Capitol building and the Library of Congress are worth doing, but be aware that you cannot take any drinks inside with you.
When are you planning to go?

[puzzled54]

PS - I also think that if the museums are free, then I don't mind spending a bit at the cafes!

[Greedyfly]

We are planning the beginning of September Puzzled54 which I have read is a nice time of year.

Will likely avoid tourist haunts for food. We don't mind a good walk for something decent to eat.