Visit Dates: July 25-27, 2025

Ten days after returning from an 18 day long trip, Sam and I packed our bags again for a long weekend away. The destination – Washington, DC. We traveled there last summer as well, and it’s quickly become one of our favorite places to visit. With it being a short drive from Pittsburgh (4 hours), and the home of great food, wonderful museums, and one of the best public transportation systems, it made the perfect spot for a quick trip.

We decided to pair this trip with a Sunday game at Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles. Sam has already visited this stadium but I never have, and after our visit, we both have been to 15 out of 30 Major League Baseball stadiums – halfway there!

On our last visit, we stayed in College Park at “The Hotel at the University of Maryland”. We decided to stay there again on this trip, and as repeat guests, we would definitely recommend it! The metro station is an easy mile walk and then it’s about a 25 minute ride to the National Mall. The rooms and bathrooms are spacious, and the hotel offers amenities like a great fitness center, pool, and spa. One thing to note about this hotel is that there is always some sort of event going on, from campus tours to weddings. We haven’t noticed any noise issues in spite of that, but those nice amenities may be crowded. 

Here’s a rundown of everything we did over three days in Washington, DC & Baltimore:

DAY 1: National Museum of the American Indian & National Portrait Gallery

After arriving at the hotel in the late morning, we dropped our bags off in our room before heading out for the day. First, we stopped by the campus bookstore, as I promised Sam he could have a new Maryland Terps shirt. We walked around the beautiful campus a bit before heading towards the metro station. 

We stopped for lunch at Falafel Inc., which was on the way to the metro station and has received many accolades for its food and mission – a portion of the revenue goes towards helping refugees. And not only is it good food, but it’s affordable – nothing on the menu costs more than $8! We each got a falafel bowl, which came with 8 falafels on a bed of spinach with a variety of toppings like pickles, cucumber and tomato salad, and red cabbage. We sauced our bowls up and enjoyed them outside as this location did not have any seating. The bowls were really good and well seasoned, with a variety of textures, although I think we both would’ve preferred a different base other than raw spinach. Overall though, I would revisit this spot, especially if I needed a meal on a budget.

After a quick metro ride on one of the cleanest trains I’ve ever been on, we were in DC! The metro dropped us off right along the south end of the mall, and so it was just a quick walk to the National Museum of the American Indian. The museum has an interesting and modern feel to it, given that it has very few sharp corners. It’s home to a wide variety of Native American artifacts, and it had a particularly large emphasis on Native Americans in pop culture and dispelling misinformation. While the museum was enjoyable, both of us left feeling it was lacking in some areas, especially given the history of the Native American peoples. Specifically, we would have liked an introduction to where each tribe was located, as well as specific information about the different cultural practices of each. Additionally, we found very little to no mention of Sacagawea, Sitting Bull, and Crazy Horse, all of whom we would like to learn more about and feel are deserving of greater recognition. Nonetheless, we were glad to have gone and would still recommend it to anyone interested.

After our break in the air conditioning, we braved the heat and humidity to walk up to the National Portrait Gallery, which is attached to the American Art Museum. We were here mostly for the presidential portraits, but we found ourselves spending a considerable amount of time here, all the way to the museum’s close at 7pm. We spent most of our time on the portrait side, and Sam gave me a history lesson on many of the portraits we saw. The aforementioned presidential portraits proved to be a must-do, and it was interesting to see how the portrait styles changed over the decades, especially some of the more modern and unconventional ones. 

After we were kicked out of the museum due to closing, we tried to get a table at Tonari, an Italian-Japanese fusion restaurant that we wanted to try. But they weren’t able to fit us in. So we made a reservation for the next night and headed back to College Park, in hopes of finding some dinner there.

Sam and I have always wanted to try Korean BBQ, and we found a place near the campus to try out, Honey Pig BBQ. This place offered all you can eat meats and side dishes, and we opted for the more expensive selection of meats. The standard set came with a mix of thin sliced meats, while the premium included steak & seafood in addition to the standard cuts. Looking back on the meal though, we would have been satisfied with the standard set. We tried out a variety of meats, and then you barbecue them yourself over a hot grill. All of the meats we tried were good, but the quality could have been higher, especially given the price we were paying. It was a fun, very interactive (and sweaty) experience, but we agreed it would have been better if we had gone with a group as opposed to just the two of us.

We waddled, after eating so much at dinner, back to the hotel and fell right asleep after a long day in the heat.   

DAY 2: National Zoo & Air National Air & Space Museum

We were up bright and early, and we grabbed a smoothie from Playa Bowls on our way to the metro station. We were off to the National Zoo! After a short ride and a quick walk, we were at the zoo entrance gates. The zoo was a nice size, and it was easy to see mostly everything in a few hours. Additionally, the zoo had quite a few exhibits within indoor buildings, which was nice for an AC break but resulted in a few queues to wait in. The main highlight of this zoo are the Giant Pandas, but unlike the San Diego Zoo, their setup here was more casual (no timed tickets).

After wrapping up at the zoo, we met up with one of my friends from high school and his girlfriend for lunch at a cute nearby spot, Open City. They serve classic diner food and breakfast all day. We then walked to the metro station and made our way back to the Mall.

We had afternoon reservations at the National Air & Space Museum, which is a museum that I’ve visited before but Sam hasn’t. We checked the previous day to get tickets, but there was no availability for Saturday. However, beginning at 8:30 each morning, they do offer a limited number of same day tickets, and we were lucky enough to snag those. The museum is one of DC’s most famous, and that’s for good reason. It’s impressive, with a variety of aircrafts and exhibits. But we made a mistake here: we didn’t check the renovation schedule. When we visited, about half of the museum was closed due to switching up exhibits, and while we had an enjoyable time exploring what was open, we didn’t spend nearly as much time here as we had planned. 

The extra time before our dinner reservation meant that we were able to visit the Jefferson Memorial, one of the most beautiful landmarks in DC. This one is a little harder to visit than the others due to its location across the river and the lack of close metro stops, but that makes for a less crowded and more peaceful experience. Although Jefferson’s legacy is layered and complicated, the memorial itself is beautiful, and I bet it is especially nice at nighttime. 

We were also able to walk past the White House. The last time we visited, we went to the back, so this time, we made our way to the front. It’s obviously an impressive building, but there are always heavy crowds, which makes photography difficult. We did try to go to the back again, but the road was blocked off by Secret Service and DC Police. 

After a 24-hour wait, we finally made it to Tonari. I think Italian cuisine is a good vessel for fusion cuisine, so I was excited to see the execution of Japanese and Italian food. The restaurant is small but has a lower and upstairs level. We were seated upstairs, at a table next to some sort of miniature diorama. It’s cozy with a good atmosphere. 

We ordered three dishes – a pasta for each of us and a pizza to share. We started with the pizza, which was a daily special of cheese, bacon, and onion (my go-to!). What made the pizza special was the crust, which is Detroit style using Japanese flour, resulting in a focaccia like dough. This was delicious, and a good sign for the rest of the meal. I ordered their signature mentaiko (cod roe) pasta, which was a bit heavy but had a great umami flavor, and the pasta itself was high quality. Sam ordered the Godzilla pasta, which is alligator meat in a spicy tomato-curry sauce over pappardelle. He really liked this. The pasta used is made by a special ramen manufacturer in Japan. We passed on dessert, but overall really enjoyed our meal here. I would definitely come back and hope to try some of the other items on their menu.   

DAY 3: Baseball game at Camden Yards

We slept in on Sunday morning, and then packed up and headed towards Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore. It was a quick and easy drive, and before we knew it, we were parked. The stadium itself is beautiful and has some great amenities. I’ll leave the more in-depth review for Sam, but this was one of my favorite stadiums we’ve visited – maybe even the best one. I feel that even if you’re not a baseball fan, if you’re looking for something to do in Baltimore, this is worth the stop.

After the game, we drove home in a rainstorm, but a few hours later, we were back in the ‘burgh!

If none of what we did this past time is of interest to you, on our previous trip last summer we did (in the same amount of time):

• American History Museum
• Walking the National Mall (Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument)
• Arlington National Cemetery
• Georgetown neighborhood
• Washington Nationals baseball game
• Library of Congress
• 2Fifty Texas Barbecue 

If you’re looking for a getaway on a budget, we couldn’t recommend DC more. While living there costs an arm and a leg, it can be a cheap place to visit. The extensive and reliable metro routes mean that there’s no need to stay in DC proper. Staying in a hotel in the surrounding area, like we did, saves you money and gives you an opportunity to explore smaller towns. Additionally, all of the Smithsonian museums are free to visit (although some do require a timed entry pass), and some other non-Smithsonian museums operate on a donation-only basis. Additionally, many of the nation’s most famous landmarks, such as the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, are free to visit since they are located outdoors along the mall. While eating out in a city is known for being expensive, I feel that the good thing about cities is that there are so many options, and DC is no different. Ranging from cheap eats to fine dining, there’s food options at any budget. It may just require some additional research to find what fits into your budget and tastes. 

In full financial transparency, here’s what 2 days in DC and an Orioles game cost us:

Hotel (2 nights): $427.14: 

Hotel Parking: $32.00

Metro Passes: $40.00

Orioles Tickets + Prepaid Parking: $96.70

Food: $344.66

Total: $940.50

A note for anyone who hasn’t visited DC in the summer – it will be HOT! DC was built on a swamp, so it gets a mix of heat and humidity. The real-feel was in the mid-90s every day we were there, and it  doesn’t get much cooler in the evenings. Be sure to dress accordingly and stay hydrated. Additionally, try planning out your day by spending the hottest times in air conditioning – there’s no shortage of great museums in DC! While DC in the summer can be brutal, it can still be enjoyable with the right preparation and planning.

Overall, we had an amazing and relaxing weekend away in Washington DC! We braved the heat and came back to Pittsburgh feeling refreshed and revitalized!

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU:

Have you visited Washington DC before? Do you have any recommendations as to what we should add to our itinerary for next time? Let us know in the comments!