The Ultimate Washington DC Bucket List!

If you’re a fan of history, amazing food, and a ton of museum I highly recommend you visit DC. Check out all of my recommendations and let me know if you’re inspired to visit.

Food & Drink

I had the most delicious pasta at L’Ardente. The zucca pasta which was incredible and had so much flavor in every single bite! It was pretty hot (temperature wise) and I burned my tongue because it was that good lol. I loved the Sausage Ragù with parmigiano, basil and fennel pollen in the dish!

If you love having a variety of restaurants to choose from, then you need to stop by Washington DC. There are so many amazing restaurants that it could be so difficult to choose what to eat so you need several days in DC to truly experience the cuisine. Check out all of my favorite spots here and let me know which sounds the best!

What to See & Do

ABRAHAM LINCOLN MEMORIAL

The Lincoln Memorial was one of my favorite memorials. It’s just so majestic and even more impressive in person!

ALBERT EINSTEIN MEMORIAL

I love to travel is to appreciate art in a new place, especially if it’s an interactive piece like the Albert Einstein Memorial in Washington, DC! As an engineer, Einstein is one of my heroes for all that he contributed to the field of science and being able to pretend to be in his presence was amazing!

ENJOY THE VIEWS OF THE CAPITOL

I also love seeing the US Capitol from different parts of DC!

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE

One of my favorite experiences in DC was visiting the National Museum of African American History and Culture. It was a powerful and emotional experience back in 2017 and I can imagine it’s even more emotional now. The most impactful part of the museum is that you see the struggle, the racism, the history, everything. The museum understands that it might be a lot for some people, so they built in a room (pictured here) called the Contemplative Court with a waterfall meant for quiet reflection. The room is serene and as you stand and think about all you’ve seen, you can look around the room and read different quotes including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s words: “We are determined. . . to work and fight until justice rains down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream”. Check out more photos here.

POP UP CHRISTMAS BAR

Are we in an episode of Stranger Things? Are we in a winter wonderland? No and no! We are at a bar, believe it or not! Miracle on 7th Street, had its annual holiday PUB (pop-up bar) from Drink Company when I was visiting. This is the bar that every so often changes up their theme and their most famous theme to date has been the Game of Thrones theme. Their holiday theme will be open through December 31st so get there soon because it is AWESOME! If you love Christmas, Beyonce, Hannukah, creative and super instagrammable drinks…add this place to your bucket list!

THOMAS JEFFERSON MEMORIAL

The Jefferson Memorial has some of the best views in DC. My friend even caught this semi-candid photo of me at the top of the Jefferson memorial looking out and just being in absolute awe of this place.

THE WHITE HOUSE

I am beyond honored to have been a part of a group of SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers) members who attended a briefing on “Building the Next Generation of Hispanic Leaders in STEM” held by the Office of Public Engagement at the White House in Washington, DC and organized by SHPE’s Government Relations department.

It was an incredible day filled with important conversations. I am still processing and struggling to describe what an impactful and powerful experience it truly was but I will do my best.

I was there representing one of six industry partners and was happy to provide my personal experience as a Honeywell engineer and Program Manager for our SHPE recruiting efforts.

Thank you SHPE for this amazing opportunity that I will never forget. Read more about my experience here.

VISIT THE CAPITOL BUILDING

I did a tour of the U.S. Capitol and it was incredible. There’s so much history in one place and the building is beautiful!

TAKE A TRAIN RIDE

DC is in a great geographical location because it’s so close to so many cities like Baltimore so it’s a great way to see other cities in one trip.

WASHINGTON MEMORIAL

The Washington Memorial is another iconic landmark in DC. I love seeing it from different vantage points as well.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR MEMORIAL

One of my favorites quotes by Martin Luther King Jr is carved onto his memorial in Washington DC. It reads ‘OUT OF A MOUNTAIN OF DESPAIR, A STONE OF HOPE’ which are words taken from his “I Have A Dream” speech.

NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM

One of my favorite museums in DC is definitely the Air and Space museum, not just because I’m an aerospace engineer but because there are so many amazing exhibits! I was there for 4 hours and it was still not enough time.

SUPREME COURT BUILDING