Washington travel guides & articles
All 10 in-depth pieces we’ve published on Washington — newest first.
On U Street, Washington DC's Black Broadway Still Plays
A walking and listening guide to the theaters, jazz room, landmarks and diners that made U Street Black Broadway — and still keep it singing in 2026.
Washington Beyond the Monuments
Beyond the marble and the monuments, Washington's real culture runs through Shaw, U Street, H Street NE, and Petworth — go-go music, Ethiopian food, and rooftops built for groups, not photo ops.
Watergate to the Wharf: Washington DC's Southwest Waterfront and the Mile That Reinvented the River
How a forgotten stretch of the Potomac behind a freeway became DC's best-run waterfront, from a fish market older than the Capitol dome to a concert hall built from scratch.
The Other Smithsonian: Washington DC's Quirky Museums That Never Make the Postcards
While the queues stack up outside Air and Space, ten free Smithsonian buildings across DC sit nearly empty — here's how to route them, group-by-group and street-by-street.
Three Thousand Reasons a City of Policy Looks Up: Washington's Cherry Blossom Reckoning
For four weeks each spring the capital of memos and marble surrenders to a gift of three thousand trees — here is how to meet the bloom honestly, crowds and closures and quieter corners included.
Washington After Dark: The Monuments at Night When the Crowds Clear
After the coaches leave and the last ranger folds up, the floodlit National Mall belongs to almost nobody — here is how to walk it, monument by monument, in the quiet hours.
The Capital Drinks Better Now: Washington DC's Cocktail Revival After Dark
A calm, honest walk through the bars that turned the capital into a genuine cocktail city — which rooms to book, which to hunt for, and which suit a couple or a crowd.
The Smithsonian Without the Foot Pain: A Museum Strategy for Washington's National Mall
The Mall holds more free world-class museums than any sane person can walk in a day — here is how to choose, pace, and actually enjoy them in 2026.
Chasing Orcas: A Whale-Watching Guide to Washington's Salish Sea
Where to sail, who to book, and how to actually see orcas across Washington's Salish Sea — an honest, operator-by-operator guide for 2026.
The Best Whale Watching Tours in Washington
Orcas in the San Juan Islands, grey whales on the wild coast, and a downtown-Seattle shortcut — an honest 2026 guide to which Washington whale watching tour actually suits you.