Is Washington DC overhyped? 4 Worst Mistakes to Make When Visiting
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Oh boy, our nation’s great capital – Washington D.C. I absolutely hated the entire 4 days I was there. HATED. And I don’t use that term lightly. In fact, there’s very few destinations I’ve hated, and that’s included the time I was racially profiled and detained at a border. That said, I hated D.C. There. I said it. And I’m not taking it back. I felt like I had perhaps built up D.C. in my mind and…I wasn’t just let down. I was lowkey confused. I just didn’t understand how…everything was a series of unfortunate events. Is Washington DC overhyped??
Like….I didn’t really feel like D.C. was that girl…all tea no shaaade
Now before you DVMers come for me, cuz I know y’all like to tussle, I will admit that my horrible experience was mostly probably definitely because of a few select reasons of my own doing. BUT AGAIN THAT SAID – like…why was it so easy to have a horrible experience? I feel like that’s more on the city then it is on me…..
But maybe I’m talking too loud idk idk idk
In any case, if you’re heading to the nation’s capital and are wondering “is Washington DC overhyped?” Just know the answer is…
YES.
BAHAHAHA jkjkjkjk. Is Washington DC overhyped? I suppose it depends on a lot of things. I obviously don’t have first hand experience on what would make a “great trip” to D.C., but…if you would like to have a BAD experience in D.C., follow these few simple suggestions.
1. Drive a Car
If your hair is too thick and you would like to rip some out, yeah, go ahead and rent a car for your visit.
I visited D.C. as part of my Southern American road trip, so…yes, by default I would have my car in D.C. AND YES, I know D.C. isn’t “the South” but yanno what it was along the way so it was added to the itinerary.
Big mistake.
And I didn’t get ittttt. This isn’t NYC. I looked at the public transit and…yes, it’s there. But it was not as convenient as NYC (in terms of station placements, time compared to driving, etc) so why the #^@* was it so annoying to have a car? Mind you, I get it, I’m a west coaster and addicted to driving. Sure, lots of people live in D.C. without a car…….yeah, I’d much rather be carless in NYC.
So if you take a car to D.C., just prepare to be miserable.
You will SIT-SIT in traffic, and not just on the highway, no no. On the way to 7-11. There are SO MANY traffic lights. You move one centimeter and, op, another red light. Another red light. But maybe that’s for the best, because you won’t find parking anyway.
I have my beef with olden cities, cuz they’re all narrow and annoying, but D.C. takes it to another level. How do you have this many streets…with no parking?? Wear your comfortable walking shoes because you will be parked BLOCKS away from your destination.
Oh, and make sure your mailbox at home is empty because you’re going to need space for the fifty-leven speeding tickets you’re going to get because there are 17 cameras on every street. Is Washington DC overhyped? When it comes to transportation…in my experience, yes.
2. Visit for the National Cherry Blossom Festival
…while driving a car. Because it’s actually not a cherry blossom festival. It’s the 7th circle of purgatory.
Perhaps my expectations were too high for this one. Portland, Oregon has a pretty solid display of cherry blossoms, and I’ve been to Japan quite a few times. But everyone and their dental assistant were like “ohhh visit D.C. during the cherry blossom festival! It’s the best in the country! It’s so beautiful!”
To be fair, it was beautiful.
But it was also freezing.
AND CROWDED.
And, again, I had a car. There were stampedes of other tourists crossing the street near the cherry blossoms every twelve inches, crosswalk or not. When I finally found a parking spot twenty minutes later and five blocks away, it wasn’t even pleasurable to walk around because of all the people. So is Washington DC overhyped for the cherry blossom festival? Mmm, not quite because it is very scenic…but it wasn’t enjoyable for me. I would much rather during more comfortable weather and less crowds.
3. Don’t Make Reservations
Is Washington DC overhyped when it comes to the food scene?
*cue knee-slapping laughter*
Okay, unpopular opinion….I wasn’t blown away by D.C.’s food. Yes, it is VERY diverse, you can find any cuisine you desire in the city…but as with any big city (NYC, LA, Chicago, etc) there are a lot of hit and misses. That’s just a trait of the big city. But with D.C. – in my limited experience – the ratio of really good to meh restaurants tipped the scale on the mediocre side.
I’M SORRY I’M SORRYYY feel free to drop your personal D.C. restaurant recommendations in the comments. I went to about seven or eight “highly recommended” restaurants in D.C., both by friends and publications (two of them had James Beard nominations!!) and while they were solid choices and much better than I could have made at home…so is I-HOP…. And one of the JB nominations was…downright bad.
The only restaurant that I felt was a good time and would return to was Purple Patch for brunch. HIGHLY recommend – the ube pancakes were fantastic!
But more onto the point, if you want to have a horrible time in D.C., go ahead and don’t make reservations. In fact, settle for the restaurant NEXT to the one you really wanted to go to. Because the restaurant’s line is long and you are really really hungry and everything is going to close in 30min…how bad could it be? Surprise it’s not a restaurant at all but an episode of Punk’d (plus tip).
That’s how it felt dining in D.C. – TO ME. Is Washington DC overhyped for food…err…you didn’t hear it from me butttt……………………..
4. Try to Have Genuine Conversations
I think it is potentially just the city environment and living in such a politically concentrated place but…everyone felt so guarded. Do y’all agree? And it’s not the typical city personality of being on the go and not having time for chit chat and small talk, no no, I get that.
In D.C. it felt like every conversation needed to have an agenda.
If people were open to talking, the conversation felt very investigative. As if they were trying to see how I fit into their agenda. On the same point, when I would ask DCers “random” questions to get to know them – like “what are your hobbies?” – their responses felt detached and uninterested. I was going off-script of their agenda and they wanted to redirect it back on course.
And I don’t mean that necessarily in a bad way, it just made the exchange feel more like networking than a genuine connection. Maybe it’s the west coast in me – I like having meaningless fleeting conversations. Not everything to me needs to be strategic. But I understand how the environment of the east coast and D.C. is less…flowing, and I get that. But for me, the vibe wasn’t it.
Is Washington DC overhyped when it comes to atmo? For those on the west coast, potentially.
Conclusion: Is Washington DC Overhyped?
I’m going to be transparent. Maybe it was just me. Maybe I had a horrible trip and that is as deep as it goes. Or maybe I shouldn’t have had a car. Maybe I shouldn’t have visited during a major festival that happens during unpredictable spring weather. Maybe I should have done this instead, maybe I shouldn’t have done that. Yanno?
Maybe Maybe Maybe.
WELL MAYBE it shouldn’t be that hard to have a good time in a major city??? Is Washington DC overhyped?? If you have to follow a template to find a good experience…then…maybe it is.
Feel free to argue your point in the comments though!
