In the spirit of rugbyLEAGUEfan's 'plan my holiday' thread, I'm going to be in DC first week of July. What should I see? IIRC there are several locals in OT and I would appreciate your input.
I have been there once before, so I've seen a lot of the basic stuff (National Mall, etc.) and am planning on going to a couple museums. What else is there to do that's worth doing?
Catching a beer with me and other DC area CFCers.
Check out a map of DC. Most of the touristy stuff is downtown, adjacent to the Mall. The White House, Capitol, Smithsonian museums, the different Presidential monuments and war memorials. Other things you may wish to see are generally in Metro distance (DC has one of the best subway systems in the country), like Arlington National Cemetery and the Nationals baseball stadium.
Personally, if you're in DC for a week, what I would do is spend a few days with the Smithsonian museums, maybe the National Gallery of Art and National Archives (you can see the Constitution and Declaration of Independence on display!), and checking out the monuments. A day trip down the river to Mount Vernon, which is George Washington's estate, is definitely worth your time as well. Check out the great DC night life in Chinatown, U Street, and Georgetown/Foggy Bottom. Great restaurants, good music, and good food. And if you're interested in sports and the team is in town, go to a Nationals game, it's a gorgeous ballpark and American baseball is an essential part of your "American experience." Football may be replacing that, but it'll be too early for a Redskins game, as the season doesn't start until the end of August.
There are often public events held by the various embassies, which feature food, dance, music, and the culture of that country. We have embassies from every country in the world here, so there's always something going on. Check out beforehand what's happening, if you're curious.
Is it really a good idea to be at DC this year on July the 4rth? With all the gun-debate/issues going on it may have some bad atmosphere (?).
I promise you that this is not an issue. Politics are set aside for the celebration of our nation's birth. Also, political issues like that are really not going to be something that affects the average person's everyday life, least of all will it be something that foreign travelers will notice.