Mr. Villani Goes to Washington

This Friday I'll be flying out to Washington, DC for a week, my first trip to our nation's capital. What up is that my wife will be attending the ISPOR conference in Arlington, and I'm tagging along. She's already been to Washington several times, so the way it works out is that I'll be able to check out things she's already seen or isn't interested in during the day, and then we can go out for dinner and such during the evening. After the conference, we'll have another couple of days in Washington before heading down to Williamsburg, VA for Memorial Day weekend.

Now, I've done my research looking into guidebooks and such, but I was wondering if any of you have any particular gems in Washington or elsewhere in Virginia (I'll be doing some exploring of the greater area, too) you'd recommend I visit. Of course, I plan to see the Smithsonian and the various other things along the Mall, and I've contacted my Congresswoman's office to try to get tickets to see Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. We also plan to see the zoo.

But we really don't know much about where to eat in Washington. I've heard some say that Dupont Circle is the place to go, and others say Dupont Circle is lame. I've heard there's good Ethiopian food in town; any recommendations? And if you have any other favorite spots in the city, that would be good to hear about, too.

How about through the rest of the state? We'll definitely be heading through Richmond and into W'msburg. We'll be visiting Busch Gardens and possibly Kings Dominion amusement parks. Other possibilities include Norfolk, Shenandoah National Park, Harpers Ferry, WV, and a day trip through Annapolis and the eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay to Ocean City, Maryland, and maybe some of Delaware.