Washington Day Trip from New York (Review)

I knew going to America I wanted to go to the Capital and visit Washington DC, but fitting it in was a little difficult. I saw there was a daytrip from New York and I thought it was the perfect solution. I booked it through Get Your Guide and I am so happy I did. I knew it was going to be a long day, but honestly, it was fine. There was minimal walking and lots of breaks, so it was quite an easy going day. I didn't sleep on the bus either way, but most people did.

Due to the length of the trip, there were two drivers. The second driver joined us at one of the stops before Washington DC and then drove the majority of the time in the city whilst the other driver slept, and swapped again on the way back. The bus was comfortable and a proper coach style vehicle. There was a toilet on board but I never used it because we had plenty of stops along the way in many states: New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania. 

The guide was great. He was incredibly informative and engaging. There were lots of interesting stories and history to share along the way. A lot of very interesting stories and information. For example, he discussed the American Declaration of Independence and had a replica of it. Apparently this was against the British Crown and punishment of those signing if caught were to be hung, drawn and quartered. However, he did get a little frustrated by a number of the same guests who were repeatedly late back from rest stops. It was somewhat understandable, but at the same time, he's not a teacher and literally spoke to us like children at points. He sent a WhatsApp message reminder the night before which I thought was quite helpful, but perhaps he's actually just a bit of a control freak...

Once in Washington DC, the real trip started. We saw a lot of the key landmarks which were very interesting and beautiful, but some were a little disappointing. First, we drove past the Pentagon and got to hear the history, then stopped at Arlington Cemetery. This was something I honestly hadn't heard of before, but ended up being our longest stop, which was a little disappointing, but the stop itself was interesting. Of course, the best part was not only seeing all the graves of over 200,000 soldiers since the Civil War, but also where the Kennedys were buried.

The monuments were obviously the main selling point of the trip. We saw the Lincoln Memorial, Iwo Jima Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Jefferson Memorial. For the most part I stayed with the guide who told us some of the history, but time was tight and I wanted to go up the memorials too, so I did leave towards the end so that I got to do that. It was a little disappointing at the amount of scaffolding and renovations being undertaken because it did of course ruin the view of some of them. 

I would have loved to be able to spend more time at these places and also to be able to see both the World War 2 and Martin Luther King Memorials. We saw both from a distance on the bus and they looked incredible. It's a bit of a shame we couldn't have added 20-30 minutes to the trip to have 10 minutes at each, as we did very much pass them. If I was in my own car, it's something I would have added on. 

My biggest excitement was of course seeing the White House. I was so so excited to get up close, but unfortunately, it ended up having not only security blocking it off, so you could only see it from the road, but there was also a huge Ukraine protest outside with lots of television reporters. It was really frustrating, because it meant there was only a small space for access to even see the White House from a distance and taking pictures was a quick 30 second in-out opportunity. This isn’t something I particularly saw reviewed before and of course, it was the day I had gone that the President of Ukraine came, so there was President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy there at the same time. There were so many helicopters coming and going all day. 

We went to Capital Hill to see the Capitol as the last stop, before finally going to Union Station. This was a strange place to eat in my opinion and because the queues were so big, I actually took my food back to the coach to eat. 

On the way there, they played some documentaries on the monuments and building the White House, as well as people working there. They were actually quite interesting, despite being pretty old and dated. On the way back, they played 2 films. Most people slept and I was on my phone for the majority of the time, but it was National Treasure 1 and 2. The second actually looked interesting and I've never seen it before so maybe I will soon. 

Our last stop of the day was in New Jersey and I was so happy they added this one it. We stopped at the final battle grounds of Alexander Hamilton, where he has a monument and flag. It's also the perfect place to see the stunning New York skyline from across the river. Apparently the actual battle ground and park area is usually open but it was locked off the day we went, which didn't particularly bother me either way.

Overall, it was a really good and enjoyable trip. The entire trip ran on time and fit to schedule. I was sat near the front so I overheard some of the conversations between the guide and the driver, and they were considering cancelling the final New Jersey stop but I'm so glad they didn't because it really was one of the highlights.