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Photo: via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
D.C.'s memorial to the U.S. Navy is not as jolting as the big memorials, but it is nice to walk around. Make sure to see the famous Lone Sailor statue, and who knew that Neil Armstrong was in the Navy!
The United States Navy Memorial is a memorial in Washington, D.C. honoring those who have served or are currently serving in the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and the Merchant Marine.
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For history buffs, a visit is a must, as it has a display containing declassified top secret documents related to the Cold War. The original copies of the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights are also on display, though the writing is so faded on the latter two that you will not be able to make it out. No photography of the documents is allowed.
This is the top theater company downtown for seeing new plays. Drama here is edgy, takes real risks, and is almost always memorable.
D.C. can't get enough Shakespeare, to the extent that the Shakespeare Theatre Company had to open a second, enormous performance venue in 2007 at the Sidney Harman Hall. Both venues are great, the Lansburgh being a long-time favorite and a smaller, intimate space, and the Harman Hall being big, flashy, and state-of-the-art. The performances here of Shakespeare, often set in present times, as well as other classics from Aeschylus to Marlowe, are almost always universally-acclaimed and top-notch. If you want to see theater in D.C., this is a great place to start. If you are in D.C. in the early fall, enter the online lottery for "Free for All" tickets.
FBI Headquarters. This brutalist office building is in bad condition and will likely be demolished eventually.
The collection here is a walk through encyclopedia of American Art—Gilbert Stuart's stern presidential portraits through Nam June Paik's house-sized America sculpture of neon and televisions.
This is where John Wilkes Booth shot President Abraham Lincoln in 1865, and he was taken across the street to the Petersen House where he died. Ford's Theatre is not only a historic site, but remains a working theater, with regular performances. Theater here is usually the most traditional of the downtown venues, offering dramatic work that is "as eloquent, intelligent and respectful of humanity as Mr. Lincoln." The truly coveted tickets are for the annual Christmas Eve performance of A Christmas Carol. The daily tours take you through the theater and the onsite museum, and also spill across the street to the Petersen House, where Lincoln died.