Please help with my first trip in DC and NY

Many museums offer free tours led by volunteer docents. Sometimes you have to book in advance, but usually it's just "tour starts at 10 AM at the reception desk." These are often a better deal than a more general local tour, because the docent is an expert on that museum and its subject.

Although they are not free, there are hop on/hop off buses in Washington DC. During the ride, they play a recording that tells you what you are driving by. I did that the last time I was there and found it quite informative. It also beat tromping around the Mall on a very hot and humid day.

For food in the Mall area, I suggest the American Indian Museum. They define "America" as both continents and feature foods from many regions. For the less adventurous, some dishes are "in the style of," rather than fully authentic.

It is worthwhile checking full details on the website as there are no walk-ups on weekends and I think walk-ups are given out from 1pm on weekdays so I'd be surprised if people are still queuing from 6am since this change and others were introduced (although it is possible that people would queue for seven hours). There are also some same day released online each day (I think). A good long look at the website is definitely needed if you are going before October for which tickets are released in early July.

Agree with others that you've overbooked yourself on tours, but there are several D.C. tours of the national monuments at night. Highly recommend those -- it's a great way to beat the heat (if you're going in the summer) and see things when most tourists are in for the night. You definitely need to see some portion of the Smithsonian, but the Newseum is the best museum I've ever been to. It's a bit expensive but is incredibly interesting/moving/important.

I'd also recommend you hit up the Eastern Market. It's open daily except for Mondays. Great place to grab a fun meal/snacks, plus the perfect place to start a stroll around Capitol Hill, which is a really pretty neighborhood. Food trucks are also good -- if I remember correctly, there are always a dozen or more parked at Franklin Square park for lunch.

In terms of D.C. nightlife. H Street is the best place for a consolidated collection of bars, hip restaurants,etc. Obviously, U.S. drinking age is 21 and some bars won't let anyone younger in, some allow 18+.

Thanks. I'll be near the Planet Fitness on Flatbush ave.

This is the Lefferts park area. I stayed overnight there a few years ago. You should be safe enough on Flatbush Ave. there. But it doesn't have a vibrant nightlife scene or a whole lot of restaurant choices.

Hi,
You should definitely reconsider skipping the car in DC. It will be more of a nuisance and expensive. The metro system is safe, clean, and really convenient to all of the tourists sites you'd want to see with only 3 days. I live in northern va just outside of DC and I never drive in when I am being a tourist. Most parking will not be that close to the sites anyway and the limited free street parking is about to be a thing of the past. Your best bet would be to stay in a hotel within walking distance to a metro station. King Street station is in Old Town Alexandria. If you insist on the car, you should still drive to a metro station and metro into the city. But better to spend your money on a nice dinner or tickets to a show.

You shouldn't miss the museums on the national mall. Almost all are free, so you don't need to commit a whole day to any one to feel like you are getting your money's worth. You could take a tour, but it's so easy to do on your own and that way you get to see what you find interesting -- not someone else's opinion. A teenager might be interested in the Air and Space museum, natural history museum (dinosaurs, mummies, woooly mammmoth, hope diamond, iMax), or American history museum (ruby slippers, first ladies' gowns, flag from revolutionary war). The National Gallery is an amazing art museum, split between 2 buildings (east and West). The below ground cafeteria between the 2 buildings is one of the better ones on the mall. The restaurant in the native American museum is supposed to be amazing, though I have not yet been there. A few blocks off the mall is the Newseum. This one is not free, but is fantastic. I think student tickets are not too expensive. You could use the money that you save on not renting a car and splurge on dinner at The Source, which is on the backend of the Newseum building (reservations required). It's expensive but delicious. Fiola is also near there -- also expensive but a real treat.

Another great museum that is a few blocks off the mall is the international Spy museum. Not free but Hugely popular, particularly for a teenager. In that area, Penn Quarter, there are lots of great restaurants and when you are finished with dinner, metro is right there to take you directly back to King Street station. Jaleo is one of my favorite restaurants in that area (Spanish tapas, small plates to share). There's also Oyamel (Mexican), Rasika (Indian) and Hill Country BBQ. All are kinda trendy and would be fun for a teenager. I think you would like this are much more than Georgetown. Honestly, Georgtown is not as exciting as it may have been 10-15 years ago. Old Town Alexandria will give you a similar quaint neighborhood experience - I actually prefer Old Town.

You should also spend a day seeing the monuments (Lincoln, Jefferson, Washington, Korean, Vietnam, WWII, MLK) and a walk by the White House. This is all doable on your own but have good walking shoes. If you don't want to walk that much, the hop-on hop-off bus would be a good option. You would get a bit of a guided tour between stops as well.

There's tons of great restaurants in Old Town, but stay away from the overpriced tourist traps on the water. Bilbo Baggins is always a fun, casual place. You can also take a day or evening river cruise from Old Town. Depending on when you are going, there is a river taxi that will take you directly to Nationals Park to see a baseball game. It's a beautiful ball park. Get your river taxi tix in advance, but most likely you could buy tickets to the game once you got to the park.

I hope this helps -- I will leave NYC advice to others. Have fun!

Thoughts on your NYC Itinerary:

Day 4 - Free Tours By Foot (NY in one day at 10am to 4pm) Tour covers the Wall Street, Financial District, New York Stock Exchange, Trinity Church, World Trade Center, 911 Memorial, Woolworth Building, Greenwich Village ,Washington Square Park, SoHo’s Cast Iron District, Little Italy, Chinatown, Chelsea Market, The High Line Park, and much more.

I'm with you in that I love walking tours, and Free Tours by Foot is a fave. I think, however, that most of the stuff on this particular tour is not actually that cool or fun, and it sounds like a long day (NYC gets really, really hot if you're coming in Summer, and if this were me I would get very cranky). Wall St/FiDi/Stock Exchange has a bit of "old New York" feel in certain spots, but is mostly charmless, WTC/9-11 Memorial you're already seeing (the museum, I've heard, is excellent), Woolworth Building is nothing, Cast Iron District is a made up thing for tourists, Chelsea Market is cool but not where you want to be with a big group, ditto the High Line.

I recommend you do about half the stuff that's on this tour, and do it independently in your own time. I know it's tempting to want to see as much of the city as possible, and a whole-city tour seems like the answer, but I think doing fewer things more slowly will be more enjoyable and will give you a better sense of the city. Moreover, you simply cannot see all of NYC even in a lifetime, so release yourself from that obligation. Here are my recommendations:

The High Line, Chelsea Market, and Washington Square Park are all 100% navigable on your own, in your own time. You don't need more than an hour for each, unless you're planning to do serious shopping at Chelsea Market. When you go to Washington Square Park, you can wander in any direction and find cute coffeeshops, bars and restaurants, which will satisfy your "Village" checkbox. Little Italy and China Town are all about food - I recommend Wo Hop in Chinatown and Paesano's in Little Italy for sit-down meals.

When you go to the Statue of Liberty, you can pop over to Trinity Church or the Stock Exchange on your way to/from the Ferry - if, that is, you feel strongly about it, which you don't need to. If you don't feel strongly, skip it. If you're doing this, I also recommend a stop in the new WTC PATH station - sort of a futuristic Grand Central.

And, speaking of the Statue of Liberty, it definitely does not require an entire day. I've personally never been to Liberty Island (where the statue is), but the ferry there is only 15-20 minutes and you're not going to spend more than an hour or two at the statue if you're going in the pedestal. You might even find that a quick round trip on the Staten Island Ferry (free, 20min each way) gets you better views of the statue or that a trip to Ellis Island gets you both great statue views and also a cool museum experience.

I also recommend you spend a bit of time in Prospect Park, and/or in Brooklyn Bridge Park (and if you do, eat the best pizza at Juliana's nearby). I also notice that your NYC itinerary includes no museums, and I feel compelled to press you to change that (the Brooklyn Museum is near where you're staying, incredible, a manageable size, and pay-what-you-wish, and also did I say incredible?)

Also, for this itinerary, you should absolutely get the weekly metro card. :)

Wow. Thanks everyone for your inputs. I really appreciate your time and efforts in reading and giving me helpful advices. If there's something I should visit or remove from my itinerary, please feel free to add!
@deeohbee, thanks. I'll adjust Day 4 and probably tour them myself with subway/public transportation.

Please look at my 2nd draft an help me arrange it. Does it save us some money/time if we use public transportation and Uber instead of having a rental car?

The places below are the ones to visit and spend 2 to 2.5hrs for the first two museums and probably a little less for other sites. Is it do-able? Also, please recommend any additional places to visit if we can squeeze in and places to eat. I really appreciate Lonelyplanet community for helping!

National Museum of Natural History

National Museum of American History

National Archive

Supreme Court

Bureau of Engraving and Printing

Washington Monument (is it open for ticket?)

White House (outside for pics)

The Old Post Office Tower

Eastern Market

Georgetown, Old town Alexandria or Alexandria Waterfront (is it worth for a quick stop?)

Night time - Einstein Memorial combine with Lincoln Memorial, WWII, Jefferson, and FDR Memorial, A tour of the monuments/national mall after dark/by sunset.

The Southwest Waterfront

Kennedy Center

Day 3 - US capitol at 9:30am (confirmed), library of congress (do i need to reserve?)

Lincoln Assassination at 7pm

Day 4 - morning bus to NY

The Washington Monument is currently closed for renovations, so I'd suggest you just include that in your nighttime walk of other monuments on the mall. You can still get up close to it for pictures, but the interior is closed.

You don't need more than 10-15 minutes to look at the White House, just fyi! The crowds will be insane. I personally prefer to walk by it at night.

**Georgetown, Old town Alexandria or Alexandria Waterfront (is it worth for a quick stop?)
**

In my opinion, no. But if you really want to see that sort of old town vibe, I'd recommend Alexandria over Georgetown.