Nice walkable area with great stores and restaurants just north of Metro Center. Only been here…read moreonce to go to Yardbird during a conference at the Grand Hyatt surprisingly.

Cute, upscale area in DC. I love stopping by the gelato café after dinner, and the David Yurman…read moreboutique is conveniently right next door. There's so much to offer here. I'll definitely be back to try the Michelin-starred restaurants.

A pretty nice station all things considered. Beautiful architecture…read more Your selections for shops and restaurant offered are pretty good, decent options for cuisines. Pricing is pretty standard. Service is pretty good. Bathrooms are pretty clean for the most part.

I'm updating my review since Union Station has been making an effort to make some changes. But, I'm…read morenot giving up other malls or restaurants. I had a good time visiting lots of stores during the day. I always use a cross body bag whenever I'm downtown. When I use the red line at night, I take Chinatown's metro stop. The streets are well lit and I have less unsavory characters to deal with. The police have a presence at Capital One Arena and the convention center. There are new businesses on the Mezzanine level that are interesting. A case study is whether Wolfgang Puck's Bar & Bites will stay. A pop art installation has replaced Ann Taylor on the mezzanine level. The space that housed Victoria's Secret is still empty (rip). My Swatch store (rip) is where Amtrak passengers wait for trains. H&M is now on the lower level (where Borders Books was located). Walgreens is hanging in there too. Chipotle is always a favorite (but the 4th St location is closer). The main hall is a beautiful event space. All that marble floor used to have benches where DMV residents & visitors could sit and visit. It is one of the reasons I don't hang out inside that gorgeous building as often. Most of the seating is gone. The Amtrak gates are just gates. All of the seating was removed after homeless people caused injury to Amtrak employees. Union Station is beautiful. We used to visit more often. I loved trying items in the food court. The vendors change over more frequently. Wendy's is gone. Taco Bell is hanging in there. Raising Cane's is there (as of 9/26). We attended the grand opening of Halal Guys. I'm happy they are still in business. The "suggested rule" for dining in the food court area is staying for 30 minutes. I have never been asked to leave when visiting with friends but we're usually in Chinatown where places are open after 8pm. The food court shuts down promptly at 8pm. If you are lingering after that time, all the other tables and chairs have been stacked and moved. Wok a Holic was a disappointment but meat eaters can find a dish (just don't order fried rice). Unos was a big loss (rip). We loved having pizza or pasta and two floors of places to dine. The main purpose for visiting Union Station is taking Metro, Amtrak, a bus or the Marc Train. The loss of the Circulator buses is another reason I don't visit frequently. Enterprise Car Rental has taken over dozens of spaces in the parking garage. The expansion project fell apart & was halted. The Postal Museum is across the street and worth a visit. If you park in Union Station you can still get a few dollars off of your parking by validating your ticket at the bus entrance level.

This is one of my "go to" metro stops. It is near the Portrait Gallery, restaurants and movies. I…read moretake minimal items with me. I use a cross body pack or purse. I like walking by the arch in China town. If there is a game or show at Capital One Arena, the area is crowded.

Gallery Place pandemic changes should be verified. Inside I…read moresaw Regal 14, Clyde's and AT&T open. Haagen-Dazs is open 12-10pm daily. Smoothie King is also open daily 7am-8pm. It is actually addressed Capital One Arena but access is via outside Gallery Place alley across from Clyde's. McDonald's is just a few steps away on 7th Street for the adventurous. Lucky Strike has been closed for a while. Bar Louie, Thai Chili and Arosto Pizza are also now closed. Broken escalators, neglected sanitation and nighttime urban grittiness continue. I note with sadness the closing of Gallery Place in Baltimore Inner Harbor. Tough economy everywhere.

I like having this shopping center in the NE quadrant where I live in DC as NE can be a bit of a…read moreretail desert. Most of the stores here are chain stores, Lowes, Petsmart, and Dick's Sporting Goods being some of the bigger names. Costco also has a location with a gas station also. There is a selection of restaurants that are a mix of national chains (Chik-fil-A, Chipotle, Starbucks) along with some that seem to be more local. I took off a star because getting in and out of the parking lot can be a bear quite often due to the volume of people shopping there. There are limited exits and especially trying to get out from the Lowe's/Chic-Fil-A side of the complex can result in quite a wait to get out. Glad it's here for when the local merchants further into the city don't have what I was looking for.

Didn't even know all these places were here! Today I stopped by the Marshall's and was surprised at…read morethe number of stores. I wanted to check out the Costco but it was very way too busy, so I'll check that out another time. I've heard that location has liquor unlike other Costco stores in the area. Here's a list of places I observed and I'm sure I missed some: Five Below Petsmart Dakota nail spa Vision works Vitamin shoppe T-Mobile Panda Express Starbucks Verizon Chipotle Costco Quickway Tropical Smoothie Cafe UPS Store Chik-Fil-A Many options with plenty of parking!

I don't know how I overlook this place each time I am near. I somehow just associate it with the…read moreMetro station and forget that it is its own standalone business. I think what happens is that I mindlessly walk through here as I use it as a passageway. I need to start paying attention to what is in here and keep note of it. Basically this is a mall. Like every mall just about everywhere, they are without some businesses. But, I will say this about the DMV area, even with some shops being empty, the malls still know how to draw people in. Even if it is just for the food options. This place has a ton of food options and some of the places in here are the only place in DC to find them, or at least a place where it is fairly easy to get to in order to visit the business. They got the run of the chains you would see in almost any food court. Charleys, Five Guys, Jamba Juice, Moe's, Panda Express, Starbucks, Subway, etc. But there are a lot of mom and pop stands mixed in. You can definitely find something for your lunch or a quick snack. This is one of the only places I have seen a Church's Chicken in the city. It can be a maze walking through here, especially if you arrive via Metro. But like I said, it is a great passageway to get yourself to areas without having to be outside. With the Spy Museum on the one end it's a great place to spend a day in the city. The Wharf not too far either. There are a few shops throughout as well. Mostly open during daylight hours if you need to grab a thing or two. Everything from a post office to a convenience type store. If you are lucky enough to work nearby, I am sure this is busy around the lunchtime hour.

A little confused what this is. I think it's a fancy train station/transfer hub, I guess. Anyway, I…read morefound out about it because I was staying at the hotel nearby. If you're staying at the Hilton, there's a direct connection to it from the hotel. So this place is helpful because it has several fast food options. Nothing to rave about, but when you're traveling access to quick, fast food is important. Many food places either seemed always closed when I went a few times or open at inconsistent times. The place also never seems busy. Kinda ghost town-ish. Panda Express seemed to be the main attraction here. All together tho, it was clean. I think the space has potential to be a more useful shopping space for people.

I guess this is the place to go for lunch and snacks at the Navy Yard. Been here a few times but…read morehaven't been to all the places yet. Your choices are limited but at least it's variety. RK Cafe, Sbarro, Rice King, Freshëns, and NEXpress convenience store. Subways and Dunkin Donuts are in another building.

The food section of the Navy Yard Town Center (aka Admiral Gooding Center - aka Building 33) is…read moreundergoing a major overhaul with name brand restaurants coming in to replace the old vendors. I will update this review when those are available. There have also been renovations elsewhere in the building so this will cover those. SHOPPING NEXpress - The only NEX on the Yard that non-military can shop in. The Starbucks that had been here is now gone. There is hot coffee, but no frills. The shop has plenty of food options, drinks and some shirts/items for purchase that say Navy. As it is an NEX, it is tax-free! This is the place I probably visit the most in the building. Temptations - The Navy Officer's Wives Club runs this cute little gift shop when you enter the Town Center. Not much is really Navy/Marine Corps focused but usually some cute seasonal crafts, beautiful scarves and bags. You can occasionally get a good sale. SERVICES MWR Services - Military, Military Dependents and DoD Civilians can use the MWR to order tickets for a number of attractions, events and shows. They do a great job at getting you a good price on most everything worth seeing or doing. It is always worth asking about things even if you are unsure you qualify, they will help you out. NEX Barber Shop - I haven't used the barber shop on base, as I am a girl, but they always have a number of uniformed military, non-uniformed military and civilians in the shop. They have some rules about front of the line service for uniformed military during certain hours, but I never really paid close attention. They seem to do a good job. Gym - The gym is great. They regularly have classes that they change monthly (both type and times). There is no fee to use the gym for military and DoD civilians, but there is a charge for Contractors. If you want to take classes (such as cycling, yoga, or zumba), DoD Civilians and Contractors are required to pay, but it is only a few dollars for the class or you can buy a discount card. The facilities are well maintained. The gym was updated in late 2013/2014. New machines and everything is nicer. Clean towels. And the instructors will push you as hard as you are willing to push yourself.

I'm not a Nordie's Rack enthusiast. In fact, for many years, I worked near the Rack on 21st St. NW…read moreand frequently stopped by. Despite my expectations before each visits, and despite scouring the 75% of the racks, I bet I bought fewer than 10 items in all that time. Partly, I have been very spoiled with stores like the Rack, but much better. I'm from Boston and spent many hours at the inimitable but defunct Filene's Basement. As well as at TJ Maxx, Marshall's, and Loehmann's. I very seldom see anything at the Rack. I find their clothes, etc. to be overpriced. And the stores are so disorganized and messy. I would love to be able to say I love Nordie's, but I am always disappointed.

In a rush and needed some costume jewelry. I took the escalator up and the jewelry was easy to…read morefind. The process to check Out was quick. I was disappointed with the shoe selections at this Nordstrom Rack location. Yes! I stopped to see the shoes!

My favorite holiday market in DC, I love coming here every year! This market has grown over the…read moreyears with 50+ artisan vendors and more hot food and boozy vendors! There are lots of hand-made craft and unique gift items (ramen stall, truffle stall, cat & dog stalls, as well as plenty of jewelry, chocolate, candle, toys, ornament, and crafts stalls). I bought a Ramen bowl from Japan for hubby, Truffle butter @ Truffist, and dark chocolate Oreos (the dark chocolate pretzels aren't that good) @Capital City Jar, kudos for being a long-time vendor! I also got an overpriced $40 onesie @SOL, the material was very soft and made in the U.S. In terms of the hot chocolate stalls, the Truffle stall and the S'mores N More are my favorite. The Marshmallows are gigantic and should have mixed them in! I got a pack of 6 marshmallows and picked out the flavors - Rainbow, Cookies and Cream, and Toffee Marshmallows. The Racklette sandwich was delicious - you must try it! It was so fascinating to watch the melty swiss cheese get scooped off the big truckle cheese wheel and sandwiches into a soft baguette roll. The Churros with Dulce Leche filling are a must - I always get the every year! Kudos for being a long-time vendor! The Dirty Habit Chalet boozy is a bit gimmicky. I paid $17 for Whiskey and Cider, I wish it was served warm and the service was lukewarm. The air-fried Gnocchi from Carmine's was a complete miss and a total disappointment. The Gnocchi lacked the crispy edges and pillowy soft juicy center. The texture was completely off from the air fryer. Excited to go back next year for some more gifts and delicious goodies and sweet treats!

Since I have moved to the area, each year I tell myself that I am going to stop at the Holiday…read moreMarket. And each year I always end up bypassing it because after a long day at work, the last thing I want to do is be jammed in with a bunch of other people going from booth to booth. I finally took the time to visit here and probably picked one of the worst times to visit, during a hockey game. With the influx of people coming into the area for the game and the arena right there, it made navigating to and through a nightmare. The downside here, and it is probably the only downside, are the amounts of other people. They will do one of two things. One, forget about their awareness to where they are. By this I mean that they will forget they are not the only person here at the holiday market. Two, the other people will either push you along, or walk at a glacial pace. Jamming up crosswalks and entrances to the main area. Two things you cannot control and you just have to go with the flow here. I will say it is lively and welcoming. Once you do make it into the stall area you will have to take your time to sift through what there is to offer. From gifts to food, you can find it all here. Live music is a usual draw as well which lends to the magical feel that you are in the middle of a DC street and don't have to worry about a thing. All of the vendors are local, so this is a big shop small venue. Offering you everything you can think of as a gift for a special somebody. Definitely worth a look around the holiday season.

I like Macy's. The quality & workmanship of Macy's products is good & when they have a sale between…read moreseasons, it is a genuine sale.

This review is solely for the makeup artist Sharia who works for Estée Lauder…read more I am in town for NYE and needed my makeup done but didn't make an appointment...while other makeup counters weren't able to take me, Sharia at Estee Lauder squeezed me in! And when I tell you that she listened to exactly what I wanted and delivered! It was honestly the BEST my makeup has ever looked after being done by an MUA. I am forever thankful for Sharia and one of her biggest fans now!