Best time to go inside the Washington Monument is January-February. There are no lines that time of year. The view is impressive.

I did the 50 States ride the first year WABA ran it. It was in June that year and very hot. Some people warned me that I would be in some bad neighborhoods in NE. But I found the people were extremely nice there. Polite kids who were very curious about our bikes, and really nice helpful people working at the convenience stores. And some kids selling freshly baked cookies.