What would a visit to DC be without an early morning line?

Now that Ford's Theater has added themselves to the mix; we have a full week worth of lines to wait in, if you wish to see the Washington Monument, the Capitol, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and the Holocaust Memorial Museum. With enough advance warning, you can often purchase tickets ahead of time for each of these, but what if you're in town, and still wish to go? Each of them have "day of" tickets reserved, so you can participate in the grand old Washington tradition of waking up early in the morning and standing in line for tickets.

As I've discussed Ford's Theater elsewhere, and the Capitol is its own steaming pile of muck, let's, for now, address the Washington Monument, BEP, and Holocaust. They're all in close vicinity just off 15th St NW. One reader asks:

Our plan was to have myself or my husband get up at the crack of dawn and get in the ticket queue. How early would you suggest to get in line? Do you have any idea of how many same day tickets are available? What time are they usually gone by? Do you have a choice of time slots or do you just get the next available opening? Finally, do you think either attraction is worth the hassle?

The Washington Monument starts handing out tickets at 8:30 am. I would say you should be there at 7 in the Spring and Summer to have a chance, but you might get lucky a bit later. They will generally go right away, and it is first come, first serve for time slots.

BEP and Holocaust only require tickets from March through August. BEP's tickets start at 8:00 and you often can get lucky until 9. I've even had a stroke of luck at 10 am on a busy day, but I wouldn't plan on that. The ticket booth is on 15th ST, the portion that is renamed Raoul Wallenberg Pl. BEP is closed on weekends and holidays.

Holocaust starts handing out tickets just before the Museum opens at 10, outside it's 14th St entrance. Once the initial rush is over, tickets will be distributed at the information desk inside the museum. It's not difficult to get tickets all the way to noon, or even later occasionally. The great thing about the Holocaust tickets is that they can be used any time that day after the time on the ticket. So always book 10:00 am tickets (or as early as possible). Tickets are only for the permanent exhibit, not for general entry into the Museum.

I don't know how many tickets are on hand at each of these place. I've heard that the Monument reserves 30% of them for same day walk ups, but I have no way to confirm that. Does anyone out there in computerland have a better number? The Monument has groups go up in 30 minute intervals while BEP and Holocaust take them every fifteen minutes.

All of these ticket policies give you a timed ticket, for which you can choose from whatever is left.

The last answer, is it worth it, requires a judgment call. I'd say no, but I've been to each of them dozens of times and will likely go many more. Many, many more times. So I might not be the best judge. If you've flown in from Alaska and this is your last crack at Washington, DC, go for it. If you live nearby, come back in the fall. But if I may, let me offer a few suggestions for alternatives:

1. Washington Monument: Unless you have purchased tickets ahead of time, skip it, and head for the Old Post Office. Not quite the same height but less hassle, more room to view on top, and almost never a wait. The Monument is cool, but plan a trip in the fall if it's a must see.

2. Bureau of Engraving and Printing: Honestly, this place is totally resting on their laurels. Personally, I think they were the best game in town for so long, they've become complacent. The best part of this tour is the gift shop, which you don't technically need to be on the tour to go to. Simply go to the front door on 14th St and tell them you would like to go to the gift shop. They'll have you walk through and you can buy all the shredded money you like. The shop is in the old lobby and a impressive room in its own right. They usually have an engraver there demonstrating his craft on an old press, or whatever the technical term is. Frankly, I find chatting with him far more fascinating than watching money being printed, anyway.

3. Holocaust Memorial Museum: You can still enter the building and see the rotating exhibits, the films, and the kid's exhibit, Danial's Story. So if this is something that interests you, and you just miss out on the tickets, go ahead in and look around. The permanent exhibit is, as you might imagine, both gut-wrenching and fascinating, but in the spring and summer it's so mobbed that you can't really immerse yourself in it anyway. Check out the rest of the stuff, still worth it.