East End

On foot

The Penn Quarter area is easily walkable from the Mall and the museums by walking north through the courtyards of Federal Triangle, past the National Archives. It's an easy walk after sightseeing to get to the shops and restaurants. From the White House, walk east on Pennsylvania Avenue to G, F, or E St. From the Mall, just aim north.

By taxi

It is possible to hail taxis from the street at almost any hour of the day or night, and they are a convenient way to travel relatively short distances. They are also your only alternative to the bus if you are heading west to Georgetown.

By Metro

Metro is the best way for getting into Penn Quarter and Chinatown, the former serviced by the busy Metro Center on the Red, Orange, and Blue lines, as well as Federal Triangle Blue and Orange and Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter Green and Yellow. The Gallery Pl-Chinatown will drop you off right in the heart of the neighborhood at the Verizon Center—use the H St exit for Chinatown.

For the Convention Center, get off at Mount Vernon Square on the Green and Yellow lines. For Judiciary Square in the east, take the Red Line to Judiciary Square.

By bus

The Metrobus system is centered on downtown D.C., but is complex and not well tailored to visitors. There is no central terminal or bus mall. The main lines to be aware of, #31 (http://wmata.com/bus/time...) and #32, #36 (http://wmata.com/bus/time...), runs along Pennsylvania Ave northwest to Georgetown and upper Wisconsin Avenue, as well as southeast to the Mall. Routes #52, #53, and #54 (http://wmata.com/bus/time...) head up 14th St to Logan Circle and U St. MetroExtra (http://georgiaextra.com/i...), is an express bus, running along 7th and then Georgia Ave all the way to Silver Spring.

The D.C. Circulator’s Georgetown–Union Station "Yellow" line runs through the south end of Mount Vernon Square, heading east along Mass Ave to Union Station, and west along K St through the West End and on to Georgetown. The other useful Circulator bus is the Convention Center–SW Waterfront "Red" line, which runs north-south along 7th St from Mount Vernon Square, to the Southwest Waterfront.

By car

The East End is probably the single worst place to drive to in the city. On weekdays and during peak tourist season, street parking is either unavailable, or will take a longer time to find than it would take to ride the Metro here. Most parking garages fill up by 9AM. Downtown traffic jams are frequent and awful. You might find parking on off-hours, or during the winter, but it's almost always easier to take public transport. Take note of garage hours—after they close, you won't be able to get your car.

The main north-south routes are 7th St which turns into Georgia further north, as well as I-395 from Virginia, which terminates east of the Convention Center. Major east-west routes include H St, which runs through Chinatown, and of course Pennsylvania Ave. Crisscrossing the area on diagonals through Mt Vernon Square are New York Ave and Massachusetts Ave. The latter, as well as H St, offer a fun game—trying to stay on either is something like riding a bucking bronco.