Sneak into the National Geographic Cafe: Everyone's Doing It, So You Should Too
Cheap food in the Golden Triangle is only reserved for the safari-jungle-man-photojournalists and writers of National Geographic , in a dorm-style dining hall tucked away in the courtyard of the National Geographic Society building. You need a special card to get in (just like college!), but you can sneak in by waiting until somebody else opens the door.
And believe me, you will be greeted with a paradise of cheap food: 50-cent cherry-filled chocolate cupcakes, homemade moon pies and Oreo cheesecake bars, 99-cent cups of soup and an uber-inexpensive salad bar. Whatever you do, don't rap on the window and motion for a NatGeoster to open the door for you ... that'll give you away.
National Geographic Building, 1145 17th St. NW ( Map )