Timeline
15:39
Grab a slice of steak, mushroom, and gruyère pie from Pie Shop. It is open until midnight on weekdays, so you have plenty of time before the sun goes down. The slice is enough for a proper meal, keeping you energized for the walk ahead.
16:39
Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden
Walk to the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden. The brutalist concrete ring offers a unique frame for the view. Find a spot in the Sculpture Garden facing southwest. You will have about thirty minutes to settle in before the main event.
17:09
Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden
Watch the sun set toward the WSW. The golden light starts at 16:29, but the actual sunset at 17:09 paints the sky in deep hues over the Washington Monument and the water beyond. This is the perfect moment to take in the view from the museum's elevated position.
17:54
Head to Jaleo for a celebratory dinner. It is one of the few spots open late enough to cap off the evening comfortably. Order tapas and wonderful sangria. The restaurant is lively and loud, a perfect contrast to the quiet contemplation of the sunset.
Local tip
The Hirshhorn is open until 10:30 PM on Fridays and Saturdays, but you can access the garden freely during sunset hours. Check the route if you need to navigate from Union Market to the Mall.
Check before you go
- Pie Shop is open Mo-Th 11:00-24:00.
- Jaleo is open Sun Mon 11:30AM-10PM, Tue-Thu 11:30AM-11PM, Fri Sat 11:30AM-midnight.
Built from places in the Wikivoyage guide to Washington, D.C. (CC BY-SA 4.0), with open map data from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).