Washington DC Vacation?

[Matt Meiser]

My mad dash out of Norfolk ahead of Andrea this week which resulted in a layover at Reagan and that got me thinking that its time to start preliminary planning for next year's vacation to DC. We're thinking a week, driving which can be done in a day (we drove home-Williamsburg in a day 6 or 7 years ago, towing a camper which we won't be doing this time.) We want to see all the usual mall-area sights, the zoo, Arlington, and who knows what else at this point.

I was looking at hotels in DC proper vs close suburbs like Arlington and Alexandria and I'm wondering whether stay in DC and using little ground transport vs staying out and needing to travel into DC would be better? I prefer to stay at Hilton properties for loyalty points reasons. No way I'll accumulate enough points to pay for this but might as well get the points from this to pay for misc weekend trips or whatever.

Doing some preliminary looking, this could easily be as expensive as our Disney Cruise a couple years ago. Any suggestions?

[Curt Fuller]

I've ventured into DC on two trips. The first time I stayed about 90 minutes away near Harrisonburg Va., flew into Dulles. One day we tried to drive into the DC area and were really frustrated by being lost, stuck in traffic, and incredibly expensive parking. Seemed like we spent most of the day in the car not having much fun. The next day we drove to the farthest out Metro station, I forget the name, parked the car and took the metro into and around the city. Being from a smaller town with no mass transit anywhere near that complex it was a little confusing but also a fun new adventure. We saw a ton of places and had a great time. On the second trip we stayed at the Washington Marriott. Flew into Reagan, took a cab to the hotel, and the Metro station was in the downstairs area of the hotel. It was a little pricey but we didn't have to rent a car, didn't have to pay to park, and spent the entire trip doing the things we went there for rather than driving and sitting in traffic. Well worth it in my opinion. If I take a third trip I'll do it that way again.

[Stephen Cherry]

If you want to see some airplanes, the air museum at Dulles airport is the place to go. Old town Alexandria, which is pretty nice, has a Hilton, right next to King street metro. When the time comes, let me know, I could take you for a boat ride on the Chesapeake, or Potomac, if schedules allow. As for the costs, it may not be too outrageous. The zoo is free, as are the museums on the mall. Plus, there are tons of decent places to eat for low money. Chowhound could help you map out some places.

Mount Vernon is right down the river form Old Town.

[Lee Schierer]

Matt, don't be afraid to use the subway/train system to get into town. It is fast, clean and safe and pretty easy to use. There are Subway personnel that will help you decide what tickets you need. Parking in the Mall area in the peak tourist months is a hassle. You have to move your car every few hours to avoid getting a ticket and they do ticket out of town cars regularly. Using the trains will let you stay further out and save some money on hotels and still get to see the sights. I highly recommend the Dulles Air & Space Museum, The Natural History Museum, The National Archives, the Capital tour and the White House Tour (get in touch with your local Representatives and get the VIP tickets for the White House if they are still offered.)

[David Weaver]

Ditto on the metro, that's how I'd get into town. I can't help on where to stay, but I grew up north of there a little bit and it was always a piece of cake to get into town by driving down to bethesda and taking the metro in. Far better than driving in.

You can get lost around there if you're driving, and the police will literally pull you over and ask you what you're doing in certain neighborhoods, and help you find your way out.

The metro is clean and safe and works like it should ever time I've been on it.

[Bruce Wrenn]

The METRO is the way to go. About eighteen years ago, we took two oldest grandsons to Washington for a few days. Stayed at the end of the line. It's a pleasure to look at faces of drivers as you whisk by. On one trip there was one guy sitting in rear most seat of the car, who looked the part of a hoodlum, but when he leaned forward, you could see the badge hanging around his neck.

[Jim Matthews]

I can't add anything to the transit situation.

I will say this - if you're staying in an affordable hotel you can count on
it being over run with kids on their 8th grade tour.

If you can book a hotel that's a little more expensive,
you might actually sleep through the night.

[John M Wilson]

My wife and I took our two (then school-aged) daughters to DC a few years ago and it was a great experience!

Although several folks have said it already, I cannot stress enough the idea to park your car and use the fantastic public transportation.

A book that we found helpful is the "Unofficial Guide to Washington DC (http://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-Guide-Washington-D-C-Guides/dp/0470886072/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370888165&sr=8-1&keywords=unofficial+guide+to+washington+dc+2013)" -lots of handy tidbits of useful information.

I believe we stayed in Falls Church, very near a metro stop. We stayed for a week & still didn't see everything...

[Stan Powers]

If you have the opportunity, walk the mall and by the monuments at night. The crowds are gone, the temperature is lower, and the lighting is spectacular.

Everything has a much different feel and it seems to shrink all the large granite down to human size

[Myk Rian]

Rent Segways. Either that, or walk your arses off.
There are buses that run all over, but we walked most of it.
The Metro is really nice.

We stayed at a hotel on I st I think it was. A little out of the center of things, but they had a bus to take you in.
It was up to you to get back.

[Eric DeSilva]

Rent Segways.

Not cheap, but a whole lot of fun. They will only do the tours for ages 16+, however--don't know if that is a factor. When I did it, oddly, there weren't any tourists in our group--just locals who wanted to rip around on Segways.

[Stephen Cherry]

One thing to consider would be to use google maps to find the Hiltons near the metros. Some will be priced a lot differently than others.

[Phil Thien]

We stayed at One Washington Circle Hotel, which was right across the street from the Metro. At the time (nine years ago, I can't believe it was nine years ago!!!) it was inexpensive and nice. The area was good (on the other side of the block is a Ritz), and you're right across the street from GWU Hospital (can get noisy w/ sirens). The room had a kitchen suite, which saved a lot on meals.

That was an awesome trip. Getting nostalgic.

[Jim Rimmer]

Lot of good comments about using the metro. When my son was in school at the Naval Academy, we would stay in Annapolis and take the train to downtown and get off in front of the Smithsonian. At that time there was also a bus service once you got into the Mall area. Pay one price, get off/on as many times in a day as you want. It made all the tourist spots - Capitol, monuments, etc. You could get off at a spot, spend as much time as you wanted and catch the next bus coming by and it wasn't ever a long wait. Seems like they came by about every 15 or 20 minutes.

[Warren Johnson]

Matt,

From your direction, you would be on Rt 70 and then Rt 270 into the DC area I believe. I would look around Gaithersburg/Rockville area for motel. Both allow easy acces to the "Red Line" metro for a quick ride into DC.

[Greg Portland]

My mad dash out of Norfolk ahead of Andrea this week which resulted in a layover at Reagan and that got me thinking that its time to start preliminary planning for next year's vacation to DC. We're thinking a week, driving which can be done in a day (we drove home-Williamsburg in a day 6 or 7 years ago, towing a camper which we won't be doing this time.) We want to see all the usual mall-area sights, the zoo, Arlington, and who knows what else at this point.

I was looking at hotels in DC proper vs close suburbs like Arlington and Alexandria and I'm wondering whether stay in DC and using little ground transport vs staying out and needing to travel into DC would be better? I prefer to stay at Hilton properties for loyalty points reasons. No way I'll accumulate enough points to pay for this but might as well get the points from this to pay for misc weekend trips or whatever.

Doing some preliminary looking, this could easily be as expensive as our Disney Cruise a couple years ago. Any suggestions?
In additional to the obvious sights I would recommend the National Cryptologic Museum. Also, there are 2 Air & Space museums (one near the mall & the other out near Dulles airport). Both are excellent.

[Doug W Swanson]

Along with all of the other great suggestions you MUST go to Ben's Chili Bowl. Best chili dogs ever!

http://benschilibowl.com/

Enjoy!

[Phil Thien]

The International Spy Museum isn't free, but it is pretty neat.

[Bill Bukovec]

We stayed at the Residence Inn in Arlington. The full breakfasts are free and very well done.

Walked to the train station. It's cheap and fast. Just about all the museims are free.

Museum of natural history and American history, and all others are not to be missed.

Too much to see in one trip.

At night we got food at the Whole Foods near the hotel. At the end of a long day, some wine and cheese really hits the spot.

Bill

[Jim Becker]

I spend a lot of time in the DC area for business...and can tell you that staying downtown is major expensive most of the time. Even the "close-in" surrounding cities/towns can be pretty expensive. The good news is that DC has an excellent Metro system, so don't be afraid to stay farther out as you can take the Metro into the city and get to almost anything you'll want to see...and for pennies on the dollar compared to the cost of parking. Either go someplace in the Fairfax area and use the Orange line out of Vienna or stay up in the Bethesda/Rockville area and enjoy the Red line into town.

The ONLY time I stay downtown is when I take Amtrak instead of driving. And the cheapest rooms are typically double or more than what they are in the 'burbs.

[Dick Latshaw]

What Mr. Becker said.

We lived in the DC area for 7 years. Driving in town is not for the faint of heart. If you don't believe me, try the beltway when it's raining or, better yet, snowing.

Definitely stay in the burbs and ride Metro. You'll save money and stress.

[Scott Shepherd]

What Mr. Becker said.

We lived in the DC area for 7 years. Driving in town is not for the faint of heart. If you don't believe me, try the beltway when it's raining or, better yet, snowing.

Definitely stay in the burbs and ride Metro. You'll save money and stress.

Just to add to that point, I got hung in it yesterday. Took me 90 minutes to go one direction, took me 4 hours to get back. I sat at one stoplight for 9 minutes. That only got me to the next light, where I started the process all over again. If you're not used to serious traffic, and sitting at a dead stand still for 10-20 miles for hours on end, get yourself a hotel where you don't have to drive anywhere. How people live there and drive in that every day is beyond my ability to comprehend. If my 90 minute trip took 120 minutes, I'd shrug it off and write it off to traffic. But 90 minutes into 360 minutes is not one of the more pleasant experiences. I counted 15 miles of traffic, at a dead stop, when I was heading in the opposite direction.