Any advice on staying a night in Washington DC?

[caitycaity]

you can definitely walk to the smithsonian museums along the mall from that hotel. just walking around the mall is really interesting too - great for people watching. the american history museum is probably the furthest from your hotel, but definitely still walkable.

as for the holocaust museum - i hope you have the time to come back and see it someday when your kids are a little older. i'm pretty well traveled and it's one of the most powerful museums i've ever visited. definitely a do not miss, especially if it is a topic you are interested in.

also, the don't let the lines at the smithsonian museums along the mall worry you too much. they are long, but mostly they move pretty quickly.

hope you have a great time.

 

[hobogary]

The Holidy Inn - Capitol is one block from Air and Space, and as close as you can get to all the Smithsoniun 's (they ring the mall) We have stayed there and would again, Don't think you can find any place better located and not a bad area, dead at night because all the tourists leave the area.. Several eating choices right in the building.

 

[Crazy4mandms]

Thanks hobogary....I finally found a map and it seems close to the museums...if I catch the metro at the L'Enfant station..can i take it directly to the Lincoln Memorial? How about the White House? How long does either take? I think my strategy will be to visit the memorial on Sat then the Smith before we leave on Sunday...avoiding the whole 'rally' at the lincoln memorial altogether.....

 

[mickeyfan1]

If you are driving from FL to NY, I am asssuming that this will be the second night of your trip home? It is a loooooooong ride from WDW to DC, I know, I did it a few times when I lived in the suburbs. If you are only going to be there one night and one day, I think the museums that are around the mall will be almost as much as you can get in in that time frame. The monuments are spread out, it would take at least 1/2 day to do Lincoln, Jefferson, and Washington if you are walking. The Metro is really convenient for getting around parts of town, but you will be walking a lot. I remember many times driving down and trying to park, I was very happy when Metro came out to the VA suburbs!

Have a great trip. Washington, DC is one of the most beautiful places to see at night, too.

 

[Crazy4mandms]

Yes, this will be our second night's stop....Yahoo maps says almost 13 hours from Orlando to DC..I figure I'll drive the majority of it on the first day 8 or 9 hours...then spend the night, drive the rest to DC...probably will hang around DC a bit the next day before finishing the trip (about 6 more hours to home).

A few ??? about the subway system.....would it be feasible to go from the HOliday Inn Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial first, then walk to the Washington Monument then somehow get over to the White House or vice versa? These would be the top 3 things on our 'to do' list for Saturday...then on Sunday visit the Smithsonian Am His museum. I'm just not sure by looking at the map how truly spread out these things are and how the metro system works. Any help on a way to go about these attractions would be appreciated!!!

 

[caitycaity]

if I catch the metro at the L'Enfant station..can i take it directly to the Lincoln Memorial? How about the White House? How long does either take?

there's no metro that is really close to the lincoln. you could walk (it's not really that far), or if you really didn't want to you could always cab it.

from l'enfant, you can take the orange/blue line to mcphereson square to get to the white house.

the metro's website is really helpful:

http://www.wmata.com

ETA: if you wanted to do the lincoln/washington/white house in one day, i would probably metro to the white house, walk form there to the washington, and then walk from there to the lincoln. then either walk back to your hotel (which is sort of far) or cab it.

 

[Crazy4mandms]

that website is incredible!! One last question, then I think I got it...how difficult is it to get a cab (if I choose to at the Lincoln M to the hotel) and how much is fare running?

 

[caitycaity]

it's pretty easy to get a cab on any major street. if you see one coming, just put your hand out and they will stop if they are empty.

dc cabs run on zones, not on a meter. it can be kind of confusing. from the lincoln back to your hotel, you'll probably be in one zone, but it might be two - i'm not sure off the top of my head. anyways, one person, in one zone is $5. if it's rush hour, add another $1. for more than one person, add $1.50 per person. So all in all, it would probably run you somewhere around $10. it's confusing, i know.

i did a google search and found this article, which might explain it a little better.

http://www.thehoya.com/guide/102403/guide4.cfm

if you feel really uncomfortable taking a cab, you can always walk back to mcpherson sq. metro, or walk back to your hotel, it's just a little far, and at the end of the day you might be tired.

 

[Crazy4mandms]

I think I would actually prefer to take a cab...that article was a good resource. I think I'm going to do it exactly as you say....take the metro to the White House, then walk to Washington Monument over to Lincoln Mem then take a cab back to the hotel. The walking will be good for us seeing that we'll be doing alot of sitting in the car on our way to DC from Orlando!!

I am still a bit worried about the crowds from this rally, tho....they are starting to assemble at 10 am (between the smithsonian bldgs no less!!), March down the mall to the Linc Mem at Noon then rally from 1-4. So I was hoping to go to the Smith at 11 am for a few hours then get the heck out of town before the rally ended at 4 (pull out at 3)!!! I can't imagine the traffic after that!!

What's my best way from the Holiday Inn Capitol heading North towards NY? Any secrets?

 

[TxJasmine]

I know that there are many people who will totally disagree with me - but we did take our 7 and 8 year old children to the Holocaust Museum. We were very nervous about the permanent exhibit, but decided that we would just leave if it was too much for them. We did not watch any of the movies, but for the most part, the exhibit did not have any very graphic pictures. We avoided a few things, but the kids were able to handle the rest.

One of the best parts of the museum which does not require a ticket is Daniel's Story. It is geared toward children and is a truly excellent exhibit.

 

[Crazy4mandms]

Tx, my kids have a very good grasp of the Holocaust as it is.....even my 8 yr old....unfortunately, it is an intense experience to understand the Holocaust and that's why i hesitate....but if i can steer clear of anything too intense and too graphic then I would like to go for it....They've seen my textbooks when i took the course, seen some of the pics, know the truths...that's important to me..that's why i dedicate myself to the study of history..to understand so things are not repeated...I am thinking this is how the museum is set up..not just one horrific 'sideshow', but a sort of a quest for understanding? How did ur kids react after u took them?

 

[TxJasmine]

Crazy4, the museum is indeed set up in a historical way. It starts out with Hitler's rise to power and continues from there. It is set up to be educational.

My kids did not really know much about the Holocaust before we went there. I believe they did learn some things. Both kids asked many thoughtful questions while we were going through the exhibit. I believe that my 8 year old really absorbed and retained what she learned. I think she is ready to read the "Diary of Anne Frank". However, my 8 year old is also a child who reads way above grade level, and also reads many serious books (about polio, etc.) The 7 year old was interested in learning, but I don't think he had the depth of understanding that the 8 year old did. I think it's more a maturity than age issue.

I too think that children should be exposed to history - the good and the bad. We have an obligation to remember the past and honor those whose lives were lost.