Help with Trip to Washington DC area

[Jo-Anne]

My DH and I are taking a quick anniversary trip to Washington DC. We're landing in Baltimore on a Saturday morning and will rent a car and most likely travel to Washington to spend 2 days exploring there and then head over to Annapolis/Chesapeake Bay area for another day and fly out on Tuesday am. Does anyone have suggestions on where to stay in both areas? It appears that Arlington has cheaper hotel rates, but is it easy to get into the "tourist" areas? How are the subways - easy to manouever and safe? Are there areas to avoid? Also looking for suggestions for a nice relaxing place to stay near the water in Chesapeake Bay/Annapolis area. Any suggestions would be welcome as this will be our first time in the area. Thanks, Jo

 

[floridaminnie]

My brother lives in DC so we crash at his place when we head up there. Used the subways and they are very easy to use. I'm with my 4 year old so I feel safe.

 

[shortbun]

The subway is fine. I'd stay in D.C. though. Try the L'Enfant Plaza
or the Mayflower. The Radisson near Dupont Circle sometimes
has good rates and is near a good tube stop and restaurants.
Annapolis has wonderful inns downtown and near the water.
They are not cheap but the convenience is important. We stayed
within driving distance but parking was a nightmare right in
Annapolis.

 

[sk8belle]

Jo-Anne:
I live and work in the DC area and can make some suggestions for you. If you are planning to stay in Arlington, try to stay in the areas known as Rosslyn (right across the Key Bridge from Georgetown), Courthouse or Ballston. All of these have hotels that are within walking distance of the Metro. Which, by the way, is very safe, clean and affordable for getting around. I recommend you use it instead of trying to navigate the streets of DC. Trust me, I've been here 10 years and I STILL get lost!
PM me if you have more questions. I'll be more than happy to help you out.

sk8belle

 

[Michelemouse]

We just went to DC a few weeks ago. We stayed at the Crystal City Marriott and it was terrific. It is located right above the Crystal City shopping complex and there was a Metro station right under the hotel. It was just a short Metro ride into the city and we loved the location. Crystal City had lots of restaurants, which was great for us. We spent our days touring DC and then had something to eat when we returned to Crystal City.

Have a great trip.

 

[Jo-Anne]

Sk8belle - I just sent you a PM

Michelle - do you remember how long a subway ride it was from Crystal City to the White House/National Mall area? Also wondering if the airport noise was an issue? One more question - what type of stores are located in the shopping complex? Is this the outlet mall area I"ve heard about? Thanks, Jo

 

[DISshopkeeper]

I just stayed in Crystal City in Feb. Only about 10 minutes on the Metro to the Museums, etc.

Both times I've been there I stayed in Crystal City.

LOVE DC.

Also... do this trolley tour, you can get off and back on all day.

http://historictours.net/acb/showdetl.cfm?&DID=11&ObjectGroup_ID=5&Product_ID=18&CatID=2#popup

 

[Michelemouse]

Originally posted by Jo-Anne
Sk8belle - I just sent you a PM

Michelle - do you remember how long a subway ride it was from Crystal City to the White House/National Mall area? Also wondering if the airport noise was an issue? One more question - what type of stores are located in the shopping complex? Is this the outlet mall area I"ve heard about? Thanks, Jo

It was no more than 10 minutes or so on the Metro and definitely an easy trip. We will definitely stay in the Crystal City area on future trips to D.C.

 

[CEDmom]

We were just down in DC and stayed at the Grand Hyatt. It was a really nice hotel w/i walking distance of all the sites and some great restaurants. There is a metro station inside the hotel. I got a great AAA rate ($119 per night including buffet breakfast) from Hyatt's website. I'd highly recommend this hotel. We've also stayed at the Embassy Suites in Alexandria. That was also nice and located across from the metro.

 

[Christine]

I live in Northern Virginia, work in D.C. and used to work in Crystal City. I always thought that Crystal City would be a really convenient place to stay if one were a tourist to DC. The only real problem I can see with Crystal City is that it may not be any cheaper than staying in DC. Crystal City is really a small maze of predominantly government and contractor office buildings and a few posh apartment buildings and hotels--it is a planned "working" place and caters to business people. If you walk around in Crystal City at nights or on the weekend, it is a bit of a ghost town. But I still like Crystal City and the Crystal City Metro is just across the river from DC and about 1 mile from the Pentagon. VERY close to DC. However, I do think their hotel rates are comparable to DC, so you might as well stay there. But if you do get a better rate in Crystal City, go for it. There are two Marriott's in Crystal City. Be sure to stay in the one mentioned above that is directly over the Metro. The other Marriott, as well as the Hyatt, is on the South end of Crystal City and is quite a hike to the Metro. There are also a few new hotels there that look nice (the Hampton Inn looks new) but it is also a short walk to the Metro. The Hilton is also too far but I'm sure that all of the hotels offer free shuttle service to the Metro. I used to work in building that overlooked the runway at National (Reagan) Airport and noise was never an issue. Also, I don't believe that Reagan allows flights during the middle of the night like Dulles and BWI do.

The shopping at Crystal City is "nil". There is an underground mall that is small and has a bunch of junk in it as far as I'm concerned. Again, it caters to the working crowds. In the last 2 years, Crystal City has put in many new restaurants, so that is a plus. The Pentagon City Mall/Pentagon Row shopping centers are about 2 miles away--again, the hotel would probably take you there or it would be a short cab ride if you wanted to do some night time shopping. There is also Potomac Yards which has the usual Target, Best Buy, TJ Maxx, etc. That is 2 miles in the other direction. The outlets you refer to are Potomac Mills which would be about 25 miles south of Crystal City.

Hope that helps!

 

[snoopy]

I'd also recommend the Grand Hyatt. I'd recommend staying in D.C. rather than out in the suburbs, particularly during the spring months when its so pretty here in the city. The Foggy Bottom area is really nice too, and away from the touristy part of downtown. There is an Embassy Suites in the Foggy Bottom area that another DISer stayed when she visited last year that she really enjoyed - you might consider there.

I work in Arlington -- I'd be real hesitant to take a chance on a hotel here if I didn't know the name of the hotel (i.e., Priceline). There are some nice hotels and then there are some that are pretty scary looking. I know the Hilton Garden and the Rossyln Hyatt are two decent hotels in Arlington though.

Wherever you stay, be sure its near a metro stop. Its the only way to get around in D.C., you don't want to drive if you aren't familiar with the area (and even then you don't..... )

Annapolis is beautiful, you'll love it there. As someone else mentioned, parking is a complete nightmare there. If you can stay right in downtown Annapolis you are best off. We've never stayed overnight since we live fairly close, so I can't recommend a hotel. If you like pubs, a fun one to go to in Annapolis is McGarveys. For fine dining, try the Chart House - yum! We might just have to go to the Chart House this weekend now that I am thinking of it.

Any questions, feel free to PM me as well!